Manhattan Viewpoint

NYPD's Ray Kelly Must Resign

2012-01-30T04:18:00.000-08:00

We have called on NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly and Mayor Bloomberg to resign because of their race-based approach to policing and because of their support or racism as the guiding principle of their leadership. Last week, we learned that Ray Kelly's lies violate the NYPD's Code of Conduct and should result in his termination.

Bloomberg Defends Kelly for Lying

Mayor Bloomberg has defended NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly for participating in the making of an anti-Muslim video that was shown to NYPD recruits on a continuous loop as they completed paperwork. He has also defended Ray Kelly for lying in 2011 and stating that the NYPD was not involved in the making of the video.

Bloomberg's defense was not a surprise, given that he previously defended the NYPD after we learned that the NYPD was spying on Muslim groups.

News of the NYPD's screening of the anti-Muslim film comes five months after an Associated Press investigation revealed police were spying on Muslim communities as part of the department's anti-terrorism efforts. Bloomberg defended the tactics, saying police were doing their job preventing terrorism.

But, the lies written in official NYPD correspondence by Ray Kelly are a violation of the NYPD Code of Conduct and should result in Kelly's termination, even if Bloomberg endorses lying as a strategy for obtaining the flexibility to violate the rights of our city's residents.

This latest incident highlights how important it is for the health of our city that Mayor Bloomberg resign.

Lying Violates the NYPD Code of Conduct

When Ray Kelly chose to lie about his involvement in the making of the anti-Muslim video, he created a pathway for his termination.

The Gothamist tells the story so well, that we will let their explanation speak for itself.

Last year, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly sent multiple letters to the city's Muslim leaders insisting the department "did not participate in" the production of an Islamophobic propaganda film that was screened on a continuous loop for over 1,200 NYPD officers. Then along came The Brennan Center for Justice and their meddlesome Freedom of Information Law requests, Kelly was forced to admit that he did knowingly participate in the film, titled The Third Jihad. And now, as some call for Kelly's resignation, The New York World takes a look at the NYPD guidelines and finds that Popeye probably broke some big rules. Surely he will hold himself accountable!
The NYPD has an internal policy prohibiting false statements, according to a copy of the policy provided by the NYCLU to The New York World. "It would seem that both Kelly and Browne violated this false statement policy - Kelly by 'lying in an official Department document' when he signed letters last year claiming no involvement in Third Jihad’s production, and Browne when he possibly 'created false description of events' by first claiming Kelly’s interview had not taken place, and then stating that it was he who had recommended Kelly do the interview," writes Pei Shan Hoe.
But this opens up a whole can of worms, because if the Kelly and Browne can't bend the truth a little to keep NYC safe, how are they supposed to ~~fill quotas~~ meet productivity goals? “It would certainly not be a stretch to say that, if Browne lied, that would call for dismissal under the policy," says NYCLU spokesman Chris Dunn. "Given that he was personally involved in arranging for the interview, one would certainly think that he knew what he told the Times was not accurate, but that is as far as one can go at this point."
And Noel Leader, the co-founder of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, tells Capital New York that Kelly's participation in the film violates the NYPD's Patrol Guide rules barring officers from associating with hateful materials or hateful organizations. "Since I've known officers to be terminated in the past for violating this procedure, he violated it, he should be terminated," says Leader.
So far no officials have called for Kelly to resign, but Councilmember Jumaane Williams has said that Browne should be fired, and other Councilmembers have joined him in calling for an investigation. Mayor Bloomberg stood by Kelly today, telling reporters he has "100 percent confidence" in Kelly and declaring, "Commissioner Kelly should not step down." And despite their frequent criticism of Kelly, the angry wags on the NYPD Rant message board are also standing behind the Commissioner. True to form, they're blaming the Times for reporting the story, with one writing: "OMG will the Times ever stop. If the Ragheads ever take over that Red Rag will last about ten minutes. Kill them all and let allah sort it out!"

NYPD Promotion Practices Under Fire

2012-01-23T03:42:00.000-08:00

Last week, we learned that NYPD Detectives are suing the NYPD over its promotion practice in the Intelligence Unit. New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn continued to oppose Mayor Bloomberg's efforts to exclude single adults from our city's homeless shelter. Also, Manhattan's only confirmed Underground Railroad was celebrated last week.

NYPD Excluding African Americans from "Secret" Promotion List

A group of Black NYPD detectives are suing the NYPD for its alleged anti-Black bias in promoting Black members of the NYPD within the NYPD's Intelligence Unit.

The complaint filed by the Black detectives alleges that "the NYPD has chosen to cloak promotions in secrecy and give the all-white high level supervisors who run the Intelligence Division unfettered discretion to handpick white detectives for promotions over more qualified African American detectives." The complaint states that only 35 of the 600 employees in the Intelligence Unit are Black and that only 8 of the 161 sergeants are Black. Also, only out of 224 detectives in the unit, 21 are Black—just 6 percent. These horrible results are incompatible with our diverse city.

Unfortunately, as CNN reported, no Black member of the Intelligence Unit holds a rank above sergeant, while most serve as third grade detectives, just one rank above regular police officers.

The distinction means a salary difference of $30,000 per year between a third grade detective and a higher first grade detective. It is also a difference of $15,000 per year from a lifetime pension, and the lower ranking excludes third grade detectives from professional networking events and opportunities.
The complainants said they have been passed up numerous times for promotions despite excellent work records and recommendations from superiors.

Mayor Bloomberg has been relentless in his efforts to prevent Black New Yorkers from joining the Fire Department of New York. Last week, rather than accept defeat and move toward racial integration at the FDNY, the Mayor focused his fire on the federal judge who has been demanding that Bloomberg end his commitment to his "whites-only" FDNY policy. Bloomberg has adopted a view that those who do not support his "whites-only" mandate cannot be tolerated in positions of power. We should not expect him to be open to ending the barriers to promotion of Black detectives in the NYPD.

Quinn and City Council Go To Court Against Bloomberg on Homeless Shelter Rules

In the latest chapter of the ongoing dispute between the NY City Council and Mayor Bloomberg, the City Council has filed suit against the Mayor to prevent the Mayor from implementing his proposed policy of demanding that single adults prove that they have no alternative housing options before they can be admitted to a homeless shelter.

The homeless dispute is a rare moment of discord between Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn. The Speaker will have to find a great deal more to distance herself from the Mayor as she seeks to become his successor.

Underground Railroad in Manhattan

From the NY Daily News last week:

A Chelsea brownstone was heralded Sunday as the only documented Manhattan stop on the underground railroad.
Elected officials, city preservationists and history buffs unveiled a marker on 339 W. 29th St.
“This is a happy day as we celebrate the spirit of survival of the freedom-seeking slaves of the 1840s and ’50s who found shelter in this building,” Julie Finch of the Friends of the Hopper Gibbons House Underground Railroad Site said.
The rowhouse is one of roughly a half-dozen Greek Revival buildings dotting the block between Eighth and Ninth Aves.
It was once home to the Quaker abolitionists James Sloan Gibbons and Abby Hopper Gibbons, who helped African-Americans as they escaped the clutches of slavery.
“They heroically provided shelter to African-Americans who were running for their lives . . . at a time when it was illegal to do so,” said Fern Luskin, a professor at LaGuardia Community College who discovered the building’s history.

Blomberg Refuses to Leave Quietly

2012-01-16T04:01:00.000-08:00

As we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we note that last week, Mayor Bloomberg announced bold new education plans focused on terminating teachers deemed unsuccessful and rewarding teachers deemed successful with cash bonuses.

Bloomberg's Education Debacle

Mayor Bloomberg is the only Mayor to ever have full control of the NYC school system, and he has had that control for 10 uninterrupted years.

After 10 years, no one would argue that Mayor Bloomberg has created a successful educational system in New York City. In our city, only 28% of Black males graduate high school, and New York City has one of the lowest graduation rate for Black males of any city in the United States. Ten years of Mayor Bloomberg has given our city one of the worst performance in the country.

In defense of Bloomberg, he is in good company. New York State has the absolute worst rate of high school graduation for Black males in our country (25%). No state is worse than New York State at providing a path to a high school diploma for a Black male. Bloomberg is part of the problem, but his 28% graduation rate is actually HIGHER than the state average of 25%. NYC 's performance and NYS' performance seem criminal. Three-quarters of our Black males exit their teen years without the basic building blocks of education, making their success in life highly unlikely. Across the country, approximately 50% of Black males graduate high school, nearly double the NYC performance. With ten years to work on this challenge, Bloomberg has failed miserably.

His performance with students of all races (and of both genders) is equally troubling. Only 23% of NYC students graduate high school prepared for college. Three quarters of all NYC students leave high school unprepared for college. Criminal. . . Criminal. Once again, in Mayor Bloomberg's defense, as horrifying as his performance has been, other cities in our state have performed even worse.

Though Bloomberg's ten years have been a disaster in NYC public education, he is in good company.

Latest Bloomberg Maneuver

Last week, Mayor Bloomberg unveiled a new plan for improving education in our city.

He pledged to fire half of the teachers in 33 underperforming schools and to provide $20,000 cash payments to teachers who excel. The teachers' union has complained about this Bloomberg approach as well as about the teacher-bashing that Bloomberg engaged in as part of this latest speech.

The teachers' union had prominent supporters in criticizing the Mayor. Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, City Comptroller John Liu, and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer all had harsh words for the Mayor's approach. Stringer was unequivocal:

Listen, everyone wants education reform...but this lone ranger approach to education is simply not going to work. What troubled me today is the fact that he's willing to do the lone ranger approach again, not having real discussions with teachers and parents, not bringing people around a table and really negotiating.

You can't negotiate labor issues in public, and every time he does that, nothing happens for the kids, and that's unacceptable.

We all agree that the Mayor's approach is unacceptable, and we all agree that his performance has been unacceptable. Is there any hope that he will improve his performance as he makes his way through two lame duck years?

Perhaps, on MLK Day, we can find some optimism and simply say, "Keep Hope Alive!"

Cuomo and the City

2012-01-09T00:02:00.000-08:00

Governor Cuomo is looking to play a large role in the future of New York City, and New York City leaders are hoping that he will tame Mayor Bloomberg's attacks on poor people and people of color.

Queens Convention Center

Governor Cuomo is planning to play a major role in New York City's economic development. One of the first steps was unveiled in his State of the State Address last week. That step would be the building of the United States' largest convention center in New York City's Queens Borough and demolishing the existing New York City convention center - the Javitz Center on the West Side of Manhattan.

The project appears to already have funding from outside of the United States. The Malaysian-based operator of the Aqueduct Racino (Racetrack and Casino) has pledged $4 billion for the project. Cuomo and the Port Authority seem ready to grant land to the project and to alter the mass transit infrastructure to facilitate the success of the project.

On the one hand, the idea seems silly. There is a major surplus of convention space in the United States right now, and Queens does not seem to be the preferred destination for conventioneers.

On the other hand, having $4 billion from on outside investor should reduce the burden on tax payers and make the project more likely to succeed. The gambling and the two nearby airports might actually make the Queens destination viable. Assuming that there will be non-stop shuttle bus service to a few key Manhattan destinations, one can imagine conventions that schedule "Manhattan Time" on the agenda. Maybe this is a great idea masquerading as a silly idea.

From a Manhattan perspective, Governor Cuomo's approach creates opportunities to dream big on the West Side of Manhattan. Affordable housing with Hudson River views, entertainment, recreation, fitness, and other ideas will flood in, but the best part of the plan is the large space and the opportunity it represents.

Though the Mayor has demonstrated a resentment for the participation of Governor Cuomo in New York City projects, Mayor Bloomberg (along with Assembly Speaker Silver) was forced to agree that the Governor's plan for development on the West Side deserves support, particularly if it can attract significant private sector capital.

Fingerprinting for the Poor

Mayor Bloomberg's devotion to requiring food stamp recipients to be fingerprinted is resulting in a growing opposition to his approach, and that opposition called on Governor Cuomo to force Mayor Bloomberg to end the practice.

Governor Cuomo spoke out against Mayor Bloomberg's approach in the State of the State Address:

In his State of the State address on Wednesday, Cuomo took a hard line against the practice, which was stopped in most of the state in 2007 but maintained in the city at Bloomberg's request. "One of the things we do now and makes the stigma actually worse and creates a barrier for families coming forward to get food stamps is we require fingerprinting. I'm saying stop fingerprinting for families,” said Cuomo, a sentiment backed by many hunger and welfare advocates.

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, one of Mayor Bloomberg's closest allies and the leader of the effort the transformed the City Charter to allow Bloomberg to serve a third consecutive term as Mayor, spoke out against the Mayor.

“In these tough economic times, we need to help New Yorkers get the federal services they qualify for, not put obstacles in their way. Unfortunately, Mayor Bloomberg and I couldn’t disagree more—fingerprinting food stamp applicants is a time consuming and unnecessary process, which stigmatizes applicants and has prevented 24,000 New Yorkers from getting the help they deserve. The State has the authority to eliminate finger imaging in New York City, and the Mayor should not even think of challenging Governor Cuomo’s decision.”

Perhaps this particular attack on poor people by Mayor Bloomberg will be thwarted, at long last, by Governor Cuomo. Perhaps Cuomo deserves the high approval ratings he is currently enjoying.

Living Longer in NYC

2012-01-02T03:14:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2012. We ended 2011 with the good news that NYC residents are living longer.

Life Expectancy Trends

Life expectancy in the United States has been on the rise for many decades, but it remains far behind other wealthy nations. The US life expectancy stands at 78 years, more than 5 years less than Japan and far behind Israel, Singapore, and many other countries. In fact, the United States ranks 36th in the world in terms of life expectancy.

The low level of life expectancy in the US is both a legacy of the US population's love of cigarettes and the current high rates of obesity.

The National Research Council (NRC) found that the primary reasons for the United States' inferior level of life expectancy were smoking, overeating, and lack of exercise.

When today's senior citizens were younger, Americans used to smoke more than people in other rich countries. This accounts for about 40 per cent of the lag in life expectancy for US men - and almost 80 per cent for US women. Obesity is the next most important factor, accounting for between one-fifth and one-third of the US shortfall in life expectancy. While poor access to healthcare sends some Americans to an early grave, its effects pale beside the damage caused by unhealthy lifestyles.

Nonetheless, as the United States loses ground to other nations, the life expectancy numbers in the United States continue to grow. In 1900, life expectancy in the United States was less than 50 years. By 1991, our life expectancy surpassed 75 years, increasing by more than 50% in less than 100 years. The recessions, wars, and other challenges we've faced since 1991 have not reversed the upwards trend.

NYC Life Expectancy

The good news that closed out 2011 was that NYC's life expectancy figures rose dramatically over the last 10 years. The increase is three years of life expectancy since 2000, and now, the NYC figure stands at 80.6 years versus the United States overall figure of 78.2 years. While our city was leaping beyond the national average, the Mayor of NYC was focusing on reducing smoking, providing consumers with more information regarding their restaurant food choices, and promoting healthier lifestyles. The Mayor's initiatives have had a positive impact, even if other factors have played a larger role.

Life expectancy for 40-year-olds in the city also increased, to 82 years in 2009 from 79.5 years in 2000, a gain of 2.5 years, compared with an increase of 1.2 years for the same age group nationwide. New Yorkers who are 70 saw their life expectancy increase 1.5 years, to 86.9, compared with 0.7 years, to 85.1, for the same age group nationwide.

Mr. Bloomberg has made public health one of his top policy priorities and has run high-profile campaigns against smoking, obesity and the consumption of salt.
The biggest factor in New Yorkers’ increased life expectancy, however, was unrelated to any of those efforts. Instead, officials attributed it to expanded H.I.V. testing and treatment, which resulted in a substantially reduced death rate from H.I.V. and AIDS. The mortality rate from H.I.V. infection in 2010 fell by 11.3 percent since 2009, and by 51.9 percent since 2002.

We have been very critical of the Mayor's obsession with skin color as his primary (perhaps only) organizing principal in his law enforcement efforts, but we start 2012 by giving the Mayor credit for a job well done with regard to his efforts to improve the level of overall health in our city.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2011-12-26T03:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's Christmas celebration is followed by today's observance of Christmas as a work holiday for most employers. Enjoy this Holiday Season and be safe.

In honor of the spirit of Christmas, we reprint an article from last week that focused on the generosity of the members of the Harlem YMCA.

Generosity - Harlem YMCA

The past couple of Christmases haven't been good for Taisheba Smith and her young family.
She has had to deal with the struggle of not being able to find a decent job and then a bout of depression. And with the birth of 17-month-old Zoe and two-month-old Miko, she hasn't been able to give her oldest son Xavier, 8, as much attention as she used to.
So when Xavier gave her his Christmas list — including requests for a Nintendo 3DS and Sketcher sneakers with lights — and she didn't have the money to fulfill it, Smith wasn't sure what to do.
But then the Harlem YMCA, where Xavier attends afterschool programs, told her about its Angel Giving Tree initiative. With the help of corporate supporters and individual donors, the Harlem YMCA delivered hundreds of gifts Tuesday to 32 families who might have otherwise gone without.
The total was more than double the 15 families who received gifts last year.
"It means so much. Xavier is going to be like 'Where did all these gifts come from?'" Smith said, after Harlem YMCA Executive Director Tiffeny Forrest delivered a bag full of presents to her apartment at Taft Houses.
In addition to the 32 Harlem families that will be receiving gifts, more than 400 kids in the YMCA's afterschool programs will receive a present.
"The need was already so great, but now we are seeing an even greater need," said Forrest. "We are seeing people now who were never in need of services in the past."
To raise the [money] to make the gift-giving a reality, major corporations such as Coca-Cola, the Colgate-Palmolive Company, the local Fred E. Samuel Democratic Club and members of the Harlem YMCA and its staff chipped in.
"We are the face, but there are a lot of people behind making this happen," said Forrest, who launched the initiative when she arrived in Harlem from Michigan four years ago. "We knew if we got the word out people would step up, and they did."
The gifts are delivered already-wrapped and with an Angel Giving Tree tag that parents have the option of removing so that they can present the gift to their child.
"We have a lot of parents who are busting their butts and making the right choices for their families but may not be able to provide gifts because of their economic circumstances," Forrest said.
Karen Sprauer, site director of the YMCA's afterschool program at P.S. 57 said delivering gifts to Xavier was especially satisfying. The boy has a sweet disposition and is always writing notes to his camp counselors.
He even wanted to use the little bit of money he had saved this year to buy his mother a present.
"Xavier is so appreciative of everything we do. You can tell he was raised with strong values," said Sprauer.
"He already understands the essence of Christmas at such a young age, so we want him to feel special like any other kid and come back to school chatting about what he received this year," said Forrest.
As she arranged the gifts under her tree, Smith said she couldn't wait to see the look on Xavier's face when he arrived home from school.
"Last Christmas was not a good Christmas but I'm so happy this year," said Smith, beaming. "This Christmas is going to be all about Xavier."

Obesity Declines in NYC Schools

2011-12-19T03:48:00.000-08:00

For a change, there is good news regarding health and nutrition trends amongst our city's youth. Obesity has declined in our schools.

Childhood Obesity

In our country, obesity is rising far too fast. The last 20 years have resulted in a massive increase in obesity levels in the United States. In 1990, no state in the US had more than 15% of its population counted amongst the obese. Today, no state in the US has less than 20% of its population weighing enough to be considered obese.

Obesity plays a major role in harming health in our country and results in lost wages as well as reduced quality of life. Obesity shortens lives and destroys opportunities.

All of these problems are much worse for obese children.
According to the Centers for Disease Control:

Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years.
The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 20% in 2008. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period.
In 2008, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.

Immediate health effects:

Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Obese adolescents are more likely to have prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels indicate a high risk for development of diabetes.
Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem.

Long-term health effects:

Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults and are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.
Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk for many types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

With these horrible stats and trends as well as the horrifying impact of childhood obesity, we are excited to see NYC public schools reverse the trend toward more obesity.

Bloomberg's Calorie Count and Other Efforts

In NYC, Mayor Bloomberg has led the way on empowering consumers to make smart choices about their food by requiring chains of restaurants to list the calorie counts for their foods on their menus. Many of the most popular foods contain many more calories than most people assume. The listing of calorie counts allowed New Yorkers to take control of their nutritional lives, even when they were eating in a restaurant. There was a positive impact from the Mayor's calorie initiative.

Also, under Bloomberg, our city's schools improve nutrition, increased physical activity time, and swapped whole milk with 1 percent and skim milk in 2005. School nurses also were trained to identify kids with weight problems and to educate the community. These changes may have already started reversing the obesity trend.

Reversed Trend

For the first time, New York City public schools have seen a statistical decline in the rate of obesity amongst students.

A study of New York City public school students in kindergarten through eighth grade found obesity rates fell from 21.9 to 20.7 percent between the 2006-2007 and 2010-2011 school years.
The decline in NYC was the largest decline in childhood obesity in a large US city. NYC officials estimated that the decline experienced in our state translates into 6,500 fewer obese children in our schools.

No one is sure whether the changes implemented in 2005 have allowed our schools to reverse the trend toward higher obesity rates, but the achievement is worth studying in order to find answers. With obesity rates skyrocketing in schools and amongst adults, any decline should become a cause not just for celebration but also for scrutiny and replication.

African American Children Left Behind

White children in New York City experienced a 12.5 percent drop in obesity during the 2006 to 2011 period, Asian/Pacific Islander children (a 7.6 percent drop) and Hispanic (3.4 percent) children experienced less improvement. African American children in our city's schools did experience less obesity, but their improvement was least of all of the ethnic groups and was less than one-sixth as much improvement as was achieved by white children. African American children enjoyed only a 1.9 percent drop.

In addition, lower income areas experienced the least decline in obesity rates.

Therefore, while the areas that most needed to improve obesity rates experienced the least declines, all ethnic groups and all income levels benefited from a reduction in obesity. One of the most stubborn and terrifying public health trends of the last 20 years seems to be reversing in front of our eyes in NYC. We are all responsible for helping to continue the new trend toward better health and better lives from children in our city.

Cuomo Achieves Bipartisan Tax Deal

2011-12-12T04:10:00.000-08:00

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo successfully pushed through a measure to prevent the expiration of the so-called "millionaire's tax" as he seeks to reduce future budget deficits.

Millionaire's Tax?

In 2009, prior to Governor Cuomo's election to his current post, the New York State Legislature adopted higher taxes on “high earners” ($200,000+) in the form of a temporary surcharge that applied only to high earnings.The net effect of the surcharge was an increase of more than 30% in the highest effective rate for personal income taxes. The tax was due to expire at the end of 2011.

The surcharge was called a "millionaire's tax" despite the fact that more than three-quarters of those paying the tax were earning less than $1 million per year.

Many have argued that the "millionaire's tax" reduces economic growth, penalizes small businesses, and does not create enough tax revenue to make up for the economic burden it imposes.

Others have argued that in an era of huge budget deficits, we need to require the highest earners to pay higher taxes in order to avoid raising taxes on those with modest incomes.

With a $3.5 billion deficit looming for next fiscal year, Cuomo sought (and obtained) an extension of the tax surcharge.

Tax Increase or Tax Reduction

The extension was accompanied by other tax changes, and those changes raise questions about whether we should view the recently adopted tax changes as a tax increase or a tax reduction for high earners as well as for every level of earner in NYC.

Opponents of the tax surcharge see it as a tax increase. The tax surcharge would have expired at the end of 2011, and therefore, its extension is an increase in tax rates for high earners versus what those high earners would have paid without an extension.

Supporters of the surcharge see it as a tax reduction. Because of the changes in the tax rules that accompany the extension of the surcharge, every level of earner who pays New York State personal income tax will experience a reduction in tax liability in 2012 versus what was in place in 2011.

Cuomo 2016

The tax deal that Cuomo engineered in New York State by achieving virtually unanimous support from the Republicans and Democrats in the State Legislature, Cuomo establishes himself as one of our country's few bi-partisan leaders and links his name to one of very few bi-partisan success stories.

Cuomo contrasted his Albany achievement with the gridlock and failure in Washington DC in his video explaining the tax deal. He now starts to look like a potential top-tier candidate for the Democratic nomination in 2016. If he can win a second landslide in 2014 and maintain his streak of bipartisan successes, Andrew Cuomo will emerge as an obvious contender for the top of the national ticket in 2016.

Cuomo has not proven that he can win the enthusiasm of African Americans, but he has proven that he can lead a large state, earn the support of Republicans and Democrats, and speak directly to the voting public with great effect.

Quinn Seeks Distance from Bloomberg on Homeless Rules

2011-12-05T04:09:00.000-08:00

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn seems to be having a change of heart related to her undying loyalty to Mayor Bloomberg.

Homeless Shelters

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has supported Mayor Bloomberg through thick and thin. She led the fight to give him(and herself) an additional term in office - in direct opposition to the will of the people of New York City as expressed in two referenda. She has remained quiet as Mayor Bloomberg has defied federal courts and worked tirelessly to avoid racially integrating the Fire Department of New York. She has provided her tacit approval of his race-based policing approach (more on that is discussed below).

But, after Mayor Bloomberg decided to require single adults to prove that they have no alternative place to live before they can enter a homeless shelter, he was opposed by Speaker Christine Quinn. She led the New York City Council to oppose his change in homeless policy. The City Council sued the Mayor for the first time in Speaker Quinn's tenure.

It is a good sign. Although she should not have waited until the Mayor implemented as absurd a policy as requiring homeless people to prove that they are homeless, Christine Quinn should be commended for opposing the Mayor in this case. One wonders how a homeless person proves he or she is homeless. Is it a letter from every friend and family member? Is it an eviction notice. Perhaps the best evidence of a lack of other options is the presence at a homeless shelter. Perhaps the Mayor will ask patients in emergency rooms to prove that they don't have friends who could save their lives outside of the hospital.

Stop and Frisk Record Pace

After all of the controversy surrounding Mayor Bloomberg's racist stop-and-frisk approach, this year, his Administration will set a new record for the number of stops. In fact, more than four million stops have occurred under the racist Bloomberg approach since 2004. Nearly all of the stops are stops of people of color, and very close to all of those stopped are completed innocent and are never given a summons or arrested.

Despite a lawsuit against the department claiming the stop-and-frisks discriminate against minorities (in 2008, 80 percent of those stopped were black or latino) and a call from city officials, including Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, for the federal government to investigate the program, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne defended the practice this week as a success in curbing crime.

Based on Mayor Bloomberg's record at the FDNY and his approach to policing, he should resign immediately. There is no place for his type of policy approach (skin color defines all outcomes and determines rights and opportunities) in 2011. In fact, our country rose up and outlawed his style of governing in 1964 . . . nearly 50 years ago.

Knicks Reappear for Christmas

2011-11-28T04:07:00.000-08:00

Manhattan will be the site of the first game of the 2011-2012 NBA season. Madison Square Garden has been improved, and, perhaps before the opening game on Christmas Day, the Knicks might improve themselves as well.

2011 - 2012 NBA Season Starts in Manhattan

After the NBA owners locked out the NBA players, delayed the season, and demanded that the players accept reduced pay, the players and the owners reached a tentative agreement last week that results in reduced pay for players but which is much better for the players than what the NBA owners had been demanding.

The tentative agreement paves the way for teams to start practicing on December 9th and for the first regular season games to occur on December 25th. The season would have 66 games instead of the usual 82.

The Knicks are currently scheduled to play in the first game of the season. They would host the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden.

Perhaps every season should begin at MSG, and perhaps every season should have 66 games. Each game would mean more. Players would be less exhausted and banged up for the playoff, and the greatest city in the world would kick things off. This season could be a great model for a more permanent approach to the NBA scheduling challenges.

Irrespective of what happens in future seasons, the start of the 2011 - 2012 NBA season will help the NYC economy. In September, we discussed the potential economic harm that could be visited upon the NYC metro area by a cancellation of the 2011 - 2012 NBA season. By agreeing to have a 66-game season, the players and the owners will allow our area to avoid the economic losses that a cancelled season would have represented.

A cancellation of the 2011-2012 season carries major risks for our local economy. The travel industry will lose hotel revenue; restaurants will be harmed. Food vendors, sporting goods vendors who sell replica jerseys, and the cable channels that broadcast the games will lose revenues; advertising spending will decline.

It is likely that the Knicks and Nets are teams that are profitable. If they are, a cancelled season also eliminates the profits of two major local businesses.

In these difficult times, a cancelled NBA season is the last thing we need.

Thankfully, our Christmas gifts this year include a Knicks-Celtics showdown in Manhattan.

Madison Square Garden Upgrade

Madison Square Garden is in the midst of a $1 billion upgrade. MSG's owners call it a "transformation".

The upgrade will be complete before the 2012-2013 season (during the summer of 2012, the upgrade will be completed), and the fan experience will be amongst the best in the NBA (the NHL's NY Rangers will also play in Madison Square Garden's upgraded facility; Rangers fans will also have the best-in-class facility to enjoy).

The end of the NBA lockout gives Knicks fans a chance to enjoy the Knicks in the much improved MSG facility starting on December 25, 2011. A double Christmas present: the Knicks and the upgraded MSG. This will be a very special Christmas for Knicks fans, but it might be even more special if the Knicks' team is improved.

Chris Paul and the Future of the Knicks

The Knicks have added Stoudemire and Anthony in recent years, and, in the 2010 - 2011 season, they earned entrance to the post-season for the first time in a decade.

Now, former NBA Rookie of the Year and four time All-Star Chris Paul, who will be a free agent at the end of the upcoming NBA season, is being discussed as a potential addition to the Knicks. If Chris Paul is added, the Knicks will have three bona fide superstars on their roster, and they will be ready to make a run at an NBA Championship.

There is a chance that Paul could join the Knicks before the December 25th opening of the NBA season. That would be a triple Christmas present: The Knicks, the upgraded MSG, and the chance compete for an NBA Championship.

Rangel's Support in Washington DC Strengthens

2011-11-21T03:44:00.000-08:00

Last week, the Democratic leadership in the US House came out in full and strong support for Upper Manhattan's Congressman Charlie Rangel.

Fundraiser in Washington

At a $5,000 per plate fundraiser for Charlie Rangel last week, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, and the rest of the US House Democratic leadership attended the event in a show of solidarity with Congressman Rangel.

While Congressman Rangel may never again achieve the level of power and influence he attained as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, he remains the dean of the New York Congressional delegation, and "he continues to play a significant role in Democratic Caucus politics and on the powerful tax-writing panel."

US House Ethics Committee Under Investigation

We have argued that the Ethics Committee of the US House abused Upper Manhattan's Congressman when it pushed for his censure in 2010. The last member of Congress censured prior to Congressman Rangel had sexually abused young people under the care of Congress, while Congressman Rangel's problems were self-reported bookkeeping errors and similar missteps, all of which were corrected by Congressman Rangel. Many members of Congress had committed acts that were far more troubling and had faced lesser punishments or no punishment at all.

We have also pointed out that the US House Ethics Committee focuses its abuse on African American members of the US House. In fact, we noted that the Ethics Committee's investigation focused exclusively on African American members of Congress as of November 2009. In essence, the key to avoiding investigation was to be non-African American, and the key element of wrongdoing that the Ethics Committee embraced as punishable was "serving in Congress while Black."

Ironically, the US House Ethics Committee that brought ethics charges against Charlie Rangel and pushed for censure is now under investigation for misconduct by the Republicans on the committee related to the Rangel investigation.

Amazingly, the person who led the staff of the Ethics Committee during the attacks of Congressman Rangel actually believed that the charges against Congressman Rangel should have been dismissed.

The former staff director of the House Ethics Committee accused two top committee lawyers last year of secretly communicating with Republicans on the panel regarding the investigations of Democratic Reps. Maxine Waters and Charles Rangel, raising concerns over whether the long-running inquiries were compromised by key staffers.

Blake Chisam, the former staff director, wrote in a late 2010 memo to then-chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) that attorneys Morgan Kim and Stacy Sovereign improperly shared information in the Rangel case with Republicans on the committee — a move that “would have so tainted the proceedings that there would have been no option but to move to dismiss.”

The Ethics Committee is now under investigation for unethical behavior. The charges against Congressman Rangel should have been dismissed. Perhaps there will be an apology one day. Or, perhaps one day, "serving in Congress while Black" will not be considered an ethical violation.

NYC Education Tragedy

2011-11-14T04:14:00.000-08:00

Tragically, New York City is failing to educate its youth and prepare them for college. Amazingly, the New York City Mayor is now criticizing New York State for its suggestion that our city's education efforts be geared toward preparing students for college.

City Schools Failing

Mayor Bloomberg has had control of our city's schools for a decade, and the results have been very disappointing.

Last week, we learned that New York State's Department of Education has listed 640 of our city's 1,700 schools as "in need of improvement". Many of those schools have received a score of A or B from our city. The disconnect is scary. While the Mayor claims success in education, more than one-third of the schools under his control fail to meet the minimum standards of our state and of our country. Indeed, these 640 school risk forced closure by the state if they do not improve.

The New York Daily News focused on the state's view of our city's lack of success in education.

Our state's Board of Regents Chancellor, Merryl Tisch said the state’s new list of troubled schools offers more proof of the city school system’s dismal performance.
“This is just further evidence – as if we needed any – that we must move forward to reform our schools and change what is happening in our classrooms,” said Tisch, adding: “If student performance doesn’t improve, schools must be held accountable.”

Indeed, only 21% of New York City high school students graduate in four years prepared for college.

The Mayor's response was even more troubling than the damning assessment by New York State.

Bloomberg's Lower Standards

Mayor Bloomberg reacted to the negative assessment of the state's education leadership by stating that the state's standards are too high.

“Some kids will never get to the level for college but will have great careers,” the Mayor said. “There are lots of skills that you can have that make you productive.”

He challenged the state's notion that students should be prepared for college by their high schools, and he called Ms. Tisch "misinformed."

It is a true tragedy that approximately 40% of our city's schools are not meeting the minimum standards set by our state for performance.

It is a disgusting reality that only 21% of our students graduate prepared for college and that only 28% of Black young men graduate from high school at all in our city.

Mayoral control under Bloomberg has been a Mayoral tragedy of enormous proportions, and the Mayor seems to have abandoned any efforts to improve the situation. While his approach continues to destroy the futures of many talented young people in our city, the Mayor is focused on redefining his failed performance as "good enough" for our youth. Our youth deserve better.

NYC Marathon Created the Modern Marathon

2011-11-07T03:50:00.000-08:00

As we witnessed a new record at this year's NYC Marathon, we are reminded that the NYC Marathon is the model for all modern marathons.

New York Road Runners

The New York Road Runners, a non-profit founded in 1958, organized the first ever NYC Marathon in 1970. That pioneering effort created the modern marathon. The New York Road Runners organization has more than 60,000 members and continues to produce the NYC Marathon each year along with many other races.

In the first NYC Marathon, only one woman started the race, and she did not finish.Fifty-five men finished that race. By 1978, the race had 9,000 participants. Last year, 47,000 people finished the NYC Marathon. The growth and development has been impressive and influential.

NYC Marathon

This year's marathon was yet another tremendous success. The men's champion set a new course record, and the women's race was the second closest in history. The second place finisher on the women's side was a competitor from the Bronx. A record number of runners, 47,107, participated in this year's New York City Marathon.

The NYC Marathon is the model for all modern marathons. Here is an except from the NYC Marathon web site.

Around the world, the word "marathon" evokes images of New York City. Before the New York race began, marathons were modest events run by a few athletes and followed by a few fans interested in the limits of human endurance. Today many marathons are huge media events that take over entire cities around the globe. None is as prominent as the ING New York City Marathon, but all city marathons are modeled on it. Modern marathoning owes its start -- and its world-class status -- to New York.

While the marathon has always been a focus of community spirit, with more than two million New Yorkers lining the streets to support the runners, that aspect of the race was most apparent in November 2001. Less than two months after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the New York City Marathon became a race of hope and renewal for participants, spectators, and all New Yorkers, and patriotism ran high as the marathon hosted the men's and women's USA Marathon Championships.

New York has continued to lead in race management. In 2002, New York Road Runners ("NYRR") created a separate start for the professional women as a way to highlight the most competitive women's field in race history. In 2003, ING became the title sponsor of the race and joined with NYRR to fund grassroots running and fitness programs among the city's youth through the ING Run for Something Better program. NYRR hosted the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials -- Men's Marathon in Central Park on the same weekend as the ING New York City Marathon 2007. In 2008, the marathon was successfully staged with three wave starts. The 2009 race was the marathon's 40th running and hosted the USA Men's Marathon Championship. In 2010, the marathon expanded its reach to friends, family, and fans with the I'M IN theme.

Forty years after its start, the ING New York City Marathon continues to grow in size and to be the leader among marathons around the world.

NYPD Misconduct Takes Center Stage

2011-10-31T03:40:00.000-07:00

Recently, our city's police force has been in the news for its misconduct. The conduct has been both disappointing and shocking.

False Arrest

On October 17, the FBI arrested Michael Daragjati, an eight-year NYPD veteran, for false arrest of a Black New Yorker. The officer did not realize his conversations were being taped and used a racial slur in describing his own conduct. ". . . fried another nigger," he said, which suggests he makes a habit of false arrests of Black residents of our city.

The victim of the arrest was in jail for 36 hours after a stop-and-frisk. Because the stop-and-frisk did not result in the recover of a weapon or drugs, the officer arrested the Black resident for "resisting arrest." The practice of arresting Black New Yorkers for resisting arrest should stop. An arrest must be justified by some other conduct before the charge of resisting (real or imagined) should be considered.

Officer Daragjati admitted on the taped conversations that he often beat our fellow citizens without justification and that he would be terminated if his conduct were exposed.

Amazingly, this officer had been successfully sued twice previously for falsely arresting Black residents, but he has been sent back out into our city to abuse more of our Black population. Our tax dollars have been used to pay some of his previous victims, yet he has received the support of the NYPD to add to his list of victims.

The mistreatment of the Black people in our city should be viewed by the NYPD and by our Mayor as a problem rather than a goal.

Ticket Fixing Scandal

Last week, 16 NYPD officers were arraigned in the Bronx for illegally "fixing" tickets for their friends and families, and another 300+ officers will be disciplined for their participation in the scandal.

In a disappointing twist, hundreds of NYPD personnel came to the Bronx courthouse at the time of the arraignment to protest the action being taken against the NYPD officers who illegally "fixed" the tickets. The protesting officers argued that the NYPD should be able to "fix" tickets as a matter of professional courtesy.

The scandal involving more than 300 officers is troubling, but the concept of an even larger number of officers protesting the indictment of those who got caught is far more troubling. The endorsement of criminality by the NYPD's officers is inconsistent with their law enforcement role.

Also troubling is the lack of prosecutions outside of the Bronx for this criminal behavior, even though the NYPD has admitted that the NYPD ticket "fixing" crimes were widespread in all five boroughs. If the District Attorneys in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island are willing to ignore criminal behavior by the NYPD in the face of well-publicized prosecutions in the Bronx, those District Attorneys send a message that officers should feel comfortable behaving as if they are part of an organized crime operation. That criminal mentality create the stop-and-frisk abuses discussed above and puts New York City residents at risk.

The Mayor, the Police Commissioner, and all five District Attorneys must make it clear to the NYPD and its officers that they should not endorse criminal behavior.

Held Captive

A Brooklyn woman announced last week that she was suing NYC because of NYPD conduct. She claims to have been held captive for five days by the NYPD in Brooklyn after being shot in the leg by a stray bullet.

Based on her claims, the NYPD held her as a ploy to get her to lie and state that a friend of hers had shot her. Because she refused to lie, she was punished by being held captive.

Only after five days of abuse was she released. Her friend had passed a lie detector test and subjected himself to gun residue tests. In a sense, he was guilty until proven innocent, and his friend's refusal to implicate him in a crime cost her five days of her life.

The behavior of the NYPD should not imitate criminality. False arrests, ticket fixing, and false imprisonment are evidence that the NYPD must change.

The record levels of stop-and-frisks must end, and the NYPD must get out of the crime business and back into the crime prevention business.

Scott Stringer Takes on the NYPD's Racist Stop-and-Frisk Policing

2011-10-24T03:45:00.000-07:00

Last we week, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer continued to make Manhattan residents proud as he accelerated his emergence as the clearest and loudest voice amongst elected officials opposing the brutal racism of the policing approach used in New York City.

Stringer in September

In September of this year, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer took a stand against Mayor Bloomberg's stop-and-frisk policies. He highlighted that over 600,000 NYC residents were stopped last year and that we're on a pace to exceed that number and set a new record this year. With nearly all of those stopped being young men of color, Stringer felt compelled to try to end the practice.

Stringer could not have been more accurate in saying, "We cannot wait a minute longer to have an honest examination of stop-and-frisk and the collateral damage it inflicts on our city every day."

He was also accurate in September when he called on Mayor Bloomberg and the NYPD to create an expert panel to help the NYPD establish new strategies for law enforcement that are not based on race or skin color and that will reduce the number of stop-and-frisk incidents and "achieve the right balance between policing and civil rights.”

While we at Manhattan Viewpoint, the NYCLU, and many other groups have criticized the NYPD's racist stop-and-frisk policing policies, Borough President Stringer is the first top-tier prospective candidate for NYC Mayor in 2013 to aggressively and publicly embrace the need to end the stop-and-frisk nightmare. NYC Public Advocate Bill De Blasio has expressed a quieter level opposition to stop-and-frisk. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's support of the racist practice should disqualify her as a potential future Mayor. Thus far, Stringer stands alone as a genuine advocate for ending the racist practice.

Stringer in October

Last week, only a day before a major Harlem protest of the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policies that featured Cornel West, Borough President Stringer once again raised his voice to loudly and clearly demand that the Mayor join the rest of us in the 21st Century and end the practice of using skin color as a proxy for criminality.

Stringer wrote a compelling opinion piece in the New York Daily News that provided a superb description of the flaws in the current race-based approach and provided a sincere and tested solution.

Yesterday, I joined with state State Senator Eric Adams in calling for a federal investigation into current stop-and-frisk practices. In 2000, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights concluded that the NYPD street-stop program amounted to racial profiling. Eleven years and millions of stops later, the city is still waiting for a street-stop policy that is designed to identify true threats.

As a federal court in Manhattan found last month, serious questions remain about racial disparities in current stop-and-frisk practices; about the constitutionality of stops that do not result in arrest and about the role quotas may have played in driving the fourfold increase in stops over the past decade. A new investigation that focuses on each of these issues would help to answer these questions and chart a road map for reform.

What we know already about stop-and-frisk should give us all pause. This year, the NYPD is on track to stop 700,000 New Yorkers. And yet in 93% of all stops last year, police could find no reason to make an arrest.

The police say stop-and-frisk is an important strategy for getting guns off the street, a priority that must remain paramount. But in fact, guns are recovered in only 0.2% of the cases, a success rate that would be judged a failure if applied to any other government program.

Lastly, 85% of those stopped last year were black or Latino. Some counter that the high proportion of stops in communities of color merely reflects the ethnic makeup of high-crime neighborhoods, but the numbers tell a different story. NYPD data show that among those stopped, whites, blacks and Latinos are actually arrested in equal proportion, about 7% of the time.

What stop-and-frisk is reaping is not so much guns, but a deep layer of distrust between police and the city's black and Latino neighborhoods, and that makes solving crime harder, not easier.

We should not wait for the results of a federal investigation to implement immediate reforms. Last month, at a forum at Riverside Church, I offered a blueprint for improving stop-and-frisk, not ending it.

We should pilot our own version of "Operation Ceasefire," a community-based policing strategy now employed by some 70 cities. By joining together the police and district attorneys with social services that offer jobs and other paths off the streets, this approach slashed homicide rates in Chicago and Boston by double digits.

We should train officers to make street stops more constitutional and less confrontational. The Fourth Amendment has been interpreted clearly: An officer can make a stop only when he has reasonable suspicion that an individual is committing, has committed or is about to commit a crime. Even then, the officer may frisk a subject only when he reasonably suspects that he is in danger of physical injury. That's not what is happening on the streets of New York today.

Lastly, we should hold precinct commanders accountable for the proper execution of stops-and-frisks.

The day we do all that, New York will be a better, safer place for all of us.

Occupation Continues in Manhattan

2011-10-17T03:23:00.000-07:00

Occupy Wall Street and its progeny around the world have the potential to improve our country and our planet, but these movements also have an element of class warfare and demagoguery that could do great harm.

Occupy Wall Street

For a month, protesters have been assembled in Lower Manhattan and called themselves "Occupy Wall Street" - OWS. The OWS movement started out looking too weak to last this long. It turns one month old today and shows no signs of slowing down. OWS participants are protesting against economic inequality and corporate greed. They have adopted the phrase "We are the 99%" as one of their key slogans; it alludes to their view that the top 1% wealthiest Americans are controlling the politics and economics of our country, failing to pay their fair share of taxes, and abusing the other 99% of us. The movement has shown staying power and seems to be strengthening.

As stated by the Associated Press:

The Occupy Wall Street movement has close to $300,000, as well as storage space loaded with donated supplies in lower Manhattan. It stared down city officials to hang on to its makeshift headquarters, showed its muscle Saturday with a big Times Square demonstration and found legions of activists demonstrating in solidarity across the country and around the world.

The legions have been demonstrating in 70 major cities around the world, and the number seems to grow every day. It all started in Lower Manhattan.

While the movement has compared itself to the Arab Spring, the movement lacks the revolutionary momentum of the Arab Spring. While the Arab Spring set its sights on ending generations of dictatorships, OWS has a generic and contradictory message that has not yet jelled into a massage that calls for anything specific to change in our society. Arab Spring sought to topple governments, replace leaders, and usher in democracy. OWS needs to find a voice that speaks to what it wants to achieve and move beyond the simplicity of opposing greed.

Why Occupy?

The OWS movement has been criticized for, among other things, 1) lacking specific demands, and 2) reflecting many obvious contradictions.

These criticisms are legitimate. While some have dismissed the need for a coherent set of goals for the OWS movement, no movement can improve our country or our world unless it is demanding that improvements be made. Simply opposing inequality and greed is insufficient. The movement must have steps it is demanding be taken to reduce inequality.

Also, the vagueness of the anti-inequality stance of OWS leaves it vulnerable to appearing to be anti-capitalism, anti-wealth creation, and anti-economic-success. OWS seems contradictory when its participants and leaders use Twitter, Facebook, and Apple products to organize their activities and promote their agenda, because these companies thrive today because they previously received the support of "greedy" venture capitalists who provided them the cash necessary to have the dramatic effects they've had on our planet. These companies have changed lives and spurred economic opportunities with the help of the wealthiest in our society who supported these companies in an effort to become even wealthier.

The country believes that wealth inequality is too great in our country, even though the country underestimates the level of inequality. If people understood the level of inequality, the focus on finding solutions to it would likely increase. Perhaps that is the genius of OWS, it will simply educate people that the inequality they already dislike is far more pronounced than they believed. One might argue that contagious diseases get more focus from policy makers because voters fear being infected, while genetic diseases, even if more deadly and more common, do not capture the same level of focus. If OWS can make wealth inequality, which has thus far been treated as a genetic disease, the recipient of the focus we give to contagious diseases, OWS will have made a very big difference in our society. Swine Flu was defeated by our country within one year. Imagine if the Swine Flu was the cause of wealth inequality.

RLJ Rule

Robert L. Johnson, the founder of BET, has proposed a step the American companies can take to reduce wealth inequality in our society between white and Black households.

We have focused in the past on the racial wealth gap - the median white household has twenty times the wealth of the median Black household. 20 to 1. That is a shocking statistic, and it represents a major barrier to improvements in the quality of life of Black Americans.

Robert L. Johnson's approach is called the "RLJ Rule."

(a) encourages companies to voluntarily implement a plan to interview a minimum of two qualified African American candidates for every job opening at the vice president level and above; and
(b) encourages companies to interview at least two qualified African American firms for vendor supplier/services contracts before awarding a new company contract to a vendor.
Johnson makes clear the purpose of this voluntary rule is not to suggest quotas or that companies hire any individual or minority firm that is not qualified. Johnson notes that the RLJ Rule, if implemented properly, will further enhance a company's already established commitment to diversity and inclusion.

OWS needs to find its "RLJ Rule" proposal. What should our country do differently to improve opportunities and reduce inequality.

As the world watches Lower Manhattan, I hope that OWS will be more than an attack on wealth and economic achievement. It must be a force for improving lives and expanding economic opportunity.

FDNY Racism Confirmed By Federal Judge Part II

2011-10-10T03:54:00.000-07:00

Last week, Mayor Bloomberg's dedication to racial discrimination was highlighted by a Federal Judge. This is only days after the same Judge focused on the intensity of the racial discrimination within our city's fire department.

Previous Judicial Findings

In last week's blog, we wrote that the Judge in the FDNY racial discrimination case stated:

The under-representation of black firefighters in the FDNY — a direct result and vestige of the city’s pattern and practice of discrimination against black firefighter candidates — is responsible for making blacks significantly less likely to apply to become New York City firefighters. The city’s culture of bureaucratic blame-shifting and accountability avoidance [exposes the fact that] the city does not want to be held accountable for the results of its recruitment efforts. This is unacceptable.

The Judge found that our city government kept the Black population of the FDNY at 3% or below through a practice of discrimination against Black applicants and would-be applicants.

The Mayor's behavior remains difficult to understand or accept. After many years of fighting such decisions, Mayor Bloomberg vowed to fight on in his efforts to retain his right to an all-white fire department in the nation's largest city. If he has evidence that our city's residents believe that only white fire fighters can protect our city, he should both provide that evidence and work to help our city's residents learn to evaluate talent and competence without a bias against non-white professionals. If he has evidence that having Black firefighters in our city will result in less safety, he should provide that evidence. Thus far, he has doggedly and unceasingly fought to avoid bringing racial integration to the FDNY without offering any evidence that an all-white fire department is a superior approach than the adoption of racial integration. If he is motivated simply by a psychological need to avoid racial integration, he needs to understand that there are Federal laws that will ultimately prevent him from implementing his racist approach indefinitely. Eventually, he will be forced to follow the law and allow non-white fire fighters at the FDNY.

There is anecdotal evidence that his obsession with racial discrimination is also very observant. When he learned that Black Community leaders were helping Black candidates apply for entry into the FDNY, Mayor Bloomberg changed the application procedure in order to undermine that assistance. He even made paper applications difficult to obtain.

What Next?

Last week, the Federal Judge issued a ruling that specifically focused on the Bloomberg Administration's pro-racism approach to the FDNY. In deciding that a court-appointed monitor of hiring practices at the FDNY was necessary, the Judge stated:
Though the city's use of discriminatory hiring practices has persisted through numerous changes in city leadership, the evidence adduced in this case gives the court little hope that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg or any of his senior leadership has any intention of stepping up to the task of ending discrimination in the FDNY.

The Judge called the FDNY a "stubborn bastion of white male privilege" and addressed Bloomberg's obsession with preventing racial integration at the FDNY.

Instead of facing hard facts and asking hard questions about the city's abysmal track record of hiring black and Hispanic firefighters, the Bloomberg administration dug in and fought back [against efforts to end discrimination]. Today - four years of litigation and two adverse liability rulings later - the city still doesn't get it.

Bloomberg, predictably, vowed to fight indefinitely for the right to avoid adding Black fire fighters to the FDNY. His lead attorney stated that Bloomberg will appeal the rulings "as soon as the law allows."

Bloomberg's commitment to racial discrimination reminds us of our reaction to Bloomberg's announcement of a $30 million donation to a $127 million effort to improve the lives of young men of color in New York City. Bloomberg's $30 million was matched by billionaire George Soros.

For now, the most powerful action Mayor Bloomberg can take to improve the lives of men of color in our city is an action that he can take without the help of George Soros or any of his fellow billionaires. He should resign.

FDNY Racism Confirmed By Federal Judge

2011-10-03T03:56:00.000-07:00

A Federal Judge has confirmed that the Fire Department of New York lacks people of color because of a practice of excluding people of color from its ranks.

Background

As we stated a year ago:

Despite extensive and persistent efforts, the FDNY remains a racially discriminatory institution. Our city's fire department is more than 90% white, but Mayor Bloomberg has fought the addition of people of color to our fire department. After a decade of very credible complaints about the racially discriminatory hiring practices at the FDNY, Mayor Bloomberg remained committed to the racially discriminatory approach he led from City Hall. Finally, the Bush Administration's US Justice Department sued New York City in order to combat the racial discrimination that Mayor Bloomberg stubbornly promoted. The Bush Administration won the law suit, but the Bloomberg Administration refused to end its discrimination.

The courts have attempted to guide the Bloomberg administration away from racial discrimination, but they have failed. A federal judge gave Mayor Bloomberg five options for hiring a class of FDNY rookies this year and ending the pattern of racial discrimination. Mayor Bloomberg rejected all five options and decided to hire no FDNY rookies this year.

We are not surprised, but we are saddened to see Mayor Bloomberg put our lives in jeopardy in order to keep the FDNY more than 90% white. We need the additional firefighters, and we need an end to the racial discrimination at the FDNY.

When residents of New York City are facing the terror of a fire, they never demand that only white fire fighters participate in the life saving work that is needed from the FDNY. In fact, our city's residents have not demonstrated Mayor Bloomberg's commitment to racial discrimination. Perhaps the people of our city will raise their voices and demand that our city bring on board the additional fire fighters that our city had planned to hire - and demand that the new hires not be selected in a manner designed to prevent persons of color from joining the FDNY.

Latest Development

Last week, Brooklyn Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis issued an 81 page opinion stating that Black firefighters had proven their claims that minorities trying to become firefighters suffer disadvantages. The Judge's decision on remedies remains to be declared, but observers expect the Judge to require substantial oversight from outside of the NYC government. Garaufis said, "The court cannot adequately ensure the city’s compliance with applicable equal employment opportunity laws and policies...in the absence of court supervision."

In a stinging indictment of NYC's approach to hiring at the FDNY, the Judge wrote:
The under-representation of black firefighters in the FDNY — a direct result and vestige of the city’s pattern and practice of discrimination against black firefighter candidates — is responsible for making blacks significantly less likely to apply to become New York City firefighters. The city’s culture of bureaucratic blame-shifting and accountability avoidance [exposes the fact that] the city does not want to be held accountable for the results of its recruitment efforts. This is unacceptable.

The efforts to keep the FDNY all white are indeed unacceptable and were a key priority of the current NYC Mayor during all ten years of his continuing reign.

NBA Lockout Could Hurt NYC Economically

2011-09-26T02:56:00.000-07:00

The National Basketball Association's (NBA) team owners have locked out the NBA players and cancelled the first several games of the 2011-2012 preseason. As regular season games become vulnerable to cancellation, the economy of NYC and of the United States may be harmed.

The Lockout

The owners of NBA teams started the lockout in early July as collective bargaining talks broke down. Team owners have stated that twenty-two of the thirty NBA teams lose money and that the losses total more than $300 million. There has been no attempt by the owners to prove that there are indeed twenty-two teams losing more than $300 million, and the owners have refused to reveal any of their financial results to the players or to the players' union. The lockout is created entirely by the owners, and is not a "strike" in which the players would refuse to continue working under the terms of the previous collective bargaining agreement (CBA). In the lockout, the players are forbidden from practicing or playing as a team by the owners, who refuse to continue operating under the previous agreement.

Malcolm Gladwell has argued that NBA owners are not generally behaving like business owners but instead are enjoying the psychic benefits of owning high profile entertainment assets. He reminds us that the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball refused to have any Black players until long after Black players were present on all other teams and that their choice to remain all-white cost them a large amount of money. Because the owner of the Red Sox enjoyed the psychic benefits of enforcing his dogma of white racial superiority, he was willing to lose millions of dollars. His love of racism was greater than his love of (or need for) additional profits.

In the current NBA lockout, though the owners have not opened up their books, the players have offered to reduce their share of NBA revenue from 57% to 54.3%, a reduction that would cause more than one-half of one billion dollars to be shifted from the players to the owners over the next five years. The owners have rejected that suggested reduction and demanded a reduction to less than 50% of revenue. Such a dramatic reduction has no chance of being agreed to by the players. The stalemate has caused some preseason games to be cancelled. Soon, early season regular season games will be cancelled, and then, we'll face the potential cancellation of the entire season.

With most teams claiming to lose money, the NBA owners may prefer not to play the upcoming season rather than to play the season and absorb the losses.

If the season is not played, the fans will lose out, and the economies of both NYC and the United States might be harmed in the process.

Economic Impact

Every NBA team is scheduled to play 41 home games in the 2011-2012 season. Cancelling those games will affect the venues where the games are played and the cities of the NBA teams more generally.

Here in NYC, we have two NBA teams in the metropolitan area. The New York Knicks play their games in Manhattan, and the New Jersey Nets play their games in Newark, NJ (the Nets will play all of their home games in Brooklyn starting with the 2012-2013).

A cancellation of the 2011-2012 season carries major risks for our local economy. The travel industry will lose hotel revenue; restaurants will be harmed. Food vendors, sporting goods vendors who sell replica jerseys, and the cable channels that broadcast the games will lose revenues; advertising spending will decline.

It is likely that the Knicks and Nets are teams that are profitable. If they are, a cancelled season also eliminates the profits of two major local businesses.

In these difficult times, a cancelled NBA season is the last thing we need. Perhaps Gladwell can appreciate that beyond the economic challenges that a cancelled season would cause, there is psychic damage that the owners will cause all of us if they deny us basketball this year.

Alexander Hamilton's Historic Home Re-Opens in Harlem

2011-09-19T03:48:00.000-07:00

Founding Father Alexander Hamilton's home from 1802 to 1804 in Harlem has been re-opened to visitors by the National Park Service after a $14.5 million restoration.

Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton is one of the most important figures in United States history. He helped lead the military success of the colonies during the Revolutionary War; he signed the Constitution on behalf of the New York State delegation to the Constitutional Convention, and he led the campaign for adoption of the Constitution by the States. Hamilton was the first Secretary of the Treasury, and his economic thoughts have had a potency that have made them the guiding principals of the economic systems of many of the world's largest economies in the 19th, 20th, and 21st Centuries.

Only Benjamin Franklin ranks with Alexander Hamilton as a non-President whose face appears on United States paper currency. Hamilton appears on the $10 bill, and Franklin appears on the $100 bill.

Born on the Caribbean island of Nevis, Hamilton was the son of an Irish father and a Dutch mother. He made his home in Upper Manhattan and lived in a home he built and called the "Grange" until his death in 1804.

Hamilton Grange Reopened

Hamilton's home remained in Upper Manhattan after his death and was moved once, but it only moved a block. It was then moved one more block in 2008 and restored after falling into disrepair and being reduced in size to fit into a tight space as the Manhattan street grid stretched northward.

The $14.5 million restoration has transformed the historic home back into what it was in 1802, but it has also added modern touches.
As stated in the New York Times:

A crisp, intelligent exhibition about Hamilton and his accomplishments has been mounted on the basement level, created by the National Park Service. It includes a interactive video display in which questions about Hamilton are answered by an avatar speaking Hamilton’s own words.

The restored Hamilton home is likely to be a destination for visitors in Manhattan for many years to come. It will help teach new generations to respect the accomplishments and views of Alexander Hamilton, and it will help reinforce the origins of the name of the Harlem neighborhood in which it sits - Hamilton Heights.

The Hamilton Grange reopened last week with great fanfare. As a National Park Service site in the midst of a New York City park, the reopening is an example of cooperation between national and local authorities. Such cooperation is dreamt of in the Constitution that Hamilton defended so eloquently and so effectively when it was itself more a dream than reality.

Ten Years Later - Commemorating Heroism and Loss in Manhattan

2011-09-12T03:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Manhattan was the focus of the largest commemorations of the heroics and of the loss of loved ones experienced on September 11, 2001.

The five-hour ceremony in Lower Manhattan captivated the world yesterday, and the opening of the World Trade Center Memorial today helped ensure that we never forget those lost on September 11, 2001.

May God Bless America . . . from sea to shining sea.

Bloomberg Domestic Violence Cover-Up

2011-09-05T03:59:00.000-07:00

Mayor Bloomberg's cover-up of the domestic violence arrest of one of his highest ranking staff members is a new low for his administration.

Strange, Ugly Week for NYC's Mayor

Last week gave us a front-row seat to witness an ugly turning point in the Bloomberg Administration's reign.
Mayor Bloomberg has had failures and disappointments during his tenure, but he has typically been overly critical of personal failures (Plaxico Burress, smoking). We have been critical of the Mayor, but watching the Mayor get caught attempting to execute a classic political cover-up is both strange and disappointing. He has supported ultra-racist policing in our city. He has presided over the ruinous debacle of an educational system where only 28% of black males graduate high school. He has sought regressive taxes and punished the poor for being poor. But, Bloomberg has never shown a willingness to engage in a cover-up or to protect perpetrators of domestic violence, until now.

The Mayor had other ugly realities emerge last week as well. His administration demonstrated an unyielding commitment to race-based policing and established a pace of stop-and-frisk activity in our city that would set yet another record. A white police officer accused the NYPD of punishing him for complaining about racist statements made to him as part of ordering him to meet quotas for traffic stops. The same officer also has accused the NYPD of ordering him to give unfavorable performance evaluations to black officers.

One wonders if the public has accepted that the Bloomberg Administration has declared war against African Americans (especially against African American males). But, there should be little doubt that the public does not condone cover-ups or domestic violence. Bloomberg may not be excused for the cover-up the way that he has been excused for the intensity and consistency of his racism.

Ironically, while the Mayor has been dedicated to racism as his governing principle in office and not been held accountable, he has shown no evidence of supporting domestic violence (until now), and his one known defense of domestic violence may bring him down in a way that ten and one-half years of intense and unashamed racism has not.

The Domestic Violence Cover -Up

Mayor Bloomberg's Deputy Mayor, Stephen Goldsmith, resigned after spending two days in jail for domestic violence. The Mayor promoted the idea that Goldsmith's resignation was required because of disappointment with his handling of the blizzard in December 2010.

Only now, many months later, are we learning of the domestic violence arrest. The Mayor has not yet offered any explanation for the cover-up. In fact, he has praised himself for the cover-up and refused to apologize. That is an amazing contrast to his demand that Plaxico Burress be prosecuted "to the full extent of the law". Friends and supporters of Bloomberg get his assistance in covering up their crimes and keeping their crimes out of the media. Non-supporters get trashed by Bloomberg in press conferences before their trials. The Mayor focuses on compassion for the accused criminal when the accused criminal works for him. When the accused criminal is not a friend, the Mayor leads the lynch mob before the jury gets the case.

We cannot imagine that the Mayor genuinely believes that his cover-up was best for the people of New York City, but it is very difficult to understand what he believes other than that perhaps he values his friendships more than he values his credibility as our Mayor. He is willing to destroy his credibility and support domestic violence to show loyalty to a friend, even though a Mayor who supports domestic violence and tells lies to the public cannot be effective.

Goldsmith lives in Washington, DC (an odd location for a NYC Deputy Mayor), and the Mayor may have felt justified in engaging in a cover-up, given that another jurisdiction was entirely responsible for the arrest.

Bloomberg may feel that the cover-up was justified in retrospect because the domestic violence charges were later dropped.

But, neither of those explanations, if offered, could justify the deception promoted and executed by Mayor Bloomberg. A cover-up of domestic violence by a top advisor to the Mayor of our country's largest city can never be justified. It is a new low for Bloomberg.

Earthquake and Hurricane in NYC in the Same Week

2011-08-29T03:46:00.000-07:00

Last week, our city experienced both an earthquake and a hurricane. We prepared well for the hurricane and never had any warning on the earthquake.

Earthquakes and Hurricanes in NYC

As recently as 2001, Upper Manhattan experienced an earthquake, but there has not ever been a major earthquake in NYC for as long as earthquakes have been recorded in our area. The largest earthquake ever in the NYC area was only a magnitude 5.2 on the Richter Scale, and it occurred in 1884. The Richter Scale is designed so that each successive whole number represents a full 10x increase in the energy released by the earthquake. A magnitude 6.2 earthquake would be 10x as forceful as the strongest earthquake ever known to have hit NYC. The earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan earlier this year was a magnitude 9.0, representing approximately 100,000x the force of a 5.2.

We have had hurricanes in NYC as well. The most severe and most deadly was the Long Island Express, a 1938 hurricane that pre-dated the hurricane naming convention that began in 1950. But, hurricanes in NYC are quite rare.

The likelihood of experiencing a hurricane and an earthquake in NYC in the same week must be very small. The earthquake felt in NYC last week originated in Virginia, and was a magnitude 5.8. Therefore, while the earthquake did not originate in NYC, it was certainly experienced here. The hurricane that struck NYC last week turned out to be far less devastating than feared, but it was a hurricane when it arrived in NYC.

Hurricane Irene

Mayor Bloomberg and city leaders were effective in preparing for the hurricane. Governor Cuomo and his New York State team were equally effective. Evacuations were ordered from low-lying areas. Mass transit was shut down; tolls were suspended on bridges for residents exiting evacuation zones early in the weekend and for residents returning at the end of the weekend as evacuation orders expired.

Because of the preparation and because of the weakening of Hurricane Irene, NYC survived the storm with far less damage than had been predicted. The inconvenience was significant, but the worst is over.

Last week, we survived an earthquake and a hurricane. Within weeks, all of the flooding will be nothing but a memory, and we will be back to normal. But, we'll know that we had a week that was anything but normal.

Bearden Centennial Coming to the Manhattan's Met

2011-08-22T04:01:00.000-07:00

Last week, the Met announced that it would celebrate the 100th birthday of Romare Bearden with a special, Harlem-oriented exhibit that will begin next week.
Romare Bearden
Excerpts from the biography included on the web site of the Romare Bearden Foundation:
Romare Howard Bearden was born on September 2, 1911, and died in New York City on March 12, 1988, at the age of 76.

Romare Bearden began college at Lincoln University, transferred to Boston University and completed his studies at New York University (NYU), graduating with a degree in education.

From the mid-1930s through 1960s, Bearden was a social worker with the New York City Department of Social Services, working on his art at night and on weekends. His success as an artist was recognized with his first solo exhibition in Harlem in 1940 and his first solo show in Washington, DC, in 1944. Bearden was a prolific artist whose works were exhibited during his lifetime throughout the United States and Europe. His collages, watercolors, oils, photomontages and prints are imbued with visual metaphors from his past in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Harlem and from a variety of historical, literary and musical sources.

In 1954, Bearden married Nanette Rohan, with whom he spent the rest of his life. Bearden had close associations with such distinguished artists, intellectuals and musicians as James Baldwin, Stuart Davis, Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, Ralph Ellison, Joan Miró, George Grosz, Alvin Ailey and Jacob Lawrence. Bearden was also involved in founding of The Studio Museum in Harlem.

Recognized as one of the most creative and original visual artists of the twentieth century, Romare Bearden had a prolific and distinguished career. He experimented with many different mediums and artistic styles, but is best known for his richly textured collages, two of which appeared on the covers of Fortune and Time magazines, in 1968. An innovative artist with diverse interests, Bearden also designed costumes and sets for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Bearden was the recipient of many awards and honors throughout his lifetime. Honorary doctorates were given by Pratt Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Davidson College and Atlanta University, to name but a few. He received the Mayor's Award of Honor for Art and Culture in New York City in 1984 and the National Medal of Arts, presented by President Ronald Reagan, in 1987.

Metropolitan Museum Exhibit and Celebration

From the Met's Press Release last week:

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Romare Bearden, The Metropolitan Museum of Art will display Bearden's The Block, a six-panel tableau that portrays one city block of the Harlem neighborhood that nurtured his career. On view at the Metropolitan Museum from August 30, 2011, through January 2, 2012, Romare Bearden (1911-1988): A Centennial Celebration is presented in conjunction with a multi-city centennial tribute to the life and work of this great American artist.

Romare Bearden's embrace of an unusual medium—paper collage—set him apart as an artist. Jazzy, syncopated compositions, made with found materials such as magazine clippings, old photographs, and colored papers elevated the medium to a major art form for storytelling. In The Block (1971), Bearden used the collage medium to present a montage of images in shifting scales and perspectives that alternate between fantasy and reality. It is a world that is at once eminently recognizable and wholly unique.

The Block depicts Lenox Avenue between 132nd and 133rd streets, in New York City's Harlem neighborhood. Bearden created a colorful scene filled with human activity, much of it taking place on the street. Churches, stores, and apartment buildings provide the backdrop for various scenarios, including a funeral, children playing, a homeless man sleeping, and groups of teens and seniors socializing on the sidewalk. What goes on behind closed doors is revealed through windows and cut-aways in the walls that Bearden called "look-ins."

Bearden's images are both simple and complex, and layered with meanings that can be inferred from his references to other art and cultures—Renaissance painting, modern art, African tribal sculpture, and Christian iconography. In 1977 his friend the novelist Ralph Ellison wrote that Bearden's collages created "a place composed of visual puns and artistic allusions…where the sacred and the profane, reality and dream, are ambiguously mingled."

Visit the Met at 5th Avenue and 82nd Street and check out The Block.

US Open Men's Finals on 9/11/11

2011-08-15T03:52:00.000-07:00

Last week, the United States Tennis Association announced that it would pay special tribute to those lost on 9/11/01 during the Men's and Women's finals on September 10th and 11th.

September 11th and Sports

The last major sporting event in New York City prior to the tragedy of September 11th was the 2001 US Open Men's Final between Lleyton Hewitt and Pete Sampras on September 9, 2001. Neither the Yankees nor the Mets played in New York on September 10th. The Yankees game for September 10th versus the Red Sox was rained out.

In a very emotional return of sports to New York City, the Mets defeated the Atlanta Braves on September 21, 2001. We had 10 days without major sports as a result of the terrorist attacks, but the Mets brought sports back with class, reverence, and superb performance.

A bit more than a month later, starting on October, 27, 2001, the New York Yankees took on the Arizona Diamondbacks in a memorable World Series that included incredible late-inning comebacks by the Yankees and a perfect strike first pitch by U.S. President George Bush before game 3. The Diamondbacks ultimately prevailed, but the 2001 World Series provided healing for New York City and for the country.

The US Open paid tribute to the heroes and loved ones lost on September 11, 2001 at the 2002 US Open, but the US Open ended prior to September 11th every year.

This year, 2011, exactly 10 years after the tragedy, the US Open Men's finals will fall on September 11th, and the United States Tennis Association, the organizers of the US Open, will pay tribute to our heroes and lost loved ones once again.

Tributes at the 2011 US Open

The tributes will include performances by Cyndi Lauper and Queen Latifah, and both the Men's and Women's finals will take place with "9/11/01" written on the court in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Yesterday, an American woman, Serena Williams, won the Canadian Open in Toronto, and an American man, Mardy Fish, competed in the Finals of the Canadian Open in Montreal.

Perhaps we can have an American man and an American woman in the finals of the US Open on September 10th and September 11th this year to help us pay tribute to the victims and heroes of the tragedy of 10 years ago.

Bloomberg Counters His Own Attacks on People of Color

2011-08-08T03:52:00.000-07:00

NYC Mayor Bloomberg has pledged $30 million of his own money toward improving opportunities for Black and Latino men, but he continues to promote the most policies geared toward damaging people of color.

The Mayor's Own Money

Mayor Bloomberg has pledged $30 million of his own money toward a $127 million city initiative to provide help to Black and Latino men. George Soros is matching Bloomberg's contribution, and the city is paying the remaining costs. The initiative will focus on parole reform, job training, and education. More than a dozen city agencies are connected to this initiative, and Bloomberg added to the spending by issuing an executive order barring city agencies from placing undue barriers before job applicants with criminal convictions.

One would find it difficult to oppose the $127 million of funding, the $30 million contribution from the Mayor, or the focus on the plight of men of color in our city, but this initiative is small in comparison to the problems faced by these men. By my estimation, it results in less than $50 per man of color in our city.

Our primary reaction to this initiative is to marvel at the inconsistency of the Mayor's approach to men of color. As we'll discuss later in this post, the Mayor is one of the key components of the pain inflicted on men of color, and he could end that pain at no cost at any time. Instead, he continues to punish people of color in our city for not being born white.

People of Color Facing Challenges in Our City and Beyond

In our city, men of color have far higher unemployment rates than other men and earn far less when employed than other men earn.

We have recently seen that across the United States, the median household wealth for persons of color is approximately one-twentieth of the wealth of the median white household. Therefore, a typical white family has 20 times the wealth of the typical Black or Latino family in our country.

We also know that simply having a name that appears to be a Black name makes a job applicant half as likely to be interviewed when compared with an identical applicant whose name does not seem Black.

Across nearly all metrics and analyses, people of color are provided fewer opportunities, pay higher prices, and suffer more abuse than other people.

Mayor is Chief Tormentor of Men of Color

Mayor Bloomberg has provided over the highest ever levels of stops and frisks of innocent people of color. He sets a new record every year. In Black neighborhoods, the chances of being stopped in a year are an astonishing 30% or more, while white New York City residents escape the stop and frisk terrorism despite the fact that white New York City residents are more likely to have illegal weapons or illegal drugs than people of color in our city. In June,

Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said, the stop and frisk numbers “are going in the absolutely wrong direction.”

"Stop and frisk has a place in law enforcement but the abuse of this tactic to target absolutely innocent people is bad for all New Yorkers,” she said. “This practice seriously undermines the quality of life for people of color in New York City, particularly in the poorest, most vulnerable neighborhoods."

Ninety percent of those incarcerated in our city are people of color, and only 28% of Black men in our city graduate from high school.

Mayor Bloomberg's administration is the most lacking in people of color since Mayor Koch.

Mayor Bloomberg has been dedicated to preventing people of color from becoming members of the Fire Department of New York City. He fought against the Bush Administration as the federal government sought to reduce the racial discrimination in hiring at the FDNY. He chose not to hire any firefighters in order to avoid adhering to a federal judge's order to end his "white-only" FDNY hiring approach.

Perhaps Mayor Bloomberg's $30 million investment is a part of a new thinking by him that will change our city. For now, the most powerful action Mayor Bloomberg can take to improve the lives of men of color in our city is an action that he can take without the help of George Soros or any of his fellow billionaires. He should resign.

Our Transit Authority Faces Challenges

2011-08-01T03:46:00.000-07:00

While most eyes are on the compromise deal in Washington, DC to raise the debt ceiling and cut federal spending, here at home in New York, the MTA is losing its leader, seeking debt it is not sure it can repay, seeking fare increases during a troubled economy, and facing the recent revelation of being over budget and behind schedule on some of its major projects.

New Leader Needed

In July, the MTA Chairman, Jay Walder, announced that he was resigning, effective October 21, 2011. Walder was appointed by then-Governor David Paterson, and while he was viewed as controversial by labor advocates, he developed a reputation as an effective and competent leader.

Walder is resigning to take a role leading a company that operates rail systems in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, London, Stockholm, and Melbourne. Though he was a very highly paid public official with a long-term contract, the private sector offered him superior compensation and, presumably, a superior opportunity to build a record of success. There is not necessarily a villain in the Walder departure. New York State attempted to solidify its relationship with Walder through the structure of his contract, and Walder can hardly be faulted for taking a dream job as the head of a global leader in his field. Though there may be no villain, the private sector's gain is the public sector's loss.

Financial Challenges

The MTA has experienced budget challenges in recent years and chose last week to seek to borrow nearly 7 billion dollars for key projects, despite the warnings from the MTA's own finance committee chair that the additional debt may represent a "ticking time bomb." To achieve only the "fragile stability" that Jay Walder says is represented by the borrowing and by additional fare increases sought by the MTA, the MTA will be forced to also seek wage freezes from MTA workers. The MTA will be challenges at every turn.

Behind Schedule and Over Budget

In addition to wasting $26 million through poor management of its recent track wor k, the MTA is billions of dollars over budget and many years behind schedule on its most high profile projects.

As NY1 stated in December 2010:

A new report finds the cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority is going way over budget on its major construction projects. The MTA inspector general says the Long Island Rail Road extension to Grand Central, the Second Avenue subway, and the Fulton Transit Hub are a combined $1.93 billion over budget. The report finds the projects are also up to five years behind schedule. In fact, the report finds the railroad link may not be finished until 2018. The first leg of the Second Avenue subway is expected to be completed in 2017. The inspector general blames a lack of oversight and squabbles between managers and consultants hired by the agency for the delays.

Perhaps the arrival of a new chair of the MTA is an opportunity to fix the fiscal problems and the management problems that have plagued the MTA. The status quo is not an acceptable standard.

Environmental Racism on Display in Harlem

2011-07-25T01:47:00.000-07:00

Last week highlighted the environmental racism endured in Harlem. Harlem's waste water treatment plant, which collects sewage from all over Manhattan and the Bronx, caught fire and dumped raw sewage into the Hudson River in Harlem.

Harlem and Environmental Racism

Harlem is a community composed primarily of people of color. It is a low-income community, and a community dominated by residential properties.

Harlem is also a community that demonstrates the impact of environmental racism.

The waste water treatment plant on the west side of Harlem between 137th Street and 145th Street is the destination for all sewage (every flushed toilet) for the entire western half of Manhattan and for the Riverdale section of the Bronx. Harlem is treated as the toilet of Manhattan and the Bronx.

Harlem is the bus depot capital of Manhattan. Of the eight bus depots in Manhattan, seven are located north of 96th Street. Bus depots centralize air pollution, noise pollution, and vehicular traffic in one area. Bus drivers often have to keep their engines running during the winter to prevent their fuel from freezing, thereby increasing the pain inflicted on the Harlem community.

For many years, Manhattan's trash all landed on the west side of Harlem. Starting early this century, New York City's trash was shifted to Newark, New Jersey, and Harlem ceased to be the destination of Manhattan's trash. Therefore, Harlem was the capital of sewage, trash, and bus depots.

Fire Sends Sewage into the Hudson River

Last week, flames shot 30 feet in the air at the water treatment plant on the west side of Harlem. Raw sewage was sent into the Hudson River, and sun bathers at beaches in some parts of New York City were told to avoid the water. This is the ultimate impact of environmental racism: the sewage from many communities was dumped into Harlem's waters.

The water treatment plant is below Riverbank State Park. We have written about the need for Riverbank Park to be focused on Upper Manhattan residents. Riverbank Park has, at times, been provided to private schools from far away, and Harlem residents have been excluded. The release of raw sewage into Harlem's waters highlights the need to ensure that the benefits of Riverbank Park are focused on Harlem residents; Harlem residents are the focus of the health risks and challenges of being the toilet for the rest of Manhattan.

NY Health Under Attack in Budget Negotiations

2011-07-18T03:15:00.000-07:00

Last week, we saw the debate over the federal budget reach a fever pitch. The Republican Party demanded budget cuts, including cuts in areas that help keep our communities healthy.

Health Funding Under Attack While Health Declines

Lost in last week’s debate in Washington about increasing the debt ceiling was the impact of potentially massive public sector cuts on average Americans, especially lower income households and middle-class families. One area that can ill-afford more spending cuts is the public health sector.

In a recent ground-breaking report, F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2011, from Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced that adult obesity rates increased in 16 states over the last year and did not decrease in any states. Furthermore, twenty years ago, no state had an obesity rate above 15 percent; today, 38 states have obesity rates over 25 percent and just one has a rate lower than 20 percent. Overall, two-thirds of all Americans are obese or overweight.

While NY State ranks 9^th out of 50 states with a 24.7% obesity rate, the situation is more alarming among NYS’ African-American and Latino communities where 31% of African-Americans are obese (vs. 27% of Latinos and 24% of Whites) including 37% of African-American women and 24% of African-American men are obese.

The Report also describes the strong relationship between income, education, obesity, diabetes and hypertension which is often a predictor of heart disease. As one might expect, lower income and less educated households have higher obesity rates which result in higher rates of diabetes and hypertension. In Upper Manhattan, we face some of the worst levels of education, some of the highest levels of hypertension and diabetes, and high obesity rates to go along with our problem of "food deserts."

The health threat posed by the rising rates of obesity and other noncommunicable diseases has become so severe that the United Nations General Assembly is convening its first-ever High-level Meeting on noncommunicable disease prevention and control in NYC on September 19-20. The four main noncommunicable diseases - cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic lung diseases and diabetes - kill three in five people worldwide.

The good news is that while funding for education, afterschool programs and non-profits remains under assault, several private and public sector organizations are filling the void by providing a wide-range of free fitness programs for New Yorkers including those listed below.

LUNA Free Yoga Series

YogaLocal and LUNA are providing 500 free guest passes for yoga classes at 24 yoga studios throughout NYC including Yoga for Bliss in Riverdale, MindBodyHealth in Washington Heights and Harlem Yoga. The passes are available on a first-come first-served basis at www.lunafreeyogaseries.com

BeFitNYC

Created by the NYC Parks Dept, BeFitNYC BeFitNYC is a search engine for free and low-cost fitness activities in New York City and it lists programs, classes, facilities, and leagues in the Parks Department's properties as well as those of a number of partner groups. Visit www.befitnyc.com

City Parks Foundation

The City Parks Foundation provides free Golf, Tennis and Track & Field lessons for NYC youth under age 18 in each borough. These FREE sports programs help promote physical fitness and build self-esteem in a fun, relaxed environment. Visit http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/sports/sports.html

Derek Jeter Provides a Day of Joy

2011-07-11T04:04:00.000-07:00

Last week, Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter established a new standard for heroics, leading the Yankees to victory on Saturday afternoon while becoming the first player ever to achieve his 3,000th hit as a Yankee.

Already a Hero

Derek Jeter had established himself as a future Hall of Famer long before last week's magical moment. He became the all-time Yankee leader in hits in 2009. He's helped lead the Yankees to five World Championships. He's won five Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers, and he's been the MVP of both the World Series and the All-Star Game.

We wrote in 2009 that Jeter should be the American League MVP for that year, and while he didn't receive the award, his performance was worthy of MVP recognition. The same was true in 2006, when he did not receive the award but was indeed the most valuable player in the American League.

Jeter has been a hero off the field as well. He's provided many millions of dollars of charitable donations to worthy causes focused on helping children live healthy, safe lives while they demonstrate to their peers how to thrive as youth. He founded the Turn 2 Foundation when he was a rookie in the Major Leagues and had not yet become a multi-million dollar per year fixture in the Bronx. Derek Jeter has consistently done the right things and said the right things as a leader and as a man. His exemplary character and his extraordinary work ethic reflect the values of the household created by Jeter's parents.

I remember sitting in the old Yankee Stadium and cheering wildly as Jeter eclipsed Lou Gehrig to become the all-time Yankee hit leader. Afterward, when asked about the fans' excitement regarding his new record, Jeter said, "I didn't expect that many people to be out there after the rain delay considering how hard it was raining when we started the game, but the fans were incredible. It says a lot about how they feel about their team and more importantly how they feel about the history of their team. I appreciate each and every one that was there."
His special mix of humility, maturity, and talent make him the best Yankee and the most beloved Yankee of his era. He has defined some or all of three different decades for the world's most famous and most accomplished baseball team with three contemporaries, Mariano Rivera (the most accomplished closer in Major League history), Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada.

While Jeter will likely play for the Yankees until 2014 or later (and will give us many more special moments), we should pause today to celebrate his record of success and dedication to excellence.

DJ3K

This latest achievement makes Jeter the 28th player to achieve at least 3,000 hits. Millions of people around the world strive to be Major League baseball players.
Since the Major Leagues began in the 19th Century, approximately 17,000 players have participated. Only 27 players had achieved 3,000 hits prior to last week. On the Yankees, Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, DiMaggio, Berra, and all of the other legends ended their careers with less than 3,000 hits as Yankees. Though there are players who have achieved 3,000 hits and have played portions of their careers with the Yankees, no one in a Yankee uniform has ever passed that milestone.

Gehrig's career was cut short by illness, and DiMaggio's career was shortened by service in the military during WWII. But, nonetheless, DiMaggio finished with 2,214 hits, and Gehrig finished with 2,721. Derek Jeter stands alone amongst all Yankees in history.

To add some emphasis to the achievement, his 3,000th hit was a home run. Only one other player has ever hit a home run as his 3,000th hit. As amazingly, Jeter was five-for-five during the game that included the 3,000th hit. Only one other player has ever had five hits in the game that included the 3,000th hit. In so many ways, Derek Jeter stands alone amongst all players in Major League history.
As of this morning, Jeter has 3,004 hits. May he have many more hits and a long, happy life after baseball.

Prison Closing Praise and Criticism while Cy Vance Struggles

2011-07-04T04:52:00.000-07:00

While Manhattan DA Cy Vance seems to be developing a losing streak and facing criticism, our state has decided to close prisons. The losing streak is not leading to fewer prisons, but it does highlight our challenges in criminal justice.

Cy Vance

We endorsed Cy Vance in his 2009 campaign for Manhattan District Attorney, and we continue to expect him to be a very successful leader in Manhattan and beyond. However, he has been surprisingly unsuccessful thus far.  Let us hope and pray that he can fix the problems in his office in short order.

Prison Closings

The Correctional Association of New York, our state's leading voice on prison conditions, is led by a dynamic new Executive Director, Soffiyah Elijah. Her statement regrading our state's decision to close prisons and the state's highly questionable choice of prisons presents a complete and balanced picture. We reprint it below in its entirety:

The Correctional Association of New York applauds Governor Cuomo for his announcement yesterday to close seven prisons, the most significant commitment to prison reduction since the prison building boom of the 1980s. The plan includes four minimum-security facilities for men: Buffalo Work Release; Camp Georgetown; Summit Shock; and Fulton Work Release, in addition to three medium-security facilities for men: Arthur Kill; Mid-Orange; and Oneida.

Closing prisons is long overdue: New York's prison population has dropped by over 15,500 people in the past decade and the state system has nearly 8,000 empty beds maintained at enormous cost. These closures will eliminate 3,800 empty prison beds and save taxpayers $72 million in 2011-12 and $112 million in 2012-13.

While we commend the Governor for his commitment to eliminating excess prison beds, we are concerned that approximately 50% of these beds are located in or near New York City, even though New York City prisons only house 25% of the total state prison population. Therefore, the closures affect downstate prisons at a rate three times greater than prisons upstate. More than 60% of the state's prison population is from New York City and its suburbs. Closing downstate prisons will result in incarcerating even more people far from their homes and prevent them from maintaining family and community ties, which lessen the trauma of parental incarceration on children and lead to greater success post-release. The closure of Arthur Kill, an effectively run prison with numerous programs and one of the few facilities where lifers and long termers from New York City can be housed close to their loved ones, is particularly troubling.

It is also significant that these prison closures will eliminate one-third of the state's work release beds - an already underutilized program. Work release helps people in prison gain critical employment skills to prepare them for a smooth transition back to their communities; however, the number of participants in New York's work release programs has already dropped by over 25,000 over the course of 12 years to only 1,900 in 2010.

We are hopeful that yesterday's announcement is merely the beginning, and that the Governor will build on these positive steps by further downsizing prison beds in New York State. We urge the Governor to consider the following critical criteria in making future downsizing decisions: (1) the existence and quality of rehabilitative programs and specialized services in the facility; (2) the existence and quality of medical and mental health services in the facility; (3) the proximity of the facility to the geographic area in which the majority of incarcerated people lived prior to their incarceration and where they will likely return; and (4) the ability of the facility to keep incarcerated people and staff safe. We also expect that maximum-security and women's prisons will be included in future closures.

The Governor can take additional measures to further reduce the prison population without sacrificing public safety, including: diverting some individuals from prison into alternative to incarceration programs; releasing inmates earlier in their sentences after participation in prison programs that have better prepared them for successful reintegration into their communities; and reducing the number of formerly incarcerated individuals who are returned to prison for technical parole violations.

We commend Governor Cuomo for his dedication to eliminating excess prison capacity, moving away from an unjust overreliance on prisons as fuel for economic growth and ensuring more efficient use of taxpayer funds. We urge the Governor, along with New York State policymakers, to build on these significant steps and further reduce the state's prison population and capacity. By doing so, we can reduce the state's continued costly and misguided overuse of incarceration and free up much-needed funds to support in-prison programs, alternative to incarceration programs and other community-based services that build healthy, safe and productive individuals, families and communities.

Marriage Equality Comes to NY State

2011-06-27T02:59:00.000-07:00

Last week, New York became the largest and latest state to embrace marriage for same-sex couples. All New Yorkers should be proud.

Marriage Equality's Economic and Moral Imperative

Denying marriage's legal benefits to those who's life partner is of the same gender as themselves was always morally indefensible. Inheritance rights alone represent a sufficiently powerful benefit to married couples that refusing to allow an entire class of couples to marry has been the practical equivalent of shifting wealth away from the would-be spouses in same-sex couples to other people.

As we stated in 2009:

Legalizing same sex marriage makes us all better. It continues the march to greater personal equality and freedom that our country has undertaken - from slavery to Jim Crow, women's suffrage, the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, to today.

Beyond the moral imperative of marriage equality, New York State and New York City will benefit enormously from the economic opportunity created by embracing marriage equality.

Once again, we addresses this thought in 2009:

City Comptroller Bill Thompson produced a report in 2007 that attempted to estimate the economic impact of legalizing same sex marriage. His analysis suggested that New York State would benefit from approximately $250 million of economic activity over three years simply from the weddings that would take place in the state after the legalization of same sex marriage. He also estimated that $175 million of the $250 million would be economic activity benefiting New York City.

Many couples living in New York City would take advantage of the new law and begin planning weddings, while both New York City and New York State would benefit from out-of-state couples coming to New York for their weddings. New York's hotels and banquet halls would see increased activity. The sooner New York State acts, the greater the benefit, as the lack of equivalent opportunities in neighboring states will increased the economic activity in New York State in the near term. Longer term, we'd expect neighboring states to follow our lead and provide equal rights to their residents irrespective of sexual orientation.

The economic opportunity is likely larger now than (now former) Comptroller Thompson estimated in 2007, and our city and our state both need the economic boost. The decision to end the discrimination against same-sex couples will make us not only happier but also wealthier.

NYPD Attack the Celebrants

Unfortunately, our city's police department chose the time of the celebration of the great victory of marriage equality over discrimination to raid a gay bar.

Mayor Bloomberg lobbied for marriage equality, but the NYPD seems unable to allow the historic celebrations to move forward without interference. The Mayor needs to tell the NYPD that, though he and they agree that people of color should be harassed aggressively in their neighborhoods, the Mayor, as the boss, is not seeking to have homosexual New Yorkers targeted by the NYPD, especially during the celebration of a major legislative victory.

The Proponents and the Opponents

We congratulate Governor Cuomo on leading a disciplined and street smart battle for marriage equality. We congratulate the New York Civil Liberties Union and all of the parts of the successful coalition.

We have noticed that our city's Archbishop was disheartened by the success of the marriage equality coalition, and we re-emphasize that there is no excuse for our city's religious leaders to promote discrimination. The religious community opposed equal rights for non-white residents of our country, opposed women's suffrage, and continues to view its support for discrimination against homosexuals as an important part of its identity.

Until the religious leadership in our city moves away from its focus on finding ways to support and promote discrimination, that leadership will continue to lose these defining battles of our time. If those leaders will begin to oppose discrimination, they will be embraced, and they will improve lives here on earth.

NYC Cuts Teachers But Adds Technology

2011-06-20T02:42:00.000-07:00

Our city is reducing its financial commitment to education and laying off teachers, but New York City is also increasing its level of financial investment in technology for classrooms.

Teacher Layoffs

In an era of increasing unwillingness to accept poor classroom performance of students, New York City is making the counter-intuitive step of demanding teacher lay offs. The total reduction is more than six thousand teachers, with more than four thousand of them coming from lay offs.

At first, one might be shocked that a Mayor who ran for election to a third term based on his argument that he had improved the school system would use that term to reduce the number of professionals in the classrooms of our city teaching our city's children. But, there are some uncharitable explanations:
1) The Mayor may have given up on building a legacy of achievement in education. He chose Cathie Black as the Chancellorof NYC public schools, and her selection highlighted how little the Mayor values the educational mission of our city.
2) Test scores, once believed to have improved under the Mayor's leadership, have been shown to have failed to improve.
3) Success is elusive. Only 28% of Black males in NYC graduate from high school. The Mayor may be feeling that he is stuck with the legacy of that performance and should focus on a legacy of cutting government spending.

There is also a reason to be optimistic. The new Chancellor is Dennis Walcott, and Chancellor Walcott's desire to see our city's children receive a high quality education is largely unchallenged. The Chancellor's influence over the Mayor's decisions is often called into question.

No matter how one looks at the upcoming school year, the loss of more than six thousand teachers will not improve the quality of education in our city. Let us pray that our optimism regarding Chancellor Walcott is not misplaced.

Perhaps his commitment to technological advancement in schools is a reason to hold onto our optimism.

Technology Spending

The NYC Department of Education is seeking to spend nearly $1 billion on technology in the next fiscal year for classrooms in our city.

Some of those dollars will go to consultants on technologies issues. Some of the dollars will go to lap tops in classrooms. Perhaps those dollars will be a part of upgrading the level of internet connectivity in the classrooms around our city.

Interestingly, for the 2014-2015 school year, the high stakes New York State Assessment Tests will be given online, and some of the increased capital spending in New York City is being explained as preparation for that online assessment test challenge. New York State has stated that the 2014-2015 tests will be available in a more traditional format in addition to the online format, but New York City is preparing for 2014-2015 as if there will not be an accommodation for school systems whose technology is insufficient for the online test.

Our city needs to lead the way in the US for investing in technology and for investing in high quality teaching. We may be moving toward a willingness to lead on technology, but we're moving in the wrong direction on teaching.

UBS Considers Returning to NYC as Pressure on Weiner Mounts

2011-06-13T02:22:00.000-07:00

Financial powerhouse UBS is considering returning to NYC from Connecticut, and Congressman Anthony Weiner faces increasing opposition to his continuing in office.

UBS to NYC

As has been widely reported, UBS, the Swiss investment bank, is considering moving its North American headquarters to New York City. Such a move would reverse the move from New York City to the Connecticut suburbs that occurred fifteen years ago, and move three thousand jobs from Connecticut to New York City. The firm has faced difficulty recruiting the best talent because of its distance from New York City, and, while having several years left on its lease, the leadership of UBS is actively investigating multiple NYC properties.

As we discussed recently, New York City is by far the leader in corporate headquarters for the Fortune 500. New York City is also a leader in the role of North American or US headquarters for foreign companies. Maintaining that lead and increasing the economic success of our city will require us to attract headquarters from other locations while also preventing the departure of our large employers. If New York City can add a major international financial firm and its 3,000 employees in the next few years, the impact will be meaningful. Such a move might also inspire other firms located outside of our city to relocate in order to compete for talent. UBS could be the beginning of a new trend that helps save the New York City economy and solidify our position as the corporate headquarters location of choice for large companies.

Let us encourage our elected and business leaders to be aggressive, creative, and thoughtful in finding solutions for companies who seek to come to or stay in our city.

Anthony Weiner

As pressure mounts on Congressman Weiner to resign, we point out that he was elected by his constituents and not by the other members of Congress. Moreover, polls show that his constituents continue to want him to serve in Congress on their behalf. He undoubtedly has a great deal of work to do to repair his relationships with his family and his supporters, and he should not be asked to focus on gaining the support of other members of Congress while he has so many other people to engage in the humbling process of seeking forgiveness. Because of the recent scandal, it is unlikely that he will be a serious candidate for Mayor in 2013, and he may find that the State Legislature and the Governor take advantaged of his weakened political position to eliminate his district before the 2012 elections (New York State must eliminate two Congressional districts in preparation for next year's national elections). But, another election will come soon enough, and voters in Weiner's district can decide whether he should continue to serve them.

If he decides to leave Congress to focus on his family, we will understand why such a decision might be wise. If he decides to remain in office to attempt to fulfill his duties to his constituents, we will respect that choice and wish him success.

NYPD Sets New Stop-and-Frisk Record

2011-06-06T02:36:00.000-07:00

The NYPD stopped more people in the first three months of 2011 than in any three-month period ever recorded. Given the grotesque level of racial discrimination exhibited by the NYPD in their stop-and-frisk activity, ending that activity must be our focus.

Stop-and-Frisk and Manhattan Viewpoint

More than any other issue we have highlighted, we have focused on Mayor Bloomberg's and the NYPD's obsession with stopping innocent people of color in our city.

In March of this year, we focused on the payments that our city has made using our tax dollars to the victims of stop-and-frisk activity.

In September of last year, we expressed frustration with the quotas imposed on NYPD officers by their superiors and how those quotas drive the stop-and-frisk abuses.

In July of last year, we praised Governor Paterson for ending the NYPD practice of indefinite retention of data collected from the innocent victims of the stop-and-frisk reign of terror that the NYPD brings on a consistent basis to communities of color in our city.

In May of last year, we summarized all of our previous blogs regarding the stop-and-frisk outrage and noted, with alarm, that the often cited "fit the description" excuse for the stop-and-frisk abuses were not even the excuses that the NYPD actually lists for the horrible racism that drives their policing philosophy. The NYPD's own excuse for stopping hundreds of thousands of innocent people of color each year is that the stopped individuals were behaving suspiciously. There is no crime reported in the area and no description to fit. The act of being a person of color makes one suspicious to the NYPD, and the NYPD's race-based suspicions turn into stops.

The Mayor and the NYPD continue to increase their racist tactics and intensify their abuse of communities of color, and non-racist people must stand up and oppose these abuses. If the Mayor will not end these practices, we must demand that the Mayor resign. No police force in our country should be permitted to abuse its citizens of color with such ferocious and racist dedication. We, as residents of the greatest city on our planet, must put an end to it.

A Disgusting New Record

We learned last week that the Mayor and the NYPD have now set a disgusting new record.

The Village Voice said it well:

Recent investigations into the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy, which is ostensibly to find firearms but doesn't usually work out that way, show that not only are the searches illegal in many cases, but they overwhelmingly target men of color in poor areas. These stops result in tens of thousands of arrests every year for small-scale weed possession, some of which would be thrown out if a judge ever saw them. But because most people don't know their rights, the cycle spins on: through the end of March, the NYPD has 183,326 stop-and-frisks on record this year, the highest number since they started keeping track in 2004. Of those, 11,925 people were arrested and 10,292 were issued tickets. Unsurprisingly, a majority of those stopped were black.

Others focused on the innocence of those stopped:

There have been 183,326 stop-and-frisk encounters recorded from January through March in NYC, according to NYPD records obtained by the NYCLU. About 88 percent of those stops resulted in neither an arrest nor a summons, and it probably won't surprise you that about 84 percent of those stopped by police were black or Latino. (In 2010, only about 9 percent of people stopped were white.) So far, stop-and-frisk incidents are up 22 percent over the same time period last year . . .

The Wall Street Journal's report on this tragedy ended with a quotation from the leader of the NYCLU, and her quotation is an appropriate ending for this blog entry:

Critics of stop-and-frisk point out that suspect descriptions make up only a small percentage of the reasons officers list for making stops. Over the first quarter of this year, suspect descriptions accounted for just under 15% of the reason stops were made, according to NYPD statistics.

Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said, the stop and frisk numbers “are going in the absolutely wrong direction.”

“Stop and frisk has a place in law enforcement but the abuse of this tactic to target absolutely innocent people is bad for all New Yorkers,” she said. “This practice seriously undermines the quality of life for people of color in New York City, particularly in the poorest, most vulnerable neighborhoods.”

Black Board Members Disappear at the Largest US Companies While NYC Remains Preferred Headquarters

2011-05-30T03:20:00.000-07:00

As our city continues to fight to keep its place as the preferred headquarters for our nation's largest companies, we see that the Boards of Directors of our nation's largest companies have been dramatically reducing their number of Black Directors in recent years.

The Role of the Board

Boards of Directors are the governing body of companies and play an enormously powerful role. Board members are elected by shareholders, but there is no higher authority within a company than the Board during the period between shareholder votes. Each company's Board selects the senior management of the company (including the CEO), establishes the compensation of the company's employees, sets the strategic direction for the company, evaluates and oversees the performance of the senior management of the company, and undertakes many other governance responsibilities, including the nomination of future Board members for approval by the shareholders.

Board service is lucrative. Members of the Boards of Fortune 500 companies each earn an average of more than $200,000 on an annual basis from their role (many companies pay each director more than $300,000 per year for Board service), despite the fact that the role requires a limited time commitment and does not preclude the Board member from serving on other company Boards or from holding a full-time job. In fact, most Board members are current or recently retired senior executives of large companies who are earning or who have earned until recently very high levels of compensation from their primary employers.

New York City is the Preferred Location for Company Headquarters

Boards of Directors decide where their companies are headquartered, and New York City is the most common headquarters for companies in the Fortune 500.

Of the 500 companies, 42 are headquartered in New York City. That number is nearly twice as high as the next highest city, and it is nearly four times as high as the third largest city. Our city continues to dominate the fight to be the home of the most large companies.

Attracting and retaining companies in New York City improves the New York City economy, promotes employment, ensures that our city's desires are reflected in Board rooms and in decision-making at the highest levels of companies, and helps make our city the best city in the world in which to live.

Though our city and the other cities providing homes for our country's largest companies are very diverse, Board of Directors of our country's largest companies exclude nearly all people of color and nearly all women. Unfortunately, the trend is toward less diversity instead of more diversity on company Boards.

Reduced Diversity on Boards of Directors

The Executive Leadership Council and other organizations recently issued a report analyzing trends and reality in the ethnic and gender make-up of Boards of Directors within our country's largest 100 and within our country's largest 500 companies. The results were highly troubling.

Though people of color represent 34% of the US population, people of color are only 10% of the population of Boards of Directors of Fortune 500 companies.

Perhaps more troubling is the trend. The Boards of the largest 100 US companies lost nearly half of their Black male Board members between 2004 and 2010, going from 93 Board seats in 2004 to 51 Board seats in 2010. The combined male and female numbers for Black Board members dropped from 120 in 2004 to 77 in 2010. In 2010, Black Board members represented less than five percent of all Board seats.

As our country becomes more diverse, the Boards of Directors of our country's companies must follow the same trend. Right now, the trend is moving in the opposite direction and creating a larger-than-ever disconnect between the populations working in, consuming products from, and being affected by our country's companies and the Boards of those companies.

Perhaps a sign of the challenges our country faces in curing its race-oriented realities is a new study that shows that white US residents believe that the primary victims of racism are white Americans and that racism against white Americans in the US today is more severe than racism against Black Americans. While these findings are shocking, they may help explain why Boards of Directors of US companies are aggressively reducing their Black populations in recent years. Boards may have the false impression that people of color have too much power in our US companies and may be trying to reduce that power by eliminating people of color from the Boards of US companies. Let us hope that the success of those efforts can be reversed.

Bloomberg's Foot-In-Mouth Disease

2011-05-23T03:46:00.000-07:00

Last week, Mayor Bloomberg's dwindling popularity intersected with his insensitivity to people of modest means to create two embarrassing gaffes.

First Gaffe - "No Panhandlers in the Subways"

Last week, Mayor Bloomberg declared, in a very condescending tone, that there are no longer any panhandlers in the subways in New York City.

The statement left many of the Mayor's constituents shocked and puzzled. In an era of economic challenges and record homelessness in our city, the Mayor's "no panhandlers" statement suggests that he is both ignorant of the experiences of non-billionaire New Yorkers as they commute on the subway and that he is underestimating the level of suffering occurring in our city.

His condescending tone suggests that not only was he unaware that panhandlers are a major part of the subway experience but that he was very certain that panhandlers have been eliminated during a period in which homelessness and economic distress are rising. The Mayor embraced regressive taxation and has intensified the distress of low-income New Yorkers by requiring them to pay a larger share of our city's taxes. His erroneous view that panhandling had been eliminated may be influencing his willingness to demand that low-income New Yorkers take on some of the tax burden previously endured by higher earners. He needs to be reminded that regressive taxation reduced economic growth. Even if homeless were not at all-time highs, we should not ask low-income residents to pay more while high earners pay less.

Second Gaffe - "Parents Don't Understand the value of Education"

Mayor Bloomberg closed out the week by stating, "There are some parents who . . . never had a formal education, and they don't understand the value of education. The old Norman Rockwell family is gone. Some of these kids don't have parents. There's nobody to stand up for them."

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio responded calling the Mayor's comments "profoundly disrespectful" and by stating, "As a public school parent, I believe that the Mayor should admit that he made a mistake and apologize."

Other parents were outraged. "How dare he say we don’t know what we’re talking about!” said, Zakiyah Ansari, a parent organizer with the Alliance for Quality Education, an umbrella organization representing more than 200 parent, teacher and student groups. “How dare he assume that because we’re poor or black or Latino or homeless or all of the above, that we’re uneducated, that we don’t know what’s best for our kids!”

The Mayor's performance with regard to education has obtained the approval of only 20% of public school parents (amongst all New York City residents, only 25% approve of the performance of the Mayor with regard to education). The Mayor is now resorting to attacking the victims of his failure to deliver quality education to our city after 10 years in office. This shameful behavior comes as he asserts that our city's subways no longer have panhandlers despite the record homelessness that came into existence under his watch.

Unfortunately, his third term as Mayor does not end until 2014.

Republican Donors Support Marriage Equality in NYS while Bloomberg is Embarrassed by His Budget

2011-05-16T02:40:00.000-07:00

Last week, we learned that major Republican donors were adding their dollars and their voices to the fight for marriage equality in our state, and we learned that Mayor Bloomberg's budget proposal included an embarrassing $1 billion in spending on education consultants while firing 4,100 teachers.

Republican Donors Join the Fight for Marriage Equality

In a pleasant and encouraging development, major Republican donors are funding the efforts to end our state's discrimination against same-sex couples and bring marriage equality to New York State.

A week ago, we highlighted Governor Cuomo's determination to lead a coordinated initiative to bring marriage equality to New York. Having Republican donors as supporters of the initiative is a major step forward, and it may represent the key ingredient of success for marriage equality this year.

In our state, the Senate is controlled by the Republican Party. A marriage equality law will need to receive meaningful Republican support to pass (some Democrats do not support marriage equality, thereby making the support of Republicans even more necessary). Republican donors are likely to have influence over the Republican controlled Senate, and the rest of us should applaud their willingness to jump into this initiative after the failure of the push for marriage equality in 2009.

Mayor Bloomberg and other supporters of Republican elected officials around our state now represent two-thirds of the funding of the initiative driving the push for marriage equality. Without them, the Governor would lack both the resources and the political influence that will likely be necessary to win this fight.

Let us hope that these Republicans remain the right side of this issues, and perhaps we can pray that Bloomberg and the other Republicans will take the satisfaction of fighting for human rights for same sex couples and push New York City to end its law enforcement terrorism against people of color as well as its exclusion of people of color from the Fire Department of New York.

Bloomberg's Embarrassing Education Budget

Mayor Bloomberg's budget includes $1 billion for consultants while eliminating more than 4,000 teachers. Manhattan Borough President and other supporters of public education have criticized the imbalance, and the Bloomberg administration has dismissed the criticism. After the Cathie Black debacle, the Mayor continues to give his opponents ammunition with which to attack him as lacking a commitment to improving the education of children in New York City.

Cuomo Leads Coordinated Push for Marriage Equality

2011-05-09T03:28:00.000-07:00

Governor Cuomo has chosen to play a leading role in the fight for marriage equality in New York State, and he has prompted leading advocates for same-sex marriage to adopt unprecedented levels of coordination.

Marriage Equality in NY Would Create Jobs

As we stated in April of 2009, allowing same-sex couples to marry would improve the New York State economy and create jobs.

City Comptroller Bill Thompson produced a report in 2007 that attempted to estimate the economic impact of legalizing same-sex marriage. His analysis suggested that New York State would benefit from approximately $250 million of economic activity over three years simply from the weddings that would take place in the state after the legalization of same sex marriage. He also estimated that $175 million of the $250 million would be economic activity benefiting New York City.

Many couples living in New York City would take advantage of the new law and begin planning weddings, while both New York City and New York State would benefit from out-of-state couples coming to New York for their weddings. New York's hotels and banquet halls would see increased activity. The sooner New York State acts, the greater the benefit, as the lack of equivalent opportunities in neighboring states will increased the economic activity in New York State in the near term. Longer term, we'd expect neighboring states to follow our lead and provide equal rights to their residents irrespective of sexual orientation.

State-Sponsored Discrimination Should End

In that April 2009 posting we also discussed the need to end the discrimination against same-sex couples that is represented by the denial of the right to marry.

There are more than 1,100 federal rights and more than 1,300 New York State rights available to married couples that are not available to couples who are not married. Therefore, the prohibition against marriage for same sex couples in New York State who wish to marry is equivalent to the systematic denial of nearly 2,500 rights to those New Yorkers.

An excellent example of the types of rights that only married couple enjoy is the spousal privilege - a married person cannot be compelled to testify in court about communications with his or her spouse. Without marriage, there is no privilege, and same sex couples who wish to marry are left without this crucial protection.

Beyond the enormous psychological benefits of marriage, we must recognize that there are thousands of important rights that are available only to individuals who are married and that, by preventing some of our fellow New Yorkers from gaining the status of being married, we are participants in a state-sponsored discrimination exercise that attacks our neighbors.

Governor Cuomo Pursues Marriage Equality

Governor Andrew Cuomo has expressed optimism that a law creating marriage equality will pass in the near future, despite the defeat of the 2009 effort.

He also has decided to push advocacy groups to band together to push marriage equality legislation forward. As described by the New York Times:

The most heartening new factor, though, is the active involvement of New York’s Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo. His predecessor, David Paterson, also supported same-sex marriage, but he was too weak and unfocused to get the job done.
With Mr. Cuomo’s encouragement, the state’s most influential gay-rights groups have banded together to form a united front. Working under the guidance of Cuomo aides, their coalition is getting ready to mount an intense and well-financed campaign — including field organizers and a major media blitz — that would focus on about 15 Democratic and Republican lawmakers whose votes are thought to be in play. A seasoned labor and media strategist with close ties to Mr. Cuomo, Jennifer Cunningham, has been tapped to oversee the coalition’s political and media efforts.

Let us hope that Governor Cuomo's efforts result in marriage equality that will both make New York State a leader in human rights and provide New York State with badly needed new jobs.

The End of Osama; Also Homelssness at Record Levels, But Harlem's Abyssinian House Shines

2011-05-02T03:37:00.000-07:00

End of Osama

Nearly ten years after the destruction of 9/11 and the suffering experienced by so many families in NYC, Osama Bin Laden has been killed in Pakistan. We congratulate the President, CIA, and the US military on this accomplishment. We also know that it is time for our fellow New Yorkers to be ultra-vigilant; terrorists may seize this moment to attack New York in retaliation for the US success in this mission.

Homelessness

New York City's homeless numbers are at record levels, but, in Upper Manhattan, the transition from homelessness into a permanent home is supported by an award winning transitional housing facility - Abyssinian House.

Record Levels of Homelessness in NYC

The number of homeless individuals in New York City is the highest it has ever been. More than 40,000 people in New York City go to sleep at night without a home, and approximately 40% of those homeless people are children. In 2010, more than 113,000 people slept in homeless shelters in New York City, and nearly 40% of that 113,000 were children as well. Many more homeless individuals live on New York City streets and are not included in the numbers mentioned above. During the term of the current New York City Mayor, the homeless population has nearly doubled, and it continues to rise.

Homelessness is largely an economic problem. Homelessness amongst families in our city is most commonly caused by a lack of affordable housing and triggered by evictions and severe overcrowding as well as by domestic violence and dangerous living conditions.

Those in homeless shelters are overwhelmingly people of color. Only seven percent of the individuals served by our city's homeless shelters are not people of color. More than 90% of homeless individuals in our city whose race and/or ethnicity is known are Black or Hispanic.

Of those living on the streets of our city and outside of the homeless shelter system:
1) 8o% are men
2) 60% live in Manhattan
3) most suffer from mental illness

Therefore, those of us who are people of color living in Manhattan can take a special interest in the homeless population on the streets of our city while we understand that the homeless population is largely made up of families with children who are not on the streets and who are not as visible behind the walls of shelters.

Abyssinian House Shines

Founded in 1992, Abyssinian House is a transitional living facility that moves families out of homelessness and into homes. The facility has 25 units and is located on 138th Street in Central Harlem. Since its founding, Abyssinian House has moved nearly 700 families out of homelessness, helped more than 1,300 homeless families find help, and enrolled 100 homeless children in Head Start programs led by the organization that leads Abyssinian House, the Abyssinian Development Corporation.

Abyssinian House has been recognized as representing the best of the transitional housing operations and leads the way in New York City by providing the families it serves with the services and support to help them overcome homelessness and place themselves on a path to stable housing and better lives. Abyssinian House was named as one of the best 20 shelters in New York City and was one of only 15 shelters selected to collaborate with the Department of Homeless Services to improve school attendance for homeless youth across our city.

Moving forward, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer's funding support will enable Abyssinian House to upgrade its physical facilities, improve the energy efficiency of those facilities, and make the experience of living at Abyssinian House even more pleasant for future residents in transition.

In Manhattan, we have the majority of the individuals in our city's homeless population who live on the streets, and we are enduring record homelessness numbers. But, we also have Abyssinian House to show our city how to combat homelessness with support and services that change the lives of our city's families.

Our YMCA Battles Diabetes in NYC

2011-04-25T03:19:00.000-07:00

Our city's YMCA is taking on diabetes before it takes hold, with a comprehensive approach designed to bring those at the highest risk back from the brink while conquering the leading causes of diabetes, such as obesity, poor nutrition, and a lack of physical activity.

Obesity on the Rise

As we have stated previously, while obesity is rising nationally, New York City's increase in obesity (17%) was nearly three times the national average (6%) from 2002 to 2004. Indeed, the majority of New York City residents are overweight or obese, and Upper Manhattan has some of the highest rates of obesity in our city.

Poor nutrition and a lack of physical activity characterize far too many families in Upper Manhattan, and those realities have translated directly into poor health and obesity. These health realities result in higher health costs (more than $6 billion of additional costs across New York City), lower quality of life, and shorter lives for the people of our communities.

Across our city, 23% of residents are obese, and many of those residents underestimate how overweight they are. With nearly one quarter of our city's residents enduring the health risks of obesity, we see that obese residents in New York City are three times as likely to suffer from diabetes as those at a normal weight. For overweight New Yorkers, they are nearly twice as likely to suffer from diabetes.

YMCA to the Rescue

Our city's YMCA has more than 20 locations and operates in all five boroughs. The YMCA of Greater New York serves more than 400,000 of our neighbors and provides tens of millions of dollars of free and subsidized programs to residents in our city each year. The legendary Harlem YMCA is one of those many locations and was home to many of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance, had Jackie Robinson as its Chair, and continues to be the headquarters for healthy living and a safe place for children to learn and enjoy life in Upper Manhattan. Recent Harlem YMCA Chairs include Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, Larry Dais, and Gerri Warren-Merrick, among others.

The YMCA of Greater New York is making the battle against diabetes one of its highest priorities and focusing its assistance on residents in our communities who suffer from prediabetes. As stated by Jack Lund, the YMCA's President and CEO, "Diabetes is an irreversible diagnosis, but it is not impossible to stop it before it develops." The attack on diabetes by the YMCA takes the form of a 16-session program for groups of eight to fifteen individuals with prediabetes. The program is led by trained YMCA lifestyle coaches who guide the participants toward an improved understanding of healthy eating, strategies for increasing physical activity, and other behavior modifications. The effort continues after the 16 sessions with monthly follow-up sessions to maintain and enhance the impact of the 16 session program.

The program is called the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program and would cost each participant $325 if not for the sponsorship and support coming from the YMCA's public-private partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and the UnitedHealth Group. As a result of that sponsorship, the cost per participant is only $40 for YMCA members and only $80 for non-members (membership at YMCAs is inexpensive with a family of two parents and their children paying only $99 per month for membership at the Harlem YMCA; one parent and his or her children pay only $76 per month for membership).

Individuals interested in participating in the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program can register at nyc.ydiabetes.com.

Potential Impact

A recent study showed that with a modest reduction of 5% to 7% of body weight, a person at risk for diabetes can reduce her/his chances of acquiring the disease by nearly 60%. With 1.4 million people in New York City suffering from prediabetes (nearly a quarter of the population of New York City) and more than 90% of those people unaware that they are at serious risk of becoming diabetic, the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program is exactly "what the doctor ordered" to raise awareness, reduce risks, and improve lives.

Stringer's Food Fight Continues as the Space Shuttle Lands in Manhattan

2011-04-18T04:21:00.000-07:00

Last week, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer issued a report regarding the NYC government's barriers to the expansion of farmer's markets, and his proposed solutions deserve immediate attention. Also, Manhattan's Intrepid Museum was awarded a Space Shuttle in a highly competitive battle with museums around the country.

Scott Stringer's Food Fight for a Healthier NYC

As a follow-up to his earlier report regarding the "food deserts" in New York City, Manhattan Borough President Stringer released a report last week detailing the challenges for farmer's markets created by NYC rules and regulations, and he proposed six groups of very specific recommendations for improving access to healthy, fresh food in New York City through expansion of farmer's markets.

Specifically, the report found challenges for farmer's markets caused by local regulations including:

1) Red Tape: The permitting process for markets is decentralized, inconsistent, confusing and expensive. In some cases, a market starting in July would have to apply for permits a full seven months in advance.

2) High Cost of Entry: Permit fees are based on the number of days a market will operate for an entire season. The cost of the entire season must be paid upfront, with a single permit often exceeding $800. When combined with required insurance coverage, a market operator, in many cases, must pay over $1,300 before the market season begins in order to obtain a permit. This can be a heavy financial toll for small market operators with limited resources for whom running markets is often not their primary job.

3) Lack of Operational Procedures for Parking: Because traveling to the city for market days is expensive for farmers, free parking is critical to the success of a market. However, the Department of Transportation has no official operating procedure for requesting signage or issuing placards to reserve parking on market days. Some markets reported waiting years to receive reserved parking signage.

Stringer proposed the following six solutions:

1. Eliminate Daily Permit Fees for Markets in Low-Income Areas

2. Simplify and Clarify the Process

• Assign oversight of farmers markets to a single City entity
• Create a uniform application process
• Create a guide to operating a farmers market

3. Create Standard Procedures for Farmers Market Parking

• Department of Transportation must create a clear policy for requesting signage
• Appropriate agencies must develop farmers market parking placards
• NYPD traffic officers must be trained regarding enforcement for farmers market parking

4. Create Information and Outreach Campaign About Using Federal and State Nutrition Supports at Farmers Markets

5. Increase Access to Urban Land for Farming

• Assess land availability and suitability for urban agriculture
• Create a citywide urban agriculture program
• Ensure the permanence of community gardens

6. Increase Access to Commercial Kitchen Space

• Explore use of City-owned kitchens
• Create online portal of available kitchen space

To eliminate food deserts and improve the health of the people of New York City, we all need to follow the lead of the Manhattan Borough President and advocate for less red tape and barriers to success for farmer's markets. The fresh fruits and vegetables that are found at farmer's markets are the solution to the problems of poor nutrition and obesity in our communities.

Space Shuttle Lands in Manhattan

The people of New York City should be proud to have been awarded a Space Shuttle for display at the Intrepid Museum as the Space Shuttle program shuts down.

We asked more than a year ago for your support for this effort, and the effort was successful. Senators Gillibrand and Schumer as well as the rest of the elected officials from in and around NYC and New York State deserve enormous credit for their determination and for their willingness to cooperate on this issue.

While some individuals have criticized this achievement because the Space Shuttle selected for Manhattan never flew in space, we should be pleased. There were only four Space shuttles available to be provided to museums around the country. Houston, the headquarters of space flight in our country, was not awarded a Shuttle. Manhattan's Shuttle, Enterprise, flew test flights but never escaped our planet's atmosphere to fly in space. It has all of the same elements of any of the Space Shuttles that have been in space, and it will be an inspiration to the youth of our city to aim high and pursue careers in science and technology. Enterprise was the first Space Shuttle ever built and gave birth to all of the others.

Enterprise will create significant economic opportunity in New York City, bringing new visitors to our city and drawing nearby residents back to the Intrepid Museum.

As New Yorkers, we should be excited to obtain any Space Shuttle and share it with all who visit our great city.

Pace University Shooting Insult

Last week, police in Westchester County named the officer who killed an unarmed football star from Pace University as the officer of the year. The choice speaks volumes for the police culture in Westchester County. Killing innocent, unarmed young black men is heroic in the eyes of the police there. In reality, these killings are too frequent and are criminal.

Republican Incarceration Strategy Exposed

2011-04-11T03:01:00.000-07:00

The New York State Republican Party has exposed itself as favoring incarceration as a strategy for maintaining and expanding Republican political power, and all New Yorkers should be outraged by their cynical and destructive approach.

Incarceration Expands Republican Political Power

As we have discussed in the past, incarceration approaches in New York State have been designed to increase and solidify Republican political power. Nearly all incarcerated individuals are from urban parts of New York State that traditionally vote for Democrats in State Assembly and State Senate races. Nearly all prisons in New York State are in Republican areas of the state. Incarcerated individuals have traditionally been counted as residents of the community in which the prison sits rather than being considered residents of the community in which they chose to live prior to incarceration. The increased population coming from counting incarcerated individuals (who cannot vote) gives voters in Republican areas extra voting strength; their votes carry more weight, and they elect more State Senator and Assembly members than their non-prison population(who are permitted to vote) would be entitled to elect based on population size. The loss of population from urban areas such as New York City reduced the political strength of those areas and undermines urban political influence in our state.

The shift of population from urban area to Republican areas also provides those Republican areas with an unfair advantage in the battle to receive funding from the state and federal governments. Population size affects how state and federal dollars are dispersed for housing, education, transportation, and nearly every area of state and federal funding. The incarceration strategy drains funds away from the poor neighborhood where almost all incarcerated individuals come from and sends those funds to Republican areas.

The elected leaders in the Republican Party have sought to increase the number of incarcerated individuals in order to increase Republican voting power and increase funding to Republican areas.

There is a strong racial element to the incarceration strategy. More than 90% of those incarcerated in New York State on drug offenses are Black or Hispanic (80% of all incarcerated people in New York State are Black or Hispanic), even though all studies show that Black and Hispanic residents of New York State use illegal drugs less than other ethnic/racial groups. By putting large numbers of first-time, non-violent drug offenders behind bars, Republicans have gained political power and funding. They have also taken populations that have traditionally voted for Democrats and made them ineligible to vote, thereby adding to Republican voting power.

Republican Party Files Suit to Maintain Their Incarceration Advantage

During David Paterson's reign as Governor, the democratically controlled State Legislature and the Governor agreed to end the practice of counting incarcerated individuals at the location of the prison and agreed to start counting them at the place of their most recent home. It was a major change, and it signaled the latest attack on the incarceration strategy (previously, the Governor and the State Legislature agreed to end the mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent offenders).

Last week, the Republican Party sued our state to try to reverse the change in how incarcerated individuals are counted. Some of the Republican districts at the heart of the suit would not have sufficient population to remain as districts if they did not count incarcerated individuals in their population counts.

Attorney General Schneiderman will defend New York State against the attack by the Republican Party, and we should be pleased that he was successful in the 2010 election cycle. His Republican opponent and one of his rivals in the Democratic primary were supporters of the incarceration strategy. Schneiderman led the fight to end the counting of incarcerated people at the prison location, and he'll be the right person to defend the law he championed.

In some ways, it is a relief to see the Republican Party admit that incarcerating large numbers of people of color is part of their electoral agenda. Now, the debate is clear. Do we want more non-violent individuals to serve long sentences in order to aid the Republican Party? Do we want the existing incarcerated population used to boost Republican political power? The Republican Party has answered with a strong, "Yes!"

It is up to all of us (as well as Attorney General Schneiderman and the New York State courts) to defeat their efforts.

Bye Black and Enter Walcott

Cathie Black's reign as Chancellor of the New York City school system was brief and humiliating for all of us. It was less a reflection of her lack of knowledge and more a reflection of the arrogance of Mayor Bloomberg.

In a strange twist that seems to deserve explanation, Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott will become the Chancellor but will not receive the Chancellor's $250,000 salary. Oddly, Walcott is claiming that he chose not to accept the increased salary, while the Mayor insists that Walcott would not have been permitted to receive the raise. One could assume that the Mayor is being frugal in refusing to pay Walcott for the job Walcott will now undertake, but you'd wonder why he is being frugal with Walcott's paycheck when he pushed for massive retroactive raises for his staff during the height of the recession. One might wonder whether Walcott is not really the Chancellor, since he won't be paid as the Chancellor. Perhaps Bloomberg will be the Chancellor, which has always been the problem. We've had a bad Mayor for education. Our Chancellors have suffered because they worked for the wrong leader in our city. The failure of our school system (where only 28% of Black males graduate from high school) is a failure of the Mayor and not a failure of his Chancellors. Dennis Walcott cannot fix the school system until we get a Mayor in New York City who wants our schools to successfully educate our children.

Sense-less Census in NYC

2011-04-04T03:10:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Census failed to capture the full population of New York City, and New York City is officially demanding that the Census Bureau fix the Census.

Hidden Homes

In New York City, there are many more homes than are obvious at first. Homes are subdivided (some illegally). Families move in together during tough times. New buildings are constructed that fail to appear on lists of addresses with dwellings. Many foreign-born New Yorkers are concerned that filling out Census forms, which are sent out by the federal government once every ten years, will subject them to mistreatment.

In the 2000 Census, the Census Bureau missed 240,000 residents in New York City.

In 2010, as the Census count was beginning, New York City had to provide 127,000 addresses to the Census Bureau for homes that the Census Bureau did not have on its list of homes.

The problem of hidden homes is particularly difficult in densely populated areas like New York City, where families may be hiding in plain sight.

Now, we see the hidden homes problem in the outcome of the 2010 Census.

2010 Census Undercount in New York City

New York City views the 2010 Census count of its population as an undercount of at least 200,000 (which is consistent with the 240,000 residents missed in the last Census). The 2010 Census put the New York City population at 8,175,133, but New York City estimates its population at 8.4 million. Making the Census numbers difficult to accept is the lack of population growth in growing sections of Queens and Brooklyn.

Brooklyn grew by less than 2% over the last 10 years according to the Census figures, and Queens experienced essentially no growth in a decade based on those same figures. The Census Bureau itself had estimated in 2009 that Brooklyn had grown by more than 4% since the 2000 Census, but their figures now suggest growth of less than half of that number.

The Census figures showing very little growth for New York City are a threat to the funding of New York City. A large portion of federal and state funding provided to New York City is based on the size of the New York City population. The type of major undercount that New York City believes has occurred in the 2010 Census could result in underfunding for New York City in housing, education, healthcare, and many other key funding categories.

As we have stated previously, the faster growth of states in the West and South relative to states in the Northeast has resulted in a shift of Congressional seats and electoral votes from the Northeast to the West and South. New York State is expected to lose two Congressional seats in the upcoming reapportionment. Though we and many others had expected the lost seats to come from Upstate New York where populations have declined, the disappointing growth figures in New York City may result in lost Congressional representation and political power in New York City.

New York City must successfully obtain corrected figures from the Census Bureau and overcome the problem of hidden homes in order to protect its funding and its political influence.

Upper Manhattan Congressional District Under Attack

2011-03-28T03:49:00.000-07:00

The historic Upper Manhattan Congressional District, which has only had two representatives in its storied history yet has had more impact on Congressional accomplishments than any district in the country, is now facing potential elimination.

New York State Losing 2 Congressional Seats

As we stated in December 2010:

New York State will lose two of its 29 US House seats starting with the 2012 elections based on the 2010 Census. Congressional seats are apportioned amongst the 50 states based on the data from the census that occurs every 10 years. Though New York State gained population during the period from 2000 to 2010, its growth of less than 3% was too slow to keep up with the nearly 10% growth in the US Population since 2000 . There are 435 seats in the US House of Representatives because of Federal law, and the faster growing states gain seats while slower growing and shrinking states lose seats. As the US population has moved westward and southward, Nevada, Florida, and other beneficiaries of population movement have gained seats while New York and New Jersey have lost seats. New York's slow growth will result in the loss of two seats in the 2012 elections.

The New York State Legislature will draw new lines for US House districts in 2011. Some other states use commissions, but New York's process is fully political. The apparently-Republican-controlled State Senate, the Democratic-controlled Assembly, and the Democratic Governor will need to agree on the US House lines. It will likely be an ugly and frustrating process as the two parties attempt to gain an advantage versus each other while shrinking our Congressional delegation.

Governor Cuomo has proposed legislation that would create a redistricting commission to decide the new lines instead of the state legislature. Thus far, the Cuomo proposal has not been embraced by the State Senate's Republican leadership, which has suggested that the plan is more appropriate for the redistricting that will occur after the 2020 Census. Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch has been pushing for a non-partisan approach, but his approach has not gained any greater momentum in Albany than the Cuomo plan has.

Potential Threat to Upper Manhattan's District

Reports have emerged suggesting that the New York State Legislature may attempt to redraw the Upper Manhattan Congressional District to pick up large portions of the Bronx and Westchester County. The District would be centered outside of Manhattan, and the history of the District would be undermined.

Because Manhattan benefits from having four Congressional Districts rather than a smaller number, and because the Upper Manhattan District is both historic and has a history of achievement, Manhattan residents should make the effort to keep the Upper Manhattan District a top priority.

As we stated in December 2010:

In Manhattan, where our population has grown, we hope to essentially maintain our current map while the two seats are lost in upstate New York, which was the source of the lost population and slow growth in New York that created the need to reduce our number of US House seats. But, by losing two seats, our State Legislature may be tempted to tamper with the district maps in Manhattan and in the other parts of the New York City metro area. Manhattan residents should work together to discourage major changes to our district maps.

Charlie Rangel's Upper Manhattan seat is historic and must be protected. It has only been help by two people, and it is the first "Black" district to emerge on the national stage. Charlie Rangel and his predecessor, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., have been the most productive and successful legislators in the history of our country. Adam Clayton Powell was the first Black member of Congress from New York State. The people of Upper Manhattan should pro-actively come together to push the State Legislature to make as few changes as possible to Charlie Rangel's historic district in the upcoming redistricting. We cannot imagine a higher priority in the next few months, given that the new district lines will likely be in place for the next 10 years.

Bloomberg Voters' Remorse

2011-03-21T04:30:00.000-07:00

Mayor Bloomberg's popularity is declining, according to published polls. The decline seems long overdue, given his administration's fiscal failures, snow clearance failures, repeated demonstrations of enormous incompetence, and shocking race-based policing approach.

Poor Poll Results

Mayor Bloomberg's popularity is as low as it has been since early in his first term eight years ago. A new poll shows that only 39% of New Yorkers approve of the performance of Mayor Bloomberg, while 51% of Mayor Bloomberg's constituents disapprove of his performance.

Eighty-four percent of New York City respondents to the pollsters stated that the Mayor should identify who is in charge of the city when he is out of town (the Mayor makes regular trips to Bermuda on weekends but does not state publicly where he will be or who is leading our city when he is not available).

With the Mayor's popularity plunging, we are compelled to speculate as to the reasons for the decline.

Racism Exhaustion

Perhaps the people of New York City are exhausted with the intensity and the nakedness of the racially discriminatory policies and behaviors of the Bloomberg Administration. The stop and frisk nightmare continues; the Mayor continues to refuse to adopt a non-racist approach to hiring fire department; and the Mayor continues to employ the least diverse administration in a generation.

After nine years, the basic decency of the people of New York City is offended by the behavior of the Mayor as he pursues indefensible approaches to law enforcement and hiring.

Fiscal Mistakes and Incompetence

Mayor Bloomberg's fiscal mistakes and incompetence are likely a major piece of his lack of support from his constituents.

The Mayor mismanaged the city's expenses and attempted to buy political support by spending tax dollars as well as by making charitable donations from his personal funds. His misuse of taxpayer funds to build his political alliances has left our city with an unhealthy imbalance between revenues and expenses as well as a record of stunning growth in the city's expenses.

The Mayor also allowed more than $80 million to be stolen from a $63 million project, and that $63 million project is now expected to cost nearly $1 billion. For a Mayor who based his campaigns on his strength as a manager, the missing $80 million and the nearly $1 billion of cost overruns on one $63 million project tell the real story of the Mayor's competence.

Snow Clearance

Not only did Mayor Bloomberg fail to prepare the city for the snow storm on December 26, 2010 that crippled the city, his decision to organize the city as if snow does not fall in NYC resulted in more than $115 million of city expenses for snow removal - a new record and nearly twice the previous record, even though this season's snow fall was not the largest snow fall on record.

Though the Mayor has been leading City Hall for more than nine years, he organized the snow removal approach of the city to assume that no major snow storm would hit our city. When his risky bet moved against him, our city suffered enormously and had to reach out to expensive private contractors to do the work of the city.

Polls Represent Perception Rather Reality

While Mayor Bloomberg has earned his low poll numbers, his poll numbers were high when he was not succeeding as a leader. We should not assume that his poll numbers are an accurate reflection of his success or failure. We do know that support for racists policing, fiscal irresponsibility, and incompetent snow removal planning are not acceptable realities for a Mayor in our city. The Mayor should change his approach to leading our city or show true leadership by stepping aside to allow others to fix the mess he's creating.

Cremation Trend Costing Jobs in NYC

2011-03-14T03:59:00.000-07:00

A growing trend for individuals to choose cremation of their remains instead of burial is causing financial strains at cemeteries in New York City. Also, the Republican effort to cut billions of dollars from Head Start should scare residents of our great city.

Cremation Burns Cemetery Revenues

New York City residents appear to have shifted their final resting place desires sharply in favor of cremation and sharply away from burial over the last two and one-half decades. With burials far more costly and labor-intensive than cremation, cemeteries are facing revenue reductions and looking to reduce headcount to avoid deficits.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the current cost of a grave is more than ten times the cost of cremation. To compare costs fully, one would need to add the cost of opening the grave and the cost of the burial itself, perhaps doubling the total cost of the burial as compared to the cremation and creating a 20 to one cost differential. The costs represent revenues to the cemetery, and those revenues provide jobs for cemetery workers.

The same Wall Street Journal article suggests that New York City cemeteries have seen their ratios go from seven to one in favor of burials over cremations to a ratio of two to one in favor of cremations in twenty five years. The financial impact of that shift is now starting to impact the employment at our city's cemeteries.

In February, cemetery workers and their union protested proposed cuts at the famous Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. Woodlawn had suggested that it would seek massive lay offs and significant wage reductions. The proposed changes are shocking and may be designed to pressure the union and its members to agree to lesser cuts, but the shifting cremation versus burial ratios create a smaller revenue pie with which to employ cemetery workers.

Because cemeteries are non-profit institutions, there are no owners or shareholders to create wealth from creating profitable revenue. Cemeteries have Board of Directors that work to promote the longevity of those cemeteries and guide them to meet their mission of providing a place for the dead to be remembered and for loved ones to visit to remember and mourn. Boards across our city may seek to reduce their employee headcount figures to avoid having expenses that exceed their revenues, and the reduced headcount will further challenge our city's troubled economy.

Republican Cuts Aimed at Head Start

The Federal Head Start program is once again under attack from Republicans.

President Obama attacked the Republican Party last week for proposing major cuts in Head Start while failing to tackle the largest areas of spending. The Republican Party has been aggressive in defending subsidies for major energy companies and tax breaks for the highest earners in or society, but the dollars spent educating young children are under attack.

Many studies have shown Head Start to be one of the most effective uses of Federal dollars. Participants gain substantial long-term benefits.

Here in New York City, where only 28% of African American males graduate from high school, Head Start is absolutely crucial to efforts to reverse the collapse of the public school system in our city. Sadly, across New York State, only 25% of African American males graduate from high school.

The horrifying failure of the New York City public school system creates a pipeline of young people to fill our jails and prisons. Head Start puts children on a path that steers them away for prison and toward academic success as well as economic opportunity. Therefore, all of us in NYC should be standing up with President Obama to defend the Head Start program and to ensure that the children of New York City are not successfully targeted by the Republican Party as they seek to shift Federal resources away from neighborhoods and communities and toward to pockets of the highest earners and the wealthiest families in our country.

NYC Pays Stop and Frisk Victims

2011-03-07T03:52:00.000-08:00

Mayor Bloomberg's racist and disgusting record-setting stop-and-frisk policies are costing taxpayers in our city large amounts of money that we don't have.

Record Setting Stop and Frisk Activity

Mayor Bloomberg has focused his law enforcement strategy on stopping innocent people of color. He has set a new record each year for stop-and-frisk activity, and while approximately 90% of those stopped are completely innocent, approximately 90% of those stopped are people of color. Our city is 53% people of color, but only 10% of our stop-and-frisk victims are white.

Law suits and public criticism of Mayor Bloomberg's racist approach to law enforcement have not stopped to steady growth in the number of victims each year. The Mayor's reaction suggests that the racist policy is one of his most important initiatives.

Many defenders of the Mayor's racist policies have suggested that the racial make-up of the stop-and-frisk victims results from the descriptions provided by crime victims. The records of stop-and-frisk activity in NYC demonstrate that the reason given most often for the stops is that the stop-and-frisk victim was behaving suspiciously. A "fit-the-description" excuse was almost never given for a stop. It turns out that people of color are viewed as suspicious by the NYPD, and their suspicious behavior causes the stops, even though 90% of those stopped are completely innocent.

One can imagine how long a stop-and-frisk policy would last that stopped more than one-third of all of the innocent white people in a white neighborhood every year. In Harlem, more than a third of the residents are stopped each year, yet the policy continues to escalate its abuse of innocent people of color.

Stop-and-Frisk Victim Payouts

NYC has paid approximately $170,000 to victims of the stop-and-frisk abuse that Mayor Bloomberg has insisted on bringing to neighborhoods of color.

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Legal Aid Society filed suit against NYC as a result of the stop-and-frisk abuse occurring in public housing, and the costly settlements may be just the start of the cost of continuing the Mayor's racist and abusive policies.

There are plaintiffs still pursuing litigation against the city for the stop-and-frisk disaster that Mayor Bloomberg continues to force upon us.

If litigation fails to stop the escalating abuse, legislation might be a better path. I hope that the State Legislature and/or the City Council will limit this abuse soon.

Women's Health and Fitness Day at the Intrepid

You don't want to miss Women's Health and Fitness Day on March 13th at the Intrepid near the West Side Highway and 44th Street in Manhattan. It is a full day of health related events, including interactive fitness demonstrations and educational programs.

As we have discussed in the past, improved health in NYC is crucial to our economic future. We are in the midst of a health crisis, and the upcoming Women's Health and Fitness Day is part of overcoming the forced that are robbing residents in NYC of their health and their lives.

Bloomberg Cuts Budgets of Critics and Rivals

2011-02-28T03:43:00.000-08:00

Mayor Bloomberg, who gave his own advisors retroactive pay raises, has proposed drastic budget cuts for the other major elected officials in NYC.

Retroactive Raises for Bloomberg Advisors

Mayor Bloomberg quietly provided two years of retroactive pay raises (essentially huge bonuses plus major pay raises) to 7,000 members of his staff in 2009. He made this generous donation to the checkbooks of his advisors during the biggest budget crisis in decades in NYC and during the deepest recession in our country since the Great Depression.

The arrogance was astonishing because he was simultaneously raising sales taxes. His advisors were getting huge bonuses and raises that were paid for by the purchases of poor New Yorkers enduring a regressive tax. Bloomberg refused to raise income taxes (which could have been structured in a progressive manner) while embracing regressive taxation.

As the Mayor proposes layoffs for teachers in NYC and cuts services for our residents, he hasn't asked his own advisors to participate in the pain.

Bloomberg has worked hard to maintain an administration essentially devoid of people of color. He has a smaller percentage of people of color in his administration than even Mayor Giuliani (with all of his venom racist rhetoric and behavior) had. Giuliani refused to meet with any Black elected officials during his time as Mayor, but he had more people of color in his administration than Bloomberg has.

Bloomberg's non-diverse administration has kept its raises and bonuses while everyone else is cut.

Unfair Cuts

Unfairly, Bloomberg has proposed cutting the budgets of the five Borough Presidents and the Public Advocate by up to 36%.

Bloomberg is ensuring that his critics and rivals are crippled by a lack of resources, and he is also sending a message to all elected officials in New York City that he will slash their budgets if they don't support his agenda.

Bloomberg has taken advantage of his power in this way previously. In 2010, Bloomberg took $1mm away from the Borough Presidents without warning, leaving those elected officials scrambling to fill sudden budget gaps in their offices.

Bloomberg Without Checks or Balances

Because Mayor Bloombeg operates without checks and balances, and because he refuses to treat New York City residents fairly, Bloomberg has been able to exclude nearly all people of color from his administration, provide huge raises for his advisors while cutting resources throughout the rest of the government, and abuse other elected officials through the budget process. His arrogant emperor-mindset has never been acceptable, and it is getting worse.

Harlem Heartache on 137th Street and Beyond

2011-02-21T03:20:00.000-08:00

Last week gave us a very clear glimpse into the heartache so many face in Harlem due to gang activity, and we also were alerted last week to the challenges Harlem's girls face as they battle for ice-time for figure skating with hockey teams from expensive private schools far from Harlem.

137th Street Drug Gang

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance announced last week that 14 arrests had been made as part of an anti-gang sweep in Harlem. The gang members are accused of operating an intense drug market on 137th Street between 7th Avenue and Lenox Avenue, and nine of the 14 individuals arrested were minors. Cyrus Vance said:

The gang, over years, created an environment where residents lived in a state of fear, waiting for the next gunshot, or the next drug deal, or the next act of
violence.

In the sad reality of life under attack from gangs, the residents of 137th Street have been abused for years. Some of the alleged gang members are also residents of 137th Street, and they have been abusing their neighbors without suffering consequences for years.

One particular young woman from the 137th Street Drug Gang has attracted special attention because she has attended elite high schools. She seemed headed to an Ivy League education when she was derailed by the drug arrest last week. Her current problems are an example of the destructive reality of the drug trade. She was drawn into the 137th Street Drug Gang and has now been drawn out of a promising trajectory.

While Mayor Bloomberg has invested enormous financial resources and political capital in stopping and frisking innocent people of color in record numbers, dangerous criminals have been allowed to terrorize people of color across our city. The 137th Street Drug Gang flourished while 36% of Harlem residents are stopped each year by the Bloomberg stop-and-frisk occupation forces. There is no excuse for the racially discriminatory approach that Bloomberg has taken in his law enforcement strategy: stopping more than a third of the innocent residents in Black neighborhoods while allowing criminals to inflict enormous harm on Black New Yorker.

The Mayor has engaged in a conspiracy to arrest people of color for marijuana. Since 2002, there have been 350,000 arrests for low-level marijuana possession. Eighty-six percent of those arrested are Black and Latino in a city where 53% of the population is Black and Latino. Studied consistently show that white communities use marijuana far more heavily than Black or Latino neighborhoods, but the Bloomberg Administration focuses on making arrests of Black and Latino New Yorkers rather than on reducing crime.

The 14 arrests related to 137th Street are evidence of efforts aimed at protecting Manhattan residents from crime, while the 600,000 stops of non-whites each year and the 350,000 arrests for marijuana possession since 2002 are evidence of the Mayor's obsession with racial discrimination.

Ice Time In Harlem

Controversy is emerging in Harlem as a result of the lack of ice-time at Riverbank State Park's ice rink for young women who are training in the sport of figure skating. High-priced private schools far from Harlem are using the Harlem ice rink for their hockey teams, and the women are being left out.

We need to remind all of our readers that Riverbank State Park is in Harlem because Harlem residents stood up for themselves when a water treatment plant, with all of its odors, health risks, and annoyances, was planned for their community. Harlem's residents were convinced to accept a bargain: wealthier communities would benefit from the treatment plant while Harlem's residents would endure it, but Harlem residents would get a first-class athletic facility and recreational park. It is ultra-ironic for the park to now be captured and controlled by expensive private schools without any meaningful connection to Harlem.

Riverbank State Park needs to have a preference from community groups from Upper Manhattan rather than a preference for far away private schools. Let us hope that more Harlem girls get to benefit from the ice rink and that the battle for these young women reminds us all not to take for granted the public resources in our community. Other communities will take advantage of the resources in our community if we don't stand up and demand to be able to use them ourselves. In case of the Riverbank State Park rink, the resources have been transferred from Harlem to other communities despite strong objections.

Knicks and Carmelo

2011-02-14T03:51:00.000-08:00

The New York Knicks are starting to blame their losses on the rumors that Carmelo Anthony, one of the most talented players in the NBA, might join the Knicks in the near future. Such an excuse is unacceptable. With the February 24 trade deadline approaching, the Knicks need to pray that they can add talent in the coming weeks, but they also must be prepared to go forward without 'Melo.

Carmelo Anthony

The story of Carmelo Anthony begins in New York City and may return there. He loved the Knicks as a child growing up in Brooklyn but moved to Baltimore at age eight. He was initially cut from his high school basketball team but grew five inches in one year to become one of the most sought after players in the country. He led Syracuse to the NCAA title in his freshman year and then entered the NBA, losing out to LeBron James in the Rookie of the Year battle.

'Melo, though young, became a leader on his team as well as a dominating offensive force in the NBA very quickly and was rewarded with large numbers of All-Star votes as well as tremendous success against the elite teams of the Western Conference in the play-offs.

As we fast forward to 2011, Carmelo Anthony stands as one of the three or four most feared offensive threats in the NBA with no signs of slowing down. His defense improves every year, and he has slimmed down in recent years to become a more athletic player in every element of the game.

His team, the Denver Nuggets, has promoted rumors that they are looking to trade 'Melo before the February 24 trade deadline, and the New York Knicks have emerged as one of his potential destinations. The New Jersey Nets, who are slated to move in two years to Carmelo Anthony's birthplace of Brooklyn, have stated that they are no longer part of trade talks with the Denver Nuggets. We don't believe that the Nets are truly out of the running, but only time will tell.

Knicks Excuses

The New York Knicks recent disappointing performance has been blamed (by the Knicks themselves) on the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors and speculation.

The excuses are not acceptable. Professional players need to be professional. They have a responsibility to their employers to provide a full and focused effort and get beyond distractions, whether on or off the court. The 'Melo rumors are not grounded in anything meaningful. The Knicks have the desire and the funds to land Carmelo Anthony, but they do not have the talent to offer Denver in a trade. Therefore, the Knicks are not well positioned to acquire 'Melo and should set aside all speculation and focus on the task at hand - gaining momentum heading into the playoff this year after a decade of being left out of the playoffs by poor performance on the court.

During the off season prior to this NBA season, Carmelo Anthony married a woman from New York, fueling speculation that he might push for a trade to the Knicks or Nets. But, Carmelo has stated emphatically that his wife's geographic connections to New York are not at all affecting his decision-making regarding his future as an NBA player. Nonetheless, the New York Knicks want 'Melo, and 'Melo and his wife are both from New York. The Nets are coming to New York and might be just as attractive geographically, if not as attractive in terms of talent.

Knicks fans want Carmelo to come to NYC (even Knicks fans who play for opposing teams), but no one can name a compelling set of talented Knicks that should go to Denver and satisfy the Nuggets' desire to get better as they lose their best player.

In the end, the Denver Nuggets will need to obtain enough talent from a trade counterparty to make the trade of Carmelo Anthony a wise move in Denver, and that makes the New York Knicks and the Nets unlikely counterparties. Yet, the rumors rage, and now the payers themselves blame the raging rumors for their poor performance. Silly and unacceptable.

Message to the Knicks: Play ball. He's probably not coming here, and if he is, obsessing about his future is not making yours any brighter.

Message to Knicks Fans: Keep praying for 'Melo (and his wife) to make their way to Madison Square Garden. It has been a decade of embarrassment and frustration. Stoudemire has more than lived up to the hype that surrounded his move to New York, and combining his all around effectiveness with the offensive dominance of 'Melo would make the Knicks an elite team (assuming that they learn to play defense). But, there is nothing you can do but pray. February 24th will be here soon.

Our Bankrupt State

2011-02-07T03:47:00.000-08:00

Governor Cuomo's budget reflects the horrible reality that New York State is in terrible financial condition, but it is painful for New York City and cuts education and healthcare significantly.

Painful Spending Cuts

With a $10 billion deficit staring him in the face, Governor Cuomo has proposed a budget with enormous spending cuts and almost no tax increases. Governor Cuomo is more responsible than Mayor Bloomberg, who has sought to fill his budget gaps with regressive taxes. But, Cuomo's reliance on budget cuts also has the potential to be highly regressive and to undermine the economic future of our state.

In addition to significant cuts to healthcare and education, Cuomo's budget brings us 10% cuts to each state agency without regard to which agencies currently use our tax payer dollars most effectively and without regard to which agencies' activities serve the most vulnerable populations in our state. Across the board cuts are rarely the best approach to improving a budget's quality, but Governor Cuomo's focus is on reducing our state's deficit. Across the board cuts are an excellent solution to reducing a deficit.

A large portion of New York State spending goes to help pay the bills of municipalities in our state. The cuts will put pressure on many cities and towns in New York State, and New York City will be one of the municipalities facing exacerbated budget problems as a result of our state's need to cut its deficit.

Automatic Government

In the 1988 book Automatic Government, its author Kent Weaver demonstrates the growth at the federal level in indexing government spending to the inflation rate. Because nearly half of the US federal budget is indexed to inflation, it is essentially on auto-pilot. Elected officials who do nothing are essentially voting for indexed programs to represent a larger portion of the budget each year as non-indexed programs face squeezes and cuts as deficit reduction is attempted.

In New York, the "automatic government" is far more unmanageable in a deficit reduction era. Governor Cuomo revealed as part of his budget address that both healthcare spending and education spending are scheduled to increase by 13% in the next fiscal year if nothing is done by the New York State Legislature to change the auto-pilot trajectory. In an environment where overall spending must be reduced, automatic 13% increases are an unwelcome challenge, and even if those automatic increases are not implemented in the upcoming year, they will return in the following year to ruin a future budget in the absence of major cuts in the rest of the budget. Neither education nor healthcare are services that New York State residents can easily do without, and the size of the cuts may require real sacrifices that are likely to be borne by those with the least resources in our society.

What's Next?

Now, the fight begins. There are no clear heroes and few clear villains in this fight. Budgets cuts will hurt vulnerable people, and some opposition to budget cuts comes from self-interested groups seeking to profit from the state and not to protect vulnerable constituencies. Let us pledge to pay close attention to this budget fight and support efforts to reduce the deficit in ways that do not target poor people and other vulnerable groups. Let us also recognize that the process of getting our house in order will require most of us to sacrifice. We do not have to like it, but we do have to endure it in order to give our state the type of future our children and their children deserve.

Concentrate NYS Prison Closings Upstate

2011-01-31T03:58:00.000-08:00

Governor Cuomo should not back down from his efforts to close some of New York State's upstate prisons. Nearly all of New York State's incarcerated individuals come from the New York City metro area, while those individuals are incarcerated far from New York City, reducing their contact with family and friends and reducing opportunities for healthy re-entry.

Cuomo Eloquent and Accurate on Prisons

Governor Andrew Cuomo was both eloquent and accurate when he stated his desire to close prisons and end the practice of incarcerating New York City residents in order to provide full prisons and employment in Upstate New York.

An incarceration program is not an employment program . . . Don't put other
people in prison in order to give some people jobs.

Unfortunately, New York State has spent thirty years incarcerating New York City residents in order to create jobs in areas far from New York City.

Ninety percent of those incarcerated in New York State on drug crimes are Black or Hispanic, even though 73% of those using illegal drugs in our state are neither Black or Hispanic. There has been a calculated effort to transfer voting power and economic opportunities to upstate communities through incarceration, and the practice should stop. With New York State facing more than ten billion dollars of deficits for each of the new few years, closing prisons helps close our budget gap while promoting productive citizenship for non-violent first-time offenders. The racial and regional discrimination represented by the current system must come to an end during the Andrew Cuomo years.

Healthier Prison Approach

Upstate Republicans are lobbying to keep their prisons and to have the Cuomo Administration close prisons in New York City. Governor Cuomo is reportedly considering closing fewer prisons than his original plan of up to 12 closings. He also is reportedly considering closing New York City prisons rather than prisons upstate.

Fewer closings and concentrated closings in New York City both represent the wrong approach.

By closing prisons in New York City, existing problems will be exacerbated. Given that prisoners come almost exclusively from New York City, having fewer prisons in New York City would result in even greater dislocation for those incarcerated as well as for their friends and families. Families of those incarcerated wish to visit and share experiences with prisoners, and moving prisons out of New York City will mean that even fewer families will be physically close enough to their incarcerated family members to visit regularly and inexpensively. The prisoners themselves have a healthier period of incarceration as well as a safer environment when they get regular visits from loved ones. The contact with the outside world promotes less traumatic re-entry and lower recidivism, thereby enhancing tax revenues for our city and our state while creating better lives for those seeking a second chance.

Governor Cuomo should both seek greater prison closings and concentrate those closings upstate. Our state's Republicans have benefited politically from the status quo - a system in which New York City residents and Black and Hispanic New Yorkers are sent to prison in large numbers in order to boost both the voting power and the economies of upstate communities.

NYC Should Control NYC

2011-01-24T03:48:00.000-08:00

New York City needs more authority over its own affairs. The New York State government in Albany is not an appropriate parent organization to run NYC from a distance.

Albany's Greater Dysfunction

The NY State government in Albany is more dysfunctional than the NYC government, and the NY State financial situation is far worse than the NYC budget shortfall. Therefore, having NYC decisions made in Albany is counterproductive and harmful.

New York State is well known for having the most dysfunctional government in the United States, and it has a $9 billion budget deficit that will grow to $17 billion over the next two years. Even massive tax increases will not solve New York State's budget problems. Without assessing blame, we can all agree that New York State is troubled right now. With our new Governor giving every indication that he is ready to take serious action to turn around our state's fiscal woes, there is hope for a brighter future.

New York City is not is good condition, but it is in far better shape than our state. NYC has a budget deficit of just $2.4 billion and hope for the Wall Street recovery to shrink that deficit even further. We have been very critical of the Mayor's efforts to increase revenues for NYC through regressive taxes and his general incompetence in leading our city's economic and fiscal apparatus. But, the Mayor's incompetence and fiscal failures do not approach the level of dysfunction we see in Albany.

Albany Ruling NYC

For too many areas of NYC governance, Albany is in charge.

The NYPD residency requirements are set by Albany. The NYPD is overloaded with leadership and individual officers who mistreat NYC residents. One of the reasons for that unfortunate reality is the fact that NYPD officers are not required to be NYC residents themselves. Some NYPD officers have always hated NYC and its residents, and their attitude shows in their behavior. By making NYC residency a requirement of the NYPD, many of the problems caused by the NYPD would be reduced. Because NYC cannot set its own residency requirements, we must suffer the costly abuse and mismanagement so common within the NYPD.

Our city's rent control policies are burdened by Albany control as well. In 1971, Albany took away New York City's authority over its own rent control regime. Mayor Bloomberg has opposed returning control to New York City, even though he is our city's Mayor. New York City should manage its own affairs in housing rather than operating based on preferences from politicians who will never even visit our city. The Mayor could not be more wrong on this topic, and Albany could not be a worse place from which to make specific decisions about life in New York City.

The New York Times editorial last week asked for our city's pension regime to be controlled by NYC rather than by Albany. Pensions are a major reason for the expected fiscal challenges looming for our city, yet our city cannot drive the pension regime to match our city's resources. For now, Albany has been very generous with NYC pensions, but if Albany moves to gut the pensions of our city's workers, our city is powerless to protect itself. Mayor Bloomberg is correct to seek New York City control of its pensions, and we hope that he will be successful in that quest. If he succeeds in acquiring control, we hope that he will not use it to abuse working families the way he has abused our city with regressive taxes, race-based policing, and incompetent management.

New York Defeats Boston in Venture Capital

2011-01-17T03:33:00.000-08:00

On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the day following the thrilling playoff victory of the New York Jets over the New England Patriots, we note that venture capital deals and spending in New York City are now greater than that of Boston, and the trend is toward a widening gap between New York and Boston. New reports comparing the State of New York and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts make this rather surprising result clear.

Venture Capital and Innovation

Venture capital, investing in new companies with enormous potential for explosive growth, has been dominated by the State of California with the bulk of venture capital activity focused in and around the San Francisco metro area.

Venture capital spending gives rise to economic opportunity as investors seek to operate in close physical proximity to each other and new innovators seek to operate close to a target-rich environment of investors. Professional services (e.g., accounting, legal) follow the trail to the geographic epicenter of new business creation and economic growth.

Surrounding start-up companies are economic opportunities in housing, entertainment, and nearly every element of local economic success.

Bringing venture capital activity to a city creates a multiplier effect that helps improve economic conditions for individuals close to new business development but also for street vendors, dry cleaners, janitors, and other workers whose work, while not directly tied to start-up investing, grows when new businesses emerge.

Boston Loses to New York

Boston has long been the largest East Coast center of venture capital investing, but New York has now taken the lead on the East Coast for internet investing. Overall, for all sectors of venture investing, Boston is still larger than New York. But, the internet sector, a key bellwether and the heart and soul of venture success for the last 15 years, is now a New York-led sector on the East Coast.

While internet investments are the most discussed in the venture capital sector, the healthcare sector has long been the fastest growing large sector in the overall economy. Boston still leads New York by a large margin in the healthcare sector as well as in many other areas.

Green technologies represent a new frontier where New York must find a way to be a leader and reduce the overall gap between New York and East Coast venture capital leader Boston. The New York metro area, Long Island in particular, has already seen meaningful investment dollars come into the green technology area, and we must find ways to encourage investors and innovators to view the New York metro area as the preferred location for emerging companies in the green technology area. US Representative Steve Israel of Long Island has secured federal funding to promote green technology research in the New York metro area, and expanded efforts of that type are necessary to propel the New York metro area into a substantial lead in the green technology arena.

A look at the top 100 venture capital firms shows that less than 10% of them are based in the New York metro area, even when including the Princeton, NJ area as part of the New York metro area.

New York City's leadership must work together in an aggressive and thoughtful manner to bring New York into the top echelon of venture capital investing locations.

NCAA Abuses Defenseless Men of Color

2011-01-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

With tonight's end of the college football season, we are reminded that Manhattan is the home of the Heisman Trophy and that the men who seek that trophy are being abused by the collegiate athletic regime currently in place. The NCAA controls nearly aspect of the lives of the college athletes and will not allow those athletes to benefit in any way from the billions of dollars of value they create for others.

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Trophy is the most prestigious award in college sports. It is provided each year to the most outstanding football player in college football.

The award has always been headquartered in Manhattan. John Heisman was a legendary player, coach, and athletic director in college football. After his incredible career, he retired in New York City. At the Downtown Athletic Club in lower Manhattan, Heisman organized a process to select the most outstanding college football player. The first award was announced in 1935, but Heisman died before the 1936 award presentation. The Downtown Athletic Club named the award after Heisman and hosted the award ceremony until the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks damaged the Dowtown Athletic Club. Other Manhattan locations have hosted the ceremony in the years since 2001, and the Heisman Trophy's connection to Manhattan has been strengthened by the past decade rather than weakened by it.

Pay the Players in the Revenue Producing Sports

Maryland's Basketball Coach has advocated paying the student-athletes in the sports that generate large revenues for their schools. He has suggested a $200 per month stipend. But, one wonders why there are so few advocates for his suggested approach.

The NCAA generates more than $700 million each year, primarily from television rights. The schools represented by the NCAA generate additional revenue from merchandise sales and other opportunities. None of that revenue is shared with the athletes that are responsible for the creation of that revenue.

The NCAA's use of the likenesses of student-athletes in video games, on apparel, and on television promotions has caused a lawsuit based on the NCAA's apparent monopoly in the area of collegiate athletics, and the plaintiff is hoping to create momentum for paying student-athletes.

The monopoly's determination to avoid sharing the benefits of the athletes' talents with the athletes has an unmistakable racial component. In the modern era, as television revenues have exploded and wealth has been created by college sports, the athletes competing in the revenue producing sports of football and basketball are increasingly persons of color. The sports generating the largest amount of revenue are dominated by young men of color. The National Football League is nearly 70% Black, and college football is nearly 50% Black. The Division I college basketball rosters are approximately two-thirds Black. Young men of color have become the typical winners of and top competitors for the Heisman Trophy, and no athletes have been able to share in the revenues created by these individuals.

No Advocates for Student Athletes

The whales have Save the Whales. Professional athletes have unions;but student-athletes have no advocate.

The NCAA is $700 million each year to spend of defending its interests. Student-athletes are forbidden from even selling their own property to generate cash to defend their interests. When the NCAA takes action against a student-athlete, there is no defense attorney provided. The colleges look out for themselves and no one is positioned to defend the student-athlete.

If the NCAA continues to forbid student-athletes from receiving discounted services, they should face additional legal action. The NCAA is, in many ways, the adversary of these young men of color that generate all of the NCAA's revenue. The NCAA has attorneys, accountants, experts, consultants, and every type of professional guidance. The student athlete is not only on his/her own in battling the NCAA, but the NCAA's rules would both forbid the athlete for paying for guidance by selling assets and prevent the athlete from accepting guidance at no charge from a non-profit. They have twisted the concept of amateurism to mean that the NCAA has unlimited power to abuse the young people that create the NCAA's revenue and that those young people are violating rules by preparing the defend themselves against the NCAA.

These young people need an organization to defend them against the NCAA monopoly, and the NCAA must recognize the rights of these young people to accept guidance from professionals seeking to level the playing field.

Bloomberg Mismanagement Reigns Down on NYC

2011-01-03T04:50:00.000-08:00

NYC Mayor Bloomberg's mismanagement cost lives last week, and it has cost all of us hundreds of millions of dollars in government waste. Ironically, Mayor Bloomberg's argument for changing the City Charter to give himself a third term as Mayor was that our city needed him as its leader. It turns out, we cannot afford to keep him as our leader.

City Time Costs Us More than $600 million in Mismanagement and Fraud

New York City hired a company to oversee its "City Time" project for the re-engineering of the city's payroll systems. The cost was expected to be $63 million, but it has now cost $722 million - more than ten times the planned cost.

But, it gets worse. The firm that was overseeing City Time was permitted to choose its own watchdog. In essence, NYC decided that no one would watch a $63 million project, and the project is going to likely end up costing $1 billion.

The Bloomberg Administration also allowed more than $80 million to be stolen from a $63 million project.

The four people accused of stealing the $80 million are going to be prosecuted, but Mayor Bloomberg is not being held accountable for all of the mismanagement represented by the cost over-run of more than $600 million or for the policies and approaches that allowed $80 million to be stolen.

If these things keep happening, we'll have to have Public Advocate Bill de Blasio take over for the Mayor. We simply cannot afford for the Mayor to misplace nearly a billion dollars of our money every once in a while for three more years.

Snowy Week

The snow defeated Mayor Bloomberg last week.

Previous Mayors have succeeded in preparing for and managing worse snow storms, but Mayor Bloomberg was caught off guard, even though there was plenty of warning of the coming snow storm. City Hall has refused to address whether Bloomberg was in NYC during the blizzard. He regularly spends weekends in Bermuda and likely was not in NYC at the critical moment.

The Bloomberg Administration got started late, made poor decisions that were inconsistent with previous, successful efforts to combat snow storms, and failed to adequately adjust to its own missteps. The cascade effect of their multiple major errors overwhelmed them, and the overall effort collapsed. Instead of benefiting from Bloomberg's experience in his third term, we are suffering from his arrogance and his lack of attention to our city. Bloomberg is a cliche and a caricature - the excuse often cited for term limits - a poor leader who is elected reluctantly and whose performance declines from mediocre to disaster after a long period in power. The December 26 snow storm disaster is a warning sign. We have three years more of Bloomberg, and the cracks are becoming clearer and clearer.

We cannot afford the current trend to continue.

NYS - Losing 2 Seats and Gaining Respect

2010-12-27T02:10:00.000-08:00

Last week, we learned that New York State is expected to lose two US House seats starting with the 2012 elections. But we also saw New York's junior Senator demonstrate her powerhouse legislative skill.

Losing Seats

New York State will lose two of its 29 US House seats starting with the 2012 elections based on the 2010 Census. Congressional seats are apportioned amongst the 50 states based on the data from the census that occurs every 10 years. Though New York State gained population during the period from 2000 to 2010, its growth of less than 3% was too slow to keep up with the nearly 10% growth in the US Population since 2000. There are 435 seats in the US House of Representatives because of Federal law, and the faster growing states gain seats while slower growing and shrinking states lose seats. As the US population has moved westward and southward, Nevada, Florida, and other beneficiaries of population movement have gained seats while New York and New Jersey have lost seats. New York's slow growth will result in the loss of two seats in the 2012 elections.

Starting in 2012, Florida will have as many seats (and, therefore, electoral votes) as New York State. In fact, New York State has not had as few as 27 seats since 1810, when only 1 million people lived in New York State.

The New York State Legislature will draw new lines for US House districts in 2011. Some other states use commissions, but New York's process is fully political. The apparently-Republican-controlled State Senate, the Democratic-controlled Assembly, and the Democratic Governor will need to agree on the US House lines. It will likely be an ugly and frustrating process as the two parties attempt to gain an advantage versus each other while shrinking our Congressional delegation.

In Manhattan, where our population has grown, we hope to essentially maintain our current map while the two seats are lost in upstate New York, which was the source of the lost population and slow growth in New York that created the need to reduce our number of US House seats. But, by losing two seats, our State Legislature may be tempted to tamper with the district maps in Manhattan and in the other parts of the New York City metro area. Manhattan residents should work together to discourage major changes to our district maps.

Charlie Rangel's Upper Manhattan seat is historic and must be protected. It has only been help by two people, and it is the first "Black" district to emerge on the national stage. Charlie Rangel and his predecessor, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., have been the most productive and successful legislators in the history of our country. Adam Clayton Powell was the first Black member of Congress from New York State. The people of Upper Manhattan should pro-actively come together to push the State Legislature to make as few changes as possible to Charlie Rangel's historic district in the upcoming redistricting. We cannot imagine a higher priority in the next few months, given that the new district lines will likely be in place for the next 10 years.

Gillibrand Takes Control

Our US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand closed out 2010 with a flurry of stunning and gratifying victories.

First, she led the fight to repeal "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and allow Americans of any sexual orientation to serve their country in our military. It was an achievement that has waited for six decades since initially being proposed, and it was the end of a 15 year period of living with the bizarre "lie to me" rule embodied in "Don't Ask Don't Tell".

Without taking a victory lap or getting any rest, Senator Gillibrand then led a successful fight to provide health benefits for the heroic first-responders who put themselves in harm's way to seek survivors and begin the recovery after the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The New York Times devoted its front page to praising Senator Gillibrand for her leadership, her determination, and her stamina.

For us, none of this was a surprise. In fact, we're tempted to say that we told you so, but we'll leave it for others to point out that Manhattan Viewpoint expressed unequivocal enthusiasm for Senator Gillibrand's appointment to the US Senate.

Happy New Year

This year, 2010, has had its ups and its downs. Senator Gillibrand made sure it ended with some ups. We wish you a healthy and prosperous 2011, where the ups outweigh the downs by a substantial margin.

Bad News for Black Men in NYC

2010-12-20T03:01:00.000-08:00

Last week was a week of bad news for Black men in New York City. The Village Voice detailed the City's commitment to prevent Black men from obtaining a fair chance to join the Fire Department of New York, and the Community Service Society showed us that only 25% of young Black men in New York City are employed.

FDNY - A Closer Look

The Village Voice showed us last week how the leadership of our city has invested heavily in preventing the 90% white Fire Department of New York from becoming more representative of the racial make-up of our city.

Though the article in the Village Voice focuses initially on the plight of Black would-be firefighters who scored very well on the FDNY entrance exam but who cannot join the FDNY because New York City refuses to accept any of the options for accepting new firefighters put forward by a federal judge, the truth of the intensity of New York City's commitment to racial discrimination in hiring at the FDNY is made clear.

The entrance exam has a history of resulting in higher scores for white applicants than for Black or for Hispanic applicants. The test also has no relationship to being an effective firefighter.

Because the test results have favored white applicants without any relationship to the jobs being filled, the test has been declared by the federal courts to violate the US Constitution.

The federal courts have offered the City multiple options for hiring new firefighters without discriminating based on race, but New York City has refused to accept any of the options provided.

Though 5% of the FDNY was Black in 1971, it is now less than 4% Black, and the 90% figure for white representation in the FDNY compares to approximately 35% white population in our city.

As we have stated in the past, Mayor Bloomberg has demonstrated an obsession with finding ways to discriminate against people of color in New York City and has essentially excluded people of color from his administration.

If we are going to make any progress in moving away from racial discrimination as the primary organizing principal of New York City, we'll need a new Mayor.

Only 25% of Young Black Men in NYC Are Employed

The Community Service Society has issued a new report examining unemployment in NYC, and it has found a troubling trend. During the current economic downturn, Black men have been the hardest hit demographic in terms of lost employment.

Unfortunately, young Black men now have only a 1 in 4 chance in being employed in NYC.

That horrifying statistic nearly matches the horrifying 28% of NYC Black males who graduate from high school.

Our city is failing to educate its young Black men, and those Black men are suffering in the job market.

Perhaps our city will start to show the type of dedication to helping Black males that is has shown to keeping them out of the FDNY, excluding them from the city administration, or stopping and frisking them in record numbers in a humiliating display of the abuse of power permitted by our city when the victims are Black members of our community.