seniors

Coney Island’s picturesque diversity hides a deep political fracture.

The district’s 22,000 Eastern Europeans and 16,000 thousand African Americans live side by side in peace. But on Election Day, Coney Island was divided.

In the eastern half of the district, a 63-year-old Russian immigrant, Rita – she didn’t want give her last name – said she was “horrified” at the prospect of a Barack Obama victory.

In the western end, an 18-year-old African American, Britney Thornton, said that if McCain wins, “we’re all going to die.”

The Eastern Europeans, most of who fled communism, react with hostility to anything that even faintly reminds them of home.

“Obama is the Soviet rule,” said Emma Kriklivaya, a 72-year-old home attendant from Ukraine. “He is a socialist. He will bring this country to what? I ask you.”

“To terror!” someone else’s voice chimed in from the back.

A District Divided

On Election Day, the Shorefront Y at the Boardwalk was filled with elderly faces. Time and time again, voters came in with the aid of walkers, attendants and motorized wheelchairs. Many of them were Jewish and had heard the ads that called Obama a Muslim.

“Main reason why I voted for McCain?” said Vladimir, a 76-year-old retiree. “He lowers taxes. He is more pro-Israel. All in all, he is a more experienced person.”

According to the Research Institute for New Americans, an immigrant study center, 65 percent of New York City Russians favor McCain, compared to only 10 percent for Obama.

Not everyone east of Ocean Parkway thinks this way. Younger voters tend to favor Obama regardless of ethnic background. But in a district where 45 percent of all residents are older than 44, the youth vote is of limited importance.

Across the neighborhood, the African-American and Caribbean communities supported Obama as passionately as the Russians opposed him.

Citizens of all ages lined up to Public School 288’s tidy gate. Many of them looked young enough to be voting for the very first time, but they were just as worried as their elders.

“If McCain wins, we’re going to have four more years of Bush,” said Von Tucker, 22, who works in Radio Shack. It was his first time in a polling booth.

Older folks gave a more temperate reply.

“I believe in [Obama] more. I honestly believe that he will help others,” said Leslie Jeanette, a 41-year-old hospital employee.

Problematic Past, A Hopeful Future

No one mentioned McCain’s supporters directly, but the feeling of distrust simmers among Coney Island’s black community. In September, a community board meeting broke down into a screaming match over plans for a drug rehab center serving Eastern Europeans in Western Coney Island. And some are still sore about the influx of wealthy Russians driving up property costs, making much of Brighton Beach unaffordable for low-income families.

“Obama will create jobs for black people,” said Celeste Moore, a 51-year-old security guard.

Both sides turned out en masse to support their candidate. Musya Naumova, an immigrant from St. Petersburg, Russia, said that she hadn’t seen such turnout in her five years of working New York City polls.

“I know most people by face,” Naumova said. “But many of these guys, they’re new. They’re voting for the first time.”

She glanced around at the lines of black people waiting to cast their ballot.

“Their man – for president? It’s historical,” she continued. “But the Russians are scared.”

According to Naumova, Russians feared that a Democratic win might increase crime in the area, especially against whites.

But doesn’t most of Coney Island as a whole lean Democratic? Naumova shook her head.

“Fear is stronger than party affiliation.”

A small group of union-backed protesters railed against labor and living conditions at one of the nation’s largest senior care providers’ facilities Feb. 27 on the Upper West Side.

The company, in turn, accused protest organizers of waging a publicity stunt to collect more union dues.

Standing outside Atria Senior Living on West 86th Street, between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive, eight protesters wore SEIU stickers and called for unionizing service workers at all 23 New York Atria homes.

Union Effort Stymied

Rabbi Michael Feinberg, a community activist, held up an anti-union flier Atria purportedly distributed to its workers.

“This filer says nothing about the fact that it’s their democratic right to improve their workplace situation, to improve care for residents,” Feinberg said.

Protest organizer Daniel May charged that in recent years Atria has increased rent, made medication mistakes, locked-in patients and otherwise neglected its senior population. Atria should “begin to sit down with workers and talk about how they can address providing adequate staffing, adequate training to make sure the residents get what they need,” he said.

‘Half Truths’

An Atria spokeswoman countered that the company, which provides residential services to more than 13,000 senior in 27 states, is the victim of an ongoing smear campaign by the powerful Service Employees International Union.

“The SEIU’s press release and protest are part of an ongoing corporate attack campaign to tarnish Atria’s reputation and get more members and dues money,” said Amy Risley, the spokeswoman. “The SEIU continues to lose credibility by attacking our company with distorted claims and half-truths.”

While the SEIU forces picketted, Susan MacArevey spoke about her mother’s death at an Atria care facility in Albany.

Her mother hit her head after suffering a heat attack and stumbled around, said MacArevey, who traveled from Wisconsin to attend the protest. A family member discovered the body the next day, MacArevey added.

One Woman’s Story

No one had checked on her mother that night, she said. Only one worker had been assigned to look after approximately 134 residents all night, she said.

Atria confirmed that MacArevey’s mother was a long-time resident at Atria Shaker in Albany but refused comment on her case.

Since May 2007, SEIU has continuously campaigned against Atria care facilities nationwide, including a Jan. 28 protest at one Davis, CA center over rising rent costs.

On March 4, SEIU plans a protest outside of Rockefeller Center against Lazard, Ltd., the investment firm that is affiliated with Atria’s private owners.

Linnea Covington and Daniel Macht contributed reporting