BRONX MAN SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR KIDNAPPING, SEXUAL ASSAULT AND SEX TRAFFICKING

Defendant Forced Victim Into Prostitution by Beating Her and Using Coercion; Victim Made to Walk Streets and Was Advertised on Internet

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for Kidnapping, Predatory Sexual Assault, Sex Trafficking and other charges related to his forcing a woman into prostitution. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant brutally beat, sexually assaulted and held the victim against her will. He also used coercive control tactics to compel her to engage in prostitution for his profit. Today’s sentence will keep a depraved man off our streets.” 

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Lemuel Skipper, 28, of 1610 Sedgwick Avenue, was sentenced to an aggregate prison term of 20 years to life in prison today by Bronx Supreme Court Justice James McCarty. The defendant will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release. A jury found the defendant guilty of two counts of first-degree Kidnapping, Predatory Sexual Assault, two counts of Sex Trafficking, first-degree Aggravated Sexual Abuse, second degree and fourth-degree Promoting Prostitution, and second-degree Assault on January 14, 2019. 

 According to the investigation, on or about and between July 20, 2015 and July 22, 2015, the defendant lured a 26-year-old woman to an apartment to intentionally advance and profit from the prostitution of the victim. While holding her captive, the defendant slapped and punched the victim, and sexually assaulted her with an object. The defendant then took the victim to the areas of Westchester Square and Southern Boulevard to force her to engage in prostitution. The victim managed to get away by having someone drive her to a local Bronx hospital, where she called police. Hotel records, phone records, and backpage.com advertisements were retrieved during the investigation.

 In prosecuting this matter, the Bronx District Attorney’s Office presented evidence from Dr. Chitra Raghavan, PhD, Professor of Psychology and Deputy Director of The Forensic Mental Health Counseling Program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, as an expert in TraumaBonding and Coercive Control in Sex Trafficking. During New York State’s first-ever Frye hearing (a hearing to determine whether expert testimony is based on established and accepted scientific methods) on this topic, this Office successfully proved the scientific community’s acceptance of Trauma-Bonding and Coercive Control in Sex Trafficking.

 District Attorney Clark thanked Detective James Barrenger of the Bronx Special Victims Squad, for his assistance with the case.

North White Plains Road Merchants Hold Meeting

  'Shop Locally' was the theme of Thursday night's North White Plains Road Merchants meeting. Brought together by Ms. Jennifer Tausig the Executive Director of the Mosholu Preservation Corporation Community and Economic Development arm were local elected officials who represent the North White Plains Road Business District from Gun Hill Road to the city line at East 243rd Street. City Council members Andy King and Andrew Cohen are on either side of State Senator Jamaal Bailey. Each elected official spoke about the merits of the shopping area, and how each would like to improve the business district. Questions were then take from the thirty or so merchants who attended this meeting. Election of officers was put off until the next meeting. 

Merchants I spoke to were happy to see the elected officials take an interest in their business district, and many questions came up during the meeting. Questions of when to have meetings for the best attendance by the merchants, a walk through by the elected officials, bookkeeping, police issues, quality and quantity of similar stores, and the current housing situation in the business district were among some of the questions to the elected officials which they tried to answer. 

Above - State Senator Jamaal Bailey,

Below - Councilman Andrew Cohen answer questions from the merchants in attendance.

BRONX CITY COUNCIL MEMBER VANESSA L. GIBSON ENDORSES JUMAANE WILLIAMS FOR PUBLIC ADVOCATE

New York City Council Member Vanessa L. Gibson, today announced her endorsement of Public Advocate candidate Jumaane Williams. Gibson currently represents the 16th District in the Bronx which includes Claremont, Claremont Village, Concourse, Concourse Village, Highbridge, Morrisania, Morris Heights and Mount Eden.

"I'm proud to have worked with Jumaane on criminal justice reform and public safety initiatives, including the creation of the first ever Mayor's Office to Prevent Gun Violence and the successful expansion of the cure violence program," said Council Member Gibson. "I know firsthand Jumaane's commitment and compassion to helping others and standing up for what's right even when it's not popular. He has advocated for and been in the trenches with seniors, tenants, veterans, and youth to name a few. Jumaane has a proven track record of success and I'm proud to support his candidacy for Public Advocate."  

In her capacity as a Council Member for the 16th district in the Bronx, Gibson previously served as the first woman and person of color to Chair the City Council's Public Safety Committee, and now serves as Deputy Leader and Chair of the Subcommittee on Capital.Council Member Gibson also previously served as a member of the New York State Assembly representing the 77th district in the Bronx.

"I am honored to have earned Council Member Gibson's endorsement for our campaign to be New York City's next Public Advocate," said Jumaane. "From day one, this has been a grassroots effort by the people and for the people. Though we may be from different boroughs, Vanessa and I have a shared vision of a New York City that shines as a progressive beacon for the rest of this country. I look forward to campaigning in the Bronx with Vanessa, and I'm proud to have her support to be the next Public Advocate."

Today's endorsement adds to the more than two dozen city and state elected officials who have endorsed Jumaane's campaign. Jumaane has also secured more endorsements than any other candidate in the race from progressive political clubs, organizations, unions, and community groups. A full list of Jumaane's endorsements is available atjumaanewilliams.com/endorsements  

NYC Public Advocate Candidate Nomiki Konst Calls Out Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Jumaane Williams for Real Estate Contributions in TV Debate

After pledging to “stop the gentrification” Mark-Viverito rezoned her district making it unaffordable for many lifelong residents, Williams took real estate money in Lt Governor’s race after pledging not to                                              

At the first televised debate Nomiki Konst took a clear stand that real estate developers’ contributions to our elected officials have directly contributed to making New York City more unaffordable.  Nomiki took on former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito for rezoning of her East Harlem district after taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from real estate developers and signing a letter welcoming Amazon to New York City. “This is exactly why we need a watchdog in the Public Advocate’s office, not another politician that does one thing and says another when it’s convenient and popular.” 

“After Speaker Mark-Viverito rezoned her own district, residents who had spent their entire lives in East Harlem were no longer able to afford to live there,” said candidate Nomiki Konst. “New Yorkers cannot trust the same people to solve the problem who caused it. I have never taken contributions from real estate developers and will fight every day to make New York more affordable.”

“Speaker Mark-Viverito refused to answer whether she would give back her contributions from real estate developers that prevent her from being a productive Public Advocate,” Nomiki said. “She has proven that she will side with real estate developers over her constituents.” 

Konst also called out Councilman Williams for accepting money from the Ratner family during his bid for Lt Governor last year — despite his pledge not to accept real estate money — which he has yet to return.

New Yorkers will go to the polls to choose the next Public Advocate on Tuesday, Feb. 26th. The election is non-partisan. Konst, a former investigative reporter, national surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic socialist, is on the ballot under the Pay Folks More party line.

Ron Kim Statement on Recent Amazon News

Assemblymember Ron Kim issued the following statement this afternoon in response to reports that Amazon is reconsidering its NY Headquarters.

“The news about Amazon reconsidering New York for its second headquarters shows the impact of grassroots activism and the power of everyday people speaking with one collective voice. The company’s business model depends on community exploitation and anti-labor practices and that’s why I have always been opposed to bringing HQ2 to New York and was the first elected official to speak out against the deal when it was announced last fall. The proposed taxpayer giveaway package is especially egregious and is an example of politicians putting the needs of a massive corporation over the people. Something is desperately wrong when elected officials agree to give billions in taxpayer dollars to one of the largest multinational companies in the world while affordable housing disappears, schools remain underfunded and the subways crumble. I welcome the news that Amazon is reconsidering their HQ2 location, but believe we must continue raising our voices until the end.”

The Bronx Museum of the Arts - Saturday Family Affair: Hearts 'n Arts ♥

EXHIBITIONS • EVENTS • VISIT • EDUCATION • HOST AN EVENT

Saturday, February 9, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM 

Family Affair: Arts 'n Hearts

Embrace your inner artist at The Bronx Museum of the Arts! Feel the love for all things art during an afternoon of family art activities inspired by our current exhibitions Rochelle Feinstein: Image of an Image and Eddie Martinez: White Outs. Recommended for children ages 4 to 12 with parent/caregiver. 

Pre-register here.

Monday, February 11, 6:00pm to 8:00 pm 

Pls. Reply by Rochelle Feinstein - Book LaunchRochelle Feinstein and Didier William in conversation to commemorate the release of Pls. Reply, the selected writings of Rochelle Feinstein, edited by Antonio Sergio Bessa, published by Ugly Duckling Presse in collaboration with The Bronx Museum of the Arts and Stellar Projects. Read more >

March 1, 2019 to March 31, 2019 

peter campus Midnight Moment at Times Square A special screening of peter campus’ Head of a Sad Young Woman, 1976-77, will be on view throughout the month of March in Times Square as part of the Midnight Moment exhibition program organized by the Times Square Alliance. Read more >

Monday, April 8, 2019, 6:30pm to 10:30pm

The Bronx Museum of the Arts will hold its annual benefit and art auction at Capitale, 130 Bowery on the Lower East Side. Buy tickets here.

Bronx Museum of the Arts 

1040 Grand Concourse at 165th St 

Bronx, New York 10456 

718.681.6000 

www.BronxMuseum.org

Museum Hours 

Wednesday 11:00am - 6:00pm 

Thursday 11:00am - 6:00pm 

Friday 11:00am - 8:00pm 

Saturday 11:00am - 6:00pm 

Sunday 11:00am - 6:00pm 

Mon-Tues Closed

Admission: ALWAYS FREE 

Click here to become a member

Directions 

BY SUBWAY: 

D/B trains to the 167th St. station. Walk south on Grand Concourse along the east side. The entrance to the Bronx Museum is between 166th and 165th. 

D/B/4 trains to the 161 St/Yankee Stadium station. Walk east three blocks to the Grand Concourse, then north four blocks along Grand Concourse to 165 St. 

BY BUS: 

Bx1, Bx2, or BxM4 Express to 165 St.

Citywide Overall Crime Continues to Drop in the First Month of 2019

This January, New York City experienced 7.4% less index crimes than in January 2018 and it also marks the lowest number of index crimes in any previous January in the modern CompStat era. New York City also saw 11.9% fewer shootings than in January, 2018.

"New York City has seen massive overall reductions in violence and disorder over the past five, 10, 25 years," Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill said. "But we have a moral obligation to improve on our past success, and we will not stop until every street, in every neighborhood, is as safe as our safest streets already are today. That is our pledge: To ensure that all neighborhoods are safe, regardless of where the people we serve call home. Because your zip code should never be the determining factor when it comes to your safety."

"Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe in their home. While crime is at a historic low across the city, this is unfortunately not the reality in every neighborhood," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "We are doubling down on our efforts to bring these communities and police together to find new ways to fight crime and make our City safer and fairer."

Key highlights from this month’s crime statistics include:

• Record low index crimes in January 2019 (7,072), compared to January 2018 (7,638) marking the lowest number of index crimes in any January in the CompStat era.
• Transit crime down -1.5% in January 2019 compared to January 2018.
• Shooting incidents down -11.9% in January 2019 compared to January 2018.
• Robberies, felony assaults, burglaries, and grand larcenies all down -19.5%, -7.9%, -11.6%, -2.4% in January 2019 compared to January 2018 respectively; record low robberies in a January in the modern CompStat era.

The Police Commissioner made this announcement in the 73 precinct, one of the six precincts that at the end of 2018 had violent crime rates more than twice as high as the rest of the City.

The precincts include: 73, 75, 40, 41, 42, 25. Through Neighborhood Policing and this targeted effort, the NYPD is focused on ensuring zip code is never the determining factor when it comes to safety. “Additionally, the first meeting to identify strategies and resources that will be newly deployed to bring crime down will take place tomorrow, February 6, in the 73 precinct.

Attorney General James Announces Legislation To Crack Down On Employers Who Retaliate Against Immigrant Workers

  Attorney General Letitia James today announced legislation to hold employers accountable who retaliate against workers by threatening to expose their immigration status to federal authorities. The legislation would amend the New York Labor Law to clarify that unlawful retaliation includes contacting or threatening to contact immigration authorities about an employee’s suspected citizenship or immigration status, or the suspected citizenship or immigration status of an employee’s family or household member. The announcement comes on the heels of reports that an employee at President Trump’s golf club was threatened with deportation if she spoke out against her boss. The New York Attorney General’s Office has also received numerous reports of similar threats made to employees by other employers.

“New York State was built by immigrants and it has always stood proudly as a beacon of hope and opportunity no matter where you were born,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “This legislation will represent a critical step toward protecting some of our most vulnerable workers by ensuring that they are not silenced or punished by threats related to their immigration status.”

Immigrants have long faced disproportionate levels of exploitation and abuse in the workplace. Studies have shown that immigrants are more likely to be victims of wage theft, sexual harassment, misclassification, and workplace safety violations than American-born citizens. With a federal government that is even more antagonistic towards immigrants, this long-standing disparity has become worse than ever, and predatory employers are newly emboldened to exploit the culture of fear the federal government has created. Increasingly, there are reports that vulnerable immigrant workers are being threatened with deportation and other immigration-related consequences in order to prevent their reporting unlawful or dangerous working conditions.

Current New York Labor Law dictates that an employer cannot fire, threaten, penalize, or otherwise discriminate against a worker who reports or complains about minimum wage, overtime, or other wage and hour violations. This legislation would codify the definition of retaliatory conduct to include threats against an individual regarding their immigration status. Violation of this law would be a Class B Misdemeanor and carry up to three months in jail and up to a $20,000 fine.