—Segment One, Todd Fine:
In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, hopes were running high that something profound would emerge at the site where 3,000 people were killed and hundreds more first responders were poisoned and later died of their illnesses. It hasn’t quite turned out that way.
Todd Fine talks about what happened at Ground Zero over the past 20 years. Fine is president of the Washington Street Advocacy Group, which promotes historic preservation and historical memory in Lower Manhattan and across New York City. He has an in-depth special feature in this subject that will appear in the September issue of The Indypendent.
—Segment Two, Amanda Vendor:
New York City public schools are reopening for the new school year. Amid the Delta wave, are the schools ready to do their work while keeping students and teachers safe? MORE (Movement of Rank and File Educators), the social justice caucus of the United Federation of Teachers says that there’s still much the city and department of education need to do in order to create a safe learning environment. They also want UFT to fight harder for its members.
Amanda Vendor, a MORE member and co-author of ‘Students, Teachers at Risk of New COVID Surge as NYC Adopts Lax Approach to Classroom Safety,’ joins us on WBAI to discuss the issue. Read the article: indypendent.org/2021/09/studentsatrisk/
Segment 3, Harriet Hirschhorn:
—The latest from East River Park, a 46-acre park running along the East River, the only green space for the Lower East Side’s working class community. The park has been the home to a battle over the last several years over its preservation. The city is very close to being able to go forward with its plan to demolish the recently renovated park and rebuild a new, smaller park over the course of a decade.
Harriett Hirschhorn from East River Park Action gives us an update on the battle to save the park.
