Richardson Addresses Scatter Site Housing
Crown Heights/Lefferts Garden Assembly woman Diana Richardson, yesterday, joined the Crown Heights Tenants Union, the Prospect Lefferts Gardens Neighborhood Association, Tenants & Neighbors, Legal Aid Services, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Flatbush Sen. Jesse Hamilton to address the potential displacement of 60 Clarkson Avenue, which is a scatter site housing residence.
According to various non-profit organizations that serve the homeless, scatter site housing is utilized to place long-term homeless individuals and families, particularly those with people living with HIV/AIDS, substance abuse and other problems in apartments around the city.
Once a family or individual is placed in an apartment, case workers meet with them bimonthly to provide a comprehensive array of services — helping manage the physical and emotional difficulties that accompany their illness.
“I’m calling on the Department of Homeless Services and the City of New York to intervene to address the issues of displacement facing these families. Just because you are homeless does not mean you are a second class citizen in my district,” said Richardson.
Clarke Champions Better Broadband Access
Flatbush Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, yesterday, urged Federal Communication Chairman Tom Wheeler to establish policies that will expand access to broadcast spectrum for small businesses, increasing diversity and creating jobs for American workers.
In a letter to Wheeler from Clarke and five congressional colleagues, the lawmakers explained that current regulations have in many instances allowed multinational corporations to obtain broadcast spectrum to the exclusion of small businesses and have imposed unnecessary requirements which create difficulties for small businesses.
“By expanding opportunities to participate in broadcast spectrum auctions, we will support many small businesses owned by women and people of color – who remain substantially underrepresented in telecommunications. These small business owners want to obtain licenses to open television and radio stations and to enter the market for wireless services, sectors of the economy that continue to develop as Americans access more content on their smartphones and tablets,” said Clarke, who as a member of both the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Small Business Committee.
“This proposal has the potential both to create jobs and to increase diversity in our media,” she added.
James Comments On Third Crown Heights Gay Attack
New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, yesterday, shed light on the third recent hate crime attack on a member of the LBGTQ community in Crown Heights in the last few weeks.
The most recent assault occurred at the corner of Eastern Parkway and Franklin Avenue at about 8 a.m., July 6, when a 34-year-old openly gay man was punched in the face as the victim walked to work.
The attack at Eastern Parkway and Franklin Avenue happened on the same day a transgender woman was threatened with death by a group of men outside her building near Kingston and Lefferts avenues. On June 30, a 36-year-old man who was bashed in the head with a rock, spit on and called anti-gay slurs by a group of six people on Utica Avenue and Carroll Street, police said.
“Despite recent victories for the LGBT community, the fight for full equality and acceptance on the streets is far from over,” said James. “Over a single week, three horrific incidents have shaken the Crown Heights community. Our City belongs to all New Yorkers regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Williams Lashes Out At Cuomo Gun Control Backtrack
Flatlands City Council Member Jumaane Williams, recently, took Gov. Andrew Cuomo to task for suspending development on the ammunition background check system as part of the the state’s SAFE Act, which put strict measures on controlling the sale of guns and ammunition.
“Governor Cuomo’s actions were disappointing and shameful. By suspending development of ammunition background checks to appease State Senate Republicans, New York has taken a significant step back in addressing gun violence. This disgusting political ploy is detrimental and comes as gun violence is up across the state– a decision that may result in countless additional deaths that could have been avoided.
“When the SAFE Act was passed in 2013, it was touted as one of the strongest anti-gun violence measures in the country. While the Governor deserved some credit, even then, it was aimed primarily at reducing mass shootings. The gun violence crisis that our state faces, however, is not about semi-automatic rifles. Men, women and children are dying primarily from the barrel of a handgun, which has never been the primary focus of the SAFE Act. It will be even less effective now that the Governor suspended development on the ammunition background check database, which would have helped law enforcement follow high-volume sales in real time. And allowing anti-gun safety advocates a veto over implementing the database is an affront to the effort.”
Cuomo defended the move, saying it was only temporary as the technology is put in place to regulate the sale of ammunition.
