Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 44 VTMBH Article: Article Order 3 VTMBH Article: Title The West Indians and their dollar vans deserve better treatment in Queens VTMBH Article: Author Tony Best VTMBH Article: Publication New York Carib News VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section edits VTMBH Article: Blurb Some influential people in New York City see the dollar vans, a predominately West Indian-owned business, as a threat to regular bus service. As a result, dollar van operators have been heavily ticketed by police in an effort to force them out of business. Its time that unions, and their supporters on city council, face the reality of the legitimate need for this service. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Their service helps a lot. Kathleen Richards is in a good position to know the value of the so-called dollar vans, which actually charge riders $1.25 for every trip to Queens. As a leading member of the Rosedale Civic Association, Richards can tell you a thing or two about the sporadic bus service in Queens and the troubles people must face in order to get to and from work, church, school, shopping malls, or wherever else they need to go. Small wonder, then, that the bottom in her equation is that the dollar vans and their operators are a value to the community. So why is the New York Police Department ticketing them unmercifully in what appears to be a determined campaign to literally, and figuratively, drive them off the streets? Some influential people in New York City see the dollar vans, a predominately West Indian-owned business, as a threat to the regular bus service, which often fails to meet the needs of the working poor, especially those who live in black and Hispanic communities. Transportation workers unions fear the vans will detract business away from bus companies, which, claim union officials, could eventually cost some of their members their jobs. And city council members, concerned about their re-elections, worry about the wrath of the unions if theyre seen to be supporting the vans. Its that dangerous combination of irrational union behavior, and opportunistic politics by elected officials, who should know better, that has put the dollar vans at the mercy of city cops. The strangest aspect of this story is that less than five months ago West Indians and their vehicles were seen as saviors during a prolonged walkout by private bus company drivers in Queens. During the strike, which left 100,000 people stranded everyday, Queens residents turned to the vans in droves. Recognizing their value, the city lifted the regulations and the roadblocks that were in the West Indians way so they could pick up passengers. In effect, the city sanctioned the dollar van operations. You would think, then, that an appreciative city would finally accept the need for the van service by allowing legitimate operators to go about their business in peace. No way! They have unleashed the power of the police on West Indians, ticketing them for even the slightest violation in a clear attempt to force them out of business. That explains why Hector Ricketts, president of the Interborough Alliance for Commuter Transportation, the umbrella organization that represents the van owners, feels used and abused. The city has reached out to us on so many occasions, but when the seven week strike by 1,500 transportation workers ended, we were back to being bandits, complained Ricketts with considerable justification. New York Citys Department of Transportation sympathizes with the West Indians. We know what they are trying to do and weve tried to think of their needs, explained Tom Cocola, a department spokesperson, who was quick to point out that during times of crisis, such as the recent strike, West Indians gained a lot of credibility. The city can and should do several things to ease their plight. First, it can amend the law to give van operators full authority to pick up passengers along all designated routes. That would provide Queens residents with an assurance of a competitive and reliable bus service. The United States thrives on competition and such an environment would help improve the regular bus service. Next, it should move aggressively to improve and expand the public transportation system in underserved communities. It was the lack of a reliable and efficient system in the first place that created the need for the dollar vans. Thirdly, it should act to end the activities of the unlicensed van operators, who give critics of the legitimate service an excuse to fire potshots. It there wasnt a need for the private vans, they would have gone out of business a long time ago. Its about time that unions, and their supporters on the council, come to grips with this fact of life and work together to improve conditions for commuters and van operators. Simply pretending the vans are a nuisance isnt going to work. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-12-03 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 99 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The West Indians and their dollar vans deserve better treatment in Queens 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. Some influential people in New York City see the dollar vans, a predominately West Indian-owned busi Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-12-03