A pretty chilling message
To The Editor:
Re “Outspoken critic of Li’s leadership of C.B. 3 is booted from E.V. board” (news article, April 30):
First, I have to express my anger and disgust that Ayo Harrington was not reappointed to Community Board 3, and I am not alone in my feelings.
C.B. 3 might be a community board that people want to get on, but not a board people want to stay on. This year we had around a 20 percent turnover. Nearly half of those members whose terms were up didn’t even reapply.
What kind of a signal is it that people are appointed to fill seats but then won’t speak up?
In Ayo Harrington, we had an eminently qualified member of this community, a hard worker with a track record of doing a lot of good, who was censured for speaking honestly about injustices she saw on this board. And because of what she chose to speak up about, she was not invited back?
What message does this send to the rest of us? A pretty chilling one, I would say.
This country has a history of people speaking out against injustice: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Martin Luther King, Jr., etc. They may have offended people, but perhaps those people needed offending.
This action against Ayo Harrington is despicable and must be rectified.
Anne Johnson
Johnson is a member, Community Board 3
Team effort on O.L. Vilnius
To The Editor:
Re “The long goodbye is over for old Lithuanian church in Hudson Square” (news article, April 30):
Thanks very much to Tequila Minsky for covering this final gathering in front of what is left of Our Lady of Vilnius Church. If I had not been ill, I would have been among the “congregants.”
I wanted to make a correction and add to what you presented. While Ramute Zukas played a role in the effort to save Our Lady of Vilnius, she does not hold any office in what you call our “congregation.” Ms. Zukas held the office of president of the New York district of the Lithuanian American Community, an ethnic nonprofit, during our struggle, and helped the cause receive national and international exposure.
While the people who gather in front of the church are the most visible sign of devotion to our lost parish, it is the tip of the iceberg. Our appeal to Rome and our civil suit against the archdiocese were supported by prayers and dollars from those with familial, historical and spiritual ties to Our Lady of Vilnius from all over the U.S.
The church had great symbolic value for Lithuanians here and abroad. Painfully to us, the church is being dismantled, but its spirit lives on in many hearts.
Christina Nakraseive
Losing another one
To The Editor:
I’ve just learned of the closing of a local gift shop, House of Cards and Curiosities — on Eighth Ave., next to the Jane St. Garden — due to an increase in rent.
This charming store, which has just about everything you can think of or want, has been there for decades. It’s not just that I sold my notecards there, it’s also where we could go for something very out of the ordinary to give as gifts.
The store with the Cheshire Cat from “Alice in Wonderland” painted on the sign will be missed by everyone. House of Cards and Curiosities will be open through Sun., May 24.
Gina Shamus
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