Dear fellow white people and more

Letters to the editor July 29 to August 4

Posted 7/28/21

An important detail about life jackets.

Thank you for an excellent article written by Laurie Stuart and Liam Mayo. In the article, Ingrid Peterec, NPS chief of interpretation, mentioned a drowning …

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Dear fellow white people and more

Letters to the editor July 29 to August 4

Posted

An important detail about life jackets.

Thank you for an excellent article written by Laurie Stuart and Liam Mayo. In the article, Ingrid Peterec, NPS chief of interpretation, mentioned a drowning on June 18 and cited an improperly fitted life jacket as being involved (www.bit.ly/3eXq24c). 

My dear friend, Immac Thampoe, drowned on June 18, 2021 in a kayaking accident near Port Jervis, and we are all still in shock and grieving.  There has been an abundant outpouring of sympathy and intentions to help the family as well as memorialize this great man. One of the ideas is to initiate a grassroots effort to adopt better safety regulations for life-jacket wearing on the Delaware River. Many of the vest-type jackets do not properly support the wearer’s head above water in case of unconsciousness. Type 1 and Type 2 PFD do support the head, but are not required or may not be commonly available at kayak rental shops on the river. Is anyone at River Reporter already involved with this and is there interest in being involved with legislative efforts to improve river safety?

Thank you very much for your article and consideration.

John Kupsch, friend of Immac “Casey” Thampoe

Port Jervis, NY

To the Tusten Town Board,

Regarding the executive order (202.1) signed by Gov. Cuomo in late June of 2021 (www.on.ny.gov/3i7ncMd), why is the Tusten town board discontinuing remote digital meetings via Zoom?

Nowhere in the order does it state that public meetings via telephonic methods cannot continue to be available as a service by the town in conjunction with the regularly scheduled live town board meetings.

It would seem to me that after 16 months of holding remote meetings via Zoom, the technology exists and it has been used with success.

In addition, this technology has become a benefit for all residents who cannot physically attend a town board meeting due to physical disabilities, time constraints and many other reasons.

The best government is open, transparent and available for all those residents that wish to either observe, be informed or participate in the affairs of their town.

Anthony Ritter

Narrowsburg, NY

Dear fellow white people,

Four hundred years ago, we white Europeans started to settle in North America. Soon, whites both in the northern and southern colonies started buying and enslaving Black people from Africa. They worked them hard with no monetary compensation, meager living conditions and cruelty. It was then and is now a caste system echoing in its unique way the ancient caste system of India. 

In our American caste system, we whites think ourselves superior to people of color. We white people think we are superior to Black people in every way, therefore we should run the show or there will be trouble—perhaps violence as on January 6. This and other mistaken ideas have been acculturated into us from birth and they have caused so much deprivation and suffering for those not at the top. 

I am asking you to look inward/outward and when finding negative or oppressive feelings towards people of color, drop them. In the same way when you see structural racism, speak out to those who can change it and, if you can, take action yourself. End the silence. Speak out.

Tim Shera

Liberty, NY

life jackets, drowning, Tusten town board, Zoom meetings, systemic racism

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