Readers sound off on improving child welfare, Daniel Penny’s charges and the WNBA

Old mistakes won’t marque susceptible kids safer

Manhattan: Re “The decease of Jahmeik Modlin” (editorial, Oct. 18): The Daily News calls for caller efforts to trim kid deaths from maltreatment and neglect, but advances faulty solutions that person already been shown not to work.

The archetypal proposition is to spot New York City nether court-mandated monitoring, which helped overhaul the New Jersey kid payment agency. However, information shows that 10 years of monitoring had nary effect connected kid maltreatment fatalities. Second, portion noting that “no 1 should privation the authorities to prosecute successful overzealous removals of children,” the Editorial Board asks, “But erstwhile does the pendulum plaything back?” This falsely implies that expanding foster attraction removals would trim kid deaths. In fact, New York City information shows that reducing foster attraction has not enactment children astatine greater risk.

What is known astir kid information is that heightened quality sum of uncommon and horrific outlying cases causes “foster attraction panics” that traumatize children done unwarranted household separation but bash not trim fatalities. In addition, probe suggests what tin help: bolstering wide anti-poverty strategies. When states trim kid poverty, according to dozens of studies, kid maltreatment, foster attraction entries and fatality rates each drop. With a precocious kid poorness rate, New York City is overspending connected investigations due to the fact that it is under-investing successful children.

As the Daily News notes, New York City has seen “too galore families torn isolated for insufficient origin implicit the years.” The metropolis should not spell backward utilizing tools that dependable similar communal consciousness but person proved to fail. Nora McCarthy, enforcement director, NYC Family Policy Project

Where were they then?

Commack, L.I.: How is it imaginable that this pistillate (Nytavia Ragsdale) has 4 children and, according to her family, has intelligence wellness issues, yet not 1 of them physically visited her? Yet, connected leafage 5 of Tuesday’s insubstantial (“Ma blames kid services,” Oct. 22), the podium is packed with household members blaming ACS. John Flanagan

Different defense?

Lindenhurst, L.I.: Why is Daniel Penny being raked implicit the coals for defending himself and a subway car afloat of radical portion Jordan Williams had charges against him dropped erstwhile helium defended his woman against Devictor Ouedraogo, who was bothering her. Williams had a concealed limb (a knife), which helium utilized to termination the different man. He brought a weapon to what should person been a fistfight (proudly proclaiming, “I conscionable stabbed that [n-word], you spot him leaking?”). Penny did not person a weapon, lone his grooming arsenic a U.S. Marine. He wasn’t conscionable defending himself, helium was defending everyone connected that train. No weapons, conscionable making definite the concern didn’t escalate. Williams pulled retired his weapon and killed idiosyncratic successful defence of his girlfriend. No indictment. So, what americium I missing? L. Pastore

Not a crime

Whitestone: I don’t judge that Daniel Penny volition beryllium convicted of immoderate crime. Some jurors whitethorn adjacent urge that helium get designation for taking enactment to support straphangers who were threatened by the psychotic Jordan Neely. Penny wasn’t trained successful the dangers of chokeholds, truthful helium shouldn’t beryllium held accountable for a maneuver that has been utilized everlastingly to restrain convulsive people. I judge helium was acting arsenic a Good Samaritan, and I deliberation it’s a disgrace that nonsensical governmental correctness (following the George Floyd case) has led prosecutors to dainty him arsenic a criminal. Dorothy Lyons

Mail thieves

Manhattan: I was connected my aboriginal greeting locomotion portion it was inactive dark, connected Third Ave. successful the 90s, erstwhile I came upon 2 young boys successful acheronian covering lasting successful beforehand of 2 mailboxes. At archetypal I naively thought they were mailing things, past realized they were stealing mail. They were wearing masks, and 1 had a bladed strap helium was shimmying down the message chute that indispensable person had immoderate adhesive astatine the end. I watched him propulsion up a ample envelope the mode you’d retrieve coins from a grating. They turned and saw me. “What are you doing? You’re stealing, aren’t you?” I brazenly oregon stupidly said, the longtime New Yorker that I am. “God forbid you get caught. It’s the United States Postal Service. You’ll spell to jail!” Before leaving, I said, “What would your mothers say?” I aboriginal realized they could person changeable maine successful the back. When did the Upper East Side go dangerous? Susannah Bianchi

Shunned league

Brooklyn: The New York Liberty wins the WNBA title aft a play of spectacular games, yet the squad doesn’t complaint a backpage photograph oregon header successful the Daily News successful my variation of the Monday paper. Instead of celebrating a New York squad that really wins, there’s a representation of Saquon Barkley, who doesn’t adjacent play for New York and whose squad decimated the N.Y. Giants connected Sunday! The lone notation of the Liberty was connected leafage 36. It’s atrocious capable that each play long, fans had to scour the backmost pages for WNBA stats, dissimilar the baseball, shot and hoops accusation that is printed connected a afloat leafage successful bold letters. The WNBA is present to stay, and I suggest you commencement showing the due respect. Vera Badamo

Free agent

West Orange, N.J.: I’ve been watching the WNBA since the archetypal tipoff. Every twelvemonth since, the league has gotten amended and much competitive. This past play was 1 of the best. Now that the NBA is starting its season, is determination immoderate accidental Courtney Williams tin tally constituent defender for the Nets? Lonnie Bond

Doesn’t compute

Carle Place, L.I.: Voicer Maria Bonsanti suggests the Yankees are adjacent to a three-peat against the Dodgers, though successful antithetic millennia, overlooking the 1981 World Series won by the Dodgers successful six games. Thus, her reasoning is specious, null and void. Rudy Rosenberg

Terminal condition

Stanfordville, N.Y.: Voicer Wendy Jackson has eloquently and accurately portrayed the Gaza/Hamas issue. I person to adhd that I person been reasoning the occupation intimately resembles my mother’s encephalon crab diagnosis: When we heard simultaneously that her crab was inoperable, we instantly asked why. The doctors described the glioblastoma arsenic “sand successful Jell-O.” That’s precisely however I presumption Hamas with the Palestinians. My parent died. Gaza is besides dying. Sand successful Jell-O. Marcie L. Waterman

Enigmatic loyalty

Bronx: I don’t recognize however radical tin inactive beryllium supporting Donald Trump for the presidency. The antheral mislaid the 2020 predetermination and refused to admit it. His ain advisers told him helium lost. He tried to instrumentality implicit the state by unit — the nonstop explanation of an insurrectionist. These radical who enactment him are not taking into relationship that helium was ignoring the volition of the radical of the United States. Not lone that, but person we forgotten that helium is simply a convicted felon? Every clip I spot a Trump emblem connected someone’s beforehand porch, I wonderment what’s going connected successful that person’s head. David Gonzalez

Mind control

Itasca, Ill.: Our COVID-19 lockdown had an eerie “The Twilight Zone” consciousness to it. I consciousness that mode astir Trumpism. I’ve wondered however I’d explicate Trumpism to radical similar my parents, who died agelong earlier Trump’s emergence to the White House. Today, I’d simply nonstop them to “It’s a Good Life,” a 1961 “Twilight Zone” occurrence astir an evil 6-year-old boy, Anthony, who has unthinkable intelligence powers but perfectly nary consciousness of humor. He uses these powers to support his household and neighbors successful enactment and lone deliberation “happy thoughts.” No 1 tin deliberation for themselves lest they incur dreadful punishment from the mean — immoderate mightiness accidental narcissistic — boy. Their well-being depended connected them obeying his each command. I’d counsel my parents to ticker the episode, imagining successful spot of Anthony, a caustic 78-year-old antheral successful perpetual tantrum mode. “That, ma and dad, is Trumpism.” Jim Newton

Reckless surrender

Brooklyn: If Trump is elected again, it volition beryllium due to the fact that Americans person mislaid their consciousness of belonging to a nine wherever radical thin connected each different successful hard times and erstwhile crises call. When the wannabe dictator is re-installed with the assistance of the greedy GOP, helium volition decorativeness his quest for autocracy and springiness the spoils to the billionaires to whom he’s beholden. Once his goals are realized, the GOP and the Supremes volition region him via the 25th Amendment and enactment the young JD Vance successful complaint to preside implicit the full fleecing of state successful America. Ed Temple