Menchaca, Levin Help Facilitate Reunification of Immigrant Families
City Council member Carlos Menchaca (D-Red Hook, Sunset Park) and Stephen Levin (D-Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Williamsburg, Boerum Hill) will help to reunite separated immigrant families today.
The group of lawmakers will meet with the Consulates of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to determine a plan of action for how city agencies and foreign consulates can work together to reunite families separated by President Trump’s previous immigration policy.
Last week, the President signed an executive order ending the controversial practice of separating migrant children from their parents at the southern border. The new order will work to “keep families together”, according to initial reports.
The order instructs government officials to continue its “zero-tolerance” enforcement policy of criminal prosecution for every immigrant who crosses the border illegally, but says that officials will seek to “maintain family unity” by detaining parents and children together instead of separating them while their legal cases wind through a severely backlogged immigration court system.
The event is slated for 11:30 a.m., today, June 26, at the Consulate General of Mexico – Octavio Paz Gallery 2nd Floor, at 27 East 39th Street in Lower Manhattan.
Treyger Celebrates Work On Brand New Culinary Arts Facility
City Council member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Gravesend) will join students and teachers at John Dewey High School today to celebrate the start of work on a brand new culinary arts facility.
Treyger allocated nearly $3 million in funding for the new state-of-the-art culinary arts kitchen/classroom for the school’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program over the course of 3 years.
John Dewey High School’s CTE program gives students the preparation necessary to find employment in food service and hospitality, among the fastest-growing job sectors in New York City. According to the New York State Department of Labor, leisure and hospitality saw the third-highest rate of growth among private sector jobs in New York City last year. Accommodation and food service also saw the largest growth from 2005-2015, a 52% increase over that span.
The South Brooklyn lawmaker, who has previously introduced legislation designed to improve the way City schools track CTE programs and their availability, also allocated $1 million for a similar project at William E. Grady Technical High School in Brighton Beach.
The event is slated for 12-noon, today, June 26, at John Dewey High School, at 50 Avenue X in Gravesend.
Lander Applauds Middle School Integration Plan
City Council member Brad Lander (D-Windsor Terrace, Park Slope, Kensington) applauded a recent proposal to increase diversity among middle schools in School District 15.
Last week, the District 15 Diversity Plan Working Group, a group of educators, parents, and students presented their plan to integrate District 15 middle schools, with a focus on equity and educational excellence. The some of the plan’s diversity recommendations include: prioritizing 5th graders middle-school preferences, eliminating academic and behavioral screens and prioritizing 52% of the seats in each school for low-income/English Language Learners (ELL) among other recommendations.
The working group will present its final report later this year to the Department of Education, at which point Chancellor Richard Carranza will make a final decision on whether to implement the changes. If, he approves, the Diversity Plan will go into effect next fall for 5th grade families, for the incoming middle school class of September 2019.
District 15 includes Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington, and Sunset Park.
Davila Holds Tree Dedication Ceremony In Memory of Local Seven-year-Old
Assembly member Maritza Davila (D-Bushwick, Williamsburg) alongside NYCHA, Sam the Glazier and P.S. 376, will hold a tree dedication ceremony in memory of local seven-year-old, A’mari Murriel-Johnson, today.
This ceremony is to commemorate P.S. 376 with a mural and the mother of seven year old A’mari Murriel-Johnson, Ms. Kareema Murriel with a tree. A’mari died suddenly in February after a misdiagnosis of strep throat led to a fatal case of pneumonia, according to the New York Daily News.
Local artist Mark Garcia has dedicated his time outside of being a custodian to create a mural that signifies unity and healthy eating.
The event is slated for 9 p.m., today June 16, at Himrod Wilson Community Garden, at 314 Wilson Avenue in Bushwick.
Deutsch, Espinal Announce $500,000 Increase To Holocaust Survivor’s Initiative
City Council members Rafael Espinal (D-Bushwick, Cypress Hills, East New York) and Chaim Deutsch (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach, Midwood) announced $500,000 increase to the Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivor’s Initiative yesterday.
In 2015, Espinal along with members of the Council’s Jewish Caucus created a budget initiative, known as the Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors Initiative to support the city’s survivors with much needed food and social services.
New York City is home to 45,000 Holocaust Survivor’s, half of whom live in poverty. Since its original $1.5 million allocation, the program has steadily increased each year reaching $3 million in FY2018. This year, the City Council and Speaker Corey Johnson will allocate an additional $500,000 to the initiative, for a total of $3.5 million to fund the initiative.
“Never again must mean never abandon. It has been my honor to spearhead the Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivor’s Initiative and witness the impact it has had on elderly survivors each year who need and deserve our support,” said Espinal.
“As a son of Holocaust survivors, this initiative has been particularly significant for me. Under Council member Espinal’s leadership, it has grown in leaps and bounds to become a major source of relief for the tens of thousands NYC survivors living below the poverty line,” said Deutsch, Chair of the Jewish Caucus.
