De Blasio Statement On ENY Rezoning Approval
Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday released the following statement after the City Council approved 45-1-0 his controversial rezoning plan for East New York.
The rezoning is the first of 15 neighborhoods scheduled for significant land-use changes under Mayor de Blasio’s Mayor’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing plan. East New York City Council Member Inez Barron was the only council member voting against the plan, while Council Member Rafael Espinal, who also represents East New York, voted for after several compromise concessions were made.
“The East New York neighborhood plan represents a new contract with our communities. For the very first time, protecting tenants and building truly affordable housing have become the priorities they need to be in a rezoning. The commitments we are making – from a new school, to renovated parks, to investments in good jobs – are real. We have dedicated the funding needed to make them happen,” said de Blasio.
“I congratulate Council Member Rafael Espinal, who was determined to seize this opportunity to correct years of underinvestment in East New York and to deliver a plan that genuinely improved the lives of his constituents. We listened hard to local officials and stakeholders, and the result will be a brighter and more promising future for the people of East New York.”
Donovan Votes For Bill Prohibiting IRS To Target Critical Citizens
Southern Brooklyn/Staten Island Congressman Dan Donovan this week voted to pass legislation aimed at the IRS’s reckless targeting of groups and individuals critical of the government for tax scrutiny.
The bill, H.R. 4903, prohibits the IRS from using funds to target American citizens simply for exercising their First Amendment rights.
“It is incredibly dangerous for our own government to punish its citizens for exercising a right as fundamental as free speech. The IRS’s shameful conduct in 2013 is a stain on our most cherished values. This bill makes crystal clear what should have been glaringly obvious to the IRS: free speech is not an acceptable reason for tax scrutiny,” said Donovan.
The legislation addresses the 2013 scandal in which the IRS abused its power by targeting tea party and other conservative organizations for unwarranted examinations of their tax exemptions. Beginning in 2010, IRS officials selected organizations with “Tea Party” or “Patriot” in their titles for intensive scrutiny, a clear abuse of the agency’s power and an act which further eroded the public’s trust in its government.
A Department of Justice inquiry found “substantial evidence of mismanagement” and “poor judgment” by the agency, although no criminal charges were filed.
Harris Proposes Bill Protecting Juveniles From Police Interrogations
Assemblymember Pamela Harris (Coney Island, Dyker Heights, Bay Ridge) yesterday introduced legislation requiring police to record custodial interrogations of juveniles (A.9770).
In addition to strengthening the rights of the accused, the mandate would benefit the criminal justice system by providing an objective record of what occurred in interrogation.
“This bill protects young people, and the criminal justice system as a whole, from false confessions that can land an innocent person behind bars or disrupt an investigation,” said Harris. “Scientific studies show that the brains of juveniles are still developing, particularly in areas involving judgment and decision-making, and our laws should reflect that.”
A study of 340 exonerations between 1989 and 2003 conducted by The Innocence Project found that 42 percent of juvenile defendants had falsely confessed. Though not currently mandatory, some 40 counties in New York State have already instituted recordings of interrogations.
In May 2011, the state Division of Criminal Justice Services announced it invested more than $2 million to assist local law enforcement in enacting recording of interrogations, as “[r]ecordings capture critical evidence needed in the investigation and prosecution of criminal cases and preserve information used to resolve a person’s claim of innocence.”
“By requiring the video recording of interrogations, we are showing our commitment to bolstering public trust in law enforcement and to protecting some of our most vulnerable citizens from unjust arrest,” Harris noted.
Adams Launches Program With Mail Carriers
Borough President Eric Adams to day will join the United States Postal Service (USPS) in launching Carrier C.A.R.E.S. (Carriers Alert Reporting Emergency Services), their new outreach program aimed at better protecting at-risk seniors and others in special circumstances.
The effort is in partnership with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA), and New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA).Brooklyn
The launch is slated for 9 a.m., today at the Cadman Plaza Post Office, 271 Cadman Plaza East in Downtown Brooklyn.
Later in the evening Adams will honor 58 distinguished members of Kiwanis International, Lions Club International, and Rotary International who are each the longest-tenured members of their clubs.
The ceremony continues his initiative to celebrate individuals and organizations that have for many years sustained their neighborhoods as cornerstones in a time of change. Honorees will be presented with a gold brick symbolic of their status.
The event is slated for 6:30 p.m. in Brooklyn Borough Hall, 208 Joralemon Street, also in Downtown Brooklyn.
