Pru Center and Newark’s lead water crisis

[DJ Eco]

I’ve posted here for a while and I’m sure some people may think this isn’t Devils related, but I’d like to challenge us as Devils fans that it 100% should be. I respect if mods feel otherwise and want to move this topic.

As you may or may not know, for the last 2 years, there have been issues with LEAD in the water coming from Newark’s pipes. The situation got worse about a couple months ago where the levels were identified as being as high as Flint, Michigan’s. Newark is Newark, so the national media largely doesn’t care, and it hasn’t become anywhere near the buzz issue that “Flint!” has.

Anyway, I noticed after the recent MTV VMAs in Newark that most Devils fans seemed to be a combination of: 1) entirely unaware of this issue, or even 2) cynical of the protestors who took up the cause outside of our arena that night. I wanted to write this post because I get the feeling the protestors will be outside once the Devils season starts, and the more informed we Devils fans are, I hope the more we can all agree it’s very much justified.

Most of us drive in or take the train so we can enjoy our beautiful little slice of Newark for a few hours each game day. We’ve seen businesses flourish and a beautiful new MODERN park get built that we will all get to enjoy soon; and then we walk to Penn Station or the parking lot and go home. All the while, local residents in the nearby area are being told they have dangerous levels of cancer-causing LEAD in their water; unsafe to cook with, dangerous to drink and brush their teeth with. These are largely middle class families like you and me, who pay their taxes, who pay their utility bills, and as these glass buildings and modern parks go up around their neighborhood, they’re being told, “sorry we haven’t replaced the lead cancer-causing water pipes, here’s some rationed bottle water!” When you think about it that way, it’s not hard to put ourselves in their shoes. 

Please don’t let this devolve into a political debate about which party did what; as a country we’ve slashed infrastructure spending and public works spending in our cities across the board over decades (so we can build highways and bridges and power plants in Iraq and Afghanistan), so which political party runs which city at any given time is largely irrelevant. After all is said and done, these funds need to be obtained from the federal government, so a whole lot of administrations have dropped the ball. [/politics]

I’m not asking anyone to give money or volunteer or join the protestors. I just think we as Devils fans should be aware of this rather large issue that’s affecting the community. I’m sure the issue will continue and we may see protestors outside before the home opener, and I ask that we show them small signs of support; a thumbs up or honk as you drive by. The worst thing we can do is bus into the city for our 4 hour escapade to a Devils game once or twice a week and roll our eyes at them, resent them. Imagine how that’d look to these people. These are people whose children are drinking cancer-causing lead water, in a time where we’re debating how hard we want to make it for them to get healthcare when they grow up; you’d fight for your health and your kids too. 

Given some of the comments I’d seen from Devils fans during and after the VMAs, I feared that resentment or criticism might be the case, so (call me a hippie or whatever) I hoped that maybe better informing ourselves as members of the fanbase that call this city home, we can show up on home opening day and, not only understand where they’re coming from, but also show some level of support, and spread the word around the fanbase so our friends and family who put on the Devils jersey can be seen as allies, and not critics.

Here is some more background if you’d like to read up: https://www.wired.com/story/first-flint-now-newark-the-water-crisis-is-far-from-over/

Edited August 29, 2019 by DJ Eco

[Satans Hockey]

Should make your font smaller so it's easier to read the post. 

I've known about this and personally I think that's it's ridiculous that home owners and landlords aren't  having to replace their own pipes. It shouldn't be on the rest of the state to fix Newark's issues and corrupt politicians who have been aware of this for years. 

Something like 70%+ of people in Newark are renters, which means 70% of these buildings are owned by landlords who are making money off their tenants. The landlords are the ones who should be having to fix this problem.

It is being fixed for no cost to the landlords or homeowners, something that wouldn't happen in basically almost any other city in the state and most of the country. It's just going to take some time, there's 18k pipes they have to fix, 2-3 years while it is a long time it's about as fast as you can do something like this. It's just unrealistic to do it any faster with the amount of work it takes.... 

https://www.nj.com/news/2019/08/a-120m-plan-will-fix-newarks-water-heres-how-long-itll-take-and-whos-paying.html

Edited August 29, 2019 by Satans Hockey

[mfitz804]

In the meantime, no ice in my drink at the Rock. 

[DJ Eco]

21 minutes ago, Satans Hockey said:

Should make your font smaller so it's easier to read the post. 

Just did! Posted from my phone for the first time and I guess that was the default size!

21 minutes ago, Satans Hockey said:

Something like 70%+ of people in Newark are renters, which means 70% of these buildings are owned by landlords who are making money off their tenants. The landlords are the ones who should be having to fix this problem.

Good point and you may be spot-on in some cases; however, I think what the mayor has tried to do for years is deflect it as a building-by-building landlord issue, while as the facts come out and widespread testing is conducted, they're realizing it's also a municipal issue. That's why schools have been serving bottled water for 2+ years, something's up with parts of the main water service. This is 100+ year old infrastructure in a city we sometimes forget has half the population of several whole states in our country.

[DJ Eco]

23 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

In the meantime, no ice in my drink at the Rock. 

Seriously! I know only portions of the city are affected, so hopefully they can very publicly give us some assurance that their water service has been tested and is safe.

Edited August 29, 2019 by DJ Eco

[Satans Hockey]

5 minutes ago, DJ Eco said:

Just did! Posted from my phone for the first time and I guess that was the default size!

Good point and you may be spot-on in some cases; however, I think what the mayor has tried to do for years is deflect it as a building-by-building landlord issue, while as the facts come out and widespread testing is conducted, they're realizing it's also a municipal issue. That's why schools have been serving bottled water for 2+ years, something's up with parts of the main water service. This is 100+ year old infrastructure in a city we sometimes forget has half the population of several whole states in our country.

Too many corrupt politicians who pretend they care when they don't really give a sh!t and that's on both sides. I really don't like any politicians and have never found any of them to actually be truthful or meaningful in their words nor actions. 

They have known about this for years... 

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/newark-lead-crisis-raise-questions-city-scandal-cory/story?id=64969526

In 2014, the New Jersey state comptroller published an investigation into the agency's stewardship of the city's infrastructure that was highly critical of Booker's administration. The investigative report "found that from 2008 through 2011, the [watershed] recklessly and improperly spent millions of dollars of public funds with little to no oversight by either its Board of Trustees or the City" – both of which, at the time, were led by Booker. 

The state comptroller's report referred several cases to law enforcement. Federal prosecutors brought charges against eight people involved in the watershed scheme. Six of them pleaded guilty and five of them received lengthy prison sentences.

One of them, Linda Watkins Brashear, the watershed's executive director from 2007 to 2013, was sentenced in 2017 to more than eight years in prison for accepting nearly $1 million in kickback payments for awarding no-show contracts.

Booker had appointed her to the post.

All told, federal prosecutors uncovered how members of the watershed board and employees at the agency brazenly siphoned millions of dollars from the company over the course of several years.

[Satans Hockey]

30 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

In the meantime, no ice in my drink at the Rock. 

 

8 minutes ago, DJ Eco said:

Seriously! I know only portions of the city are affected, so hopefully they can very publicly give us some assurance that their water service has been tested and is safe.

If you're getting a fountain soda you don't need ice anyway, it comes out of the machine cold. Sure it won't stay cold as long but it beats the possibility of having lead in your ice. 

[Daniel]

I haven't followed this closely to be honest, and by all means if you want to be careful when drinking water when you're in Newark it couldn't hurt.  I note, however, there was an op-ed in the NYT by two world renowned epidemologists who said that the lead levels in Flint was not the catastrophe that the media made it out to be. 

When it comes to every news story like this, you will be doing yourself a great service to keep in mind the Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect.  Explained:

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/65213-briefly-stated-the-gell-mann-amnesia-effect-is-as-follows-you

[mfitz804]

44 minutes ago, Satans Hockey said:

 

If you're getting a fountain soda you don't need ice anyway, it comes out of the machine cold. Sure it won't stay cold as long but it beats the possibility of having lead in your ice. 

I already don’t get ice in my fountain drinks. I hate getting diluted lol. 

[RunninWithTheDevil]

34 minutes ago, Daniel said:

I haven't followed this closely to be honest, and by all means if you want to be careful when drinking water when you're in Newark it couldn't hurt.  I note, however, there was an op-ed in the NYT by two world renowned epidemologists who said that the lead levels in Flint was not the catastrophe that the media made it out to be. 

When it comes to every news story like this, you will be doing yourself a great service to keep in mind the Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect.  Explained:

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/65213-briefly-stated-the-gell-mann-amnesia-effect-is-as-follows-you

Dude have you seen Flints water?

[mfitz804]

2 minutes ago, RunninWithTheDevil said:

Dude have you seen Flints water?

[RunninWithTheDevil]

11 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

 

Yeah that seems fine to drink

[DevsMan84]

I have read about this in the news for a bit and sympathize with the local residents who are really getting the short end of the stick here.  Rationing clean water shouldn't be something that happens in a first world country like the US.

I will say, both Flint and Newark do share the same characteristic of being governed by political machines of the same party for decades.

[Daniel]

27 minutes ago, RunninWithTheDevil said:

Dude have you seen Flints water?

Dude, do you trust pictures you saw on the internet or two of the most prominent scientists that study this stuff:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2018/07/22/opinion/flint-lead-poisoning-water.amp.html

Edit:  again, you shouldn’t drink water that has x amount of lead in it.  And it’s good that Newark is finally getting around to a solution that will work in the long run.  However, among the people who will loudly tell you that the people there who drank the water in any amount and are now scarred for life will be plaintiffs’ attorneys who have a direct financial interest in convincing as many people that to be the case.

Edited August 29, 2019 by Daniel

[mfitz804]

49 minutes ago, Daniel said:

Dude, do you trust pictures you saw on the internet or two of the most prominent scientists that study this stuff:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2018/07/22/opinion/flint-lead-poisoning-water.amp.html

Edit:  again, you shouldn’t drink water that has x amount of lead in it.  And it’s good that Newark is finally getting around to a solution that will work in the long run.  However, among the people who will loudly tell you that the people there who drank the water in any amount and are now scarred for life will be plaintiffs’ attorneys who have a direct financial interest in convincing as many people that to be the case.

if there's anyone I don't trust, its scientists. Haven't you seen Stranger Things?

 

[Daniel]

1 hour ago, mfitz804 said:

if there's anyone I don't trust, its scientists. Haven't you seen Stranger Things?

 

Why wouldn’t you trust them after Stranger Things?  Did they not actually discover a parallel dimension and give children supernatural powers?

[mfitz804]

2 minutes ago, Daniel said:

Why wouldn’t you trust them after Stranger Things?  Did they not actually discover a parallel dimension and give children supernatural powers?

Yeah. For evil, not good.

[aylbert]

6 hours ago, Satans Hockey said:

If you're getting a fountain soda you don't need ice anyway, it comes out of the machine cold. Sure it won't stay cold as long but it beats the possibility of having lead in your ice. 

Does the sugar in the fountain drink remove the lead from the water?        You win this one soda... after years of taking losses.

[DevsMan84]

28 minutes ago, aylbert said:

Does the sugar in the fountain drink remove the lead from the water?        You win this one soda... after years of taking losses.

I think the issue with the lead (at least from what I have read) is not from the source but from the old/bad piping in the buildings receiving the water.  I can imagine the Prudential center being relatively young at 12 years old is not affected and probably has filtration systems in place anyways.

[Daniel]

2 hours ago, mfitz804 said:

Yeah. For evil, not good.

If I had telekentic powers, I'd take the minor nosebleeds that come with it.  Hell I get nosebleeds as it is and much worse than what she gets.

[Crisis]

3 minutes ago, Daniel said:

If I had telekentic powers, I'd take the minor nosebleeds that come with it.  Hell I get nosebleeds as it is and much worse than what she gets.

Evgeny?  Is that you?

[mfitz804]

14 minutes ago, Daniel said:

If I had telekentic powers, I'd take the minor nosebleeds that come with it.  Hell I get nosebleeds as it is and much worse than what she gets.

 Yeah, that part is cool. The torturing of children part, or the being eaten by a monster from another dimension, not so great. If I had telekinesis as one of my powers, I probably wouldn’t touch anything ever again. Other than boobs and stuff.

[aylbert]

15 hours ago, DevsMan84 said:

I think the issue with the lead (at least from what I have read) is not from the source but from the old/bad piping in the buildings receiving the water.  I can imagine the Prudential center being relatively young at 12 years old is not affected and probably has filtration systems in place anyways.

Then why skip the ice?     I’m so confused 🤷‍♂️ 

[DevsMan84]

36 minutes ago, aylbert said:

Then why skip the ice?     I’m so confused 🤷‍♂️ 

Lead poisoning or not, most ice machines at fast food places and other food and dining establishments are gross.  Many of them do not get cleaned as often as they should.

Plus ice takes away valuable space for the $6 soda you just bought.

[mfitz804]

2 hours ago, aylbert said:

Then why skip the ice?     I’m so confused 🤷‍♂️ 

There’s no reason to skip the ice based on lead content, probably lol. 

There is plenty reason to not get ice otherwise, mostly because you get more beverage and you can keep it longer without it getting watered down. 

This thread, as they do, has taken several interesting turns.