Adams Endorses Mindfulness Training For NYPD Members
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams will join with wellness experts and advocates today to urge Mayor de Blasio and Police Commissioner James O’Neill to include meditation and mindfulness training as part a recently-announced New York Police Department (NYPD). Health and Wellness Task Force.
The call comes as the NYPD grapples with a mental health crisis.
Since the beginning of 2019, six police officers have taken their own lives, including four within a three-week span. In response, Commissioner O’Neill announced that the NYPD would be offering peer counseling in all precincts throughout the city.
Adams, a former member of the NYPD, will call for the implementation of meditation and mindfulness training, which has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and burnout, for all officers.
Adams has long been a proponent of mindfulness and meditation. Just this past April, Adams, armed with $111,000 in funding, launched a pilot program which brought the practice of mindfulness, meditation and yoga to East Brooklyn schools. He now seeks to bring mindfulness to law enforcers.
The event is slated for 10:30 a.m., today, July 12 on the steps of City Hall in Lower Manhattan.
Colton Applauds New MTA F Train Service
Assemblyman William Colton (D–Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights) yesterday expressed his pleasure the MTA and New York City Transit decision to offer limited express service on the “F” line beginning September 2019.
“I have long advocated for the “F” going express for parts of southern Brooklyn. I commend the MTA and the NYCTA for including this great improvement for southern Brooklyn riders as part of its plans to improve and speed up travel on public transit. This change will shorten the time for travel to Manhattan and hopefully will encourage more riders to use public transit into Manhattan,” stated Colton.
“The limited service on the F express line is not enough during the rush hours, but I believe that this is a good start and hopefully MTA and NYC Transit will be able to expand the service in the near future,” Colton added.
Cuomo and Parker Champion Climate Change Mandate
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced yesterday the first round of funding for the $15 million Future Grid Challenge, a program to help solve the technical challenges utilities face with energy transmission and distribution when attempting to integrate renewable energy resources into New York’s electric grid.
Modernizing the grid supports the Governor’s nation-leading mandate for 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030 and a carbon-free power grid by 2040. The mandate was included in the new climate legislation, the New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
“New York is leading the fight against climate change and prioritizing more resiliency and reliability during extreme weather events,” Cuomo said. “These investments will add renewables such as wind and solar to create a grid of the future that serves the needs of communities across the state and drives us toward a clean, fully carbon-free power grid.”
Administered by the New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA), the Future Grid Challenge will offer funding to grid technology companies and research institutions that will address challenges ranging from the need for greater real-time system data to incorporating smart technologies and energy storage into power grid planning and operations. This initiative will have two rounds with each round addressing different challenge areas.
“Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, New York has lead the way to achieving clean and sustainable energy and preserving our natural resources for generations of New Yorkers to come. Today’s announcement and the State’s continued commitment will ensure New York continues to be on the forefront in the fight against climate change,” said State Sen. Kevin S. Parker (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Ditmas Park, Kensington, Windsor Terrace, Park Slope), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Telecommunications.
Proposals are due by October 9, 2019. The remaining funds will be made available through the second round of the program later in the year.
Rose Pushes For More Fed Funding Towards South Brooklyn Buses
U.S. Representative Max Rose (D-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) recently led the Brooklyn Congressional delegation in calling for the federal government to support a project to improve bus safety and accessibility in South Brooklyn.
In a letter written to K. Jane Williams, Acting Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, the delegation wrote. “South Brooklyn is a particularly underserved area when it comes to public transportation. Not only are subway stations sparse when compared with other neighborhoods of New York City, but also the service on these lines are some of the worst in the MTA system. As a result, bus service is often the only reliable way for Brooklynites to get about their daily lives.”
The push for federal funding is in support of the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) project to increase safety and accessibility through the creation of 15 bus bulbs and 15 bus pads at priority bus stops in South Brooklyn along 86th Street and the Bay Parkway. The project also includes a trench restoration with full street reconstruction on 20th Avenue from 86th Street to Benson Avenue, and safety improvements at the intersection of Benson Avenue and 20th Avenue.
The letter continues, “This project will help to significantly improve safety and accessibility at bus stops currently located under an elevated rail line. At most of these locations, subway columns prevent buses from accessing the curb and bus riders are forced to wait for, board, and alight the bus in the middle of the street. This leaves bus riders vulnerable to collisions with vehicles and also results in bus stops which are inaccessible for the elderly and disabled, who may require the aid of the bus ramp/lift. In light of recent and tragic accidents involving pedestrians and vehicles in Brooklyn, and Bensonhurst specifically, these improvements are critical to ensuring Brooklynites are able to get where they need to go, safely.”
Also signing onto the letter were U.S. Reps Jerrold Nadler (D-Borough Park, Kensington, parts of Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, Red Hook, Sunset Park, Midwood, Manhattan), Carolyn Maloney (D-Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens), Yvette Clarke (D-Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Kensington, Midwood, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Park Slope), Nydia Velázquez (D-Bushwick, Williamsburg, Red Hook, Sunset Park, parts of Queens and Manhattan) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, East New York, Canarsie, Mill Basin, Coney Island, parts of Queens).
