TWF 352 - Protest At Merrick Train Station Was Hugely Successful

 Hello, friends,

I hope this message finds you well.  As we reported on our Facebook pages (both our "Page" and our "group"), there was a protest today at the Merrick Train Station.

Remember:  Any nearby/Nassau County protests will be announced on that Facebook group, so if you haven't already checked it out, check it!

As a tentative heads up, it looks like 50501 is going to be doing a May 1st protest.  I won't be able to cover that one due to prior engagements, but I do support them!

That said, let's talk about our Merrick Train Station protest:

Merrick Train Station Protest.  Photo by Jesse Pohlman

About The April 19th Protests In Merrick, NY

It was definitely an interesting experience, as most of the people were gathered in the east-side parking lot.  That meant that as you approached the train station itself, it was hard to see the action.  But the trickle of people with signs told me all I needed to know, and I parked as close to the protests as I could, hoofed it over, and stood actually at the front of the westbound lane's line of sign-holders.

It was a nice experience.

It wasn't perfect, of course.  There were a couple of trucks that drove by with Trump flags or flipping us off.  One lady parked her car in front of the protest line, got out of it, whipped out an American flag and started chanting "Trump" until the cops forced her to move for blocking traffic.  One person decried us all as terrorists, which was funny because January 6th happened and they don't seem to mind insurrectionist terrorists, so...That's noteworthy.5

But at the same time, the number of people honking and giving a thumbs up was huge.

I'm not a professional crowd estimator, but I'd estimate about a thousand people came out for the event.  There were speakers, many of whom came from various Democratic Party clubs in the area - sort of a surprise to see them out and about, to be honest.

After all, the whole Merrick event was organized by the Merrick-Bellmore Democratic Club.  So, props to them.

I might not be a Democrat at this time (Go Working Families Party!  I can hook you up if you have any questions), but I'm happy to see my former party actually starting to wake up and go, "Holy shit this is a real threat."

Whether that'll pay off in the long run is another story, but, yeah.

Other Protest Events Which Took Place Today, April 19th, 2025.

My understanding is there were two other protests planned in just the Long Island area.

One was a continuation of the Tesla Takedown campaign up in Manhasset, but that's a specific movement with a specific goal.

The other was a similar event to the Merrick one, but held out in Patchouge.  I don't know who organized it, but my hope is that it went just as well.  If you're someone who attended, please leave a comment on this article and I'll be happy to add a little credit.

Anyway, until next time:  Be safe, be strong, and don't tolerate Fascist shit.

TWF 345: Nassau County Bans Masks In The Name Of Safety, Makes County Less Safe

 Hello, friends,

As per the NY Civil Liberties Union, as well as many other sources, Nassau County has passed a ban on wearing any form of face covering.  There are supposedly medical and/or religious exemptions to this, but those are reportedly unclear and vague.

Friends, let me tell you:  For the chronically ill, for those who are headed to or from a doctors' office, for those who will be in a confined space with strangers?  Masks are a lifeline that allows them to participate in public life with less fear of getting sick and dying.

Now, those people may be subject to fines and possibly - I am not kidding - a fucking YEAR of imprisonment.

Just a month ago, our usually-inept governor issued a warning that CoVID infections were once again on the rise.  Thus, our county's ban flies in the face of basic public health.

The rationale I keep hearing is "public safety."  The idea that everyone on the street must be identifiable so that crooks can't hide who they are.

I may not love our governor, but she's right to warn us that CoVID is still a serious threat.  I may not choose to mask under most circumstances, but I damn sure don't believe in taking that right away from others. Should our police really be playing "Check people wearing a mask for a doctors' note"?  Is that what you want our tax money spent on?

I promise you this much:  At least once, while a cop is harassing someone over their mask, a real crime will be committed that they could have stopped.  And that'll be on the cop for enforcing the stupid law, the legislature for passing the stupid law, and county executive Bruce Blakeman for signing the stupid law.

Because it seems like our county doesn't give a damn if innocent immunocompromised people die.  They just want to watch those peoples' face as they choke down their last agonizing breath.

This ban needs to be overturned, and people need to speak out about it.

TWF 334: A Casino Complex To Replace The Nassau Coliseum?

 Hello, friends,

This'll be a medium-length dive, since news is still breaking on this issue.  Today, our county executive, Bruce Blakeman, declared proudly that Las Vegas Sands is entering into an agreement to build a mega-entertainment complex at the site of the Nassau County Veterans Memorial Coliseum.  

I...Have thoughts.

First up:

What Happened To The Hub?!

If there's one thing Nassau County needs, its homes for our children as they grow into adulthood.  With property values orbiting somewhere beyond the moon, it's unlikely that most just-turned-18'ers with full time, low-wage jobs are going to be able to afford to buy a house any time soon.  And it just so happened that the Coliseum site had 70-odd acres of undeveloped land around it.

The Nassau Hub was supposed to be the answer to this problem.

Developed by RXR, the Hub was billed as "a new suburbia," a "vibrant, walkable mixed-use downtown" in Nassau County.  There would have been a mixture of homes and employers, including an emphasis on research and development centers.

Now, I know the website for the Hub was threadbare and devoid of recent information.  It's latest bulletin was from around the 2019-2020 era.  It spelled a nice picture:  500 housing units (which, while not a lot, is still 500 more than we'd have had otherwise), a massive innovation center organized by Northwell Health, entertainment and retail opportunities, and more.

Unfortunately, the site seems derelict at best, with no updates past 2020.  Maybe that's just from CoVID putting the brakes on things?  Well, the latest news I have was that RXR was granted an extension on the project in September 2022.  RXR's website still lists the Hub as a project. 

...But the casino idea was suggested in December 2022?

This is weird.  Maybe the idea was floated and RXR decided it didn't want to be involved?  I can't tell, and a deeper dive is hard to accomplish at this time, but I'm open to tips.

So What's The New Plan?  And how can (will) it go wrong?

Well, there's a lot still to be determined.

First off, the casino everyone's using as the headliner is only 10% of the entire scope of this new version of the Hub.  But with Hofstra immediately adjacent to the property, how long will it be until we read a headline that states, "Hofstra student loses tuition at the roulette tables."  Having been a college student once upon my life (though I was at Hofstra's friendly-rival school Adelphi), I can confirm with 100% certainty that that time in one's life is not necessarily bringing the best impulse control.

Blakeman also says there will be "outdoor community spaces," although without the construction of actual housing in that area, it's hard to tell what that would mean.  Would it be a large park like nearby Eisenhower, open to all County residents?  Or, would this imply that the 500-or-so housing units planned for the Hub are going forward and there will in fact be a community?

Bragging about adding hotels is great (Freeport is pretty driven to build one on the Mile), but while that would certainly add some low-entry-point jobs to the area, it would put even more of a tremendous strain on our transportation systems.  Even when the Coliseum (whose fate in this affair is unknown, according to Alex Costello of the East Meadow Patch) was the only major draw to the area, traffic was known to back up on the Meadowbrook badly, and Hempstead Turnpike was often hard to navigate.  Now - picture being a car accident victim trying to get transported to nearby NUMC, or being a Hofstra or Nassau Community College (it's closer than I thought!) student trying to get to class on time.

I'm not going to dive into the conventional crime-based scare tactics against casinos.  I have no idea how much, or if at all, they effect nearby crime statistics.  I can't imagine it'll be a positive change, but it might not be so bad.  Or, it might.  I don't know that research, and that's a lot of statistics to dig into to get a concrete answer.  The concern is therefore acknowledged.  Do with it as you will.

So What Do I Think?

I think I was much happier with the original Hub solution than I am with what I've heard, here.  We need affordable housing in Nassau County.  We need to reduce our dependence on our already-strained transportation infrastructure.  We need high-paying jobs in cutting edge fields to attract and keep people in our area.  Long Island is getting older; a major Northwell Health research facility was a great idea to address the area's medical needs.

These plans are still in their early phases, of course.  Things could change.  Things are uncertain.  For all I know, they're going to build 1,000 housing units with this! No, hotel rooms don't count.  I don't know, because I don't think there's been much shared about specific developmental plans.

But I'd like to see an area of affordable housing mixed with a modest entertainment suite (so, renovate the Coliseum, I like that place), plus a healthcare facility, plus some green space.  I'm a big fan of green space, especially in communities that might not have much.

Therefore, I would say I am tentatively against this plan.  There's too many unknowns and too many changes proposed from the original Hub idea to consider it a spiritual continuation.  It's a total change.  It's not widely publicized.  It's too focused on spectacles like high-end hotels and casinos, and not on things our community actually needs.

Oh, and, oh my. I must take this swing - One more thing:  Why are the "crime is so awful!" Republicans like Blakeman suddenly backing a casino if there's any crime risk, at all...?

I bet there are rea$ons.

Jesse Pohlman is an author from Long Island, New York, with thirty years of that time spent in Freeport.  His website can be found at this link.

TWF 321: Hospital Update, A Story, And A Call To Action (CoVID Update #15)

Editorial note:  Opinions ahead.

 Hello, friends,

This is like the cliche freshman college essay:  I want to start with giving credit to News 12 on the germ of this article, which some beta-readers have identified as a bit of a rant, but there are serious problems afoot in Long Island, and it's due to our old pal the Coronavirus.  I'm opening with some data, I'm following that up with a personal story, and - at the end of this - I am calling upon Governor Hochul to take significant action to combat the Coronavirus pandemic.

Hospital overcrowding and overload has reached highs that honestly haven't really been seen, at least since the beginning of the pandemic.  With the Omicron variant in town, U.S. Case Positivity rates have skyrocketed.  NBC News reports that on January 3rd, over one million tests returned positive.  Just think about that:  1/330 people in the country came down with CoVID.  Child hospitalizations are at climbing rapidly, as reported by Reuters.  Seems like Freeport Schools going remote for at least this week was a good idea, now, doesn't it?

Oh:  And here's Nassau County's caseload.

Notice how it's kind of just going almost straight up?

News 12 is reporting that Nassau University Medical Center is overwhelmed.  That's no surprise.  60% of the hospital's population is there specifically for CoVID, and - if I'm reading the first link in this post right - the other 40% was positive?  That's, like, 100%.  I think they could have been clearer with their reporting, there, honestly.

At any rate, other hospitals are increasing their requirements for in-patient emergency admission.  Virtually anything that can be managed outpatient is being called upon to be handled outpatient, even if that's not exactly ideal for the patient.  Then there's the case of the Florida hospital turning away pregnant people because they're overwhelmed with CoVID.  You know, because that's a thing.

What's this all mean?

Well, dammit Jim, I'm not a doctor.  I'm just a part-time journalist trying to interpret data.  What it screams to me is that everyone is catching CoVID at this point, even though vaccinations are definitely keeping serious illness at bay for those of us who have paid attention to the science.  (If you've got a problem with that sentiment, just leave now, because we're going deep.)

As to the concrete effects of this new wave of hospitalpolicy changes, I'm just not sure.  They might mean that hospitals aren't going to accept non-life-threatening injuries, such as from moderate-to-severe car accidents.  "Oh,  your arm might be broken?  Too bad, get it treated outpatient."  It might not!  I know people who have had serious surgeries postponed, and while they were non-specific with their reasoning, I'm betting they didn't need to be clear about it.

And the more I write, the more concretely an idea forms in my mind.

I have a story I'm ready to tell:

I know that, due to CoVID, hospitals have put in place a policy in place where, generally speaking, you can't have guests in an emergency room.  There are limited exceptions, and this is where we get personal.  When my dad was in his last month of life, we decided to take him to the emergency room to see if there was anything that could be done to help him.  At that point, he was an immunocompromised cancer patient with suspected internal bleeding fresh off a first-time infusion of Cyramza, so he got in pretty quick - only, I wasn't allowed to go in with him.  I stressed that I was his healthcare proxy and power of attorney, that he could not advocate for himself in any effective manner, and they still wouldn't budge.  I was told to wait in the car.

Of course, being completely sick and disoriented, he was totally unable to provide a medical history for himself.  Totally.  I was called back within 10 minutes and sheepishly told they needed someone to help out with him.  It was only a short period of torment for a dying man, but it was terrible nonetheless.  I'm sure I'm not alone in this exemption regard, but I cannot imagine going to an ER when you're sick and being Goddess-damned alone.  It's a horrifying thought, to imagine going through that - and infuriating to imagine my wife going through it.  But people have to go through it, nonetheless?

And, in large part, people are going through that because other people are making selfish choices which damn them entirely?!

Enough.

No More.

A Call For Action From The Governor

The U.S. Supreme Court decided in the 1905 Jacobson Vs Massachusetts that states have the power to compel citizen vaccination in the face of a public health crisis.  The relevant overview is down below:

I am calling upon New York Governor Kathy Hochul to implement mandatory vaccination, either directly through executive order mandates, legislative mandates, and vaccine passports; or - at least - through existing requirements for school admission and any other mechanisms like mandates for all state workers to be vaccinated.  I am calling on all candidates for Governor, including Jumanne Williams and Tom Suozzi, to make this a part of their platform.  I am furthermore calling on all legislators to back specific laws being written to compel vaccination.

Yes, we are at that point.

No, I don't care about your self-assigned "Freedoms" in this case, because by refusing to get vaccinated all you are doing is hurting the sick and defenseless out of pure, unbridled selfishness.  Vaccines are safe, they will almost certainly not hurt you.  The science is well tested and established since the 1990's.  The disease is bad enough to warrant it, with one million cases in a day and overwhelmed hospitals.  The legal authority was established over a century ago by the highest court in the country.  I'm sorry, but you are not - and,  unless you are 115 years or so old, have never even plausibly been - "Free" to kill, cripple, and traumatize innocent people by turning yourself into a vector for disease.  You do, in fact, have a fundamental responsibility to protect your fellow Human being.

If you have a problem with this?  Don't bother arguing, here.  Give me an angry reaction and I'll tell you to kiss off.  This was and is something of a factual review of our situation, something of a rant, and definitely a sad story.

And I've seen enough suffering.

I'm done.

Jesse Pohlman is an author and recovering teacher from Long Island, New York, born and raised in Freeport.  He's currently furious at the state of affairs and the harm it's caused, both directly and indirectly.

TWF 318: Rising Cases, Free At-Home CoViD Tests At Mitchell Field. (CoViD Update #12)

 Hello, friends, and a big hat-tip to old TWF friend Jason Bass for a tip-off,

I hope you're all doing well this holiday season.  I know many of us simply aren't, thanks largely to the Omicron strain of CoVID-19 (CoVID-21?), and I know we're all looking for some idea of what's next, so let's start by taking a quick assessment of contemporary reporting: 

Current CoVID Situation: 

According to Long Island Press, Nassau County had about 4,457 positive cases on Tuesday, December 28th.  That's, yanno, yesterday.  News 12's reporting claims that Heckscher State Park in Islip's testing center shut down very early today due to testing demand, suggesting we should expect an increase in positivity rates.  I checked Nassau County's CoVID Website but it's honestly underwhelming and seemingly only displays cumulative data, not daily?  

I dunno.  I do know you should probably cancel any indoor social events you've got planned, and should be following NYS Mandates and CDC Guidance on wearing masks while indoors.  If you aren't already, get vaccinated.  Save yourselves as much sickness and heartache as you can - I know too many people with Long CoVID to suggest taking this lightly.

Free Tests At Mitchell Field:

As per County Executive Laura Curran:

Don't ask me how long 20,000 test kits are going to last.  Don't even ask me if it's a good idea to go out to a place where you know someone is CoVID positive, since you might just take CoVID back home with you.  This is why we need the government (Could be state, could be Federal, I'll accept them from either or both) to mail each individual, I dunno, like six tests to keep in case they're needed.  But, that's a topic for another day.

The point is:  There are free at-home test kits available at this place at this time.  If you can in any way get there, get there.

Jesse Pohlman is an author from Long Island, New York, who was born and raised in Freeport.  He's a Sci-Fi/Fantasy author, so you can check his website for his works.  The Weekly Freeporter is a free, amateur blogging and reporting service.  If you'd like to ask him a question about The Weekly Freeporter, he's doing a 2021 Q&A at this link.

TWF 313: LI Communities To Opt-Out Of Cannabis Sales, But Strangely Refuse To Close Bars

 Greetings, friends; and, no, this is not an April Fools article, despite the headline.

You see, New York finally voted on a substantial bill to end Cannabis prohibitions, albeit with some stupidly long delays in actually allowing sales, which was signed by Governor Cuomo.  This isn't exactly a new issue, and to be absolutely clear, prohibition of a drug known to be less harmful than alcohol is outright stupid.  That's not me saying, "It's a great idea to smoke an ounce of weed right now!" by the way, it's just a harm-for-harm comparison that's been made a bajillion times.

However, this new law does allow local municipalities to "Opt-Out" of recreational sale in their jurisdiction.  This fact, combined with numerous bad-faith arguments against legalization, has me positively disgusted.

Today, rather than just look at a Freeport-specific thing, I'm expanding my gaze to all of Nassau County, and putting the attention on politicians of every level of our government.  In particular, I'm going to address one argument that I keep seeing politicians make that really rubs me the wrong way.

The Bad-Faith Argument Of "Impaired Driving."

First, foremost, and before you say anything else - Drinking alcohol and using cannabis are both intoxicating experiences, and you should never drive under the influence.  That said, everyone from my "Democratic" State Senator Anna Kaplan to numerous Long Island mayors (Including Freeport's, I must note) have cited road safety issues as a determining factor for their decision-making.  This opt-out movement is also prevalent in "Democratic" Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and many leaders at the Legislator and Town level, as well.

And, in fairness, let's not kid ourselves, cannabis poses one unique safety risk that other intoxicants do not:  There is no reliable short-term test for cannabis intoxication, versus breathalyzers for alcohol.

With all of that said, however, I believe this to be a bad-faith argument.  I believe it is saying, "Well, there is no clear-cut technology to test for this yet, so we can't legalize it yet!" in such a way that it creates a permanent excuse justifying why you can't legalize it.  "Oh, if only there were a reliable test!"  "Oh, if only we could know for certain it wouldn't lead to any increase whatsoever of intoxicated driving!  Alas!"

Why do I think this is a bad-faith argument, you ask, perhaps concerned about it, yourself?  Because the trade-off to a potential but un-proven danger happens to be the continued incarceration of people, mostly People Of Color.  It's saying that the very real, very proven harms of the drug war are better than the potential that a problem that might exist could be a little worse, but also might very well not be any worse.

If concerns about impaired driving is your only justification for entire "no" vote, then you've chosen to support a prison-industrial complex over supporting increased funding for - I dunno - anti-drug and anti-DUI programs.

And, to me, that's an unacceptable choice.

The Real World Knocks.

Blunt honesty, pun intended:  If you're so concerned about intoxicated driving (and, let's be real, car accidents seem to be a weekly occurrence at best, these days...):  SHUT DOWN THE NATUICAL MILE YESTERDAY!!  THERE ARE INTOXICATED DRIVERS LEAVING EVERY BAR IN TOWN!  PANIC!  PANIC IN THE STREETS!!  WAIT - THAT LEADS TO MORE ACCIDENTS!  PANIC AT HOME!!  AGAGHAHHAH!!!

...Okay, it's April Fools Day, but, seriously, now:  We've been through this song and dance, before.  It was called the Prohibition Era, and it's when the U.S. Constitution was amended to prohibit the sale of alcohol.  Chaos erupted.  People who were skilled enough built stills in their houses (just like cannabis partakers are legally going to be allowed to grow their own plants), only, people who weren't skilled enough did, too, leading to numerous deaths by accidental poisoning.  Instead of the government regulating sales, crime families did - look up Al Capone and the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, sometime.  People who need an escape turn to more dangerous products, like illicit moonshine, when they'd much rather just have something safer - something like cannabis.  Freeport in particular ought to know about this:  We have a history with Rum-Runners.  We sided with the Rum-Runners.  "Free" is in our town's name.  Ultimately, the Constitution was re-amended to repeal Prohibition.

And the reality is that nobody is talking about closing the Nautical Mile down, or making Nassau into a Dry County, or anything like that.  Alcohol sales aren't going anywhere, nor should they.  But since we, A, don't prohibit alcohol sales and, B, already have no way of knowing how many people are driving intoxicated on cannabis while it's illegal versus any other intoxicant, I'm going to call out people's bad-faith arguments where I see them.  Sorry, but at best you simply have not thought through this issue in any way, shape, or form.

Obviously, I urge you all to make your feelings clear in a polite and professional manner to your local electeds.  Tell them that you want them to vote a certain way; make clear that you will not vote for them if they do not.  That's just how democracy works, and in the worst case scenario for a situation like this, well, there's a regularly-scheduled election coming right up at a predictable date, and you can vote for someone you like in a primary as well as in a general election.  You can even run for office, yourself.

I, for one, know I've told Senator Kaplan how I feel, and I plan to make my plea to others who will listen, as well.

I hope you will do the same for your elected officials, on all levels.

Jesse Pohlman is an author who grew up in Freeport and is now hailing from Mineola, Long Island, New York.  He mostly writes Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels, which you can check out at his website!

TWF 311 - CoVID Vaccine Shortages In Nassau County; lower infection rates (CoVID Update #10)

 Hello, friends,

Hopefully, by now, your back pain from digging out of this week's snowstorm has faded.  Mine...Is still present, but that's nothing new.

Today, I was flummoxed to see this tweet from Nassau County Executive Laura Curran:

I mean, what is there to say that isn't explicit with this tweet?  According to Curran, we are administering all of the vaccine we get, and we're only getting a mere pittance of what we need.  It'd be one thing if we were only inoculating 70% or so, but if you're ever gonna talk about "herd immunity" or "return to normalcy," that's only gonna come any time soon with a maximum-efficiency vaccination drive, and it is not efficient to leave a county which has plenty of spare potential-to-vaccinate without anything to do.

I have family members who are trying to get these shots and are navigating through the already labyrinthine madness that is the NYS vaccination system.  It's a sick joke to make senior citizens have to use computers to do this!  But when they can access the site, they are told there are no appointments available.  And this sounds like it could be the reason, why!  So, I don't know who to call out for this bullshit, but it's bullshit that needs to be called out.

CoVID Positivity Rates Falling!

With that said, I don't want to leave you thinking it's all bad news on the CoVID front.  We reported in late December that the CoVID positivity rate for Nassau County was pressing up against 10%, which was definitely a scary thing.

County Executive Curran reports that we've made significant progress:

Now, in fairness, we reported back in early November that rates were increasing at a potentially problematic rate.  At the time it was only 3.4% positivity, which wasn't too bad, at all, but wasn't good.  Then, of course, came holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, and the next thing you know we're at 10%.

It's almost like this was predicted at the time.

Stay safe, friends.

TWF 299: Coronavirus Shuts SUNY, CUNY, Nassau & More! Plus, Dr. Kuncham Speaks! (CoVID-19 Update 2)

Hello friends,

I hope you are all doing well!

Freeport-Specific Updates from Dr. Kuncham:  Nassau County Executive Laura Curran gave a press conference with medical and educational leaders - including Freeport's own Superintendent, Dr. Kishore Kuncham, who spoke about issues regarding the spread of dangerous rumors about the virus' impact.  Kuncham also talked reassuringly about the development that's gone on for Freeport's online learning plan, which involves over 6,000 Chromebooks being distributed to students!  He even addressed concerns about internet access for possible students.  (Starts 16:00 min into the video)

Broader Long-Island College & University Closures
A little past 2:00 PM, Governor Cuomo announced that all SUNY and CUNY schools will be transitioning to an online "distance learning" model.  According to Garden City's Patch, Nassau Community College is also closed; Long Island Press provides a more comprehensive listing of closures, including my Alma-Mater, Adelphi University, as well as Molloy College and others.


While there are still very few public school district closures in our area (see the above link to Long Island Press for more details!) - and such closures present infinitely different complications, including but not limited to how children would be supervised, and in some case get fed - the risk exists that certain schools may close in the future due to a confirmed case of exposure, or due to a broader outbreak that is uncontainable with lesser measures.

As always, check with your district's website and administration to confirm any changes you hear about online!

State Worker Aid:  Cuomo has announced that any quarantined/etc NYS workers will get up to two weeks of paid leave.  Private enterprise and other government offices might want to follow suit, especially for places like New Rochelle, where broader quarantines already exist.


To that end:  First of all, please make sure you are washing your hands, covering your coughs, and generally obeying good personal hygiene in order to minimize both your risk and the risk of those around you.  If you feel sick (fever, chills, body ache, difficulty breathing), DO NOT go to work, and DO NOT just go to the doctor - call your healthcare provider and ask for instructions on what their procedure is.

Do not panic!

TWF 298: Nassau County Coronavirus School closures (CoVID-19 Update #1)

Greetings, friends!

As 2020 continues to be a banner year for Humankind, I'm hopping back on The Weekly Freeporter strictly in an Emergency Response basis.  Please note that this is an ongoing emergency, and that situations change frequently and without warning - and TWF is not a professional outlet, meaning our resources are limited.  Updates will be on a limited basis, and only to serve as a place to collect information.

That said, if you have any leads, reach out and we'll verify as best we can!

Additionally, as with our Hurricane Sandy coverage, while we'll focus on Freeport as possible, this disaster effects, well, all of Humankind, so let's start with just keeping an eye on Nassau County.

According to Governor Andrew Cuomo's latest update on Twitter, about 19 people in Nassau have tested positive for Coronavirus.  ABC News and others report that the National Guard has been called into Rockland County to help those in quarantine get food and supplies.  As more testing takes place, more positives are expected; according to medical professionals I've spoken to, this will help with controlling the outbreak.


To that end:  First of all, please make sure you are washing your hands, covering your coughs, and generally obeying good personal hygiene in order to minimize both your risk and the risk of those around you.  If you feel sick (fever, chills, body ache, difficulty breathing), DO NOT go to work, and DO NOT just go to the doctor - call your healthcare provider and ask for instructions on what their procedure is.

Do not panic!


Announced Nassau County School District Closures - More detail available from Long Island Press.
Glen Cove
Locust Valley
Oyster Bay
Plainview-Old Bethpage
Shoream-Wading River

It is reasonable to expect more as time goes on.  Additionally, there are many local colleges closed, including Hofstra, Columbia, and Saint John's.  As always, please check in with your school's webpage on a daily basis, and/or keep an eye on the alerts sent to your e-mail/cell phone.


Be safe.

TWF 290: Holiday/Christmas Tree Lighting, Saturday, December 1, 2018, 5:00 PM at the Sunrise Highway Triangle!

Hello, Freeport!

This is the first of (probably) many short, but helpful articles telling you what Holiday events are going on.  Because a lot of my life is a combination of, "I'll post it when I find out about it," and, "Sometimes I have stuff going on that keeps me from getting posts done, sometimes - like today - these posts will come out with short notice.  On the upside, if you don't know what to do with your kids this weekend, have no fear!

Just like the above image says, the Village of Freeport is hosting a Holiday/Christmas Tree Lighting at 5:00 PM on Saturday, December 1st, 2018, on Sunrise Highway at the Triangle between Church and Main Street.  While these directions are...Vague, let's say?  I still think I was able to locate it on Google Maps.  I might have the wrong location, though, so don't be afraid to double-check me!

For more information, call the Recreation Center at 516-377-2314

TWF 289: Polls Open Until 9:00 PM, Election Day 2018!

Hello Freeport, and the rest of the world!

This is your yearly reminder that, in fact, you have a say over your government!  In fact, it's a right!  YOUR right!  That you should USE!  (Yes, today I am abusing capslock, a bit)  I realize I'm getting this out a bit late (I was voter number 274 at my polling place, for what it's worth!), but busy days are busy.  And you're probably busy, too!

So, here's some helpful information to answer most of your likely questions!

Here's a guide to help you figure out how to vote!

 - "What if I'm not sure that I'm registered to vote, or where I'd even go to do it!"  Don't feel bad, you're not alone.  Nassau County's Board of Elections Website has you covered, just check in here to see your registration status and polling place!

Now, it is too late to register in New York State (we don't have what's called "Same Day Registration," and in fact have some pretty terrible registration laws...), but even if you haven't voted in an election or two, New York isn't too bad about keeping you registered, so don't be afraid to take a minute and check!

 - "What if I can't get there?!"  Especially with bad weather like we have today, it can seem really difficult to get to the polls, especially after a long day at work.  My suggestion is to look to Facebook first, and see if any of your friends are offering rides.  If that fails, look to apps like Uber and Lyft - if they are operating in your area, they may be giving free rides to polling places.  If all else fails, though, get on a waterproof coat and hoof it!


 - "I'm not sure who is running!"  As we've discussed previously in this publication, Freeport is something of a Gerrymandered community, so it's understandable that you might not be sure who is running in which part of town.  You might be planning to vote for a candidate that, it turns out, isn't on your ballot because you're in the wrong district for that position!  Nassau County's BOE maintains a list of candidates, but it's honestly quite confusing unless you're used to reading spreadsheets.

My advice in this situation is to - yes - take a minute to scroll through the spread sheet and match up the various districts you live within to the candidates thereof.  Also, while it's not always fair to match up the behaviors of a party-in-general with those of an individual candidate, for the big-name races you can probably expect that their lower-ticket party-members will probably support that candidate's agenda.  In Freeport, specifically, there are State Legislature races of significant interest given Earlene Hooper's defeat in the primaries, so don't think that there's nothing of local importance on the ballot.  This is just as much for your state-level government as it is your federal representation!  (Pst.  This also includes redistricting in 2020, so maybe we can un-Gerrymander things a bit)



 - "What if I'm afraid to get there late?"  The law, as I understand it from having seen many an election in my not-quite-youth-anymore, is that once you are on line to vote, you can NOT be denied the right to vote.  As long as you are in line by 9:00 PM, you can't be forced off of the line.  You have your right to vote, so don't be afraid if you get out of work at 8:30 and get at the polling place by 8:50.


 - "What if something goes wrong when I vote?"  The most common problem I've seen reported by Freeporters so far is that there have been some concerns with people not being on the voter rolls.  This is a potentially serious problem, but there are many other possibilities such as voter intimidation (either directly or through posters left deliberately-close to a polling place with hate speech, etc), or other ballot spoilage issues.

If this happens to you, BE CALM.  First of all, in case there's some kind of administrative problem, ask for an Affidavit/Provisional ballot.  That way, they can get your vote down with a sort of, 'we'll check into this problem and if it clears, count it' promise.  Contact the Voter Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE, and listen to some advice the ACLU has provided.  Don't let this go, don't wait, make the call and get the process working in your favor.


 - "Am I just voting on candidates?" - That depends on your district, but ALWAYS, as a rule of future Election practice, check the back of your ballot for any ballot initiatives that might be relevant to your district, town, or county.  Many states, for example, have public referendums on whether or not Marijuana should be legal recreationally.  These are ballot initiatives, and they would be on the back.


Happy voting!!  Remember:  You're a citizen of a Representative Republic.  It's not necessarily ideal, but if you want to keep it, vote.  Otherwise, you may lose even that.



Jesse Pohlman is the writer/editor of The Weekly Freeporter, a non-partisan enterprise, and does not endorse any candidates as a rule.  If, however, you'd like to read his thoughts on the over-arching theme of and verdict for the 2018 election, you may do so at this link.

TWF 288: Absentee Ballots In New York State! (How to vote if you can't be in town!)

Hello, Freeporters (and everyone else!)

Election Day is Tuesday, November 6^th, and if you're registered, you all need to vote  It's the most fundamental right we have as Americans, people have died for it, and you know all the reasons to do it.  After all, you read The Weekly Freeporter, and surely other things, and are therefore pretty well informed, right?

“But, Jesse, what if I can't? What if I have to be out of town?  What if I'm scheduled for surgery?"

Well, there's actually an answer to that, and – as I found out while researching for a friend – it's not at all too late (as of 10/30/2018!) to put a plan into place! See, while New York State has a myriad of problems, it's actually pretty good about absentee ballots, provided you are already a registered voter.

According to the New York State Absentee Voting website, the procedure for getting an Absentee Ballot (which you can send in to be counted if you aren't in town!) are as follows:

• First, you must fill out an application. (You can get a printable .PDF format version at the above website which will detail all the specifics)
• Second, assuming you live in Nassau County, you must take it to the Nassau County Board of Elections 240 Old Country Road, #5 Mineola NY, 11501. (If you live in Suffolk County, that information can be accessed at their website by clicking this link. ) If you don't have an application printed out, you can get an application at the Board.
• Third, and this is key: You MUST bring the application in-person up until the day before the election. It is already too late to MAIL the application in. Bring as many forms of identification as you feel you may need (preferably 2).

Assuming all goes well, once your application is approved you will get an absentee ballot that you can fill out and mail in. At least, that seems to be the case; the websites in question are a little less clear about what to do with an absentee ballot, but that's where you, dear reader, demonstrate your intelligence by being very clear in asking questions. Remember, the people working for the county are here to help you exercise your right to vote. As long as your are polite to them, they'll be happy to help!

If you go this route, please leave a comment or write a message with how the procedure went!

Jesse Pohlman is the writer of the not-so-weekly-these-days The Weekly Freeporter. He also writes various novels, available on Amazon's Kindle.

TWF 279: Evaluating the racism of Jack Martins' “New Neighbors” ad.

Greetings, Freeport and Long Island,

I don't often use this space to talk politics, and I refuse even now for The Weekly Freeporter as a no-longer-weekly blog to issue full-fledged endorsements. However, a recent scourge has emerged in Nassau County and it cannot go unanswered.

What you're about to see is the front page of the “New Neighbors” ad distributed by either supporters of Jack Martins, Republican candidate for County Executive in tomorrow's election, or Jack Martins' campaign, itself. As you should know, “supporters of” are very often just extensions of the campaign.

Once we look at this document, we're going to assess what it's 'trying' to say, and what it really suggests and why, as the title of this article suggests, it is a blatantly racist attempt to scare voters into voting against Laura Curran, the Democratic candidate in the race.

The "New Neighbors" ad; this particular photo comes courtesy of Adam Haber

“Meet your new neighbors!”

First of all, let's evaluate the claim this ad makes. The ad opens with a suggestion that “Laura Curran will roll out the welcome mat for violent gangs like MS-13.” The photo at center is of these mean-faced gang members (who I've heard were probably actually filmed in a foreign country's jail, but I don't have proof of that just yet), dangerous criminals who are about to move in next door or across the street. Surely, that's a scary image, isn't it?! I mean, aren't these guys intimidating?

Is there a single shred of evidence offered to prove Curran wants to bring gang members into your neighborhood? No.

The ad suggests (without citing evidence) Larrau Curran works for “special interest groups” from New York City, and goes on to say, “These groups want to make Nassau County a sanctuary county for illegal immigrants and protect those convicted of violent crimes from deportation.” Okay. Once again, absolutely no evidence gets cited in this argument. Not a footnote to, say, a Newsday article which ran a quote from Curran.

I have asked people who support Mr. Martins on Twitter (and copied Mr. Martins' Twitter account in on the conversations) if they could provide any proof or quote of Curran's suggesting she is indeed guilty of what certainly sounds like a dangerous crime, the way they've put it. (Keep that last bit in mind.) Of course, none could actually prove Curran complicit in bringing gang members into Nassau County, but let's get at the real root of this problem.

I am calling this ad racist, along with proponents of it, and you deserve to know why.

Dog Whistles And Megaphones

During my search on Twitter to figure out an answer, I ran into a user named Christopher Shea (@CkeefeShea), among others. According to him, the “New Neighbors” ad was really about Laura Curran's beliefs on what's called “Sanctuary city,” or perhaps "Sanctuary county" status. This is a vague argument to begin with, but as an example of what that means, New York City won't let Immigration officers into their schools without a warrant. That, my friends, sounds reasonable from a Constitutional perspective, doesn't it? You're not allowed to just randomly sweep people up because you think they might have done something wrong (and immigration sweeps often net legal immigrants and US Citizens, so there's that to consider). You need a warrant for that. Period.

The implication, as this ad's producers would have you believe, is that Laura Curran wants to make Nassau into a “Sanctuary County,” and that this would by definition give gang members in MS-13 and other organizations a safe haven in our home.  To quote Mr. Shea, "Bottom line, sanctuary policies create safe havens for violent gangs like MS-13."  I have no reason to believe Mr. Shea doesn't truly believe this to be the case, but that only makes him at best a victim of race-baiting.

Okay. Deep breaths. We now understand their underlying argument.

Here's why it is inescapably racist:

MS-13 has become something of a 'dog whistle' on Long Island.  A 'dog whistle' is a type of political speech that might sound perfectly normal, but to those listening for the right cues it reinforces negative racial, ethnic, religious, or otherwise stereotypes.  The New Neighbors ad is a dog whistle aimed not just at White Supremacist terrorist groups, but really at anyone who is simply afraid or anxious about demographic trends showing America's changing face.  The picture and the wording suggests, “Hey, you see these really bad examples of an immigrant to this country? They're all like this.”   It is a stereotype of epic proportions, and a viciously negative one, at that. 

It would be as if the only popular image of Italian immigrants were those of La Familia, the deadly Mafia who would kill you if you didn't pay your protection money on time. That's a scary and even, to a limited extent, accurate perception of Italian-American history! Yes! We (for I am, in part, Italian-American) have had problems with organized crime in the “New Country” as well as the “Old Country).

It would be as if saying all German-Americans (for I am also German-American) are not to be trusted because Germany collapsed into fascism and Naziism in the 1930's and 40's.  We know that many Germans resisted the Nazis, even if it led to their demise.

It would be as if, wouldn't you know, that the Irish were regarded as stupid “Molly” and “Mick” characters that are still so prevalent that Notre Dame's mascot is indeed the “Fighting Irish,” who happens to look like a leprechaun. "No Irish Need Apply" was a popular slogan during the Industrial era and the Irish diaspora.  Police vans are sometimes called “Paddy Wagons” because so many “Paddys” (AKA Irishmen) were arrested for drunken brawling that, well...You get the impression. (P.S., I'm also Irish-American. I'm a mutt).

My point: By seizing on the scariest possible imagery to explain all illegal immigrants that would be protected by a “sanctuary” status in Nassau County (one that this image fails to prove is even on Curran's mind), the authors conclude that Laura Curran is “MS-13's choice for county executive.”

This conclusion, reinforced by what Martins supporters suggest is their own understanding of the ad, proves that it is indeed racist. When challenged on the connection between the image's negative stereotype of Hispanic-Americans and illegal immigrants alike, I heard pitiable answers: “Who cares if majority are Hispanic for freaking crying out loud. Deport all them!” said Craw (@CWForSheeze) with a tenuous grasp on grammar.

An Anti-Endorsement of Jack Martins

Martins has, according to all accounts I've seen, and from my own attempts to reach out to him via social media, hidden from this ad's fall-out in the most exceptionally cowardly way imaginable. He could have stood up and said, “No, I don't stand for this ad, I don't believe that all immigrants – even all of those not here legally – are criminals. Most of them are just trying to have a better life and are running away from things that you and I would probably want to run away from, too,” but saying something like that would take courage, of which Jack Martins has demonstrated none.

I do not use this publication to endorse candidates, but I will certainly Anti-Endorse Jack Martins. Vote for anyone but him, tomorrow. He's either too cowardly to confront his supporters' racism, or too racist to treat all Nassau residents fairly. Either one makes him an unqualified candidate to lead Nassau County in the 21^st century.  Vote Democrat, vote Green, vote Libertarian - vote for anyone whose name isn't Jack Martins, because Jack Martins doesn't have the guts to confront this racism as you have, upon reading this.