An Open Letter To Mayor De Blasio & Cardinal Dolan

*It has been pointed out to me since the publication of this piece, that the Staten Island Ferry is a free service for passengers and has been for a good number of years. Fares were not really my point. The fact is that there are those who are treated differently due to the way they look or act, along with many other reasons. They are the vulnerable. They are often shunned and viewed by some as the disposable elements of society. Initially they're stared at, then talked about and in too many cases asked by or taken by authorities and removed from our sight. 

Dear Mayor De Blasio & Cardinal Dolan (both Your Eminences)

It was only a matter of days ago that your offices issued a press release concerning the naming of one of a trio of brand new ferries in honor of Dorothy Day, servant of God and servant of the poor as well as a spokesperson for peace and justice. It mentioned her love for Staten Island where she once lived in a humble cottage that has since been torn down to make room for economic development. It mentioned her love and passion for laborers and workers. It is good that her name will be associated with part of the transit system that gets people back and forth to work. I know you've had challenges with the Covid-19 pandemic, making sure subways are clean. Sadly, to do that you needed to clear and empty them each night of the homeless and down and outers who had also become bothersome over the years.

It also mentioned the cost of the project and how much the City and Staten Island needed to replace part of its fleet for the benefit of residents of the area. I'm sure project managers and infrastructure experts as well cost accountants and researchers, created many pages of documents supporting everything having to do with this project. And yes, the fact is, it's completed and done. There is little time for discussion now. The need is there, the boat is built, the money spent and she's on her way to the NY Harbor as I write.

There were others who were suggested for naming but you decided to honor Dorothy in this way. Thank you for providing this platform for people to learn about her and her work. Thank you for providing an opportunity for people to really talk about the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount. Dorothy loved to speak and write about the contradictions between the works of mercy and the works of war. Perhaps more people will engage in those conversations with your help.

I have been accused in the past of being a constant critic. Never happy with solutions or possible solutions found by those in charge. Never stopping the wag of a critic's tongue and unable to be satisfied no matter what. But I've been working hard on this and to that end, I come to you both with a proposal for the good ship 'Dorothy Day'.

First let me say that I'm fearful that some poor soul, perhaps even I, will look for shelter on this ferry and quickly be told to be gone (off at the next stop of course), told to stop my begging or bothering the space of the other customers. So please consider this......Designate 5 spaces on each trip (5 by the way is an arbitrary number by me. You can go as high as you like) to the NYC Catholic Worker. They can set up whatever anarchistic method they choose to take care of these seats. In the end, they'll just make sure people can access them. Poor people or people down on their luck on a particular day. Perhaps someone who just needs a ride on the waves and wind in their hair. Maybe someone who just got a lousy diagnosis from their hospital stay or someone in a bad relationship or someone leaving or going to jail. If the seats aren't used on some trips, that's ok. The existence of these guest seats would be another reminder to people traveling on the ferry that Dorothy had a message for all of us about the poor and about injustice.

"We must talk about poverty, because people insulated by their own comfort lose sight of it." Dorothy Day

Andrew Cuomo - Stay or Go?

I am no real fan of Andrew Cuomo. In the years that I worked in the nonprofit sector in NYS, I saw how he operated. He would create highly complicated systems to replace structures that already existed and may have required some minor tweaking. He would demand public support for his initiatives without opportunities to review and discuss. Many times he would ignore the needs of vulnerable people and the people who supported them. And yes, he was mean spirited, aggressive and vindictive. New York tough as he would say.

Over the past month, allegations have been made about his treatment of women. Some may sound more plausible than others but all should be investigated and taken seriously. Having said that, I think the calls for his immediate resignation or impeachment are premature and not in the best interest of justice or best practice. Due process is important for everyone. The women making the allegations and the Governor all deserve due process and I think the NYS Attorney General is capable of making sure that occurs.

The reality is that Andrew Cuomo has few friends. His tough guy persona, his take no enemies approach, have left him very vulnerable. His lousy relationship with the press, his lack of public accountability certainly don't serve him well in this crisis. But his likability shouldn't really be the issue here. A timely but patient, impartial review of facts should be the path to follow.

Is it possible to keep politics out of all of this? Probably not but we should try. The last thing we need is the hypocrisy of politicians and some members of the press who wouldn't or haven't spoken out about other powerful men and their abusive actions towards women over the past four or five years. Pretend outrage doesn't serve anyone well. Acting as though Democrats are the only people touching women inappropriately is ridiculous at this point in our political history.

So, although I don't agree with him on everything, Andrew Cuomo has done some positive things in his tenure as Governor. He has led well during a number of difficult times. He is flawed like the rest of us but does deserve a process rather than a lynching.

Followup & Return Trips To Selma

As you read below, please remember there are now 253 bills in 43 states to restrict voting access. Voter suppression is alive and well.....And this weekend the 56th reenactment of the march will take place virtually. Find out more at www.selmajubilee.com

Return Trips

In February of 2003 I got a phone call from a journalist friend. I'll always be grateful to her for that call. She told me that during a regularly scheduled conference call with the press, Congressman Amo Houghton who represented the Southern Tier region of NYS, had mentioned a trip he was taking with Congressman John Lewis to Selma, Alabama in March for the reenactment of the bridge crossing that had happened there many years before. Gwen mentioned to the Congressman that she knew someone in the district who had participated in the original march. Within days of that call I was contacted by Congressman Houghton's office and invited to participate in the pilgrimage back to Selma.

It turns out that the trip was much more then a trip to Selma. John Lewis and Amo Houghton had been working together for a number of years with an organization called the Faith and Politics Institute. At that time the organization was led by Doug Tanner. Lewis and Houghton were trying to work on the principle of civility in congress. They were true brothers in that effort. They were from completely different backgrounds but they had found common ground and were committed to working together. The pilgrimage had been going on for a number of years and continues to this day. During the pilgrimage, Lewis and other leaders of the civil rights movement take a large group of Senators and Congressman, along with guests to the historical landmarks of the civil rights movement - Montgomery, Birmingham and finally on Sunday to Selma and the crossing of the Edmond Pettus Bridge. But it is different than it was in 1965. On Sunday and throughout their trip they are escorted by black and white troopers and sheriffs. Throughout the trip, John Lewis told stories in only the way he can, about the experiences of black America in the 60's and before.

But let me tell you about my experience returning on that March in 2003. I drove to Washington, DC and met Congressman Houghton at the Capitol on the morning we were to leave. I got on the bus that we were taking from the Capitol to the airport and sat down with elected officials of the United States Congress along with people like Jack Kemp, former Congressman and football great from Buffalo. A police escort with sirens blaring took us through Washington and to the airport. I was mesmerized and a bit confused, out of sorts, out of body perhaps. Things didn't seem right. This was all very legal. I don't think anyone, including myself realized what a shock all of this was going to be to me. I was literally dumbfounded.

We visited all of the important places that honor the civil rights movement and its leaders and foot soldiers. Here are a few pictures of that trip. The first is of Congressman John Lewis and myself. John Lewis is a personal hero of mine. He was beaten to the ground in 1965 at the front of the march along with Rev. Hosea Williams. The second is a picture of the Mayor of Selma, James Perkins, myself and Congressman Amo Houghton at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.

As Amo Houghton and I walked toward the bridge in Selma, we drifted toward the back of the crowd away from the media crunch that always seems to be following the folks up front. We chatted as we walked and eventually were joined by a man to our left. It turned out to be James Perkins, Jr. the first black Mayor elected in Selma in 2000. We told our stories. Perkins was 10 when the original march took place. He could have been one of those youngsters who inspired me so many years ago with their song and spirit - fearless young leaders. He could have been my co-conspirator and partner running through the woods to the courthouse through the public housing pictured below across from Brown Chapel. As we neared the bridge, he put his hand on my shoulder, took my hand and said, "You know the only reason I'm the Mayor of this city is because of you and people like you." We hugged. It was an emotional moment for both of us.

Fast forward to 2010. That was the year I decided I was going to go back to Selma again but on my own. I was going to get in my car and make my own pilgrimage and I did. Only it wasn't on my own. I invited my older brother and oldest son, both living in New Jersey to join me. Again, these trips are emotional for me and this time we were able to see more of Selma and the poverty that is a part of the landscape today. But we also met good people both black and white who understand their history better than us. We were a bit lost one day and my son asked two bike patrol officers for some directions and information. We ended up seeing these officers over and over and suddenly came to the realization that the city was pretty small and directions pretty simple. At one of these encounters one of the young officers came over and engaged me in some conversation. He asked if I was one of the original marchers? I answered in the affirmative. He was white and his partner was black, both in their late twenties or early thirties. What he said next was another one of those emotional surprises. He apologized to me for the actions of law enforcement officers in 1965 and he meant it. He was ashamed of their actions and the way people were treated. I thanked him for his kind words.

I went back for the 50th celebration and reenactment in Selma in 2015. I shared that time with my youngest son Brian and my wife Jeannette. The tradition and experience should go on. Make the trip.