Sunday, August 8, 2010

Investigating Violations in the Big Apple

By Imani Watson (Chicago, IL)

New York City is definitely one of the most phenomenal cities in the world! On Wednesday, SJP traveled to the Big Apple to crack down on car idlers. There is a law in New York City that does not allow cars to run their engines for more than three minutes if they're parked on the street. We timed a few idling cars and once their time exceeded three minutes, we went in for the kill (figuratively, of course).
 
I don't know about other SJPers, but I wasn't exactly fond of the idea of going up to random cars and asking the drivers whether or not they were familiar with the NYC law. Sure, I was nervous, but this was one of those scenarios where I had to fake it 'til I made it.
 
After the first few interviews, it was a breeze. Not everyone was responsive -- one New York City transit worker told us to go away before we could even introduce ourselves. Not everyone you interview will respond, but some will … and that’s what matters. Collectively, we got a lot of good quotes and stories from people that did cooperate with us. Investigative stories can be nerve-racking, but it's worth it in the end when the truth is revealed.

1 comment:

  1. Nice piece of work. As your next task, please investigate idling vehicles on campus. Problem points include the loading dock at Prospect House, where, typically, two or more delivery trucks idle, often for more than 30 minutes at a time.

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