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Posts

Aaron Morrill

Editorial: Jersey City Makes Us Stronger

December 12, 2019/in header, Latest News, Opinion /by Aaron Morrill

On Tuesday afternoon I was scheduled to meet my friend Steve Cunningham in a Downtown Café.   Uncharacteristically, he arrived late.   As he took off his bike helmet, he explained that along with his students at the Jersey City high school where he teaches, he had been locked in, unsure of when they would be free to leave.  The shocking events of that afternoon that kept Steve and his students sequestered in their classroom are now well known.

I was there to hear about Team Wilderness, an after school program Steve founded which takes Jersey City kids on hiking trips to nearby forests and mountains.  There they learn to use a compass, rappell down cliffs and learn the value of teamwork.    Eighty percent of the kids in his program are eligible for free or reduced lunches, meaning they are poor.   Many of the kids have never been out in the woods on a hike, let alone bounced down the face of a cliff, secured only by ropes.   Steve takes them out of their comfort zone and introduces them to a new world where they are challenged.   They come back changed for the better.

As I thought about Tuesday’s tragic events, I realized how Jersey City functions much the same way for so many of us.   Wallet Hub has crowned Jersey City the most culturally diverse city in the United States.  We are home to a dizzying mix of peoples from around the world, be they Philippine, Pakistani, Korean, Ecuadorean or Egyptian.  The nationalities and cultures are endless.  Fully fifty-three percent of Jersey City families speak a language other than English at home.

We who are lucky to live in Jersey City are like Steve’s teenagers in the woods.  Whether we like it or not, every day we are dragged out of our comfort zone and must engage with people from cultures that seem strange and different from our own.  And, yes, sometimes, like staring down the face of a cliff, we feel scared and threatened.  We are human.  But then we strike up a conversation with that scary and threatening person and realize that they are just like us.  It’s these countless human interactions between people of different backgrounds every day in Jersey City that make it such a special and wonderful place.   Like Steve’s teenagers, we all emerge changed for the better.    In the wake of these terrible events, let’s not forget that.

Header:  Christopher Columbus Drive mural, artist: Gaia Street Art.   Jersey City Times file photo.

News Briefs

Former Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly, who retired effective as of February 1st, earned a $282,779.58 payout for unused time, according to public records. Go here for story.

According to a report in the Jersey Journal, a  Jersey City police and fire dispatcher died on Wednesday after being admitted to the hospital with Covid-19. His death, apparently, follows a Covid-19 outbreak at the Jersey City Public Safety Communications Center. A city spokeswoman has confirmed the death but said that it “hasn’t been determined” that it was coronavirus-related.

 

The 2021 tree planting applications are available. Fill out the form and our city arborists will handle it. Apply early! bit.ly/adoptatreespri… @innovatejc @JCmakeitgreen

Mayor Steven Fulop and the Jersey City Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the opening of the City’s sixth vaccination site located near the Marin Boulevard Light Rail Station to vaccinate frontline workers, including all food and restaurant workers, grocery store workers, porters, hospitality workers, warehouse workers, those in the medical supply chain, and more.

Two of the City-run vaccination sites will dedicate 1,000 J&J vaccines for those interested, prioritizing workers who have limited time off: 100 Marin Boulevard and 28 Paterson Street (Connors Center).   Those interested should call (201) 373-2316.

Vaccine-eligible individuals can make an appointment online by visiting hudsoncovidvax.org.

Keep abreast of Jersey City Covid-19 statistics here.

Governor Murphy has launched a “Covid Transparency Website” where New Jerseyans can track state expenditures related to Covid.  Go here.

For info on vaccinations, call Vaccination Call Center. Operators will assist you with scheduling one: 855-568-0545

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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