Hurricane Sandy - Bellevue, NYU, and Coler Hospital Evacuations - Political Accountability

Who is politically accountable for the failure of the emergency management plan in response to Hurricane Sandy that lead to infrastructure failure at New York City hospitals ?

Following the infrastructure failure of critical hospitals in New York City because of flooding and storm surge associated with Hurricane Sandy and related power failures, some healthcare activists began to demand answers for the failure of New York City's emergency management planning. The fault does not lie with the doctors and medical staff at the impacted hospitals ; rather, the politicians in charge of the city's emergency management plan must account for this irresponsible and dangerous situation. How could it be that New York City's resources would prioritise reopening business when critical hospitals could be left in the dark ? One activist has posted a new YouTube video requesting political accountability for the dangerous risks posed to public health by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's lack of real emergency planning.

Video Link : http://youtu.be/ggjOOjbTKZs

Background

In the community effort to demand a replacement hospital for St. Vincent's, politicians imposed on the community the burden of participating in a needs assessment to determine if a full-service hospital was required in the Lower West Side of Manhattan.

"The hospital evacuations following the destruction by Hurricane Sandy expose the risks of the Rudin Condo Conversion Plan approved for St. Vincent's Hospital," said Louis Flores, an activist who produced this YouTube video. "New York City needs a Level I Trauma Center and full-service hospital in the Lower West Side for disaster recovery efforts. And New York City needs real resources to improve the infrastructure of all of our hospitals, including Coler Hospital on Roosevelt Island and SUNY Downstate Hospital in Brooklyn."

Hurricane Irene

In 2011, St. Vincent's activists organized a mass civilian trauma event exercise to demonstrate what grassroots community activists described was a major risk to public health : where would sick and injured patients receive emergency and trauma care in the event of a major national disaster under conditions that had created an irresponsible geographic distribution of hospital beds in Manhattan.

See related link : http://thevillager.com/villager_443/traumadrama.html

Hurricane Sandy

In the time leading up to and following the landfall of the effects of Hurricane Sandy, the infrastructure of full-service hospitals on the East Side of Manhattan has failed. Hospital patients were forced to be evacuated from NYU Langone and Bellevue Hospitals.

To Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Speaker Christine Quinn, and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, to City Planner Amanda Burden, Brad Hoylman, Bill Rudin, and to the Partnership for New York, where are New Yorkers supposed to go now, in case of a medical emergency ?

Bloomberg 911 ECTP Denial

Related : Related : Hurricane Sandy - Political Accountability For Hospital Evacuations

that's frightening. reader Gchats me "911 literally just rings and rings." #nyc #sandy

— Azi Paybarah (@azipaybarah) October 30, 2012

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, at this morning's late morning press briefing, denied that the inability of the 911 emergency telephone call system to orderly handle all of the emergencies during Hurricane Sandy contributed to any unnecessary injuries or deaths. Mayor Bloomberg said that calling 911 for help would not have saved a man's life, who died when a tree crashed though his house, leading to destruction that killed the man.

Lower Manhattan Flooded in 1960 After Hurricane Donna

Related : New Hurricane Sandy Danger : Flood-Risk Nursing Homes Told Not To Evacuate

In 1960, Lower Manhattan was flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Donna. Will the same thing happen to New York City after Hurricane Sandy makes landfall ? The risk of flooding is being compounded by the high tides and the Full Moon on Monday, October 29, 2012.

From The New York Times :

The hurricane center said through the day on Sunday that Hurricane Sandy was “expected to bring life-threatening storm surge flooding to the mid-Atlantic Coast, including Long Island Sound and New York Harbor.”

Gov. Cuomo Forces Mayor Bloomberg To Take Hurricane Sandy Seriously

Related : Related : Hurricane Sandy - Political Accountability For Hospital Evacuations

Blogger and activist Suzannah B. Troy draws attention to the mixed messages about hurricane preparedness and readiness. Ms. Troy questions the ability of the 911 emergency call system here in New York City to handle a major emergency, such as a large-scale natural disaster.

Nobody understands how Mayor Bloomberg can expect city employees can show up to work when there is no mass transit due to the suspensions of services by the MTA New York City Subway system, and during what the National Hurricane Center describes as a "life-threatening" storm.

At 11:30 a.m. Sunday morning, Mayor Bloomberg ordered mandatory evacuations of Zone A areas of New York City, but he is only giving the impacted residents a few hours to find shelter. Has Mayor Bloomberg been sleeping on the job, or was he busy with his new Super PAC ?

Meanwhile, here in Queens, it is evident that the City's sanitation workers were not told to clear the garbage on the streets, to minimize flying objects during the hurricane wind gusts.

Are we heading for a repeat of the way that the Sanitation Department was overwhelmed in the aftermath of the post-Christmas Blizzard of 2010 ?

Will NYC 911 tech system work during the Frankenstorm ?

The artist and political blogger Suzannah B. Troy has posted on her blog concerns about whether the 911 dispatch tech system in New York City will hold up during the impact and aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Remember how New York City's emergency response plan turned out to be inadequate in the lead up to and the in the aftermath of the Snowpocolypse ?

Flushing Meadows Corona Park Jilted Again

A hedge fund manager, who was implicated in a controversial scheme involving mortgage investments packaged by Goldman Sachs, has donated $100 million for the preservation and beautification of Central Park, because, in the Manhattan-centric worldview of New Yorkers, it may not matter that Flushing Meadows Corona Park may be destroyed by zone-busting real estate developers.

Bloomberg Invokes Red Scare Against Elizabeth Warren

Mayor Michael Bloomberg called Elizabeth Warren, "God’s gift to regulation." How can any Democrats support Michael Bloomberg, when he throws the Democratic Party under the bus ? Mayor Bloomberg even invoked "socialism" against Ms. Warren and the "U.S.S.R." to spread the typical unfounded Republican fears against Democrats.

Bloomberg starts Super PAC to distort democracy across USA

New York City billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he would be creating his own “super PAC” to funnel over $10 million in campaign donations to distort elections, much like he funneled money to distort prior elections.

Blogger and artist Suzannah B. Troy posted that Mayor Bloomberg wants to "buy more elections."

Secret Stop And Frisk Recording - Viral Video

The Nation magazine published a secret recording of a Harlem teenager getting stopped-and-frisked by NYPD. The YouTube video of the recording has now gone viral, with over 500,000 hits.

Read the full story at : Stopped-and-Frisked: 'For Being a F**king Mutt' [VIDEO]

Remember, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn support NYPD Commissioner, who supports the controversial "stop and frisk" policy.

Bloomberg LP Parental Leave Policy

What is the parental leave policy at Bloomberg L.P. ? After the EEOC maternity discrimination case was dismissed, has Bloomberg L.P. gone back to cave man times ?

NYPD Freedom of Information Request

I filled out the NYCLU form letter to request any records that the NYPD has on me, and the NYPD has declined to answer my request.

Judge Rules That NYPD Made Illegal Arrests During 2004 GOP Convention

Judge Rules That The Mass Arrests Carried Out By The Bloomberg Administration During The 2004 Republican National Convention Were Illegal

Federal District Court Judge Richard J. Sullivan has ruled that officers with the New York Police Department illegally arrested large numbers of protesters at a demonstration on Fulton Street in Downtown Manhattan during the 2004 Republican National Convention, The New York Times has reported.

Judge Sullivan's ruling faulted the Bloomberg administration for having "lacked the required probable cause because the police were unaware of whether each individual protester had broken the law," The Times reported.

“With this ruling,” said Christopher T. Dunn, a lawyer with the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), “the time has come for the city to put this controversy behind it, to settle the rest of the convention cases, and to make sure that mass arrests never happen again here.”

Mr. Dunn noted that the judge had “emphatically rejected the city’s claim that it could make mass arrests of protesters.”

The NYCLU represents some of the activists, who were arrested.

Bloomberg has helped poor people out of hospitals, shelters, and senior citizen centers

With Christine Quinn's help, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has helped the poor lose out on some very basic social safety net assistance.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn have been closing senior centers and closing hospitals all across the city. And Speaker Quinn can't wait to shut down a large homeless shelter in Chelsea.

Sign Petition to Fire Deputy Inspector Ed Winski

Sign the Change.org petition that calls on Commissioner Raymond Kelly to fire Deputy Inspector Ed Winski.

Systematic suppression of the Constitutional rights of lawful political activities of activists, politicians, and journalists to observe police actions against Occupy Wall Street protesters.

Deputy Inspector Edward J. Winski, on orders from City Hall : Mayor Michael Bloomberg and approval (either tacit or express) by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn engages in use of police force, misuse of authority, no professional, lack of respect and courtesy, not to mention abridgment of the Constitutionally-protected Freedoms of Speech and Assembly, to thwart the lawful political activities of citizens. Note how police officers selectively pick activists from within a crowd and use force to make false arrests. One person also provides testimony that a legal observer is arrested by the NYPD.

Sign the Change.org petition that calls on Commissioner Raymond Kelly to fire Deputy Inspector Ed Winski.

In this video, some activists deliver first-hand witness accounts of Deputy Inspector Winski misusing his official authority for the sole purpose of interfering, thwarting, and destroying the rights of these activists. The intent of Deputy Inspector Winski can solely be to destroy any chance activists have to peacefully and lawfully assemble and express themselves.

According to the video's description on YouTube, the above video was filmed on September 15, 2012 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and it shows "some of the major events," which took place during livestreamer Luke Rudkowski's live broadcast at the "Occupy Wall Street #S15 action."

And no amount of independent monitoring, oversight, community regulation, not even the existence of the Civilian Complaint Review Board or Internal Affairs investigations, can correct the abuse of authority when it is ordered by and/or is carried out with the tacit or express approval of the politicians, who give orders to NYPD. Here is past evidence about how Deputy Inspector Winksi and the NYPD have misused their authority against peaceful and lawful #OWS activists, I'm sure this can't be the rest of it.

To change the system, you have to join community organising efforts to challenge the oppressive conditions, which violate citizens' rights, and this includes taking action to vote out of office the politicians, who give these orders to NYPD.

Sign the Change.org petition that calls on Commissioner Raymond Kelly to fire Deputy Inspector Ed Winski.

Bloomberg Supports Fracking

NYPD Arrest Protesters at Occupy The Pipeline demonstration ; Mayor Michael Bloomberg Promotes Fracking, Drinks His Water In Bermuda

NEW YORK, September 6, 2012--At the 8:30 am protest against construction of a Spectra fracked gas pipeline at Gansevoort and Hudson River Parkway, Monika Hunken and Sandra were arrested by the NYPD.

They were among five activists who climbed over the low concrete barricade surrounding the drilling site and sat down in the dirt in front of a backhoe, thus blocking the machine from operating ; at first Hunken announced that they would leave the pit, but then she and Sandra Coponen changed their minds and returned to the pit facing arrest. The backhoe was adjacent to the drilling rig itself, which was fenced in by a high wire mesh fence. The rig had been in operation prior to the sit-down action.

The Spectra pipeline is delivering Marcellus shale potentially radioactive gas containing native radon; in addition, the hydrofracking process pumps 5 billion gallons of water laced with 600 toxic chemicals into the shale to extract the gas. The Henry Hudson Parkway is owned by the state and not the city ; Mayor Bloomberg's supposed "girl-friend" Diana Taylor known for her involvement with Bloomfield Properties graces the board of Hudson Parkway, too. The Spectra pipeline will run in the vicinity of a children's playground in the West Village. In the interests of clean air, clean water and public health, activists are urging Governor Cuomo to step up to the plate and ban hydrofracking in New York State and Mayor Bloomberg not to enable its arrival and dissemination In New York City.

Filmed by Liza Béar. Press inquiries: lizajbear@gmail.com; 646-246-1869.

Update : Protesters Arrested September 12, 2012, trying to block Spectra fracking pipeline construction.

NYPD To Put Up ID Checkpoints To Thwart OWS Anniversary

By putting up barricades and security checkpoints all over Lower Manhattan, which has not been done since 9/11, is this how the NYPD thinks it is going to serve and protect us ? Is it trying to protect us from our own Freedom of Assembly and Freedom of Speech ?

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 Police State Watch: NYPD to Install Checkpoints, Demand ID in Lower Manahttan on OWS Anniversary Since when are Americans required to carry and show ID to the police to go about their daily business? Apparently since the 1% became sufficiently afraid of the 99% so as to regard the Constitutionally-guaranteed rights to assembly and free speech as security threats. This notice gives a flavor of what to expect for the September 17 celebrations of the anniversary of Occupy Wall Street (click to enlarge; hat tip nathan):

2012 09 14 Pace NYPD ID Checkpoints for Occupy Wall Street Anniversary

Original Source : Police State Watch: NYPD to Install Checkpoints, Demand ID in Lower Manahttan on OWS Anniversary

Intermediary Post : Suzannah B. Troy : Occupy Wall Street Alert Police State Watch: NYPD to Install Checkpoints

Tom Doherty John Haggerty

Three former members of the Pataki administration created a legal defense fund for John Haggerty, the Queens political operative convicted of stealing nearly $1 million from Mayor Michael Bloomberg through an elaborate money-funneling operation through the Independence Party, Celeste Katz reported. Tom Doherty, one of the former government officials, who is not a political consultant, serves as the trustee for the legal defense fund.

Bloomberg Cuomo Bickering Delays Completion of 9/11 Museum

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo are bickering with each other, over who is going to be the boss of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, The New York Times has reported.

"Aides to Mr. Bloomberg and Mr. Cuomo have so far been unable to resolve their differences over which government agencies will pay the operating costs of the museum, which is intended to document the terrorist attacks of 2001 and honor the nearly 3,000 victims. The two sides also remain at odds over who will have oversight of the museum and the surrounding memorial."

The infighting means that the 9/11 museum will not be open in time for this year's anniversary of the September 11 attacks, or even in time for next year's anniversary.

The on-going disputes between Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Cuomo may delay the completion of the 9/11 museum, so much so that The New York Times estimates that construction on 1 World Trade Center, formerly known as the Freedom Tower, may be finished in early 2014 -- before the 9/11 museum can be completed.

NYPD Are Getting Ready For Mass Arrests For OWS Anniversary

The blogger and artist Suzannah B. Troy rode her bicycle past a battallion of NYPD officers earlier this afternoon. Ms. Troy speculated that the police are practising to make mass arrests in the upcoming Occupy Wall Street anniversary demonstrations. The police must be on strict orders from Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Commissioner Raymond Kelly to thwart the First Amendment rights of activists, again. This is how Mayor Bloomberg runs this city : with a heavy hand with his own private army.

Here is Ms. Troy's original post : http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/2012/09/nypd-riot-gear-prepping-for-ows.html

Michael Bloomberg Handschu Agreement

Note how NYPD filmed the evacuation of Liberty Square/Zuccotti Park :

Are NYPD Intelligence Division violating terms of the Handschu Agreement ?

On September 6, 2012, activists against the Fracking Pipeline that is proposed to run through the West Village organised a demonstration along the West Side Highway. At that protest, a white shirt police officer was caught video taping lawful political activities of the protesters. If the protesters were only engaged in lawful political activities on September 6, as it surely does appear, then does the monitoring of the protesters by the NYPD not violate the Handschu Agreement ?

The Handschu agreement is a court ruling from the case Handschu v. Special Services Division, 605 F.Supp. 1384, affirmed 787 F.2d 828, that brought about guidelines that regulate police behavior in New York City with regard to police monitoring of citizens' political activity (Wikipedia).

A large coalition of activist groups accused police of compiling information to punish and repress lawful dissent, according to Wikipedia.

For the last year, the NYPD and the Bloomberg administration have been monitoring the Occupy Wall Street movement since before activists began their occupation in Liberty Square. In 2011, NYPD used camcorders to videotape protesters during a march against the execution of Troy Davis. On one occasion, in 2012, Occupy activists caught the NYPD engaged in monitoring the lawful political activities by #OWS.

Because New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gives direct orders to NYPD, what kind of approval has he made about any illegal monitoring acts by the New York Police Department ? Does this video appear to show that NYPD Intelligence Division assault reporters, block news cameras, and attack the Freedom of the Press to benefit Mayor Bloomberg ?