Adams concludes African month with celebration
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams concluded African Immigrant Heritage Month by holding the first-ever commemoration of this observance at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
“As we close out African Immigrant Heritage Month, this is a reminder to proudly #EmbraceYourHyphen. As Brooklyn’s first African-American borough president, this means so much to me. Our resilience comes from our ancestors’ roots, and diversity enhances all that our city can be,” said Adams.
Borough President Adams, who marked the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to America with a trip to Senegal and sister-city agreements with Gorée Island and Malicounda, hosted an outdoor, socially-distanced cultural celebration that featured a display of flags, song, drumming, remarks from a representative to the Permanent Mission of Ghana to the United Nations, as well as posthumous recognitions of Caribbean-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) founder Dr. Roy Hastick and Amarachi Restaurant owner Johnathan Adewumi, who both tragically passed earlier this year due to complications from COVID-19.
Rose Votes Against Heroes 2.0
U.S. Rep. Max Rose (D-Southern Brooklyn, Staten Island) issued the following statement following his vote against the partisan $2.2 trillion COVID-19 stimulus relief bill, The Heroes Act 2.0:
“I was proud to stand with a bipartisan group of Members who put forth a proposal that helped kick-start negotiations for COVID-19 relief. Instead of both sides making necessary concessions and getting Americans the relief they desperately need, we’re back to passing partisan bills that are dead on arrival and a blame game from all parties. It’s everything the American people hate about our politics.
“New Yorkers can’t wait until after the election—our first responders, public servants on the job, our small businesses and families around the country need relief now. Voting on this bill means both sides have given up—and I will never vote to do that. It’s time to put our country first.”
Jeffries On Passage of Updated Heroes Act
U.S. Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn, Queens) released the following statement upon the passage of House Democrats’ updated Heroes Act.
“House Democrats acted for the people on May 15, when we passed the bipartisan Heroes Act to address the coronavirus pandemic in a comprehensive fashion. For months, President Trump and Senate Republicans did nothing. Over 120,000 Americans have succumbed to the virus during that period of time. Millions more were infected and lost employment.
Given the level of pain, suffering and death in America, House Democrats have once again acted decisively to stop this deadly virus in its tracks and address the devastating economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each and every coronavirus death is one too many. Each and every eviction or foreclosure notice is one too many. Each and every hunger pang and pink slip is one too many. That is why House Democrats have passed the updated Heroes Act.
The American people need action. It’s time for President Trump and Senate Republicans to join us,” he said.
Bichotte to discuss faulty ballots
Assemblywoman and Kings County Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte (D-Flatbush, Ditmas Park) has called a virtual public meeting with Board of Elections Executive Director Michael Ryan and Kings County Democratic Party Executive Committee members to discuss faulty ballots that were distributed across several neighborhoods in Brooklyn.
Bichotte and district leaders will discuss what caused the snafu and how to prevent it from happening again. Leaders are also demanding to know the fate of third-party vendor Phoenix Graphics, a large GOP donor that is responsible for the error that affected a batch of approximately 100,000 ballots.
Bichotte and the committee will also consider ways to ensure voters will have their ballots counted in a secure and timely manner. The virtual meeting is expected to provide answers to questions district leaders have seen pouring in since voters began receiving the erroneous ballots over the weekend.
The meeting is slated to take place 10:30 a.m. today, October 2, on facebook.com/Bkdems.
Persaud Updates
State Sen. Roxanne Persaud (D- Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Old Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Mill Island, Georgetown, Ocean Hill, Starrett City) updated her constituents on the following.
- October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, two causes that Persaud is deeply passionate about and will continue to always advocate for.
School Opening
- The return to in-classroom instruction for middle and high school students across New York City commences yesterday. Persaud is urging students, parents, and educators to remain patient as the new opening date reflects the concerns many teachers and parents had for safe classroom instruction.
- This school year will be untraditional, but the City agencies, Department of Education, and UFT are all taking the necessary precautions to ensure and promote a learning environment focusing on the wellbeing of all families during these difficult times. The Department of Education entered a new agreement with the UFT, which provides for flexibility for teachers seeking to work remotely. Also regarding remote learning, there are several free or low-cost internet options available to NYC students and families.
- Beginning this week, students learning in-person will receive both breakfast and lunch in school. For students who are learning remotely full-time or students who are at home during their remote days in blended learning, families can pick up free grab-and-go meals from whatever school is more convenient to them from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Monday through Friday. No signup or registration is necessary and meals will be set up near entry points for easy access and pickup by students and families. Additionally, Grab & Go meals for NYC adults will also continue at approximately 200 sites across the city-including some dedicated kosher locations and those serving the halal protein options. Meals will be available from 3 PM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/getfood.
Census
- The 2020 Census deadline has been extended, giving you and your family additional time to complete this important civic duty. Have you and your family filed your Census forms? If yes, thank you. By completing the Census, you are helping your community to receive its fair share of federal funding. Please take a moment to answer the survey today by phone at (844) 330-2020 or online at my2020census.gov.
- Here is an interesting LINK to see Census response data. As you can see, we still need to get our response rates up in SD-19 and across Brooklyn. There is still time to file and there are NO IMMIGRATION OR CITIZENSHIP QUESTIONS ASKED. It’s fast, easy, and completely confidential.
In- Door Dining
- In-door dining has returned to our area restaurants. The city has also allowed alfresco dining to continue year-round and logistics are continuing to be worked out as we get into the cooler months.
Gounardes, Gonzalez, Brannan to Announce Plan to Combat Illegal Guns
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend, Gerritsen Beach, Manhattan Beach, Marine Park, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and City Councilman Justin Brannan (D-Bay Ridge, Bath Beach, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights) today will join local volunteers from Moms Demand Action to discuss the need to combat gun violence and unveil a plan to get illegal guns off the street.
Gun violence in Brooklyn has increased during the pandemic to the highest rates since 2015, and the scourge of illegal guns affects every neighborhood.
The Anti-Gun Violence plan will be released at 12 noon, today, Oct. 2 outside Gounardes’ District Office, 8018 Fifth Avenue in Bay Ridge.
