CM Williams Mourns Loss of Longtime Flatbush Tenant
City Council member Jumaane D. Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) mourned the loss of long term Flatbush tenant Ms. Joy P. Noel.
Noel was an 85-year-old woman who was recently forced from her home and had not had a permanent residence since late last year. According to reports, last November the octogenarian was evicted from her Ditmas Arms apartment after returning home from medical treatment abroad.
According to Ms. Noel and the Flatbush Tenant Coalition, she was evicted through a holdover case, a process used to evict a tenant for reasons other than non-payment of rent. However, the legal notices sent to Ms. Noel, who lives in the 11226 zip code, were addressed incorrectly—her name misspelled as “Nole” and the zip 11215—so she never received them. Unaware of the legal proceedings against her, Ms. Noel didn’t appear in housing court, and lost her case.
“Our hearts break at the passing of Ms. Joy P. Noel, a Coalition member and our Flatbush neighbor for more than 20 years. An incredible, strong, and spirited woman, Ms. Noel was unjustly evicted and forced into homelessness at the age of 85 by a landlord who sought profit and lacked conscience, and by a system that turned its back on her and refused to serve justice,” said Williams.
“It is a tragic failure of humanity and decency that Ms. Noel was left in such dire and damaging conditions, particularly as one of our elders. It is also a failure of a government which was unable to find even a temporary home for this woman, and that our laws, housing court, and services were unable to protect her. Her passing is the devastating result of the system turning a blind eye and disregarding tenants’ rights,” added Williams.
Cornegy To Host OATH Community Roundtable
City Council Member Robert Cornegy Jr. (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) will host a Community Roundtable to help residents and small businesses with city summonses.
Alongside Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge of New York City’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH), Fidel F. Del Valle, Cornegy will host the intimate speaking series that first launched last year. This year’s event will mark the first Commissioner Community Roundtable in the borough of Brooklyn.
OATH is the independent administrative law court where nearly all City enforcement agencies file their summonses for hearings. Last year, OATH received approximately 850,000 summonses from the City’s various enforcement agencies.
“It is a pleasure to welcome Commissioner Del Valle into this community again to continue helping residents understand how to best address summonses and ensure they do not end up in court. Programs like the OATH Community Roundtable, make interacting with city government less daunting and more accessible to New Yorkers, which is a very good thing,” said Cornegy.
The event is slated for 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., today, Feb. 7, at Restoration Plaza, at 1368 Fulton Street – 1st Floor Multipurpose Room in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Golden Supports Bill Providing Shelter For Dogs Left Outdoors
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) announced that he has voted to support legislation (S.1509) protecting outdoor dogs.
Introduced by Senator Tony Avella (D-I, Queens), the legislation would increase the penalties for individuals who fail to provide appropriate shelter for dogs left outdoors. The measure would increase the fine for the first offense to $250, the second offense to $500, and the third offense to $1000.
Current law sets a significantly smaller fine schedule for such violations, with the first offense punishable by a fine between $50-$100 and a fine between $100-$250 for the second offense. This legislation also establishes an additional violation for failure to correct the situation after 72 hours.
“Many of us have seen the heartbreaking instances where dogs are left helplessly out in the bitter cold and in the extreme heat. These incidents go right to our heart and demonstrate the need for stricter penalties in an effort to end this form of animal abuse,” said Golden.
Donovan Criticizes National Emergency Alert System
Congressman Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) criticized the Federal Emergency Warning System in the wake of a second false warning alert.
On Tuesday, false tsunami warning alerts were issued to East Coast residents, including New Yorkers. According to initial reports, false tsunami warnings flashed on cellphones along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts early on Tuesday morning when a U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) systems test went awry, causing some mild panic. The National Weather Service said its National Tsunami Warning Center had issued a routine monthly test message that had been misconstrued. Additionally, AccuWeather said the National Weather Service had wrongly coded the test as a real warning, confusing its automated alerts system.
This is the second time this year a national emergency alert system has gone awry. Last month, a false ballistic missile alarm was sent out to residents in Hawaii warning of an inbound bomb. That false alarm was blamed on an employee who was later fired.
“When a disaster strikes, emergency alerts can be the difference between life and death – but only if they are accurate, effective and dependable. Today’s false tsunami alerts, which followed the chaos seen in Hawaii just last month, show that immediate changes to our nation’s alert systems are needed,” said Donovan.
“We can’t let these mistakes happen again, and I will be using testimony from my hearing to address these issues. Strengthening our preparedness measures is not an option, it’s critical to protecting Americans across the country,” added Donovan.
Central BK Lawmakers To Host Anti-Violence Event
State Senator Jesse Hamilton (D-Central Brooklyn), City Council member Laurie Cumbo (Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights) and Assembly member Walter T. Mosely (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights) will hold an anti-gun violence event this week.
The event will feature a performance, film and dialogue regarding the gun violence within the borough. The lawmakers will sit down with local community leaders and residents to discuss solutions and possible alternatives to the epidemic.
The event is in partnership with Democratic District Leader Geoffrey Davis, who lost his late brother to gun violence in 2003 after a political opponent shot the Councilman during the start of a stated meeting.
The event is slated for 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 8, at First Baptist Church, at 450 Eastern Parkway (between Bedford Ave. & Rogers Ave.) in Crown Heights.
Deutsch To Offer Free Tax Prep Services
City Council member Chaim Deutsch (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach, Homecrest) will offer another year of free tax preparation services.
In partnership with “Grow Brooklyn”, a non-profit organization, Deutsch will be providing tax help for all eligible residents until mid April. Eligibility requirements for the free service include income under $54,000 (with dependents) or under $25,000 (single) or if you are self-employed and have expenses of $5,000 or less.
To get tax preparation services, call Councilman Deutsch’s District Office at 718-368-9176 to schedule an appointment. Services will be offered every Sunday until April 15 (excluding April 1).
