Simon To Host Housing, Tenant Workshop
Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon (D-Downtown Brooklyn, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill) will host a housing workshop today for local residents.
At the event Simon will discuss rent stabilization, legislation to strengthen tenants’ rights, and local residents can get involved in housing advocacy. Speakers include Ellen Davidson from The Legal Aid Society, Andrea Shapiro from Metropolitan Council on Housing, and Balanda Joachim from the Carroll Gardens Association and Southwest Brooklyn Tenant Union.
The Assembly member will also discuss the “good cause” eviction bill, which would bring statewide protections to smaller housing units by allowing only reasonable rent increases set by a local price index. The measure is a proposed amendment to the state’s real property law and would prevent tenants in nearly any market-rate apartment from being evicted for not paying an “unconscionable” increase in rent.
Unconscionable is defined as an annual increase of more than 150 percent of the regional Consumer Price Index, as it stands in the month of August of the preceding year, according to The Real Deal. The event comes as rent laws are expected to expire next month on June 15.
The event is slated for 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., today, May 31, at the Brooklyn Public Library Central Branch, 10 Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Heights.
Felder Sponsors No Cost Measles Immunity Testing
State Senator Simcha Felder (D-Boro Park, Midwood) is sponsoring two upcoming no-cost Measles Immunity Tests events as part of an ongoing city effort to stop the spread of measles.
There have now been 535 cases of measles confirmed as of May 23 since the beginning of the outbreak last October, with the epicenter of the outbreak focusing around Williamsburg in North Brooklyn.
Just last month, Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a public health emergency in select Williamsburg zip codes -11205, 11206, 11211, 11249- following a measles outbreak affecting the Orthodox Jewish community. While last week the NYC Department of Health (DOH) announced that four more measles cases had been identified in the Sunset Park neighborhood of South Brooklyn, with an increase of 13 new cases reported citywide.
In partnership with Premium Health in Boro Park and New York Community Hospital in Flatbush, Senator Felder is calling on everyone to take the opportunity to check their immunity to measles before the summer travel season.
“Measles is highly contagious. Once exposed, you could spread the virus days before showing signs of having contracted it. The Department of Health recommends confirming your immunity level with a titers test, so that people with diminished immunity can protect themselves with a vaccination. We are happy to offer you this simple blood test, at no cost, to confirm your immunity. Stay healthy, and help stop the spread of measles,” said Felder.
The first event is slated for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, June 5.
The second event is slated for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursday, June 13.
Appointments required, please call 718-253-2015 for additional details.
BK Lawmakers To Host Screening & Discussion On Central Park Five Case, Criminal Justice
State Senator Zellnor Myrie (D-Central Brooklyn) alongside Assembly members Walter T. Mosley (D-Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Crown Heights) and Diana Richardson (D-Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Lefferts Gardens, Wingate) will host a screening and panel discussion this weekend on the new Netflix miniseries, “When They See Us,” created by acclaimed director Ava DuVernay, which tells the story of the Central Park Five.
The Central Park Five, are a group of black and Latino male teenagers who were wrongly convicted of raping and nearly killing a white women in Central Park in 1989 (Central Park Jogger Case). Their convictions were vacated in 2002, and the city paid $41 million in 2014 to settle their civil rights lawsuit, according to the New York Times.
Following the screening, Senator Myrie will moderate a discussion on criminal justice reform with: Professor Bryan Price of Medgar Evers College, Deron Johnston of the Brownsville Community Justice Center, and Rebecca Brown of the Innocence Project.
The event is slated for 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, June 1, at Medgar Evers College, 1638 Bedford Avenue in Crown Heights.
Rose Receives Commitments from USPS to Address Postal Issues
Congressman Max Rose (D-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) hosted a roundtable yesterday with officials from the United States Postal Service (USPS) and Brooklyn community leaders to discuss recent reports of inconsistent postal service and improper deliveries in Gravesend and Dyker Heights
Residents in South Brooklyn have been experiencing postal issues like inconsistent delivery, late-night deliveries, deliveries to wrong addresses, drop off issues leading to theft of mail and packages, and broken or insecure mailboxes.
At the roundtable, USPS made commitments to work with Rose and community leaders on a host of issues including resolving parking issues around the Dyker Heights Post Office and investigating Dyker Heights, Gravesend, and Homecrest delivery issues.
USPS also committed to working with community organizations and elected officials to increase package delivery safety, provide updates on the installation of phishing-proof mailboxes, and provide officials with mail scam warnings in languages other than English.
“Getting your mail delivered safely and on time is a basic promise that must be upheld. We’re not just talking about junk mail and magazines though—my constituents depend on USPS to deliver checks, packages, and important documents and failure to do so, or doing so in a way which allows for theft, has grave consequences. We have to do better, and I’m going to keep working with these community leaders and the USPS to ensure progress is made and these issues get resolved,” said Rose.
Ortiz Legislation Supporting LGBTQ Youth Passes the Assembly
Assistant Speaker Félix W. Ortiz (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook) announced yesterday that the Assembly passed bill 3619-A, a measure that aims to provide support services to LGBTQ+ youth.
The legislation will require employees of programs providing care to runaway and/or homeless youth to attend LGBTQ specific training. The training will include the use of appropriate terminology, how to address homophobia or transphobia from other youth, and deal with challenges specific to the LGBTQ youth community.
“Many of these young people have faced difficult family situations due to their sexual orientation and/or gender expression. We need to support all young people, ensuring that homeless youth of all orientations are treated with the respect and sensitivity they may not have gotten at home,” said Ortiz.
