Jeffries Selected For House Task Force On Police Relations
U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries (Central Brooklyn), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus leadership and House Judiciary Committee, was selected to participate in a House task force on police-community relations, a group that will examine police accountability, aggression towards law enforcement, and public safety concerns related to these issues.
The bipartisan working group will hold a series of roundtables, starting with a private roundtable in Washington, D.C., to candidly discuss the issues fueling excessive force used by law enforcement and attacks against police officers and will invite outside leaders on this issue to meet with the working group.
“The relationship between the police and communities of color throughout America have reached a breaking point and are in desperate need of repair. I look forward to working in a bipartisan manner with the distinguished members of this group to find a solution to this problem. The formation of this group is a strong step in the right direction,” said Jeffries.
Cymbrowitz On Hand To Launch Voter Registration In Five New Foreign Languages
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach, Homecrest) today will join the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs to announce the launch of voter registration forms in five new languages.
Cymbrowitz has long been at the forefront of legislative efforts to require the translation of voting materials into Russian. Voter registration forms will also be launched in Urdu, Haitian Creole, French and Arabic. Previously, voter registration forms were available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Bangla.
Also attending will be community organizations including the Shorefront YM-YWHA and other elected officials.
The press conference to announce the initiative is slated for 10-11 a.m., today at the Homecrest Library, 2525 Coney Island Avenue in Homecrest.
De Blasio Signs Legislation Increasing Access To Feminine Hygiene Products
Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday signed a package of legislation increasing access to feminine hygiene products for New York City’s shelter residents, students and inmates.
With Intros 1122-A, 1123-A and 1128-A, New York City guarantees access to these essential products for all female Department of Correction inmates; persons residing in a City shelter and youth under the care of certain Children’s Services facilities – including transgender, intersex and gender non-conforming New Yorkers; and public school students.
“There should be no stigma around something as fundamental as menstruation. These laws recognize that feminine hygiene products are a necessity – not a luxury,” said de Blasio. “Students should be able to concentrate on their studies, New Yorkers in shelter should be able to focus on rebuilding their lives, and women in our Correction Department should be able to work toward rehabilitation and release without the indignity of inadequate access to tampons and pads.
City Council Members Laurie A. Cumbo (Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights) and Helen Rosenthal, Co-Chairs of the Women’s Caucus of the New York City Council noted that nearly 30 percent of teens in the city live in poverty.
“The cost of feminine hygiene products can be as high as $100 annually and competes with other basic necessities like toilet paper, food, and lodging, particularly for women and families that make daily financial sacrifices to make ends meet,” the two lawmakers said in a joint statement. “The legislative package will impact the lives of tens of thousands of women and girls in New York City’s schools, homeless shelters, and Department of Correction facilities. Feminine hygiene products are not luxuries, they are necessities. We are proud to live in a city that demonstrates that the health and well-being of women matter. Menses is a natural function to be celebrated and not dismissed.”
De Blasio Announces Better Lighting At NYCHA’s Boulevard Houses
Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) yesterday announced the completed installation of 504 new lights to improve public safety at Boulevard Houses, 881 Schneck Avenue in East New York.
The new lighting included replacement of the development’s outdated exterior lighting system with state-of-the-art, energy-efficient lighting located at entrances, walkways and parking areas.
“We are continuing to deliver on our promise to public housing residents to make their communities safer,” said de Blasio. “This lighting installation – which brings 504 new lights to Brooklyn’s Boulevard Houses – follows the installation of 305 new safety lights at Bushwick Houses. Exterior safety lighting is one vital tool in the larger effort to decrease violence in public housing.”
The new lighting is part of de Blasio’s Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety (MAP), a comprehensive strategy to reduce violence and increase neighborhood safety at the 15 NYCHA development sites that accounted for 20 percent of all violent crime in public housing in 2014.
Since MAP began crime at the Boulevard Houses is down 4.1 percent compared to this period last year, with murders flat at zero to date and a 75 percent drop in robberies. This mirrors the 1.9 percent drop in crime for Police Service Area 2, with murders also flat and robberies down 15.6 percent. NYCHA-wide, shootings are down 16.5 percent year to date.
State Senator Roxanne Persaud, who represents the area in the senate, commended NYCHA for completing the installation of the much needed safety lighting at Boulevard Houses in a timely fashion.
“Installing state of the art lighting in these NYCHA buildings show that the Authority is moving closer to the NEXT Generation NYCHA goal of creating the safe, clean and connected communities that they have envisioned. It is important that NYCHA continues to elevate the standards of living for the residents of public housing. This is an important step in the right direction,” said Persaud.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said after the stabbing of a six-year-old and a seven-year-old in a poorly-lighted elevator at Boulevard Houses in 2014, he called on NYCHA to help eliminate the darkness.
“In my 22 years with the NYPD, I remember the difficulty of patrolling areas where dark shadows allowed criminals to conceal their activities and families were afraid to walk at night. Improved exterior lighting at Boulevard Houses in East New York will dramatically improve public safety for police officers and community residents, preventing many crimes from ever occurring,” said Adams.
Hamilton Thanks Those Who Participated In Community Walk
Central Brooklyn State Sen. Jesse Hamilton yesterday thanked the broad coalition of elected officials and concerned residents that participated in this week’s Unity March through Crown Heights to start a national healing process following the police shooting of two black men and the five Dallas police officers that were gunned down.
“Your presence at our Unity in the Community Walk on July 12 at the 77th Precinct was greatly appreciated. In addition to showing your attentiveness to a serious issue for the entire the country, your willingness to join us as a concerned citizen of the community helps strengthen our collective efforts to improve policing,” said Hamilton.
“Your voice is pivotal during this time of national tragedy. Passionate citizens like yourself are the key in building understanding and bridging gaps between the police and the community. Your participation not only shows acknowledgement of the recent violence in our country but your readiness and determination to see real change in the community and in the country. Thank you again for your engagement, your participation, and your leadership.”
Williams Introduces Right To Record Act
City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) along with Manhattan City Council Member Helen Rosenthal today will announce they are introducing legislation dubbed the “Right to Record Act,” which will prohibit police officers from interfering with, or intimidating individuals from recording their activities, and establishes a cause of action for violating the Act.
Taking photographs and videos, or other recordings, of activity that is plainly visible from public spaces is a protected constitutional right. However, there are documented cases where law enforcement officers order people to stop recording their activities, and in many cases harass, and arrest those who record their actions.
In recent years, several high-profile cases of police misconduct and brutality have garnered attention because of cellphone footage taken by civilians. These cases include incidents surrounding the death of Eric Garner and Walter Scott.
There isn’t a clause in the bill that specifies how far or close the person has to be. However it does mention that the person recording should not physically interfere with the activity the officer is engaging in.
Among the other Brooklyn elected officials expected to be on hand include City Council Members Inez Barron and Carlos Menchaca, and Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte.
The press conference to announce the legislation is slated for 11 a.m. on the steps of City Hall in Lower Manhattan.
