Adams Unveils TechFin Partnership, Donates Refurbished Computers
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams alongside Technology for Families (TechFIN) will unveil a partnership to facilitate the donation of fully functional, pre-owned computers to low-income families in need across Brooklyn today.
The computers are sourced from corporate donations and refurbished with software to support students and their parents. At the event, more than 60 students will receive personal computer (PC) workstations to take home that were loaded with Adobe Acrobat, Avast Antivirus, OpenOffice, and Windows 7.0.
Additionally, Adams and TechFIN will highlight the importance of access to a home computer for families pursuing academic and career advancement, as well as the impact that the “digital divide” has had across the country. According to data from the 2015 American Community Survey (ACS), only 52.5 percent of households with annual income less than $25,000 have a desktop or laptop computer.
The event is slated for 1:30 pm., today, Jan. 31, at the Boys and Girls High School- Library, at 1700 Fulton Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Treyger Intros Bill Requiring Notification Of Public Street/Sidewalk Sales
City Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Gravesend) will introduce a new bill at today’s New York City Council Stated Meeting that would require the City to notify the public whenever a public street or sidewalk is sold and removed from the map.
According to Treyger’s legislation, the City would be required to post notices online detailing which street or sidewalk was sold, the date of the sale, who the street or sidewalk was sold to, and the final sale amount of the transaction. The bill would also require that the City publically post details at least two weeks prior to any City Planning Commission (CPC) hearing regarding a proposed sale.
A New York Post report from December 2017 detailed that the City made $35 million on sales of public streets and sidewalks over the last four years. Public streets and sidewalks are routinely sold to institutions and deep-pocketed real estate interests in a little-known practice that takes them off the official City Map and transforms them into private property. Once sold, the property can be converted, with city approval, into pedestrian promenades or developed.
“If the City is going to take actions that have the potential to significantly change the make-up of our communities, New Yorkers have a right to know about it. Literally selling pieces of our city and removing streets from the map is not something that should be done behind closed doors, away from the public eye. This bill can provide the much-needed transparency that New Yorkers deserve,” said Treyger.
Williams Questions NYPD, ICE Immigration Methods
City Council member Jumaane Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) alongside Council members Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Manhattan) and Co-Chairs of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus Ritchie Torres (D-Bronx) and Robert Cornegy Jr. (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights), is demanding answers from the Trump Administration and the New York Police Department (NYPD) regarding the arrests on the day immigration rights activist Ravi Ragbir was detained.
On Jan. 11, Ragbir was arrested and detained by ICE officials during one of his regularly scheduled appointments. At an impromptu nonviolent protest following news of Ravi’s detention, Council members Rodriguez and Williams were arrested alongside sixteen other protesters and taken into custody for eight hours.
In a letter sent to Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neil last week, Williams asked for details on what the NYPD officers were told when arriving on the scene about the protest and Ravi’s status. The arrests have raised questions in the public regarding possible police misconduct and clarifications on New York City’s status as a sanctuary city.
The Council Members are hoping for a swift response, as Ragbir faces deportation after being released on Monday to his family. A future hearing in the case is pending.
Golden Decries Possible Parole of Alleged Cop Killer
State Senator Martin J. Golden (R-C-I,Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend and parts of Sheepshead Bay, Borough Park and Midwood) called on the New York State Board of Parole to deny the release of Herman Bell from prison yesterday.
Bell is one of the three men convicted in the 1971 murder of two New York City police
officers.Officers Joseph Piagentini and Waverly Jones were lured to a Harlem housing project by a bogus 911 call on May 21, 1971 where they were ambushed, shot and killed. Officer Jones died instantly from a gunshot to the head. Officer Piagentini, who begged for his life, was shot 22 times by the suspects and died on his way to the hospital.
Bell, Anthony Bottom and Albert Washington were convicted of the two murders and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in 1979. A parole hearing for Bell is scheduled for next month, his seventh since 2004. Bottom has a parole hearing set for June. Washington died in prison.
Golden is urging concerned residents to sign an online petition calling on the Board of Parole to deny Bell’s release. The petition effort has the support of many law enforcement agencies and organizations.
“For the seventh time since 2004, cop-killer Herman Bell will ask the NYS Parole Board for compassion and set him free. However, Bell showed no mercy when he brutally murdered Police Officers Joseph Piagentini and Waverly Jones after luring them to a Harlem housing
project with a fake 911 call back in 1971. Releasing Herman Bell would minimize his violent and heinous actions. Additionally, it would serve as an injustice to the memory of the brave officers and an insult to their grieving families. I encourage everyone to sign the petition to keep Herman Bell behind bars for the rest of his life,” said Golden.
Ortiz Applauds Passage Of Law For Cancer-Related Lawsuits
Assembly member Felix Ortiz (D-Red Hook, Sunset Park) applauded the passage of legislation to amend the law regarding medical malpractice claims for negligent failed cancer diagnoses yesterday.
The bill, often referred to as “Lavern’s Law,” would adjust the date when the statute of limitations clock begins from the actual date of malpractice, to the date that a patient learns, or should have learned, they have experienced medical negligence regarding a cancer diagnosis.
Under current law, the statute of limitations begins when the malpractice occurred and ends two and a half years after the date of malpractice. Under the bill, the statute of limitations for medical, dental or podiatric malpractice for actions involving a failure to diagnose cancer or a malignant tumor would not begin until the patient discovers, or should have discovered, the malpractice (A.9633). The patient would then have two and a half years to pursue a malpractice action, though not to exceed seven years after the date of malpractice.
The legislation is named after Lavern Wilkinson of Brooklyn, who died of cancer in 2013 — three years after a radiologist at Kings County Hospital spotted a suspicious mass in her right lung, but never warned her about it. According to reports, the disease could have been treated, but by the time it was properly diagnosed, Wilkinson’s prognosis was terminal and it was too late for her to sue.
“I am proud that we took an important step to protect patients.Treating life-threatening illnesses is critical and time is of the essence. With this legislation, individuals who have suffered the consequences of a missed diagnosis will be given the opportunity to seek justice,” said Ortiz.
Hikind Honors Nauru On 50th Independence Anniversary
Assembly member Dov Hikind (D-Borough Park) honored The Republic of Nauru on its 50th anniversary with a Resolution in the New York State Assembly yesterday.
The new resolution signed on Tuesday, recognizes the country’s unwavering support of the United States and the State of Israel.Last month, Nauru was one of 7 nations that sided with the US and Israel on a U.N. General Assembly resolution declaring “null and void” President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The country is a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean with a population of just over 13,000 people.
Hikind went on to note the importance of recognizing Nauru on its Independence Day—a significant public holiday in the island nation—as a part of the Jewish tradition ofhakaras hatov (literally “repaying good with good.”) Hikind was joined by 33 of his colleagues in the Assembly in signing the resolution.
According to the resolution, “In December, Nauru displayed its commitment to justice by joining with the United States and other countries to vote against a United Nations resolution condemning the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Nauru has had diplomatic relations with Israel since 1994, and has proven to be a true nation friend, voting with Israel in every public forum in which they are both members. Both countries share many of the same values and principles of democracy.”
“Together, we share with the Republic of Nauru a deep affinity for the Jewish State and its principles of democracy. It is indeed my own honor to be able to say thank you to the government and people of Nauru, and to wish them continued prosperity,” said Hikind.
