Adams On Texas Shooting, Has Busy Day
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams this weekend decried the latest mass shooting – this time in Odessa-Midland Texas, which left seven dead and 25 wounded before police killed the gunman.
“As our nation reels from another mass shooting, we must strengthen our resolve to combat the scourge of gun violence in our country. 100 Americans are killed by guns every day – most of them by handguns in urban areas. We are the only advanced country where these types of shootings happen with regularity. Enough lives have been lost to this epidemic – it’s time to eradicate gun violence in our country. We are praying for the communities in Odessa and Midland this evening,” said Adams.
Separately, Adams has two events scheduled today.
The first is a tour of Brooklyn’s Chinatown with the Brooklyn Chinese-American Association at 2 p.m., today, Sept. 3 starting at 871 50th Street in Sunset Park.
Then Adams will hold a community meeting on placard abuse and related Issues at 5:30 p.m., today Sept. 3 at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street in Downtown Brooklyn.
Jeffries, Mosley “Wait Tables” In Support Of Raising Wages For Tipped Workers
U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, East New York, Canarsie, Mill Basin, Coney, South Ozone Park and Howard Beach in Queens) and Assemblymember Walter Mosley (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy) ) will join several other state lawmakers and celebrities today to ‘Wait Tables’ in Support of Raising Wages for NY Tipped Workers
The lawmakers will call for an end to the subminimum wage for tipped workers. The event will also call on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to enact One Fair Wage, a policy that would increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour for hundreds of thousands of tipped workers in New York.
The issue is somewhat controversial in that advocates argue that in New York City alone, nearly one out of five tipped workers use food stamp benefits, compared to 15 percent of non-tipped employees, and 28 percent of tipped workers receive Medicaid, in contrast to 18 percent of non-tipped workers. The current minimum wage for tipped workers in New York City is $8.65 and $15 for all other workers.
However, many in the hospitality industry, including a number of tipped workers argue that the restaurant industry works on small profit margins, and this could lead to more layoffs in the industry and harder working servers will actually lose wages.
The event is slated for 1 p.m., today, Sept. 3 Locals Restaurant, 332 Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill.
Menchaca Immigration Committee Looks At Several Bills
City Council Member Carlos Menchaca (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook), chair of the council’s Committee on Immigration, will hold a committee meeting today to look at several measures to help protect the city’s large immigrant population.
Among the legislation the committee will look at includes a bill would require the Department of Social Services/Human Resources Administration to designate a unit to assist individuals who may be impacted by the proposed federal regulations relating to inadmissibility on public charge grounds with benefits modification.
Other bills would bill would require the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs to conduct training on the federal regulations relating to inadmissibility on public charge grounds, and another would require the Human Resources Administration to inform individuals of local emergency feeding programs when they disenroll or are set to lapse in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Also on the agenda is a bill that would require the Department of Education to distribute educational materials created by the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs on the federal government’s public charge proposal to students and parents.
The public meeting is slated for 1 p.m., today Sept. 3 at City Hall in Lower Manhattan.
Wright Expresses Solidarity Workers & Unions
Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) over the weekend expressed solidarity with workers and unions on Labor Day weekend.
his year marks the 125th anniversary of Labor Day being celebrated as a national holiday. New York State has long been a leader in the labor movement, having hosted the first Labor Day events in New York City in 1882. It was declared a national holiday in 1894, with celebrations initially consisting of street parades and festivals and expanding over the years to include speeches, barbecues, picnics and other fun outdoor activities,” said Wright.
“Workers in the Brooklyn (Bedford Stuyvesant/Crown Heights) can count on me to fight for their rights and make their voices heard. I hope you’ll join me in supporting the contributions working people, past and present, have made this Labor Day. The prosperity and well-being of our state and nation relies on them and taking a moment to express gratitude is the least we can do.
“As always, my door is open. If you have questions or concerns about this or any other community issue, please don’t hesitate to contact my office at 718.399.7630,” the lawmaker added.
Cymbrowitz Calls Eliminating Gifted Programs the Wrong Move
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach) on Friday expressed his “strong concerns” over the school diversity panel’s recent recommendations regarding the future of the city’s gifted and talented programs.
In a letter to Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, wrote that “while the current programs are far from perfect and would certainly benefit from reform in order to make them more inclusive of our city’s diverse population, I am concerned that eliminating the gifted and talented model entirely would drive countless families out of the public school system and ultimately make it harder to create high-quality, integrated schools that meet the needs of all students.
“Many parents in my district and elsewhere make the decision to send their children to public schools based on their child’s admission to G&T programs. These parents, by and large, tend to be heavily involved in their school community – volunteering to chaperone on school trips, leading school events, attending PTA meetings, etc. – and their involvement benefits the school as a whole, not just the G&T program. Losing these active, engaged families means sacrificing a vocal and valuable link between the DOE and the parent community.”
Cymbrowitz said he hears constantly from parents who complain about the drastic shortage of available seats in G&T programs. This must be remedied by expanding the programs, he said.
“With applicant pools that far exceed the number of available seats, some of these programs are more selective than Harvard. Many children who score over 90 percent on the G&T test cannot get in. Rather than dismantle the whole system, however, I believe that DOE needs to increase the availability of G&T programs in every school district in our city so that more children, especially those in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, can have these enrichment opportunities open to them from the beginning of their school career,” he added.
