Rose, DA Gonzalez Announce PPE Donation
U.S. Rep. Max Rose (South Brooklyn, Staten Island) and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced yesterday that they donated critical supplies to help protect prosecutors, criminal investigators, and support staff in the District Attorney’s offices who are on the front lines working with victims of crimes to ensure justice is served.
“In order to bring our courts and justice system back online, those on the frontlines of our justice system need to have the protection and equipment necessary to protect themselves as well as victims and witnesses of crimes,” Rose said. “As someone who worked in a District Attorney’s office, I’ve seen first-hand how important it is for investigators and prosecutors to be on the ground and at the scene to ensure victims are heard and justice is served. We’re all very grateful to Axon’s generous donation to ensure that work will be able to continue safely.”
The donation comes in a partnership with Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon that Axon Enterprise, Inc., a company which develops connected public safety technologies for law enforcement agencies, Axon donated to the Kings County District Attorney’s Office: 25,000 blue medical masks, 8,000 gloves (4,000 pairs), and 175 gallons of hand sanitizer, and to the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office: 10,000 blue medical masks, 7,000 gloves (3,500 pairs), and 175 gallons of hand sanitizer.
“Throughout this public health crisis the men and women of the Brooklyn DA’s Office have been committed to continuing the work of keeping Brooklyn safe and strengthening community trust,” Gonzalez said.
Treyger Partners with many to Provide Pantry Boxes
Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend) was joined State Sen. Diane Savino, Assemblymembers Bill Colton and Steven Cymbrowitz; District Leader Nancy Tong; the Met Council; Joseph Impeduglia, Senior Youth Director, HeartShare St. Vincent’s Services and Nain Merino, Program Director, HeartShare St. Vincent’s Services; to provide 300 pantry food boxes and 700 prepared meals to residents at Marlboro Houses.
“From the beginning of this pandemic, I have partnered with NYC Council Speaker Johnson to address a looming hunger crisis by securing emergency funding for our food assistance providers to protect our city’s social safety net. We won’t allow our safety net to collapse during times of crisis, and I am grateful to all of our community partners for ensuring that New Yorkers don’t go hungry,” said Treyger.
This food distribution was facilitated through Treyger’s advocacy with Speaker Corey Johnson for the City to allocate $25 million in emergency funding to food assistance programs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Treyger than partnered with the Met Council, local clergy, and HeartShare St. Vincent’s Services to make sure residents in need at the largest NYCHA development in his district have access to fresh and nutritious food options. Prepared meals were generously provided by Pastor James Pinto Jr. of Trinity Tabernacle of Gravesend.
Adams Wants to Strengthen Nutritional Grab Meals
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams joined City Council Member Ben Kallos (D-Manhattan) and doctors of color to unveil new legislation that would strengthen nutritional guidelines on meals funded by the City, including grab-and-go meals.
“Our City cannot be literally feeding our public health crisis by serving foods that have no nutritional value. Numerous residents throughout Brooklyn have raised concerns to me about the quality of the food they are getting through grab-and-go sites, food pantries, and other operations subsidized by the City. The leading co-morbidities associated with COVID-19 are diet-related, like obesity and hypertension. We must change the paradigm in the way we feed residents to prioritize health and wellness, rather than just caloric intake,” said Adams.
The announcement came as New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs have expressed concern about the quality and nutritional standards of the food distributed through the GetFoodNYC initiative, launched in response to the growing number of New Yorkers who have lost jobs or income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. B
Adams and Kallos have been vocal in recent weeks about the need to provide healthier meal options to New Yorkers.
Myrie’s Giving Out PPE and Updates
State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, South Slope, Sunset Park) announced yesterday that his office is distributing PPE to constituents and community organizations who need them.
Constituents can request materials here and community organizations can make their request here. The distribution is slated from 2-5 p.m., on Mondays and Fridays starting tomorrow, May 22.
Other Updates:
Cases:
- We have now lost 22,976 New Yorkers from COVID-19, with another 112 lost yesterday. 354,370 have tested positive for the virus and 5,570 are currently hospitalized.
New CDC Reopening Guidelines:
- The Center for Disease Control released new reopening guidelines that were previously shelved by the White House. The plan includes closing schools for several days following future outbreaks, permitting vulnerable people to work remotely, and adjusting public transit based on infection patterns. You can see the guidelines here.
Domestic Violence:
- The state announced a new task force that will investigate the increased number of domestic violence cases during the pandemic and how the state should address it.
Summer School:
- Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza released new details on the City’s summer learning plan, which will provide academic support to approximately 177,700 students with remote summer learning.
Cases in Children:
- The unusual new illness appearing in children with possible links to coronavirus, Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), has presented 147 cases in New York City and one fatality. Call your doctor if your child has symptoms including persistent fever, rash, abdominal pain, vomiting, conjunctivitis (red or pink eyes), enlarged lymph node “gland” on one side of the neck, red cracked lips or red tongue and swollen hands and feet.
Memorial Day:
- The governor announced that religious gatherings and small gatherings for Memorial Day of fewer than 10 people will be allowed statewide. As always, we encourage everyone to take precautions and wear masks or face coverings wherever possible to protect the vulnerable, our healthcare workers, and our first responders
Frontus Assists in Obtaining Unemployment
Assemblymember Mathylde Frontus (D-Coney Island, Bay Ridge, Brighton Beach, Gravesend) said her office is available to shepherd New Yorkers through the unemployment application process.
“We’ve heard from hundreds of people struggling to pay their bills, but they shouldn’t have to struggle to get the help they need,” Frontus said.
Frontus specifically praised Susanna Williams, interim director of Frontus’ Bay Ridge office, who has personally guided some 350 applicants through the unemployment insurance process in just two weeks. Many applicants have been waiting since March, Williams said.
In response to a 1,600% increase in web traffic, the state’s Department of Labor last month announced a “tech surge” with Google Cloud, Deloitte and Verizon. The new unemployment website is supported by 60 new servers, 1,000 new staff members and a callback feature. The upgrades allow the state to process more claims, and can be accessed by smartphones, tablets and laptops.
