What's Next For The 99% Movement?

The tents, communal kitchen and library might be out of Zuccotti park, but it doesn’t seem like the Occupy Wall Street movement will be packing it in anytime soon.

Thousands of protesters hit the streets of New York yesterday for the OWS Day of Action, a series of events scheduled to mark second month anniversary of the protests.

But in the wake of the early morning police raid in Zuccotti park on Tuesday, and subsequent court ruling allowing the NYPD to prevent protesters from bringing tents, sleeping bags or large containers into the park, the day’s events also signaled that the Occupy movement could still mobilize large scale public support and attention, even without its symbolic encampment. 

Groups of protesters occupied subway stations through out the five boroughs before convening at Foley Square around 5:30 PM to take part in a rally organized by the Service Employees International Union Local 1199. Some initial reports said that more than 30 000 people were at the Foley Square but police officials have since said the crowd size was probably between 5 000-10 000. 

Several thousand protesters later made their way to the Brooklyn Bridge under the watchful eye of a large police contingent, and crossed the bridge along the pedestrian walkway as drivers on the road bellow honked their horns in support.

Some protesters were seemingly able to place a projector that displayed a series giant Occupy slogans like “ We Are the 99%” and “Occupy Earth” on the side of the Verizon building next to the Brooklyn bridge. 

The NYPD is reporting that more than 250 people were arrested through out the day. The large majority of arrests came early in the morning, when protesters marched through the streets of the financial district to disrupt traffic and access to the New York Stock Exchange. Several media reports allege NYPD officers used their batons on protesters. 

Police have reacted particularly aggressively in their response to acts of civil disobedience in the heart of the financial district and previous early morning attempts by protesters to reach the NYSE have resulted in several dozen arrests and violent confrontations. 

NYPD Commissioner Touts Counter-Terrorism Unit

Philip Bunnell - Talk Radio News Service

New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Tuesday at the Center for National Policy the New York Police Department has handled numerous terrorism threats in the wake of the September 11 attacks, including the recent terror scares on the New York Subway and in Times Square.

The NYPD has stopped “11 terrorist plots in eight and a half years,” said Commissioner Kelly, but noted that “NYPD has not given up an inch in its fight against crime,” citing a decrease in crime rates since 2001, despite losing around 6000 officers during that same period.

Kelly credited positive results to NYPD’s extensive counter-terrorism unit, noting that New York was “the first police department in the country to have [its] own counter-terrorism unit.” The commissioner said New York’s counter-terrorism unit has “hired a team of civilian analysts, experts in military intelligence and foreign affairs [who] follow trends in terrorist tactics.”

Notably, Kelly said that NYPD’s counter-terrorism unit has recruited from within their own ranks “some 700 certified speakers of 45 sensitive languages,” to assist in counter-terrorism measures.  In addition to the multi-lingual counter-terrorism unit, NYPD has sent senior officers to “11 international cities [who] work closely with the local police agencies if a terrorist attack occurs.”

Kelly stressed the importance of inter-agency cooperation, which he called “a must,” for combating terrorism, using NYPD’s information sharing strategy, where data is despersed to agencies across the country, as an example.  Kelly also said that the NYPD’s advanced surveillance systems, which have software that can seek out suspicious items or persons, and a random screening net in the subway has helped keep New York safe.

When asked if the New York model could be implemented with success in other large cities, Kelly said that “he could only speak for New York,” and that it was first necessary to “take the pulse of the local community,” to see if they feel threatened, noting that New York City had already been attacked twice.

Education Expert: Passion Key To Academic Achievements

By Sam Wechsler - Talk Radio News Service

Harlem Village Academies (HVA), a charter school in New York City, recently set a New York state record for academic achievement with 100% of their eighth grade students passing mathematics. In addition 100% passed science, 92% passed reading, and 96% passed social studies.

Deborah Kenny, founder of HVA, discussed their formula for success Monday morning with former NFL star and HVA board member Tiki Barber at a charter school convention in Washington, DC.

Kenny highlighted autonomy and passion as characteristics of teachers at HVA. “In our schools, the more we trust our teachers, the more we give them a voice in decisions ... the more we give power to our teachers and trust them, the more they are on fire,” said Kenny.

In addition to having passionate teachers, she also stated that the school spends the vast majority of its time dedicated to reading, helping the kids fall in love with it rather than focusing on the technical skills required.

“A passionate teacher creates a passionate learning environment,” Kenny said.

Justice may come for 9/11 victims

by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service


“In a September 2006 peer-reviewed study conducted by the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring Program, of 9,550 World Trade Center responders, almost 70 percent had a new or worsened respiratory symptom that developed during or after their time working at Ground Zero. Furthermore, another study documented that, on average, a New York City firefighter who responded to the World Trade Center has experienced a loss of 12 years of lung capacity.... The pain and suffering of the living victims of 9/11 is real and cannot be ignored. We, as a nation, must do more,” stated Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY).

Today at a joint subcommittee hearing under the House Judiciary Committee, witnesses testified and spoke in support of H.R. 847, the “James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009.” Under the Act, responders, area residents, workers, and students who were exposed to the catastrophe of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers on 9/11 would be provided comprehensive medical treatment. It would also reopen the Victim Compensation Fund so that people can be compensated for their economic losses.

Barbara Burnette who is a former New York City Police Detective retired from the force after 18.5 years of service due to injuries she developed while working for 23 days in total at the World Trade Center site. Burnette was not provided with any respirator or other protection for her lungs and throat and now has been diagnosed with interstitial lung disease, more specifically, hypersensitivity pneumonitis with fibrosis in her lungs. During the time the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 was in mode, Burnette was not sick and the fund was closed to all applicants in December 2003. “Along with thousands of other rescue, recovery and construction workers, I have filed an individual lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, seeking redress for my respiratory injuries.... My case is now in its fourth year. It has been a long road, and I can’t tell you that I can see an end,” she said.

Over 2,000 rescue workers were compensated with funds from the Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 at a cost to the taxpayer of about $1 billion of the $7 billion spent, stated Kenneth R. Feinberg, the former Special Master of the Federal September 11th Compensation Fund of 2001. “I had enough problems determining eligibility and compensating 5,300 people back in 2001. Whether or not a fund like this should be reopened and the eligibility criteria expanded to include additional types of injury, that is up to the Congress to decide.... It is really an interesting dilemma for the Congress to consider whether it is appropriate to deal with this unfairness of not compensating some of these rescue workers,” expressed Feinberg.

James Melius, an MD and Administrator for the New York State Laborers’ Health and Safety Trust Fund said that the New York State Workers’ Compensation system is difficult to navigate through and is even worse for World Trade Center related illnesses. “The difficulties there are that these are complicated conditions. Our knowledge of them is evolving over time. We don’t know the prognosis for people. It’s more difficult to provide a proper assessment,” concluded Melius. According to information given by Melius, in New York City, uniformed services workers are, for the most part, not covered under the N.Y.S. Workers’ Compensation system but rather have a line of duty disability retirement system managed by New York City. So if a fire fighter, police officer, or other uniformed worker can no longer perform their duties because of an injury or illness incurred on the job, they can apply for disability retirement which allows them to leave with significant retirement benefits, but if a work-related illness becomes apparent after retirement, no additional benefits, including medical care, are provided.

“In the nearly eight years after 9/11, we have done enough talking. Now it is time to pass H.R. 847, the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act,” concluded Nadler.

Climate change attacks infrastructure

The American Meteorological Society (AMS) held a discussion on the effects of climate change on Gulf Coast transportation and the New York City water supply. Michael Savonis, the air quality team leader of the Federal Highway Administration, said that those working in transportation are frequently conservative because of the billions of dollars involved, so considerations of investing in climate change preparation are tentative. But, as transportation infrastructure ages, climate change must be considered in building new roads, bridges, railways, and ports. The effects of climate change in the Gulf Coast area include a rise in average temperature between two and four degrees and a 50 percent increase in days with temperatures over 90 degrees. He said that as a result more than 2400 miles of roadways in the Gulf Coast area are at risk of permanent flooding as well as 75 percent of freight and non-freight port facilities. Because of the increase in heat, asphalt wears faster, train rails buckle more, and aircraft performance decreases.

On the topic of New York City’s water system, Cynthia Rosenzweig, the senior research scientist at the National Air and Space Administration Goddard Institute for Space, said that as temperatures increase, water quality goes down and freshwater becomes less available. As sea water levels increase, there is more stress on water treatment plants and more groundwater pollution. She said that changes made in preparation of climate change will not only be in infrastructure, but also in management, insurance, and policy.