Opinion

RIRA Common Council Steals Credit for Others' Work

When I saw that Aaron Hamburger had been handed the reins for this week's RIRA Column in the Main Street Mom's Bimonthly... er, WIRE, I wasn't as surprised by his taking credit for proactively attacking the rat colony at PS/IS 217 as I was that the Common Council fails to understand that honesty is the best policy.

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Ron Musto: Pot, An Alternative View

Yes, Roosevelt Island Daily, the graphics and wording of the “Smoking Pot” sign are ridiculous, the sign’s placement is insulting, racist and classist, its timing pathetic and reflective of RIRA’s indifference and its ineffectiveness, and, well, we’ve already seen some graphic results of its posting.

We’re agreed that De Blasio’s policy of no arrests for pot smoking is just and right: in this case marijuana is nothing less than a gateway drug to a criminal record, and we’re glad that we’ve seen the end of it.

But The Daily oversimplifies the issue on several counts. 

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Have a nice summer, Mandana Beckman. Please don't come back...

Until I found that the Drudge Report had picked up on PS/IS 217's rat metropolis, heretofore known as Mandana Beckman City, I figured we'd just have to live with the Principal we had. Now coupled with her alarming letter to the community, Matt Drudge's using her rat colony to trash New York progressives tipped the scale. I hope... No, make that I'm requesting that we don't have to put up with her for another school year.

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With Marijuana, RIRA Ignites Roosevelt Island's Latest Flashpoint

I laughed to myself when Judy Berdy sent me the photo of the RIRA Common Council's witless anti-marijuana poster. An ill-considered effort to stop folks from lighting up ganja on the promenade needed months to create and post a simple sign. It took less than twenty-four hours for it to get the defacement it deserved.

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PS/IS 217 & Rats, Heroes and Villains - What the hell were they thinking?

Hundreds of rats flourish around PS/IS 217. That's bad. What's worse? Plenty. There are the heroes and villains in a battle that should never have seen a single, even metaphorical shot fired. After all, who the hell's going to stick up for rats attacking a public school...? You'd be surprised.

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Watch out, Roosevelt Island! Rebecca Seawright has a gift for Us!

"I'm here to help," a politician says, and you wonder, Help who and how? Rebecca Seawright wants to give us something for which most of us never asked or, as far as anyone knows, ever wanted. It might not fit. Worst of all, if it lands on your doorstep, want it or not, you can never give it back. It's yours. For life.

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Reality Check: PS/IS 217's Rats, Facts, Falsehoods and More

Once upon a time, Roosevelt Islanders counted on the Main Street WIRE for the facts, but this week's issue is as congested with bad information as a rush hour subway. It just begged for a reality check on all those "alternative facts."

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PS/IS 217 Secures Its Claim As Roosevelt Island's Worst Neighbor

Frank Farance's scathing post in the Roosevelt Islander blog, describing PS/IS 217's north-facing yard as a rat playground and worse sent us back for a look at a story that started when Westview's Ron Musto alerted us that the school was destroying healthy trees.

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