Miami Beach
THAT'S SOME HEAVY-DUTY TOW JAM
I just put down Jim DeFede's article "Big Tow" (June 17) and want to relate my experience with the City of Miami meter maids (and the whole system). On January 2 my truck was being ticketed for expiring one minute. Never mind that I was making a delivery to my own small business in Coconut Grove and could not get parking in the loading zone assigned to my storefront. This meter maid (an affirmative-action hiree) wrote the ticket anyway, a scene ensued, and next thing I know I'm arrested for assaulting the meter maid.
The State of Florida charged me with battery on a uniformed officer, even though the victim's (alleged victim's, I mean) witness told investigators I never laid a hand on the meter maid. I tell you, I will never tangle with City of Miami off-street authority personnel again. Carlos Figueroa, Pablo Esquijarosa, and the repugnant Jesus Noriega run their department like Nazi soldiers following the commands of higher-ups.
No, we are not "crooks...beating the system at will"; we are the masses tired of commandolike meter maids waiting for each opportunity to write another revenge-producing ticket. Yes, we do agree they "might as well take down all of the parking signs and remove all of the meters"; legitimate authority is received from below, not handed down from the top, like some totalitarian decree. Do Figueroa, Esquijarosa, and Noriega always remember to put a quarter in the meter when they park, or are their tags privileged to park anywhere they choose?
John Mendez
Coconut Grove
MORGAN SITS THROUGH 'EM SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO
Roberta Morgan's review of Pia Zadora's revue was one of the most brilliant pieces of journalism I have ever had the pleasure to read ("Zadorable!" June 17)! It almost tempted me to see the show, just to confirm it was as bad as she inferred. Thank you for giving her the oppportunity to voice her witty, intelligent opinion.
Peggi McKinley
Miami
H IS FOR...
Thank you very much for publishing Peter Elkind's "The Bashful Candidate," the first informative article on H. Ross Perot (June 10). Since I have come to believe that he is probably our next president, I found it interesting to find out what he is really all about. I was not surprised to learn that he is not the paragon of decency and all that is good. He will win because America wants a change and will accept anybody who offers himself as an alternative to what we have now. Perhaps this attitude is acceptable, but look what it did for Germany in the Thirties.
Michael Arak
Miami
LIFE LESSONS
I very much enjoyed Maria Aurelia's excellent AIDS article in the June 10 issue ("Still Life with AIDS"). It was most enlightening to learn more about AIDS. My ultimate respect is sent out to George for his courage and his fight.
As an AIDS educator, I will be sharing the article with my classes, as I believe it will have a very profound effect on my students. Such messages are so very important to us all.
As I use statistics with my students, I was shocked to read that one in ten people in Dade County are HIV-positive. I was also angered about President Bush's proposal to cut AIDS research by 25 percent. How devastating! I would urge everyone to write to the president about this grave mistake - not to mention the others he has made and continues to make. Where are our priorities?
Mary Stephens
Miami
CLARIFICATION
On May 27, 1992, New Times published an article titled "Dade's Worst Landlords," which on page sixteen referred to "Hy Yeffet's apartment building...." Mr. Yeffet, a landlord named in the article, is not the sole owner of the apartment building at 13350 Aswan Road in Opa-locka, as the article may have implied. Rather, he is president and principal officer of Winwood West Apartments, Inc., which owns the property.
Records show that Yeffet and Winwood West spent substantial sums of money to improve the building, but vandals subsequently damaged it. Following the vandalism, numerous tenants withheld rent pending repairs. Yeffet and Winwood West unsuccessfully attempted to obtain financing in order to repair the damage. When those repairs were not promptly made, Opa-locka city officials repeatedly cited Winwood West for infractions of various municipal codes. (In January the Opa-locka Building Department began condemnation proceedings against the property.)
This past October Yeffet and Winwood West secured $100,000 mortgage financing, but defaulted a month later. On January 7, 1992, the courts appointed a receiver for the property. Yeffet and Winwood West's control of the property ended shortly after that. Subsequent decisions regarding maintenance and operation of the building were made under the receiver's authority and supervision.
New Times regrets any confusion or misunderstanding the May 27 article may have caused.
