Schumer, Gillibrand, Velazquez Get Money For Red Hook
U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressmember Nydia Velázquez announced this week that the Red Hook Container Port will receive $1.6 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds this week for repairs stemming from Superstorm Sandy, according to the Home Reporter.
The facility, located at 70 Hamilton Avenue, at one time was one of the city’s shipping port hubs providing more than 700 jobs. However, in recent years most of the Red Hook Container Port jobs moved across New York Harbor to their sister port in New Jersey.
“Superstorm Sandy damaged Red Hook Container Terminal, a major shipping port here in New York that is so important to our local economy,” Schumer said. “I am pleased that FEMA is providing the reimbursement for these much-needed repairs to the container terminal.”
“This is an important federal reimbursement that will ensure the cost to repair and replace equipment won’t be left on the backs of New York families,” said Gillibrand.
“I’m pleased to see these federal resources dedicated to repairing this installation and ensuring it fully recovers from Hurricane Sandy,” said Velázquez.
The money will repair electrical systems and power transformers among other infrastructure damage.
Hamilton, Ortiz, Menchaca Launch Step Up, Speak Out
State Sen. Jesse Hamilton, Assemblyman Felix Ortiz and City Councilman Carlos Menchaca last night held their first “Step Up, Speak Out,” a series of community forums in Sunset Park.
The brainchild of first-term Hamilton, “Step Up, Speak Out” serves as an open community forum aiming to promote neighborhood unity, bridge differences across the community, and nurture civic engagement.
“Our job is to close the distance between Albany and Sunset Park – City Hall and Sunset Park,” said Hamilton. “Albany and City Hall need to be present in the community, not far-off places where things are decided without community input. As elected officials, our job is to make that connection. The ‘Step Up, Speak Out’ series will be part of closing the gap between those marble halls and the day-to-day lives of the people we serve.”
Ortiz said he is working toward making Sunset Park safer, especially in the wake of recent manhole explosions.
“Safety comes first. We must ensure that underground systems are secured and that these manhole explosions simply do not happen again,” said Ortiz. “With freezing temperatures and snowstorm predictions, these families deserve safe homes without electric system losses and toxic odors.”
Community groups that participated in last night’s “Step Up, Speak Out” included Uprose, El Grito, the Brooklyn Chinese American Association, the Sunset Park Business Improvement District (BID), the Brooklyn Bike Patrol, and Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow.
The event began at at 4201 4th Avenue and then residents marched to 553 46th Street.
Cornegy Stands In Solidarity Against Boko Harem
Bed-Stuy City Councilman Robert Cornegy yesterday stood on the steps of City Hall in solidarity with The Wire actor Gbenga Akinnagbe and human rights advocates to denounce the wave of terrorism that the fanatical Islamic group Boko Harem is spreading across Nigeria.
According to the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, some 10,000 people have died due to Boko Haram’s actions over the past year. Other tragic incidents of the fanatical group have included the kidnapping of 270 girls from the Chibok boarding school, which spurred the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls in early May 2014.
“The people of north eastern Nigeria are the victims of a systematic campaign of terror, and we demand justice for them. We demand help for them. We speak out against international and media silence in the wake of this terrorism. And we call on political leaders and aid organizations to act to save the precious lives that remain at risk today,” said Cornegy. “We stand united in a call for action to save Nigerian lives. We stand against their senseless killings as we stand in support of the victims of violence here at home.”
