Rose, Brannan, Treyger Celebrate Guardrails Installation
U.S. Rep. Max Rose (South Brooklyn, Staten Island) City Councilmember Justin Brannan (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Bensonhurst) and City Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend) announced yesterday that the installation of safety barriers along the Belt Parkway between Exits 4 and 5 have been completed to help protect pedestrians and bikers on the adjacent walkway.
“It’s great news that the City has heeded our calls and finished installing the protective barriers along the Belt Parkway not only just in time for Summer, but nearly a year ahead of their original schedule,” Rose said. “As Brooklynites continue to get out of their homes and walk, bike, run, and enjoy the summer, these barriers will ensure one of the thousands of speeding cars won’t veer off the road and cause massive destruction or worse.”
“The days of runners, cyclists, children and families being at risk on the promenade because there is no barricade to protect them from the highway are over,” Brannan said. “We raised this issue last year and I am pleased to see that the City got this done so quickly. These barriers will allow everybody to enjoy the cool breezes and take in the beautiful views without having to worry about cars on the Belt Parkway.”
“The newly installed guardrails along the Belt Parkway will safeguard pedestrians, cyclists and joggers who frequent the promenade and Shore Parkway Greenway for recreation,” Treyger said. “After more than three years of advocacy, it is welcome news to be able to see this project to completion. Bensonhurst and Bath Beach residents and visitors can finally enjoy the open space in a protected environment.”
Adams to Demand NYC Council Save Fair Futures
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will join advocates and child welfare experts for a virtual rally to demand the City saves Fair Futures from being cut in the FY2021 City Budget.
Fair Futures provides NYC middle and high schoolers in foster care and those who recently aged out with one-on-one vocational, academic and emotional support through 1:1 coaching. Roughly 85% of NYC foster youth are Black or Latinx. Ensuring all youth in care have access to a Fair Futures coach is essential to giving them a fair shot at success and uprooting systemic injustices that disproportionately affect children in foster care.
Fair Futures launched city-wide at the end of 2019 with $10 million in initial funding from the City, supplying 24 NYC child welfare agencies with resources to jump-start their coaching program. Over 1100 young people in care ages 14-21 have since been matched with a coach. They will lose their coach if Fair Futures is cut from the City Budget.
Velázquez Bill Would Impose New Police Standards
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Bushwick, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Dumbo, East New York, East Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Gowanus, Red Hook, Sunset Park, Williamsburg, Queens, Lower Manhattan) has authored legislation, the “Law Enforcement Oversight and Reform Act,” which would implement tough new standards for law enforcement officers such as banning chokeholds and institute new penalties when police officers act recklessly and use disproportionate force.
“New Yorkers and the American people have made their voices heard,” Velázquez said. “The time for change is now. We need meaningful change and that includes holding accountable police who abuse their authority.”
According to one study, between 2013 and 2019, 99% of police killings resulted in no charges being brought against involved officers. Under Velázquez’s bill, police officers who recklessly use excessive force in civil rights violations that result in death or serious bodily harm could face up to life in prison. Lesser offenses would engender fines beginning at $10,000. The measure would also ban the use of chokeholds at the federal level, a step already being taken by many, but not all localities.
Jeffries Talks About Census Undercounting
U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, Canarsie, East New York, East Flatbush, Bergen Beach, Gerritsen Beach, Beach, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Brighton Beach, Coney Island) joined the U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens) yesterday in releasing a new staff report on the costs of a Census undercount for NYC.
“Everybody must fill out the Census like your life depends on it because our quality of life absolutely depends on it,” said Jeffries. “That means every child, every adult, every household, every block and every single neighborhood needs to stand up and be counted. The Census takes ten minutes to fill out and will lead to ten years of resources and legislative representation that will make a difference in our future.”
Data collected by the Census is used to determine how much funding cities and states receive for critical services like education, medical care, foster care, roads, public transit, and job programs. Census data also helps local governments enhance public safety and prepare for emergencies.
The new staff report details that if there is just a 1% undercount in the 2020 Census, the residents of New York City could lose: $7.3 million in federal funding for schools that have a high proportion of students living in poverty, which is the equivalent of all the textbooks that 29,000 students would need in a school year; and $3.7 million in federal funding for job training centers and career counseling.
Malliotakis: Stop Tearing Down Statues
Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-Bay Ridge, Staten Island) yesterday called on Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city council to rethink the effort to remove statues of former Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson from City Hall and to create a committee made up of noted historians to weigh-in on the disposition of the statues.
“This attack on American history must stop. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were two of the founders of this nation who fought for our independence from Britain and helped create the greatest experiment in democracy the world has ever seen. It is a direct attack on those that fought against tyranny and who laid the cornerstones of freedom that still guide our nation today. A week from Saturday, July 4th will mark the 244th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in a hot and steamy Philadelphia in 1776 and that action led General Washington to command an army of patriots and citizen-soldiers to victory over British and to propel him to become our first president. It also led Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and others to draft the documents that created our nation’s guiding principles and enshrined free speech, free assembly, freedom of the press and religious worship as basic tenets of our nation that still survive today. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are magnificent documents that have been used as models in emerging democracies around the world,
“It’s apparent, that once again, Mayor de Blasio doesn’t have the fortitude or inclination to act decisively on this issue. If the mayor feels the need to create yet another commission to study statues and their placement it should be made-up of individuals who have resumes focused on the history of our nation, its founding documents and the role of our city in the birth of our nation and not be made up of social justice warriors or relatives who are known to be considering a run for elective office next year.
“I also call on the New York City Congressional Delegation, including my opponent Rep. Max Rose, all Democrats, to tell us where they stand on the placement of the statues of our first and third Presidents, Washington and Jefferson, in City Hall,” she said.
Lentol Announces Opening of Under the K Bridge Park
Assembly Member Joseph R. Lentol (D-North Brooklyn) announced the upcoming opening of the Under the K Bridge Park in early July.
“With the official start of summer here, we must work to allow safe and responsible access to open space for families, children, and individuals. I’ve helped to establish three parks in North Brooklyn: East River State Park, Bushwick Inlet Park, and now the Under the K Bridge Park. The COVID19 pandemic has shown that access to open space is crucial to the health and well-being of our community,” said Lentol.
Lentol and Gov. Andrew Cuomo created The Under the K Bridge Park, which is managed by the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance. The Under the K Bridge Park will help create the much-needed additional open space that will offer all types of creative and artistic programming as well as those specifically designed for children and youth.
The Under the K Bridge Park resembles that of Toronto’s Bentway Park and is sure to bring world-class programming to Greenpoint, Williamsburg and beyond.
