Showing posts with label Mayor de Blasio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mayor de Blasio. Show all posts

Monday, July 20, 2020

MAYOR DE BLASIO, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, LYFT CELEBRATE 100 MILLIONTH CITI BIKE RIDE


Nation’s largest bikeshare system to install 1,000th station this month, continuing expansion into more of Upper Manhattan and the Bronx

  Mayor Bill de Blasio, DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and Lyft announced today that Citi Bike recently achieved its 100 millionth ride and will install its 1,000th station in New York City since the system's launch in May 2013. Citi Bike, currently expanding to more of the Bronx and Upper Manhattan and adding thousands of ebikes through the rest of the year, saw record ridership in 2019 and is expected to break last year's record of more than 100,000 rides across the system in a single day. With a previous $100 million commitment from Lyft, the system is doubling its footprint by 35 square miles and increasing the number of bikes to 40,000.
 
“Rebuilding a fairer, better city means giving New Yorkers more ways than ever to move around,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “In just seven years, Citi Bike has become a New York institution. I’m proud to stand with them in celebrating this milestone, and I look forward to working with them to expand cycling options even further in the months and years to come.”
 
“As someone who has herself relied on Citi Bike hundreds of times to get where I need to go, I know that 100 million rides on the continent’s largest and best bikeshare system is an enormous achievement,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “We extend our congratulations to the entire team at Lyft on this milestone. They have worked hard and creatively to make Citi Bike an even more vital transit option during the COVID-19 crisis — with its Critical Worker Program and continued expansion this year into upper Manhattan and the Bronx.”
 
"In less than a decade Citi Bike has become a beloved fixture of New York City. The success of Citi Bike has consistently shown the demand for sustainable transportation in general and biking in particular is here, we just need to build the infrastructure to match. I look forward to continuing to fight for expanded Citi Bike throughout the five boroughs, especially in neighborhoods starved for transit options,” said Council Speaker Corey Johnson.
 
"Lyft is thrilled to celebrate 100 million rides on Citi Bike and to soon expand the system to more than 1,000 stations across New York," said Laura Fox, General Manager for Citi Bike at Lyft. "We're proud to provide a sustainable, affordable mode of transportation to New Yorkers and to operate one of the few bikeshare systems in the world to hit this major milestone. We look forward to our continued partnership with NYCDOT and Mayor De Blasio and growing this great system."
 
“Citi is extremely proud of our role in helping to create such an iconic and sustainable form of public transportation that now, at the 100 million-ride mark, is also playing a crucial role for New Yorkers during the pandemic,” said Ed Skyler, Citi’s Head of Public Affairs. “We deeply appreciate all of the riders who over the past seven-plus years have made Citi Bike a model for bike share programs worldwide.”
 
Citi Bike is the most widely used bikeshare system in the nation and one of few bikeshare systems around the world to hit the milestone of 100 million all-time rides. Since the system's launch, Citi Bike riders have pedaled more than 120 million miles and offset more than 97 million pounds of carbon and counting. As part of its current Phase 3 expansion, Citi Bike will also install the system’s 1,000th station in August, planned to be at East 160th Street & Tinton Avenue in the Bronx.
 
Annual ridership has steadily increased in recent years, as residents and visitors alike turn to the blue bikes to move around New York City. Riders took 16.7 million trips in 2017, 17.9 million in 2018 and nearly 21 million in 2019. In 2020, Citi Bike has been meeting the needs of this unique moment, providing New Yorkers with an affordable, reliable, sustainable, and socially distant way to get around. Nearly 30,000 critical workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis have been given free Citi Bike memberships through the system’s Critical Workforce Membership Program and a $1 million investment from Citi and Mastercard.
 
Lyft’s critical workforce programs have also created a record high in female bikeshare membership. In New York City, 61.7% of the members of the critical worker program were female. As a result, the share of female membership in the Citi Bike system (currently at 37.8% of active members) has increased by 3.4 percentage points since May 2020, and by 5.1 percentage points compared to June 2019.
 
Citi Bike's Phase 3 expansion is already in progress and will be completed by the end of 2023, doubling the footprint of the network. Citi Bike has 15,000 bikes at nearly 1,000 stations and works with more than 62 community partners across New York City. Late last year, Lyft also launched the first Equity Advisory Council for bikeshare, gathering together 20 organizations to provide an equity lens and guidance for Citi Bike’s expansion.
 
Daily ridership continues to grow as well: the largest bikeshare system in North America regularly records more than 90,000 rides per day in peak season. Riders recently set the new daily ridership record, clocking 100,379 rides on September 21, 2019. Hundreds of ebikes have been added to the system in 2020, with thousands more added by the end of the year. While classic bikes average 4.6 rides per day, Citi Bike riders are showing their appreciation for ebikes which average 10 rides each day.
 
The annual cost of a Citi Bike membership is $179 with an annual commitment. NYCHA residents, SNAP recipients, and members of select community development credit unions are eligible to receive discounted $5/month memberships. Seven thousand New Yorkers access reliable transportation through our Reduced Fare Bikeshare program, presented by Healthfirst. 
 
Hundreds of companies also subsidize annual memberships for their employees as a wellness, transportation, or recreation benefit. Citi Bike’s Bike for Business program has received a number of recent inquiries from organizations as they develop their Back to Office plans. More info available: citibikenyc.com/corporate
 
Annual members can unlock a bike from any station, allowing unlimited free trips up to 45 minutes on classic bikes as well as reduced per-minute ebike fees. Day Passes are available for purchase at any Citi Bike station or through the Citi Bike app and provide unlimited 30-minute trips.
 

Saturday, June 27, 2020

MAYOR DE BLASIO, COMMISSIONER BRANN ANNOUNCE DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST 17 OFFICERS, INCLUDING FOUR SUSPENSIONS WITHOUT PAY, FOLLOWING INVESTIGATION INTO DEATH OF LAYLEEN POLANCO


The Department of Correction has now concluded its own internal investigation after the Bronx DA found no criminal activity following its six-month investigation 


  Following the conclusion of an internal investigation, Mayor de Blasio today announced that 17 uniform Department of Correction staff will be charged for their conduct surrounding the death of Layleen Polanco. Three officers and one captain will be suspended without pay immediately. This comes as the Bronx District Attorney filed no charges following their own six-month investigation into the circumstances surrounding Polanco’s death. 

“The death of Layleen Polanco was an incredibly painful moment for our city,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “What happened to Layleen was absolutely unacceptable and it is critical that there is accountability.”

"We are committed to ensuring that all of our facilities are safe and humane. Even one death in our custody is one too many and this swift and fair determination on internal discipline makes clear that the safety and well-being of people in our custody remains our top priority,” said Department of Correction Commissioner Cynthia Brann.
  

Sunday, May 31, 2020

MAYOR DE BLASIO, POLICE COMMISSIONER SHEA - Sunday May 31, 2020 11:00 AM


  Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning, we had a tough night in New York City last night, undoubtedly. We saw things that we never want to see and that we want to make sure don’t happen in the future. I don’t want for a moment to minimize some of the challenges we faced and the underlying reality that for those who were there to peacefully protest, they were expressing an anger, a frustration about things that things that have not changed and need to change in this city and in this country. So, I want to begin at the beginning, there is a reason that peaceful protestors are protesting. There are changes we have to make. There are changes we will make in this city and we should make in this country. That, to me, is abundantly clear. There’s a whole different matter of some protestors who were there not to peacefully protest, not to work on constructive change, and who I think also don’t represent many of the communities of our city. But I’ll talk about that in a moment.

The first thing to talk about is the big picture. Last night, very difficult night, but thank God what we saw was that even though there were many, many engagements, many, many situations all over the city, at least based on the information we have right now, thank God no loss of life, no major injuries. Think about the countless different points around the city where something was happening, think about the thousands upon thousands of NYPD officers deployed to address the situation, to guard peaceful protest, but also to deal with any acts of violence, any attempt to attack people or attack the property of people in this city. And when you add up how many things were happening and how many places all over the city, it says something about New York City, it says something about the people of New York City, it says something about the NYPD, that thank God there was no loss of life, there were no major injuries. There was some real property damage, no doubt. It was contained and it was addressed consistently.

But when I look at the big picture here, a situation that was very complex, very difficult, and unlike anything honestly, we have seen in recent years – and this is something that bears real discussion and real analysis – these protests were different not because of the underlying issues. The underlying issues are profound and meaningful, again expressed by those who are peacefully protesting and seeking change. The x-factor here, of a different kind of small set of – I would call them not just protestors but people who came to do violence in a systematic, organized fashion. That is a different reality we need to grapple with. We did not see that in 2014 and 2015. We are seeing something new, and not just here in New York City but all over the country, and we have to recognize it and we have to address it.

So, what I saw last night and I was around different parts of Brooklyn, different parts of Manhattan in the course of the afternoon and the evening, I saw a very complex ever-changing situation. I spoke to elected officials throughout the day, spoke to our police leadership throughout the day, met in Brooklyn with Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Chief of Department Terry Monahan near one of the sites of one of the protests to talk about what was specifically happening there, what could be done better. Look, some things were done very much the right way in that we saw there was not, thank God, that loss of life or major injuries. And we saw tremendous restraint overall from the NYPD. There are always going to be some incidents we don’t like and I’m going to speak about that as well but when we composite the whole day, thousands upon thousands of officers in an ever-changing situation, I saw a lot of restraint under very, very difficult circumstances.

And I’m going to keep saying to anyone who is protesting for change, do not take your anger out at the individual officer in front of you, that man or woman who is simply trying to keep the peace. Work for change in our society, hold the elected officials accountable, vote – do all the things that can actually lead to change but don’t take your frustration out on a working man or woman in front of you who did not make the policies that you disagree with. That’s my view, strongly. And I saw a tremendous amount of restraint but I also saw things that needed to be done better, clearly. I saw some moments yesterday that were disturbing in terms of the ways police handled things and that need to be done better. We – many of us have seen the video involving two NYPD vehicles and a crowd of protestors. I didn’t like what I saw one bit, I did not want to ever see something like that, I don’t ever want to see it again. And clearly, we need to do a full investigation and look at the actions of those officers and see what was done and why it was done and what could be done differently.

But I also want to emphasize that situation was created by a group of protestors blocking and surrounding a police vehicle, a tactic that we had seen before in the last two days, a tactic that can be very, very dangerous to everyone involved and we’ve seen direct attacks on police officers including in their vehicles and we need a full and impartial investigation but we also need to be clear about the context. That was happening against the backdrop where police officers had been attacked before in the exact same situation. That was a situation that had to be resolved. It could not stay that way. But we need to understand more about it and if there’s discipline that needs to be [inaudible] out, there will be.

Now, it comes back to this point about why we are seeing a different kind of protest. It is a small number of people, it is well organized even though many of the people are associated with the anarchist movement and we often think of that as not an example of organization and hierarchy. In this case, we’ve got a lot of people who are organized. They plan together online, they have very explicit rules – and we’re going to make all of this information available today and in the days ahead. Some come from outside of the city, some are from inside the city. Some are from the neighborhoods where the protests take place, some are not. But what we do know is there is an explicit agenda of violence and it does not conform with the history of this city in which we have always honored nonviolent protests. This is a city – no place in America has honored protests more than New York City. No place in America has protected protests more than New York City. And we will continue to do so whatever someone’s views but it has to be nonviolent. We honor the tradition of civil disobedience. We honor the examples of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., of Gandhi, of so many people who showed that real change comes from peaceful protests.

One of the best examples, years ago in this city when we had the broken unconstitutional policy of stop-and-frisk, there was a peaceful, silent march down Fifth Avenue. Thousands upon thousands of New Yorkers practicing that tradition of Dr. King, demanding an end to stop-and-frisk. That was one of the pivotal moments in the battle against that broken policy. That policy was ended because of that protest and so many others that led to changes through the voting process and beyond. And now we don’t have that broken and unconstitutional policy anymore and we’re going to make a lot of other changes through peaceful democratic means. But folks who come to incite violence, we will not accept that. And it’s important to understand that there’s a lot of concern in the community. I’ve talked to many, many elected officials from the African American community yesterday.

And there’s a growing concern that some are attempting to speak in their name and for their community inappropriately and in a way that’s counterproductive. And I’ll tell you in the last few days we have seen some very moving, powerful statements and statements that tell us something that we need to understand. People are being in some ways blunter and more honest than perhaps ever before. And I have been trying to be very open about my own experience as an individual, what I know and what I don’t know as a white man in American addressing these issues and working with communities of color, acknowledging my own gaps in understanding, acknowledging my own privilege and recognizing that change has to come from communities and there has to be self-determination in that process.

One of the most powerful statements that I’ve seen in the last weeks came from the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus of the New York City Council. And I want to be clear, it is a statement that is very critical of the NYPD. And I may agree or disagree with any specific sentence or line in this statement but there is a piece of this statement that I think speaks so powerfully to what’s going on. I wanted to show it to everyone. I want to recommend that people read this. A majority of our City Council are African American, Latino, and Asian – and they have put together something we all need to hear. I’m going to quote from a piece of this statement. It says, “We do not condone violence against the police or the senseless destruction of property but the Police Department must acknowledge that those of its members who lack discipline and frequently do violence to us also endanger the lives of their own colleagues. The absence of any real accountability for the habitual killing of our people undoubtedly poses the greatest threat to public safety as do the agitators that have no claim to our struggle but stoked the fire before retreating to the safety of their privileged white enclaves. They would be wise to stay at home instead of inciting further acts of hostility toward our brothers and sisters. And to those individuals who are not of our community but genuinely want to be helpful towards advancing the cause, we appreciate your sentiments but ask that you not speak to experiences that you have never suffered. We got this.”

This is the view of the majority of our City Council and I think it’s something we all need to listen to because in the end real community leadership, leadership that has come up on communities – whether it’s elected officials, community leaders, activists, clergy, members of the Cure Violence Movement – these are the folks who are working every day for fundamental change but they know it must be peaceful. And those are the voices that must be heard in this city. So, with that said, I want to follow through on a statement I made yesterday that we look at the events of the last few days and understand that there are real issues that must be addressed. There are many things that I can tell you that I think were done right by the NYPD especially the level of restraint.

But there also were mistakes and there were individual actions that must be fully investigated and that must lead to accountability. And as I’ve said we need an independent review of what's happened in these days. So, I am appointing two individuals to lead that process and I’ve asked them to come up with very quick results on the initial evaluation of what happened in these days of protest by all players and to look at where accountability needs to be and then to look at some of the bigger issues that have been raised here as well. I have asked them to come back with initial findings in the next few weeks during the month of June. And after I speak and the Police Commissioner speaks, you’ll be hearing from both of them, our Corporation Counsel Jim Johnson and our Department of Investigation Commissioner Margaret Garnett.

Finally, we need to make big changes. I’m not going to list all of the things that have changed in this city over these last years beginning with the end of the broken policy of stop-and-frisk, beginning with the actions to fundamentally change policing including the neighborhood policing strategy, the settlement of the Central Park Five case – there are many, many things I can go into. I’m not going to do that list today because they were all the right things to do and the right direction but they were not enough and we all understand that we need to go farther. So, there are several things we need to work on immediately.

One, requires help from Albany. I was heartened to hear Governor Cuomo say yesterday that he would sign legislation repealing the 50-a bill, repealing the current law in New York State. That inhibits transparency when it comes to police discipline matters. I have said we need to repeal and replace, I want to be abundantly clear. There must be some provision in the law to protect the personal information – the home address, the type of information about an individual police officer that is about their safety and security. We need to be clear in any legislative change that issue is addressed fully. But the 50-a law as it stands now inhibits transparency and corrodes trust between police and community. The last three police commissioners of this city beginning with Bill Bratton and now up to Commissioner Shea, including Commissioner O’Neill, all have agreed with me that this current law does not work and it hurts their mission of building a deeper bond between police and community. If the Governor is ready to sign that, I commend him, I thank him – now, let’s work together with the Legislature to repeal the current law and address the legitimate issues of safety and security of our officers and move forward. If we can do that in the month of June, that would be, I think, a huge step forward for the people of this city.

Second, we need to do more to take our current approach to risk management, which identifies if there are officers who are not cut out for the police force. That work needs to be amplified, speeded up, intensified. We need to make sure that anybody who should not be a police officer is not a police officer. I know – and I’ve had this conversation with Commissioner Shea many times – that he is an exemplar of what good policing is. He started on the beat in 1991 in the South Bronx. He doesn’t want to see a single cop on the beat who doesn’t belong there. We need that system to work and work better and work faster and it needs to be visible to the people of this city.

And finally, I’ve heard from so many elected officials that there are some people in our police force who do not belong in the roles they are in. There are some people in positions of leadership in a community or some officers on the beat who just don’t fit the work needed in that community for whatever reason and unfortunately have a history of tensions with the community. We can’t have that. Not everyone fits every role. That’s true in the NYPD and that’s true in all of life. We need to do a better job of hearing the concerns of community leaders when they say someone is not working out in our community, in our precinct, and we need a change. And I pledged to work with the community leaders to make those changes in the weeks ahead.

So, we have a lot of work to do but I am very confident that we can get this done together. As I turn to Commissioner Shea, who I spoke to probably 50 times yesterday, literally, I want to thank him for his leadership. I want to thank Chief Monahan who was out there dealing with specific protests all over the city. This is incredibly difficult work and there will be critiques and there will be things that need to be investigated and there will need to be things improved and we expect to do better today than we did yesterday. But I want to commend the restraint that we saw overall from the NYPD, that is crucial to keeping the peace in this city and respecting the right to peacefully protest. That’s what the NYPD has done for years. That’s what they did yesterday. With that, I turn to Commissioner Dermot Shea.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So, I’ll give a brief summary of yesterday’s events. What we saw across New York City from the Police Department perspective in policing some of the demonstrations, was similar to the two nights before. Yesterday began – which seems like a long time ago – with two protests in New York City. First was at the 120th Precinct on Staten Island. The second one was 125th Street up in Harlem. Both went overwhelmingly well. What we quickly identified though was a group within that used the 125th Street peaceful demonstration – I would liken it to hijacking a peaceful demonstration – and quickly began what turned out to be a long night for the men and women of this police department.

At the end of the night, to summarize, there were over 300 arrests made, closer to 350 primarily for minor offenses associated with the protest. There were over 30 members of the department, thankfully, none seriously – but over 30 injuries suffered. There was some property damage unfortunately. There was a religious institution that was damaged as well as some private and public property. If I could categorize it, where we saw most of the activity yesterday was centralized in one area of Brooklyn as well as southern Manhattan. I would categorize it probably below 23rd Street in and around Union Square, 14th Street.

We have a number of protests that are scheduled for today. We have an abundant number of men and women – I thank them for their service, their professionalism, as the Mayor said. And with my colleagues here, I welcome any outside look, to look at how the men and women of this department are holding up, trying to keep New Yorkers safe during this difficult time. And I also would add one more thank you to some of the elected officials that showed up, the Mayor mentioned, in Brooklyn as well as Manhattan to work with the police, work with the protestors, try to engage, try to make sure that these protests go on peacefully and not what we saw in a couple of incidents where they’re hijacked and property damage ensued. So, hopefully, it’s a safe day for New Yorkers. We’ll get through this. We’ll get through it like we get through anything. We’ll get through it together and I’ll wait for the questions to come afterwards.

Mayor: Thank you, Commissioner. And I want to emphasize that point. There were a lot of people out there trying to work to meditate to keep the peace. I want to thank all the elected officials who were out. There were a lot of clergy out. I want to thank members of the well-known God Squad in the Flatbush area who do such amazing work on the ground working with the community. There were members of the Cure Violence Movement out all over the city, community activists. You saw an outpouring of leaders who were working to keep the peace, to have it be peaceful protests and productive protests. Some of those leaders thought some things could have been handled differently. Some of those leaders have a strong critique of specific situations yesterday or the day before and broader critique of the NYPD but we all worked together for the peace of all New Yorkers. And I want to thank each and every one of them, even if we have moments where we don’t agree, I want to thank them for being out there to be peacemakers. And yes, New York City came through this as we always do and that is the strength of this city.

MAYOR DE BLASIO, POLICE COMMISSIONER SHEA - Saturday May 30, 2020 10:00 AM


  Mayor Bill de Blasio: This morning, I’m going to speak very plainly about what is happening in this country, in this city, and it begins with an acknowledgment that there is a poison in this land, there is something profoundly wrong, and in so many ways we pretend to see it, pretend to address it but we don’t do it in a deep and meaningful way. And that’s why we are experiencing everything we are experiencing. There is a poison of structural racism. It haunts the lives of people of color every day in this country, in this city – every day. And I want to speak as someone who acknowledges my own reality as a white male, acknowledges that privilege, acknowledges that I can only understand so much. But I know enough to say that for so many people of color and particularly members of the Black community. Every day is pervaded by racism, that hatred lurks around the corner at all times. From the moment people become conscious of the world around them to the day they leave they know racism as a constant, as a weight, as a pain. And that anger and frustration, the fear, the confusion that comes with that is part of people’s lives, that must be expressed and acted on because you just have to acknowledge we can’t go on like this. And I’m talking to everyone but I am particularly talking to white New Yorkers to say we can’t go on like this.

We can’t have so many of our fellow New Yorkers live in pain throughout their lives, and then have that pain deepened over and over and over again. So, let’s be clear, the coronavirus crisis has created a depth of pain that still has not been accounted for. So many New Yorkers have lost someone but that is particularly true in communities of color and particularly true in the African American community. That loss, that loss is being felt so deeply because everyone knows it’s not based on equality, it wasn’t that everyone lost the same way, communities of color lost so much more. When I walked through Queensbridge Houses in Queens on Monday, I heard the most painful stories of people who had lost loved ones and could not even mourn them because of this crisis. And the fact that I heard story after story after story in just one walk-through, one housing development, spoke volumes about how much pain there is out there and then you add the horrible insult of that video of Amy Cooper – the epitome of American white racism in one video, her allegation being, her indictment being that there was a Black man in her midst. Literally criminalizing the very act of being a Black man. That’s what we saw before our eyes and it brought up, for so many people, the fundamental contradiction that pervades our society, that until we heal it we can’t move forward. We just can’t. It will just tear at us and tear at us.

And then the entire nation watches George Floyd killed in broad daylight by someone who is supposed to protect us with no concern at all, his killer seemed to have no emotion about the fact that he was killing a Black man as if there was no value in that man. And unfortunately, that’s what the history of this country has taught too many people and we have to stop it. So, I’m beginning by saying that raw pain, anger, frustration it gets brought up so deeply in moments like this but it’s an every day, every hour thing for Black New Yorkers, for Latino New Yorkers, for so many people who deal with the pain of racism, pervasive in their lives.

Now, last night there were protests. I was in Brooklyn with Commissioner Shea and these protests brought up a lot of issues that we have to address. We have spent years changing the nature of policing in this city and we have much, much more to do. We all know that. And last night was a difficult, complex situation. I’m going to speak about what our officers went through but I first want to say there were people who came there to peacefully protest, there were others who came there obviously to try and incite acts of violence. But it’s our obligation as the City government, it’s the NYPD’s obligation to find the best possible way to keep peace, to protect everyone, to avoid anything that allows further violence to occur but that means also recognizing that any aggressive act towards a peaceful protestor sends exactly the wrong message. It’s wrong in every way but it also sets us back.

There were elected officials at this protest, some of whom were pepper sprayed. What a horrible, horrible situation that the people who represent us, who are there on behalf of their community peacefully observing, trying to help keep the peace, that they ended up being victims of pepper spraying. That’s unacceptable and we need to understand exactly why that happened. There needs to be accountability. We’ve seen some videos that do not reflect the philosophy of this city, the values of this city, the values of this administration, do not reflect the values of the NYPD. We’ve seen some videos where protestors were handled very violently and very roughly, and that is not neighborhood policing and we will not accept that kind of behavior from any police officer.

But I’ll tell you, at the same time, we saw acts of violence from protestors that have nothing to do with the tradition of peaceful, democratic protest that has pervaded the history of New York City. New York City honors the right to protest. The NYPD has protected protestors for generations of every point of view and done it well but some protestors last night came with an agenda of violence and incitement and they meant to harm police officers and they did harm police officers. They meant to attack police vehicles and they did. They meant to attack police precincts and that is all purely unacceptable. It does not reflect our values. We will not accept that. I want to remind everyone that the man and woman on the beat made a decision to join the police in the name of peace. They are not the policy-makers, they are the people trying to protect their fellow New Yorkers. They were subjected to horrible, vile things last night and tremendous violence and that will not stand. Because they are working men and women and any protestor who tries to take the humanity away from a police officer and devalue them just because they are a public servant is no better than the racists who devalue people of color and particularly black men in America.

So, if you’re a peaceful protestor, we will go to the ends of the Earth to protect your right to protest, whatever your viewpoint. We will always make sure you have that right but if you are there to incite violence we cannot and will not allow that. A lot happened last night. I could tell from being there how much was happening, how complex it was, how dangerous the situation was. We need to get to the bottom of exactly what happened and how we can do things better. I’m going to initiate an independent review immediately of the events of last night. I will announce the details later on today but I want to know exactly what happened, why it happened, and what can be done better. I want there to be accountability for anyone, whatever their status, but I also want to know what we can do better to avoid any acts of violence and we are working as we speak today to make sure that the protests in the days to come will be as peaceful as humanly possible, that there will be different protocols and approaches to ensure the right to protest is honored and that everyone can do so in a peaceful manner.

I also want to say that we will engage community leaders and community members immediately to determine how to approach protests better and differently. We’re going to engage members of the Cure Violence Movement who have done outstanding work in their neighborhoods stopping violence to work on how to make sure protests occur without violence as well. We’re going to reach to the grassroots, elected officials, community leaders, Cure Violence Movement leaders to determine the best way in the weeks and months ahead to honor the rights of all New Yorkers and keep the peace simultaneously. It was a long and difficult night and we intend to do better. With that, I’ll turn to Commissioner Dermot Shea –

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So, across the city the last two nights we have had demonstrations. At times those demonstrations have turned violent, unfortunately. This is, in my view, something we have seen across American cities. In the last two days and specifically last night in Brooklyn we had a protest of approximately 3,000 individuals that was splintered into several smaller protests. During the course of the evening I can tell you that we affected over 200 arrests. We have multiple officers injured. I can tell you some of the things that those officers encountered. We had Molotov cocktails recovered. We had an arrest affected for attempted murder of four police officers by an individual throwing a Molotov cocktail into an occupied marked police van. We had a firearm recovered, we had brass knuckles recovered, we had countless bricks and other items thrown at police officers. Again, this was a volatile, as the Mayor said, dangerous situation and any and all violence we denounce. We can do better than this and we must. We fully support – and I want to thank all the police officers, all the members of the community, all the elected officials that were out either working the event last night or demonstrating peacefully. And that’s the key word here, peacefully. We fully remain committed to supporting the right to publicly assemble, to protest, to free speech, this is at the heart of everything, everything that we believe in. But at the same time, we will have zero tolerance for individuals looking to cause harm to anyone and unfortunately, we saw that repeatedly last night as well.

Monday, May 4, 2020

MAYOR DE BLASIO, FRONTLINE FOODS AND 9/11 DAY PARTNER TO DELIVER MEALS TO FDNY FIREFIGHTERS, EMTS, PARAMEDICS FOR INTERNATIONAL FIREFIGHTERS’ DAY


  Today, in observance of International Firefighters’ Day and in appreciation of first responders’ efforts in battling the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Frontline Foods and 9/11 Day partnered to deliver over 2,700 meals to firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, and dispatchers in New York City. This donation is part of Frontline Foods’ and 9/11 Day’s national effort to bring prepared meals to nearly 5,000 first responders in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, Chicago and Phoenix. 9/11 Day provided an initial grant to Frontline Foods of $55,000 to support the first responder meal deliveries.

"Our firefighters, EMTs and paramedics are going above-and-beyond in this crisis," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "On this National Firefighters’ Day, in partnership with Frontline Foods and 9/11 Day, we're making sure they're well fed, too. On behalf of all New Yorkers, thank you for your service to our city."

"We started Frontline Foods with a dual purpose—support our ailing restaurant industry and honor our frontline heroes by providing them with healthy meals during their fight to keep us safe. While we started with clinicians in hospitals, our vision has always been that there are many more groups on the frontline fighting to keep us safe during the crisis. Today we are proud to honor our firefighters and EMS personnel for everything they do, today and every day,” said Frontline Foods co-founding organizer Ryan Sarver.

“We are so pleased to partner with Frontline Foods and local municipalities to recognize our first responders on International Firefighters’ Day. During COVID-19, it’s critical to support these brave men and women who risk their lives for us every single day,” said Jay S. Winuk, co-founder of 9/11 Day and the brother of Glenn Winuk, a volunteer firefighter and EMT who died in the line of duty on 9/11. “Frontline Foods has been a terrific partner in ensuring the delivery of high-quality meals in a safe manner to our first responders, while also supporting local businesses during this difficult time. We thank our 9/11 Day sponsors and local elected officials across all of these communities for their support in helping to provide these meals to those who keep us safe.”

"Wishing our firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, and their families a happy and healthy International Firefighters’ Day," said COVID-19 Public-Private Partnership Czar Peter Hatch. "Today's delivery is an excellent example of how the administration is thinking outside the box to bring much-needed resources to frontline workers and get City's restaurants cooking again. Thanks to Frontline Foods and the 9/11 Day for making today possible."

“On behalf of the members of the Department, I want to thank Frontline Foods and 9/11 Day for their generous support of the FDNY during this unprecedented time,” said Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro. “Their outstanding efforts are not only making an impact in the lives of our EMTs, Paramedics, and Firefighters who are bravely responding each day, they’re also supporting so many restaurants across the city when it is needed most.”

“Volunteer-led organizations have been vital in quickly responding to COVID-19 challenges,” said NYC Chief Service Officer Anusha Venkataraman. “It is also through partnerships that we are able to unite across sectors and support as many New Yorkers as we can, from long-time partners to the City such as 9/11 Day or newer partners like Frontline Foods. Working together, we can strengthen our city against this crisis and future challenges.”

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

MAYOR DE BLASIO, FIRST LADY MCCRAY ANNOUNCE A COLLABORATION WITH U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO HELP HEALTH CARE WORKERS ON THE FRONTLINES COPE WITH STRESS


City to provide additional emotional and mental support for frontline healthcare workers in the fight against COVID-19

  Mayor de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray today announced a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), NYC Health + Hospitals, and Greater New York Hospital Association (GHNYA) to provide mental health programs to support health care workers and first responders on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new program will tailor elements of the US DoD’s combat stress management and resilience program for military personnel into needs assessments and a webinar training series to be used in civilian healthcare and first responder settings across the city. Trainings are expected to be available by the end of the month.

“Our frontline heroes are fighting a war on two fronts,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “They have been through so much to protect their fellow New Yorkers, and we will not allow them to shoulder the mental toll of this pandemic alone. To those who are struggling: your city hears you, we see you, and help is on the way.”

"Our city's medical professionals are laboring long days and nights under extraordinary circumstances, caring for our families and loved ones. It’s a different kind of war, but they are truly soldiers," said First Lady Chirlane McCray. "As they continue caring for New Yorkers, we must care for them and their well-being. Their service goes beyond anything we could have asked for, and their mental health needs should not be overlooked. This partnership will ensure our healthcare workers on the frontlines have the support they need, now and after this crisis."

Behavioral health and staff support leaders at local hospitals will receive formal training from military subject matter experts. Those who receive training will facilitate trainings to mental health specialists, spiritual care and second victim program leads at their respective health care systems. The ‘Train the Trainer’ education will be available virtually on GHNYA hosted webinars for all participating NYC healthcare systems. To better support health care workers, in-person and virtual training sessions can be customized based on targeted needs assessments. 

The US Department of Defense-led webinar trainings will begin late next month for health care systems. NYC Health + Hospitals will begin to deploy trainers for facility-based trainings in early June.

This work builds upon NYC Health + Hospitals’ established “Help Healers Heal” program. The program offers frontline health care workers direct mental health support in the form of a dedicated, 24/7 behavioral health helpline staffed by psychiatrists/psychologists; peer support champions for one-on-one or group support; and 26 wellness areas across 11 hospitals and five skilled nursing facilities for staff to take a break from patient care areas. The program also supports wellness rounds at all facilities to actively engage employees working in areas heavily affected by COVID-19. Wellness rounds focus on identifying and supporting employees showing symptoms of anxiety, depression, fatigue and burnout, and connecting them to services if requested—including one-on-one telephonic, in-person debrief, or anonymous counseling.

“We are in the epicenter of this pandemic and our heroic healthcare workers are on the front lines providing lifesaving support to New Yorkers. Our providers are experiencing an immense amount of emotional-psychological trauma and stress, especially at our hardest-hit hospitals," said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “At NYC Health + Hospitals, we value each employee and we are grateful to the Mayor and DoD that we will able to support our workforce as they began to process, heal and move forward.”

“As our healthcare workers and first responders continue to battle on the front lines of our fight against COVID-19, we want to make sure we can take care of their emotional and psychological well-being. This program will be a cornerstone in helping them to navigate these traumatic events, and we are thankful to the DoD for lending their expertise to support the mental health of our heroes,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Deanne Criswell.

“Paramedics, EMTs, and all healthcare workers in New York City have been on the frontlines of this pandemic for weeks now. Though they have seen so much pain and loss, they continue to answer the call by caring for their patients every single day,” said Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro. “This partnership with the DoD will provide important additional mental healthcare and support for those heroic men and women bravely going into harm’s way for our city.”


Tuesday, March 31, 2020

MAYOR DE BLASIO, COMMISSIONER CRISWELL AND COMMISSIONER NIGRO ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP WITH FEMA TO BRING 250 ADDITIONAL AMBULANCES TO NEW YORK CITY


FEMA additionally bringing on approximately 500 personnel

New Yorkers should only call 911 for life-threatening emergencies; call 311 to be connected to a doctor

  Mayor Bill de Blasio, Fire Department Commissioner Dan Nigro, New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Deanne Criswell and FEMA Region II Administrator Tom Von Essen today announced a partnership between FEMA and the City to bring 250 more ambulances and approximately 500 more EMTs and paramedics to New York City. These resources will help the City increase capacity for medical transport in between medical sites and assist the FDNY with responding to a record number of medical calls. These ambulances come fully staffed by paramedics and EMTs from around the country.

"Our EMTs and paramedics are doing unbelievable work under the toughest of circumstances," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "This week, I promised them help was on the way, and today it is. Our partnership with FEMA will give our first responders the help they need to continue being the heroes of our city." 

“We are proud to support the first responders and people of New York as we all work together to help guide our city, our state and our country through this difficult time,” said Tom Von Essen, FEMA Region II Administrator.

“Our EMTs and Paramedics are facing an unprecedented number of medical calls each day. There has never been a busier time in the history of EMS in New York City,” said Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro. “We are very grateful for this assistance from FEMA that will make an immediate impact to the 911 system and greatly assist our men and women on the frontlines of this pandemic.”

“These resources will make an immediate impact for our first responders who are on the frontlines of fighting COVID-19, and we are extremely thankful to FEMA for providing this support,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Deanne Criswell.  “I also want to remind New Yorkers that they can also assist those most in need by only calling 911 in an emergency.”

During this crisis, EMS has been responding to a record number of medical emergencies each day – a 50 percent increase over normal daily call volume. FDNY is urging New Yorkers to only call 911 if is a true medical emergency. Those who are sick should call a doctor, and can call 311 for help getting connected with a doctor.

Sunday, March 22, 2020

MAYOR DE BLASIO, NYPD PREPARE TO ENFORCE NEW GUIDELINES


New Yorkers should text COVID to 692-692 to get regular updates on the latest developments regarding COVID-19; Text COVIDESP to 692-692 for updates in Spanish

  Mayor de Blasio today updated New Yorkers on the City’s response to COVID-19. Effective today, Sunday March 22, at 8:00 PM the City will enforce the closure of all non-essential businesses in New York City, pursuant to State regulations. 

As of 10:00 AM today, citywide, there are 9,654 positive cases of COVID-19 and 63 fatalities. Currently there are 2,715 cases in Queens 2,072 in Manhattan, 2,857 in Brooklyn, 1,411 in the Bronx, and 593 in Staten Island. There are 63 confirmed COVID-related fatalities. 

“I need every New Yorker to understand how serious the situation is right now. We have to change the way we live if we’re going to bend the curve of this epidemic. Do your part: stay home. That is the single most important thing someone can do right now. Protect yourself and save lives: only go out for the essentials,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio

New Restrictions
Effective today, March 22nd, at 8:00 PM, all non-essential businesses in New York City will be closed. Only businesses with essential functions will be permitted to operate. Examples include grocery stores, pharmacies, internet providers, food delivery, banks, financial institutions and mass transit. Businesses that provide essential services must implement rules that help facilitate social distancing. The NYPD will be out in neighborhoods across the City to ensure compliance with these policies. 

The City will also enforce the following rules for non-vulnerable individuals with fines and mandatory closures:
·         No non-essential gatherings; any concentration of people outside their home must be limited to workers providing essential services
·         Practice social distancing in public (6 feet or more)
·         Limit use of public transportation to only when absolutely necessary.
·         Sick individuals should not leave home except to receive medical care.

Update on the City’s Jail Population
Today, 23 individuals will be released from City jail facilities, bringing the total released up to 27, a subset of the 40 detainees for which the City previously announced plans to release. They are at high-risk for COVID-19 related complications and low-risk of re-offending. Most of the remaining individuals are parole re-offenders and under the discretion of the State. The City is working with the State to pursue their release, as well. 

The City has compiled an additional list of 200 detainees for potential release, all of whom are serving City sentences of 90-days or less. Final decisions will be issued tomorrow.

Correctional Health Services is now screening detainees before entering and leaving city jail facilities. Those who manifest symptoms while attempting to enter will be isolated from the general population. All staff will be screened before entering, as well. To ensure the Correctional Health Services is able to adequately house detainees with COVID-19, the Department of Correction will utilizing its communicable disease unit and is opening additional housing units to expand spaces for isolation and increase social distancing. 

Update on Testing Sites
Following guidance from the City’s Health Department, NYC Health + Hospitals is reserving testing for patients needing hospitalization or as clinically appropriate. It will continue to have clinicians in its call center to talk to thousands of New Yorkers every day and advise them stay at home if they don’t need to come to the emergency department (ED). NYC Health + Hospitals is no longer doing testing by appointment and will instead use its testing centers (tents) to divert patients from the ED. In line with this new guidance, NYC Health + Hospitals drive up testing sites at H+H/ Jacobi and H+H/ Coney Island are no longer operating. For both locations, resources will be shifted to tents near their emergency departments.

GenMark and Cepheid Approval
The FDA has issued Emergency Use Authorization for GenMark Diagnostics’ and Cepheid COVID-19 tests, enabling faster in-house, same-day testing at NYC Health + Hospital facilities and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Public Health Lab (PHL) for patients who are hospitalized.

GenMark sent the first device to NYC Health + Hospitals this weekend and will send reagents this week, and another device and reagents will go to the PHL. H+H expects to receive additional devices and reagents over the next few weeks to add to their existing testing capacity. 

H+H and the Public Health lab also expect reagents and necessary equipment from Cepheid this week; and an additional 4 devices will be sent to H+H by the end of April.

Enforcement in Parks 
The City has already banned team sports and revoked all permits for organized sports and large gatherings, and has increased the presence of NYPD and Parks Enforcement Patrol officers to enforce social distancing.  The City is closely coordinating with the State to evaluate these efforts and will consider expanded restrictions as necessary. 

Signage will be by NYC Parks at all fields and courts to indicate that all tournaments and sports practices have been cancelled. In addition, Parks has closed all nature centers and recreation centers, and many concessions including ice rinks, amusement parks, carousels, indoor tennis facilities.

Playgrounds run by the Parks Department remain open to provide children with solitary, active recreation. It is critical to practice social distancing among people who do not live in the same household while playing on the playground. Playgrounds will be monitored by the NYPD and Parks Enforcement officers, and new signage will warn parents and guardians to maintain social distancing among children. Over the next week, the Parks Department will evaluate compliance and adopt more stringent rules if needed.

All Shape Up NYC fitness classes, Urban Park Ranger tours, and outdoor events including the annual Street Games festival have been cancelled until further notice. For all updates on park service changes and closures go to https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/health-and-safety-guide/coronavirus.

NYC Ferry
NYC Ferry will be operating on a modified weekday schedule starting Monday, March 23. Ferry services will run from 6:30 AM- 10 PM daily, with most routes operating with a frequency of at least 45 minutes:
·         East River - operates every 45 minutes.
·         South Brooklyn - operates every 45 minutes.
·         Rockaway - operates every 60 minutes
·         Soundview - operates every 50 minutes.
·         Astoria operates every 50 minutes.
·         Lower East Side operates every 45 minutes

Parking Permits for Healthcare Workers
To protect frontline workers who are at risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19, the City will issue citywide parking permits to healthcare personnel. The City can make up to 10,000 permits  available to hospitals across the City by tomorrow, Monday March 23rdEach hospital will receive a set number of permits based on the number of employees who require a permit, and the City will work with hospitals to provide more on an as-needed basis. Hospitals will be responsible for distributing them to their respective workforces and will fill in the make, model, and license plate number.

Personnel Changes
Carl Rodrigues, currently Chief of Staff to Deputy Mayor Vicki Been, will also run the City’s new production capacity effort. He will coordinate between City agencies and the private sector to quickly determine how to produce ventilators, surgical gowns, masks, and more in New York City.

Keeping Businesses Closed
Yesterday, the City inspected 13,000 businesses and religious institutions and has observed overwhelming compliance. Eleven violations in total were issued.

Stay Informed
Over 700,000 New Yorkers have signed up for the City’s COVID text notification system to get regular updates on the latest developments with coronavirus in New York City text COVID to 692-692.  New Yorkers can text COVIDESP to 692-692 for updates in Spanish. You will receive regular SMS texts with the latest news and developments. If you have any questions on finding medical care call 311.