Mosley Says Reinstate Purged Voters
Assemblyman Walter T. Mosley (Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant) yesterday said the 125,000 registered Democrats in Brooklyn that were purged from the voting rolls for the the recent primary should be reinstated for the remaining 2016 election cycle.
“It has become quite disturbing and increasingly apparent over the past week that what we saw was the removal of nearly 125,000 registered Democratic voters in Brooklyn from our voter files. The process, through New York State election law, which governs voter eligibility and election rules, currently allows for purging of voter file and are actually commonplace to ensure that people who have moved, who are deceased, or
inactive should no longer be on the rolls,” said Mosley.
“The New York State laws governing voter eligibility and activity are complex. As such, this past primary has made it highly evident that those laws must change to accommodate the 21st century world we live in.
“In light of upcoming congressional and state primaries and the general election in November, I wholeheartedly recommend that the voter files be reinstated to “pre-purge” status in an effort to avoid any immediate concerns for the remaining 2016 election cycle.
We live in one of the most progressive states in the nation and it is deeply troubling to hear stories of potential voter disenfranchisement in my home borough of Brooklyn. I want to ensure to my community that I have full faith in Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer offices and their ongoing investigation as they seek to resolve this most pressing matter.”
Clarke Urges FCC Delay of Set Top Box Proposal
Flatbush Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke yesterday urged the Federal Communication Commission to delay implementation of the Set Top Box proposal until a full impact study on multicultural media is conducted.
Under the proposal consumers would be able swap pricey cable boxes for cheaper devices and apps, a change that would boost competition in the $20 billion television set-top box market while delivering a blow to major cable companies. But Clarke along with 53 Congressional colleagues sent a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler saying the proposed rule, while well intentioned, has the potential to adversely impact consumer privacy, intellectual property, programming, distribution and diversity of content available for the American consumer.
“I have vivid memories from my childhood where I noted the infrequency of faces and even stories that reflected and represented me,” said Clarke. “We have made significant progress in creating a diverse and an inclusive marketplace, but we cannot afford to move full speed ahead in a direction that threatens to undo said progress in the pursuit of greater ‘competition’. Promoting diversity and inclusion is an important principle and achievable public policy goal. I strongly urge FCC Chairman Wheeler to consider the concerns of my colleagues, media and content providers and the growing coalition of advocates regarding this proposal and await the results of the impact study from the GOA (Government Accountability Office).”
Adams Bike Ride Advocates Further Traffic Safety
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams yesterday led about 50 community residents and cycling advocates on a bike ride to honor two cyclists recently killed in crashes and to demand enforcement of the traffic laws that could have saved their lives.
The route started at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Sterling Place in Park Slope, where 33-year-old James Gregg was killed in a collision with an 18-wheel tractor trailer on Wednesday, April 20, and continued to the intersection of Classon and Lexington avenues in Clinton Hill, where 34-year-old Lauren Davis was killed on Friday, April 15 by a turning car.
The driver who collided with Gregg was issued five summonses that included driving a truck on a street that was not a designated truck route. Neither the truck driver in the incident nor the driver who crashed into Davis have been charged with a crime.
Before the ride, Adams called on the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to expand enforcement of the citywide 25 miles per hour speed limit and other traffic laws that prevent trucks from driving on most residential streets. He added that the NYPD should avoid speculation about the cause of a crash until a full investigation has been completed, to prevent the assumption that the cyclist was necessarily at fault.
“We cannot continue to accept that these deaths or the deaths of other cyclists were the inevitable result of allowing cars and trucks on the streets of Brooklyn,” said Adams. “Our streets must become a safe environment for all types of traffic, whether a person driving a car or riding a bicycle or an older person walking to the store. There are designated routes for trucks, which should not be driving on residential streets where children are playing and people are walking and riding bikes. Also, we should not assume that the cyclist was always the person responsible for a crash or had accepted the risk simply by climbing on a bicycle.”
Adams has been an outspoken supporter of Vision Zero, a commitment by the City to entirely eliminate traffic fatalities that was developed in collaboration with Transportation Alternatives, a non-profit advocacy organization that supports bicyclists and pedestrians.
In addition, he has used his capital budget to establish CROSS (Connecting Residents on Safer Streets) Brooklyn, his initiative to invest in sidewalk extensions at dangerous intersections across Brooklyn near significant concentrations of senior citizens.
Adams noted that he will also work with the City Council and the State Legislature going forward to expand the installation of side and rear guards on trucks, which have been demonstrated to dramatically reduce fatalities for both bicyclists and pedestrians.
Jeffries Assails Sanders Campaign For Personal Attacks Against Clinton
Central Brooklyn Congress Member Hakeem Jeffries, a stronger supporter of Hillary Clinton, yesterday assailed the Bernie Sanders campaign for playing “dirty pool” in trying to keep Clinton from getting the Democratic nomination.
Specifically, Jeffries assailed actress Rosario Dawson, an ardent Sanders supporter, for invoking Monica Lewinsky the Washington DC intern that allegedly had sex with former President Bill Clinton, and relating how the Hillary Clinton campaign is bullying Sanders supporters the same way Lewinsky was bullied to not go public with the sex scandal.
“Bernie Sanders ran a scorched earth campaign in New York that personally attacked Hillary Clinton at every turn, and he was crushed by 16 points. Instead of learning from past failure, supporters of Bernie Sanders continue to play dirty pool in a desperate attempt to halt Hillary Clinton’s clear path to the Democratic nomination.
“Bernie Sanders is at risk of his legacy sinking faster than his opportunity for victory at the convention. He must clearly and unequivocally call upon his supporters, such as Rosario Dawson, to stop providing aid and comfort to Donald Trump and the Republican Party,” said Jeffries.
