BP Adams Latest “Heroes of the Month” Ceremony, Honors NYPD Detective Who Caught Suspected Rapist
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams will honor a diverse array of Brooklynites as part of his latest “Heroes of the Month” ceremony today.
As part of the ceremony, Adams will honor New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) Brooklyn Special Victims Detective Kimberly Marshall for helping apprehend Julio C. Ayala. The 18-year-old is believed to be affiliated with the multinational criminal gang, MS-13, for raping an 11-year-old girl in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens after breaking into her second-floor apartment window on Wednesday, August 29th.
A few days later, following the NYPD’s release of surveillance footage, she and other investigators tracked the suspect down to a building construction site nearby and arrested him; he was subsequently charged with burglary, criminal sexual act, endangering the welfare of a child, rape, and sexual abuse.
Adams will also present “Heroes of the Month” awards to Garry Danilov, a Good Samaritan who rescuing victims from a car wreck in Sheepshead Bay; K.M. DiColandrea, an Achievement First Brooklyn High School teacher who founded a traveling speech and debate team for her students in Crown Heights that has won national championships across the country; Bijoun Eric Jordan, a Frederick Douglass Academy VII English teacher who has raised tens of thousands of dollars for his low-income students of color in Brownsville to travel to Spain and Japan; and Food Bank for New York City, a citywide non-profit that launched a donation drive for feminine hygiene products at Brooklyn Borough Hall to support women in need.
The event is slated for 3 p.m., today, Sept. 20, at Brooklyn Borough Hall- Rotunda, at 209 Joralemon Street in Downtown Brooklyn.
Colton Denounces NYS Board of Elections Polls Site
Assembly member William Colton (D–Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, and Dyker Heights) denounced the New York State Board of Election (BOE) poll site at I.S. 288 yesterday.
Colton was recently informed by a number of voters that the poll site was difficult to navigate during the primary election on Sept. 13. According to local voters, the voting location at the site was on the 4th floor of the building and could only be reached by walking around the entire building, which are about 3 long blocks. Additionally, the elevator on primary day only stopped on the 4th floor, which forced many to navigate the confusing path to the voting room.
District Leaders Charles Ragusa and Nancy Tong of the 47th Assembly District are joining Colton in sharing his outrage over the primary day fiasco.
“Seniors and individuals with disabilities are unable to walk such a long distance. It was also reported to me that one of the seniors on September 13th, 2018 Primary Day had encountered a condition where she had difficulties breathing, and an ambulance had to be called,” said Colton.
“If the poll site is not accessible to the seniors and other individuals with disabilities it simply means that the Board of Elections is depriving citizens of their right to vote. I strongly believe this is outrageous and therefore, the Board of Elections must come up with an alternative,” added Colton.
Simon Hosts Tax Exemption & Rent Freeze Enrollment Event
Assembly member Jo Ann Simon (D-Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Gowanus, Park Slope, Boerum Hill, DUMBO) will hold an event to help renters and homeowners enroll in tax exemption and rent freeze programs this week.
Simon is partnering with the NYC Department of Finance for the free event. All local residents residents are invited to participate.
The event is slated for 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Friday, Sept. 21, at the Brooklyn Public Library- Brooklyn Heights Branch, 109 Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights.
For more information or to make an appointment contact Simon’s office at simonj@nyassembly.gov or 718-246-4889.
Donovan Introduces Bill Seizing Terrorist Assets, Redirect Funds To Urban Security Programs
Congressman Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) alongside U.S. Representatives Ted Budd (R-NC), and Michael McCaul (R-TX) introduced the Terrorist Asset Seizure Reform (TASR) Act this week.
The measure would confiscate the interest accruing in accounts frozen by U.S. financial sanctions, to then redirect the confiscated assets to a critical homeland security grant program: the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI). A high-risk cities nationwide funding anti-terror efforts through the program.
Donovan initially introduced the legislation with Chairman McCaul in May 2016. Financial sanctions are used to deny enemies of the United States – including belligerent governments and international terrorists – access to U.S. financial institutions. Once the U.S. targets a country or person with sanctions, U.S. financial institutions must freeze any assets associated with their accounts and reject any future transactions.
However, U.S. banks are currently required to continue paying interest on all frozen accounts. This creates a potential windfall for the account holders should the sanctions be lifted. The TASR Act instructs the U.S. Department of the Treasury to confiscate the accrued interest on all frozen accounts – those held by nations and by individuals – each year. Additionally, the legislation goes further in targeting groups for which no legitimate reason to return frozen assets will ever exist: terrorists, financiers of terrorism, and foreign terrorist organizations. For those accounts, the Department of the Treasury would confiscate the principal after one year.
“Terrorists continue to take advantage of the Western financial system to advance their violent and nefarious agenda. This bill would prohibit their blood money from accruing interest in Western banks. Instead, it would go to protecting innocent lives against their disgusting ideology and attacks,” said Donovan.
