Reynoso Calls For Safety Upgrades Along Grand Street Corridor
City Council Member Antonio Reynoso (Williamsburg, Bushwick) yesterday called for Mayor De Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative to make streets safer for pedestrians to take immediate action in crash prone areas like Grand Street.
Reynoso’s call for action follows the death of Raphael Nieves, 85, who was fatally struck by a truck heading westbound while he attempted to cross Grand Street at Lorimer Street in Williamsburg. This is one of three fatal incidents that have occurred on this same street in the last 13 months. Additional City data shows that at the same intersection in 2016 there were over ten traffic related injuries and over sixty reported along all of Grand Street.
Reynoso, and colleague Council Members Ydanis Rodriguez (Northern Manhattan) and Stephen Levin (Northern Brooklyn) along with Evelyn Cruz, representing Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, gathered at the intersection yesterday expressing their condolences to the family and friends of Nieves, and echoed the need for immediate mitigation at unsafe intersections like the one along Grand and Lorimer Streets.
“In my 33 years of living in this district I cannot say that I have seen significant improvements made to Grand Street” said Reynoso. It is about time that we make the necessary modifications to make this street safer for pedestrians and cyclists and introduce a culture where we give the streets back to the people. We ask that the Department of Transportation do something more comprehensive when it comes to protecting pedestrians. If we cannot prevent fatalities in the first 2 weeks of the new year we need to refocus our efforts on making sure that Vision Zero is a goal we truly push to achieve. Yesterday’s tragic and senseless fatality will always weigh heavy in our hearts, and to the Nieves family, my thoughts and prayers are with you.”
Golden Calls For Parole Board To Deny Release Of Judith Clark
State Sen. Marty Golden (Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend) yesterday joined Legislature colleagues and representatives of various law enforcement agencies in calling on the New York State Board of Parole to deny the release from prison of Judith Clark, the driver of a getaway car in a 1981 robbery of a Brink’s armored car in Rockland County.
The robbery left security guard Peter Paige and Nyack, N.Y. Police Sgt. Edward O’Grady and Officer Waverly Brown dead.
“As a former New York City Police Officer, I find it both appalling and disturbing that parole for Judith Clark, who was involved in the cold-blooded murder of two police officers and a security guard, is even under consideration,” said Golden. “As far as I am concerned, this is the last thing we should be talking about in this anti-police climate which has sparked attacks and the killing of officers throughout the Nation.
“This is a tremendous slap in the face to all the men and women who wear the uniform and protect New Yorkers every day, and I join with my colleagues and the police unions in calling for Ms. Clark to be denied parole.”
Additionally, an online petition has been created asking for the public’s support in an effort to deny parole for Clark. The petition is available at www.noparoleforjudithclark.com.
Ortiz Looks Toward Busy Legislative Session
Assembly Member and Assistant Speaker Felix W. Ortiz (Sunset Park, Red Hook) announced this week he will introduce/reintroduce several pieces of legislation addressing public safety and housing.
These bills include legislation requiring all New York police officers to receive CPR training every two years (Briana’s Law), having a new requirement that all automobiles sold in the state have interlocking devices installed with devices that measure a driver’s alcohol content before the car can start, establishing air quality tests by the state in communities with populations over one million people, and regulating of electronic bicycles (ebikes) and other measures to ensure that communities experiencing rapid economic growth be protected from tremendous increases in vehicular traffic.
Ortiz will also be fighting for increased funding to remedy brownfields, build additional schools and provide for mass transit improvements.
“With rapid economic development taking place from Borough Park and Sunset Park to Red Hook, I want to make sure that our residents aren’t overwhelmed with increased truck traffic, unsafe air and other “quality of life” issues so important to our Brooklyn communities,” said Ortiz.
Adams Puts Out Call For Brooklynites To Join Community Boards
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams yesterday encouraged civic-minded Brooklynites to apply for a position on one of Brooklyn’s 18 local community boards, inviting interested candidates to submit their application online for the first time in the borough’s history.
Community boards, which have existed in their current form for more than 40 years following the Charter Revision of 1975, are the most local representative bodies of government in New York City. They are responsible for dealing with land use issues, assessing neighborhood needs, and addressing community concerns.
Borough presidents are responsible for the appointment for each of their community board’s 50 unsalaried members, half of whom are nominated by local members of the City Council.
“The men and women who serve on Brooklyn’s community boards make our neighborhoods stronger, amplifying the voices of the residents they represent,” said Adams. “Community boards provide invaluable forums that help us ensure City services are delivered and hyperlocal issues find solutions. Last year, when I introduced a digital application for the first time in Brooklyn’s history, our office saw an encouraging growth in the number of submissions we received. It is my hope that going paperless with this process, as well as making applications available on a rolling basis, will further expand an applicant pool that is engaged and representative of the diverse identities and interests that make up our borough.”
Adams emphasized his special interest in receiving community board applications from local teenagers. Since 2015, he has used the authority granted under a new State law that gives borough presidents the ability to appoint two members who are at least 16 years of age to each community board. Adams’ goal is to appoint youth members on every community board in the borough.
Applications for appointment and re-appointment for community boards are now available at brooklyn-usa.org. The application deadline for those interested in being appointed or re-appointed this year is Wednesday, February 15. Applicants must be New York City residents in order to serve on a community board. To qualify for a particular board, they must live, work in, or have a professional or other significant interest in that board’s district.
Persaud Issues Fraud Alert On Immigration Scams
State Sen. Roxanne Persaud (Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Mill Island, Georgetown, Ocean Hill, Starrett City) last week issued a fraud alert on immigration scams.
“Due to the outcome of our recent presidential election, there has been a noted increase of fear and anxiety within our immigrant communities. My office and other legal aid organizations have also received a number of calls and reported scams within recent weeks. Because of this, I have issued a Fraud Alert warning immigrants to be aware of potential scammers offering immigration services,” said Persaud in her weekly emailed newsletter.
To report potential immigration scams, please contact the Attorney General’s Immigration Services Fraud Unit Hotline at (866) 390-2992 or email Civil.Rights@ag.ny.gov. Immigration status and information will never be shared with federal authorities if you contact the Immigration Services Fraud Unit Hotline.
Also, for those within New York’s immigrant communities seeking immigration and naturalization-related support. The New Americans Hotline, managed by Catholic Charities Community Services, is a toll-free, multi-lingual hotline that provides live assistance providing immigration and naturalization information and referrals, regardless of a person’s citizenship or status. All calls to the hotline are confidential and anonymous.
New Kings Democrats Meeting Next Week
The New Kings Democrats will hold their first general meeting of the new year next week.
The agenda includes hearing about the political club’s new structure, information about next month’s NKD Executive Committee elections, and a review of the exciting work coming out of the membership, policy, and organizing committees.
The meeting is slated for 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 17 at the YWCA, 30 3rd Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn. All are welcome. RSVP: newkingsdemocrats.com/
