Opinion

Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on NY AG’s Office Ongoing Investigation into the Trump Organization

By DAVID GREENE
This week, we asked readers their thoughts on the announcement on Jan. 18, by the New York State Attorney General’s Office that its ongoing investigation into the Trump Organization has preliminarily determined that the organization used fraudulent and misleading asset valuations to obtain economic benefits.   “He should go to jail. I think [former President Donald J.] Trump should be brought up on charges of fraud and tax evasion, or whatever claims the attorney general finds, because he’s not above the law. He’s just as guilty as anybody else who breaks the law. I’ve seen enough evidence [of] what happened


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Op-Ed: From Dr. King’s Dream to Parole Justice

By Dr. DEBORAH JENKINS
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”   Those are perhaps the most famous words uttered by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we celebrated this week. They are also the words that run through my mind when I think about the withering injustice of mass incarceration. 160 years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, we still are not free. In many ways, we have made progress, but


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Inquiring Photographer: COVID-19 Testing Lines & Waiting for Home Test Kits

By DAVID GREENE
This week, amid the latest omicron variant wave, we asked readers about their recent experience of either getting tested on-site for COVID-19 or of waiting for free, home test kits.   “I went to get tested because my granddaughter was COVID positive. I waited 48 hours before visiting the LevelUp Urgent Care on East 204th Street and lucky me I wasn’t cold, because it was a warm day. I was in line from 6 a.m. until 10 a.m., but because I was negative, it didn’t mess up my plans. Some folks came with entire families and at 5:45 [a.m.] there were already twenty


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Op-Ed: Stay Safe and Healthy Over the Holidays

By Dr. DAVE A. CHOKSHI 
The holidays are here, and I know many New Yorkers are making difficult decisions on how to connect with family, friends and loved ones. This is a time of the year we all look forward to, and while this holiday may not be exactly what we wished for, we can still make it a safe and healthy one by taking a few precautions.   COVID-19 cases are surging in New York City and across the country because of the Omicron variant, and we expect the steep increase to continue in the coming weeks. Hospitalizations will also follow, particularly among the


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Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on Racism Against Puerto Ricans & West Side Story Depiction

By DAVID GREENE
This week, we asked readers if they believe the original West Side Story movie accurately portrayed the racism experienced by Puerto Ricans in New York City at the time the movie was made.   “I don’t know about the racism; that was, like, 50 years ago, but I saw the coming attractions to the new film, and it doesn’t look anything like the original.” Phyllis Butler, Norwood “I guess that was before most people’s time. I’m 73, I grew up in the South Bronx in the 50s and 60s… I was traumatized, man. My brother had to fight and run from


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Op-Ed: Keeping Our Kids Safe With Vaccination 

By Dr. DAVE A. CHOKSHI 
As a father of a young child and the City’s doctor, it has been especially meaningful for me to see so many brave children roll up their sleeves to get vaccinated against COVID-19. I have had the privilege of being present when some have gotten their first dose. I remember one young person had tragically lost their mother to the COVID-19 pandemic. The family felt relief and joy after waiting so long for the comfort of knowing the child was protected.   Since the COVID-19 vaccine was authorized, over 140,000 children ages 5-11 have received at least one dose in


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Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on People’s Faith in the Justice System

By DAVID GREENE
This week, following the not-guilty verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, and the guilty verdicts in the Ahmaud Arbery murder trial, we asked readers if they have faith in the criminal justice system.   “The two very different decisions make me believe, more than ever, that when a case is properly prepared and adjudicated with care, the justice system works. The biggest problem with the system, as I see it, is in the people who are responsible for running the courts. Would Rittenhouse have been found guilty with a more thoughtful judge in the case? I don’t know, but we heard


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UPDATE Hate Crimes Continue to Rise as Politicians Rally Around Jeffrey Dinowitz following Swastika Display Outside Office

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Hate crimes in New York City continue to rise as various elected officials across New York State have continued to rally around Bronx Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81), who is Jewish, in response to the recent protest organized by Republican gubernatorial candidate, Rob Astorino, outside Dinowitz’s Bronx office at 3107 Kingsbridge Avenue on Sunday, Nov. 14. During the rally, which was held two weeks ahead of the annual, Jewish festival of Hanukkah, at least one protestor displayed two signs containing swastikas and another protestor had a yellow star affixed to his clothing.   Hate crimes in New York City are


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Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on Whether Puerto Rico Should Become the 51st State

By DAVID GREENE
  With the spotlight on Puerto Rico following the recent Somos conference, this week, we asked readers for their thoughts on whether the island should become the 51st state or maintain its independence.   “I feel that Puerto Rico should stay the way it is and maintain their independence. They don’t get enough support. I really don’t know. I don’t live there so I don’t know what’s going on exactly. But I know from what I see, and from what my family tells me, it would be nice to maintain their independence, but I don’t think they will be able


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