Councilman Mark Gjonaj - Upcoming Events

Join us at BRAC for a Piano Performance by Helen Ryba June 27th at 7PM

Join us at BRAC for a Piano Performance  by Helen Ryba  June 27th at 7PM

BRONX RIVER SOUNDS:   June 2019 Performing Arts Series Continues.... With Pianist Helen Ryba at on June 27th at 7pm. Ukrainian classical pianist Helen Ryba, who will offer a program of rarely performed 20th century works for piano   in our new event space! Including a composition by Florence Price, the first African-American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer, and the first to have a composition played by a major orchestra. Ms. Ryba's program will feature Bach's Chaconne in D minor as well as works by lesser-known composers, Viktor Kosenko, Myroslav Skoryk, and Florence Price. The program will be performed on our recently donated Yamaha baby-grand piano.This is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a selection of rarely performed works by artists whose identity informed their compositional choices.  Florence Price's life as a black woman in a segregated society found expression in her exploration of the sonata form. Price helped to broaden the definition of what American classical music could represent. Likewise, Kosenko and Skoryk's works helped expand the musical vocabulary to include Ukrainian folk melodies, some of which weave their way through these works and connect us to Ms. Ryba's homeland.  Ms. Ryba studied at the Mykola Lysenko Music school and Gliere Music College in Kiev, Ukraine. She works as a piano teacher and vocal coach in NJ and NY, focusing on creative and technical skills, ear training, sight reading, as well as music history and theory. An accomplished solo pianist, Ryba's career highlights include the complete Book I of the Well-Tempered Clavier and The Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach. Ms. Ryba will play the following works of music at BRAC: 1.       Bach-Busoni                Chaconne in D-minor BWV 1004 2.       Viktor Kosenko            Consolation op. 9 3.       Viktor Kosenko            Allemande op. 19 4.       Florence Price             Sonata in E-minor movements I and II. 5.       Myroslav Skoryk          Prelude and Fugue in F-Major

(April 9, 1887 - June 3, 1953) was an American  She was born as Florence Beatrice Smith on April 9, 1887, in Little Rock, Arkansas. She had her first piano performance at the age of four and had her first composition published at the age of 11. After a series of racial incidents in Little Rock, Florence Price and her family decided to leave. Like many black families living in the Deep South, they moved north in the  The Chicago Symphony Orchestra premiered Price's Symphony in E minor on June 15, 1933, making Price's piece the first composition by an African-American woman to be played by a major orchestra. Even though her training was in European tradition, Price's music reveals her Southern roots. Being deeply religious, she frequently used the music of the African-American church as material for her arrangements. Her melodies were blues-inspired and mixed with more traditional, European Romantic techniques.

To RSVP go to   www.bracbx.eventbrite.com Suggested Donation:  $10 adults, $5.00 seniors & youth through age18 FREE for currently enrolled Students in BRAC's Education program Or Pay what you can. This program is supported in part with City funds by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, including Council members, Ritchie Torres, Andrew Cohen, Andy King, Ruben Diaz Sr. and Mark Gjonaj, as well as BronxCare Health System and individual donors.

James Felton Convicted In Manhattan Federal Court Of 2016 Murders Of Marvin Harris And Jose Morales

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JAMES FELTON was found guilty of the June 11, 2016, murder of Marvin Harris, whom FELTON shot 13 times, as well as the December 11, 2016, murder of Jose Morales, whom FELTON shot in the head.  FELTON was also found guilty of conspiring to distribute crack cocaine, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, and related firearms offenses.  FELTON was convicted following a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “James Felton brutally executed two men on the streets of the Bronx as part of his efforts to control the drug trade in his community.  Now Felton stands convicted of his crimes.  We thank our partners at Homeland Security Investigations and the New York City Police Department for their extraordinary work on this case.”

According to the allegations in the Indictment and the evidence presented in court during the trial:

Between 2010 and 2017, FELTON was a member of a long-running narcotics conspiracy and criminal enterprise centered around 240 East 175th Street in the Bronx, New York.  On June 11, 2016, at the corner of East 175th Street and Monroe Avenue in the Bronx, FELTON shot Marvin Harris 13 times, killing him, after Harris insulted FELTON and challenged FELTON’s status within the drug territory.  Six months later, at the corner of East 175th Street and Weeks Avenue, one block away from the scene of the Harris murder, FELTON shot rival drug dealer Edwin Romero four times, then shot Jose Morales in the head, killing him.

FELTON also committed other firearms offenses in connection with his membership in the drug conspiracy and criminal enterprise.

FELTON, 50, of the Bronx, was convicted of conspiring to distribute at least 280 grams of crack cocaine and quantities of heroin, cocaine, and marijuana; two counts of murder through use of a firearm; two counts of murder while engaged in a narcotics conspiracy; two counts of murder in aid of racketeering; using, carrying, possessing, brandishing, and discharging firearms in relation to a drug trafficking crime, on occasions other than the Harris and Morales murders; and four counts of possessing a firearm or ammunition after sustaining a felony conviction.  FELTON faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment plus an additional mandatory minimum sentence of 75 years in prison, which must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment imposed.  

FELTON is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge Pauley on October 4, 2019.

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the New York City Police Department.

Notorious Landlord, Raphael Toledano, To Pay $3 Million, Other Penalties For Harassing NY Tenants

Toledano settlement with Attorney General James will also include strong oversight and limitations over his real estate business

 Attorney General Letitia James announced a settlement with Raphael Toledano to put an end to his harassment of New York City tenants and to prevent him from engaging in speculative real estate deals designed to profit by violating New York’s rent-stabilization laws.

“Access to safe, affordable housing is a right,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “Putting profits over people is unacceptable, and my office will hold any landlord accountable who violates the law to increase their bottom line. Under no circumstance should tenants be subjected to the harassment perpetrated by landlords like Raphael Toledano. We are grateful to our many partners, including the State Division of Housing and Community Renewal, who have worked tirelessly in the pursuit of justice in this case.”

Under the terms of their settlement agreement, Toledano’s real estate business will be supervised by an Independent Monitor, who will ensure that Toledano ceases to engage in fraud and tenant harassment.  Toledano will not be allowed to have any direct contact with tenants, and will be required to hire an independent management company for any of his properties.  In addition, Toledano has agreed to pay $3 million in damages and penalties.  If Toledano violates the terms of his agreement, then Attorney General James will seek a lifetime bar against any further participation in the real estate industry, as well as a suspended judgment of $10 million.

Attorney General James and Governor Cuomo’s Tenant Protection Unit (TPU) within New York State Homes and Community Renewal began investigating Toledano after receiving complaints from tenants and community advocates about his use of harassment, unsafe construction, and other illegal conduct to push tenants out of their rent-stabilized homes. Since the creation of the Governor’s TPU in 2012, the unit has conducted multiple investigations and coordinated enforcement activities resulting in the registration of over 78,000 improperly deregulated apartments and the recovery of approximately $5 million in overcharged rent for unsuspecting tenants.

“This investigation builds on the joint successes of AG James and the Governor’s TPU in delivering justice on behalf of New Yorkers,” said New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas. “These tenants were terrorized by Toledano’s pervasive threats, fraud and scheming which jeopardized their safety, and we recommit again today: We will not tolerate abuse of rent regulated tenants. We will protect tenants to the full extent of the law, as we are doing with the Zara investigation, Marolda investigation, and now the Toledano investigation.”

Attorney General James’ investigation established that Toledano engaged in a pattern of fraudulent and illegal conduct throughout his work as a landlord and real estate developer. He harassed tenants through coercive buyouts, illegal construction practices and failed to provide his rent-regulated tenants with utilities, repairs, and other necessary services. Toledano also engaged in deceptive business practices in his real estate transactions, including repeatedly and persistently misrepresenting himself as a lawyer and advertising apartments with 3 or 4 bedrooms, when legally the apartment could only have 1 or 2 bedrooms.

"Tenants Taking Control (formerly the Toledano Tenants Coalition) applauds the NYS Attorney General James’ Office for pursuing Raphael Toledano, and holding him accountable for the various injustices, offenses, mistreatment and at times barely believable disrespect that we received from him," said former Brookhill tenant Jim Markowich of East 5th Street. "We feel that he consciously and strategically tried to make our lives as his tenants unnecessarily upsetting and difficult. For example, there was sudden, unannounced, slap-dash demolition work that released elevated levels of lead dust into buildings where toddlers were living."

The case was brought to the Office of Attorney General James by Community Development Project and Cooper Square Committee. 

"Raphael Toledano wreaked havoc in the East Village, harassing tenants living in rent-stabilized apartments,” said Greg Baltz, Community Development Project.  “The Community Development Project’s clients, the members of Tenants Taking Control (formerly the Toledano Tenant Coalition), showed him and all of New York City that the most effective way to stand up to predatory landlords is to organize. We thank Attorney General James and her team for their fierce advocacy on behalf of tenants.”

"Rent-regulated tenants in Raphael Toledano's buildings faced intense displacement pressure, but many chose to stay and fight rather than accept buyout offers or succumb to the alleged harassment," said Liam Reilly, Housing Organizer, Cooper Square Committee. "The Toledano Tenants' Coalition (now known as Tenants Taking Control) is a prime example of the power of tenants when they stand together in defense of their rights, their homes, and their communities. Thanks to their resilience and creativity, in addition to the Attorney General's powerful investigation, we are hopeful that rent regulated tenants will no longer be subjected to Toledano's unscrupulous schemes." 

The matter is being handled for the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Frauds and Protection by Assistant Attorneys General Elena González, Mark Ladov and Bureau Chief Jane M. Azia, and for the Attorney General’s Real Estate Finance Bureau by Chief of Enforcement Louis Solomon and Bureau Chief Brent Meltzer.  The Bureau of Consumer Frauds and Protection is overseen by Chief Deputy Attorney General for Economic Justice Christopher D’Angelo, and the Real Estate Finance Bureau is overseen by Chief Deputy Attorney General for Social Justice Meghan Faux.   

For the Tenant Protection Unit, the investigating attorneys are TPU Legal Director Argyro Boyle, Assistant Counsel Karis Rasmussen, and TPU Senior Attorney Jonathan O. Hurt, under the leadership of Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas and HCR Deputy Commissioner and TPU Bureau Chief Gregory C. Fewer.

Bronx Progressives June 2019 Monthly Meeting and Other Announcements!

  Mark your calendars for Wednesday, June 26th at 6:00pm for our upcoming Bronx Progressives June monthly meeting...we will have guest speakers come and talk to membership about health justice in the Bronx! 

June Membership Meeting Location

597 East 139th Street

Bronx, NY 10454

(East 139th Street, between Cypress and St. Ann's Avenue)

Take the #6 train to Cypress Avenue

We will also have the members who applied for Bronx Progressives Executive Leadership positions describe their backgrounds so that you can cast a vote on the new leadership team!

June 26th is also the night of the first Presidential Debate so join us after the meeting for watch party (location TBD)!

Lastly, make sure you stop by Movement School's Forum about the State of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and how to build community power this Friday, June 21st at 6:00pm (New Settlement Community Center -1501 Jerome Avenue Bronx, NY - corner of 172nd Street and Jerome Avenue). Click here to RSVP: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/356437751686253/.

ASSEMBLY PASSES SWEEPING REFORMS TO PROTECT NEW YORKER'S FROM WORKPLACE HARASSMENT

ASSEMBLY PASSES SWEEPING REFORMS TO PROTECT NEW YORKER'S FROM WORKPLACE HARASSMENT

Speaker Carl Heastie, Labor Committee Chair Marcos Crespo, Governmental Operations Chair Michele Titus and Ethics and Guidance Committee Chair Aravella Simotas today announced the Assembly has passed legislation to increase protections against discriminatory harassment in the workplace (A.8421, Simotas). In 2018, the legislature enacted a number of measures to combat sexual harassment in the workplace, including mandating that all employers in New York State have a sexual harassment policy, employee training and a clear complaint and investigation process. Earlier this year, the legislature held hearings to receive testimony from victims, advocates and experts regarding sexual harassment in the workplace, which was used to craft today's legislation. "For too long, workplace harassment has burdened workers personally, financially and professionally," said Assemblymember Marcos Crespo. "Today's legislation provides comprehensive reforms to ensure employees from every sector have access to recourse. Many thanks to the brave men and women who courageously told their stories and helped us shape this critical legislation." Currently, New Yorkers are protected from sexual harassment under the federal Civil Rights Act and the state Human Rights Law, but that harassment must meet the high standard of being "severe or pervasive" to entitle its target to compensation. Today's legislation would lower that burdensome standard for any harassment that needs only to rise above the threshold of petty slights or trivial inconveniences to be considered unlawful. Under the bill, New York's Human Rights Law would be expanded to cover all employers in the state. Current law excludes employers with fewer than four employees, leaving small business workers without the protections they need. The measure would make it an unlawful discriminatory practice for an employer, licensing agency, employment agency or labor organization to subject any individual to harassment because of their membership in one or more protected classes, or because they have opposed any practices prohibited under the Human Rights Law. The bill would also eliminate part of the Faragher/Ellerth defense, which allows employers to avoid liability for harassment because an employee failed to file a formal complaint or follow a particular reporting procedure. This change will protect workers who are unable to make complaints without facing the risk of retaliation. The legislation would provide a wide range of other protections and preventative measures. The bill would: Extend protections for non-employees in the workplace to all protected classes; Allow courts to award attorney's fees on all claims of employment discrimination, and allow for punitive damages in employment discrimination cases against private employers; Provide that the Human Rights Law is to be construed liberally for remedial purposes, regardless of how federal laws have been construed; Prohibit mandatory arbitration clauses for discrimination claims; Prohibit non-disclosure agreements in any settlement for a claim of discrimination, unless it's the complainant's preference; Provide that any term or condition in a non-disclosure agreement is void if it prohibits the complainant from initiating or participating in an agency investigation or disclosing facts necessary to receive public benefits; Require that employees be notified that non-disclosure agreements in employment contracts cannot prevent them from talking to the police, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the State Division of Human Rights or a similar local entity, or a lawyer; Extend the authority of the Attorney General to prosecute certain civil and criminal cases of discrimination against all protected classes; Require the Department of Labor and the Division of Human Rights to evaluate the impact of the model sexual harassment prevention policy every four years and update the policy as needed; Require any term or condition in a non-disclosure agreement be provided in writing to all parties, in plain English and the primary language of the complainant; Require the commissioner of the Labor Department to prepare templates of the model policy in languages other than English; Require every employer to provide employees with their sexual harassment policy in English or their primary language when they are hired and during training; and Extend the statute of limitations to file a sexual harassment complaint with the Division of Human Rights from one year to three years.

STATEMENTS FROM MAYOR DE BLASIO AND DEPUTY MAYOR J. PHILLIP THOMPSON ON PASSAGE OF STATE LAW TO ENSURE A FAIR ECONOMY FOR CITY’S M/WBES

 The State Legislature passed S6418A/A8407 sponsored by State Senator Kevin Parker and Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte, which gives the City of New York the authority to increase economic opportunities for Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs). If signed into law, the City would be able to make discretionary awards to M/WBEs of up to $500,000. A higher discretionary threshold will increase M/WBEs’ access to more City projects that also are larger in scale. The City’s current discretionary award limit for goods and services is $150,000. Additionally, the legislation would allow the City to authorize a mentorship program for the Department of Design and Construction similar to the programs already available at the MTA and School Construction Authority. The bill also would allow the City to create pre-qualified lists exclusively for M/WBEs and small businesses.

Statement from Mayor Bill de Blasio:

“Our city is fairer and more vibrant when everyone – regardless of race, gender or ethnicity – has an opportunity to participate in our economy. With the help of State lawmakers and persistent advocacy from our minority and women entrepreneurs, we managed to once again expand economic opportunity for people who have historically been left out of our economy. A $500,000 discretionary award limit for minority and women entrepreneurs will strengthen our thriving economy and entrepreneurial backbone. I would like to thank our Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, bill sponsors State Senator Kevin Parker and Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte, and the rest of the legislature for giving us greater tools to help our local businesses. I urge the Governor to sign this legislation into law and help us empower our minority and women-owned businesses.”

Statement from J. Phillip Thompson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives and Citywide M/WBE Director:

 “We are at an inflection point when it comes to building a resilient economy, inclusive of all diverse vendors in City contracting. With the passage of this bill, we are primed for change because when M/WBEs succeed, our communities thrive and those who need jobs most are more likely to be hired. It has been an inspiring journey. Thank you to the legislative leaders and our bill sponsors, State Senator Parker and Assembly Member Bichotte, for seeing this legislation through. We now urge the Governor to sign this legislation into law to help dismantle longstanding institutional barriers inhibiting small business growth and provide meaningful relief to elevate entrepreneurs who have historically been marginalized.”