Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
presents
at Orchard Beach
Every Saturday beginning at 1pm
AUG 7
Tipica 73
AUG 14
Mambo Legends
AUG 21
Nelson Gonzalez Band
AUG 28
Los Hermanos Moreno
Friday, July 29, 2016
Pokémon NO! Disturbing investigation finds pokémon popping up at high-level sex offenders’ residences across the city
Senators Klein & Savino call for new legislation to protect children from threats new augmented reality games pose
State Senators Jeff Klein and Diane Savino on Friday released an alarming investigative report, “Protecting Our Children: How Pokémon GO and Augmented Reality Games Expose Children to Sex Offenders.”
The wildly popular game, downloaded over 30 million times within the first two weeks of its release, takes players on a hunt for pokémon using real-life maps and locations. Gamers must pause at Pokéstops, located throughout the city, to collect items necessary to play the game and at Gyms where they meet up with other players in real-life to battle their collection of creatures.
The investigation found:
- Pokémon materialized in front of Level 2 or 3 sex offenders’ homes 57% of the time.
- Pokéstops or Gyms were located within a half-block of convicted pedophiles’ residences 59% of the time.
- A Pokémon-related item appeared near a high-level sex offenders’ residences 73% of the time.
“While children believe they are out to catch a pokémon, what might really be lurking could be a predator instead of a Pikachu. We want our children to have safe fun, but it makes no sense at all to give dangerous sexual predators a virtual road map to where our children congregate. We must update our law that already prohibits high level predators from using social media and we must make sure that gamers scrub these addresses from this game and future ones,” said Senator Klein.
“It’s dangerous to let our children linger in front of a sex offender’s home to play a game, and it’s absurd that a high-level predator should be allowed to have this map at his or her fingertips in the first place. We devised simple solutions in light of this alarming investigation to keep our laws up-to-date as technology advances,” said Senator Savino.
In light of the alarming findings, Senator Klein will introduce legislation to prohibit certain Level 2 and 3 sex offenders from playing augmented reality games. Many high-level sex offenders are already prohibited from using social media.
In another piece of legislation, Senator Klein will require game developers to regularly scour the Department of Criminal Justice website to obtain sex offender addresses and remove all in-game objectives within 100-feet of their residencies.
The investigation focused on 100 Level 2 and 3 sex offenders who committed crimes against children or who were convicted of possessing child pornography. All of the individuals are still on parole or probation and are prohibited from living within 1,000 feet of a school.
In each borough, a total of 57 pokemon were caught directly in front of these high-level pedophiles’ homes.
Worse, Pokéstops and Gyms populated surrounding areas a majority of the time.
Pokéstops are essential to playing, since players pick up items needed for the game. They are stationed at historical sites, businesses or on local artworks. “Lures” can be placed on them to attract pokémon, opening up another avenue of danger for children. A sexual predator can easily earn a lure module by playing the game or can purchase them with real world money.
Gyms prompt real world encounters. They are places where players must physically congregate to battle their pokémon, again leaving children vulnerable to predators who have access to a map of these sites, many of whom live very closeby.
Of 100 high-level sex offenders examined in this investigation, 59% of the time the predator lived within a half-block of a Pokéstop and/or Gym.
KEY: Pokéball = Pokéstop/Gym, Blue marker = Sex offender.
8/10/16- NCB's Annual Back to School Healthfest!
Join us on Wednesday August 10th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Kossuth Avenue (between 208th & 210th streets) to celebrate our Annual “Back to School” Healthfest.
· Free Health Screenings
· Health Education Booths
· Medication Counseling
· Health Insurance Eligibility Screening
· Children’s ID Fingerprinting & Immunization Card Review
· Games
· Free Giveaways
· Raffle Prizes and More!
Sponsored by the Friends of NCB Auxiliary and MetroPlus
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Community Board 6 District Manager's Last District Service Cabinet Meeting
Longtime Community Board 6 District Manager Ivine Galarza is seated at the conference table in the board office for her last District Service Cabinet meeting with local area representatives of city agencies. To Ms. Galarza'a right is the commanding officer of the 48th Police Precinct Captain Tim McCormick, and to her left is the new Community Board 6 district manager Mr. John Sanchez.
I had received a couple of phone calls from individuals who applied for the district manager position, and went to meet the new district manager. I was fortunate to be able to see my friend Ivine Galarza who had been the district manager of board 6 for the past 21 years. We had a very lovely chat, similar to the one I had with Ken Kearns who is the outgoing District Manager of Community Board 10. Ivine asked me why I was not on Community Board 8 anymore, and I said that she would have to ask Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. that question. I asked Ivine why she was retiring, and she said that while she would of loved to continue on as the district manager, but that 21 years was a long period of time in today's era of community boards to be the district manager. We spoke about many other items, and then she introduced me to the new district manager Mr. John Sanchez.
In my role of being a political reporter I was familiar with Mr. Sanchez who had been on the staff of Assemblyman Michael Blake, whose assembly district covers parts of the community board 6 area. I joked with District manager Sanchez about Assemblyman Blake wanting to become a congressman, and I said that he might make a fine assemblyman should that happen. Having been a community board member for the past six years, and my boards Budget Committee Chair, I know firsthand of the recent changes instituted by the current mayor's office. Last year was the first year of a 48 page on line submission form for budget priorities, and this coming year was going to be no different, especially to a rookie district manager.
It seems that as Ms. Galarza and I talked, today we may not see a district manager with more than ten years on the job, as they are appointed by the members of the community board. It also seems that due to term limits of elected officials who appoint community board members more frequent turnover of board members may also happen. For now Community Board 6 appears to be in good hands, and Mr. Sanchez has Ivine Galarza's phone number in an easy to reach spot, just in case he needs some good advice.
Klein and Abbate Announce Law to Recognize Catholic War Veterans with Distinctive License Plates
Catholic war veterans will now be recognized with special license plates, now that legislation sponsored by State Senator Jeff Klein and Assemblyman Peter Abbate was signed into law.
“I am very proud that the extraordinary sacrifices made by our Catholic War Veterans, whose courageous acts contributed to our freedom, will be recognized in a special way. This distinctive plates will allow us to paying tribute to our heroes each and every day. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to those who served in the military, as they are the true protectors of our civil liberties,” said Senator Jeff Klein.
“I am so proud to finally pass this bill and to honor our states’ Catholic War Veterans. What may seem like a small gesture to us will have a deep impact on them. This is important step in showing our appreciation to these veterans for their outsize impact they have had on their country, their fellow soldiers and their families. It is my honor to have gotten to know many of them and fight alongside them for this privilege,” said Assemblyman Peter Abbate.
The Catholic War Veterans of the United States of America, which was established in 1935, now joins with the many other veterans’ organizations that are recognized with their own distinctive plates: American Legion, Jewish War Veterans of America, Korean War Veterans, Marine Corps Reserve, Marine Corps League, Navy Reserve, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans, and Veterans of World War II. The Catholic War Veterans of the United States of America has been recognized by the Veterans Administration since 1940. This organization provide assistance and support to many veterans and their surviving family members.
“I thank Senator Klein on behalf of the Catholic War Veterans Department of New York for sponsoring the bill to add us to the list of Veteran Service Organization that qualify to have a distinctive license plates. . Since we are also the smallest VSO, having our name on a license plate will bring needed visual recognition and helps us get our name out there so the general public sees us,” David Crum, NYS Department Commander of Catholic War Veterans.
“It is a thrill to know that Senator Jeff Klein after all these years accomplished what we knew he could and never gave up on us! These license plates give us recognition and will inspire others to apply for plates. It is a real honor to get recognition on license plates and finally see this happen,” said Jim Mullarkey, Post Commander, Catholic War Veterans, The Reverend Dennis O’Donovan Post 222.
New York City Official Sentenced In Manhattan Federal Court For Food Stamp Bribery Scheme
Preet Bharara, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that HARRY FLETCHER was sentenced yesterday in Manhattan federal court to 36 months in prison for taking more than $20,000 in bribes in exchange for awarding more than $240,000 in food stamp benefits. FLETCHER, a former official of the New York City Human Resources Administration (“HRA”), was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kevin T. Duffy. FLETCHER pled guilty in April 2016 to one count of soliciting and accepting bribes from various persons in exchange for enabling those persons to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (“SNAP,” formerly known as Food Stamps) benefits for which they were not eligible.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Bharara said: “As he admitted in court, Harry Fletcher set up a scheme to receive bribes for providing illegitimate benefits. By doing so, he didn’t just take advantage of New York City’s social services system, he abused some of the neediest and least fortunate in the City.”
According to the allegations in the Complaint and other documents, and statements made in Manhattan federal court:
The HRA provides temporary help to individuals and families with social service and economic needs to assist them in reaching self-sufficiency. Its services include, among other things, providing food stamps to low-income families and individuals. Although the food stamp program is administered locally through HRA, SNAP benefits are funded entirely by the federal government. To apply for SNAP benefits, an applicant must complete and sign an application form listing, among other things, the applicant’s income and financial assets. HRA Eligibility Specialists such as FLETCHER are supposed to interview SNAP program applicants and review applicant documentation in order to determine if the applicant is eligible to receive SNAP benefits.
Beginning in 2009, FLETCHER approached two landlords, who are referred to in the Complaint as CW-1 and CW-2, and who have pled guilty and are cooperating with the Government, and offered to provide CW-1 and CW-2 with monthly SNAP benefits in return for recurring bribe payments. CW-1 and CW-2 agreed to pay the bribes and, as a result, received tens of thousands of dollars of SNAP benefits for which they were not eligible from 2009 through 2015. CW-1 and CW-2 then recruited other individuals to the scheme, each of whom obtained monthly SNAP benefits arranged by FLETCHER, without regard to whether the applicant qualified for such benefits, in return for continued bribes. In total, FLETCHER accepted over $20,000 in bribes for improperly approving over $240,000 in SNAP benefits to CW-1, CW-2, and the remaining defendants. The applicants bribing FLETCHER were ineligible for SNAP benefits due to their income or to the fact that they did not reside in New York City and thus were not eligible for New York City social service programs.