Engel, Dinowitz, Biaggi, Cohen Statement on Student Protest at Ethical Culture Fieldston School

  “The students of the Ethical Culture Fieldston School have very real concerns that must be heard by school administrators and the community. We cannot bury our heads in the sand—the rise in racism, anti-Semitism, and extremism is real and must be confronted all fronts. Accountability is key. Students of color shouldn’t be made to feel unsafe or uncomfortable, period. We will continue to monitor this peaceful demonstration, which can hopefully bring about some lasting, positive changes.”  

EDITOR'S NOTE:

All one has to do is watch the parade of school buses leaving the school to see that the students are not from the local Riverdale area.

PEOPLE DESERVE DECENT HOUSING: COHEN, DINOWITZ, AND ANGRY RESIDENTS DEMAND RESTORATION OF GAS SERVICE

  On a cold afternoon, residents who have been without cooking gas for four months gathered at a rally organized by their local Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Council Member Andrew Cohen, and District Leader Eric Dinowitz. Their demand was simple: restore this basic service without further delay.

  Gas service was disrupted after Con Edison responded to a leak in September 2018. The landlord received a NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) work permit on October 19, 2018 as a result, but tenants reported that they have received no updates from the landlord on the necessary gas line repairs since. Tenants filed numerous complaints with NYC Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), resulting in the issuance of 16 separate violations for failure to provide an adequate supply of cooking gas. The property is managed by Park Drive Management, and HPD lists Jonathan Hoch and Joseph Hoch as the respective managing agent and head officer for the building.

  For months, tenants patiently waited for their landlord to make necessary repairs before finally exhausting their patience and soliciting the assistance of their local elected officials. Tenants have been encouraged to file complaints with the NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) seeking rent reductions for decreased services.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said: “I understand that gas lines can be tricky and I don’t believe that any tenant realistically expected the service outage to be resolved overnight. However, it has been four months and it does not appear that we are any closer to a resolution than we were in September. This is unacceptable and tenants have every right to be outraged.”

Council Member Andrew Cohen said: “For a building to be without gas for over four months is not only unacceptable - it’s cruel! In this instance the permit to make repairs has been obtained, official complaints have been filed by the tenants, and more than a dozen violations have been issued by HPD- and yet nothing has been done. 

District Leader Eric Dinowitz said: "He will be working with the other local elected officials to try to get the gas service restored as quick as possible."

Above and Below - Residents of 3804 Greystone Avenue tell what it has been like not having gas service in the building to cook with. Heat is being provided sparsely through an oil furnace as is the hot water. It does not appear to be a matter of trying to move rent controlled tenants out to convert to a coop like many surrounding buildings converted to coop buildings years ago. 

KLEIN, AVELLA, DINOWITZ, MOSLEY SECURE $2M IN FUNDING TO INCREASE DIVERSITY IN SPECIALIZED HIGH SCHOOLS

State Senator Jeff Klein, State Senator Tony Avella, Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, and Assemblyman Walter T. Mosley announced that the Independent Democratic Conference has secured $2 million dollars in funding to increase diversity in New York City’s Specialized High Schools.

New York City’s Specialized High Schools have seen a shockingly low number of black and Latino students apply for and enroll in recent years. A survey from 2005-2013 showed that despite the fact that black and Latino students made up a majority of rising eighth graders - 71.6 percent - they made up only 52 percent of students who even took the Specialized High School Admission Test.

“A Specialized High School might be a great fit for so many of New York City’s underrepresented students, but we will never know if we don’t ensure that every student has the resources to prepare and apply. That is why I am thrilled that we have secured over $2 million dollars in this year’s state budget in order to establish outreach programs at every Specialized High School, enhance and expand free test preparation for New York City's underrepresented students, and further support Brooklyn Tech’s successful STEM pipeline program for middle school students. By providing resources to these students early, and continuing throughout middle school, we can ensure that every child in the New York City public school system has the same opportunity to learn, grow, and potentially enroll in these prestigious schools,” said Senator Klein.

“Bridging the deep diversity gap that exists in our schools starts with strengthening our students’ foundations. With this funding, we can establish outreach coordinators, provide test prep to underrepresented areas, and support and enhance an already successful middle school pipeline program through the Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation’s STEM program. This is much more than just checking off a box, this is laying the foundation to ensure that every student has an opportunity to enter one of these esteemed schools,” said Senator Avella.

In their proposal released in March, the IDC laid out a plan to increase diversity in the schools’ enrollment, the “New York City Specialized High Schools Diversity Initiative and Gifted and Talented Program Expansion.”

Included in the 2016-17 budget is:

• $350,000 for Outreach Coordinators at each school who will focus on ensuring that students in underrepresented middle schools.

• $650,000 for Test Prep for Middle School Students from Underrepresented Populations to pay for test prep at each Specialized High School.

• $750,000 appropriation to NYC DOE for test prep targeting free and reduced-price lunch students in New York City.

• $250,000 for the Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation to enhance their current, successful middle school pipeline program.

“I am pleased that by working with Senator Klein we were able provide money to increase diversity in New York City’s Specialized High Schools in this year’s budget. The underrepresentation of some minority groups in New York’s Specialized High Schools is indicative of a larger set of challenges that face this city’s educational system today. I am proud to have fought for this proposal, and to be able to provide funding for students to take free test preparation classes, in addition to investing in outreach coordinators at each of the specialized high schools. This funding will go a long way in raising the numbers of potentially qualified minority applicants attending these schools, while maintaining the schools’ academic integrity without changing the objectivity of the entrance exam,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz, a Bronx Science Alum.

"I applaud Speaker Heastie and the Senate Democratic Conference  for implementing the Diversity Initiative for New York City Specialized High Schools in this year's state budget. Assembly member Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx) and myself have championed this proposal in the Assembly. It is critically imperative that we expand the programs that prepare our youth to take the Specialized High School Admission Test. As a member of the Board of Regents My Brothers Keeper Blue Ribbon Panel on improving outcomes for boys and young men of color, we highlighted the need for more advanced programing in a report issued late last year," said Assemblyman Mosley.

Dinowitz, Cohen announce improvements to BxM4 Express Bus schedule

  

New schedule will allow Woodlawn commuters to make it to work on time

   Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz  and Council Member Andrew Cohen announced their successful efforts to adjust the schedule of the BxM4 Express Bus, as requested by numerous commuters who rely on the service each day. On weekdays, the bus service, which connects Woodlawn and other communities in the Bronx with Midtown Manhattan, first reached Midtown at 7:05 a.m., too late for many Woodlawn commuters whose work shifts began at 7:00 a.m. After Assemblyman Dinowitz and Council Member Cohen contacted the MTA regarding this issue, the MTA agreed to adjust the BxM4 bus schedule by having the earliest southbound bus depart ten minutes earlier.

The BxM4 Express Bus schedule will also be adjusted in the afternoon, with the first northbound bus departing from Midtown Manhattan at 4:35 p.m., rather than 4:45 p.m. This change will allow commuters to make it home to their families more quickly. Both schedule changes will go into effect on April 6, 2015.

Assemblyman Dinowitz and Council Member Cohen issued the following statement:

“This is an example of government in action. After hearing from numerous constituents that the existing BxM4 bus schedule was making them late to work and delaying their return home, we urged the MTA to adjust their schedule to adapt to the needs of their passengers. We are pleased that the MTA has agreed to adopt our recommended changes in their spring bus schedule. These small changes will make a big difference to the commuters who rely on this bus to get to work every day. We believe that investment in public transportation can be a virtuous cycle: the more we invest in improving the system, the more people will use it, allowing for further investment. We will continue to advocate for changes that improve the daily commutes of our constituents.”

Dinowitz, Klein Introduce Legislation to Designate Jerome Park as Parkland of NYC

  Today Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx) and State Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) were joined by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and a host of community activists near the Jerome Park Reservoir to introduce new legislation intent on designating Jerome Park as parkland of the city of New York. The bills, A.9681 and S.7467, would set in motion a public process by which most or all of what is known as Jerome Park can either become designated as park lands or lands that can be readily accessible to the general public for recreational use. The space could also be used as an urban wildlife or nature sanctuary.

The perimeter of the Jerome Park Reservoir, which is the area that would be turned into New York City Parkland as a result of this legislation, is currently owned by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).  Access to the land around the reservoir, which is enclosed inside fence, is currently off-limits to the general public.

"The New York City DEP has for years denied our community access to one of our most precious resources-the area around the Jerome Park Reservoir,” Assemblyman Dinowitz said. “Even after the community defeated DEP's plan to build a giant water filtration plant in the Jerome Park Reservoir, The DEP refused to allow residents to get closer to the reservoir. It was only after the strong community opposition to DEP's subsequent plan to construct its monstrosity in Van Cortlandt Park that they decided, suddenly, there was a security risk in allowing people closer to the reservoir. (They didn't believe there was a security risk after 9/11, only after the community stood up to them.)

“This legislation would set in motion a plan that would hopefully designate the area around the Jerome Park Reservoir as parkland. Having grown up across the street from the reservoir, I know firsthand the amazing resource we have and its great potential."  

Senator Klein said: "In a city as large and rich with culture as New York City, open space is an invaluable asset for any community. That's why, partnering with Assemblyman Dinowitz, I am proud to introduce legislation that will help to do just that in Jerome Park in the Bedford Park area of the Bronx. By designating all of all of the green space surrounding the Reservoir park land, in conjunction with launching a community group dedicated to boosting recreational opportunities, we can ensure more local residents and New Yorkers from all neighborhoods experience all that Jerome Park has to offer." 

“The Jerome Park Reservoir is an incredible resource that should be enjoyed by our residents. This community treasure has been left unused for far too long. Northwest Bronx families have a right to enjoy the area around the Jerome Park Reservoir and I am glad that this new legislation will help make this area available for public recreational use. This has been a priority of mine since I became borough president, and I am proud to stand with my colleagues in calling for greater access to the area around the Jerome Park Reservoir as well as greater community involvement in determining the future of one of our Borough’s crown jewels,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

 

Editor's Note - 

There were no photos taken by me, because I was one of the community activists, and now a Community Board 8 member that were recognized for their hard work in stopping the DEP from building the water filtration plant in the reservoir in the late 1990's. I have stayed vigilant advocating for the JPR area and continued as a member of the Environment and Sanitation Committee of Community Board 8, which I hope to Chair after the Community Board 8 elections Tuesday night June 10th.