Public Comment

Not Troubled In the 50's 

Ted Friedman’s 3/2 article on Telegraph Ave. quotes Steve Finacom as saying, ”…the Avenue has always been troubled”.. 

Not so; as a past President of the Berkeley Historical Society he should know better. Prior to the Free Speech rallies and Governor Reagan’s overreacting teargassing of Telegraph Ave, Teley was fine. Fraser’s, Sather Gate Books, Gramophone Shop, Blake’s and many more – all pleasant premises with a broad range of customers. Or perhaps earlier, when the Student Union building took over the block before Sather Gate and we lost Jules, Creed’s, Roos Bros. (which had to move to Bancroft), White Log and other reasonably well-behaved premises of bygone Cal life. 

Cy Silver 

The Village is fine; the economy is not. Maintain some sort of justice for offsetting rips, assaults, and walk off kidnappings, shrieks of pandemonium in one or more of the apartments, allowable dirty bomb and pandemic exchanges: maybe somebody will admire the new lighting and see the clean-uped environment. Thanks for that. 

Santa Monica's 3rd Street is just as quiet as much of the time; inspite of a beach rides pier, Oceanside waltz and 25 times the population, and a rebuilt shopping mall at the other end (recently rebuilt for increasing business). They also have store rips, blackmail topped with assault escapades in the smaller places; AND blaring music from off key mutants looking for a reality series. How would students study? Regardless, it’s the same small village, except with prices for competing in a real estate buyers' market. 

Stores can be seen - Eddie is the best (wham!). No customer wants to crawl around greed-keep the 3 feet. Eliminate the street vendors; you will have a sleeper stretch. Bums-real clusters-that is "Issue Impossible." We need justice (not strong arms), cleanliness and varied individualism; otherwise we have snots, rips and snotty bums. 

Michelle Trahan