Friday, August 31, 2012
Bloomberg Congratulates Quinn On Council Slush Fund Discretion
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said yesterday that the slush fund operated by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn was thankfully no longer the subject of public scorn, unlike the slush fund being operated by New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Councilmembers Hesitate To Challenge Quinn On Paid Sick Leave
Nuclear Option Over Paid Sick Leave
Thirty-six New York City Councilmembers currently support the Paid Sick Leave bill, but they cannot vote on the bill, because City Council Speaker Christine Quinn keeps blocking the bill. But journalist and civic expert, Andy Humm, has provided a way forward for supporters of the Paid Sick Leave bill, if only they had the courage.
"When the speaker of the City Council refuses to schedule a vote on a bill, the lead sponsor has the right to file what is known as a discharge motion with seven others to bring it to the Council floor for a full vote by their colleagues.
"But it might as well be the nuclear option, because most sponsors and advocates run for the fallout shelters when asked about whether they would consider standing up to the leadership."
But Mr. Humm polled several progressive leaders amongst the City Councilmembers, who support the Paid Sick Leave bill, but none of them would commit to the nuclear option. It's not known what role that perks and privileges plays in the reluctance that keeps Councilmembers from challenging Speaker Quinn.
But one Councilmember, who spoke freely with Mr. Humm, said he believed that Speaker Quinn exerts too much influence over the legislation considered by the City Council.
“Members are afraid to assert their own power,” Councilmember Charles Barron said of his colleagues. “They fear the speaker who they give too much power. Nothing in our rules says that she controls capital money and expense money, but they let her determine how much we get. Funds are not distributed based on the need of impoverished communities. They go to the Council members who go along, get along, and do the speaker’s bidding. She determines what committee assignments we get and whether we get to chair a committee.”
Mr. Humm was able to conclude from his interviews that Councilmembers hesitate to challenge Speaker Quinn :
"The sick-leave bill (Intro 97-A) has a more than veto-proof majority of 36 City Council co-sponsors – just 34 are needed for a two-thirds override of the mayor’s promised veto of the bill. But the legislation has languished without a vote because of the opposition of one member, Quinn, and the refusal of her members to contradict her."
Protest Against Suspicious Journalism by editor Carolyn Ryan at The New York Times that promotes Christine Quinn
Does Carolyn Ryan, an editor at The New York Times, prevent any journalism that is critical of New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn from being published by the newspaper ?
Instead, we get fluff pieces, like the one that the bloggers Gary Tilzer and Suzannah B. Troy refer to as the "Betty Crocker story," the main point of which was to show that Speaker Quinn knew how to bake pies.
Meanwhile, nobody knows exactly how much taxpayer money Speaker Quinn has given to Brooklyn political boss, Vito Lopez.
For more information, please visit the blog : Christine Quinn Sold Out.Follow us on Facebook : We Protest Media Bias In The New York Times
Christine Quinn Watergate Redacted Documents ; Purging Public Records
Twenty-four hour local news channel NY1 filed a Freedom Of Information request to obtain the 2011 schedule of NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the presumptive leader in the 2013 mayoral election. What they got back was a list that included over 600 hours of blackened appointments. (Joe My God)
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Moving Picket Line During Protest Against NYTimes Media Bias That Benefits Christine Quinn
Protest Against Christine Quinn outside The New York Times building.
One of The NYTimes editors, Carolyn Ryan, is believed to stop all articles that are critical of New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Approximately 30 activists (or more) turned out to demand that The NYTimes demonstrate integrity in its journalism.
Follow us on Facebook : We Protest Media Bias In The New York Times
Christine Quinn Protest Outside The New York Times
Protest against the media bias of The New York Times and Carolyn Ryan that favours and benefits New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Watch the moving picket line formed by approximately 30 activists via the revolutionary live-streamer, recaiiskender3, on Ustream.
Video streaming by Ustream
Another Ustream video by the same videographer :
Video streaming by Ustream
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Friday, August 24, 2012
How Many Injured by NYPD Outside Empire State Shooting ?
Confirmed on NYTimes: Bystanders Hurt in Manhattan Were Hit by Police Gunfire
Confirmed on CNN: Police gunfire responsible for wounding all 9 innocent bystanders in Empire State Building shooting in New York
Rumors are flying around that all of the innocent bystanders, who were shot outside of the Empire State Building this morning, were not shot by bullets from the the shooting suspect, Jeffrey T. Johnson -- who was shot dead by police -- but by bullets shot by police. Not yet confirmed, but I heard this from a very reliable source. I wonder how this will change the narrative of today's story of a disgruntled ex-employee shooting indiscriminately at the throngs of crowds outside the Empire State Building ?
From The New York Times, the police description of the firing of the bullets seems to indicate that the only people shooting their weapons outside the Empire State Building were police officers, not the lone gunman, Mr. Johnson :
The Police Department’s chief spokesman, Paul J. Browne, said one witness had told investigators that Mr. Johnson had fired at the two officers, “but we don’t have ballistics to support that.” Mr. Browne said “it’s possible” that the officers had shot him before he could return fire.
One officer fired seven times, the other nine times, Mr. Browne said.
According to the Associated Press, the NYPD has so far admitted that some of the innocent bystanders were struck by bullets or bullet fragments shot by the responding police officers, but the story has not yet been fully told : if the gunman Mr. Johnson did not fire his weapon, that means that the collateral damage that took place today was as a result of "friendly fire."
Thursday, August 23, 2012
City Council Redistricting As A Ploy For Mayoral Campaign Endorsements ?
Are Quinn and Bloomberg Engaged In An "Endorse-to-Play" Quid Pro Quo Over The City Council Redistricting ?
Council Redistricting Corruption Silence
From True News From Change NYC, written by Gary Tilzer :
Many of his fellow reformers felt that Citizens Union puppet general Dick Dadey sold out last year when he supported Albany's compromise to put off independent redistrict for 10 years. But nothing can compare to Dadey and the rest of the goo-goos, editorial boards', and reformers' silence on the corruption going on with the City Council redistricting operation. For starters, the appointed council redistricting commission is controlled by two people supporting Quinn for mayor in 2013 : the council speaker herself and her puppet master the mayor. Although the redistricting commission work has just begun, there are already reports that county bosses Crowley and Lopez, ethic and minority leaders are already dealing with Quinn operatives to cut districts favorable to them or those they support in exchange for their endorsement for Quinn's 2013 mayoral bid.
Are People Dying Because Quinn Keeps Blocking Paid Sick Leave ?
Supporters of sick-leave bill say Council Speaker Christine Quinn is partially to blame for death of Brooklyn grocery store worker
Supporters of a paid sick-leave bill suggested Wednesday that City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is partially to blame for the tragic death last month of Felix Trinidad, a Brooklyn grocery worker.
Healthcare and other activists organised a memorial vigil in tribute to Mr. Trinidad, 34, who died of stomach cancer after "putting in 12-hour days, six days a week, at the Golden Farm supermarket in Kensington, which does not offer sick days," reported The New York Daily News. The vigil was organised outside City Hall. “He would have been better if the bill had been passed because he wouldn’t have had to worry so much about having to miss work,” his widow, Anastacia Gonzalez, 31, told The New York Daily News.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to that entire family,” Speaker Quinn said. “That said, my position on paid sick leave legislation has not changed.”
Speaker Quinn has repeatedly said that she does not support giving paid sick leave days for people, who are sick and may be dying.
According to The New York Daily News report, Speaker Quinn has "refused to allow a Council vote on a bill requiring most employers to offer at least five paid sick days a year[,] and advocates of the bill have been pressuring her to change her mind as she prepares to run for mayor next year."
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
NYPD Biased Against People Of Colour
Majority in City See Police as Favoring Whites, Poll Finds
A significant majority of New Yorkers say the Police Department favors whites over blacks, according to a new poll by The New York Times. Concern about discrimination comes at a time of intensified scrutiny of the Bloomberg's administration’s possibly illegal practice that directs the NYPD to use "stop and frisk." Last year, the police made nearly 700,000 stops ; about 85 percent of the stops involved blacks or Hispanics. (NYTimes)
Monday, August 20, 2012
Quinn Silent On Afghanistan War
New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who began her career in politics by representing a progressive point-of-view on social and governmental issues, is eerily silent about the Obama administration's further prosecution of the war in Afghanistan.
OCEANSIDE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — As an outraged local family prepares to bury their Marine son, two more U.S. servicemen have died in a similar attack by supposed allies. Now, some are asking whether America’s bravest are in fact training their own killers. ...
Read more : Slain L.I. Marine’s Family Speaks Out After Another Deadly Incident Carried Out By Afghan Recruit
Bloomberg-Quinn's Budget Has A Hole Innit
From True News From Change :
Just weeks after Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn celebrated their inside budget negotiation deal, acting Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron issued an opinion that put a stop to the mayor's taxi medallion revenue plan for the Fiscal Year 2013 budget. The court ruling creates a $600+ million hole in the Bloomberg-Quinn budget.
... At issue is a law, passed in February, allowing New York City to create a new fleet of 18,000 lime-green "borough taxis" to service the outer boroughs and Upper Manhattan, where regular yellow cab service is a rarity.
That same bill also allowed the city to auction off 2,000 wheelchair-accessible yellow cab medallions, which were expected to garner more than $1 billion for the city's budget and also vastly improve the fleet's ability to serve passengers in wheelchairs. As the fleet now stands, there are only 233 wheelchair-accessible yellow cabs. ... (Capital New York)
Mayor Bloomberg warns of layoffs after judge shoots down outer borough taxi plan (NYDN) Judge's decision creates $1.46 billion hole in the budget, including $635 million for this fiscal year.
NYCHA Scandal On The Brian Lehrer Show
The Brian Lehrer Show features The New York Daily News investigation into the New York City Housing Authority.
"New York's public housing authority is under fire for mismanagement at the highest levels. Arthur Browne, Daily News editorial page editor, discusses his paper's investigation into NYCHA finances and his meeting last week with NYCHA head John Rhea," reported The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC.
Many activists are seeing how NYCHA can let its buildings deteriorate while it is hoarding approximately $1 billion in cash as one more evidence that the Bloomberg-Quinn administration is failing people, who live in poverty. For his part, Mr. Browne indicates that NYCHA has historically been a political patronage dumping ground.
BCG-report-NYCHA-Key-Findings-and-Recommendations-8-15-12vFinalSunday, August 19, 2012
Stop and Frisk Flashback Rewind
Since she became Speaker of City Council, over 3.7 million New Yorkers have been stopped and frisked. Why is this acceptable ?
Stop and Frisk Flashback Rewind
Last May, 20 activists were convicted in a criminal trial related to an act of peaceful civil disobedience when a mass protest took place against Mayor Michael Bloomberg's misdirected and possibly illegal use of NYPD to ''stop and frisk'' people of color in New York City.
Twenty protesters were convicted on Friday of disorderly conduct at a demonstration in the fall over the New York Police Department’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy.(NYTimes)
A criminal court judge in Manhattan convicted all the defendants in one of the biggest group trials in recent years over a political protest in the city. The trial drew additional attention for counting the civil rights advocate Cornel West among the defendants. They were arrested Oct. 21 while standing in front of a police station door to protest the stopping, questioning and sometimes frisking of hundreds of thousands of people annually," reported The New York Times.
New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has been enabling the NYPD's use of its "stop and frisk" policy.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Carriage Horse Protest WCBS News Video
Advocates for animal rights and members of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages held a protest earlier this afternoon across the street from the Plaza Hotel, WCBS Channel 2 News reported. The protest was in response to a traffic accident that injured a horse named Oreo last Thursay.
“Horses don’t belong in traffic, it’s an inhumane and unsafe industry and it needs to be shut down,” coalition president Elizabeth Forel told WCBS 880′s Jim Smith.
The artist and political blogger, Suzannah B. Troy, was dressed up in a red wig and symbolic costume and pretended to be New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Animal rights activists, who have been putting pressure on the New York City Council to pass legislation to support the safety and wellbeing of horses by banning horse-drawn carriages, point to Speaker Quinn for blocking any meaningful animal rights protection legislation.
Steven Thrasher Laid Off By The Village Voice
Steven Thrasher, a daring writer with journalistic integrity to question LGBT leaders, is gone from The Village Voice.
From The New York Observer's website from yesterday :
Layoffs are hitting the editorial staff at The Village Voice today, and they’re hitting some of the most widely-read staff writers in the office. The Observer has heard from multiple sources familiar with the situation that the bad news is beginning to spread around the office, and that the following people are out at the Voice:
Camille Dodero (Staff Writer), Steven Thrasher (Staff Writer) and Victoria Bekiempis (Staff Writer) ....
... and we also heard Araceli Cruz was cut to part-time status. Cruz, who has been with the Voice since 2007, is a senior associate editor who works on both event listings and features across the paper. ...
Thrasher’s been with the Voice since 2009, and was recently named the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association Journalist of the Year, 2012. Thrasher’s coverage of metro civic stories and LGBT local and national issues (see: Bad Lieutenant, Dan Choi, ‘Maybe I Do, Maybe I Don’t’) have earned him a wide haul of accolades. ...
Mr. Thrasher also made a name for himself by his cutting-edge reporting, in which he also held political and community leaders from the LGBT community accountable (Cindi Creager, Christine Quinn, et al.).
Thursday, August 16, 2012
NYPD Shoot Homeless Man's Dog
- Related : Pit bull trying to protect his master on Manhattan street gets shot in the head by police (NY Daily News)
From YouTube :
A pit bull mix was pepper sprayed and shot by an NYPD officer on Monday afternoon outside of a KFC in the East Village at 14th St. and 2nd Ave. at about 4:15 p.m.
According to a passerby named Johnny Rodriguez, he and several other people called the New York Police Department, when they observed the man, identified by police as Lech Stankiewicz, having a seizure at the side of the road.
When police arrived at the scene, Rodriguez said, they attempted to approach Stankiewicz, but the man's dog, Star, was attempting to protect her owner from being harmed. According to Rodriguez, Star had already approached another passerby, Larissa Udovik, who got too close to her owner. An officer fired a shot at the dog, leaving her and the sick man suffering on the street.
A police source called the shooting "justified." The "video of the encounter" said the source, "leaves no question that the officers acted properly."
But others have criticized NYPD for how they handled the case. Doug Halsey, the director of Ready For Rescue, a non-profit animal rescue group, told the Gothamist that with irresponsible owners creating problems such as this, city police "need to be better trained to handle the situation and be equipped with the proper tools and taught how to use them to control dogs and other animals in situations like these."
Halsey was criticizing the use of pepper spray by another police officer on the dog, an act he said, that would only aggravate aggression.
Christian Pimentel, 21 told the New York Post, "It was just protecting its owner," while another witness, who did not wish to be identified, said, "They just let the dog bleed on the sidewalk, right in front of children."
A worker at a nearby KFC said that Star and the homeless man were both friendly and harmless.
Remarkably, both Stankiewicz and Star survived. Star remains in the care of the Animal Care & Control in NYC, said the East Village Local, but there also seems to be some discrepancy on how the dog is doing. According to Animal Control, the pit bull is stable, but the police source said that Star's outcome "didn't look very optimistic."
The NY Times Stops & Frisks Critics of Christine Quinn
The artist and political blogger Suzannah B. Troy creates a hilarious performance in a parody video. Must see !
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Carriage Horse Accident (VIDEO) #NYC
- Related : To follow the work of activists, who are calling for a ban of horse-drawn carriages in New York City, please ''like'' the Horse Drawn Carriage page on Facebook.
A motorist, possibly the driver of a limousine, crashed into a carriage horse this afternoon near Columbus Circle in New York City, "knocking over the carriage and sending the horse fleeing through the streets," reported The Gothamist. The New York Times reported that at the time of the accident, the horse carriage had been carrying two people. "The carriage was broken into pieces following the crash," reported the local CBS news affiliate. Most, if not all, operators of horse-drawn carriages do not provide or mandate the use of seat belts, helmets, knee pads, elbow pads, or other protective gear in the open-air carriages with must navigate through busy, and speedy, traffic through Midtown Manhattan.
Carriage Horse Being Restrained After Crash from Gothamist on Vimeo.
"One witness, Sayed Elgandi, who works in a juice stand, said the red and white carriage overturned at the intersection of Broadway and West 60th Street with a man and a woman who appeared to be in their 30s inside. Mr. Elgandi said that he and other bystanders rushed over and helped right the carriage and pull out the man and woman. He said they were both taken to the hospital but did not appear to be seriously injured," reported The New York Times.
"The runaway horse went down in the roadway of Ninth Avenue after being shot with a tranquilizer dart, but later stood up and was loaded into a police truck," reported the City Room blog of The New York Times.
Animal rights activists, who have been putting pressure on the New York City Council to pass legislation to support the safety and wellbeing of horses by banning horse-drawn carriages, point to Speaker Christine Quinn for blocking any meaningful animal rights protection legislation.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Louis Flores Update NYPD Jack Jaskaran Elisa Cokkinos
Transcript of Public Meeting of CCRB. Testimony given by Suzannah B. Troy, beginning on Page 18.
20130410 Pubmeeting CCRB Suzannah B Troy Transcripts Louis Flores by Connaissable
Ms. Troy mentions that I have yet to receive any word from CCRB, and yet the Board Members didn't act like anything was wrong. I guess they think it is O.K. for CCRB not to have to answer any complaints that get filed ? The transcript is filled with strange errors. For example, Ms. Troy mentioned on Page 23 that I was shoved. Instead, the transcriber wrote that I was shot ! Even if I had been shot, the Board Members didn't even care. How sad is that, that they don't take brutality seriously, be it being shoved by a police officer or being shot by a police officer. Now, I see how the families of all of the police shooting victims feel : the police don't care.
I invite everybody to read Ms. Troy's testimony in full. It is very revealing.
- Link to The Wall Street Journal article, which reported about the incident where NYPD officer Lamonica used physical force on me : http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012/06/29/protestors-say-quinn-used-nypd-to-thwart-them/
- Link to The Wall Street Journal article, about the record of peaceful protests against New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn : http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304203604577394194223832810.html
- Link to blog posting by Suzannah B. Troy : http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/2012/08/nypd-jack-jaskaran-elisa-cokkinos-heads.html
My latest video, discussing New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's use of officers" from the NYPD Intelligence Division to provide domestic surveillance outside her fundraising events :
Video of NYPD making it difficult for a senior citizen, who has special needs due to healthcare issues (a bad back).
Video that was reported about by The Wall Street Journal, which shows NYPD Officer Lamonica pushing the LGBT activist and blogger, Louis Flores, who was only peacefully trying to take pictures for this blog.
An officer threatened to put the blogger and artist Suzannah B. Troy in handcuffs solely because she is a character and has what we all have in New York City, an attitude. Since when is speaking your mind a crime ?
Louis Flores was pushed and threatened with arrest by an NYPD officer ; citizens question Speaker Christine Quinn's use of NYPD to intimidate protesters
A few weeks ago, NYPD gave us wrong information about where peaceful activists could stand on a broad, wide sidewalk during a peaceful protest :
Continuation of NYPD plain clothes officer, who never identifies himself with his name or his badge number ; this police officer's only intent is to carry out a deliberate campaign to undermine the First Amendment rights of activists :
We've seen how NYPD use brutality, pepper spray, and injuries to subdue and squash political activism. Last week, NYPD even arrested people in wheelchairs at a demonstration in support of the Americans with Disabilities Act :
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Michael Petrelis GLAAD Tax Filing
LGBT activist and blogger Michael Petrelis, who last week exposed how much money the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is paying its new executive, has now posted information about the tax returns filed by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Roots of Betrayal Update #6
#myopinioncounts is a new hashtag and @informedvoting is a new Twitter account launched to support community organising in New York City leading up to the 2013 mayoral election.
To support community organisers across the five boroughs of New York City, the blogger and activist Louis Flores has launched a new Twitter account, @informed voting. He has also launched a related hashtag, #myopinioncounts, to support reforms to improve the democratic participation of citizens in our own governance.
This Twitter account will follow the activists and citizens in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. This Twitter account will highlight areas, were we can find common ground and link up together, to bring about reforms in our government. For example, how did "stop and frisk" become the only acceptable answer to crime prevention, when the solution all along is passing stricter gun control laws ? The same thing goes for hospital closings : why are so many major hospitals closing, when Congress just expanded healthcare to tens of millions of Americans ? Cutting costs to healthcare are unacceptable, and yet where do politicians find the legitimacy to close down hospitals across all five boroughs ?
"If we are going to change the system, we need to organise. This means taking action together. With this new Twitter account and the related hashtag, I will support the work that others do," said Louis Flores.
Time is also running out to reach our goal for the Kickstarter project to support the publication of Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn, a work-in-progress survey of the political ethics of the New York City Council Speaker. Funding ends on August 16, and for this book to inform voters, the community must come together to support this project. Please make a pledge and help spread the word. Thank you for everything that you do.
Fran Lebowitz OWS Christine Quinn
Read Also : Fran Lebowitz And Frank Rich At The Town Hall : A Review Of The State Of The Union Conversation
Fran Lebowitz spoke about the intersection of Occupy Wall Street and Michael Bloomberg, and New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
"... The thing I have enjoyed the most, I have to say, about Occupy Wall Street, because I am a vengeful and superficial person, is to see Bloomberg not have any idea which way to go with this thing. ... We know how he really feels, because, I mean, this mayor is not even in the 1%. He's in the 1% of the 1%. We have a mayor, who is so rich, that he will not live in a place actually called Gracie Mansion. It's not nice enough for him, you know ? He has not in any way attracted the ire of these [activists], which is shocking to me. I mean, when I walk around and sometimes these kids talk to me, I say, 'Go to Bloomberg's house.' You know, the day that they went to rich people's houses, I said, 'Go to Bloomberg's house,' and those kids said to me,'No, no, no. He's O.K., he said we could stay.' I said, 'What are you talking about ? This isn't his city. Anybody can stay. This is not his estate.' ..."... And we've seen the new, doe-eyed Christine Quinn -- all of a sudden, champion of the people, you know, not in fact his henchman or henchwoman that she's been for the last 40 years of his mayoralty, who helped him overturn two elections in order to have this third term." ...
Two days after the Zucotti Park eviction, Ms. Lebowitz said, Mike Bloomberg "is a central villian in all this." In respect of Speaker Quinn and all the conflict between the OWS activists and powerholders, Ms. Lebowitz said, "She is an architect of this."
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Thompson, Liu Poster Fines Scheme ?
Is Mayor Bloomberg deliberately trying to drain the campaign funds of the competitors that are challenging Christine Quinn for the 2013 mayoral Democratic primary ?
Mayor Michael Bloomberg seems to be engaged in a public relations campaign to turn public opinion against, and to drain the campaign funds (aka clear the primaries) of, the leading primary challengers that are competing with New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to be the Democratic Party's candidate in next year's mayoral election. * "Mayor Bloomberg Friday blasted mayoral candidate John Liu as a hypocrite for grumbling about companies that owe the city money — while failing to pay his own city debts." (NY Daily News) * Now that he has finally collected $444,000 in public matching funds from his 2009 campaign, Bill Thompson should return the money to the city to help cover the fines he owes for illegal posters, Mayor Bloomberg suggested yesterday. (NYPost)
Friday, August 10, 2012
Chad Griffin HRC Salary Scandal
Paid Sick Leave Healthcare Role
A new study suggests that offering paid sick leave might reduce the rate of nonfatal injury among workers and improve the bottom line at the same time. (NYTimes) * Labour leaders, who support the paid sick leave bill in City Council, are planning to recruit LGBT leaders, to put pressure on City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to allow a vote on the healthcare bill. (NYPost)
NYPD Harass Senior Citizen With Special Needs
One day after NYPD arrested activists in wheelchairs outside Gracie Mansion, watch as an NYPD Lieutenant haggles with a senior citizen with special needs, and wants her to move, even though she is a peaceful activist taking part in a demonstration outside New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's luxury condominium building in Chelsea.
Watch photographs of the protest against Christine Quinn on Facebook. (Login may be required.)
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Roots of Betrayal Update #5
On Saturday, 4 Aug 2012, Louis Flores gave this update on his forthcoming book, "Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn." Funding ends on Aug. 16, so please make a pledge on Kickstarter today.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Gloria Steinem Christine Quinn Paid Sick Leave
Below is an email from feminist activist and author Gloria Steinem. Gloria, the Working Families Party, and Ai-jen Poo of the National Domestic Workers Alliance created a petition on SignOn.org, the nonprofit site that allows anyone to start their own online petition. If you have concerns or feedback about this petition, click here.
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Dear NYC MoveOn member,
I don't have to tell you that working women are under attack. The economy is putting a tighter and tighter squeeze on our ability to make ends meet. And too many politicians seem deaf, or even hostile, to the needs of working women.
Today tens of thousands of activists here in New York City are doing something about it. We're uniting to call on New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to allow a vote on the paid sick days law—because no one should ever have to lose a paycheck or a job just because they or their child gets sick.
I'm asking you to join us:
Why? Because of people like Celina. She was a cook at a restaurant in Queens when a heart problem put her in the hospital for a few days. When she got out, not only did she lose pay for the days she missed, she found there wasn't even a job there for her when she recovered. I'll say it again: she lost her job just for getting sick.
If you have paid sick days it's easy enough to take them for granted. If you or your child gets sick, you stay home to recover or go to the doctor. You are not punished financially for taking care of your health or your children. It's time to ensure all working women—and men—have the same economic security.
Paid sick days are important for the workers, but also for the rest of us. Most people without paid sick days work in industries where we can least afford to have sick workers. But if a waitress or day care provider can't afford to take a day off, her only alternative is to go to work sick or send her child to school sick. And that puts everyone else at risk.
Not surprisingly, New Yorkers overwhelmingly favor the proposal. The bill is co-sponsored by more than two-thirds of the City Council. But passage has been held up by Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who has refused to allow a vote on the bill.
Today, we're rallying because we need an outpouring of support to break the logjam. And we need your help.
We'll deliver the signatures directly to Speaker Quinn.
Thank you.
–Gloria Steinem, Ai-jen Poo, and the Working Families Party
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Plucking Chick-fil-A
Christine Quinn Tries To Have It Both Ways : Is She A Community Organiser-Rebel Activist, Or Is She A Government Official ?
"Personal passion clearly got the better of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn when she urged New York University to evict a Chick-fil-A outlet from a campus property because the company founder has vocally opposed same-sex marriage." * Christine Quinn overstepped authority in letter to NYU about Chick-fil-A ; Shouldn’t have invoked her office in going after same-sex-marriage foe (NYDailyNews)
The NYPost issues a radical editorial, laced with homophobia, but circles back on freedom of speech : "Marinated in self-righteousness and virtually never called out in public on such issues, she likely doesn’t truly understand what she did wrong in the first place." * Chris Quinn's Misfire on Chick-Fil-A (NYPost)
"As a gay woman who recently got married, Ms. Quinn’s anger about Mr. Cathy’s comments is understandable. And she stressed on Monday that the letter was 'solely my own opinion.' But, as a powerful city leader and a leading candidate for mayor, she and others in city governments should take care not to be seen muscling aside businesses whose owners don’t agree with their views. That won’t work, especially in a city as big, diverse and opinionated as New York." * The Chick-fil-A Business (NYTimes)
Speaker Quinn has betrayed the LGBT community so many times that when she may genuinely want to try to do the next right thing by her LGBT constituents, she can't distinguish between trying to end de jure discrimination as a public official, on the one hand, and violating freedom of speech and verging on the misuse of her public authority, on the other. Like the Gothamist reported, "If there's anything cynical to see here, it's probably Quinn trying to distance herself a little bit from NYU to curry favor with outraged Greenwich Village residents."
2012-07-28 Christine Quinn Letter to John Sexton Chick-Fil-A
Kickstarter Project Ends August 16
Louis Flores is going to be in Greenwich Village across the street from the old St. Vincent's Hospital, on 7th Avenue South at Greenwich Avenue today, from 4 - 6 p.m., handing out flyers and answering questions about this important book. At right, a photograph of the banner that the author is taking with him as he does outreach to the community. Make a pledge today to support Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn on Kickstarter.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Christine Quinn Enables Larry Seabrook's Corruption
Former City Councilman Larry Seabrook was found guilty of nine out of 12 charges, including mail and wire fraud, after being accused of sending taxpayer dollars to Bronx nonprofits he controlled (NY1).
Larry Seabrook was forced to vacate his City Council seat last week after he was convicted last Thursday for his role in "misdirecting" $1.5 million in city funds to his bankroll, his family, and his mistress, reported The New York Daily News.
Mr. Seabrook was found guilty of nine felony counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy, The Daily News added.
“Councilman Larry Seabrook abused the power of his office … to fund his own corrupt friends and family,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. “Today’s conviction ensures that the councilman will pay for betraying the public trust.”
The politician was accused of steering $1.5 million in council cash to non-profits that he controlled — and where his girlfriend, two sisters and a brother were employed.
Last year, The New York Post looked to New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn for accountability and leadership on the misuse of slush funds, but Speaker Quinn continued doling out her "discretionary budget items," including making an allocation of $350,000 to Mr. Seabrook.
"Seabrook’s the miscreant, for sure. But Quinn’s his enabler. Should such obvious moral myopia be rewarded with the mayoralty? Is Christine Quinn fit for the job?" ¶ Christine Quinn enables Larry Seabrook's corruption (NYPost)
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
FDNY Refuse to Release EMS Transport Times
FDNY Office of Intergovernmental Affairs issues an incomplete disclosure of EMS "response and transit times" for the "lower west side of Manhattan since St. Vincent's Hospital closed."
Associate Commissioner Caroline Kretz sent me a letter, which I received today, indicating that from "May 2010 to March 2011, EMS response times for the area bounded by 34th Street to the north, West Street to the west, Fifth Avenue and West Broadway to the east, and Canal Street to the south, is 6:45 minutes for Segment 1-3 (most serious) incidents."
What is disturbing is that the FDNY does not track "transport times," this is the time that it takes for EMS to transport a person having a serious medical condition to the nearest hospital. Why doesn't FDNY track transport times ? Could it be because 10 hospitals have now closed since 2006, resulting in longer trips for 911 emergency medical patients to get to the next nearest hospital ?
Also note : We don't know the calculation methodology used by FDNY for their response times. In the recent past, we have information from some firefighters within the FDNY that the UCT 911 dispatch system does not accurate calculate response times.
FDNY Response :
2012 07 30 FDNY EMS Response Times Answer SVH Lower West SideMy original request submitted to the City of New York :
2012-06-24 Request for EMS Response and Transit Times - St Vincents Hospital NYCHere is an earlier YouTube video I did, about why the FDNY and EMS were delaying the release of response and transport times :
Here was a response for EMS statistics, which FDNY sent to former State Sen. Tom Duane :