This and That-
Mrs Young- while waiting on the subway platform, I saw a young school age girl and her preschool age brother. Their mother had just picked her up from the local Elementary school. She suddenly became very excited and showed her mother that her teacher, Ms Young had walked by and moved down the platform to join a group of teachers standing there. From where I was standing, I could hear the teachers complaining about school rules, their principle and other school stuff. I also could hear the excitement of the young student. She called to her mother to see Mrs Young and then called out for Mrs Young. One of the women looked towards the student and said nothing. The rest of the three did not even look in the direction of the excited student. The mother of the child, just turned her and moved her towards the oncoming train.
Getting hit again on the train.
The other morning, I was waiting for the train on the subway platform, reading the paper, minding my business when a young man in a suit was reading his paper. The train pulled into the station and doors opened. The man could not make decision which entrance to get into the train. He turned to the right and to the left and then back to right. I said to him “ dude, you have to make up your mind”. I entered the train and a young woman about age 15 hit me on the arm. She said “ ou need to calm down”. I said to her “you need not to hit me.” She repeated again “you need to calm down”. I repeated again “you need not to hit people you don’t know.”
I steamed for a while about this encounter until my co worker highlighted that maybe this young woman lost control.
At the Polls.
I entered the local elementary school to vote for a special election and there was an older woman in her 80s who was to look up my address and direct me to the polling station. I approached the table and she asked me if I had received a Board of Election card. I told her I received that and many other solicitations and robo calls. She said that may not mean I was eligible to vote in this election. I asked her if she wanted me to look up my address. She finally looked it up and continued to tell me I was not eligible to vote. I reminded her that I knew she was getting paid for being at the voting polls.
I told her to please check again because I knew I was in the 64th district not the 74th district that she was trying to tell me I was registered in. She continued to ask me for the white cards and I asked another woman to look up my information. In fact, I was registered in the 64th district. As I was negotiating with this woman, my neighbor, a Russian speaking woman came and offered her ID with her address. I told the Voter worker that the Russian woman was my neighbor after she told her to put her ID away.
The Russian woman followed me to the voting booth. There was no attendant there. As I was waiting, I started to think about how many people were turned away from voting that day due to someone not taking the time to look up the address but asking questioning regarding what was sent in the mail.
The voting poll workers are paid and I find their error rate, lack of ability to do the work and lack of desire is standard in the polling place where I vote. I think they are more of an impediment to the voting process. In the past, I have been told that my vote does not count as much of the borough votes democratic. The voting rights violations are numerous and I have reported the poll workers on numerous occasions.
The Russian woman and I talked about the “right” to vote and exercising that right. In her country she was not allowed to vote. It is a right that I take seriously and preserve. No incompetent poll worker has a right to interfere with the right to vote.
On the Street
I ran into life time politician Mark Green on the street. I also over heard a father and his 7-9 year old son talking and the father was instructing him on “why white is not worn after Memorial day” and society rules around that.
