URBAN NOTES…

URBAN STORIES…

Taken From: Urban News

Week ending May 27, 2000

By PAT NASON, United Press International

NEW YORK

Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who last week admitted he made a mistake in his handling of the police shooting of an unarmed man in March, now says he has sympathy and compassion for the man's family. Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," Giuliani suggested he would try to let the family of Patrick Dorismond know how he feels -- and might even visit with Dorismond's parents. But he continued to defend his judgment on the matter of releasing Dorismond's juvenile arrest record after the shooting. He said his mistake was in not doing more "to express sympathy, concern, help, assistance, compassion for...a tragic situation." Giuliani also said he has no regrets about dropping out of the U.S. Senate race, and has come to realize that politics is not "the most important thing in life." He also came close to blaming his father for his often unforgiving approach to politics -- saying that his father had taught him the somewhat Machiavellian notion that it is better to be respected than loved. He said "fathers make mistakes...and intend to think now that love is more important than I thought."
The Giuliani administration is putting off work on dozens of construction projects, because state lawmakers have not taken final action on granting the city an additional $4 billion in borrowing authority. The New York Times reports that the city is close to reaching the state-mandated $30 billion cap on the amount it may borrow. Mayor Rudy Giuliani says the amount is based on a formula that is outdated and unnecessarily restrictive. Adam Barsky -- director of the mayor's Office of Management and Budget -- said an increase in the borrowing limit is "absolutely critical to our ability to build schools, fix bridges, roads, parks and cultural institutions." The Times reports that the city can still borrow enough money to follow through with its planned construction projects until the end of the year, but has delayed the start of new projects -- except for any that are essential for health or safety, or required by law.
WOODY'S SOCIAL CONSCIENCE

Woody Allen has joined a campaign to preserve 12 New York City townhouses in Manhattan -- only the owners of the houses apparently don't want them to be preserved. The New York Daily News reports the owners want to sell the houses, and already have contracts on five of them. The plan is to replace them with a new high-rise building. But Allen and his preservationist allies -- including socialite Brooke Astor want the townhouses to be place on the National Historic Register. The paper says the owners can prevent that, but there's nothing they can do to keep the properties off the State Register. In a letter to New York's commissioner of parks, recreation and historic preservation, Allen wrote: "Every time one of these huge buildings emerges, it's a blow to the city, not just to the neighborhood." Allen says the townhouses are "exceptional buildings, fine historic residential townhouses which form a significant enclave."

Mayor Rudy Giuliani says he isn't sure the National Rifle Association's plan for a theme restaurant and shooting arcade can make it in New York. Leaders of the NRA say they want to pattern the project after such attractions as ESPN Zone and Planet Hollywood -- with the restaurant menu offering wild game. Some critics -- including gun control advocates and Democratic lawmakers -- accuse the NRA of wanting to use the arcade to suck young kids into the gun culture, but Giuliani says it isn't necessary to judge the appropriateness of the project. The New York Times reports that Giuliani said, "Well, I don't think it is going to happen, I don't see how that is really realistic, that they are going to open a store on Times Square." At a reception honoring the Walt Disney Company contributions to the revitalization of Times Square, Giuliani said, "Now, everyone wants to be in Times Square, even the NRA. Don't worry, it won't happen." The Times reports that NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre is threatening to sue if the city tries to keep the gun lobbying group from going ahead with its plan.
A crackdown on crime in New York has had decidedly different results in Brooklyn than it has in the other boroughs -- and city officials say they are at a loss to explain why. The Daily News reports that Operation Condor has resulted in an increase of more than 83 percent in the caseload of Brooklyn Criminal Courts over the past year. But the increased caseload in the other boroughs didn't come anywhere near that. For example, in Queens, the caseload was up 40 percent. Staten Island's caseload was up 25 percent and the Bronx courts had almost 23 percent more cases to deal with. In Manhattan, the caseload was up just .8 percent. Operation Condor pays overtime to police officer for fighting crime -- from violent crime to "quality of life" offenses. Police say the program helped drive down the city's crime rate by 7 percent this year.
Tenants and landlords are doing battle over a proposed rewrite of state regulations covering leases between property owners and 2.4 million renters -- most of whom live in New York City. The New York Times reports that the document -- 200 pages of "dense legalese" -- was put together quietly by state officials, and has caused some controversy. According to the paper, the State Division of Housing and Community Renewal says that it is merely updating the rules to conform to changes in the law since the last update in 1987. But tenant groups are accusing the state of taking the landlords' side in the new regulations, effectively undermining important protections for renters. The renters also claim that the state officials have no statutory authority to make the changes -- which they say will allow the landlords to raise rents improperly and to evict tenants. The housing agency's general counsel, Marcia P. Hirsch, denied the charges. Tenant organizers told the Times they plan to challenge the new regulations in court, if necessary.

CHICAGO

Some upscale folks in Chicago are making it hard for the Census Bureau to count them in the 2000 census -- but they aren't the only ones. The Chicago Tribune reports that doormen at some of the high-rises along the city's lakefront have been shooing census-takers away before the enumerators get a chance to count a single upper middle class head. But the paper also reports that census-takers have problems in other areas of the economic spectrum too -- so many problems that the Second City is pretty far back in line behind most other cities when it comes to key measurements of response to the census. The paper says that, in comparison with cities like Los Angeles and Detroit, Chicago's census effort appears to be "underfunded, poorly coordinated and anemic." The situation may be particularly embarrassing for Chicago -- given the fact that Mayor Richard Daley's brother William is the Secretary of Commerce. It's his department that oversees the census.
Following her victory in a sexual harassment suit -- including the awarding of close to $600,000 in damages -- a supervisor in Chicago's Fleet Management Department says women in the department will continue to be harassed until there are changes in top management. A federal jury ordered the city of Chicago this week to pay Ruth Figueroa $587,250, and Figueroa's boss, Rudyard Urian, should pay her $30,750. Figueroa told reporters, "If nothing is done to Urian and he is allowed to stay...the sexual harassment will continue." She accused Urian of repeatedly making sexual advances toward her, and said that others in the department where she worked posted vulgar graffiti about her in the washrooms. Urian denied doing anything wrong. The Chicago Tribune reports that Figueroa accused city officials of dragging their feet in responding to her complaint.
A new study concludes that urban areas are responsible for the economic growth of the United States. The U.S. Conference of Mayors and National Association of Counties study, based on 1999 figures, shows that urban areas account for 85 percent of the nation's gross domestic product, and generate 84 percent of the nation's employment and 88 percent of the country's labor income. The study shows metro-area economies account for $2.4 billion of U.S. economic growth since 1992. It also shows 95 percent of high tech and 94 percent of business service jobs created since 1992 are in urban areas. According to the study, the metropolitan New York economy would be the 16th largest in the world, when ranked against the gross output nations. The gross output of Los Angeles would constitute the 17th largest economy in the world, and Chicago would be number 19.
Chicago's public school system is expanding its sports program for girls, and officials frankly concede that one reason for that is to help young women keep from getting pregnant. School Board President Grey Chico told the Chicago Sun-Times: "A girl playing golf is less apt to become pregnant. It's intuitive." When the 2000-2001 school year begins, girls will be able to choose from lacrosse, crew, fast-pitch softball and badminton. They already have golf, tennis and soccer, but those programs are being expanded to offer more opportunities for more girls to participate. School officials expect that by next January, 8,500 more girls will be playing high school sports than in 1999. Chico says the expansion is, at least in part, a reaction to city figures showing that almost 9,800 babies were born in 1998 to mothers between 10- and 17-years-old. He told the Sun-Times, "You have to offer an alternative to idle time."

WASHINGTON

The Washington Symphony Orchestra played a benefit concert Sunday for an 11-year-old boy who was shot in the head when he was caught in the middle of a shootout between two rival groups of teenagers at the National Zoo on Easter Monday. The orchestra got involved because a message reached the e-mail box of Denna Purdie, the WSO's assistant principal cellist. The e-mail was from Quandra Bates, whose brother Harris was one of seven school children hit by gunfire during the shooting. Purdie approached the orchestra's board of directors, and eventually the arrangements were made. About 150 people gathered Sunday evening in the Zoo's Visitor Center Auditorium to hear the orchestra perform. The program also featured a performance by the gospel choir at Charles H. Houston Middle School, where Harris Bates is a student. Surgeons have not been able to remove the bullet from Bates' brain, but after three weeks on the critical list, the fifth-grader is beginning to show signs of progress from his injury.

Taxi drivers and their supporters say they appreciate the direction that the D.C. City Council is heading on the issue of taxi drivers' safety. The Washington Post reports that witnesses who testified before the council this week offered solid support for tougher penalties for crimes against cabdrivers, as well as for a bill requiring bulletproof shields inside taxis and another requiring cabdrivers to wear seat belts. According to federal statistics, the homicide rate for taxi drivers nationwide is higher than that of police officers. The City Council is considering the "Taxicab Drivers Protection Act," which would increase fines and prison terms by 50 percent for those who attack cabdrivers. The D.C. Taxicab Commission has approved a measure requiring bulletproof shields or cameras inside cabs. The Post reports that some drivers are against that because they have to pay for the equipment themselves and, they say, the security devices don't always work. Drivers have also complained about the prospect of being required to wear seat belts. Some drivers say seat belts are often the most dangerous weapons in their cabs, because criminals can use them to tie up -- or even to strangle -- their victims.
Parents of public school students in the nation's capitol may have to adjust their schedules this fall. School Superintendent Arlene Ackerman is considering moving the start of elementary school up 45 minutes -- and moving back the start of other classes by 30 minutes. The Washington Post reports that possible changes in schedule are motivated by two main factors -- concerns about bus schedules and research indicating that teens perform better in school when they get more sleep in the morning. The paper says Ackerman has sent a proposal to school staff, calling for elementary students to start school at 8 a.m., and for students at all other grade levels to start classes at 9:15. Currently, all students start school at 8:45. Under the new proposal, elementary school students would get out of school at 2:30 each afternoon. The others would get out at 3:45. Ackerman told the paper: "I wouldn't want people to think it's a done deal, because it's not. I don't have all the information I need to make a decision." Ackerman is leaving in July to take over San Francisco's school system.

LOS ANGELES

Gasoline prices are on the rise as Memorial Day, the first major weekend of the summer driving season, approaches. The Energy Information Administration says the national average price for a gallon of unleaded was higher for the second consecutive week, climbing to $1.526 from $1.492 last week. The price of the cleaner-burning reformulated gasoline (RFG) that's used in most major urban areas moved up to $1.615 per gallon, compared to $1.568 the week before. The West Coast, which includes the higher-priced RFG specifically tailored for California, was, as usual, stuck with the highest prices in the nation -- $1.725 per gallon compared to $1.680 the previous week. Diesel prices paid on the highway averaged $1.432 per gallon nationwide, according to the EIA. The United States is going to need all the gasoline it can get this month as Memorial Day looms closer -- the first of the Big Three summer driving holidays. The Automobile Association of America earlier this month projected an average regular gasoline cost of $1.465 per gallon, 30.8 cents higher than last Memorial Day. Still, AAA said it expected 28.4 million Americans to travel 100 miles or more by car, light truck or RV during the holiday weekend.
INTENSE HEAT BRINGS OUT WORST IN L.A. GANGS Police say record hot temperatures have contributed to an increase in gang violence in the Los Angeles area over the past several days. Sgt. James Reid of the Sylmar, Calif., police department told the Los Angeles Daily News that people tend to have more parties to deal with the heat, and "crime starts to pick up when gangsters start having parties." Police throughout the L.A. area say at least six people have been killed and more than a dozen have been injured in violent incidents over the weekend, when temperatures of 105 were recorded in several L.A. neighborhoods.

BALTIMORE

The City Council considers a bill that would require more contractors doing business with the city to pay their employees a "living wage." Baltimore became the first major U.S. city to enact such a law in 1994, but there is a move afoot now to extend the reach of the law so that it covers people who work for the largest janitorial service in the city. Broadway Services is a for-profit affiliate of the non-profit Johns Hopkins network of institutions -- including the world-famous university and hospital. According to a report in the Baltimore Sun, the company's employees are only paid the minimum wage and are among the lowest paid workers in the city. The law does not cover all of Broadway Services employees, because many of them work in privately owned buildings. If they were covered by the living wage law, they would be earning $7.90 an hour.

PHILADELPHIA

About 100 students at an elite public high school boycotted classes Monday and marched on the school system's headquarters -- to protest the installation of walk-through metal detectors at their school. The students from Masterman High -- the highest-ranking academic high school in Philadelphia -- chanted, "Books, not bars" during a two-hour rally outside school headquarters. School Superintendent David Hornbeck met for about 30 minutes with four representatives of the group, then announced that the metal detectors would stay in place at the schools. The extra security was ordered for Philadelphia schools following the shooting death of an assistant principal last fall. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that school officials say metal detectors, X-ray machines and other security measures have helped in the discovery and confiscation of 150 weapons at schools this year.

DALLAS

Plans for the next city council election -- less than 12 months from now -- could be thrown into disarray by the timing of the release of data from the 2000 Census, which is currently being conducted. The Dallas Morning News reports that the results of the census -- scheduled to be released by next April 1 -- will probably not be made public in time for the city to redraw its 14 council districts before the election, which is scheduled for May 5. Federal law requires that the voting rights of minorities be protected in the drawing of council districts, and the paper says some civil rights groups are threatening to file suit -- to delay the election until the districts can be redrawn, based on 2000 Census data. The Morning News reports that top city officials hope to have a redistricting plan in place before the election.

HOUSTON

Three years after the Houston Independent School District stopped using racial preferences as a basis for admission to programs for gifted students, school officials report that the student bodies at some elite schools have become less ethnically balanced. However, educators say that there are more and better programs for gifted students in predominantly black and Hispanic neighborhoods. The Houston Chronicle says that HISD officials -- even those who opposed ending the racial quotas -- are hearing few complaints from parents. The paper says the parents are just as happy to have their children in good neighborhood schools -- and do not see the lack of diversity as a major problem. HISD trustee Arthur Gaines, who originally opposed ending the quotas, told the paper, "As things have worked out...the kids are where they want to be." Only 10 percent of the students in HISD are white, and the Chronicle says that just a few of the city's schools have ever had a highly diverse enrollment.

DENVER

In response to media reports that some city workers were caught goldbricking, Denver officials have come up with a proposal to spend $1.5 million to keep track of city vehicles by using Global Positioning System satellite technology. A spokesman for Mayor Wellington Webb said that, eventually, the goal would be to have GPS devices installed on more than 2,000 Public Works Department vehicles. Until that happens, Denver will settle for bumper stickers on city-owned vehicles, inviting citizens to blow the whistle on loafing public employees -- or sing their praises, if they see something good -- by dialing a toll-free number. The city will also require workers to call in from the field at the beginning and the end of their breaks. The get-tough policy resulted from a KUSA-TV report featuring videotape of city workers playing cards and sleeping on the taxpayers' dime. GPS -- which is operated by Defense Department -- uses 24 satellites to pinpoint the exact location of receivers on the ground.

BOSTON

A homeless advocacy group in Boston says young adults constitute the fastest growing segment of homeless people in the state of Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance -- a coalition of 73 organizations that work on homelessness issues in the state -- reported Monday that the number of people aged 18- to 24-years using homeless shelters rose by 33 percent during the first quarter of 2000 over the same period in 1999. The second fastest growing age group within the homeless population was the elderly. The number of people aged 60 and over using shelters was up by about 30 percent during the first quarter. The alliance reported that homelessness in general was up across the state in January, February and March -- as shelters took in 16 percent more people than they were intended to accommodate. The group says one of the major reasons for the growing homeless population is that more people are being dumped from state care onto the street and into shelters.

All Articles United Press International.