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Saturday, August 20, 2022
Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) - Cinema Africa Continues!
OMH Launches Partnership to Help Black New Yorkers Heal from Buffalo Tragedy
The NYS Office of Mental Health is partnering with the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi), Inc. to provide specialized “healing circle” support groups for individuals and families traumatized by the racially-motivated mass shooting in Buffalo earlier this year and increased incidents of hate crimes in general. The virtual support groups, known as “Sawubona” provide assistance and support to individuals and families dealing with elevated levels of grief, anxiety and trauma.
OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, “Sawubona healing circle support groups will be a vital resource to help heal the communities that have been devastated by racial violence. Many families in Buffalo are still understandably anxious, angry and emotionally distraught. OMH has been responding to this trauma with extensive public outreach and coordination of care resources. We are grateful to the Association of Black Psychologists and their help in implementing this innovative, culturally-grounded program to support the needs of people of color across the state.”
Donell L. Barnett, PhD, President of the Association of Black Psychologists, said, “We are excited about this opportunity to partner with OMH to provide needed services and support for Black communities in New York. This is uniquely important given the racial trauma and other challenges the country has taken notice of recently and historically. At a time of increased demand for services and a shortage of mental health providers, having culturally appropriate and culturally accountable services as a part of the array of mental health and wellness services is critically important. The Association of Black Psychologists is glad to partner with New York State in leading the way towards a national model.”
Sawubona Healing Circles is a national program of the Association of Black Psychologists. Sawubona is a Zulu word that means “I see you.” Sawubona Healing Circles are a culturally grounded rapid response intervention model designed to provide coping and wellness strategies in an affirming space for Black people experiencing race-related stress and trauma.
The Black-led healing circles, which are non-clinical, provide culturally relevant ways for people to express thoughts, feelings, and stories in a healing way. Culturally grounded in African-centered practices, the model helps address racial and other forms of trauma in communities of color. If you want to attend a “Sawubona” healing circle, please sign up here https://abpsi.site-ym.com/
To grow this effort, OMH is looking for New York State residents interested in becoming trained Sawubona Healing Circle facilitators. This is a perfect opportunity for volunteers, retirees, students, advocates, and mental health service providers interested in supporting resilience in the Black community. If you are interested in this free training opportunity, go to this link and apply https://abpsi.site-ym.com/
Two Men Charged in Federal Court with Violent Carjackings in Chicago Suburbs
A federal grand jury has indicted two men on carjacking charges in connection with the violent thefts of vehicles in the north suburbs of Chicago.
EDSON RESENDEZ and MAVERICK CELA forcibly took vehicles in Morton Grove, Ill., and Skokie, Ill., according to an indictment unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The indictment charges Resendez, 21, and Cela, 21, both of Chicago, with one count of conspiracy to commit carjackings and two counts of carjacking. Resendez also faces an additional count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Resendez was arrested Thursday morning and pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in federal court. A detention hearing is set for Aug. 23, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert.
Cela is currently in the custody of the state of Illinois. His arraignment in federal court has not yet been scheduled.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department, Morton Grove Police Department, and Skokie Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cornelius A. Vandenberg.
According to the indictment, Resendez and Cela took a Chevrolet Sonic from a victim in Morton Grove on Sept. 11, 2020. Cela later disposed of the vehicle by lighting it on fire in the 6200 block of North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, the indictment states.
On Sept. 13, 2020, Resendez and Cela took a Lexus GS350 from a victim in Skokie, the indictment states. The pair later disposed of the vehicle in the 4800 block of South Hermitage Avenue in Chicago, the charges allege.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Each carjacking count is punishable by up to 15 years in federal prison. The firearm count against Resendez carries a minimum prison sentence of seven years and a maximum of life, which must be served consecutively to the sentence imposed for the carjacking offense. The conspiracy charge is punishable by up to five years. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
NYPD Announces Emergency Rule, Effective Immediately, For Receiving A Concealed Carry Handgun License
August 19, 2022 — Emergency rule that provides guidance to gun licenses applicants
Please see the attached emergency rule that provides guidance to gun licenses applicants in light of the Supreme Court decision in N.Y. State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen, 142 S. Ct. 2111 (2022) and recent statewide legislation governing gun licensing.
This rule creates guidance for people who have pending applications on the effective date of the State law or who applied and were rejected for a concealed carry permit prior the Supreme Court decision in Bruen. The rule gives people whose applications were rejected or downgraded to another category of license based solely on a determination that the applicant lacked “proper cause” in the previous three years 60 days to reopen their application with no new fee charged.
Governor Hochul Participates in White House Virtual Small Business Funding Press Conference Call
Governor Hochul: "I am so grateful on behalf of the thousands and thousands of businesses here in the State of New York that will benefit from this ...This targeted approach, a half a billion dollars from the federal government, coupled with the half a billion dollars that I just enacted in our budget to do the same thing, pots of money for venture capital, lending opportunities, as well as investments in businesses that were hardest-hit by the pandemic."
Hochul: "I'm so thankful to have President Biden, who understands how important this is to get this money out in the communities, help them stabilize, let them start hiring again, let them continue to live their dreams that were dashed during this pandemic, make them whole again. And that's how our state and our country will again, once again, be prosperous."
Good day everyone, I want to thank you for convening us here today and everyone in the White House team, as well as my partners in government at the congressional level, fellow Governor Kate Brown, as well as the Senator from Colorado. I come to this with a heart full of gratitude. We are so grateful to the Biden Administration and our own Majority Leader, Senator ChuckSchumer and Senator Gillibrand, and our entire delegation [and] Leader - Speaker Nancy Pelosi. I said leader because when I was in Congress a decade ago, she was not the Speaker yet, but great things have happened. And because of this teamwork, and how responsive the Administration has been to the needs during the pandemic, but even post-pandemic, I am so grateful on behalf of the thousands and thousands of businesses here in the State of New York that will benefit from this. 96 percent of small business in the State of New York are eligible for this funding.
And this targeted approach, half a billion dollars from the federal government, coupled with the half a billion dollars that I just enacted in our budget to do the same thing, pots of money for venture capital, lending opportunities, as well as investments in businesses that were hardest-hit by the pandemic. Everyone knows, no state was harder hit during the pandemic than the State of New York, particularly the City of New York, but we are a very diverse state. Many people do think of New York as just the skyscrapers of Manhattan, when in fact we have a very rural area as well. The Senator talked about communities of 10,000 or less. I have communities of 300 or less. Tiny communities that will also benefit from this.
And this is personal to me as well, as someone who helped my mother start a small business right out of law school. I know the challenges, the frustration, the bureaucracy that's just maddening. And for woman-owned businesses to get access to capital, it's almost impossible. It was then, back two decades ago and even now so today, so we're not making enough progress. And here in New York, we take this seriously for our MWBEs. We have 30 percent goals, and we're going to achieve those goals for all of our State contracts. But this really gives us the lift we need, the investment we need to be able to go to our small business community and say, "We are here to help you."
And again, I'm so thankful to have President Biden, who understands how important this is to get this money out in the communities, help them stabilize, let them start hiring again, let them continue to live their dreams that were dashed during this pandemic, make them whole again. And that's how our state and our country will again, once again, be prosperous. So, I'm just here to say thank you.
