Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/09/11/long-island-officials-to-cra.html
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That upcoming city council meeting is going to be fun to watch
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Ah - Coram & Meford. Not far from the Community College. The “Township” of Brookhaven covers a lot of actual towns - The University at Stony Brook is in there - about 500,000 people in the “Township”. Lived there at Port Jefferson & Poquott back in the day. Lot’s of variation between the different towns - from the rich on the North and South Shores (Old Field & parts of Fire Island) - to less economically blessed areas in the center or the island. Though my info isn’t current.
Waves to the old school.
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Yes. Let’s crack down on crackpipe vending machines, and not, like…addiction. /s
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I don’t get their approach here. They seem to have immediately announced their intent to “crack down” on these vending machines. Why not just stay quiet about it, put a plainclothes officer on patrol and wait for someone to come empty the quarters and restock? Seems like a much simpler solution than whatever investigation they have planned. Was this all in service of a few stupid jokes?
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By whom and why?
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As usual, Japan is way out ahead of us.
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Nah thats about the stretch of it. Center of the island north, south or east west is poorer and denser. Theres an old fashioned New England sort of municpal structure of towns within towns so you have the Township/Town–> Town/Hamlet–> Village. So its confusing. Some of the towns are huge and cover dozens of nested municipalities.
Coram and medford are pretty run down. But not the worst areas. Which is Brentwood, Town of Islip. Things are not as bad in the bad areas as they were a few decades ago. But the bifurcation has gotten even more stark. Some hamlets like Amityville you cross a highway and you’ve gone from million dollar homes to straight up slums.
Because this technically isn’t illegal. But it hit the news nationally so they need to make a show.
From what local news has said selling drug paraphenalia is illegal, but you have to have something more than crack pipes to indicate drug use is the intended purpose. Most of the delis around those areas sell crack pipes openly. For “tobacco”. So this amounts to a municipal violation for unlicensed vending machines.
So they opted to pull the machines immediately rather than wrap up a bunch of drug users in the hopes of handing a crack pipe magnate a municipal level fine.
The opium epidemic is hitting these areas hard, and meth is still a big issue in the poorest areas. Trump has been pointing to LI regularly and shouting about MS13 as his “response” to the opiod crisis (while not doing anything). So scruitiny of anything involving drugs on LI is high.
I dont think this would have been anything beyond a goofy regional story in any other environment. And I’m pretty sure this isnt the first time there have been crack pipe or needle vending machines in the area.
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But - it’s Long Island - isn’t everywhere the Hamptons?
My dad worked in Amityville when I was just a wee Kathlette.
According to Philadelphians I live within sight of the Brooklyn Bridge, I’m filthy rich, and I live next to Puff Daddy in a town call Montuck.
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That’s just what New Yawkers think of people living the the “sixth borough”. Dad’s from Brooklyn - Mom Queens.
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you have insulted me. As you have clearly modeled a Nassau county accent. Where as I am from Suffolk. Which is obviously the better county.
Now is the part of the conversation where I point out that Brooklyn and Queens are technically on Long Island because it is a geographical feature. Not a municipality.
Now if you will excuse me I am out of hair gel. And late for a sleaveless shirt convention at one of the 12 mediocre Italian restaurants in the area. So I must jump in my late model Jeep Wrangler with oversized wheels.
Stong Island, crushing beers, Salt-Life ™, go perpetually bad sports team.
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No - that was Philly - I’m from Suffolk. Though now in God’s country.
I was just having the Brooklyn & Queens discussion in the office yesterday. And had to remind folks that - yes it’s an Island - but it’s not exactly small.
I refer to it as the Isle of Long.
One of my brothers had a 4 wheel drive pickup with the ridiculously oversized wheels - and raised it up by hammering on the springs with a sledge hammer on an improvised anvil made of railroad ties & tracks. I was the idiot who held onto the end of the spring while he wailed away. Ouch!
Was amusing when he gave our grandmother a ride. But - great for the dunes.
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Oh. The philly accent is much more annoying than that.
Wudder.
Phyoooone.
There’s no Philly accent. 
So… People will just go buy little shitty flowers in glass vials from pretty much every liquor store anywhere?
Hint: They’re not buying little “silk” flowers for their sweeties!
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Or the out and out crack pipes openly sold at most of the deli’s, convenience stores, vape shops, greeting card stores and bodegas that dominate the landscape in that section of Long Island.
And I’m serious about that. A little box of glass tubes for “tobacco” use is almost always right next to the extensive selection of rolling papers and blunt wraps in these places. And its not unusual to see bongs and bowls too. Its apparently fairly hard to charge paraphenalia in NY state.
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