“A lie told once remains a lie, but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth.”

— Joseph Goebbels

Hitler was not happy with the relationship between Goebbels and Czech film star Lida Baarova but was otherwise a Goebbels fan — they had a close relationship. And it was fascist heaven.

What we are are now facing is simple, Due to the historic attack upon our Democracy, a cabal of very rich and very wealthy cowards are controlling what we digest on a daily basis. They think we are stupid. The news organizations are slowly being accumulated and given their marching orders if the Oligarchs wish to protect their billions in wealth, The Washington Post is gone. CBS, Paramount, The Los Angeles Times, — with Warner and CNN now targets if the Ellison/Trump/Carr extortion operation gets their way by the FCC threat to prevent Netflix from obtaining a license or alternatively Trump suing after Susan Rice spoke freely on Preet Bharara’s podcast.

As Idi Amin said, “We have freedom of speech but we can’t guarantee freedom afer speech.”

That’s where we are now, not where we are headed later. We’re already here folks. Again.

So, before the tables are turned, be cognizant of the fact that while we are now only theoretically a democracy — it is the Oligarchy that operates the “free flow” of ideas known as News as long as it has a fascist smell to it. Even the cult is now waking up to the fact that in its zeal to claim that an all-white, Christian, misogynistic America is what we should want and believe in and push to achieve — one way or another — that it might be a mistake.

Get your news now from sources that are not threatened by politicians, pedophiles, oligarchs or billionaires. Follow bloggers like Steve Schmidt and Rick Wilson, and podcasts like Stay Tuned with Preet Bharara — who recently had Susan Rice on his program.

Support candidates and politicians like Dan Goldman who are pissed off at the weak-kneed politicians and newscasters being instructed by the likes of fake journalist Bari Weiss as to what we are allowed to digest — having destroyed “60 Minutes” — and will wind up with worthless stock in their portfolio. Don’t bother tuning in to TV stations that frame your information for you or listen to pedophile politicians who support genocide induced real estate deals, like the re-development of Gaza.

Orwell never imagined how Epstein and his cohorts, the Oligarchs, make him now seem like an optimist. But Goebbels knew. We’ve been ignoring what’s right in front of our faces for years. But MAGA knew. before realizing that Epstein wasn’t a hoax after all — they were originally right to their chagrin. Even my rich, corrupt landlord knew this since he was operating an Epstein-style sex-trafficking operation out of the building where I live. Even local NYC government before Mamdani — the D.A., HPD, Buildings Department, and Mayor — knew but ignored that young european teenage girls were being raped and prostituted — for fun and profit and like the Epstein “hoax” no politicians did anything about it.

“Forgive your enemies but remember their names.“

— John F. Kennedy

While all of this Epstein shit is swirling stupid shit is still going on — like the petty action of the government in removing the flag commemorating the Stonewall rebellion in Greenwich Village. But what is now spilling out raises some interesting questions.

While you cogitate upon the fact that it was recently reported that Epstein ordered huge amounts of sulphuric acid to be delivered to his fantasy island where he took little girls and invited politicians for R & R. You have to wonder what has been going on. Like sulphuric acid in large quantities belongs on an episode of The Sopranos. He was getting rid of the remains.

So, aside from several politicians in Europe and here, among Lutnick, Bannon, Trump and one of our very own former Mayors — I’ve been re-evaluating my own prosecution in the Hamptons. For example, the players in my case were D.A. Spota, Deputy DA Constant, David Betts, Patrick Heaney, Joseph Lombardo, Michael Sendlenski, Josef Miceli, Christopher McPartland and Cheryl Kraft. These were people who were forerunners in attacking immigrants and needed to shut me up for exposing their corruption. In fact, though, the Gilgo Beach murders were underage prostitutes buried on Gilgo Beach. But It took Spota a decade to make progress (before he went to prison) — including the three years that he delayed corruptly prosecuting me to fuck the journalist. Me.

Why? The easy answer is that he was using the time to extort money from Steve Levy who was running for governor. His only interest was money. Or was it?

But, let’s look at his buddy James Burke (a sexual predator), the killer cop who Spota protected to the point of being prosecuted himself. When Burke was arrested he had drugs and porn in his car — described by a few cops as snuff films and underage prostitute home videos. So, was Spota involved or protecting a killer cop who was also a pedophile like Epstein’s bunch? Was it a much larger extortion/sex operation? Were the bodies discovered of ALL of the missing young girls (and boys)? Or, was this a MUCH larger copy-cat operation which used Long Island instead of an offshore private island to disappear young girls and boys by a group of pedophile politicians?

After all, the current immigrant-killing national operation was first perfected by the Town of Southampton and the Code Enforcement fascists. Perhaps, with our government collapsing under the weight of lies, thievery, corruption, sexual attacks, misogyny and pedophilia — the prosecution of Gilgo Beach should be opened wider to investigate whether there were MANY more missing young underage girls and boys buried — or dissolved by evil politicians.

If we are a country being run by old white guys who are criminals and pedophiles we should remember their names and put them behind bars.

I did four years because I spoke and wrote the Truth. Let me tell you, those Black, Spanish and White biker guys in prison know how to treat pedophiles.

Former District Attorney Thomas Spota now out of prison.

“I love real estate”

— Donald Trump

One of the campaign issues that Mamdani championed was the protecting of rent-stabilized and rent-regulated apartments in New York City. It is a worthy cause. Of the roughly 2.3 million apartments 960,000 are rent-stabilized and 16,000 are rent-controlled (down from over one million) apartments. About 229,000 are subsidized due to disability. NYCHA (Section 8) subsidizes about 90,000 families. Mitchell-Lama has about 46,000 families and there are about 174,000 public housing low income units. Affordable Housing is a rotating list of apartments that mostly is negotiated by Community Boards and politicians when developers are looking for city gifts in the form of regulation waivers (see NYCHDC). Buried among all of these numbers the value of the rental real estate is approximately $1.3 Trillion in Manhattan alone.

Think about these numbers and values when you think about Housing Court. Of the 10,000 evictions in 2025, 3000 were in Manhattan. There are 50 Judges handling 200,000 cases a year. There are dozens of law firms specializing in representing landlords. While only ten percent of tenants can afford representation. The “Right to Counsel” law is supposed to correct that. It’s bullshit. The judges rule for landlords and shit on tenants.

Your landlord starts a lawsuit against you for any of a number of real or trumped-up claims and, guess what? You’re on your own, baby! You are fucked even if you are a rent-stabilized tenant with so-called rights. They kept me in court for seven years and then got the case transferred to Supreme Court so it could continue with motions and legal maneuvers.

Now we get to the good part. I contacted Mamdani’s Deputy Mayor. The criminals operating my building basically emptied the place by doing the old TWO-STEP — Start an eviction for any reason; hire a law firm to harass the shit out of tenants; deprive the tenant of legally required work (good luck with HPD, Buildings Corruption Department, Community Board 2) and collect RENT while suing the poor fucker who also has to PAY AN ATTORNEY up to $700 an hour.

So I wrote to the new mayor, who I like, with the following letter:

---

Leila Bozorg, Dep. Mayor

City Hall

Madam,

As a rent-stabilized tenant, D.I.D. member, former CB2 member and a resident of Manhattan for over 80 years, like Noah Cross in Chinatown, “I still have a couple of teeth in my head and a few friends in town.”

I’ve recently finished my True Crime novel about a current New York City landlord and his family that has been abusing and harassing tenants out of their apartments with the help of the City and courts for decades. You may find it enlightening. The blatant corruption makes Glenn Gary Glenross seem quaint, by comparison. I’ll send along Vol. 1 if you think you’d like to read it.

It’s a tragi-comedy that is ongoing.

Sincerely,
Donald Clark MacPherson

---

–

I even left out the fact that my landlord had allowed a sex trafficking operation in the building, arranged for tenants to threaten each other, deprived disabled and elderly tenants from having front door keys, and recently evicted the head of the Tenant Organization as retaliatiom.

So, what was the response from the Mayor’s Office?

Zero. Nada, Nothing. Not a Nooch!

My request for walls in my apartment has been ignored– since the landlord forced me to remove any privacy owing to the fact that he (they) have successfully evicted 95 percent of the rent-stabilized apartments in my building with the help of the courts — ignore A.D.A. requirements and abuse senior and disabled tenants. I myself had to defend against a bullshit eviction case costing $750,000. I now live with plastic Legos for walls, constant drilling to repair our dilapidated structure, Zero security — and managed by a criminal enterprise collecting up to $10,000 per month from unsuspecting apartment searchers. Free rental income from this stolen real estate funds tenant abuse that has been going on for decades.

I’ve not heard anything from the City Council, the Mayor, Buildings Department, District Attorney, Department of Investigation, U.S. Attorney, or any of several law firms — all of whom realize that the current owner stole the building and can afford any litigation he and his associate wants to engage in.

This is the unchecked state of Manhattan real estate rentals.

–

“The planet is fine. The people are fucked.”

— George Carlin

I was sent to prison for exposing DA Thomas Spota, Joseph Lombardo, Patrick Heaney, David Betts, James Burke and Thalia Stavrides in the Hamptons — writing about corruption, con artists, thieves, killers, drug dealers, liars, pedophiles, rapists, racists and misogynists. Aside from my landlord Mark Ramer and his partners, I named politicians for their crimes. Those IN prison were much less of a concern. There, the rapists and pedophiles were often killed. Inmates who are never getting out don’t care about lawyers, pardons, explanations or “sorry..” Your rape a 13 year old, you’re dead motherfucker! Whether the Latin Kings Major sanctioned it or a biker got the go-ahead from Rebel, the Sergeant-at-Arms, it was going to happen on the walkway or Mess Hall. No one saw it — even if they did.

Prison Justice is swift and unforgiving but most of the time the sentence meets the crime. None of this legalistic bullshit where the details get sidestepped and legalistically danced around. If you groom and manipulate a child, you deserve to be fucked up the ass and then killed. End of story, fucker! We need more of that no matter who you are!

My landlord thought he was cute too. A model agency was rented an apartment from landlord Ramer and associates Saperstein and Rivera. The model agency imported 13, 14, and 15 year old Eastern european girls who shared an apartment. Another tenant, George Bogart, thought he had a great idea, since he’d been allowed to rent several apartments, one of which sublet beds to these underage “models” as he sold them coke and invited the landlord and other associates over for “visits.” It was a sex trafficking operation permitting one tenant to operate three apartments as the landlord took advantage of Luxury decontrol to rid themselves of all of those other pesky rent-regulated tenants using the courts and expensive lawyers. Tenant George provided a whore house of children with the cooperation of the landlord, Community Board and its Chair Toby Bergman. I know because I told them and a few politicians about the rapist scam. They laughed and ignored me.

So we have a dance in which the country is run by pedophile rapists having convinced “America The Stupid” to support the Christian religionists who stand by and allow politicians to rape children, Epstein-style. They justify their hypocritical stupidity and racist beliefs by explaining their so-called “Vertical” committment following commands from above.

And, these sex criminals think Project 2025 and Christian Nationalists should be our future when they put pedophiles and rapists in office? Well, the Brown Shirts are already on the street doing their job, aren’t they?

“Anything can happen to anyone at any time.”

— The Big Short

I remember being played in prison. The D.A. who had prosecuted me for writing about the corruption in his office, known as a “criminal enterprise” after they finally got him for a variation on thievery – you know, like what we see every day in the White House?

The guy who was playing me was from Senegal and had a great rap. Apparently, according to him, diamonds and small pieces of gold lay on the ground calling out to be picked up. When I finally got the gist of what he wanted from me it was simple. He’d supply the diamonds and have them installed in cheap watches. All I had to do was get them through Customs. I said I’d think about — so I didn’t get a sudden razor slice across my throat. He was in for murder.

I’ve been getting those feelings as I waltze down Canal Street lately where there isn’t much room for pedestrians who aren’t shopping for expensive knock-offs, handbags, wallets and Rolex watches. I wanted a Rolex which ranged in price from $40 to $120 depending upon how well I was dressed and whether I looked like a cop.

Apparently, D.O.T is clueless about the wisdom of widening the sidewalks for these entrepeneurs but the Katzenjammer kids neve were exactly brilliant — even when they worked for Bloomberg and got their degree from Harvard. After all, they don ‘t shop on Canal Street. No one from around here does either since residents know it’s all shit.

What’s new though, is where these characters sleep and shop and store their goods.

That would be the Canal Street Post Office, folks. The new homeless contingent and napping location — where they take a time-out, jabber in some other language, and hide stuff — is where the Post Office boxes are located at the Canal Street Station — you know, where civility died 50 years ago.

Be forwarned. Safety is in numbers. But not. necessarily for you.

“Fuck you, pay me!”

— Henry Hill describing Paulie’s attitude in Goodfellas.

The new shopping plan from our dear leaders in the DOT where widening the sidewalks to accommodate shoppers (buying from African immigrant sidewalk “shopkeepers”) is what we deserve on Canal Street, right?

Well, at least, that’s what we’re going to get.

As it is, residents who hope to reach their bank or a real shop unmolested past the jolly immigrants who gleefully escort SoHo shoppers through the crowds — you MAY avoid being attacked. So, let’s narrow the street so that traffic will be “unmoved” and make room for chaos. After all, aside from Christopher Marte, what politician gives a shit about SoHo? Unless — as we choke on bikes, bike racks, bike lanes and delivery lunatics — supported by Trinity, the Hudson Square BID, the SoHo BID, Transportation Alternatives or the real estate developers — there’s a bribe involved.

Keeping the holidays bright

Gold Rolexes and handbags from Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Dior on Canal

An bundance of shopping delights in SoHo

New inventory arrives daily from the fashion capitols of the world.

Tiffany’s on wheels

A Moveable Feast

What Affordability Crisis? Shopping at SoHo’s finest Boutiques.

Bringing in latest fashion selections from Paris

“Insanity is contagious.”
― Joseph Heller

Having worked as a therapist in a NY State psychiatric hospital decades ago and treated mentally ill clients whose psychopathology ranged from schizophrenia to drug addiction, I was not please that a profit-making organization was planning on taking away my ticket to ride. After all, I’d spent years in classes, interning in the South Bronx during the Fort Apache days when gangs ruled the streets — Tom Wolfe had not yet interviewed judges wearing revolvers beneath their robes in the court — before he published Bonfire of the Vanities.

In a move that made my MSW insufficient to treat psychiatric illness — after the team psychiatrist hung himself and left the therapists to prescribe everything from Haldol to Valium — the State allowed a company called ASWB (Assoiation of Social Work Boards) to run the whole show.

Harold Dean and Dwight Hymans now run ASWB and here’s their raison d’etre:

“The organization was incorporated in 1979 as the American Association of State Social Work Boards (AASSWB). The primary intent was to establish an independent association of regulatory bodies to develop an effective, standardized examination to measure minimum competency for entry-level social work practitioners, thereby protecting the public. This was done to avoid a conflict of interest that existed when the professional association (NASW) was administering the exams. The ASWB is a nonprofit organization composed of the social work regulatory boards and colleges of all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia.

Can you believe that horsewhit? Non-profit, you say? Well, let me tell you a little story. I’ve paid three times to take the fucking LMSW exam –so I can work at a job I already did decades ago. Otherwise, I can’t wotk at all. I’m disabled and a senior. Supposedly, ASWB will arrange to accommodate me. Not so. It’s all PR — bullshit. In fact, I’ve paid to take the exam three times and no accommodations were ever offered. And, they were nasty about it. Keep in mind that i’m now out about a thousand dollars and still can’t work — even though ASWB took away my ability to work and contribute to the massive mental health crisis in America, not to mention New York City. And ASWB won’t return my money.

The passing rate for certain groups is abysmal, as well. Would it surprise you that Latinos do well but that old white guys do not do well. Perhaps, taking a test after study hall from fifty years ago isn’t a good predictor of success — nor does a multiple choice test determine how good a therapist you are.

Listen, I did 4 years for a put up job after criticizing the corrupt Suffolk County D.A. who prosecuted me for Grand Larceny — so I understand theft! I wasa ripped off by ASWB!

Here in New York we have rising drug addiction and PTSD;

A rising suicide rate;

An abusive, sick, tyrannically racist government looking to destroy our civil rights, income, health, insurance and freedoms. Stalin was a pussycat compared to the lying fascists we have to put up with.

The destruction of support systems;

And two middle-aged white guys in charge of the psychotherapy/social work profession?

Those of you in Albany who have been sitting on a bill approved by the NY City Council since this past January are holding up a bill to grant LMSW status to masters degree mental health workers. What the fuck are you waitng for?

Pass it now! And let’s get to work!

As my AI assistant describes thelegislation:

“Push to pass New York legislation, specifically S988 (2025-2026 session) and its Assembly counterpart A5291, to repeal the mandatory exam for Licensed Master Social Workers (LMSW), remove barriers, address workforce shortages, and promote equity by allowing direct licensure after an MSW from an accredited program. This “Social Work Workforce Act” would streamline entry, benefiting communities by getting more qualified social workers into schools and agencies faster.“

This is a move to help people — not a version of Project 2025 to destroy our mental health!

Just fucking do it!

“You’re either on the bus, or you’re off the bus.”

— Tom Wolfe

Twenty years ago I was a member of Community Board Two. I was assigned to Traffic & Transportation committee. The DOT sent a few of Bloomberg’s Harvard boys to the meeting to describe the changes that would be implemented in SoHo, the Village, and Tribeca. There was a lot of eye-rolling and nods as they went through the proposal. The only question that mattered, like the new scam called Congestion Pricing, was how will the disabled, seniors, parents with baby carriages — be able to cross the street without being hit by marauding Jerseyites or other-worldly travelers.

The guarantee was emphatic. There would be more Traffic Agents. The streets, street-corners, crosswalks — would be monitored and pedestrians of all persuasions would be protected.

That was before the bike lanes, half of SoHo being dedicated to Lyft, Inc., Citibike, Citibank — owned bike stanchions and bikes taking up close to half of the parking that Transportation Associates prefers to allocate to not-autos. Including those spaces that the disabled and seniors used in order to get into a taxi 0r private vehicle. But they only give a shit about collecting membership fees and controlling downtown politicians — including people like Deborah Glick, shortly to collect a nice pension, compliments of us and the Village people. Fuck SoHo is the new Democratic Maga slogan.

Then we have the fact that a few Traffic Agents were hired — and are forced to watch vehicles NOT pedestrians, whether disabled, old, or simply in a wheelchair, not to mention pushing a baby carriage — continue to block crosswalks.

Widen the sidewalks, narrow Canal street to one lane in each direction and sell more fake Rolexes. Imagine! The massive traffic jam on Canal Street with two less lanes!

Are you fucking kidding? Oh, and by the way, none of the Traffic Agents are permitted to ticket.

Do something! Write letters to DOT, the Mayor, City Council, inundate them!

Dear Neighbor, We desperately need you to stop the cockamamie proposal by the Department of Transportation (DOT) to shrink traffic lanes in each direction on Canal Street from three lanes down to two by widening the sidewalks, as well as other ill-advised plans.  How can you stop this? DOT wants your opinion and feedback. View the proposal here and complete the online survey. Answer the questions and let DOT know directly what you think of their wasteful and senseless boondoggle. Residents United Against DOT Scheme                Last Wednesday over 100 people plus 75 more on Zoom attended a public forum on the matter. Most people were not pleased. Many were outraged. Residents from all over Downtown – the Lower East Side, the Bowery corridor, Chinatown, Little Italy, TriBeCa and SoHo – joined together in their opposition to the scheme.  Ostensibly floated as a safety measure, in reality eliminating two traffic lanes will only provide yet more free space for unlicensed peddlers to sell their counterfeit goods to obliging tourists.  Not to mention the inevitable increased congestion on that often gridlocked thoroughfare. In response to residents’ fears that sidewalk expansion will only serve to invite more unlicensed peddlers, DOT disingenuously responded that enforcement would solve that, ignoring the fact that 25 years of “enforcement” has only seen the problem worsen. Grand Street residents also objected to a proposal to construct a two-way bike lane there.  They argued that Grand Street is among the narrowest in the city, only eight feet wide, and that pedestrians are often forced to walk in the street to avoid bumping into each other on the sidewalk. If an additional bike lane is added, where will pedestrians go? DOT had no answer. Lack of forethought was further evident regarding the proposal to eliminate left turns for eastbound Canal Street traffic at both West Broadway and Greene Street.  That proposal means eastbound vehicles would have to travel all the way over to Centre Street – almost half a mile – to turn north and then loop back to enter central SoHo, further congesting and polluting our streets.  To be fair, there were a couple of sensible proposals in the slew of foolish ones — for instance: new, painted crosswalks, as well as curb extensions at intersections to reduce crossing distances for pedestrians.  The DOT spokesperson said that their proposals were not set in stone, more a work in progress, and wanted to hear residents’ feedback via their survey. However, the first phase of this proposal is set to begin July 2026. What Can You Do To Stop This? Let DOT hear from you! Answer the survey and let DOT know you oppose its silly scheme. Send the link to your friends and neighbors. To stop this boondoggle, we must make DOT realize that we know what is best for our community, not them. PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL Sincerely, Sean Sweeney DirectorSoHo AllianceA Volunteer Community AssociationPO Box 429 New York, NY 10012212-353-8466info@sohoalliance.orgsohoalliance.org

Above: Citibike Residential Madness Below: Madness on Canal Street/Broadway

‘It wasn’t about me.”

— Donald Trump

Okay, those of us who now think twice about leaving the house — not because there really are roving bands of criminals taking over Manhattan, or even SoHo (they’re not) — and not about drivers on the way to New Jersey who exit their cars to attack pedestrians annoyed that they can’t cross the street unmolested;

And, it’s wasn’t about the masked men who never knew the Lone Ranger because they weren’t old enough to remember him or Clarabel; those adults, so-called, who stop people on the street and disappear pedestrians — without indentifying themselves, showing badges, or explaining who they are; who have spawned a whole new class of lookalike ACTUAL criminals who’ve started to emulate the National Guard and ICE — the ersatz secret police — because it works;

Or, because Journalists now need permission to write articles afraid that they’ll be killed or litigated to death even if they do keep their jobs or figure out how to survive (as I have had to do) — assuming they don’t work for the new Right Wing T.V. stations like the new Ellison/CBS, a poor second to Fox nowadays, run by a fake con artist journalist who sold her opinion sheet to the fascists for $163 million;

Or, attending schools that pander to the Great White Gold One whose lack of taste, vulgarity and fealty to McCarthy’s supernova Roy Cohn and that vacuous misogynistic, homophobic, racist band of incels posing as Christians called The Heritage Group — a collection of old white men with perpetual rape fantasies;

So, aside from trying to transform America into a poorer version of the old Sovet Union and starving people like North Korea so that his friends enrich his family and their Billionaire supporters — he and they are people who have expanded their thievery from crypto bribes to real estate deals built on genocide.

But the vote wasn’t about that.

“Laws are spider webs through which the big flies pass and the little ones get caught.”
― Honore de Balzac

For those of you who’ve not had the pleasure of doing time, rejoice! I’m going to save you a trip. I pissed off DA Thomas Spota (which ultimately got him a prison sentence) with the collaboration and insistence of the former Supervisor of the Town of Southampton, “Skip” Patrick Heaney (who has not yet been imprisoned) and his Town Attorney friends, like Joseph Lombardo — as a result of my writing about corruption. They engineered what is known as a vindictive prosecution. They enlisted Thalia Stavrides, Emily Constant and a few other local criminally-inclined politicians to finish off the job. I did 4 years for the privilege of exposing them. They’ve all been sucking money from real estate along with multiple pensions at our expense with no-show jobs like Joey on the docks.

But, that’s old news.

The current crop of thieves in Southampton Town Hall who are sitting on more than $2 Billion in so-called Preservation Fund money stolen from New Yorkers isn’t even used for affordable housing. It’s used for political bribes. Affordable housing in the Town is now $600,000 townhouse for friends. Compliments of their developer buddies.

But the most corrupt Village in the Hamptons is Westhampton Beach — where, instead of affordable housing there are dozens of new townhouses with million dollar price tags and enabled by the Mayor (who is a real estate agent), appointing people for inside deals on zoning committees that rewards friends. Those who rock the boat are defamed by Anthony Pasca, the Village Attorney, who doubles as outside counsel for a major law fim. Suffolk County is so corrupt that the Bar Association won’t even investigate their members. Seniors and the disabled are treated like shit. In Westhampton Beach, like the Town of Southampton under former Supervisor Heaney and now Maria Moore, you must pay to play. Or, like a MAGA enemy, be prosecuted.

So here’s a view from prison, where many of those Southampton and Westhampton Beach criminals — meaning the politicians — have a reputation and are well-known.

______________________________________________________________________________

“What’s it like?” 

“Whaddaya mean?” he said.

“Parole. What’s it like at 40th street?”

“It ain’t too bad. There’s about 50 officers and about 15 a them are dicks. The rest are okay. Some don’t give a shit what you do, some just tellya, ‘Stay outta trouble an’ I won’ violate ya,’ an’ othas, they jes come visit once in a while. But, the 15 are lookin’ ta fuck ya.”

“Like how?”

“Well, one guy named Cruz likes to fuck with guys. He tells ’em ‘I have a Ph.D. and if you fuck with me I’m gonna violate ya,’ an’ he likes to play games to show you he’s boss.”

“That’s nice,” I said sarcastically, as they turned around and around, speed walking in the snow.

“Yeah, he’s a little fucked up. But, mostly, if you sit in the waitin’ room and never talk — like I bring a book, an’ don’ argue or disagree with them, take all the programs they wancha ta take — you won’ have any problem.”

“What programs are you talking about?”

“Well, like A.R.T or a Drug or Alcohol program.”

“You mean you have to take a drug program even if you took one here?”

“Oh, yeah, s’pecially if you took ASAT here. That means you hadda drug problem if you tookit here.”

“Well, wait a minute. I volunteered to take ASAT just to be eligible for Merit Board. Does that mean I’d have to take another program? I never took drugs or abused alcohol.”

“Oh, probly. Lissen, this is about them gettin money an’ makin’ money fa those programs. They don’ really give a shit about you. So, they make ya take these programs and den they get reimbursed from Medicaid. It’s all about the money. Why do you think they get you qualified for Medicaid? It ain’t ta help you. It’s for them to get the money and then they require you to take these programs.”

“So, in other words, I took ASAT to qualify for Merit Board and volunteered to take it — and they got Federal money and State money for that -­ and then, even though I told them I was taking it to get some background knowledge about drugs and alcohol, they’re going to make me take another drug and alcohol program to help me with a problem I don’t have or never had?”

“Probly.”

“Jesus, what a scam.”

“Yeah, an’ you betta take it or they’ll violate ya an’ sen’ you back to prison.”

He laughed as they rounded the blacktop, snow swirling in their faces. “Yeah, alladat’s right. But, you can’t tell’em that.”

“Why not?” I said, looking at him. Shades of D.A. Spota and the Town of Southampton’s corrupt politicians.

“Because if you tell them that they’ll think you’re trying to get out of taking the program. If you go to the program and tell them you don’t have a problem they’ll report you to the Parole Officer and he could violate you and send you back to prison for refusing a program.” 

I was beginning to appreciate Yossarian’s plight. This was a real life Catch-22.

“So, I should lie about using drugs or alcohol?”

“Well,…uh, maybe, I guess. It’s all about money, man.”

“So, how’s it in your dorm now? I’d heard that they had a guy who was 78 when he came in. Was that your dorm?”

“Yeah, that’s me. Yeah, he came in and did two years.” 

“We have a lot of guys in their 70’s and one guy in his 80’s. He’s got dementia though. Doesn’t even know where he is at Count.  So, he doesn’t get up on time and they give him tickets for it. He should be in a nursing home.

“Are you serious?”

“Oh, yeah, he lit the pilot light on his stove and it went out. Blew up and the building he lived in burned down. They said he shouldna have lit the pilot light himself.” 

“So they prosecuted him?”

“Yeah, they gave him 7 years for that. He’s just old. Like some of the other guys in my dorm. But, a few a them are from Suffolk County on Long Island. Dey prosecute anyone, no matter how old you are or whether you’re guilty of anything or not. It’s all about numbers fa dem — and gettin’ the prosecution numbers high so dey can get money from the State. Din’ you write about ‘em? Half a dese guys in my dorm can’ walk widout someone helpin’ ‘em — an’ some a dem don’t even know where dey are. It’s a fuckin’ shame.  

The political push to get seniors out of prison, especially those whose “crimes” sounded more like the mistakes made by Seniors who lived alone or whose families couldn’t afford assisted-living facilities, was a massive State fraud. 

Especially, if you were prosecuted in the Hamptons.

“Lissen, I was in Riverhead Jail for almos’ three years, said Mike. I hadda learn how ta survive. I usta help otha white guys, cause ya know, it was mostly blacks an’ gangs, y’know 5 percentas, Bloods, Crips, an’ since I was a professional fighta, I helped’em. There was no cops in wid us. Just us behin’ the bars. The food cart usta come aroun’ an I noticed dat dis guy was tellin’ othas what ta do an’ given some people more food and some none at all. So, I took it over. We had a place where we could fight and settle shit. Cops din’ care. Dere was no supervision. Even inna showers, dey’s nothin. Guys fuckin’ inna steam. I jes looked the otha way. Dat was in 1991. By 1995 dat changed.”

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I know about Riverhead Jail. I was there twice as part of my little fiasco before being sent up to the Gulag. It was a shithole where a couple of guys hung themselves when I was there. It’s where the Hamptons D.A. first put white collar people like me.

Currently there is a Class-Action lawsuit started in 2009 against the Suffolk County Jails.

There will also be a Class-action lawuit against the Spota-era vindictive prosecution and all of the friends and associates who were involved in that will be brought to justice along with the fraudulent Conviction Integrity process by people who claim to be undoing Spota’s crimes.

In Suffolk County where money is the only God and the religion is the Mob.

Copyright 2025 Confessions from the Gulag