Author: Quinn Reeves

Attached is my second article for the semester on Poland’s abortion ban protests.  Thank you!  Poland Article

Dear Editor ([email protected]),

My name is Quinn Reeves and I am a Journalist located in Brooklyn.  I hope you’re doing well in these uncertain times and keeping safe!

I wanted to pitch a story that I believe would fit in with the VICE issues section very well and is especially relevant right now.  Currently, Polish citizens are fighting a big battle for human rights being threatened by their government.  The newly elected Polish President Andrzej Duda and right-wing government are attacking the LGBTQ+ community with everything they have right now.  According to a report published this year by ILGA Europe, Poland is the most homophobic and transphobic country in the EU.  They have allowed LGBT-free zones to pop-up all-over Poland which means cities are allowed to pass local laws condemning “LGBT ideology”.  According to the nonprofit Stonewall Poland, these zones currently take up one-third of Poland making many citizens feel targeted and unsafe.

I am planning to interview Polish Americans to get their opinions on what is happening in their home country right now.  Through the Polish American contacts, I will also have access to individuals in Poland living through these protests.  I would like to speak with them about their experiences and feelings towards the current political climate.  My goal with this piece is to shine a light on the injustices happening in Poland, the affected people, and how they are fighting back.  I have thought around an 800-word piece to sum all of this up.

In addition to the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in Poland, a week ago Poland’s already restrictive abortion laws have become even tighter.  This new law has taken away a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy because of severe fetal defects.  Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets to protests these human rights violations.  With such a tense situation unfolding in Poland right now there is much to be covered and brought to light.

I look forward to talking more with you about this piece!  I hope you have a safe and fun Halloween weekend.

Best,

Quinn Reeves

The UN spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric from The Secretary-General provided notes on the global tourism industry, contraction of remittances, major trade slow down, and the climate crisis.

• He said that small states have been vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19. Added that we need effective international cooperation, solidarity, and multilateralism to respond to the economic and social impacts that underlying fragilities expose and aggravated during the pandemic.
• The secretary-general also stresses that the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic must be linked to the sustainable development goals. He noted that we must ensure that a COVID-19 vaccine is considered a global public good and available and affordable to all.
• On climate change, he added that we must build a global coalition in 2021 towards net-zero emissions. Small states have a key role to play he stressed adding that he counts on their active engagement.
• In the security council this morning, members of the council heard from the secretary-general special representative in the Central African Republic, he reiterated the UN’s mission commitment to support the forthcoming presidential and legislative elections as well as local elections scheduled next year. The political situation remains tense he said as he encouraged all those involved to view the upcoming elections as an opportunity to consolidate the democratic process and to find lasting solutions to the crisis the country has been facing.
• Turning to the pandemic he highlighted that the socioeconomic vulnerabilities that have been exasperated by the virus. He strongly condemned the attacks against humanitarian workers which are worsening the situation of populations in need.  The special representative said the UN mission will continue to take all needed measures to protect civilians, civilian infrastructure, and humanitarian workers.
• The world food program is warning that unless humanitarian access is urgently granted to organizations like theirs chaotropic levels of hunger can hit parts of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The ability of humanitarian organizations to deliver assistance to those in need has been jeopardized by worsening conflict and insecurity.  WFP said in their statement aid workers are also increasingly targeted by non-state armed groups and the agency is urging participants in tomorrow’s conference to find ways for organizations to engage with communities and open up safe passageways.
  • I found this issue to be the most interesting/newsworthy because they are intertwined in that we are battling two pandemics here.  The COVID-19 pandemic and the hunger crisis.  While many humanitarian groups are on the ground trying to help they are being attacked by non-state groups which are hindering their ability to progress.  There is a meeting being able tomorrow in regard to this ongoing issue and is it urgent they find ways to safely allow these organizations to operate or progress will continue to be hindered.
• In Yemen out humanitarian colleagues tell us the situation continues to worsen as clashes surge. They report more than a thousand people have been displaced in October.  We alone with our humanitarian partners are providing aid items to the newly displaced people.  With this backdrop, COVID-19 continues to spread unchecked through Yemen.  In parallel, the threat of hunger for millions is on the rise and food prices are 140% higher than before the conflict.  The lack of funding is crippling, the Yemen response program is only 42% funded.

 

• In terms of questions, the one that stuck out to me was a question asking if the UN is aware that the U.S. plans to change the rules for the visas that allow most journalists to cover the UN limiting them to 240 days stay in the US?  Yes they are aware. Dujarric​ asked that they check that and how it affects Journalists covering the UN and once he has something he will get back with that information.

 

Sorry for the Delay!  But I finally made it out to the exhibits…

I attended the Photoville exhibitions located around Brooklyn Bridge Park and thought it was an incredible experience.  It was done really well regardless of its need to abide by social distancing standards.  I went on a pleasant sunny day and found myself exploring the area for different exhibits as if It were a treasure hunt.  There were so many great works that covered a variety of subjects that I found myself drawn to.  When looking for something with an international angle I was drawn to a large portion of the exhibit that focused on COVIDs’ effect on different international countries.  I particularly found the photo and reporting work of Nyimas Laula interesting on Bali since 50 percent of their economy comes from tourism this is the worst economic trouble they’ve seen yet.  They have seen a shift and return to traditional living styles in order to take care of their families.  Since I’m more interested in the photojournalism side It was really informative to see how so many professionals have covered and captured the effects of COVID.  In Laula’s photos, I saw her display and focus of the Bali natives returning to their roots which she said in her writing and translated in her photos.

I was also taken by a few other exhibits I would like to mention one of which being Asian Americans and the Pandemic curated by Sangsuk Sylvia Kang.  This focused on the xenophobia that arose from COVID and was encouraged by our president saying things such as the “Chinese Virus”.  It was photos of Asian Americas placed over the areas they were attacked or threatened accompanied by their stories.  I found the first-person storytelling to be a very powerful method in an emotional piece such as this. Lastly, I was personally excited to see Haiti to Hood by Daveed Baptiste because he is a former coworker of mine!  This was a social commentary on his identity of being a Haitian-American which was just fun for me to see.

Hello James Estrin,

My name is Quinn Reeves and I am a Brooklyn based Journalist with a story that I believe would be perfectly aligned with the brand and the general content of the New York Times Lens.  I was especially taken with the recent story and beautiful photos from “Images of an El Salvador Town Transformed by Migration” as I am hoping to cover a similar focus but in our own city.

I have a great photo story pitch documenting the changes gentrification has brought to “Little Poland” in Greenpoint Brooklyn.  Many New York transplants coming to the city for high paying technology and finance jobs see Brooklyn as a “cheaper” and “trendy” living alternative which has caused the displacement of many locals.  Because of this in recent years (2010-14) Greenpoint saw a spike in their average rent by 78% which has greatly impacted the original immigrants that build this community.  Seventy-eight percent is huge and possibly devastating to the people who found their livelihood in this neighborhood.

Many of the hardworking Polish immigrants have built businesses from the ground up and lost them because of the changing landscape.  Now when you walk through Greenpoint and look around you see majority chain drugstores and new apartment complexes going up.  It would also be valuable to find out how COVID-19 has impacted Polish businesses with the already increasing rent rates.

I want to spend the day in Greenpoint photographing what remains of the Polish community/businesses and compare it to what the “new” Greenpoint looks like.  Speaking with the owners of these restaurants and shops about their experiences would be of great importance for informative captions.  It would be interesting to discover how a business such as “Polka Dot Café” and “Pierozek” from the 2019 NYT article have survived and changed over time.  I would include a variety of subjects/shots from individual people to buildings and food.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing back!

Best,

Quinn Reeves

Country/corresponding immigrant community:

Poland

How many live in the US? In the tristate area? How many in the home country?

According to the US Census (2000), there are 8,977,235 Polish Americans in the US.  In the tri-state area, there are approximately 1,846,886 Polish Americans.  The current population of Poland in 2020 is 37,846,611 according to the United Nations data.

In the tristate area, where do they live?

According to Untapped, Greenpoint, Brooklyn is home to the second-largest concentration of Polish immigrants in the United States.  In New York City Williamsburg, Maspeth, and Ridgewood are also home to Polish communities.   While Wallington in Bergen County, New Jersey contains the state’s highest percentage of Polish Americans.

What jobs do a significant percentage of them have?

When Polish immigrants originally came to the United States the majority of them were taking opportunities in unskilled manual labor.  Dominating fields such as mining, meatpacking, construction, and steelwork.  Today the average incomes have increased from below average to above average while expanding into white-collar professional and managerial roles.  While many still hold positions in blue-collar construction and trade jobs.

Why did they come? When?

Polish immigrants came to the United States in a few different waves.  The first and smallest taking place between 1800 to 1860 were Poles fleeing after the partitioning of their country.  The second wave occurred between 1860 and WWI in which immigrants were in search of a better economic life.  The second wave brought many Poles to industrial cities which allocates for the major of Polish immigrants working manual labor jobs.  The third wave happened after WWI through the cold war which was comprised of political refugees.  Currently, we are seeing a rising number of younger Polish immigrants fleeing Poland’s harsh right-wing government.  

What are some major organizations/advocacy groups/resources in this community?

In Greenpoint, they have the Polish & Slavic Center which is a non-profit and cultural services organization founded in 1972.  They pride themselves on serving the community without engaging itself politically.  The center provides extended social services free of charge such as public housing, varying benefit programs, union pension, to name a few.  The center also has recreation activity clubs and computer courses.

Do they have local media house/s? If so, list them.

There is the Nowy Dziennik which is a Polish-language daily newspaper that is published in NYC six days a week, they also have a website.

List/link the major media houses in the home country.

• https://www.gazeta.pl/0,0.html
• https://www.wykop.pl
• https://wyborcza.pl/0,0.html?disableRedirects=true
• https://natemat.pl
• https://wpolityce.pl

How strong are relationships with the home country? How significant are remittances to the home country’s economy?

According to the Congressional Research Service, the relationship between the United States and Poland have been typically close and cooperative.  Remittances sent back to Poland have boosted their economy.

In the homeland what is the GDP per capita? Where does that rank in the world? What are the major industries?

According to US News, the GDP per capita of Poland is $32,005 with an overall rank of #34 in 2019.  According to Industry Europe, the largest industries in Poland are agriculture, manufacturing, energy, and tourism industries.

What is the system of government? When did this system come into place? Was there a colonial power? (Or was it the colonial power?)

The Government of Poland is a unitary semi-presidential republic, meaning the President is head of state and the Prime minister is the head of the government.  The current system of government is held in place by the 1997 constitution of Poland.  Poland has never had any formal colonial territories or power.

Name of the NY consul general. How long has he/she been in the role?

Adrian Kubicki, I believe he has been in this role since 2018…

Give three potential story ideas. (Doesn’t need to be a fully fleshed-out pitch yet, but should be well-thought-out.)

1. I would like to do a photojournalism story on Greenpoint documenting how recent gentrification has pushed the original polish community out and shut down many businesses. I could interview business owners and members of the Polish community to identify how gentrification has affected them.

2. A feature piece on the Polish & Slavic Center and how they give back to the community. I also find it particularly interesting they are nonpolitical when Poland is run by such a strictly right-wing government so I would like to find out more about that.

3. A piece on what is happening to the LGBTQ+ community in Poland right now and the recent protests. I would like to interview Polish individuals in New York to get their opinions on how their government is handling it.  I do know people with family in Poland so it would be interesting to also speak with individuals experiencing it first-hand.

Interview

I am currently still working on getting in contact with a Polish community leader.  I would like to speak with someone from the Polish & Slavic center to find out more about the community in Greenpoint.  I would also like to speak to one of the individuals who participated in the NYC protest outside the Polish consul in solidarity.

This semester the country I would like to focus on is Poland, a country in Europe currently facing a human rights crisis. The current right-wing government and Polish President Andrzej Duda have publicly demonized the LGBTQ+ community making way for dangerous and unfair treatment to citizens. Newly reelected Duda stated in his campaign that “LGBT are not people — they are an ideology” that is “even more destructive than communism.”. Due to this hateful rhetoric, many Polish towns have declared themselves “LGBTQ free” zones, so much so that they have lost funding from the European Union. The E.U.’s commissioner stated that by allowing these zones to be created the Polish government has failed to protect the fundamental rights of its citizens. According to a 2020 survey by ILGA, an international gay rights organization, Poland is currently the most homophobic country in the European Union. Protests have erupted all over the country and are expected to continue. Protestors have been detained on multiple occasions (including prominent activists) and are facing violence from the police.

Since New York is known as fiercely accepting and protecting its LGBTQ+ citizens the contrast between Poland is obvious. I would like to interview members of the large Polish community we have in Greenpoint to hear their opinions and how this movement is affecting any family still in Poland. I think it would be valuable to speak to members of the LGBTQ+ community in New York to talk about how this affects the overall push for equality. The recent arrests of activists in Poland have even sparked protests to take place in front of the NYC Polish consulate to demonstrate solidarity.