BP Adams Celebrates Brooklyn’s African-American Culture
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams, the first person of color to serve as Brooklyn’s chief executive, will host his annual Black History Month celebration today.
The event will commemorate the borough’s historical journey through slavery and the civil rights movement in America. The evening will feature historical presentations by several academics on Brooklyn’s African-American history through the 19th and 20th centuries.
Adams, who has recently called for statewide K-12 instruction of Black history, will speak about the importance of Black History Month as well as the vast contributions the African-American community has made to the economic and social fabric of Brooklyn.
The event is slated for 6 p.m., today, Feb. 28, at Brooklyn Borough Hall, at 209 Joralemon Street in Downtown Brooklyn.
Nadler Joins Push For Renewed Assault Weapons Ban
Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-Western Brooklyn, Western Manhattan), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, joined Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) and other House Democrats in re-introducing the Assault Weapons Ban yesterday.
The move comes in the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida that occurred on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School which resulted in the death of 17 students and teachers. The suspected gunman, 19-year old Nikolas Cruz, opened fire on the students by using an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, and has now been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.
The Assault Weapons Ban will prohibit the sale, transfer, production, and importation of:
·Semi-automatic rifles and handguns with a military-style feature that can accept a detachable magazine;
·Semi-automatic rifles and handguns with a fixed magazine that can hold more than 10 rounds;
·Semi-automatic shotguns with a military-style feature;
·Any ammunition feeding device that can hold more than 10 rounds;
·And 205 specifically-named and listed firearms.
According to recent reports, when an assault weapon or a high-capacity magazine is used in a shooting, the number of victims who are killed increases by 63%. There have been almost 8,300 incidents of gun violence so far in 2018. More than 2,200 Americans have lost their lives. More than 500 children have been killed or injured.
“It is long past due for the House to consider legislation to prevent gun violence. Our calls for hearings and for action on gun violence prevention legislation have been met with silence. After Sandy Hook five years ago, Republican Members of Congress blocked our efforts to better protect our children from gun violence. Inaction is unacceptable, and moments of silence are completely inadequate. Our citizens demand that we act without delay,” said Nadler.
Mosley Commemorates Anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s Death
Assembly member Walter T. Mosley (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights) commemorated the 6th Anniversary of the death of Trayvon Martin on Monday.
Trayvon Benjamin Martin was a 17-year-old African American who was fatally shot in Sanford, Florida by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who identified the hooded teen as a “suspicious person.” Martin was on his way back to his father’s fiancée’s house after purchasing a bag of skittles and an Arizona iced tea at a nearby convenience store when he was killed on Feb. 26, 2012.
“Today marks the anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s untimely and tragic death. As we continue to honor the life and legacy of Trayvon, we renew our commitment as elected officials, leaders, parents, and citizens, to do all that we can to put an end to gun violence in our communities, and improve public safety for the lives of children everywhere,” said Mosley.
“It is unacceptable that in today’s America, young people lose their lives or have to fear for their lives, as we continue to see an increased amount of school shootings and gun violence nationwide in this year alone. For the sake of our children and our community, we must learn from these lessons, and continue to move progress forward through comprehensive legislation, and community organizing,” added Mosley.
Brannan Demands State Allocate Funds Owed To NYC Public Schools
City Council member Justin Brannan (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach) called on local state officials to meet funding levels mandated for New York City public schools under the terms of a decade-old legal settlement yesterday.
According to the Alliance for Quality Education (AQE), the city’s schools are owed $1.9 billion in so-called Foundation Aid intended to fund basic classroom operating costs and other school services. The outstanding bill stems from a 2006 ruling by the New York State Court of Appeals that revealed that the state was failing to provide all New York students with basic resources essential to a “sound basic education,” in violation of the state’s constitution. The suit was brought by a group of NYC parents under the name Campaign for Fiscal Equality (CFE),and resulted in the state adopting a Foundation Aid formula under the same name to address the problem.
Additionally Brannan claims that the 43rd District alone is owed over $40 million for local schools. The South Brooklyn lawmakers has even mounted an online social media campaign calling on parents and educators to see education dollars owed to individual schools using a new database created by advocates. Brannan’s own alma maters, Brooklyn’s P.S. 185 and J.H.S. 259 are owed over $4 million, according to the site.
“Every New York child deserves a quality education. It’s a right enshrined in our state constitution and confirmed by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit. More than ten years after CFE was settled, NYC public schools still aren’t getting their fair share from Albany. It’s time our elected officials stand up for public school students and fight for this funding in the current state budget,” said Brannan.
“Not every parent knows just how much their school is owed. Hopefully, this knowledge will help empower parents to join in fighting for the resources we deserve,” concluded Brannan.
Parents and students can go to www.whatismyschoolowed.com to find out what their school should receive in CFE funding.
Williams Supports Proposed State Gun Safety Measures
City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) promoted the need to pass additional gun safety measures in New York yesterday, specifically urging for passage of legislation introduced in the New York State Senate this week.
On Tuesday, less than two weeks after the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, New York Legislators for Gun Violence Prevention — a bicameral coalition of New York lawmakers — released a package of bills to prevent gun violence in New York and save lives. The package includes legislation that would create extreme risk protection orders, ban bump stocks, make background checks more effective, and more.
“I add my voice to the chorus demanding that we do more in New York State to address the public health crisis of gun violence and the predictable, preventable tragedies that result from a nation obsessed with guns. To truly combat this issue, it is imperative that we address both supply and demand issues– the ready availability of guns and the penchant for violence in those who procure them,” said Williams.
“I call on the state government to defy the NRA and its conservative allies, to not only pass the measures introduced by the Senate, but to adopt many of the strategies that have proven effective on a City level. All across the state, we must work to develop new means of protecting our people from the scourge of gun violence.” added Williams.
Hikind Calls For Investigation Into Bogus Police Tickets
Assembly member Dov Hikind (D-Borough Park) says something is fishy on the Palisades Interstate and has asked the Bergen County Prosecutor to look into bogus ticketing practices this week.
The call to Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal came after Hikind received complaints from New Yorkers of ticketing practices that were more than a little peculiar. In particular, Hikind cited an incident involving his own brother and a man who was driving his brother’s non-commercial vehicle.
According to Hikind, the man was driving his own brother’s large passenger vehicle when he was pulled over by a Palisades Interstate patrolman for driving a commercial vehicle on the Palisades. The Brooklyn resident presented his brother’s vehicle registration which made it clear that the vehicle was not a commercial vehicle at all. Nevertheless, a ticket was issued for the offense, along with three other tickets. These tickets were not issued to the driver: They were issued to his brother, who was not present. When the vehicle’s owner took off from work to appear in court and enter a not guilty plea, he was told by the prosecutor that the patrolman who had written the tickets had not shown up and that he would have to appear a second time (and thus lose a second day’s pay). Consequently, he was compelled to plead guilty.
“Countless New Yorkers commute back and forth from New York to New Jersey, and more than once I have heard of bogus tickets being issued on the Palisades Parkway,” said Hikind. “The latest injustice occurred when my constituent was issued tickets that he should not have received and was forced to accept a guilty verdict to save time and money.”
“I presume that the court saw how ludicrous this was because the four different ticket fines were reduced to a combined total of ‘only’ $50.00. It seems clear that this was just a matter of extorting a cornered motorist into paying a fine for a crime he was not guilty of. In light of the stories that I have heard from other New Yorkers, I believe there is a pattern here. As such, I am asking for an investigation into the practices of the Palisades Interstate Police,” explained Hikind.
Maimonides Holds Grand-Opening For Comprehensive Spine Center
Maimonides Medical Center announced the opening of the Comprehensive Spine Center yesterday with a celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The Maimonides Comprehensive Spine Center provides patients with the opportunity to receive the highest level of medical and surgical expertise in a state-of-the-art 4,400 square-foot setting, with all of the most advanced technical resources available under the same roof, including: neurodiagnostics, imaging (CT Scans, MRI), fluoroscopy, EMG and Nerve Conduction Studies.
The Comprehensive Spine Center at Maimonides is the only center in Brooklyn offering advanced, real-time, minimally-invasive, image-guided spine surgery—which provides unprecedented precision that speeds recovery time, minimizes scarring and reduces the need for medication after surgery.
The Ribbon-Cutting program included remarks from Dr. John Houten, Director of Spinal Neurosurgery & Neurotrauma and Dr. Ahmed Saleh, Orthopedic Spine Surgeon.
