PUBLIC ADVOCATE'S STATEMENT ON RIKERS FEDERAL MONITOR CALLING FOR OUTSIDE INTERVENTION

 

"I thank the federal monitor for recognizing the need that I and others have seen – for state and federal outside support to help address the crisis on Rikers that has taken two lives in the last few days. The Mayor finally agreeing to visit Rikers next week, as a result of sustained pressure rather than his sense of duty, does not excuse his long absence in presence or leadership. The monitor is right that the city’s role in allowing this emergency to grow and its failure to respond with the necessary speed and scope have made it clear that additional personnel and resources are needed on the island as we work to simultaneously decarcerate and safely return staff to work. 

"Urgent aid from an outside entity is needed to restore and protect the health and safety of incarcerated people and staff alike. At the same time, care and caution is critical to ensure any outside presence alleviates, rather than adds to, the chaos and confusion inside. New personnel should be focused on medical, humanitarian, and administrative intervention. They must be incorporated with clear instructions and clear command structures to meet the clear need – not for carceral enforcement, but for disaster relief."

THIS SUNDAY! 2021 LONGWOOD FESTIVAL VOL. 2

 

THIS SUNDAY! 2021 LONGWOOD FESTIVAL VOL. 2 This Sunday, September 26th from 12pm - 6pm we will be hosting our 2021 Longwood Festival, Vol. 2!. Join us for a fun-filled day with performances from George Lamond, Los Hermanos Moreno and our featured headliner, El Bachatero LUIS VARGAS! See flyer below for more details. See you there!

99 Days and Counting

 

Another day is gone and I have only ninety-nine days left in office. At least I didn't hear those pesky reporters ask me 'Mayor de Blasio, when are you going to visit Rikers Island'. I'll go when I want to go, when we get staffing up to a safe level, and the guards can control the jail.

I have to start packing now, because it will take that much time for me and Charlene to remove all the things we want to keep from Gracie Mansion. You know Charlene and I had a good eight years in Gracie Mansion and I expect to take much of the fond memories.

Amazon Releases Workforce Demographic Data Following Push by Comptroller Stringer and NYC Funds

 

 Amazon has publicly released the company’s EEO-101 workforce demographic data for 2019 and 2020 following a concerted push by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer and three New York City Retirement Systems. The Consolidated EEO-1 Report is the “gold standard” for diversity disclosure and will enable investors to evaluate the performance of portfolio companies in terms of their ability to hire, retain, and promote employees of color and women. Amazon last released its EEO-1 report in 2016.

“This information is critical for transparency and shareholders,” said Comptroller Stringer. “Amazon’s public disclosure of its workforce demographic data will help investors better understand the company’s labor practices, identify areas for improvement, and benchmark diversity performance. The release of this data brings us another step closer to ensuring companies’ commitment to equity and diversity, but we have more to do. We will continue to hold corporate America accountable and set the tone for EEO-1 disclosure across U.S. public companies.”

As of July 31, 2021, the New York City Pension Funds’ have $2.38 billion invested in Amazon.

In July 2020, Comptroller Stringer and the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, the Teachers Retirement System of the City of New York and the New York City Board of Education Retirement System called on S&P 100 companies to match their public statements in support of racial equality, diversity and inclusion with concrete action by publicly disclosing their annual EEO-1 workforce demographic data. Prior to the launch of the Comptroller’s campaign, only 14 S&P 100 companies disclosed their Consolidated EEO-1 Report.  The Comptroller and three NYC funds subsequently submitted shareowner proposals to two initially unresponsive companies, and to a third company as a continuation of an historical previous engagement.  As of today, a substantial majority of S&P 100 companies disclose, or have committed to disclose their EEO-1 data, including 67 S&P companies that have begun or committed to disclose as a result of the push made by Comptroller Stringer and the NYC Funds:

!00 Bottles of Beer on the Wall, or Days and Counting

 

That's right, I have one hundred days left in office. Will you pesky reporters stop asking me when I am going to go to Rikers Island. In one hundred and one days when I am out of office.

Next month it will be City Hall in Brooklyn, or should I save that for my last week in office. That way I won't have far to go when I leave office. There is only one thing I love more than Brooklyn, and that is Boston and the Red Sox. At least tomorrow I have no media availability and will not have to sit through those pesky reporters questions. Mayor de Blasio, when are you going to visit Riker's Island. My answer should be when it becomes the runway for 747's to land on as they finally can land at Laguardia Airport.

MAYOR DE BLASIO NAMES ANITA LAREMONT AS CHAIR OF THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION

 Mayor Bill de Blasio today appointed Anita Laremont as the next Chair of the City Planning Commission and Director of the Department of City Planning (DCP). Laremont, who has served as the Executive Director of the Department of City Planning since 2018, will begin her role immediately. Laremont succeeds outgoing chair Marisa Lago, who was tapped by the Biden Administration to join the U.S. Department of Commerce.

“Anita Laremont brings vision and experience to the City Planning Commission, and she will be a tireless fighter for more equitable, inclusive, and dynamic neighborhoods across the five boroughs,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “She has an extraordinary record of success at the Department of City Planning, and I know she will continue that legacy of service to her city in this new role.”

 

“Anita is one of the smartest, savviest, most dedicated public servants I’ve had the pleasure of working with,” said Vicki Been, Deputy Mayor of Housing and Economic Development. “New Yorkers are fortunate to have her at the helm as we move forward on key planning initiatives that will keep our city on a path to an equitable recovery for all.”

 

“I am honored to be named Chair of the City Planning Commission and Director of the Department of City Planning, where I lead teams of talented data, environmental, legal and tech experts, planners and urban designers, and so many others, as we continue the urgent work of bringing New York City back from this deadly pandemic. My deep appreciation goes to Mayor de Blasio, Deputy Mayor Vicki Been, my staff at DCP and my fellow commissioners, all of whom pour their heart and soul into advancing the twin goals of equity and sustainability for all New Yorkers,” said Anita Laremont.

 

Laremont first joined DCP as General Counsel in 2014. Before that, Laremont was a partner in the law firm of Harris Beach PLLC, where she had a real estate, land use and government agency practice. Laremont previously served for more than 16 years as General Counsel of the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), New York State’s primary economic development entity. While at ESDC, Laremont was involved with numerous large-scale economic development and land-use projects in New York City and throughout the state, including transformative projects such as the 42nd Street Development Project, Brooklyn Bridge Park and Governors Island.

 

Laremont has served as a Trustee of the Citizens Budget Commission, and as Co-Chair of its Economic Development Committee. She is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the State Bar and the American Bar Association. Among a number of board affiliations, she currently serves as First Vice-Chair and Chair of the Development Committee at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens in Staten Island, where she resides.

 

Laremont is a magna cum laude graduate of Mount Holyoke College, and received her J.D. from the New York University School of Law, where she was a Root Tilden Scholar.

CONSUMER ALERT: Attorney General James Seeks to Protect New Yorkers’ Wallets by Urging ShrubBucket Customers to File Bankruptcy Claim

 

Affected Consumers Should File Priority Claim by This Coming Monday, September 27, 2021

 New York Attorney General Letitia James today issued an alert, urging New York customers of ShrubBucket to immediately file a claim in the company’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings if they are owed money for undelivered services or products. ShrubBucket — an internet company based out of Ithaca, New York that sells plants, shrubs, and trees — filed for bankruptcy on June 18, 2021, but continued to wrongfully accept deposits from consumers up to a week prior to its bankruptcy filing. Consumers who were affected are encouraged to file a priority claim by this coming Monday, September 27, 2021 to secure a refund.

“As New Yorkers continue to recover and rebuild from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential that companies meet their obligations to consumers and do not dig themselves out of a hole by preying on customers,” said Attorney General James. “ShrubBucket knew it could not deliver services to New Yorkers, but still thought it could hedge some of its losses by charging for products days before the company filed for bankruptcy. All ShrubBucket customers who made a purchase but were not provided what was being advertised are encouraged to file a priority claim immediately to secure their refunds. My office is committed to rooting out fraud.”

ShrubBucket — which operated out of facilities in New York, Ohio, New Jersey, and Connecticut — personally delivered products to consumers’ homes at a lower cost than retail stores. The company filed for bankruptcy on June 18, 2021, yet continued to accept deposits from consumers as recent as a week prior to its bankruptcy filing. After receiving multiple complaints regarding the company’s practices, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) began an investigation. Upon review of ShrubBucket’s bankruptcy filing, the OAG found that more than 2,000 consumers paid deposits in May of 2021, but the company never fulfilled its orders or provided refunds.

As ShrubBucket undergoes bankruptcy proceedings, the OAG encourages any affected consumers to file a 507(a)(7) priority claim to secure their refund. The last date to file proofs of claim is this upcoming Monday, September 27, 2021.

If consumers previously filed proofs of claim for products that were paid for and never received, then they should file an unsecured priority claim. Consumers who have already filed unsecured claims but did not file a 507(a)(7) priority claim may amend their filing. To amend a claim, individuals will need to check the “yes” box in response to question number 4 and input their claim number (if known) to show that this is an amended claim. Additionally, they will also need to input the claim amount in response to question number 7 and check “yes” in the second box (labeled “up to $3,025...”) in response to question number 12 and input the amount on that line. 

All proofs of claim should be completed and mailed to: United States Bankruptcy Court, James M. Hanley Federal Building, 100 South Clinton Street, Room 315, PO Box 7008, Syracuse, NY 13261-7008.

Queens Man Sentenced To 30 Years In Prison For Kidnapping That Resulted In The Murder Of 24-Year-Old Woman

 

 Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that JAVIER ENRIQUE DA SILVA ROJAS (the “defendant” or “DA SILVA”) was sentenced today to 360 months in prison for kidnapping Valerie Reyes (the “Victim”) in New Rochelle, New York and unlawfully transporting her to Connecticut, where her body was found approximately a week later.  DA SILVA, who was arrested in Flushing, Queens in February 2019, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Vincent Briccetti on February 4, 2020.

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss stated: “Javier Da Silva committed a horrific kidnapping that resulted in the death of a young woman.  In the days after, he used her ATM card to empty her bank account and then attempted to cover up the evidence of his conduct. Valerie Reyes, the victim of this crime, was in the prime of her life when it was senselessly ended by Da Silva’s abhorrent act. Those who commit violence, especially those who kill, will not escape justice.”

According to the Indictment and other court documents, as well as statements made in public court proceedings:

DA SILVA and the Victim, who was 24 years old at the time of her death, were previously in a romantic relationship, which ended in approximately April 2018.  In the late evening of January 28, 2019, DA SILVA rented a car from a garage in Flushing, New York and drove to the Victim’s residence in New Rochelle, New York, arriving in the early morning hours of January 29, 2019.  Before he entered the Victim’s home, DA SILVA switched his phone to “airplane mode.”  Sometime after DA SILVA entered the Victim’s apartment, DA SILVA and the Victim had a violent altercation, during which the Victim suffered head trauma, bruising around the face, and a large hematoma to her forehead.  DA SILVA then kidnapped the Victim—covering her mouth with several layers of packing tape and binding her feet and hands with packing tape and twine and putting her in a suitcase—before disposing of her body, still inside the suitcase, in Connecticut.  Over the ensuing days, DA SILVA used the Victim’s debit card on various occasions to withdraw approximately $5,350 in cash from her bank account.  DA SILVA also sold an iPad belonging to the Victim in the days following her death.

On January 30, 2019, the Victim was reported missing to the New Rochelle Police Department.  A few days later, on February 5, 2019, her body was recovered in a red suitcase alongside a public road in the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut.  The Connecticut Medical Examiner’s Office later concluded that the Victim died of homicidal asphyxiation.

DA SILVA, 25, pled guilty to one count of kidnapping.  In addition to the prison term, DA SILVA was sentenced to two years of supervised release.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding work of the FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, which comprises agents and detectives from the FBI, Yonkers Police Department, Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, Westchester County Police Department, Peekskill Police Department, Mount Vernon Police Department, New York City Police Department, and U.S. Probation, as well as the FBI New Haven Division, the New Rochelle Police Department, the Greenwich Police Department, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, and the Westchester County Real Time Crime Center.