The Fellows had tea at Gracie Mansion yesterday morning, the mayoral residence of New York City, although Bloomberg doesn't actually live there (he thought his own digs on 79th St were good enough). Bloomie himself was there (a few of us caught a glimpse of him walking through the kitchen) supposedly having a budget meeting, but actually it turned out the commish of the Dept. of Buildings was resigning. Sad.
In the evening, I went to a special screening for DHS senior staff of this movie about a family experiencing homelessness. The movie itself wasn't great, and the discussion afterward with the director was, shall we say, very lively. The best part of the evening, however, was that as I was leaving the theater there was a small crowd waiting to get in for a screening of another movie, there on the sidewalk was Nick Sobotka from The Wire! As I have recently become addicted to this show, it was rather exciting.
That's all. Hope you enjoyed the links!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Bullet-proof vest and all
Last Tuesday I had the opportunity to do a police ride-along in the Bronx. Did you know that anyone can do a ride-along? You just have to fill out a request at the municipal building and pass some sort of approval process. Who knew? I now know, but didn't follow the process, it was part of our fellowship (one of things I was looking forward to the most! That, and Rikers...). I chose the 40th precinct, which is where I worked last year at Mercy Center. I was interested to see the streets that were so familiar to me in a different light. My UF partner Jess and I suited up in bullet-proof vests (no pictures allowed, unfortunately, although mine was waaaay too big and made me feel like I was wearing a life jacket...) and hopped in the back seat of the car with our two officers.
We took off with the siren shrieking and dodged traffic for a few blocks and I thought it they were just showing off, but as we approached an upcoming intersection it was clear something was going on, as there were a few other cop cars and an ambulance parked in a huddle. Our officers got out and Jess and I looked at each other, then scrambled out after them. It turned out a man had gotten slashed across the face by his ex-girlfriend's brother, he said. By the time we got there he was pretty patched up, and we listened to our officers as they questioned him and some of his friends who had witnessed it. Then we followed the ambulance to Lincoln Hospital to finish the report. I've never seen the inside of Lincoln Hospital before, although I've heard many horror stories from our participants and others in the Bronx, so it was interesting to finally get to go inside. No one paid much attention to the two of us, so we just followed walked around like we we knew what we were doing until someone told us to leave, and no one ever did. We sat in on more questioning of the guy who got slashed (who, by the way, was not someone I would want to mess with - he was huge!) and then headed back to the station to file some paperwork and switch cars (our siren had broken).
The rest of the evening was a little less eventful. We answered two calls of fires within 10 minutes and two blocks of each other. The first was from a beauty parlor, and the women were standing out front with their hair in HUGE rollers, the kind you see in the movies or music videos - I didn't know people actually used those. The firetrucks arrived simultaneously though and they were just investigating the smell of smoke, so there wasn't much for us to do. The second involved more crazy driving (with our now-working siren) and a climb up the stairs of an apartment building, where the upstairs neighbor had called 911 over what basically amounted to a burned dinner downstairs. We also stopped a guy for having an open container and checked on a tripped burglar alarm at a storage facility.
All in all, it was pretty eventful and very eye opening. And not just my eyes, either, you should have seen the stares we got riding around in the back of the cop car! Pretty funny. Anyway, definitely once in a lifetime experience.
In honor pretending to be a member of the uniformed services, but since they didn't let me take any pictures of the police ride, I'm posting this picture of my nephew and me a few weeks ago at his fourth birthday party in Florida. My sister knows someone and arranged to have a firetruck come, and everyone got to try on a firefighter coat, including the grown-ups. Cute, huh?
We took off with the siren shrieking and dodged traffic for a few blocks and I thought it they were just showing off, but as we approached an upcoming intersection it was clear something was going on, as there were a few other cop cars and an ambulance parked in a huddle. Our officers got out and Jess and I looked at each other, then scrambled out after them. It turned out a man had gotten slashed across the face by his ex-girlfriend's brother, he said. By the time we got there he was pretty patched up, and we listened to our officers as they questioned him and some of his friends who had witnessed it. Then we followed the ambulance to Lincoln Hospital to finish the report. I've never seen the inside of Lincoln Hospital before, although I've heard many horror stories from our participants and others in the Bronx, so it was interesting to finally get to go inside. No one paid much attention to the two of us, so we just followed walked around like we we knew what we were doing until someone told us to leave, and no one ever did. We sat in on more questioning of the guy who got slashed (who, by the way, was not someone I would want to mess with - he was huge!) and then headed back to the station to file some paperwork and switch cars (our siren had broken).
The rest of the evening was a little less eventful. We answered two calls of fires within 10 minutes and two blocks of each other. The first was from a beauty parlor, and the women were standing out front with their hair in HUGE rollers, the kind you see in the movies or music videos - I didn't know people actually used those. The firetrucks arrived simultaneously though and they were just investigating the smell of smoke, so there wasn't much for us to do. The second involved more crazy driving (with our now-working siren) and a climb up the stairs of an apartment building, where the upstairs neighbor had called 911 over what basically amounted to a burned dinner downstairs. We also stopped a guy for having an open container and checked on a tripped burglar alarm at a storage facility.
All in all, it was pretty eventful and very eye opening. And not just my eyes, either, you should have seen the stares we got riding around in the back of the cop car! Pretty funny. Anyway, definitely once in a lifetime experience.
In honor pretending to be a member of the uniformed services, but since they didn't let me take any pictures of the police ride, I'm posting this picture of my nephew and me a few weeks ago at his fourth birthday party in Florida. My sister knows someone and arranged to have a firetruck come, and everyone got to try on a firefighter coat, including the grown-ups. Cute, huh?
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Googlegängers
As someone who has googled my name and others (is that something one admits in public?), I found this article from the NYTimes interesting. I was always happy that I am the only one with my name, but I can kinda see the appeal in having a Googlegängers...
In other news, the Fellows took a trip to Albany this week to talk to NYC lawmakers and lobbyists. Unfortunately, most of our trip was thwarted by the fact that everyone was is still in the process of finalizing the state budget, which was 9 days overdue. Most of our speakers canceled. We did get to see the capitol building (well, it's more of a complex), and I've never been to Albany before so I was happy to be somewhere new.
The Fellows in front of some very picturesque government building... (Note the winter jackets despite the fact that we're almost midway through April. When is it going to be spring, again?)
Only five more weeks of the fellowship left! I can't believe it. For those who were wondering, I am going to be attending The New School next year to get a masters in urban policy. I also will be retiring this blog. Yes, it's sad but true. Next year I will take up the unassuming role of the starving grad student just like a million other residents of this great city. Where's the public interest in that? Just wanted to put out a warning for my loyal readers. Enjoy 'em while they last...
In other news, the Fellows took a trip to Albany this week to talk to NYC lawmakers and lobbyists. Unfortunately, most of our trip was thwarted by the fact that everyone was is still in the process of finalizing the state budget, which was 9 days overdue. Most of our speakers canceled. We did get to see the capitol building (well, it's more of a complex), and I've never been to Albany before so I was happy to be somewhere new.
The Fellows in front of some very picturesque government building... (Note the winter jackets despite the fact that we're almost midway through April. When is it going to be spring, again?)
Only five more weeks of the fellowship left! I can't believe it. For those who were wondering, I am going to be attending The New School next year to get a masters in urban policy. I also will be retiring this blog. Yes, it's sad but true. Next year I will take up the unassuming role of the starving grad student just like a million other residents of this great city. Where's the public interest in that? Just wanted to put out a warning for my loyal readers. Enjoy 'em while they last...
Sunday, April 6, 2008
The Fellows at Prison
So the highly anticipated annual Fellows trip to Rikers Island took place last week. For the uninitiated, Rikers is NYC's prison, located just off the "coast" of Queens, with a landmass of over 75 landfill. It's pretty much an entire city unto itself - complete with 10 prison facilities, a water treatment plant, a visiting house, central laundry and bakery and other pleasant amenities. The island is capable of housing up to 17,000 inmates, all of whom are either waiting to be sentenced or serving terms of one year or less.
We are able to take the tour because one of the Fellows works in the Discharge Planning division, which started just 5 years ago with the goal of reducing recidivism and homelessness among those released from Rikers. The division has formed a collaboration with the Dept. of Homeless Services and Dept. of Human Resources to help inmates about to be released access benefits, housing, employment services, legal assistance, education, etc. It sounds like they've really made a lot of progress in trying to help what would probably be the hardest service-needy population there is.
We took a tour of the one women's facility, and dropped in on a drug awareness class that is part of a voluntary support program for inmates who want to take advantage of the discharge planning process. At first it was incredibly uncomfortable - 25 fresh-faced Fellows standing in this room with 40 inmates during a drug support group - um, awkward. I felt like we were just staring at them in some sort of zoological exhibit. But then, their facilitator asked if they had any questions for us, and a woman says, "Um, who are you??" So one of the Fellows introduced the group, and the facilitator asked US if we had any questions. The last question asked was the most powerful, "What would you want people to know about you?" The answers: "I'm still a person." "Even though I've bad choices, I'm a good person." "I can change."
Then on a lighter note, we saw a demonstration of the canine unit. The officer planted a bag of pot (Where did it come from? We didn't ask...) in a gas tank. The dog, trained in what we learned was "passive alert," was let out of the van and went immediately for the cars. It took all of about 2o seconds to head to the rear of the car and sit down, looking happily at the officer with a look that said "Ok great, what's next?" Then the guy had all the Fellows line up and put the baggie in Elijah's pocket. The dog went right down the line and sat in front of him, tail wagging. You'd never guess he was actually saying, "Welp, here's the druggie!" It was pretty amazing.
Lunch was made for us by a group called Fresh Start, which is a culinary training program for male inmates. It was good, too! We also toured the nursery, a men's jail and the visiting house. I've never really thought about the reality of being locked up, but am I glad I've never had to. It was so strange walking through the halls. There are lines painted in the hallway and you have to walk between the lines and walls. We'd be walking down one side of the hallway and be passed by a line of inmates going in the other direction. I've never been so hyper aware of my situation vs. another's. You couldn't help feeling guilty just knowing that you were going to walk out of that building today and back into a normal life...
So anyway, that was my day at prison. It was enough to make one's head spin.
We are able to take the tour because one of the Fellows works in the Discharge Planning division, which started just 5 years ago with the goal of reducing recidivism and homelessness among those released from Rikers. The division has formed a collaboration with the Dept. of Homeless Services and Dept. of Human Resources to help inmates about to be released access benefits, housing, employment services, legal assistance, education, etc. It sounds like they've really made a lot of progress in trying to help what would probably be the hardest service-needy population there is.
We took a tour of the one women's facility, and dropped in on a drug awareness class that is part of a voluntary support program for inmates who want to take advantage of the discharge planning process. At first it was incredibly uncomfortable - 25 fresh-faced Fellows standing in this room with 40 inmates during a drug support group - um, awkward. I felt like we were just staring at them in some sort of zoological exhibit. But then, their facilitator asked if they had any questions for us, and a woman says, "Um, who are you??" So one of the Fellows introduced the group, and the facilitator asked US if we had any questions. The last question asked was the most powerful, "What would you want people to know about you?" The answers: "I'm still a person." "Even though I've bad choices, I'm a good person." "I can change."
Then on a lighter note, we saw a demonstration of the canine unit. The officer planted a bag of pot (Where did it come from? We didn't ask...) in a gas tank. The dog, trained in what we learned was "passive alert," was let out of the van and went immediately for the cars. It took all of about 2o seconds to head to the rear of the car and sit down, looking happily at the officer with a look that said "Ok great, what's next?" Then the guy had all the Fellows line up and put the baggie in Elijah's pocket. The dog went right down the line and sat in front of him, tail wagging. You'd never guess he was actually saying, "Welp, here's the druggie!" It was pretty amazing.
Lunch was made for us by a group called Fresh Start, which is a culinary training program for male inmates. It was good, too! We also toured the nursery, a men's jail and the visiting house. I've never really thought about the reality of being locked up, but am I glad I've never had to. It was so strange walking through the halls. There are lines painted in the hallway and you have to walk between the lines and walls. We'd be walking down one side of the hallway and be passed by a line of inmates going in the other direction. I've never been so hyper aware of my situation vs. another's. You couldn't help feeling guilty just knowing that you were going to walk out of that building today and back into a normal life...
So anyway, that was my day at prison. It was enough to make one's head spin.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
