Dromm Lauds Initiative To Help Homeless LGBTQ Youth
City Council Member Daniel Dromm (D-East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights), chair of both the council’s Finance Committee and the LGBTQ Caucus, yesterday lauded the de Blasio Administration‘s announcement of a new $9.5 million investment to prevent and address homelessness for LGBTQ youth across the city.
This investment includes funding for the City’s first ever youth shelter for young people up to age 24 and an expansion of hours at the City’s youth drop-in centers, ensuring that every borough has a 24 hour center where young LGBTQ New Yorkers can go to feel safe and supported any time, day or night.
First Lady Chirlane McCray and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson made the announcement yesterday.
“This is a great day for LGBTQ rights in New York City,” said Dromm. “Each day LGBTQ youth face homelessness as a result of rejection from their families. This multifaceted effort will help ensure that city agencies are equipped to meet the needs of these children and young adults. Perhaps most notably, these new intervention services empower agency staff to stop homelessness before it begins. I celebrate this progress and will continue to work alongside First Lady McCray and Speaker Johnson to make NYC a better place for our LGBTQ youth.”
Comrie, Peralta, Sanders Support More Speed Zone Cameras
Queens State Senators Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans, Cambria Heights, Jamaica, Hollis, Rosedale, Laurelton, Kew Gardens, Queens Village) Jose Peralta ((D-Coronoa, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights) and James Sanders Jr. (D-Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, Jamaica, Rochdale Village, Rosedale, parts of Far Rockaway) yesterday all supported Mayor Bill de Blasio‘s call on the state legislature to extend and expand the City’s School Zone Speed Camera program, which is set to expire in Albany next month.
De Blasio called on Albany lawmakers to immediately reauthorize and expand the life-saving program at the Brooklyn site of a deadly crash that took the lives of two children and an unborn baby.
Among the key reforms de Blasio is calling for include:
- Authorize the City to install speed cameras at an additional 150 school zones—more than double the current number.
- Revise the definition of a school zone to allow DOT to address speeding on streets that are near a school, as opposed to only the street or streets on which a school is located.
- Extend the program until 2022
“Smarter street design and speed enforcement cameras have proven to be highly effective tools in keeping pedestrians safe without limiting their access to our streets,” said Comrie. “Throughout my career in public service both in the New York State Senate and the New York City Council, I have proudly supported legislation to expand speed enforcement cameras along critical corridors throughout New York City. I applaud the Mayor and Commissioner for their commitment to improving pedestrian safety, and I look forward to continuing to partner with them on needed street safety projects.”
“It is vital that we increase, once and for all, the number of speed safety cameras in school areas across the city. The time for excuses is over. There is plenty of evidence that shows that this program has been successful since pedestrian, cyclist and motorist-related crashes have been reduced by 15% where speed cameras are installed,” said Peralta.
“My proposal to increase the number of speed cameras has only one goal: Protect schoolchildren and New Yorkers in general. We must act before the current school zone speed camera program expires this summer, so children will not be at risk when they return to school in September,” he added.
“Having lost family to a car accident right by a school, the issue is all too real to me, and if speed cameras can help families avoid the pain and needless death then I absolutely support it,” said Sanders Jr.
Over 100 People Attend Addabbo’s Senior Job Fair
State Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Glendale, Middle Village, Maspeth, parts of South Ozone Park, Ridgewood, Woodside, and The Rockaways) announced yesterday that more than 100 senior citizens came out to his annual Senior Job Fair last Friday in hopes of finding a job.
The Senior Job Fair, co-hosted by the Queens Community House, included over 15 companies and organizations at the Kew Gardens Community Center, who participated and looked to hire seniors for various positions.
Participating companies included New York Life, the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center, MTA/NYC Transit and MTA Bus Company, the city’s Department for the Aging, and more.
“I was happy to see such a large turnout for the Senior Job Fair, especially ahead of a long holiday weekend,” stated Addabbo, a member of the Senate Aging Committee. “In these tough economic times when the cost of living in New York City continues to rise, many seniors are finding that they need to re-enter the workforce just to make ends meet. That is why I only invited companies that I know are looking to hire workers aged 55 and older, to help this growing senior population find jobs suitable for them. I would like to thank all of the organizations for participating in the event, and Queens Community House for once again opening their doors for this wonderful event.”
Addabbo also hosts a larger job fair in the fall, open to residents of all ages. He and his office are in the process of securing a location for that event. For more information about the upcoming job fair, contact Addabbo’s Howard Beach office at 718-738-1111.
Sanders On Rosanne Bar’s Racist Tweet
State Sen. James Sanders Jr. ((D-Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, Jamaica, Rochdale Village, Rosedale, parts of Far Rockaway) yesterday condemned actress Rosanne Barr’s recent racist Tweet about Valerie Jarrett, an African-American woman who was a senior adviser to Barack Obama throughout his presidency and considered one of his most influential aides.
Barr Tweets about Jarrett that she were if the “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.” Barr has since apologized for the Tweet, and ABC executives canceled her highly rated show
“Roseanne Barr’s statement merely reflects on the racism that has been uncuffed by President Trump’s election, that each and every day a new low is set,” said Sanders Jr. “I am glad that ABC TV immediately got rid of her, but they should have known what they were getting into when they talked about giving her a contract. The comments merely say that, instead of draining the swamp the President has unleashed every swamp creature, now including Roseanne Barr. The American people must always remain vigilant at a time like this, and it is time to stamp out the flames on racism that are being stirred up.”
