Christine Quinn Takes More Heat Over Blocking Of Paid Sick Leave

Christine Quinn takes heat at mayoral forum for blocking vote on paid-sick-leave bill; Controller John Liu was consistently applauded by Harlem crowd.

From The New York Daily News :

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, seated next to Quinn during a lively forum in Harlem on poverty issues, also ripped into the Council Speaker for helping pass a “watered-down” living-wage bill.

Controller John Liu consistently drew the loudest cheers from the largely minority audience, as he went further on several issues than his Democratic rivals – Quinn, de Blasio, ex-City Controller William Thompson and former Councilman Sal Albanese. For one, he called for the minimum wage to be raised to $11.50 — the current rate is $7.25 in New York — while his opponents said they favored President Obama’s preferred figure of $9.

Liu also repeated a previous demand to have the NYPD’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy halted. “It makes everybody less safe,” he said. The other candidates argued to keep the practice but reform the way it is applied.

Publisher Tom Allon was the only GOP candidate to attend ; three others, including former MTA boss Joe Lhota, declined invitations.

NYPD lied under oath in Occupy Wall Street trial

Jury Finds Occupy Wall Street Protester Innocent After Video Contradicts Police Testimony [Updated: VIDEO]

Occupy Wall Street - D17 Arrest from Jon Gerberg on Vimeo.

Michael Premo was found innocent of all charges this week in regards to a case that stems from a December 17, 2011 Occupy Wall Street demonstration in Lower Manhattan. For over a year, prosecutors working on behalf of the New York Police Department have insisted that Premo, a known artist and activist, tackled an NYPD officer during a protest and in doing so inflicted enough damage to break a bone. (NYPD lied under oath in Occupy Wall Street trial : RT.com)

In the first jury trial stemming from an Occupy Wall Street protest, Michael Premo was found innocent of all charges yesterday after his lawyers presented video evidence directly contradicting the version of events offered by police and prosecutors. (Jury Finds Occupy Wall Street Protester Innocent After Video Contradicts Police Testimony : Village Voice)

Is Fried Frank betraying the legacy of Sarge Shriver ?

Like our new Facebook page : Is Fried Frank betraying the legacy of Sarge Shriver ?

From the Demand A Hospital e-mail listserv :

Dear All : 

We were a small group today, but we did well to keep showing up to say that our fight goes on :  we still need a full-service hospital to replace St. Vincent's. 

At today's real estate forum, it shocked our conscious to learn that Julie Menin, candidate for Manhattan Borough President, was a participant -- even through the highlight of the forum was Melanie Meyer's and Samantha Rudin's distorted presentation about St. Vincent's Hospital.  We will contact Ms. Menin, to ask her to explain why she took part in the real estate forum, if it was glorifying the Rudin takeover of St. Vincent's.... 

We were not allowed inside the forum, and one of our friends reported to us that the conference was deliberately not being recorded or live streamed, because the forum's participants did not want their conversations recorded for public examination.  While Melanie Meyers and Samantha Rudin talked about the profits that they are making, they don't want us to know the exact amount of their riches... 

Here is our video of our protest, pointing out how Melanie Meyers and the Rudin family are corrupting Sarge Shriver's legacy at the law firm of Fried Frank :  http://youtu.be/O-lN9sw2UsA 

Thank you for all that you do.

Google YouTube Censorship Warning

I had to write to Google tonight, because of a threat of censorship on one of my YouTube accounts. The timing is very interesting. Why all of a sudden now does one of my entire YouTube channels get flagged for deletion ? Hmmmmmmmmm.

This Week in Carolyn Ryan Media Bias

Everybody reported about Christine Quinn being booed about the Upper East Side waste transfer station, except for The New York Times. No surprise !!

As usual, almost the whole wide world has by now reported about the latest occasion when New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has been jeered at a large meeting, excepting, of course, the Metropolitan Section of The New York Times, which is edited by Speaker Quinn's brunch date, Carolyn Ryan.

"Upper East Siders opposed to the construction of a waste transfer station in their neighborhood booed City Council Speaker Christine Quinn at a mayoral forum," (NYPost).

After City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said she supported the location of the trash depot, she was promptly booed. "Don't expect us to vote for you, baby!" one angry voter screamed. (Gothamist)

"Speaking at a candidate forum on East 93rd Street, hosted by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, more than a hundred residents, some wearing green "Dump the Dump" t-shirts, heckled and booed the one candidate who said explicitly that the East 91st Street location for the garbage facility should not be changed: City Council Speaker Christine Quinn," (Capital New York).

Ms. Ryan has to bend the journalism in The New York Times to fit the mayoral agenda of Speaker Quinn's politics. Ms. Ryan makes it her duty to keep portraying Speaker Quinn in the best light, because that's what Speaker Quinn wants.

It's not like you would expect something even approaching journalistic balance from Ms. Ryan or The Times ?

Follow us on Facebook : We Protest Media Bias In The New York Times

Protest against Melanie Meyers and Samantha Rudin by St. Vincent's Hospital Activists

UPDATED : VIDEO OF PROTEST :

The Fried Frank lawyer Melanie Meyers and Samantha Rudin and her father, Bill Rudin, tarnish the legacy of Sarge Shriver.

Sarge Shriver's old law firm, Fried Frank Harris Shriver and Jacobson, have spent years representing the Rudin family's hostile takeover of St. Vincent's Hospital.

While the entire Lower Manhattan has no more Level I Trauma Center, the Rudin family (with Fried Frank's help) stand to make hundreds of millions of dollars from the luxury condo conversion of St. Vincent's Hospital.

What would Sarge Shriver's family think about Fried Frank engaging in business that goes contrary to Sarge Shriver's legacy of public service and Progressive and humanitarian causes ?

St. Vincent's Hospital activists announce a protest against Melanie Meyers and Samantha Rudin.

Rudin Management Company are laughing all the way to the bank with all the money that they are making from the reckless luxury condo conversion of St. Vincent's Hospital, and now they are gloating about it !  Join us for a protest this week :

Date :  Wednesday, 27 February 2013

Time :  2:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Place :  McGraw-Hill Companies, 1221 Avenue of the Americas (btwn 48th and 49th Streets), Manhattan

Executives from Real Estate Weekly Women's Form are gathering at McGraw-Hill on Wednesday to discuss how real estate executives can further their careers and discover new business opportunities. Among the many speakers are Melanie Meyers, the Fried Frank law firm partner who was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to lobby CB2 and the City Council, and Samantha Rudin, from Rudin Management Company.

Join us as we protest from 2:30 - 3:00 outside McGraw-Hill's offices at 1221 Avenue of the Americas.

Here is the specific entry on the day's agenda, which reveals how Ms. Meyers and Ms. Rudin plan to describe how Rudin Management Company succeeded in exploiting community resources for private profit :

2:35 PM :  The Journey of St. Vincent’s

A look into Rudin Management’s vision for the development of St. Vincent’s, the milestones that have been met to pave the way for the project, the twists and turns that had to be addressed in achieving them and what we can expect as the redevelopment takes shape. The recent land use approvals will allow the abandoned hospital to be converted into a new, primarily residential and environmentally friendly complex encompassing the adaptive reuse of six historic buildings and the creation of a new public park that commemorates the history of St. Vincent’s Hospital.

Melanie Meyers, Partner, Fried Frank
Samantha Rudin Earls, Vice President, Rudin Management Company

Notice how Melanie Meyers and Samantha Rudin are portraying St. Vincent's Hospital as having been "abandoned."

CORRECTION :  It was Rudin Management Company, Fried Frank, Christine Quinn, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and the city and state Departments of Health which abandoned St. Vincent's.

Please bring signs to protest the Melanie Meyers, Samantha Rudin, Bill Rudin, and Rudin Management Company.  Our community still needs a full-service, Level I Trauma Center to replace St. Vincent's.

Please RSVP on the Facebook Invite :  https://www.facebook.com/events/133601436814483/

2013-02-27 Agenda | Real Estate Weekly Women's Forum by

1,000 days in jail for Bradley Manning ; 1,000 days of silence from Christine Quinn

1,000 days in jail for Bradley Manning ; 1,000 days of silence from Christine Quinn

Today, LGBT Army PFC Bradley Manning marked his 1,000th day imprisoned without a trial, reported Raw Story. PFC Manning is "suspected" of being the source of making government transparency disclosures to WikiLeaks.

PFC Manning is an LGBT service member, and many groups and leaders have been advocating for justice for PFC Manning. But New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has been eerily silent.

"It has taken him from the desert of Iraq, where he was arrested at a military operating base outside Baghdad, to a prison tent in Kuwait. From there he endured his infamous harsh treatment at Quantico Marine base in Virginia, and for the last 14 months he has attended a series of pre-trial hearings at Fort Meade in Maryland, the latest of which begins next week," reported Raw Story.

Among the violations of due process, government transparency, torture, and other charges, the government's prosecution of PFC Manning includes blatant acts of censorship.

No statement of support from LGBT leader Christine Quinn, who has her own murky history of redacting government documents.

What kind of an LGBT leader is Speaker Quinn if she remains quiet about the government's violations of PFC Manning's constitutional rights ?

OKAY, PANIC : The sugary drinks ban endangers coffee !

Mike Bloomberg's nanny over-reaching sugary drinks ban goes into effect March 12. Will people panic, if all sugary drinks have to be downsized -- including coffee ? As of yet, the sugary drinks peddled by Starbucks, like the "610-calorie venti iced white chocolate mochas with whip cream on top," seem to have sneaked by the ban, "but a Coke with fewer than half the calories is verboten." (See also : NAACP vs. Bloomberg’s Soda Ban : The NAACP and other minority groups fight back.)

Former Parks Chief Opposes NYU Expansion Plan

Henry Stern, Former Chief of Parks, Joins Legal Effort to Block the NYU Expansion.

From The Wall Street Journal :

Henry Stern, who led the Parks Department for 15 years under mayors Ed Koch and Rudolph Giuliani, said in an affidavit filed Friday that the city had for decades "either expressly or impliedly" dedicated the four sections on the superblocks between Houston and West Third streets as public parks. Mr. Stern's affidavit was part of a legal effort to block the NYU expansion.

The tracts of land—LaGuardia Park, LaGuardia Corner Gardens, Mercer Playground and the Mercer-Houston dog run—would be taken for either the permanent or temporary use of NYU in the construction of its planned 1 million-square-foot development. The City Council voted to approve the expansion plan in July, over the opposition of some neighborhood groups and members of the university's faculty.

"It was always the City's intent in continuously making these sites available to the public for recreational use over many years to treat them as dedicated parkland," Mr. Stern's affidavit says.

Read more : Former Parks Chief Opposes NYU Expansion Plan

Cut Oil Subsidies

Middle class families should not be forced to scrape by with less while oil companies get away with more.

@StopNYMRT Tweets On SUNY Downstate #LICH Closure Plan

SUNY Downstate submits closure plan for Long Island College Hospital ; nobody makes connection to @newyorkmrt nydailynews.com/new-york/brook… #LICH

— StopNYMRT (@StopNYMRT) February 21, 2013

Closure plan for Long Island College Hospital lets @nygovcuomo and @newyorkmrt off hook for responsibility nydailynews.com/new-york/brook… #LICH

— StopNYMRT (@StopNYMRT) February 21, 2013

Closure plan for #LICH follows pattern of other shady luxury condo conversions of hospitals #StVincents nydailynews.com/new-york/brook… @chriscquinn

— StopNYMRT (@StopNYMRT) February 21, 2013

Closure plan for #LICH is win for #neoliberalism and loss for #publichealth @nygovcuomo @newyorkmrt nydailynews.com/new-york/brook… @healthcarefor99

— StopNYMRT (@StopNYMRT) February 21, 2013

Where is Coalition for a New Village Hospital on #LICH closure plan ? nydailynews.com/new-york/brook… @yettakurland

— StopNYMRT (@StopNYMRT) February 21, 2013

The Wrath of Quinn : Endorse Her Or Else No Slush Funds For You !

City Council Members Fear Budget Revenge if They Don't Endorse Quinn

From DNA Info :

Many City Council members are wary of endorsing candidates in the 2013 mayoral race until after budget season because they're afraid a vengeful Speaker Christine Quinn will cut their share of $50 million in discretionary funds, DNAinfo.com New York has learned.

The funds, which are controlled by the speaker, are dished out to members each summer to fund constituent-pleasing services, such as community centers and seniors programs. While Quinn’s office has long insisted that the money is allocated based on districts' needs, it’s no secret that members on Quinn’s good side tend to profit — while those who cross her get their budgets slashed.

And many Council members now worry that endorsing a rival in the mayor's race, where Quinn is widely perceived as the front-runner, will result in the same fate.

“I definitely think that discretionary funds will be wielded as a weapon in the fight for endorsements,” said one Democratic Council member, who, like nearly a dozen others who spoke to DNAinfo.com New York, asked for anonymity to avoid angering Quinn.

“Certainly, that is the elephant in the room,” another member said.

“It’s a legal form of blackmail," still another member said.

To avoid retribution, some Council members are weighing postponing their endorsements until July, after the budget is adopted and Quinn no longer has sway over the money.

See also : Endorse Quinn - or else ! (via Queens Crap)

"To This Day" anti-bullying video

Very moving and touching anti-bullying video, like you have never seen, but should. "To This Day" by Shane Koyczan.

At 1:20, he reminds us all what we heard growing up.

At 2:07, we meet another girl who was bruised by words.

At 2:57, we learn why she's awesome.

At 3:12, we meet a kid who was pummeled by pills.

At 4:28, we learn how many kids have to deal with this to this day.

At 5:23, if you've been bullied, you REALLY need to hear these words.

At 6:00, seriously, listen to these damn beautiful words.

And at 6:49, we get to the point that everyone should take to heart.

Help confront bullying by sharing this using the buttons below. It needs to be called out in spectacular fashion.

Help this message have a far reaching and long lasting effect in confronting bullying. Please share generously. For more information, visit : http://www.tothisdayproject.com

Christine Quinn is looking for endorsements and voters in the cemetery

Reality Sets In For Quinn, Isay : Early Poll Numbers Are An Illusion.

Greg David: "The idea that Ms. Quinn is the front-runner is a media fallacy." Via @crainsnewyork crainsnewyork.com/article/201302…

— Errol Louis (@errollouis) February 20, 2013

More and more, the Christine Quinn mayoral campaign are acting desperate.

Greg David published an editorial in Crain's New York Business giving everybody a reality check : The early polls portraying that Council Speaker Christine Quinn was an early leader in the crowded Democratic primary field are a fallacy !

Because Josh Isay, Matt Tepper, and Speaker Quinn's other campaign advisers know this, they are pulling out all the stops to maintain a public veneer of being in a leadership position, when in reality they could be further from it.

Earlier today, The New York Times published an article about how Speaker Quinn is now trolling through cemeteries and crematoriums for campaign endorsements. Speaker Quinn's mayoral campaign is trying to figure out how to milk the endorsement she received from Ed Koch before he died. (An Endorsement Hard to Pass Up, and Harder to Promote)

''The idea that Ms. Quinn is the front-runner is a media fallacy,'' wrote Mr. David.

How low can Speaker Quinn go, for an endorsement ?

“If I were running against her, what do you say? ‘How low will she go, six feet under, or more?’ ” quipped Kenneth Sherrill, a political science professor at Hunter College. “The question is, how voters will respond to it, what they will think of a candidate who uses it.”

If Mr. Isay and Mr. Tepper try to push former Mayor Koch's endorsement of Speaker Quinn's mayoral campaign, then Speaker Quinn risks triggering a major backlash from LGBT political and healthcare activists.

Has 32BJ union been infiltrated by real estate group ?

Has the union 32BJ SEIU become co-opted by the Real Estate Board of New York ?

A notable union representing doormen and service workers, 32BJ SEIU, appears to have become co-opted by the Real Estate Board of New York, a trade association of slumlords.

32BJ and REBNY will be screening mayoral candidates together in joint meetings. From the appearance of such an arrangement, the union and the trade association appear to be collaborating on a joint endorsement, which would mark the death of the independence of unions.

Already, Rob Speyer, chairman of REBNY, said in a statement, "Early on we realized that the interests of REBNY and 32BJ actually align in more ways than not."

Read the full story at : A union and a real estate lobby will screen mayoral candidates, together (Capital New York)

The neoconservatism of the REBNY has translated into neoliberalism at the unions. We are doomed.

Witness how New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn booby-trapped the ATU Local 1181 bus strike by issuing a statement on February 12, in which she called on the union to end its strike and engaging in a "cooling off period."

There's more than one way to bust a union, either by dooming a strike, or by infiltrating it to sabotage its own best interests. Or so it apparently seems...

2013-02-12 Christine Quinn Statement of New York City Council Re ATU Local 1181 Bus Strike Union Busting by