2 NYPD CommissionersBLOCKED ME Twitter, YOUTUBE AUDIO 01/SEX CRIMES OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE LYING ETC
https://youtu.be/RGRZkQujVI0 audio NYPD Det SEX CRIMES SVU lying to me I was not sexually assaulted. ADA Savur confirmed I was and said he would get back to me after speaking to Joan Illuzzi S Berry but again the DA gave my case involving Dr F's office the Jeffrey Epstein teflon treatment...below is a tweet pinned to my twitter acct Suzannahbtroy audio NYPD 01 turned away:
Eric Adams like de Blasio Mike Bloomberg administration devoted to covering up crimes in my case, preventing Victims from reporting sexual assault as audio evidence from my case, CityTime corruption on going 1 ex NYPD Sex Crimes Lt Lamboy stole O/T #Rape cases, etc
Suzannah B. Troy (@suzannahbtroy)
3/4/18, 12:47 PM
@NYPDONeill @NYPDChiefofDept@NYPDFIRSTDEP @TheIACP @NYPDnews@NYPDDetectives @MjrCitiesChiefs@NYPDChiefPatrol @NYCPBA@MarcSantia4NY @NYPDCTyoutu.be/syrc3ncHFTI ask PC O’Neill, Bratton, Ray Kelly, Pulaski, Boyce, Esposito, Banks, Lt Gannon about audio Sgt Chen PO Magori prevent me from reporting Delita Hooks false cross complaint lying I am not from DA or a det. so I am not allowed to report the crime! #NYPD Lies!
2020 update: http://misogynistnyc.blogspot.com/2015/03/racism-misogyny-dumbcuntlives-matter.html?m=1
After all these years I finally found something I didn't know I had a photograph of the tweet that may be from NYPD or someone connected to the NYPD a racist misogynist telling me my life doesn't matter and I got what I deserved because I defend Black People!
JEFFREY EPSTEIN G. MAXWELL NYPD DA etc ENABLERS ditto MY CASE Dr F’s office AUDIOS 01 SEX CRIMES etc
7/4/22 NO JUSTICE YET update: Like Eric Garner I began pro se Mike Bloomberg Ray Kelly, Campisi era,prayers for KALIEF BROWDER, the ABUSE OF POWER even in the 50-H see Netflix series on Kalief, my 2nd 50-H under de Blasio asked am I mentally ill but under Bloomberg the lawyer admitted I may have money coming to me, the corruption, discrimination on going...all (note an email sent to me alleges DrF assaulted a mentally ill woman brushed off by NYPD whom she reported to the DOJ! Irony, NYPD (even the NYPD that are actually arrested for rape, etc) passed their psych evals,Dr F Hippocratic Oath all involved I including lawyers like I allege Joe TACOPINA have taken oaths they violated + broke laws or a party to crimes my civil rights VIOLATED? TO ALL DENIED JUSTICE, EVERY ONE US IGNORED as they commit MORE crimes even chronically lying in court my case legal fraud Hooks' threatening letter withheld(how did she get my name?)...see Joel Berger "Reform NYPD" NE law journal calling for RICO! NYPD 1PP IA DA etc goal CONCEAL MORE CRIMES plain sight; if you ignore me you are doing their work for them, our civil rights violated even human rights violated in our cases? I agreed to be false arrested if I did not drop charges with a hole in my retina! I feared a possible 2nd sexual assault at the precinct as described by Eric Garner in his hand written lawsuit. I had emergency surgery Friday for my retina so Saturday 4pm 10/20/12 I did drop charges fearing more crimes more harm...and there has been...https://jamesoneillpcnyc.blogspot.com/2022/07/july-4-2022-moving-some-of-my-statement.html COPY PASTE READ MY STATEMENT! FY: I HAVE AUDIOS SEX Crimes, 01,DA, IA, FALSIFIED POLICE REPORTS, EMAIL G-D SEES ALL 10/16/12 PROOF NYPD VERGONA LIED FEDERAL appellate he DIDN'T KNOW I am a JEW!FALSE ARREST ME ON SABBATH *SCROLL WAY DOWN for blogs posts...index on right..., to read:"about me" scroll down,:you will see I was published in many NY newspapers until I became a critic, I donated my white blood cells, NY Blood center told me: to a child fighting non-Hodgkin's cancer and a Hispanic male fighting lymphoma I didn't ask race religion their politics or even wonder do I like them or not but I was targeted at an MD office Google Dr Fagelman assault YouTube - I didn't start filming till I was given the finger, after being yelled at that I have no rights! I had to get surgery on my retina from the attack, no one was fired or arrested but even MORE crimes were committed... NYPD detectives w/ lt Angelo Burgos falsified police reports + corrupt NYPD bosses MORE THAN CROSSED an ETHICAL LINE, Ray Kelly, Bratton, O'Neill, Shea etc with Internal Affairs, Corporation Counsel party cheat lie win legal FRAUD WITHHELD DELITA HOOKS LTR THREAT TO ME while citing KUBY ltr case closed even though series violent threats, emergency surgery Retina from attack, keep case closed on going etc discrimination against me (and others chronically) + I allege policy of discrimination dubbed NYPD 's "Round Robin" + Chief Banks Lt Gannon: NYPD POLICY CAN'T upgrade crimes (they erased) when suing! Read Joel Berger Reform NYPD (enablers) article NE Law Journal) and I ALLEGE James Toomey Travelers his "team" decided like City of NY, like Howard Rubenstein was hired by Jeffrey Epstein to trash victims, OUR LIVES don't have value and the rich powerful and or "connected" must be protected.
2 comments:
To CPC Members and Others Interested: 4/21/08
(1) The Coalition to Preserve Community will be having a march to Columbia University from St. Mary’s Church (521 West 126th St.) in West Harlem this coming Saturday, 4/26/08. We will leave from the church at 12:30PM and march to the Columbia campus to meet with the students at 1:30PM. See the fliers below in English and Spanish for more details. Saturday is the 40th anniversary of the community defense of Morningside Park when Columbia attempted to expand into it. The current expansion plan is an all or nothing plan which has the community under threat of eminent domain and massive displacement. Please brings noise makers, pots and pans, and let’s let the Columbia Board of Trustees hear that Harlem is Not For Sale. If your organization wants to endorse the march and rally and help bring out people to join in this anti-displacement effort, let us know.
(2) Also below see a flyer entitled: Frequently Asked Questions on Columbia University’s Proposed BioHazard Laboratory on the Upper West Side. There are websites listed on that flyer with more info
(3) The 125th Street rezoning will be up for a vote by the City Council by the end of April (it meets on Wednesdays) so keep your eye on that calendar and turn out to protest that pro-displacement plan.
----------------------------------------------------------
COALITION TO PRESERVE COMMUNITY -
United for an Open and Strong Community
POST OFFICE BOX 50 - Manhattanville Station
365 West 125th Street
NEW York City, New York 10027
---------------------------------------------------------
COLUMBIA SPENT $2.3 MILLION LAST YEAR TO LOBBY FOR ITS WEST HARLEM EVICTION PLAN
THEY CAN BUY THE POLITICIANS, BUT THEY STILL HAVE THE COMMUNITY TO DEAL WITH
Join the Coalition to Preserve Community’s March to Columbia 4/26
JOIN TOGETHER SATURDAY, APR. 26, 08
MEET TO MARCH AT ST. MARY’S CHURCH 12:30PM (521 West 126th Street)
DEMONSTRATION WITH STUDENTS ON THE CAMPUS 1:30PM (116 St campus plaza)
IT'S BEEN 40 YEARS SINCE COLUMBIA STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY RESIDENTS STOPPED THE CU GYM IN MORNINGSIDE PARK. LET'S SHOW CU THAT HARLEM IS STILL NOT FOR SALE. NO COLUMBIA EXPANSION IN WEST HARLEM. NO DESTRUCTION OF 125TH STREET. NO FORCED DISPLACEMENT OF BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS. NO DANGEROUS BIOTECH LABS.
FOR MORE INFO ON THE “BATHTUB” CONSTRUCTION, VISIT THIS WEBSITE:www.biohazardonhudson.com
COME OUT. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
CONTACT US: Call (212) 666-6426, 646-812-5188, or (212) 234-3002 (se habla espanol) or go towww.stopcolumbia.org and sign up to be on our contact list. ESPANOL – OTRO
----------------------------------------------------------
COALICIÓN PARA PRESERVAR LA COMUNIDAD
Unidos por una Comunidad Abierta y Fuerte
POST OFFICE BOX 50 - Manhattanville Station
365 West 125th Street
New York City, New York 10027
----------------------------------------------------------
COLUMBIA GASTÓ $2.3 MILLONES
EN CABILDEO EL AÑO PASADO PARA SU PLAN DE DESALOJO EN EL OESTE DE HARLEM
ELLOS PUEDEN COMPRAR A LOS POLÍTICOS, PERO DE TODAS FORMAS TIENEN QUE HACER FRENTE A LA COMUNIDAD
Únase a la Coalición para Preservar la Comunidad para Marchar a Columbia el 26 de Abril
NOS JUNTAREMOS EL SÁBADO 26 DE ABRIL A LAS 12:30 PM EN LA IGLESIA SANTA MARÍA (en el 521W de la calle 126)PARA MARCHAR DESDE AHÍ HACIA LA UNIVERSIDAD, DONDE PROTESTAREMOS JUNTO A LOS ESTUDIANTES A PARTIR DE LA 1:30PM EN LA PLAZA DEL RECINTO UNIVERSITARIO EN LA CALLE 116
HACE 40 AÑOS QUE LOS ESTUDIANTES DE COLUMBIA Y LOS RESIDENTES DE LA COMUNIDAD DETUVIERON LA CONSTRUCCIÓN DEL GIMNASIO DE CU EN MORNINGSIDE PARK. DEMOSTREMOS A CU QUE HARLEM NO ESTÁ EN VENTA. NO A LA EXPANSIÓN DE COLUMBIA EN EL OESTE DE HARLEM. NO A LA DESTRUCCIÓN DE LA CALLE 125. NO AL DESPLAZAMIENTO FORZADO DE LOS NEGOCIOS Y LOS REIDENTES. NO A LOS LABORATORIOS PELIGROSOS DE BIOTECNOLOGÍA.
PARA MÁS INFORMACIÓN SOBRE LA CONSTRUCCIÓN TIPO “BAÑERA”, VISITE EL WEBSITE:www.biohazardonhudson.com
SALGA. USTED PUEDE HACER LA DIFERENCIA
CONTÁCTENOS: Llame al (212) 666-6426, 646-812-5188, en español (212) 234-3002 o visitewww.stopcolumbia.org y regístrese en nuestra lista de contactos. ENGLISH – OTHER
Frequently Asked Questions on Columbia University’s Proposed BioHazard Laboratory on the Upper West Side
Columbia’s proposed Biomedical Research Level-3 Laboratory Park will take up at least 30% of the over 17 acres it plans to develop from 125th-133rd Street between Broadway and 12th Avenue.
What is BSL-3? It’s the third highest level out of four safety levels. A Biosafety Level 3 designation is given to facilities in which work is done with bio-medical agents that may cause serious or potentially lethal disease as a result of exposure by the inhalation route. Examples are: typhoid fever, West Nile virus, avian flu, the plague, malaria, influenza and anthrax. In the event of accident or attack, the toxins in the lab could be released into the atmosphere and carried by the winds into our neighborhood and other parts of New York City, creating a public health disaster.
I’d like to know some more about the location. That’s near Fairway, isn’t it? This area is on the Hudson River flood plain (a low-lying area that would flood during hurricanes and other extreme weather events) and on an active earthquake fault line. Columbia plans to remove 98,000 truckloads of earth to make an enormous “bathtub” basement structure into which it will build from five to seven stories underground. The basement area will hold two gas-fired co-generation plants and the NYC bus depot, along with other support and storage facilities for the labs and other aboveground units. There are questions about the toxins that may be released during the dredging of this former industrial site as well as the rising water levels in our age of global warming. There are over one million residents in a three-mile radius of this proposed facility.
Will this be safe? What about containment? The procedures required to handle materials in Level 3 research are often so numerous and detailed that it’s difficult to keep track of them. The missed shower, the filter not changed on time, the miniscule tear in a bodysuit, the scientist with a paper cut who forgets to put on his/her gloves– any of these types of events could lead to disaster. Supporters of biomedical advances claim accidents are rare, but the frequency of such incidents is widely disputed in the scientific community. Accidents don’t just result from human error. Generators malfunction, air pumps collapse and sometimes designs are faulty. And, flooding could compromise safety mechanisms and spread across the community those dangers that were intended to be contained. In addition, the secrecy that shrouds this industry because of both its military applications and fierce industrial competition has made it hard to regulate and ensure compliance with security procedures.
What laws regarding regulation are there? No comprehensive federal reporting guidelines exist. In fact, the Homeland Security Act prohibits the public disclosure of any theft or loss of potential bioterrorism agents. And, in this time of eroding federal funding for government agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency has relied increasingly on voluntary reporting rather than inspection. Its “Incentives for Self Policing: Discovery, Disclosure, Correction and Prevention of Violations” include: pre-disclosure consultation in which mutually acceptable disclosure details, compliance and audit scheduling are discussed; penalty elimination for infractions resulting in no economic benefit; and significant penalty reduction for those infractions that do; finally, no future schedule for inspection is established if a violation is corrected. The Natural Resources Defense Council has analyzed federal records and concluded “polluters have paid 64 percent less in fines for breaking federal environmental laws during the first two years of the Bush administration than they did under the Clinton administration.” And, of course, fewer fines mean less money for enforcement.
How much disclosure has Columbia made about this projected Laboratory? The University has not disclosed which schools and departments would be in charge and full information on the type of work to be done. The University has made no written
commitment to not undertake any classified or other confidential (defense related) work nor will the University categorically promise that the Lab would never be upgraded to BSL-4.
But doesn’t Columbia University have a good safety record? Actually, no. For example, it was fined $797,029 in 2002 by the EPA for violations involving storage and disposal of toxic waste and faulty emergency plans. Columbia has claimed that the fine was reduced to $100,000 but in fact the EPA required Columbia to create educational and other programs that equaled in value almost the entire remaining amount of the original fine.
What are the transportation procedures? How will samples be transported back and forth from this lab through our neighborhood? With the deregulation of transportation of biological agents in 1958, these dangerous substances are commonly transported via Fed Ex, UPS and similar services. Federal lawprohibits notifying the carriers of the contents of these packages.
Why does Columbia want this Lab? There are two kinds of research that would take place. The first kind is biodefense. The flood of federal funding for bioterror-related research has shifted an entire field of scientific investigation. Columbia, along with NYS DOH, was awarded a yearly grant of $9 million per year to establish the Northeast Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense & Emerging Infectious Diseases. The grants for these centers are nothing compared to the federal funding available for higher-level projects. Columbia wants its new biotech lab so that it can better compete in the race for the billions of Department of Defense (now Homeland Security) funds. The second kind is biomedical. Federal grants, from our tax money, fund a large portion of research on drugs done by universities. Then, when those drugs hit the market, the public pays exorbitant prices in part to cover the universities’ licensing fees on its patents. Income from biomedical patents is currently second only to endowments in financing Columbia University budgets. Monies from all patents developed in the proposed lab under the auspices of the University would go into Columbia’s coffers. For example, Columbia’s Richard Axel patent has earned the university $600 million since 1991. When it expired, the university tried to extend this patent with a few minor changes so that it could continue to reap its financial benefits. In addition, although Columbia is getting all kinds of tax breaks to build this extended “campus” as a non-profit institution, if it does what it has done uptown at its Audubon facility, it may rent space to for-profit pharmaceutical corporations to use as research facilities. With this much money at stake, a biotech center in our neighborhood is less an academic endeavor than a business park in disguise.
Let’s step back a minute to the Lab’s location on the Hudson River. What are some of the environmental ramifications of this? Being on the waterfront provides the potential of amplified pollution from run-off, leaks and flooding. For example – researchers are unsure whether spent organisms are potentially harmful. To quote Elliot A. Norse, PhD and Director of the Public Affairs Office of the Ecological Society of America, on the subject of biotechnological research, “A century of research has taught us one lesson: when novel organisms are introduced into the environments, they may disappear without a trace, or they may pose serious problems.” The Hudson River, running under – and possibly through the Lab in case of flooding – is just one of several possible vectors (means and directions in which escaped biological agents could spread across first our neighborhood and then the rest of the city). Others are rats, mice, birds and, as stated before, humans.
Where can I get more information? You can check the following websites: www.stopcolumbia.org,http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cssn/expansion/index.html and http://www.biohazardonhudson.com/.
Coalition to Preserve Community’s Upper West Side-Harlem Biosafety Committee
nobiohazardlab@yahoo.com 212-666-6426
Visit: www.stopcolumbia.org
To CPC Members and Others Interested: 4/21/08
(1) The Coalition to Preserve Community will be having a march to Columbia University from St. Mary’s Church (521 West 126th St.) in West Harlem this coming Saturday, 4/26/08. We will leave from the church at 12:30PM and march to the Columbia campus to meet with the students at 1:30PM. See the fliers below in English and Spanish for more details. Saturday is the 40th anniversary of the community defense of Morningside Park when Columbia attempted to expand into it. The current expansion plan is an all or nothing plan which has the community under threat of eminent domain and massive displacement. Please brings noise makers, pots and pans, and let’s let the Columbia Board of Trustees hear that Harlem is Not For Sale. If your organization wants to endorse the march and rally and help bring out people to join in this anti-displacement effort, let us know.
(2) Also below see a flyer entitled: Frequently Asked Questions on Columbia University’s Proposed BioHazard Laboratory on the Upper West Side. There are websites listed on that flyer with more info
(3) The 125th Street rezoning will be up for a vote by the City Council by the end of April (it meets on Wednesdays) so keep your eye on that calendar and turn out to protest that pro-displacement plan.
----------------------------------------------------------
COALITION TO PRESERVE COMMUNITY -
United for an Open and Strong Community
POST OFFICE BOX 50 - Manhattanville Station
365 West 125th Street
NEW York City, New York 10027
---------------------------------------------------------
COLUMBIA SPENT $2.3 MILLION LAST YEAR TO LOBBY FOR ITS WEST HARLEM EVICTION PLAN
THEY CAN BUY THE POLITICIANS, BUT THEY STILL HAVE THE COMMUNITY TO DEAL WITH
Join the Coalition to Preserve Community’s March to Columbia 4/26
JOIN TOGETHER SATURDAY, APR. 26, 08
MEET TO MARCH AT ST. MARY’S CHURCH 12:30PM (521 West 126th Street)
DEMONSTRATION WITH STUDENTS ON THE CAMPUS 1:30PM (116 St campus plaza)
IT'S BEEN 40 YEARS SINCE COLUMBIA STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY RESIDENTS STOPPED THE CU GYM IN MORNINGSIDE PARK. LET'S SHOW CU THAT HARLEM IS STILL NOT FOR SALE. NO COLUMBIA EXPANSION IN WEST HARLEM. NO DESTRUCTION OF 125TH STREET. NO FORCED DISPLACEMENT OF BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS. NO DANGEROUS BIOTECH LABS.
FOR MORE INFO ON THE “BATHTUB” CONSTRUCTION, VISIT THIS WEBSITE:www.biohazardonhudson.com
COME OUT. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
CONTACT US: Call (212) 666-6426, 646-812-5188, or (212) 234-3002 (se habla espanol) or go towww.stopcolumbia.org and sign up to be on our contact list. ESPANOL – OTRO
----------------------------------------------------------
COALICIÓN PARA PRESERVAR LA COMUNIDAD
Unidos por una Comunidad Abierta y Fuerte
POST OFFICE BOX 50 - Manhattanville Station
365 West 125th Street
New York City, New York 10027
----------------------------------------------------------
COLUMBIA GASTÓ $2.3 MILLONES
EN CABILDEO EL AÑO PASADO PARA SU PLAN DE DESALOJO EN EL OESTE DE HARLEM
ELLOS PUEDEN COMPRAR A LOS POLÍTICOS, PERO DE TODAS FORMAS TIENEN QUE HACER FRENTE A LA COMUNIDAD
Únase a la Coalición para Preservar la Comunidad para Marchar a Columbia el 26 de Abril
NOS JUNTAREMOS EL SÁBADO 26 DE ABRIL A LAS 12:30 PM EN LA IGLESIA SANTA MARÍA (en el 521W de la calle 126)PARA MARCHAR DESDE AHÍ HACIA LA UNIVERSIDAD, DONDE PROTESTAREMOS JUNTO A LOS ESTUDIANTES A PARTIR DE LA 1:30PM EN LA PLAZA DEL RECINTO UNIVERSITARIO EN LA CALLE 116
HACE 40 AÑOS QUE LOS ESTUDIANTES DE COLUMBIA Y LOS RESIDENTES DE LA COMUNIDAD DETUVIERON LA CONSTRUCCIÓN DEL GIMNASIO DE CU EN MORNINGSIDE PARK. DEMOSTREMOS A CU QUE HARLEM NO ESTÁ EN VENTA. NO A LA EXPANSIÓN DE COLUMBIA EN EL OESTE DE HARLEM. NO A LA DESTRUCCIÓN DE LA CALLE 125. NO AL DESPLAZAMIENTO FORZADO DE LOS NEGOCIOS Y LOS REIDENTES. NO A LOS LABORATORIOS PELIGROSOS DE BIOTECNOLOGÍA.
PARA MÁS INFORMACIÓN SOBRE LA CONSTRUCCIÓN TIPO “BAÑERA”, VISITE EL WEBSITE:www.biohazardonhudson.com
SALGA. USTED PUEDE HACER LA DIFERENCIA
CONTÁCTENOS: Llame al (212) 666-6426, 646-812-5188, en español (212) 234-3002 o visitewww.stopcolumbia.org y regístrese en nuestra lista de contactos. ENGLISH – OTHER
Frequently Asked Questions on Columbia University’s Proposed BioHazard Laboratory on the Upper West Side
Columbia’s proposed Biomedical Research Level-3 Laboratory Park will take up at least 30% of the over 17 acres it plans to develop from 125th-133rd Street between Broadway and 12th Avenue.
What is BSL-3? It’s the third highest level out of four safety levels. A Biosafety Level 3 designation is given to facilities in which work is done with bio-medical agents that may cause serious or potentially lethal disease as a result of exposure by the inhalation route. Examples are: typhoid fever, West Nile virus, avian flu, the plague, malaria, influenza and anthrax. In the event of accident or attack, the toxins in the lab could be released into the atmosphere and carried by the winds into our neighborhood and other parts of New York City, creating a public health disaster.
I’d like to know some more about the location. That’s near Fairway, isn’t it? This area is on the Hudson River flood plain (a low-lying area that would flood during hurricanes and other extreme weather events) and on an active earthquake fault line. Columbia plans to remove 98,000 truckloads of earth to make an enormous “bathtub” basement structure into which it will build from five to seven stories underground. The basement area will hold two gas-fired co-generation plants and the NYC bus depot, along with other support and storage facilities for the labs and other aboveground units. There are questions about the toxins that may be released during the dredging of this former industrial site as well as the rising water levels in our age of global warming. There are over one million residents in a three-mile radius of this proposed facility.
Will this be safe? What about containment? The procedures required to handle materials in Level 3 research are often so numerous and detailed that it’s difficult to keep track of them. The missed shower, the filter not changed on time, the miniscule tear in a bodysuit, the scientist with a paper cut who forgets to put on his/her gloves– any of these types of events could lead to disaster. Supporters of biomedical advances claim accidents are rare, but the frequency of such incidents is widely disputed in the scientific community. Accidents don’t just result from human error. Generators malfunction, air pumps collapse and sometimes designs are faulty. And, flooding could compromise safety mechanisms and spread across the community those dangers that were intended to be contained. In addition, the secrecy that shrouds this industry because of both its military applications and fierce industrial competition has made it hard to regulate and ensure compliance with security procedures.
What laws regarding regulation are there? No comprehensive federal reporting guidelines exist. In fact, the Homeland Security Act prohibits the public disclosure of any theft or loss of potential bioterrorism agents. And, in this time of eroding federal funding for government agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency has relied increasingly on voluntary reporting rather than inspection. Its “Incentives for Self Policing: Discovery, Disclosure, Correction and Prevention of Violations” include: pre-disclosure consultation in which mutually acceptable disclosure details, compliance and audit scheduling are discussed; penalty elimination for infractions resulting in no economic benefit; and significant penalty reduction for those infractions that do; finally, no future schedule for inspection is established if a violation is corrected. The Natural Resources Defense Council has analyzed federal records and concluded “polluters have paid 64 percent less in fines for breaking federal environmental laws during the first two years of the Bush administration than they did under the Clinton administration.” And, of course, fewer fines mean less money for enforcement.
How much disclosure has Columbia made about this projected Laboratory? The University has not disclosed which schools and departments would be in charge and full information on the type of work to be done. The University has made no written
commitment to not undertake any classified or other confidential (defense related) work nor will the University categorically promise that the Lab would never be upgraded to BSL-4.
But doesn’t Columbia University have a good safety record? Actually, no. For example, it was fined $797,029 in 2002 by the EPA for violations involving storage and disposal of toxic waste and faulty emergency plans. Columbia has claimed that the fine was reduced to $100,000 but in fact the EPA required Columbia to create educational and other programs that equaled in value almost the entire remaining amount of the original fine.
What are the transportation procedures? How will samples be transported back and forth from this lab through our neighborhood? With the deregulation of transportation of biological agents in 1958, these dangerous substances are commonly transported via Fed Ex, UPS and similar services. Federal lawprohibits notifying the carriers of the contents of these packages.
Why does Columbia want this Lab? There are two kinds of research that would take place. The first kind is biodefense. The flood of federal funding for bioterror-related research has shifted an entire field of scientific investigation. Columbia, along with NYS DOH, was awarded a yearly grant of $9 million per year to establish the Northeast Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense & Emerging Infectious Diseases. The grants for these centers are nothing compared to the federal funding available for higher-level projects. Columbia wants its new biotech lab so that it can better compete in the race for the billions of Department of Defense (now Homeland Security) funds. The second kind is biomedical. Federal grants, from our tax money, fund a large portion of research on drugs done by universities. Then, when those drugs hit the market, the public pays exorbitant prices in part to cover the universities’ licensing fees on its patents. Income from biomedical patents is currently second only to endowments in financing Columbia University budgets. Monies from all patents developed in the proposed lab under the auspices of the University would go into Columbia’s coffers. For example, Columbia’s Richard Axel patent has earned the university $600 million since 1991. When it expired, the university tried to extend this patent with a few minor changes so that it could continue to reap its financial benefits. In addition, although Columbia is getting all kinds of tax breaks to build this extended “campus” as a non-profit institution, if it does what it has done uptown at its Audubon facility, it may rent space to for-profit pharmaceutical corporations to use as research facilities. With this much money at stake, a biotech center in our neighborhood is less an academic endeavor than a business park in disguise.
Let’s step back a minute to the Lab’s location on the Hudson River. What are some of the environmental ramifications of this? Being on the waterfront provides the potential of amplified pollution from run-off, leaks and flooding. For example – researchers are unsure whether spent organisms are potentially harmful. To quote Elliot A. Norse, PhD and Director of the Public Affairs Office of the Ecological Society of America, on the subject of biotechnological research, “A century of research has taught us one lesson: when novel organisms are introduced into the environments, they may disappear without a trace, or they may pose serious problems.” The Hudson River, running under – and possibly through the Lab in case of flooding – is just one of several possible vectors (means and directions in which escaped biological agents could spread across first our neighborhood and then the rest of the city). Others are rats, mice, birds and, as stated before, humans.
Where can I get more information? You can check the following websites: www.stopcolumbia.org,http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cssn/expansion/index.html and http://www.biohazardonhudson.com/.
Coalition to Preserve Community’s Upper West Side-Harlem Biosafety Committee
nobiohazardlab@yahoo.com 212-666-6426
Visit: www.stopcolumbia.org
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