Riverdale Block Party Festival - ONE WEEK AWAY!

 

Happy Mother's Day to all!

RIVERDALE BLOCK PARTY is only one week away! Join us on Sunday, May 18 from 12:00-4:00pm! West 259th Street & Riverdale Avenue We welcome you to come join the endless fun at our neighborhood's largest community festival!   Scroll all the way down to see what we have planned! Thank You to our Sponsors, Vendors, & Supporters!

Our block party festival is just a few days away! We are thrilled to report that our block party has gotten recognition as an official Bronx Week 2025 event by The Bronx Tourism Council, Bronx Borough President's Office, & The Bronx Economic Development Corporation. We are excited for this jam packed day of festivities and have a lot planned:

• 70+ vendors
• Live DJ & stage
• Professional photographer and dronework 
• Food truck + ice cream truck
• Vintage car display
• Circus stilt walker 
• Zumba demonstration
• Riverdale Rising Stars musical performance
• Doggie parade
• Yoga demonstration
• Taekwondo demonstration
• Free dance & possible salsa/bachata demonstration 
• Raffles
• Silent disco section 
• Face painting
• Visit from local politicians and the NYC Comptroller 
• and so much more..

We are still happily accepting volunteers, sponsors, and raffles. Reach out to rmsabx@gmail.com

Questions? Email us at rmsabx@gmail.com

Working Families Party - Federal agents arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka

 

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, the WFP-endorsed candidate for Governor of New Jersey, was arrested yesterday afternoon by armed federal agents, taken away in handcuffs after attempting to visit a recently re-opened ICE detention facility:¹

According to Rep. LaMonica McIver, who was part of a Congressional delegation visiting the facility at the same time, ICE agents shoved her, "manhandled Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, and arrested Mayor Baraka," even after he complied with their instructions.²

He was then detained for hours until being released later in the evening.

The Working Families Party has joined a powerful coalition of progressive labor unions and advocates in New Jersey to endorse Mayor Ras Baraka for Governor.

Donation parts were deleted.

Ohio Man Charged with Threatening State Public Officials

 

A New Albany, Ohio, man has been charged with federal crimes related to sending at least 65 letters and emails to 34 victims, including state public officials, a local TV station and law enforcement, threatening to kill Ohio public officials. Many of the letters included a white powder and one letter included a bullet etched with the victim’s last name.

Ronald Lidderdale, 39, appeared in federal court in Columbus is charged with making interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure, mailing threatening communications, false information and hoaxes, and cyberstalking.

According to charging documents, Lidderdale allegedly sent the threatening communications to publicly elected officials holding statewide office in Ohio, elected officials holding office in the federal government, and individuals involved in Ohio politics.

It is alleged that Lidderdale sent at least 49 letters containing suspicious white powders, which at times the sender claimed to be Ricin. To date, 29 victims received the white powder letters.

One letter contained a 9mm bullet with the last name of the public official etched on it.

For example, between July and early August 2024, it is alleged that Lidderdale sent a dozen threatening letters via the mail in five different mailings. The return labels on the letters contained mailing information for individuals who were either currently or previously employed by the targeted public official.

Lidderdale allegedly threatened violence against the letter recipients in each of the letters, including language like, “I will kill you for your ignorant loyalty to your pedophilic party” and “I will kill you for the good of The People. Your death will come when you least expect it.”

Last week, Lidderdale allegedly sent letters to eight victims containing a hitlist of eight individuals he said he would kill in the month of May.

Court documents allege that Lidderdale sent a letter to a local TV station and emails to federal and local law enforcement outlining his plans.

It is further alleged that Lidderdale sent threatening emails to public officials stating, “Each [victim] will receive the gift of their names etched onto a single bullet. Their skull is the target the bullet is the gift.”

On May 8, Lidderdale allegedly told FBI agents that he had sent the letters and emails with the intent to incite fear, including the fear of bodily injury, and to make threats with the goal of changing behavior.

Mailing threatening communications carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Making interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure, mailing threatening communications, conveying false information and hoaxes, and cyberstalking are all federal crimes punishable by up to five years in prison.

Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Kelly A. Norris for the Southern District of Ohio; Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office; and Inspector in Charge Lesley Allison of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); as well as the U.S. Capitol Police, Ohio State Highway Patrol and several Ohio police departments announced the charges filed today.

Deputy Criminal Chief Brian J. Martinez and Assistant U.S.  Attorneys Damoun Delaviz and Jessica W. Knight for the Southern District of Ohio, and Trial Attorney James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are representing the United States in this case.

A criminal complaint merely contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Governor Hochul Signs Legislation to Fully Fund Improvements for Transit Riders as Part of FY 2026 Budget

Funding Will Deliver Better Commutes For Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Commuters

New Plan Will Build Interborough Express, Modernize Signals and Move Forward With Accessibility Improvements

MTA Will Crack Down On Fare Evasion With Newly-Installed Fare Gates, Invest In Rider Safety

Eliminate Payroll Mobility Tax For Local Governments and Thousands of Self-Employed New Yorkers While Cutting Payroll Mobility Tax For Small Businesses

Governor Kathy Hochul signed new legislation as part of the FY26 Enacted Budget to fully fund the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) $68.4 billion 2025-29 Capital Plan — a move that represents the largest investment in New York State’s transportation history. The plan will enable the MTA to make transformative investments that will include breaking ground on the new Interborough Express (IBX), rehabilitating the Grand Central Artery and improving the overall rider experience.

“Public transit is the lifeblood of New York and our investments in this century-old system will ensure it can thrive for years to come,” Governor Hochul said. “For too long, leaders had ignored the needs of straphangers and underfunded public transit. When I took office we changed that approach — and now, we’re making long-overdue investments to keep this system strong.”

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “The Governor and legislature have been great supporters of MTA riders and understand the importance of mass transit to New York’s economy. An extraordinary effort went into identifying what needs to be done to maintain the $1.5 trillion asset that is our region’s transportation network. The women and men of the MTA look forward to getting to work on important capital projects that deliver on the Governor’s vision and ensure that New Yorkers keep moving for decades to come.”

The investment will enable the MTA to:

• Start construction of the new Interborough Express (IBX) — a transformative new rapid transit service between Brooklyn and Queens
• Rehabilitate the Grand Central Artery — a four-mile stretch that carries 98 percent of all Metro-North service
• Purchase thousands of new subway and rail cars
• Modernize signals to provide faster, more frequent and more reliable service
• Upgrade maintenance facilities
• Renew electric power systems to enhance reliability
• Repair structurally deficient bridges and tunnels
• Deliver full ADA-accessibility improvements at more than 65 subway and railroad stations
• Make safety enhancements at stations and across infrastructure systems
• Install modern fare gates at more than 150 stations to prevent fare evasion
• Grow its zero-emissions bus fleet to stay on track for a fully-electric fleet by 2040
• Increase resiliency against flooding and protect the Hudson Line against severe weather

All of this will be achieved with a funding plan that also includes cuts to the regional Payroll Mobility Tax (PMT) for roughly 10,000 small businesses and an elimination of the PMT for self-employed individuals earning $150,000 or less. The plan will also fully eliminate the PMT for all local governments outside of New York City.

Notably, the FY 2026 Budget also reallocates up to $1.2 billion from the Penn Station redevelopment project to be put towards priority capital projects such as the Interborough Express, safety initiatives, and efforts to reduce fare evasion.

The MTA’s capital plan will also spend $6 billion on the Metro-North Railroad, including:

• Rolling stock: Completing the replacement of 40-year-old railcars with new, fully accessible M9A trains for use on the Harlem and Hudson Lines
• Station platforms and components: Replacing and rehabilitating deteriorating station platforms and other major station components
• Climate and weather protection: Coordinating investments at the most vulnerable locations – including bridges, culverts, retaining walls, and shoreline structures – to reduce service disruptions and equipment damage caused by extreme weather

Additionally, the MTA’s capital plan will spend $6 billion on the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) which would include:

• Rolling stock: Purchasing new railcars to allow MTA to retire 1980s-era M3 cars and provide for more reliable new dual-mode locomotives
• Power system improvements: Replacing or renewing 16 substations making the system more reliable
• Accessibility: Achieving 98 percent accessibility by making four more stations accessible, including Bellerose, Douglaston, and Cold Spring Harbor

Finally, the MTA capital plan includes $800 million to advance regional investments that help create additional capacity, connect with underserved communities, and respond to changing populations and land-use patterns. The plan supports projects to reduce conflicts at the nation’s busiest railway junction, electrification and capacity initiatives on the LIRR and MNR, and the evaluation and development of promising improvement and expansion projects.

The funding plan includes a balanced and responsible mix of local, state, federal and MTA sources as well as new Payroll Mobility Tax (PMT) revenues from the region’s largest businesses. In addition to providing $8 billion in total operating aid for the MTA, the FY 2026 Budget will provide a $3 billion State capital appropriation to support the MTA capital plan. The modest change to the Payroll Mobility Tax (PMT) will cause the largest businesses in the region with payrolls of $10 million or more to pay less than one percent more in PMT.

The FY 2026 Budget also requires the City of New York to provide $3 billion toward the MTA capital plan and requires the MTA to find $3 billion in efficiencies.

 

The Citywide Doula Initiative Improves Maternal Health Outcomes for Black & Hispanic Mothers and Babies, Comptroller Lander’s Audit Finds

 

The program led to reduced rates of C-sections, pre-term births, and low birth weights among Black & Hispanic birthgivers, who account for over 3 out of 4 pregnancy-related deaths 

Ahead of Mother’s Day, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander unveiled a new audit of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s (DOHMH) Citywide Doula Initiative (CDI), which revealed that the program successfully improves birth and health outcomes for Black and Hispanic women and birthgivers.  

The CDI program was launched to address longstanding inequities—including socioeconomic barriers, structural racism, and bias in healthcare services—that drive high rates of maternal mortality and adverse birth outcomes in communities of color. The audit underscores that doula services, long championed by reproductive justice advocates, can narrow racial disparities. Black and Hispanic participants in the program saw lower rates of C-sections, pre-term births, and low birth weights, compared to the general population of births in New York City. 

“The Citywide Doula Initiative is working,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “By providing doula services at no-to-low costs, the city is making progress toward closing the racial gap in maternal health outcomes and on its way to eliminating maternal mortality. Providing equitable care access for all is the first step toward building a thriving and healthier city to start and raise a family.” 

Rates of maternal mortality and health complications are dramatically higher amount Black and Hispanic women. According to DOHMH, Black non-Hispanic women and birth givers accounted for 17.7% of all live births in the city, but a staggering 39.7% of all pregnancy-associated deaths. Black and Hispanic women and birthgivers made up over 3-out of-4 deaths, despite accounting for less than half of all live births across the five boroughs.  

To address these disparities, New York City has increased access to doulas in recent years, leading to passage of Local Law 85 of 2022, sponsored by New York City Councilmember Jennifer Gutiérrez, establishing a pilot program to train doulas and provide free doula services to resident of marginalized neighborhoods. Doulas provide non-medical physical, emotional, and informational support to pregnant individuals and families before, during, and after childbirth. Throughout pregnancy, doulas also advocate for clients’ health decisions and help them navigate the challenges of childbirth.  

Auditors from the NYC Comptroller’s office used citywide birth outcome data from 2022 (published in the most recent Annual Summary of Vital Statistics) and birth outcome data for the period of March 2022 through June 2024 for CDI clients, and also surveyed CDI participants and doulas. Auditors identified meaningful improvements in health outcomes for women and birthgivers.  

Key Findings from the Audit: 

• Increased doula access: DOHMH’s efforts are increasing doula access and support in underserved neighborhoods. Prenatal visit, doula-attended births, and post-partum visits all increased significantly, with over 2,000 clients receiving services through the CDI program. 

• Improved maternal health outcomes: Black and Hispanic CDI clients saw significantly better maternal health outcomes, including lower rates of C-sections, preterm births, and low birth weights, compared to citywide averages. No pregnancy-associated deaths were reported for CDI clients, indicating that doula support may help reduce maternal mortality. 

• Strong client satisfaction: Participants expressed satisfaction with the program, with 77% rating their pregnancy/birthing experience with a doula as good or excellent. One respondent stated “having a doula was life changing and more clinics/hospitals should offer it to all patients.”  

Areas for Improvement: 

The audit also identifies areas for improvement, including expanding access in shelters, advancing doula-friendly hospital policies, and increasing non-English speaking doula provider capacity. 

• Hospital barriers: Doulas reported that some hospitals prevented them from providing comfort measures, such as assisting their clients in using the restroom (17% of respondents), supporting mobility out of bed (25% of respondents), and staying with their clients during delivery (13% of respondents). During a Doula-Friendliness meeting attended by auditors, CDIs encouraged hospitals to promote policies that would better enable doulas to provide care.  

• Shelter access: Shelter residents faced inconsistent doula access due to delays in caseworker approvals or outright denials by shelter staff. Doulas experienced difficulties gaining access to clients living in shelters, with 33 (49%) of the 68 doula respondents saying that their clients were difficult to access or inaccessible.  

• Language gaps: While six of the seven CDI vendors stated they could provide services in Spanish, less than half of the vendors could provide services in other languages; only 3-out of-7 CDI vendors offer services in Haitian Creole, 2 in French, and 1 each in Cantonese and Mandarin—limiting access for non-English speakers. 

To address the findings and continue to improve this successful program, the auditors propose that DOHMH: 

• Improve data collection to ensure more timely and efficient data reporting to identify the effectiveness of doula services on the reduction of negative birth outcomes and maternal mortality. 

• Increase the number of non-English-speaking doulas. 

• Continue to work with DHS to increase doula access to clients in shelters. 

• Continue to promote doula-friendly policies in hospitals and expand doula incorporation into hospital birthing teams. 

• Incorporate client satisfaction surveys into their data collection procedures and evaluate satisfaction by vendor, analyzing differences in practice that may affect satisfaction. 

Read the full audit: https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/audit-report-on-the-new-york-city-department-of-health-and-mental-hygienes-oversight-of-doula-programs-in-underserved-neighborhoods

Real Estate Developer Charged And Pleads Guilty To Multi-Year Investment Fraud Scheme

 

Barry Breeman Stole Millions of Dollars From Investors in Purported Latin American Real Estate Development Projects

Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Edward Gallashaw, the Acting Inspector in Charge of the New York Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), announced the filing of an Information charging BARRY BREEMAN with engaging in a scheme to defraud investors who believed they were investing in real estate developments.  BREEMAN also entered a guilty plea to the Information in a proceeding before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron.  The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods.   

U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said: “As he admitted in federal court, Barry Breeman stole more than $13 million dollars from dozens of investors. He falsely represented to investors that they were investing in valuable real estate projects, but in reality, Breeman had no connection to these investments and pocketed their money.  Breeman’s conduct has led to his conviction, and he now faces serious time in federal prison for his fraud scheme.” 

USPIS Acting Inspector in Charge Edward Gallashaw said: “Investors placed their trust in Breeman, who devised a scheme to mislead and defraud investors out of more than $13 million.  His arrest demonstrates that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to investigating fraud and bringing to justice those who break the rule of law.”

According to the allegations contained in the Information:

From at least in or about 2018, up to and including at least in or about 2024, BREEMAN solicited investments in various real estate projects through false and misleading statements and then misappropriated investor funds by diverting them for personal use.

For years, BREEMAN worked as a real estate developer specializing in projects in Latin America.  In or about 2018, after suffering a professional setback in his legitimate real estate business, BREEMAN began to solicit investments in sham real estate projects to make up for the loss of income in his legitimate business.  In particular, BREEMAN encouraged prospective investors to buy limited partnership interests in certain Latin American real estate deals by sending them promotional photographs, prospectuses, and business projections and by promising quarterly distributions. BREEMAN, however, fabricated these investment opportunities and, in fact, often had neither a connection to the projects he promoted nor authority to sell partnership interests in them.

When investors did send BREEMAN money, he applied their funds to personal expenses, among other things, and did not use investor funds to develop the real estate projects he had described.  BREEMAN obtained more than $13 million from approximately 30 investors during the course of his fraud scheme.

BREEMAN, 75, of Tuxedo Park, New York, is charged with one count of securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the USPIS. 

New Yorkers for Parks - Mayor's parks budget comes up short; Rally on 5/13!

 

Mayor Adams' FY26 budget fails to allocate millions in restorations for NYC Parks staffing/programs, leaving parks dirtier, less accessible, and less safe and jeopardizing New Yorkers’ livelihoods and quality of life. Read the official Play Fair statement.

How can you help? Rally with Play Fair in City Hall Park this Tuesday, May 13 at 11am, and testify at the NYC Parks budget hearing.

Join us as we double down on our demands: a full restoration of cuts to ensure safe parks, expand our urban forest, invest in key jobs and programs, and improve New Yorkers’ quality of life.

After the rally, testify at the budget hearing in City Hall. Registration is not required for in-person testimony. If you plan to testify, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team for support!

Share with park-loving friends, families and colleagues. We hope to see you there.

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