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| Mail Registration: Democracy jJ May Prevail in N.Y.C. jBY IRENE VAN SLYKELast summer it seemed as it in another few years Democracy would be suspended in New York City. Getting registered to vote was almost impossible. Voting could be extremely frustrating if polls opened up late, machines did not work or polling places were changed at the last minute.The State Legislature did not help either with a %u201c Reform%u201d of the Board of Elections. They thought a ten member part-time Board would be better than a 4 member full-time Board of Elections. The first thing the new Board did was to suspend volunteer voter registration. After considerable pressure and publicity volunteer registration was reinstated but only two weeks were left before the registration closed for the primary. The result was that for example the League of Women Voters registered 5000 people compared to 60,000 the year before.On January 4, 1974, a Federal Court decided that the Bronx, Manhattan, and Brooklyn fell under the Federal Voting Rights Actsince in these boroughs less than 50 per cent of the people voted or are registered to vote.On February 19,1974, about 40 people representing many different organizations went to a public hearing at the Central Board of Elections in Manhattan. Among them were representatives of State Senator Carol Bellamy, District Leader Louise Finney,the Brooklyn YWCA, and the League of Women Voters. They all suggested a massive advertising campaign be conducted by the Board during the summer when volunteer registration will be in full swing and that volunteer registrars be given printed instructions to minimize mistakes. Badillo suggested that the Board come up with a plan for mail registration.The next day Mr. Sclafani, the Board%u2019s President, testified that the Board favored mail registration before the Legislature%u2019s Select Committee on the Election Law.Who knows. Maybe Democracy will prevail after all.n i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i M i i i i i m i i i i i i i m i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i n i i i u i i i i i i i i i i i i i i rProsecuteShopliftersTo the Editor:There are four methadone clinics in the Brooklyn Heights vicinity.The self-perpetuating welfare and drug addict system set up in New York actually forces people to stay on methadone or lose their welfare!People trying to de-toxify are discouraged and forced to take large dosage of methadone in the clinics, two or three times each week. Many of these pitiable people then peddle some of their methadone on the weekends to make extra money, thus perpetuating this disgusting system.The merchants and residents of this area are becoming more and more fearful as %u201c gangs%u201d of these methadone addicts stagger about in the streets of Brooklyn Heights harassing, mugging and shoplifting.(I, as a merchant, have been losing over one hundred dollars each week because of this.) Isn%u2019t it sad - no! an OUTRAGE %u2014 that the city is trying to cover-up the high crime rate in this, its wealthiest and most beautiful neighborhood.I finally have apprehended one of these local pitiables while he was*v* it c tn t*A A im r C1 (VI o tiv /p lU M tig ) w %u00bbv%u00bbw ...w %u00bb W* -r-----worth of merchandise was found on him...as well as price marked items from other shops in the area! As a result, I have pressed charges and have sat for eight hours in the city court just to get an appeamace date for March 4th. Meanwhile the young man involved has been released on his own recognizance. This is an outrage!I ask that the other merchants of Brooklyn Heights get off theirposteriors and also prosecute those that they catch in similar acts. If the word gets out that we are doing this, these people will think more than twice before attempting their thefts.I ask that the two local newspapers, and the merchants of Brooklyn Heights give support in this court appearance. If a public show is made, it would be beneficial to all of us. If one is not shown, the case will probably be dismissed and we will be a prey to these outrages again and again.I ask that you all do what you think is right. Let%u2019s make the Heights a safe and beautiful place to live and trade in, instead of the filth it is turning into.Or do you want to live your lives in fear?HERMAN M. SLATER EARTH RELIGIOUS SUPPLIES INC.Henry StreetNo U nanim ous V o teOn Gowunub SiuiubTo the Editor:We would like to know who has been feeding fiction to Corinne Coleman?As reported in the February 21 Phoenix %u201c The mayor%u2019s Committee for Gowanus Redevelopment with Don Elliott Chairman voted unanimously in favor of a public place designation%u201d for the Gas Company site.According to my notes the vote in Boro Hall last June 13 went as follows: For rezoning from M-3 to R-6: Carol Bellamy, Joe Bruno, Eileen Dugan, Ira Levine, Mike Pesce, Rev. Neville SimmonsSmith, Buddy Scotto, Father George Voilland, and Evan Williams.For referring the matter back to the Mayor without further action: Nick Cam erari, Hugh Carey, Father Anthony Cioe, Thomas Cuite, Joan Hanley, District School Board 15 President Philip Kaplan, James Mangano, Lou Valentino, and Frank Verderame.At that point, and offering the hope that %u201c no record of this vote be kept%u201d Don Elliott then broke the tie by voting against rezoning, thus opening the way to thepresently operating Ferrara Bros Cement plant.Thorton Willett West Brooklyn Interactors 206 Kane St.EDITOR%u2019S NOTE:Thornton Willett is accurate in his description of the voting on the rezoning issue. However, the round that he describes came before the push for %u201c a public place.%u201d He is not talking about what I was citing. Indeed the unanimity in favor of the public place designation may have come about because of a need to consolidate the group which hadL o o m f*m L %u2666 A im * ' t L o o%u00bb* **1 * o** io r* l loi m -u o p m u * v %u00bb u i v t u i u v i io o u v - .C. ColemanLocal Youth ProveFuture Has BegunHere in BrooklynBY JACK FAISONIn 1825 on this very spotGeneral Lafayette hugged theyoung Brooklynites who came togreet him. He was dedicating thenew Apprentices Library andluckily one of the youngsters wasWalt Whitman, the heartwarming occasion was recordedfor history.So started Brooklyn%u2019spreoccupation with those%u201c better days\to have been in the past.The first thing a new look atBrooklyn reveals is a sections%u2019healthy pride in the future ofneighborhoods that make it up.Today's youngsters identify withtheir neighborhoods. From thesethey expect nothing but goodasked about where they live, theanswers talk more of their happyexpectations for the future thanany complaint for the past.Branch libraries are used fivefor one more than they were justten years ago. Brooklyn Arts &Culture Association reportsmore than 300 events of realinterest taking place in thevaried communities of ourborough. The Bronx has had abig month if 30 such events takeplace.1903J W A R E H O U S E A N DEven the brownstonerenovators with their love of oldbuildings are making theirhomes in lovely dwellings fortheir future in Brooklyn. Lessand less do those who have%u201c made it%u201d move to the suburbs.More and more do those who didgo to the suburbs to %u201c escape\want to come back and find theexciting life they left.As the expectations for life inBrooklyn go up, life will change.Retreat into drugs, the excitements of street crime andthe despair that lets us badmouth Brooklyn go down. Thisexpectation will matter morethan increased police protection,brighter street lights, betterhousing and all the rest. Look tothe neighborhood communitiesof Brooklyn. There is where ourfuture has already begun.These are excerpts fromremarks titled \at BRooklyn%u201d , made recentlyat a meeting of the BrooklynRotary Club. Mr. Faison isDirector of Developmentand Communications atPacker Collegiate Instituteon Joralemon Street.S T O R A G E CO. 'illTHE EAGLE WAREHOUSE Si STORAGE CO. OF BROOKLYN30. 32. 34. 36 AND 38 F U L T O N S T R E E TStorage of FurnitureElectric Carpet CleaningSafe Deposit and Silver \\ aullsRacking and Removal of Household floodsI elephone, 400 MainW IL L IA M M VAN ANI1I \\ /'o oh in111 KHI k%u2019 1 I . i l l SNISIIN%u25a0 %u25a0 m i l , , ,, 1 , ,KMIN 1 C %u2019 SSIIIVFROM BROOKLYN EAGLE ALMANAC ! 909 ED!T!'~'N