LETTERS

NEITHER SNOW NOR RAIN: A lone postal worker makes their way up the middle of 7th Ave. near Sheridan Square during the blizzard that hit NYC on February 23rd, with some parts of the city getting up to 20 inches of snow, making it the heaviest snowfall in the city in almost a decade. Photo by Bob Cooley.

Glue Traps

Glue traps are as cruel as they are ineffective. New York City can choose smarter, more humane policy by banning them.

These devices cause slow deaths. Mice, rats, birds, and other small animals become stuck and die from exhaustion, dehydration, or injuries sustained while struggling to escape. Glue traps are indiscriminate—and they fail to address what draws animals indoors in the first place.

Rodent sightings have already declined as the city has improved trash containment—proof that prevention works. Secured waste and sealed buildings are effective and humane.

How we solve problems says something about who we are. New Yorkers should urge their councilmembers to support the proposed glue trap ban and prioritize compassion and common sense.

Scott Miller, The PETA Foundation

Bissinger

I recently caught up on reading the entire three-part series about Karl Bissinger written by Phyllis Eckhaus, and published last year by The Village View. I no longer live in NYC but knew Karl when I was there in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, working in the peace movement. I was visiting NYC this past November when I happened to see a copy of The Village View and read Phyllis’ last piece in her series on Karl. I just re-found that paper, and looked online to read the prior articles in the series.

Both as a whole and in each of its parts, the series was a wonderful distillation of information about Karl and the heartache of making and then losing him as an older friend. I appreciated very much Phyllis’ insight and skill in communicating her experience of Karl, and their friendship in his last years. Thanks both to her and to the Village View.

Maggie Geddes, Oakland, CA