BP Adams To Break Daily Ramadan At Annual Iftar Dinner
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams will break the daily Ramadan fast with more than 100 Muslim Brooklynites, as well as local and national religious leaders, at his annual Iftar dinner tonight.
Mosques and cultural organizations from across the borough are sponsoring the celebration, which will include a presentation of awards to individuals and organizations that have promoted interfaith dialogue and supported the advancement of Brooklyn’s Muslim-American community.
At the event, Adams will speak about the importance of highlighting the borough’s religious diversity and strengthening interfaith ties in an environment of divisive political rhetoric nationally and an increase in bias-based attacks locally.
This year’s honorees include the Yemeni American Merchants Association (YAMA), organizers of national bodega strikes protesting the Trump Administration’s executive order banning the migration of citizens from several Muslim-majority countries, and Cocoa Grinder CEO/Founder Abdul Elenani, who created “Love a Muslim Day” in response to the viral call for “Punish a Muslim Day” that originated in the United Kingdom.
The celebration comes amid the United States Supreme Court’s (SCOTUS) ongoing deliberations in Trump v. Hawaii, which will decide the legality of the travel ban. The case will decide the legality of the Trump Administration’s executive order banning the migration of citizens from several Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. In particular, the court will consider whether the travel ban’s roots lie in anti-Muslim comments Trump made during his campaign, whether he overstepped his authority under immigration laws and whether judges can second-guess the president’s national-security assessments, according to Bloomberg.
The event is slated for 7 p.m., today, June 7, at Brooklyn Borough Hall- Courtroom, at 209 Joralemon Street in Downtown Brooklyn.
Golden Announces Passage of Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Toll-Discount Plan
State Senator Marty Golden (R-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend) announced yesterday passage of legislation, S. 1744, that would provide Verrazano-Narrows Bridge toll relief to Kings County residents.
The new bill will apply to those Brooklyn residents who utilize E-Z pass and who cross the Bridge three or more times per month. The South Brooklyn lawmakers also announced passage of bill S. 419A, that seeks to correct the spelling of the Verrazano [VERRAZZANO] Narrows Bridge. This legislation will ensure the Bridge is both named and spelled properly in honor of the Giovanni da Verrazzano. The explorer is credited with discovering the New York Harbor which the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge now spans. The bill now heads to the State Assembly.
“The residents of Brooklyn, and in particular southern Brooklyn, realistically have only one way to enter Staten Island and/or parts of New Jersey for employment, visiting relatives, and use of vacation properties. Our families and businesses simply cannot afford to shoulder the burdens forced on them by the tolls at the Verrazano Narrows Bridge any longer,” said Golden.
“On a very regular basis, Brooklyn residents express concerns about the regular rising cost of Verrazano Bridge toll, and see no end in sight to these increases. I call upon Assemblyman Peter Abbate and my colleagues in the Assembly to make this the year toll-relief happens,” added Golden.
CM Williams Marks 50th Anniversary of Death of Robert F. Kennedy
City Council member Jumaane Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) recognized the 50th anniversary of the death of Robert F. Kennedy yesterday, amid this year’s Gun Violence Awareness month.
Senator Robert F. Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California presidential primary on June 6, 1968. Immediately after he announced to his cheering supporters that the country was ready to end its fractious divisions, Kennedy was shot several times by the 22-year-old Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan. He died a day later at 1:44 a.m. just two months after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Fifty years ago, Robert F. Kennedy was killed by an assassin’s bullet. Kennedy was a true icon of his time, and his tragic loss was one of a series of high profile shootings which sparked a movement for gun safety reform. During Gun Violence Awareness Month, it is important to recall the message that Kennedy espoused in a speech after Dr. King’s death. He decried the ‘mindless menace of violence,’ and called for gun safety measures, saying that ‘We make it easy for men of all shades of sanity to acquire weapons and ammunition they desire.'”
“But Kennedy also recognized many of the underlying causes of violence in a passage that is instructive today, recognizing the damage done to communities which enables the penchant for violence. It disheartening that we face these same issues now, but inspiring to hear these words as we continue to fight to address the supply and demand of guns, combating gun violence on all fronts, restoring communities and saving lives.”
‘For there is another kind of violence, slower but just as deadly, destructive as the shot or the bomb in the night. This is the violence of institutions; indifference and inaction and slow decay. This is the violence that afflicts the poor, that poisons relations between men because their skin has different colors. This is a slow destruction of a child by hunger, and schools without books and homes without heat in the winter,'” said Williams.
Donovan Bills Supporting Anti-Terror Preparedness Pass Key Committee
Congressman Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications, yesterday announced that his bills to support national security efforts unanimously passed out of the House Homeland Security Committee.
The Shielding Public Spaces from Vehicular Terrorism Act and Supporting Research and Development for First Responders Act provide resources to address evolving terror threats and authorize a federal laboratory that develops innovative technologies for first responders and law enforcement agents. The legislation makes the U.S. safer by enhancing the nation’s ability to prevent, prepare for, and respond to terror attacks.
The measures were developed in response to the deadly vehicle terror attack in Manhattan, last October and other attacks across the globe, that show terrorists are increasingly using vehicles as weapons.
“The recent vehicular terror attack and failed bombing of a Port Authority terminal demonstrate the heightened threat environment faced by New York City. We have to be increasingly vigilant and make sure that we have the tools needed to properly equip first responders and address evolving terrorist tactics,” said Donovan.
“My bills will help keep more Americans and their families safe, and I look forward to seeing them advance to the floor,” added Donovan.
Nadler Pushes For Equal, Women’s Rights Amendment
Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-Western Brooklyn, Western Manhattan), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, spoke out in support of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) at a shadow hearing on Capitol Hill yesterday.
Nadler has been a longtime cosponsor of Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s (D-NY) bill to add an amendment to the Constitution in order to protect the rights of women. The ERA passed Congress in 1972, and was sent to the states for ratification. Unfortunately, by the time the deadline passed in 1982, the ERA was just three states shy of the thirty-eight necessary, according to Maloney’s office.
The legislation is a constitutional amendment which would prohibit denying or abridging equal rights under law by the United States or any state on account of sex. This critical amendment would guarantee the equal rights of men and women by:
- Making sex a suspect category subject to strict judicial scrutiny, clarifying the legal status of sex discrimination for the courts. This would prohibit sexual discrimination in the same way we have prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, religion, and national origin.
- Guaranteeing equal footing for women in the legal systems of all 50 states.
- Ensuring that government programs and federal resources benefit men and women equally.
“The ERA is as simple as it is necessary. It clearly and unambiguously enshrines gender equality into our Constitution. It is shocking that nearly 230 years after it was written, and nearly 100 years since the first ERA was introduced, the Constitution still fails to expressly guarantee gender equality,” said Nadler.
“Threats to women’s equality come not only from this administration. The revelations of ongoing sexual harassment committed by public figures, including politicians and other office holders, have forced a much-needed reckoning in this country. The reality of how our laws and our society have failed women is finally coming to light. Congresswoman Maloney has introduced a new ERA. Whatever path we take, we must complete this important work and find a way forward to ensure ratification of an ERA once and for all,” added Nadler.
Deutsch To Intro Smoke Alarm Requirement Bill
City Council member Chaim Deutsch (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach, Midwood) will introduce a bill today requiring the installation of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in New York City homes.
Deutsch’s bill will mandate that:
• All private and multi-family homes to install smoke detecting devices on every floor.
• All apartment buildings to provide and install smoke detecting devices in common areas.
• All apartment buildings to install carbon monoxide alarms in dwelling units and in common areas.
After two tragic fires in his district – one in March of 2015 that claimed the lives of seven young children, and one in December of 2017 that claimed a mother and three young children – Deutsch has been an active proponent of the Get Alarmed NYC initiative. The safety effort aims to outfit every city home with free smoke/CO alarms.
This new bill will take this effort a step further by requiring the installation of life-saving devices in private homes, as well as common areas in multiple dwellings. According to Deutsch, in 53% of fatal fires in 2017 there was no working smoke alarm present on the property. While 73 individuals lost their lives to fires in 2017, a rise of more than 50% from 2016.
“Several years ago, an NYPD police officer lost his life after responding to a call that led him into a smoke filled hallway of an apartment building. A smoke alarm in that public area could have saved his life. At a building fire in the Bronx in 2017, thirteen people were killed after a small apartment fire spread from an open door into hallways, making escape impossible. They too could have potentially been saved by an alarm in the corridor.This bill will literally save lives by providing early detection and giving victims of smoke or CO poisoning a chance to alert 911,” said Deutsch.
Lander Announces Reckless Driving Bill
City Council member Brad Lander (D-Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington) introduced the Reckless Driver Accountability Act at a City Council meeting yesterday.
The new bill aims to crack down on reckless and dangerous drivers. Under the act, car owners who receive four camera violations within a year would be sent a warning notice and offered the opportunity to enroll in a Driver Accountability Course. A car owner who racks up a fifth violation in a year would be required to enroll in the course within 10 days of receiving a notice from the city or have their car subject to being booted or impounded.
Additionally, the bill requires the city to produce an annual study on dangerous driving that determines which driving behaviors are associated with traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities, and to make recommendations for additional steps to address them. However, the measure will not be able to add points or suspend a driver’s license, a law that can only be enacted by legislation in Albany.
The bill comes as a response to the fatal and shocking car crash that killed 4-year-old Abigail Blumenstein and 18-month-old Joshua Lew as they were crossing a street in Park Slope in March. The 44-year-old driver, Dorothy Bruns, was indicted in May on multiple charges, including manslaughter among other charges in a 10-count indictment in the incident. Bruns, who suffered a seizure at the time of the collision, was instructed not to drive after being hospitalized less than two months earlier. She is facing up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count of second-degree manslaughter. Bruns had at least five traffic violations in 2017 alone.
“The Reckless Driver Accountability Act targets those drivers. It is an innovative, data-driven, and restorative approach that will make NYC a leader in reducing dangerous driving and saving lives,” said Lander.
