CM Williams, Samuel Kick Off Gun Violence Awareness Month
City Council members Jumaane Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) and Alicka Ampry-Samuel (D-Brownsville, East Flatbush, Crown Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant) will rally together today to kick off Gun Violence Awareness Month, which begins on June 1.
The elected officials will join advocates and community leaders in a commencement ceremony. A number of events will be held throughout the month of June to call attention to the need to enact programs and reforms to prevent gun violence. June also marks the beginning of summer and as things heat up gun violence typically escalates, impacting New Yorkers throughout the state of all ages, races, and genders.
In 2012, former Assemblyman Karim Camara introduced the first ever State-wide initiative and subsequent resolution designating June as Gun Violence Awareness Month. In 2014, Williams introduced city legislation that recognized every June as Gun Violence Awareness Month.
Both resolutions were introduced in the hopes that the month would shine a light on the need to pass important gun safety legislation and to utilize various community resources to combat the epidemic of gun violence, to protect all New Yorkers, especially those who are disproportionately affected by gun violence.
On February 3, 2017, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council launched the Mayor’s Office to Prevent Gun Violence. The new Office will oversee an expansion of effective, innovative violence intervention strategies, investing $22.5 million this fiscal year, split between the Administration and the City Council. In the future, the Administration plans to invest $16 million annually on the anti-gun violence initiatives.
The event is slated for 12-noon, today, May 21, at the Steps of City Hall in Lower Manhattan.
Donovan Applauds Enactment of “Right to Try Act”
Congressman Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) applauded President Donald Trump’s signing of the “Right to Try Act” into law yesterday.
The legislation, which Donovan voted to pass last week, permits terminally ill patients to access experimental treatments that haven’t fully passed Federal Drug Administration (FDA) trials.
Advocates of the measure, believe it will provide new treatment opportunities for terminally ill patients who have exhausted existing options, according to initial reports.
“Government regulations should never stop a terminally ill patient from accessing potentially life-saving treatment. The Right to Try Act is a moral necessity. President Trump’s push since this year’s State of the Union and continued pressure by advocates within and outside of government made Right to Try a reality, and people in the fight of their lives are a step closer to one more ray of hope,” said Donovan.
Golden, Malliotakis Launch Summer Yoga Series
State Senator Martin J. Golden (R-C-I,Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend, Manhattan Beach) and Assembly member Nicole Malliotakis (R-C-I, Staten Island and South Brooklyn) announced their Yoga in the Park summer series yesterday.
The summer wellness classes will be held in partnership with Yoga in Bay Ridge and Bikram Yoga and include 7 full yoga sessions. The South Brooklyn lawmakers are hoping the series helps improves the health and well-being of local residents, as well as giving a sense of relaxation and peace to their constituents.
“Yoga has proven to be so valuable to one’s mind and body, and I am glad to be again hosting a series of Yoga sessions in the parks this summer. All who participate in Yoga are giving themselves many advantages including building muscle strength, reducing blood pressure, lowering blood sugar levels, ability to be more focused, and releasing tension in limbs,” said Golden.
“I’m looking forward to joining Senator Golden to once again offer free yoga in the park. Yoga benefits your mental, physical and spiritual well-being, and we are so fortunate to have our beautiful waterfront to use for these classes. Each class will offer residents an opportunity to unwind and relax with their friends and neighbors in a stress-free environment,” said Malliotakis.
The 7 Yoga sessions kick off at 7 p.m., this Friday, June 1, at Shore Road Park (entrance at 79th Street and Shore Road) in Bay Ridge.
The full schedule for all remaining sessions in Bay Ridge are listed below:
Thursday, June 21 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 14 at 9 a.m.
Monday, July 23 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, August 11 at 9 a.m.
Monday, August 20 at 7 p.m.
Thursday, September 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Ortiz, Menchaca Celebrate Brooklyn Army Terminal 100 Year Anniversary
Assembly member Felix Ortiz and City Council member Carlos Menchaca, both representatives of Sunset Park and Red Hook, will celebrate the Brooklyn Army Terminal’s (BAT) 100 anniversary today.
The well-known terminal broke ground in 1918 to serve as a military depot and supply base and now has transformed into a modern manufacturing hub. At a ceremony today, City officials will mark the day by unveiling the campus’ newest industrial space for over 1,000 new jobs, thirty-one years after Mayor Ed Koch first cut the ribbon on the BAT’s first phase of renovation. The announcement will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new space as well.
The terminal has been a key part of the Mayor’s New York Works plan, investing in the space with the aim of fueling the growth of the city’s industrial economy. Currently the terminal is home to nearly 4,000 jobs across 100 businesses. The de Blasio Administration has invested over $115 million into the terminal.
The City will also announce new initiatives to further the campus’ transformation as one of the most innovative and accessible industrial campuses in the world.
The event is slated for 10 a.m., today, Thursday, May 31, at Building A, Brooklyn Army Terminal, at 140 58th Street in Sunset Park.
CM Williams Reacts To Memorial Day Gun Violence Incidents
City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood), Deputy Leader, sent his condolences yesterday to the families of those affected by gun violence over the Memorial Day weekend.
Memorial Day weekend has a history of increased rate of violence according to Williams. According to an analysis conducted by the Wall Street Journal, from 2011 to 2017, shootings in the city have seen an increase of 37% over Memorial Day weekends relative to other four-day weekend periods.
According to the New York Post, one man was killed and another wounded in a Queens shooting Monday, cops said. A 27-year-old man was shot once in the neck, and a 28-year-old man in the hand, on 104th Street near 107th Avenue in Jamaica around 11:20 a.m. The younger man was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, while the second man was treated at the same hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. The circumstances of the shooting still remain unclear.
“I offer my prayers for peace and comfort to the families of those who were killed over this Memorial Day holiday weekend. This is a tragedy, but not an anomaly. One shooting is one too many. The trend of increased violence over holiday weekends and throughout the summer months persists, even as the city sees a drop in the rate of gun violence overall,” said Williams.
“June 1 marks the start of Gun Violence Awareness Month. The tragic shootings this past weekend, and the coming summer months which historically result in increased violence, are a stark reminder that while awareness is important, it must then lead to action. These trends are histories, not inevitabilities. By investing the resources necessary and committing the willpower required, we can combat the epidemic of gun violence that plagues our streets in New York and across the country,” added Williams.
