When I tried to think of an exciting or controversial incident with law enforcement, nothing prominent came to mind. I do remember a rather odd incident from when I was about seven years old when my family still lived in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. From what I remember, it was evening time and my father was working the night shift. My siblings and I were at home with my mother doing homework when we heard a knock. It was the NYPD, and they were asking for a specific individual, whose name my mother did not recognize, nor could she remember when I asked her about this incident year later. She conveyed her confusion to the police with her limited communication skills. The officers asked if my mother was telling the truth, and asked if they could search just to be sure. The way my mother describes it, the officers were stern but polite, doing their best to not scare me and my siblings. The officers checked the rooms and once they were done they were on their way. Having immigrated quite recently, my family was uncertain of the rights that we were afforded. The officers did not present a warrant, and my mother did not ask for them to present one. This situation left my mother petrified. According to her, no clear explanation was given of why they were looking for this individual. Maybe a reason was given and was simply misunderstood. I wouldn’t view this encounter as either negative or positive, rather, it is reflective of the confusion that both my family and the country were facing after the September 11th attacks.
All posts by sadhrahamza
Shuttle Showtime
It was around 7 PM and my friends and I were on our way to see the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway for its 29th anniversary. We decided to take the shuttle from Grand Central to Times Square. This is when three children no older than the age of seven entered the train with empty paint buckets for a subway performance. They proceeded to drum on the buckets while singing a popular Ed Sheeran song for the 5-minute ride. Some passengers listened quietly, and some applauded when they finished. I like many others gave in to the cute performance and threw a dollar in their box. The reason why this moment is memorable is not that the children were extraordinary singers or percussionists, in reality, they were far from it. The fact that these children left their homes and decided to collect money with no adult supervision was astonishing. My friends felt empathetic towards these children, feeling a sense of pity that they were struggling to make money. In my eyes they seemed content, they were using their age and limited talents to make pocket money for the week. These children had captured the true New York entrepreneurial spirit at a very young age.
About Myself – Hamza Sadhra
I have very few memories of growing up in Sialkot, a city in the northeast part of Punjab, Pakistan. At five years old my family decided to move to the United States, joining my father who was already working in New York City. We moved to a diverse neighborhood, made up of Italian, Chinese, and newly immigrated South Asian immigrants, between Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights. I quickly became acquainted with NYC, taking frequent trips to Central Park and other must-see sights in Manhattan.
As I was about to start high school my family made a decision to make another move, this time out to the suburbs in Valley Stream. Unlike the majority of Long Island, the ethnic makeup of Valley Stream was similar to that of Brooklyn. We were once again surrounded by first and second generation immigrant families who, like us, were trying to escape the burdens of city life while still staying close to the city for work and school. Throughout high school, I enjoyed the life of a suburban teen, playing video games at my friend’s house just a couple blocks from my own, competing in sports when the weather permitted, all while being pushed by my parents to excel in academics. I quickly became involved in almost every club my small high school offered, captaining both the volleyball and tennis teams. This passion for sports continues today, where I play tennis for the Hunter College tennis team. When I’m not playing tennis, I major in Bioinformatics and minor in Public Policy at the Roosevelt House. I hope to someday work with immigrant populations in health care with the ultimate goal of obtaining a combined MD/MPH degree.
Living at Brookdale in Kips Bay as a college student, I enjoy having the opportunities to grow as a professional, with hospitals, laboratories, and countless internships. Another thing I like about the city is the easy access to south Asian food on curry hill when I’m missing home along with all of the other cuisines that are readily available. The third thing that I enjoy about NYC is the independence and privacy one is afforded if they seek it, but also the interconnectedness which is discussed a bit in E.B. White’s piece, “Here is New York”. When thinking of things that I don’t like about NYC, the first thing that comes to mind is the price of food. Having to pay over ten dollars for a decent meal proves to be a problem as a college student on a budget. The cost of transportation is understandable for a monthly subway pass, but the unreliability and the sheer number of people on my commute cause daily stress. A problem that I have also observed is the de facto segregation that exists throughout the boroughs. The existence of ethnic enclaves fights the diversity that could promote harmony and understanding amongst different people.
