I was given the opportunity Sunday night to speak with some of those injured in this accident.  I wish I could express their heartrending trauma.  I simply do not possess the eloquence.  But I can speak of one telling incident.

We are accustomed, by now, to the outrageous behavior of Jerome Blue and his staff.  I no longer expect professionalism, or even common courtesy, from anyone at RIOC.  But I will admit that even I have been surprised at the stony silence we residents have encountered on this matter.  The pink Tram notice with the unqualified statement that the Tram will be shut down indefinitely, the "helpful" list of alternative transportation, the unreturned phone calls, the unavailable appointments.

Inconveniently, Blue was previously scheduled to see a number of us the day following the accident on another matter.  When we arrived, he was gone.  Unreachable, according to his staff.

He's been unreachable, all right.  For eighteen months he's been unreachable.

He would love to use this incident to shut down the Tram for good, as he has been trying all along to do.  Perhaps someone who can reach him will explain to him that this is a State-run community, with hundreds of disabled people who are subsidized by the State to live here, and that he is required by law to provide them access to Manhattan if they receive medical attention there.  Many of them work or go to school.  Through the wisdom of the State, our subway stop does not provide full handicapped access.

Those of us who have lived here before Blue's reign remember that any shutdown of the Tram for whatever reason was accompanied by immediate provision of bus service to 59th Street and Second Avenue.  It took all week to convince Blue that it was necessary.

His response was to place calls after hours Friday night to the members of the Board of Directors, asking them to grant him permission to use the residents' Public Purpose Funds to provide the necessary bus service.  He did this with the full knowledge that the State of New York had already authorized emergency funds specifically for this purpose.  Read that sentence again.

Jerry Blue, during his tenure here, has made many, many mistakes.  If there is any justice, he has just made his last.

RIOC has put forth any number of direct lies during this difficult week.  By Friday's edition we shall address them in full.

There is one RIOC employee who has come out of this terrible incident a hero.  Everyone that was on that fateful Tram ride has nothing but praise for Elliot Isaac, the cabin attendant, who behaved with masterful calm and caring professionalism throughout.  Our community will be forever indebted to him.