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Irrational Ravings & Writings Don’t Help Activists’ Causes
Here in Canarsie two of the most notorious are Mary Anne Sallustro and Gerry Weiner. Both are outspoken, have a reputation for disrupting local meetings, are avid letter writers and relentless in their pursuit to have their arguments heard by anyone who’ll listen. After all, in America — the land of free speech — anyone, regardless of his/her opinion, has the right to mount a proverbial soapbox and bellyache. Sallustro and Weiner have been on a roll for the past year. Among their complaints: objecting to a development that would house formerly homeless residents; opposing an infusion of federal funds because a portion of the community became labeled a poverty zone and contesting a fence at Canarsie Park. Sallustro is president of the Canarsie South Civic Association, a local community group that flaunts itself as the “Voice for All Canarsie.” That’s chutzpah, especially since there are other local civic groups, including the United Canarsie South Civic Association and the Friends United Block Associa-tion, which have distinctive voices of their own. I’m confident a majority of community residents never heard of SCCA or its leader. And, if you’ve ever seen a letter from Sallustro, you’ve got to wonder how many of the 18 or so names listed as on the Board of Directors or Honorary Board members are conscious of the group’s current activities. While radio personality Curtis Sliwa might not object to being listed as an Honorary Board member, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even know his name is on it. While his roots may be here, the verbose, controversial radio host has as much to do with Canarsie these days as I do with The New York Times. The Canarsie Courier receives dozens of letters a year from Sallustro about one issue or another. Her handwritten letters are somewhat incomprehensible and barely decipherable. And she cc’s everyone under the sun — well, almost. When she drafts a letter to a city agency, she sends copies to local newspapers, every area elected official, the mayor, the governor and, on occasion, even the president. A former public school teacher, Sallustro would probably be taken more seriously if she used a typewriter or word processor to correspond with officials. Tactful local politicians would never admit it, but you can bet they don’t look forward to letters or phone calls from Sallustro. Somewhere in Washington, DC, I envision some rookie Secret Service agent poring over a bulging file of Sallustro’s letters that is in all likelihood stored in a draw labeled “Miscellaneous: Harmless but Worth Watching.” She’s probably not a danger to anyone or on any government watch list, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the FBI also has her file red-flagged — just in case. And while Weiner’s handwriting is more legible than her associate’s, she, too, should find a modern means of corresponding on vital issues. We recently profiled Weiner as part of our Spotlight on Community Leaders series. She willingly agreed to be interviewed, but was the only subject to refuse to have her image accompany the feature. In lieu, she requested we use a photograph of a sign she designed years ago welcoming drivers to Canarsie posted at the off ramp of the eastbound Belt Parkway. Weiner designed the sign when she headed Can-arsie Cares, a civic group she founded in 1989 that only lasted a few years. Nevertheless, the welcome and Weiner prevail. The two activists are admittedly passionate letter writers. But, more often than not, the letters tend to ramble from one subject to another with little consistency. We occasionally print their correspondence only to have them subsequently refer to the letters as Courier gospel when our intention was to merely let them vent in our newspaper. I’ve dealt with Sallustro on many an occasion and seen her in action on others. Some encounters have been pleasant, but others have been totally frustrating, especially when her focus strays from the subject at hand. Don’t get me wrong. Mary Ann Sallustro can be placid and pleasant when she’s not having a tantrum about one of her impractical crusades. Her complaints, at times, are convincing, but they lose impact because her vocal and written arguments appear reckless. And Gerry Weiner, who’ve I heard referred to as “a resilient Hippie” and comes out of the woodwork every now and then to convey her critical opinions, can be amiable in her ambition for equality. However, both activists’ weaknesses for irrational ravings and disjointed letters go a long way to detracting from their well-meaning causes and objectives.
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