Posts Tagged ‘Long Island City’
down interminably
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A recent walk through Ravenswood, which is an ancient neighborhood found on the industrial western coastline of Queens, left an impression that the place has been undergoing some sort of siege for an interminable period. High masonry walls with imposing fences and warnings of 24 hour video surveillance admonish the passerby. At the crown of every barrier or at the angled corners of buildings one observes the “devil’s rope” with its wired barbs and razor edges. Everywhere dogs slaver at the end of long chains, hungering for delight.
What happens around here at night, which has made such armoring necessary, one is forced to wonder.
from barbwiremuseum.com
THE INVENTION OF BARBED WIRE
Joseph F. Glidden of Dekalb, Illinois attended a county fair where he observed a demonstration of a wooden rail with sharp nails protruding along its sides, hanging inside a smooth wire fence. This inspired him to invent and patent a successful barbed wire in the form we recognize today. Glidden fashioned barbs on an improvised coffee bean grinder, placed them at intervals along a smooth wire, and twisted another wire around the first to hold the barbs in a fixed position.
THE BARBED WIRE BOOM
The advent of Glidden’s successful invention set off a creative frenzy that eventually produced over 570 barbed wire patents. It also set the stage for a three-year legal battle over the rights to these patents.
THE FATHER OF BARBED WIRE
When the legal battles were over, Joseph Glidden was declared the winner and the Father of Barbed Wire. The aftermath forced many companies to merge facilities or sell their patent rights to the large wire and steel companies.
ACCEPTING THE DEVIL’S ROPE
When livestock encountered barbed wire for the first time, it was usually a painful experience. The injuries provided sufficient reason for the public to protest its use. Religious groups called it “the work of the devil,” or “The Devil’s Rope” and demanded removal.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Take this snazzy little number, occupying a 2,500 square foot lot, the dwelling offers a princely 1,250 square feet of living space, 2 parking spots, and it’s historic.
It has a long history in Ravenswood- this structure was built all the way back in 1927, before Big Allis or the Roosevelt Island Bridge. When it went up, along with the rest of 9th street, this was the border of sanity and wholesomeness. Next stop after Ravenswood were the asylums and orphanages of Blackwell’s Island (now Roosevelt Island).
Futilely have I sought tales of escaped lunatics swimming here during escape attempts, but I’m certain that in 1927, the communal sounds of lament and madness would have been omnipresent.
from wikipedia
- 1637 – Dutch Governor Wouter Van Twiller first purchases the island, then known as Hog Island, from the Canarsie Indians
- 1666 – After the English defeat the Dutch, Captain John Manning seizes the island, which becomes known as Manning’s Island.
- 1686 – Manning’s son-in-law, Robert Blackwell, becomes the island’s new owner and namesake
- 1796 – Blackwell’s great-grandson Jacob Blackwell constructs the Blackwell House, the island’s oldest landmark, New York City’s sixth oldest house and one of the city’s few remaining examples of 18th-century architecture
- 1828 – the City of New York purchases the island for $32,000
- 1832 – The city erects a penitentiary on the island.
- 1839 – The New York City Lunatic Asylum opens, including the Octagon Tower, still standing. The Asylum, which was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis, at one point holds 1,700 inmates, twice its designed capacity.
- 1852 – A workhouse is built on the island to hold petty violators in 220 cells.
- 1856 – The Smallpox Hospital, designed by James Renwick Jr. opens; later, when it falls into disrepair, it will be known as the “Renwick Ruin”
- 1858 – The Asylum burns down, and is rebuilt in the same location.
- 1872 -The Blackwell Island Light, a 50-foot (15 m) Gothic style lighthouse now on the National Register of Historic Places, is built by convict labor on the island’s northern tip under Renwick’s supervision.
- 1889 – The Chapel of the Good Shepherd, designed by Frederick Clarke Withers, opens.
- 1895 – Inmates from the Asylum are transferred to Ward’s Island, and patients from the hospital there are transferred to Blackwell’s Island. The Asylum is renamed Metropolitan Hospital.
- 1909 – The Queensboro Bridge, which passes over the island but does not provide direct vehicular access to it, opens.
- 1921 – Blackwell’s Island is renamed Welfare Island
- 1935 – The penitentiary on Riker’s Island opens, and the last convicts on Welfare Island are transferred there.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One common remark, whether it be from Charles Dickens or Nellie Bly or the host of sensationalist writers who described the island of asylums and orphanages in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, commented on the chorus of sobbing and madness which arose from the populations of lunatics and (what we would describe in modernity as developmentally disabled) retarded children imprisoned there. The fate of such unfortunates in early modern times was not a happy one, and analogies to both the German writer Kafka and the English asylum known as Bedlam are appropriate.
Of course, just as it is today, having such an institutional neighbor enriches the local economy. A mental hospital needs workers, and employs a vast supply chain to bring the necessities of life. Everything from vegetables to gurneys must be brought in, maintenance of boilers and the machinery of such places must be performed, and a vast staff of quasi medical workers are required. In many towns and cities across modern America, the local prison has replaced the industrial mill as the principal employer, and the prison industry is one of the fastest growing sectors of the United States economy.
from pbs.org
Corporations are running many Americans prisons, but will they put profits before prisoners?
A grim new statistic: One in every hundred Americans is now locked behind bars. As the prison population grows faster than the government can build prisons, private companies see an opportunity for profit.
This week, NOW on PBS investigates the government’s trend to outsource prisons and prisoners to the private sector. Critics accuse private prisons of standing in the way of sentencing reform and sacrificing public safety to maximize profits.
“The notion that a corporation making a profit off this practice is more important to us than public safety or the human rights of prisoners is outrageous,” Judy Greene, a criminal policy analyst, tells NOW on PBS.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That nameless thing which has never drawn a breath, whose queer intelligence lurks within the spire of the sapphire megalith and gazes hungrily down upon the world of men, encourages and makes such a prison economy viable. It will ensure that new laws and restrictions are put in place by an army of loyal acolytes that suck at it’s poison teats, and its many servants in the media conglomerates continue to propagate a general aura of fear and loathing of “the other” suggesting the presence of a predatory element amongst the populace which makes the existence of such institutions seem not just necessary but prudent. More importantly, this prison industry is extremely profitable, and above all else that thing in the megalith encourages profit.
In the early 21st century, prison technologies now adorn private homes of substance and taste, and Orwell’s Big Brother need not surveil the streets for the private citizenry has already installed video security systems and razor wire which accomplish the goal for it. The gaol needs no walls, for terror has made us all inmates.
from wikipedia
In 1984, there is a perpetual war between Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia, the super-states which emerged from the atomic global war. “The book”, The Theory and Practice of Oligarchic Collectivism by Emmanuel Goldstein, explains that each state is so strong it cannot be defeated, even with the combined forces of two super-states—despite changing alliances. To hide such contradictions, history is re-written to explain that the (new) alliance always was so; the populaces accustomed to doublethink accept it. The war is not fought in Oceanian, Eurasian or Eastasian territory but in the arctic wastes and a disputed zone comprising the sea and land from Tangiers (northern Africa) to Darwin (Australia). At the start, Oceania and Eastasia are allies combatting Eurasia in northern Africa.
That alliance ends and Oceania allied with Eurasia fights Eastasia, a change which occurred during the Hate Week dedicated to creating patriotic fervour for the Party’s perpetual war. The public are blind to the change; in mid-sentence an orator changes the name of the enemy from “Eurasia” to “Eastasia” without pause. When the public are enraged at noticing that the wrong flags and posters are displayed they tear them down—thus the origin of the idiom “We’ve always been at war with Eastasia”; later the Party claims to have captured Africa.
“The book” explains that the purpose of the unwinnable, perpetual war is to consume human labour and commodities, hence the economy of a super-state cannot support economic equality (a high standard of life) for every citizen. Goldstein also details an Oceanian strategy of attacking enemy cities with atomic rockets before invasion, yet dismisses it as unfeasible and contrary to the war’s purpose; despite the atomic bombing of cities in the 1950s the super-states stopped such warfare lest it imbalance the powers. The military technology in 1984 differs little from that of the Second World War, yet strategic bomber aeroplanes were replaced with Rocket Bombs, helicopters were heavily used as weapons of war (while they didn’t figure in WW2 in any form but prototypes) and surface combat units have been all but replaced by immense and unsinkable Floating Fortresses, island-like contraptions concentrating the firepower of a whole naval task force in a single, semi-mobile platform (in the novel one is said to have been anchored between Iceland and the Faroe Islands, suggesting a preference for sea lane interdiction and denial).
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Modernity looks back on Blackwell’s Island, with its snake pit asylums and communal poor houses as some sort of anachronism. Left behind in the starry past, along with witch hunts and bad science, we have evolved past such childish attempts at mercy and embraced a more open and kind philosophy toward our challenged or confused or socially unacceptable brethren. This is a new age, enlightened and informed by scientific reason rather than instinct and custom. Right?
Ever wonder how they’ll describe us in 100 years, when some unborn academics perform their dissertations on the “age of terror”?
Remember, in a war of terror, whichever side scares the other more is the winner. A decade in, which side has become more terrifying to you, the nuclear armed super state with a well armed and paranoid population or the dusty mafiosos of a failed desert empire?
Incidentally, today is the anniversary of the General Slocum disaster, which was the greatest disaster in the history of New York City prior to the events of 2001, and which bears mention at this- your Newtown Pentacle.
from wikipedia
Some analysts, such as Noam Chomsky, posit that a state of perpetual war is an aid to (and is promoted by) the powerful members of dominant political and economic classes, helping maintain their positions of economic and political superiority.
Some have also suggested that entering a state of perpetual war becomes progressively easier in a modern democratic republic such as the United States due to the continuing development of interlocking relationships between those who benefit directly from war and the large and powerful companies that indirectly benefit and shape the presentation of the effects and consequences of war (i.e., the formation of a military-industrial complex).
There has been some criticism from anti-war activists and Bush critics, for example, that the Bush administration’s ties to Halliburton influenced the decision to go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. These claims have been denied by the George W. Bush White House.
However, the concept of a military-industrial complex was first suggested by President Eisenhower and the idea that military action can be seen as a form of market-creation goes at least as far back as speeches beginning in 1930 prior to the publication of War Is a Racket in 1935. The economic make-up of the 5th century BC Athens-led Delian League also bears resemblance to the economic ramifications of preparing for perpetual war.
With the advent of perpetual war, communities have begun to construct War Memorials with names of the dead while the wars are ongoing. See Northwood Community Park’s memorial which has space for 8000 names (approximately 4,500 used at time of construction) and plans to update it yearly.
noble and familiar
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Wandering aimlessly through the section of Long Island City which forms the hazed border of Dutch Kills and Ravenswood recently, your humble narrator was taken aback by the fortress like appearance of the local domiciles and businesses. Perhaps this unremarked series of blocks in western Queens harbors and shelters itself- in secret- against some unbound curse or horror unknown to neighboring communities, an invisible and omnipresent dread requiring stout gates and heavy iron clasps to vouchsafe life and limb?
I’ve never observed it in daylight, whatever this lurking fear might be, it must only come out at night.
from wikipedia
The land was acquired in 1814 by Col. George Gibbs, a businessman from New York City who developed it. Gibbs died in 1833, and the land was divided into nine parcels by three developers. From 1848, there were several mansions built on this land, but the high class housing did not survive. The spring of 1853 brought the opening of a post office of its own and country store “run by Messrs. Moore & Luyster, and Mr. Samuel H. Moore of that firm received the appointment of postmaster, handling the mails in a corner of the store.”
Ravenswood, unlike Astoria, Queens, never became a village; there was no disposition at any time to become independent as there was insufficient population or commercial activity to justify such a move. Ravenswood remained an exclusive hamlet within the Town of Newtown until its absorption with the Village of Astoria, and the hamlets of Hunters Point, Blissville, Sunnyside, Dutch Kills, Steinway, Bowery Bay and Middleton in Newtown Township into Long Island City in 1870. “Ravenswood enthusiastically accepted incorporation into Long Island City in 1870 and this absorption of the quiet village into the mainstream of commerce and industry spelled the end of the old era.”
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Freakish thoughts arise often during these long walks about the Newtown Pentacle, arising perhaps from the sheer oddness of what one might encounter on these perambulations- or from other strange energies encountered in the environment. When transversing the area around Big Allis and it’s various transformer farms, odd cracklings and resonances emerge from my headphones which I cannot be certain are merely electromagnetic anomalies caused by the titan powerplant. Certain evidences are consciously sought, of course, but long ago the universe was granted sway over my steps as I scuttle about the earth, and if New York City wants me to see something- she takes me there.
It is best not to disobey the City.
from wikipedia
Big Allis, formally known as Ravenswood No. 3, is a giant electric power generator originally commissioned by Consolidated Edison Company (ConEd) and built by the Allis-Chalmers Corporation in 1965. Currently owned by Transcanada Corp., it is located on 36th Avenue and Vernon Boulevard in western Queens, New York.
During 1963, Allis-Chalmers announced that ConEd had ordered the “world’s first MILLION-KILOWATT unit…big enough to serve 3,000,000 people.” This sheer scale helped the plant become popularly known as “Big Allis”.
At the time of its installation, it was the world’s largest steam energy generating facility. It is located on the Ravenswood site, consisting of Units 1, 2, 3 and 4, as well as several small Gas Turbines (GTs), and an oil depot. The site overall produces about 2,500 MW, or approximately 20% of New York City’s current energy needs. The current installed capacity of Big Allis is around 980 MW.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A certain commandment is “to see”. Bombarded with visual stimuli, the extraordinary nature of New York City becomes commonplace and quite ordinary in daily observance, and difficulty is found in filtering. This statuary on 9th street in Ravenswood… I don’t want to research its possible meanings or significance… find out who is represented or what tradition presents itself in style or execution…
Alright, I’m pretty sure it’s a Maronite Cross. The Maronites are a group of Lebanese Christians who revere St. Maron of Chrysostom, a city near Antioch in his time which was around 16 centuries ago. They are part of what is known as “Eastern Catholic Churches“, which may follow atavist theurgical or theological paths which differ from the “Roman Catholic” faction, yet are nevertheless in full communion with the Bishop of Rome.
from wikipedia
Saint Maroun (also Maron or Maro; Syriac: ܡܪܝ ܡܪܘܢ, Mār(y) Mārōn; Arabic: مار مارون) was a 5th century Syriac Christian monk who after his death was followed by a religious movement that became known as the Maronites. The Church that grew from this movement is the Maronite Church. St. Maroun was known for his missionary work, healing and miracles, and teachings of a monastic devotion to God. He was a priest that later became a hermit. His holiness and miracles attracted many followers and drew attention throughout the empire.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned in the past, a simple 5 point methodology for discovering the hidden ecstasies of this ancient place has evolved around wholesale surrender to the directionless cosmos:
- Keep, the sun on your back.
- Turn, left only.
- Follow, a cat- if encountered.
- Move, in an alert fashion.
- Interact, with the humans only when necessary.
For some reason, around Ravenswood, I always find myself heading for Big Allis. Mayhap it’s some electromagnetoception sort of thing…
from wikipedia
In bees, it has been observed that magnetite is embedded across the cellular membrane of a small group of neurons; it is thought that when the magnetite aligns with the Earth’s magnetic field, induction causes a current to cross the membrane which depolarizes the cell.
Crocodiles are believed to have magnetoception, which allows them to find their native area even after being moved hundreds of miles away. Some have been strapped with magnets to disorient them and keep them out of residential areas.
In 2008, a research team led by Hynek Burda using Google Earth accidentally discovered that magnetic fields affect the body orientation of cows and deer during grazing or resting. In a followup study in 2009, Burda and Sabine Begall observed that magnetic fields generated by power lines disrupted the orientation of cows from the Earth’s magnetic field.
Certain types of bacteria (magnetotactic bacteria) and fungi are also known to sense the magnetic flux direction; they have organelles known as magnetosomes containing magnetic crystals for this purpose.
reflective power
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The places I go, the things I see… often strain credulity. This is not the world you know, this 3.8 mile long waterway located directly across the East River from Manhattan’s Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital which provides the currently undefended border of Brooklyn and Queens. If it can happen, it has happened here, and if it happened here it happened worse and grander than anywhere else it ever happened. Come visit the night soil and offal dock, hear the stories of the great men- Bliss and Kingsland and Flowers and Degnon and Cooper. This is the place where the Industrial Revolution actually happened, where the death of nature itself was accomplished, and our modern world was born.
Welcome to the Newtown Creek, poison heart of the Newtown Pentacle…
from a Newtown Pentacle post of April 13th, 2011
Just under an hour long, this Magic Lantern Show about Newtown Creek is personally narrated, and transports the viewer to every corner of the Newtown Creek- every tributary and street end, on the water and above it, and is presented in the idiosyncratic and off beat manner which has become familiar to regular readers of this- your Newtown Pentacle. It attempts to explain certain core questions in under an hour which have been repeatedly presented to me over the last couple of years, and the entire talk is illustrated with both my own photography and the product of my historical research:
- What exactly do you mean by the “Newtown Pentacle”?
- When did the Newtown Creek begin to matter?
- Why should I care, how does the Newtown Creek affect me, as I live in Manhattan?
- Where exactly is this place?
- Who is responsible for this mess, and exactly who is it that’s going to clean it up?
- How can I get involved and help my community revitalize and or restore the Newtown Creek?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It would probably be “politique” to mention that this is not a Newtown Creek Alliance event, which is one of the many organizations which I’ve become affiliated and identified with. Instead this is purely a Newtown Pentacle show, which the studied philosophs who inhabit the upper echelons of the Greater Astoria Historical Society are allowing me to present in their convenient location on Astoria’s Broadway- stumbling distance from the R,M, and N trains. The efficacy of gambling their precious time and effort upon such a poor specimen as myself would be proven by the event being well attended, and the negligible $5 fee at the door should prove an easy burden for most to bear. Therefore, a narrator humbly invites and requests your support and attendance.
from astorialic.org
Mon Jun 6, 7:00 pm
Travel the length and breadth of Americas most polluted waterway, the Newtown Creek, with newtownpentacle.com‘s Mitch Waxman.
Breathtaking photography illustrates the journey, exploring the various tributaries and discussing the industrial history of New York City‘s least known waterway.
Witty and irreverent, the narration describes Waxman‘s own discovery of this place and the fantastic journey it has taken him on.
Question and Answer period follows.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The actual presentation is just over a hour long, and during it, you’ll travel the length and breadth of the Newtown Creek- every tributary and bridge, each keystone of historical import will be illustrated with both personal experience and historical meaning. For those of you new to the story of the Newtown Creek (or the neighborhood) this will make a fine primer. Attempts will be made by your humble narrator to reveal this willfully hidden place, and introduce the uninitiated to the hellish flames of revelation which only the Newtown Creek can offer.
June 6th, Magic Lantern Show at Greater Astoria Historical Society
Metropolitan Avenue Bridge, English Kills – photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve neglected to inform you all of the Magic Lantern Show which this, your Newtown Pentacle, is staging at the Greater Astoria Historical Society on Monday, June 6th at 7pm. There won’t be any archaic museum pieces in use, of course- my magic lantern is all digital and uses a standard and quite modern projector- but the concept is much the same. A photographer captures some hellish reality from the wild and shadowed corners of the world, and presents them with the intention of revealing hidden truths to a comfortable and otherwise wholesome audience who would never encounter this reality otherwise.
from a Newtown Pentacle post of April 13th, 2011
Just under an hour long, this Magic Lantern Show about Newtown Creek is personally narrated, and transports the viewer to every corner of the Newtown Creek- every tributary and street end, on the water and above it, and is presented in the idiosyncratic and off beat manner which has become familiar to regular readers of this- your Newtown Pentacle. It attempts to explain certain core questions in under an hour which have been repeatedly presented to me over the last couple of years, and the entire talk is illustrated with both my own photography and the product of my historical research:
- What exactly do you mean by the “Newtown Pentacle”?
- When did the Newtown Creek begin to matter?
- Why should I care, how does the Newtown Creek affect me, as I live in Manhattan?
- Where exactly is this place?
- Who is responsible for this mess, and exactly who is it that’s going to clean it up?
- How can I get involved and help my community revitalize and or restore the Newtown Creek?
Empire State Building rising over industrial Brooklyn and Newtown Creek – photo by Mitch Waxman
It would probably be “politique” to mention that this is not a Newtown Creek Alliance event, which is one of the many organizations which I’ve become affiliated and identified with. Instead this is purely a Newtown Pentacle show, which the studied philosophs who inhabit the upper echelons of the Greater Astoria Historical Society are allowing me to present in their convenient location on Astoria’s Broadway- stumbling distance from the R,M, and N trains. The efficacy of gambling their precious time and effort upon such a poor specimen as myself would be proven by the event being well attended, and the negligible $5 fee at the door should prove an easy burden for most to bear. Therefore, a narrator humbly invites and requests your support and attendance.
from astorialic.org
Mon Jun 6, 7:00 pm
Travel the length and breadth of Americas most polluted waterway, the Newtown Creek, with newtownpentacle.com‘s Mitch Waxman.
Breathtaking photography illustrates the journey, exploring the various tributaries and discussing the industrial history of New York City‘s least known waterway.
Witty and irreverent, the narration describes Waxman‘s own discovery of this place and the fantastic journey it has taken him on.
Question and Answer period follows.
DUKBO, Down Under the Kosciuszko Bridge Onramp – photo by Mitch Waxman
The actual presentation is just over a hour long, and during it, you’ll travel the length and breadth of the Newtown Creek- every tributary and bridge, each keystone of historical import will be illustrated with both personal experience and historical meaning. For those of you new to the story of the Newtown Creek (or the neighborhood) this will make a fine primer. Attempts will be made by your humble narrator to reveal this willfully hidden place, and introduce the uninitiated to the hellish flames of revelation which only the Newtown Creek can offer.
Greenpoint Avenue Bridge over Newtown Creek – photo by Mitch Waxman
The places I go, the things I see… often strain credulity. This is not the world you know, this 3.8 mile long waterway located directly across the East River from Manhattan’s Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital which provides the currently undefended border of Brooklyn and Queens. If it can happen, it has happened here, and if it happened here it happened worse and grander than anywhere else it ever happened. Come visit the night soil and offal dock, hear the stories of the great men- Bliss and Kingsland and Flowers and Degnon and Cooper. This is the place where the Industrial Revolution actually happened, where the death of nature itself was accomplished, and our modern world was born.
Welcome to the Newtown Creek, poison heart of the Newtown Pentacle…
Ladder 128
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Newtown Pentacle mailbox alert bleeped at me the other day, indicating that the local elected’s were planning a rally to save Blissville’s own Ladder 128 from extinction. Double booked, I feared that I might miss this event in the heart of things, but thanks to an offer of a ride from one of these very elected’s to the event, I made it there from my beloved Astoria just as the ceremony was beginning.
from jimmyvanbramer.com
On Friday, May 27th City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer held a rally with City Council Fire & Criminal Justice Chair Elizabeth Crowley, the Uniformed Firefighters Association and the Uniformed Fire Officers Association against the proposed closure of Ladder 128 in Long Island City. For over a century, Ladder 128 has been serving the City of New York in emergency situations, including playing an integral role in the rescue efforts during the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Ladder 128 serves the communities of Blissville, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside and Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
According to a recent report, closing Ladder 128 would result in nearly 7 min response times, well above the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) four minute benchmark. According to NFPA studies, the increased response times lead to greater casualties and expanded property damage in emergencies.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Mr. Van Bramer of the NYC City council was the leader of the event, and acted as master of ceremony. Despite the terrific and sudden onset of summer heat on Friday the 27th, and proximity to the holiday weekend, a surprising multitude had gathered.
also from jimmyvanbramer.com
“In an emergency, every second saves lives,” said Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer. “Allowing response times to skyrocket is simply unacceptable. The Mayor must reconsider this dangerous proposal. As the population continues to grow in the area, this is not the time to cut services that protect our residents. I will continue to fight to keep Ladder 128 open for the safety of our local residents.”
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The trick, in my opinion, to understanding the function which the various fire companies serve the city is that while every unit has the same basic skill set, through practice and districting- specialties are either called for or evolve through day to day experiences.
The fire companies around Newtown Creek traditionally have some expertise in chemical and petroleum blazes, are experienced in warehouse and high rise situations, and are trained to handle everything from train derailments to fuel barge explosions. Given the immolations which typify the history of the area, this is logical and appropriate.
also from jimmyvanbramer.com
“Closing Ladder 128 will lengthen response times, potentially putting residents’ lives in danger. With this area experiencing a population boom, now is not the time to be making dangerous cuts to emergency services,” said Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Elizabeth Crowley of the NYC City Council spoke next. I’m led to understand that fire house closures are a personal and signature issue for her, which explained the clear ire she expressed at the Mayor’s proposal to shutter Ladder 128. It is not clear to me how the other companies in firehouse E 259 will be affected by the loss of Ladder 128, and whether or not they are similarly endangered.
In other words, I’m not sure if it’s just the unit or the entire firehouse which is on the block.
also from jimmyvanbramer.com
Out of the twenty fire companies slated for closure, the loss of Ladder 128 create the second longest average response time. The Fire Department released a report that estimates that arrival times for first responders will likely increase by more than a minute, from five minutes 31 seconds to six minutes 44 seconds, if Ladder 128 were to close.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m not entirely sure where the concept of Queens having an infinite capacity to cut municipal services arose in Manhattan, but we really are at the breaking point. Our hospitals, the few we have left, are suffering from overcrowding and lack of funds. The cops are overwhelmed protecting the vital infrastructure which distinguishes western Queens, and barely have the manpower to accomplish basic law and order. The FDNY is already contending with shrinking budgets and expanded responsibilities, coupled with new populations contributing to a population density the likes of which the area has never known.
from council.nyc.gov
As we approach the 10th anniversary of the attacks on 9/11, our FDNY remains as busy, strong and heroic as ever before- and the City needs to be there for them now just as they have been and always are there for us. On May 6, 2011, Mayor Bloomberg announced the Fiscal Year 2012 Executive Budget to include the closure of 20 fire companies. The Mayor’s proposal to drastically cut our FDNY services is dangerous, costly and a serious threat to public safety. Once again we need to come together as a community to fight these cuts and let the Mayor know we need our fire protection. Please contact my office to get involved 212.788.7381.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Several of the speakers pointed out the relatively low savings offered to the budget by threatening the 20 fire companies which Ladder 128 shares the threat of closure with. Some offered that there seems to be plenty of money to rename bridges and create bike paths available to the Manhattan elites. Whether that was rhetoric or actual, it certainly pleased the crowd of angry constituents who had gathered with them.
from nyc.gov, on February 4th, 2010
FDNY TO CELEBRATE THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF LADDER
COMPANY 128
Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano will join the officers and members of Ladder Company 128 in their quarters at 33-51 Greenpoint Ave. in Long Island City, Queens at 11 a.m. Friday, as they celebrate 100 years of dedicated service to the community.
Several veterans of Ladder 128 have become Chiefs at FDNY, including Assistant Chief Joseph Pfeifer, who is Chief of the FDNY’s Counterterrorism and Preparedness Center, and Deputy Chief Robert Strong of Division 11. Ladder 128 played important roles battling the Chiclet factory fire of 1976, a 10-alarm fire on the Brooklyn waterfront in 2006, and during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Last week, members of the company received a unit citation from FDNY for a February 2009 incident in which they rescued a man who was dragged and pinned by a tractor trailer after it was struck by a locomotive at Review Avenue and Laurel Hill Boulevard in Queens. Ladder 128, which shares quarters with Engine 259, had their firehouse renovated just last year.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The congresswoman was angry, and left no doubt as to her position on the matter.
also from jimmyvanbramer.com
“In a fire, seconds count. If we lose Ladder Company 128, the extra seven minutes it may take for another company to come to the neighborhood could be the difference between life and death. Let’s hope city officials take another look at closing Ladder 128. I know these are tough times, but our firehouses are the last places we should look to for budget cuts,” said Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As always, my thoughts drift toward that sister of the stygian known as the brain blasting Newtown Creek. The notion of removing fire protection from anywhere within a 5 mile radius of this place is actually insane. The industrial base that surrounds it’s banks represents petroleum, chemical, warehousing. Every art of the industrial world- from power generation to sewage handling- is accomplished nearby.
Less than a mile from here is a home heating oil depot which stores and distributes an incalculable amount of fuel.
The firehouse, at 33-51 Greenpoint Ave. in Blissville, is one of four in Queens and 20 throughout the borough that have been targeted for closure by Mayor Michael Bloomberg due to budget cuts. Ladder 128, nicknamed “tombstone territory” for its proximity to Calvary Cemetery across the street, celebrated its centennial last year. It services the neighborhoods of Blissville, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside and Greenpoint in Brooklyn.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a series of hellish immolations happened nearby. Once, the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge actually burned down. On the Brooklyn side, at the Locust Hill Refinery, oil tanks were shooting up into the air like rockets. Literal tidal waves of burning oil washed over the Creek and incinerated two FIREBOATS.
from wikipedia.org
Catherine T. Nolan (born March 12, 1958) is a member of the New York State Assembly representing the 37th Assembly District, which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Sunnyside, Ridgewood, Astoria, Woodside, Long Island City, Maspeth, Queensbridge, Ravenswood, Dutch Kills and Blissville.
Nolan has lived in her district for most of her life and graduated from the St. Aloysius R.C. School and Grover Cleveland High School. She received a B.A. degree (cum laude) in political science from New York University.
She was first elected to the Assembly in 1984. Nolan is a member of the Democratic leadership in the Assembly and has served as Chair of both the Labor and Banking Committee during her career. Although no longer on the Labor Committee, she has continued to push legislation which protects workers rights in New York State.
In January 2006, Nolan was appointed as Chair of the Assembly Standing Committee on Education. She is also a member of the highly influential Rules and Ways & Means Committee.
She ran uncontested in the 2008 general election and won the 2010 general election with 84 percent of the vote.
Nolan resides in Ridgewood with her husband, Gerard Marsicano, and son Nicholas.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Senator Michael Gianaris spoke next. He’s the elected who gave me the ride incidentally, and you have him to thank for me getting to this event in time to record it for your Newtown Pentacle. There some kind of blogging rule out there which says you have to acknowledge this sort of thing to eliminate conflicts of interest or something, otherwise you’re bad..
also from jimmyvanbramer.com
“Closing Ladder 128 would lengthen response times and harm the safety of western Queens residents,” Senator Michael Gianaris said. “Western Queens continues to grow and is in need of more fire protection services, not less. The Mayor must reconsider and keep Ladder 128 open.”
“In a fire or emergency, every second counts. That’s why our neighborhood firehouses, like Ladder 128, and the brave men and women of the New York City Fire Department are essential to the safety of our communities,” said Congressman Joe Crowley. “While budget cuts are necessary right now, there cannot be a compromise when it comes to providing lifesaving services. I urge the City to reconsider these closures.”
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Senator coincidentally suggested one of my pet issues in his statement.
I interpreted concurrence with my notion that while the future of Queens has been written to include vast new populations inhabiting former industrial areas, there seems to be very little thought given to the municipal infrastructure which will be required to maintain those agglutinations of citizenry. Development in Queens once followed the installation of sewers and train lines, rather than just being dropped into whatever open space that could be found. The hospitals and schools, fire houses and police stations, electrical and sewerage systems in western Queens are already inadequate- and don’t even mention the archaic subway stations.
from nysenate.gov
Michael Gianaris, was elected to the State Senate with over 81% of the vote and is the first Greek-American to be elected to office from New York City and has served his community and his state with unique effectiveness.
Senator Gianaris was elected to the State Assembly in 2000.
In the Assembly, Mike recognized the dysfunction of state government and has emerged as a leader on government reform issues. Mike has sponsored numerous measures to improve the efficiency and transparency of state government, including a proposal to reform the legislative redistricting process that the New York Times has called “the real key to reform” in Albany.
Most recently, when state government was brought to a screeching halt, it was Mike Gianaris who found the solution to end the stalemate. By recommending that the Governor appoint a Lieutenant Governor, Mike was able to end the logjam and and get the State Senate working again on behalf of New Yorkers.
Additionally, among his many accomplishments in the legislature, Mike authored important public safety measures, including the state’s first major anti-terror law after September 11th. His Energy Security Act, which has become a national model, enhances security at our State’s power plants and transmission centers. His Airline Passenger Bill of Rights, now in the process of becoming a federal law, ensures that travelers are treated with respect and dignity while on commercial airplanes.
Mike is also a fighter to protect our environment, particularly in the effort to reshape New York’s energy policy. He wrote the Clean Energy Law that encourages the private sector to utilize modern technologies to dramatically reduce pollution while increasing productivity. Mike also held Con Ed accountable when its blackouts hurt local businesses and families in our community. Thanks to Mike’s efforts, the energy behemoth was forced to pay restitution to those affected by its mistakes.
Born in Astoria, Queens to Nicholas and Magdalene Gianaris, Mike is a graduate of the New York City public school system. He attended Public School 84, Junior High School 141 and Long Island City High School before graduating from Fordham University, Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelors Degree in Economics and Political Science. He went on to receive his law degree from Harvard Law School.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Next up was Stephen J. Cassidy of the Uniformed Firefighters Association of the FDNY. This guy is some kind of speaker, I tell you. He’s a “union” guy, and speaks in a fashion which is blunt, emotional, and pointed.
Hearing him speak is what going to an old fashioned tent revival meeting must have been like.
from wikipedia
Stephen Cassidy is the President of the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Fire Department of New York firefighters.
Cassidy is a vocal critic of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani’s record of response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
He charges that Giuliani’s reputation of a hero or as “America’s Mayor” is an undeserved myth. He has key appearances in the International Association of Fire Fighters’ video, Rudy Giuliani: Urban Legend, released on July 11, 2007 to fire departments across the U.S. The DVD rebroadcasts images of the collapsing Twin Towers. The video outlines New York firefighters’ complaints against Giuliani. In the video, Cassidy said, “The things that we needed to do our jobs even better, we didn’t have, because of his administration.” He added, “On the heroic memory of 343 dead firefighters, he wants to run for president of the United States. It’s a disgrace.” Many other present and former IAFF leaders and firefighters from New York City appear in the video. He faulted the 9/11 Commission for its treatment of Giuliani, “The 9/11 Commission gave Rudy Giuliani a pass, not asking him tough questions about what he knew, when he knew it or why he failed to provide respirators to firefighters and other first responders.” He said that the lack of respirators led to exposure of first responders to fatal or otherwise serious pathogens.
He has criticized the reduction of the number of firehouses in Brooklyn while up to 60,000 units of housing are planned for waterfront areas of Brooklyn.
In 2007, he sided with the Fire Department and the city of New York in a Federal lawsuit initiated by the Vulcan Society of black firefighters, which charged that the written entrance exams had disparate impact on minority candidates.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
You don’t hear this sort of oration much in the public sphere, although it was once ubiquitous. Combative, inflected with urban accent and patois, rife with gestural poses and dismissive facial expressions. This isn’t a lawyer talking, this is a working guy.
from ufanyc.org
The objectives of the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) are to:
- Protect the rights of UFA members
- Obtain better and safer working conditions
- Secure adequate remuneration
- Obtain the equitable resolution of grievances
- Cultivate fellowship among its members
- Foster the finest traditions of American citizenship
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Next up was Captain Al Hagan of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA), for which he serves as President.
…But it is very frightening that that the mayor of New York has announced the closing of 20 fire companies in the city and I am concerned that the impact on the security of our citizens—particularly in the event of another terrorist attack-would be devastating. The whole world knows that the Fire Department is one of the cornerstones of homeland security here in New York City.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Capt. Hagan, similarly a union man, brought the old time thunder to the podium.
from wikipedia
Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA) is a union for lieutenants, captains, battalion chiefs, deputy chiefs, medical officers and supervising fire marshals in the Fire Department of New York. Captain Alexander Hagan is the current president of the UFOA. Battalion Chief Jack McDonnell preceded Capt. Hagan. Peter Gorman was president from 1999-2007.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Next up was Bill de Blasio… and I must get this out of my system… who must be the largest man in the City of New York. When you stand next to the public advocate, and I am average height, it feels like you’re in third grade.
If we lived in medieval times, the public advocate would be King just based on virtue of his stature.
Holy moley, this guy is gigantic.
…glad I got that off my chest…
from pubadvocate.nyc.gov
On November 3rd, 2009, Bill de Blasio was elected New York City’s third Public Advocate. For the prior eight years, de Blasio served in the New York City Council where he fought to make City Hall more responsive and accountable to New Yorkers.
Bill de Blasio began his work in New York City government as an aide to Mayor David Dinkins. During the Clinton Administration, de Blasio was appointed Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he served under former Secretary Andrew Cuomo. In 1999, de Blasio was elected to the School Board for District 15 in Brooklyn. In 2000, he managed Hillary Rodham Clinton’s successful campaign for U.S. Senate. The following year, de Blasio was elected to the New York City Council where he represented District 39 in Brooklyn for eight years.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
All kidding aside, the Public Advocate threw his protestations to the Mayor’s plan to close Ladder 128 and 19 other firehouses into the ring.
from pubadvocate.nyc.gov
“The list of fire company cutbacks shows what the Mayor’s budget really means for the safety of New Yorkers and their families. In my own neighborhood, Engine Company 220, which is a block from my house, now faces an estimated 30-second jump in response time. As Fire Commissioner Cassano has acknowledged, higher response times mean greater risks for New Yorkers. I will fight to keep every one of these fire companies open so that no family is put in harm’s way.”
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Newtown Pentacle HQ, I would reveal in accordance with some set of ethical blogging rules, lies deep within the districts of several of these powers and potentates. So does the Newtown Creek, and just in case my viewpoints and biases might be viewed as representing any groups or organizations which I belong to or am affiliated with, this is just me rattling on and does not attempt the former.
My wife sleeps in the area affected by this closing, and I’m pissed off about it as a citizen.
from qgazette.com
Known affectionately as “Tombstone Territory” due to the surrounding graveyard, Ladder Co. 128 was originally founded on Feb. 7, 1910 as Hook and Ladder Co. 78 on Greenpoint Ave in the town of Blissville. The name was changed to Hook & Ladder 128 on Jan. 1, 1913.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Of course, as the E259 Firehouse is directly across the street from Calvary Cemetery, which longtime readers of this- your Newtown Pentacle- know I have a certain interest in, there’s a little more to the story of the place than just modern politics. Check out this report from the archives at nytimes.com on this firehouse, when it housed Long Island City F.D. Engine No. 2 during the reign of Battleax Gleason.
additionally, here’s a little nugget from Municipal journal and engineer, Volume 26, courtesy google books
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The insignia nickname for this unit, of course, is tombstone territory. Here’s their patch.
from fdnytrucks.com
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There are a series of rallies and marches planned, and I’ve heard rumors of a gargantuan protest meant to occur on June 3rd. Please check the websites of the various elected officials pictured or mentioned in this post for more news. As well, the web sites of the 2 unions bear watching.
Normal Newtown Pentacle policy on such matters is “it’s not good, it’s not bad, it just is”, however closing fire companies is definitively a very bad idea indeed.
from nypost.com
Chief of Department Edward Kilduff called the centennial a tremendous milestone for the firehouse, nicknamed “tombstone territory” thanks to its location across from Calvary Cemetery, one of the largest and oldest burial grounds in the country.
“This is one of the most diverse areas in the city,” Kilduff said. “You have everything here from high-rises to tunnels to rail yards. The commercial buildings are extreme challenges for anybody. A place like this really represents the heart and soul in the Fire Department.”
The Newtown Pentacle 