When government invokes the word “emergency,” normal process changes. Timelines accelerate. Environmental review can narrow. Procurement pathways can shift. Public participation can compress. The word carries weight because it is designed for moments when delay risks harm. On July 8, 2024, an emergency demolition order was issued for the Roosevelt Island Steam Plant. That fact alone is not controversial. Buildings age. Infrastructure deteriorates. Safety matters. But emergency authority is reserved for imminent danger. It is meant for collapse risk, structural instability, fire damage, conditions that require immediate stabilization to protect life.
The Timeline and the TensionNearly two years have passed. In that time, there has been no publicly produced forensic structural report demonstrating imminent collapse. No detailed engineering assessment with measurements, load analysis, mortar testing, or steel evaluation has been shared with the community. What residents have seen instead is oil tank removal, soil disturbance, and an open DEC spill case involving No. 6 fuel oil affecting soil and groundwater. If a building posed imminent structural danger in July 2024, standard protocol would typically prioritize shoring and stabilization. Perimeters would be secured. Engineers would reinforce compromised elements. Immediate collapse risk would be addressed first. That sequence matters. The local Community Board recently voted unanimously to request that demolition be paused until sufficient documentation is reviewed. Community Boards do not have the authority to halt demolition. Their votes are advisory. But unanimity signals concern, especially when the question is not preservation for nostalgia’s sake, but documentation for public safety. Emergency authority is an extraordinary tool. It bypasses ordinary review precisely because time is presumed to be short. Which raises a simple question: if time was short, why has stabilization not been the visible priority? The public record so far does not include a detailed structural report supporting imminent collapse. Focused requests have been filed seeking clarity on when the term “emergency” first appeared in writing and what documentation supported its use. Those answers will matter.
Emergency Power and Long Term PlanningThis issue is not about opposing growth. It is not about freezing Roosevelt Island in time. It is about process. In a recent joint announcement extending the Roosevelt Island master lease, state and city officials described a future of continued investment and planning. The release stated: “The city and state will work together to plan for possible redevelopment of the defunct Roosevelt Island Steam Plant site, which is on land leased to the state. The steam plant previously provided heat to hospitals on the island but was decommissioned in 2014. The city’s demolition of the steam plant will commence shortly, facilitating potential redevelopment of the site.” In that same announcement, David Kramer, President of Hudson Companies, said:
Growth is not inherently controversial. Redevelopment is not inherently suspect. Investment in the island’s future is something many residents support. But when emergency authority and long term planning occupy the same physical geography, documentation becomes even more important. Residents deserve to know that the use of emergency power was grounded in detailed engineering evidence. They deserve to know that environmental risks are being addressed with full transparency. They deserve to know that process was followed before demolition became irreversible. A Call for ClarityRoosevelt Island was conceived as a planned community. Deliberation was built into its DNA. Emergency power is the exception, not the rule. If the documentation exists, it should withstand scrutiny. If it does not, that is not a preservation debate. It is a governance question. Community Board 8 has asked for a pause. It does not have the authority to impose one. Residents do have the authority to lend their names to a call for clarity. If you believe that emergency authority should be supported by transparent documentation before demolition proceeds further, you can add your name to the petition requesting a pause until full structural and environmental documentation is publicly reviewed.
The word emergency carries weight. So should the proof behind it. If one person came to mind while you were reading this, consider forwarding it to them. Subscribe for free to receive updates on new posts and support our work.
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Friday, 13 March 2026
Emergency Without Urgency
Upcoming Neurodiversity Events!
We have some seriously cool neurodiversity events this year. Here are two of them. Be sure to check them out and get your access to them. This month, it’s Neurodiversity Celebration Week, and in August it’s our 2nd annual Autistic Mental Health Conference! Click the link below and come check out these two awesome events! https://neurohubcommunity.org/2026/03/12/neurodiversity-events-march-2026/ You're currently a free subscriber to David Gray-Hammond. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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The Power of Staying Delusional
The Power of Staying DelusionalSometimes, the only way forward is to believe in a version of yourself that doesn't exist yet.
Would you believe me if I told you that being delusional is what got me this far? It got me through university. It got me through starting a company just months after graduating. It carried me through job application rejections, personal heartbreaks, uncertainties during the pandemic and the quiet panic that comes with building a life from literal scratch. The confidence I walked with—the audacity, even—came from it. So many of my friends have asked how I managed to survive everything I’ve been through, how I kept finding a way to remain calm despite being knocked down so many times. The answer is simple: I stayed delusional. Because sometimes, what we call “delusion” is just a refusal to accept the smallest version of ourselves. In my case, I refused to believe that I wouldn’t be okay. I refused to believe that this—this exhaustion, this waiting, this constant feeling of being behind—was the life I was destined to live forever. I refused to accept that I would always be standing on the sidelines, watching other people live the life I dreamed of, wondering when it would finally be my turn to feel that kind of self-satisfaction. So I chose to believe I could handle things long before I had proof. I believed I was capable before I felt ready. I believed I would be okay, even when nothing around me suggested that I would. On paper, that might sound irrational. But to me, it was survival. There’s a difference between destructive denial and strategic delusion.The first blatantly ignores reality. The second stretches it. One walks through life pretending that nothing is wrong, while the other moves forward with a quiet, “fake it till’ you make it” mentality. One says “nothing is wrong”. The other says, “No—I’m stronger than this”, even when you feel anything but. “Fake it till’ you make it” is such a common phrase, but I didn’t truly understand it until I was in law school. It happened when we were preparing for our first Mock Trials. We had to stand in a simulated courtroom and defend our cases in fictional scenarios. The judge that was going to sit for our trial, however, were very real. The reason for this, according to my professor, was to make us familiar with the pressure of a real courtroom. From the interruptions, the scrutiny to the unpredictability of it all. Public speaking alone already felt daunting to me. The thought of having my arguments challenged or interrupted made it even worse. The key, we were told, was to know the case inside out, stand confidently and never appear nervous. But we were still human. There are emotions you simply cannot switch off, especially when you’re doing something this intimidating. And at the time, I didn’t really have anyone I could confide into about that fear, someone who would genuinely understand it. I still remember one of my classmates raising her hand and asking the question that everyone else was too afraid to say out loud. “What if we can’t help feeling nervous? What if we forget our arguments on the spot?” Wouldn’t that be a nightmare? Our professor simply smirked. “Then fake it till’ you make it,” she said. “Pretend you know exactly what you’re talking about, even if you’re confusing everyone.” After all, she added, in a situation like that, it’s better to say something than to stand there in silence. And since then, I’ve taken that advice to heart. I learned to carry myself with confidence even when I felt anything but. Over time, the more I practiced that mindset, the more I began to believe it. “Say it with confidence, and people will start believing you.”
At first, it felt like an act. A performance. I was simply trying to survive moments that felt bigger than me. But something strange happens when you pretend long enough. The line between pretending and believing begins to blur. Little by little, the confidence stops being something you perform and starts becoming something you possess. Looking back now, I realize that this is what I mean when I say being “delusional” got me this far. It wasn’t about ignoring reality. It was about refusing to let reality define the limits of who I could become. Sometimes, the only way forward is to believe in a version of yourself that doesn’t exist yet. You walk into rooms you don’t feel qualified to be in. You speak with certainty when your hands are shaking. You keep going, even when the evidence around you suggests you should stop. That’s what strategic delusion really is. It’s the quiet decision to believe in your future self before the world gives you any proof that she’s real. Sincerely, Cherie. The Whiffler is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell The Whiffler that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments.
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Emergency Without Urgency
An emergency is not just a condition. It is a classification. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏...
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CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: AOM 2025 PDW ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ...
