I asked residents on Instagram if there were any problems with crowding at the Tram last weekend.
Among the response were:
I tried to get home after a 14 hour work shift and was told by PSD the platform was full so I couldn’t even go up to take the tram home. Ended up having to pay $35 for a cab home.
exact same thing happened to me !!
... What irritates me the most is all those tourist running for a seat, to end up standing up and moving around, than pushing and shoving to get a shot from every window and the worst are the ones putting their elbows on your back, shoulders and head and then getting upset cause you do not allow it.
Tourist are the worst!
Most of them have no manners. Even when there is a senior, a person with a disability or a parent with a stroller trying to board the tram, they show no respect. They just don't care. They are like charging bulls. The only thing they care about is getting a seat or the best view. Not to say that all tourists act like this, some are actually very nice, but I would say the majority for sure.
At 6:45pm the line was stretched almost to 59th Street. (Mostly people waiting to buy a ticket) I always carry 4 with me.
Line was fine if you metrocard was loaded. Skip the lines. Cars were crowded.
nope, Sunday PM they wouldn’t even let you up if you had your metro card ready
Never, they will never learn. The complete lack of awareness on public service and poor sense of priorities has resulted in many of us who love(d) RI to move away.
Last evening the line at Tramway plaza was scary..that was at 7pm...I went straight to elevator and had money on my Metro card...The platform was jam packed and scary. I had to wait with severe back pain.. fought my way on.. fought for a seat.. tram is also over capacity.. my Sister had to get free shuttle bus @ 7:30pm with a few other residents...RIOC has to do something....it is semi dangerous.. it will be like that all Summer. The shuttle should be earlier in the day....
It was awful . a lot of people were in trouble
This has to stop. We are paying a lot for this island and we shouldn't wait on stupid lines with the tourists.
It was awful, my daughter and her friends (all island residents), we’re told by NYPD officers that because two of them did not have a metro card they had to wait in a very long line that were mostly tourist.
There was no Queens bound F trains, so they had to take an alternate route into queens to get home .
I do not feel that island residents should have to be inconvenienced by standing in a long line of tourists, to get home.
UPDATE 6/2 12:15 PM - The NYPD 114 precinct informed me a few minutes ago that the Roosevelt Island Build The Block meeting is being rescheduled for 5 PM Thursday June 8 at Cornell Tech.
Sorry for any inconvenience.
In recent weeks on Roosevelt Island there's been an increase in criminal
activity including:
On Saturday, May 27, 2023, at approximately 8:24 PM, the Roosevelt Island
Public Safety Department (PSD) responded to a report of a group of juveniles
harassing adults to the rear of 500 Main Street at the Blackwell House Park
basketball courts. PSD arrived on the scene at approximately 8:26 PM and spoke
to a male victim who stated he was involved in a physical altercation with one
of the juveniles following a verbal dispute. The victim sustained minor
injuries and was able to identify the perpetrator, who fled the scene of the
assault before PSD arrived. On Tuesday, May 30, 2023, at 9:38 AM the
perpetrator was arrested by PSD without incident at 550 Main Street. The
perpetrator will be processed as a juvenile.
Residents are asking "what's going on" with recent crimes on Roosevelt Island
which has previously always been thought of as
one of the safest neighborhoods in NYC.
You can discuss these incidents as well as any other Roosevelt Island Public
Safety issue with
NYPD 114 Precinct Neighborhood Coordination Officers Friday June 2 at Cornell Tech
Bloomberg Center.
Sparks Fly At May 2 Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department Community
Engagement Meeting - Residents Tell RIOC PSD And NYPD 114 Precinct About
Assaults, School Bullying, Harassment & Fire Setting By A Group Of Teens
Here's video of the May 2 Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department meeting which had been a typical Roosevelt Island meeting until :
... interrupted by Roosevelt Island father who stood up, said he loves Roosevelt
Island and then reported his son had recently been "jumped, beat up, filmed
and put on Instagram", and is "scared to death". ...
On May 22, I asked Mayor Adams press representative:
I'm following up regarding the list of Roosevelt Island community concerns
that were previously addressed to Mayor Adams during his visit to RI and to
First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright during a community/ethnic media roundtable.
Among those community concerns were Mayoral appointments to the Roosevelt
Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board of Directors.
I have been told that Mayor Adams has selected a person to be appointed to
the RIOC Board Of Directors.
Is that true? Who is that person?
Please provide details about the nominee and reasons for the person's
appointment.
Thank you.
Mayor Adams press spokesperson replied:
We don’t comment on pending appointments.
I learned of at least one RIOC Board nomination.
On May 25, prior to a RIOC Board of Directors meeting, Roosevelt
Island resident Lydia Tang told me that she was a Mayoral nominee to the RIOC
Board of Directors. (Ms Tang is pictured below at the May 25 RIOC Board meeting standing
next to RIOC Board member Howard Polivy).
I asked Ms Tang:
Do you have any comment to the Roosevelt Island community on your
nomination... ?
Why do you wish to be on the RIOC Board and how do you see your role as a
RIOC Director?
Ms Tang replied:
Being part of the solution and not part of the problem – that’s the only
legitimate reason I have for wishing to be on the RIOC Board of Directors.
Complaining about the state of affairs only goes so far, but stepping up to
improve the state of affairs can be more effective if there exists the
correct qualifications and experience. I believe that I have many of the
correct qualifications and experiences.
I’ve been an active member of the Roosevelt Island community, having taken
on official positions in my building’s tenant’s association, our public
school’s PTA, RIRA, MSTDA, the Living Library (LifeFrames Inc.) and as
advocate for our branch of the Public Library. I’ve also helped out in
community events orchestrated by RIRA and RIOC, as well as volunteering with
the after-school Beacon Program. My professional experience includes 10
years in the financial industry and, most recently, 25 years as a college
math professor. My undergraduate and graduate degrees are in Operations
Research from Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied
Science. My limited exposures from my summer college internships include
working for the MTA in Staten Island (SIRTOA), Con-Edison, and CE-Lummus, an
engineering firm.
Ms Tang's Mayoral nomination to the RIOC Board is subject to appointment by
Governor Hochul and confirmation by the NY State Senate Finance
committee which is chaired by Roosevelt Island's
State Senator Liz Krueger.
Will Ms Tang have smooth sailing through the vetting process, if any, of Governor Hochul and the State Senate Finance committee?
As a Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) member, Ms Tang was
co-chair of the RIRA Cherry Blossom Committee.
As reported March 28, 2019:
... The preparation, financing and organization of the 2019 Cherry Blossom
Festival has not been without the RIRA behind the scenes controversies as have
also occurred in past years.
Prior to the March RIRA Common Council meeting to approve a budget for the
Cherry Blossom Festival, four Common Council Members, including the RIRA
Treasurer, resigned over concerns related to the large sum requested that RIRA
commit to raise ($25 Thousand) and a perceived lack of transparency by RIRA
Cherry Blossom Committee organizers.
Following much discussion and email exchanges, the RIRA March Common Council meeting approved a much smaller budget of $9,520 for the Cherry Blossom Festival...
It is unclear precisely what caused the concern and resignations by RIRA members over the Cherry Blossom Festival fundraising. Ms Tang responded to my inquiry at the time saying;
... Prior to RIOC agreeing to assume the Homeland Security requirements for
our growing event, the Cherry Blossom Festival subcommittee distributed
fundraising appeals for our best estimate of what projected costs would
be. After RIOC’s agreement, we revised our estimate.
The Cherry Blossom Festival embarked on fundraising efforts that RIRA unanimously approved, in the following motion:
Motion: “RIRA authorizes the expenditure of up
to $9,520 for the Cherry Blossom Festival, based upon the budget of
$9,520. RIRA encourages fundraising and in-kind contributions to
minimize out-of-pocket expenses.”
A donation incentive,
based on recommendations by FFP and in consultation with RIOC, includes a
new promotional opportunity. In keeping with prioritizing promised
donation incentives, the Cherry Blossom Festival Subcommittee set a
policy of an opportunity to share a display table to previously
grandfathered organizations. The new promotional opportunities
supersede previous fundraising documents that some Council Members
viewed as malfeasance.
We are currently collecting donation commitments from Amalgamated Bank,
Hornblower and Manhattan Park, among others. Some donors choose to
remain anonymous.
The approved budget is up to $9,250. We currently have committed
donations of that will cover most of our expenses and are hoping to
receive additional commitments.
There are no financial improprieties, as no money has been spent or collected.
There are a total of 9 RIOC Board seats. According to the NY State governing statute regarding RIOC Board members:
2. The board of directors of the corporation shall be composed of nine
members. One member shall be the commissioner, who shall serve as the chair;
one member shall be the director of the budget; and seven public members shall
be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. Of the
seven public members, two members, one of whom shall be a resident of
Roosevelt Island, shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the mayor of
the city; and four additional members shall be residents of Roosevelt Island.
Each member shall serve for a term of four years and until his or her
successor shall have been appointed and shall have qualified, except that the
commissioner and the director of the budget shall serve so long as they
continue to hold their respective offices. Any action taken by the directors
of the corporation shall be taken by majority vote of the directors then in
office. The elected public officials who represent Roosevelt Island shall be
representatives to the board of directors of the corporation entitled to
receive notice of and attend all meetings of such board but shall not be
entitled to vote. Failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of
any action taken at a meeting of such board....
What does a RIOC Director do?
In theory, the RIOC Board of Directors sets policy, approve the annual budget, an annual capital spending plan, hires and fires the President/CEO and oversees the operations of the corporation. In practice, many of the important decisions about Roosevelt Island are made by the Governor's office as explained by RIOC Director Fay Christian during a May 8 community meeting with Congressman Jerry Nadler.
RIOC Board members are volunteers and do not get paid.
The NY State Legislature is in session until June 8. The State Senate Finance Committee met May 30 and May 31 to consider various NY State nominations. RIOC board appointment was not on the Agenda.
Looking for affordable child care in NYC? Take a quick survey to see if you may be eligible for child care assistance that can help reduce your costs.
Accessing free city programs shouldn’t be an extra burden on working families. That’s why we made MyCity, a one-stop shop to search, track, and apply for services.
Learn how Cornell Tech's Clinic to End Tech Abuse helps survivors navigate technology abuse and empowers their use of technology.
As our lives becomes increasingly reliant on digital technologies such as smartphones, email, and social media, the threat of their being used against us looms large. In this talk, Thomas Ristenpart will discuss a context where weaponization of technology against people is tragically routine: intimate partner violence (IPV).
Ristenpart is part of a research group that has studied the role technology plays in IPV situations. Via interviews with survivors and support professionals, online measurement studies, and investigation of malicious software tools purpose-built for abuse, they have documented how abusers exploit technology to control, harass, stalk, and otherwise harm their current or former partner. To help survivors, they work with technology companies and lawmakers to affect positive changes and, more directly, have put into practice a new interventional approach that they call clinical computer security.
Their Clinic to End Tech Abuse works in partnership with the New York City Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence to help survivors navigate technology abuse and, ultimately, empower their use of technology.This talk will cover joint work with a large number of collaborators and clinic volunteers.
Here's a June 2022 presentation on Mitigating Technology Abuse In Intimate Partner Violence by Professor Ristennpart.
Please take some time today on Memorial Day to honor the men and women of the
United States Military who died while serving our country as well as their
families.
Memorial Day, which falls on the last Monday
of May, commemorates the men and women who died while serving in the
American military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated
in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal
holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting
cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in
parades. Unofficially, at least, it marks the beginning of summer...
Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a
time set aside to honor the nation's Civil War dead by decorating their
graves...
Join me as I honor our fallen heroes at the 155th National Memorial Day Observance. https://t.co/rKush3ip8d
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
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