Borough President Diaz Denounces
Anti-Muslim Bias Attack in Parkchester
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January 19, 2016: Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. talks with Mujibur Rahman, who was picking up his nine-year-old niece from the school when he was attacked for being dressed in traditional Muslim garb.
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Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was joined, on Tuesday, by Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda and members of the local Community to protest the Friday evening anti-Muslim attack on Bengali man dressed in traditional Muslim garb.
Bronx resident, Mujibur Rahman, 43, was picking up his nine-year-old niece from P.S. 119, when he was attacked by two masked teens, yelling "ISIS" -- in reference to the Islamic State group, leaving Rahman bloodied and bruised with swollen eye.
"The Bronx is one of the most diverse places in the world, and we celebrate that diversity every single day. Friday's hateful attack on a Muslim individual in Parkchester is in no way representative of the shared values of the people of this borough.
"An attack on one of us over race, religion, gender or sexual orientation is an attack on us all. The people of The Bronx are united in their condemnation of this abhorrent incident. My office will continue to work with the New York City Police Department and community leaders to bring the perpetrators to justice. We wish the victim of this attack a speedy recovery, and our thoughts are with him and his family during this difficult time," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
Anyone with information about this attack can contact the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-TIPS.
BP Diaz Criticizes "Bag Fee" Legislation
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. has issued a letter expressing his strong concerns about Intro 0209-2014, more commonly known as the "bag fee" legislation. While the legislation seeks to protect the environment, Borough President Diaz is concerned that it places that burden on low-income New Yorkers and seniors that are struggling to pay bills, and represents a regressive tax.
"The bill operates like a regressive tax, and will not yield the environmental goals the legislation hopes to achieve," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. "Higher-income New Yorkers will not be motivated to change their behaviors through this proposed fee, and lower income New Yorkers will bear the brunt of this proposal. While the environmental goals of this legislation are laudable, the methods are flawed."
The complete letter can be read here: http://on.nyc.gov/1ORLHrH.
Borough President Diaz noted that there are multiple alternatives to achieving environmentally-friendly ends without negatively impacting low-income individuals and families. He added that the City should explore public education campaigns, a free bag distribution program for low-income New Yorkers, better bag recycling programs and bans on some types of bags, among other proposals.
"More creative and less punitive options should be explored that would actually achieve the intended purpose as opposed to encumbering low-income people whose demanding lives make it challenging to bring cloth bags to run every errand, exposing them to this regressive, backdoor tax," wrote Borough President Diaz in his letter to Council Member Brad Lander, the chief sponsor of the legislation.
