Rodriguez to Start Taking Calls on Public Charge Rule
Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Washington Heights, Inwood) will be taking calls on the public charge rule starting this month.
The new rule increases the government’s ability to reject green cards for immigrants who are likely to depend on government assistance, such as food stamps and public housing. Rodriguez will be taking questions from immigrants regarding whether the rule will affect them and how to obtain legal aid if it will.
If you have a question, call him on Sep. 9 or 10 at 1-800-566-7636.
Levine, Richards, Deutsch Call on Mayor to Open OPHC
Council Members Mark Levine (D-Manhattan Valley, Manhattanville), Donovan Richards (D-Arverne, Brookville) and Chaim Deutsch (D-Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach) released a joint statement last Friday calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) to open the Office of Potential Hate Crimes (OPHC).
The Council members stressed the urgency of the matter by citing several recent anti-Semitic attacks, including a particularly violent one last Tuesday; a Jewish man in Crown Heights was attacked with a rock, leaving him with severe dental injuries. The statement also reminded de Blasio of his promise to open the office sometime during the summer.
“The City of New York, together with the mayor and the City Council, have an obligation to guarantee the safety and security of every community that calls New York home,” read the statement. “We must advance a robust agenda against hatred and aggression in every form and ensure our city government is confronting this threat in a sustained and strategic fashion.”
Stringer Urges DEC to Halt Development in Wetlands
Last Friday, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer (D) called on the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to deny permits to a BJ’s Wholesale Club for a site next to a wetland in Mariners Harbor.
Stringer said that the development would be disastrous for the wetland’s ecosystem. He also pointed out that the wetlands constitute an invaluable source of New York’s defense against rising sea levels.
“Preserving wetlands as a first line of defense against storm surge and flooding is crucial given scientific estimates relating to rising seas and more frequent hurricanes,” said Stringer.
Brewer Named One of the Grand Marshals for African-American Day Parade
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer (D) will be a grand marshall at the 50th Annual African-American Day Parade.
This year’s theme is “Integrity and Transparency = Good Government”. The parade will be centered around those who have furthered the prosperity of the African-American community via political means. Among the other grand marshals are State Senator Brian Benjamin (D-Upper Manhattan, Morningside Heights) and Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-Washington Heights, Sugar Hill).
The event will take place on Sunday, Sep. 15 from 1-6 p.m, beginning on 111th St. and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.
