Andrew Rasiej, WiFi NY, and yours truly at City Hall
[ Ed: So, I almost fell my playground bench while I read the email asking to present Rasiej at the steps of City Hall for the launch of WiFi. I'm still ferklempt. Here's the speech I wrote that same morning. ]
I am honored to have been asked to introduced Andrew Rasiej here at the steps of City Hall for the launch of "WiFi NY". When I was asked by the campaign to introduce Andrew and "WIFI NY" and talk about universal internet access from its educational importance, I immediately thought about how New York City is probably one of the wealthiest cities in the world when it comes to educational and learning opportunities. If you think about all the museums, theaters, galleries, club --all the art, culture and entertainment institutions we have here in the city-- you could easily fulfill your liberal arts education just by connecting to them and participating in their offerings. But the opportunities do not end there. We have hundreds of trade organizations, think tanks, research institutes; that make NYC their home base. And thousands of books, magazines, newspapers, journals and newsletters are produced here in New York City, the publishing capital of the world. And I thought about how all these resources, by default, can be found on the web. That is, if you have access to the internet.
Andrew Rasiej understands that after September 11, New York City families access to information, that New York City's citizen's right to know should not be limited to their ability to buy a computer, stand in line to use it for 30 minutes at a local library, sneak some online time while at work or hope for their kids have access if any during their one hour a week of computer time at their public school.
Andrew Rasiej understands that WiFi and access to the internet is not just about computers, it's not just about machines. Universal internet access is about securing the basic fundamental right to free speech, online; it's about the basic fundamental right to government participation, online.
Andrew Rasiej understands that universal WiFi is about "We The People". It's about the right of every single citizen, every single child, every single person who lives and works and is New York City to connect with each other, to have an opportunity to participate and thrive in the digital economy. But more importantly, it would ensure that every single citizen, regardless of income or status will have the right to effect participation in the new digital democracy that is forming right here, right now.
Please welcome then, the next Public Advocate of the City of New York, Andrew Rasiej.
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Candidate | Elections | Public Advocate | Technology | New York City | Andrew Rasiej | Democratic Party
i can't afford a laptop
Submitted by our gal in brooklyn on 30 June 2005 - 2:06am.
all my money is going to my rent and health insurance. Maybe if we didn't have the Urstadt Laws I could buy consumer items. Of course, now my apartment is up for grabs according to Bloombergs notions of what acceptable use of eminent domain might be. Thank god Norman Siegel is helping the folks in Brooklyn with Develop Don't Destroy fight against eminent domain abuse.
I'll worry more about wifi when I know I'm not about to have my home stolen, my bike stolen and my ass rounded up for protesting them both.
But do you have a cell phone?
Submitted by Liza Sabater on 30 June 2005 - 6:00pm.
there is this huge misconception that the internet is all about laptops and computers. it is not. the internet is a medium for all different types of communications --ones that are not being used to create better ways for the NYPD, EMS, FDNY to communicated and better serve NYC.
To this day there is no plan for seriously connecting all the emergency and safety services in the city. How can you worry about having stuff stolen from your home, but not worry about how the police, fire department, hospitals and emergency workers communicate with each other in all of our neighborhoods, not just the areas around the financial district and mmidtown?
Normal Siegel is a fantastic lawyer and has helped a lot of people. I've been following his career for many, many years now. But I wonder if the young people who are supporting his campaign are more moved by the father figure than the actual facts. The fact is that there is an absolute need to push the city bureaucracy into creating real channels of action and communications among each other while expanding beyond 311 their reach to citizens.
In the end it is all about accountability. Elected officials come and go. The real beast to slay is the appointed bureaucracy that is accountable to nobody but their managers. We need to make them accountable to the city, to the citizens and the way to go with it is from the inside out. Andrew has experience doing this with his MOUSE project and I still have to say that its brilliant in its simplicity --let the students of each school wire them and do the IT; let them effect change from the inside out.
Siegel is a fantastic defender but we don't need another level of bureaucracy to effect change. What we need is a way to connect the hundreds of thousands of people already working as citizen advocates, with the city and with the neighbors they all serve. We need for people to have as many different channels of action and communciation to the city government. We do not need any more middlemen who are not elected to tell us what to do.
I guess these are two different types of philosophies: the progressives who believe technology, by effecting organizational practices, is the catalyst for change vs. the liberals who believe the only way for change is with the law. Technology vs. writ. I think these are two interesting campaigns to follow.
deputizing assistant public advocates citywide
Submitted by our gal in brooklyn on 6 July 2005 - 1:07pm.
Well Norman's been speaking for months about how when he is public advocate he will deputize volunteers all over the city to be the public advocate of their own neighborhood-- eyes and ears on the ground so that when issues arise, people will be empowered to work in their own community to solve them.
I don't think that has anything to do with beurocracy. In fact its about civic engagement and getting communities to be solves problems as communities. I don't think that Rasiej has a monopoly on the idea of internet connectivity and the civil rights movement people are already using technology to conduct better outreach and get people involved in advocating for themselves.
I also want to talk about the fact that NOrman has been leading the investigation into what the firemen's radios didn't work during 9/11. I heard something about a sweetheart deal regarding who got the radio contract with the fire dept. I want to research that more before writing something up thou.
But when the firefighters and 9/11 families wanted someone to research why the fire dept's radios went dead while the cops's radios didn't, they went to Norman because he lead investigations like this before, and won.
Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!
Submitted by Msifry on 6 July 2005 - 3:49pm.
I've heard the "deputizing" argument from others and here's why I don't buy it. We don't need the Public Advocate's permission to be eyes and ears on the ground working to raise issues and get them addressed. If you don't have an official PA Deputy badge issued by Norman Siegel, then you're not a public advocate? Huh?
To me, it sounds like Siegel wants to create a cadre of people who are HIS eyes and ears, but the power stays centered in his office. Andrew Rasiej's idea is that the PA's office itself should be turned into a hub for a "public advocates network" that anyone can join and use to link up with other likeminded residents of the city, to band together and amplify their voices--where the PA himself or herself acts as listener-in-chief, helping organize the most salient campaigns.
No, Andrew has no monopoly on this idea (and I'm sure he'd be thrilled if others adopted it). But we're really talking about two different philosophies of political activism here: one that is rooted in the past, in the lonely heroic crusader on the white horse, and one that is rooted in the future, in tapping the "power of many."
Micah Sifry
eCampaign Director
Advocates for Rasiej
Not really
Submitted by mole333 on 6 July 2005 - 7:07pm.
Rasiej is cool. I like him. I liked him when he pushed to get Springsteen to NYC during the Repub Convention. But I'm sorry. Norm Siegel has been the real advocate for the average New Yorker, in colaboration with others, for years now. I completely disagree with your assessment of Siegel. I have met him and seen him help other candidates (mainly Paul Wooten) and I have to say the man rocks! Rasiej is good, Betsy is absent, and Siegel is PERFECT! I do not work for his campaign, though I did circulate petitions that were joint Siegel and Wooten petitions. I wasn't even aware of Siegel 4 years ago and voted, I am sorry to say, for Betsy. But come on! Norm Siegel is the perfect candidate and Paul Wooten, who helped write the legislation that formed the PA position, says the same.
I don't advocate THIS strongly very often. But Norm Siegel is the only man who is likely to be better even than Mark Green, who defined the position based on the legislation Wooten helped write.
She almost stole the show
Liza, that is.
If you agree that universal WiFi is about "We the People," then join together with your comrades and sign the Wifi4NY petition:
http://www.wifi4ny.com
Micah Sifry
eCampaign Director
Advocates for Rasiej