COUNCILMAN WILLIAMS RESPONDS TO EXPIRATION OF 421-A TAX ABATEMENT

STATEMENT BY COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS 

  "421-a failed to create enough affordable housing to justify the substantial tax breaks given to developers. The expiration of 421-a is an opportunity to rethink our approach to development and affordable housing, and given New York City's worsening housing crisis, it's an opportunity we can't pass up.

Whether it's a new version of 421-a, or something different, New York City must have a tax incentive program that encourages developers to build real affordable housing. At the same time, we can't afford to give away tax breaks without ensuring the creation of housing that is affordable for working and low-income families and provides good jobs for local residents, which means workers must be paid fair wages and new developments must also include permanent, on-site affordable units at 40% AMI or lower.

Now, we need all parties to come back to the table, take a fresh look at our options and create a plan to build housing with meaningful affordability requirements, fair labor standards, livable wages and equally as important, plans to ensure that jobs will go to communities too often ignored and underrepresented."

 

Horse Carriage Agreement Statement from Council Members Rodriguez and Dromm

  With the recently announced news of an agreement between the offices of Mayor Bill de Blasio, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the Teamsters' Union representing horse carriage drivers in New York City, the two sponsors of the legislation, Council Members Rodriguez and Dromm, issued this statement:

"We are pleased that at the end of an exhaustive process, all sides in this negotiation were able to come to an amicable agreement that both removes horses from the dangers of city traffic and saves the jobs of many in the horse carriage industry. Working out the logistics of this agreement will be key in reaching an outcome that is suitable to all parties involved."

MLK Day

Today, millions of Americans from coast to coast will gather to commemorate the life, legacy, and work of the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We do so because America, as we know it, would not exist if not for the road that Dr. King paved for us - a road paved by the blood, sweat, and tears of civil rights martyrs. He broke down walls and shattered obstacles for so many of us, so that we could live in a more fair and just world. But unfortunately, we are still from achieving the perfect union we envision. In this country, there are still people mistreated because of the color of their skin, the person they choose to love, or the place they choose to pray.  Let us use not just today, but every single day, to carry on Dr. King's legacy of justice to get closer to that equal society. We must all work together to stand up against injustice and intolerance wherever we see it in the world. We must all do our part to make our neighborhoods, communities, and our country better places to live.

Sincerely, Letitia James New York City Public Advocate

Sepúlveda Calls for Community to Rally Tuesday Morning Against Hate Crimes After Vicious Anti-Muslim Attack in Parkchester

Assemblyman lauds NYPD and local precinct response

   Assemblyman Luis Sepúlveda is calling for the community to turn out at a Tuesday morning rally to protest the vicious Friday evening anti-Muslim attack in Parkchester by two assailants against a Bengali man dressed in traditional Muslim garb. The attackers reportedly yelled “ISIS! ISIS!” during the assault.

 Sepúlveda will be joined by State Senator and Reverend Ruben Diaz Sr., Community Board 9 member Mohammed Mujumder, and other community and religious leaders at 9 a.m. in front of PS 119 at 1075 Pugsley Avenue.

  Mujibur Rahman, 43, was picking up his nine-year-old niece from the school about 5:30 p.m. Friday when the two assailants punched him in the head and knocked him to the ground where they kicked him several times, while reportedly yelling the anti-Muslim slurs.

  “I am appalled by this latest hate crime in the heart of our community,” said the Assemblyman, who praised 43rd Precinct commanding officer, Inspector Fausto Pichardo, for his “professionalism, compassion, and quick response” to the incident. “An attack on one member of our community is an attack on us all,” added Sepúlveda.

  “I will work closely with the NYPD, the 43rd Precinct, the community board, local officials, and the NYPD's Hate Crimes Unit to bolster protections for our hard-working Muslim families who unfortunately, because of the problems in the Mideast, are facing a higher than ever incidence of hate crimes,” Sepúlveda said. He asked anyone with information about the attack to contact the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477).

STATEMENT FROM BP DIAZ RE: Anti-Muslim Bias Incident in The Bronx

  “The Bronx is one of the most diverse places in the world, and we celebrate that diversity every single day.Friday’s hateful attack on a Muslim individual in Parkchester is in no way representative of the shared values of the people of this borough.

“An attack on one of us over race, religion, gender or sexual orientation is an attack on us all. The people of The Bronx are united in their condemnation of this abhorrent incident. My office will continue to work with the New York City Police Department and community leaders to bring the perpetrators to justice. We wish the victim of this attack a speedy recovery, and our thoughts are with him and his family during this difficult time,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Anyone with information about this attack can contact the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-TIPS.

100 PERCENT SATURDAY JAN. 16,2016

100 PERCENT

By Robert Press

IT'S OFFICIAL 

    The headline refers to New Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark who had her Inauguration this afternoon at the Lehman College Lovinger Theatre. The moderate size Lovinger Theatre holds close to 600 people, and there was not an empty seat in the house. In fact there had to be an overflow room set up in one of the Faculty Dining Room to accommodate the almost 400 extra people who came to see new Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark sworn in.   

  There is more on the Inauguration in the previous posting, complete with many photos of the city and state elected officials, as well as a photo of His Eminence Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan who gave the Invocation. Those who spoke included all three citywide elected officials, Mayor Bill de Blasio, City Comptroller Scott Stringer, and Public Advocate Letitia James. Also on had to congratulate new Bronx DA Clark were U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, New York State Comptroller Tom Dinapoli, New York Assembly Speaker Bronx Assemblyman carl Heastie, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, and Justice Darcel Clark's former boss now retired Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division First Department Hon. Luis Gonzalez. Bronx DA Clark was sworn in by Associate Judge of the NYS Court of Appeals Hon. Shelia Abdus-Salaam. 

   In other political news the 17th City Council Special Election there seems to be definition as to just how many candidates that may submit petitions as Tuesday January 19th is the deadline to file petitions. As of now there are nine candidates that have filed petitions, and I expect to see two or three more candidates file petitions before the deadline. Then the Board of Election and court challenges start, or should I say have started already. Let's see if we get to see King Stanley, that is Stanley K. Schlein Esq. who rewrote the book on Election Law. 

   It looks like the Bronx Democratic County organization has invested heavily in the candidacy of their candidate Rafael Salamanca the current District Manager of Community Board #2 who may have some road blocks in his attempt to replace former 17th Council District Councilwoman Maria Del Carmen Arroyo. More on candidate Salamanca in upcoming columns, however there are some areas where Community Board District Managers have conflict of interests in, and we may just have to see how many Community Board #2 District Manager Rafael Salamanca may have. As I said more in upcoming columns, and if you may know some that I don't send me an e-mail at the address at the end of this column. 

    If you have any political information (especially about the 17th City Council special election) that you want to share or have checked out, any comments about this column or would like to have an event listed or covered in this column or on this blog, you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call 718-644-4199 Mr. Robert Press.  

With Swearing-In of Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, A New Era Officially Begins in the Bronx

   Among dignitaries, community leaders, family and neighbors from across the Bronx, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark was officially sworn into office today.

Bronx DA Darcel Clark was joined by a number of prominent elected officials, including Senator Charles Schumer, Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, Public Advocate Letitia James, City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., New York Speaker Carl Heastie, City Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito, Bronx Democratic Committee Chairman Marcos Crespo, Alphonso David Counsel to Governor Andrew Cuomo, and the Hon. Luis Gonzalez, Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, First Judicial Department, Retired. Also in attendance was Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, who gave the Invocation. 

Taking the oath of office from the Honorable Sheila Abdus-Salaam, who serves on the New York Court of Appeals, District Attorney Clark is the first woman to serve as Bronx District Attorney and the first woman of color to serve as a District Attorney in New York State history.

In her inaugural speech, District Attorney Clark spoke of how she hopes her story can serve as an example of how along with perseverance, hard work and the grace of God, having an appreciation for your community can lead any ordinary person to extraordinary opportunities.

“Growing up and seeing the violence and crime in the Bronx of the seventies and eighties fueled a fire in me to do something with my life that could allow me to be bigger than myself, and that’s why I decided to further my education, become a lawyer, and eventually return to this community to start giving back,” she said.  

She also highlighted some of the challenges she hopes to address while in office, including improving the office’s responsiveness and transparency, weeding out public corruption, eliminating gun and gang violence in the borough, collaborating to fix the problems plaguing Rikers Island and working with the NYPD to continue to improve police and community relations. For each, she emphasized the need for collaboration.

“These should be our priorities and they are attainable, but only if we work together beyond race, beyond precincts and beyond politics to get things done for each other,” she said.   

In the end, she issued a challenge to those listening.

“I would like to challenge you each today - to not only understand The Bronx and the issues we face, but to appreciate this borough for all that makes it beautiful and to serve as the catalyst to make it better,” she stated.  

“Once again, while many of us may come from ordinary means - we are all capable of extraordinary things.” 

Above - His Eminence Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan gives the Invocation.

Below - Mayor Bill de Blasio had only words of praise for the Bronx, and for new Bronx DA Darcel Clark. Bronx DA Darcel Clark's husband NYPD Detective Eaton "Ray" Davis is now seated next to her. 

Above - U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer spoke for over five minutes.

Below - City Comptroller Scott Stringer (a 'Bronx Boy' once) speaks.

Above - Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. tells how proud he is of the new Bronx DA Darcel Clark, and the expected fine job that she will do as Bronx District Attorney.

Below - After the ceremony everyone wanted to have their picture taken with new Bronx DA Darcel Clark.

New Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark must have taken a photo with almost everyone of the near 1,000 attendees. 

Substance Abuse Forum Held By City Councilman Andrew Cohen and CB 8

   It was billed as a 'Forum on Drug Use and Dependence to Inform the Community on how to Reduce the Risks Associated With Drug Use and How to Best Treat Drug Dependency'. 

  The Forum was being jointly sponsored by Councilman Andrew Cohen, and Community Board 8 through its Health, Hospitals, and Social Services Committee. The forum was held on Thursday January 14th, and seemed to be a hit in the community, as the room where the forum was held in the Riverdale Neighborhood House was packed. There were several speakers who took questions,and the forum included a power point presentation on drug use and dependence. 

   Below - Captain O'Toole commanding officer of the 50th Precinct was the first speaker who went over statistics that seemed to startle many in the audience.