This week I covered a public hearing at Brooklyn Tech concerning the closure of 19 schools to make way for charter schools.
This has been a huge issue in the city, as Mayor Bloomberg is a huge proponent of charter schools and already has closed a number of public schools in the metro area. There had been a couple of public hearings in the city, with this one being the last and the biggest right before the vote. Naturally, hundreds of people showed up to protest the changes, and though there were a lot of defiant statements, there was also a sense of futility. Many knew that no matter what was said that night, it was pretty much a done deal.
I was multitasking that night, as I interviewed, took pictures, audio and video. The story was my top priority, however, and I couldn’t get the video finished in time. Here it is in all its glory. There were lots of chants that night, a lot of anger, and I hope that’s pretty evident here (For those not familiar with NYC schools, Joel Klein is the school chancellor).
The auditorium didn’t provide a lot of light, and I have an aversion to using flash (which isn’t the smartest aversion to have indoors), so the pictures have a blurry effect. I used to shun blur altogether, but I’ve recently acquired an appreciation for them. I think it’s also effective in this set of pictures, where everything was moving at a frantic, active and very emotional level.
With that said, I feel OK about the pictures and video.
I wandered around the auditorium and barely sat down for the five hours I was there. Just when I thought I’d gathered enough notes, I found that people started getting used to my presence as I stood by the wall, away from the other reporters, and even initiated conversation with me. I got my strongest quotes then, reminding me that it’s best to sit back, observe and let things happen rather than force interviews with reluctant sources.
Here’s a segment that didn’t make it in the story. The teacher was standing next to me watching his students speak, and at one point shed a tear:
Students from various schools were bused in, and at around 10 p.m. they were allowed to speak so they wouldn’t miss their rides home.
Michael Ross, a teacher at the slated-to-close New Day Academy in South Bronx, said regardless of the outcome, the students will have learned to question authority.
“I hope it teaches them they can effect change,” he said.
One of his students, trembling, approached the mic:
“Did you know that I worry about being shot at every day at school?”
“Did you know that I worry about being jumped by gang members?”
“I deserve a safe education.”
For more pictures, check out my flickr.
