MTA Workers Forced to Dodge Blood, Urine During Shifts as COVID-19 Drives NYC Homeless Underground

By Jessica Easthope

The problem has always been there, and now a global health crisis has made homelessness on the subway more visible than ever before.

Currents News caught just a glimpse of the problem, pools of blood and homeless people occupying most cars, at the R train station in Bay Ridge.

It’s nothing compared to what workers are experiencing.

“All of these things have always been there but when you’re in the middle of a pandemic you don’t expect certain things to still happen and go on and it’s just been tough for us workers,” said MTA Train Conductor Tramell Thompson.

They’re essential workers who arrive at their jobs to find feces, urine and used syringes.

For the last six years, Thompson says he’s seen a vicious cycle of blame allow problems and safety risks to continue.

“With the MTA and the mayor and the governor. You see it’s a blame game,” he explained. “The mayor is saying it’s the state. The MTA is saying it’s the mayor. The Governor is saying it’s the mayor. You have three entities pointing their fingers at each other and who’s suffering? You and I. It’s not only the workers, it’s the riding public.”

This, all while nearly 2,000 MTA workers have contracted coronavirus, nearly 100 have died.

During a press conference this week, Mayor Bill de Blasio questioned how much of the problem is the state’s responsibility.

“On the question of who’s responsible for homelessness in the subways, it’s like other questions I’ve been asked lately. We’re all responsible, it’s all of our jobs to get this done. The state runs the MTA. Clearly, the state has a whole lot of the pieces to the puzzle here,” said de Blasio.

Currents News sent some of the troubling images to the Mayor’s office asking for a response. A representative said, “I really think you’d want to ask the MTA about this.”

Earlier this year Mayor de Blasio introduced Thrive NYC, a 1-billion-dollar initiative to address mental illness in New York City. It’s an initiative MTA workers say they haven’t seen manifest itself yet.

“You have EDPs, emotionally disturbed persons, those are the ones who really need the help,” said Thompson.

Despite the conditions, Thompson says most homeless are just looking to sleep and eat on trains.

“The City and the State failed them, but can the City and the State make them hostages to what the City and the State believe is right, these homeless people have choices too,” he added.

Thompson says it’s worse than he’s ever seen it, rivaling the subway’s worst years.

“You have to lean on your beliefs, your faith, your religion when you have a job like this, especially when you’re dealing with the public in New York City,” said Thompson.

Governor Cuomo is demanding the MTA come up with a plan to disinfect every train every night by the end of the week. Currents News also reached out to Mayor de Blasio’s office and the MTA, but a request for comment has not been answered.

Currents News full broadcast for Wednesday, 4/29/20

On the newscast:

-There is an uproar over Rabbi Chaim Mertz’s huge Brooklyn funeral and how the Mayor handled it.

-Troubling scenes from underground, the subways may have returned to the bad old days. Transit workers are speaking out.

-The chance to worship God in person, we haven’t in months. The White House is putting together new guidelines.

-The Diocese of Brooklyn is getting couples ready for marriage in a new way.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

De Blasio Faces Criticism Over Disbanding Crowd of Hundreds Gathered for Brooklyn Funeral During Pandemic

Currents News Staff

The NYPD was called in on April 28 as thousands of people of the Orthodox Jewish faith gathered for a funeral in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Crowds of people standing right next to each other — despite social distancing orders — mourning the loss of a rabbi who died of coronavirus.

When Mayor Bill de Blasio found out about the crowds, he went to Williamsburg to see for himself what was going on.

“People’s lives were in danger before my eyes and, I was not gonna tolerate it,” he said on Twitter.

So he instructed the police to hand out summonses or even make arrests, saying in a tweet, “My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed.”

That tweet drew criticism, some saying de Blasio was singling out a religious community, and threatening them in direct violation of their First Amendment Rights. Jonathan Greenblatt, Head of the Anti-Defamation League, blasted de Blasio on Twitter, writing, “Hey @nycmayor, there are 1mil+ jewish people in #nyc. The few who don’t social distance should be called out — but generalizing against the whole population is outrageous especially when so many are scapegoating Jews. This erodes the very unity our city needs now more than ever.”

And while former Brooklyn assemblyman Dov Hikind called on the mayor to apologize. saying he shouldn’t have blamed the entire Jewish community for the acts of some. He also spoke to the rule breakers.

“By not following the rules, by gathering in groups, by gathering in funerals by gathering in synagogues, by gathering in other places– it is unacceptable and it must stop!” he wrote.

De Blasio said his message was to all communities and he won’t tolerate anti-semitism. He also apologized, saying “Iif in my passion and in my emotion I said something that in any way was hurtful I’m sorry about that that was not my intention. But I also want to be clear, I have no regrets about calling out this danger and saying we’re going to deal with it very aggressively.”

With Wedded Bliss Postponed, Pre-Cana Classes Go Digital for Couples in the Brooklyn Diocese

By Emily Drooby

Across the U.S., the coronavirus pandemic has drastically changed wedding plans.

Some, like one Texas couple, are taking part in socially distanced weddings.

Others have cancelled altogether.

Marriage rates are at the lowest level on record, and experts believe the pandemic could drop them even more.

In New York State, Governor Andrew Cuomo tried to make it easier for couples looking to exchange vows, allowing marriage licenses and ceremonies to be done remotely.

“There’s now no excuse when the question comes up for marriage, no excuse,” he said. “You can do it by Zoom.”

The Diocese of Brooklyn is also making it easier for Catholics to prepare for the sacrament of Matrimony by moving pre-cana classes to an online platform.

It’s a major change, as the required marriage preparation for Catholics has always been done in person.

“Because of the pandemic, we actually had to convert all of our class from in person format to an online, on demand experience,” Christian Rada, director of Marriage, Family Formation, and Respect Life Education for the Brooklyn Diocese, told Currents News.

While Catholics still have to be married in a church, this way they’re ready to go.

“So, as soon as the churches are opened, and the celebration of the sacraments are allowed, the couples can simply present to the priest or deacon who is preparing them,” he said.

The online classes were a godsend for Patricia and Sal, who were worried about how they would finish pre-cana before their June wedding.

“Before we knew that June wasn’t happening, we were, like, “Well, what are we going to do now? How are we going to get this done if June does happen?,’” explained Patricia. “So we were relieved to have that option to be able to do it online.”

Unfortunately, the couple had to move their nuptials to September because of the pandemic, but at least now pre-cana is one thing they can cross off their massive to-do list.

“The main goal here is to get married, it’s not about anything else but getting married,” Patricia explained.

The online classes, in Spanish and English, started with the pandemic. Now, they’re here to stay. Rada says they’ll be an option going forward.

Bishop Gregory Mansour Says He Contracted COVID-19 by Helping a Parishioner, and He Would Do It Again

Currents News Staff

Bishop Gregory Mansour is all too familiar with the coronavirus – he had it.

The Brooklyn Maronite patriarch believes he knows exactly when and where he contracted the virus: while helping a parishioner in need.

But, that’s only part of the story.

He joins Currents News to share what it was like fighting this virus, his symptoms and why he would risk contracting the virus again.

Currents News full broadcast for Tuesday, 4/28/20

-Virus-wounded Hispanic community in Queens has Church at their side

-Catholic-run shelter for children with no place to call home in pandemic storm

-New guidelines for pets and social distancing

-Family dinner makes a comeback during coronavirus crisis

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

Why NYC’s Covenant House Is Keeping Their Doors Open for the City’s Homeless Youth, Despite COVID-19 Dangers

By Emily Drooby

It’s an unfortunate reality. On any given night in New York City around 4,600 kids and young adults are homeless.

Some are running from danger, while others just have no one to turn to.

Many find their way to shelters and nonprofits like Covenant House – finally feeling some safety and stability.

Then the pandemic hit and many were terrified that lifeline would disappear.

Sister Nancy Downing, the Executive Director of Covenant House New York, says that’s exactly why they didn’t close down. The nonprofit is under Catholic Charities and helps to house and support homeless youth.

“He said well we thought you would close down and we would have no place to go. That’s the expectation, our young people don’t expect the adults in their lives to be there for them and so it’s really important that we are there for them,” said Downing.

They have made some major changes to their operations – creating quarantine rooms for the sick, screening newcomers for the virus, wearing masks, and reconfiguring their shelters to limit contact inside.

“And then once a week they go out and bring them groceries and other supplies, because many of our young people have lost their jobs because of the virus,” said Downing.

Despite all of the safety precautions, COVID-19 still made it through the doors – 10 kids got sick, and 7 of them have recovered.

“Some of us are going to get sick – we know that. We have had some staff who have gotten sick,” said Downing.

Shakeema North was one of the staff members that did get sick.

Like many, she was unable to get tested but she did have coronavirus symptoms. She went back to work at Covenant House as soon as her self-quarantine ended.

She knows what could happen if the shelter isn’t open.

“You would have young people trying to ‘make it work’ in homes that weren’t safe,” said North.

According to city data – 34% of kids are homeless because of abuse or frequent fights with a parent.

The United Nations reports that domestic violence is soaring because of the pandemic. Jobs are gone, routines are messed up, kids are stuck home and isolated from others – the perfect storm.

So, for Covenant House, the risk and the changes needed to keep operating, are worth it.

“You would have young people back on the streets, right? So, finding a bench or a park, which would even be limited because the parks were even closed. Or sleeping on the subway. So, some of those places, they come from, when they come to us,” said North.

“For me the work that I do here is a mission. It’s not a job, it’s not a career,” said Downing.

Support is also important, donations are being accepted online and last Friday they held their annual sleep out event – a major fundraiser – virtually.

Anyone in immediate need of help can go to their shelter at 550 10th avenue, or you can reach out through their website.

The Return of the Family Dinner

Currents News Staff

It’s a long-lost staple of American life that has had people lamenting its demise for years. But now “dinner time in the age of coronavirus” is bringing family members back to the table as they shelter-in-place and eat-in-place too.

That includes our own Currents News work family who shared a few moments of their sacred time with loved ones – whether they were making pancakes the old-fashioned way or talking about their day and sharing their successes and their concerns.

For one producer, dinner is a group project with all hands on deck – where the kitchen table is the place to argue politics and share a glass of wine, all in good fun.

At Christine Perschette’s dinner table, getting three rambunctious kids to play along during mealtime was quite the challenge – but she was able to get a few candid photos.

The Brooklyn Diocese’s Director of Marriage and Family Formation and Respect for Life Education, Christian Rada, says even if things get a bit chaotic, it’s the time together that counts.

“That’s where we talk about the importance of what it means to be a family unit and having the down time to talk about our struggles and our joys. It actually brings us even closer especially during these tough times,” said Rada.

Studies show that face to face communication helps build self-esteem, strengthen relationships, and even leads to better grades.

Christian and his wife Helen have even noticed a change with their two-year-old son.

“He wants to take a role. He helps his father set the table. He brings him the utensils and the placemats. It’s fascinating to see how much he’s grown as a result of mealtime,” said Helen.

And while Zoom meals are still a necessity for many, more and more families are recapturing a beloved family tradition – all because of a very unwelcome virus. One that now has an unintended silver lining.

So, from our Currents News family to yours, buon apetit!

How Christian – and Realistic – Is Universal Basic Income in the Age of the Coronavirus?

Currents News Staff

The coronavirus crisis has put many people around the world in a difficult financial situation, and experts are searching for a way to help.

In an Easter Sunday message, Pope Francis suggested that now may be the time for a universal basic income.

He describes the goal of universal basic income as “so human, and so Christian,” but is it realistic?

What would universal basic income look like in America? Is it even possible to have it in the developing countries?

Would the world economy – including its financial institutions – perhaps be in better shape if universal basic income systems were already in place when this crisis struck?

Joining Currents News to talk more about this option is Charles Clark, a Catholic Economist at St. John’s University in Jamaica, Queens.

Currents News full broadcast for Monday, 4/27/20

-Emergency tuition relief for Catholic students in the Diocese of Brooklyn

-Feeding families out of work by Catholic Charities Brooklyn Queens

-Exclusive on President Trump’s private call to U.S. Catholic leaders

-Universal Basic Income, the Pope suggests now could be the time

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

http://netny.tv