Tuesday, January 5, 2021

BRONX MAN INDICTED FOR POSSESSING MULTIPLE GUNS, AMMUNITION, HIGH-CAPACITY MAGAZINES AND A DRUM-FEEDER

 

Weapons Found by Police After Defendant Parked in Bus Lane

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been indicted on multiple weapons possession charges for illegally having five handguns, an ammunition feeding device, and high-capacity magazines in his car. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant was double parked on a bus lane in a crowded area when NYPD Officers found a loaded pistol under the driver’s seat and four semi-automatic pistols and ammunition feeding devices in the trunk of the car. These weapons were packaged and ready to sell, but thankfully the defendant was apprehended. We will not tolerate anyone bringing guns into the Bronx. We have suffered far too many shootings this year and we must do all it takes to prevent gun violence in the Bronx.” 

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Tyrell Livingston, 28, of 355 East 143rd Street, was arraigned today on six counts of second-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon, 15 counts of third-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon, five counts of Criminal Possession of a Firearm, five counts of fourth-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon, third-degree Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Violations of the Vehicle and Traffic Law and Possession of Ammunition before Bronx Supreme Court Justice George Villegas. The defendant was remanded and is due back in court on March 22, 2021. 

 According to the investigation, on November 18, 2020 in front of 436 East 149th Street, Livingston was in a 2007 Mercedes Benz with dark tinted windows that was double-parked in an active bus lane when NYPD Officers approached him and told him to move the car. The defendant told them he did not have his license on him and that it was suspended for failing to answer a summons. As Officers proceeded to arrest him, they found under the driver’s seat a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, loaded with seven rounds. The defendant’s vehicle was taken to the 40th Precinct and during an inventory search, Officers found one .9 mm Taurus Pistol with three magazines, a .9 mm Glock with fifteen cartridges in the magazine, a .9 mm Taurus pistol containing two magazines, and a .9mm Millennium pistol inside a backpack in the trunk of the defendant’s car. Officers also found a drum feeder with 41 .40 mm cartridges, 14 .9mm cartridges, one magazine, and one high-capacity magazine.

 District Attorney Clark thanked arresting NYPD Officer Bismal Tineo of the 40th Precinct. 

 An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt. 

Monday, January 4, 2021

 

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning, everyone. Happy New Year. Welcome back. This is a great day, because it's a day that has the number 2021 in it. And I'm so excited that it is a new year. It is a better year already. Really great things are going to happen in New York City this year. So, everyone, look, this is a year we're going to have to do great things to recover, to come back strong. That's what new Yorkers do. This is a year where we have to do transformative work, work that is going to change the face of health care and public health, that's going to be crucial to what we need to do for fairness and equality and social justice. This is going to be a banner year, an extraordinary year, and it all begins with the biggest vaccination campaign in the history of New York City. I want people to be clear about this, we put down this goal of 1 million doses by the end of January. Why do we put down on this goal? Because we are convinced we need it and we can do it. And this is what is crucial to understand here, this is a moment where we're going to ask everyone to join together in the spirit of extraordinary efforts of the past. And we have this new poster that epitomizes this energy, hearkening back to the days of World War II. We're going to ask all New Yorkers to be part of this effort, every city agency, every hospital, every part of our society has to pull together to make these million vaccinations happen by the end of January, and then much, much more beyond. To get this done, we need help. We need flexibility from the State of New York. We need support from the federal government. We need the federal government to simplify the rules and to join us in making things move quicker. We need the manufacturers of the vaccine to keep delivering on schedule. There is so much that can be done if everyone acts in partnership. And I think that's what everyone's impulse is, that's the good news. This is part of a bigger reality with a vaccine that's truly historical – world historic how quickly this vaccine came together, how much the global scientific community worked together. But now, to actually implement the vaccine, we need federal government, State government, manufacturers, City government, everyone on the same page, and that's what we will create in the month of January. We need to move quickly. We need to move urgently.   

  

Now, look, I want us to immediately get to work expanding the number of people, the kind of people who can get the vaccine. I want in the month of January, in the next few weeks, I want us start to vaccinate educators and school staff. I want to see us vaccinate first responders of all kinds – cops, firefighters, across the spectrum. We're focused right now on our health care heroes. We're focused on nursing homes, but during the month of January, we need to expand those categories. We need to reach many more people quickly, urgently, and it can be done. That cooperation at all levels of government can make it happen. There's going to be concern that this is such a crucial and important moment, can it be done? I know I'm going to get those questions today. Let me remind everyone of what we just did together in 2020. When this disease hit, we didn't have the testing capacity, and this city was thrown back on our heels, we all worked together, our hospitals held. We all worked together, we got the PPE we needed. And we couldn't find it elsewhere in the country, elsewhere in the world, we created our own. We all held together, we created the biggest Test and Trace Corps. in the United States of America. We all held together, we opened our schools when almost no other major city in America even dared to. We have a track record in New York City during this crisis that we take on big goals and we make it happen. So, you're going to see an intensive speed-up in the month of January, and, then, of course, beyond. But we're going to need everyone pulling together to achieve that outcome.  

  

Now, we want to make sure that New York City gets our fair share of doses. And as we expand, as we give more and more doses, we need to make sure that the federal government keeps allotting for us the amount that we can actually use. Some places can use more and more quickly, other places can't – it all depends on the infrastructure they have, all depends on the approach. As we continue to speed up this process, we need the doses to be reserved for us. We need them to be delivered. That's something we're going to keep pushing for throughout. But what we do know, and this is progress, that, as of today, more categories of individuals have been approved by the State of New York for vaccination. That's good news and I thank the State for that. We want to keep expanding those categories. The more people that we can reach quickly, the better. The more options we have to spread out the effort and make sure that vaccinations happen where they’re most possible, the better off we will be. Remember, every single additional person who gets vaccinated – one more step towards defeating the coronavirus.   

  

We're going to be doing a variety of things to expand sites where we will have, through our Department of Health, pop-up sites that will be focused on health care workers. We're going to have sites created by Health + Hospitals, our public health system. We're going to have vaccine hubs created and three of them will be open on Sunday. This is the shape of things to come. You're going to see a lot more like this, using public school buildings as hubs for a larger community. So, in Brooklyn at the Bushwick Educational Campus; Queens, at Hillcrest High School; the Bronx, at South Bronx Educational Campus. This starts Sunday. This is a model to start getting us to the grassroots where we can make so much impact. We want to make sure that whatever it takes logistically and whatever it takes in terms of community outreach, we're going to be able to get to this goal and then build from there. To tell you about how this is proceeding and how it will build in the weeks ahead, our Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi.  

  

Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: Thank you, sir. The new year does feel like a new door is opening. And as a city, we'll be opening our doors in the days ahead for even more facilities to get eligible New Yorkers vaccinated. And, this week, in another ray of hope, the first New York City health care workers will get their second dose of the COVID vaccine. But, as the Mayor said, we must do more together. Overall, our plan is to double the current capacity of about 125 sites where New Yorkers are being vaccinated today, to at least 250 sites by the end of the month. We anticipate getting to at least 160 access points by the end of this weekend. For instance, today, the Health Department is booking appointments for COVID-19 vaccine clinics at two locations in Manhattan for the next two weeks. On Wednesday, five Health + Hospital sites will start vaccinations for newly eligible health care workers, namely East New York and Cumberland in Brooklyn, Gouverneur in Manhattan, and Belvis, in Morrisania, in the Bronx.   

  

The City is also connecting with small community providers in priority neighborhoods to connect them locally to available appointments at 16 community health centers and 15 Urgent Care sites. These are all in addition to the hospital sites that have already begun vaccine operations. At these new sites, we'll be ready to welcome newly eligible individuals, such as unaffiliated health care providers who don't have employer-based access to vaccines. These include not just nurses and doctors, but also phlebotomists, dentists, physical therapists, coroners, funeral workers, and staff at specialty clinics like dialysis centers. If you are one of those unaffiliated providers, you can find out how to get vaccinated by visiting nyc.gov/covidvaccine. Working through this weekend, we've also moved up the timeline for our city vaccine hubs, which will launch this coming weekend with three sites that have the capacity for thousands of vaccinations, ramping up over the following week. Health Department staff, other city staff, and the Medical Reserve Corps. will operate the site and we are ready to roll up our sleeves so that New Yorkers can roll up theirs for the shot.  

  

Now, last week, you heard us set a bold goal for the end of January. This requires many factors to line up for it to be possible, including more flexible eligibility guidance, a consistent supply of the vaccine, and a quickened pace from private providers. We must do more together. As we continue to vaccinate health care workers and nursing home residents, New York City would also like to begin vaccinating our seniors, namely those over 75. The sooner we can get them protected, the sooner we will save lives. We also need the federal government to pick up the pace of vaccination through its programs, like the nursing home program operated by CVS and Walgreens. Just as I've asked of our hospitals, we need them working seven days a week and on holidays, which I should point out they did not do this past weekend. We all need these bold goals and to pull out all the stops in order to reach them.  

  

I know it won't be easy for us or anyone else. I know that this is going to be an intense month as we scale up capacity to meet both eligibility and supply, even as we continue fighting back the second wave. We also want to make sure that New Yorkers can get their questions answered about who is eligible and other natural questions, like what kind of screening is required and how to book an appointment. You can do that by visiting our website nyc.gov/covidvaccine. And, of course, we'll be back here as well to share what we know with you, the media, so that New Yorkers get the latest on where to go and what to do to get vaccinated. Thank you.   

  

Mayor: Thank you very much, Dr. Chokshi. Everyone, let me make a couple of points really clear – what Dr. Chokshi is saying. First of all, to everyone, to all our partners, this is got to be a seven day a week, 24 seven reality, going forward. We understand that in the first few weeks there was tremendous caution and care about making sure people understood how to use the vaccine, the refrigeration issues, there was a lot of care to make sure things were done right and safely to make sure that we saw good responses from the folks who were vaccinated. All that happened. That's done. Now, from this point on, seven days a week, 24-seven has to be the attitude and the approach. We're going to do that in the public sector. We need our private sector partners to do the same. Second, essential workers, across the board – I mentioned first responders of all kinds, I mentioned schools, teachers, staff – all essential workers, all the people who have been the heroes throughout this process, we need to reach them and reach as many of them as possible in the month of January. We need that flexibility in the rules to allow us to do that. We're ready to keep expanding outward. With that flexibility, we can reach so many of those folks who did so much for us and who need this protection now so they can keep serving us and protect themselves and their families. So, that's the shape of things to come and that's what we want to see happen over these next days in New York City.   

  

All right, let me shift gears for just a moment – a couple of other pending events here. We have a few special elections coming up, and this is because some of our public servants are going on to new roles. District 11, the Bronx, Council Member Andy Cohen has now become a judge. And I want to congratulate him. Had a great conversation with him the other day. I know this is something he aspired to, and I know he'll be a great judge, and I thank him for all the work he did as Council Member. Yesterday, I also spoke to Ritchie Torres – now, Congressman Ritchie Torres. He was just sworn in yesterday. His council district, District 15, in the Bronx, also will have a special election. I congratulate Congressman Torres. He was in our conversation, intensely focused on making sure New York City got his fair share of federal aid, going forward. And I thank him for that focus and look forward to working with him as well. So, in District 11 and District 15 in the Bronx, special election on March 23rd – March 23rd. And new leaders come coming into the City Council to serve the those communities. So, I'm going to sign the executive orders to establish those special elections. And to all the folks out there in those two districts who want to serve your communities, get out there and get petitioning because we have special elections called for March 23rd.   

  

[Mayor de Blasio signs executive order]  

  

Okay. Now, let me go over to today's indicators. Number one, daily number of people admitted to New York City hospitals for COVID-19. Today's report, 234 patients. Obviously, we've gone by the 200-patient threshold. That's a real concern. Now, the overall situation in the hospitals, I went into great detail yesterday with our health care leadership on this. Hospitals still doing very well in New York City, still holding the line, have built out capacity, working closely with the State of New York. This has been a strong area, even though these numbers are too high and we want to drive them back down. So, hospitals holding, but numbers still worrisome. The hospitalization rate per 100,000 also worrisome – 4.07. We want that below two. So, that's an area we’ve got a lot of work to do. January, absolutely crucial month, coming off the holidays. We hope to see in the course of the month of January, downward pressure on these numbers as the effects of the holidays and the gatherings decrease. We also, obviously, hope to see downward pressure as more and more people get vaccinated. But these numbers are still too high, obviously. And the same for number two, daily number of cases – seven-day average 3,976 – that's confirmed and probable together. That's a very, very high number. We want to get under 550, ultimately. And then on the percent – number three, percentage of people testing positive city-wide, seven-day rolling average, huge number today, nine percent even. We obviously want to get back below five percent. We're going to push hard to get this number back down in the days and weeks ahead. Nothing will be more important than the vaccination effort to help us get there.   


EDITOR'S NOTE: 


We have put the NYC average in bold numbers, but today on New York One Inside City Hall Errol Lewis said to Mayor de Blasio the largest percentage of a neighborhood was 18.24% testing positive for COVID-19. Could it be because ten days ago there was a special election for the 12th City Council district with a poll site in Wakefield?

Mayor de Blasio ask Governor Cuomo to postpone the special elections you have called today for March 23rd to be postponed to the June primary date. Do it for the safety of the voters.


Bronx Democratic Party - ANNOUNCE THEIR NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

 

The Bronx Democratic County Committee Chairman, Jamaal Bailey, is pleased to announce that Ariana Collado will be the organization's new Executive Director. Most recently, Collado served as Chief of Staff to Council Member Andrew Cohen of the 11th Council District in the Northwest Bronx. While at the council, she also served as the liaison to the New York City Council’s Bronx Delegation. Ariana brings forth years of experience in organizing, campaigns, and New York City Government.

“Ariana’s dedication to the betterment of The Bronx has been demonstrated through her work in the City Council and extensive involvement in her own Bronx neighborhood. She is a dynamic, hard-working and tenacious woman who is committed to moving The Bronx forward and stronger every single day,” said Chairman Jamaal T. Bailey.

“Ariana embodies the same goals of inclusivity, transparency, and fairness of this organization. She is a proud Latina of Dominican descent who resides in Wakefield with her loving husband. Ariana is incredibly well-respected and will continue to do amazing things for this borough. Ariana has already hit the ground running, playing a key role in the formation of the Advisory Board process, created by the organization to assist us in decision making. She is a true asset to our borough, city and state, and I am incredibly excited to have her serve as the Executive Director of The Bronx Democratic Party,” said Chairman Bailey.

“I am honored and excited to serve as the new Executive Director for the Bronx Dems and I am eager to work with Chairman Bailey who is smart, passionate and a proven leader in the Bronx,” said Collado. “In this new capacity, my priority will be to make sure that the Bronx has dedicated and committed individuals representing the needs of our borough,” she said. “I also want to ensure that the Bronx Dems are known for being inclusive. Now more than ever it is important that we all work together. The past presidential administration left many individuals with a desire to engage in the democratic process and we need to create opportunities for those who want to participate.”

ABOUT ARIANA COLLADO:
Since moving to the Bronx from the Dominican Republic at the age of two, Ariana has lived in various neighborhoods throughout the borough including Mott Haven, Westchester Square, and most recently Eastchester. As a lifelong Bronxite, she comes to the organization with a wealth of knowledge and extensive relationships with people and organizations across the borough and the city at large.

Prior to her work in government, Ariana spent years organizing volunteers, fundraisers, and marches to support ALS (known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) research, mentored high school students through the iMentor program, and volunteered on multiple Democratic campaigns. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Lehman College and is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, The National Political Science Honor Society. Currently Ariana is pursuing a Juris Doctorate at the City University of New York School of Law where she intends to focus on constitutional law and civil rights violations.

 

MAYOR DE BLASIO DECLARES SPECIAL ELECTION DATE FOR THE 15th AND 11th COUNCIL DISTRICTS IN THE BRONX


New Supreme Court Judge Andrew Cohen announced his resignation from the 11th City Council seat on December 32, 2020, as did New Congressman Ritchie Torres from the 15th City Council seat. According to the City Charter, Mayor Bill de Blasio had three days to call for special elections to fill the vacancies, but because the vacancies occurred over the New Years holiday he had until today. 


Mayor de Blasio has declared Tuesday March 23,2021 as the date for the 11th and the 15th City Council Districts special elections to elect a council member to serve until December 31, 2021. This date is within the eighty day window allowed by the City Charter, and will give residents the chance to make thoughtful and informed decisions about their representation.


Mayor de Blasio also said that eligible Bronx voters can participate with early voting, in-person voting, or by requesting an absentee ballot, and the mayor encourages everyone to make their voices heard in these special elections.


Mayor de Blasio failed to mention in his press release that the two Bronx special elections will be done with Rank Choice Voting, where voters can rank up to five candidates in order of the voters preference one through five. The voter still can just vote for only one candidate by putting a one in the box next to that candidate's name only.


Sunday, January 3, 2021

Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic - JANUARY 3, 2021

 

7,963 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide 

1,344 Patients in the ICU; 815 Intubated

Statewide Positivity Rate is 7.98%

138 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"As we move into this New Year, one of our most pressing challenges, along with maintaining our diligence in stopping the spread of the virus, will be to ensure that the vaccine is made available fairly," Governor Cuomo said. "COVID has exposed many of the existing injustices in our society, most notably that racism is, without a doubt, a public health crisis. Case and point - data has continued to show that despite higher infection and death rates in the Black and Latino communities, testing has remained more widely available in white communities. I refuse to let race or income determine who lives and who dies in New York and I mean it. That's why as we work to break down barriers and ensure vaccine access for all, I will not take the vaccine until it is available for my age group in Black, Hispanic, and poor communities around the state."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

  • Test Results Reported - 142,345
  • Total Positive - 11,368
  • Percent Positive - 7.98% 
  • Patient Hospitalization - 7,963 (+149)
  • Patients Newly Admitted - 813
  • Hospital Counties - 56
  • Number ICU - 1,344 (+23)
  • Number ICU with Intubation - 815 (+29)
  • Total Discharges - 104,402 (+574)
  • Deaths - 138
  • Total Deaths - 30,476 

Bronx Progressives Invitation to a Ranked Choice Voting Training by Concerned Citizens for Change

 

EDITOR'S NOTE:

We do not know how Michael Beltzer or Bronx Progressives can tutor the public on Rank Choice Voting when Michael Beltzer is a candidate in the 2021 city council elections. There is also a rumor that co-founder of the Bronx Progressives Samelys Lopez will be running for Bronx Borough President.


What is Ranked Choice Voting? Join Fellow Progressives to a Ranked Choice Voting Training by Concerned Citizens for Change!


When: Saturday, January 9th at 1pm 

Please register in advance to the training at:




Happy New Year Comrades!
 
Wishing everyone health and a prosperous New Year! We hope that you are as excited as we are in welcoming 2021. There's excitement, hope, and optimism, at what 2021 will bring us. But we don't want to wait for change to come to us; we need to be on the frontlines of effecting that change!

As many of you may already know, New York City is preparing to hold local city primary elections for Borough President, Comptroller, Council, Mayor, and Public Advocate. Beginning this year, NYC will implement for the very first time in it's history a new system of voting: Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). These local primaries that will use RCV are scheduled for June 22, 2021. RCV will also be used in several upcoming Council Districts special elections occurring in February and March.  

What is Ranked Choice Voting? Ranked Choice Voting is a new electoral process that allows voters to choose up to five (5) candidates on the ballot in order of preference, as oppose to choosing one under the current electoral system. 

Concerned Citizens for Change is sponsoring a Ranked Choice Voting training on Saturday, January 9th at 1pm. They have invited us to join them for this important training. We encourage you to join us to learn about what is Ranked Choice Voting and what are the benefits of RCV. Hope to see you there!


When: Saturday, January 9th at 1pm 

Please register in advance for the training at:

 

Latest Unofficial Results of the December 22, 2020 12th City Council Special Election

 

This has been taken from the NYC Board of Elections Website

The results has not been been made official. 

We are interested to see who the 501+ write in votes went to.


Member of the City Council 12th Council District
(Vote for one)
 NamePartyVotesPercentage 
1 Kevin C. Riley Justice & Unity  4086 65.45 %
 
2 Pamela A. Hamilton-Johnson Social Change  1466 23.48 %
 
3 Neville Mitchell Bronx 12 Matters  190 3.04 %
 
4 WRITE-IN   501 8.02 %
 
 6243
 
 
Percentage of Scanners Reported: 
 
Information As Of: 2020-12-22 22:42:19 EST

Saturday, January 2, 2021

Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic - JANUARY 2, 2021

 

7,814 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide

1,321 Patients in the ICU; 786 Intubated

Statewide Positivity Rate is 7.45%

128 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"With 2020 now behind us, we can see brighter days ahead, but to get there quickly, it's going to take all New Yorkers staying smart and staying united," Governor Cuomo said. "We have the vaccine, and that is good news, but it will be months before we've reached critical mass, making it as important as ever that we do not let COVID fatigue get the best of us. The state is working around the clock with the medical community to not only ensure vaccines are distributed as quickly and efficiently as possible, but to also continue growing bed capacity so hospitals do not become overwhelmed. As daunting as it may seem after all this time, it's critical that the rest of us remain tough and keep up our efforts to slow the spread. We've already come so far and we will finally reach that light at the end of the tunnel if we all just do our part."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

·       Test Results Reported - 202,446

·       Total Positive - 15,074

·       Percent Positive - 7.45%

·       Patient Hospitalization - 7,814 (-72)

·       Patients Newly Admitted - 887

·       Hospital Counties - 56

·       Number ICU - 1,321 (+29)

·       Number ICU with Intubation - 786 (+10)

·       Total Discharges - 103,828 (+860)

·       Deaths - 128

·       Total Deaths - 30,337