Myrie Holds Virtual Community Check-in & COVID-19 Updates
State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, South Slope, Sunset Park) held a Community Check with Community Board 9 and members of the public last night to talk about services and public safety.
Cases:
- there have been 22,170 deaths statewide after another 157 deaths yesterday. We have 343,051 positive cases, and the number of positive cases and COVID-19 related hospitalizations has gone up very slightly.
Cases in Children:
- The state is now investigating 110 cases of the strange new illness affecting children. Parents are urged to call their doctor if they see prolonged fever, severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, or vomiting, bloodshot eyes, and/or skin rash.
Unemployment:
- New York has now paid out $7.4 billion in unemployment benefits since the beginning of the crisis in March. The total amount of payments for all of 2019 was $2.1 billion.
Relief Bills:
- The city council has passed several new pieces of legislation to provide various forms of relief, such as new protections for commercial tenants, restaurants, and small businesses.
Schools:
- In a radio interview, Governor Cuomo said that the state didn’t have enough information yet to determine whether schools should reopen in the fall. This week, the nation’s top ranking infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said that opening schools in the fall would likely be a “bridge too far.”
Antibody:
- Governor Cuomo announced preliminary results of recent antibody surveys. Out of the 2,750 members of the New York State Police surveyed, 3.1 percent had COVID antibodies, and 7.5 of the 3,000 New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision employees had antibodies, both of which are less than the 12 percent of New Yorkers upstate who have tested positive for antibodies.
Persaud to host a Virtual Town Hall on Education
NYS Senator Roxanne J. Persaud (D-Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Mill Island, Georgetown, Ocean Hill, Starrett City), in partnership with the NYC Department of Education and the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs is hosting a virtual town hall discussion regarding K-12 and higher education on Monday.
“During these unprecedented times, I look forward to partnering with the NYC Departments of Education and Consumer Affairs to host an online information session about our public schools and student loan debt for those in higher education,” said Persaud. “We will discuss and answer questions on school readiness, resources, and requirements during this pandemic and in the future. Also, student loan debt is a tremendous burden on students and families; how to ease this burden will be discussed and resources offered. The panelists will address the concerns of parents and students and other community partners. It is important that we continue to address the concerns of the community.”
The Virtual Town Hall is slated for 5:30 – 7 p.m., Monday, May 18 on Facebook Live. It will be streamed at www.facebook.com/sd19senatorpersaud and constituents are encouraged to submit questions by clicking HERE or on Senator Persaud’s NYS Senate Site at, persaud.nysenate.gov. Questions submitted online will be accepted until 4:00 PM on Monday.
Cumbo to Read with Brooklyn Public Library
Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo (Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Downtown Brooklyn) today will share the joy of books with the library’s youngest patrons with a virtual reading.
“I am so excited to share the joy of books with all of our young Brooklynites. As a young girl, growing up in Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Public Library was a childhood staple of mine,” said Cumbo. “I especially love books that allow us to unleash our imagination. That’s why today, I read Jazz Baby, a book that will be sure to uplift your spirits, and get the whole family dancing.
She will read Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler and R. Gregory Christie, a book which is sure to have the whole family dancing along. Cumbo will also join the librarian to sing a counting song and talk about the importance of filling out a census form.
The reading is slated for 11 a.m. on the Bedford Library Facebook Page.
Rose Supports Heroes Act to Bring Fed Money to New York
U.S. Rep. Max Rose (D-Southern Brooklyn, Staten Island) yesterday his support for the Heroes Act, which is expected to be voted on today in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The legislation, which has received bipartisan support, provides over $100 billion in critical relief for New York, including funding for state and local governments, protections and benefits for frontline workers, small businesses, and those hit hardest by the pandemic.
“I have nurses and firefighters in my district having conversations while their children are asleep, worrying about how they will feed their family if they’re laid off. Others who run successful businesses wondering if they are going to lose their homes and not only their own livelihoods, but those of their employees. I am not going to let the people who saved our city—and our country—lose their jobs, go hungry, or worse,” said Rose.
“I do not support every provision in this bill, but let’s be honest and recognize that most, if not all of the nonsense included will be stripped in negotiations with the Senate. What remains will be what is most important: billions of dollars in relief for New York City and State, funding to ensure no first responder or teacher has to be laid off, unprecedented hazard pay for frontline workers, fixes to the PPP to make sure small businesses get the relief they desperately need, nearly $15 billion in tax cuts for New Yorkers, and a second round of desperately needed stimulus checks for my constituents,” he added.
The Heroes Act provides over $100 billion in federal aid for New York, including:
- $34 billion for New York State over 2 years;
- $17 billion for New York City over 2 years;
- $15.1 billion for New York schools;
- $4.5 billion in rental assistance for New Yorkers and $75 billion in homeowner assistance nationwide;
- $3.8 billion for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA);
- $15.8 million for New York police departments.
Adams Delivers PPE to Dialysis Patients and Workers
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams yesterday joined The Black Institute’s Bertha Lewis, Masks for the People, and the Downtown Brooklyn Neighborhood Alliance to coordinate the delivery of masks and hand sanitizer to at-risk dialysis patients and workers.
These leaders and organizations met at House of the Lord at 415 Atlantic Avenue to announce the distribution of masks and hand sanitizer to dialysis clinics around the city, where more than 50,000 patients are seen every day for treatment.
These individuals are often elderly and suffer from the very underlying conditions such as diabetes and kidney disease that make COVID-19 a near-certain death sentence. These patients are predominantly people of color who have been forgotten and neglected during this pandemic.
Adams, Lewis, and others also called the city and state to protect these most vulnerable New Yorkers, and not make the same mistakes with dialysis patients that were made recently with nursing homes.
