Louis Meets With Cure Violence Groups to “Occupy the Block”
City Council Member Farah Louis (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Marine Park, Flatlands, Kensington) this weekend joined with Gangstas Making Astronomical Community Changes Inc. (GMACC) and a group of other Cure Violence partners (God Squad, Elite Learners and C.O.P) to launch her districts’ Occupy the Block initiative.
This collective effort is a mechanism to engage constituents, encourage young people to be safe, share messages of peace, while offering resources and opportunities for those in need of assistance. Each weekend, for the duration of the summer season, GMACC will support partners to assist with deescalating underlying tensions to preempt the violence in our community.
“Together, we can reclaim every block and help restore peace amongst all of us – particularly our youth,” said Louis. “There are many reasons for the uptick and devastating toll of gun violence in New York City. Whether the increase in shootings is a habitual occurrence every summer or coincides with the contentious debate over the future of policing in the wake of mass protests against police brutality, the violence impacts our community and quality of life. We have to find alternative ways to respond to and resolve these issues,” she added.
Adams Releases Video Affirming Black Lives Matter
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams yesterday released a new video with a clear message: Black lives matter, whether Black and Brown New Yorkers are the victims of police violence or street crime.
The video comes on the heels of recent nationwide protests in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which have sparked far-reaching police reforms in New York City and across the country. It also follows a recent spike in shootings throughout the five boroughs, the victims of which have overwhelmingly been people of color.
“There is no true justice without safety, and no safety without justice. We are at an inflection point in our city and our nation’s history. The Black Lives Matter movement has awakened our collective conscience and forced a reckoning on police violence. People feel the same pain whether the bullet that claims the life of their loved one comes from a service weapon or an illegal handgun. We must engage our policymakers, clergy leaders, community advocates, law enforcement officials, and activists to build on the meaningful reforms we have achieved in recent weeks while tackling the troubling surge in shootings. It’s time to say with one clear voice that ALL black lives matter,” said Adams.
Adams laid out several steps in the video to improve public safety while ensuring Black and Brown New Yorkers were being treated in an equitable manner:
- Use a precision New York City Police Department (NYPD) response to combat the rise in shootings
- Partner with clergy and community leaders to address underlying contributors to crime
- Properly fund Crisis Management System (CMS) violence interrupters
- Proactively tackle a broken criminal justice system by diverting funding to upstream solutions
- Connect with young people through employment and enrichment opportunities
- Mobilize in the streets to tackle the public health crisis of handguns
Eugene Saddened by Closing of Catholic schools
City Councilmember Mathieu Eugene (D-Flatbush, Prospect Lefferts Gardens) Friday mourned the closing of 26 Catholic schools in New York City, including 2 schools in Brooklyn, due to a loss of revenue resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two schools in Brooklyn that shuttered were Queen of the Rosary in Williamsburg and St. Gregory the Great in Flatbush.
“I believe that education is the best tool we can give to our children so that they are prepared to reach their full potential. Education is not only a tool for success, but it also shapes the minds and mentality of human beings. I am saddened to learn that Catholic schools serving New York City, including sections of Brooklyn, will be forced to close their doors due to economic strains resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Eugene.
“Our schools provide a sense of empowerment to the communities they serve, and the closing of any school can be a detriment to young people. These institutions of learning are so important for students and families from all walks of life and religious backgrounds, and I commend the leadership of the Brooklyn Diocese for helping students find alternative schools to enroll in. I believe it is essential that our society works together to find resources to save these schools so that they can continue to prepare our young people to be the future leaders of our great city,” he added.
Malliotakis Slams AOC’s Boycott of Goya Foods
Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-Bay Ridge, Statin Island), the Republican candidate for Congress in NY-11 (Southern Brooklyn, Staten Island), yesterday slammed U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Queens, Bronx) for her newly launched effort to boycott Goya Foods and responded by announcing a Goya canned food drive that will benefit local food pantries in the 11th Congressional District.
Malliotakis called Ocasio-Cortez’s actions “shameful” and “symptomatic of the radical left’s attempts to bully and intimidate those who hold opposing views.”
Calls for a boycott started shortly after Goya Foods CEO Robert Unanue, a grandson of the company’s founders, appeared at a White House event announcing a ‘Hispanic Prosperity Initiative’ on Thursday. During his remarks, Unanue praised President Trump, which in turn prompted Ocasio-Cortez and others on the far-left to call for a boycott of the 84-year-old New Jersey-based company that bills itself as the largest the Hispanic-owned food company in the United States.
Goya, which is widely known for its generosity in times of need, also announced this week that it would donate 2 million pounds of its products to food banks across the nation.
“Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s attempt to launch a boycott is symptomatic of the radical left’s attempts to bully and intimidate those who hold opposing views.The fact that her actions are aimed at an 84-yr-old Hispanic family-owned business over political differences is shameful. Attempts to silence opposing views are a trademark of AOC’s brand of socialism and are one of the reasons my mother fled Communist Cuba,” said Malliotakis.
Food donations will be accepted at Malliotakis campaign headquarters from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday thru Friday beginning today and through the end of the month at 2300 Richmond Road in Staten Island. Malliotakis and volunteers will deliver the food to local pantries.
Lander Releases Draft Plan to Address Child Care Gaps
City Councilmember Brad Lander (D-Park Slope, Gowanus, Windsor Terrace, Kensington) on Saturday released a draft plan to address child care gaps in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Back-to-School Plan.
The Department of Education’s (DOE) proposed “blended learning” schedules would leave over 100,000 students out of the classroom daily. Lander proposes scaling up child care, accommodations for working parents, and support for the child care industry.
Lander’s plan incorporates the provision of wrap-around child care and enrichment activities for all families who need it. Working parents, including teachers, will need child care on the days their students are not in the classroom. By utilizing community centers, libraries, senior centers, outdoor spaces, non-profits, after school programs, and hiring up a corps of human service staff, NYC can create safe, socially distanced, nurturing places for kids to take part in remote learning and enrichment activities while their parents are working.
It also would mandate that employers provide accommodations for working parents to work part-time in accordance with the 2017 City Council law requiring “fair scheduling” for fast-food and retail workers that can serve as a model.
“This is a massive undertaking, just like scaling up our hospital capacity was. New York City has a responsibility to make sure that the steps forward in our schools don’t make life impossible for working parents. A just economic recovery must center working families, and avoid deepening the inequality divide in our city. City Hall must start today,” said Lander.
The draft plan is available here.
