Violent streets of summer: 'City on Fire' audio stories bring rich Rochester vibe to life
"I have today's forecast for you ... HOT!!"
Spike Lee's classic movie "Do the Right Thing" drips summer and New York. The heat and violence are both almost their own characters in the film that struck American audiences like a bolt of June storm lightning in 1989.
In Rochester, reporter Rob Bell came back to the subject of heat and tempers and safety in the summer of 2023 — this time with an informed perspective of climate crisis-fueled change in the Northeast. Each spring, each summer, each September even — they all are getting incrementally hotter.
Bell wondered: How does that change what happens in the streets of cities like Rochester?
What does it mean for people down the socio-economic ladder who can't drive in new air-conditioned cars to a 68-degree-chilled professional office job and then back home where setting the thermostat lower doesn't mean cutting the grocery budget in half?
He worked with USA TODAY Network-Northeast visual director Sean Oates on an audio storytelling project called "City on Fire," based in Rochester but representative of what happens also in Wilmington, Yonkers, Worcester, Providence, Asbury Park and elsewhere. The podcast launches next week, Sept. 6.
Bell spent a month scouring Rochester for stories, speaking to about 20 people and consulting scientific research. Our warning: "City of Fire" contains some offensive language and sensitive topics that might not be suitable for all audiences.
Stories of heat and violence in the urban summer experience
Here are some of the things to look for in the Democrat and Chronicle in early September:
Stories for each episode of the "City on Fire" podcast, containing transcript pieces and visuals. The podcast will be available on all the usual listening platforms and USATODAY.com/podcasts starting Wednesday, Sept. 6.
An examination by Bell and reporter Madison Scott about the dangers that women face on the street in the summer.
Discussion of whether the media should use the term "Kia Boys," when talking about car thefts in New York and elsewhere, and what that communicates in over-policed neighborhoods that have traditionally been not covered well by mainstream journalists.
Scenes from North Clinton Avenue: an epicenter of violence where killings canceled the traditional parade that coincides with the 2023 Puerto Rican Festival.
A look by reporter Justin Murphy at one of the hot jobs that help define summer in this Great Lakes city.
Conversation with Bell's mom, who has a mediation background, about how to keep safe and de-escalate situations.
Tempers go up when the humidity soars, even if it's not hot on thermometer
I was in the middle of a scuffle on the street in Rochester this summer, without wanting to be. It wasn't clear if the man had a weapon on him or not. The day was hot and I was dripping with sweat. So were the people who spend time on the streets downtown.
The incident turned out fine, but that is not always true.
"People get very hostile and aggravated," said William "Jersey" Drayton on a sweltering July Sunday in downtown Rochester during a community kitchen event that feeds people. He was working the door.
"Before you came, I already had two incidents. From guys who were about to go to blows. I told them — not on church grounds. First one throw a blow, I got what you got on, I'm going to call 911 and let them do their job.
"When it's hot, people get more hostile."
Bell, with film background, tells raw and honest stories
Bell studied film in college. And he grew up in an urban environment. He knew what he was getting into and what to expect when he started reporting "City on Fire" for USA TODAY Network-Northeast. It is the second year of our examination of the realities of human-centered climate crisis, for a project called Perilous Course.
Bell explains:
RAW, AUTHENTIC: "The first step is finding credible messengers who can be a conduit to the regular people on the streets. ... Who do you know who has a story that can explain some of these dynamics? ... People who don't normally get interviewed by news outlets."
SOMEONE LIKE ME: "Someone in the city, who was young, who could speak to the violence they see. I spoke to two cousins who live in the 19th Ward. They gave me an hour and a half of a very raw interview. Once I got that interview, I thought, 'They all have to be like this now.'"
CINEMATIC STORYTELLING: She was generous to speak with me. Her friends were shooting up right next to us, but she didn't want to in front of me. As she said, she "had manners." As we were talking, an angry man walked up and made some threats. "He said, 'I'm going to find out what happened, and when I do — there is going to be hell to pay!" It was a memorable moment. These things happen every hour on the streets in the summer in Rochester and in cities across the Northeast.
"City on Fire" is a special enterprise project from the Democrat and Chronicle. Next up: Look for a chat with Executive Editor Mike Kilian about the mission and power of our New York state journalism.
The Democrat & Chronicle has been investigating the effects of a rapidly heating planet on people who live in our city. Follow along with "City on Fire" as we report the struggle with summer temperatures caused by climate crisis. This is part of the USA TODAY project Perilous Course. Contact D&C journalist Rob Bell at rlbell@gannett.com to be included in a story if you have been affected by climate crisis or heat.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester NY hot, violent summer trend: Climate change raisingI want tempers
