Velázquez Demands Answers over Sunset Park Arrest
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-Northern Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan, Queens) has sent a letter to the United States Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) Chief Postal Inspector regarding an arrest yesterday morning in Sunset Park.
The incident has raised questions over the handling of the arrest including the level of force pursued and the heavy police presence in the immediate area.
“As you know, public distrust of law enforcement has increased significantly given the deaths of Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and countless other innocent civilians,” wrote Velázquez. “This is not the first time federal agents have generated confusion and anxiety in our community. Earlier this year, immigration agents in Brooklyn shot a man in the face during an immigration enforcement operation. This recent incident by postal inspection officers, who allegedly lead this arrest with little to no advance coordination with local law enforcement, has seriously deteriorated the community’s trust.”
James’ Statement on Purdue Pharma/Sackler Family
New York Attorney General Letitia James released the following statement in response to a deal announced between the U.S. Department of Justice and opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma/the company’s owner, the Sackler family:
“While our country continues to recover from the pain and destruction left by the Sacklers’ greed, this family has attempted to evade responsibility and lowball the millions of victims of the opioid crisis. Today’s deal doesn’t account for the hundreds of thousands of deaths or millions of addictions caused by Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family.
“Instead, it allows billionaires to keep their billions without any accounting for how much they really made. From the beginning, we’ve aimed to unearth how much the Sacklers actually profited and how much they continue to hide away. While no amount of money can ever compensate the pain that so many now know, we will continue to litigate our case through the courts to secure every cent we can to limit future opioid addictions. We are committed to holding the Sacklers and others responsible for the role they played in fueling the opioid crisis.”
Treyger Distributes Food
Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend) was joined by the Met Council on Jewish Poverty, and others staff to distribute more than 400 fresh meal-boxes and masks to residents of the Sam Burt Houses and other local residents from the west end of Coney Island. The generous food donation was provided by the Met Council.
“Every New Yorker deserves affordable and healthy food. As our city continues to battle the pandemic and prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, I will continue to fight for equitable access to nutritious food and masks in our district. We won’t allow our safety net to collapse during times of crisis, and I am grateful to all of our community partners, especially to the Met Council, and to my staff Ari Kagan and Samantha Ross, for ensuring that New Yorkers don’t go hungry,” said Treyger.
Prior to COVID-19, 15% of New York City residents were already food insecure. Since the pandemic began, that number has risen to 25% of residents, even higher in Southern Brooklyn. Coney Island has been devastatingly impacted by the pandemic and the ripple effects are staggering – from economic insecurity to food equity to access to quality medical care.
Rose Backs COLA Increase for Seniors
U.S. Rep. Max Rose (D-Southern Brooklyn, Staten Island) is backing a proposal to grant an emergency Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) increase for seniors, who are among the most heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Emergency Social Security COLA for 2021 Act, of which Rose is an original co-sponsor, would grant an emergency 3 percent COLA for 2021.
“We’ve asked our seniors to put so much of their lives on hold over these past several months to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, but they haven’t been able to hit pause on their bills,” Rose said. “The Washington bureaucrats who thought a 1.3 percent cost-of-living increase was enough should come here and spend just one week trying to make ends meet in New York City. Even before COVID, we had one of the highest costs-of-living in the country, and while we still have a lot left to do in terms of giving our seniors much-needed relief, this would go a long way in helping them through these tough times.”
