Busy Day For Adams
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has a busy day starting with a 9 a. m. address at the 5th Annual Only Brooklyn Real Estate Summit at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Street in Fort Greene.
At the event, Adams will address hundreds of developers, investors, and real estate developers about his vision for responsible and robust community development in the borough.
Then Adams will travel to Manhattan Beach where he will congratulate graduates at the 50th Commencement of Kingsborough Community College. During his remarks, Adams plans to reiterate his support for making all CUNY community colleges tuition-free.
The event is slated for 11 a.m. at the school, 2001 Oriental Boulevard.
Finally, Adams will co-host a Roadmap for Mental Health public forum with First Lady Chirlane McCray and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett, offering remarks on the urgency of addressing New Yorkers’ mental health.
Williams On Increased Gun Violence
East Flatbush City Council Member Jumaane Williams, yesterday released the following statement after a high number of shootings occurred throughout New York City and major metropolitan areas in the country.
This includes 44 shooting incidents with 53 victims last week compared to 21 shooting incidents for the same week in 2014, data shows. There were also eight murders last week compared to five murders in the same time period last year, according to NYPD data.
“As our nation discusses ways to improve police-community relations, it’s important that we address the structural changes that most agree are problematic, and not harp on failed policing tactics we know don’t allow for the reforms we need. We must find a balanced approach on how police deal with crime but also keep citizens and officers safe. We must also deal with the supply of guns our kids have access to, and their misguided penchant for deadly violence as a response to disputes.
“Instead of asking ‘how can police deal with crime while keeping citizens and officers safe?’ we need to ask ‘what can be done to deal with crime while keeping citizens and officers safe.’ The first question assumes that the only response to improving public safety is again solely police, but we must implement creative strategies like those in our city’s Crisis Management System aimed at holistically combating gun violence in our communities. Fixing a broken window should at minimum include a handyman.
“Our City is finalizing the budget and while doing so I am advocating for a significant investment be made for youth jobs across the city, particularly in neighborhoods dealing with chronic issues of violence. Providing young people with jobs is one of the most effective ways to offer them constructive opportunities, avoid troublesome behavior, provide work experience and assist their families. I strongly believe that adding youth jobs is just as – if not more important – to improving our City’s public safety system as adding more officers, because youth jobs will fully equip every community so they become the village that can raise a child.
Golden Bills Protect Against Sex Offenders
Bay Ridge State Senator Marty Golden, yesterday, announced that the State Senate passed two pieces of legislation that he sponsored that would help protect New York residents from convicted sex offenders.
The first bill requires the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), upon notification that a sex offender who has been released or discharged from a correctional facility, hospital, or local correctional facility or placed on probation, to confirm that the sex offender’s proposed residence is not within an area considered to beschool grounds or a playground.
The second measure prohibits sex offenders from being entitled to licenses as state certified and licensed real estate appraisers. This section also requires that a real estate appraiser notify and provide a certified copy of the judgment of conviction
to the Department of State within 5 days after the imposition of sentence for a conviction of a sex offense or a sexually violent crime.
“We must go further than just mandating violent criminals to register as sex offenders in order to protect all New Yorkers. We must ensure that we restrict their contact with unsuspecting citizens and avoid any interaction with our children. I am confident that these two bills will help further guard our communities against sexual predators and help keep New Yorkers safe. I ask the State Assembly to join the Senate in doing the
right thing and passing these bills before the end of session” said Golden.
Treyger Honors Beloved Gravesend Woman
Coney Island/Gravesend City Councilman Mark Treyger and Our Lady of Grace Church, Sunday, unveil a new street co-naming sign at the corner of East 2nd Street and Avenue W, honoring Barbara Dattilo.
Dattilo, who passed away in April 2014, was the founder and former director of Our Lady of Grace’s Teen Group program.
At the event, a number of Our Lady of Grace’s past and present clergy members spoke of Barbara’s work with the parish’s young people.
Several past and present Teen Group leaders spoke of how Barbara influenced their lives, including Patrick Cleary, Steven Eriquez, Joseph Lanzarone, and Priscilla Consolo.
Consolo, a parishioner of Our Lady of Grace Church, worked with Treyger and the Dattilo Family to pass the co-naming legislation as Barbara served as a mentor and second mother to hundreds of young people, including Consolo.
Barbara Dattilo was born on January 15, 1950 in Brooklyn. She attended P.S. 209, located just a few blocks from the house she grew up in, before graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1967. She briefly attended Brooklyn College before joining the workforce to assist her family. She was married in 1971 at Our Lady of Grace Church to Mr. Anthony Dattilo. Their first son, Michael, was born in 1977 and their second son, John, was born in 1979.
Bichotte, Brennan Introduce Education Deduction Expense Bill
Midwood Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte and Kensington Assembly Member James Brennan were among the prime co-sponsors of an education deduction expense bill (A8233) that will provide state tax relief for the purpose of instructional expenses for coursework, including books, supplies, supplementary tutoring, and computer equipment.
Also signing on as co-sponsors is Assemblymembers Cathy Nolan, Chair of the Education Committee, and former Speaker Sheldon Silver. As in the previous assembly bill these lawmakers worked on, both public and private school parents will be able to take advantage of this opportunity.
“I am pleased to join my colleagues as a prime sponsor of this bill that will address and provide a form of relief that all communities can benefit from,” said Bichotte.
The bill allows up to a $3,000 tax deduction per child, up to a maximum of $12,000, for taxpayers with incomes of less than $120,000. This will especially help low- and middle-income families. This is an income exclusion that allows parents, whether they use itemized or standard deductions, to still enjoy the benefit of this exclusion from their Federal adjusted gross income.
Cymbrowitz Establishes Elder Abuse Awareness Day
Sheepshead Bay Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz saw his resolution proclaiming June 15, 2015 Elder Abuse Awareness Day in New York State, in conjunction with the observance of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day pass the assembly recently.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day was launched on June 15, 2006 by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations and “provides an opportunity for communities around the world to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect,” said Cymbrowitz, Chair of the Aging Committee.
Nearly five million cases of elder abuse occur each year in the United States, 260,000 of them in New York State. While physical abuse is the most common form of elder abuse, it can also take the form of sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, neglect, abandonment and financial exploitation. Researchers estimate that 85 percent of these incidents go unreported.
According to Assemblyman Cymbrowitz, financial abuse alone costs older Americans more than $2.6 billion each year. More than half of the time, family, friends, caregivers and neighbors are the culprits in financial abuse cases, he said.
Nearly 50 percent of seniors with dementia will experience some form of abuse, and elders who have been abused show much higher rates of depression than those who are not mistreated.
“The real tragedy is that many seniors who are victimized by abuse don’t know where to go for help and are unaware that they have the right to seek help,” he said. “Elder abuse is a problem that cuts across race, religion, culture and income lines. It is our mandate to raise awareness about this growing problem and find ways to stop the various forms of abuse.”
