Leonard General Construction

Let me introduce you to Eddie and Monte, or as Nic the Greek called him on Saturday, Maawnteeee.  Eddie is who is paying the bills.  We got to talking while he was working on my apartment, about life, philosophy, religion, politics, etc., and not too long after, I was working for him.  He has construction jobs all over the city and his story is fascinating.  

Eddie is West Indian, from Guyana, which borders Brazil and Venezuela.  He came to Toronto over 20 years ago and then came to NY.  He has had a variety of jobs working where he can.  He started working for a construction company in the Hamptons and due to having grown up working, he rose up the ladder very fast.  He then decided to go on his own.  His cousins, of whom Monte is one, came sometime before him and had been working as well.  

Eddie had always been the social ring leader, so after getting bored working other jobs, he decided to start working with his family.  All of them are expert craftsman.  Their story is a bit of a sad one.  Monte and Charlie, Monte's brother, both have college degrees from Guyana, which was formerly a British Colony.  In the 60's, the Soviet Union intended to use much of South America (now Cuba, Venezuela, and Bolivia are all communist) as a staging ground for a potential war with the United States.  The Prime Minister of Guyana was a West Indian who married a Jewish American woman who had ties with former communist USSR and the rumors were she was still a communist.  

A worried JFK and CIA seeking to contain communism, supported the independence of Guyana from the British by covertly aiding (a popular method until the 80's) African immigrants which resulted in Independence and a power shift.  Segregation of West Indians followed and graduates found it impossible to get work and poverty quickly ensued.  Most Indian and Chinese immigrants fled to Canada and the U.S. under refugee status.  Monte and Charlie both have degrees in engineering and all of them received formal British educations and they all speak multiple languages.  The work crew is not only well-educated, their experience and cohesiveness adds a great deal of harmony and professionalism to an oft unprofessional field.  

They were nice enough to have me come work with them and I am learning so much.  And not just about construction.  These guys have seen everything.  Monte used to cut timber in the Amazon, hunts and fishes in Brazil and the Atlantic, and still has family in Guyana.  Eddie has been attacked by a snake, and younger than the rest, saw Guyana post-independence and its downward spiral.  Each of them are just trying to make enough money so they can retire in Guyana and just hunt and fish.   

The picture below is of Eddie and Monte trying to figure out how on earth they were going to remedy the mistake made by the union plumber who set the toilet 4 inches too far from the wall leaving the door now 3 1/2 inches into the seat.  The frame around the door takes Monte about 5 minutes to measure, cut and install.  He does all the math in his head.    

Eddie had me time him while painting the halls and said he could do it in less than 15 minutes.  It took him 16 because he had to locate the paint after "Joe the Plumber," as Monte refers to him, moved the paint outside for some odd reason.  I was amazed at the speed but was more amazed to not be able to find a single mistake.  

This is typical Monte.  He is a cutting machine.  Occasionally, he calls out, "Mr. Leggett...Help, Help...."  When I get there to hold the board for him he usually has a story to tell.  He loves to talk about politics including NY and he absolutely hates Sarah Palin.  He is married and has 3 grown children.  He gives Eddie a hard-time most of the day.  

This was the outside of the studio apartment we remodeled in Queens.  The owner is named Nic the Greek, at least to Eddie and Monte.  He loves these guys and gets them a discount at the Chinese Restaurant at the end of the building (which he owns) and he works along side them, though he is most often just in the way.  

Eddie pays me to help out painting, touching up, making cuts, installing, etc., but he also pays me to talk business with him.  As an immigrant a lot of the paperwork and red tape keeps him from expanding.  That's where I have been able to help out.  He has a lot of contacts and people that want to invest in properties and share the sale profits if he fixes them up.  We put together some business cards, I am helping him put together a website, as well as moving him from the black notepad to a computer.  I go with him to new jobs and meet the clients and he introduces me differently each time.  Today we looked at an apartment on my block for a shoe designer who needs her kitchen floors replaced.  He said I was his "sidekick like the kid in Indiana Jones" today.  Other introductions have included: my attorney, my business advisor, my swami, my cousin, Jawsawn of the Argonauts, Mr. Fonda, Brother Tom (from Godfather), and the observer.   

Autumn in New York

Our apartment is finally complete.  Here is a shot of the bathroom taken from the shower.  We have a new cabinet, sink and vanity as well as new tiling on the floor and wall. We also have new, much brighter lighting. 

This is of our new shower with new tiling, tub, and shower head, etc.  We also have replaced all the lead pipes with copper pipes... a process I was completely enamored with. 

This is taken from the kitchen.  We have new paint, chosen by Yael, on the wall on the right, and a fresh coat of white.  We have had to rearrange the furniture because the wall had to come about 4 feet in to the living room to make room for the new tub.  We also have new flooring and the space above the doors have been filled (by me;-) 

So the good news is that we got upgraded to the nicest bathroom in the apartment building. The better news is that I got a job working with the guys who began as the construction crew on my apartment.  The best news is I am having a great time doing it and learning a ton!

I leave you with a picture that captures my first Autumn in New York.  It is fitting that it is also my first real Autumn.  Seattle has its sights in the fall but summer seems to extend a great while and winter looks more like Spring.  I thought it was picture worthy to have a woman walking down the street in Orange as the leaves were in their final color change and falling from the trees.  

Community Building Strategies

Community Building Strategies.  That's the name of the non-profit I am starting.  Let's start with the following preface: the picture below features a lot that has been purchased and construction is about to begin.  This is in the heart of Brooklyn which is composed of a diverse population, skills, and cultures. 

Imagine you are now sitting in a room with people from your community, all representing this diversity.  The following question is asked: What do you want your community to look like? You have two options.  

The first is modeled after your community where each person or group of people is encouraged to start a business that brings wealth and maintains diversity to the community.  Looking at the picture below you can see which one doesn't fit with the others.  (As a side note, like many chains, the possibility of individual ownership could be molded in to the question but for the sake of simplicity, let's continue the hypo).     

The second option is the corporate mall model.  These two store fronts are currently within .25 miles of each other.  Considering the open space, which would you prefer?    

We would then go into the details of each choice.  Consider for example that Circuit City, pictured above, will be sending its profits to its headquarters, not in Brooklyn, and will be employing community members at minimum wage.  On the other hand, small businesses are hard to manage and maintain.  

That is where we come in.  CBS does not believe that corporate identities are good for the community.  They don't reflect the diversity spoken of before and they don't allow community members to make livable wages.  At the end of the cycle are people being forced out as property values skyrocket (until the bubble bursts and Circuit City takes off for a new money making opportunity) and communities start from scratch.  

CBS will help assist those who want to build their community using a model focused on business growth, artistic development, and health awareness.  As I walked through Brooklyn, I think I know which most residents prefer.  It's time to get back to some good old fashioned values and build our economy from the community up.  More details to come as the plan develops.   

A New Partner and Seattle Reminders

I have wanted to work on a project that looks at how law school is taught and what would make it better.  The central point is kind of two fold: most people have a negative view of lawyers and lawyers have been slacking in their duties to apply democratic norms.  My three examples are: 1) The lawyers involved with the Enron scandal; 2) The two lawyers who wrote to the Bush administration that torture is essentially ok; and 3) The lawyers involved with the recent financial crisis.  

Were these individuals bad people or were they just serving their client's interest?  My argument is that even if they were bad people before they came to law school, their education didn't limit their evil scheming and even produces some more bad eggs.  We are basically never taught what our role is in a constitutional structure and yet are given vast responsibility.  So part of the reason I came to NY was to see what this whole CUNY thing was about and how the first public interest law school does business.  

I have been greatly satisfied with my class choices and overall opportunities to work with like minded people.  I am well on my way to developing a non-profit and have learned a great deal about public interest lawyering.  So imagine my surprise when I met with one of my favorite teachers here, who is helping me start the non-profit, who was a founding member of the school when he told me CUNY is nowhere near what it was supposed to be.  

We talked at great length about the vision of the school then and how it has succumbed to outside pressure and lost its way.  He asked if I wanted to work with such a cynic and I, at the edge of my seat, almost shouted, "YES, YES!"  The school he had described was exactly what I, and most of my friends from Seattle, had dreamt of.  I said that even though it may not have worked out in practice, the idea is more powerful and attracts students who want to make things better.  He has agreed to work with me and we will start writing in the spring.  

I have had many experiences thus far that have made me believe this is the perfect place for me at this time.  This was another.  Then as I was leaving his office, I saw three painting strewn about the second floor, all from the Seattle Art Museum.  Even all this way, I have Seattle reminding me of where I came from, and seemingly urging me to push forward.  

At the very least, Seattle is well-represented at CUNY law.  

Catching up: lots of projects

I apologize again for falling behind on the blog.  After several complaints, I am back up.  It has been a busy couple of weeks.  I will begin to catch up from the beginning.  The picture below is one piece of a window grill I am painting for Eddie (my employer) which is going to be installed this week for a lady up in the Bronx.  Finally, my graffiti skills are put to work.  

Eddie has a lot of jobs going so I told him I would paint the pieces for the grill.  I spent a few nights getting the pieces done and Ali will be soldering them together tomorrow.  

I was also able to move back in to my room.  As much as I will miss the comfort of the wide open living room floor, I think I will readjust just fine.  I took the opportunity to build some desks for workspace utilizing the tools and spare wood downstairs.  

The picture below shows the table to the left for my monitor and various other items (apparently a wine bottle) and there is a desk behind the chair.  I was going to have to buy a chair but as luck would have it, there was one for free right across the street.  They thought it was broken but with a little tinkering it is back in working condition.  When I told Monte (whom will be in a picture in another post), he shook his head and said, "everyone in this country... just waste and waste."  One man's junk is another man's treasure.  

We also fixed my bed and I may be able to install a cabinet from the remodel downstairs if I have the time.  It has been nice to get back in to the routine and now have space to work.  You can see from the photo that I built a little mail slot, a keyboard holder and now I am set!  

Hope

I had my first election at the polls experience.  Now this isn't entirely truthful because I do remember the 1992 election, accompanying my parents, but naturally I was not allowed to vote.  

So I got up at 5:30 AM, with my roommate Marnie, down to the Brooklyn Museum and got in line.  We waited for a little over an hour.  It was a little disorganized but I pointed out to her that an hour wait makes us far better off than other democracies.  I walked into the booth and cast my vote on a pretty old-school polling machine.  

After we left, there was something in the air.  Believe it or not, it was hope.  Later in the day I walked to the print shop to help my new quasi-client/ employer Eddie make some business cards. We encountered so many people along the way who were grinning, saying hello, and again there was something in the air, hope.  

I saw people getting pictures of Obama framed, everyone talking about the election, people arguing that even if you weren't voting for Obama to get out and vote because this is democracy and the times are too hard.  It was something remarkably refreshing.  I walked to the grocery store later in the day and again it was all smiles, polite gestures, and an overwhelming feeling of something better coming, hope.  

Finally, I was sitting on the couch today with my other roommate Yael, a foreign national, unable to vote.  She had expressed little interest in politics but today she was curious.  She said to me, "is it true that Obama's grandmother died today?"  I said yes and that he had gotten some negative commentary for visiting her a week ago, flying to Hawaii instead of campaigning. She said, I saw him talk today and I really like him.  He has the kind of character I think would be good in a President.  I hope he is doing ok with the loss.  

It was amazing.  Someone not the slightest bit interested in politics senses something in the air. Despite the criticism and even the audacity of it all- hope is real and if you doubt it, go look at the people who have had it the roughest the last 8 years.  We all have had our fair share of pain. But fear not, hope is around the corner.  We have the opportunity now let's get to work.