Persaud Presents Binocular Microscope To Canarsie School
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) presented a brand new binocular microscope to the Science and Medicine Middle School in Canarsie over the weekend.
Persaud, in the school’s science laboratory, presented students with a Vernier Go Temp, a microscope with a camera, and some other items generously donated by St. Francis College.
At the event, Persaud went on to encourage the students to continue to work hard and to engage in constructive activities whether in school or at play. Apart from the presentation of the items, Dr. Burdowski the Director of the Pre-Health Professions Program and Dean of Sciences at St. Francis, gave a lecture on the topic, “Lead in Drinking Water & Water Testing- The Flint Michigan Crisis,” in an effort to bring awareness to the important uses of the items and the relevance of scientific research.
“We must continue to invest heavily in education, knowing that the more we enrich the lives of our students, the greater the impact they will have in the community and the world in general,”said Persaud.
Kavanagh, Carroll Applaud Cuomo’s Decision To Fund Early Voting
State Senator Brian Kavanagh (D-Northern Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan) and Assembly member Robert Carroll (D-Park Slope, Kensington, Windsor Terrace) applauded Governor Andrew Cuomo’s announcement yesterday to fund early voting in his 30-day budget amendment.
On Monday, Cuomo announced that he will amend his Executive Budget Proposal to include $7 million for statewide early voting. The Early Voting legislation proposed will require every county to offer residents access to at least one early voting poll site during the 12 days leading up to Election Day. Voters will have at least eight hours on weekdays and five hours on weekends to cast early ballots. Counties must have one early voting poll site for every 50,000 residents and the bipartisan County Boards of Elections will determine the specific location of early voting polling places, subject to standards of accessibility and convenience.
“This piece of funding is needed to make early voting a reality in our state. New York is one of only 13 states that does not offer early voting and because of that and other antiquated laws we have some of the worst voter participation in the nation,” said Carroll.
“Voting is the bedrock of our system of government, and we must do everything in our power to ensure eligible New Yorkers are able to access the polls and make their voices heard.Some have been unable to vote simply because they can’t make it to their poll site on a single day.This year, we intend to end that,” added Carroll.
“Early voting will allow seniors, those with non-traditional work schedules, working parents, and every busy New Yorker to vote when it’s convenient for them. This is a common sense reform whose time has come. I look forward to working with the Governor to ensure that both houses of the legislature adopt this funding as part of the final budget,” said Kavanagh.
Mosley Honors 50th Anniversary of Memphis Strike
Assembly member Walter Mosley (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights) celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Memphis Strike yesterday.
On Feb. 1, 1968, two Memphis sanitation workers, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, were crushed to death when the trash compression mechanism in their truck malfunctioned, leading to a review of the dangerous conditions of sanitation workers in the city. In the wake of the tragedy, 1,300 sanitation workers walked off the job in protest of the dangerous work conditions, poor benefits, inadequate pay and an inability to form a union recognized by the city. The strike started on Feb. 12, 1968 and went until April.
The strike led to national attention for Memphis, bringing in the likes of Civil Rights leaders, like Martin Luther King Jr. to the aid of the workers. Eventually, the sanitation workers were able to gain union recognition and benefits after striking an agreement with then Mayor Henry Loeb.
“Fifty years ago this month, brave sanitation workers in Memphis stood up against poor working conditions and low pay by striking en masse. These workers faced threats, police brutality, racism and strikebreakers to demand the dignity they were being denied. Today, we remember their bravery, and follow in their footsteps as we fight against injustice in our state and across the country,” said Mosley.
“Too many people still receive unfairly low wages,Too many work in unsafe conditions. And with recent budget proposals in Washington D.C., there will be more Americans than ever unable to make ends meet and raise their children in a healthy environment. On the anniversary of the Sanitation Workers Strike in Memphis, I take inspiration from their courage and rededicate myself to fighting for equality for all people,” added Mosley.
BK Jewish Lawmakers Decry Apparent Illinois Congressional GOP Nominee
Members of the New York City Council Jewish Caucus including Chaim Deutsch, Stephen Levin, Mark Treyger, Alan Maisel and Brad Lander are decrying the apparent nomination of Arthur Jones as the Republican nominee for Illinois’ Third Congressional District.
According to reports, Jones is running unopposed in the Illinois Republican primary for U.S. Congress to face off the Democratic nominee in November. Jones is a self-described “white racialist,” as told to The Atlantic who believes that white people are more intelligent than black people and whose primary goals include ending America’s wars in the Middle East and cracking down on so-called sanctuary cities.
Jones, a health-insurance agent living in Lyons, Illinois, spent eight years as a member of the National Socialist White People’s Party—previously known as the American Nazi Party—and has been active with the America First Committee since the 1980s. Illinois’s third congressional district, which encompasses part of Cook County, has been represented by Democrat Dan Lipinski since 2005 (and by his father, Bill Lipinski, before that). Jones has run unsuccessfully in the primary for the district six times since 1998.
“We are profoundly troubled that noted Holocaust denier and Nazi sympathizer Arthur Jones appears to be the inevitable Republican nominee for Illinois’ Third Congressional District. We commend the National Republican Party, as well as the Illinois Republican Party, for disavowing Jones,” said the joint statement.
“We are disgusted by Jones’ despicable hatred and anti-semitism, and condemn in the strongest possible terms his campaign for any public office. Mr. Jones is a disgrace to humanity, and we look forward to his deeply embarrassing election loss,” said the joint statement.
Hamilton Holds Free Black Panther Pre-Screening
State Senator Jesse Hamilton (D-Central Brooklyn) partnered with Reel Works and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to bring 33 Brownville students to a pre-screening of Black Panther at the Museum of Modern Art yesterday.
Currently there are over 100 #BlackPantherChallenge campaigns that aim to bring African-American youth to see the new movie cost free. The campaign also aims to empower young people through positive images on film. Founded in 2001, Reel Works serves over 800 youth annually from middle school through high school and beyond, developing them as young artists and citizens and helping them graduate, get into college, and launch careers in media.
Hamilton has incorporated film production and media literacy as part his initiative called “The Campus.” Founded in Brownsville in 2016, the initiative brings wellness, computer coding, community events, healthy eating and cultural programs to youth across Brooklyn. “The Campus” has expanded to include schools in East Flatbush, Crown Heights, and expects to partner with additional schools in Central Brooklyn neighborhoods in 2018.
The #BlackPantherChallenge also broadly intersects with legislation the Central Brooklyn Senator seeks to pass mandating Black History instruction in New York schools (S. 5454). In history, arts, and popular culture, having a variety of representations and role models to draw upon are important to the emotional development and self-esteem of young people.
“Empowerment of young people includes many dimensions – we must be sure to include the arts and culture in our efforts. That is why it is my pleasure to partner with community minded cultural institutions seeking to engage young people. This initiative sharing Black Panther with more young people, in partnership with Reel Works, the Motion Picture Academy, and MoMA, stands for inclusion and ensuring all our community’s young people can participate in this cultural event,” said Hamilton.
Levin Demands Tenant’s Be Allowed To Return Home
City Council member Stephen Levin (D-Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Williamsburg, Boerum Hill) alongside the NYC Loft Tenants Association will demand that entry to a building in North Brooklyn be allowed today after being locked up for three-and-a half years.
In 2014, the Hoffman family and their holding company Bushburg Properties removed all of the sprinkler pipes from their building at 79 Lorimer in Williamsburg. Following multiple visits from the Department of Buildings (DOB), the live/work space was deemed not up to code and the tenants were evicted with only a 24-hour notice, leaving the buildings 79 residents homeless and without all of their possessions.
In the years since the initial eviction, many of the building’s residents attempted to lean on the city’s Loft Law which is meant to work with landlords to eliminate residential safety and fire hazards while protecting tenants from eviction but have been unable to get back into their homes. Even after winning a court case establishing them as protected residents, the building still sits vacant without the necessary repairs to the sprinkler system.
Currently, no City agency has made any effort to restore the tenants to their homes or even to collect any of the almost $1 million dollars in fines the Hoffmans and Bushburg Properties have accumulated across their various properties in Bushwick and Williamsburg.
The event is slated for 11 a.m., today, Feb. 13, at 79 Lorimer Street in Williamsburg.
Donovan Lauds Trump’s Infrastructure Proposal
Congressman Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) applauded President Donald Trump’s infrastructure proposal for Democratic states yesterday.
On Monday, Trump unveiled a 10-year, $1.5 trillion infrastructure proposal that “will shorten the process for approving projects to 2 years or less, address unmet rural infrastructure needs, empower State and local authorities and train the American workforce of the future,” according to the plan.
The plan aims to addresses traditional infrastructure — like roads, bridges, and airports — but also other needs like drinking and wastewater systems, waterways, water resources, energy, rural infrastructure, public lands, veterans’ hospitals, and Brownfield and Superfund sites.
However, many critics of the proposal fear major federal funding cuts to urban infrastructure projects that heavily rely on federal funding. According to initial reports, of the $200 billion in actual federal investment called for in the 10-year plan, one-quarter would go to rural areas, even though only 14 percent of people in the U.S. live in non-metropolitan areas.
“Today, President Trump delivered a focused and inspired plan for a modernized system that will not only renew our crumbling roads and bridges, but will also strengthen the economy, make U.S. industry more competitive, create jobs, and improve the lives of millions of Americans. I especially support the President’s emphasis on streamlining the permitting process, empowering state and local authorities, and training the American workforce of the future. By cutting through red tape and reforming inefficient processes – which have throttled progress for decades – we will create a stronger and more prosperous country,” said Donovan.
