DON’T LET IT HAPPEN HERE

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We are here in Binghamton near the hub of the extensive rail network that slices through our communities, near our homes and schools to condemn the rundown of the rail system and its use to transport dangerous materials so close to our homes and schools, endangering the lives of our children, the public and rail workers. We are demanding better safety for all. Rail fatalities are escalating out of control, said the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) back in 2008. There were 19 rail deaths that year. The accidents, deaths, and injuries have been increasing ever since. Since 2010, there were 87 reported rail accidents, such as derailments and collisions; then last week the derailment and fire in Tennessee forced the evacuation of over 5,000 and exposed many to the flammable liquid chemical Acrylonitrile. Here in Broome County, where more than 60% of the population lives within two miles of track, mandatory evacuation, chemical exposures and deaths could be much higher in the event of such an accident in this area. • Causes – collisions, derailments, broken rails, braking failures, bridge collapses, inadequate maintenance, ‘jumped the tracks’, and engineer fatigue are among the causes cited by government agencies, such as the National Transportation and Safety Board. Railroad workers have long been fighting against the rail industry's push for: reduction in crew size, general cut-backs in staffing, reduced inspections of track and equipment, operation of excessively long and heavy trains, draconian attendance policies that limit time off work, reduced time off between work shifts, and other unsafe practices. • Impacts – deaths, injuries, massive fires, mass evacuations, highway closures, transportation disruption. • Threats to health and the environment. Many of these trains are carrying hazardous materials. We in the community are not informed of what is passing our homes and schools. In the period since 2000, the following materials have escaped from trains involved in accidents: liquid fertilizer, municipal waste, coal, ore, asphalt, chlorine, ammonia, crude oil, diesel fuel, argon gas, magnetite, vinyl chloride, crude oil from Bakken shale (STOP THE OIL TRAINS!), napthalene, and other unspecified hazardous materials. We need the following: • The full disclosure of the Broome County Health Dept. and Broome County Emergency Services evacuation and treatment plans in case of a rail emergency. • The full disclosure by all railroads passing through Broome County of their insurance coverage in the case of such accidents. • The immediate infrastructure repair of railroad structures that are controlled by the Industrial Development Authority, especially but not limited to walkways and underpasses. • We have a right to know what materials, such as dangerous and hazardous waste, pass through our community. Such information should be regularly announced in local media. • The public should be consulted on the use of this area for transporting dangerous materials. • Rail companies should recognize the Railroad Workers themselves as leaders in the implementation of health and safety standards to be paid by the companies • The enforcement and appropriate fines from OSHA, Dept. of Labor & the EPA when RR companies are found in violation of regulations. • We call on public re-investment in rail systems to provide a safe, reliable system of transportation for the public. Whatever happened to the Bullet train?? Citizens for Train Safety Contact Information: Richard Sprout, Sproutr@upstate.edu, 607-238-6892

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Redlining to Riots

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This is a great article from the Washington Spectator, a news and analysis newsletter. Read and subscribe!

A pattern has emerged—in Oakland, New York, Cleveland, Baltimore, the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, and beyond. Police claiming to feel threatened kill unarmed black men. Protests follow, sometimes including violence. The Department of Justice finds a pattern and practice of racially-biased policing. The city agrees to train officers not to use excessive force, encourage sensitivity, prohibit racial profiling. These reforms are all necessary and important, but ignore an obvious reality that the protests are not really (or primarily) about policing.

In racially isolated neighborhoods where jobs are few and transportation to job-rich areas is absent, where poverty rates are high and educational levels are low, where petty misbehavior and more serious crime abound, young men and cops develop the worst expectations of each other, leading to predictable confrontations.

In 1968, following more than 100 urban riots nationwide, almost all in response to police brutality or killing by police, a presidential commission concluded that “[o]ur nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal” and that “[s]egregation and poverty have created in the racial ghetto a destructive environment totally unknown to most white Americans.” The Kerner Commission added that “[w]hat white Americans have never fully understood—but what the Negro can never forget—is that white society is deeply implicated in the ghetto. White institutions created it, white institutions maintain it, and white society condones it.”

Read more: http://washingtonspectator.org/how-redlining-led-to-rioting/

Photo by Robert C. Johnston

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CIVIL RIGHTS AND HUMAN SERVICES ORGANIZATIONS ENDORSE POLICE MODERNIZATION LAW

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Broome-Tioga NAACP, Urban League of Broome County, and Broome County YWCA call for passage of the Police Modernization law

June 17, 2015 – Binghamton, NY – Tonight at the Binghamton City Council Business meeting representatives from the Broome Tioga NAACP, the Urban League of Broome County and the Broome County YWCA will read statements during the public comment session endorsing the Police Modernization Law currently being discussed in the Municipal and Public Affairs Committee.

The legislation, drafted by the Binghamton Human Rights Commission, which has been in committee since February, has four objectives: (1) to affirm that racial profiling by law enforcement is illegal in the City of Binghamton; (2) mandate the tracking, analysis and reporting of all traffic and pedestrian stops by the police; (3) mandate comprehensive annual in-service cultural competency, implicit bias, and procedural justice training of local law enforcement; and (4) require the police administration to develop and present a plan to diversify the department.  Once moved to the floor, a series of public hearings will be scheduled.

The right of the Binghamton City Council to pass legislation related to police conduct, such as the Police Modernization Law, is supported by New York State law.  This was confirmed by the New York Civil Liberties Union in a conversation with the Binghamton Human Rights Commission.  They stated “the home rule provision of the New York State Constitution confers broad police power on local governments to legislate to address local affairs and government issues as long as it does not conflict with the Constitution or a state law” and pointed to New York City’s Community Safety Act (a law banning racial profiling by the NYPD) as a precedent.  The Community Safety Act, which was signed into law in January 2014, goes beyond the reforms being proposed by the Police Modernization Law and was endorsed by over 100 human services and civil rights organizations (many of them state-wide and national).

Binghamton City Council’s business meeting starts at 6:30pm in City Council Chambers at Binghamton City Hall.  

* * *

Other Resources

Several organizations have issued statements or guidelines for drafting and passage of laws related to bias-based policing and racial profiling.  For example:

The NAACP and Amnesty International have suggested that such a law should include:

1.    A comprehensive effective ban on racial profiling.
2.    Bans on pre-textual stops (those instances in which police use minor/common traffic violations to inquire about drugs, guns, or other breaches of the law) of pedestrians and motorists.
3.    Criminalizes violations of the racial profiling ban and specify penalties for officers who repeatedly engage in racial profiling.
4.    Mandatory data collection for all stops and all searches (traffic and pedestrian)
5.    Data analysis and publication of the data collected to complaints of racial profiling and regularly publish results of racial profiling investigations.
6.    An independent commission to review and respond to complaints of racial profiling and regularly publish results of racial profiling investigations.
7.    Allows for individuals to seek court orders to stop individual departments from continuing to engage in racial profiling.
8.    Provide funds for periodically retraining officers and installing in-car video cameras for monitoring traffic stops.

The National Urban League has called for:

1.    Widespread use of body cameras and dashboard cameras
2.    Broken windows reform and implementation of 21st century community policing model
3.     Review and revision of police use of deadly force policies
4.     Comprehensive retraining of all police officers
5.    Comprehensive review and strengthening of police hiring standards
6.    Appointment of special prosecutors to investigate police misconduct
7.    Mandatory, uniform FBI reporting and audit of lethal force incidents involving all law enforcement
8.    Creation and audit of national citizen database of complaints against police
9.    Adoption of national police accreditation system for mandatory use by law enforcement to be eligible for federal funds
10.    National comprehensive anti-racial profiling law
 
Quotes

 “A diverse law enforcement agency can better develop relationships with the community it serves, promote trust in the fairness of law enforcement, and facilitate effective policing by encouraging citizen support and cooperation. Law enforcement agencies should seek to hire a diverse workforce.”
 
-U.S. Department of Justice
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/taskforce/Diversity_in_Law_Enforcement_Literature_Review.pdf

“Ban racial profiling by the police… [and] mandate that all police departments collect and report data on a quarterly basis on police shootings, and other deaths in custody, as well as stops, frisks, searches, citations, arrests, and uses of force.”

– American Civil Liberties Union
https://action.aclu.org/secure/DOJ-racial-profiling

 “The NBPA also support legislation that holds the governmental entity, its police department and offending officers liable for violating the civil rights of our citizenry. The NBPA also supports mandated and uniform data collection and analysis to research and abate adverse impact; educate the police and the public and to develop policy and procedures designed to correct and discipline deviance.”

-National Black Police Association
http://www.blackpolice.org/positions.html

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Metro Center Event Yields Lots of Ideas

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Over 100 people stopped by Metro Center Plaza on First Friday to offer their support for a people- centered development in the space. Buskers abounded in the space–musicians, dancers and spontaneous music making. Chalk artists, young and old had a great time decorating the space. Postcards with ideas for the space were filled out and petitions were signed. An excellent video by Markeee can be seen at https://vimeo.com/129963856

IF you want to sign a petition about the Metro Center Plaza go here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/17L1IyG9xD8iUe4F5NwvCh7woCwuPv8AwDWIx5YRypOw/viewform

The top ideas people offered were for a location for music events, a Farmer's Market or crafts fairs, trees, outdoor movies, art and sculpture in the space.

Also popular were  fountains, benches, outdoor performance spaces for music, dance and theatre, outdoor seating for restaurants or coffee shops, gardens or green space. Food trucks and kids' activities were also mentioned. Some unusual suggestions were Astroturfing the space, a chalk maze, a space for meditation, a plexiglass cover for winter events, indoor public space in the MetroCenter Mall, and an underground tunnel for winter use.

The postcards and the petitions will be forwarded to the City and organizers of this planning event will research more proposals for the space.

More photos of the events are on the Dept of Public Art facebook page and this site under image gallery.

 

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Pop-Up Event Planned for Metrocenter Courtyard this First Friday

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Late Breaking (Updated):

The binghamton bridge received (through a friend, not directly)  a missive from the City Clerk late Thursday, cautioning organizers not to put anything on city property, like a table for instance. The text of the message is here:

From: Pelletier, Jeremy

Sent: Thursday, June 04, 2015 4:14 PM
To: 'binghamtonbridge@gmail.com'
Subject: Pop-Up event on June 5th at Metro Center Courtyard

To Whom it May Concern:
I noticed on the Press and Sun Bulletin website today that there is a “pop-up event” scheduled for tomorrow June 5th in the Metro Center Courtyard. I wanted you to be aware that you will not be able to place any tables, chairs, equipment etc. on City property without first obtaining a City of Binghamton event permit. I have provided you a link to the permit application on the City website and included the section of the City Code regarding event permit regulations. You may gather in this area tomorrow, but you will not be able to place anything on City property as this would require an event permit application. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Organizers of the event will hold the event anyway and few of the plans will be interrupted by the City's edict. "If the City were to enforce the law against putting something on city property they would have to shut down the whole Art Walk." said Peg Johnston, a DPA member "We will stick to our plan to arrange some boxes in a temporary way to show what flowers and benches and a stage might look like in the large plaza." Buskers–musicians, dancers, and others are still welcome to entertain as they would any time in this space. As planned, the group will collect postcard suggestions, collect signatures on petitions, and take photos of people with their "idea balloons." Supporters are encouraged to tweet what they would like to see in the MetroCenter Plaza under the hashtag #ImagineBinghamton.

Goal is to Showcase the Value of Preserving this Public Space for People

Groups Call on City to Discard $500,000 Ten-Space Parking Plan and Launch an Open, Inclusive Design Contest for this Public Space

BINGHAMTON – Members from the Department of Public Art (DPA) and Binghamton Advocates for Quality Public Spaces are working with other local groups and residents to organize a “pop-up event” in the Metrocenter public courtyard from 7:00 – 8:00pm Friday june 5th, coinciding with June's First Friday event.

The hour-long, free-form event will feature local musicians, street performers, and interactive activities, and invites any and all residents to join the fun with props, games, and smiles. Organizers will solicit design ideas for the MetroCenter courtyard in various ways and suggestions will be forwarded to the City.

The event is being planned to fill this underutilized and neglected space with creativity, fun, and people to highlight the need to improve and beautify this space for people instead of spending $500,000 to pave it over for ten parking spots. A groundswell of public opposition to the Mayor's $500,000 parking lot plan has brought the plan to a screeching halt, and the pop-up event organizers believe it's time to shift to advocating for a more cost-effective alternative that better reflects community input and wishes.

“We all agree this public space needs to be improved, especially since this administration spent its first year quietly funding the removal of benches, garbage cans, trees, flowerbeds, and lighting,” said Tarik Abdelazim, a member of Binghamton Advocates for Quality Public Spaces and the city's former Director of Planning, Housing and Community Development. “However, instead of secretly trying to push forward with a wasteful and poorly designed parking lot to please one or two downtown business owners, we encourage the administration and City Council to engage the public in shaping a common vision and cost-effective design that prioritizes people over cars.”

“The Dept of Public Art encourages creativity and public participation in the design of public spaces in Binghamton,” said Mark Bowers, one of the founding members of DPA, “and this interactive, open event is a first step for this space.”

Those organizing the event promise this is the beginning of a positive grassroots effort to re-imagine this space consistent with the community-based vision for downtown captured in Blueprint Binghamton, the city's recently completed comprehensive plan that was legally adopted by City Council last year. Members from both groups want to work constructively with the City on an alternative that taps the creative energies of this community.

Members from these groups cite the top five reasons stated by local taxpayers over the last few months as to why the administration's parking lot project should be rejected:

The parking lot will be funded by a bond, and therefore cost approximately $500,000 (principal and interest payments for 15 years). With only ten parking spaces, that's $50,000 a spot—a complete waste of limited tax dollars when there are so many other urgent infrastructure needs that would benefit all residents!

The City owns three underutilized parking ramps and the large lot behind CVS—all a stone's throw from this proposed parking lot. The parking ramps need millions of dollars in repairs, so why would any Council member approve spending half a million dollars to add ten spaces in one of the only centrally located public spaces in downtown?

The parking lot is poorly designed, and involves ripping out new investments made as part of the Court Street Gateway Project; relocating light poles, traffic signals, and curb cuts; and introducing new safety risks to pedestrians and bikers on one of our most heavily trafficked sidewalks in downtown. Worse, city officials have stated at Traffic Board meetings that they plan to eliminate reverse diagonal parking on Court Street to improve line of sight for cars coming in and out of this ten-space parking lot—a move that will actually reduce the number of parking spaces on Court Street!

Successful downtowns today feature vibrant and active public spaces. We fully agree that the Metrocenter Courtyard is underutilized and an eyesore. However, we believe it needs to be redesigned and improved for people—not paved over for cars! For a fraction of the cost of the parking lot, this commons area could become a downtown hub, supporting expansive outdoor seating at Galaxy Brewing and Sip of Seattle, live music, and other seasonal programming.

The administration is just about to start a $100,000 downtown parking study, a priority recommendation listed in Blueprint Binghamton, the City's Comprehensive Plan formally adopted by City Council last year. Blueprint Binghamton. The section on downtown in the City's newly adopted plan remarks on the excessive acreage of land committed to paved parking area, and recommends a parking study to consider ways to reduce the land committed to parking, and articulates a resident-driven vision of a walkable, livable downtown with more public spaces, recreational assets,and housing and transportation choices. It makes no sense to add a new parking lot before the parking study is done and in complete contradiction to the plan legally adopted by City Council last summer!

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Metro Center Mall Development

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The Metro Center Mall is an open space encompassing approximately 112,000 square feet, and as its name implies, is at the heart of downtown Binghamton. Mayor David’s plan for this much needed renovation includes ten parking places, and I’m assuming, a connecting roadway intersecting Court Street. It is unclear what would remain for other features to attract people to that area because no artist’s rendering of the project has been offered to the public, as is standard procedure with municipal projects. Taxpayers and residents are entitled to see what is in the Mayor’s mind’s eye and to be assured even he has a clear concept of his proposal. Consideration need be given to vehicle traffic flow and dead end snow removal.

[ Editor's note: We have been notified by a reader that an architectural/engineering plan has been circulated within City Hall and to the appropriate review boards, and a copy of this plan is available at https://halfmillionbinghamton.wordpress.com/the-actual-design/ ]

I have never had difficulty parking downtown, and using our City’s most valuable blank canvas for such a mundane purpose lacks vision. There is no valid reason to rush into this project, and it only seems fair that the citizens of our recovering city be shown more creative, cosmopolitan, options that could provide dynamic and signature images for our Downtown.

In such a creative community, I suggest alternative proposals be developed and submitted to groups, who will evaluate them seriously, before providing them to our local news media for public engagement, and ensuring there is more than one choice available. Something needs to be done, and hopefully the melding of imaginative ideas and transparency will draw funding.   

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A Herstory of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement by Alicia Garza

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This is the herstory of the origin of #BlackLivesMatter movement, and a critique of those who have tried to co-opt the movement. She concludes that Black Lives Matter needs solidarity not "watered down unity."  An important read! –ed

I created #BlackLivesMatter with Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi, two of my sisters, as a call to action for Black people after 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was post-humously placed on trial for his own murder and the killer, George Zimmerman, was not held accountable for the crime he committed. It was a response to the anti-Black racism that permeates our society and also, unfortunately, our movements.

Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise.  It is an affirmation of Black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.

Continue reading here: http://thefeministwire.com/2014/10/blacklivesmatter-2/

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Light Painting Live: Stephen Schweitzer

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Light Painting Performance Opens Gallery’s Fifth Weekend Series

 

            Stephen Schweitzer will present a light painting exhibit on Saturday May 30th, 2015 at 8 pm at the Cooperative Gallery 213 State St. The event is free and open to the public although donations for the artist will be welcomed.

            “Live light painting is an immediate and collaborative process not unlike a traditional painting where each light image is added over time to create a final piece,” according to Schweitzer who has been experimenting with the art form for several years. The audience can see the painting with the aid of a high powered HD projector in real time. Lucem Picturae is Schweitzer’s project and in this performance he is presenting experimental techniques using dance, music, and new computer technology. A sample of his work can be accessed here.

            Also on display will be Select Murals from Mural Fest 2015, which represent some illustrious international artists including Damien Mitchell of Australia, Nic707 of NYC, and the Indigo Arts Collective of Brooklyn. These murals are available for property owners who have a boarded up building in one of Binghamton’s neighborhoods under the Dept. of Public Art’s blight mitigation art project funded by Chenango Co Arts Council and the Hoyt Foundation. “The goal is to use abandoned buildings as a canvas for art which will draw attention to their potential and will brighten up neighborhoods with boarded up properties, explained Peg Johnston of the DPA. The murals can be viewed Friday May 29th from 3-6 pm and Saturday 12-4 pm at the Cooperative Gallery 213 State St. Binghamton. Interested property owners should contact binghamtonbridge@gmail.com for more information.

            The Cooperative Gallery is utilizing the occasional “Fifth Weekend” in the gallery schedule to showcase innovative or special weekend only shows. Previously the gallery used the Fifth Weekend for the Marche’ Art Sale and to make needed renovations and repairs. “This is an effort to bring in new energy and explore artistic ideas in our community,” commented Kit Ashman vice president of the Cooperative Gallery. Future ideas are a posthumous exhibit of Ruth Harasta’s art, a dance performance, and light painting workshops. For more information see gallery’s Facebook page, website www.cooperativegallery.com, or call 724-3462.

Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdXmv1Cg2P0

http://lucem-picturae.com/index.html

 

 

 

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DAVID’S DEAD END IS DEAD: Thank you Council President Berg and Council Dems!

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(from https://halfmillionbinghamton.wordpress.com/)

David’s Dead End, the Mayor’s $500,000 plan to pave over the Metrocenter courtyard for ten parking spaces, is officially dead. We want to thank Council President Bill Berg, and Council members Lea Webb, Teri Rennia and Jerry Motsavage (all Democrats) for standing firm, blocking and burying for good this financially irresponsible project that was wrong for so many reasons and sparked a massive groundswell of opposition from residents and taxpayers.

Whereas the three Council Republicans were ready to rubber-stamp this absurd project and saddle local taxpayers with a $500,000 bill–simply to honor and fulfill a backroom handshake deal between the Mayor and one downtown business owner–the four Democrats recognized this project was wrong, wasteful, and not in the community’s best interests.

So thank you Council Democrats!

But the six of us here at Binghamton Advocates for Quality Spaces want to extend even bigger thanks to ALL OF YOU! We’ve been floored by your commitment to stay informed and engaged–and then to act when necessary. And you sure are a diverse lot! We’ve heard from Republicans and Democrats, artists and accountants, high school students and grandparents, business owners and retirees! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Let us celebrate this victory, but our work is not done. Now is when we shift from opposition to advocacy, because we all agree this underutilized space needs immediate attention and improvement. Yes, we stopped David’s Dead End, a dumb parking lot design that prioritized roads and cars. Now we need to work with the four Council Democrats on a creative, cost-effective design for the Metrocenter courtyard  that prioritizes public spaces and people.

You in? Share, share, share…..and stay tuned. Because we ain’t going anywhere.

DAVID’S DEAD END IS DEAD: Thank you Council President Berg and Council Dems! Read More »

Want a Mural? Free Art for Boarded up Properties

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Mural Fest 2015 (April 26th) created about 30 Movable Murals on 4 X 8' panels to be affixed to boarded up properties in Binghamton neighborhoods. The first installation will be on a building on Chenango Street consisting of 11 food themed murals, given the Northside's lack of a grocery store. The Dept. of Public Art expects to install and celebrate the murals in May.

Other murals are available for property owners who have a boarded up building. And some of the available murals have been painted by world famous artists such as Damien Mitchell, or Nic707, and the Indigo Arts Collective of Brooklyn. Several of the murals were on display at the State St. Block Party. Photos of the murals are available.

If you know of a building that would qualify, please contact binghamtonbridge@gmail.com. Property owners must promise to notify the DPA if the building is renovated, re-purposed, or torn down, so that the mural can be put on another building.

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