Fundamentals of Interactive Journalism

Parents, students, and community organizers chanted, “Don’t Believe the Hype!  Don’t Believe the Hype!” at a rally against Mayoral control of NYC Public Schools. 

Community members and the umbrella group Campaign for Better Schools spoke out to reform Mayor Bloomberg’s leadership of the massive school system of over one million children.

Although state test exams and graduation rates have increased since the takeover in 2002, Campaign for Better Schools says that the most high needs children like English language learners have not been helped.  National test exams scores have not shown improvements. 

At Hunter College on Sunday groups advocated for transparency within test scores and DOE resources, checks and balances of mayoral power, and more public participation within the decision making process of the schools.

This upcoming June, Mayoral control of schools will be up for renewal by state officials. 

Hear voices from the rally.

Ernesto Maldonado

Parent and Activist

Bronx, NY

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Choua Vue

Campaign for Better Schools

Representative

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Jauna Williams, 14

Student at Banana Kelly High School

Bronx, NY

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photo courtesy of NYMag.com

I’ve been having an ongoing e-mail discussion with a professor over the past few days. We’ve been talking about how journalists play an active role in shaping our language, especially in regard to specific terms and phrases. Think words like “beta,” “blogosphere” or “celebutante.”

My professor urged me to think of phrases to share in our next class. Well, as it so happens, I not only thought of one, I believe I have created one.

As you can see by the chart below, Plaxico Burress is not so good with guns. In fact, his inefficiency led to a trip to the hospital, being charged with two felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree and the ire of one Mayor Bloomberg.

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Yesterday Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced the update to his November Financial Plan. He predicts for fiscal year 2009 and 2010, the city will see at least a $4 billion dollar budget gap that will be felt in the pockets of taxpayers.

“The gravity of the budget situation requires us to make hard choices that will not be popular with everyone.  But they’re the right ones to see us through these very difficult economic times and they will help speed our recovery, while continuing to keep our streets safe and clean and keep improving our schools,” he said in a press release. “We will not let our city return to the dark days of the 1970’s when the fiscal crisis all but destroyed our quality of life.”

 

These are the proposed actions that will take place to accommodate the budget gap in the Plan’s Budget Summary recently published:

For Agency spending reduction: 

Reducing the city’s workforce by 3,000 employees with a possibility of laying off 600.  

More than 1,000 police officers from the NYPD will be reduced with the cancellation of two academy classes in January of 2009. However, in July 2009, 2,000 will be added to the force.

Library and cultural institution subsidies will be cut by 2.5 percent for 2008 and 5 percent next year. From this, cultural institutions will feel $11 million taken away in city funds and libraries will lose hours from 6 days to 5.5 days per week.

As for the Department of Education, $181 million this year and $385 million for 2009 in city funds will be reduced. And it will be coming from the administration. Look forward to seeing 475 administrative officials jobless.

     To Increase Revenue:     

•   Elimination of the $400 property tax rebate that will gain the city $256  million in revenue.
• An increase in certain fees and fines to generate $123 million. (mmm…could this mean an increase in personal income tax)

By the way, somewhere in the city, five engine companies in firehouses with fully staffed ladder companies won’t have to work the nighttime shift. And training for firefighters on probation will be cut from 23 weeks to 18 weeks. (Imagine that…will this cause more issues for the city that could add more to the deficit…you be the judge.)

It takes a certain amount of fearlessness to live in this city. Motorists try and run us over, the police blotters of the Daily News and the New York Post are filled with muggings, shootings and sexual assaults. Yet somehow everyday we get up, go to work, face it all. We come home at the end of the night relatively unscathed. 

I manage to meander these streets with very little fear in my step. The one place, however, that sets my heart racing and forces to me to ask the question “why on earth do I live here?” is the Times Square subway station.

Mp5 submachine guns make me uneasy like nothing else. While our mayor seems convinced armed guards bring about a sense of security to most New Yorkers, I experience a low to mid grade panic attack every time I run into these guys. 

The placement of the guards in our underground system began last April and is called “Operation Torch.” More than 7 years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the city decided heightened security might be a good idea. Similarly above ground, NYPD squads known as “Hercules Teams” began trolling around Wall Street and landmarks such as the Empire State Building. 

Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement two weeks ago at a congressional hearing, the lives of New Yorkers were improved the guards because we can all “feel safer.” $151 Million dollars has been poured into the units, and Bloomberg urged congress to give me more. Wall Street is falling apart, banks are shutting down, and Mayor Bloomberg wants more money for guns. 

Yes, it is important to protect our city, and it is important to have the equipment to do so. I don’t want to forget I live in a dangerous place, and I do think it’s important to be alert and vigilant about our security. I however, do not want to live in what feels like a police state. I have had my bag searched more times than I’d like to admit (I suppose my look of fear, can translate to a look of guilt though I always come out clean); and I would like to not feel like someone is going to shoot me every time I go to get on the A train. 

I remember when I was younger and a friend of mine had come back from Egypt with her family. She was showing me pictures and noted the guards with machine guns walking around the town. I said to her I hoped I never lived in a place like that. Now, unfortunately, I feel like I do.