April 27 Letters to the Editor
I'm writing to express my support for Carrie Petit Compere and her story on Broadway. As a Trenton native I know firsthand the perception that the city gives off.
I am a Nottingham High School graduate and went to NJIT in Newark for 2 and a half years. Transferring to New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, I can tell you that seeing what the media mostly puts out about Trenton from a distance is quite misleading. According to areavibes.com the overall Trenton, NJ crime rate is 76% higher than the New Jersey Average and 19% higher than the national average. Having lived there, you see a lot of things that are not supposed to be seen when you are at such a young age, but that becomes the normal. It becomes such a habit that it seems correct, considered right and not wrong. Ethics are misconstrued and it plays a trick on your career, life, passion. Your path suddenly takes a change of direction, but your ethics are considered acceptable with yourself and so many people around you that you don't notice it. In my opinion, this is called the Trenton vortex, in which you become sucked in the lifestyle of drugs, crimes and constantly being out on the street that you don't know how to become an adult or on your own. You're dependent on either your friends or drugs all the time. Some of my friends are content with this, some have noticed this, but have tried to change and have caused mental problems trying to fix their lives again.
Carrie is a woman who has avoided all of this in such way that it is inspiring. Being on Broadway in "The Color Purple" is something that people can only dream of doing. A woman of God and of Trenton, both in which have played an important role in my life. I hope your readers understand the struggle behind some of these amazing achievements, as I did.
Jonathan Rivera
Trenton
I saw in today's Times front-page, and reported elsewhere, a story about a posted photo in social media, which claims to show a beer-pong like game involving Nazi and Jewish elements. Let's see...it's about teenagers and drinking, outrageous concepts, and social media. It's early in April. Has it occurred to the Editors, this might be no more than a stupid teenage PRANK, intended to annoy adults, and to draw attention - nothing more? If so, they got the front page, Philly news coverage, and shocked Princeton adults. Mission accomplished.
Herb Johnson
Ewing
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