Wednesday—At night the streets are dark. Streetlights scantily litter the sidewalks. But as you come upon 346 Powers Ave, in the Bronx, a lighted path comes into view, literally.
PATH—or the Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing—is an EAU: an Emergency Assessment Unit, under the DHS, or Department of Homeless Services. Here DHS Officers and Employees take care of a difficult task: trying to help homeless families get homes. But it’s not easy.
Walking into the large stone building, the first thing a family encounters in the brightly lit building is not warm meals and blankets, but metal detectors, though some would consider it a necessity. “It’d different. Every day it’s different,” says Masullo, a DHS Officer. “Never know what you’re going to get.”
“We have to check for contraband and weapons,” says fellow-officer Gonzalez as she checks the screen of an incoming client’s bag. “All bags must go through—if they beep, they get checked.” And while some may think this is a trivial step, others would disagree.
“When I was at the Men’s Shelter by Bellvue Hospital, a man tried to come in with a machete,” says Officer Petersen, a long time employee of the DHS. “Had it up the sleeve of his jacket.”
After passing the metal detectors, families reach the Processing Stage where they must put in their information and the reasons behind their homelessness, leading to a temporary overnight stay while an investigation is made on the client’s claims. After moving to Reception, more information is needed to prepare the family for the Family Worker, who gives the family a medical check. Employees of the Diversion Department try to see whether there are other ways for families to go without staying in the shelter system, but if things are approved the family is given a temporary housing in a ten day placement. If found eligible, the family will be guided to a Tier 2 Housing: an apartment for their family. But, if found ineligible according to varying circumstances, the family may have to start the process all over again.
“It’s disgusting,” says one client, shifting side to side in frustration besides her friend. “I was just arguing with him on how f***ed up it is,” she adds. “If we did have no place to go, I wouldn’t be here.” In addition, guidelines and rules are constantly changing. “A lot of people mess it up for others,” says Petersen of the system at PATH. “One client can do something bad and it changes everything for everybody else.”
Naturally, the process can cause tension between employees and clients. “I don’t like working here,” says one DHS employee. “These guys are assholes. They make us feel like it’s us…our fault. But it comes from up high. They’re the ones maneuvering everybody.” Often, tempers will escalate to the point of confrontation; other times the DHS officers find themselves dealing with all sorts of situations. “It’s more than just police work,” says Masullo as he keeps his eyes on the clients entering the building. “We’re translators, babysitters, referees…everything.”
Sometimes officers find their only solace in each other. “Working with Petersen is a blessing and a privilege,” says Towns, another of the DHS employees. “We’ve been working together for over 10 years…working here when it was a men’s shelter. It was peaceful!”
But perhaps the persons most caught in the troubles of the shelter system are children. “They’re missing out on school cuz they have to be here,” says one client, “that’s an ACS case but what can you do?”
“It’s the worst on kids,” another officer adds. “She can be at the end of her 10 day placement period, and it can be 11 at night, and she can have kids; and they have to get them out, instead of waiting till morning.” In addition, families may find that while all they want is a warm place to stay, they often times may be in for a trip. “The process of [the kids] going back and forth, the kids being shuffled around; they might be in the Bronx, they might be in Brooklyn, y’know? It’s hard,” the officer adds.
And what’s to blame?
“The rents are ridiculous,” says Petersen. “The high cost of rent is what a lot of people come here for. What makes it bad is that Guiliani had changed it all: all boroughs had EAUs, but he converged them all into one, this one, and made it more hectic. That’s why a lot of kids are displaced out of school. If they had an EAU in each borough, it’d be better.”
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Masoud's Response to India Story
First and foremost, I think the lead is extremely effective.
It is a little misleading in one technical sense: it makes me think there are poor people who are spending all their money on fashion. Instead, it shows what may be the outcome that Vogue and other marketers are looking for in Asia’s future.
But as you read on you see that it’s the very image of the lead that makes the article strong because, at least for me, I feel outraged when people who are poor get into superficial things and put it in front of practical survival. And it’s appalling to me that Vogue would actually want to market and introduce brands into a place where people are struggling to eat. That’s like introducing a Nike sneaker to an old, vagrant man in a third-world country. What is he supposed to do with it? Does looking expensive fill a stomach? No.
And the quote that saving money is a “western attitude”? Not quite. First, that’s a general statement, and second, that is so wrong in so many ways. Why should they “fix that”? These people need to save when they’re living under 1.25 a day, budgeting is very important, and they want to change that?
The sources were appropriate to a certain degree: let me explain. In one sense it’s perfect: it uses the focus of the article, and the quotes from the different marketing representatives pretty much paint a picture of what the representatives are looking to do, and how “morally invested” they seem to be. The quotes alone make me want really pissed that Vogue seems to be so nonchalant on what they could be doing to the people of India.
On the other hand, a more complete article may have more sources. While the quotes show what they are planning, the article doesn’t get any sources beyond Vogue: like one of these ordinary people and whether they think it’s positive or negative what Vogue wants to do. The way it is now sort of guides the reader into a singular perspective that isn’t exactly objective.
I think it helps us as students in seeing a) topics that are really important and raise questions, and b) makes us remember what to add and what to omit.
It is a little misleading in one technical sense: it makes me think there are poor people who are spending all their money on fashion. Instead, it shows what may be the outcome that Vogue and other marketers are looking for in Asia’s future.
But as you read on you see that it’s the very image of the lead that makes the article strong because, at least for me, I feel outraged when people who are poor get into superficial things and put it in front of practical survival. And it’s appalling to me that Vogue would actually want to market and introduce brands into a place where people are struggling to eat. That’s like introducing a Nike sneaker to an old, vagrant man in a third-world country. What is he supposed to do with it? Does looking expensive fill a stomach? No.
And the quote that saving money is a “western attitude”? Not quite. First, that’s a general statement, and second, that is so wrong in so many ways. Why should they “fix that”? These people need to save when they’re living under 1.25 a day, budgeting is very important, and they want to change that?
The sources were appropriate to a certain degree: let me explain. In one sense it’s perfect: it uses the focus of the article, and the quotes from the different marketing representatives pretty much paint a picture of what the representatives are looking to do, and how “morally invested” they seem to be. The quotes alone make me want really pissed that Vogue seems to be so nonchalant on what they could be doing to the people of India.
On the other hand, a more complete article may have more sources. While the quotes show what they are planning, the article doesn’t get any sources beyond Vogue: like one of these ordinary people and whether they think it’s positive or negative what Vogue wants to do. The way it is now sort of guides the reader into a singular perspective that isn’t exactly objective.
I think it helps us as students in seeing a) topics that are really important and raise questions, and b) makes us remember what to add and what to omit.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Spring Semester Story
“Yeah, we get some interesting people here,” says Jake. “You wouldn’t figure a bookstore would be that interesting. But it’s the beauty of Borders, man.”
Standing at the front of the store as several people walk by, Jake, a former member of the Loss Prevention team for six months, and recently changed into the Merchandise team, stares into a stack of books under his arm as he recounts his time working in Borders. “Dude, it’s so awesome working here just because of the amount of beautiful women who come in here. Gorgeous. People come from all over the world and shop here, so you get to see a lot of different people.”
Borders Bookstore, located on the second floor of the Colombus Circle Mall in between 58th St. and 60th St.,on 8th Ave, is a hub for diversity. “We really get a lot of tourists, you know? I mean, a lot of our customers are New Yorkers, but since we’re right next to Central Park, close to Times Square, and next to like, five trains and tons of buses, we get all kinds of tourists here,” Jake adds. “But we also get these weirdos sometimes too.”
And that’s where things get really interesting. “We call them our P.O.I.s,” says Frank, a current member of the Loss Prevention Team. “People of Interest. We get all kinds of people here,” he says, pulling out the L.P. P.O.I. binder. “We have a person we call Friday who has been coming every single Friday for the last two years. He comes in at the same time in the morning, goes to the magazine area, makes a huge stack of magazines that we have to put back when he’s done, then goes to Sports, Fiction, and finally leaves the store about twenty minutes later. He’s a little off, but he’s harmless.”
“He even asked me to tie his shoes once,” says Josh, another former L.P. member who’s been at the store for over a year.”
“Then there’s who we call the ‘Eye of Sauron’” Frank continues, “who always comes to the store late and never leaves when we close the store. And then she acts real bitchy when you try to ask her to leave. God I hate that woman.”
But besides the colorful characters who the employees have come to see as regulars over time, the store also has tons of Events that attract various kinds of stars and various kinds of customers. “We have Events regularly at every Borders store in New York,” says Bob, the head of the Events Management organization in the store. “We generally get a lot of authors. Just recently we had Roger Mudd (an author who wrote about CBS over the years). We also get celebrities. In this upcoming month we’re going to have Ricki Lake and Gene Hackman.”
When asked if they ever had anything to worry about when preparing for an event, the tall, lanky man pushes his glasses up his nose and chuckles lightly. “Just the other week, when we [had a medium] as a guest, we had to keep security on look out for a woman who seemed to follow our guest to every place she went. We don’t know if she was an avid fan, a skeptic, or what, but thankfully she just didn’t show up,” he says with a smile.
Generally Borders has a wide range of books, but often has trouble with keeping up with the amount of books needed. “We usually order a few dozens of books when preparing for our tables at the front,” says one merchandise employee about the Bestseller’s Tables at the front, “but corporate or the warehouse may only send us a third of what we ask for at a time. It’s very frustrating.”
Also, many have had issues with the Borders Rewards Program. “Well,” says one customer leaving the store, “it doesn’t compare to Barnes and Noble. Barnes and Noble’s discount lets you get a percentage of the books, all the time. This Borders program, you have to buy up to $150 of merchandise, and then when you reach that number, you get five bucks to take off of whatever purchase you make. But you have to use it in the month. They basically give you a small, cheap reward that you have no time to use.”
Another customer, a tourist, also had issues. “I travel a lot. I don’t come from here. It’s hard for me to want to sign up for this program knowing that it’s going to take me a long time to reach $150. And then what? I’ll only have $5.”
But Lewis, a Service Manager at the registers at Borders, had more to say. “There’s more to the program than what some people assume, and that’s what we really have trouble with,” he starts. “When you get a Borders Rewards Card, you not only get the Borders Bucks, but you also get emails with printable coupons that often give up to 40% discounts on all items. Those perks are unique to us.”
But one of the biggest questions any Borders employee is asked pertains to their biggest rival corporation. “What makes us different from Barnes and Noble?” starts Neuman, a Manager who has been with the company for many years, “Is definitely customer service. We try to instill in our employees the need to be as friendly and helpful as possible. Sure Barnes and Nobles is a bigger company. We may be smaller, but we have employees of all ages, all walks of life, all lifestyles. We represent the customers we’re serving.”
Standing at the front of the store as several people walk by, Jake, a former member of the Loss Prevention team for six months, and recently changed into the Merchandise team, stares into a stack of books under his arm as he recounts his time working in Borders. “Dude, it’s so awesome working here just because of the amount of beautiful women who come in here. Gorgeous. People come from all over the world and shop here, so you get to see a lot of different people.”
Borders Bookstore, located on the second floor of the Colombus Circle Mall in between 58th St. and 60th St.,on 8th Ave, is a hub for diversity. “We really get a lot of tourists, you know? I mean, a lot of our customers are New Yorkers, but since we’re right next to Central Park, close to Times Square, and next to like, five trains and tons of buses, we get all kinds of tourists here,” Jake adds. “But we also get these weirdos sometimes too.”
And that’s where things get really interesting. “We call them our P.O.I.s,” says Frank, a current member of the Loss Prevention Team. “People of Interest. We get all kinds of people here,” he says, pulling out the L.P. P.O.I. binder. “We have a person we call Friday who has been coming every single Friday for the last two years. He comes in at the same time in the morning, goes to the magazine area, makes a huge stack of magazines that we have to put back when he’s done, then goes to Sports, Fiction, and finally leaves the store about twenty minutes later. He’s a little off, but he’s harmless.”
“He even asked me to tie his shoes once,” says Josh, another former L.P. member who’s been at the store for over a year.”
“Then there’s who we call the ‘Eye of Sauron’” Frank continues, “who always comes to the store late and never leaves when we close the store. And then she acts real bitchy when you try to ask her to leave. God I hate that woman.”
But besides the colorful characters who the employees have come to see as regulars over time, the store also has tons of Events that attract various kinds of stars and various kinds of customers. “We have Events regularly at every Borders store in New York,” says Bob, the head of the Events Management organization in the store. “We generally get a lot of authors. Just recently we had Roger Mudd (an author who wrote about CBS over the years). We also get celebrities. In this upcoming month we’re going to have Ricki Lake and Gene Hackman.”
When asked if they ever had anything to worry about when preparing for an event, the tall, lanky man pushes his glasses up his nose and chuckles lightly. “Just the other week, when we [had a medium] as a guest, we had to keep security on look out for a woman who seemed to follow our guest to every place she went. We don’t know if she was an avid fan, a skeptic, or what, but thankfully she just didn’t show up,” he says with a smile.
Generally Borders has a wide range of books, but often has trouble with keeping up with the amount of books needed. “We usually order a few dozens of books when preparing for our tables at the front,” says one merchandise employee about the Bestseller’s Tables at the front, “but corporate or the warehouse may only send us a third of what we ask for at a time. It’s very frustrating.”
Also, many have had issues with the Borders Rewards Program. “Well,” says one customer leaving the store, “it doesn’t compare to Barnes and Noble. Barnes and Noble’s discount lets you get a percentage of the books, all the time. This Borders program, you have to buy up to $150 of merchandise, and then when you reach that number, you get five bucks to take off of whatever purchase you make. But you have to use it in the month. They basically give you a small, cheap reward that you have no time to use.”
Another customer, a tourist, also had issues. “I travel a lot. I don’t come from here. It’s hard for me to want to sign up for this program knowing that it’s going to take me a long time to reach $150. And then what? I’ll only have $5.”
But Lewis, a Service Manager at the registers at Borders, had more to say. “There’s more to the program than what some people assume, and that’s what we really have trouble with,” he starts. “When you get a Borders Rewards Card, you not only get the Borders Bucks, but you also get emails with printable coupons that often give up to 40% discounts on all items. Those perks are unique to us.”
But one of the biggest questions any Borders employee is asked pertains to their biggest rival corporation. “What makes us different from Barnes and Noble?” starts Neuman, a Manager who has been with the company for many years, “Is definitely customer service. We try to instill in our employees the need to be as friendly and helpful as possible. Sure Barnes and Nobles is a bigger company. We may be smaller, but we have employees of all ages, all walks of life, all lifestyles. We represent the customers we’re serving.”
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Spring Semester Profile Story
“These are my kids,” says Ahmed, pacing around a room full of teenage mentally handicapped children. “They’re just as normal as any other teenagers.”
Ahmed smiles as one autistic child name Mikey, who walks only on his tip-toes, nimbly trails him until catching up, and then fervently takes his hand and just stands there by Ahmed’s side. Ahmed, at least six feet tall and two hundred pounds, completely dwarfs the more average sized and skinny Mikey, and yet it makes no difference in how comfortable Mikey is at his side.
Around them are about eight other such adolescents whose mental disabilities have severely slowed down their process of learning, communication, and social interaction. Ahmed, who has worked at the Robert Joliculeur School at Easterseals in Manchester, New Hampshire for seven years, finds that working there has given him a wider perception of the world, especially the children who suffer from Autism, Down’s Syndrome, and many other forms of mental retardation, and also how the world reacts to them.
“Most people don’t understand them,” he says, embracing the shoulders of another child named Timmy. “They want to be loved just like any other child wants to. But because most people don’t understand them, they get scared of what they don’t understand. And the kids may not understand many things, but they can sense that, feel how people react to them.”
Later, sitting down in the Family Room, where parents who visit their children can spend private time with their sons or daughters, Ahmed sat down at a desk cooling his hot French Vanilla Coffee and took a seat. His eyes are tired and yet his body is relaxed in his chair, leaning back as he takes a sip from his drink. “These kids, its amazing how far they’ve come. Look at Mikey,” he says, taking another sip. “When he first started here, he would not let go of blanket. He’d cover up with three or four blankets and would always hit his head to the point that we had to put a helmet on his head and mitts on his hand. And look at him now.”
And it was true. The Mikey in the Boys 1 common room had no blankets and no head gear, and no gloves. “It all takes persistence, and a love for the job. Some people cannot take it. We’ve had people come here and leave in weeks.”
But it hasn’t been an easy journey for Ahmed. Though his passion has been great for the kids, it has taken a toll on his private life. Long hours, sometimes 14 to 16 hour days (or more) have taken too much time out of his family life and put on a strain on his marriage. All he can do is slowly shake his head and lightly shrug. “It’s tough, it really is. All I can do is take it one day at a time. This place, these kids, need a lot of time. And that can be hard for someone to understand.”
But he remains hopeful. “I’m glad to see that the world, especially the U.S., is growing more aware of these children. Autism research is growing, documentaries are coming out, people are learning. Now all we have to do is make them see these children for what they are.”
Later, back at the Unit, Ahmed goes from child to child, and while some of these children seem uncomfortable around some people around, all of them respond well with Ahmed. Normally quiet, unsocial individuals looked up to Ahmed with their own quirky expressions, some smiling, others giving a short grin, some holding onto him, some playing with his hands, and so on.
“These kids are no different from any other teenagers. They have tantrums, they get happy, they have favorite foods and they have things they don’t like so much.” He stops to look at all the kids around him, looking from his far left to his far right, and then smiles. “They just need the chance to be normal.”
Ahmed smiles as one autistic child name Mikey, who walks only on his tip-toes, nimbly trails him until catching up, and then fervently takes his hand and just stands there by Ahmed’s side. Ahmed, at least six feet tall and two hundred pounds, completely dwarfs the more average sized and skinny Mikey, and yet it makes no difference in how comfortable Mikey is at his side.
Around them are about eight other such adolescents whose mental disabilities have severely slowed down their process of learning, communication, and social interaction. Ahmed, who has worked at the Robert Joliculeur School at Easterseals in Manchester, New Hampshire for seven years, finds that working there has given him a wider perception of the world, especially the children who suffer from Autism, Down’s Syndrome, and many other forms of mental retardation, and also how the world reacts to them.
“Most people don’t understand them,” he says, embracing the shoulders of another child named Timmy. “They want to be loved just like any other child wants to. But because most people don’t understand them, they get scared of what they don’t understand. And the kids may not understand many things, but they can sense that, feel how people react to them.”
Later, sitting down in the Family Room, where parents who visit their children can spend private time with their sons or daughters, Ahmed sat down at a desk cooling his hot French Vanilla Coffee and took a seat. His eyes are tired and yet his body is relaxed in his chair, leaning back as he takes a sip from his drink. “These kids, its amazing how far they’ve come. Look at Mikey,” he says, taking another sip. “When he first started here, he would not let go of blanket. He’d cover up with three or four blankets and would always hit his head to the point that we had to put a helmet on his head and mitts on his hand. And look at him now.”
And it was true. The Mikey in the Boys 1 common room had no blankets and no head gear, and no gloves. “It all takes persistence, and a love for the job. Some people cannot take it. We’ve had people come here and leave in weeks.”
But it hasn’t been an easy journey for Ahmed. Though his passion has been great for the kids, it has taken a toll on his private life. Long hours, sometimes 14 to 16 hour days (or more) have taken too much time out of his family life and put on a strain on his marriage. All he can do is slowly shake his head and lightly shrug. “It’s tough, it really is. All I can do is take it one day at a time. This place, these kids, need a lot of time. And that can be hard for someone to understand.”
But he remains hopeful. “I’m glad to see that the world, especially the U.S., is growing more aware of these children. Autism research is growing, documentaries are coming out, people are learning. Now all we have to do is make them see these children for what they are.”
Later, back at the Unit, Ahmed goes from child to child, and while some of these children seem uncomfortable around some people around, all of them respond well with Ahmed. Normally quiet, unsocial individuals looked up to Ahmed with their own quirky expressions, some smiling, others giving a short grin, some holding onto him, some playing with his hands, and so on.
“These kids are no different from any other teenagers. They have tantrums, they get happy, they have favorite foods and they have things they don’t like so much.” He stops to look at all the kids around him, looking from his far left to his far right, and then smiles. “They just need the chance to be normal.”
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