Will The City Get Off In Deutsche Bank Bldg. Investigation?

It has been well over a year since the Deutsche Bank Building erupted into flames while being dismantled. The negligence of so many contributed to the deaths of two firefighters that day in August. Now, as the investigation wraps up, plenty of small fish will go down for their actions, but not everyone. DA Morganthau has been busy since the probe started, but in the end the city will likely get off scot free. If that pisses you off, imagine how the families of the victims feel.

From The NY Daily News:

More than a year later, none of the agencies that were supposed to inspect the tower - including the Fire Department and the Department of Buildings - will be directly implicated, the sources said.

The Graffagnino family's lawyer, John Meringolo, said he still hopes prosecutors "will indict in the interests of justice all culpable parties, no matter how big or how small."

Beddia's sister, Barbara Beddia Crocco, was "devastated" when told this week Morgenthau had decided not to pursue charges the city and state agencies or the general contractor, Bovis Lend Lease, family lawyer Michael Barasch said.

And when called for comment, the DA's office immediately goes for the defensive position.

Dan Castleman, Morgenthau's top deputy, called The News story "premature" and declined to further comment.

The DN highlighted another source that the city has "soverign immunity" which supposedly allows the city to get away with anything because the charges were brought up in the city. So my question is, why not simply go to the next level and make sure that everyone gets the justice they deserve?

Seven Years Later It Is Time To Make A Choice

Seven years ago today my Mom called me early in the morning. I was living in Tucson at the time and she was home in Los Angeles. Calls that came before seven always scared me from her, because the ring usually foretold bad news. This time though, she told me to turn on the television and she was crying. Needless to say, I watched the news all day long, sometimes with friends but mostly by myself. I just couldn't believe what I saw on television. The horrific nature of it all was overwhelming and to a degree hard to fathom far away from Ground Zero at the edge of the Sonoran Desert. Then I watched what our President and his minions did with our national tragedy and global goodwill. Now look at where we are.

This morning I am sitting in City Hall Park, a few stops on the 6 train from where I have been living for nearly three years. It is relatively quiet in here save for the beautiful fountain that graces the center of the park. Every few minutes a fire truck passes by, no doubt on its way to the memorial for those that lost their lives just a few blocks from here.

When I lived two thousand miles away I saw New York through a tourist's eyes and marveled at the city but I was too busy with Tucsonan politics to deal or even have much interest in the minutae of the vast web that NYC politicians and bureaucrats weave over and around the city. I have gotten to know some of it since I moved here and while parts are good, there are a lot of things that need to be fixed. The Deutsche Bank still stands as a stark reminder that corruption and incompetence has played a major role in the clean up of the area. Hundreds of FDNY firefighters lost their lives because of the terrorists, but last year another two died because of substandard conditions and negligence by FDNY's very own inspectors. That just isn't right, yet even after that tragedy last August, problems still remain. Seven years later, we must not only remember, but take action as well.

While New York must take care of the clean up and reconstruction of the area, our Federal government must act to make sure we prevent future attacks and not only seek out the terrorists that helped commit that heinous act, but stop giving them reasons to recruit more from wanting to do us harm.

This year we must make a choice between two men that want to take our country in two different directions. To decide, we must not only look at "experience" but more importantly we must examine their judgment. Shortly after the buildings collapsed, John McCain called for war with Iraq. George Bush gave him that wish and simultaneously kissed our international cooperation goodbye.

When the propaganda was spread by the right that we must invade Iraq (under false pretenses) few spoke out against them. The traditional media happily beat the war drum for the Republican-dominated government. One of those few though, was Barack Obama. He was against the war from before we started it and he is still against it and most importantly wants to end it. There is no difference more clear between him and McCain. One wants to get out as quickly as possible and the other wants to stay there for a hundred years.

So as I sit here in park, enjoying the people, the landscaping and the array of buildings that surround me, I realize that my view has changed in seven years. Not that I was for the war and now I'm against it...I've always been against the war and was part of the ten percent that disapproved of George Bush immediately following the attacks. No, what has changed is my perspective because of my location. As a relatively new New Yorker, I see what needs to be changed here in the city and what needs to get done, but I could tell you from anywhere in the world that we can not have four or eight more years of the same destructive policies that George Bush has used to run our nation into the ground.

Problems Still Ongoing At Deutsche Bank Bldg

With the 7th anniversary of September 11th fast-approaching, there are still many eye-sores in and around Ground Zero. None is worse than the former Deutsche Bank building, or what is left of it. Those in charge claim it will be taken down by next summer, but with the web of deceit surrounding the operation, who knows when it will truly be done. As you recall, last summer two firefighters lost their lives because of lax supervision of workers who smoked on the job while dealing with hazardous materials. What is worse though, was that FDNY itself did not properly inspect the site and the fact that the water pipes that were meant to fight fires were disconnected and in some places, missing.

After the tragedy occurred politicians and administrators vowed to clean things up, while trying to fend off an independent investigation. Well it turns out that fault lay with many different people and agencies connected to the Deutsche mess. Even with that dirty laundry laid out for all to see, some of the same problems that led to the fatal fire still exist to this day.

From The NY Daily News:

Empty cigarette packs and beer cans were found on several floors last week, triggering a full-tilt probe by fire marshals, two sources familiar with the investigation told the Daily News.

"It is shameful that they would be smoking there. It is a shameful act," FDNY spokesman Jim Long said. "We will take the necessary actions to prevent any further incident."

Joseph Graffagnino Sr., whose son, Joseph Jr., died in the Deutsche Bank fire, said the new revelation was appalling.

"It makes me feel like I want to puke," he said. "They just don't care. They are back to the same old business as usual attitude, which is not the way things should be done."

So 13 months later we still have the same tough talk from the FDNY but obviously no real change to speak of. Why is it that the victim's family still have to complain about the unsafe conditions that led to their loved ones' death last year? The report was a good first step in the direction of accountability. But until those responsible for the tragedy and the unsafe conditions that exist to this day are given their fair share of justice, this is matter will be far from over.

Nearly Seven Years Later FDNY And NYPD Can Communicate

Nearly seven years ago, our city experienced one of the worst national tragedies our country has ever witnessed. Thousands died in the attacks on the World Trade Center and that included hundreds of firemen, but not from the police department. That occurred because while the NYPD could hear on their radios to get out, the firefighters didn't get the message because their radios weren't able to pick up the same frequencies. Not long after that terrible day, we as a city realized that Giuliani had a chance to fix the radios several years earlier but he did nothing. And now, in 2008, it seems to have taken several years afterwards to fix the error.

From The NY Times:

Emergency medical workers can now contact the police directly via radio. Fire officials use information beamed down from police helicopters. Law enforcement officers and emergency service agencies hold joint drills at high-rise buildings, jails and the city’s tunnels.

Seven years after the harsh lessons of the Sept. 11 attacks, New York City has improved the ability of its Police and Fire Departments to operate together.

On Wednesday, these and other advances were enumerated before the Federal Communications Commission at a public hearing in Brooklyn on improving public safety through better communications among government and emergency agencies.

I am glad to hear that things are working the way they should have nearly fifteen years ago. Though we needed this technology to be in working order as soon as people understood just how much New York is a target for attacks, namely after the 1993 WTC bombing. Yet Giuliani was negligent with the radio problem....and it took nearly the entire term of the Bloomberg Administration too.

It Pays To Turn Against Your Own

I don't know if this is odd, but I always get a feel of deep regard whenever I see a FDNY firetruck roll by on the streets and avenues of the city with their sirens blazing. Many people cover their ears from the noise, but I just watch and smile. Their courage and bravery is incredible, as is many a firefighter across the country and the world. They risk their lives day in and day out and on September 11th, hundreds did not make it out alive.

That is one of the reasons that Rudy Giuliani angers me so. He capitalizes on their bravery to make money and now run for President. Many firefighters see this and have thus taken action to prevent Rudy from winning any type of elected office here on out. The 9/11 Parents & Families of Firefighters are organizing as we speak to run television ads in key states to let other Americans know the Rudy we have come to despise here in New York. However, there are a few in the FDNY that are with Rudy. The question is, are they speaking from the heart, or the wallet?

From The Huffington Post:

John R. Orlando, who serves with Engine 216 in Brooklyn, New York, has been cited prominently as a Giuliani supporter. Last June, in a New York Times article detailing the mixed reviews Giuliani has among the city's 11,000-membered firefighting force, Orlando said he regularly saw Giuliani at fires despite suggestions otherwise.

Orlando was also quoted as saying the "bottom line is, I think he's been more of a friend to firefighters than I've seen in the news. I don't think all the criticism is warranted."

Did those comments come with a reward? Three months after he praised Giuliani, Orlando found himself on the former mayor's payroll. On September 28, 2007, the Giuliani campaign paid one John R. Orlando more than $1,580 for what they deemed on a campaign filing as "political strategy consulting."

When asked about the arrangement -- after repeated attempts for comment -- Giuliani spokesperson Matt McKeon questioned the question.

"Are you suggesting that firefighters aren't capable of political strategy?"

Pressed to describe what strategy, exactly, Orlando provided, McKeon replied: "I'll get back to you."

He never did.

Orlando never got back to the press either. What do these two Giuliani men have to hide? Is Orlando disrespecting his comrades by supporting Rudy? If he is so solid in his positive view of the ex-Mayor, why not say it for free? If the answers to these questions reflected well on Rudy then they'd answer them, but as you can tell, they didn't.

Deutsche Bank Cover-Up At The FDNY?

Nearly two months have gone by since the huge blaze at the Deutsche Bank building has passed, and now Firefighter unions are confident enough to say that the FDNY is trying to cover their tracks in the wake of an investigation started after two firefighters were killed there that day.

From ABC7:

The heads of the Uniformed Firefighters and Fire Officers Associations say top brass at the department told fire chiefs at a meeting last month to stop sending any E-mails about the fire at the Ground Zero skyscraper.

The deadly blaze on August 18 exposed dangerous fire hazards at the contaminated building, which was in the process of being dismantled.

Firefighters union president Steve Cassidy says the department doesn't want the truth about the investigation to come out.

There have been too many "coincidences" to rule out foul play at the top of the FDNY. Hopefully the independent investigation will get past the roadblocks set up by the higher-ups at the Fire Department. The families of Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino deserve the truth and those that are tied to their deaths need to be held accountable. We can not allow this type of negligence to occur again for NY's Bravest.

FDNY Sued For Recruiting Discrimination

New York's bravest are being targeted for a discrimination suit that alleges the testing required join the FDNY is skewed to hurt minority's chances for getting the job. The Department of Justice filed the suit in Federal Court today against the city.

From WCBS-TV:

Captain Paul Washington is the past president of the Vulcan Society, a group that brought a lawsuit against the FDNY five years ago. That lawsuit was the basis of the current federal investigation.

"The fire department will be getting what it deserves for not having acted on their own. They have had more than enough opportunity," Washington told CBS 2 in April.

"The guy who gets the 99 or 100 on a test isn't going to be any better than the guy who gets the 80 or 75. The fire department knows that, the mayor's office knows that, everybody does," Washington adds. "They should not use that test as a barometer on who's going to get on the job or not."

Other major cities such as Los Angeles and Boston have 40 to 50 percent or more of their ranks filled with minorities. In New York that number is between 8 and 9 percent. The city claims that the suit is unwarranted and that the Fire Department has made changes to their policy to accept for people of color. Yet no real change has been seen yet since Paul Washington first filed a suit five years ago. It seems like the city is just stalling and because of that, what is left of our Justice Department is set to prosecute and achieve some equality for what is seen as the most honorable fire department in the world.

Still Short On Federal Dollars

More than five years have passed since the gruesome event of 9/11 and the federal government still does not properly fund NYC's soaring health care costs attributed to the workers on the ground. Tens of thousands of rescue and cleanup workers suffered respiratory illnesses, costing the city nearly $400 million dollars in health care for these brave souls. They were told the air was safe to breathe and ultimately ended up sick because of it.

The White House pledged an additional $20 million late last year but it is still far below what is needed to provide adequate care. It is getting so bad that many treatment programs are running out of funds. Other groups never even received a dime.

From RawStory:

New York needs 150 million dollars in annual federal funds to treat lingering mental and physical ailments from the September 11 terror attacks, a city-appointed panel said.

The World Trade Center Health Panel, appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in September to assess the state and federal resources for 9/11 victims, said the health programs lack stable federal funding.

The New York Police Department has never received any federal funding for treatment or monitoring, the panel said in a report.

As the mess in the Middle East is costing American taxpayers hundreds of billions and the economy as a whole over one trillion dollars, it is time for the federal government to pay up and fully fund the programs that treat the heroes of 9/11. Mayor Bloomberg recently asked for more federal monies and I wholeheartedly agree with his request.