Expectations: Was emailed predraft: http://archive.cunyhumanitiesalliance.org/breathingthroughwriting/2017/04/19/pre-draft-2/
Rough draft:http://archive.cunyhumanitiesalliance.org/breathingthroughwriting/2017/04/30/assignment-2-draft-2/
Classmates I peer reviewed: Saeed and Hira.
Artist Statement
The audience for this assignment is everyone. I want people to know and understand the inequalities that are in their neighborhoods. For instance I address the issue of inadequate funding given in neighborhoods of Bronx, and Brooklyn when it comes to funding and insufficient staff available to protect the residents. If I had to pinpoint to a specific majority it would be the police commissioner because they are in charge of the budgeting and the amount of money each borough receives.
- Before reading this piece I want my audience to keep an open mind and understand that don’t just focus about your community but understand what’s happening in your city. I would want the commissioner to even know that if you see a borough like the Bronx has the highest rate of homicides what steps are being taken to reduce these rates. Or there’s nothing being don’t at all because the city is what’s is considered vital. An area like South Bronx crimes rates are escalating rather quickly why aren’t funds going to these communities who are in need. When citizens don’t even feel safe to walk out of their doors.
- I want my reader to learn that without changes happening wouldn’t there be a solution. There can be all these discussions that happen but if actions and the steps aren’t taken the undeveloped neighborhoods have no chance of improving.
- I’m not sure I think time will tell but if I had to go with what’s happening this present time there aren’t any resolutions. The police commissioner knows what’s happening and is presented with these statics but still doesn’t provide adequate funding for these neighborhoods.
- The perspective I choose to focus on was based on New York City and neighborhoods but rather talking about changes or how a neighborhood is improving. I felt that taking it to a different approach such as talking about the staffing of police among the undeveloped neighborhoods.
- While writing this paper I was aware about the insufficient funds that each jurisdictions is given but I was alarmed to find out what extent that it went to. Based on 100 violent crimes the amount of officers available in prominently in white area would be 418.4 as compared to a struggling community having 120.01 officers. That’s a significant difference and I was alarmed to learn about these statics.
- I was fascinated when conducting research of how much injustice can be found not only among education but also how its seen in policing as well. I would still like to learn about the financial budget that is given to each borough I couldn’t find any.
- Class discussions and going in depth of the play has helped me with the process of breaking down what each characters was saying. I was confused about something as a class we talk about it among our groups. Also the play is related to real world issues has helped me gather ideas and relate to it on a personal level. Peer reviews help because my writing to me can make sense but if another set of eyes reads it then they can critique to what’s wrongs and what changes can be made.
- If I has another week I would make a few changes to how approached the topic. Also adding more details for instance just bringing my thoughts together in more of concise way.
- Lastly what I would like to leave my reader with is have an open mind and see not just how your community but have knowledge of what’s happening in your city. Of how others might be affected to what we take for advantages.
The Police Presence
Equality is a central idea of the American government. The expectations we have for our government is to show an equal concern for every citizen but we see that division and lack of resources that is given in one community verse another. Resources such as educational opportunities to even the amount policing that is available. Racial disparities is common in the city of New York and it wasn’t just something that was discovered but rather just brought to the public eye again recently. History has shown us these injustices such as the Civil rights movement where African Americans had fought for equality among jobs, education, communities. History has a way of repeating itself this movement was just fifty years ago but still injustice continues. Even though laws were enacted to bring about change. Still we see this injustice happening in our own communities of NYC. At a young age were taught that all races are considered to be equal but how much of this is true in the society that we are living in today? Looking at the aspect of where one resides in a neighborhood and the sources a person is given. The police who are looked as to serve and protect all communities but instead serve a greater purpose in the developed neighborhoods rather than the undeveloped neighborhoods. In the play Intersections which was written by LaGuardia community college students shows us the underlying reasons that people our age or anyone could face.
Undeveloped neighborhoods which is predominately made up of ethical backgrounds black, Hispanic. There is inequalities that are being brought up by the residents who reside of how unsafe they feel and the inadequate police present within these neighborhoods. The south Bronx has the highest violent crimes rates in the city and the rise is up by 13% from last year. It has no chance of stopping or reducing if there isn’t a police present around to make changes. Not having enough resources in the force for instance the 40th percent located in the south Bronx have assigned one detective that is responsible to solve four murder cases while in Lower Manhattan there are more detectives than they are murders. Not only that but detectives in Manhattan each one is assigned a single case of a homicide. Which doesn’t make sense an area like Manhattan that is doing so well and has less crimes has such sufficient and abundant police force than the communities that are desperately in need. According to the New York Times report” Nine out of the fourteen lowest staffed precinct detective squads for violent crimes in the city was in the Bronx” (Mueller).Which explains largely why crime and violence are high among the neighborhoods of Mott. Haven and Port Morris. The statistics shows more than half of the percent majority of them being the in the borough of Bronx has fewer staff and can’t serve and protect the community and its people. Based on the resources their given. Councilwoman Vanessa L. Gibson who is the chairwoman of the committee of public safety has even issued more information of the budgeting process of Brooklyn and the Bronx.
The extent of how conditions are getting worse among the South Bronx can be felt with stories residents living among these communities have shared. How they feel safe is having a triple locked doors so nobody would be able to break in. People have shared how their 911 calls would go unanswered for hours or the police would come when it’s too late. Gola white live in the Bronx and she shares of how she saw her four year old daughter get shot, four years later her son was gunned down in the same housing project. She says “Here we have nothing. When it comes to low-poverty families. The authorities don’t really care as much” (Mueller). Families feel that there aren’t given any options. Which shouldn’t be the case.
Mostly the neighborhood that are looked to be improvised and are still developing is made up of minorities such as blacks, Hispanics. Children among these communities look to the police for their safety and protection and when it’s not found they seek it in crime itself. Elijah Anderson studies unequal protection states that “feeling that they can’t depend on the police and other civil authorities to protect them from danger, residents [of poor black communities] tend to teach their children for themselves physically or meet violence with violence”. At young age children are taught that the only way to survive and be safe is to learn how to fight. How isn’t an issue not seen here? Police are the ones who should be providing the safety that is needed among these neighborhoods. Citizens shouldn’t need to result in teaching their child to fight for their life when put in risk they should be doing things that a child are supposed to do.
In “Intersections” written by the students at LaGuardia Community College were are introduced to several characters who each have their own story. Mike a writer that is working on his screenplay during his free time and then working at Gap. We see Mike and his girlfriend Bethany living in neighborhood of Brooklyn where gentrification is happening. Mike: “We aren’t from here either”, Bethany: “We’re more Brooklyn than they are. We’ve been here a year”(Intersections 10).Even though I haven’t seen the play I can assume that Mike and Bethany are both white. They have move moved to Brooklyn that is doing fairly well. Then we see Janelle a bright college student who is left with feeling the underlying pressure of taking care of her ill grandmother. Having to face issues of going to school or work but choices to work so she provide an additional source of income. Finding out that the morphine that was used to ease the grandmother’s pain had finished Janelle felt she had no choice but to get the drugs on the street. Alex is the officer and both characters Mike and Janelle both had some sort of drug on them. Alex: “He’s alright, he’s harmless (Toward Janelle) Shit. This might be the suspect what do I do? I don’t know what to do? My training will help me. Trust the system”(Intersections 26). We see that the cop went based on the racial bias and targeted Janelle instead of looking at Mike. Even though both had drugs on them Janelle was looked as the prime suspect because she was African American and not white.