Letter

Message for all in vendor's death It broke my heart to read of the death of the hardworking man, Don Ly, from whom I bought fruit salads when I worked at the University of Pennsylvania seven years ago ("Fruit vendor in W. Phila. is stabbed," April 19). The photo of his kind, smiling face brought back memories of seeing him every day upon my arrival at Meyerson Hall. To think that someone killed him is maddening. I grieve for his family, and for all of us living amid such crime.

YOUR STORY ABOUT the value of tax-exempt properties ("Officials eye tax abatements, nonprofits to ease property tax hit," April 17) includes some mistaken assumptions that should be corrected. The story claims that tax-exempt properties - properties owned by nonprofit institutions such as churches, hospitals, universities and others - "make up the majority" of the estimated $30.6 billion in tax-exempt land in Philadelphia. This is incorrect. In reality, half of this tax-exempt land - $15.3 billion - is property owned by the federal, state and local governments (including the public schools)

THE FAMILY OF Bryn Mawr native Sunil Tripathi turned yesterday's tragic news into a moment of reflection, hoping "Sunny's" death would make us all a little more aware of one another. "This last month has changed our lives forever, and we hope it will change yours, too," the Tripathi family wrote in a short letter yesterday. "Take care of one another. Be gentle, be compassionate. Be open to letting someone in when it is you who is faltering. Lend your hand. We need it. The world needs it. " A body found Tuesday floating in the Providence River was positively identified as Tripathi yesterday after a forensic-dental examination, said Dara Chadwick, a spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Department of Health.

ELECTIONS are about a great many things. They are about party loyalty, about a vision for the nation, state or city and, in the case of Municipal Court Judge (the office I am seeking) they are about justice and the application of it. We live in a time where there are more opportunities for minorities than ever before. As a lifelong Philadelphian who came of age in the '60s, I have lived through this paradigm shift. I was a delegate candidate for Shirley Chisholm when she ran for President in 1972, and I worked tirelessly for Barack Obama when, 35 years later, he sought election.

When the jailed leader of the civil rights era scribbled the first words of what would become a literary touchstone for writings on oppression and protest, Drexel Hill's Jonathan Rieder was forging a suburban kid's path to activism. The student member of the NAACP ditched science class at Friends' Central School in Wynnewood to attend a demonstration. He rose to his feet at Quaker meeting to talk about the turmoil in the South. Decades later, Rieder wrote a book about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his famed "Letter From Birmingham Jail," revealing an indignant and angry leader impatient for change.

PHILADELPHIA IS A city rich with world-class cultural institutions, and its citizens benefit tremendously when these organizations partner to present engaging programming and draw connections across collections of art, music, literature and more. The Free Library of Philadelphia and The Rosenbach Museum & Library are both dedicated to preserving and sharing literary history through public engagement with rich and unique special collections. As such, we were so proud this past week to announce a joint decision to merge our operations, creating The Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, and thereby one of the greatest collections of rare books, manuscripts, Americana and art anywhere.