Please tell me, when did we become insensitive to spitting, loud foul language, littering, people possessing stolen property (I don’t recall Price Chopper having a shopping cart sale), riding bikes on sidewalks, public drinking and other quality-of-life infractions? When, exactly, did it become acceptable to walk into traffic, against the light, and slowly meander across the street, stopping all traffic in the process? When did it become fashionable to simply drop cigarette butts and other trash onto the sidewalk? It is time for law enforcement to stop turning a blind eye to these offenses and start issuing tickets to the offenders. I know the argument is that police have far more important things to do, but I vehemently disagree. Studies suggest that when these “quality-of-life” infractions are addressed, other major crimes actually decrease. New York City is a prime example. When police actually started writing tickets for these infractions they found that, more often than not, the perpetrator had outstanding warrants for other, more serious offenses. Let’s call these inconsiderate slobs what they are. The rest of us deserve better.
TOM LAWRENCE Schenectady The writer is proprietor of Lennon’s Irish Shop.
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