Gillibrand Wants Homeless DV Victims Counted
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand yesterday announced a new push calling on President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration to direct officials at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to permanently include homeless victims of domestic violence in its annual count of the homeless population.
Currently, HUD does not require the count of these victims as part of the homeless population, resulting in underfunded programs and resources to help this vulnerable population get back on their feet.
“Domestic violence survivors are some of the most vulnerable people among us, and homelessness makes life even more dangerous for them,” said Gillibrand. “They leave home because they live in fear that their lives, or their children’s lives, will be endangered if they don’t leave. But they have nowhere to go, and no one to ask for help, so they end up on the streets. That’s why I’m calling on President-Elect Trump’s transition team to direct the new HUD secretary to make domestic violence survivors a separate group when they calculate our homeless population. We need to make sure that the federal money going to our homeless shelters and non-profits is being allocated in the best way possible, so that homeless New Yorkers, including those who have experienced domestic violence, can get the help they need.”
Donovan Lauds House Condemning UN Anti-Israel Resolution
Congressman Dan Donovan (South Brooklyn, Staten Island) on Friday lauded the House for formally condemning the anti-Israel resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council in December.
The U.N. resolution attacked Israeli settlements as a “flagrant violation” and “a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.” The United States, in a break from a long-established precedent, abstained from the vote, allowing it to pass.
The House measure, that Donovan co-sponsored, condemned the U.N. resolution and reaffirms U.S. commitment to Israel and stability in the Middle East. The non-binding resolution passed 342 to 80 last Thursday.
“The Obama Administration was mistaken in failing to veto the U.N.’s one-sided, anti-Israel resolution. The measure I voted to pass today offers much-needed public affirmation to Israel that the U.S. House of Representatives stands with our closest ally in the Middle East. We must return to our longstanding policy of offering diplomatic protection to Israel in pursuit of a two-state solution,”said Donovan.
Cumbo Denounces House Attempt To Defund Planned Parenthood
New York City Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo, (Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights) Friday condemned House Speaker Paul Ryan announced on Thursday that the GOP would defund Planned Parenthood.
“As chair of the Committee on Women’s Issues and co-chair of the Women’s Caucus, I was proud to recognize Planned Parenthood of New York City for 100 years of reproductive healthcare, advocacy, and education. Reproductive healthcare is a right, not a privilege for a few. Millions of individuals and families – both locally and beyond – rely on Planned Parenthood for prenatal care; preventative care, such as breast examinations and pap smears, and sex education to lead healthy lives,” said Cumbo.
“Any attempt to defund Planned Parenthood is an attack on everyone’s right to choose the best course of care for one’s body. We will not allow a male-dominated Congress and presidential administration to undo the incredible gains that we have made as a society towards reproductive justice and gender equity. Restricting access to affordable reproductive healthcare would be a huge disservice to low-income women, immigrants, and communities of color. I will continue to stand with Planned Parenthood, a trusted health care provider and staunch advocate for reproductive rights with an irrefutable and positive track record of providing “care, no matter what,” to people of all backgrounds.”
Brooklyn Pols Condemn NYPD Commanding Officers Remarks on Rape
Northern Brooklyn elected officials including City Council Members Stephen Levin and Antonio Reynoso, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Assemblyman Joe Lentol, and State Senators Martin Dilan and Daniel Squadron issued a joint statement Friday condemning 94th Police Precinct Commanding Officer Capt. Peter Rose for saying that while every rape should be investigated, the reported 62 percent increase in sex assaults was “not a trend that we’re too worried about” because most of them were “acquaintance rapes.”
He described the incidents, which he said involved Tinder dates and coworkers, as “not total-abomination rapes where strangers are being dragged off the streets” during a precinct community council meeting.
“Every act of sexual assault or rape is a serious crime and must be investigated fully and with due respect. We continue to have every expectation that whenever a sexual assault or rape occurs, the NYPD, and especially the Special Victims Unit, will interact with the survivors professionally and in a courteous manner, and that the NYPD will conduct a serious and thorough investigation regardless of whether the survivor knew the perpetrator. We were dismayed at the recently published comments by Captain Rose of the 94th Precinct which, regardless of his intention, indicated that the NYPD takes some rape cases more seriously than others,” the lawmakers stated.
“Let us be clear and unequivocal: rape is rape and it is always an abomination. We believe it is appropriate for Captain Rose to apologize. We also believe it is important for the NYPD to continue to make efforts to better understand the trauma that survivors endure, not only during the rape or sexual assault itself, but during any investigation and afterwards. It is essential that every member of the NYPD, from the Commissioner to the recruit, be trained and retrained regularly to recognize the signs of rape and sexual assault. The NYPD must also commit to a comprehensive program that gives them the tools to more effectively address sexual assault and rape and understand the trauma the survivor experiences.”
Rose’s remarks also drew immediate condemnation from Mayor de Blasio and Public Advocate Letitia James.
Treyger Announces Gravesend School To Get Extension
City Council Member Mark Treyger (Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Gravesend), today is joining with Department of Education, and the School Construction Authority officials to announce The Highlawn School, in Gravesend will undergo an extension of the school’s building.
The extension will create approximately 450 new school seats at P.S. 97, help resolve issues of overcrowding, and will feature new classrooms, and other facilities including a cafeteria, gym, art room and music room. The extension also allows for the removal of the school’s Temporary Classroom Units (TCU), which currently house four classrooms outside of the main school building.
The announcement is slated for 9 a.m., today, Jan. 9 at P.S. 97, The Highlawn School – 1855 Stillwell Avenue in Gravesend.
