BP Adams Hosts Vigil For Teen Cyclist
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L Adams hosted a community vigil to mourn the loss of 13-year-old cyclist Kevin Flores over the weekend.
The Ridgewood resident was killed late Friday afternoon in a crash with an oil truck at the intersection of Lewis and Jefferson avenues in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The truck driver, who was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle, has three prior arrests, including an unlicensed vehicle operation charge from July 2014.
In the wake of this tragedy, Adams has called for criminal penalties against both unlicensed drivers and the companies who allow them to operate their vehicles while unlicensed.
Adams was joined at the event by Council Members Antonio Reynoso (D-Bushwick, Williamsburg) and Robert Cornegy, Jr. (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) as well as other safe street advocates from Transportation Alternatives, and clergy members.
Carroll Applauds Cuomo’s Congestion Pricing Proposal
Assembly member Robert Carroll (D-Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington) applauded Governor Andrew Cuomo‘s congestion pricing proposal over the weekend.
Last week, Cuomo released a task force report on easing city traffic that recommended congestion pricing as a top solution. The proposal would charge drivers up to $11.52 to drive through the busiest parts of Manhattan and would affect trips below 60th Street. According to initial reports, the new surcharges could range from $2 to $5 per trip for taxis, limousines and for-hire vehicles (i.e. Uber), while private cars could pay more than $11 once a day to enter the pricing zone.
“This plan is not perfect or without pain, but it is currently the only plan that creates a dedicated revenue stream to fix our subway system, eases congestion in Manhattan’s Central Business District and reduces our city’s carbon footprint. It’s unpopular to ask someone to pay for something that has always been free, but it has been widely documented that similar plans have worked around the world in easing congestion and providing much needed revenue for mass transit systems. The only way to unsnarl some of the most congested roads in the country is to make sure that every truck, taxi and car pays its fair share,” said Carroll.
“While I support the broad strokes of this plan, I will listen to the views of all of my constituents and will fight to protect our lowest income New Yorkers, seniors, and those with special medical needs who have no other option but to drive into the Central Business District. Furthermore, any plan must allow for a non-tolled route onto FDR Drive and the West Side Highway for drivers bypassing the Manhattan CBD,” added Carroll.
Bichotte Demands Civil Rights For Haitian Immigrants
Assembly member Rodneyse Bichotte (D-Ditmas Park, Flatbush) alongside Haitian American elected officials from across the US demanded that the civil rights for Haitian immigrants across the country be honored over the weekend.
On Friday and Saturday, the coalition held discussions on strategic planning and various legislative issues including making a call to action at the National Retreat of the National Haitian American Elected Officials Network (NHAEON) to protect Haitian immigrants in the US.
Last November, President Donald Trump decided to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 59,000 Haitians living and working in the country. The program, which allowed Haitians escaping the devastation of the 2010 earthquake to stay in the United States, will be officially terminated July 2019.
Supporters of the program argue that as Haiti is still recovering from the damage of the earthquake, the country would be unable to provide for the influx of returning citizens.
“I represent one of the largest concentrations of Haitians in the United States. I am happy to come together with my colleagues in NHAEON this weekend to chart a path forward for Haitians in this country. We will call on this administration to reverse course and implement policies that are humane and just, especially as it relates to the Temporary Protected Status Program, and immigration. These policies are currently having a devastating impact on our community and need to be remedied,” said Bichotte.
Golden Apologizes For Controversial Opioid Comments
State Senator Martin Golden (R-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach) issued an apology in the wake of his controversial comments regarding the heroin and opioid crisis facing New York State.
Last week, Golden made questionable comments during an interview with the Brooklyn Daily Eagle while discussing the opioid epidemic. Golden specifically stated that the highly addictive drug is “not a ghetto drug,” and then went on to state that “It’s happening to doctor’s kids.”
In response to the comments, Golden received a significant amount of backlash including the attention of journalist Ross Barkan, who is running for Golden’s seat, as well as the attention of fellow State Senator Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx). Rivera characterized the comments as“racist, insensitive and quite ignorant…but sadly, a clear example of the way many of my colleagues think about the opioid crisis,” on his official twitter account. In 2016, more than 1,000 people in New York City died in a drug overdose which involved an opioid, the highest year on record. More New Yorkers died from opioid overdoses in 2017 than from car accidents and homicides combined.
“To anyone who was offended by my choice of words regarding the heroin and opioid crisis facing our state, I sincerely apologize. While my words were not articulated clearly or properly, the point I was trying to make was that this crisis is affecting virtually every community throughout New York State, where it is tearing apart families and leaving devastated mothers and fathers to mourn the loss of their beautiful and innocent children,” said Golden.
“We can not continue to allow that to happen. In the weeks and months ahead, it is more important than ever that we work together to root out the heroin and opioid epidemic wherever it exists. Every region, every city, every neighborhood. I am committed to working with everyone and anyone to do just that,” added Golden.
Malliotakis Calls For Toll Amnesty On Verrazano Bridge
Assembly member Nicole Malliotakis (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) joined by affected constituents, called on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to establish a toll amnesty program last Friday.
The program will credit violations received due to glitches with the new cashless tolling system on the Verrazano Bridge. In recent days, countless commuters have received violations of up to $100 per trip due to a lack of notice of insufficient funds, poor screening of passengers in carpool lanes and incorrectly identified class 1 drivers as a result of the new system. Currently, a similar amnesty program, established by the New York State Thruway Authority, exists for violations received on the Mario-Cuomo Bridge.
Malliotakis instead went on to urge that the cashless tolling program halt expansion until the system’s issues are worked out. The cashless tolling system on the bridge launched last July in hopes of reducing congestion and improving travel times.
“Cashless tolling has its benefits, such as improving traffic flow and easing congestion at toll plazas, however there are clear glitches within the system that need to be addressed. The MTA should not be making a windfall on commuters if violations are due to glitches in the tolling system. I’m asking that the agency establish amnesty for violations received since cashless tolling went into effect on July 8, 2017,” said Malliotakis.
