Persaud Bill Protecting Domestic Violence Victims Privacy Passes Senate
State Sen. Roxanne J. Persaud (D-Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Mill Island, Georgetown, Ocean Hill, Starrett City) yesterday saw her bill (S7018) allowing for unlisted telephone numbers without charge for survivors of domestic violence for whose benefit an order of protection has been issued pass the senate.
The measure amends the current public service law, correcting an existing discrepancy regarding orders of protection and domestic violence. Allowing aggressors to obtain the unlisted or nonprivate telephone numbers of their victims allows for the continued harassment, intimidation, and even coercing of their victim, making it far easier to circumvent the purpose of an order of protection.
“Taking this important step to protect the privacy of survivors of domestic abuse and intimate partner violence can make the difference between life and death. Survivors may need to give up their source of income in their search for safety, to avoid further contact with their abusers. They need and deserve every opportunity to break this deadly cycle of abuse.” said Persaud.
Cornegy to Celebrate Fulton Art Fair Anniversary With Bench Honoring Founders
City Council Member Robert Cornegy Jr. (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) tomorrow will celebrate the Fulton Art Fair’s 60th Anniversary with the unveiling of a park bench at Robert Fulton Park to honor the legacy of the Fair’s founders, including local businesswoman Shirley Hawkins, and legendary artists Jacob Lawrence and Ernest Crichlow.
“While others have been focused on tearing down statues honoring the legacy of individuals with racist pasts, we here in Bed-Stuy have made a commitment to erecting monuments that celebrate the amazing people of color who have positively impacted our community,” said Cornegy. “As a cultural staple in this community for over 60 years, the Fulton Art Fair continues to showcase the brilliance of the African Diaspora through the visual and performing arts, introducing emerging artists and encouraging art education in our community. It is only fitting we honor the individuals who founded this great exhibit by unveiling this park bench in their name.”
The Fulton Art Fair is the longest running art exhibition in Brooklyn. Just as it was 60 years ago, the “On The Fence” Juried Art Exhibition is a six-day event designed to assemble visual artists who are seeking new ways to promote their art work. Some of the artists that participated in the exhibit were Ernie Barnes, Tom Feelings and Romare Bearden to name a few.
Today, exhibiting artists include the renowned Otto Neals, and Emmett Wigglesworth who have exhibited at this event since 1958. They will be joined by Karl A. McIntosh, Brenda Mattingly, Scharalet Kee, Joseph Bell-Bey, Diane Grazette-Collins, Larry Weekes, Melvin Isaac, Wilma Ward, and many others.
The six-day weekend event started last weekend and will continue from 12 noon to 6 p.m. this weekend, June 16-17 and next weekend June 23-24.
“Fulton Art Fair, Inc.” is a not-for-profit art organization and Brooklyn’s oldest Black visual arts event. It also holds the distinction of being one of the longest, continuing Black Arts group in the United States. For more information visit, www.fultonartfair.net.
The unveiling of the park bench is slated for 1 p.m., tomorrow, June 16 at Robert Fulton Park on Fulton Street between Lewis and Stuyvesant Avenues.
Adams To Honor Big Daddy Kane On Celebrity Path
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams announced yesterday that he will bestow an engraved paver along the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s famed Celebrity Path, as well as the “key to Brooklyn” to Grammy Award-winning rapper, actor, model, and record producer, Antonio Hardy, better known as “Big Daddy Kane.”
Since 1985, more than 160 Brooklynites who have gone on to make outstanding contributions in art, business, film, literature, music, sports, and more have had their names inscribed on this walkway. Adams, who has also inducted groundbreaking abstract/neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, comedian/talk show host Joy Behar, and multi-platinum hip-hop star Fabolous into the Celebrity Path, highlighted the importance of celebrating Brooklyn’s creative geniuses as essential to promoting cultural enrichment and supporting the borough’s artistic institutions.
“Honoring local luminaries is one of the great privileges we have as Brooklynites, deepening our pride in the Brooklyn that we love and share,” said Adams. “Big Daddy Kane has shown the world the best of Brooklyn’s music industry, shaping a generation of artists and inspiring so many more, dating back to the early days of hip-hop. Central Brooklyn Arts & Culture Walk is a celebration of the arts, our cultural institutions, and the iconic minds that help make Brooklyn continue to flourish as a global creative leader.”
The ceremony honoring Big Daddy Kane will take place as part of Adams third annual Central Brooklyn Arts & Culture Walk from 12 noon to 5 p.m. Sunday June 24 along the stretch of Eastern Parkway from Flatbush to Washington avenues.
Colton, Tong Call Emergency Meeting To Keep Specialized High School Admissions Test
Assemblyman William Colton (D-Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend and Dyker Heights) and
Democratic District Leader Nancy Tong (47 th AD) are calling an emergency meeting tomorrow in response to Mayor Bill de Blasio‘s plan to eliminate the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) and to decry School Chancellor Richard Carranza’s divisive statements in agreement with the plan.
The meeting will also create the Brooklyn Coalition for Quality Education (SBCQE) which will devise a plan to save the city’s eight specialized academic high schools and improve education for all students in the city.
“Rather than acknowledging the NYC Department of Education has failed its obligation to provide a quality education to prepare all children, including those in poorer neighborhoods, to compete in objective academic tests, such as the SHSAT, and promising to lead the school system to do a better job, he has joined in a political scheme to draw attention away from these failings and to pit one group of children against another. We must and should expect much more professionalism from anyone assuming the role of Chancellor of the New York City school system,” said Colton.
The meeting is slated for 11 a.m., tomorrow, June 16 at 29 Bay 25th Street (between 86th Street and Benson Avenue). All parents and those interested in education are urged to attend.
Deutsch To Show Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
City Councilman Chaim Deutsch (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach, Midwood), along with the Parks Department this Sunday will show “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”under the stars.
The showing is slated for between 8-10 p.m., this Sunday, June 17 at Bill Brown Playground on Bedford Avenue and Avenue X. The event is free and kosher popcorn will be provided.
