20 minute read
Expand the use of body cameras
Stable neighborhoods are the backbone of every community. But in places like New York state, where housing costs continue to rise dramatically, housing stability is threatened for far too many, particularly families and individuals who rely on public assistance.
On any given day, more than 92,000 New Yorkers are homeless. The gross inadequacy of housing subsidies is a critical factor in the rise of homelessness and housing don instability. Long Island is home to FRiedMan about 1,800 homeless households staying in shelters, while another 3,200 or so families and individuals struggle to get by on public assistance allowances that cover only 40 percent to twothirds of their monthly rents. These households are on the brink of becoming homeless, and most will find themselves facing eviction, having to double up with family or friends, or living in shelters or places not fit for human habitation.
This crisis is manifest throughout our state, where, for example, more than to the homelessness crisis that is support150,000 children experience homelessness ed by 129 members of the State Assembly, over the course of the school year. Many 37 state senators, more than 100 faith of the more than 80,000 public-assistance leaders, including the New York State households that struggle to pay their Council of Churches and the New York rents every month will constitute the State Catholic Conference, as well as doznext wave of families and ens of local officials and individuals to lose their scores of human services housing. These families will need to find shelters, hotels, tents, abandoned buildings, cars or sofas where they H ousing instability agencies and other advocates.
But it doesn’t need to be this way. homeless neighbors and those at risk of There is a solution in the form of legislabecoming homeless to become stably tion that has been pending in Albany for housed, it would also contribute to neighthe past few years called Home Stability borhood stability and benefit taxpayers Support. HSS is a common-sense remedy by preventing evictions, helping those fleeing unsafe homes and reducing the use of costly shelters.
The design is simple: HSS would bridge the can spend a night, a week, a month, a lifetime after literally losing the roofs over turns the lives of children and divide between public-assistance housing allowances and reasonable rents in their heads. We have learned a great adults upside order to enable homeless and at-risk New Yorkers to deal about the impact of housing instability and down. leave or avoid the impermanent shelter system and homelessness on individusecure stable housing of als and families. Children their own. who experience the intense stress of Critics of the bill point out that the these hardships don’t do as well in school, state had no resources for a program like and are more likely to have behavioral HSS even before the coronavirus panissues; adults are less likely to secure jobs demic. But with homelessness in the state and keep them, and more prone to mental at record levels, shelters are overcrowdand physical health problems; and famied, and it costs taxpayers billions of dollies are often less able to succeed as cohelars each year to leave this problem sive units. unsolved. HSS would not only help our
Why would women stretch out on their backs with their hair floating behind them in vats of lye? Apparently, in the 1600s that was the price of beauty for fashionable women in Venice. It was what one did on the Rialto to bleach one’s hair into “golden” locks.
I mention this because my husband and I recently had “the talk.” There are lots of pandemic-fueled Randi talks going on now in America, and kReiSS while this one started in a jokey kind of way, with a slow burn, it quickly ignited. The accelerant was oldschool ageism.
I realized we were talking about identity.
I asked him if he liked my hair, which has been growing in gray since I decided not to risk Covid-19 by going to a hair salon. (As businesses open, I realize this is now my personal choice.) pling muscles in your arms.” The double
My own silver lining is in the mirror
Don’t go changing to try and please me . . . Don’t change the color of your hair.” —Billy Joel
Yes, it is a loaded question from spouse standard suddenly popped out in high A to spouse B. Of course, just by asking, relief. Why is it OK for him to have gray I’m making his opinion of my appearhair and not think that it diminishes him ance important. And it is. As an older, in any way, and I have to dye my hair in pretty traditional couple, that has been order to “improve” my appearance when I the way we roll. We tell each start to show signs of aging? other if a sweater looks too If the pandemic had not worn or pants are too tight. We accept opinions on new shoes or eyeglasses. We have an actual agreement i probably would have struck, confining us to home base and prohibiting socializing, I probably would have continued to that we don’t say anything continued to color my hair indefinitely. negative about each other’s appearance before we go out color my hair But now? I’m done. Every eight weeks I’ll go to the thefor the evening, but upon returning, we are allowed to say, “Burn that shirt.” indefinitely. But now? I’m done. ater instead, for the same money, should the theaters ever open again. Mean
When I asked about my while, stuck in the house, going gray, he said, “I like I’m getting comfortable your hair dark.” Well, I with the me in me. I’ve outliked it better when my hair was dark, grown that woman with highlighted hair too, but it can’t get dark unless I go to a and ritualized applications of makeup. salon, or color it at home, which is a projWhile we’re at it, let’s burn the bra. I ect I am not taking on. Besides, why see my husband’s eyes scan my upper should I? Why was I hitched to a wagon torso and I know what he’s thinking. I go that dragged me to a salon every eight for it: “I’ve decided not to wear a bra anyweeks for a “touch-up”? more.”
When I said I didn’t plan to change my “I noticed,” he says. “Don’t you think hair, he said, “Well, OK, but I like it better your clothes look better when you wear a the other way.” bra?”
“Well, OK,” I said, “I liked it better “My clothes would look better on a when you had wavy black curls and ripmannequin with Barbie Doll measurements,” I say, “but I am an imperfect human woman, and bras are uncomfortable, and I don’t want to be pinched and wired into place anymore.” I mean, why don’t fat guys wear Spanx?
Moreover, the pandemic has exposed longstanding systemic inequities: wealthy families have been weathering the crisis away from dense metropolitan areas, while low-income workers have lost their livelihoods or continue to be exposed to the virus. While some have been able to work from home, others have neither a computer nor access to the internet. For the rich, the pandemic presents investment opportunities never seen before, but for the poor, it means the total depletion of their savings.
Now that New York state is slowly coming back to life after the lockdown, it is critical that Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders recognize the need to end the vicious cycle of homelessness for families.
Almost everyone in the Legislature agrees that Home Stability Support would be the immediate solution to our statewide, cyclical homelessness crisis. Now it’s now time for Cuomo to ensure that the post-pandemic comeback isn’t built on the backs of low-income communities.
Don Friedman is a former managing attorney of the Long Island office of the Empire Justice Center, a statewide legal services and advocacy organization for low-income New Yorkers.
I know some men color their hair, but most don’t, whereas some 70 percent of American women color theirs. The selfimprovement industry comprising hair coloring, makeup and dieting has been largely aimed at women. We have been all too willing to believe that we aren’t thin enough or pretty enough or sexy enough in our own skins. Especially as we get older, it’s big business to convince women to cover the evidence of aging by dyeing hair, applying more makeup and submitting to surgeries.
This is a very old story, but it has been made new again by the coronavirus, which reminds us what is important in our lives. In the age of masks, it is unmasking us.
When your partner asks what you think of her going without makeup, a bra or hair color, or he asks if he can forgo the haircut, there are only eight acceptable words to utter:
“I love you just the way you are.”
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Herald editorial
Protests should lead to reforms in New York
Nassau County wound ing on the sidewalk. That led down a whirlwind police to escort the BLM proweek of Black Lives testers around the counterproMatter protests testers. through local neighborhoods The next day, roughly 2,000 last week that were, with one BLM protesters turned out in exception, peaceful and upliftMerrick and marched through ing. local streets, from Sunrise
Tens of thousands marched, Highway to Merrick Road, on to from Valley Stream to Bellmore Bellmore and back to Merrick. and from Hempstead to Long Beach. They came seeking justice for George Floyd, killed by a Minneapolis police officer i don’t understand They chanted and cheered, rapped and sang. This time, many local residents came out to welcome them. who pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds. how you can see that
The day after that, 4,000 protesters turned out, and they kept coming every day through
At the same time, the protesters said they wanted social justice for all people, regardless of murder on videotape last Sunday. Outstanding!
On Saturday, a group of about two dozen protesters skin color.
It’s about time that protests of this magnitude happened and not be outraged. I rushed at Nassau County police officers while to protest on the Meadowbrook Parkway in Merhere in Nassau. Often in the past, when protests of this kind took place in response to an said from Day One, I share rick in the rain, according to authorities. One officer’s ankle was broken. Another suffered a injustice, they happened in big cities like New York, Washingthat outrage. bruised nose and a scratched cornea. ton and Los Angeles. That left Nassau residents with the distinct impression that the social Gov. Andrew Cuomo
This should never have happened. No one should have attempted to protest on the injustices that black people parkway, particularly when it have faced were not their concern. This was wet and slick. As one Facebook user time, protesters brought the demonstracommented, to do so would have been a tions to our otherwise quiet suburban “death wish.” neighborhoods, making them impossible More important, police never should to ignore. have been injured. The NCPD did an excel
Bravo! lent job of maintaining the peace and
And these protesters weren’t taking no keeping everyone safe throughout the for an answer. In Merrick, a group of week. They didn’t deserve this. about 30 people, a number of whom were There were only 11 arrests of protesters from local neighborhoods, tried to stop 150 last week, all in Merrick, and all were Black Lives Matter protesters from marchamong those who tried to jump onto the Meadowbrook.
We seem in this nation to be in a perpetual cycle of violence against people of color, followed by protests that at times turn violent, as they did in major cities around the country last week. It’s time that we end that cycle.
Over the weekend, Gov. Andrew Cuomo renewed his call for enactment of the “Say Their Name” reform agenda, saying that police have to do their jobs, but do not have the right to abuse those they police, and that society will no longer tolerate delayed justice.
The Say Their Name agenda would:
■ Make public prior disciplinary records of law enforcement officers by reforming Section 50-a of the state’s Civil Rights Law.
■ Ban chokeholds by law enforcement officers.
■ Prohibit false, race-based 911 reports and make them a crime.
■ Designate the attorney general as an independent prosecutor for matters relating to the deaths of unarmed civilians caused by law enforcement.
We fully support passage of this legislation, and we call on the State Legislature to act on it immediately.
“Police have to do their jobs, protect public safety,” Cuomo said. “There’s also police abuse. There’s abuse of power. Protesters — most of the protesters are peaceful — they are indignant. It is righteous indignation. I don’t see anybody who can see the Mr. Floyd video and not be indignant. I don’t understand how you can see that murder on videotape and not be outraged. I said from Day One, I share that outrage.”
letters
D.A.: Reforms are greatly needed To the Editor:
The horrific murder of George Floyd has moved millions of Americans to action, seeking to end systemic racism and mistreatment by law enforcement and a fairer criminal justice system. These issues are not new to our country, our community or to me as district attorney.
We have seen large, peaceful protests across Nassau County that showcase the diversity of our communities dedicated to justice, alongside the professionalism of our law enforcement agencies, working under challenging circumstances.
As the county’s chief law enforcement official, I believe this is an important moment to listen to those voices in our community calling for change, to reflect on how we can improve and to affirm our commitment to do better.
I wanted to share with you what action we’re taking in my office, how we’re working with our law enforcement partners to better serve the public, to announce my sup
opinions 23 T he largest pandemic in 100 years gave us a crash course in public health. We quickly learned the epidemiological concepts of “flattening the curve, the risk of exposure, asymptomatic carriers, incubation periods, and why we must quarantine.
Even though everyone may not have understood these concepts, we all learned what to do: isolate and minimize contact with others to stop the spread of the coronavirus. This dropped to zero last week for the first time since March. Nassau and Suffolk were among the hardest-hit counties in the United States, and we have been meeting the metrics of declining hospitalizations and deaths, and are moving toward reopening.
We also learned that even though a virus cannot be seen by the naked eye, we can see its effects on the body. We understand that this invisible agent can be spread without the knowledge of those who have it, and law enforcement violence intersect. The fact that Floyd’s autopsy revealed that he also had Covid-19 the month before he was murdered further connects the vulnerability of black people to public-health threats. The protests that followed across the United States and the world demanded an end to systemic racism.
The American Public Health Association states that racism structures opportunity and assigns value based on how a pertions can work to reduce the virus’s toll. However, just talking about what to do — wearing masks, social distancing, disinfecting — does not work unless those recommendations are followed rigorously. Without conscious and vigilant action, Covid-19 would continue to spread and cause sickness and death. But as we wait for a vaccine and the building of herd immunity, we may one day gain control of the virus, and live our lives without thinking too much about it.
Eventually these policies, and changes phone documentation that is viewed and enforcement violence was a publicdemic. We are all connected, whether we thirds of their monthly rents. These in behavior, worked. On Long Island, the shared on our myriad screens. The health issue. Racism and injustice have see it or not. households are on the brink of becoming percentage of people testing positive for shocking and deeply disturbing video of resulted in the deaths of more people homeless, and most will find themselves Covid-19 has dropped from 20 percent to 2 George Floyd’s death as a direct result of than the 110,000 that Covid-19 has caused Martine Hackett is an associate professor facing eviction, having to double up with percent over the past six weeks. The a Minneapolis police officer’s knee on his thus far in the U.S. of public health at Hofstra University. family or friends, or living in shelters or number of daily deaths in New York City neck made it painfully clear how racism We have seen that public-health soluplaces not fit for human habitation. This crisis is manifest throughout our
There is no similar one- or two-shot solution to an unjust societal system. Eliminating the public-health problems A virus and police brutality: two public-health problems m icroscopes have made viruses visible, and cellHERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — June 11, 2020 s tinue to rise dramatically, housing stabili ty is threatened for far too many, particu larly families and individuals who rely on public assistance. Include Home Stability Support in the recovery phase was enforced here through Gov. and that it can be deadly. The same is true for phones allow us son looks. The result is conditions that give an unfair of police brutality and systemic racism will require public-health-sized soluAndrew Cuomo’s “New York State police brutality and its root cause, structural racism. to see brutality. advantage to some and unfairly disadvantage othtions: consistent monitoring; education about how structural racism, especially marTine on Pause” — even Invisible to some and supers. Racism hurts the on Long Island, came to be a force in our HackeTT if you wanted to go to school or a ported by many who are unaware of its impact, the overwhelming health of our nation by denying some people the opportunity to schools, communities and health care system; policy changes; and changes in bar or a movie, police presence in communities of color attain their highest level of health. citizens’ behavior and attitudes. you couldn’t takes a continuing toll on people of color. We know that in Nassau and Suffolk Police brutality, and the underlying because of the policies that closed them Just as electron microscopes made it counties, Covid-19 deaths have disproporcauses of systemic racism, require the 3,200 or so families and individuals strug all for the sake of the public. Individuals possible for viruses to be visible 90 years tionately affected black residents. In same unprecedented level of action and gle to get by on public assistance allow had to sacrifice for the greater good. ago, police brutality is now visible is cell2018, the APHA also recognized that law resources we used to address the panances that cover only 40 percent to two
LeTTers
port for pending legislation to promote trust and accountability, and to remind every Nassau resident that our doors and our hearts are open to all those we serve.
Please continue to share your ideas with me. I am listening.
■ My office will partner with the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University to analyze comprehensive charging and case disposition data to identify racial disparity and bias, and publicly report the findings of that review as well as any corrective action warranted.
■ We will also address the appearance of a conflict by seeking the appointment of a special prosecutor for all new cases in which police officers are credibly accused of criminal conduct in the course of their duties.
■ We will expand and enhance annual mandatory implicit bias training for all staff, and review our training curriculum to ensure that anti-bias education is an ongoing component.
■ We will continue our work to recruit and promote prosecutors, investigators and staff that reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.
■ We will expand our Community Councils, which already include our African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, South Asian American, Faith Leaders, Student and Community Part nership Program advisory councils to ensure broader geographic representation of Nassau’s communities.
Many jurisdictions, including New York City, have established civilian oversight boards to provide independent review of complaints against police officers. These boards investigate and recommend discipline for officers accused of misconduct, refer potential criminal conduct for possible prosecution, and use tools like mediation to help improve relationships and trust between law enforcement and the public. To promote transparency and independence, we encourage Nassau County to establish a civilian police review agency.
We encourage the Legislature to increase juror pay from the antiquated rate of $40 per day to $150 per day to promote more diverse and representative juries. For those who are self- employed, rely on tips or hold multiple part-time jobs, the cost to serve is simply too high.
Legislation is pending to repeal Section 50-a of the New York State Civil Rights Law, which shields the personnel records of police from disclosure. Greater transparency regarding police misconduct and discipline is important to improve policies and oversight and promote public confidence. I support significant reform to Section 50-a. However, police officers do dangerous work. The overwhelming majority do their jobs with courage and integrity. And repeal that does not afford protection of officers’ personal information could endanger officers
Framework by Christina Daly
An installation in Pratt Park — Glen Cove
and their families.
As we work to address police misconduct, it is important to be mindful of the essential role law enforcement plays in protecting our communities, and the difficult and often dangerous situations officers face. Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance abuse and other conditions, exacerbated by work stresses, necessitate the ready availability of mental health services to ensure that officers can continue to safely perform their jobs.
Officer suicides have occurred at an alarming rate in recent years, and widespread protests and broad-based criti cism will undoubtedly compromise morale. It is important that policymakers engage with law enforcement leaders and rank-and-file officers to ensure that as we move forward to address wrongdoquickly ignited. The accelerant was olding, we create an environment that supschool ageism. ports the good work of the thousands of police officers who serve the people of I realized we were talking about identi ty. Nassau County with professionalism and integrity every day. I asked him if he liked my hair, which has been growing in gray since I decided not to risk Covid-19 by going to a hair MADELINE SINGAS salon. (As businesses open, I realize this Nassau County district attorney
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