Nadler Applauds Cuomo Funding To Crime Victim Services
Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-Western Brooklyn, Western Manhattan) applauded Governor Andrew Cuomo’s announcement of about $20.4 million in funding toward 86 state-funded victim assistance programs yesterday.
The funding, which is administered by the New York State Office of Victim Services, will allow these programs to hire 110 case managers who will connect individuals with direct assistance to help them recover, including counseling, advocacy and civil legal help, among other services.
Cuomo’s announcement comes as New York joins the nation to mark National Crime Victims’ Rights Week by highlighting the services that are available to assist crime victims and reinforce the message that the voice of victims need to be heard throughout the criminal justice process. The Governor proclaimed the week of April 8 – 14 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in New York State.
“I applaud the Governor’s ongoing commitment to supporting crime victims. This new funding will go a long way to ensuring that more New Yorkers have access to the support and resources they need, particularly case managers to help them navigate their options and to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of a crime,” said Nadler.
Hamilton To Host Emergency Mental Health Meeting
State Senator Jesse Hamilton (D-Central Brooklyn) will host a community meeting to discuss effective policies and programming to combat the Mental Health crisis in communities of color.
The event comes off the heels of the recent shooting of Saheed Vassell, 34, a black man who was allegedly pointing a metal pipe at police officers in Brooklyn when they shot and killed him last Wednesday.
Cops shot Saheed Vassell, 34, on the corner of Utica Avenue and Montgomery Street after responding to 911 calls of a man with a gun threatening people on the street. After responding, cops unloaded 10 bullets — nine of which hit Vassell — after encountering him on the corner taking a a two-handed shooting stance, pointing a metal object at them that turned out to be a silver-colored pipe.
“Law enforcement must act as first responders for the nation’s mental health crisis; and yet a majority of officers are not trained to safely interact with people experiencing a mental health issue,” said Hamilton.
The event is slated for 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 11, at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, at 395 Lenox Road (between East New York Ave. & East 35th Street) in East Flatbush.
Golden Lauds State Budget Funding For MTA Repairs
State Senator Martin J. Golden (R, C, I-Bay Ridge) Senate representative on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Capital Review Board, praised the resources dedicated to the ailing subway system as part of the recently enacted State Budget.
The 2018-19 state budget fully funds the MTA’s Subway Action Plan – for a total of $836 million – to make emergency repairs and enhance subway performance. New York State and New York City will share the responsibility of funding the initiative.
Additionally, as a long-term funding stream for New York City public transportation, the budget enacts a $2.75 surcharge on for-hire vehicles, $2.50 for yellow cabs and $0.75 for pooled trips below 96th Street in Manhattan.
“This year’s final State Budget fully funds the $836 million Subway Action Plan that had been on hold. In the short-term, the most pressing repairs and upgrades will be made, and in the long-term New York City will be there to help with upgrades and safety improvements as well. I will make sure that the subways in our community such as the R train and the N trains are a priority,” said Golden.
“If there is one thing that almost everyone agrees on it is that we must do more to fix our aging infrastructure. This final budget agreement allows us to bring the MTA’s ancient systems, often dating back to the early 1930’s, up to date.These investments will improve rider safety while reducing commuting time,” added Golden.
CM Williams, Bichotte Announce Pro-Haiti March
City Council member Jumaane Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) alongside Assembly member Rodneyse Bichotte (D-Flatbush, Ditmas Park) announced last week an upcoming pro-Haiti March for later this month.
On Friday, the lawmakers joined by Public Advocate Letitia James announced a commemoration March across the Brooklyn Bridge to take place on the 28th Anniversary of the 1990 march of 150,000 Haitians across the bridge to protest the FDA labelling Haitians as unsuited to donate blood, associating the Haitian population with the AIDS epidemic.
The new march will protest the hateful, bigoted, and xenophobic statements and actions by the current administration against Haitians and other populations, with vulgar comments and the rescinding of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Last year, President Donald Trump decided to phase out both DACA and TPS setting a March 25, 2018 deadline and a June 2019 deadline for the termination of each program, respectively. The controversial decision is expected to affect nearly 30,000 New York City residents currently protected under DACA and another 5,400 TPS residents across the five boroughs.
New York has the second-largest population of Haiti-born residents. According to the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, about 15,000 New Yorkers have TPS, and the vast majority are from Haiti (around 5,400 people), El Salvador (around 4,200 people), and Honduras (around 3,000 people) — most of whom have lived and worked in the country for an average of 15 years and care for over 8,000 U.S.-born children.
The event is slated for April 20th.
