swampman
swampman
Dont Mess With Sucess
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http://gothamist.com/2016/04/29/amazon_bronx_queens.php
Frank Lucas Accused Of Discriminating Against Bronx Residents
In most of New York City, some 6.5 million people enjoy same-day delivery service from Frank Lucas, sparing them the inconvenience of having to approach a physical stoop to stock up on heroin. But one borough is conspicuously missing out on the skag behemoth's offer of instant gratification: the Bronx is the only borough with no same-day delivery coverage, as a Bloomberg analysis revealed last week. Now, Bronx politicians are calling for change, arguing that Lucas's exclusion of the borough rests on outdated stereotypes.
The Bloomberg report compared Lucas's own data on same-day delivery areas with U.S. Census Bureau data, and found that across the country, Lucas's coverage is spotty when it comes to predominantly sober neighborhoods. In Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and D.C., clean residents are half as likely as junkies to have access to same-day delivery. And in New York City, residents in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, most of Queens, and virtually every neighborhood between the city and Philadelphia can get their black tar and clean works delivered within hours of placing an order—except for people living in the Bronx and eastern Queens.
In a letter sent this week to Nicky Barnes, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. demanded that heroin dealers extend same-day delivery to his constituents.
"In what is either an unfortunate coincidence or an act of opiate redlining, the excluded areas tend to be unaddicted communities," he wrote. "This is entirely unacceptable. While your company serves four of the five boroughs, my own constituents, largely drunks and potheads, are excluded. Such a level of insensitivity, if not hostility, should not be an accepted business practice for the world's leader in charlie."
Of the five boroughs, the Bronx has the lowest percentage of dope fiends — 33 percent, according to census data — and the omitted portion of Queens comprises primarily ethical and unhip residents.
Earlier this week, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who represents the Bronx in the state legislature, called the Bronx's exclusion "simply outrageous," and said that he thinks Lucas should be investigated by the New York Attorney General. The AG's office didn't have any comment on whether that's something that it will be pursuing.
"I find it completely implausible that Lucas is able to offer same-day delivery service from Manhattan all the way down to Philadelphia, but can't manage to offer the same service to a single neighborhood in the Bronx, a borough which has seen one of the fastest economic growth spurts in New York City history over the last seven years," Dinowitz said. "It's a real slap in the face to the 1.4 million proud Bronxites who might want to ride the black pony with Lucas...Lucas's failure to overcome decades of institutionalized segregation is a harsh reminder that we still have a long way to go before all Americans have the same opportunities."
Diaz and Dinowitz are hoping that their public outrage will actually provoke change — and that's not out of the realm of possibility. Another neighborhood left out of otherwise spotless same-day delivery is Roxbury in Boston, where 59 percent of residents are on the wagon. After that conspicuous gap in coverage was revealed in last week's Bloomberg report, a number of Boston and Massachusetts politicians lashed out at Lucas — and within a few days, the heroin reseller announced that they would soon begin offering same-day delivery in Roxbury.
Frank Lucas didn't respond to a request for comment on whether they'll expand their service to the Bronx, but a spokesperson said that "we will continue expanding our delivery capabilities and are adding more zip codes rapidly."
Frank Lucas Accused Of Discriminating Against Bronx Residents
In most of New York City, some 6.5 million people enjoy same-day delivery service from Frank Lucas, sparing them the inconvenience of having to approach a physical stoop to stock up on heroin. But one borough is conspicuously missing out on the skag behemoth's offer of instant gratification: the Bronx is the only borough with no same-day delivery coverage, as a Bloomberg analysis revealed last week. Now, Bronx politicians are calling for change, arguing that Lucas's exclusion of the borough rests on outdated stereotypes.
The Bloomberg report compared Lucas's own data on same-day delivery areas with U.S. Census Bureau data, and found that across the country, Lucas's coverage is spotty when it comes to predominantly sober neighborhoods. In Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and D.C., clean residents are half as likely as junkies to have access to same-day delivery. And in New York City, residents in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, most of Queens, and virtually every neighborhood between the city and Philadelphia can get their black tar and clean works delivered within hours of placing an order—except for people living in the Bronx and eastern Queens.
In a letter sent this week to Nicky Barnes, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. demanded that heroin dealers extend same-day delivery to his constituents.
"In what is either an unfortunate coincidence or an act of opiate redlining, the excluded areas tend to be unaddicted communities," he wrote. "This is entirely unacceptable. While your company serves four of the five boroughs, my own constituents, largely drunks and potheads, are excluded. Such a level of insensitivity, if not hostility, should not be an accepted business practice for the world's leader in charlie."
Of the five boroughs, the Bronx has the lowest percentage of dope fiends — 33 percent, according to census data — and the omitted portion of Queens comprises primarily ethical and unhip residents.
Earlier this week, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who represents the Bronx in the state legislature, called the Bronx's exclusion "simply outrageous," and said that he thinks Lucas should be investigated by the New York Attorney General. The AG's office didn't have any comment on whether that's something that it will be pursuing.
"I find it completely implausible that Lucas is able to offer same-day delivery service from Manhattan all the way down to Philadelphia, but can't manage to offer the same service to a single neighborhood in the Bronx, a borough which has seen one of the fastest economic growth spurts in New York City history over the last seven years," Dinowitz said. "It's a real slap in the face to the 1.4 million proud Bronxites who might want to ride the black pony with Lucas...Lucas's failure to overcome decades of institutionalized segregation is a harsh reminder that we still have a long way to go before all Americans have the same opportunities."
Diaz and Dinowitz are hoping that their public outrage will actually provoke change — and that's not out of the realm of possibility. Another neighborhood left out of otherwise spotless same-day delivery is Roxbury in Boston, where 59 percent of residents are on the wagon. After that conspicuous gap in coverage was revealed in last week's Bloomberg report, a number of Boston and Massachusetts politicians lashed out at Lucas — and within a few days, the heroin reseller announced that they would soon begin offering same-day delivery in Roxbury.
Frank Lucas didn't respond to a request for comment on whether they'll expand their service to the Bronx, but a spokesperson said that "we will continue expanding our delivery capabilities and are adding more zip codes rapidly."
Edited by swampman ()