Hamilton Fights To Make Raise The Age Part Of State Budget
State Sen. Jesse Hamilton (D-Central Brooklyn) and the Senate’s Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) is keeping the pressure on to make “Raise the Age” legislation part of the state budget that is due to be passed by April 1.
“Raise the Age” seeks to raise the age from 16 to 18 that a person can be charged and incarcerated as an adult. New York is one of only two states nationwide where 16- and 17-year-olds in New York State.
Earlier this year, the IDC released a report, “The Price of Juvenile Justice: Why Raising the Age Makes Cents for New York,” detailing not only social benefits of raising the age, but the vast economic benefits as well. Whether it’s increasing the chance to advance academically or secure employment, the report shows that individuals who avoid jail time have the opportunity to be productive members of society, contribute taxes, while the state could save some $117.11 million annually by avoiding detention and corrections costs.
“This is an issue that has adversely impacted communities of color and must end. Raising the Age of criminality in New York to 18 years of age is simply doing the right thing. The vast majority of youth arrests are for minor crimes including not paying subway fare (turnstile jumping). Over 90% of turnstile jumping arrests in 2016 involved people of color. A yearly average of 18,000 16 and 17-year olds are arrested for turnstile jumping in New York City connecting Broken Windows Policing with Raising the Age,” said Hamilton in an email.
“As the deadline for the budget approaches, we must keep in mind that New York has the ability to stop punishing children like adults and to rid the state of the dubious distinction of being one of the only states without raise the age.”
Cornegy Announces Charges Upped For White Supremacist Racial Killing
City Council Member Robert Cornegy Jr. (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) announced via social media that Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance has upped the charges against a white supremacist who admitted murdering a black man in cold blood last week on a Manhattan street for the color of his skin.
James Jackson, 26, plunged a sword multiple times into the back of 66-year-old Timothy Caughman, killing him. Jackson later turned himself in for the murder telling police he came from Baltimore to New York City for the express purpose of killing as many blacks as he could. Jackson also said this was the start of white supremacist killings around the country.
Cornegy and several Central Brooklyn lawmakers including Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and City Council Member Jumaane Williams have been demanding the city and the NYPD treat the crime as domestic terrorism. They also have shed light on how Black-Americans have historically and continue to get the short end of the stick when hate crimes are committed against them.
Following strong demands and media attention, Jackson is now being charged with:
– Murder in the First Degree (in furtherance of an act of terrorism), a class A-I felony, one count
– Murder in the Second Degree as a Crime of Terrorism, a class A-I felony, one count
– Murder in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime, a class A-I felony, one count
– Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree, a class A misdemeanor, three counts
Adams To Celebrate Brooklyn’s “Sheroes”
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams today will address hundreds of Brooklynites at his fourth annual Women’s History Month celebration at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
The event will spotlight a diverse array of female honorees from the fields of education, entrepreneurship, faith, finance, health care, and technology.
Adams will talk about the impact of Brooklyn’s sheroes, past and present, as well as his administration’s commitment to initiatives that support the education, engagement, enlightenment, and empowerment of women.
The celebration is slated for 7 p.m. tonight, March 30 at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street in Downtown Brooklyn.
Colton, Tong Collect 1,000 petition Signatures For More School Funding
Assemblyman William Colton (D-Bensonhurst, Bath Beach) and Democratic District Leader Nancy Tong yesterday announced they collected over a 1,000 signatures from issues regarding inadequate amount of funding in local school districts.
The petition calls for the state to keep the foundation aid formula.
Colton has been a longtime supporter of increasing the school aid formula, and education for children in his district. The foundation aid formula is a vital component in the state budget. It incorporates the cost of a quality education for students. It develops the needs of students within each district, and it provides the district’s ability to accommodate each student’s needs, said Colton.
“Many parents have complained to me about the shortage of Pre-k and middle school seats in district 20 and 21. We need more school funding to meet this need.” Tong said.
Colton and Tong said there has been past inequities in local school districts such as 20 and 21. As a result, more problems have occurred, such as not having enough seating for universal pre-k students. This forces parents to relocate children to other school that are farther than their neighborhood school.
“I fully support the foundation aid formula which implements many positive benefits. It provides a better learning experience for teachers and the students. They are the foundation of our future and we must do our best to preserve the American dream by ensuring a top quality education for all our children.” Colton said.
Bichotte Applauds Victory for Rent-Stabilized Tenants
Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte (D-Flatbush, Ditmas Park) yesterday applauded a Supreme Court judge’s decision to uphold a rent freeze for all rent-stabilized apartments.
Last year, the Rent Stabilization Association (RSA) comprised of 25,000 landlords, filed a lawsuit in response to the Rent Guidelines Board ‘s (RBG) decision to freeze one-year leases and increase two-year leases by 2%.
The RSA argued that the court did not take into account the decision’s full economic impact In the end, the Supreme Court decided that there was precedence and that the RGB was allowed to consider the economic situations of tenants when making its decisions. In addition, RGB commissioned reports from last year stated that the operating costs for rent stabilized buildings were trending downwards.
“I am happy that this decision is coming at a time when my district is experiencing the highest eviction rate in the city and when many New Yorkers find themselves under financial duress,” said Bichotte. “With wages being stagnant across most sectors and with basic necessities like food and transportation going up, most people cannot absorb one more cost. Also, no doubt that a decision not to uphold the freeze would have increased the number of homeless families we are seeing, of which a significant percentage come from rent-stabilized apartments.”
The RBG, which is mandated to establish rent adjustments for the one million rent stabilized apartments in NYC, is set to begin it’s public hearing process tomorrow, with a preliminary vote coming on April 25th, with a final vote coming in June or July.
Williams Hosts Quality Of Life Town Hall
City Council Member Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) will bring together a number of city agencies in hosting a Town Hall focussing on quality of life issues.
The town hall is coordinated in partnership with the Department of Transportation, Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Sanitation, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Buildings, New York Police Department, Department of Finance and New York Fire Department.
There will be a panel discussion with city agency representatives, where constituents will be able to raise concerns about quality of life issues in the district. Some areas of discussion include issues related to Frazier Square Park, water bills, and sanitation problems.
The Town Hall is slated for between 6-8 p.m., tonight, March 30 at the Kingsway Jewish Center, 2902 Kings Highway off east 28th Street in Flatbush. For further information contact Democratic District Leader Jacob Gold, 718-629-2900.
James To Hold Town Hall
Public Advocate Letitia James tomorrow will host a town hall for residents of Bushwick and Cypress Hills to talk to the community about some of heroffice’s work and to take questions from the community about their concerns.
City Council Member Rafael Espinal (D-East New York, Bushwick) and State Committeewoman Darma Diaz will co-host the event.
The Town Hall is slated for 6 p.m., March 31 at the North Brooklyn YMCA, 570 Jamaica Avenue in Bushwick.
Cornegy, Interfaith Hospital Host Colon Cancer Awareness Event
City Council Member Robert Cornegy Jr. and Interfaith Hospital tomorrow night will host an awareness event tomorrow night to help reduce the number of colon cancer deaths in Central Brooklyn.
The event will highlight how colon cancer can be preventable, treatable and beatable.
It is slated for between 5-7 p.m., tomorrow, March 31 at Interfaith Hospital, 1545 Atlantic Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
