Velazquez Speaks Out Against Rising Crime In Asian American Nabes
Northern and Central Brooklyn Congress Member Nydia Velázquez along with Queens Congress member Grace Meng led members of the New York City Congressional delegation in writing to New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner William Bratton about an alarming rise in crimes committed in the Asian American community in New York.
“All New Yorkers deserve to feel safe,” said Velázquez. “The recent numbers on crime rates in our Asian American communities are troubling and demand action. We expect NYPD to not only examine these trends but propose tangible solutions to address this problem.”
Other New York City Members of Congress who signed the letter included Brooklyn Reps. Hakeem Jeffries and Jerold Nadler.
Adams Lauds Proposed Brooklyn Queens Connector
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams yesterday lauded Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposal to build a trolly along the Brooklyn waterfront and into Queens.
“My vision for One Brooklyn, a borough where the popularity of our brand translates to prosperity for all Brooklynites, has always focused on improving the connectivity between our communities and the opportunities they hold. In a 21stcentury Brooklyn, we need 21st century transportation solutions to meet the historic challenges that have faced underserved communities,” said Adams.
“The Brooklyn Queens Connector (BQX), like Bus Rapid Transit and the Utica Avenue subway line, is an innovative and laudable project that fits into our shared vision for a better connected borough and city. I support the principles of this plan to bring emissions-free transit to our waterfront, supporting a large percentage of our public housing residents as well as our emerging industrial employment hubs. A robust public process will allow us to strengthen the BQX through a thoughtful conversation about the design and financing of this important proposal.”
Cymbrowitz, Malliotakis Warn Of Tax Season Fraud
Assembly Members Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Sheepshead Bay) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-Bay Ridge, Staten Island) are warning residents to be on the alert for some new tax season scams that are employing an effective scare tactic to rob people of their money.
Over the past several weeks, callers posing as New York State or U.S. Treasury agents have encouraged victims to turn over their bank account information along with $250 in return for a larger sum of cash to come at a later date. To make themselves seem more convincing, the scammers provide the victim with a phone number, address, and confirmation code specific to the transaction.
“To be blunt, you need to be smarter than they are,” said Cymbrowitz, who as Chair of the Aging Committee co-sponsored a public hearing last fall on frauds and scams, particularly those targeting older adults.
“Never give anyone your personal information, including your Social Security Number, without verifying what agency or organization they represent. The NYS Tax Department and the IRS will always send you a letter before contacting residents by phone or email about a tax debt,” he said.
In order to be prepared and vigilant, Malliotakis is encouraging residents to be cautious of “phishing” emails from the tax department and IRS, to make sure personal information remains secure with a tax preparer that you trust, and not to provide personal information to callers who are unknown or pose threats. In addition, she is highlighting the importance of reporting a suspicious or fraudulent activity to the state Tax Department.
“Scammers seem to have no boundaries and will do just about anything to make a quick dollar,” said Malliotakis. “All of us need to be cautious and aware of the large variety of scams that are out there and new ones are thought of regularly. In order to combat these scams and make fraudulent activity less lucrative, it is critical that recipients of these calls take action to verify anything that may appear suspicious and report suspicious activities to authorities.”
For anyone who suspects they’ve been targeted by a tax season scam, the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance has just launched a new website to report tax-related scams, fraudulent activity, and identity theft.
Gillibrand Wants Stronger Control Of Prescription Opioids
U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) today urged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue guidelines for doctors prescribing opioids for acute pain.
Currently, the CDC is only focused on guidelines for opioids prescribed to treat chronic pain. However, many individuals become addicted to opioids after taking prescriptions for acute pain. Acute pain includes pain following a broken bone, wisdom tooth extraction, or other surgeries, whereas chronic pain is long-term pain often from chronic conditions.
“For many people, difficulties with opioid addiction began after receiving a prescription for acute pain. Many people with acute pain haven’t had previous opioid exposure and may be at heightened risk for addiction, and opioids prescribed for acute pain frequently end up being inappropriately given or sold to other individuals for recreational use. By updating the prescribing guidelines for acute pain, we can minimize the initial exposure to opioid medications and further limit the number of opioid prescriptions,” the Senators said.
Gillibrand and Capito have continued to push for reforms to combat opioid abuse. They are cosponsors of numerous bills that would address opioid use, including legislation that would provide resources for states and local communities to address addiction with prevention and treatment programs.
Donovan Questions Refugee & Visa Programs
Southern Brooklyn Congressman Dan Donovan and his colleagues on the House Committee on Homeland Security yesterday questioned intelligence and security officials on vulnerabilities in America’s refugee and visa programs.
Donovan focused his questions on the risks to America posed by hundreds of thousands of stolen or lost Syrian and Iraqi passports.
According to the 9/11 Commission, “For terrorists, travel documents are as important as weapons.” Two terrorists in the Paris attacks used fraudulent Syrian passports to enter the European Union through Greece, and Donovan asked the witness panel whether the missing documents pose a security threat to America.
Donovan said in the hearing, “The proliferation of genuine documents used maliciously by groups like ISIS presents a real challenge for our screening process. What are your agencies doing to combat this issue?”
The security officials acknowledged the problem and said they are taking appropriate measures to address any vulnerabilities that may exist. Terror plots and attacks, including San Bernardino and the recent arrests of Iraqi refugees in Houston and California, make it clear that the Department of Homeland Security must be vigilant in shoring up America’s refugee and visa screening processes.
Yesterday’s hearing follows Donovan’s vote last year in support of the American Safety Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act, which stipulates that no refugee from Iraq or Syria may enter the United States until federal security agencies certify that the refugee does not pose a threat.
“Securing the homeland is government’s most fundamental responsibility. As New York City’s only representative on the House Committee on Homeland Security, I’ll continue fighting to make sure our families and neighborhoods are safe,” said Donovan.
Thompson Forum On What Constitutes A Hate Crime
Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson, in partnership with Brooklyn Community Board 12, is holding a special and informational seminar on understanding the legal definition of a Hate Crime.
The forum is slated for 6:30 p.m., Thursday, February 25 at the Boro Park YM-YWHA, 4912 14th Avenue in Borough Park. Please RSVP to GurevicA@BrooklynDA.org.
