SSP101
Jason Chester
Professor Fitch
05/20/09
Political Experience
City council meeting
“Stated meeting”
May twentieth two thousand and nine marked a milestone for me. It marked the day that I
discovered that the politicians although accomplished, experienced and having a higher ranking
social status than myself. Were not as elite as I thought. I saw men and women who were just
like me. Although dressed in nice suits with fancy watches and hair styles. They may have
spoken with intellect and understood the jargon. But their mannerism as to how they act towards
each other with gestures and smiles, how they were often told to keep it down by the speaker of
the house Christine Quinn and other officers. Their actions showed that although supposedly
elite and more knowledgeable. They are human, they text, talk on their phones, get loud, crack
jokes, and have personalities. Now I understand from a political aspect they need to show
common characteristics like everyday people in order to appeal to other voters, but I didn’t
imagine they would be this way even amongst their peers. I expected a more seriously dead
crowd of people with no personality, much like my council member Leroy Comrie who rarely
ever smiles.
I walked up the City hall steps and stood amazed by the architecture. Inside was nice,
very colonial. The chamber room was old fashioned with a painting of Washington and
sculptures of Hamilton and Madison. The carpet on the ground was red with gold stars, what that
represented I don’t know. Seated from the entrance way toward the center were the fifty one
council members although only forty nine were present. My council member Leroy Comrie was
one that wasn’t in attendance.
I arrived on time for the one thirty meeting but they were giving out plaques to
neighborhood community activist. There were several given out but for myself the most notable
one that stuck out was in the forty first district of Brooklyn. Council member Darleen Kneely
who I met previously in the elevator and had a conversation about the high security and she told
me about John Davis the council member that was assassinated a while back. I didn’t know she
was a council member at the time. I thought she was just a woman In the elevator who was
directing me to the bathroom. I was embarrassed and impressed later on when I saw her giving
out the plaque to several teenagers of Acorn High school. The recognition was for the kids
forming a club called the ladies and gentlemans club with their motto “let me live, Play, and
grow” this was a anti violence club that promoted throughout their school and neighborhood
alternative ways to settling differences. They practiced mostly through mediation and rational
thought of discussing your differences. They also led a march in their neighborhood which made
such an impact they were invited to Washington. I sure hope the kids showed Washington that
maybe we can settle a few arguments without going to war.
At two thirty they finally began. We rose to pledge allegiance to the flag, which was
spoken silently not done in verbal unison like we did, when I was in elementary school whether
that is still practiced I don’t know. After an attendance check which is still done in every stage
of school, an invocation was said by Rev. Suk Ho Moon a pastor from flushing at the Hyoshin
Bible Presbyterian church in flushing. After that they went into general orders. Things got
confusing from here. I tried to keep up with what was going on. I had the agenda sheet. From my
understanding the clerks announced the others and the Speaker Christine Quinn spoke on behalf
of the council. They did a unanimous vote on land and city planning with came in forty nine
positive and zero negative. This stuff was very boring and I had to force myself to pay attention.
The notable moments of the meeting for myself, before recesses was announced by
majority leader Joel Riviera and everyone scattered were, first councilman Baron who
announced in his area he was able to have a hundred percent affordable housing in his district for
people making $16,000 a year. For $340 a month naming him King of affordability. Another
topic discussed was tenant screening report. This subject was about tenant being on a no rent list
and not knowing it. It affected people who lived in a building and by no fault of their own was
foreclosed. When discussed the situation further with a member of a community board district.
They told me “There are many situations where the renter is affected; one way is through the
screening report where they can be subject to offences unknown to them such as being labeled
delinquent when they aren’t. Another way is how section eight members are affected. He told me
of cases where when the city was paying their portion of the rent then do to issues with the city
budget discontinued paying, where then the occupant was forced to move because the city wasn’t
paying their part, and the person couldn’t afford to live on their own salary”. Along with these
complex and controversial topics was the one that stood out for the day, at least in my opinion.
The topic was the case of the 1989 arrest of four young teenage boys who were wrongly
convicted of raping a woman in central park. These young men were put on under harsh
interrogations and were forced to admit to something they didn’t do. Thanks to DNA testing they
were exonerated recently but the damage was done. They were in jail for many years most of
their youth and missed out on very precious years of their lives. Councilman Baron pushed “The
family should not have to go through any court cases; we should award them money to
compensate their loss of years and inability to find a job.” Two of these young men sat no more
than thirty feet away from me. Looking at them I saw stolen youth, unfair punishment, and
bureaucratic number pushers to solve cases quickly at any cost. We are in a fiscal crisis with a
sixty million dollar budget, where every tax has been raised. I’m not sure what the city’s decision
will be, but I’m sure they’ll get something.
The council members broke for recesses soon after this discussion. In about ten minutes
the room was empty all that were left were police officers, a few reporters, some interns and
possibilities. For me staring around the room where day to day activities of normal men and
women affect the lives of those that live and work outside these walls. Encourages myself to
learn the system and educate others who want to learn more. To someday get myself a seat or
more voice among these members where I can say “I” or “Ne” and have my voice be heard in a
statement that makes a difference, as I stand for those who are oppressed like me.