Johnson, Brewer, Chin Force Public Review of Two Bridges Proposal
Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen), and Council Member Margaret Chin (D-Battery Park City, Chinatown) updated their joint lawsuit against the Department of City Planning last Thursday in order to force public review of the planned new development in Two Bridges.
The suit was first filed in December of last year, on the grounds that the proposed development in Lower Manhattan would necessitate lifting a deed restriction that reserves the area for low-income, disabled and elderly residents.
“This is simply an outrage,” said Brewer. “First the Administration says that massive new development does not need a ULURP, then it slips out that there’s an affordable housing deed restriction for a portion of this development that they never mentioned. I trust that courts will recognize the need for public review and perhaps this time the Administration will learn its lesson.”
Johnson on Holocaust Remembrance Day: “We Will Never Forget”
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen) released a statement yesterday, on New York City’s first annual Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Resolution 673, which passed last Thursday with a unanimous vote in the City Council, designates January 27th as Holocaust Remembrance Day, and the week of the 27th as a citywide week of Holocaust education.
“Today on Holocaust Remembrance Day, the world gathers to remember six million Jewish men, women, and children and the millions of others of different ethnic, religious, or sexual orientations murdered during one of the darkest periods in human history,” said Johnson. “We will never forget, and we will teach our children so that this unimaginable tragedy is never repeated. To say never again is to make a solemn vow to meet and confront hatred and bigotry whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head. New York City stands united against hate, on Holocaust Remembrance Day and for all the days to come.”
Rodriguez Christens San Romero de America Street
City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Washington Heights, Inwood) spoke at a street co-naming ceremony yesterday – one that re-christened 179th St. as San Romero de America St.
San Romero de America, the street’s new namesake, was a Salvadoran saint renowned for his activism against social inequality and human rights violations. He was assassinated in 1980 by an anonymous gunman.
“San Romero de America dedicated his life to helping the impoverished, speaking out against torture and human rights violations that occurred during the civil war in El Salvador,” said Rodriguez. “His mission was to fight against tyranny and promote world democracy & peace.”
Rivera Introduces New Bill to Ban Foie Gras
City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera (D-East Village, Gramercy Park) recently introduced a new bill to the council that would prohibit the sale of foie gras in New York.
Foie gras, a French delicacy made from the liver of a duck who has been fattened up, is a contentious subject in the world of cuisine. Many, including Rivera, argue that it constitutes animal cruelty, particularly since the fattening process typically involves force-feeding the duck with a feeding tube.
“Proud to introduce a new bill to ban the cruel production and sale of foie gras in NYC,” Rivera said in a tweet. I will be working w/advocates (including [The Animal Voters] & [The Humane Society]) and my colleagues to pass this important legislation.”
