STATEMENT FROM MAYOR DE BLASIO ON SCOTUS DECISION ON MUSLIM TRAVEL BAN AND OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO -  “This ban is institutionalized Islamophobia, promoted under the guise of national security. Banning people from our country on the basis of religion is an affront to our founding ideals. With this decision, the highest court in the land has sent a message of exclusion and division across the globe. As our President tries to build walls, New York City will continue to welcome people from all over the world to our shores, from all faith traditions. Our values have helped make our city the safest big city in the United States – and they are what make America great.”

CONGRESSMAN JOE CROWLEY - “This decision will be remembered as one where the Supreme Court of the United States legitimized discrimination and religious intolerance. This is a deeply shameful decision that strikes at the heart of the principles our nation was founded on and the values we hold dear as Americans.

“Instituting a religious test and vilifying refugees seeking asylum is immoral, ignorant, and hateful. President Trump’s Muslim Ban is the antithesis to everything we stand for, and we will continue to fight against this policy and this administration’s xenophobic and intolerant agenda.”

Council Member Andy King - "I have heard many today call the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the President's travel ban 'un-American'.  This is because we are a nation of values, and in a nation of many racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds, we hold the value of pluralism paramount.  The President clearly stated he wanted to ban individuals from Muslim countries, so I agree with Justice Sotomayor's dissent that it's ridiculous to ignore this reality despite tacking on North Korea and Venezuela to the list.  At this time of national conflict, let us not forget our national history of segregation and attempts to legally divide us to strengthen white, Christian communities.  From the origins of the 3/5th Clause in our constitution, some of us have been legally defined as less than, utilized to justify behavior from the discriminatory to the inhumane.  As a black man whose ancestors were kidnapped, shackled and lynched, I stand with my Muslim brothers and sisters in solidarity against efforts to allow the cancer of white supremacy into our policies and statutes to discriminate."

STATE SENATOR GUSTAVO RIVERA - "I am profoundly appalled and disgusted, but not surprised, by today's Supreme Court 5-4 ruling to uphold the Trump administration's restriction on travel to the United States from 7 countries, including 5 majority Muslim countries. I unequivocally condemn and denounce this hateful immigration policy as it will limit the granting of visas to travelers from Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.

While there is no question that our national security is of great importance, we cannot mask this racist policy as an attempt to better secure our borders. It was carefully designed to blatantly discriminate against people of certain religions and nationalities, which goes against the principles and values embedded in our Constitution. We are closing our doors to individuals who not only want to see and experience our country, but more importantly, to those escaping extreme physical and economic strife.

I remain committed to resisting this administration's efforts to discriminate against people, whether it be based on their nationality, race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. #NoTravelBanEVER."

Council Member Jumaane D. Williams - "The Supreme Court's ruling today enables institutionalized bigotry, codified racism. The Muslim Ban, or so-called travel ban, is unconscionable, a denial of rights and of humanity on the basis of a person's faith. The policy is as vicious, illogical, racist, and inexcusable today as when it was first enacted and protestors flooded airports across the country."

"Just two weeks ago, the Supreme Court found a "hostility" towards religion in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case. Now, given the President's past hate speech and hateful policies, they found none, and it seems clear that this depends on the religion in question."

"The conservative takeover of this court is disastrous and dangerous. I suspect that today's court would have ruled against Oliver Brown in 1954, Homer Plessy in 1896, or  Dred Scott in 1857, when it was argued that Scott had "No rights which the white man was bound to respect," enabling injustice against vulnerable populations, as they have today."

I am committed to continuing this fight in New York and across the country."

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW By Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz

FBI INVESTIGATES THE MAYOR OF SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

You should know that rumor has it the National Puerto Rican Day Parade Board of Directors has quietly decided to dedicate next year’s parade to the Mayor of San Juan Puerto Rico, the Honorable Carmen Yulin Cruz, in order to help her aspiration of becoming the Governor of Puerto Rico.

But now, it is important for you to know the Mayor of San Juan Puerto Rico, Carmen Yulin Cruz, and her administration are being investigated by the FBI for corruption - according to many Puerto Rican news media outlets.

Among the Puerto Rican news media outlets reporting this conduct are: El Vocero de Puerto Rico, theBlaze.com, Telemundo PR and many others.

Mayor Yulin Cruz and her administration are under fire for allegedly obstructing critical supplies from reaching victims of the Category-4 Hurricane, Maria, that leveled much of the small island of Puerto Rico less than a year ago. 

You should know my dear reader that for many weeks after Hurricane Maria, Mayor Yulin Cruz made headlines for her comments about President Trump and the Governor of Puerto Rico’s administration slow response to the victims of Puerto Rico. It now appears it was not Governor Rosello and President Trump’s slow aid keeping the supplies from reaching the residents of San Juan, but hers, according to the Epoch Times report.

I don’t know how the FBI investigation will affect the future plans to dedicate next year’s National Puerto Rican Day Parade to Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz. Nor do I know if Mayor Yulin Cruz’s aspiration to run for Governor of Puerto Rico will have to be put on ice.

As I used to say, back in those days to my friends Jose Rivera and Isreal Martinez “We’ll see”.

This is Councilman Rev Ruben Diaz, Sr and this is what you should know.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Reverend Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr., you should tell your son Ruben Diaz Jr., and Bronx Democratic County Leader Marcos Crespo of this.

Didn't your son Ruben Diaz Jr. help remove your friend Jose Rivera as the Bronx Democratic County Leader?

That is what you need to know.

A.G. Underwood Announces Sentencing Of Registered Nurse Who Stole Over $390,000 From Medicaid

Private RN Collins Anyanwu-Mueller Defrauded Medicaid by Submitting False Claims for Severely Disabled Patients for Nearly Five Years 

Anyanwu-Mueller Sentenced to 1 Year in Jail, Agreed to Pay Full Restitution 

  Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood today announced the sentencing of registered nurse Collins Anyanwu-Mueller, 48, of Seymour, Connecticut, for stealing over $390,000 from Medicaid. On November 2, 2017, Anyanwu-Mueller pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a Class D felony, after an investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s office revealed that, over the course of nearly five years, Anyanwu-Mueller submitted false claims for private duty nursing services that he never provided to severely disabled patients.

Anyanwu-Mueller was sentenced in Westchester County Court in White Plains by the Honorable Barry H. Warhit to one year in jail. Prior to sentencing Anyanwu-Mueller paid the State of New York $25,000 and has agreed to pay the remaining $367,954 in restitution owed.

“The Medicaid home care program is meant to provide vital care to severely disabled New Yorkers,” said Attorney General Underwood. “Fraudsters who rip off Medicaid will be caught and prosecuted.”

An investigation by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) uncovered that between August 2010 and January 2015, Anyanwu-Mueller submitted claims for payment to Medicaid in which he falsely represented that he provided private-duty nursing services to two severely disabled Medicaid recipients. Anyanwu-Mueller’s false claims included instances when the recipients were in the hospital, when another nurse provided the care, when he was in Europe, when he was caring for another Medicaid recipient, and for an extended period when he sent an unlicensed person to the recipient’s home but billed Medicaid as if he provided the care himself. Both Medicaid recipients required around-the-clock care at their respective homes located in New Rochelle and Pleasantville, New York.

The Attorney General thanks the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General for its referral in this matter.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Sues Herbal Drug Manufacturer For Selling Misbranded And Unapproved Drugs In Violation Of The Federal Food, Drug, And Cosmetic Act

  Geoffrey Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Melinda Plaisier, Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), announced today the filing of a Complaint against defendants RAHSAN A. HAKIM (“Hakim”) and ADONIIAH A. RAHSAN (“Rahsan”) for repeated violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.  HAKIM and RAHSAN do business as Sundial Herbal Products. 

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said:  “As alleged in the complaint, the defendants are the modern incarnation of snake oil salesmen, selling the unsuspecting public unapproved or misbranded drugs that they claim, without basis, will cure cancer, diabetes, and other serious illnesses.  They have repeatedly been warned that their conduct violates the law, yet have continued to sell unapproved, adulterated, and misbranded drugs.  Our lawsuit seeks an injunction preventing them from continuing this illegal conduct.”

FDA Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs Melinda Plaisier said:  “Dietary supplements pose a public health risk when they claim to treat medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes or cancer, which puts them into the category of misbranded and unapproved drugs.  The FDA will continue to take action to protect the public when companies violate the law.”

The Complaint, filed today in federal court in Manhattan, alleges that defendants manufacture and sell various unapproved drugs and dietary supplements that claim to cure, treat, and/or prevent numerous diseases and conditions, including but not limited to syphilis, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, asthma, heart disease, and cancer.  None of their products has been tested or approved by the FDA for safety or effectiveness.  Their sale of such products poses a threat to public health because the products’ disease treatment claims may cause consumers to delay appropriate medical care for the serious medical issues described above.  Further, defendants cannot guarantee the identity, purity, strength, and composition of their dietary supplements.

Defendants have been inspected by the FDA multiple times, and, despite repeated promises to do so, have failed to correct their violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.           

The Complaint seeks an order enjoining defendants from manufacturing and selling drugs and dietary supplements in violation of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Mr. Berman thanked the FDA for its work leading to the Complaint.

A.G. Underwood Announces Election Day Hotline To Protect Voter Access During June Federal Primary Election

Voters Experiencing Problems Can Call 800-771-7755 Or Email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov Between 6AM And 9PM On Election Day

Attorney General’s Hotline Troubleshoots A Range Of Election Day Issues

  Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood announced her office’s Election Day Hotline, which will help troubleshoot and resolve a range of issues encountered by voters at the polls during the federal primary election on Tuesday, June 26^th. The Attorney General urges voters experiencing problems or issues at the polls to call the office’s hotline at 800-771-7755 or email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov at any time between 6:00 AM and 9:00 PM on Tuesday. The hotline will be staffed by attorneys and staff in the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Bureau.

“All eligible voters deserve equal access at the polls,” Attorney General Underwood said. “Any New Yorker who encounters barriers to voting should immediately contact our office.”

Voters registered in New York City trying to find their poll site can click here. Voters registered outside New York City trying to find their poll site canclick here. 

The Attorney General’s Office has operated the voter access hotline since November 2012. During previous elections, the office fielded hundreds – and sometimes thousands – of complaints from voters across the state and worked with local election officials and others to address issues. The Election Day hotline is part of the office’s ongoing effort to reduce barriers to voting.

Attorney General Underwood reminds all registered voters that they have the right to accessible elections. In addition, all registered voters have the right to vote free from coercion or intimidation, whether by election officials or any other person.

The office will receive and respond to election-related complaints relating to any of the statutes that the office enforces. 

STATEMENT FROM SENATOR RIVERA ON THE BRUTAL MURDER OF LESANDRO 'JUNIOR' GUZMAN-FELIZ

  "Like the rest of our community, I am profoundly disturbed and outraged by last week's murder of 15-year old Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman-Feliz. The sheer brutality and complete lack of humanity demonstrated by those who perpetrated this heinous crime, are difficult to comprehend. These criminals have left Junior's mother, family, and friends facing an excruciatingly painful loss, and an entire community mourning a young, talented Bronxite with a bright future ahead of him.

I commend the exhaustive efforts of the NYPD and our community as a whole, as they worked together to identify those responsible and bring them to justice. As a result, five suspects in Junior's murder are currently in police custody. If charged and found guilty, it is my hope they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I would also like to echo the NYPD's message urging Bronxites to not answer violence with violence either on the streets or through social media. We need to and must do better than that.

Finally, I ask you to join us today at a vigil that will be held on E. 183rd Street and Bathgate Avenue at 6:00pm to honor Junior's life while demanding the justice his family deserves. #JusticeForJunior."

EDITOR'S NOTE:

It is nice that State Senator Gustavo Rivera could take time out of his tour of Texas to come back to his district for this event.

So, State Senator Gustavo Rivera, what are you going to do to try to prevent this from happening again?

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES MAJOR RENOVATIONS FOR 2,400 NYCHA APARTMENTS

Innovative public private partnership will generate $400 million for critically needed repairs without raising rent

  Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today a commitment from the New York City Housing Authority to renovate nearly 2,400 apartments across 21 public housing developments in Brooklyn and Manhattan. The $400 million in upgrades will be made possible through the HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration program, which converts apartments’ funding to the Section 8 program. These homes will be permanently affordable and maintained by quality private property managers. The 5,300 residents at these developments will retain all their rights as public housing residents, continue to be charged their current rent, and remain in their buildings during the renovations, which will include new kitchens and bathrooms; replacing windows, elevators, boilers and roofs; and improved common areas. NYCHA will begin selecting development teams for the construction and management work this fall, with renovations on the first buildings beginning in 2019.

NYCHA also announced new private management and construction teams to oversee $80+ million in renovations for 700 NYCHA apartments with 1,000 residents at Baychester and Murphy Houses in the Bronx. These developments have had no consistent funding stream since the State of New York divested them in 1998. Using a program similar to RAD, they are also being converted to NYCHA’s Section 8 program to raise funds, complete badly needed repairs, and efficiently oversee day-to-day operations. The renovations on these units will begin this fall.  This conversion prevents these unfunded units from falling into complete disrepair and protects their affordability along with residents’ rights. These RAD and unfunded renovations will all be complete by 2023.

The Mayor made today’s announcement at Campos Plaza I, a 875-apartment complex on the Lower East Side that recently underwent renovations under the Section 8 model, with drastic improvements in the health, safety and quality of residents’ homes.

“All New Yorkers deserve to live in safe and decent housing, which is why we’ve been investing in NYCHA since the first day of my Administration to reverse the decades of neglect,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “The City is leveraging every tool available to deliver critically needed repairs without raising the rent. We will never stop fighting to improve the quality of life for NYCHA residents.”

“As we strive to preserve public and affordable housing for future generations, RAD is one of the clear paths forward to get residents the repairs they need while keeping them in their homes despite the federal government continuing to cut back its public housing support,” said NYCHA Interim Chair and CEO Stanley Brezenoff. “Through public-private partnerships, millions of dollars will be brought to these homes, improving resident quality of life and guaranteeing they stay affordable.”

RAD is an innovative tool from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that lets public housing authorities permanently preserve public housing developments as affordable homes and make necessary repairs. In New York City, RAD includes collaboration between the Authority, NYCHA residents, development partners, and community and housing advocates, and it is a key part of Next Generation NYCHA, the Authority’s long term strategic plan to create financial stability and improve residents’ lives. 

NYCHA will begin resident engagement this summer at the 21 developments across Manhattan and Brooklyn:

Manhattan sites: 

·         335 East 111th Street

·         Manhattanville Rehab (Group 2)

·         Manhattanville Rehab (Group 3)

·         Park Avenue-East 122nd, 123rd Streets

·         Public School 139 (Conversion)

·         Samuel (MHOP) I

·         Samuel (MHOP) II

·         Samuel (MHOP) III

·         Washington Heights Rehab (Groups 1&2)

·         Washington Heights Rehab Phase III

·         Washington Heights Rehab Phase IV (C)

·         Washington Heights Rehab Phase IV (D)

·         Fort Washington Avenue Rehab

·         Grampion

Brooklyn sites: 

·         Armstrong I

·         Armstrong II

·         572 Warren Street

·         Berry Street-South 9th Street

·         Marcy Avenue-Greene Avenue Site A

·         Marcy Avenue-Greene Avenue Site B

·         Weeksville Gardens

New York City is using innovative strategies to generate revenue for repairs in public housing. With today's announcement, there are currently nearly 8,900 NYCHA RAD and unfunded apartments in resident engagement, predevelopment, or development for comprehensive capital repairs, and the City is on track to complete all 20,000 apartments by 2025. In the Next Generation NYCHA plan, the City committed to renovating 15,000 apartments through RAD and that all 5,000 unsubsidized apartments receive subsidy by 2025.  The 1,400 apartments at Ocean Bay have completely new interiors, hydronic boilers on every roof, and upgraded elevators with RAD. In addition to the 2,400 RAD units being announced today, there are 3,100 RAD apartments in predevelopment.  In addition to the 700 apartments at Baychester and Murphy, NYCHA has started resident engagement on 1,300 additional unfunded units.  

For Baychester and Murphy, NYCHA will partner with MBD Community Housing Corporation, Camber Property Group, and L+M Development Partners. This development team was chosen based on their experience and capacity for both development and property management, their financial proposal, and the quality of their proposed rehabilitation scope of work. The development team will partner with BronxWorks to provide tailored social services to the residents. The development partner will begin making repairs as early as 2019. Residents will play a major role in finalizing the rehab scope for their developments, including kitchen and bathroom upgrades in every apartment, replacing the existing boilers, and improvements to common areas, outdoor spaces, and community centers to create a stronger sense of pride and belonging among residents. All repairs will be done while keeping the residents in place.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Today's announcement is not enough. By 2025 this small part of the work should be finished? 

This mayor and the next mayor should be made to live with those NYCHA residents who are not going to get repairs until who knows when?

Cynthia Nixon and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Announce Dual-Endorsement

Citing a shared interest in taking on centrist, corporate Democrats, Nixon and Ocasio-Cortez throw support behind each other’s progressive campaigns

  Democratic candidate for governor, Cynthia Nixon today publicly announced her support for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is running in the Tuesday's congressional primary to unseat Rep. Joseph Crowley in New York’s 14th District. Ocasio-Cortez also announced her support for Cynthia’s bid for governor in the September 13 primary as they both take on status quo incumbents, whose political careers have been financed by big-money banks, luxury real estate developers and multigenerational political machines. Later today, both candidates will appear in Queens together.

"I am proud to endorse Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress,” said Cynthia. “She represents the future of the Democratic Party.  Alexandria and I are joining together to take on the old boys club, rejecting corporate money, and run people-powered campaigns that envision a progressive New York that serves the many, not just the few who can afford to buy influence. Like thousands of other women across the country who are running for office for the first time this year, we looked at who is in charge and the job they were doing and realized that if we want things to finally change, we’re going to have to step up and do it ourselves."

Both Cynthia and Ocasio-Cortez are running progressive, people-powered campaigns grounded in racial and economic justice. Like thousands of women across the country, both are running for office for the first time and challenging establishment politicians to fight for a fairer, more progressive New York. In stark contrast to Cuomo and Crowley, both campaigns are rejecting any corporate donations. Cynthia and Ocasio-Cortez have publicly supported the abolishment of ICE, single-payer health care, and 100% renewable energy, among other progressive priorities.

“Movements are built when communities come together. For too long, New York machine politics has drifted away from the communities they were originally supposed to serve. Today I am honored to join fellow fighter Cynthia Nixon in the advancement of dignified healthcare, housing, and education for all, in one concerted movement for a New York for the many. Cynthia and I both have roots in educational work, and her nonstop fight for working families resonates with me deeply. Together, it is my hope that Cynthia and I can propose the notion that New York’s elections don’t have to be foregone conclusions - they can be earned opportunities for change.”

Before New York voters head to the polls this Tuesday, June 26th, to vote in the Congressional primary, Cynthia will visit Ocasio-Cortez’s district today to meet with constituents and discuss the need for more progressive, and more diverse Democratic Party in New York and across the country. The New York gubernatorial primary election will take place on September 13.