MANH Lawmakers on the Move, Feb. 20, 2020

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Niou to Host Fire Safety Education Workshop

Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou
Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou

Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou (D-Chinatown, Financial District) will be hosting a workshop on fire safety tomorrow.

At the event, FDNY representatives will provide tips on cooking safety, electrical safety, maintaining a smoke alarm, and other topics. The FDNY will also be giving out free smoke alarms at the conclusion of the workshop.

The event will take place tomorrow from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at P.S. 130M, 143 Baxter St.


Nadler, Thompson, Lofren, Rice Condemn Escalation of ICE Raids

U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler
U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler

Last Tuesday, Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan, Brooklyn), Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Kathleen M. Rice (D-Nassau) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf condemning his use of targeted immigration raids.

Last week, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) announced that it would deploy law enforcement units to “sanctuary cities” in retaliation for their lax policies towards undocumented immigrants.

“The Committees have serious concerns over the utility of engaging these highly militarized units, which were never intended for routine immigration enforcement activities, in densely populated metropolitan areas,” reads the letter. “Moreover, the Committees note that taking teams intended to carry out missions like disrupting drug cartels at the border away from the border is a misuse of specialized resources, not to mention inconsistent with the President’s own recent extension of his border emergency declaration.”

Read the full letter here.


Hoylman Reacts to Boy Scout Bankruptcy Announcement

State Senator Brad Hoylman
State Senator Brad Hoylman

Last Tuesday, State Senator Brad Hoylman (D-Chelsea, Midtown) released a statement after the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announced that they would be filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The announcement sparked public suspicion that the BSA was declaring bankruptcy in order to shield their members from potential sexual abuse lawsuits. Hoylman, who passed New York’s Child Victims Act, had this to say:

“For nearly a century the Boy Scouts of America apparently knowingly harbored and protected individuals who preyed upon, and abused the children whose well-being they were charged to protect. As a former Eagle Scout, I’m appalled to see an organization that taught me about civic responsibility use Chapter 11 bankruptcy to limit adult survivors of child sexual abuse from seeking justice and to shield the institution from financial accountability.

“As the New York Senate sponsor of the Child Victims Act, I’m gratified to see more than 1,547 lawsuits in New York brought by adult survivors who had the courage and fortitude to bring civil suits against their abusers, including Scout leaders. New Yorkers owe these survivors a debt of gratitude because predators are being brought to justice – and as a result, our kids are safer.”