Felder Proposes Panic Buttons For Houses of Prayer
State Senator Simcha Felder (D-Boro Park, Midwood) last week urged Governor Andrew Cuomo to finance the installation of panic buttons at all Houses of Prayer (Churches, Mosques and Synagogues) utilizing budgetary funding from the New York State Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes program.
In a letter to Cuomo last week, Felder asked for the security measure as a cost effective tool to save precious moments by immediately alerting emergency response teams. The call comes as City Council member Chaim Deutsch (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach, Homecrest, Midwood) is pushing for security funding for places of worship in the New York City FY 2020 budget.
A 2016 study of the Orlando shooting found that one-third of the victims could have lived had they received basic EMS care within 10 minutes. In the last year, attacks on synagogues and mosques have increased across the nation and abroad including the deadly terror attack at two mosques in New Zealand and a Church in Sri Lanka followed by the deadly shooting of a Synagogue in California. According to Felder’s office, many congregations cannot afford to implement the necessary safety measures leaving many New Yorkers at risk in their place of worship.
“This year’s State budget judiciously allocates $25 million in funding for security improvements to nonpublic schools, day cares, cultural museums and summer camps due to their heightened risk of hate crimes (Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes program). In the case of an attack, something as simple as strategically placed panic buttons in a House of Prayer could make the difference between a massacre and a miracle,” said Felder.
“A congregation in a House of Prayer is a frighteningly easy target. Our hope is to deter these hateful, violent attacks in the first place, but it is clear that New Yorkers must be prepared and protected right now. An immediate response system that is easily activated in a chaotic situation, will save lives,” added Felder.
Myrie Honors Brownsville Resident With Woman of Distinction Award
State Senator Zellnor Myrie (D-Central Brooklyn) last week honored Brownsville native La’Shawn Allen-Muhammad for the New York Women of Distinction Award.
In the late 1990s, Allen-Muhammad co-founded the not-for-profit organization Brownsville Youth Association (BYA), which offered free job training and employment to community residents. She later founded another organization, Entrepreneurs of New York, which serves small businesses and aspiring small business owners with strategic guidance. She was also appointed by former Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz to serve on the Community Education Council, where she served as Vice President in School District 23.
In 2015, the Brooklynite was installed as the Brooklyn Director of the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce and appointed as Executive Director of Central Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation (CBEDC), where she continues to be a leading advocate in efforts to help fellow community members achieve self-sufficiency.
“La’Shawn Allen-Muhammad has championed economic empowerment and change within her community and beyond. She continues to create positive change among her neighbors through her work in small business development, youth services, nonprofits, and entrepreneurship. It is an honor to present the Woman of Distinction Award to community member and leader Ms. La’Shawn Allen-Muhammad,” said Myrie.
“What an Amazing experience!” said Allen-Muhammad. “To be in the company of so many phenomenal women who are changing lives and communities in New York State was a defining moment that I will never forget. Thank you Senator Myrie.”
Ortiz Supports School Bus Safety Act
Assistant Speaker Assembly member Felix Ortiz (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook) recently came out in support of The School Bus Safety Act, a security measure passed in the New York State Assembly in March of this year.
The measure authorizes the installation and use of photo monitoring devices on school buses to detect and record vehicles illegally passing or overtaking a school bus. The legislation would authorize municipalities to equip school buses with safety cameras capable of capturing footage of vehicles that illegally pass school buses displaying red visual signals intended to remind drivers to stop while students board or exit the bus.
In 2013 it was estimated that there were 64,000 illegal school bus passes in a single day in New York State. Under current law, a ticket for illegally passing a stopped school bus displaying a red visual signal can only be issued by a police officer who witnesses the violation.
This bill provides for additional enforcement options by authorizing local governments to impose liability for the failure of drivers to comply with the law prohibiting the overtaking and passing of stopped school buses displaying red visual signals.
“There are over 40 schools in my district and thousands of students. These students should be able to get on and off the school bus without the worry of being struck by a car. I will always champion legislation that protects them,” said Ortiz.
Gounardes Launches Youth Pedestrian Task Force
State Senator Andrew Gounardes (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend) last week announced the formation of the Youth Pedestrian Task Force.
Comprised of young people representing the age groups most affected by pedestrian safety issues, members will be tasked with developing actionable recommendations to increase education about street safety in an ongoing, district-wide effort to create safer roadways. The next scheduled meeting is slated for later this month, May 28.
The statistics, according to Gounardes’ office:
- Research has shown that eighty percent of all child pedestrian deaths in the United States occur at non-intersection locations.
- Teens have a death rate twice that of younger children and have accounted for half of all child pedestrian injuries in the past five years nationally.
- Developmentally, children are not able to judge speed and distance of approaching vehicles until age 10.
Gounardes, whose district has been plagued by rampant safety issues that have resulted in a staggering number of bicycle and pedestrian injuries and fatalities, launched the Southern Brooklyn Pedestrian Task Force earlier in the year and has made pedestrian safety a top priority of his office.
“There is no issue more important than keeping our children safe. Earlier this year, we passed landmark legislation in Albany to increase speed cameras in school zones across New York City from 140 to 750. It was an enormous win for pedestrian safety, but we have to double down on efforts to make our roads safer. Children and young people are most at risk and must be part of the equation when it comes to solving the problem,” said Gounardes.
