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EditorialsSide-Stepping Isn't the AnswerNew York City%u2019s so-called J-51 tax abatement program-basically, abatements for commercial to residential development--has come infor plenty of criticism lately. Some of that criticism seems to uswarranted, while much of it is not; like any other city program created toappease any number of ills, it must be expeditiously applied on anindividual basis while keeping a cautious eye toward the overall,cumulative, city-wide effects.It seems to us that one local application does deserve criticism.Blitman Construction Company, which has long sought to convert FortGreene%u2019s derelict Mohawk Hotel to rental units, seems to be using the J51 plan as a legal %u201cout%u201d of a tight situation. When it was first proposed,the community actively opposed the project on a number of grounds,most particularly because it was anxious to see the Mohawk become acooperative venture. Largely on the basis of that vociferous anddetermined community response, the Blitman plan was rejected by boththe City Planning Commission and the Board of Estimate. Thecommunity was granted a year%u2019s time to attempt to put together a co-opplan for the Mohawk and urged to cooperate with Blitman in finding anew structure in the neighborhood for his proposal.Now, as our news story this week relates, Blitman has abandoned thespecial federal tax abatement program it originally planned to use as partof its financing package and is, instead, opting for J-51. Although J-51applications are not approved until after construction is completed, theprocess usually involves some sort of community review. Unfortunatelyfor the community, fortunately for Blitman, in this case--because of whatthe city%u2019s Housing Preservation and Development Agency (HPD) calls a%u201ctechnicality%u201d--no such review is necessary.All indications are that the Blitman project will be %u201cofficially%u201dapproved. Merits of the project aside, we think it an unfortunate andopportunistic use of a J-51 %u201cloophole.%u201d Side-stepping the community soblatantly serves no ultimate good end.Saund Of# F t o P d b a e k f r o m R o a d o r oTicketingEnforcement?On October 11 at 8:15 a.m. 76 workers%u2019 ears were ticketed on Van Brunt Street by Pier 9. Except for 8 cars at 11 p.m. on October 5, no cars had been ticketed in this area since last May.In recent years the increased volume of container shipping has forced pier workers who formerly parked on the piers to park on the street. The parking regulations in this area date from the early 60%u2019s when they were still living and going business between Van Brunt, Degraw, Columbia, and Kane Streets, since largely demolished.Last June 11 this Association recommended to the Boro Engineer that the vacant land be used for additional parking space. On July 27 the Chairman of City Planning indicated that possibly the problem had been solved. At a community m eeting on October 10 attended by Marilyn Gerber of Brooklyn City Planning the importance of worker parking to the surrounding neighborhoods was recognized.The ticketing was done by \not by the 76th Precinct.Suddenly, after months of inaction, someone doesn%u2019t know the difference between enforcement and harassment. -Thornton Willet, Co-Chairman, Kane St. Block AssociationUnfair to DaughtryI%u2019m not usually the one to take up cudgels on behalf of the church, much less for an opportunist like the Rev. Daughtry, but all this squabbling over his personality and his rudeness at the Antic obscures the basic issue here: Koch%u2019s behavior that day in disturbing the service, when contrasted with the city%u2019s solicitous regard for the rights of the Lubavitchers, does indicate a certain amount of racism in the city government and in particular in Koch%u2019s administration.Blanche Bernstein, his Human Resources Commissioner, is the first such in this city%u2019s history to assert that %u201cthe poor have enough now%u201d%u2014including a princely 85 cents per person per day for food. And if Koch%u2019s attitude towards human rights in general was ever in doubt, he settled those doubts when he appointed Isaiah RobniSUU io head i.ue Human wignis Commission%u2014Robinson, a man whose major contribution in his years on the Board of Education was to suggest the use of astrology as a diagnostic tool in the school system.It%u2019s true that Daughtry's response to the situation was irrational, but irrationalresponses often come from people who haven%u2019t gotten anywhere giving rational ones. We elected a mayor who was clear in his preference for confrontation politics; we have no right to complain about the enemies he makes.%u2014Martin Schlesinger, 16th StreetL.J. PrejudicedI have rarely read such a prejudiced unpleasant articles as L.J. Davis%u2019 on the Witnesses. I suppose everyone is entitled to his or her prejudices, but they should not be aired in print. I am sure you would not write such an article about Catholicism or Judiasm or any other religious belief which had the clout to make things unpleasant for The Phoenix. It reminds me of the articles which in an earlier day used to be written about %u201c Papism.%u201d This just won%u2019t wash anymore, and Davis%u2019 taste must be questioned for writing it, and yours, for printing such a %u2014 to use his term %u2014 bummer.Barbara Harrison can certainly write about her experiences as a Witness, but this should not encourage reviewers to spew forth their half-baked prejudices.No I am not a Witness. No, none of my best friends are Witnesses, although I have known and respected people who were. But I do have a funny old-fashioned belief that people%u2019s religious convictions should be respected %u2014 unless they use them to constrain the liberties of others %u2014 and that if you can%u2019t say anything decent about someone else%u2019s religion, you might well keep your big mouth (or typewriter) shut. - Joan Cassell, Monroe PlaceKudos to Nino!Kudos to Mr. Nino Pantano for his fine article %u201c A Ramble Through the Past and Present on %u2018Parascourt%u2019 %u201d which appeared in the Oct. 5 issue of the PHOENIX. His kaleidoscopic and vividt account of the culinary and other delights found on Court St. does poetic justice to this renowned street. Mr. Pantano%u2019s wonderfully descriptive writing gives to Court St. the charisma of an Oriental bazaar out of the Arabian Nights.Please have more articles by this well-skilled and graphic writer, as I eagerly look forward to reading the PHOENIX for his fine material-Robert Calderaro, Shamn St.I Had MoreJust a note to thank you and your staff for the attention shown to my exhibit at L.I.U.As for the lack of %u201c quantity%u201d on display you might find it instructive to learn that originally I had planned to show twelve works in order to indicate the three mediums in which I most frequently work and to present them in thematic groupings. I therefore designated four large paintings in oil, four drawings in watercolor and four screen prints to be shown.A week before the show was scheduled to open (and one week after the invitations had been received from the printer and mailed out) I had to withdraw all four oil paintings from the projected show because the university%u2019s insurance policy could not cover them. So there were, in fact, no paintings in my recent exhibition at L.I.U. at all.And, at the last minute, just after hanging the show it was discovered that one of the two remaining screen prints was an inch too short in each of its dimensions and therefore could not be covered by theuniversity%u2019s insurance policy. As I was not the owner of the work in questions it was not my right to assume the risk of hanging it uninsured: and so that print too was removed.Thus the exhibit came to contain only five drawings in watercolor and one screen print. Five works instead of twelve. And, of course, an insufficient amount of pictures to adequately demonstrate the thematic serialization which is one of the unique characteristics of my style.Certainly L.I.U. cannot be blamed: the very fact that they have an insurance policy indicates that they are seeking to protect the artists who exhibit there.And although my own intentions and interests were purely didactic, due to circumstances beyond the artist%u2019s control, the exhibition did not work out as planned.I offer the above neither as excuse nor defense but rather as a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the not unusual ways in which exhibits come about - through planning, regulations, and accidental availability.In any case, I was delighted that so many people wanted to see more of my work and hope that you and your readers will avail yourselves of that opportunity when I have a one man show of paintings and drawings at the Caymen Gallery in Soho in January of 1979 - circumstances permitting.-Ned Truss, Atlantic Avenue.DistortedBlack FrontThe mass media has tried to distort the character of the Black United Front headed by Reverend Daughtry with inuendos that the group is anti-Semitic. Members of our group, the Park Slope Forum, have attended meetings of the Black United Front, read its literature and spoken with its leaders. We have found these inuendos to be false%u2014another divide and rule tactic. We believe the Black United Front is a positive force which can be supported by all people who want fair play%u2014white as well as black.%u2014Paul Feingold, Sanford Leff, Sharon Peters, Fayette Richardson, Jack Urich, Park Slope ForumYou Missed SomeWe appreciate your recent review of our exhibit of drawings and one print by Ned Truss. It was a small display of his work. However, we had another exhibition in our Humanities Gallery. Chaim Tabak, also a nrookiyn a n isi, is exhibiting drawings anu paintings. Indeed, a trip to Long Island University to view an exhibition usually means visiting our three galleries, for the Salena Gallery is utilized for exhibitions (not used when you were here).%u2014Joyce T. Druker, A ssistant to the Director of Exhibitions, Long Island UniversityOctober 19,1978, THE PHOENIX, Page 5