Dear Editor:
My name is Juliann Brockmann, born and raised in Hoboken. My husband was also from Hoboken and was killed in Vietnam in 1966 but it seems that it doesn’t make a difference in this town, especially when you need a little help for the holidays. With the price of my medication so high that today is the 6th of January and I still can’t afford it. I made two calls to the mayor’s office and left a message and also to the Ambulance Corps and the VA in Jersey City. The girl that answered was very unkind; she said we don’t help anyone and the one you have to talk to will be back December 11 or 13 but any one I called in Hoboken, they never got back to me at all. The only one from the VA that got back to me to help me with Thanksgiving is the mayor of Ridgefield. Imagine that you’re born and raised in this town, your husband died for his country and no one will help you. For instance, one year ago my PSE&G was high, like I said it’s a choice between medicine, food, rent or PSE&G and I try to split them up every month.
Anyway I wind up in the hospital for three months, I have serious chronic rheumatoid arthritis and always in a lot of pain. I called a certain person up in City Hall, and he said he would help me with my PSE&G. They did shut me off, this person had it turned on July 26 and in August I got another shut off notice, and I called them and they said there was supposed to be a voucher sent to PSE&G and no one even sent it n. So they shut me off again while I was in the hospital. After three months getting out I had to pay it off in full to get my electric back on. So I did one month without my medicine and another month skipped my rent. So that’s what happened there.
Now getting back to Thanksgiving; a certain so-called politician called me and said he would help me and bring me a Thanksgiving dinner and then he talked foul to me. If he was in front of me believe me he would have needed a dentist. So that’s the way you get treated; believe me if I had the money to move out of this town I would move out tomorrow. But I’m on a pension and I can’t afford it and like I said people that are younger than me do their thing, collect a nice check and they have a good job in Hoboken plus I see now it’s really who you know. A lot of people should be investigated, and they know who they are.
You know the only one that helped me when my husband got killed in 1966 was Mayor Steve Cappiello and now the only one to help me for Thanksgiving was the mayor of Ridgefield. Isn’t that something, and for Christmas the only one to help me with food and gifts was Mr. Tom Kennedy, Sr. and Mr. Tom Calligy and his wife. If Tom Kennedy ran for mayor I would campaign 24 hours a day for him. That’s what you call a gentleman, a perfect man to come to help me even on Christmas day called me to make sure I was alright.
You know several months ago I went to see the mayor of Hoboken and of course, he was in a meeting. I said I would wait but the lady said he has another meeting after that. Yea, right. But anyway for the last three years I’ve been having trouble from Friday night about 9 p.m. til Sunday morning around 4:10 a.m. cursing, urinating, throwing garbage lids at the signs making terrible noises. I’m talking about the Yuppies. I called the cops but they can’t do anything and still nothing is done about it. That’s why I went to see the mayor and it’s still going on. That’s why I say you can’t get any help in this town and I think it’s a real shame. No one better come knocking on my door for election.
Excuse my French, but what sucks is I can’t get my meals, rent is behind and cable is shut. I get a small check monthly. Now you see what I go through.
Juliann Brockmann