BP Adams Holds Vigil For Teen Cyclist Killed In Sunset Park Crash
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams will lead a community vigil in memory of a 14-year-old bicyclist who was recently killed in a crash today.
Edwin Ajacalon, a Guatemalan immigrant who worked as a deliveryman for a local restaurant was killed Saturday afternoon in Sunset Park when a speeding car slammed into his bicycle and dragged him a half a block.
Adams will join Ajacolon’s uncle, fellow New Yorkers who have lost loved ones to traffic violence, and neighborhood advocates including City Council Member Carlos Menchaca (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook) and Transportation Alternatives, in mourning his loss and demanding action for safer streets, including long-demanded speed cameras.
The event is slated for 6:30 p.m., today, Nov. 27, at the Corner of 23rd Street & 5th Avenue in Sunset Park.
Schumer Warns Against Home DNA Test Kits, Says They Pose Privacy Risks
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-Brooklyn) is warning consumers against at home DNA test kits.
On Sunday, Schumer revealed that the kits are putting consumer privacy at great risk due to DNA testing firms not always disclosing to consumers exactly what is done with the DNA once it is sent in to their company. Schumer is calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate and ensure that privacy policies on all DNA test kits are clear, transparent, and fair to consumers as these services become more and more popular.
At-home DNA test kits require a cheek swab or the collection of spit, which is then sent away for genetic-testing. However, Schumer points out that each company has its own variation of a privacy policy and Terms of Service and that many companies may be selling the genetic data they’ve gathered to third parties.
Over the past several years, DNA testing kits have become more and more popular. According to media reports, the DNA testing market was worth approximately $70 million in 2015 and is expected to rise to $340 million by 2022.This year, AncestryDNA announced it had reached 4 million users in its genetic database, where consumers find relatives, some of whom they did not know existed.
“When it comes to protecting consumers from at-home DNA test kit service, the federal government is behind; putting your most personal genetic information in the hands of third parties for their exclusive use raises a lot of concerns, from the potential for discrimination by employers all the way to health insurance. We don’t want to impede research but we also don’t want to empower those looking to make a fast buck or an unfair judgement off your genetic information. We can find the right balance here, and we must,” said Schumer.
“The last gift any of us want to give away this holiday seasons is our most personal and sensitive information, so that is why we are asking the FTC to step in, take a hard look at this industry and ensure there are across-the-board protections to safeguard consumers and ensure good research continues,” added Schumer.
Cornegy, DA Gonzalez Host Anti-Bullying Event
City Council member Robert Cornegy Jr (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez joined forces to host an Anti-Bullying event over the weekend.
The event was a partnership between the duo to raise awareness of cyber-bullying and the negative effects it can have on the borough’s youth. Additionally, at the event Cornegy and Gonzalez reminded the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of ways in which individuals can work to prevent bullying in their community including community-wide strategies that help identify and support children who are bullied, redirect the behavior of children who bully, and alter the attitudes of adults and children who tolerate bullying behavior.
In October, an 18-year-old student stabbed two fellow classmates, killing one and wounding the other at a Bronx High School, in a tragic incident of bullying. The incident was the result of a two-week long argument between victims, 16-year-old Ariane LaBoy, 15-year-old Matthew McCree and attacker Abel Cedeno. According to reports, Cedeno told officers he had been bullied since the beginning of the school year, and the breaking point came after someone threw a pencil at him during history class. Both stabbing victims were rushed to nearby hospitals after the attack, where McCree later died.
“The perception that bullying only happens on school grounds is false. Creating a community where students feel safe is important. We recognized an uptick of cyber bullying through social media and the negative consequences it was having in our community. This initiative helps us address bullying and the violence and negative psychological impacts that come with it,” said Cornegy.
“Today we stand together as a community to address a serious issue affecting many students. I urge parents to be aware of the signs that their child may be experiencing bullying, including cyberbullying, such as withdrawal from family and friends, not wanting to go to school, increased hostility and desensitization toward violence. Parents should also monitor their child’s social media for signs of bullying and open a discussion to learn if your child is being bullied or is aware of others being taunted. We must protect our children from others and from harming themselves in response to bullying.” In his statement Gonzalez underscored the role parents and adults need to play in combating bullying,” said Gonzalez.
Nadler Reacts To Changes On House Judiciary Committee As Conyers Steps Aside
Congressman Jerrod Nadler (D-Manhttan/Brooklyn), the second most senior Democratic Member of the House Judiciary Committee is still pushing for strong democratic leadership as Congressman John Conyers Jr (D-Mich.) stepped aside as the ranking Democrat on the committee over the weekend.
Conyers is currently under an ethics investigation following recent allegations of sexual harassment. According to initial reports, the longest serving Congressman is alleged to have harassed female staffers as recent as this year and to have reached a settlement with an aide who claimed she was fired for rejecting his advances.
Last week, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called for an ethics investigation into Conyers’s behavior after the ranking Congress member admitted to the existence of a settlement, as first reported by Buzzfeed. However, Conyers has stated that he will not resign from Congress and instead plans to fight the allegations in the hope of reclaiming his spot atop the committee, which oversees federal laws and other legal issues.
“Even under these unfortunate circumstances, the important work of the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee must move forward. I will do everything in my power to continue to press on the important issues facing our committee, including criminal justice reform, workplace equality, and holding the Trump Administration accountable. Ranking Member Conyers has a 50 year legacy of advancing the cause of justice, and my job moving forward is to continue that critical work,” said Nadler.
Persaud Decries The End of Haitian TPS
State Senator Roxanne Persaud (D-Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Mill Island, Georgetown, Ocean Hill, Starrett City) is decrying President Trump’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian Immigrants.
Last Monday, the Trump administration said it is ending the temporary residency permit program that has allowed almost 60,000 citizens from Haiti to live and work in the United States since a 2010 powerful earthquake shook the Caribbean nation.The decision was made after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) determined that the “extraordinary conditions” justifying their presence here following a 2010 earthquake “no longer exist,” said a senior administration official to the Washington Post. The program will officially be terminated July 2019. “Since the 2010 earthquake, the number of displaced people in Haiti has decreased by 97 percent,” the department said in a press release. “Haiti is able to safely receive traditional levels of returned citizens.”
Persaud is calling the decision a cowardly act is demanding Trump reverse course and continue the program. The earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010 killed more than 300,000 people, disrupted the function of civil society and had the effect of displacing families from their homes. Today the effects of the earthquake are still visible in Haiti including the spawn of a cholera epidemic, a food insecurity crisis, and an unstable political climate.
“I am outraged by this callous and insensitive action by the Trump Administration. The cancellation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 50,000 Haitians means that they will be rounded up and sent back to Haiti to face an uncertain future. Haiti’s infrastructure and economy will not be able to survive this shock and the country could be plunged further into chronic poverty. That’s a recipe for disaster that could trigger a downward out of control spiral as Haitians compete for already scarce resources,” said Persaud.
“So we’re now going to separate American born children from their Haitian mothers and fathers. It’s either that or sending these children back to Haiti, a country, they do not know. I just can’t fathom why President Trump will take this punitive and un-American action to a defenseless, non-threatening people. Haitians are not terrorists nor do they pose any threat to this country. All they want is to make a better life for themselves and their families,” added Persaud.
Donovan Condemns Anti-Israel U.N. Funding
Congressman Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn,Staten Island), who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and 22 members of the U.S. House of Representatives are condemning anti-Israel United Nations funding.
The group sent a letter urging U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley to investigate an anti-Israel proposal issued by the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process last week. The U.N. plan provides $1.3 billion in funding under the guise of humanitarian aid to politically train Palestinians and develop programs to advance the prospect of Palestinian statehood.
The United Nations Framework for the State of Palestine would provide “international accountability mechanisms” to hold Israel accountable for alleged violations of international law and develop programs to advance the prospect of Palestinian statehood. However, the proposal fails to mention the list of Palestinian violations under international law, including human rights abuses, inciting violence, and financially rewarding terrorists.
Donovan has been a strong supporter of Israel in Congress. Earlier this month, he voted to pass out of committee the Taylor Force Act, legislation he co-sponsors that would end U.S. financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority until it stops compensating terrorists.
“Recent resolutions and proposals coming from the U.N. underscore dangerous anti-Israel sentiments. Funding politically motivated programs to support the creation of a Palestinian State under the mask of humanitarian aid is a misuse of taxpayer funds and severely hampers a true path to peace. Israel, our greatest ally in the Middle East, deserves to be treated fairly,” said Donovan.
Espinal Holds Joint Hearing On City’s Expansion of Microgrids
City Council members Rafael Espinal (D-Bushwick, East New York) and Costa Constantinides (D-Queens) led a joint hearing of the Committees on Consumer Affairs and Environment on the potential of microgrids as a source of sustainable energy production in New York City last week.
The oversight hearing sought to gain insight on the location and function of existing microgrids, applicable laws and regulations concerning the installation and operation of microgrids, and any practical impediments to the development of microgrids.
A microgrid is a relatively small power network, consisting of electricity generation sources, electricity users and control equipment within a geographically defined area. Communities that have microgrids installed can reduce their vulnerability to power outages due to extreme weather events as microgrids enable communities to use local sources of power, decreasing their reliance on distantly-located power generation sources and long-distance electricity transmission via overhead and underground power lines.
In April, Espinal introduced Intro No. 1567, which would “require the office of long-term planning and sustainability to report on the feasibility of microgrids within the city of New York.”
“I believe it is absolutely important to push the administration to study the feasibility of microgrids, which will be key to our city’s sustainability both as a daily source of power and in emergency situations. The New York City Panel on Climate Change projects that by the year 2050, in NYC, extreme weather events are likely to worsen; heat waves, heavy downpours, and coastal flooding are also likely to increase in frequency, extent and duration. Microgrids could secure against environmental catastrophe while also reducing our reliance on electricity conglomerates to build our local economies. New York must lead the way on these fronts, especially in the face of national rejections of progressive environmental policy,” said Espinal.
