Adams Warns About K2 Use At Bed-Stuy/Bushwick Border
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams today will go to Bedford-Stuyvesant/Bushwick area that has seen a rash of K2 overdoses to flyer the area urging residents to take action against the illegal drug.
K2, often referred to as synthetic marijuana, this week sent 22 people who had overdosed to nearby emergency rooms earlier today at the area in question, which is one of the epicenters of the local K2 epidemic.
The drug, commonly referred to by brand names such as Ice Dragon, Spice, or AK-47, often results in serious complications that could include extreme anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, rapid heart rate, vomiting, violent behavior, suicidal thoughts, seizures, kidney damage, and even death.
Although selling K2 is now a misdemeanor in the city, some local retailers nonetheless continue to sell the drug. Adams will address the risks of the drug and call for greater community collaboration to root out those furthering the K2 epidemic.
Adams is slated to flyer the neighborhood at 2 p.m., today at the intersection of Broadway and Myrtle Avenue at the Bedford-Stuyvesant/Bushwick border.
Cymbrowitz Lauds New SNAP Eligibility Rules
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach, Homecrest) yesterday hailed the fact that more residents than ever will be able to benefit from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) due to a new change in the program’s eligibility rules.
As of July 1, families of three whose total monthly income is $2,512 or less will be able to receive SNAP benefits. Previously a family of three had to make $2,177 or less to be eligible. Single individuals with incomes up to $17,820 are now eligible for SNAP.
Almost three million residents of New York already receive supplemental nutritional assistance. The expansion means that an additional 750,000 families in New York State are now eligible for the program. The amount of benefits a family or individual receives depends on household income from all sources, deductions of high medical or housing costs, and how many people live in the household.
“Nobody should go hungry in New York State and expanding SNAP eligibility rules is an important step in this process,” Cymbrowitz said. “There is still much work to be done in order to find ways to lift residents out of poverty and prevent poverty from occurring in the first place. This requires finding any gaps in services that may lead to the creation of new initiatives, or a review of existing ones, in order to reverse this terrible trend.”
Anyone in Cymbrowitz’ district may find out if they are eligible for SNAP or other benefits by calling his district office at (718) 743-4078. His office is located at 1800 Sheepshead Bay Road and is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cornegy Continues Drive For Breast Feeding Rooms In Public Places
City Councilman Robert Cornegy Jr. (Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights) tomorrow will hold a press conference to highlight legilsation he is introducing that will require lactation rooms in certain locations to provide breast feeding services to mothers and infants in public areas.
Corengy, who has six children, was the first elected official to have a lactation room in his district office, and has been on the forefront of advocacy on how breat feeding contributes greatly to both the mother’s mental health and the infant’s mental and physical health.
The press conference is slated for 10 a.m., tomorrow on the steps of City Hall in Lower Manhattan.
De Blasio Announces Brooklyn To Get More Soccer Fields
Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the New York City Football Club and Adidas yesterday announced the launch of the New York City Soccer Initiative, a public-private partnership that will build and maintain 50 soccer fields in underserved neighborhoods across the five boroughs over the next five years.
“These new soccer fields will be essential in keeping our young New Yorkers safe, active and connected with the community. With this partnership, we are tackling inequalities in all its forms – including in our parks and outdoor spaces,” said de Blasio. “In the city of immigrants, with so many different languages and cultures, the New York City Soccer Initiative will be one of the great tools we use to unify young New Yorkers.”
The program will provide after-school soccer and mentoring programs, such as soccer clinics, festivals and youth summits to promote safe, active and connected communities. The New York City Soccer Initiative will also include a partnership with the City’s Young Men’s Initiative, providing young men of color with mentorship opportunities.
Through the construction of these new fields, the New York City Soccer Initiative will aim to connect more young people to soccer, expand U.S. Soccer Foundation’s nationally-recognized soccer after-school program –Soccer for Success – and repurpose underutilized spaces in our most underserved neighborhoods, creating a safe, public area where a community can gather.
Evidence shows that connecting young people – especially those in the lowest-income communities – to mentorship opportunities early on is directly correlated to future success in high school, college and their careers.
Of the first eight sites, two are slated for Brooklyn. They are JHS 166 George Gershwin in East New York and the NYCHA’s Cypress Hills Houses in Cypress Hills.
Donovan Hearing Examines Post-Disaster Response & Planning
Congressman Dan Donovan (Southern Brooklyn, Staten Island), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications, this week held a congressional hearing on Staten Island to examine how to improve post-disaster response and planning, and whether the city is better prepared to withstand future storms after billions of dollars have been invested in disaster resiliency projects.
“It’s a missed opportunity to repair and rebuild after Sandy without making our communities better able to withstand future storms,” said Donovan. “After the multi-billion dollar rebuilding process ends, neighborhoods will see a hodgepodge of housing types: elevations, demolitions, in-kind repairs – is that the best outcome? Have the billions invested in infrastructure projects to reduce flood risk made our coastlines safer?”
Brad Gair, who directed the Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery Operations after Sandy and developed the Build it Back program, described changes that could improve federally-funded disaster repair programs in the future. After a major storm, jurisdictions like New York City receive billions in federal relief funds but must create from scratch the programs that will deliver the aid to residents.
Gair said the current federal process is “a series of patchwork programs that more than anything else confuse, frustrate and demoralize both those in need of aid and those trying to provide it.” Gair’s testimony explained the importance of developing off-the-shelf recovery programs that cities like New York can implement quickly after a disaster, rather than building a multi-billion dollar operation on the fly.
The hearing also examined the challenges facing New York City’s recovery because of its unique housing stock, particularly attached homes that cannot be elevated. Donovan emphasized the importance of rebuilding homes in a more flood-resilient manner, but pointed out that inflexible federal standards do not provide useful mitigation options for attached homes.
Donovan said he is committed to turning the information gathered during the hearing into actionable legislation. “Since becoming chairman of this subcommittee, every hearing I’ve held has resulted in legislation – this will be no different.”
