People gather on picnic blankets for a sunny afternoon on the main lawn in Prospect Park. March 9, 2021. Photo by Norah Hogan

A trio plays music for passers-by in front of a baseball field in Prospect Park. March 9, 2021. Photo by Norah Hogan

A neon t-ball bat sits beside a disposal medical mask in the dirt in Prospect Park. March 9, 2021. Photo by Norah Hogan

A child sits on a park bench next to her discarded jacket. March, 9, 2021. Photo by Norah Hogan

Two runners leave Prospect Park. March 9, 2021. Photo by Norah Hogan

A child and a masked adult sit on a tree in Prospect Park. March 9, 2021. Photo by Norah Hogan

Yellow flowers wrapped in colorful string hang as part of a memorial  in Prospect Park. March 9, 2021. Photo by Norah Hogan

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New Hampshire has been hosting presidential primaries since 1916 and started its tradition of being the first presidential primary in 1920. But as you drive into the state on the way to the center of all the activity, Manchester, you’re greeted by large tracts of open land and wilderness, biting winds, and snow. Less political hub, more winter wonderland, despite the occasional shop or restaurant with a window sign declaring their political affiliation.

Being the first primary didn’t always require risking frostbite. New Hampshire state law stipulates that the primary take place on the second Tuesday in March. But it’s been pushed earlier and earlier to resist the efforts of other states that shifted their primaries earlier to acquire some of the action and influence that being first provides. Is it time for New Hampshire to give it up?

For New Hampshire residents, primary season in New Hampshire, like the leap year, is a once-in-four-years celebration that isn’t unlike the Olympics. For many of the residents here, it’s the biggest thing that happens and they’re incredibly proud of it. “No one even really knows where New Hampshire is on the map. So I don’t blame them for wanting to hold on to what makes people think of the state,” says Ethan Manning, who moved to Manchester from Massachusetts three years ago and is voting in his first New Hampshire primary. But his brother, Jonah, thinks differently. “I certainly don’t see any rational reason to have it here.”

Temperatures during the weekend before the Feb. 11 primary were defiantly sub-zero in the main cities/towns/hamlets/what-have-you that saw some buzz. A pro-life campaigner, who wanted to be known as Kirsch,  battled the cold like many others outside St. Anselm College. As signs were blown away and hands started to go numb, she contemplated whether shifting the New Hampshire primaries back a couple weeks wouldn’t be such a bad idea. “It definitely is freezing,” she said, trying to keep her coat from flying off.

A Warren campaign sign lies in the snow outside of St Anselm’s college in Manchester, New Hampshire ,the site of Friday night’s Democratic Debate. Photo by Ahad Sanwari.

Martin Flink, a journalist who came to Manchester from Denmark, spent the 2016 primaries in sunny (well, sunnier) Florida. He argues that there are more strikes against New Hampshire than just snow. “If they could find states that were more representative of the whole country,” he says, “I think it would be a better direction for the candidates.” New Hampshire is one of the least ethnically diverse states in the country, with 92% of the population consisting of non-Hispanic whites (according to the 2010 census).

What is it that keeps people coming back? Is it Elizabeth Warren’s campaigning playlist that encompasses everything from Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” to Aretha Franklin’s “Respect”? Is it the prospect of seeing the Yang gang parading around with their giant 1000 dollar bill with Andrew Yang’s face on it? Is it the incredibly catchy “Boot, Edge, Edge” chant? Is it the the joy of seeing Tom Steyer at the McIntyre Shaheen dinner talk about how many times he wants to “kick Trump’s ass” (a count was kept: six times)?

It just might be the willingness of the candidates themselves to bear the cold (how Elizabeth Warren survives in that minimal coat is a mystery) that drives the masses. Warren, in particular, lured out quite a few canvassers at an event Saturday (?) at Manchester Community College. This included Isaac Norwich, who drove up from Boston with a group of other Boston Warren supporters. “It’s part of the process,” he says. “We brought gloves, we brought hand warmers, we brought hats — what we gotta do to reach other people and get the message out.”

A town hall event at Rochester brought together over 1100 people in support of Senator Sanders. “I feel like if you’re inspired enough by your candidate,” says Jonah, “the weather is a non-factor.”

Access might be the most important factor in the prevalence of New Hampshire as a primary starting point. “I think it’s hard to find any other place to get as close to the candidates with all the town halls and debates going on,” says Flink. “Access is very good in order to keep an open democracy, be transparent and letting the voters get to know you and ask the questions they want to.”

It doesn’t seem like New Hampshire’s status as numero uno might be changing anytime soon, no matter how hard the other states try. As long as it doesn’t end up like the 2020 Iowa caucus, America can take pleasure in knowing that maybe, just maybe, New Hampshire might yield their next president.

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Despite the freezing temperatures in New York City Brenda Sprankle,60, finds it safer to sleep on the streets than to go to a shelter. Photo by Li Cohen

While New Yorkers scrambled to get indoors as single-digit temperatures sweep through Manhattan, the city’s homeless are forced to endure a chilling reality.

“I usually sleep here in my sleeping bag but it’s 15 degrees,” said 60-year-old Brenda Sprankle, pointing to a small spot nestled between 33rd Street and Fashion Avenue.  

When temperatures in the city go below 32 degrees, the Department of Homeless Services issues a Code Blue. According to the Office of the Mayor, this means that homeless individuals cannot be turned away from shelters, that drop-in centers are open 24 hours a day to shelter as many people as possible, and that chronically homeless people can get transportation to housing.

Breaking Ground, an organization partnered with DHS to provide outreach services to the city’s homeless community, said their team works 24-7 to provide housing and assistance.

“The only way to stem the homelessness crisis is to build more affordable and supportive housing  in neighborhoods throughout the city,” said Breaking Ground press contact Kate Treen in an email.

But Sprankle said this organization, among others, as well as the Code Blue system is not an effective strategy to help those living on the streets because of the hidden dangers lying within shelters. She does not want to go into a shelter because of the experiences others have told her about.

Despite the freezing temperatures in New York City, 60-year-old Brenda Sprankle finds it safer to sleep on the streets of the city than to go to designated shelters. Photo by Li Cohen

According to the NYC government website, there were 678 felony, misdemeanor and violation arrests in homeless shelters the third quarter of 2018 alone.

“People have been raped in them; they’ve been beaten in them; they’ve been robbed in them. I’m handicapped I would be the weak link,” she said. “I sleep out here with my faith in Jesus Christ. Eight years and I’ve never got hurt one time.”

After graduating college and working for 35 years, Sprankle became homeless after an unfortunate series of events following a city bus accident in California that left her permanently handicapped with a debilitating lump in her leg and permanent nerve damage in her knee. She is just one of thousands of New Yorkers who sleep on the city’s streets every night.

But choosing to sleep in the streets can have a devastating impact. When forced to stay outdoors in temperatures below 31 degrees-Fahrenheit, people can develop frostbite or hypothermia, two conditions that are potentially fatal if left untreated for a prolonged period of time. New York City’s Department of Health website states that 25 percent of hospital admission from 2005 to 2013  because of cold-related conditions were homeless individuals.

“It’s extremely dangerous for anyone to be outside in freezing temperatures,” wrote Treen. “Our street outreach teams work around the clock to reach the homeless, assess their safety and ensure they have someplace warm to go.”

Sprankle knows the effects of long-term exposure in the cold can do. She was hospitalized last winter when she caught the flu and pneumonia after being forced to sleep in zero-degree weather because she was kicked out of an indoor train station.  

“They don’t let you sit long and they don’t let you sleep,” she explained of those monitoring train systems. “They’re horrible. I don’t understand how the mayor can call it a code blue and all they do is harass you. … It’s inhumane.”

For now, Sprankle is getting through the night with only a few dollars and a cart full of blankets and possessions.

“I’m a survivor and I’d like to see you come out here and spend the night. Come spend the night out here, you’d be scared to death.”

The city government website suggests New Yorkers call 311 to have an outreach team help a homeless person who is outdoors in cold weather. Neither the Mayor’s office nor the Department of Homeless Services responded to comment in time for publication.

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“It’s kind of jarring on the system,” New York resident, Helen Lahey said. “Because it just like randomly snowed one day and now it’s like 50 degrees and I’m wearing a sweater and it’s fine.”

The National Weather Service predicts a warmer winter than usual. The Farmer’s Almanac predicts intense cold in 2019. They both note that it is normal to have a mild winter punctuated by periods of colder weather. It seems the swings between between 15 and 50 degrees can be expected to continue on the East Coast.

“I don’t think it’s normal,” said Natalie Gorg. “But I have noticed in the last couple years that it’s done that.”

Recent New York City transplant, Christa Vaeth said that winters used to be more consistent during her Upstate New York childhood, but now the weather was getting more unpredictable.

“I think it’s more like times are changing and things are changing,” Vaeth said. “So it’s always been bad winters, but this is a little crazy. Climate change!”

On Black Friday, the Trump Administration released a report about the effects of climate change in the United States. The findings suggest that changes in local climates can already be felt. They predicted an impact on communities that rely on winter tourism in the Northeast due to less snow and warmer temperatures. It will also impact already vulnerable populations disproportionately.

Although New York’s status as a tourist destination is not contingent on the weather, New York City is marketed for winter tourism. From the holiday markets to the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular to countless performances of the Nutcracker and ice skating in Rockefeller Center, people come for the ambiance. Anna Bolstad came all the way from Norway for it, to celebrate her mom’s birthday.

“She wanted to see the city with all the Christmas lights,” Bolstad said.

New Yorkers also have a specific vision of New York in the winter. It’s a little different than the 51 degrees they are currently experiencing.

“I love New York in the winter,” Lahey said. “I think it really comes alive and there’s lights everywhere and the snow is on the street.”

Gorg said her favorite New York City winter activity is walking in Central Park.

“I like to look at the snow and the sunsets are really nice with the trees being bare,” she said.

Despite the back and forth between snow and rain and dipping temperatures,  Lahey still enjoys the winter in the city.

“It’s cold as heck,” she said. “But everyone kind of has that collective like, ‘we’re gonna make it through this’ energy.”

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“I can only see shadows, no more,” said Lopez early Monday as the snow was starting to fall in this working class, immigrant community in Brooklyn. “As long as there are people walking on the street, it says the weather is not that bad, and I’d stay.”

Disabled and jobless, he makes money by singing upbeat ballads and playing his accordion every morning in his neighborhood. He spends one hour on a block, then moves to the next one. He makes $5 a day at most.

Before he went blind he used to be a roofer. But as his vision worsened, he could no longer do the job and had to rely on savings to pay his $320 rent.

He used up the last of his savings to hire his old immigration lawyer, to work out a deal with his landlord to suspend his rent. It was the same lawyer who helped him get his green card in 2002, 16 years after coming to this country from Mexico.

But his Social Security card and the green card were stolen and they have not been replaced. He carries around a certification from Maimonides Medical Center that says he donated blood at their blood center, to prove his legal status.

“I don’t have anything else to prove my identity,” he said.

When bad weather comes, Lopez stands under the eaves of the shops along the street. He helps shop owners with cleaning and other odd jobs. In return, they let him perform there.

Laia Diaz, the owner of the laundry on 4^th Avenue, said that when Lopez started singing in the neighborhood years ago, she recognized him right away.

“He was on television in 1991,” said Diaz. “He went into the UN building with a gun and got arrested. But he is a nice man in life.”

But Lopez said the gun charge was a big mistake.

“My friend wanted me to keep his gun for him. I did, I carried it everywhere. I didn’t speak English and had no idea it was illegal,” said Lopez. “I was just visiting the UN.”

As the snow falls, Lopez sings, but no one stops to listen.

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