While I agree with much of Brian Broome's Oct. 11 op-ed on Dave Chappelle, I think he ultimately misses the main point that Chappelle was making: that "canceling" someone's career because of a point of view is a dangerous strategy for advancing justice, especially when oppressed groups do it to each other.
I've always liked Chappelle's mix of humor and social commentary, and sometimes he can be unfairly hurtful, as he is a few times in his latest effort. But as a gay man who has been "canceled" myself from time to time for my views, even within the LGBTQ community, I think he's justified in challenging us to be more tolerant. There are ways to educate the DaBabys of the world that are more effective than trying to end their careers.
David Fair, Philadelphia
Empty desks bear witness
The gun violence impacting the school and students at Simon Gratz Mastery Charter School (Oct. 10) is tragically overwhelming. That the comprehensive approach of the principal, Le'Yondo Dunn, is needed to confront this epidemic is also overwhelming. I praise his efforts. As a student in the '50s, I would never have been able to imagine that a high school principal would have to confront gun violence as the major issue at their school.
Joel Chinitz, Philadelphia,
jjchin@comcast.net
Public bank solution for
School District borrowing
It's great to hear that the School District of Philadelphia has negotiated a lower interest rate for its $400 million borrowing plan (Oct. 8). But it's worth asking who will benefit from that interest - which comes to a total of $203 million over 25 years. It's not likely that those bondholders will be regular Philadelphia citizens. If we had a public bank, not only could the School District get such low-interest loans, but the interest payments would go back to our own bank, to be lent and lent again - for education, housing, small business, sustainability projects, and more that are currently starved for affordable financing.
Thankfully, Philadelphia, through the legislative initiative of Councilmember Derek Green, is rapidly moving toward creation of such a bank. May it be so, and soon.
Susan Windle, Philadelphia
No harm, no foul shouldn't apply
Recent reports have detailed the lengths Donald Trump went to try to overturn a free and fair election. While many see these attempts as a direct assault on democracy, some on the right argue that "the system worked and he didn't actually succeed in overturning the election." The logic seems to be that since he was not successful, no harm was done. Using that logic, if I point a gun at you and pull the trigger, but do not actually hit you, no crime was committed. Really?
Stefan Keller, Huntingdon Valley
Outdoor eateries must support people with disabilities
On the one hand, I love eating outdoors and was happy to learn that City Council would soon be giving restaurants permission to serve meals outside, at least until June, and perhaps on a permanent basis. On the other hand, I read Fran Fulton and Michelle McCandless' op-ed "Streeteries put people with disabilities at risk" (Oct. 7) and I had second thoughts. It seems to me there might be some room for compromise so that City Council would not only have to approve outdoor eating setups but that approval would have to be based on the extent to which the remaining sidewalk is in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act standards. For example, do restaurants really need two rows of tables - one against a wall and another curbside? SEPTA and the Streets Department have gone to great lengths to accommodate people with disabilities. Restaurants need to join them, and City Council needs to lead the way.
Jean Haskell, Philadelphia,
jean.haskell205@gmail.com
Sliding scale copays
for imprisoned people
Some Pennsylvania residents have been paying the equivalent of a $500 copay to see a primary doctor. The copay for residents of Pennsylvania's state prisons is actually $5, but incarcerated people only make between $0.19 and $0.42 per hour. For someone making $0.25 per hour, $5 requires 20 hours of work. For someone making $25 per hour outside of prison, this same 20 hours of work would earn $500, an unimaginable amount for a medical copay. In May, the Department of Corrections took the important step of suspending the fee. Now, we need a lasting legislative solution. House Bill 1753 would permanently eliminate this unjust barrier to basic medical care for the state's 37,000 incarcerated people. If we choose to imprison people, it is our obligation to treat them humanely. Eliminating the medical copay would be an important step in that direction.
Brian Taussig-Lux, Media,
tlux63@gmail.com
Pass the Freedom to Vote Act
The Freedom to Vote Act - currently stalled in the U.S. Senate - is the most important bill to pass right now. This bill will nullify all attempts to suppress the vote that many state legislatures are now attempting to pass. Extremist state legislators, combined with their fellow extremist U.S. senators, are using the filibuster to block the Freedom to Vote Act. Our country is at a crossroads. We suffered a mob attack on our Capitol on Jan. 6, plus an attempted coup. These authoritarian tactics follow the playbook of Hitler and his Brownshirts. Our politicians need to fix the filibuster, which was not part of the Constitution, now. Fixing the filibuster is the only way to break the extremist senators' hold on this overwhelmingly popular and urgently needed legislation. Our U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey need to act now.
Linda Lempert, Elkins Park