The Berry Brothers—Ananias "Nyas" Berry, James Berry, and Warren Berry

Nothing is impossible!

Text from the Youtube Description.

The Berry Brothers—Ananias "Nyas" Berry, James Berry, and Warren Berry—were one of the most spectacular acrobatic tap dance acts in American history, yet most people have never heard of them. Ananias was born in 1913 and James in 1915, both in New Orleans, Louisiana. By 1919, when Ananias was just 6 and James was 4, they were already performing together in Chicago, touring the church circuit and reciting poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Their father was extremely religious and initially forbade his children from dancing. But James entered a local dance contest anyway and won, receiving a $75 weekly contract offer from the theater (over $1,300 in today's money). His father rejected it. The family moved to Denver, where their younger brother Warren was born in 1922. The brothers continued performing at carnivals. In the mid-1920s, the family moved to Hollywood, Los Angeles, where the boys worked as child actors. James performed at parties hosted by silent film stars like Mary Pickford and Clara Bow, and appeared in the Our Gang comedies and other silent films. In 1929, seventeen-year-old Ananias and fifteen-year-old James officially formed the dance duo "The Berry Brothers." They opened at Harlem's legendary Cotton Club with Duke Ellington in the show "Rhythmania." That same year, they became the FIRST Black performers ever at New York City's Copacabana nightclub—breaking the color barrier at one of America's most exclusive venues. In 1929, they also performed in London in Lew Leslie's "Blackbirds" revue. They starred on Broadway in "Blackbirds of 1930" (with Ethel Waters and Buck and Bubbles) and "Rhapsody in Black" in 1931. On December 27, 1932, the Berry Brothers were on the very FIRST bill ever performed when Radio City Music Hall opened. In 1934, Ananias briefly left the act when he married jazz trumpeter Valaida Snow. The youngest brother Warren, just 12 years old, stepped in to replace him. When Ananias's marriage ended in 1935, he rejoined his brothers and they became a permanent trio. Their style was called "exotic acrobatic soft shoe dance"—they combined strutting with incredible acrobatics (backflips, splits, spins) executed with seeming effortlessness. James Berry invented the "butt spin," the predecessor to the modern backspin. They were masters of the "freeze and melt"—a dance move that contrasts mesmerizing stillness with explosive flashes of movement. They performed in top hats and tails. Remarkably, they NEVER wore tap shoes—they were tap dancers who didn't need taps. In 1938, at the Cotton Club during the fall season, a legendary dance-off occurred between the Berry Brothers and the Nicholas Brothers (Fayard and Harold). Both acts were on the same bill, but Herman Stark, the programmer, scheduled the Berry Brothers to close the show, challenging them to top the Nicholas Brothers. For their grand finale, Ananias and James jumped onto the band platform, sprinted up a flight of stairs, and LEAPED 12 FEET THROUGH THE AIR over the heads of the musicians. They landed in body-rending splits on both sides of Warren, who had just snapped out of a twisting back somersault into a split of his own—all on the last note of the music. Tap dancer Pete Nugent later said: "That was a flash act. The greatest flash act we ever had!" By some accounts, the Berry Brothers were more athletic, while the Nicholas Brothers were better overall performers and crowd-pleasers. But one thing is certain: the Berry Brothers had no equal in flashy acrobatic style. In the 1940s, at the peak of their success, they performed in Hollywood movies. In "Panama Hattie" (1942), they appeared twice—once dancing solo, once dancing with Lena Horne. The Berry Brothers performed for over 30 years. Then on October 5, 1951, Ananias Berry died of heart failure at just 38 years old. James and Warren continued performing together for a few more years, sometimes together and sometimes alone. James Berry died on January 28, 1969, at age 54. Warren Berry worked as a film editor for over 15 years and died on August 10, 1996, at age 74. The Berry Brothers were pioneers—the first Black performers at the Copacabana, featured on the first Radio City Music Hall bill, competitors in the most legendary dance battle in Cotton Club history, and performers for over three decades who invented moves that influenced generations of dancers. Yet most people have never heard their names. This is Black History Unfiltered. Follow for more untold stories. #BerryBrothers, #BlackHistory, #TapDance, #CottonClub, #NicholasBrothers, #HarlemRenaissance, #Copacabana, #RadioCityMusicHall, #AcrobaticDance, #FlashAct, #1930s, #1940s, #Erased, #Forgotten, #BlackExcellence, #DanceHistory, #Vaudeville, #Broadway, #Hollywood, #UntoldStories Berry Brothers acrobatic tap dancers, Ananias James Warren Berry, first Black performers Copacabana 1929, Cotton Club dance battle 1938, Nicholas Brothers rivals, Radio City Music Hall first bill 1932, exotic acrobatic soft shoe dance

Harlem Mart 125: The American Dream Full Movie

This piece explained so much to me. Thank you.

"Created over a 9 year-span, Harlem's Mart 125: the American Dream is a documentary film about the history of Mart 125 and how it correlates to the "revitalization" of 125th street, Harlem's main commercial sector. Completed in 2009, this film takes its viewers on a historical journey which depicts the economic transition of 125th street from the late 1960's to present day. Mart 125 is used as a metaphor which examines the plague of perplexities that surround this unique black community and its relationship with the plans of urban renewal from a commercial stand point. Harlem's Mart 125: the American Dream portrays a microcosmic analysis of the displacement of Black American communities today. This is a story that takes an introspective look at the changing face of the most well known African-American neighborhood and a complexity of issues that surround this community in peril! If you like this film, please donate via www.paypal.com. Donate what you can so we can keep up with our administrative needs (getting our website back THE MART 125) and continuing to promote the voices of Mart 125 in Harlem. www.paypal.com - our email address to donate: harlemmart125@yahoo.com"

Rebuilding the Spirit of Harlem: History Has A Path to Peace Through Community

Before Iran Contra, Harlem moved to a different rhythm,
blues with a jazz trip on it. 

During the days of Bumpy Johnson, the Queen, and even Frank Lucas,
despite the underworld’s shadows, there was an unspoken code: 
Those who had shared with those who had not. 

What use to be called "running the numbers", a source of community support, is now called "Lotto". The drug trade became Iran Contra's #warondrugs, where the USA federal government targeted & sold crack for drug addictions - reasons why all as one must unite, speak truth loudly! It's time to take our power back. I'm talking to all good souls who live from love, truth and courage in service to the Great Spirit who made and orbits our appointed atoms.

Even before the Great Depression of the last century, Harlem's elders and community figures paid rent for families on the brink, covered funeral costs when grief struck without warning and made sure children could eat when cupboards were bare. 

My granndmother, Mary Frances "Nayer" Turner (pictured above), told the tales with pride of how during the stock market crash of 1929, not one person killed themselves in Harlem. Missionary meetings identified who needed help and provided it to the best of their abilities. Folks looked out for their neighbors because it was the right thing to do. 

In addition to the community based missionaries, the “numbers” weren’t just a street hustle; they were an informal community fund, cycling money through neighbors before it became what we now call government lotteries. 

In the last century, economic desperation rarely ended in hopelessness, because you could knock on a door and find help, even if it came in a brown envelope handed quietly on a Sunday morning while at church, Harlem has such beautiful churches.

Then came the 1980s, and the evil storm of the Iran-Contra era. As crack cocaine flooded Harlem, and many other Black communities across the nation were attacked, there were no numbers runners to help. Missionariies like Mother Clara Hale did whatever they could to heal.

Families were split by policy. Incarceration replaced rehabilitation, an art and science described by Harlem Griot Linda Humes as "restorative justice". 

In the era of Iran Contra crack, survival replaced community joy. Addiction became a new form of economic slavery, one that left few safe spaces to seek help, and even fewer elders left standing to offer it. 

We are called now to rebuild.

It is not nostalgia; it is guidance. We need to return to a culture where love is operationalized, not just in Harlem, but everywhere possible:

• Check on your neighbors. Is there a mother in your building who needs groceries? A child who needs shoes? An elder who needs company?

• Create micro-funds or mutual aid networks. Let the spirit of the “numbers” live on legally, ethically, and transparently as tools for collective uplift.

• Teach each other. Share skills, knowledge, and hope. Every connection strengthens the fabric of community. Be generous with love.

• Refuse to abandon the lost. Substance abuse, housing instability, and mental health crises should be met with compassion, not criminalization.

As we face new challenges—global boiling, economic uncertainty, and ongoing systemic injustices—the spirit of Harlem can be a guiding light for “peace on Earth to men, women, and children of good will.”

It takes love to build a community. It takes consistent love to sustain one.

The elders before us did not wait for permission to care for each other. Neither should we.

Let’s print, build, and grow this spirit together, weaving safety, dignity, and joy back into our neighborhoods. Let us become the community we wish we had when we needed it most, for each other, right now.

JOY.

Full ChatGPT conversation posted here 

https://chatgpt.com/share/686de43d-098c-8003-8316-673ed27c3b1d 

HNN: YAFFA CULTURAL ARTS & DR. LINDA HUMES CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF HIPHOP

Yaffa Cultural Arts marks a milestone, weaving history, artistry, and community into Harlem’s living legacy.

In a spirited interview hosted by Harlem Network News’ Terri Wisdom, Dr. Linda Humes and the Yaffa team celebrated 50 years of Hip Hop with voices that shaped the movement.

Abiodun Oyewole of The Last Poets, graffiti legend James Top, and creative visionaries Masani Davis and Ude joined in dialogue that underscored the mantra “It Takes a Village.”

Their upcoming panel and performances at the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling spotlight Hip Hop’s enduring power to educate, uplift, and connect generations.

The event embodies Harlem’s tradition of cultural resilience—where rhythm, word, and image converge to honor the past while inspiring the future.

Harlem rises again, through art that speaks truth and builds community.

Riverbank State Park & Other Harlem, NY Environmental Problems Notes

Marketing language.  In the early 1990's the City of New York put a the Riverbank State Park park where folks come to exercise on top of an open sewer.  I went to many community board meetings and bought up the problems of the open North River Waste Water Treatmet Plant sewer. At one of the meetings about the health concerns from exercising on top of an open sewer a woman responded, 'yes, my building is full of cancer.'  Another woman who was chairing the meeting said 'yeah, I know, my building is full of cancer too but this meeting is about Coke or Pepsi in the park.'

Harlem is no longer majority Black so I keep posting this information in the hopes that the people who do live there will take into consideration the need to clean up the areas environment. The initial research on the subject of the sewers is posted on this blog. 

Harlem's Sewer Problem, Did It Get Any Better? 

Here's some of the other problems or potential problems I presented and updated awhile back for the current residents of Harlem to consider and fix.

Earthquake Dangers

Earthquake Fault Lines: Running down 125th Street through some of Harlem’s mass transit routes, including an elevated subway, is an earthquake fault line. Many old buildings need to be fortified or torn down and rebuilt using the 3D printing technique known as "contour crafting."

In 2003 it gave us a reminder of its presence. It’s been reported that there is also a fault line under 145th Street too. 

Most of the buildings on the streets of Harlem are brick or stone and are not strong enough to withstand a major earthquake.  Given Harlem’s population density and mass transit system, there needs to be a well known and understood civic plan for addressing a large earthquake with special attention paid to an earthquake under the ocean that could produce a tidal wave that would run up the Hudson and East Rivers and flood the valley portion of Harlem. 

The New York City Area Consortium For Earthquake Loss Mitigation has detailed maps and information.  For example, their map of soil strength shows that where the mall is about to be built is on soft soil, which is most vulnerable during an earthquake.  When you click on the map, notice how much of Harlem is soft soils.  Most of the firehouses are located in masonry buildings.  During a 5.0 or greater earthquake, this is a problem.

On Saturday, October 27, 2001 at 6:16 am et the New York Daily News online reported that a minor earthquake shook New York. 

"A magnitude-2.6 earthquake hit under Manhattan around 1:42 a.m., said Dr. John Ebel, director of the Weston Observatory at Boston College, which monitors seismic activity in the Northeast. "That's more than a tremor. That's a small earthquake,"  Ebel said.

"The last significant natural seismic event to strike the city was a magnitude-2.4 earthquake on Jan. 17."  That's two in the year that had the additional vibration pressure of the falling of the World Trade Center.

What needs to be done: Use 3D printing in the contour crafting technique hemp plastic exteriors to hold buildings together and make them waterproof in case of...

Flood Dangers

Harlem, Below Sea Level,  At The Beginning Of Global Warming:

The typography reveals that much of Harlem is located below sea level.  On the west side, you can drive your car right into the river if you want. Both ends of 125th Street could become flooded and the area’s population located in central Harlem could be under water in a short amount of time. Scientists have already warned about a massive tidal wave that could come from the falling of rocks from the Canry Island Volcano.  It could take out most of the east coast.  

Since the Wall Street and Mid-Town areas are closer to the ocean, they may flood first, which, as we learned during the falling of the WTC, would mean few if any resources available for Harlem residents other than themselves.

Global Warming is already anticipated to reclaim coastal cities so action must be taken now to secure these areas.  Like in Holland, dikes or dams need to be built to help keep the ocean in the ocean and the land on the land. The best reference book I read on the subject is THE RISING TIDE:  GLOBAL WARMING AND WORLD SEA LEVELS by Lynne T. Edgertorn, Natural Resources Defense Council.

Rodent Disease Transmission

Rodent and Roach Transmission Of Disease: 

History is full of examples of rodent transmitted diseases taking out a large portion of a population, i.e. bubonic plague.  The millions of rats in Harlem and the South Bronx could infect their populations with a large array of diseases, beginning with Hanta Virus.  Information needs to be shared on both the risk and solutions available.  The CDC and NIH can contribute the materials needed to control the rodent population.

It has been reported that roaches contribute to asthma. 

As we learned from the West Nile Virus, rodent transmission is not the only concern.  We need to be aware of what animals we are interacting with and how to best interact with them.

What needs to be done. Fortify our bodies through nutrition, attention to symptoms and of course medical marijuana to reduce the stress.  Research ways to boost our immune systems to life in this, the nuclear age of mutant virus, et. al.  We can overcome many illnesses without toxic vaccines, with clean environmental standards to minimize the impact of......

Respiratory Problems

Air Pollution And The Link To Respiratory Problems Is Obvious. 

Clean air is a remote concept in Harlem, and that needs to change.  Though only a few miles wide and six miles long, she is surrounded by heavily trafficked highways, has had tons of residual pesticides spread within her houses and parks, has been exposed to industrial dry cleaners leaking poisons into her soil, and has severe roach and rodent problems.  Toxic mold has been found in Harlem, which can also affect respiratory health. 

According to the South Bronx Clean Air Coalition, "Disparities are staggering: children who live in Harlem or Hunts Point are five times more likely to be hospitalized than children in upper-income neighborhoods, according to a Health Department study. Lincoln Hospital recorded 14,300 asthmatic visits in its emergency room last year."

The majority of Manhattan’s bus depots are in Harlem. Of course we can shift to a Tesla style energy system for transportation quickly.

I failed to get a solid answer on what’s coming out of those stacks on top of the sewer. 

In an area with high unemployment, jobs could be quickly created to clean up the environment and help the people get and stay healthy.  For example, it is cheaper to clean up the environment than it is to treat the many sick people who have environmentally induced cancers, respiratory problems, etc.

Celebrating the life and accomplishments of my mother Mary R. Scott, Esq.

 

My mother Mary R. Scott, Esq. passed to beyond life on March 26, 2014.  She lived a long and wonderful life while teaching the rest of us how to do the same, find the Lord in every instant and follow Him.

Her parents are the late James LaRochae (owned butcher shops in Harlem and Connecticut plus a restaurant in Massachusetts) and Mary Frances ("hair dresser", missionary, restaurant owner - the original Nayer) Turner. My maternal grand parents were part of the Black migration who left Florida in the 1920's for the promise of Harlem after Rosewood, Black Wall Street, etc.  

The promise paid off as they set standards for the rest of us. 

My beautiful, stylish mother, born in Harlem in the 1930's, was a fashion diva, pianist, wife of my father the late, great Joseph Neil Hardin (singer, teamster, labor rights activist), a Connecticut lawyer since the 1980's, quilter and in the last quarter century of her life, happy wife of and partner with her beloved Lt. Col. John Scott, Esq who loves her with all of his heart and being.

With the clue that there could be multiple universes - my confidence remains high that death is just the next step in eternity, despite illusions. "WE DON'T DIE, WE MULTIPLY!"

Our beloved planet Earth is smaller than a grain of sand in the scope of the universes.  Karma is a blessing to the truly good souls.  My mother exceeded the definition of 'truly good soul' as should of rest of us. 

I look at the stars and wonder which one she could be on now and what she is doing to improve being there, like she did here.

All that wisdom and not one less tear is being shed. 

CELEBRATE!

Run Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. RUN

The headline read today

DWI Trial Will Not Deter Adam Clayton Powell IV From Running For Rangel's Seat

Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20091117/manhattan/dwi-trial-will-not-deter-adam-clayton-powell-iv-from-running-against-rep-charlie-rangel#ixzz0X97zpanK

Dear Lord, let it true. New York State Assemblyman Powell's DWI vs. Con Rangel's almost 30 year history of rape, pillage and looting Harlem...let's see.

The most evil thing to happen to Harlem was the stolen election from the people's champion in 1970, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. to the capitalist tool Con Charles Rangel. The election process in Harlem is still so corrupt that in the 2008 primary in many neighborhood locations, now President Obama got ZERO votes. I still question the election results of 1994, when Assemblyman Powell ran for congress against the corrupt Con Rangel.

Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. was inspiring, helping folks lift themselves out of poverty. Under Rangle's Rule Harlem was a lock, probably to encourage folks to sell out. AIDS, crack/cocaine/heroin, disempowerment zone, 5 open sewers, warlike police force, etc. mark his reign. Doing nothing effective is doing something too. He helped transform Harlem into a place of shattered dreams.

It would be such poetic justice for former Congressman Powell's son, who has dedicated his life to serving Harlem anyway, won back the seat in his and his father's name.

Then, Harlem could be back on track as a location of dreams achieved, computers and all.

What happens to a dream achieved?

It doesn't dry up like a raisin in the sun
It doesn't fester like a sore and then run
It don't stink like rotten meat
It don't crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet.
It don't sag like a heavy load.

It just explodes!

Run Adam Run. PLEASE.

Harlem's Sewer Problem - Did It Get Any Better?

 Photos Taken In 1998 
Open Sewer Windows Under Riverbank State Park.

Rev. Ike said the best thing one can do for the poor is not be one of them.  When I realized in 1998 that Harlem's poverty pimps were not going to do anything to help Harlem's environmental problems, were committed to keeping computers out of Harlem, and satisfied with the status quo regarding AIDS and crack and other empowerment issues, I left.  It is an unnecessary health risk to be surrounded by 5 open sewers.  Anything could be in that............


Common sense says if you are smelling the sewer, you're breathing it. Airborne particles find their way into people's bodies.  The illusion that hospital waste is treated differently is a dangerous flaw.  Sick people from all over the world come to New York and use the sewers before they check into the hospital.

The 5 Open Sewers Surrounding Harlem do more than stink in the summer time. North River, Wards Island, Tallmans, Hunts Point and Bowery Bay Water Pollution Control Plants are releasing toxins into the already polluted environment. Over the last century NYC is the recipient of transportation, pest control, heating/cooling, etc. toxins, settled into walls, fabrics and streets.  Ooops, I forgot to add the dust from the World Trade Center.  Asbestos does not wash out.

The two most obvious sewers, North River (135th and Hudson River, 10027) and Wards Island (Wards Island, NYC 10035) Water Pollution Control Plants (Sewage Treatment Plants) are on the west side of Harlem and in the river off of the east side respectively.

Across the bay are the other three.

The year after North River was built there was a radical rise in the infant mortality rate. Yet when I was there in the 80's and 90's the discussion was limited to odor and flow, which haven’t killed anybody.  It's the accompanying toxins that kill, not the smell.

When you connect the dots on the chart below you'll see when the North River plant was open and rises and falls in Harlem's infant mortality rates over the years and plant actions.

North River Plant and Infant Mortality Rates
in NYC and Harlem 1984-1993

Year	NYC	Harlem
1984 - Plant Construction	13.6	16.0
1985 - Plant built	13.4	23.3
1986	12.8	27.6
1987	13.1	20.9
1988	13.4	22.0
1989	13.3	23.4
1990	7.6	27.7
1991 - Primary Tanks Covered	11.4	19.2
1992	10.2	15.9
1993 - Crack in tank	10.2	25.

In great part due to the open windows at all ends of the North River, and open outdoor tanks at Wards Island, Harlem in particular and the metro NY area in general were breathing, daily, volatile organic compounds (VOC's -airborne living organisms) from these sewage tanks. If the tanks are not covered, folks still are.

Politics and common sense need to merge in Harlem.  Start with cleaning out the corruption. Put people over politics, like the real estate investors who want to make money at the expense of raising the infant mortality rate in Harlem.

Harlem's best park, Riverbank State Park, is located over the North River sewer plant and has people, among them children and seniors, exercising over an open sewer…not healthy.

The NYC EPA says “The roof of the building is the home of Riverbank State Park, a popular recreational facility with three swimming pools, an amphitheater, an athletic center, a skating rink, a restaurant and sports fields - and, of the two New York State park facilities in the City, the only one built on top of a water pollution control plant.”

The park's won many awards while placing Harlem residents in danger of toxic chemicals, methane gas and mutating germs.

1998 Carousel Shot In Riverbank State Park

There are germs in the sewer air. Environmentalists are being honored in Harlem who keep the conversation about odor and flow rather than toxins and germs and toxic chemicals coming off the sewers. 

Sewer System As A Source of Germ Disbursement: “The greatest danger…in breathing of sewer air is that of inhaling with it the living particles (bacilli, etc.) contained or developed in the excrement of diseased persons.” {Roger S. Tracy, Handbook Of Sanitary Information For Households, NY Appleton, 1895}

Sick people from all over the world come to New York City to benefit from her extraordinary medical system. Though hospital waste is handled separately from the general sewer system, during the time before sick people check into the hospital, and, if they remain in the city, after they leave, are using the general sewer facilities.

In this time of terrorism, toxic materials (both medical and chemical that could cause illness and death) can be dropped into the sewer system and a large portion of the population could be impacted days after the event.  Unnecessary risk.

Floating material could contain harmful elements and the results, devastating. This is because many, if not all of the NYC sewer plants, are not covered and in some cases could be easily contaminated from street or building levels without the culprit being noticed.

At North River, the large windows by the tanks are open. At Ward’s Island, the tanks are outside. Though we are encouraged to take comfort in the fact that chlorine kills 85-95% of the germs in the sewer, the more relevant question is what is in the other 5-15% that is strong enough to survive chlorine, food additives, genetically altered foods, human growth hormone, antibiotics, etc.

Secondary Tanks With No Covers Next To Open Windows Under Riverbank, 1998

 

  

Sludge Tank Below Riverbank State Park

 

Consider what happens when those strong germs and toxic chemicals get together in North River’s secondary and sludge tanks, with their steam wafting off to open windows. Also, the additional chlorine put into the environment via tap water and flushed into the river can have a seepage effect on the land it comes in contact with, further empowering mutating bacteria.

The water in North River’s secondary tanks frequently has steam coming off them, which lifts some germs and they become air borne. As you saw in the chart Harlem's infant morality rate in the year after the North River Plant went into operation was raised and by 1993 was 2.5 times higher than the rest of the City.

What needs to happen to correct the problem?

First, the sewer windows need to be covered or, like at Ward's Island where the open sewer tanks are outside, at least the tanks sealed, like what was in the original plans.

“The problem with covering and air treating the secondary tanks is one of expense … NYCDEP’s rough estimate for subjecting the secondary tanks in a similar odor control system as that for the primary tank is in excess of $100 million.” From “The Smell of Success? An assessment of Odor Control Measures at the North River Water Pollution Control Plant” (June, 1994)

Where are they shopping? Tiffany’s?  What about hemp plastic to cover the sewers?  What about growing hemp to aerate the soil and pull the excess CO2 out of the atmosphere? What about medical hemp to help with the areas intense asthma and other health problems? What about hemp to heal New York's economy to create a modern infrastructure system. (Read the HEMP FOR VICTORY series by Richard M. Davis to learn how - www.hempmuseum.us)

We need to honestly evaluate the situation at hand and bring forward better ideas on waste treatment. Johan Cruijff said "Every disadvantage carries with it an advantage." One of the things that Harlem taught me is the disadvantage is always of equal or greater value.

A project of fixing the environmental problems can use a NYC labor pool, featuring Harlem residents trained for the job. Community residents will be motivated to do a good job because they and their families are breathing the air.

Harlem has a master level engineer in her hero and former owner of the Langston Hughes House, Albert Davis.  I still think he won the election when he ran against Congressman Rangel in the 90's.  With President Obama getting zero votes in Harlem in the 2008 primary, I believe now more than ever that Albert won.

Second, regular testing of the sewer's contents and airborne materials need to be done and the results published. That sewer readings were not useable in determining the toxic levels in the air on 9/11 proves the worthlessness of the system at that time.  I'm open to news of improvements that are not published.

The people have a right to know what's in the air, water and land more than they need a say over "is Coke or Pepsi going to get the vending contract for the park on top of the sewer."

Please, tell New York's elected and appointed officials to stop leaving New Yorkers in danger of environmental hazards like when the WTC fell, cover all the open sewers, and not just the ones around Harlem.

Any additional insight you post here is appreciated.