First Person: NYC 7 Train Fills With Smoke Under E. River, MTA Silent, Lines Stay Closed

By Matthew Russell Lee

NEW YORK CITY, June 2 -- A New York City subway on the 7 line running east from Grand Central jolted to a stop on the night of June 2, under the East River, and filled with smoke. Inner City Press photo here, picked up with credit by NBC, here.

  There were no announcements by the train conductors or MTA. Riders began pushed their way back from where they thought the smoke was coming from, yelling for others to hurry up, knocking some down.

  But when the door between subway cars were opened, more smoke came in. There was panic. Some covered their faces with their shirts, photo here; others began to pray. In one car a man said loudly, “My cousin died in Nine-Eleven.”

New York City and its Metropolitan Transit Authority have been given many reasons to improve. Long since Nine-Eleven, in The Bronx we had a major derailment, which Inner City Press covered in detail. Promises were made. But the system remains sclerotic, unable to respond quickly to anything.

The 7 train was jammed although it was pasted 10 pm, because the MTA had stopped all service on the N, Q and R lines, shunting all of those passengers to the 7 line. Amid the smoke-filled pandemonium, some were still calculating how to get home: the 4, 5 or 6 north to catch the E train? Others continued to pray, preparing themselves for death.

The train lurched backward toward Grand Central, but then stopped again. A woman began to scream; others tried to calm her. One man, with a thick Irish accent, joked that bad things happen when the New York Yankees lose. 10 to 2, another said. Oh my God.

   A half-station under the United Nations at First Avenue has been reported on by Inner City Press, but the MTA did not use it.

  There were still no announcements by the train conductor or MTA. One rider opened the side window; smoke came in. Finally the train pulled back into the Grand Central stop, where the platform was jammed. Photo here. People bought bottles of water from the news stand; one woman fell to the platform, writhing. Still no explanation.

The N, Q and R were not re-opened; no new E trains came. Stoic New Yorkers set off on foot. “Take a picture to show your boss,” one rider shouted. It inched toward midnight...

Update: above ground, the three e-mail alerts from the MTA were:

11:05 pm: b/d, 7 trains are running with delays, due to a FDNY activity at 42 St. Allow additional travel time.

11:09 pm: Main St bnd, 7 trains terminate at Vernon Blvd, due to a FDNY activity at 42 St. Allow additional travel time.

11:22 pm: Times Sq bnd, 7 trains terminate at Hunters Point Av, due to a FDNY activity at 42 St.

  That's it...

  

As Occupy Wall Street Reaches Banks in Midtown, Paper Planes & UN Response

By Matthew Russell Lee

TIMES SQUARE, October 28, updated with video -- Taking the Occupy Wall Street protest into Midtown to deliver victimized consumers' letters to Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and others, a march moved west on 42nd Street on Friday, surrounded by police. JPMorgan Chase protest video here.

At Bank of America on Sixth Avenue, the letters were delivered in the form of paper airplanes addressed to "missing" CEO Brian Moynahan. Video here, and below.

Then the march, complete with two mock pirate ships, continued west to Times Square. Here on a recent Saturday night, riot cops and police horses kept protesters pinned down on either side of Broadway.

On Friday in broad daylight, the march moved north to Morgan Stanley where a song was sung. An invitation was extended to Morgan Stanley's honchos to come have lunch down near Liberty Square; jokes were made about Chase CEO Jaime Dimon. The east again to Park Avenue, where JPMorgan Chase sits on 48th Street (JPMC video here), and Citigroup nearby on Lexington.

#OccupyWallStreet on 42 St Oct 28, heading to BofA (c) MRLee

Back down in the park, generators used to heat the protesters have been seized, while in Bryant Park corporate gift shops can use them.

At the UN on October 27, Inner City Press asked for a comment on the police having fractured the skull of Iraq veteran Scott Olsen at Occupy Oakland. The spokesman for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Martin Nesirky, said that the authorities were investigating. President Obama, it's said, learns about Occupy Wall Street only through the newspapers. That might have to change. Watch this site.

At UN, NPT Opens Amid Monks' Drums, Dissonant Expectations, Ahmadinejad's Speech

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/un1npt050310.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 3, updated below -- With Japanese monks beating mournful drums outside the NPT Review Conference opening Monday morning, the dissonance between the aspirations of those outside and inside the UN building could not have been more clear.

In Grand Central Station amid singing of "learn war no more," a man held a sign of who has the most nuclear weapons: Russia, the US, the other Permanent Five members of the Security Council (China, the UK and France), India, Israel, Pakistan and, the sign said, North Korea with ten.

Inside the UN, the talk was nearly all about Iran. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has flown in from Tehran -- former U.S. diplomat Mark Wallace wrote to the Millennium Hotel urging they tell him there was no room at the inn -- and is slated to speak late this morning in the General Assembly Hall.

In the new UN press floor, a maze of cubicles in which no whistleblower dares speak, the Iranian press was in a frenzy. Inner City Press was interviewed by a woman with a scarf covering her head. "What do you think of my President, Doctor Ahmadinejad?" she asked.

Another journalist for Iranian media came to make the argument that every time a small country joins NATO, it is an example of proliferation: more countries under the nuclear umbrella and, according to him, more countries paying for nuclear weapons.

The chairman of the conference is the Philippines Ambassador. Some wonder why him; the Manila press expresses hope his role will lead to the passage of an entirely different treaty, about the rights of migrant workers. Dissonant expectations.

From the press gallery above the General Assembly Hall, Inner City Press called out to a few ambassadors, including Michel Kafando of Burkina Faso. He was on the Council until replaced by Nigeria. Where does nuclear proliferation fit in the scheme of Burkina's concerns? Watch this space, this will be updated.

Update of 10:38 p.m. -- from the spaceship-like it begins, with greetings to Ban Ki-moon and... Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Ambassador of Zimbabwe missed his chance to chair the meeting. Zim for Iran! There was a recent visit by A-Jod, to Harare and Uganda. It has begun...

Update of 10:55 a.m. -- Chair Cabactulan quotes as a Chinese proverb that that leader is best who is not known. At seems he may be referring to Ban Ki-moon, who is now speaking about his visit to Russia's test site. Here in press section in upper deck, there are no headphones. How will be hear Ahmadinejad?

Update of 11:21 a.m. -- New IEAE chief bemoans DPRK, Syria and Iran. BKM praised Indonesia for saying it will ratify

Update of 11:29 a.m. -- while waiting for Ahmadinejad, UN email comes in: Hillary Clinton will speak to Press at 5:20. But when's the Ahmadinejad presser?

Update of 11:39 a.m. -- the General Debate begins, with Marty of Indonesia speaking for NAM. Groups get 8 minutes, nations only five. Ahmadinejad next?

Update of 11:59 a.m. -- after Marty of Indonesia went over his time, Ahmadinejad starts up. He takes on Ban Ki-moon's statement about the uranium deal. We accepted that, A-jod says. Puts on glasses.

Update of 12:21 p.m. -- after Inner City Press ran down to press conferene auditorium, having not yet received any response to its 12:11 email to the UN Spokesperson and Deputy asking when the briefing would begin, the room was already locked. Briefing held 12:05 to 12:10, no questions. They have delayed noon briefing in deference to stakeouts by the U.S. Permanent Representative. Not for the President of Iran?

Running back up to the GA Hall, Inner City Press is barred from 4th floor, but shunted to the press booths on the third floor. Three stories directly above Ahmadinejad, who is still speaking, now on the "Zionist regime."

Update of 12:32 p.m. -- Ahmadinejad has been going for half an hour, now reciting the names of famous Iranians. "there will be no room in the future for bullying."

Update of 12:43 p.m. -- as Luxembourg drones on, Ahmadinejad comes back into GA Hall, takes Iran's seat and sits grinning.. Apparently he wants to see if the Luxembourg's of the world will attack him to his face. These are prepared texts, so it seems that they will.

Update of 12:51 p.m. -- with Ireland speaking, Ahmaninejad leaves with entourage. Already the hall is half empty, the press area in the upper deck entirely empty.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1npt050310.html