From The New York Shitty Inbox: A Community Notification From The 94th Precinct

Undoubtedly many who read this site and reside in Greenpoint have been puzzled by the varying accounts of the fatality which came to pass on the G train April 15th and want to know more about what happened. The following email comes from the 94th Precinct (via an anonymous tipster):

My heartfelt condolences go out to this man’s family and loved ones. They are undoubtedly devastated. In closing— and although I have written this elsewhere on the Interwebs— I feel compelled to post my two cents about this sad turn of events:

I am honestly at a loss as to what to say regarding what has happened in Boston. I guess I am still stunned— like many other people. As for what happened on the G, I’ll put it this way: mental illness in its manifold forms is the proverbial two ton gorilla in the room of this community. We see men and women with this affliction on our streets everyday. This is what we see— or choose to see. The fact of the matter is it is also hidden behind closed doors, so to speak.

In this respect I find it sad that many here elect to call our homeless bums and think (to toss out an example) placing them in work camps (yes, I actually heard someone say this at a 94 Precinct Community Council Meeting) is somehow going to fix the problem. It won’t. If one were to see someone on the street with a broken leg it would unconscionable if no one saw fit to call— or if this city refused to dispatch— an ambulance. Now take someone with a “broken mind”. That’s a different story altogether.

Having emotional problems is construed as a personal weakness. A vice, if you will. It is so stigmatized that many refuse to acknowledge it on our streets or even in our own homes. As what happened today proves all too well this needs to stop. We need to stop blaming the victim and advocate, LOUDLY, for more pro-active/effective mental health initiatives. The sad fact is any one of us could have been this person. All it takes is the right (read: wrong) set of circumstances. That’s it. I cannot stop thinking how completely and utterly hopeless this person must have felt to jump in front of a subway train. Really.

UPDATE, April 19, 2013: although this fellow’s identity remains unknown (and even if I did know, I’d keep it that way) I have learned form an anonymous tipster that he leaves behind a wife and four children. A very tragic story indeed!