BP Adams, Cumbo To Present Posthumous “Key To Brooklyn” To Family of Jackie Robinson
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and Council Majority Leader Laurie A. Cumbo (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights) will present a posthumous “Key to Brooklyn” award to the family of legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson.
The event will honor the 100th birthday of the Hall of Famer who broke barriers as the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Jackie Robinson was born on January 31st, 1919, played for the Brooklyn Dodgers through a 10-year career between 1947 and 1956; he was the recipient of the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 1949, as well as helped the Dodgers win the World Series championship in 1955. Off the field, Robinson was instrumental in breaking down barriers for African-Americans across the country, influencing culture and lending his voice to the civil rights movement.
Additionally, the event will include the presentation of a proclamation declaring tomorrow to be “Jackie Robinson Day” in Brooklyn. Sonya Pankey, one of Robinson’s grandchildren, and Jackie Robinson Foundation President and CEO Della Britton Baeza will be on hand to accept the awards.
The event is slated for 10:30 a.m., today, Jan. 31, at Brooklyn Borough Hall – Courtroom, at 209 Joralemon Street in Downtown Brooklyn.
Rose Introduces Bill To Withhold Pay From Congress, President During Shutdowns
Congressman Max Rose (D-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) joined Congressmen Jared Golden (D-ME) and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) in introducing bipartisan legislation yesterday to withhold pay from Members of Congress, the President, and the Vice President during a government shutdown.
The bipartisan group introduced their legislation, the Solidarity in Salary Act of 2019, to prevent and limit the duration of future shutdowns and ensure that lawmakers feel the harm they cause federal employees when they fail to fund the government.
The measure places the daily pay of the President, Vice President, and Members of Congress in escrow for each day a government shutdown is in effect. Once the government is reopened, the withheld pay is released. The news comes as Rose is currently donating his salary from the shutdown to charity.
“Only in a town as broken as Washington do you still get paid when you don’t do your job. That’s wrong, and it’s past time to make it right,” said Rose.
CM Williams, Bichotte Join Grandma In Fight Against Eviction, Call For Passage Of Tenant Protections
City Council member Jumaane Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood), Deputy Leader, and Assembly member Rodneyse Bichotte (D-Flatbush, Ditmas Park) will be demanding that the landlord of a Flatbush grandmother, give her a lease and that Albany strengthen the rent laws to prevent this from happening in the future.
Flatbush Tenant Althea (Dawn) Miller was living with her niece and sister for two years when her sister died last summer. After her niece moved to Long Island, her landlord demanded she move out – so that he can raise the rent. Miller’s landlord claimed she had no succession rights over her unit because her name wasn’t on the lease.
Now the longtime Brooklyn resident is facing eviction alongside her 8-year-old son and granddaughter as she fights to stay in her apartment. Miller claims that the NYS Vacancy Bonus is driving her out of her home. The measure allows landlords to increase the rent by an extra 18% for a one-year lease or 20% for a two-year lease when a tenant moves out.
This year the NYS rent laws, or the Emergency Tenant Protection Act (ETPA) — the bill that enables rent stabilization in New York City and its surrounding counties — will expire. Proponents of the legislation are pushing for expansion of the measure to municipalities outside NYC and good cause eviction legislation to protect tenants like Althea.
The event is slated for 9 a.m., today, Jan. 31, at Brooklyn Housing Court, at 141 Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn.
Colton Calls On MTA To Increase Accessibility Rather Than Fares
Assembly member William Colton (D-Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights) is calling on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to focus on accessibility instead of a fare hike in the wake of the death of a woman who fell down subway steps holding a stroller.
On Monday night, Jan. 28, Malaysia Goodson, 22 of Stamford, Connecticut was carrying her 1-year-old daughter in a stroller down the steps of the Seventh Avenue and 53rd Street subway station, when she fell down a flight of stairs and onto the subway platform where she died.
Goodson’s death has highlighted a major accessibility issue for mass transit including that roughly three-quarters of city subways don’t have an elevator and those that do have an elevator are often faulty, with each one breaking down an average of 53 time a year, according to the New York Times.
This past summer, Transit officials announced fare and toll increases of 4 percent for 2019 and 2021, according to initial reports.
“Instead of considering a fare increase, our subway system must have better accessibility not just for the commuters with the strollers but for the seniors and the disabled. The death of the young mother could have been prevented. It is unacceptable that the New York City subway system is inaccessible for so many commuters. The stairs are overcrowded and many struggle on a the daily basis. That horrible tragedy could’ve happened to any of us or our family members. I will do everything that is possible to prevent another tragedy like this from happening,” said Colton.
“Many subway stations don’t have elevators and the ones that do are often out of service. The subway system must be accessible to everyone. The MTA must look inside itself and stop wasting the taxpayer’s money and make subway station accessibility as their main priority,” Colton added.
Gounardes Appointed To Committee On NYC Education
State Senator Andrew Gounardes (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend and parts of Sheepshead Bay, Borough Park and Midwood) announced this week his appointment to the NYC Education Committee in the New York State Senate.
Gounardes, whose districts’ schools are affected by a number of critical issues, has long been a staunch advocate of public education.
“I am honored to join the NYC Education Committee. As a graduate of the New York City public schools, I bring to the table a valuable first-hand perspective. Making sure that our students receive a quality education was a cornerstone of my campaign and is an issue I am particularly excited to tackle legislatively in the Senate,” said Gounardes.
“Working on this Subcommittee is an excellent opportunity to be hands-on as we get to work to ensure the best possible education for all of our children,” added Gounardes.
VIDA To Hold Public Advocate Debate
The Vanguard Independent Democratic Association (VIDA) will hold a Public Advocate forum today.
The event’s moderators will be Esmeralda Simmons of the Center for Law and Social Justice and Brian Vines of BRIC TV. While the questions will give attendees an opportunity to get to know the candidates running for the special election on Feb. 26.
The event is slated for 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., today, Jan. 31, at 1700 Fulton Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Doors open at 5 p.m.
