DATE: Tuesday, September 30, 1997           TAG: 9709300002

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B8   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Letter 

                                            LENGTH:  132 lines

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

NORFOLK

Living in fear in East Ocean View

The city of Norfolk and the Norfolk Police Department must be on an extended break at a doughnut shop somewhere. I thought they had implemented a big plan to clean up Ocean View by beefing up patrol units and ridding the area of prostitution.

I live in the East Ocean View area amidst shacks, bawdy motels and $80,000 to $400,000 homes - and the drugs, prostitutes and drunks are still here. I personally have witnessed at least three prostitutes in one day working my block.

I don't have a vendetta against prostitutes; it is the thugs and the drugs they attract. I take my kid to school early every morning and, wouldn't you know, there was a prostitute in my condo parking lot working a john at the window of his station wagon? Must have been the breakfast special!

I hope to move soon. I am afraid here. I do not go out for walks, nor do I go out at night, especially alone. It is too dangerous. There have been too many recent murders, robberies, muggings and rapes in this area.

Why don't the fat cats at City Hall stop wasting taxpayers' money on exorbitant city salaries and place some of that hard-earned money into ridding neighborhoods of crime and prostitution? Norfolk needs to help Ocean View.

Kimberly Bailey

Norfolk, Sept. 26, 1997

AMPHITHEATER

Too noisy? Take a walk on Boardwalk

Regarding Dennis Borgerding's complaints about sound levels at the amphitheater (news, Sept. 23), I suggest he go into Norfolk for the night for a Tides game, or visit the Oceanfront for a walk on the Boardwalk.

If an area housing 3,000 homeowners averages only three complaints a night, I would say there is something wrong with this picture. Mr. Borgerding should get off his rooftop and stop monitoring every concert. I mean, James Taylor? C'mon!

BRIAN S. COLOMBRITO

Virginia Beach, Sept. 23, 1997

Try sleeping through a concert

I appreciate the attention to the problem of the loud noise from the GTE Amphitheater during concerts and its effects on bordering neighborhoods, but Councilman William W. Harrison Jr. is missing the point by his comment, ``I sat in a lawn chair in (Borgerding's) neighborhood, and I did not find the noise level obnoxious.''

The problem is for the families, children and adults, who go to bed at 9 p.m. and cannot go to sleep for two hours because the music is obnoxious inside their bedrooms.

And, yes, I have also given up calling in my complaints this year.

Wende A. K. Barton

Virginia Beach, Sept. 23, 1997

EDUCATION

Fund-raisers needed for school extras

I'm in charge of fund raising at Fairfield Elementary School in Kempsville this year. I took this volunteer job because no one else came forward to do it and because I care about the children at the school.

As a parent, I want my child to have all of the resources available to obtain a great education. The city and state levels provide the basics, but it's up to us as parents and community members to provide the extras for our children. That is where the fund-raisers come in. They provide books for the library, additional funds for advanced reading programs and school supplies for the needy. Last year, with the excess funds, new curtains were purchased for the cafetorium. The old were dry-rotting.

I am sorry that some parents feel it is a ``headache'' to participate in the school fund-raiser. This is the best gift that I can give my daughters as a parent. We can't expect the government to do everything for us.

Robin Clements

Virginia Beach, Sept. 23, 1997

``PORNOGRAPHY''

Protesters don't know what they're protesting

On Sept. 5, I came face to face with a group of protesters gathered near Barnes & Noble bookstore. I asked one of the banner-carrying young women, ``What's this all about?'' Her answer: ``We want Barnes & Noble to stop selling child pornography.''

Pornography at Barnes & Noble? I was stunned and, in dismay, managed only a weak protest. ``But what's in the books anyway? Have you read them?'' Her retort: ``No, I haven't read them. I never even want to look at anything like that.''

Here was someone who enjoys the freedom and privilege of staging a protest, yet hasn't taken the responsibility to read what she's protesting.

I give the protesters credit for having the passion to act on what they believe. The danger, however, is that too often the individuals involved don't do their homework but let someone else do the thinking and make the choices for them.

Harriett M. Spillane

Virginia Beach, Sept. 14, 1997

NORFOLK RACE

McDonald qualified for commissioner post

It is a rare opportunity for the citizens of the city of Norfolk to have a candidate as qualified as Sharon McDonald run for public office. She is uniquely qualified to be commissioner of the revenue because of her 18 years' experience with financial institutions.

Her extensive community involvement gives credibility to her dedication and commitment to public service.

Vincent J. Mastracco Jr.

Norfolk, Sept. 22, 1997

U.S. HISTORY

Signing of Constitution a date to remember

I was disappointed that your newspaper made no mention of the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17. You did publish the results of a survey of 1,000 people showing that only 19 percent of them knew what year the Constitution was signed. Doubtless, more attention from the press would improve on this low number.

This great document, which has survived for 210 years, was signed in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 1787, at 4 p.m. George Washington was president of the Constitutional Convention. The document had to be ratified by nine of the 13 states before it became law.

Virginia was the 10th state to ratify and North Carolina 12th.

Elizabeth Will

Edenton, N.C., Sept. 20, 1997

MILITARY

Is Navy's focus now welfare or warfare?

Perhaps it was the equivalent of a journalistic Freudian slip in the article ``Other appointments will follow as Navy fills vacancies'' (news, Sept. 25). But in an era when the ``softer-side'' issues - day-care centers, interpersonal relations, etc. - seem to take up as much time and interest as war-fighting preparations, should I be surprised that the office in which I once worked on Navy warfare requirements might now be called the ``resources, welfare requirements and assessments'' directorate?

Frank Dunn

Captain, U.S. Navy (ret.)

Virginia Beach, Sept. 25, 1997

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