Digital Commons Network^™

A Crisis Within A Crisis: Nyc Landlords Ramp Up Harassment Of Vulnerable Tenants In Wake Of Pandemic, Joseph A. Jungermann Iii

Capstones

Already burdened with more sickness and death during the pandemic than other New Yorkers, low-income tenants and tenants of color are particularly vulnerable to additional harassment by landlords who seek to take advantage of the city's health and financial crisis to force them out. Brooklyn residents Delene Ahye, Dexter Lendor and Sonny Singh tell stories of their landlord, landlord agents and building manager’s harassment, which began during the pandemic’s most dangerous spikes in New York City. These forms of harassment included intimidation, abusive construction, constant buyout offers and biometrics and surveillance technology.

Link to capstone project: https://joseph-jungermann.medium.com/a-crisis-within-a-crisis-nyc-landlords-ramp-up-harassment-of-vulnerable-tenants-in-wake-of-e09d67968208

Federation Divided, Max M. Balton

Capstones

At the start of the 2020 school year, a lack of covid safety plans led teachers like Rosy Clark to protest, urging her union the United Federation of Teachers to act. She and other progressives in the dissident caucus, Movement of Rank and File Educators, were willing to strike to ensure their safety. Union leadership hesitated largely because public union strikes are illegal under the state’s Taylor Law.

This four-part audio documentary looks at the history of the UFT and this contentious state law. The union began striking under more onerous strike prohibition legislation. Its roots are steeped in radical …

Covering The Indigent Defendant System, Francis J. Difiore

Capstones

I chose the indigent defense system in New York City as my focus community for social journalism, particularly the attorneys who work in this system and the clients they represent. I conducted interviews and outreach with working public defenders and assigned counsel in the Bronx and Manhattan, and wrote stories for a self-started online publication known as "Public Defense Informer."


https://public-defense-informer.glitch.me/

After Nypd: Scores Of New York City Police Officers With Substantiated Complaints Move To New Public Safety Jobs., Luca Powell

Capstones

In the wake of the nation’s 2020 summer protests about policing and use of force, New York State made public the Civilian Complaint Review Board records documenting complaints against police officers, including those at the NYPD, an agency with just over 34,000 officers. Those records showed that officers with substantiated accusations of misconduct and use-of-force were able to remain at the department and get promoted.

The New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board documents show something else: A New York City News Service review found at least 81 former NYPD officers with substantiated accusations of wrongdoing have been able to …

When Clemency Is A Lifeline, Shehzil Zahid

Capstones

In 1982, Yohannes Johnson was convicted for the murder of Errol Blackwood. He has spent the last 40 years behind bars and today, he is seeking clemency. This is a profile on potential clemency recipient Yohannes Johnson.

En La Iglesia Católica De Nueva York, Los Sobrevivientes Latinos De Abuso Infantil Podrían Estarse Perdiendo Un Momento Único De Rendición De Cuentas, Roman O. Gressier, Jocelyn Azucena Contreras

Capstones

El pasaje de la Ley de Protección de Víctimas Infantiles (CVA por sus siglas en inglés) en el Estado de Nueva York en agosto del 2019 ofrece un momento histórico de rendición de cuentas desde instituciones que por décadas permitieron u ocultaron abuso sexual contra niños bajo su cuidado. Desde que se aprobó la ley hasta 1 diciembre 2020, las cortes estatales registraron poco menos de 900 casos contra las dos diócesis de la Iglesia Católica que abarcan la Ciudad de Nueva York.

Aunque la CVA estará vigente por un plazo total de dos años, la impunidad de la que …

In New York’S Prison System, Who Is Eligible For A Second Chance?, Jackie Harris

Capstones

Robert "Bobby" Ehrenberg is 61 years old, and he is serving a 50 years to life sentence at Sullivan Correctional Facility for murdering Silvio Goldberg, a jewelry store owner, in 1992. After decades of "self-examination, education, and rehabilitative programs," Ehrenberg applied for clemency in 2020. In the audio portion, we hear who he was before incarceration and what factors led up to the murder he committed. The other multimedia display the clemency application components, incarceration population data and upcoming state legislation that could impact Ehrenberg’s sentence.

Pirate Radio Proves Invaluable To Immigrant Communities During The Pandemic — But The Fcc Isn’T Having It, May Olvera

Capstones

In January 2020, congress passed the PIRATE Act into law, expanding the legal consequences for operating pirate radio tenfold. Although the FCC claims that the reason they are cracking down on pirate stations — that is, stations broadcasting on regulated airwaves without an FCC license — is that they could interfere with emergency messaging, the pandemic has proven otherwise; there is no evidence of pirates interfering with official safety warnings. In fact, most pirate stations are run by immigrants speaking in their native tongue and they have been able to provide vulnerable and underserved communities with the information they need …