Adams, Cumbo Respond To Yesterday’s Deadly Shooting
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Fort Greene City Council Member Laurie Cumbo this morning will will hold a press conference in response to yesterday’s Downtown Brooklyn rush hour fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy and the wounding of an 18-year-old boy.
According to preliminary published reports the incident began when a group of teenagers started fighting near a McDonald’s on the corner of the Flatbush Avenue Extension and Fulton Street – the same McDonalds that had a teen brawl several months ago.
Witnesses told reporters the fight spilled down the block and ended in gunfire in front of Applebee’s on the corner of DeKalb Avenue and the Flatbush Avenue Extension.
Adams and Cumbo said the shooting was gang related. They will speak to the community’s concerns as well as express their views on the incident and what they see as important next steps.
Following the press conference, Adams is scheduled to join New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) President Maria Torres-Springer, Council Member Mathieu Eugene, and others in announcing a developer for the redevelopment of Flatbush Caton Market, 794 Flatbush and Caton avenues. That event is slated for 9 a.m.
Meanwhile, Cumbo will go to the steps of City Hall where she will participate in a 10-11 a.m. press conference calling on the New York City Department of Education to implement a curriculum that provides K-12 students in public schools citywide with a comprehensive sex education that addresses developing healthy relationships, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Greenfield Succeeds In Allowing Boro Parkers To Pre-Pay Parking Meters
Midwood/Borough Park City Councilman David G. Greenfield announced yesterday that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has agreed to his long-standing request to allow Boro Parkers to pre-pay parking meters on 13th and 18th Avenues.
This builds on Greenfield’s successful effort where he previously got the DOT to agree to pre-payment of meters on 16th Avenue. Drivers will be allowed to pay the meters up to four hours in advance at 3 p.m. on Fridays for meters that are usually in effect until 7 p.m. This will go into effect on 13th and 18th Avenues by the end of next month and other areas in Boro Park and Midwood will be studied over the course of the next year.
Pre-paying parking meters is critical for many Shomer Shabbos drivers and their guests who cannot feed the meter once Shabbos begins on Friday. In the winter months, Shabbos begins as early as 4 p.m, preventing most residents from parking on the major avenues and exacerbating Boro Park’s parking crisis. This solution would add dozens of new parking spots on Friday in Boro Park.
“My many thanks to the Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, the Department of Transportation, and the De Blasio administration for taking into account the unique needs of Orthodox Jewish New Yorkers. Being able to pre-pay the meter is vital for those who observe Shabbos and will really help alleviate the pre-Shabbos parking crunch in Boro Park,” said Greenfield. “I also appreciate the steadfast support of New York State Senator Simcha Felder and Assembly Member Dov Hikind. I look forward to working with them to expand this to other neighborhoods.”
“This reasonable accommodation is long overdue, and is a win-win for everyone. People will be able to park and the City doesn’t have to worry about losing any revenue. I thank the de Blasio Administration and Councilman Greenfield for all their efforts to make this happen,” said Felder.
Colton Distributes Blue Ribbons In Solidarity With The NYPD
Southwest Brooklyn Assemblyman William Colton announced he is making blue ribbons available in his office at 155 Kings Highway, Brooklyn (between West 12th and 13th Street), in wake of the most recent tragedy involving the killing of Police Officer Randolph Holder.
“After the killing of four police officers within 11 months, city leaders should step up and work together to create stronger policies to make sure the guns are taken off the streets and away from criminals,” said Colton. “Placing unreasonable restrictions on professional police actions such as ‘Stop and Frisk’ programs just makes the criminals more brazen while displaying their disregard for police authority.”
Colton is calling on the community to wear the blue ribbons as a sign of gratitude and support for the professional police activities that are carried out daily. He wants to make sure police appreciation is emphasized and says, “These officers put their lives at risk every day in order to protect the community and keep our great city safe. We must show our support and thankfulness for them.”
For more information on the blue ribbons, Colton urges the community to contact his office at 718-236-1598 and speak with Nancy Tong. As an alternative, a very inexpensive way to show support is by making homemade ribbons simply with a safety pin and a blue ribbon.
Gentile Says Give Judges More Discretion
Bay Ridge City Councilman Vincent Gentile yesterday said in light of the senseless and tragic murder of NYPD Officer Randolph Holder, he stands with Mayor de Blasio on the issue of allowing judges to consider defendants’ danger to public safety when setting bail or determining incarceration-alternative programs.
“With 28 prior arrests, Tyrone Howard, Officer Holder’s killer, slipped through the cracks via the current broken system. After his latest arrest, Howard was granted and sent to a Drug Court Diversion Program, a program not meant for violent repeated offenders. Yet, his background includes arrests for assault, robbery and narcotics. As a former prosecutor and Assistant District Attorney for over a decade, this egregious revelation made my stomach turn,” said Gentile.
“It is unfortunate that an incident like this has to occur to ignite change. We cannot afford to lose another officer or citizen in relation to this failed jurisdiction. The process is flawed. Under this current system, judges are essentially gambling with public safety.
The State of New York is clearly behind the pack in respect to the rest of the country as 47 states currently consider future harm to society in bail decisions. It is time for Albany to step up to the plate. I urge our lawmakers to take a close, hard look at this current system and to develop a thorough plan of action to get this right.”
Squadron, Montgomery Tabbed For Leadership Roles In Senate
New York State Senate Democratic leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins yesterday picked Northern Brooklyn Sen. Daniel Squadron and Bedford-Stuyvesant Senator Velmanette Montgomery to sit on a new policy committee that brings together a diverse group of Senators to develop initiatives to better serve all New Yorkers, especially those who have continued to suffer following the economic downturn.
Squadron will head the new Democratic Policy Group and Montgomery, along with Senators George Latimer and Jose Serrano will be part of the makeup.
Over the next several months, members of the Democratic Policy Group will conduct hearings, produce research, and will unveil detailed initiatives and legislative packages. These include ways to improve the overall economy and close the economic divide that too often excludes suburban and upstate communities from the benefit of new jobs.
The policy group’s focus is to make New York a more affordable state to live, work and raise a family though providing meaningful tax reform, increasing child care options, supplying mandate relief for local governments, reforming the criminal justice system, protecting the environment, increasing the number of green jobs, and many more proposals aimed at supporting New York’s struggling working and middle class families.
“For too long, Albany has failed to make a real difference in the lives of those who need it most — working and middle-class New Yorkers across the state. The Policy Group will propose innovative solutions to expand opportunity, create jobs and make government more efficient and effective in every corner of the state,” said Squadron.
The core mission of the Democratic Policy Group is to improve the quality of life for all state residents through common sense proposals that respond to the needs of New York’s diverse communities. By taking regional needs into account, the Democratic Policy Group will ensure that the diverse communities throughout the state all benefit from the initiatives that will be unveiled in the months ahead.
“I am looking forward to developing opportunities for young people across the state,” said Montgomery.
