BK Lawmakers To Hold Emergency Town Hall on Housing Crisis
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, East New York, Canarsie, Mill Basin, Coney Island, and South Ozone Park and Howard Beach in Queens), State Senator Velmanette Montgomery (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Boerum Hill, Sunset Park), Assembly member Tremaine Wright (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) and City Council member Robert Cornegy, Jr.(D-Bedford-Stuyvesant) will hold an emergency Town Hall on the Housing Crisis in Brooklyn.
The meeting will give local residents an opportunity to voice their concerns on housing issues including affordable housing options among other concerns.
At the meeting will also be representatives from the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Office of the New York State Attorney General and NHS Brooklyn and Brooklyn Legal Services.
The event is slated for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Monday, Oct. 22, at the Billie Holiday Theater, at 1368 Fulton Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
BP Adams Announces Clergy Healthy Lifestyle Challenge
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and The Brooklyn Hospital (TBHC) group of Brooklyn clergy announced the Clergy Healthy Lifestyle Challenge earlier this week.
The 12-week program that began this month, aims to involve faith leaders in a healthy lifestyle program that will provide tools to get healthier and, in turn, spread the word — and the guidelines they learn — to their communities. Adams, a staunch advocate of preventive medicine, hopes to highlight the pivotal role that clergy can play in influencing public health outcomes in their congregations through the program.
“Our faith leaders are in a unique position to support us mind, body, and soul. By modeling healthy behaviors and guiding their congregations in wellness and spirit, they have the opportunity to restore hope for those struggling with their health,” said Adams.
“My own health seemed hopeless a little over two years ago. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, nearly lost my vision, and had permanent nerve damage. But after I switched to a whole food plant-based diet, my symptoms reversed in just three months. I’m excited to welcome members of Brooklyn’s clergy on this health journey so they, too, can experience the transformative power of food and share it with their members,” added Adams.
Clergy who are participating in the challenge are Nahed Abuella of Multicultural Community Organization of New York, Pastor Eric Darrisaw of Glorious Temple Church of God in Christ, Pastor Gwen Dingle of Pentecostal House of Prayer, Pastor Preston Harrington of Co-Faith Christian Church, Elisa Hligar of Christian Cultural Center, Pastor Trevor Hyde of Berean Baptist Church, Reverend Marilyn Jackson of Unity East Church Center, Pastor Joseph J. Jones of Mount Hermon Baptist Church, Reverend Dr. Fred Lucas of Brooklyn Community Church, Pastor Gilford T. Monrose of Mt. Zion Church of God 7th Day, Pastor Laurel Scott of Newman Memorial United Methodist Church, Pastor Joseph Turner of Ninth Tabernacle Beth-El, and Pastor Heraclio John Wyatt, Jr. of Apostolic Faith Mission.
Since 1845, TBHC has provided outstanding health services, education and research to its Brooklyn community. TBHC’s focus is ensuring optimal patient care through staff expertise and the use of advanced technology and innovative medical and surgical treatments.
CM Williams, Progressive Caucus Rally For Mass Bailout
City Council member Jumaane Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) will rally alongside members of the New York City Council’s Progressive Caucus to support the ongoing Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Mass Bail Out Action.
Earlier this year, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights charity announced its plan for a large scale Mass Bail Out Action at New York’s Rikers Island. The Mass Bail Out Action is a collaborative effort made up of grassroots groups and formerly incarcerated people to free women and young people in New York City who are jailed because they cannot afford to post bail. The action is part of a larger push to promote jail reform across the criminal justice system.
The action, which which began October 1st and continues throughout the month, will use an estimated $5 million to spring hundreds of women, 16-and-17-year-old defendants awaiting trial at Rikers— many accused of violent crimes — regardless of the charges they face, according to the New York Post.
The first person the group bailed was violent recidivist Ralphie Myree, 25, who has seven convictions, is accused of robbing a Chelsea sex shop at knife point, and who was arrested at least three times while on parole for a 2013 assault that landed her in prison for 2 ½ years.
At the end of today’s rally, the Caucus will bail out an incarcerated New Yorker.
The event is slated for 12-noon, today, Oct. 18, at Brooklyn House of Detention, 275 Atlantic Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn.
Felder Proposes Stretch Limousine Safety Act
State Senator Simcha Felder (D-Boro Park, Flatbush, Kensington, Bensonhurst) proposed legislation last Friday to improve public safety in the wake of the limousine crash in Schoharie County last week that claimed the lives of 20 people.
Earlier this month, a deadly limousine accident claimed the lives of more than a dozen people, including many from the same family, when a 2001 Ford Excursion charged down a steep state road, blew past a stop sign and careened into the parking lot of the Apple Barrel Country Store & Cafe, where the limo struck a parked and an unoccupied 2015 Toyota Highlander, and two people. Federal officials say the upstate New York collision is the deadliest transportation crash in the country in nearly a decade, according to NPR.
The Stretch Limousine Safety Act (S. 9177) seeks to clearly define and regulate the commercial use of stretch limousines through a five pronged approach:
- Retirement Age: Requires stretch limousines be retired from service after 10 years. Taxi Cabs in New York City are currently retired after 7 years due to wear and tear on the vehicle.
- Training: New rules and safety training as a pre-requisite to licensure for limo drivers.
- Inspections and Insurance: Upon failure of a Department of Transportation (DOT) safety inspection, owners have a 10-day window to make necessary repairs, during which transporting passengers is prohibited. If repairs are not underway in the given timeframe, DOT can impound the vehicle. These procedures ensure that vehicles deemed to have sub-par safety standards and operators who have not demonstrated a responsible commitment to passenger safety will not be transporting passengers. In addition, stretch limousines must have a minimum liability insurance coverage of 2 million dollars.
- Transparency: All stretch limousines are required to display a license plate sized sticker on a passenger door of the vehicle that clearly states when their last successful vehicle inspection took place. Upon a failed safety inspection, a sticker of the same size clearly indicating that the vehicle is prohibited from transporting passengers shall replace the above sticker. Additionally, DOT will report the results of every inspection on their website
- Penalties and Seizure: Increases penalties for violations of the above sections and operating a stretch limo that has failed inspection becomes a class E felony.
“On October 6th our state witnessed the deadliest traffic accident since 2009.The sheer magnitude of this tragedy stopped everyone in their tracks. As early reports emerged, it became clear that there is a lack of consistency, reliability and safety in the way the state regulates inspection and licensure of the industry. This puts people at significant risk and needs to be rectified immediately,” explained Felder.
