Situation in Long Island
November 7, 2012 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
The following is a transcript of a call that came into the Revolution Newspaper special hotline (312-905-4335) on Hurricane Sandy from a reader in Long Island on 11/6/12:
I've talked to a lot of people out here, I've brought them to things in the city and stuff, you know, some of the programs at the [Revolution] bookstore and stuff. I have a lot of friends out here who are into Occupy and also Food Not Bombs. So these people are just working tirelessly, giving their time. And with a lot of these people, you know how valuable it would be for them to work with the store. Some people come to events and some don't. But I mean people are just you know, banding together. And it's such a contradiction to me. I just had talked to the woman who is leading the stuff out in Mastic, which is a really poor, very, very poor area out here, right near the water, got hit really bad.
And I just went out to get air in my tires. And people were giving me a look like they were going to kill me, you know, they think I'm cutting in on them on line. I was just trying to get a little air. And I ended up having to go to the State Police—I gotta get in here and you know, get air or I'm gonna have a flat tire. So you know, just the sense of entitlement that some people have out here in some of these areas, you know "I'm not gonna wait on line." I don't know if that's it, the cutting in on line, or total panic. It's hard to say without knowing their situation, you know, it's just a mess.
I've been reading about all the stuff in the city, you know about the prisoners at Rikers Island, and shit, you know. The total disrespect for anybody who, you know, keeping Wall Street going, but forget about the people in the hospitals who are on life support or whatever like that. But it doesn't surprise me but it's just shocking when it happens. I think it opens peoples' eyes too. I was just talking to this woman who runs the Food Share [a project of Food Not Bombs – Revolution] in Mastic–every time a real outrage happens she gets back into reading some of the stuff that BA puts out. She sent me an old–I don't know if it's old, I hadn't seen it before–of Sunsara Taylor's imitation of Sarah Palin. It was just hysterical. But I think it makes people more political, and more aware of like the nature of the system when shit like this happens…even my ex-wife, she stayed over here a couple of nights. She still doesn't have power. She goes "I don't understand it. We're not in a war. You know. And every time, you know, why can't these people–you know, it's like total disregard for people." And she doesn't live in a rich area, you know. It's not enough to get her involved politically, but it gets people aware that the way this shit goes, it's fucked up, you know. But not really understanding a way out.
Revolution: Have you had any experience in showing people the flyer of the editorial on revcom.us on what this shows about this system?
I haven't really been able to see anyone with the paper, just talking over the phone. It's really been bad out here getting around.
Revolution: I heard about Bloomberg saying they need to find housing for 40,000 people. Have you heard anything about this or about the extent of people being homeless?
Most of the time when Bloomberg gets on or [New Jersey Governor] Christie, it's about the fuel or the devastation, but nothing about getting the people out of their, you know, present misery. Bloomberg's main issue was keeping the (inaudible) run. That was what was important to him. You know, for the image, or whatever. So I haven't heard any compassion from him, not surprisingly.
Revolution: So your ex-wife still doesn't have power?
Yeah. No power, no compensation. You know, there are no places to go, really, here. There are minimal shelters. You know, most people here are hooking up with friends or to take a shower. And that's another thing. People go "I need gas, I gotta go to work." But like, let's deal with all these people dying and stuff. But everybody's got to get to work. That's what really struck me too, those images of people the next day walking over the 59th Street Bridge to get back to work. You know, it's like, people are just working paycheck to paycheck. They can't– they're so inundated with they have to get to work or they're going to get in trouble.
I'll tell you a story. My daughter works in a hospital right near here so she's staying with me. And the middle of the storm she called me saying "they're making me stay. It's like, you have to stay unless people come to relieve you." And then in the middle of the shift, they told her she's not working anymore, to go home. But she has to be on at 8–she has to be back at 8 but they don't want her to stay there. This is like 3 in the morning. But you have to be back at 8. So I went and got her, but I said, "let me explain something to you. If it's sunny and 99 degrees, I'm not taking you back to that place."
You know things like this–you know, outrages–bring people…after Katrina, I think people got more political. Hopefully this will be one of the things. You know, what you are doing here, things in the paper, you know, some of what people are thinking, you know, like BA says, you go to your first political meeting and you think no one else thinks like you and you're looking around and it's making sense, there are all these people. And they want you to think you're the only one who's unhappy. I think of that statement all the time.
Revolution: And, you know, the other thing he said too about look, we've got a pretty well-worked out strategy and we've got a plan for what society should be like after the revolution. What's missing is YOU.
Absolutely. I just had this conversation with this lady who's just on the cusp. I gave her BAsics a while ago…she's on the fringe of getting involved. She called me up from Florida. She goes "I have to talk to you when I get home. This is fantastic. This BAsics!" She came home and she went to hear Raymond Lotta who had a debate at New School with Harcourt from Chicago about the Occupy movement. She goes that's cool, but there's no strategy to what to do. So I got her the interview and she's reading it. Like I said, she's floating in and out right on the cusp. And this has had a profound effect on her.
Revolution: You're right. These are times when people really start to look at what the hell is going on and how could things be different and why do they have to be this way. It's really important to help people understand that at times like these.
Absolutely. I couldn't agree with you more. I say to her it's important that you step forward. She's like "Well, I'm there. When things go down I'm there." I go no, that's what we're talking about. We're talking about the thousands bringing millions forward. I say to her, you are a tireless worker, you want to do the right thing. It's so frustrating. But I'm sure you know that. You know, talking to people and everything is not in a straight line, going back and forth.
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