MAYOR ADAMS AND ATTORNEY GENERAL JAMES FIGHT OPIOID CRISIS WITH FIRST OF $256 MILLION IN PAYMENTS FOR NEW YORK CITY

 

Nearly $89 Million to Be Distributed to New York City This Year From Historic Opioid Settlements

 

Funds Will Be Used for Opioid Treatment and Prevention Across All Five Boroughs

  New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the first of up to $256 million coming to New York City, beginning this week, to combat the opioid crisis that continues to ravage communities across the city. To address record overdose rates, New York City will receive $88.9 million this year — $11.5 million this week alone — to fund opioid prevention and treatment programs in all five boroughs. The funds are the first round of payments from the approximately $1.5 billion that Attorney General James has secured for the state from the historic settlements with manufacturers and distributors of opioids.

 

“Big Pharma raked in billions of dollars while people’s lives were lost and destroyed from opioids,” said Mayor Adams. “One New Yorker dies from an opioid overdose every four hours. Too many New Yorkers have suffered from death and addiction and too many families and communities have been torn apart. It’s time to end this public health crisis, and the $256 million New York City will be receiving thanks to Attorney General James’ good work will be critical in funding opioid treatment programs, education efforts, and other support programs across all five boroughs. This money will help us save lives and I thank Attorney General James for her partnership in fighting to end the opioid crisis.”

 

“Pharmaceutical companies that flooded New York communities with opioids are finally paying for the harm and devastation they caused,” said Attorney General James. “For far too long, opioid makers and distributors created more pain and suffering than they claimed to cure. The settlements my office secured from these companies are a result of our unwavering commitment to hold the powerful accountable and protect New Yorkers. Mayor Adams has been a dedicated partner in this fight, and we will not rest until our communities are free from the scourge of opioids. The money distributed today will help us turn the tide on the opioid crisis and ensure that every New Yorker struggling with addiction gets the help they need.”

 

Today’s payments are the first of many to New York City to tackle the opioid crisis. The first payments come from settlements with opioid distributors — AmerisourceBergen Corporation, Cardinal Health, Inc., and McKesson Corporation. Later this year, New York City will receive additional payments from the settlements with Endo Health Solutions, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and Allergan.

 

As a result of these historic opioid settlements, New York City will receive $88,943,457.57 in 2022, and up to $256,458,972.37 over the course of the payout of the different settlements. More funds could possibly be awarded from a trial victory against Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, where a dollar figure has not yet been determined.

 

Today’s announcement also goes hand-in-hand with an announcement made by U.S. President Joseph Biden today, where he reiterated his commitment to fighting the opioid epidemic. The new strategy announced today tackles two major drivers of overdoses — untreated addiction and drug trafficking — and seeks to remove barriers to effective treatment, as well as to harm reduction services. At the same time, the president’s strategy lays out actions that will disrupt drug traffickers’ financial networks, supply chains, and delivery routes.

 

“So many fellow New Yorkers across the city have been touched by the opioid epidemic,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “Families have lost a mom, a dad, a sister, or a brother to addiction or overdose. Today’s announcement gives us hope though; it is about holding pharmaceutical companies accountable and about investing in programs and systems that work to support individuals and families to work toward a healthier tomorrow. Thank you to the mayor and to the attorney general for their advocacy and commitment to these issues and to the wellbeing of every New Yorker.”

 

“We have lost too many New Yorkers — family members, friends, and neighbors — to overdose,” said New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “It’s critical that we continue to invest in bold and innovative solutions to this crisis and help more New Yorkers get connected to harm reduction and treatment services. I thank Mayor Adams and Attorney General James for their leadership on this important public health issue.”

 

“Mayor Eric Adams and Attorney General Letitia James have long fought to address the opioid epidemic that has ravaged this city, and I’m thankful for this settlement that will go to help our patients,” said Dr. Mitchell Katz, president and CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals. “From our Street Health Outreach and Wellness vans to our inpatient behavioral health services, we take care of all New Yorkers no matter where they are and offer whatever treatment they need.”

 

“Our work on the frontlines of the opioid crisis puts us in direct touch with families affected by unimaginable loss, and we must leverage those special bonds of trust to prevent additional overdose deaths,” said New York City Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham. “This funding can support and expand our critical activities to provide real-time data to partner agencies, generate a comprehensive picture of what led to each overdose fatality, and connect surviving family members in need with life-saving services. This is how we can honor the lives lost to the opioid epidemic.” 

 

“NYC Health + Hospitals is the leading provider of substance use disorder treatment for women and families with addiction,” said Dr. Machelle Allen, chief medical officer, NYC Health + Hospitals. “We will invest these dollars in the development of family centered models of prevention and care, initiated during pregnancy, and continuing throughout early childhood development. I thank Mayor Adams and Attorney General James for their continued fight for our patients.”

 

“This funding couldn’t come at a more critical time for our patients and for our workforce,” said Rebecca Linn-Walton, PhD, LCSW, senior assistant vice president in the Office of Behavioral Health, NYC Health + Hospitals. “Substance Use Disorder is pain shared not just between patients, but families, communities, and the health care workers who treat them. This much-needed resource will save lives. What a meaningful thanks to those who have worked so tirelessly to treat substance use throughout the crisis, in the middle of a pandemic. We thank you. As someone whose life was saved by treatment, I thank you too.”

 

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) recently released data showing a record number of overdose deaths citywide — 1,233 in just the first six months of 2021 compared to 965 over the same period in 2020 — which also match nationwide trends. Funds from these opioid settlements will help support citywide addiction prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction programs for all New Yorkers.

 

Pursuant to the new law establishing the opioid settlement fund, all funds collected by the state from opioid settlements or litigation victories will be allocated specifically for abatement efforts in communities devastated by the opioid epidemic and will not go towards the state’s general fund. In the years to come, the state’s Opioid Settlement Board will help distribute the up to $1.5 billion to communities across New York state to fight the opioid crisis. DOHMH Commissioner Dr. Vasan was appointed as a member of the Opioid Settlement Board by Mayor Adams earlier this month.

Former NYPD Police Officer Sentenced to 97 Months' Imprisonment for Bribery and Drug Trafficking Offenses Robert Smith Referred to Himself as “One of the Most Corrupt Cops” in the 105

 

Robert Smith Referred to Himself as “One of the Most Corrupt Cops” in the 105th Precinct

 In federal court in Brooklyn, Robert Smith, a former New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) police officer, was sentenced by United States District Judge Rachel P. Kovner to 97 months of imprisonment for using interstate facilities to commit bribery and attempting to transport heroin. During the relevant period, Smith was a NYPD police officer assigned to the 105th Precinct in Queens, retiring in March 2020. Smith pleaded guilty to the charges in October 2021. Smith’s co-defendant, Heather Busch, also a former NYPD police officer, was sentenced in February 2022 to six months’ imprisonment, after pleading guilty in August 2021 to using interstate facilities to commit bribery. Another co-defendant, Robert Hassett, also a former NYPD police officer, pleaded guilty in October 2021 to conspiracy to violate the Travel Act and is awaiting sentencing.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner, NYPD, announced the sentence.

“Corruption not only endangers the communities that police officers are sworn to serve, but it also corrodes the public’s trust in law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Robert Smith and his co-defendants were corrupt officers who sold out their badges for personal gain without regard for the betrayal and the harm they caused the NYPD and their fellow officers,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “For his crimes, Smith, self-described as ‘one of the most corrupt cops in the 105’, deservedly will spend years in prison. Today’s sentence should send a message that this Office, together with our law enforcement partners, will work diligently to investigate and prosecute corrupt public servants who exploit their positions of power for profit.”

“We have zero tolerance for corruption of any kind within the NYPD,” stated NYPD Commissioner Sewell. “We and our law-enforcement partners will continue to vigorously pursue corrupt public servants who exploit their positions for personal gain. In addition to eroding public trust in law enforcement, their disgraceful actions tarnish the reputation of the many thousands of police officers who honorably serve our communities each day.”

Smith engaged in several corrupt schemes to solicit and receive bribes while employed by the NYPD. Upon his retirement from the NYPD, Smith agreed to transport illegal drugs while armed with a gun in exchange for cash payments. In recordings obtained by the government during the investigation, Smith repeatedly referred to himself in criminal terms as, for example, “one of the most corrupt cops in the 105,” a “perp[] that got away,” and someone who, had he not been an NYPD officer, would have been “locked up so many times.”

The Tow Truck Scheme

Beginning in September 2016, NYPD Officers Smith and Hassett responded to automobile accidents by directing the damaged vehicles to a licensed tow trucking and automobile repair business (the “Business”) operated by an individual (the “Individual”), instead of using the NYPD’s Directed Accident Response Program (“DARP”), which requires NYPD officers to identify an appropriate licensed tow trucking business to respond to the scene of the automobile accident and remove the damaged vehicles from the scene. Smith and Hassett bypassed DARP and directed damaged vehicles directly to the Business in exchange for thousands of dollars in cash bribe payments. Smith and Hassett continued to participate in the scheme until at least June 2017.

In November 2019, Smith resumed his participation in the scheme and continued to steer vehicles damaged in automobile accidents to the Business in exchange for cash. Beginning in January 2020, Smith discussed his plan to recruit Busch to participate in the scheme in advance of his retirement from the NYPD. In March 2020, Busch, at Smith’s invitation, met with Smith and the Individual and agreed to participate in the scheme. Thereafter, Busch began steering vehicles damaged in automobile accidents to the Business in exchange for cash bribe payments, instead of utilizing DARP as required.

The Victim Database Scheme

Beginning in January 2020, Smith and Hassett obtained the names and identifying information of recent automobile accident victims from NYPD databases and provided that information to the Individual in exchange for cash. Smith and Hassett understood that the Individual would sell that information to physical therapy businesses and personal injury attorneys so that they could seek to solicit the automobile accident victims as customers.

Hassett accessed NYPD databases on numerous occasions in violation of NYPD regulations for the purpose of obtaining the names and identifying information of victims of automobile accidents. Hassett then arranged for that information to be delivered to the Individual, sometimes through Smith. In total, between January 2020 and March 2020, Smith and Hassett sold the names and identifying information of more than 100 victims to the Individual, in exchange for more than $7,000 in cash.

The Armed Drug Trafficking Scheme

Beginning in January 2020, Smith sought opportunities from the Individual to transport illegal narcotics, in exchange for payment, upon Smith’s retirement from the NYPD. In June 2020, Smith met with two undercover law enforcement officers posing as narcotics traffickers to discuss his interest in participating in a scheme to traffic drugs and told them he could carry a firearm and his retired NYPD identification while he was transporting the drugs. In July 2020, Smith met with a third undercover law enforcement officer and accepted a bag containing what Smith believed to be a kilogram of heroin. Smith transported the bag to a location in Queens where he delivered it to another undercover law enforcement officer in exchange for a payment of approximately $1,200 in cash.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan C. Harris and Nicholas J. Moscow are in charge of the prosecution.

New York City and State Pension Funds Launch “VOTE NO” Campaign Against Against the Re-election of Two Amazon Board Directors Responsible for Oversight of Human Capital Management

 

Citing Unresponsiveness to Shareholder Concerns About High Injury Rates, Unsustainable Turnover, and Labor Rights Violations, NYC and NYS Pension Trustees Urge Votes ‘AGAINST’ Amazon Directors Huttenlocher and McGrath.

 New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, and trustees of all five of the New York City Retirement Systems launched a campaign urging shareholders to vote against the re-election of two Amazon board directors responsible for human capital management. The New York City Retirement System and New York State Common Retirement Fund are leading an institutional investor group with 1.7 million combined shares as of February 28, 2022 currently valued at approximately $5.3 billion dollars.

In a letter to shareholders filed today with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Comptrollers Lander and DiNapoli detailed concerns regarding the unresponsiveness and insufficient oversight by the board of Amazon’s human capital management challenges. The two retirement systems urged shareholders to vote against the re-election of Daniel Huttenlocher and Judith McGrath, longstanding members of Amazon’s Leadership Development and Compensation Committee. They cited Amazon’s high injury rate relative to peers, unsustainable turnover, and labor rights violations, as well as high executive compensation as evidence of the Committee’s misplaced priorities.

Comptrollers Lander and DiNapoli sought to meet with the Committee in March 2022 to discuss how the board exercises oversight over management’s performance with respect to their employees, particularly in the areas of health and safety, freedom of association, and diversity, equity and inclusion. Amazon declined to make board directors available for a meeting. This follows a request that New York City made to engage with the Committee back in 2020, which was similarly denied. For more on the campaign, visit: http://deliveraccountability.com/.

“As long-term investors, we are deeply concerned about the lack of independent oversight by Amazon’s board over serious workforce concerns that threaten both the well-being of their employees and the long-term value of the company. High rates of injury, rapid turnover, and aggressive anti-union activity that violates workers’ rights have created an unsustainable workplace for Amazon’s 1.6 million workers. A thriving, growing Amazon in the years ahead will require doing right by their workers. I urge shareholders to join us in voting against directors Huttenlocher and McGrath who have failed to provide adequate oversight of the company’s management of workforce issues,” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.

“We have continuously seen significant concerns about how Amazon protects its workers health and safety, and upholds its own policies on human rights and freedom of association. Shareholders need effective, independent board oversight of the company’s policies and practices related to its workforce, but unfortunately, these two directors have repeatedly failed to provide it. It’s time for responsible and engaged directors to take their place on Amazon’s board,” said New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. 

“The conditions in Amazon warehouses are unsafe, inhumane, and unsustainable for Amazon’s workers and cannot be tolerated by its shareholders,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. “Coupled with Amazon’s hostile relationship with its workforce and unethical anti-union activity, it’s clear that something needs to change operationally, culturally, and in senior management. Amazon must invest in its own employees if it is to remain a strong, stable investment for New York City’s employees. As a voting member of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System Board of Trustees, I ask Amazon shareholders to vote against the re-election of Daniel P. Huttenlocher and Judith A. McGrath as they have proven time and time again to overlook serious and grave issues in Amazon’s warehouses, both in New York City and across the country.”

“As Executive Director of District Council 37, New York City’s largest municipal union, and as  a NYCERS Trustee, DC 37 stands in support of New York City and State Pension Funds’ launch of a “Vote No” campaign against two Amazon Board members responsible for oversight of human capital management.  Amazon has an appalling record with regards to  anti-union actions and suppressing workers’ rights, has high injury rates relative to its industry and excessively high employee turnover.   As a NYCERS trustee, I look to NYCERS and the other New York City Retirement Systems, City Comptroller Lander and State Comptroller DiNapoli to move Amazon to respect its workers by providing them with safe working conditions and a living wage, and recognizing their right to organize.  DC 37 supports all workers’ efforts to improve their lives,” said Henry Garrido, Executive Director of District Council 37.

Trustees of the New York City Retirement Systems are as follows:

New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS): New York City Comptroller Brad Lander; Mayor Eric Adams’ Representative Preston Niblack (Chair); New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; Borough Presidents: Mark Levine (Manhattan), Donovan Richards (Queens), Antonio Reynoso (Brooklyn), Vito Fossella (Staten Island), and Vanessa L. Gibson (Bronx); Henry Garrido, Executive Director, District Council 37, AFSCME; Tony Utano, President Transport Workers Union Local 100; and Gregory Floyd, President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 237.

Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS): New York City Comptroller Brad Lander; Mayor Eric Adams’ Appointee Philip Dukes; Chancellor’s Representative, Lindsey Oates, New York City Department of Education; and Debra Penny (Chair), Thomas Brown and David Kazansky, all of the United Federation of Teachers.

New York City Police Pension Fund (PPF): New York City Comptroller Brad Lander; Mayor Eric Adams’ Representative Philip Dukes; New York City Finance Commissioner Preston Niblack; New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell (Chair); Chris Monahan, Captains Endowment Association; Louis Turco, Lieutenants Benevolent Association; Vincent Vallelong, Sergeants Benevolent Association; Paul DiGiacomo, Detectives Endowment Association; and Patrick Lynch, John Puglissi, Joseph Alejandro, and Thomas Gilmore, all of the NYC Police Benevolent Association.

New York City Fire Pension Fund (Fire): New York City Comptroller Brad Lander; Mayor Eric Adams’ Representative Philip Dukes; Acting New York City Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh (Chair); New York City Finance Commissioner Preston Niblack; Andrew Ansbro, President, Robert Eustace, Vice President, Edward Brown, Treasurer, and Eric Bischoff, Staten Island Representative and Chair, Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York; Liam Guilfoyle, Captains’ Rep.; Paul Mannix, Chiefs’ Rep., and Christopher Jensen, Lieutenants’ Rep., Uniformed Fire Officers Association; and Peter Devita, Marine Engineers Association.

Board of Education Retirement System (BERS): Schools Chancellor David C. Banks, Represented by Lindsey Oates; Mayoral: Tom Allon, Vasthi Acosta, Gregory Faulkner, Dr. Angela Green, Anthony Lopez, Alan Ong, Gladys Ward, Karina Tavera; Thomas Sheppard (CEC); Geneal Chacon (Bronx), Tazin Azad (Brooklyn), Kaliris Salas-Ramirez (Manhattan), Jaclyn Tacoronte (Staten Island), and Deborah Dillingham (Queens); and employee members John Maderich of the IUOE Local 891 and Donald Nesbit of District Council 37, Local 372.

Attorney General James and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Sue Major International Money Transfer Provider for Violating Consumer Protection Laws

MoneyGram Repeatedly Failed to Deliver Funds to Loved Ones Abroad in a Timely Manner, or Provide Timely Refunds 

 New York Attorney General Letitia James and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today filed a lawsuit against one of the largest international money transfer providers in the nation — MoneyGram International, Inc. and MoneyGram Payment Systems, Inc. (MoneyGram) — for repeatedly violating consumer protection laws. MoneyGram failed to deliver funds to recipients in a timely manner or refund consumers when transfers were delayed. MoneyGram’s unfair practices largely impacted immigrant communities who relied on the company to send money back home to loved ones. The lawsuit alleges that MoneyGram did not accurately notify consumers when their transfers would be available to recipients abroad and failed to implement required policies and procedures designed to help protect consumers, essentially leaving consumers in the dark about their money transfers when something went wrong. Attorney General James and the CFPB’s lawsuit seeks to protect consumers by stopping MoneyGram from continuing its unfair and unlawful practices.

“Our immigrant communities trusted MoneyGram to send their hard-earned money back home to loved ones but MoneyGram let them down,” said Attorney General James. “Consumers deserve to know where their money went. Companies have an obligation to be transparent with consumers, treat them fairly, and follow the law, but MoneyGram repeatedly failed to do so. Today we are suing MoneyGram to correct their unlawful practices and prevent them from further harming consumers. New Yorkers can trust that my office will always protect them from unscrupulous companies.”

“MoneyGram spent years failing its customers and failing to follow the law, ignoring customer complaints and government warnings in the process,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. “MoneyGram’s long pattern of misconduct must be halted.”

MoneyGram is a non-bank financial services company that enables consumers to send money, known as remittances, from the United States to more than 200 countries and territories. The company has 430,000 locations in the U.S. and worldwide, and also operates through a digital platform. A significant portion of the company’s money-transfer transactions are initiated by immigrants or refugees in the U.S. sending money back to their native countries. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers use MoneyGram every year for millions of transactions. For example, in 2020, more than 600,000 individuals sent and received money at MoneyGram locations in New York over 3.8 million times. People who send remittances are often low-income or facing other financial constraints and are less likely to have extra money to replace delayed money intended for family or other recipients abroad.

MoneyGram violated federal and state consumer protection laws. Specifically, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the CFPB allege that MoneyGram:

• Left its customers empty handed when funds were not made available to recipients on time: As a money transfer provider, MoneyGram has to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering laws and therefore has to conduct screening before transactions are complete. But even after completing the necessary screenings, MoneyGram held remittance transfers in limbo after they were cleared, which in some instances resulted in needless delays of days or even weeks before it completed the transfers or refunded the money to the sender.

• Failed to accurately disclose the date of availability of funds: MoneyGram repeatedly failed to provide fund availability dates that were accurate. Dates disclosed to consumers, repeatedly, were wrong such that there were delays in making funds available to recipients.

• Failed to follow error-resolutions requirements: MoneyGram failed to promptly investigate errors, to make a determination of whether an error occurred within a required time period, to report the result of an error investigation to the consumer within a required time period, to provide a sufficient written explanation of findings or provide required notice of the sender’s right to request documents related to the investigation, and to provide fee refunds to remedy certain errors.

• Failed to develop and maintain policies and procedures: MoneyGram failed to put in place policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with the law, including error-resolution requirements and document retention obligations. And, accordingly, MoneyGram failed to retain certain evidence.

MoneyGram is a repeat offender of consumer protection and anti-fraud laws. In 2009, the company agreed to pay $18 million to settle fraud charges brought by the Federal Trade Commission, and was required to implement a comprehensive anti-fraud and agent-monitoring program. In 2012, MoneyGram agreed to forfeit $100 million and enter into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, admitting it criminally aided and abetted wire fraud and failed to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program. In 2016, MoneyGram agreed to pay $13 million to 48 states, including New York, and the District of Columbia, to compensate defrauded consumers and resolve a multi-state investigation into MoneyGram’s anti-fraud practices. In 2018, MoneyGram agreed to pay $125 million, again to the FTC, to settle allegations that it failed to take steps required under the agency’s 2009 order. According to the FTC, that payment was also part of a global settlement that resolved allegations that MoneyGram violated the 2012 deferred prosecution agreement with the DOJ. In March of 2022, MoneyGram agreed to pay $8.25 million for failing to adequately monitor agents engaging in suspicious transactions to China.

Attorney General James and the CFPB’s lawsuit seeks monetary relief for impacted consumers, an injunction to stop future violations, and imposition of civil money penalties.

Governor Hochul Announces Playbook for Advancing Carbon Neutrality in High Rise Buildings

 

Playbook Created in Partnership with NYSERDA and Four Leading Real Estate Developers - Empire State Realty Trust, the Durst Organization, Hudson Square Properties, and Vornado

Supports Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act Goals to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions 40 Percent by 2030 and 85 Percent by 2050

 Governor Kathy Hochul today, joined by President Bill Clinton and Mayor Eric Adams announced "The Empire Building Playbook: An Owner's Guide to Low Carbon Retrofits" - a free online resource to support building owners advancing carbon neutrality in high rise buildings. The Playbook was created in partnership with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Empire State Realty Trust, The Durst Organization, Hudson Square Properties, a joint venture comprised of Trinity Church Wall Street, Norges Bank Investment Management, and Hines, and Vornado. This joint venture is four of ten real estate partners participating in New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's $50 million Empire Building Challenge. This guiding framework includes information from the partners who share their processes and lessons learned to develop the business case for profitable investment in significant energy and carbon reducing technologies, in support of the State's nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal of reducing carbon emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050.

"Through public-private partnerships like the Empire Building Challenge, we are reducing New York's reliance on fossil fuels by introducing low-carbon solutions that will advance our state's nation-leading climate agenda," Governor Hochul said. "The Empire Building Playbook will be a critical tool to combat climate change and reduce harmful emissions across our state, all while moving forward with the green economy, creating clean energy job opportunities, and making the most iconic buildings in the New York skyline more sustainable."

Third Avenue Business Improvement District - Earth Day & Car Free NYC

Your Guide South Bronx Earth Day!

Car Free Earth Day is an annual car-free event celebrating and reimagining the streets on Saturday, April 23, from 11 am to 5 pm. Car Free Earth Day takes place throughout the five boroughs – connecting over 100 Open Streets, 22 plazas, and accessing 1,000+ miles of the NYC Bike Network! Environmental programming is offered by City agencies and community organizations along the route to promote activism and education surrounding climate change, sustainability and other relevant topic

Citi Bike Learn about bike share in NYC with the team from Citi Bike. Stop by their tent and nearby Citi Bike dock to learn more about the network and how to take out a bike. Citizens’ Climate Lobby Learn about respectfully engaging elected officials, community leaders and the public on the best solutions for climate change. Children are invited to make climate change postcards. NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Learn about environmental sustainability with DEP staff and pick up a fun giveaway. NYC DOT Safety Education Safety Educators will lead pedestrian safety activities for children. Become a traffic safety deputy and win fun prizes. Third Avenue Business Improvement District The Third Avenue BID will be on hand to provide bike safety information and equipment giveaways. Bring the kids for giant street games set up on the Willis Avenue Open Street. Mazarte Dance Company, 2:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:00pm Mazarte Dance Company will present colorful, cross-cultural, family-friendly, free, and ridiculously fun dance performances and workshops. Silver Shoes Dance Club, 11:00am, 12:00pm Watch Silver Shoes Dance Club members perform on the plaza and join in an interactive dance workshop. Car Free NYC // Roberto Clemente Plaza  4/23/22 Join Third Avenue BID, NYC Department of Transportation, and community partners for a day of fun and activities geared toward promoting a healthier planet and reimaging our streets and public spaces. this event is free and open to the public Day of Action // Alexander Avenue  4/23/22 Join Third Avenue BID and launch our Spring community clean streets program.  We dedicate two Saturdays each month to spruce, trim, mulch, paint and sweep with the community - join us! Register: CLICK HERE Drag Story Hour // Alexander Avenue  4/30/22 Join Third Avenue BID as we celebrate National Bookstore Day with Drag Story Hour, children's programs, and salsa in front of the Bronx's only brick and mortar bookstore, The Lit. Bar. 131 Alexander Avenue Bronx, NY this event is free and open to the public Overdose Prevention Training for Small Businesses,  5/3/22 Join Third Avenue BID, St. Ann's Corner of Harm Reduction, Acacia Network, Councilmember Salamanca, and Chocobar Cortes for this important, live saving training. Register: CLICK HERE Day of Action // Graham Triangle,  5/21/22 Grab some mulch and a paint brush! Join Third Avenue BID, the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, and community leaders for a morning of community action on Graham Triangle at 138th Street. Register: CLICK HERE

NYS Office of the Comptroller DiNapoli Statement on Amazon's Agreement to Conduct an Independent Racial Equity Audit

 

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued the following statement today following Amazon’s agreement to conduct and publicly release an independent racial equity audit, led by former U.S. attorney-general Loretta Lynch, that will look into “disparate racial impacts” from its employment practices on its hourly workers. As a result of the agreement, DiNapoli and the New York State Common Retirement Fund will withdraw the shareholder proposal they had filed for consideration at Amazon’s annual meeting on May 25. “For Amazon, one of America's largest employers, to prioritize and examine its impacts on racial equity is a major step forward in ensuring equal opportunities and treatment in corporate America. We commend the company for listening to its shareholders who understand that fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion is good for business. As support for civil rights and racial equity audits grow, shareholders expect corporations to engage in open and honest assessments of how their products and services may impact racial equity. I hope this is just a first step for Amazon as it looks more broadly at its products and policies. My office looks forward to continuing our dialogue with the company.” Background  Last year, DiNapoli filed a shareholder proposal at Amazon requesting an independent review of the company’s policies, practices, and products on civil rights, equity, diversity and inclusion, and how they affect the company’s business. The proposal was supported by 44.18% of the company’s shareholders, a record level of support for an environmental or social shareholder proposal at Amazon. The Fund refiled the proposal for the 2022 proxy season. With this agreement, and the commitments made by Amazon related to the audit's independence and protections, the proposal has been withdrawn. About the New York State Common Retirement Fund The New York State Common Retirement Fund is one of the largest public pension funds in the United States with assets of approximately $279.7 billion as of Dec. 31, 2021. The Fund holds and invests the assets of the New York State and Local Retirement System on behalf of more than one million state and local government employees and retirees and their beneficiaries. The Fund has consistently been ranked as one of the best managed and best funded plans in the nation.