|
Letters Letter from a Brooklyn Jail Dear Editor: On April 30, 2001, I found myself on a plane headed toward San Juan, Puerto Rico, in response to a call I had waited for for nearly three years. The group I was traveling with included two other Bronxites - Democratic Party Chairman Roberto Ramirez and New York State Assemblyman Jose Rivera - as well as the Reverend Al Sharpton. We arrived in San Juan at about 2:30 a.m., and by about 7 a.m. we were on a single-engine plane heading to Vieques, Puerto Rico, to engage in an act of civil disobedience to protest the U.S. Navy's bombing exercises that had wrought environmental and human devastation on that small Caribbean island for the past 61 years. A reporter recently asked me, "How could you, after having gotten the endorsement of your county's Democratic Party three days prior, go off to Vieques to get yourself arrested?" My answer was very simple. Three years ago, at a New York City Council hearing regarding the island of Vieques, I promised that if and when the bombing resumed, I would return to protest if I thought at that time that my arrest would help to stop the bombing. Well, as it happened, the U.S. Navy planned to resume bombing on May 1, 2001, and I learned about it on April 29. And here I sit, on the 35th day of a 40-day sentence I am serving, in a federal prison in Brooklyn. Less than a week ago, President George W. Bush announced that he will permanently end the Vieques bombings by May of 2003. As my fellow inmates and I heard the news, we gave each other high-fives. Although the victory was incomplete, there was a feeling of "mission accomplished:" An end to the bombing was in sight. In the meantime, I am running to be elected borough president of the Bronx. Not an easy task, let alone doing it from jail. But I am told that, as I write, we have hundreds of volunteers throughout the borough collecting petitions to place me on the ballot for the Democratic primary on Sept. 11 and my fundraising team has been working hard to raise money for the campaign. I am using this time to prepare my platform. I have written position papers on every issue that affects Bronxites. As soon as I leave here on June 29, I will begin my campaign with a rally at the Bronx Democratic Party's headquarters at Westchester Square, followed by a bus/caravan tour of the borough. In the nine weeks that will be left until the primary in September, I intend to visit all 61 neighborhoods of the Bronx to tackle the important issues facing our 1.32 million residents. As a lifelong resident of the Bronx, I am excited about this campaign because it offers me the chance to lead my borough in fighting for those things we all care about: schools to prepare our children for a highly competitive and increasingly technological job market; an economic environment to create jobs and encourage small businesses; and a clean, safe nurturing environment for every neighborhood. A minister friend of mine once told me: "Whether in South Africa, Ireland, Israel or Brooklyn, if there is injustice, I must fight against it." I agree. Whether in Vieques or the Bronx, I'll be there to fight for justice. I see my job in the Bronx as an extension of this philosophy and I will fight hard for every Bronxite, young or old; rich or poor; gay or straight; black, white or brown. Adolfo Carrion, Jr. Councilman, 14th District Public School Success Story Dear Editor: When you first think of public schools, people start to feel uneasy and nervous about sending your kids there. I know my wife and I felt that way. We had our hearts set on sending our two boys to St. Brendan's Catholic School. My wife, Millie, and I had to "settle" and send our boys to public school. It wasn't that we didn't have the money to send them, but rather that they didn't have the space for them. My boys went to PS 56. My wife was known as the "dragon lady" there. She didn't let the teachers get too complacent and forced some of them to actually become better teachers because of it. She made it known that she was going to be an active parent and followed through on that promise. For the most part, PS 56 had great teachers. They were very interested in seeing to it that kids learned. My boys graduated from PS 56 and moved on to MS 80. There the "dragon lady" was seen and heard once again. She made it known to Mr. Gluck, the principal then, that she was going to be around. At MS 80, my sons also had great teachers. When my oldest son, Orlando Ramirez III, graduated from MS 80, Millie and I had some decisions to make. We decided that Orlando would go to DeWitt Clinton High School. The school had a fairly new program that they had only started a few years back: the Macy Science Program. My son was eligible to join this program because of his grades. Two years later, my other son, John Joseph, entered that program. He also had good grades to become eligible for it. This program not only motivates and challenges the kids but it also makes the learning experience a joy for them. The program has an exceptionally high number of graduates that go on to college. My son Orlando graduated with a Regents Diploma and went on to John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is majoring in the hardest major that the school has to offer, Forensic Science. He has just completed his sophomore year there. He has a G.P.A of 3.4. My son John Joseph, will be graduated from DeWitt Clinton on June 26, 2001. He has been accepted to Yale University. He has the distinct honor of being one of a few kids that has achieved this great accomplishment. Going from public school and getting into Yale University is almost unheard of. I love the expression that the receptionist from the Yale University orientation gave my son and I when she asked where he had attended high school. It was a puzzled look and then a look of disbelief. I say this to you because we feel that with the guidance of parents, good teachers, and a little motivation by the child, this too can be your child. It is as easy and hard as that. Hard because you have to guide them through all the years of their studying. You have to spend time with them. By making it known that your presence in their education will be substantial, lots of things will be accomplished. Their teachers will know that they have to teach, your child will know that they have to learn, and you will know that your child is doing something for their future. It's about making their future brighter for them. Give them hope and support. With all those things, great things can happen to you and your child. My wife and I would love to thank all the teachers that taught both of our children. These teachers were exceptional. Especially, Mrs. Hartman, Ms. Cathcart, Mrs. Mason, and Ms. Burkett from PS 56. Miss Bethune, Miss Schwartz, Miss Kaplan, and Mr. Strezou from MS 80. Ms. McCabe, Mr. Chessler, Ms. Kornhaber, Mr. DiLorenzo, Mr. Morris, Mr. Mansdorf, and Mr. Finnerty from DeWitt Clinton, to just name a few. We thank all the teachers that have contributed to our sons' educational experience, and "settling" has been very good for our family. Orlando Ramirez, Jr. Oval Park Needs Attention Dear Editor: I am writing to thank those who planted flowers in Williamsbridge Oval Park. The tulips and daffodils were glorious this spring! I so enjoyed these colorful blooms on my morning walks. The Oval Park is a well used and well-loved park. Despite the refurbished playgrounds, there remains an air of shabbiness. The park needs landscaping, trees and bushes to be planted, grass to be reseeded. While such improvements may seem expensive, they will add to the vitality and stability of the surrounding neighborhood. The economics are basic: a stable neighborhood results in a secure tax base. Annette Porter Soberal Bedford Park Committed to Good Housing Dear Editor: William Bosworth's neighborhood census information is very interesting (Article, June 14 - 27, 2001), but his conclusion on racial change shows a lack of knowledge of what has happened in Bedford Park over the past 25 years. His implication is that the nature of our housing, i.e. rental, resulted in a lack of commitment on the part of the white population. My experience as an organizer in the 1970s and an involved resident ever since led me to very different conclusions. I have found Bedford Park's tenants - of all races - have been extremely committed to their housing and they united in forming hundreds of tenant associations as a result. Residents move for many reasons, undoubtedly some for better and bigger housing. I know that many families moved in the 1970s and '80s for better educational opportunities. I know that in the late '80s and early '90s many residents fled increasing crime. I think a closer look at the decreasing white population in more recent years would show that an increasingly elderly population is, quite simply, dying off. Comparing census figures from one decade to the next can be a little like playing musical chairs. They show where things are on a specific date, but tell very little about what happened during the intervening years. Lots of people of many backgrounds have moved in and out of Bedford Park over the years for all the many reasons that people come and go everywhere. What has given the neighborhood strength has been an ongoing working class base, good housing and strong, organized efforts to obtain improved city services. John M. Reilly The writer, a Bedford Park resident, is executive director of Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation. In Defense of Spanish Page Dear Editor: I want to comment on the letter that the reader Theresa Varian wrote to the Norwood News in response to another reader's letter (Letters, June 14 - 27, 2001). Elba Mercado had expressed her joy about the Norwood News having a section for Spanish news (Pagina Latina) and she suggested its expansion in the near future. Ms. Varian, in her response to it, characterized Hispanics as "those expecting others to learn Spanish to accommodate them. She also stressed that immigrants should not expect news in their native language, and suggested that they, instead, make an effort to learn to speak, write and read English. I believe that Ms. Varian's statements fell out of the context of Ms. Mercado's letter. Ms. Varian and others who think like her should understand that the vast majority of Hispanics are in fact making the effort to learn the English language and, indeed, they combine this effort with hard work, mostly for minimum salary. As a matter of fact, there are so many who contribute to the community prosperity by serving the community in a variety of ways which include their operating businesses in the area through the selling of oranges and flowers in the streets to support their family. Ms. Varian also based her allegations on her predecessors not finding anything bilingual when they arrived to this country. Aren't Ms. Varian's feelings kind of resentful ones? I tell Ms. Varian that, first, the Norwood News is a community newspaper serving a diverse community with a very large Hispanic population. The Norwood News is also exercising the freedom of the press which is one of the first rights granted by the U.S. Constitution. It is also informing this large community about events/problems taking place in the neighborhood which, in many instances, are being addressed by a very strong Hispanic political leadership which also addresses Hispanic-related issues. That is enough reason to have a section in Spanish. Rita Gomez The writer is the translator for La Pagina Latina in the Norwood News.
Back to Opinion Index Page |
