New York Bronx Kings Queens Richmond Albany Washington 2 [ TOP ] NYC: Sealed For Your Protection Strip searches for misdemeanors Subway: Don't walk between cars! Spray paint - art material ban. They Shoot Tour Groups, Don't They? Parade permit to walk down the street? De Quality of Life Cabaret Law - No bar boogeing, ANTI-noise No smoking Photo permits, Critical Mass, Privatising and gating the Parks. NYC Surveillance City Mass arrests, Detention camps, Police spying. Shut-downs and lock-downs, Photography bans and permits, Stop and frisks. Tresspassing arrests - don't ring, don't knock. NOT in NYC! Sights Shop and Drop - Links Moving Violations - Still Under the Rug Inspectors ... Building Dept still falling down. Fatal construction accidents rise, Wicks Law, School Custodians Clean Up Subway - MTA NYC HQ 2 Broadway. Overtime Kings NYPD blue. NYC links Govt flash scroll + The Bottom Line [ BOTTOM ] *Stricter MTA conduct rules [enforced by NYPD] took effect 12-4-205. No taking up more than one seat even with a little bag put on a seat[!], no moving between subway cars [can be arrested and held 24 + hours!] at ANY time and harsher enforcement on NO open beverages in subway cars [why not just fines for spills and littering?]* In the late 1990s Giuliani instituted permit requirment for any group to use park space even to sit down to have a picnic. Performers are summonsed by Parks Enforcement for causing 20 or more people to gather watching, and possible be arrested. The new NYC is NOT a 24-hour a day town. Have lots of cash or good plastic ready to be able to sit down or go to the bathroom after the stores and parks close. ALL public parks in NY and squares -no matter how small- have added signs with closing times. And after closing time they ARE CLOSED and illegal to enter even if there are no gates. Central Park has 1am curfew. "He's making sure that the fines and tickets are being given to people who can pay the tickets."[-Mr. Colon]..Mr. Giuliani went after the squeege men, while Mr. Bloomberg is going after the citizen inside the car."-See "Bloomberg Assaults Our Quality of Life, Alicia Colon, NYSun 9-13-05. NO permit was issued for Flag Day Parade JUN 14 2007 - was oldest in US, held since the 1770s. "Nearly 2,000 city-owned buildings have been cited for outstanding problems over the past five years. Department of Buildings offices at 280 Broadway had 24 [any still?] outstanding violations, and its Borough offices in the Bronx and Brooklyn have 58 between them." APOLOGY by CITY ON ART [-Goldstein, NYSun 6-7-2007] Students got $750 ea and their lawyer got $42k. PARKS DEPT really f__ up by not checking out the very offensive stuff BEFORE they gave the OK. "The city is backing down from a court battle that ould have tested its authority to block offensive artwork from being displayed on public property." Came out of forced closure of Brooklyn College Masters art student show that included of sexual-political art from the interior "gallery" of the Brooklyn War Memorial in Cadman Plaza after its first day in May 2006. NOTE -WORSE! was demonization of art "Virgin Mary" at SENSATIONs show when Giuliani was about to cut funds form Brooklyn Museum,- I SAW IT! The MAYOR and EVERY REPORTER talking about it LIED - they all said it was "SMEARED with dung! Thre was NO SMEARING of DUNG on it -- it was African folk- art style where some paint was put on in little droplets and circles with bigger round "blobs" actually were dung, but NOT on the face or such. It was a bit umm different, but it was NOT in a disrespectful manner though yes there were pasted on little magazine cut-outs of female crotches that probably got Giuliani bent out of shape! **AUG 2007 Quality of Life scooter debut APR 2007 "Surplus grows but so do taxes" NOV 2006 City Council gave themselves 25% raises* *Public schools cell ban brou ha ha continues* *In his 2nd term starting 2006 re election, MAYOR backed off idea to make new nightlife licenses for establishments over 75 people and "noise" rating and to stay open past 1 AM -but why any ADDITIONAL license at all for a little bar boogieing?** NYC: Sealed for Your Protection Crime is both LOW and HIGH. Like with doctors now, you gotta be able to use a specialist to get results. Overall the police force is down lots since 2001 AND a big chunk of efforts are the anti-terrorism duties. Low-cime numbers the Mayor loves to trumpet to the world are brought about by harsh enforcement in -targeted- "Operation Impact" hot spot areas, not to mention private policing [generally] in affluent areas. Some non-targeted, "bad" areas have rising violent crime, murder rates NOW after some years of stabilisation or declining rates. More limited regular patrols also account for still-high or increasing numbers of non-murder crimes in even such "safe places" as ASTORIA. [-see Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. "Police staffing crisis impacts entire city" 1-17-2008 METRO] Note NYPD graduating cadets JAN 2008 to be ENTIRELY assigned to "Operation Impact areas. Public order is further kept by harsh increasing amount of quashing active or threatened dissent and harsh enforcement of old and new Giuliani, now Bloomberg s "Quality of Life" initiatives. Out of of mind in general of post 9-11 anti terrror measure plus the need and desire to submit to authority somewhat stemmed public alienation and lead to grudging acceptance of our new contemporary police state. Homeowner keep their patch of sidewalk clean all day and put out or cover trash at proper times and now never put yard waste mixed into the regular garbage bag. You not poster, [of course] not pee in the streets [but read on-], harass pigeons, cannot enter a park or cross a public square after posted closing are fine-able and some are arrestable offenses, many by undercovers. Then if you are arrested you are handcuffed, fingerprinted and will likely be illegaly held without if not arraigned in OVER 24hrs [had been avg 2-1/2 days in Manhattan!] before appearing in Criminal Court..or release without being charged. City Council failed to pass a 2005 "Charge or release" bill. 2001 [$50mil Manh and Queens] and Jun2004 [$650k 20 people Brooklyn-not allowed to become class-action] big lawsuit settlements over strip searches for *misdemeanors*. Don't laugh it is happening in the suburban counties too. They Shoot Tour Groups, Don't They? To uphold the intent of the law, shouldn't they?. NO demonstrating without a permit. At many significant events - NO permits! 1st Amendment Rights gone! Police can fine or imprison EVERY person in ANY ride, procession/ parade for which a permit is not issued. This further tightening of existing restrictions on public assembly was proposed by NYPD [at whose initiative??], made public July 17 2006 and finalised in 2007 to FIFTY [50! Admin code 10-110 NO "parading" without a permit Bloomberg-Kelly wanted to extend their reign of terror [well if picked out and beaten by a cop or held overnight in jail for a minor offense IS terrifying..] on the public in 2006 by reducing the number to TWO [2] persons going 2 blocks or more violating any traffic rule. THAT would be considered being "Protestors" and require a permit in advance. 35 or more people on the SIDEWALK together would have also required a permit in advance! In light of criticism of those draconian provisions, I guess the Police would have to shoot some large tour groups - that means *YOU* from Allentown! But it still seriously means a ban on peaceful groups walking together too. Late MAR 2007 FED lawsuit challenged constitutionality of NYPD "parade" permit rules that were revised FEB 25 2007. "The NYPD's parade rules essentially outlaw large bike rides under the dubious claim that bicycle rides are a danger to public safety.. " - bureaucratic nightmare to get a permit [even need it to use existing bike lanes!] because the width of every road en route has to be listed, a "chief officer" responsible for conduct must be appointed too! -a permit is needed for any lawful procession of any group of 50 or more -whomever whatever- in the street. Despite denials, this is payback beyond any "public safety" issues, to "Critical Mass" riders who particularly been targets of Police harassament thru [at first] secret videos and infiltration besides public arrests and confrontation as their rides increasingly took on a hippie-radical chic antisocial manner. Critical Mass rode without being asked by NYC to get a permit - until the ride of Fri MAR30 2007.. 3 arrests and lost of tickets given out! There also was no permit JUL 25 2008, but the riders got really mass-obnoxious and a cop on 7Av[?] Times Sq took it out on a rider. P. O. lied on arrest report that rider assaulted/ resisted arrest, YouTube seen around the world a few days later with the truth is still causing ripples and emblding resistance/new 'video the police' campaign! NOTE see down in scroll box below -re martial law-ish zones during parades-they shut down and lock down surrounding streets create dangerous crowding PLUS when police use mass arrests to difuse problems. The Mayor played a huge part of sucking public street life away as a result of increasing the privatization of public spaces and stricter fines and regulations. 'In order to fund them' select NYC Parks [See MORE->] are enhanced, patrolled and maintained in part through the public-private parks conservancies and corporate events. ALL NYC parks are CLOSED at night - whether POSTED or NOT - GATED or NOT! You are subject to fines by PARKS DEPT enforcement and if caught by them and you arrest if you have no ID you will be cuffed and arreted by POLICE. This may even be for walking through a small mid Avenue "park" space that looks like little more than a traffic island or dipping your feet in the water at which is prohibited OFF LIMITS when NO lifeguards are preseent! Benches *around* Madison Square -not in the park, but on the street had a posted closing time of 11pm [-since removed]! Of course, the 3 sq. block park itself was gated after its most recent renovation. *Speaking of parks and the people, Juan Gonzales [Daily News 2-9-2007] wrote that BLOOMBERG LLP sealed off the southern portion of Randalls Island for nearly 2 weeks early JULY 2006 to make an amusement park for its company picnic. NYC Park playgrounds are for children only..since 1996 posted in small letters that is NO adult without a child allowed - BEWARE it is being enforced and you are subject to 90 days in jail and $1000 fine-it is very damaging to citizens to be threatened by POLICE, guns at ready, calling for backup if they pick you out for sitting in the wrong place is enough to make an average person, umm, dislike cops. I also am very surprised that we have not had reports of people fined or arrested for sitting on the *sidewalk* or public benches at the sidewalk. The big chill only is getting worse with more and more stringent requirements [city mandates *hiring* off-duty police for security!] for using the streets for any gathering, race, walk, fun. Washington Sq. has been barricaded and closed midnight-6am by Police for several years already and a new iron fence is included in secretive rebuilding plans [See MORE->]. Is the PUBLIC sold out though BENEFITTING? Plans were made SECRETLY without community input - it was mostly a deal between a big donor, NYU and the Parks Dept. Many high-profle Manhattan public spaces and small parks such as Greeley and Herald Sq., were renovated and operated for NYC under stewardship of BIDs suc as 34th St. Partnership, and Bryant park, under the Bryant Park Restoration Corp since 1985. They are all gated and close as early as 7pm. In the past as dirty old places, they were OPEN. Madison, Union, and especially Bryant Park [which now receives NO public funding] have also been very commercialised with some public events, but closed during many private corporate events. A city agency for first time in years fined MANY shops up to $2500 re printed stuff on their awnings - since law was passed, almost ALL old fashioned retractables disappeared, replaced by huge roll-down-gate covering "waterfall" sign-awning which are a design horror. The law only allows 12-inch high store name and address [-City Council voted six-month moratorium on fines while it considers updated the 1961 regulation]. Having a grabage container on the sidewalk on a non-collection day is subject to a $100 fine. Commercial vehicles i.d. lettering MUST be 3 inches high *ONLY*. Yet I see there is no such rules for commercial establishments - "clubs" and such can be anonymous. Bars are picked out to be fined [& now padlocked for days] for people dancing in violation of the remnant of the race-baiting depression-era cabaret law-requiring 2-year licenses for three or more people "moving in synchronized fashion" [no social dancing]. Challengers were rebuffed conclusively when the law was found constitutional FEB 2007 by State appeals court. There are only 255 180 licensed bars/clubs where dancing is permitted legally in NYC now! [-and only one team of inspectors left who really check on the fire safety issues of the real, large clubs] There is a somewhat welcomed anti-noise [early 2005 first hearings on new regs held] crusade. Giuliani-Bloomberg anti adult-entertainment and porn [9-10-03 NYS Supreme Ct ruled 60/40 rule unconstitutional but APR 2005, now thats thrown out by court and even stricter rule is OK], and smoking -ashtrays are banned and can result in large fines. Cigar bars [mostly upscale] can have smoking! There's scattered reports of smokers outside fined for loitering. A dozen inspectors were hired spring 2003 for a night shift in addition to force of other restaurant inspectors policing 25,000 establishments. Three fines in 12 months and place could lose its license. Maybe next if some State lawmakers have their way is smoking ban in YOUR car, if children under 16 present [anything in the name of the children..] Public Defender Laura Safet [J. Murphy, Village Voice Apr 26-May 1 2006 'Out-Rudying Rudy'] said spike in quality of life offense arrests are up sharply and are cruel, such as arrests for trespassing in housing projects "If you're in a building looking for a friend and he isn't there, they arrest you." May 2003, man fined big for sitting on milk crate on street business law fines for private use of delivery milk crates. Other obscure laws selectively enforced. Dogwalkers are a target. NYPost "Park Cops Vanish Amid Crime Wave" 7-20-03 reported PEP Parks Enforcement]-was downsized about 75 percent since "10 years ago" though somehow summonses are UP! Surely back then there were more city paid PEP and less of heavily privatised/ hired by the parks Conservancies like they are NOW. AUG 2008 NYC paid for 26 PEP in Manhattan + 19 for whole of the other 4 boroughs[=total 27,200 acres] while Conservancies funded 75 of their own PEP for Battery Park City[-park space], Hudson River and Union Square[=180.5 acres]! -see L. Colangelo, DailyNews 10-5-2008. Jake Albright, a Bat. Pk City resident was handcuffed [by plainclothes PEPatrol officers] and taken to First Precinct besides being summonsed winter 2003. Others who were harassed filed complaints against PEP in this "zero-tolerance" actions in no-dog walking zones round Battery Park City[-Downtown Express Mar 4-10 2003 PEP were back in uniform in beginning of MAR 2003]. JUN 2003-Crackdown on unlicensed dogs announced [est only 100,000 of 1.5 mil dogs licensed], but NYC Public Advocate shows that NYC cannot quickly process dog license requests. Public schools cell phome ban is stricly enforced where metal detectors are used.. so students are becoming proficient in smuggling on their bodies, burying or paying approx $2 a day to local stores to hold their phone throug the school day; so local shoplifiting, stolen phones are on increase. *Truly out of control graffiti that is widesprad but particularly in the boroughs conspicuously visible from the elevated lines, and scratching subway glass leads to facist laws being upheld! JAN 2006-New law effective [upcoming are constitutional challenges] makes it a CRIME to POSESS aerosol spray paint, etching tools, broad tip permanent markers, other "graffiti tools on public property"-oh I add for those under 21 NO EXCEPTION, NO EXEMPTION. What if you are under 18 or21 and not in this new protected-class "students"?! - and you are friggin WORKING in an OFFICE and use them? It is NOT right [maybe barely constitution] to increasingly criminalise *POTENTIAL* behavior and try to stem it by criminalising possession of various legal items which in practice means the Police will stop, detain, whatever, potential graffiti miscreants -or YOU even- because they CAN! Peter Vallone Jr shepherded this bill thru the City Council- has got to come up with some other way! From High School at "Art & Design" and through college as an architecture and design I "ALWAYS" had art supplies with me! The Mayor decided in cause of fighting graffiti it was worth criminalising and subjecting to ARREST ALL under-21 -of course not only- art students and employees posessing such materials, though they are most likely to posess them. Even the city's attorney Scott Schor [10-17-06] conceded that point! They say some kind of similar law was upheld in CHICAGO [ALSO I went to college in Chicago at 18 and carried art supplies! OH NO!]* *Revised noise code pased 12-21-2005 finally in effect July 1 2007 a year after first intended. It says dogs at night gotta stop barking after 5 minutes! The DEP has 25 portable noise meters and in 2005 they received 335,000 noise complaints. Fines as such are levied by the Environmental Control board rose 30 percent from [NYC FY] 2002-2005* "Bloomberg Wants to Get in Your Genes >>Compared to the present Mayor's contempt of civil liberties, Giuliani was a piker." as NatHentoff wrote in VillageVoice Feb 6-12 2008. BLOOMBERG is tougher than Giuliani, but maintained a false, less harsh image. Many of us already knew this. Though NYState allows DNA sample collection from convicted felons, Hentoff quoted 1-19-08 Jim Dwyer in NYTimes "This week the mayor proposed that everyone arrested for any crime in New York City -before the case has been judged-should be required to provide a sample of DNA." [375,669 arrests 2007]. Hentoff prods the NY bar Assoc., civil rights advocates aand and those of you railing against "revision" of the constitution by BUSH-CHEYNEY, where are you on THIS? Do not count on it that *YOU* have nothing to worry about or have no pics or files about you. Better to be a panhandler than a protestor or bicyclist on the steets sorta - though officially recognised by a Manh FED judge in 1992 as protected free speech, follow up casses resulting from arrests require NYPolice at end of 2006 to spread the word down 'hands off.' NYC Surveillance City 911 changed everything. YOUR cams are restricted. Your - or independent use of air polluton/bio/ chem/ radiation detectors early 2008 are about to be criminalised to keep us "safe" from any "panic" caused by reportage of false test results [or the FACTS!]. This was reported as another NYPD - City Council "thing"* but the bill [Intro. 650] was demanded by the Mayor [perhaps prodded by Fed DHS] under the Councilman's name- [Peter Vallone Jr. had to write to press /METRO 2-7-2008 'the Mayor did it; I am only the Committee chair..']. Unlicensed POSSESSION was going to be an arrestable offense. A compromise draft released bu NYPD late APR 2008, exempted individuals' smoke, carbon monoxide, radon and geiger counter, but penalties for users without permits of regulated equipment will be confiscation, summonses, and criminal liability of sponsoring organisation[s]. Some restrictive/ screwy measures that seem to be Council initiatives are at behest of the Mayor that he does not want go public with! The PBA [Police Union] [FEB 2006] even sued the city ["Police vs Police"] for violating their First Amendment rights [Internal Affairs Division] taped *them* during 2004 contract dispute demonstration[s]. PBA said their pre-Republican Convention contract demonstration were an embarassment to the Mayor so that was one motive for that crackdown. But the Mayor gave the final push of those masses to the streets when he denied a permit for use of the Great Lawn, Central Park! NYTimes said 2003 12 arrested at Feb-Mar 2004 anti-war demonstrations were questioned about their political thinking. CCRB [Civilian Complaint review Board findings confirmed protestors who are not in absolute conformity to all restrictions set up by permit[-IF issued] have no civil rights. Police confine and mass arrest them. They sent a report to the Police Comm MAY 5-9-206 that said AUG 31 2004 demonstrators were penned in with no exit yet Police brass shouted unitelligable orders to disburse or be arrested, and then moved in. The Police Commissioner wrote back that he is "surprised and dismayed by the CCRB report. Police do not have to follow CCRB recommendations. Police Spying Maybe then really need to cut down spying on their own, to control press leaks! Village Voice lists [Mar 5-11 2008 "When Cops Go Bad..Does the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau Even Notice?" Sean Gardiner] examples ineffectiveness against growing cases of crimes & misconduct. Also looks as if politics drive some investigations "..more annd more of their time is spent "dumping "tracing" the cellular phones of detectives and making other efforts to uncover leaks to the media in high-profile cases.." Spying on the public officially is in flux, the cases and the legalise of it are very confusing. NYC went to FED court in 2002-03 to loosen early 1970s restrictions requiring approval for surveillance of politcal etc demonstrations [got "Handschu decree"] on ground for the "spying" and what to do to get OK for it. "In what amounts to a significant victory for the city, Judge Haight distanced himself from an earlier order in which he accused the police of routinely videotaping peaceful protests. In that February [2007] ruling, Judge Haight threatened the department with contempt proceedings if it continued to tape political rallies without evidence of criminal activity" [-"In Reversal, Police gain Videotaping Freedom" J. Goldsmith, NYPost 6-14-2007] [-> I head ONE major radio report that said the judges loosened the restrictions again due to further [secret] revelations- NO ONE now is reapeating that bit... Anyway, Video taping of public gatherings and enter demonstrations undercover under Interim Order 47 of Sept 2004 continues. Political Detention Arrestees who were seen as potential violent threats at the "DAVOS" World Economic Forum NYC Jan 31-Feb 4 2002 were held for up to 40 hours Lawyer for arrested protestors said they were held "twice as long as people accused of murder, rape and robbery.."[-NYTimes 3-17-06 Police Memos Say Arrest Tactics Calmed Protest]. The report - memo follow-ups suggested also using undercovers to distribute disinformation into crowds. This is going far beyond law enforcement even beyond spying or intelligence gathering. In class-action lawsuit stemming from Y2001 arrests, DEC 2006 a FED jury found 1st and 14th amendment rights and free-assembly rights of about 30 jailed-overnight demonstrators were violated when it arrest instead of ticker for this misdemeanor was official from MAY 1-JULY 13 2001, but it agreed that the city did not have this as a prior UNWRITTEN policy so the rights of 300 other protestors jailed from early 1999 were not violated.[-NYPost, Newsday DEC 19 2006]. After militant celeb chic was added to anti-Police demonstrations after Diallo was killed 2-4-199 they say Police Commissioner Safir was ferklempt. What is the law now? WHO KNOWS, the city could have its own Guantanomo but the press is whipped. During the AUG 2004 convention further, severe restrictions on civil liberties were seen during mass arrests and detention of 1,806 where [I DO NOT agree with aims and tatics of most of the protestors] even innocent bystanders in vicinity of protestors or the convention were arrested and detained for up to 2 days in a temp detention camp caged-in areas on bare floor of Pier 57 before being released. This former bus garage is a severe toxic hazard...even 42 Police officers stationed there filed hazardous exposure reports- and are in a lawsuit against NYC and the Hudson River Park Trust [loaned the pier to NYC], their ID still being kept secret. *ACLU distributed "Pier 57 Intake Forms" 9-3-04 the day after the convention ended -they want to keep these secret no matter that it was not indicated the ACLU trolls by not disclosing they use these to initiate cases. No one indicated that those arrested could choose to keep the form private, so it was ruled MAY 23-2007 must be turned over for "discovery.* A judge found NYC in contempt of court for failing to meet a 24-hour state- mandated release deadline. JAN 2007 it was hinted--| "A federal magistrate-judge will not launch an inquiry into how a New York Times reported how police intelligence documents [further detailed MAR 25 2007 in NYTimes "City Police Spied Broadly Before G.O.P. Convention"] 'From Alberquerque to Montreal, San Francisco to Miami.." (besides actual anarchist types) the secret intelligence divsion "chronicled the views and plans of (innocent) members of "street theater companies, church groups and antiwar protestors as well as environmentalists and people opposed to the death penalty, globalization and other government policies. Three New York City elected officials were cited in the reports." - "Until the city could prove the leak did not come from city or police officials [Judge Francis said] "he would not as plaintiff attorneys to give affidavits stating they did not violate the confidentiality order." -NYSUN 6-6-2007 For a long while little was publicly known "City Fight Efforts to Release 2004 Convention Arrest Records" Dwyer, NYTimes, 12-13-2006] said 22 of those arrrested were been convicted and 15 pleaded guilty. |-- code name for police operations against demonstrators was "Overlord II" [prior DEM convention NYPD plan was "Overlord I"] about out of state and abroad surveillance and infiltration of various groups of suspicion dated back to 2003. At the end of 2006 as lawsuits still dragged on. NYC kept arrest transcripts, videos, and the "R.N.C. Executive Summary of June 24 2004 re terrorist etc potential disruptions during the convention secret. We just found out how widespread intelligence gathering was a year plus before the convention even to overseas surveillance and infiltration of groups and a NO-summons policy was decided on -from latest documents city was forced to release [600 pages released MAY 16 2007] about NYPD pre-convention security preparations. As result of an ACLU etc lawsuit[s] fighting the arrests, a judged 8-6-2007 ruled city must release field intelligence reports with privileged, confidential data redacted. NYC trolling for more intelligence or just gonna protect itself in these ongoing lawsuit? NYC subpoenad I-Witness Video for arrest videos APR 2008, then JUN 4 2008 for ALL of their tapes of 8 days of demonstrations which the group used to help dismiss approx 400 cases. NOW the group says this is TOO MUCH. woul hav a "chilling effect" on their work and make then an "agent" of the authorities. Some of that evidence proved that a tape made by he police had frames removed that showed peaceful behavior by a person who was late described by a police officer under oath as having behaved disruptively." [-C. Moynihan, City Subpeonas for Access To Tapes of 2004 Protest" NYTimes 6-20-2008] PIER 57 apparently is full of environmental hazards and got protestors sick [- the City wants to bury those reports, if not those people], is owned by Hudson River Park Trust and reports of conditions where people were thrown into would upset development prospects for the Pier [had been announced in 2005 as Cipriani's "The Leonardo"! "Only" 1,900+ were arrested our of crowd[s] of about 800,000. Core groups of anarchists posted violent plans to disrupt, infiltrate, assault convention participants and commit arson and some actual training sessions were held in NYC and elsewhere. And the NYC push back was "extra-constitutional! Couldn't the Police done better and respect civil rights of the more peaceful protestors and not swept up so many bystanders and especially photogs and members of small press from the arrests? Mayor said there were new rules against using newly fixed-up Central Park open space for demonstrations, "Permits for demonstrations should be for Brooklyn or the Bronx" during 2004 Republican convention. Bloomberg is taking the Great Lawn of Central park for hoity-toity friends, they say. In 2005 Bloomberg finally said the Great Lawn could handle six events a year- and 4 were reserved for the opera and symphony. So the lefty loonie groups are suing - but they have 1st Amendment rights, too. "Vertical" hold: Trumped up Tresspassing Arrests The NIGHTMARE has come to pass that going into a NON-DOORMAN [of course] regular ol bldg [oh are they f__g over Jehovah's witnesses and salespeople, too?] without meeting you host outside first may be dangerous in non white, poorer areas BECAUSE of the POLICE. " Clean Halls has been touted as a tool for keeping drugs annd drug dealing out of low-income housing, but once a landlord sign a Clean Halls affadavit, no one can leave their home without their papers." OR ELSE... "Operation Clean Halls"[-in NYCHA "projects"] and "Clean Halls" in private properties are snaring mostly innocent residents and vistors. Perhaps [really prob is] a QUOTA system as part of COMPSTAT forcing boost of trespassing arrests orig intended to keep out drug dealers etc but now are "a public policy run amok" [-"The Trouble with Trespassing Law", R. Parascandola, Newsday 7-30-2007] Highlighting at this bit o' reign of terror, BX Supreme Court "tossed out" trespassing arrest of E. Ruiz an ordinary, innocent citizen arrested 10-25-2006, stopped and frisked on street held for 3 days in 2006 after going over to a neighbors building - yet city did not say if they would APPEAL! In another cass that was unusal because it went to trial: Police officer LIED 1]-told judge at trial when they "asked" man arrested what they were doing in the building he "told them" to "buy marijuana" and 2]-This officer presented himself as the arresting officer, but was there only driver of the "paddy wagon" [(defendants lawyer) M. Chris Fabrikant-"Rousting the Cops: One man stand up to the NYPD's apartheid-like tresspassing crackdown", Village Voice NOV 7-13 2007] Targeted areas are flooded with rookies "trying to make as many arrersts as possible. In 28 month after 2003 launch of the program, 72,000 of these arrests were made. Most take plead guilty to tresspassing..few challenge it at a trial. A record 508,540 "stop and frisks" on NYC streets in 2006 are up 5x since 2002 but only resulted in 21,000 arrests. Police say it is for drugs, guns etc, others see racial profiling driven by POLS dictating arrest numbers to the Police thru the Compstat [statistics sytem]. Those stopped were 52% black and 29% "hispanic." City Council was concerned over disproportinate # of "minorites" stopped butt was further stonewalled. The NYCLU sued NOV 2007; the most info court will make mading NYPD release is raw data coiming early FEB2008 [no locations, times etc.] so the legal challenge this NYPD secrecy will probably continue. Surveillance from 5 new mobile towers with high tech digicams and recording systems [one even used during APR 2007 Auto Show at Javits Ctr]. Police were given authority over public school safety by Giuliani in 1998. Ironicially, as teacher's classroom ability to discipline was taken away, and many schools still are chaotic, metal detectors, pat-downs and searches are now widespread. But innocent students have been detained or arrested on whim of Police and minor infractions have been me with actual rough force by Police. It is a BIG issue..to point of NYCLU [Aug?] 2007 released report "Criminalizing the Classromm: The Over-Policing of NYC Schools." -not that I am a NYCLU lowre, but we should not bury our head in the sand over the actual abuse because this is mostly happening in "those" neighborhoods. Regulation of Public Photography *PONDER THIS! Who knew for example-> Under the “old” rules you were required to have a permit to use a tripod in city parks! A lawsuit filed JAN 2006 on behalf of award-winning filmmaker Rakesh Sharma who was detained by police in May 2005 who saw him use a handheld camera in Midtown lead to a deal the friggin New York Civil Liberties Union reached with city and was the drafting of a crazy civil-rights limiting scheme by the Mayor's film office as a result. After that was settled the NYCLU falsely boasted "Filmmakers and photographers using handheld equipment on city streets will no longer be required to obtain permits... - which was a load of B.S. for most of US-> [AP] [-"Civil rights group, N.Y. settle video suit" 5-24-2007 METRO]->PROTEST and PETITION against this!<- The Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting was going to clarify the rules, of course in reaction to that lawsuit. The rules were casually floated before official publicaiton and received litttle attention outside the photog. anmd activist community. No legal distinction was made in the proposed rules between pro or COMMERCIAL and amateur. ANY group of two or more people who wanted to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour or -ANY- group of five or more people who would be using a tripod for more than ten minutes including setup and breakdown time. -(Excerpted from the Gothamist) and would have been required to get a city permit and $1 million in liability insurance. The PRESS is/was exempt but will be beaten into submission [-not entirely kidding!]. There was public comment period thru a DEC 13 2007 scheduled public hearing after which time NYC was going finalise rules on film permits and shooting/taking pics on public property. AUG 3 2007 official "publishing" date [first implementation] of harsh regulations originally proposed late JUNE 2007 did not raise a peep until late that summer. SO then it was put off for re-consideration but not scrapped. It took two more months of mobilisation of amatuer and small- professional film /photography community for MAYOR to relent and present re-written proposed regulations OCT 29 2007 that were in a fianlsied form in JULY 2008. The rules in general are No permits or insurances for non-professionals will be required. Permits and insurane are required for uses of anythiung other than hand held equipment and for taking over trafiic lanes, or blocking 8' width or more of sidewalk. Three was no talk of justice, freedom or common sense.T he Mayor's main statement was about $$$; the importance of film to the NYC economy. This community [IFP- Independent Feature Project] is giving the Mayor an award NOV 27 2007 at the annual Gotham Awards! Ms. Micehlle Byrd, Exec Director of IFP said "This is not just a politician, but a business man with a background in media. He gets it." [J. Snyder, "Bloomberg to the Rescue"-NYSun 11-23-2007] Public harrasment still continues by heavy-handed Police plus a public in all of the "west" gripped by mass hysteria or hyper-PC [See MORE-> in a case in UK]. NYCLU in ongoing/ various lawsuits on behalf on arrested/ searched/ detained photographers says the NYPD may be keeping tabs on everyone "investigated for photography..regardless of the outcome of the investigation." in a special database. -S. Gardner, Village Voice JUNE 11-17 2008 First Amendment Watch. Simon Lund on Memorial Day 2008 to NYPD, was shooting the mise en scene [rides etc] wiht his wife at Coney Island, after complaint from uppity stranger that he ws shooting pics of her son! They both ended going over to the police. Lund really tried to cooperate, But other public joined in and got angry at LUND over 'How can he take pictures of my child crap!' and they started to chant. SO the officers did what was expedient but not right.- they threatened him with "much worse" than surrendering his film. SO he gave up his film to the woman, with his personal info askling her to get it developed and send film back to him minus any "offending shots- which the bitch from hell did not return or contact him. NO one has privacy from photogs in public! You only have to get a release for commerical use! I know how bad it can be when I was threatened around the Central Park Bethesda Fountain taking pics a few years ago, when clinically "psycho"-whatver actual name of the condition women [w- her passive husband standing by, later confired she just goes off like that..] threatened me that I was takin her picture, tried to take my cam, would not leave me alone until I deleted a pics she might have beenn one person in a crowd in! NOW I am glad I did NOT try to get the Police! > Police cams everywhere..but for YOU, NO Peeking! A growing number of location NYPD street cam stations are installed. Most subway station entrance and turnstile areas already have cameras. They are coming now [from mid 2007 opr so] in busses, and in 2009 subway cars are also to be monitored or recorded. If this is live monitoring of the coming tens of thousand of cams, we would have to be like ol East Germany where sorta half the population was needed to spy on the other half. But to really protect us, count on Council members like Peter Vallone [Jr.] "A bill that could make it illegal to glance at a naked neighbor is moving forward in the City Council...[C]ouncil member Peter Vallone Jr. said he introduced the bill to fight back against perverts, such as people who stand at the bottom of a flight of stairs and look up women's skirts." [-G. Paul, ". NYSun 11-15-2007] Vallone, Police Commissioner Kelly, NYPD Chief Esposito and no one know how many otehr NYC officials[-no comment] now have NYC Police cams in front of their HOMES! [-R. Parascandola, Daily News 9-12-2008] Not in NY and Special Notices NYC - Closed, for Your Protection---> Please pay attention Below- NYC subway photo ban, liquor rules, prohibited markers spray paint laser pointer sales etc.to under 21. No etching acid to under 21 without a license [coming up fall 2007..] Parade route lockdowns and mass arrrests-[ lawsuit changes that FEB 4 2007] Asian long-horn beetle emergency. Banned pets, NO ferrets. No dancing. No Segways. No motorcyles in HOV, no pick up trucks overnight on NYC streets--> CFC [Freon recovery]. Banned in NYState-Extreme / 'Ultimate fighting' Beware homeowners- sewer liners illegal in NYC! MORE--> ====================================================== MAY 2008 National Park Svc having jurisdicion of Gateway NRA, closing Canarsie Pier overnight for first time ever 'for cleaning'-see Canarsie Courier 5-29-08..police do not admit any connection.. -community is upset because there were no problems there and they feel community has few outdoor recreation area. No vehicles to 8am means early morning fishermen arls oare screwed out of access. JAN 2008 Copper, metals prices skyrocket. Ripoffs of public wiring wtc - NO selling metal NY over $50 for scrap without ID. BUT car junker yards can accept cars without umm ID --- NOV 2007 a S.I. Councilman proposes $1,000 pigeon feeding fine, current ban and all kinds of scolding fails now to stop the elderly especially, from doing it now..why not jail. Yeah that's it. ->Mar 2007 City Council person Rosie Mendez wants to ban exotic animals from circuses in NYC - like elephants. ->FEB 2007 State legislator from Queens NY want to make it illegal to cross the street-in NYC and Buffalo- while using ANY portable electronic device -to jail, you damn joggers! -->NO recyclables put in plastic bags since__ 2007...OCT 2007 Council speaker wants de facto NYC ban by forcing supermarkers to put in plastic bag recycling stations and all plastic bags in NYC to have a recycle warning Is every warning based on pseudo science fromr Columbia U politically correct professors going to become a basis for another ban in NYC!!!! -->No guns for you, but celebrity gun club--see fabu4.html scroll box. somtime back city mandated some umm was it toys and target guns [Im sorry] were to be in colors. JUNE 5 2006 Mayor introduced legislation to ban sale of "gun-coloration kits." They say there are bullet-firing cell phones, pens, and "The Club" steering wheel car theft protector! -->NOT in NYC no skyscraper escape system for YOU! NYC Office of Emergency Management killed a request for a test of outside pod escape sytem that had already been tested in 20 fl bldg in Israel and was approved by DHS-[Dept of Homeland Security] but some other city in the US WILL test and have this on some of their bldgs! See Crain's NY Business Jun12-18 2006 System is by Escape Rescue Systems Ltd and Vornado Realty Trust was going to let it be tested on 2 Penn Plza adjacent to Madison Sq Garden. "Authorities in other cities have been much more responsive." said a partner in Escape Systems. YE GOODE OLDE LAWS of NYC No puppet or "other entertainment" shows in windows or "open space of any house, or building.", 'No Spitting' signs required in 'taverns'. $5 fine for barber giving shaves or haircuts - on SUNDAY! amongst others. -->"Pol throws book at loony laws" [NYPost 5-12-2006] David Yassky says. Like Laundries must shut down on Sunday from midnight to 6am SO there really may NOT be a 24 hr laundromat in NYC? Another says you can't wash a sidewalk with a hose, and a restaurant can't serve you without showing you a menu with prices first. TIME to call the lawmakers bluff and make them enforce this shit so that they will be enmbarrassed and businesses harassed enough to clean the book! JULY 2008 : NO smoking in college dorms. Plastic 'brass knuckles criminalised same as metal ones. JAN 2007 Proposed ban on too-thin models. APR-2007 Council Speaker Quinn pushing other Council member to vote to overide Mayor veto- she pulls so many strings of the members that other Council men say it like like Albany -{Governor]-Silver-Bruno cabal controlling things. -->9-20-2007 Lawuit from pedicab operators on day licensing and cap rule etc was to take effect. Council overrode veto __-. 1st time PEDICAB regulation bill was NOT signed and Mayor Bloombereg vetoed it MAR 30 particularly because there was a cap of 325 which is much lower than actual no. of pedicaBs now. One law says it is illegal to display food for sale in a vending cart- hey lets shut down the greenmarkets! City Council 2006-2007 on- prone to [symbolic] bans on politically incorrect WORDS like N-word [ban paased FEB2007], 22 members proposed ban on B- and H[o] words! ->Fall 2006 after City OKs allowing changes in birth certificates to reflect actual trans-gnder changes, they are considering to let ANYONE change their SEX classification on demand. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Asian long-horn beetle emergency continues to spread. FEB 2007 long horn beetles infested trees on PRALL'S island bird sanctuary island adjacent to Staten Island. Across from NEW JERSEY. 3,000 potential host trees are being cut down MAR 2007, 36 were infected. Infestation during the 90s prob in crates from China -in Brooklyn and Queens and MANHATTAN. Infected trees HAVE to be destroyed. Thousands have been. National emergency to all hardwoods if this thing gets out of these areas and that still is likely. NYC could use HELP in all out assault on this pest, TREE BY TREE. All firewood and such has to be BUNDLED to be picked up for chipping. Spring 2005- A Central Park and 5av affected ELM trees had to be destroyed. "According to Federal law, all wood from trees on residential properties in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan is subject to special handling due to infestation by the Asian Longhorned Beetle—an invasive pest that attacks and kills trees. Before disposing of tree prunings or firewood, residents in these boroughs must schedule an appointment for special Parks & Recreation handling. To schedule an appointment, call 311 or visit www.nyc.gov/parks." ------------------------------------------------------------------- * No PICK-UP trucks here, guys. They have to be registered as commercial vehicles and so can't be parked on the street overnight. NYC not in complaince with Fed rule Title 23, Section 166-> NYC bans motorcycles from HOV lanes, big fines. Challeged, NYC DOT was aobut to amend regulation to take effect spring 2008 was stonewalled by NYPD to block it- American Motorcyclist Assoc filed freedom of info request about this...AGAIN with imperial stormtroopers of NYPD f__ up their good guy image and good works! =============================================================== New not in NYC proposals- Scroll to bottom for New Jersey--- SEPT 22 2008- NO BASE JUMPING - no clmbing, jumping or suspending from bridges or anything! without NYPDA approval MISDEMEANOR $1,000 fine, 1 year jail or both. Pressure made to bar after summer 2008 climbings up on NYTimes building. PARADE ROUTE LOCKDOWN- I found it so bad during Halloween Parade in Village in late 1990s that I will NEVER go to the Parade route. NOT in Giulianis times they changed from wooden sawhorses for barricades to interlocking metal gates. Fo Halloween Parade! they barricade a couple MILES worth of the route on BOTH sides of the street NO breaks for any traffic or crossing that I am aware of. People getting off subway / PATH stations along the route are going into DANGEOUS conditon where there is COMPLETE body contact [barely breathing room] and I was scared of myselfor others to be pushed in a crowd thru stores plate glass windows.- S, Bommarito NY NY, letter to NYSun, pub. 6-19-2007 Re JUN 2007 Puerto Rican Day Parade "The areas near Fifth Avenue and Central Park were shut down creating a martial law environment. After a baseball game in the park, we walked around aimlessly before we were able to find a way to exit it." Wary of gang threat, police arrest en masse over 200, some bystanders caught up, some arrrested because of wearing gold and black, used as Latin King gang colors. MOST average parades have breaks for traffic and crossing Naything with more iffy? or what Police deem controversial they use more severe crownd control. --------------------------------------------------------------- SEPT 28 2007 City Council voted and Mayor signed Sanitation Dept sidewalk cleaning rules liberalised enforcement hours for $100 fines for not keeping s__ of the sidwalk in front of homes will only be given out during 8-9am and 6-7pm instad of noon-1pm while many people are at work... 40 of 51 members voted in favor... JULY 2007 NO more free formula/samples for you [Women and new babies] at City of NY Hospitals! Health Dept offically pushing breast feeding! OCT 30 2006 Board of Health hearing on proposed transfats ban for ALL retaurants starting. ALSO being considered is requiring restaurent menu calorie listing. DEC _ 2007 Companies drop suits against bat ban, will try to fight similar in other states. -->AUG 28 2007 a Fed District Judge upheld the ban. LOCAL LAW 20 takes effect SEPT 1. -->Lawsuit against metal bat ban APR 7 2007 by parents, coaches Easton Sports.-- in 1990s Easton sued for 'restraint of trade, $267mil damages to not be forced to supply metal bats to colleges that hit at reduced umm htting speed...is that what lead to all this crap? -->City Coucil over rode veto APR 23. ALSO pedicab limit [325] and regultion were made official on over ride of Mayors veto led on the City Council chair. ->but Mayor Bloomerberg vetoed it AOR 2 ->BAN passed MAR 14 effective for SEPTEMBER 2007. -->SO metal bats were introduce in the 70s [and safety standards for metal bats [ball exiting speed" was lowered and bats standardised in the late 1980s] because of injuries from shattering wood bats, quality of which varies [eys they are WOOD] and the PROs get the best ones- how much are they prepared to spend for students wood bats?? ODO is a dildo! "The bottom line is thjat baseball is among the safest sports played in our city's high schools. And aluminum baseball bats are not a problem or safety issues for student athletes. If City Council wants to get involved in our schools there has to be a more pressing need than baseball bats. If City Council wants to get involved in the national pastiime, improving fields, building more practice space, and providing equipment annd unforms should take priority." [-George Heppner, "Bats in the Belfry" NYSun 1-11-2007-manager of DePhillips Sports, Bayside Queens. -->The study Councilman Odo cited for increased injuries was done in 1997 and since then new alumimum bats have been deadened a bit to lower the BESR to profile like wood bats. Another 2002 Baum Research and Development of Traverse City MI found that a significantly higher speed for balls hit off metal bats. SO what is the truth? Metal bats cost much more too. Probably will be JULY 2007 ban on metal bats for little leaque-, Louisville Slugger says this is best NOT left to govt, they make metal bats to spec and have ones that are engineered to perform like the wood ones and use of wood does not guarantee NO injuries. Raise legal purchase tobacco age to 19, 20 or 21? Why don't they friggin just raise the virgin age while they are at it? Probably dropped- Restaurant cellphone ban almost introduced by Leroy Comrie, Chair of City Council Consumer Affairs Committee until the restaurants said butt out, we'll handle this ourselves. Ban on sale of reconditioned mattresses prob as big increase in bedbugs has occured. bill introduced 5-24-05 Dec 2005 tougher anti-grafitti rules - see futher below - Possible ban on sale of small hard candy of a certain size to children under 14 plus WARNING LABELS to be added, as some have recently choked to death on candy. NO tanning salons for under 14, restricted use in some counties for those under 17 or 18. "Potty parity" bill introduced May 2005 to require 2x, 3x or 4x[!] toilet facilites for women in new construction depending on the size of the venue. to be exempt- schools hospitals, restuarants and bars. Happy flushes! Law against panhandling ruled unconstitutional in 1992 but NYPD still sometimes made arrests and charged. so some of these vagrtants/ homeless /beggars sued June 2005- so the war on the public is ratcheted up. Many of these people are ill, disruptive and violent. Crackdown on liquor companies sponsored open-bar promos since essentially ALL open-[free drinks]-bars are illegal. Club owners are livid. Liquor company sponsored HOUSE parties in the Hampton all the rage summmer 2006 JULY 2003-Gov Pataki expected to sign bill by 2 Assembly "persons" from Brooklyn allowing any city with "over 1 million people" [only NYC!] to fine businesses whose name are on fliers put on car windshields and distributors fines $75 to $150. ->The number of sidewalk cafes has greatly increased since 2003 even more so compared to the low number in the late 1990s. ALL city permits for the sidewalk cafes will expired and all will have to get new approvals in updated process, at mcuh higher yealy fees from Consumer Affairs Department,. ->To open a sidewalk cafe, a restaurant required 17 page form, 13 copies, [requirements increased in 2000 under Giuliani by the Mayor's Office of Contracts-itself created due to procurement corruption prob.- known a 'gangster questionniare' due to its anti-organized crime intention] for four agencies and the local community board, a rendering of the design fees min. $2,000. and months if now years of delay in issuing approval. --------------------------------------------------------------- NYC obtained info on NYers purchasing cigs online esp from now-defunct cigs for cheap.com and Jan 2005 demanded taxes owed on these out-of-state purhcasse to 2,300 people-pay up or face $200 a carton fine. Cigarette tax in NYC highest in US now price per pak up to $7.50, sales cut in half. HIGHER state and NYC local cigarette tax [NYC local tax just raised 50c to $1.50] + 50c increase to $2.00 pack coming mid 2006. ->UN WHO international smoking study results release FEB 2008-> A billion deaths coming worldwide in 21cent? China, India 40% of smokers. BLOOMBERG Philanthropies paid $2mil for it adn gonna keep on withh updates each year ! All kinds of restrictions called for except for eliminatiing cigarettes. Almost total ban on smoking in clubs, bars, and restaurants, jail passed 42-7-2 Dec 18 02 by City Council after Mayors prodding. Special ventilated smoking rooms of not more than 350 sq. ft. will be allowed to be built and used under new law-UNTIL MARCH 2006.-NY State hurriedly passed 3-26-03 even more restrictive ban supercedes NY law, takes effect during JULY03. NY State reps- a Senate and Assembly person introduced bill May 10 2004 to raise smoking age to 19, tho' Sen. James Alesi [R-Roch.] actually wants to raise it to *21* if if had a chance of passing*, Suffolk raised age to 19 in 2005 NY-Naussau Co purchase of cig age is being raised JAN 1 2007 to 19. New Jersey smoking ban inside bars, clubs, etc APRIL 15 2006. Proposed 25-foot no smoking outside these places rule was scrapped early May 2006 over strong opposition. Thats it. And---CASINOS are exempt from it all.- your/our reps are corrupt mush-heads. CELLPHONE usage ban [in theatres etc] bill passed also 40-9-2, City Council overrode Mayor's veto of this Feb 20003. Kids cell phone ban [Nobody expects the Spanish inquisition....] ----------------->FEB 2008 is appelate court.. ---------------->SEPT 10 2007 Council votes 46-2 to "override" mayor's veto of cell phone bill, but for now Mayor runs schools Dept so this is symbolic, as Bloomberg said this does not change anything - kids have the right to carrry the phones TO and FROM school, but not to possess them IN school! About ONLY way to actully change this would be for Council to SUE the Mayor. --------------->JULY 25 2007 City Council votes to loosen restriction - so that phones could be brought to school and not confiscated by checking them-in during the day. MAYOR with forked tongue said, sure students can have phones, they just can't bring them into the school bldg; he vetoed the bill Aug 9 2007..City Counci may be able to over ride that! ------------->May 25 the parents say they will appeal all the way to Supreme Ct if they have to. ------------>MAY 7 2007 Cell phones almost 100% banned in NYC public schools under 1988 ban that was spurred by pagers problems upheld over all challenges is constitutional..Judege left slight wiggle room- but now the conttroversy will be what leeway and rules will there be for waivers that school Principals can grant! ---------->NOV 9 Medical waiver OK to bring it in THEN CHECK it until leaving! ..rule was already in place is just being implemented. Lousy MFs. utilised and followed up on to do necessary permit paperwork.. --------->OCT 26 2006 Randi Weingarten submitted a legal brief against the ban in the current hearings. SENSIBLY she says let schools make their own policy, and why not ban the phones from kids who abuse the rules! YES just punish the guilty, Mayor Bloomberg and all you f__ do-gooders who are criminalsing EVERYONE. Whats next? -no metal forks and knives in restaurants like the airlines becuase you could hurt someone? How about NO CELL PHONES in CITY HALL too! Keep to the people's business and no chatting! -------->OK here is the deal. SOCIETY is out of control we need cams with mics on the streets. [but the borders are OK] I guess. SO as with airline passengers, students will have lockers, come in early to check all their clothes and stuff and change into new day "gowns". HA HA? do not laugh, it could be coming. ------->Mayor [Sept 13] said he supports principal of SI McKee High who seized cell phone and is hold thiem from beginning of school term UNTIL late OCT 26-27 [6-week period] open-school days. Oh he gave some notice of the policy. Mayor says principals can hold seized "contraband" as long as they want. ----->Lawsuit against the policy is expected JUNE 2006. ---->THURS May 11 2006 100 rally outside City Hall against the policy. --->MON May 8 Mayor says NO NO NO NO WAY. NO CELL PHONES! -->FRI May 5 KLEIN says maybe students can have phones if they don't use them. ->Raven Perez harassed by SI school officals over her written call for fellow students at IS 27 May 5 protest the cell ban. May 4-In the principals officer were 3 guards, two asst principals, "crisis-intervention" teacher and her school counselor. She was forced to sign a confession that she was not given a copy of and threatened with suspension for 90 days. The officials backed off afterwards but still framed their actions as a response to her call for mass truancy, which she says she DID NOT call for. -NYPost 5-8-2006 ->There are medical waivers that permit some student to have their phones, and Dept of Education offically did no..there is some conflict and some lawsuits are sure to follow in this as those who have needs for phone and those who are harassed will probably fight back. ->April 26 2006 Unnannounced screenings start. At ACORN School for Social Justice [huh?] there was a sweep that netted a box cutter and 129 cell phones, 10 CD players and an iPod [-electronics WERE returned at end of day]. The sweeps are being justified as weapons searches, but WHY seize banned items such as headphones, cell phones, iPods etc from public school students. As the mostly 'don't ask, don't tell' stalemate over offically-banned cell phones turns into seizures, some parents are getting VERY angry they may not be able to get in touch as kids are farther from home at school for longer times. Hell for High School and certainly as a college design, architecture student I carried a box cutter. SOCIETY will NOT PUNISH real crime, so in frustration politicians and groups criminalize everyone for posssion of legal items that could be used in a harmful way. Thought-police are coming next! It is a crime to possess these items which could be used in an uncivil manner. Are the THOUGHT police next? Will people be put in camps or shot next [exept of course, for the illegal aliens]? ->THE ISSUE IS POSESSION [not obnoxious usage]- cell phones are NOT banned in the official discipline codes[s] some which also apply to visitors and staff. Finally enraged over *confiscation* of phones, 200+ students walked out APR 12 2006 of Park Slope "Secondary Schools for Law, Research and Journalism" [three mini schools in 1 in former John Jay HS- --IF THE Mayor and Schools Chancellor did NOT screw around creating these mini schools and shipping more and more students far rom home over transit maybe there would be [less alienation] and more learning! 5 were arrrested protesting the ban. I say at worst, have cell phone check-ins but DO NOT CONFISCATE them. [Did they get them back? NO ONE EXPLICITLY said so] Mayor so smug telling them they are there to learn, we know that, but he gives his favored city officals big $$$ big black SUVs, Blackberrys, cell phones and other perks! This is 2006. Work it out! NOT in NJ, not so very far, actually south NJ near Philadelphia, a bunch of towns are DRY - no alcohol..oh and Ocean Grove due to its Metohodist roots next to Asbury Park too. Just west of northern Manhattan, Paramus is famous for its old time blue laws still closing up the malls and most stores on Sundays. -->NYPost 6-27-2006 58 vehicles already SEIZED for transporting fireworks. 60 arrests, 770 cases of firworks confiscated. BOOM!->NYState 1 of 5 that bans any personal use of fireworks. As screwy as the varied liquor laws are the fireworks laws..most states near NYC are restrictive to some degree and some localities like NYC ban them totally, but PA is really strange- PA bans sale and use in-state without special permit but show you out of state ID and you can buy what you want that are legal in YOUR state [not the city] if you take it away. OHIO you fill out a form and promise to take them away within 3 days, and 13 other state are liberal in their sales of fireworks, but PA is closest and easy drive from NYC area. -->NYPD vice undercovers are outside NYC, indicated in JUNE 2006 bust of 2 men from Staten Island and one from L.I. followed back from Easton PA [-see Staten Is Advance 6-7-2006] Various fireworks distributors in PA are staked out arrest can be made when crossing back into NY. Jan-Feb 2003 Bloomberg modifies Giuliani fireworks 1997 ban for for Chinese New Years'. Grucci pros hired to put on two displays. 1965-NYState bans ALL fireworks from being sold to individuals. Only 4 of the other states have such bans. From 1996 or7 Giuiani cut neighborhood use of fireworks, but it has been on increase as I have seen locally around me, and as reported [see 7-13-05, Staten Island Advance] noting big increase since 2004. Limited legalisation for Segway in NYState summer 2008-but NYC is excempt. -->announced MAY that 10 Segways will be deployed summer 2007 by NYPD at some Parks, beaches, Coney Island. Batery-probem meant a recall back then. No Segways-not NYState street legal but that did not stop the NYPD from testing them summer 2003. No frames on license plates. DMV will NOT register them considered like a gas-powered skateboard! JAN 2006 Lost pussy almost kept by adopting Jane "Doe" after adoption svc found and placed cat Olivia..owners roomate blind friend left door a little open. New owner ready to go to court to keep the cat. She claimed 1894 law requiring people to report lost pets within 48 hours to the city or ELSE forfeit animal. No CRITTERS-> JUNE 2008 [NYPost-Jun18] T. Kirwan of Orange Co introduce bill to ban released felony drug convicts from owning fighting dogs weighing more than 20 pounds. ->No anacondas, pythons, iguanas, Savannah monitors, beekeeping and -no FERRETS, no Savannah [African serval-domestic hybrid] cats allowed... the City banned these animals in a change to the Health code summer 1999; all considered now to be wild animals, in same class as lions, tigers and bears..oh..you know the rest. 180 species total banned. Rebuffing challenges, the NY State Supreme Court upheld the ban in 2002. BUT yes, esp since the 1990s an increasing number of COYOTES in the woods of NYC parks, they have crossed and captured in Manhattan and Brooklyn. In May 2001 the Mayor vetoed a City Council passed bill to allow the ferrets..he said the Health Commish. said these critters can bite so they shouldn't be allowed as pets, a couple of days after a small child was mauled seriously by pit-bulls invading an apartment in Staten Island. JUNE 26 or 27 "street person" drinking, had his under fed pit bull pup attack a cop in Park Slope 13st5av, sending cop to hospital. June 6 2004 cops killed a pit bull with 4 bullets which was attacking a Harlem women, dog was used as a guard dog by drug dealer. The teenage daughter of the Mayor's Judith Nathan, his 'very special friend' [publicly, at that time] had her face damaged by a Rottwieler while her father was partying and she was under his supervision. [part of Nathan's divorce dirt hitting the press]-YEAH, KEEP US SAFE FROM THOSE FERRETS. July 25 2006 cops shoot pit bull interfering in a chase in the Bronx, July 22 pit bull shot more than TWO DOZEN times after attack on cop. - - - - -->AUG 2006 Cris. Quinn our loud, gay BLOOMBERG liberal machine-type new 2006 City-Council speaker says install cameras at doors to cabaret licensed club in repsonse to club violence, bouncer abuse etc. SOME of her GAY homies PROTEST, the do not want to be videoed at club entry that would be a public document... It all comes down to NIMBY- NO DANCING-The last 2005 challenge to the Cabaret law failed, appeal filed in 2006 still ongoing in 2007. City Council hearing scheduled JUNE 24, 2003, and though anticipated by 2004, NO new nightlife licensing resulted, and APR 3 2006 a challenge to the constitutionality of the cabaret law was tossed out. Judge Stallman discounted freedom-of-expression for patrons dancing was not equivalent to umm performing dancers and artists and ruled it was a properly a zoning restriction as more people coming to dance causes more congestion, traffic and noise. Yeah sure, close down the bars for a handfull of people shuffling to the music. "Promulgated in 1926, the City's cabaret laws currently cover establishments that serve food or drink to the public and have three or more patrons dancing. It is illegal to operate a cabaret in New York City without a license. Currently, licensed cabarets pay anywhere from $600 to $1,000 for a two-year license based on capacity, as well as $120 for each additional room and are restricted by zoning. DCA receives ongoing complaints regarding cabarets and City agencies respond to numerous problems ranging from noise to violence to public disturbance ->http://cityweb.nycnet/intranet/nycgis.html see also www.nyc.gov/consumers. 1961 as part of Zoning rules changs, locations permitted were restricted to industrial or commerical area, which as we know are rapidly getting condo -fied now.--if the cabaret laws don't get them, NUISANCE ABATEMENT LAWS will. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aug 14 2008: SAVE ENERGY! Council passed ban on chain stores [more than 5..], businesses larger than 4,000 sq ft fines start $200 and go up..Restauants with outdoor seating exempt. NO keekinp the doors open with air conditioning on? Anti business? Law will take effect 90 days after Mayro signs it. 2007 JULY 26 Mandatory helmet law for bicycle messengers- employers are supposed to provide one. 2005- new State law- Kid under 14 helmets for skateboarding. -already have to for bikes, and in-line skating. CAR SEATS required for all kids AGES 4,5,6 started MAR 26 2005 raised from age 4. ->JUNE2008 new "ALPHABETTA graffiti store in Greenpoint BK caters, owner says, to "professional graffiti artists" and does sell all the stuff in accordance with current regulations and does have some gallery space for them. See amNY 7-2-2008 JUNE 2007 getting more idiotic in the face of graffiti onslaught that really is overhelming and very visible like from the #7 line most of the way thru Queens, Peter Vallone Jr. thinks revised law would stand up in courts by saying those UNDER 21[!] to carry 'graffiti materials' ONLY in sealed container of bag closed with key or combination lock. -Garland, NYSun 6-25-2007 'Graffiti Bill Is Rewritten To Foil Free Speech Unit' -Welcome to culture, media and art capital of the world! Big brother cams *everywhere* and criminalising artists and students actually ANYONE under 21. Freedom of assembly, freedom of your own diet is shot to hell by NYC. BUT there is dont ask dont tell for illegal aliens and they are to be provided with all services. NO sales of markers, spary paint and etching acid stuff to anyone under 18, no open shelve sales/display of these items -pictures only i nthe open, all these items are under lock and key in stores. The rules on posession are also confusing. Decision AGAINST NYC to be published FEB 7 2007 -1st amendment violation- Plaintiffs lawyer "At the end of the day, the only effect of this statute was that it took the tools of artistic expression out of the hands of young people. It never had an effect on graffitti and the city was never able to convince anyone of that" -from DEC 29 2005 thru May 1 2006 NYC issued only two criminal summonses to people between the ages of 18 and 21. -> NY Law Journal 2-2-2007 ACID, man. ->APR 27 2006 Judge G Daniels in US District Court Manhattan said "It seems troubling that we can invite a 20-year old to vote for president of the United States but not to possess a marker." The lawyer for NYC in this is Ms. Virginia Waters who said there was no fundamental right to possess a marker or can of spray paint. HUH? I guess there is no right fundamental right to possess jewelry or your clothes either! Enforcement of the regulation continued until a three judge panel met JUNE 6 2006. May 1 the Judge bared NYC from enforcing rule including prohibition of sales of these things by c.o.b. May 4 while hearing proceeds. Equal protection under the law- can't discrminate against 18-21 year olds. ->Peter Vallone Jr says late MAY 2006 he will introduce bill for strict licensing [fingerprint and background check] for buying and possession of glass etching acid, over 21 only !->Under 21? DEC 29 2005 bill signed - NO spray paint or etching tools on public property [that means especially the subway.] What do they mean CARRY?? BUT Mark Ecko is an asshole in his case against the bill he is using young grafitti "artists" to make his case..so it is all a commercial case to him."artists" he favor hould have their civil rights but I don't think he cares about EVERYONE's civil rights under 21. WHAT -you can't be lets say be in college -and buy and carry home or to school paint, markers, et al?????? MAYBE! The EXEMPTION is for job- related or with permission! Old rule for Police to arrest or fine was unenforcable carrying with intent to deface property. Property owners of housing with 6 or more units must remove graffiti within 60 days of city notice or be fined $300. Under 18?->no spray paint, no box cutters, no laser pointers for you. Feb 15 2005-City Council will "discuss" Peter Vallone JR prop bill to totally BAN spray paint [+some other thing's=what are they?] from being sold in NYC! his anti grafiti bid. 9-28-2004-"Pocket" motorcycles sale banned. They are already illegal to use on NYC streets. The Mayor vetoed sales ban due to business reasons anyway, then City council over rode that 11-2304. --> NYC and our Mayor posing as locals down south in NYPD gun buy stings- JUN 29 2007 B. Hope NYSun 'Bloomberg's Gun Campaign Is Dealt a Blw..A Senate committe [JUN 28] voted 19-10 to pass an amendment that mandate prison time for police officers who use federal gun-trace data for anything except specific investigations. Sponser of even a stronger rule said Mr. Bloombergs decision to send undercover investiagors in southern states [in 2006] jeopardized ongoing investigations bu BATF..Bloomberg said it was Congress at "its most craven..The nnew amennsment will "empower criminals, undercut cops and endanger innocent citizens." umm and it is an amendment to what? Proposal to ban ALL toy guns being considered as security issue [2003]. Anti-[street] poster bill also passed 44-7..in Dec., Don't know what it says... No "No-fault" divorce in NY, issue my be raised based on findings by 2004's Marriage Commission. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Drink up! JAN 1 2006 local law in Long Beach LI - crime at home to serve non-family minors alcohol. OCT 2006- NY Nightlife Assooc [club bar owners etc] proposes making it illegal for anyone under 21 to enter a bar or night club. Ah more fallout from 2006 bar -club violence, killings, and perennial under aged drinking and drug scene some of the clubs encouraged anyway. ->JULY 2008 Wine flavored ice cream allowed and wine tastings allowed to start 2 hours earlier on SUNDAYS 10 am! ->OCT 2006 15 liquors wholesalers accepted fines of $2.3mil fines and fees over giving illegal discounts to favored retailers who ran promotions in return. [->Check out Texas liquor rules that vary even within a single town if you think we got screwy ones here..and until 1972 mixed drinks were illegal.] July 31 2006 Sale hour extended down to 8am [was noon] on SUNDAYS for beer. Restriction stands from 3am - 8 am now. 2004 law passed allows liquor store to be open 7 days a week..Supermarkets and small groceries sell beer -no spirits or wine. Liquor stores cannot sell beer or grocery items, must have own street entrances. Liquor stores and some distributors lobby [pay off our legislators] to oppose wine in NYS supermarkets. As in 23 other states, retailers must buy any out of state alscohol thru wholesalers only, blocking out small wineries. Selling hours and days are strictly regulated. ->But now you can take home your unfinished wine bottle from a restaurant meal, law changed OCT 2004 allows partially filled ONLY bottle to be taken away if it is very very properly sealed, and a recept given Oy vey, alcohol laws! JAN 2006 Appeals ct OKs State to ban alcoholic ice "Freaky Treat" ->mid 2006 so far not much shipping - paperwork and fees keep it all down. DEC 2005 no shipments to NY yet. Too much red tape on approving shippers and big paperwork requirements. Crain's [Jun19-25 2006] says thru APRIL 2006 only 175,000 BOTTLES TOTAL from out-of-state wineries orderes by NYers. Supreme Court stikes these state laws down law MAY 2005-rule is that mail ordering for in-State and out-of-state sales must be the same. Pataki signed new law in accordance Jul 13, so 30 days later AUG 12 officially starts NYers over 18 will be able to order ONLY up to 3 cases per month from any particular winery and -where before there was NO limit on the NY wines. Residents of other states will be able to order NY wine similarly. NY was one of 29 states where it was illegal to ship wine from another state directly to consumers-this means internet orders too. It is also illegal for out-of-staters to direct order New York wine. A successful challenge of 2002 Wineries was appealed by the wine wholesalers who get for now to be protected under NY State law Feb 12 2004. -->did a complaint in 2004 force Whole Foods Col Circle NYC store close its wine lower level as is rest of the store, section???-- [new State law 1-1-05-] No nicotine in water to be sold to minors.] .......................................................................... Propane tanks cannot be refilled anywhere in NYC, cannot be used within 10 feet of any combustible material, cannot be transported into NYC in the tunnels or lower levels of bridges. No more than 1-pound of it can be brought into a house or apt. re court "New York State allows more premptory challenges in criminal cases than any other state.." The only tax the city can change without NY STATE approval is the property tax. CFC / Freon Recovery Before discarding any freezer, refrigerator, water cooler, dehumidifier, air conditioner, or other type of appliance containing ChloroFluoroCarbon (CFC) gas, also known as Freon, all New York City residents are required to schedule an appointment for the recovery of CFC . remove doors from refrig-freezers before putting out. CALL 311 or see http://nyc.gov/html/dos/html/recycfc.html -------------------------------------------------------------------- NEW JERSEY- Ban on cell phones while bicycling sent approved JAN 2007 by committee for final approval ..hands free only, like in cars! To smoke or not to smoke in Casinos? the brou ha ha continues. ==================================================================== curbed-ny living Gothamist New York-ology Moving Violations - Still Under the Rug "..the City Council has summoned Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster to an emergency hearing on building safety [2-4-2008.]" -B. Kates, Daily News 2-3-08 'Big Gap In Safety Net: Hi-rise deaths, falling debris stir city probe' *Restaurants are closed for a while when there are a few bugs. Health inspection results are posted, but at buildings where there are deaths and injuries, the bodies are swept up quickly and the work just goes on.*. Feb 20 2003, Dept. of Investigations announced arrest of four owners of various small properties who tried to bribe Bldgs. Dept. Inspectors, but there have been more notorious corruption case with bigger fish to fry:->NY Times Metro 6-27-02 1/3 of the Manhattan Property Assessors announced under indictment -by Fed. prosecutor- June 2003 a [woman] was 20th person pleaded guilty shortly after retirement. 2-25-02 after years of city investigation, as taking $10 million in bribes since 1997 and costing the city approx $150 million since then, though it was said in the news that this has been going on for about *thirty five years,,,in the center of it was Albert Schussler who had at least has been employed at the Dept. for over thirty years to 1967 and retired to become an important real estate consultant [died of stroke 1-6-03]. Trial was to begin 1-27-03..."So far, 15 assessors have pleaded guilty.." [Nov 2002 Trump suing city for $500 mil in damages and demanding property taxes on World Tower be cut and maybe sue other major NYC landlords who profited from the bribery schemes]. "..Mayor Michael Bloomberg has called [this case] "the largest and most financially damaging corruption scheme ever conducted within city government." -[NY Times, Metro 1-8-03]..The biggest buildings tied to the biggest builders in NY are key to the $$$ involved...oh how they must be relieved that Schussler died. Broken HONOR SYSTEM. DEVELOPERS and PROPERTY OWNERS are partners in crime - willing to PAY EXTRA AS COST OF DOING BUSINESS - NYC allows contractors, to self-certify home bulding projects even to 3 floor blgs [in effect since some time under Giuliani] and architects to self-certify even bigger jobs. Opponents cite shoddy, illegal constrction, buildiing collapses and accidents. But the MAYOR wants just some penalties for [like the laws NOW have any effect..] and is opposed to an effort by a Councilman in Feb 2007 to end this self-certifying. Bloomberg says it would crimp new building. At most, the Dept of Buildings AUDITS less than 20% [target] of self-certified project. In Sept. 2000, five high Bldg. Dept. employees were indicted on bribery and corruption charges incl. accepting bribes from expeditors. Guiliani wanted to move inspection to the Fire Department, while now due to such a low number of inspectors, 2003 Dean Massari resigned from Buildings Dept., May 15 2007 Arrest warrant unsealed in BK fed court he was accused of taking kickback in $500 payments from the supervisor of a plumbing contractor, $17,000 during 3-years to overlook sewer violations and approve faulty work. [-S. Coeh, NYPost 4-16-2007]* *Late June 2002 19 "current" and former NYC Plumbing Inspectors, including the chief Plumbing Inspector of NYC, were charged with extorting payoffs, 3 of whom had faced similar charges, one tried and cleared and the others have sealed records in a 1993 case. Re: staffing and recruitment problem the Dept. of Bldgs. Commish said "We don't pay anywhere what the industry does.. " adding that the department has not filled the ranks of elevator inspectors reduced by indictments spring 1996, 3/4 of NYC's elevator inspectors were suspended for taking bribes including the majority of the Chiefs and Supervisors. They would help overlook things etc., for a few dollars. The Daily News printed a summary of what was found after a five year investigation of the elevator inspection division (8/24/96). Forty (40) of 58 inspectors were busted for taking bribes...they join a long list of "modestly paid inspectors wielding power over big-bucks industries such as construction and real estate." fostering corruption Stephen MacFarland Daily News 4/24/97. In [NY POST 8-31-03] elevator accidents were at 10 year high - 7 dead and dozens injured, paper finds some elevators not inspected since mid to late 1990s. Violations and complaints have since skyrocketed. Non-hazardous elevator violation are fixed on an honor landlord self-certifying system and many of the inspection are done by private contractors hired by landlords, city inspection of hazardous condition can take weeks. There are now [mid 2006] 43 elevator inspectors. [See NYTimes 8-14-2006] - there are few audit checks on the self-certifyed repairs and bldgs with a large number or serious violation are not umm, oh they say we can't single out a bldg. for enforcement. "Since February 2002, more than 30 officials and members in Local 1 [International Union of Elevator Constructors] have been indicted for no-show jobs at more than 20 construction sites [including the MTA's 2 Broadway HQ project which was a RENOVATION cost $430Mil...the original budgeting was $135Mil!] The former Vice Pres of the union was found guilty 3-1-04 , facing to 20 yrs. for racketeering, money laundering, and conspiracy to take unlawful labor payments. Pay is low, there is no reward-incentive for doing better or increasing revenue to the city, but *private industry*- property and business owners DO have an incentive to [bribe] lower their costs. Contractor and Architects routinely hire expeditors to get paperwork handled faster and correctly at the Dept. of Bldgs. [if you go to the offices you could hardly tell the expeditors from the Bldg. Dept. employees the way they mingle.] Village Voice Feb 20-26-2008 [Tom Robbins about expediter-brothers, the Feketes f__ the system, "Fake It Til You Make It"- doctored pics for plan[s] approvals for leading to C of 0] says there was an INCREASE in registered expeditors of almost 31% in 2 years [2005-07] to 2,800! Six former or current officials of the School Construction Authority were arrested NOV 16 2005 for "shaking down" contractors for approval of their payments or aiding them with inside info to aid their bids on new work. An investigation centered on payoffs in 2000-04 [before -and- after Bloomberg assumed more direct control over SCA], officials otherwise say new project tracking and now requiring superivsors to sign-off ALL change orders are in place, so bad guys, beware...[-NY Post and NYDailyNews 11-17-2005]. More construction related union corruption hit the fan mid 2004 when Mason Tenders District Council and Local 79 was placed under superison of Laborers International Union of North America. Five top officers of Local 79 in NYC resigned, two face criminal charges, the secy-treasurer used embezzled funds in hundreds of thousands in no-bid furnishing of the union HQ, and sued a union credit card for $150k unauthorized personal use incl expensive "gifts" to two of the other union officials who resigned and prev. in 2003 was a Dem member of city council of Long Beach LI and resigned, he used union funds to by political influence there. [-see citystate, "Laborers looted" Vil. Voice Nov 3-9 2004] It was supposedly cleaned up since the 1990s when, the VVoice said org crime in this Local was entrenched, $25 mil in funds misused and "shakedowns" of vendors and contractors was the rule. Fed civil and criminal charges changed the leadership of the union. 1998 charges of bribery and 2004 conviction of the exec secy M. Forde and business agent M. Devereaux to allow non-union workers on the job sites were "toss because jurors improperly discussed the case." they read aobut in a Village Voice article. [6-11-2008-Daily News "Carpenter bigs nail bribe rap acquittal" /NYPost "2 union bigs bear bribe rap'], as with many notorious cases show the undoing of American Society is the FACT that entrenched in the legal system is two wrongs make a right -for scum and criminals to get over us. Settlements and sale of real estate restored [Spring 2005] most funds misappropriated at my own union LOCAL [within DC37] is down most of its treasury funds after its treasurer used a couple of million or so in funds for his own real estate transactions. *Fatal Construction Accidents in the City Rise Sharply -S. Chan, NYTimes Metro 11-22-2006. Though the Times prints in smaller text futher back about the rising number of non-union and illegal aliens [and if they mention it, they are called "immigrants"] in construction. "Fatal construction accidents have grown at an alarming rate in New York City, rising 61 percent in the year that ended on Sept. 30 amid a continuing building boom, official [ ] said yesterday. Many of the 29 victims were Hispanic immigrants working for small contractors in nonunions jobs."-OSHA.* *Construction emergency complaints rose 600% in Williamsburg since 2003 re-zoing. In 2007 approx 60 bldg dept inspectors to be hired to bring TOTAL up to [only!] 200 to monitor 100,000+ projects! "Bldg. [fire] inspections down sharply in '06" Lisber, Lemire - Daily News 9-5-2007 "The number of field force inspections - which are done by local firehouses - dropped 28% from 2005 to 2006, according to data in the Mayor's Management Report." FDNY answers back- more taste, less filling "the inspections are more thorough."* [More->] on apartment building collapses. After was meek talk in the new 2007 Spitzer regime of upping the WICKS Law contract $bid amounts as far up as $1mil. A proposal to raise the threshold for invoking WICKS in NYC to $3mil / $1.5mil NYC suburbs / $500k "upstate, FAILED, JULY 2007 at the hands of J BRUNO and NYState Senate said to be from "pressure" from upstate contractors through BRUNO to get some hundreds of million$ in construction contracts. --F__ them! Too bad Spitzer did not find a better way to hang Bruno by his own slimy, greedy tentacles!-- There has NOT been ANY talk of repeal of the 1921 WICKS Law. NY State law requires all govt [yeah NYC] to accept low-bid, split up all construction contracts for all work over construction over $50,000 into separate electric, plumbing, mech, and general contractors! It raises all local gov't constuction costs in the name of preventing corruption but probably causes plenty. It's all an ongoing and seemingly bottomless problem. I don't hear the biggest developers doing much about this or other labor and gov't regulation craziness and corruption issues endemic to their industry. They pay whatever it takes to get things built and pass on the cost. Giuliani considered the Dept. to be plagued by a 30 year "systematic lack of integrity." Housing Inspectors, Health Dept. (restaurant) Inspectors, etc. frequently busted. The number of housing inspectors, already LOW, DECLINED - CUT by 20 percent from 1990 [500] to approx 400 in 2004 this 400 said by NEWSDAY 8-31-05 to include 100 of them hired for new required LEAD inspections - the Mayors office said there were more housing-code inspectors now than any time since 1991. Whos zoomin who? Mar 2003 NYC hired a dozen new SMOKING inspectors added to existing no. of health inspectors, to enforce new smoking ban rules. Justified in tough budget times that they are expected to pay for themselves via fines imposed. Places will be checked at night. Restaurateurs, club mgmt. are expected to stop customers from smoking or call the police, sure no problem. What can go wrong?? -(see NYU Post 1/7/96) An HPD Housing Inspector worked as a butcher, four days a week, for two years, to Aug. 1996, while claiming to be on the job until leaving it to work at that other particular (supermarket) location. Stephen Fiore, was arrested 1/6/97; City salary was $30,530. Some 14 Sanitation Dept. workers were busted, incl. 7 supervisors in all in same garage, in 1998 for taking bribes to actually take the trash away on their terms or else...they gave an extra collection or to businesses at a lower price than the regular commercial collector. Yes this is all part of NYC unions and real estate-construction, all built into the cost of doing business and to taxpayers. "New York City is believed to be the only city where custodians operate as free agents."-NYPost 7-2-03. and tell me the "union" they belong to isn't org crime connected. Also paid responsible for monies for maint. work such as paint jobs are divvied up in schools part way up the walls for custodians and the upper part of wall and ceiling to union painters ["10-foot-rule"- has that been changed yet?]. Summmer 2003 - Schools Chancellor Klein contracted out custodial service at approx 250 bldgs. in Brooklyn and Queens to cut costs and stem abuse. NYC school custodians "technically private contractors" are given a kind of fiefdom over school buildings in that they award contracts, hire "help", buy heavy equipment [such as vehicles, known to be diverted for personal use], they get fees for extra services like opening up for extra activities. Large dollar contracts are [as in some other Agencies] without overview, broken down into smaller amounts to favored contractors without competitive bidding. $40 million or so in contracts awarded by custodians each year. Other contracts and work rules in the schools are near-archaic but sacred cows. The teachers union pleads and whines how much they are looking out for "the children" but they are as much covering their own sweet teacher asses in their 250-page contract. It just never ends...NOV 14 2006 "Report Says 13 Custodian Cheated Schools ..by rigging contracts for cleaning supplies. Bid rgging scheme lead to 16 arrests in 2005. JUN 19 2003 announced that 7 custodians "[P]leaded guilty to rigging bids on cleaning contracts in exchange for cash kickbacks..." bet 1996 and 2001 getting $1000 to $4000 from favored window cleaners, NO jail, $50,000 in restitution agreed to. DEC 11 2001, 11 were arrested for allegedly accepting kickbacks on window cleaning contracts [NY POST 12-12-01]. Teachers got a raise that was nearly TRIPLE what DC37 members [incl myself] got earlier that year AND that the Mayor mostly caved in to them on work rules reform in the constact negociations 2004. "Circular 6" for example forbids teachers from monitoring hallways, lunchrooms and homerooms, Principals can't retain Assistants they choose and train, grievance procedures are ineffective. Yet the POST and other rags [in a fancy shell] like the NYTimes rail against overpaid, lazy city workers in DC37 in particular! The teachers union was barely cooperating and some witnesses had their i.d. disguised in public hearings on work rules Oct-Nov 2003. The biggest sweetheart deal has got to be for the Union officials, who keep their perks, their power and the organization in line using membership dues, contract dollars and fees to reward each level down in the organization at a corresponding rate. "United Fed. of Teachers -UFT payroll a dues-y" NYPost 7-19-04 with their top 15 officials making from $154,028 to $280,202 of 83 staff "up from 33 in 2002" making over $100k year and 50 staff on paid union business "leave time" making $20k-$60k in addition to their teacher's salaries. I'm in DC37. It is anti-democratic. We elect our chapter officers and delegates. They carry much business in closed meetings and vote in the DC37 leadership. The union leadership reward themselves very well indeed. At the few regular meetings I attended as an alternate delegate they approved tens of thousands in donations and to liberal-leftist political-dinner-lunches-benefit-junkets, whatever. That is just what was "publicly" doled out by delegates in ONE local of many and not the main union board. SUB - Way Six people including big plumbing contractor & wife and son, plus 3 MTA officals were charged 12-16-03 in Manhattan Supreme Court with racketeering and other crimes $18Mil price-gouging by the Contractor over 4 yrs, with the MTA facilities officials receiving kick-backs. These investigations are reported to link back to those by two top security officials who were than suspended Apr 1 2003 w-pay, [though the Inspector General recommended firings.] - the NYTimes reported 4-1-03 that the IGs position was that [Louis Anemone and Nicholas Casale] "Two officials have been reckless and even dishonest in their zeal to uncover corruption and that they can no longer be trusted to continue in their jobs..[they] tried to cloak themselves in the garb of whistle-blowers before the M.T.A. could take action against them for misconduct."-in uncovering "...evidence of bid rigging, multimillion-dollar cost overruns and payoffs involving authority contractors.." Two of their employees, Weissman and Allan were fired Dec 2002 over evidence they took bribes and allowed contractors to submit fake bills..the Manhattan D.A. started a prelim. criminal investigation. At the relocated HQ of the MTA at 2 Broadway ballooned in cost from $135 mil to $430 million [NYPost 4-25-03]-NYC is pissed that this State Agency is not paying any real estate taxes on leased 33-story bldg. costing NYC about $5 mil a year. They think so much of themselves that post 9-11 and post LONDON 7-7-05 tube bombings there are still TWICE as many secutiry guards as for the subway railyard system. Local 1 Int'l Union of Elevator Constructors agent Matthew Downey "pocketed more than a $million" and the former project developer Fred Contini, and the former treasurer James Roemer for Local 14 International Union of Operating Engineers pleaded guilty in this case earlier in April. The MTA was massively overcharged for two freight elevator operators on the 2 Broadway job, who worked off the books at low non-union wages in additon. In other cases, eight arrests by the feds were made over two years for fraud in the project. 4-19-2000-"The State official in charge of all courthouse construction in the city admitted [yesterday] he stole $500,000 through kickback and bid-rigging schemes..." a subordinate helped steal through inflating invoices and demanding kickbacks. John Wilson, worked for the NY State Dormitory Authority, to be sentenced June 7. 'The investigation is continuing' by Manhattan DA and State Police..[NY POST 4-19-2000] Transit Auth. supt. of track reconstruction Douglass Endall suspended for using TA workers on overtime to do work for private contractor and suspected of receiving a kickback from subcontractor and using TA employees on O/T to plant shrubs as needed on a TA project. MTA inspector general was investigating [NY Post 1-16-2000]. Over and Over Time Biggest group of chisslers may be LIRR retirees! Majority [93 to 97 percent] getting phony disability $$ around $3,000 a month added onto pensions from Y2000 thru 2008 per "Railway Retirement Board" [RRB] as a fed. "Railway Labor Act" covered railroad. So LIRR had to pay out almost $250mil to them which tripled its pension contributions from Y2000 to 2004! Under resulting contracts, they are getting away with stuff ALL other MTA and local govt employees are -NOT- allowed to such as strike, earn multiple day's pay for a single day's work and such.->NYTimes blew it open 9-21-2008, NY Atty Gen to "investigatge, files seized from RRB 9-24-08 and on way to Fed investigators too. FY2006 NYC overtime spending was just over $1Billion, which was an increase of 6% from the prior FY! ... 3 agenices OT decreased OT.. -figures released 9-18-2007. There are a favored and fortunate few unionized staff in various agencies, most frequently uniuonized blue-collar workers who make overtime equal or exceeding their salaries and some to the point of exceeding the salaries of their commissioners! Overtime piles up expecially as an entitled perk for senior staff that boosts their retirement salary greatly. Leaving service also entitles Civil Servants to "lump sum payments" for unused vacation and leave which reached over $100,000 for some. The overtime costs for Police and fire are real city budget breakers with costs of tens of million$. For most of these guys involved regular overtime is the main thing bringing their pay into line for what it takes to support a family here and is for some is truly the main relief from thinking about taking bribes, whatever to keep going. No 1 O.T. earner in 2003 and in 2004 was Mr. Martinez, chief liason, security officer and webmaster jack of all trades at the of Bd of Elections, with $93k OT on base salary of $89k plus an out-of-title grievance awarded him $83k for the years 1998-2003. Many of the other OT kings of 2004 including 8 of the top 10 were bridge repairers [ironworkers] base pay $70,052; OT added 50k-90k during double or triple shifts[-Seifman "Inside City Hall" NYPost6-12-05]. New York STATE workers get in on it too. POST 1-15-2007 said the State overtime QUEEN was a mental hospital nurse who made $93,581 overtime on top of a $50,187 salary in 2006 and that of the top 20 State O/T earners, 17 worked in "understaffed" mental-health facilties or prisons. NYState spent record $437.5 million in 2006 on overtime including $78mil prison guard/corrections and %2.4mil State police.[-NYPost 1-29-2007]. But the majority of State and City workers are NOT overtime "Kings" and are pilloried by association as "fat rats" in the tabloids. There is NO overtime in my office.. Police undercover delivers POT to a Brooklyn High school Police security agent as "integrity test" gets the guy sick and causes Police, ambulances, Fire Dept to storm in as school is evacuated NOV 8 2007. [-See R. Parascandola, "Test of Integrity Ends in Chaos" Newsday 11-19-2007] - - SO this type of crap is common! Cash and drugs spread around to see who is tempted, just most times it does not become a public mess... [ TOP ] NYC: Sealed For Your Protection Strip searches for misdemeanors Subway: Don't walk between cars!, Spray paint - art material ban The Shoot Tour Groups, Don't They? Parade permit to walk down the street? De Quality of Life Cabaret Law - No bar boogeing, ANTI-noise No smoking Photo permits, Critical Mass, Privatising and gating the Parks NYC Surveillance City Mass arrests, Detention camps, Police spying. Shut-downs and lock-downs, Photography bans and permits, Stop and frisks. Tresspassing arrests - don't ring, don't knock. NOT in NYC! Sights Shop and Drop - Links Moving Violations - Still Under the Rug Inspectors ... Building Dept still falling down. Fatal construction accidents rise, Wicks Law, School Custodians Clean Up Subway - MTA NYC HQ 2 Broadway. Overtime Kings NYPD blue. NYC links Govt flash scroll + The Bottom Line [ BOTTOM ] The licensed PE's [Professional Engineers] and architects here, who are lowest-level managers make up to only about $66k [2005] and I am just a little behind them. Many live outside of NYC in various counties, some are different for diffferent unions such as santitation. Give HIRING preference to residents but after that job PERFORMANCE is the only way to rate someone, not all these different residency rules for different classes of employees, should be eliminated as unconstitutional discrimination. TEACHERS have NO residency rules of any kind. Subway, bus drivers etc are MTA [NY State] and NYC Hosing Auth workers have NO residency rules of any kind. 175 NYC titles are classified as "hard to recruit" are TOTALLY EXEMPT from residency requirments! Many of these exempt titles are building-trades related. But Police, FDNY, and SANITATION workers have close-in lower-NY State counties [NAU, SUFF, Rock, Wes Put, OR] only -NO, not NJ- residency rules. DC37 workers under new contract agreement proposed JULY 12 2006 will also be allowed to live in same 6 counties outside NYC. All these people have to pay city income tax -even though the commmuter tax was eliminated by State pols,- Many of the high-OT earners are who live out-of-area either cheat and risk their jobs or forego promotions are not acting primarily out of simple GREED but are skilled blue collar or professionals mostly have FAMILIES and HOUSES and are trying to keep them as they [we all do] competing with others in the PRIVATE sector who are better compensated and set the MARKET[-beloved of the MAYOR, Pres, elites] prices for housing etc. NYState MTA - ah another similar system that gave top earning 77 railroad engineers and conductors double-plus salaries up to $210,000 [in 2004] by "penalty payments" [for duties outside their job descriptions], which also counts toward the retirement salary. A the number of staff was reduced by the agency, the extra duties and O/T was sorta needed, so it cost US more, and benefitted a select group.[-see "Pay rules plague LIRR" Newsday 3-120-2006]. HOW can there be labor OR political reform in NYC at all if the core, older group are all paid-off [yes, politicians, labor leaders, and SOME of the workers] fat rats that have no incentive to buck the rotten system that feeds THEM? NYPD blue "..two dozen Brooklyn[-South] Narcotics detectives and six sergeants have been bumped down to partrol duty as part of an investigation into an overtime scam.." One way some of the cops were found out is E-Pass record showing they had crossed the Verranzano Br to go home to S.I. as buddies in the teams stayed on duty to process suspects and evidence on real OT, and sergants signed-off timesheets to OK OT.[-NYPost 11-17-03] -There is no paid OT for Captain thru deputy Chief, but they could accumulate *unlimited* comp time and get paid [stay on the books] while NOT working as they started retirement using the comp time up -this was partly changed APR 28 2004 limited it to 1,556 hrs-NINE MONTHS equiv.Legimately earned OT is a huge chunk of personnel costs. Penny-wise and ton foolish, massive spending on OT rather than prudent hiring, yet leaving some facilities understaffed. NYPost found 7-14-03 that NYState overtime expenses are steadily increasing. The last FY 202-03 was OT expense was one-third higer than even FY with 9-11, going to $393 million. Tops among NYPosts "Overtime Kings" in 2003 was HHC senior comp. programmer Norman Sherman $81,021 OT added to base salary of $68,710 among 4 other HHC OT top-ten overtime "champs", plus 3 Dept of Transportation employees were in the top-ten -range of total slaries in top-ten was $137,136 thru $149,731. "The Mayor has dramatically reduced the amount of overtime worked by city employees since taking office."[-Jordan Barowitz speaking for the city, NYPost 3-28-04]. In 2002 Post Authority Officer Robert Fabiszal worked 360 days officially 3,737 hrs. of OT quadrupling his $70k base pay [NYPost 5-15-03] which came to his benefit as counting towards his retirement salary right afterwards. Almost 200 Port Auth officers at least doubled their salaries, at $86 mil extra PA expense. NYC overtime cost for Police has also skyrocketed above their usually obscene levels even in the wake of recent layoff as usual, need does no mean new hiring in such things as Police, and const. related jobs. IN Y2000 the top 10 overtime earners were mostly painters, a Health & Hosp. [HHC] Stationary Engineer and a HHC plumber, and a Police lieutenant all more than doubling their salaries. The Y2000 no. earner. a NYPD painters Supv. made $101,601 in overtime pay on top of a $56,893 salary. In fiscal 1999, of the top 50 overtime earners in Mayoral Agencies, 11 people more than *doubled* their salaries. The total o.t. bill for the period 7-1-98 to 6-30-99 was $564.3 million dollars. [NY Post has printed top overtime workers each year for several years.] Some workers have collected two pensions or held two "full time" jobs. Brooklyn gym teacher and [$10k year] Pres of lifeguard-supervisors union Peter Stein left city payroll with a sabbatical deal June 30 2004 after double-dipping was found out. Being a union offical of ANY level gets you relase time from regular city job duties. But he sued the city for "allegedly revealing to The Post details of his sabbatical payout."[-Union Big In O.T. Dip", NYPost 11-7-04] But NYC DOES have good people working for it. Professional NYC workers battle even to keep behind the private sector in salary and fight to keep jobs even as NYC hires consultants to do their jobs, notable now at MTA-TA privatizing engineering services. [I passed the Housing Inspector test with a good grade in the late 1980s, but declined the job as I would have had to take a substantial pay cut to start as an 'Assistant Housing Inspector' to less than $26,000. And I was also fearful of conditions in the streets - buildings, etc. to be visited, and worried about exposure to corruption. OH NO - to get a modest raise NYC forced down new Police Dept Contract in 2005 [covering 2003-> ] reduced starting salaries to this level!] Flash! more govt news Below: 1. "Right-to-Know" 2. News -------------------------------------------------------------------- "...a list of all staff who has not attended will be forwarded to the Deputy Commissioners of their respective programs. " Every YEAR, another half-day of lectures-"This is a mandated education/ training program this is required to be taught annually in a classroom setting. "In "1980, the NYS/DOL passed the Public Employee Safety and Health Act (PESH), which adopts OSHA’s standards and enforces them for public employees. Employees in New York City agencies are covered by the NYS RTK law (or the Toxic Substances Act) and the Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom). The RTK law is enforced by the New York State Attorney General and the HazCom Standard is enforced by NYS/DOL/PESH1980, the NYS/DOL passed the Public Employee Safety and Health Act (PESH), which adopts OSHA’s standards and enforces them for public employees. Employees in New York City agencies are covered by the NYS RTK law (or the Toxic Substances Act) and the Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom). The RTK law is enforced by the New York State Attorney General and the HazCom Standard is enforced by NYS/DOL/PESH" ------------------------------------------------------------------- VOTE early and OFTEN: Caught in Repub-Dem power struggles-- Daily News 1-30-06 -Lobbyists for voting machine vendors spent aaprox $1.5mil so far, and it is in doubt if the deadline for late this year will be met. -->Dec 2006 Nausau Co MAR 1 2006 US Dept of Justice suing NY State as out of compliance with law not making required database of voters and making upcoming machines accessible, NY could lose [how..refund to feds or what?] $49mil that new machines cost of $221 million received for the project- lawsuit trying to force state into compliace with law and be ready for Sept primary and NOV 2006 elections..[Newsday 3-2-06]- "remedial order" delayed the effective date to SEPT 2007 but DEC 2006 Nausau Co filed a "motion for intervention", seeking added delay of the consent degree, NY Bd of Elections will not even have approved vendors list unitl FEB 2007. NYTimes- MetroMatters 5-5-05 Joyce Purnick- "The State hasn't even gotten its act together to qualify for millions of federal dollars going to every state and territory to modernize their voting systems. Only New York, Guam and Alaska have failed to complete their applications." NY share is $153Mil and deadline of Help America Vote Act is SEPT 2006. In NYC 7,639 voting machines have to be replaced. NO vendor or model of machine for NY is chosen. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sex, drugs, + rock n roll in the City: but non dancing. MAY 2008: State felony to display a noose in a threatening manner. APRIL 2007: 1.Claremont Stables closed: last public stable in Manhattan may mean no more horse back riding in Central Park- whats it got to do with the City govt? A mgr of the stable said bridle path was in unsafe for horses conditon - tamped down by bicycles, roller bladers etc besides high cost of a stable renovation. 2. Sorta outlaw bicyclists "Critical Mass" gave up on a ride FRI APR 27 from Union Sq being outnumbered by the cops who would probably arrest of block them all under parading permit requirement. 3.-->Dancing in Street was in UNION SQ PARK Sun APR 30. Oh man with assholes like this fighting the city which side can you take?- Noisy anarchists in the style of some "Blackkat" group who were characterised by as probably accuratley "overly entitled trust fund babies" [any of them from Bloomie's neighborhood -it is possible] by Rebecca Poole owner of a Union Square "studio" dance or art whatver [-letter to "Metro" 5-2-07] and I CAN find a way to blame the city - the MAYOR for this TOO! These are really just the sort originally NON-New Yorkers student aged that are flooding the city, encouraged by the times but especially the Mayor's housing and development policies and such protests are only going to get worse! The protest of cabaret licensing in form of outdoor dance - group just got a permit 3 days ahead of time after waiting since JAN. The party [rave?] is was not allowed by the city to be in Tompkins Sq Park anymore. "Big Brother is Weight Watching.." Wall Str Journal 9-29-2006 ->NOT sex related ..but will be putting you on the same s__t list of infectious diseased etc as thos who get syphyllis, hihg-blood sugar found in lab test required by law to be reported, added in "early 2006." --as BLOOMBERG steps up call to ban tran-fat ingredients from NY retaurant only Wall St Journal and E. Whelan in NY Post 9-28 noted lawsuit in early 1980s by Nader activists etc aimed at McDs fries cooked in fattening beef tallow forced use of hydrogenated soya -TRANS-FAT! F__ the activists and politicans! Free the fries! Make them the old way and offer positive reinforcemnt NO fines to switch to healthier oils! ->OCT 2006 Cell phones and portable electronic seizures continue at rate 1,000 to 1,100 a month even ban is challenged. ->The Pot calling the kettle..? NY City Council ""BLAC - Black, Latino and Asian Caucus" beat up on CBS abd Surivor upcoming 4 teams of different races as so WRONG, classifying individuals by race and/or ethnic origins. --Daily News editorial 8-30-06 "What, No White Caucus?" ->Media whore? Remember Giuliani's bashing of "SENSATION" at the Brooklyn Museum, lying [-I SAW IT, I KNOW IT!]- saying one work was anti-Catholic and threatening to stop NYC funds even close down the Museum??? WELL today's Giuliani's firm (Bracewell & Giuliani) a client of News Corp and [not him personally] against proposed Indecent and Gratituitous and Excessively Violent Programming Act... Rupert Murdochs News Corp-[Fox News, Ch 5 TV NYC, NY Post etc-] has editorialized very postively on smany of Hil Clinton's pronouncements for about several years at least and is set to host a fund raiser for her and most prob will endorse her for Pres. WWBS [Would would Bill-O Reilly- say?] see NY Daily News 5-15-2006 Well, actually only sex has made the headlines. In Albany about legislators with interns business as usual. Also June 9 2004 20 page complaint filed -"Suit Charges Silver With Tolerating Sexual Harrassment" NYTimes 6-10-04 -former legislative aide says she was raped by his ex-lawyer. "Albany Faces It's Sex Problem, and Nobody's Snickering" -NYTimes, Metro, AL Baker 5-16-04 the "Bear Mountain Compact""..whereby any liasons with interns or young staff members that occur north of Bear Mountain Bridge..are not spoken about in the home districts in New York City or elsewhere." fresh meat mostly college undergraduates, arrive for Senate and Assembly each year by ummm busload, 167 this year for the Assembly. Sex seems to be one of the most important manifestations of power by Sr legislators over all their juniors and staff. NYC 6-9 "Panel Calls for Sexual Harrassment Against Councilman" Allan W. Jennings Jr. "..with creating a hostile work environment for two female Council employees and acting inappropriately towards another member of the Council." NYTimes also 6-10-04 NYSUN APRIL 28 2006 "COURT UPHOLDS FIRINGS OVER RACIST PARADE FLOAT The City was within its rights to fire a police officer and two firefighters over discipline, who rode a parade float in blackface, there was a mock lynching. It was Labor Day 1998 in Broad Channel. The firings were overturned as bascially a first amendment case in 2003 then the CITY appealed. Still I think everyone in this comes out stinking. It was a highly charged time, people noted as "Million Youth March" in Harlem with verbal abuse of Police was just held before hand. This could go to another NY Court or the Supreme Court. These were Giulianis' people [firemen and cops] and this is what they did in Broad Channel parade each year ------------------------------------------------------------------- **April 4-Community rally in response to Yankee Stadium construction deal had customary permission to use auditorium of PS 218 tonight. The 2004 rule the Chancellor cited the bars political events cits political candidates, orgnaizations and elected officials - - NOT the parents. Rally against NYC give away to the Yankees will be held 6 pm next door to Yankee Stadium in the park they are trying to save- which will be mostly destoyed and replaced three years afterwards with mnoslty garage rooftop replacments under the deal.--see Juan Gonzalez, Daily News 4-4-06 Folks in the Bx. won't be bullied" **March 14 2006 - Mayor Bloomberg reinstated the Executive Director for Ministerial Services for Corrections Dept since April 2004 [originally hired as a chaplain in 1993] Umar Abdul-Jalil [nee William Bostick] to his $70K+ year job, after a 2-week suspension." We must not use the War on Terror or political correctness as a pretext for stifling free speech."-Mayor Bloomberg 3-14-2005 <-> "<font color="#630000">The greatest terrorists in the world occupy the White House..[T]he Zionists of the media...dicate what Islam is to us. Muslims must be hard against the [infidel]" As for Muslim inmates in the [NYC] Metropolitan Correction Facility [-his workplace-] "Some of them are literally tortured.."-Abdul-Jalil. It just took a moment for Bloomberg to get rid of the guy up in the NYC ALBANY political office who was out and just left *solitaire* on hs PC screen. A BLOOMIE is full of S___ , fOr HIS purposes only is there room to dissent. This Imam is politically connected and campaigned in Harlem for him.** -->The suspension was just fo not using a disclaimer during the speeches that that these were statments made in his official position with the city. JULY 13 2005 $21.1 capital plan approved by 4-person "Capital Program Review Board" less than had been asked and still more funding is needed $1bil from Feds and $2.9Bil from anther BOND act to be voted on this NOV 2005. Funds more subway cars and maint and $15Bil on continuing station rehabs, ONLY $2,5 Bil of $8Bil required for LIRR-East side connection #7-west side etc. and 1st phase of 2Av subway means these underfunded manjor project are in jeopardy. APRIL 2005-Among items cut from new MTA 5year $28bil capital plan -$400.3mil for subway station rehab and repairs and for LIRR cut out a new Huntington railyard and few M7 cars to be purchased. $460MIl for two tunnels also cut is set back to $6.3BIL LIRR to Grand Central proj due to 2012 completion $736.7 MIl spent so far [see NYTimes 4-27-05 "M.T.A. Delays 2 Excavation Projects After State's Budget Reduction" and the $16.8 Bil 2av subway is also in jeopardy $over 211MIL spend SO FAR and construction postponed to SEPT2005,makes it officially 9 month slate. NOV 2005 voting on $2.9Bil MTA bonds- why should the avg taxpayer vote to put more money into their holes - these bonds are just a pittance towards BILLIONS they need to fund these projects. $43.7 billion budget agreement JUL 2003-JUN 2004 final 6-27 included layoffs, 6 firehouse closings of May, but no Bklyn, Queens zoo closings, weekend meals for elderly, 11 child health care clinics, library cuts. Subway fare, rail increase and TBTA tolls increases stay as MTA wins appeals. 2002 in new Bloomberg admin, tx inceraes start: *Commuter tax dis-allowed by Gov + J. Bruno..too late now for env. inmpact studies. No E River tolls but E River Bridge cable lights off too to save 'only' $75 thousand a year from $70mil roadway lighting budget [if you see them on, they re sponsored.. Property tax increase 18.5% Nov. 2002. May layoffs were on top of attrition total of 15,000 staff reduction in Bloomberg's term. Sanitation fines doubled, littering, postering etc fined increased...State Univ. tuition first increase in 5 yrs. State sales tax increase Jun 1 and City sales tax increase Jun 3 make NYC sales tax 8.625%..3-year-old elimination of sales tax on clothing less that $110. ea repealed. Water rate hiked 5.5%..State income tax surcharge for over 100k-couples over $150k *RETROACTIVE* to Jan 1..Ticket blitz to get city more $$$?? Mayor and stats say NO, Press and some cops say yes. Letter of Month: Staten Island Advance 10-27-2009 "What is going on in [SI] i nthe name of police protection?" D. Whitman [of FL now] on Police hassling of family back in S.I. "I pray daily that other young people who don't have interested adults in their lives can make it through a day on Staten Island without being hurt by insincerity and disrespect by some of the police force." Her '49 - year old' niece and nephew on bicycles stopped in Great Kills Park "routine" pull over! Her [lon haired] grandson stopped 9:30 am in St. George, stuff was thrown to the sidewalk he was being verbally abused and saved only by his father who was driving by! --->5-8-06 NYPost "Crime Stats Rigged"->T. Manzolillo former commanding officer of 105th pct rank was reduced in April "for downgrading crimes..and infiltrating the Department's Compstat program. "Several commanding officers in the city have been accused of fixing their compstat figures in the past." Even back in 1996 Capt. Varga of 41st in Bx resigned. -->In 1994 Giuliani instituted a measurement system for crime recording and reports.."734 indicators" in seven major crime categories "Compstat" was used as way to deploy officers where there was a high need better than more subjective system used in what seemed like the NY in crime crisis inherited after the Dinkins administration. Compstat has grown to include reports of minor offenses from panhandling loud parties, and corruption allegations and civilian complaints etc. A report gets to the Mayor from the PD...NOT that NYC is all CIVIL and peaceful..far from it..just realize that is you can't take it anymore and there is NO place to 'go' and you pee outside, or your dog is unleashed or littering or WHATEVER and the cops has time to deal with it you prob. won't be issued a fine like in the ol days, it will be jail. The system is a model for other NY Agencies to measure performance according to some system..we know you gotta be careful of what you measure, but this is an advancement for NYC gov't. ->Village Voice Jan 11-17 2006 > letters "Re Paul Mose's "Something's Missing" [The Fine Print, December 28 2005- January 3, 2006]: Several years ago, I was the vic