Brooklyn Lawmakers On The Move June 6, 2019

News Site Brooklyn

Ampry-Samuel To Hold Public Hearing To Address NYCHA Safety & Security Concerns

Alicka Ampry-Samuel
City Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel

City Council member Alicka Ampry-Samuel (D-Brownsville) will hold a joint hearing today alongside Councilmember Donovan Richards (D-Queens) in response to recent public safety concerns and to safeguard public housing residents during NYCHA Family Days this Summer.

The hearing will focus on the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) strategies to encourage safety and protect residents without overreliance on policing. Witnesses invited to testify include NYCHA residents, Tenant Leaders, NYCHA, the New York City Police Department (NYPD), legal services providers, and other interested parties.

The hearing is slated for 10 a.m., today, June 6, at City Hall, Council Chambers in Lower Manhattan.


BP Adams Applauds Passage Of Bill Requiring Plant-Based Food Options in Hospitals

Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams

Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams earlier this week applauded passage of a bill requiring plant-based food options in hospitals.

The bill, was introduced in partnership between Adams, State Senator Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) and Assemblymember Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan) and would require hospitals to offer a plant-based food option as an alternative to every meal or snack offered to a patient, at no additional cost. On Tuesday, the measure  (S.1471A/A. 4072) passed through both houses of the State legislature.

Adams has been a strong proponent of plant-based diets as a lifestyle approach to positive health outcomes in recent years as a former diabetes patient who discovered proper diet and healthy living could serve as a preventative measure.

“Preventive health care has taken a meaningful step forward with the passage of legislation requiring hospitals across our state to offer plant-based food options for every meal and snack. When patients are in the care of medical professionals, everything should be oriented toward helping them heal and live healthier lives,” said Adams.

“The science is crystal clear on the power of a whole-food, plant-based diet to reversing chronic diseases. That science will now be practiced through our hospital menus. I thank State Senator Hoylman and Assembly Member Gottfried for championing this bill, I applaud State Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Heastie for advancing it through both sides of the Legislature, and I ask Governor Cuomo to sign it into law,” added Adams.


Cumbo To Honor Biggie Smalls With Street Co-Naming

City Council Member Laurie Cumbo

Majority Leader City Council member Laurie Cumbo (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights) will jin the family of the late Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace to celebrate his life and accomplishments as a cultural phenom and influencer, with a street co-naming next week.

The Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation will host the official street naming ceremony of Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace Way, which will be unveiled at the corner of St. James Place and Fulton Street on Crown Heights.

The ceremony will celebrate Brooklyn’s own, and one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time.

The event is slated for 12-noon, Monday, June 10, at the corner of  St. James Place and Fulton Street in Clinton Hill.


Malliotakis Denounces Anti-Semitic Graffiti Found In Bay Ridge

Assembly Member Nicole Malliotakis

Assembly member Nicole Malliotakis (R,C,I,REF-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) yesterday denounced anti-semitic graffiti found scrawled onto a mailbox down the street from her office in Bay Ridge.

On Wednesday, the words- “Kill all Jews,” “Israel,” and “Mario Cuomo,” alongside the word “mayor” (written and crossed out)- were discovered on a mailbox at the corner of 95th Street and Fourth Avenue, according to Bklyner. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime. According to the NYPD, the words were written in black pen and were reported by a person walking by. As of Thursday morning, the mailbox has been replaced.

Most recent data from New York Police Department (NYPD) show that hate crime incidents in the City have increased by 64 percent since last year. 60 percent of those incidents were anti-Semitic hate crimes. Arrests for hate crimes have also increased this year.

The incident comes just as Mayor Bill de Blasio is set to open the Office of Hate Crime Prevention later this year. The new office is charged with doing educational outreach and training within New York City communities, to educate people about the impact and effect of hate crimes. The new law will also require the proposed Hate Crime Prevention Office to coordinate with relevant agencies, interfaith organizations, and community groups to implement effective outreach on the subject.

“These writings called for the killing of all Jewish people and must be condemned and denounced in the strongest terms. I stand side by side with the Jewish community, and the Bay Ridge community, as we fight to end this hatred, bigotry and racism once and for all,” said Malliotakis.


Montgomery Adoptee Bill Passes New York State Senate

Senator Velmanette Montgomery photographed by tracy collins
Senator Velmanette Montgomery

State Senator Velmanette Montgomery (D-Fort Greene, Boerum Hill, Red Hook, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Sunset Park, Gowanus, Park Slope) applauded passage of the Clean Bill of Adoptee Rights (S3419 – Montgomery /A5494 – Weprin), legislation she co-sponsored, to restore unrestricted access to original birth certificates for all adult adoptees.

The measure is the first time adult adoptees have such access since these records were sealed in 1936. It passed with overwhelming bipartisan support; 53 to 6. The bill now needs to pass the Assembly and be signed into law by the Governor.

“I am proud to have sponsored this bill in the Senate because adult adoptees deserve access to their own vital records just like any other individual. It is a reflection of the advocacy of thousands of adult adoptees for over 20 years. They deserve the right to seek answers about their health, their family history and their heritage,” said Montgomery.


Velázquez, Menchaca Announce Agreement To Preserve Portion of Lidgerwood Building In Red Hook

Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez
City Councilman Carlos Menchaca

U.S. Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-Brooklyn, LES, Queens) and Council member Carlos Menchaca (D-Red Hook, Sunset Park) yesterday announced that after significant discussion with UPS’s chief engineer a portion of the South façade of the Lidgerwood building in Red Hook would be preserved.

Last month, Red Hook residents were outraged when UPS started bulldozing the 1880s Lidgerwood Building, backing down on a promise to consider a proposal from preservationists to repurpose part of the structure, according to The Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

Local community activists have been protesting the scheduled demolition of the 19th-century factory on the neighborhood’s historic industrial waterfront for months. UPS bought the red-painted factory at 202 Coffey St. last year with plans to redevelop the historical building.  

“We are pleased that after significant discussion with us, UPS’s chief engineer ordered a new engineering analysis, informed by community desires to preserve a portion of the south façade of the Lidgerwood building.   While the analysis is taking place, UPS has said no additional demolition of the Coffey Street façade side will take place, though demolition will continue on other parts of the site,” read a joint statement.

“UPS is also creating a dedicated email – [email protected] – to solicit community input for ideas that might help with the new engineering analysis and design. The company has assured us that when they have additional information to share, they will participate in a community meeting we host. This seems fair as the meeting and new email account, set up specifically to collect input, will help frame the new engineering analysis. These are positive developments and reasons for cautious optimism. We will continue monitoring the situation closely,” continued the statement.