We're "Oversaturated" With Ignorance - Not Group Homes!

At every civic meeting I've covered for the Canarsie Courier over the years, there's been no shortage of protests against group homes and private residences made into legitimate living spaces for the developmentally disabled. Before I get into the reasons why I think people in our community are ignorant about who their potential neighbors will be, let's consider the fact that this is a liberal society in which we live! New York is a state made up of Democrats and politicians who legalized gay marriage and "banned the box" so that "former" criminals are not discriminated against on job applications. In a community where Democrats rule and there is acceptance of all different kinds of people and life styles - and helping those less fortunate - it's a shock and shame that residents are so adamant about turning away the mentally disabled.

Hey you - the one who voted for Councilman Alan Maisel and State Senator Roxanne Persaud!!! Did you know that even though you support this political leader, you're not listening to their beliefs and you're not accepting the reality - that developmentally disabled residents are NOT truly dangerous - nor do they pose any specific threat!!! At a few recent meetings, politicians tried to tell their constituents that new group homes coming to Canarsie - there are nearly a handful in the works - are under the auspices of New York State and the males who will be living in those houses will be monitored. 

Would you rather live next to a crime-ridden drug house?

With all of the facilities that exist in our city for those who are developmentally disabled - and also violent - do you think they'd let these individuals occupy a private space in a residential community? I've yet to attend a meeting where someone - or a group of residents - protests a home that's been up and running for years. I have not seen a report about any home where the occupants are harassing people in the streets or where a rape has taken place and people do not feel safe. If these stories/complaints are going unpublished, whose fault is that? When have the police responded repeatedly to calls of disturbances at group homes?

Let's get real! The complaints that surface at meetings are about mentally "healthy" people who drive cars, own property and bother their neighbors INTENTIONALLY! Someone shady is parked in a common driveway and you're "sure there's a drug deal going down..." Are THOSE hooligans better than the developmentally ill residents who moved into the two-family home down the block?? Probably NOT - those living in the group home have a curfew and they've got state certified officials making sure those people don't leave the house to stir trouble in the community.

And when residents complain that the value of their homes will plummet as a result of the number of group homes here, the ignorance on THAT level seems insurmountable too! Forget about the real estate market, crime rates (due to "normal people" committing crimes) and other quality of life factors - many think a group of safe residents is to blame for the depreciation of their property!

If you truly agree with the Democrats YOU voted for - the ones who are trying to persuade the community that the handful of males living in these private homes are safe - you wouldn't make noise just because you think someone with Down Syndrome is plotting to harass your family or...do what??? How are these individual more dangerous than the neighbor you've been complaining about who hosts illegal parties where guns are allowed to be brought on the premises? C'mon - you had NO say in THOSE shady neighbors moving in and you should consider yourself lucky that it's a required advisory process for the community to know about group homes coming to your block!

Also, if someone told you that a gay couple - who just got married, with their three adopted children - was moving in right next door to you, would you have the same attitude??? Would you fear for your family then? What about Muslim families moving into the community? Are you secretly opposed to them building a life here or do you have reservations about that too? You're not going to bring THAT discriminatory opinion to a community meeting, right???

In my opinion, this community is discriminating against the disabled and fearing the unknown when there are SO MANY OTHER people moving into our community who rouse suspicion and controversy every day! Sometimes, it's the "hard working" homeowners - those who are mentally capable of knowing what's right from wrong -  who move onto our blocks and shake things up for the worst! Sadly, the developmentally disabled who haven't even moved into the community have NO idea that you don't want them here...How must that feel to be unwanted and discriminated against in a "caring and quaint community" you haven't stepped foot in yet?

The only quality of life issue residents should be worried about - if ANY - is sanitary and traffic conditions outside those homes. Will there be extra or private garbage pick up required? Will modes of transportation to and from the homes infringe on neighbors - and how will long-term traffic/parking be impacted on that block? 

So while residents say we're "oversaturated" with group homes and that they should put more of them in "white communities" (hey - there's a racist cocktail for you to drink up!), think about all the "normal functioning" individuals around you - and think about what justifies your opposition. Whether you'd rather live next to a party-hosting, gun-trafficking gang member instead of someone with a developmental problem who is quiet, safe and watched by a caretaker 24/7, good luck accepting people who are different than you and thanks for making our community oversaturated with ignorance!

Violent Times Call For An End To The Carnage Carnival

Imagine that you throw a huge party every year...A special BBQ or an annual family get together that includes months and weeks of preparations. Maybe you feel so good about the event that you decide to invite some of your co-workers - they're like family!! OK, so a few people who were invited gave you a hard time - always stirring problems and arguing over food servings or who should help with the cleanup. 

You ban those few "bad seeds" from the party - inviting some new and exciting revelers to your special function...Those new people wind up practicing some of the same poor social habits thing- and then your regular guests - the ones who are well behaved - are frustrated to the point where they become violent and it's not a celebration of anything... It becomes more of a social experiment, seeing who can make it through your shindig without raising hell! 

After a few years of senseless planning and headaches, you decide not to throw your party any more. Instead, you safely visit your friends and family at their house and lay the hectic "celebration" days to rest...

Unfortunately, the same scenario seems to be playing out when it comes to the West Indian Day Parade - now called the New York  Caribbean Carnival Parade (or as I coined it the Carnage Carnival)- but namely J'Ouvert, the celebration leading up to the colorful parade attended by thousands of New Yorkers.  Nothing will stop the guns from blazing and nothing will stop those few violent bad guys from stirring problems at an event that is supposed to bring people together instead of tearing them apart and sending them to the hospital.

The two teens who were shot and killed during the early morning party on Monday, September 5th, probably didn't surmise that this would be their last parade. As if last year's bloodbath, which resulted in the death of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's aide Carey Gabay, wasn't enough, more violent hoodlums decided to rouse another round of tragedy at this year's festivities. WHY?

I wholeheartedly agree that cancelling J'Ouvert is a MUST for our city. The NYPD will never be prepared adequately - or equipped with enough man power - to handle the violence that precedes the Caribbean Carnage Carnival. 

As I've questioned in prior columns about this parade of bloodshed, have you ever seen a more violent gathering during a celebration in the city? Why is this one of the ONLY events in our city where guns make more appearances than politicians? 

The one question I keep asking - to no one in particular - is how are the events at J'Ouvert different from terror attacks like the ones that took place in France in November 2015? How are these crowd shootings in our city different than the ones that take place in a movie theater, mall or house of worship in a small suburban town? Let's not bring up black-on-black crime when we can also say James Holmes committed white-on-white crime when he killed 12 people and injured 70 during that Colorado movie theater shooting in 2012. Someone opens fire with no mercy and no regard for human life...PERIOD!

Regardless of color, nationality, background or age, someone who carries an illegal weapon with them to a function or meeting place that's supposed to be peaceful, inviting and productive for those in attendance has clear intentions to ruin the day with violence by endangering thousands of innocent people. 

Let's get real - asking those thugs who bring guns to J'Ouvert every year to "please stop"....please "leave your weapons at home"...It's an irrational request being asked of irrational individuals who haven't been stopped - and won't be stopped - by a wall of police officers.

Cancelling J'Ouvert - and possibly the entire parade - would not only eliminate gunmen taking to the streets on this planned day, it would save the city millions of dollars on not just the basic security - but beefed up security the city paid for this year as well. In my opinion, the cost of additional officers at the parade was a waste of tax payers' money and a waste of NYPD deployment. Those officers - reassigned from other precincts to cover parade detail - could have been in their own command keeping those neighborhoods safe.  

Unless someone can cough up enough money and resources to place hundreds of metal detectors in and around the parade, as if it's an airport or city building, the celebration should NOT go on and the open invitation to gangsters should no longer be announced. They're probably going to go bullet crazy in the confines of their own community anyway! Keeping these home-grown terrorists who have irrational vendettas off the streets is impossible. Doesn't the NYPD know this by now?

No one likes when the bad guys rain on their parade - but a hail of bullets storming at revelers every year should be enough of a reason to call it quits.

Some Men Can't Wean Themselves Off Of A Bad Reputation

Okay - enough already with the perverse, tongue-and-cheek headlines about disgraced politico Anthony Weiner and his cockamamie shenanigans! We get it, women all over have seen the likes of him...being testy when it comes to showing off who he really is. Truth be told, Weiner is just another man who can't keep his goods to himself and starves for attention from women other than his wife. On a human level, he's no different than any other man who stray or go to irrational lengths to get a rush through social media.

Former Canarsie Congressman Anthony Weiner at TJ Club/2010.

On a parental level, though, he's more than just a "disgrace" for showing an image of his child next to him in a provocative photo that went viral a couple of weeks ago. What kind of man - especially with his status and already maimed reputation - continues to practice unethical behavior and then proceeds to include their child in the act? As if the first batch of inappropriate photos being released a couple of years ago wasn't enough, he was ready for another round of immoral behavior!

From far away, New Yorkers had an admiration for Weiner when he was Congressman. As a strong and community-oriented Democrat, Weiner once represented a large part of southeast Brooklyn, parts of Queens and my small Canarsie community. He visited the Thomas Jefferson (TJ) Democratic Club many times - speaking about improvements and budgets...and, you know, the usual political banter.

I could have formally introduced myself to him - I reported on a town hall meeting in February 2010 at the TJ Club in Canarsie where Weiner simplified the ideas behind President Obama's Affordable Healthcare Act. He tried to make residents feel more at ease with all of those healthcare terms - and proving he can bring his bigshot self to a small neighborhood where constituents and fellow politicians/Democrats were honored to be in his presence. Hell, even I thought - way after the meeting - that maybe I should have asked someone to snap a photo of me with the "prestigious" Congressman, who wound up running for Mayor years later. Oh, only NOW I think about the jokes I would have made if I DID get a photo of myself with Weiner...

While I'm not a Democrat, I thought Weiner was an excellent public speaker. He was lively, engaging and animated when he spoke to his constituents. I remember him pacing the front of the TJ Club room - using his hands and facial expressions to capture the essence of whatever could be plaguing residents at the time.

Weiner was always making appearances in the community - trying to pull through when it came to encouraging the state to allocate funds so Canarsie Pier could be rehabilitated. Yes..he was a good man - an upstanding political figure - and the way he addressed the public was clear that he had a strong set of values, as we want to think many politicians do...

But after this last stint, it's clear that Weiner not only lacks the values it takes to lead a family, he lacks the reasoning and rational thought of a normal-functioning person who makes poor decisions...over and over again!!

The general public may like to think that a political figure's personal life and poor personal decisions have nothing to do with their ability to pass legislation and do what's best for the communities they represent. So, they know the "law"...so, they know how balance budgets and deal with agencies all over the country. Does this plethora of knowledge and experience stop them from ruining their reputation by practicing horrible social practices?

In my opinion, Weiner is just as dirty as a politician who accepted a bribe, laundered money, or enrolled themselves in a scandal without caring that they would some day suffer the consequences and get caught.

On second thought he is WORSE than a dirty politician - he included his innocent child in a perverted photo without ANY thought the this was immoral, mentally and psychologically abnormal.

How can we trust a man to make decisions for us politically if he can't make the right decisions for himself?

Not only should the Administration for Child Services (ACS) investigate to the fullest extent, he shouldn't be given rights to see his son at all. As part of his long-term therapy, he should also be banned, indefinitely, from creating social media accounts which allow him to exercise his unhealthy sexual behavior. It takes a certain - special - type of sicko to include their child in an unfaithful escapade of that nature.

He'll never be able to wean himself off of the reputation he's built. Screw up once...maaaaybe - maaaybe he was just having a little fun that first time. But repeatedly abnormal behavior- and obviously behavior that includes your child - goes beyond "needing some help."

We can also say whatever we want about Huma Abedin - maybe she should have left him the first time he showed the public who he really is. Maybe she thought he learned his lesson by being an embarrassment to his family the first time. She's like many us women who stand by our men after a slip-up and truly believe that the NEXT time will be different! Good for her for showing this indecent pervert that he'll have to fend for himself when he answers to authorities.

Last Friday, the Daily News reported that the ACS would "probe Weiner" about the awful photo he publicized of him and his son. Embarrassingly, the letter from the ACS about the investigation was sent to his mother's house instead. Guess there's no better way to say "Way to go mom for raising a son you thought was a decent human being!!! Joke is on you!!!"

Whatever happens to Weiner and whatever path his life takes, he's deflated any chance of redeeming his reputation. Even after meeting and seeing the great political feats Weiner can accomplish as an elected official, there's not going to be any happy endings for this pol!

All You Need To Travel Is A Dollar Van And A Dream!

Many of us enjoy doing simple things in public that are illegal. Whether it's jaywalking or littering - it can be a minor day-to-day activity that could cause an accident or maybe even a fire. We don't think about the consequences of the minuscule actions we take to make our lives easier.

Don't get in that van!!!!

So what - you took a dollar van from the junction at Brooklyn College to get to Kings Plaza Mall. So what, you hitched a ride on some mysterious black/white jitney for a couple of bucks (is a dollar van really JUST $1 any more?) to Downtown Brooklyn because you're sick of waiting for the city's above ground mass transit system. So they're illegal - BIG DEAL! You'd do anything to get to your destination and make your life easier! Right?

What you don't care about is the fact that, not only are those dollar vans illegal, they are dangerous to those traveling inside and outside of the vehicle. Even if you do care and you're still hailing these cryptic-looking monsters, you're putting more fuel on the fire to keep them operating and posing a risk to the public. 

To those commuters who give up waiting for that LEGAL form of transportation - YES, it's YOUR fault that there are massive collisions and accidents as a result of dollar van traffic. You don't care that the dollar van in which YOU'RE hitching a ride just cut off someone on the road and now they've slammed into another driver who hit and killed two pedestrians at a major intersection? You don't care that the dollar van driver you just trusted with your life has NO insurance - so if you and the other passengers are injured, you're SCREWED?

You know the business phrase "supply and demand..." In my opinion,  dollar vans are out in full force - despite the city cracking down on their practices - because many commuters are utilizing them instead of protesting their illegal operations. Those vans are not only illegal because they're not licensed by the Department of Transportation, chances are the drivers do not have insurance that will cover the number of passengers hopping aboard. Forget about all of the moving violations practiced by dollar van drivers! There have been so many reports of hit-and-runs, accidents and deaths as a result of these careless drivers who just want to make some money - and take money away from the city. 

Furthermore, why would anyone want to jump in these vehicles that bottleneck at major intersections and LOOK like a creepy van that the A-Team members may have found a kidnapping victim inside? 

Let's get real! These aren't legitimate "shuttle buses" with their own safely positioned stops away from mainstream traffic. The minute one of these hellish-looking bad boys swoops into a designated bus stop to pick up a passenger, it reminds me of a scene from a crime show - where the driver is waiting for an accomplice inside to grab the innocent passenger, knock them unconscious and shove them inside of a huge laundry bag to be held for ransom. 

I recently saw a woman waiting for a city bus along Flatbush Avenue in the Flatlands section of our community. She asked me if I saw a bus pass, and I said yes. She looked stressed...But alas! Here comes the monstrous, black van with NO legal transportation license number showing and a couple of shady looking fellows peeking out the tinted windows. Someone from the inside slid the door open, she got in and then the door quickly closed with a slam - as if some shakedown were going to occur and this woman was part of their hoodlum hijinx. Did anyone in that van have drugs? Weapons? Alcohol? 

Who cares! When you make it to the mall in under 10 minutes because you're just that impatient, rules and regulations go out those tinted windows!

Another reality we can't ignore is that these dollar van drivers KNOW they're going to get business. For the most part, it looks like they're accommodating residents in lower-income communities who don't want to pay for a MetroCard or get on/wait for a crowded bus. 

How about using Uber? Still too costly to get into a vehicle with an operator who's licensed and insured? COME ON! Risking ones life by using illegal transportation can prevent someone from reaching their destination altogether. What if the van you hitched a ride in is stolen? What if the police pull over that driver and you never make it to that baby shower in East Flatbush?

When the hit-and-run incident happened by Kings Plaza Mall in early August, a dollar van was the culprit of the unnecessary tragedy. Reports stated that the driver had no license and after striking two people, left the scene. This is what most dollar van drivers do when they've caused an accident - because they're NOT law-abiding citizens who care about the safety of others!

Local precincts can do whatever they want to "crack down" on these  drivers, issue tickets/fines/violations... The public should not only STOP using these vans at all costs, but they should also notify authorities about these drivers instead of getting in for a ride! By getting in one of these shady transports, you're supporting their business and giving them a reason to keep operating. 

Obviously, I would rather walk five miles to get to my destination than climb into a creepy looking van driven illegally by someone who has no regard for the lives of others. Stop using this mode of transportation...stop these money-hungry drivers from operating and save your dollar for a safer commute! You could possibly save someone's life, not to mention your own!

Suspending An Idea That Gives Educators More Work

When I was 13 years old, I was "suspended" from Canarsie's Bildersee Junior High School. Sadly, I was going through my adolescent years - the most tender time of growing up during which I felt like there was no place that was "right" for me - mentally, emotionally and academically.

What did I do?

Who fails? Students or schools?

One spring school day I sent a letter to my guidance counselor, claiming that I "felt like hurting myself" and that my middle school peers didn't understand me and I was "frustrated" at home. In the 1990s, school officials didn't seem to take "self-inflicting threats" too seriously. Of course they do now - which gives more responsibility and accountability to the Department of Education (DOE) to recognize at-risk students. Even in my younger days, self-inflicted threats meant that any student waving red flags about their psychological growth - or hindrances -  was taken seriously. Subsequently, they were ordered to be removed from school until deemed "safe to be in the company of themselves and/or others."

Was it a mistake to be honest with my guidance counselor that I felt "depressed"  and as if I didn't fit in? It was honestly NOT how I really felt - maybe I was just sad or upset over something and reacted in an extreme manner. However, it must have been a blessing in disguise - because school officials suspended me for a week and I had to seek remediation and be evaluated for my  seriously "disturbing thoughts." 

I didn't get into ANY fights with my peers...I didn't inflict injuries on myself/others or show ANY repetitive signs of what today's psychologists would call "unhealthy at-risk behavior." I was considered an average student with minimal absences who had a small group of friends. Yet my behavior wasn't monitored by school officials - they jumped on the signal and simply pulled me out of the building for a week because of an empty "threat" I made that wasn't too specific in nature.

Hey - a week off from school?? Great!

All I had to do was go to the Kings County psychiatric unit and explain that I'm having "a mid-teen-life crisis" and needed some "time off from school" to get my ducks in order??? Forget about planning outfits for five days and forget about having to do homework!!! Sign me up for this "suspension" thing!!! Not being around a bunch of annoying kids in a classroom all day??

COUNT ME IN!

And what did I do during my suspension - other than get mauled on the phone by "counselors" and "academic advisors" until I was reevaluated and deemed safe to return to Bildersee? Waking up late every day was a treat - and not smelling that God awful school lunch for a week did wonders for my nose!

No - I didn't need "disciplinary action" or rehabilitative practices. I didn't need to be "punished" by being removed from school completely. But who was I to argue with getting a school-mandated "break" that did little in terms of holding me back from my studies? I still graduated on time and - as you can see - turned into a fine, successful and productive adult who just had a few road blocks to barrel through as many teens do.

Of course, nowadays they've reformed what constitutes being "suspended" and, according to the DOE, any suspension must include alternative instruction and not just removing the disturbed child from the school to save their peers from eminent danger.

Mayor Bill de Blasio is once again practicing his liberal approach to academics by banning suspensions for children in kindergarten through second grade. Really? When you have a violent child who is disruptive and infringing on their peers' rights to learn, removing them from the CLASSROOM - not the school entirely - is an action that needs to be taken responsibly.

I contend that schools are now historically spending more money on programs to combat/reform violent children and their disruptive behavior. Trying to figure out why a child can't grasp the concept of conflict-resolution and what their mental state may be takes a lot more than a suspension or two during the school year. Is all that money changing the generation and quality of students our schools produce?

I didn't think it was fair that I was  removed from school when there were physically dangerous students lurking the hallways on a daily basis. There were students who were suspended at least once a month for starting physical fights and bullying to the point where productive students couldn't focus - and when a brawl broke out and the dean/principal had to be called to calm down or remove the repeat offender, that was more time taken away from our studies. But they let the trouble makers stay in the same classrooms and come back for more.

Why does de Blasio want to keep those students in the classroom while trying to get down to the "underlying" issue of their anger? Some students need to know that if they can't be civil, there will be repercussions - and more than just "tough love."

Let's get real - no matter how young a child is, they NEED a strict set of rules, values, morals and disciplinary actions to guide them towards being productive teens/adults. To make excuses for them - and their parents - is giving them a pass to act in whatever manner they chose with minimal consequences.

Those who are violent or have problems which can't be solved by sitting in a classroom all day need to be placed in another environment where they can't infringe on their peers' right to learn. As the DOE connotes, there should be alternative instruction within the school perimeters. 

Being sensitive to children who will feel "different" and ostracized if they are pulled from the classroom is justified. YES, these children ARE different - they are not productive, they are disruptive and a possible distraction. They may also suffer from mental problems which are exacerbated by remaining in the same learning environment with other students who do not know how to communicate with them effectively.

We also can't deny that parents play the main role in this "plan" as the artery of their childrens' behaviors. School-disciplinary actions are only temporary - and we're paying for public school programs which are trying to "fix" and "reform" children who aren't recognized by their parents as being "at-risk." Many parents are in denial and leave it to the school to raise their children. Is this what de Blasio wants? For school officials to baby the younger students and presume that there are just a few "bad seeds" who have to outgrow their childhood?

Parents should be suspended too!! If their child is behaving extremely dangerously, parents should be mandated to take off from work and join their child in school for a week to be part of the counseling/discipline process - and not just attend "workshops." Adults are summonsed to jury duty - they should be summonsed to suspension leave and - along with their children - re-learn how to socialize and identify mental health problems.

Obviously, I'm not an educator and I have no background working with the DOE or its academic advisors. I'm the one looking into the snow globe from the outside after having one harmless incident shatter my reputation during my teen years in junior high school.

Whatever problems students face and however their "suspensions" are delegated, literally handling our troubled children with "kid gloves" doesn't solve the deep-rooted issues they face. There's "school-reform" and "student-reform." Let's not confuse the two...

Get Those Nice Homes Ready For The City's "Homeless"!

Once again, I feel the urge to vent about the city's growing homeless problem. I've already made it clear that I don't think many "homeless" individuals are capable of gaining their independence because most of them aren't mentally stable. If they were employed, successful and had rational thought, why would they spend their life in a shelter if God forbid something happened to their home?

Last week, amNewYork reported that Penn Station was one of the most popular places for the homeless to camp out ("It's a Penn Predicament" Monday, April 24, 2016). Yes, they'd all rather sit on a cold hard floor and bunk out in a dirty and dangerous train hub ALL DAY instead of staying in a shelter and obtaining help finding employment.

The perfect bed and breakfast for a bum! 

I have to admit, I've seen more homeless people on the streets and trains in the last year than I have in the past decade. I now travel to the city for work during the week and there is an unnecessary number of homeless commuters - sleeping with their enormous carts of "belongings" in black garbage bags. Some mornings, homeless individuals are sprawled out across an entire seat, so those who are actually going to WORK to earn a LIVING can't even sit down!!!

Let's get real! The homeless can complain about the horrible conditions in shelters - that they're "restrictive" "unsanitary" and "dangerous." Not to be cold, but who the hell is telling them to spend the rest of their lives in a homeless shelter to begin with? Of course a shelter is not meant to be a luxurious place to live!
In my opinion, shelters serve as TEMPORARY and voluntary housing for those who need to get back on their feet. Shelters are NOT four-star hotels or even low-income residences that provide anything "comforting" to its occupants.

The suggested solutions include building more facilities and offering more career and health services.

Really?

So the man who smells like garbage and human feces - who's been riding the L train for two hours (in comparison to someone like yourself who took money out of their hard-earned paycheck to ride the rails to work every day) hasn't been offered a chance to turn his life around? That "homeless" man feels "safer" on the train, in a station or in a public park than in a shelter? Obviously, this lifestyle is a better option for him than training to get a real job and affording his own apartment where he can sleep in private every night, right?

When amNewYork noted in the report - in their photo caption - that many "homeless feel the conditions in train terminals are better than those in city shelters," it sounded pathetic! How does this look to thousands of tourists who want to see the best that our city has to offer? We can't keep homeless people off the streets and we can't reform them into better citizens. What kind of nonsense is THAT?

Some advocates and even police officers feel that homeless people be left where they are - unless they are viewed as a "danger to the public" or are committing crimes - there's "not much that can be done."

Really?

Sorry to say this, but in our liberal society of letting everything and everyone "be," why wait til that homeless person harasses someone for money - or worse - pushes someone onto the train tracks, exposes himself or urinates in public? Why can't we accept that many homeless individuals need to be psychiatrically evaluated and placed somewhere where they will not harass the public? Come on - NO normal person wants to spend their entire day - every day - bundled up in filthy blankets sleeping on the floor of the Port Authority terminal!

Consider this - now that plans to make affordable housing available in East New York have been approved by City Council, shouldn't some of the homeless - at least in Brooklyn - look forward to having more housing options? Hey - what's REALLY "affordable?" What percentage of the homeless will actively ask for help applying for this housing?

And - hey - what percentage of the homeless are functional enough to know what the hell the Affordable Housing Act actually means??? Did any of them give feedback -- since they're so concerned about finding a permanent place to reside that's "safe" and "clean"? Oh no, that's okay - they're quite comfortable bunking out in public in a dirty little corner with no responsibilities, no bills -- and hey - no landlord!

Stop the pity party and stop making excuses for what needs to be done to solve the city's homeless issue! The homeless need more of this....more of that...

HELLO! The city simply needs more lawmakers tough enough to take on these derelicts and their dirty ways!

Put Away Your Poker Chips, It's Time To Play The Race Card!

Pick a card --- ANY card! 

Somehow, politicians who come from diverse and “minority” backgrounds made it to the top of the ladder.

In Canarsie, State Senator Roxanne Persaud became a community name years ago when she headed the 69th Precinct Community Council. She was also a member of the Canarsie Lions. At the same time, she worked at St. Francis College. With all of this under her belt – and more - she won the vacant Assembly seat in the 59^th A.D. and represented us in Albany. Following this victory, she recently made it to the Senate and now represents the 19^th Senatorial District. How did she do all of this??

How about Brownsville native Eric L. Adams? He was also a local politician - serving as a State Senator - before he became Brooklyn's Borough President. But he was a NYC Transit police officer and an NYPD officer before representing the Flatbush community as Senator.

How about other dignitaries? Assemblyman Nick Perry...Councilman Jumaane Williams... These politicians are considered “minorities” and weren't billionaires or wealthy business leaders before representing minority constituents.

They are – and were – considered minorities who became successful as a result of hard work and dedication to learning what their civic responsibilities would be in their profession. Many of our politicians attended local or state colleges within the city and they worked their way up to different positions. I haven't yet interviewed a minority leader who hailed from Harvard or Princeton – yet they pumped millions of dollars into our community to make it more vibrant and resilient as ever!!

Hey – how the hell did they manage to do that if they grew up in some of the most poverty-stricken parts of Brooklyn?

Many politicians served on community boards, worked for the city in some capacity, or owned a law practice before making it to their prestigious positions. Many did volunteer work, internships and partnerships – some joined organizations just to get involved in something positive - and their scholastic history may NOT have included attending a Catholic school or some highfalutin afterschool program.

How did they get to where they are today? Well, I can start by telling you that it was NOT by letting their ethnic background dictate the road down which they traveled!

In the past few months, the media's been spreading rumors through ridiculous reports that minorities don't have the same chance to succeed as individuals living in wealthier neighborhoods. It's the lack of programming...it's the lack of funding...it's SOMEBODY'S fault that black and Hispanic children can't grow up to become police officers, civic leaders and law makers!

Really?

It seems like many minorities want to play the blame game and the race card when it comes to explaining why they can't “make it” in life. No, our childrens futures shouldn't be tested by removing critical programming they need to graduate or to give them more creative options in life. But there's more to achieving personal success than having certain resources at a school that students may or may not even take advantage of!

Let's get real!
Just because a basketball program isn't available in all schools – for example – does that give a student an excuse to fail miserably in every subject so they can be held back and not advance in their education or career? There aren't as many arts programs in local schools because funding goes to “better performing schools in white neighborhoods.” So we don't have a million dollar state-of-the-art _______ (go ahead and fill in the blank)! That means our kids should fail every test and not work to the best of their ability?

I don't care what your ethnicity is – or how much a family earns – if a student works hard enough, earns outstanding grades throughout high school, without having the advantage of certain programs, why shouldn't they succeed?

If your child wants to be involved in politics or science, hard work and dedication will get them accepted to a quality high school or college that may open the door to a career in the field of their interest. But if they don't work for success, are they going to sit back and say, “Yeah, figures I didn't get accepted, because I'm a minority and I don't have money to get a good education!”

Why can't black children do well in school? If they're foreign, perhaps there are language barriers. Maybe they don't come from a household where both parents are present to keep them on the right track. Maybe they're being distracted from their path to success by friends, gangs, technology...

Let's think of all the reasons - or excuses - that minorities make for being left behind.

Aren't there millions of “minority” immigrants who come to this country not knowing much? Haven't many foreigners – who wind up becoming doctors, software engineers and working in various other high income careers – made it in our country based on their work ethic and ability to process information? Haven't they graduated from school with a real goal and NOT an excuse as to why they've been dealt a bad hand in life?

In my opinion, starting at the “bottom of the ladder” is a normal way to achieve your big goals in life. What goals are we setting for our children - to fail because a school in a “poor community” won't provide certain amenities? It can be said that it's not WHAT you are, but WHO you are – and if we stop children from digesting the fact that they're never going to amount to anything because of their race, or even gender, maybe they will find other ways to climb up those ladders.

With all of the minorities in the world who have become distinguished, successful and structured leaders, it's clear that they're not an exception to the rule  - that the poorest people are destined to perform the worst. 
 

So put down the “crappy” cards you were dealt – you can always go to another table, play a different game, use a different strategy to win and make your way to the top!

UNPUBLISHED/UNEDITED MARCH 28th 2016

Worried About Crime? Don't Cry, Now There's Citywide Wi-Fi!

Another big round of applause to our very own Mayor Bill de Blasio – always thinking of the commoners, who are so much like his family: diverse, city-loving individuals who just want to enjoy living the best quality of life there is.

C'mon! Are we really living the best quality of life? 

Better answer that call from Dante at the new Wi-Fi booth!

Are you really happy with our magnificent Mayor who keeps adding holidays to the school year so your kids have numerous days off and you don't know what to do with them? Are you loving this Mayor who recently shared a video on his Facebook page of the Sanitation Department hauling fresh produce into a garbage truck from a storefront business so they can crack down on owners placing fruit for sale more than four feet from their establishment? Don'cha just love the fact that he's soon going to enforce a law that requires residents recycle food in those God awful brown compost bins? YUCK!

It's the little things that make de Blasio so productive and...loveable? Yes?? I think NOT!

While he's trying to keep us tech-savvy (allowing us to pay for parking at Muni-Meters with a cell phone app) I think he needs to focus on making the city safer instead of more 'hip'. De Boss Blasio (a new nickname I couldn't resist coining) recently rolled out LinkNYC kiosks, which transforms defunct phone booths into wi-fi hot spots where you can charge your cell phone, make calls and connect to the internet. How nice!

Yeah...Very nice – and in my opinion - very dangerous!

The Mayor, and the lackeys he recruited to put this fine plan in to action, promised the public that personal information would not be compromised while using facilitating these randomly placed kiosks, which will be operated and maintained by an agency called CityBridge - and not the city itself.

Yeah, very nice...NOT...

Let's get real! Think outside the telephone booth box on this one. There's already enough cellphone and gadget theft, pickpocketers and violent criminals who target people all over the streets. As the NYPD notes, crime maybe “down” but if you knew how many people were robbed, harassed and victimized in the city – as the news connotes – standing in some kiosk and sending an e-mail or waiting for your phone to charge in the middle of the street is NOT the safest idea in the world!

Come on! Y'all can't wait until you get home to check your Facebook or your e-mail, so you have to use a gadget in a phone booth that could possibly result in someone looking over your shoulder to steal your personal info and target you for theft? When those phone booths were in service, the telephone companies already ripped you off for a few quarters to make a simple local call to your friends and family!

The New York Post noted that the new free wi-fi service would be available at 7,500 abandoned phone booths and help those who need free internet access on the streets. Yes, the fact that it would help tourists navigate the web on their phones without worrying about roaming charges is great....Wait..What the hell did they do years ago when there was no wi-fi or “hot spots” in public?

De Blasio, I think, is introducing this technology at the worst possible time. We're dealing with an increase in the homeless population - both on the streets and in the subways. Assaults on trains and buses is also on the rise. A bus driver was attacked in East Flatbush by what looked like a mentally disturbed individual and a few weeks ago, a woman narrowly escaped a homeless man who tried to push her onto the tracks in Downtown Brooklyn. Sure, officials tracked these bad guys down after the attack – but in both cases, the NYPD REFUSED to take him off the streets permanently even though reports stated these crazy men were in and out of mental institutions all the time and were simply slapped with a slew of minor offenses over the years. 

Yes! Let the monsters roam our subways and streets but keep the technology going so we can call the police in hopes that they move the bad guys along in the system and continue to commit cowardly acts. Great!

There's also much talk about making the underground wi-fi and tech-friendly too – so soon you'll be able to hear your fellow straphangers' conversations - even if you don't want to - before their cell phones are ripped from their hands. Great!

Every plan has it's positives and negatives – and sometimes one stipulation prevents or helps the other. Yeah, more wi-fi and cellphone access means you can immediately report a crime or call someone in the event of an emergency - ideally, that's the best use for this technological breakthrough. However, getting a handle on the problems and the dangerous people – and not just letting the emotionally disturbed roam in public – should be a priority instead.

Whether or not Dante will enjoy the new wi-fi booths is anyone's guess, but maybe he should use one of these technological advances to give his father a wake up call on what the city truly needs.  

The NYPD May Be Sleeping On The Job And Blaming Commuters!

And so another crazy round of ideas has seeped its way into NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton's mind. Following the rash of attacks in the subway system over the past few months, Bratton proposed to wake up New Yorkers the old-fashioned way – you know, the way parents did with their children before alarm clocks became prevalent. His plan is to get police officers to wake up sleeping straphangers because, after all, it's our fault we're attacked, robbed and taken advantage of when riding the rails.

Don't snooze! ©NYDAILYNEWS

This wake-up call is not only the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard, it's also a proposal that doesn't seem to have been thought out too thoroughly.

When I spoke to Canarsien and head of the Guardian Angels Curtis Sliwa last week, he spoke about Bratton's outlandish tactics to crack down on crime in the subway, which is tantamount to what we experienced back in the 1980s. Okay, it's not THAT bad, but when you have innocent riders getting slashed in the face or you have a man sitting across from you who's exposing himself, it's not exactly the most secure feeling to know you're surrounded by some unsavory individuals.

According to Sliwa, transit police don't even ride on trains any more – so where and how is Bratton introducing the hundreds of officers who will patrol every train during the city's rush hours? If they can't afford to provide that security to commuters already, where are these nagging officers going to come from?

If a cop is going to pace any given train and wake someone up, how will they do it? A light tap? A generous push? A shove on the shoulder? And where does it cross the line from the city trying to keep the sleeping straphangers 'safe' and harassing someone who has over an hour commute and needs a little shut eye to function? Hey, there are some heavy sleepers out there! If it takes a good shaking for an officer to wake someone up, that's just a waste of time!

Let's get real! We've all fallen asleep on the train and at the same time, we're all afraid of being victims when we have to ride the rails. I just think a cop waking someone up is a little too hands-on – especially if the train is packed with people who can witness and record a crime going down.

Instead of worrying about waking people up, cops should be back on patrol and following teens or disturbed individuals who look like they're up to no good. There is also a difference between police truly being concerned about commuters and getting the bad guys. Which of the napping nobodies is a dangerous bum and which is a man who just worked the nigh shift and needs some zzzzs?

Instead of being concerned about who's sleeping, police should be following and keeping a watch on the thugs who are on the train in the wee hours of the morning. If the criminals saw them on the train all the time, I'm sure they'd be less apt to commit a crime knowing they'll be caught in a matter of minutes.

What if a cop is waking someone up – or trying to – and the commuter gets into an argument with the cop and the situation escalates? Not only is this a chance for the officer to arrest the person for disorderly conduct or interfering with police activity, if the sleeping person wakes up irate and argumentative, it could lead to an officer getting assaulted and the commuter getting into trouble rather than the hoodlum waiting on the next platform who's equipped with a box cutter and a firearm.

Yes, alerting someone who's all alone on a train car in the middle of the night is a good idea in theory. But, as Sliwa said, some of the proposals put forth by Bratton are out of touch with what train riders really need.

I've been on the 'L' train plenty of times after midnight – from when I was 20 years old and hanging out after work – up until last year when I came home late from a social gathering. I didn't feel like I was in danger and knew that there were a couple of ways I could make my ride safer: stay in the front car with the operator should an emergency occur or ride in the middle cars where the conductor is stationed.

Did you know that YOU, as a straphanger, can prevent yourself from being a victim? Maybe the NYPD should invest in sponsoring community-based courses on safe traveling. When was the last time a transit officer made a presentation at a community meeting about the most frequent forms of crime they've witnessed while on patrol? Maybe hosting special sessions for residents and teaching them tricks on how to avoid being a victim, how to de-escalate a situation when police aren't there is a good practice! Police can't be everywhere! The same way the city hosts civilian training courses that put them in the same situations as police, the city should have transit awareness courses for those moments when they feel they're in danger and no one is around.

Instead of plastering silly quality of life posters all over the trains where advertisements are also on display, spend more money on bringing safety tactics to our communities! Does Bratton not want commuters to be able to protect themselves and fend off a possible attacker? Hey – let's have transit cops actually conduct drills with our community boards, members of CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) and residents in an underground station. Show us what to do if someone is following us in an empty corridor. Show us where to keep our valuables in case we DO fall asleep and some pickpocketing criminal tries to take advantage.

If we're going to be blamed for the rise in crime, at least equip us with the street smarts and tools we need to NOT be victims! It seems like with senseless violence comes senseless solutions. Thanks for snoozing on an effective way to protect our city Bratton! Wake me up when the insanity is over...

More Silence Following An Police-Related Incident That Would Have Otherwise Gone Viral

Whenever a law-breaking citizen dies in police custody, there is usually no shortage of headlines all over the feeds. Then, there is no shortage of protests, lawsuits and angry crowds coming out to stand up against police brutality and unethical practices.

Keep ya mouth shut!

The Freddie Gray and Sandra Bland cases are just two examples of how law enforcement failed to keep a prisoner from dying while in custody. There was no shortage of headlines about how these cases impacted their corresponding communities. There was no shortage of analyzing why and how their deaths happened after they were apprehended.

Gray, who was arrested for allegedly carrying a switchblade, died from a spinal injury incurred as he was being transported to a prison by Baltimore police. Bland was arrested after being initially being pulled over for traffic violation – but the situation escalated and she was subsequently taken to jail where she hung herself with a garbage bag. How did the police allow these not-so-upstanding citizens to die on their watch?

One case I'm waiting to hear go viral is the local incident where 28-year-old Serge Duthley was arrested for drunk driving following a car accident and, while being held in a cell at the 69th Precinct station, he reportedly choked himself to death with his t-shirt. Is this just another “typical” case of a suspect dying in police custody? I’m sure his family is outraged…I’m sure people here have read the story and are preaching about how “bad” things are…

But where are the protests in our community? Where's the growing Wikipedia page filled with “history” on this story? Okay, so Duthley wasn't exactly trying to escape police custody and driving drunk – as common as it is – is NOT something that residents are going to look passed in this instance.

However, it's odd to me that certain cases make national headlines and cause a nationwide stir, whereas others – like those happening in our small community - go unnoticed. It's as if no one cares! Not that it would help, but crowds have not thus far picketed in front of our precinct. No one has called for local legislation that would protect those in custody from ending or losing their lives as a result of an arrest. Or maybe that legislation is in the works and we're just sitting back and waiting for its debut?

Sure, we can say we care even less when the “bad guy” dies while they're being taken to prison or while they're in prison. I'm sure it's very common for suicides to occur – perhaps the criminal is depressed and feels they're better off somehow taking their own life or hurting themselves instead of going through the legal process.

I'm still curious as to why our small community is so silent after a man was allowed to commit suicide while in a holding cell. Of course, someone has to be held responsible, right? Will his family sue? Will the fact that he was drunk and inebriated play any part in the NYPD defending its own case? Did the arresting officers step away from the cell long enough for Duthley to asphyxiate himself?

There are no groups coming out to march against police misconduct on our streets. As of this week, no one has stirred things up and no one has seemingly cared enough to question the fate of the arresting officers and what part they played in Duthley's death.

Let's get real! We can all chalk it up to “no one cares” - just like I chalked it up to “no one cared” last year when the rape suspect who attacked two women on Canarsie streets remained on the loose. There are no signs of outrage, no demands for “justice” and no crowds hungry for and end to the violence.

If you wonder why Canarsie is left behind...if you wonder why we don't get recognized and why it's become “worse” in our community, it could be because Canarsie streets sound like deserted roads along an abandoned highway. No one makes a sound and whoever passes through is a victim of their own circumstance, and those who do try to create change struggle to get the support needed to make the community livable and safe (hey - whatever happened to the gun buyback program Canarsie was supposed host last year???).

By staying off the “radar” we seem to have very little chance of being heard and making history as a powerful community. I’m not saying we have to have to carry on and be rowdy in the streets and I’m not implying that every incident that happens in Canarsie be blown out of proportion.

Just ask yourself why communities in other boroughs and states come together to stand for something while we quietly let history write itself. The squeaky wheel may get the oil, but we’re letting ourselves get rusty and we have no one else to blame but ourselves…