Public Housing Tenants Made 200K Complaints About Bedbugs and Roaches

By Brandon Sanchez For the 19 years that he’s lived in public housing, Jaylen Ramos has dealt with a range of problems, including having to boil water and, then, stand in his tub to bathe.  “Just this month, there was no hot water for like two days,” said Ramos, 38, a barber, who lives in […]

Teen’s “Project Involve” Connects Youth to Local and World Concerns

By Edward Kim Since her June 2021 launch of Project Involve, an online platform aimed at encouraging students to become more aware of and involved in issues around the world, 16-year-old Aashi Chandna has attracted 1,300 followers. “People turn away from reading the news because it is associated with a lot of negativity and anger,” […]

Christians and Pagans Square Off Over Lifestyles, Beliefs

By Sneha Dey Spectrum staff   Eight Christians stood outside the Astor Place subway stop, sweating, carrying wooden crosses and handing out pamphlets of Bible scriptures. That Saturday, for a second consecutive year, they had shown up to counter the Pagans who were hosting their annual Witchfest on the very same spot. “It’s not a […]

A Veteran Journalist on Criminal Justice Reform, Critical Issues

By James Chang Spectrum staff Since May 2007, Stephen Handelman, 62, has been director of the Center on Media, Crime and Justice at John Jay College, overseeing training and fellowships for criminal justice journalists from across the country; hosting conferences on an array of criminal justice topics; and serving as executive director of The Crime […]

When Park Closes, Homeless Must Go

By Rubimar Torres Spectrum staff When Union Square Park closes at 11:30 every night, New York City employees make the same an announcement: “The park is closing … The park is closing.” Those Department of Parks and Recreation employees shout that warning to the people—many of them look homeless—sleeping on park benches, sitting on park […]

“Girls Justice” Conferees Consider What’s Behind Juvenile Female Crime

By Vanessa Osei Spectrum staff [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB60be_o13Q[/youtube] Michelle Diaz had been “used and manipulated by an older man” when she was in seventh grade. The abuse was hard for her to handle, mentally and emotionally. Her response to the abuse was to run away, to stay out late at night and to disobey the rules her […]

Union Alleges Yeshiva University Mishandled Asbestos Removal

Two members of Laborers International Union of North America were gathered outside Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in Greenwich Village with a 12-foot tall inflatable rat and a banner bearing the words, “Asbestos kills.” Although they were protesting at the law school, the union members actually were complaining about the asbestos removal […]

Residents Fear Noise, Dust of NYU Construction

As early as year-end 2014, New York University will break ground on its NYU 2031 expansion, adding roughly six million square feet of space to the campus. A small part of that plan includes construction of four new buildings in Greenwich Village. Among them is the Zipper Building, which may rise as high as 26 […]

Are Prep Centers Ready for Redesigned SAT?

In March 2014, the College Board unveiled its plan to revamp the Scholastic Aptitude Test that some colleges use as a yardstick to measure applicants’ academic readiness. The redesigned test, which will be used starting in 2016, removes what has been a mandatory essay-writing portion. The redesigned test also aims to better reflect high school […]

How El Barrio Is Developing

Produced by Oscar Balbuena

Criminal Justice Reformer Ellis on the Zimmerman Verdict, Stop-and-Frisk, the Future

Ask formerly incarcerated Eddie Ellis, an internationally known prison reformer, if there are lessons to be taken from the current lawsuit against alleged racial profiling by some members of the New York Police Department and the verdict in the Trayvon Martin killing case and he will say he cannot give an optimistic answer. Yes, Ellis, […]

Activists Allege Abuse by Nuns and Push for Right to Sue

“Nuns abuse children, too.”

Those were the allegations that members of Road to Recovery wrote on poster boards in red stenciling and draped across their bodies.

As they stood on the front steps of Judson Memorial Church, they also handed out flyers bearing the same message to people leaving that facility. The protesters chose that church on Washington Square South for its proximity to Notre Dame School, 13 blocks away. At that school, Road to Recovery member Cecilia Springer, then known as Sister Mary Grace, alleges she was sexually abused as a high school sophomore in 1946.

“Nuns abuse children, too. And I’m one of those victims.” said Springer, 84, a retired nun.

Upcoming Building to Accommodate Homeless LGBT Youth

A third of homeless people in Manhattan are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, according to advocates for those persons. And, the advocates added, a disproportionate number of those particular homeless people are teens and young adults with comparatively little money to cover the high cost of New York City housing. That reality is what drives a plan to build […]

Eco-Minded Annual Event Promotes Recreation on the Water

Oversized sky blue arrows pointed the way toward that Saturday’s activities at Governor’s Island National Monument. One led participants to kayaks made of cardboard, another to boat tours of New York Harbor, and still others to paddle-boarding and assorted water sports. Those were some of the activities slated for the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance’s City of […]

NYU’s Expansion Rankles the Neighborhood

Doris Casella and Dotty Roberts sat in the shade near the fountains of Washington Square Park, surrounded by New York University’s buildings. Even though Casella is an NYU graduate, she had only criticism for her alma mater’s expansion plans. “When I heard that NYU was fixing this place up I almost had a heart attack,” […]

No Ellis Island Stop, But Ferry Ride Costs the Same

Although Ellis Island has been closed since last October’s Superstorm Sandy, visitors to the national landmark are being charged full price for ferry tickets. The tickets would normally get them access to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, which is on adjacent Liberty Island. Admission to the landmark park sites are free, but tourists […]

Petition Seeks “Justice” for Hit-and-Run Victim

Relatives and friends of Roxana Sorina Buta, and strangers who may only know her through headlines, are petitioning for the justice they believe she and her family have not yet gotten. Buta was 21 on the night she died, allegedly struck near Union Square by a hit-and-run New York City Department of Transportation garbadge truck […]

“Planting Peace” Sets Down Roots In New York

When they hand out cups of water to passersby on Saturdays, volunteers with Planting Peace are doing more than helping people quench their thirst. “We give out free water to help with the heat situation. It attracts people to our stand,” said Aaron Jackson, 30, the organization’s president and co-founder. Their stand is a table, […]