Cornegy to Speak Against Upcoming Tax Lien Sale
Council Member Robert Cornegy (D-Bedford Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) will speak out against the upcoming tax lien sale at a Wellness Wednesday Back-To-School Giveaway event today.
The press conference Wednesday will highlight the perversity of the tax lien sale, scheduled for September 4th, nearly coinciding with the start of the new school year – and further highlight the harm that would be done to Brooklyn families were the tax lien sale to go ahead. Cornegy joined with colleagues in a letter to the mayor urging the deferral of the 2020 tax lien sale and stood in support of Senator Comrie and Assembly Member Weprin state-level legislation postponing the sale this past Monday.
The event is slated to take place at 11 a.m. today, Aug. 26 at Restoration Plaza, 1360 Fulton Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Stringer Calls for Rescinding of Emergency Executive Order
New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer sent a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday calling on the City to restore checks and balances to the emergency procurement process by rescinding Emergency Executive Order (E.E.O.) 101, Section 2.
The Executive Order suspended laws and regulations related to procurement in New York City – including the Comptroller’s office’s Charter-mandated role in approving and registering contracts related to the COVID-19 pandemic – since March 17, when the City needed to quickly purchase ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) at the height of the pandemic.
“As we emerge from the darkest days of the pandemic and build our city back, it’s time to restore full oversight and accountability to city contracting. The Mayor needs to rescind this executive order so we can ensure that every dollar we spend is delivered for New Yorkers,” said New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. “With billions of dollars at stake amid an economic crisis that has hit vulnerable New Yorkers the hardest, every penny counts. We need to restore checks and balances, scrutinize and ask tough questions, and provide the transparency and accountability New Yorkers deserve from their government,” wrote Stringer.
Rose Calls to Reduce Veteran Homelessness
U.S. Rep. Max Rose (D-Southern Brooklyn, Staten Island) called on Mayor Bill de Blasio to work on expanding access to housing for veterans through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program, and separate city initiatives.
Specifically, Rose is asking the Mayor to increase incentives for homeowners and landlords to provide permanent supportive housing for our city’s heroes.
“While New York City has reduced veteran homelessness in recent years, our work on behalf of homeless veterans in the city, and in the country, is far from over. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2019 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, 8 percent of the homeless adult population are veterans,” Rose wrote in a letter to the Mayor.
“This is compounded by the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in increases of unemployment and food insecurity–while the data is still being collected, there have been reports in New York City of veterans being forced to abandon shelters due to outbreaks, and ultimately being left with no permanent housing option. Now is the time to redouble our efforts, and ensure that no veteran falls through the cracks.
Louis On Kenosha Shooting
City Council Member Farah Louis (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Marine Park, Flatlands, Kensington) issued the following statement about the ensuing investigation into the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
“Jacob Blake is fighting for his life because law enforcement officers across the U.S. have not been held accountable for the shootings of Black men and women. Thousands have been killed or injured without consequence, a dangerous precedent that has given law enforcement impunity rather than an indictment for the violence perpetrated against Black and brown people. Families devastated by police brutality and excessive force continue to wait for justice that has been deferred or altogether denied despite the overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing,” Louis stated.
Blake was shot in the back multiple times Sunday by Kenosha Police Department officers responding to a domestic violence call, according to Crump, who is representing Blake’s family. Police have released little information about what led to the shooting and haven’t said why officers approached Blake.
