Part 1 is here. And don’t forget the rats!
So, now some of the highs:
Meet and Greet
It was so gratifying to say hello to the people who came to the hearing. To you! I am so thankful that people said hi and that we shook hands. Yes, we won’t mention names, but you are all awesome.
The great Lou Sorkin was in the house, of course. I sat next to New York vs Bed Bugs adviser Dr. Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann (we’d never met!) and Tim Wong of M&M Environmental. (I just met Mr. Wong that afternoon but will be forever grateful to him because when asked by one of the chairs if he supported the bills, he said yes, he did, all three of them, and it was a matter of how they would be implemented.) I only realized later that there were two representatives from WE ACT sitting next to us and I’m so sorry that I did not get to talk to them, as it was encouraging that they were there, since there were not many non-profits appearing; indeed, I think only WE ACT and Little Sisters attended. Ray Lopez was there for the whole afternoon and we testified on the same panel. I met Rick Cooper and Gil Bloom for the first time. Mr. Cooper and Mr. Bloom did not support all three bills but we are nevertheless deeply grateful for their interest in our city’s bed bug problems and their generosity in appearing before the City Council. And John Furman, aka KillerQueen, was there for most of the long afternoon. And I am so grateful that Nobugs was there too, somewhere in the audience.
Okay, that’s it for the name-dropping.
The Speaker
The Speaker said:
This is not a problem that we’re not equipped to solve.
and
I look forward to moving as quickly as possible on this legislation.
That’s what she said!
Council Member Gale Brewer
To Dr. Bobby Corrigan:
Come on, Bobby, you do the rat thing? Why can’t we do the bed bug thing?
Consumer Affairs Committee Chair Leroy Comrie
Do you agree on the concept of the task force? Who would be on the task force? How much time do you really need to come back with policies and practices? It’s an epidemic. I would hope the administration would embrace the idea of moving fast.
A bed bug task force is what we need!
We’ll have to wait for the transcript to get all the instances but I can attest to the mood in the audience when the administration witnesses all responded to even the slightest difficult question to the effect of: that would be a focus for the task force, and we support the idea of a task force, and a bed bug task force is what we need and have been waiting for all our lives. I’m only slightly, very slightly exaggerating, I promise! It was funny, but it was also a relief, and then a slight worry (why are they so in favor of a task force now?!? what do they know that we don’t?). But mostly it was good. You had to be there.
I’m not entirely sure why they’re on board now, and in such spectacular unanimity, you almost don’t want to ask too many questions and just take it and be grateful. I think it’s just the weight of accumulated evidence that all is not right in our city and something must be done about the bed bugs. And of the three bills, it’s the one that costs them nothing up front. But a task force is not a dilatory mechanism. A task force should be a working task force and it must hit the ground running. Really, there is no time.
That’s all I have for now; next we’ll probably look at some of the more problematic exchanges, serious work I’m not particularly looking forward to. I still can’t believe the amount of work that must be done in educating everyone about bed bugs. It’s a little discouraging, but we’ll talk about all that later.
These pages may be of related interest:
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
All I’m reading about is people who are concerned. When is something going to be done about low cost housing which are inundated with bed bugs, mice and roaches? My son, who is handcapped and lives in Fulton Housing in NYC, has all of the above. In all fairness, they have sprayed once already for the bed bugs and will be back next week for the second application. However, there are still holes where any of the above can get in to his apartment. I was told that they only spray if there is a complaint. Well, you’re not going to get rid of anything with this mind set. All of the critters move from apartment to apartment. He has been bitten by bedbugs, had to go to the doctors to find out what it was, and now can’t sleep.
How long will it take before someone acts responsibly to these problems?! I have put my email address above. I originally contacted the Mayor’s office on people with disabilities and all I’m getting are massive emails; no solutions!!!!
I’m very sorry for what you are going through, Ferine. The fact is that there are no resources for New Yorkers, not for bed bugs, and not for people in public housing. The NYC Bed Bug Advisory Board has not been appointed yet. I think you should do the only thing you can in this situation, which is to involve your son’s medical and social work support network, and reach out to your elected officials and ask them to intervene. City Council members, the Public Advocate’s office, your state representatives. Keep calling the NYC Housing Authority and asking for everything that must be done (the pest control for bed bugs and the pest proofing to seal up all the holes you describe). Constant and escalating pressure might solve this problem for your son. It’s not fair and it’s not just, but it is what it is.
Very few people care about this problem in our society. It’s not at the top of anyone’s list.
If you don’t know how to unsubscribe to New York vs Bed Bugs — there are instructions in the emails you receive — I can end your subscription for you immediately. renee at newyorkvsbedbugs dot org