Pope Benedict XVI

From April 15 to April 20 we had the pleasure to experience Pope Benedict XVI in New York City. Days before he arrived in the city, Local NYPD officers began to secure New York for the pope’s arrival. Residents noticed the heightened security and they were said to feel the pope’s presence already. The Upper Eastside and the United Nations set up barricades along First Avenue. That Friday morning, there were street closures all over. On Friday, April 18 to Saturday, April 20 East 72nd Street was closed between Madison and Fifth Avenues. No trucks was allowed on Madison from East 70th to East 74th Streets. From 4 am to 3 pm First Avenue upper roadway was closed from 42nd to 48th Streets. The cross streets from 42nd to 47th Streets was closed between First and Second Avenues. From 8 am to 8 pm 67th and 68th Streets was closed between Lexington and Third Avenues. 87th Street was closed between First and York Avenues. On Saturday, April 19 at 3 p.m. Madison Avenue closed from 47th to 53rd Streets was closed. Fifth Avenue was closed from 47th street to 73rd street. Cross streets from 47th Street to 53rd Street was closed between Sixth Avenue and Park Avenue. On Sunday, April 20 from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. West Street was closed from FDR to Murray. Other closures included Church Street, Barklay Street, Fulton Street, Liberty Street and Trinity Street.

Sean Bell Trial

On November 26, 2006 Sean Bell and two his friends were at a strip club called the Kalua Cabaret for his bachelor party in Jamaica, Queens. Seven undercover cops were in the club that night investigating a different crime when an argument between Bell’s friends and one of the strippers in the club broke out. As they left the club one of the officers allegedly overheard one of the men saying they were going to get a gun. The men left followed by five officers. When they were in the car officer told Bell to put his hands in the air but he never identified himself as police. Instead Bell hit the gas and crashed into a parked car. Then the police started firing. All together there were fifty shots fired. Detective Paul Headley fired one round, Officer Michael Carey fired three, Officer Marc Cooper fired four, Officer Gescard Isnora fired eleven, and Officer Michael Oliver fired thirty one times, pausing to reload, empting two magazines. Sean Bell was shot in the neck and torso four times, Joseph Guzman, who is thirty-one, was shot nineteen times and Trent Benefield, who is 23, was in the backseat and hit three times. Guzman and Benefield were taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital where they treated and released. Bell fattaly died.

Congestion Pricing

On April 22, 2007--Earth Day-- Mayor Bloomberg revealed a plan to help the heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic in lower Manhattan. He called it Congestion Pricing. His plan was to charge an $8 dollar toll to enter lower Manhattan below 60th street between 6a.m. and 6p.m. on Monday through Friday and $4 dollar trips within the zone. The money gained from this would go to improving mass transit. If approved, the city would receive $354 million dollars in federal grants for mass transit improvements. His plan was to reduce the traffic, help the environment, and help mass transit. Everybody that lives outside of this district felt that this plan was unfair. Politicians from Brooklyn, Bronx, Upper Manhattan, New Jersey, and Staten Island felt like they were being targeted. They stood by the governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine and argued different points. New Jersey drivers already pay $8 dollar toll to get into New York. Governor Corzine says that the money from the tolls should be used to set off the congestion pricing plan. The deadline was April 7 for both the city and the state lawmakers to approve the proposal. As the deadline approached the city approves. Now it is left up to the state to make a final decision. The state did not approve so now the congestion pricing plan dies in Albany. Mayor Bloomberg is upset and commuters have very mixed feelings to the demise.


http://www.ny1.com/ny1/Search/Results/index.jsp?search=congestion+pricing&search_nav_highlight=1&side_search=0&frontpage=1
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/r/roads_and_traffic/congestion_pricing/index.html?8qa&scp=1-spot&sq=congestion+pricing&st=nyt

Death At Key Food

On February twenty-ninth alleged forty-two year old Bronx born James Gonzalez was found on video tape following his girlfriend, twenty-four year old Tina Negron, into a back room in a Key Food in Greenwich Village where she worked. It was there where he stabbed her to death and also stabbed a co-worker, twenty-seven year old Rosheda Andradas. He was also taped walking out afterwards with a ten inch knife in his hand. He ran from the scene and throwing the knife on the ground about a block away from the crime scene. Tina was a part time maintenance worker and had recently broken up with James. Police believe that he was "upset over the breakup" and that was his motive to kill. He was featured on Americas Most Wanted and soon after the episode aired the police got a tip that he was hiding out in Florida. Now NYC officials such as the NYPD and the FBI are headed to Florida to arrest the Gonzalez. Sources say that Tina suffered a fatal stab to the stomach and died at 5:45 in Beth Israel Hospital from her injuries. Rosheda suffers a stab to the leg ad a stab to the stomach and was treated at the same hospital.


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/nyregion/01stab.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Key+Food+Stabbing&st=nyt&oref=slogin
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/capture.cfm?id=53799
http://www.1010wins.com/pages/1919581.php
http://gothamist.com/2008/03/01/stabbed_key_foo.php
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=79995