Letters to the Editor | June 30, 2024

This is the place As a business owner, longtime resident of the city, and Sixers fan I couldn't be more in support of the 76 Place arena proposal. This is the most convenient location in our entire region for transit and walking. It is refreshing for a local institution like the Sixers to double down on the city's strength in this regard and use our existing and underutilized infrastructure rather than catering to the convenience of suburban drivers. Center City retail is in transition from shopping to more entertainment and hospitality, meaning experiences that can't be replicated online. Turning an underperforming mall into a live entertainment complex fits perfectly.

This is a great opportunity to link the Convention Center area with the tourist attractions farther down Market Street. As it is, this walk can leave a subpar impression on our visitors. The proposal also includes 395 new apartments, and any opportunity to add housing should be embraced. I also think we need to consider the alternative, which is a struggling mall in a prominent location that has the potential to become a white elephant. Approving 76 Place is a no-brainer for our city if you value our transit system, walkability, and our future as a downtown entertainment and tourism hub.

Harrison Finberg

Anchor it In 2005, my daughter, Katie, was a beautiful 3-year-old relaxing on the floor of her brand-new bedroom, enjoying some puffed cheese snacks. Then, we heard a large slamming noise across the house. Katie had been crushed by a wardrobe that had tipped forward. Though empty, its 100-pound weight came down on her. If it had been anchored to the wall, it would have saved Katie's life. She would have been 23 this July.

What happened to Katie spurred our family into action. We created the Katie Elise Lambert Foundation to keep her memory alive, and to implore parents across the country to anchor their TVs and furniture. Stunningly, the Consumer Product Safety Commission found that a child is treated in an emergency department after a tip-over every 53 minutes . The federal government is now acting, catalyzed by the advocacy efforts of myself and a network of parents who are a part of Parents Against Tip-Overs . But the immediate work starts at home, with all of us. It will take just a moment to keep your kids safe, so don't delay — anchor it .

Bob Lambert

A warning Project 2025 outlines the agenda for a second Donald Trump presidency that should scare us all. It would defund the Department of Justice and dismantle the FBI, the Department of Social Security, and the Departments of Education and Commerce. It would deregulate industries, prioritizing functions and enabling corporations to make money at our expense. It would remove career civil service workers deemed disloyal and replace them with aligned conservatives. It would criminalize the delivery of abortion pills through the mail, dismantle federal climate and environmental policies, and include a citizenship question in the census to impact congressional apportionment and the Electoral College. This divisive, authoritarian agenda would upend our democracy, create an even larger gap between those with extreme wealth and those with limited means, and would stifle the quest for equal opportunity and equal justice for all Americans. It is time for action. Preserving democracy is not a spectator sport. Get involved, please, and vote!

Anne B. Zehner