Three Bklyn Kids are Dead
Three children in Brooklyn are dead from falling out windows. None of them live in the affluent neighborhoods of Park Slope, Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill or Bay Ridge, but rather poorer sections of the borough. One year old Afnan Elhouize is dead and her death could have been prevented. Two other Brooklyn kids died this month the same way: Devin Joseph, age 2 died on August 11th and Marcus Oliver, age 1.5
Hearing the words “another child is dead” STINGS. And I hope it stings a lot more people that something is done.
Windows guards are $19 each. Even I bought enough for a building, there’s little chance that they would be installed. And installation of these window guards isn’t a simple thing that a Mom who wasn’t handy with tools could do by herself.
Looking up the legislation on safety rails, it’s clear that there is an easy way for home owners to avoid installing them. Simple paperwork can release a home owner from installing the guards, as well as sign over a child’s life. Politicians are reading the same papers and hearing the same news that I hear. Will one of them take action this week?
Recently, I responded to a comment in my blog that I expect local politicians to use their campaign money to buy safety gates. I didn’t think it was too far fetched. Many areas have given free smoke alarms to citizens to help reduce deaths in their community. A commenter to my blog said, he wanted to know why that money couldn’t be used for garbage cans in his affluent Brooklyn neighborhood. Are we so out-of-touch that children’s safety can be compared to garbage cans? Or has Brooklyn become an area that the poor don’t matter to those who are well-off? I’m hoping that the comment was made without thinking.
Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do..Johann von Goethe
Hugs,
marlene
Topics: Brooklyn | 7 Comments »
August 24th, 2009 at 3:58 am
That’s terrible. How sad that more can’t (or won’t) be done. Good for you for speaking out about it.
August 24th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
That is so sad.
August 26th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Yes, this very sad, we probably do need tougher window guard legislation.
And, hey, by the way, I’m the guy Queen of the C is referring to here: “A commenter to my blog said, he wanted to know why that money couldn’t be used for garbage cans in his affluent Brooklyn neighborhood. Are we so out-of-touch that children’s safety can be compared to garbage cans?”
As I point out elsewhere here that’s a made up attribution. But I’m not going to waste my time explaining. I’ll just be moving on from this unreliable site.
August 27th, 2009 at 3:10 am
Steve,
You wrote – own up to it.
Marlene
September 7th, 2009 at 3:27 am
Such tragedies seem to occur in every poorer district of every major city.In toronto ,Ontario,Canada such ‘accidents’ even happen in city owned or controlled buildings and people don’t care enough to protest by numbers in editorials,phone calls,letters nor e-mails.Perhaps your blog can attract enough traffic and you can recycle this post with dates and updates until enough people read it and do something about it.
I have been to Brooklyn a number of times and yes it has bad and good areas like any city in the world but not any worse most times.No-one deserves to be born and grow up in a ghetto and be subjected to unnecessary risks and dangers because of greed.
March 8th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
This is very bad. Adana
March 13th, 2013 at 2:32 am
Actually completely happy I stumbled across this blog at this
time has made me happy quite seriously