BP Adams Hosts 4th Annual Bike-To-Work Ride
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams will lead dozens of Brooklynites on his fourth annual Bike-to-Work ride today.
The annual event aims to highlight dangerous corridors in the borough and remember recent victims of traffic violence. The event will also mark the kick off of Adams’ Earth Week celebrations in and around the borough.
Additionally, the event will highlight the positive impact that New Yorkers can have on their local environment by using pedal power to get around the city.
Adams and others will bike from Prospect Park’s Willink entrance to Grand Army Plaza, taking a stretch of Flatbush Avenue that he has advocated for improved cycling and pedestrian infrastructure. From Grand Army Plaza, they will head south on Prospect Park West and turn right on Ninth Street, stopping at its intersection with Fifth Avenue to lay flowers at the memorial for one-year-old Joshua Lew and four-year-old Abigail Blumenstein, who were killed last month as they were crossing the street with their mothers when a driver ran a red light.
Afterward, the cyclists will continue down Ninth Street to Hamilton Avenue, where a group of local youth organizers will meet them to rally for improved safe streets infrastructure. The ride will conclude down Clinton Street and Remsen Avenue, ending up at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
The event is slated for 8:30 a.m., today, April 23, at Prospect Park- Willink Entrance (corner of Flatbush Ave & Empire Blvd) in Brooklyn.
Donovan Applauds North Korea’s Nuclear Program Suspension Announcement
Congressman Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) applauded North Korea’s announcement to suspend their nuclear and missile tests last week.
On Friday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared the suspension of the country’s nuclear and missile tests starting Saturday and the shut down of Poongye-ri nuclear test site where six previous underground tests have taken place, according to the Washington Post.
The announcement comes just a week before the two Koreas are set to hold a summit meeting on April 27 at the truce border village of Panmunjom, while U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim plan to meet sometime in May or early June at a yet-to-be-announced location.
In recent months the Trump Administration and the North Korean regime have been at odds over Pyongyang’s development of nuclear missiles. Last November, Trump placed the country back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism after the country announced that they were pursuing nuclear weapons and missile programs in defiance of United Nations Security Council sanctions.
“North Korea’s announcement is a testament to President Trump’s determination to negotiate from a position of strength. American resolve means something again. This is just the beginning of the work to defuse the crisis, but it’s cause for cautious optimism,” said Donovan.
CM Williams Applauds Formation of NYC Crisis Prevention & Response Task Force
City Council member Jumaane Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) Deputy Leader, alongside the NYC Council Progressive Caucus and Black, Latino and Asian Caucus applauded Mayor Bill de Blasio’s formation of the NYC Crisis Prevention and Response Task Force last week.
The Task Force is a 180 day effort to develop a comprehensive, citywide strategy to prevent mental health crises and improve the City’s response to emotionally distressed New Yorkers. Comprised of experts from inside and outside the government as well as New Yorkers who have lived with mental illness, the Task Force will identify ways to increase early intervention and enhance coordination between the City’s public health and safety agencies.
The work of the Task Force will be led by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and coordinated by the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. At the end of 180 days, the City will announce a citywide strategy to improve NYC’s mental health crisis system.
“In recent months and years, we have seen several tragic indicators that there are fundamental flaws in the way that our city addresses behavioral health crises. Most recently, the shooting death of Saheed Vassell has drawn renewed focus to months of calls for a task force to review and reform these practices, calls which initiated after the death of Dwayne Jeune,” read the joint statement.
“We are glad that the administration has now heard these calls, recognized the priority that this issue needs to be, and announced the formation of this task force. We look forward to working with the task force to reform this system and implement solutions which prevent the criminalization of mental illness while providing the support and resources needed to properly address behavioral health crises,” concluded the joint statement.
Felder Aiming To Expand High School Tech & Vocational Programs
State Senator Simcha Felder (D-Borough Park, Midwood, Bensonhurst, Kensington) is seeking to expand high school technical and vocational programs in current legislation signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The Hyndman legislation (S2111) signed by the Governor directs the NYC Chancellor of Education to provide recommendations for the expansion of Career and Technical Schools. According to the Department of Labor long-term projections data for skilled trade occupations in New York State are increasing. From 2014 to 2024, the total job count in skilled trades is expected to grow by 17.0% and offer almost 25,000 openings each year.
Felder is hoping to end the misguided notion that every student should perform similarly and share the same goal. Many skilled trade occupations such as machinist, plumber, electrician, carpenter, industrial machinery mechanics, and heating/air conditioning can be high paying and do not require a college degree.
“We have to stop this cookie cutter mentality. When we give students the opportunity to work with their natural strengths and abilities they will engage in the learning process and see success. That’s when we will see confidence and achievements soar, and dropout rates begin to fall. We cannot continue to force-feed every student a steady diet of testing for college readiness and nothing else and I look forward to working together with Chancellor Carranza,” said Felder.
“The current education system neglects a large part of our diverse student population inclined toward other types of learning and career paths. It is imperative that we expand these programs to meet the needs of all our students,” added Felder.
Cymbrowitz Honors Winners of Holocaust Memorial Creative Arts Contest
Assembly member Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach) hosted a ceremony to honor the winners of his Holocaust Memorial Creative Arts Contest for students in grades 3-12 yesterday.
The ceremony featured remarks by Holocaust survivor Jehuda Lindenblatt, Brooklyn College President Michelle J. Anderson, and Kingsborough Community College Interim President Peter M. Cohen.
The contest attracted hundreds of entries from elementary, middle and high schools and aims to honor the six million who perished and also to teach students that anti-Semitism and bias- motivated violence remain painfully relevant issues. Additionally, Cymbrowitz parents were Holocaust survivors.
“In the not-too- distant future, there will come a time when no one will be around to bear
witness to the Holocaust. We need our children to inherit the memories, to share the
stories, and to keep alive the terrible reality of what can and did happen when people remain
silent in the face of evil,” said Cymbrowitz.
