By Tom Lamia After having his nose and jaw broken by his drunken father, an 11-year-old boy ran from his Lewiston, Maine home never to return. Living on the streets, with French as his first language and not attending school, he survived, but with memories, one supposes, that were not charitable towards all. Of his
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Don’t Just Sit There, Resist—Part IV: Take the House!
By Alec Pruchnicki If you think President Trump’s performance in Helsinki was great, and the direction of the nation is just peachy, this article is not for you. This is for people who consider Trump a danger to the country and the world, and are desperately looking for a way to resist. There is a
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CB3 Resolution Aids Beth Israel’s Demise
By Penny Mintz July was a very busy month for getting people to sign an order to get candidates on the ballot for the Democratic primary on September 13th. So it was a slow month for the work of the Community Coalition to Save Beth Israel (CCSBI), a 12-member organization of community groups that have
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Penny Mintz Takes on Governor Cuomo In Disguise
By Arthur Z. Schwartz Over the last few months, WestView readers have been kept abreast of the efforts to keep Beth Israel Hospital open thanks to the reporting done by Penny Mintz, a 40 year resident of West 11th Street. Penny has been the Chair of the Coalition to Save Beth Israel Hospital, a group
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Feds To NYCDOT/MTA—Hold Up On 14th Street Plan! DOT Says—Do It Sooner!
The last month we saw lots of conflicting information released about the plans developed by the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), to address the impact of the April 2019 shutdown of the L Train for a (“planned”) 15-month repair of the Canarsie Tunnel between Manhattan and Brooklyn. The developments
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Saving Humberto
By Arthur Z. Schwartz Humberto Gonzalez Bernal has lived at 88 Horatio Street, in a 250 square foot studio, since 1957, shortly after, at the age of 26, he arrived in the US from Cuba, a country then living under the brutal US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. He always harbored a dream of returning to Cuba,
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A Criminal Fine Is Not A Grant
I think it is very important that we spotlight the instinctive double-think attitude of our politicians. The Federal government has indicted the management of the New York City Housing Authority for its sophisticated practice of concealing gross neglect in the apartments of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers from the eyes of federal inspectors. Those
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Advocates Stop Mitchell Donian’s Eviction
Mitchell Donian, 87 years old, called George Capsis on May 30, extremely upset. After living at 204-210 West 10th Street for 60 years, his landlord, Village Rose LLC, an absentee landlord, was threatening him with eviction because his apartment was cluttered. George said: “call Arthur, he will help you.” So Mitch, who I have known
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Jim Fouratt’s HAVE YOU HEARD!
July 2018 As I go to press, the visible takeover—call it a coup if you want—by agents of the 1%is in full bloom. Just as Occupy Wall Street warned. The writing was on the wall when the Senate confirmed the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. His vetting by and recommendation to Trump
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Lies and Leadership
By Tom Lamia George Washington never told a lie, it is said. Our current president told more than 3,000 in his first year in office. Yes, the Washington Post was counting. When Dwight Eisenhower told the country, and the Soviets, that Francis Gary Powers and his U-2 aircraft were not acting on our behalf when
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If You Can’t Fix It, Lie
NYCHA gives a course in lying and even has a textbook By George Capsis I clicked on the TV to find Mayor de Blasio, in front of a gaggle of terribly young City Council members, competently running down the council’s achievements as the session apparently came to an end. With only the slightest change in
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14th Street Fight Moves Forward
By Arthur Z. Schwartz Elevators coming to 14th Street and 6th Avenue On June 18, the 14th Street Coalition and Disabled in Action announced a big win in their joint lawsuit versus the MTA, NYC Transit, and the NYC Department of Transportation: Within the next four years, four elevators will be installed on the corners
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My Friend Eric Schneiderman
By Arthur Z. Schwartz On April 10, 2017, I texted a politician whose thoughts about running for Governor had been cut short by Cynthia Nixon’s candidacy, and said, “Don’t go home. #MeToo is going to get Eric Schneiderman soon.” On May 7 my premonition came true. Eric and I had been friends. We were both
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June 6th — 50 Years Since RFK’s Death
On June 6, 1968, a year of intense turmoil in the U.S. and in the world, our country, still reeling from the assassination of Martin Luther King, watched in horror as Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down. RFK was not just John Kennedy’s little brother. At the time of his death he was New York’s
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14th Street Closure: MTA Talks, DOT Balks
By Arthur Z. Schwartz It was apparent to anyone attending the “Town Hall” meeting held at the New School on May 9 that the L Train shutdown, that we’re dealing with two very different approaches to the notion of public input. On the one hand, the MTA/NYC Transit Authority, and its new President, Andy Byford,
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Notes from Away: God and Country
By Tom Lamia Hypocrisy: It comes at you in waves of indignation and self-satisfaction on cable news, where spokesmen (and they all seem to be men) for religious organizations give us their views on politics and government. Oddly, these views often seem contrary to the fundamental principles of their religions. Are they hypocrites? All religions
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Is Class War in the Village About to Begin over Senior Housing?
The fierce battle between the squatting Moms of Soho vs. seniors seeking affordable housing in CB2 has moved to the next step. The Mayor seems to be the only politician who supported the seniors in the battle over one of the only available pieces of land in CB2. Council-member Chin had the land designated for
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Don’t Just Sit There, Resist – Part III: How Will Dems F_ _k It Up This Time?
By Alec Pruchnicki Do not divide your forces in the face of a superior enemy — Military axiom Although the Republicans completely control many state governments and almost the entire federal system, Democrats are giddy with the possibility of a big “blue wave” sweeping this away because of numerous victories in special elections. They should
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Where’s the Real Story?
To the Editors: There appears to have been a breach in WestView News security, and a major article was hijacked and replaced with another. I was looking forward to reading the article by Arthur Schwartz in support of Cynthia Nixon, which would explain her political history and proposals for her fight with Governor Cuomo. But,
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Notes and Perspectives from Away: New Life
By Tom Lamia Rejuvenation is a word I seldom use, but it has come to mind today as I think of what I might write to honor a new season. Spring is not here yet, not fully in the West Village, and certainly not here in Maine, but it is near enough to inspire. On
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Don’t Just Sit There, Resist. Part II: Join a Club
By Alec Pruchnicki “Don’t Mourn, Organize!” —the legendary last words of Joe Hill For many years, I’ve worked with an organization called Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), which has been advocating for a single-payer health system in the United States. But, every time we would approach politicians—even those favorable to our cause—to argue
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Hospital Coalition Meets with Speaker Staff
By Penny Mintz For the past few months, a committee within the Progressive Action of Lower Manhattan (PALM) has been working diligently on organizing a coalition of community organizations aptly named the Community Coalition to Save Beth Israel (CCSBI). In the interest of transparency, I must state that I am the chair of that organizing
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“Postcards to Voters” Brings Hope
By Sarah O’Neill In March 2017, Tony the Democrat saved me. I was still walking around in a post-election funk, recommending Timothy Snyder’s book, On Tyranny, when a friend emailed me a photograph of a handwritten postcard reminding a Georgia Democrat to vote in a special election. One note can be a game-changer. Tony is
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DOT to Lower Manhattan: Drop Dead!
By Arthur Z. Schwartz On October 29, 1975, President Gerald Ford gave a speech to the Federal Reserve, in which he denied Federal assistance to NYC, which was then teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. The next day the NY Daily News ran its now famous headline: “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD” Last month, a
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Shelter Life and the Struggle to Exist
Living in a homeless shelter is as bad as one can imagine. It is a life of regimen, with often very little in return. As a caseworker, working in this environment has more let-downs than you can imagine. One client has done all that was required of him; he started working and obtained an open
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Two Takes on Cynthia
Vanity, Thy Name is Nixon By Alec Pruchnicki “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Cynthia Nixon has as much experience in government as President Trump did when he entered the White House. She has less experience in setting educational policy than Betsy DeVos did when she became Secretary of Education. Success, even
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Why I am Supporting Jumaane Williams for Lieutenant Governor
By Arthur Z. Schwartz This year could be a watershed year in electoral politics, as Democrats attempt to win the House from the Republican Party, and regain hundreds of seats in State Legislature, including in New York. But there will also be a fight within the Democratic Party for who its candidates will be. Will
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Don’t Just Sit There, Resist. Part I: Sign That Petition
By Alec Pruchnicki “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” —Edmund Burke “Excuse me, but are you a registered Democrat living in this neighborhood? Please sign this petition to help politician X get on the ballot for the next election.” “How annoying”, I used to think.
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How Cynthia Can Become Governor
By George Capsis “There is a beautiful young lady out here who wants to see you— do you want to talk to a beautiful young lady?” called my wife Andromache (Maggie) from the hallway on her way to put out the garbage. I shouted back that I was always interested in talking to a beautiful
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Correction
Within the February 2018 issue of WestView (print edition only), the dollar amount referenced in the article entitled “Give it Back, Chuck” was incorrect (page 6). The corresponding phrase should read: “…at a $1,200 per plate dinner.”
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14th Street Traffic Plan: It’s Not Being Handled Lawfully
By Arthur Z. Schwartz It is rare to see our community so united. And when it is united in opposition to a government project, you know something is wrong. Over the last month, as a West 12th Street resident, and as Democratic District Leader, I have attended a series of meetings held by over a
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We Still Need Beth Israel
By Penny Mintz City Council Member Jumaane Williams, a Brooklyn Democrat running for lieutenant governor, spoke with Progressive Action of Lower Manhattan (PALM) members in late January. He presented progressive credentials quite impressively and answered questions about the threatened closing of Beth Israel Hospital’s main building at 1st Avenue and East 16th Street. But Williams
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Reflecting on American Ideals
Dear Editors, While I have to agree with Anne Olshansky that most New Yorkers still extend a welcome to immigrants, after reading her article “Emma Lazarus’ ‘The New Colossus’: A Timely Reminder of American Ideals” in the February 2018 issue of WestView, I looked back at a letter I had written to the New York
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Maggie B’s Quick Clicks
A GREAT DAY FOR COREY, COREY JOHNSON THAT IS – when, on January 29th, he was sworn in as City Council Speaker by New York Senator Chuck Schumer at a festive Inauguration Ceremony in the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Morris W. and Fannie B. Haft Theater. And a very good time was had by all:
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Notes and Perspectives from Away: Talking Points
By Tom Lamia It’s been cold here in Maine, with overnight temperatures below zero. The pond behind my house has developed a thick layer of ice. It is ice fishing season, a time for true Mainers to get out of the house and enjoy food, drink, and good stories with friends while sitting in a
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My Birthday Message
By Arthur Z. Schwartz I turn 65 this month. I finally move to middle age. (Hey, I have 12 and 14-year-old daughters!) This is my birthday message. The world around us continues to be very disturbing. We have a president who not only has authoritarian tendencies, but also engages in common bullying, using his Twitter
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Jim Fouratt’s – Have You Heard?
February 2018 2018 is a critical year for electoral politics in our country and in our state. I want to talk to you about what can be done to change how politics are being played out in Washington, DC, the state, and the city. I will ask you, the reader, the same questions I have
