The Paw Print

A news publication created by Baruch's College Now high school journalism class

Queens

Summer Heat

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With the summer heat killing everyone, all you want to do is cool off in a pool and stay there all day. Those who can’t go to the pool, go to the nearest fire hydrant that is open. Walking past seeing the kids play and get soaked looks refreshing.

The only problem is the people cooling themselves don’t know that they are wasting water that could be used to put out a fire. If a house is on fire the day after a fire hydrant was open pouring thousands of gallons of water out, when the firefighters come and open the fire hydrants, the possibility of little water coming out is high. Opening a fire hydrant without asking a firefighter is illegal and is called uncapping. People who do this could receive a fine of $1,000 or 30 days in jail.

Uncapping fire hydrants, started with the “Great Heat Wave of 1896,” which lasted 10 days, according to 6sqft. The hydrants were opened to cool down the streets and help wash away the garbage piling up. Kids enjoyed playing and people continued uncapping fire hydrants more often, but later on many complained that water was being wasted.. After this uncapping was no longer legal throughout the twentieth century. In the late 1950s, six city agencies met up to come up with a solution to uncapping fire hydrants illegally. They agreed to distribute free spray caps which released only 25 to 28 gallons per minute versus as much as 1700 gallons per minute without the cap. This is better for the community as it saves water in case there is ever an emergency.

The uncapping of fire hydrants is tolerated by the city when temperatures climb above 90 degrees, because not all pools can take everyone. It benefits people because hydrants are much closer to their house and they don’t have to wait in line. During the heatwave in NYC that lasted for three days July 19-21 allowed the uncapping of fire hydrants. The temperature was above 95 degrees, but it felt like 107 according to a New York Times article.

Uncapping mostly happens in large neighborhoods with a higher percentage of people living on lower incomes. Hell’s Kitchen, the Lower East Side, the SouthSide of Williamsburg, Bushwick, BedStuy, Jackson Heights, and Woodhaven are among the city’s uncapping hotspots according to 6sqft.

In Corona, Queens five fire hydrants were opened all day on July 20. Kids were playing, getting all soaked and the parents were talking to their neighbors. “The kids are having fun and running around, it’s good, especially with this type of weather,” said a mom who was sitting outside her building while her two kids were enjoying themselves with the water. Another mom added “It’s better than being inside with the kids on their phones and tablets all day.”

Now spray caps are not being used, the problem of overflowing water is back. Gallons of water are being released and wasted because people don’t know that if you go to a local fire station, a fireman will install or lend you a spray cap.

 

A Queens District Attorney candidate may be brought to victory by the Democratic Socialists of America and Working Families Party

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It may seem like the only way ordinary people can impact elections is to vote. But in Queens, effective grassroots campaigning may decide the District Attorney election.

It seemed Tiffany Cabán was winning the Queens Democratic primary election for district attorney. However, the paper ballots take longer to count, and when they were counted it was determined that Melinda Katz, Cabán’s main opponent, had won the election by just 20 votes. Because of how close the election was, the votes are in the process of being recounted, so Cabán still has a good chance of winning.

Cabán’s near victory is part of a larger progressive movement. She campaigned around issues like ending the war on drugs and mass incarceration within queens, as well as planning to “tackle corporate crimes” according to her campaign website. Cabán was also backed by the NYC Democratic Socialists of America, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.

This election mirrored the 2018 congressional election as Katz and Cabán were each backed by candidates in that election. Former Congressman Joe Crowley backed Katz; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive candidate who defeated Crowley, backed Cabán.

According to Luke Elliot-Negri, a CUNY Grad Center sociology student who has been published in Jacobin and NY Daily News, there are other factors at play than just a recent progressive movement. He believes that the Working Families Party was central to Cabán coming within 20 votes of winning. The Cabán campaign was a “coming together” of the two organizaitons’ strengths: the DSA’s numbers and the WFP’s methods and experience. The WFP has connections to labor unions who could be drawn on, while the DSA has members who helped a lot with the campaigning process. “The most effective thing to get people out to the polls is to show up to their doors” as Luke Elliot-Negri put it.

This election is part of a greater national struggle against political machines throughout the country. Due to the recounts, it is very possible that Queens’ next District Attorney could be Tiffany Cabán, despite the efforts of some powerful political figures.

WNYC’s Brigid Bergin

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Brigid Bergin went from working in a bank, to being part of the political beat at WNYC. 

She confessed to Baruch College Now students at a spacious conference room in the offices of NYC Public Radio yesterday with the goal of helping aspiring journalists. When the last question came up, everyone listened carefully to Bergin’s response about her professional career. 

“I didn’t know I really wanted to be a journalist,” is something the high school students didn’t expect to hear from the WNYC City Hall and politician reporter. 

Bergin worked 8 and a half years in a bank and described her work space there as “a little cubical.” She wanted to go out and explore what was happening around her neighborhood and her city. She realized that journalism would fulfill her desires of being involved in various communities. 

She went to journalism school and that’s when she transitioned from her work at the bank to being a full-time journalist. 

“I fell in love with radio and WNYC,” she says when talking about being an intern at the NYC Public Radio. 

 She began as a general assignment journalist for a year, like many others. Later on, she was assigned to specific topics. 

If she wasn’t in the politics area, she would lean towards the cultural aspect of finding different communities around each borough.

New Building, New Neighborhood?

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Chinatown’s shops are being taken down and replaced, Midtown’s buildings are being upgraded, Washington Heights rent prices are soaring, and Astoria’s expensive new apartments are pushing some people out of their homes, according to local residents.

 

Rego Park isn’t too far behind.

 

Construction of a 23-story building on Queens Boulevard — the tallest one in the area — is underway as of late July. There used to be “several small businesses, including a bodega and a pharmacy” on the site, the Forest Hills Post reports.

 

The Forest Hills Post claims the building will have 116 apartments, 411 parking spaces, 25,000 square feet of commercial space and 30,000 square feet of community facility space. Residents will have access to a yoga studio, a teen room, a children’s room, and a rooftop terrace.

 

Also in Rego Park, a house on 64-53 Ellwell Crescent received a demolition permit on July 27, according to the NYC Department of Buildings. The site is across the street from a new elaborate house the Forest Hills Post describes as having “large Greek columns and a concrete yard.” People are concerned that the replacement house may look similar. These thoughts are stirring up controversy — especially among long-time residents — over how the neighborhood may look or feel.

 

The face of this community is evolving along with so many others across New York City, and Queens residents have a lot to say about it.

 

“It’s where the world is heading,” says Yuriy, a resident of the area for over 20 years.

 

Locals see new types of people coming into the area with more convenient living, and some see a promising outlook for the community.

 

Daniel, 22, lives in nearby Fresh Meadows, but has a lot of family and friends in the area around where the 23-story building will be built. He sees the neighborhood changing demographically, reporting “more Bukharians and Kosher stores.” 14-year-old Emily Murdakhayeva reports the neighborhood around her has been growing more crowded as it becomes more diverse.

 

Daniel explains that the older generations have started to be replaced by younger generations, as even “71st Avenue [Forest Hills] is starting to get more young people.” Yuriy thinks the new housing will bring more “young professionals” and “people who used to live in the city.” He says buildings such as the 23-story one foster an “ongoing pattern of migration from the inner city to outer boroughs.”

 

While the areas’ futures are still disputed, Rego Park and Forest Hills are becoming home to more — and more diverse — people. The NYU Furman Center reports that the racial and economic diversity has increased.

 

Some locals see other positive changes with the new mixed-use 23-story building.

 

Though both Daniel and Emily expect the value of homes to increase and rent to go up, Daniel thinks the new mixed-use building will “cause more traffic.” Yuriy describes the shops in the building as a “plus” for residents who “can do grocery shopping in the lobby of the building.”

 

More residences help people stay in the area, as Daniel mentions how he could see his brother moving into such a home after getting married. He says that with the train station nearby, a new building with plenty of apartments seems to be a good reason for families like his to stay and continue growing.

 

To add to the list of changes, Yuriy brings up the end of a old establishment. He reports that as the Flagship Diner in Briarwood, a neighborhood in Queens, sees its 50-year lease coming to a close, a developer who bought the site will very likely build a residential building in its place.

Superintendent Couldn’t Care Less About Damages In Resident Homes

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By Jesica Ramirez August 9 at 10:05 AM

ELMHURST, NY— Jansinta Morelos came across a small water leakage in the pipe in her bathroom Friday morning and was worried her bathroom would flood into the neighbors’ downstairs. “It was scary because the hole could get bigger causing a bigger problem,” she said adding this isn’t the first time she came across such an issue.

“It isn’t the first time a water leakage happened,” she said. Morelos stood looking in discontent at what she saw.

Tenants on 45th Avenue reportedly find themselves faced with an issue in their own apartments that make them agitated. Dealing with their superintendent, who lives floors beneath residents, is difficult because he disregards the urgent need to fix damages. Residents say it’s complicated to do simple things such as turning on water in the sink.

“We had to complain about something almost every other day,” said a man living in the building who wished to remain anonymous. The resident commented he visits the superintendent’s office often and said, “Several times I had to personally go to the office for something bothering me. It has become a problem.”

The superintendent has told residents he would come to their apartment soon and fix damages though “he doesn’t stay true to his words,” the man said, “It’s been two weeks since I told him about a cracked wall in my living room and I see him often chilling.”

The building is constructed with wide lengthy hallways and a spacious center room extending to another side where more tenants live. People can walk through the center room to reach to the other part of the building. Both sides have a staircase and an elevator that residents use on a daily basis. However, the elevator on one side of the building has a consistent record of having technical problems while the elevator on the other side works fine.

“The amount of times this elevator keeps getting stuck is unbelievable!” said Amelia Flores, another resident of the building who uses the elevator daily.

The elevator has a button to push in case of emergency with a speaker to communicate with responders. Flores says, “I got stuck in the elevator once before for a short time before first responders came to fix the the elevator.”

The elevator rescue operators have become familiar in the building. Flores stated the elevator rescue operations operators weren’t surprised to receive a call from the building since they’ve been to it before.

“It was funny but sad,” Flores said, “when they put me on hold I heard them say, it’s the building on 45th Avenue again.”

Operators have not been seen in the building for a few months but that doesn’t mean the elevator has been working perfectly. The superintendent has been fixing the elevator!

Fixing an elevator is expensive because on average, a service call to fix an elevator is $120 and the cost for repairs is $75 per hour.

Residents are happy the superintendent fixes the elevator. Despite having the staircase as an alternative, they worry children can get hurt.

“It’s important for the people living here because most of them are elderly, parents of children, or simply need it for their folding tote,” the superintendent said adding “the staircase would give the residents a hard time bringing down their folding tote.”

Residents, though, question why the superintendent takes longer to come fix issues in their apartment.

“It doesn’t make sense,” said resident Emilio. He added last year he had a small hole on the ceiling and dust fell down onto the sink. Emilio reported it to the superintendent.

“A week went by and I even went twice to his office in case he forgot and didn’t get it fixed until almost a week later,” said Emilio.

The last two years were the busiest time for the superintendent because he received a lot of complaints from residents. “It’s hard to be in each of their apartment to fix the problem when people need me elsewhere,” the superintendent said. “Depending on what the problem is it can take a few days.”

Residents understand that the superintendent can be stressed out but they want everyone in the building to be free of harm.

“We’re all happy living here. The issues don’t always happen,” said an Indian man who recently moved in.

Queens Church on Immigration

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Immigration is a topic discussed among several platforms, such as art and scripture. It has been discussed throughout history but more so in today’s society.  

The 14-16-year-old class of the Greater Allen Cathedral in Queens, NY is preparing a skit on immigration for Sunday School.

T.W., 15, identifies as an African-American female. When asked the reason for portraying the issue of immigration in America as a skit, she said, “an immigration skit shows people what immigration’s about.” In other words, the injustices people have to go through. She hopes the skit will open people’s eyes to the injustices immigrants have to go through in America. The term ‘illegal immigrant’ upsets her, she said. “They call immigrants illegal, it’s like not fair.”  

T.S., 16, identifies as a Trinidadian-American male. He hopes the skit will change the way immigrants are treated when entering America. When asked about the effect of the term ‘illegal immigrant’ on him, he said, “It doesn’t really affect me but it affects others around me.”  

K.C., 16, identifies as a Haitian-American female. She hopes the skit will help the government see what it is doing to families. She said she doesn’t mind if immigrants are ‘illegal,’ but finds it problematic if they are also criminals.  

T.M., 15, identifies as a Jamaican-American male. He believes immigration is an important topic to discuss. He hopes the skit will help immigrants be accepted and start a new life in America. The term ‘illegal immigrant’ impacts him because it makes him “think about how we have so much and a lot of people do not and [they’re] getting taken away from their families.” He is very sympathetic toward the families ICE is separating. When asked about what he’s been told about ICE, he answered, “I feel like they’re doing an unfair thing, that people need to be able to come into this country and feel safe.”  

T.J., 15, identifies as an African-American male. He hopes the skit will be meaningful to people. The term ‘illegal immigrant’ impacts him because “if I wasn’t from here, it would be hard to get here.”  

Sister L.H, the teacher, identifies as an African-American female. She hopes the skit will “move others to action and because of the heightened awareness that a skit will bring, that they will understand that they have the power to do something.” When asked about what she’s been told about ICE, she answered, “ICE is an organization that basically patrols the border…they patrol the border in the sense that they’re the ones responsible for…I don’t want to just say apprehending people who come across the border because they should also be directing them to the proper authorities.”  

The teacher as well as the students were asked, “If you were undocumented, would you flee or would you stay and fight for you and every other undocumented person?” T.W. and T.S. said they would flee. K.C., T.M., T.J., and Sis. L.H. said they’d fight to stay.  

The students and the teacher said immigration is important to them individually. T.S. said, “On a [scale] from one to ten, probably like eight.” K.C. said, “It’s important because you know families are being separated from each other and that’s like really sad.” T.M.  said, “It’s very important because if I was put in their shoes, I would want to be [treated] the same as everyone else.” T.J. believes diversity itself is important. Sis. L.H. said, “Immigration is very important to me because I understand that most of America was built on the contributions of immigrants from different countries.” 

Immigration is a very controversial topic that can spark sensitivity within many living in America. Immigration in what it’s come to today has been made to be an upsetting topic for many. It has driven many families apart and broken many families that have been reunited. The Greater Allen Cathedral is being brave in discussing a topic so large that has many different opinions around it. They hope to make a difference in performing this skit and with that, spark greater discussion. Many live in fear of what could happen but forget that there is always now. The GAC shows the reality of it while also trying to spark hope in people. This shows determination for change and empathy for those affected. 

Making a Difference One Sandwich at a Time

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On July 19th at 7 P.M., local residents and interns of Assemblyman Brian Barnwell gathered at the St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church in Queens to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the hungry.

The program runs on donations and volunteering, according to an intern. She explained local small businesses and supermarkets give bread and other resources, but emphasized the importance of other community donations.

“You want to give back to the community,” said another intern about her philosophy. All of Barnwell’s young interns agreed that we waste a lot of food, so we should be helping people as a community with what we have.

Not only do those in need benefit from the good service, but volunteers involved share a “community bonding experience,” according to a college senior helping Barnwell. “It’s more tangible than complaining about hunger.”

Steven, who called himself the community liaison, explained the sandwiches are stored in boxes to be collected by City Harvest, a nonprofit food rescue organization. The boxes are shipped to shelters, a volunteer reported.

Another intern preparing sandwiches said he came to the space provided by the church to help out the homeless, which he tries to do whenever he can.

Crystal and Joseph, siblings who came to the event with their mother, were hard at work spreading peanut butter and jelly on slices of bread. Joseph admitted the service helped him with “getting out and doing something useful instead of doing something useless at home.”

Steven reported these projects have been held since fall, and interns want the event to grow and attract more volunteers as sessions are held in the future.

“Brian cares a lot about the community,” claimed an intern who wished to remain anonymous.

A Hindu Community Celebrates Prabhu Jagat Bandhu

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On July 15th, 2015 a community of Hindu remembered Prabhu Jagat Bandhu on his birth anniversary celebration at Bangladesh Hindu Mandir, a Hindu temple in Elmhurst, NY.

A lady who went there said that the celebration started at 7:00 pm and ended at 9:30 pm. Two or three priests arranged the veneration. They had decorated the entire room with flowers. The Gods’ idols were offered fruits, flowers, and foods. According to Hindus, these fruits and foods are called Prasad (sacred offerings).

The priests were worshiping the Gods by singing Kirtans, songs which are sung to respect the Gods. They talked about the great deeds of Prabhu Jagat Bandhu, a religious saint who spent his life singing Kirtans of Lord Krishna and Chaitanya.

Many people were part of this celebration. They were attentive to the priests when they spoke about Jagat Bandhu. After the veneration, everybody went to have the Prasad.

An authority and one of the trustees of the temple said, “It is one of the greatest occasions of Hindu religion.”

Summer Time, More Like Work Time

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    Summer time is usually the time for fun and games, but for many students it is time of rigorous hard work. Carlos Lossa, Cynthia Mojica and Adrien Cohen are upcoming seniors at Quest To Learn, who are working for the first time this summer.

    Carlos Lossa who has been working at McDonalds since late May. “I’m only going to work for the remainder of the summer because I have to focus on my senior year” he said. “When I was working, it didn’t have an effect on my school work because I had passed all my finals and regents in June”, he said “I’ve always been an average student, nothing more, nothing less”, he added.

    Cynthia Mojica who has been working at a cafe on Wall Street as a cashier since mid June. “Til summer’s over, so when school starts I’m out,” she said. Cynthia was picked to attend the College Now program but she simply said, “I had no interest in joining”. “Takeaways: Work doesn’t equal school, which is kind of obvious but for me I like taking a day off once in awhile to cool my head or something but nope, work doesn’t let you do that. It’s exhausting but pretty worth it once you get your paycheck”, she said. “Work makes you appreciate the days you have off”, she said, “I guess it just depends on where you work” she concluded.

    Adrien Cohen who has been a bus boy at Sunset Beach. “I’m quitting for the school year because I gotta focus on school, and it shuts down in the fall anyway,” he said. “And it helps in a lot of ways, you get great people skills, you learn how to interact with people”, he said. “You have a respect for the people serving you, you have a respect for life”, he concluded.

Changing New York

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New York City, also known as the Big Apple ,is known for many things such as skyscrapers, monumental places, and good schools. But there is also many negative things in New York such as homeless people lying on the sidewalk, subways and park benches.

When hearing New York, there are things we can do to change it to make it better, such as reducing the amount of homeless people. We can do this by making the shelters safer. The reason some people do not go into shelters is because they are overcrowded. Sometimes in shelters some of the homeless people sell and do drugs, can rob you and sometimes they rape you. In an interview with David Pirtle (a man who was once a homeless person) he states, “You know, I had my shoes stolen, just like people said you get your shoes stolen. I think this is more generally the case with people, is that you hear a lot of terrible things about shelters, that shelters are dangerous places, that they’re full of drugs and drug dealers, that people will steal your shoes, and there are bedbugs and body lice”. Most homeless people prefer the streets over the homeless shelter because shelters are so dangerous and also because they know that their belongings won’t get stolen by people.

They also live on the street because in the shelters there are different things such as bed bugs, lice and a whole bunch of diseases. An article called “10 Reasons Homeless People Sleep Out in the Cold – and Die” by Piper Hoffman, it states,“as if homelessness didn’t cause enough physical discomfort (hunger, untreated pain from medical conditions, often being dirty, carrying all of one’s belongings), shelters often add a couple, like bed bugs and body-lice, which are inevitable when a different homeless person sleeps in a bed each night”.