Huntington ADU idea, masking, Great Neck South High School intruder 

Two views of town’s accessory unit idea

That “contentious and crowded” Huntington Town Board hearing was not really about traffic and water quality [“Basement living plan fails,” News, Aug. 10]. If it was, why wasn’t anyone yelling out, “Dirty water!” instead of the shouts of “Brownsville” and “Harlem”?

The majority of the mostly white audience was clearly against any rule that “would change the complexion of the community.”

The crowd’s words were anti-immigrant, anti-Black and anti-gay. They assumed that any tenants who rented apartments were undesirable. Although there could be rational arguments on either side of the issue, what happened wasn’t rational. It was angry, intense and driven by emotion.

It was shocking to sit in that room hearing the bigotry and venom that came from the good people of Huntington — all of whom personally built the town with their bare hands, we found out, disregarding the Irish immigrants who worked in the brickyards and the Italian stonemasons who were recruited for their expertise in construction.

There is a deep history of the contributions of the Indigenous and Black people in Huntington, besides the work of immigrants and colonizers.

It’s a disservice to those ancestors and their descendants to whitewash the stain at Huntington Town Hall.

— Cheryl Lynn Blum, Huntington Station

On June 13, residents jammed Huntington Town Hall to say loudly: Stop changing our zoning laws to build even more apartments. Our bays and harbors are polluted, our groundwater is under assault by wastewater, and roads are gridlocked.

Volunteer first responders are overwhelmed, and Long Island’s only garbage landfill closes next year.

Enough. Huntington has one of the state’s most permissive apartment laws. Every homeowner already has the right to rent out an apartment in his house.

The proposed legislation that brought the huge crowd to town hall would have expanded apartments to be allowed in homeowners’ backyards as “accessory structures” as well as permitting basement apartments. Even New York City doesn’t allow this.

Accessory apartment landlords don’t pay a dime in increased property taxes.

It’s disingenuous for the proponents of backyard and basement apartments to use their standard dog whistle, “It’s racism.” Please stop playing the racism card — it’s dividing us and not solving any problems [“Huntington ADU plan could’ve worked,” Opinion, Aug. 11].

The Huntington opponents to this law are residents of all colors, ages, religions and genders. They love Huntington’s suburban quality of life. They work long hours to enjoy a piece of the American dream. That doesn’t make us racists, it makes us Americans.

— Robert Sarducci, Huntington Station

Masks protect others more than oneself

The article regarding the efficacy of masks is misleading [“Varying results on mask research,” News, Aug. 15]. Basing an opinion on one study is flawed.

The editor-in-chief of the Cochrane Library is correct: Stating that masks don’t work is misleading. In addition, the article is based mainly on the inhalation of virus particles and not so much on the transmission of virus particles.

Ali Khosronejad of Stony Brook University is accurate in defining that the benefit of a mask is more for others than it is for the wearer, as several studies have shown.

— Rich Areskog, East Meadow

The caption with a photo of a man wearing a mask says he wears it “to protect himself, his family and the man he cares for as a health aide” [“Facing COVID-19: Masks still norm for some,” News, Aug. 15]. He is wearing the mask incorrectly. It is just barely touching the tip of his nose, not completely covering his nostrils.

People who wear masks incorrectly might just as well not wear any at all. This is one reason why COVID-19 is still here. Continuing education and constant reminders are needed to help combat its spread.

— Veronica J. Douglass, Riverhead

Not all adult leaders do the right thing

I was shocked that the student at Great Neck South High School who escorted intruders through the school under a threat of violence was suspended [“Ruling favors student,” News, Aug. 8].

The school administrators, rather than take responsibility, scapegoated the student. Had this been a white student, would this matter have been handled differently?

The principal bears responsibility for the security breach. The student is a child, and the adults, expecting him to have reported the incident right away, apparently did not understand the position he was placed in.

It’s sad that no one came to his aid. The school district acted badly.

I hope that the student will come to realize that not all adults in positions of authority do the right thing. But hopefully he will become an adult who does.

— Susan Masone, Huntington