SENATOR JEFF KLEIN HOSTS NALOXONE TRAINING

  In response to recent heroin-related deaths in the community, Senator Jeff Klein, along with the Throggs Neck Community Action Partnership and the NYC Department of Health, hosted a Naloxone training session at Villa Barone Manor last night. The event was attended by over 200 people who were very interested in stopping a problem that has become increasing in their community

Carolynn Colandro, whose son died of a fatal overdose, shared the story of how her 29 year old Nicholas was lead on to a path which eventually killed him. As she was telling the story Ms. Colandro had to stop, and her daughter Francesca had to continue until her mother regained her composure to be able to finish her families tragedy over drug addition which led to Nicholas's death.

Also on hand were family and friends of Christopher Morello, Anthony Trotta, and Billy Brennan who also recently died of drug overdoses. They wanted to know what the police department in the area was doing about drug sales in the 45th Precinct, and Senator Klein said that he would set up a town hall meeting so that community residents could get the answers why this is increasing in the area.

To prevent further tragedies, Senator Klein discussed the recently enacted laws to help combat the heroin and opioid epidemic. there was also a presentation from the New York City Department of Health. Those in attendance who came to find out more about Naloxone who filled out a required form received a Naloxone kit. They were also instructed on how to use Naloxone if they see someone they think is overdosing on a drug.

Above - Photos and names of those who have died of drug overdoses in the 45th Precinct over the past year or two.

Below - State Senator Jeff Klein presents some information on how New York State has put aside $189 million dollars to fight and educate people of all ages on drug treatment and prevention programs, among other ways of ending the current drug overdose crisis.

Above - Carolynn Colandro tells of the horrors of her son Nicholas's addiction to drugs. She mentions that he was overcoming it, but wound up using drugs again which wound up killing him.

Below - As her mother can no longer speak Nicholas's sister Francesca continues to tell of the horrors that the Colandro family went through.

Above - Senator Klein thanks Carolynn Colandro and daughter Francesca on being brave and able to tell the story of the addiction that lead up to the death of Nicholas Colandro.

Below - Naloxone kits are being given to those who filled out requests, and they are being given instructions on how to use Naloxone should they ever need to use it.  

U.S. Attorney Reaches Agreement With City Of Yonkers To Enhance Police Department Policies And Procedures

  Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Vanita Gupta, the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights for the Department of Justice, announced today that the United States has entered into an agreement with THE CITY OF YONKERS (the “City”) and THE CITY OF YONKERS POLICE DEPARTMENT (“YPD”), which is the product of the United States’ comprehensive investigation of YPD police practices and furthers the parties’ commitment to constitutional policing. 

  

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “This agreement ensures that the Yonkers Police Department polices in a way that keeps its citizens safe, while protecting their constitutional rights.  The measures put in place with this agreement, including clear and reasonable use-of-force policies and guidance on how to properly evaluate and respond to use-of-force incidents, will make Yonkers safer for citizens and police alike.  We thank the Yonkers Police Department and the City of Yonkers for cooperating with our investigation, and for joining our effort to ensure that the Yonkers Police Department protects its citizens not only from physical harm, but also from violations of their constitutional rights.”

Head of the Civil Rights Division Vanita Gupta said: “This agreement will ensure that the Yonkers Police Department continues to advance constitutional, effective and community-oriented policing.  Through clear policy guidance, data analysis and accountability systems, we believe these reforms will make the entire community safer and strengthen public trust in the police.”

The agreement is the result of the United States’ comprehensive investigation of YPD police practices that began in August 2007 under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968.  In June 2009, the United States sent the City a technical assistance letter that identified necessary reforms to YPD practices and policies in the areas of use of force, citizen complaints, investigations, supervisory oversight, and training.  After receiving the United States’ technical assistance letter, the City and YPD made substantial changes to its policies and procedures.  The agreement implements and further improves those policies and procedures and addresses the United States’ remaining concerns.  Under the agreement, the YPD will, among other things:

• Maintain and implement clear use-of-force policies that require officers to use only that force which is reasonable in light of the resistance encountered and to de-escalate force immediately as resistance decreases, and provide that the use of unreasonable force may subject officers to discipline, possible criminal prosecution, and/or civil liability.

• Thoroughly and timely evaluate, document, and review use-of-force incidents, arrests, and citizen complaints of officer misconduct.

• Maintain and implement clear policies on investigatory stops and detentions, which permit investigatory stops and detentions only where the officer has the reasonable suspicion, under the totality of the circumstances, that criminal activity or a violation of law has been or is about to be committed.

• Develop a system to collect data on all investigatory stops and searches, except stops purely for traffic enforcement, whether or not they result in an arrest or issuance of a citation.  The system shall require recording of, among other things, the officer’s name and badge number; the subject’s apparent race, ethnicity, gender and age; and the reason for the stop, including a description of the facts creating reasonable suspicion.

• Permit onlookers or bystanders to witness, observe, record, and/or comment on officer conduct, including stops, detentions, searches, arrests, or uses of force, with some limitations.

• Continue to develop and implement a computerized risk management system to identify and respond to potentially problematic incidents, officers, units, training, and tactics. 

• Continue to maintain and build community relationships and engage constructively with the community to ensure collaborative problem-solving efforts and to increase community confidence in the Department, including by developing a survey to measure officer outreach to a cross-section of community members in each precinct, with an emphasis on community partnerships and problem-solving strategies that build mutual respect and trusting relationships with community stakeholders. 

• Ensure that officers and supervisors receive appropriate levels of training in constitutional policing.

The agreement also provides that consultants retained by the United States will conduct compliance reviews to ensure that YPD has implemented the measures required by the agreement, and issue public reports of those compliance reviews. 

A.G. Schneiderman Announces Multi-State Settlement With NFL Permanently Barring League-Wide Mandatory Ticket Price Floor

Agreement Also Prohibits The NFL From Directing Or Requiring Ticketing Practices Among Teams That Are Designed To Preclude Fans From Using Competing Exchanges; Settlement Continues The Office’s Focus On Cleaning Up Ticketing Industry

Schneiderman: My Office Will Continue To Fight For The Rights Of Sports Fans And Concertgoers By Ensuring That Markets Are Free, Competitive, And Not Subject To Manipulation

   Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced a multi-state settlement with the National Football League (“NFL”) resolving antitrust concerns about the NFL’s league-wide mandatory price floor policy. The policy required each of the 32 NFL member teams to impose a price floor on all secondary market ticket sales on the NFL’s Ticket Exchange and related websites officially sanctioned by the league. Under this arrangement, which the NFL terminated after the investigation began, sellers were not permitted to list tickets for resale on the NFL’s officially sanctioned resale sites at a price lower than the face-value of the ticket. 

“No sports fan should be forced to buy, or sell, a ticket at an artificially inflated price,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “Under the NFL’s price floor scheme, fans were forced to pay inflated prices for even the least desirable NFL games. That is a slap to both sports fans and free markets. My office will continue to fight for the rights of sports fans and concertgoers by ensuring that secondary markets are free and competitive. In the meantime, I encourage every NFL team—and every team in professional sports—to heed the call of all sports fans and remove price floors from every team-authorized secondary ticket market.”

As a result of Attorney General Schneiderman’s investigation, the NFL eliminated its league-wide mandatory price floor policy during the course of the investigation, and that is enshrined in the conduct prohibitions of this agreement.  As forward-looking precautions, the settlement agreement also includes disclosure requirements in cases where an individual team imposes its own price floor, prohibits the NFL from directing or requiring ticketing practices among teams that are designed to preclude fans from using competing exchanges, and prohibits the NFL from interfering with an individual team’s efforts to coordinate anti-fraud measures with competing secondary ticket exchanges. The agreement also provides for payment in excess of $100,000 towards the costs of this multi-state investigation. 

This settlement is part of the Attorney General’s continued efforts to address troubling practices in the markets for  sports and entertainment tickets. The Attorney General’s office released a report titled Obstructed View: What’s Blocking New Yorkers From Getting Tickets on January 28, 2016, highlighting troubling practices in the live entertainment industry that keep affordable tickets out of the hands of ordinary New Yorkers.

In June, New York passed legislation increasing penalties for ticket brokers who use illegal bots to snatch up tickets, following legislation proposed by the Attorney General.

A copy of the agreement can be found here. 

The investigation and settlement are the result of a multi-state investigation lead by the Office of the Attorney General of New York. The agreement was also signed by the Attorney’s General of Florida, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia.

“SEV-O” GANG MEMBERS INDICTED FOR SHOOTINGS, ROBBERIES AND STEALING $200,000 FROM ATM MACHINES

Twelve Defendants Charged in Conspiracy; Posed with Riches on Social Media

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that 12 members of the “Sev-O” gang have been indicted in a conspiracy that includes four shootings, three robberies and a check scam that netted them more than $200,000 from ATM machines. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “These young men engaged in street violence, as well as electronic thievery, and brazenly posed with wads of cash and bragged about their exploits on social media. Officers of the 44th Precinct were instrumental in making this case.” 

District Attorney Clark said that the defendants, who range in age from 17 to 23 years old, allegedly belong to an offshoot of the Bloods and call themselves Sev O because most of them reside near East 170th Street and Clay Avenue in the Claremont section of the Bronx. 

They were variously charged in a 71-count indictment including first, second, third, fourth and fifth-degree Conspiracy, second-degree Attempted Murder, second and fourth degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon, second and third-degree Assault, first, second and third-degree Robbery, fourth-degree Grand Larceny, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument and other charges. 

Five of those indicted were already in jail and seven were arrested yesterday. Four of the defendants have been arraigned before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Steven Barrett and are due back in court on January 19, 2017 and the rest are awaiting arraignment. 

Five of the defendants are charged with first-degree Conspiracy and could face a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison if convicted. The others could face up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison if convicted of second-degree Conspiracy. A thirteenth person was charged only with Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument. 

 According to the investigation, members of the group allegedly engaged in four shootings at rival crews. On November 22, 2015, in the vicinity of 1398 Clay Avenue, it is alleged that defendant Joel Baba (“Jay Gunz”) and Deiondre Harris (“Stackz) were acting together, and Harris shot towards members of a rival gang, grazing a man in the head. On November 28, 2015, during a conversation with a person on Facebook, Harris posted a screenshot of a news article referring to a recent shooting in which a man was grazed in the head, then stated to the person, “We going to jail…I hit something in the head.” 

 In one of the robberies charged as an overt act in the indictment, on July 13, 2014, in the vicinity of Fordham Road and Webster Avenue, defendants Emmanuel Bruntson (“Kase”), 23, and Latif Evans (“La La”), 20, and others allegedly surrounded a young boy on a bus, robbed him of his cell phone and ID, displayed a blade and told the victim that if he snitched they knew where he lived and would kill him. 

 According to the indictment, the group obtained bank cards, PIN numbers and forged checks. In numerous transactions, they deposited the checks into ATMs and withdrew the cash, for a total in excess of $200,000. 

 The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Paul Irace of the Gangs/Major Case Bureau, under the supervision of Christine Scaccia, Chief of the Gangs/Major Case Bureau. District Attorney Clark would also like to thank Police Officers Jawuan Hubbard and Sean Brown, formerly of the 44th Precinct; the Field Intelligence Officers of the 44th Precinct, and the Bronx Grand Larceny Squad for their assistance in this case.  

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

DEFENDANTS: 

LAQUAN HEYWARD, A/K/A QUAN (10/7/94), 364 East 170th Street, Bronx, NY, REMANDED 

ANDRE CURRY-CRUZ, A/K/A FLEX (12/17/94), 3190 Rochambeau Avenue, Bronx, NY 

RASHAUN POPE, A/K/A RAY (4/18/97), 1241 College Avenue Bronx, NY $10,000 BAIL SET

DEVON VINES, A/K/A DEV (5/27/93), 1355 Clay Avenue, Bronx, NY REMANDED

RONNIE SULLIVAN, A/K/A ZAY (1/12/99), 1487 Teller Avenue, Bronx, NY

JOEL BABA, A/K/A JAY GUNZ (11/5/97), 1405 College Avenue, Bronx, NY 

LATIF EVANS, A/K/A LA LA (12/11/95), 3190 Rochambeau Avenue, Bronx, NY 

TYQUAN SMITH, A/K/A MOOKIE (12/26/95), 150 West 139th Street NY, NY 

DEIONDRE HARRIS, A/K/A STACKZ (3/14/95), 306 East 171st Street, Bronx, NY 

EMMANUEL BRUNTSON, A/K/A KASE (9/6/93), 15 East Clarke Place, Bronx, NY 

DAVON DELKS, A/K/A DAY DAY (1/1/99), 306 East 171st Street, Bronx, NY 

BRYAN VINES, A/K/A TREY (2/24/92), 739 Arnow Avenue Bronx, NY $100,000 BAIL SET Charged only with Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument: RAMEL LOGAN (8/12/96), 1810 Lexington Avenue NY, NY RELEASED 

Dinowitz Fights to Put the Brakes on Predatory Towing Companies in Riverdale

 

Bronx Assembly Member, Chair of Assembly Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection, mounts public campaign to put a stop to booting and towing of vehicles at local shopping center parking lots, a practice plaguing community for years

Dinowitz works with local NYPD precinct to warn shoppers, calls on city Department of Consumer Affairs to investigate repeat offenders amid reports of tow operators overcharging drivers, threats and intimidation, and demanding cash for vehicle pickup and "drop fees," in violation of city codes

 

  In response to an alarming trend of predatory towing practices plaguing Bronx shoppers, Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz (D - Bronx) is mounting an aggressive public awareness campaign with local law enforcement and fellow elected officials to warn the community of the scam tactics and educate shoppers of city laws governing tow truck practices and fees. The Assembly Member is also calling on the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) to investigate the most egregious recent cases, which have included the charging of fees in excess of legal limits, demands of cash payment, and even instances of threats and intimidation.

 

"These towing companies prey on innocent shoppers as they cross the street to go to the ATM or run a quick errand. Not only is this practice illegal, it also discourages shoppers from patronizing our local small businesses" said Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz. "Even for those who may have parked in the lots against the rules, there are still laws in place to protect them from these scams and they need to be enforced. That's why I'm calling on the city to investigate repeat offender towing companies and take steps to protect consumers from predatory practices."

 

This month, Assembly Member Dinowitz and Council Member Andrew Cohen (D - Bronx) wrote to DCA Commissioner Lorelei Salas urging an investigation into multiple reports of "demonstrated predatory towing practices" by Bronx-based towers Riverdale Towing Associates, LLC.

 

According to the letter, Dinowitz's office has received multiple complaints from constituents over threatening and potentially illegal practices by the company and others at various locations around the community, including a Key Foods parking lot on Johnson Avenue and West 235th Street, and nearby Skyview shopping center. In one instance, a shopper felt sufficiently threatened by a tow truck operator that he called the police.

 

"To retrieve the car, we had to arrange to travel to the other side of the Bronx to a dilapidated and deserted parking lot between the Metro-North tracks and Webster Ave. The lot attendant was not able to accept credit cards. He called the towing company, and we had to wait for two gentlemen from the towing company to show up. Another towing victim from the Key Food lot was there as well.

 

As residents report, tow operators often idle in the vicinity of area parking lots waiting to prey on shoppers. At the Johnson Avenue lot, which provides 3-hour parking for customers at Key Foods and a dozen adjacent local businesses, tow operators will wait for shoppers to cross the street to go to the bank or other businesses not serviced by the lot, and begin booting or connecting the car to their trucks. The tow operators then wait for shoppers to return and charge them for the service.

 

The most frequent complaints lodged by shoppers involve operators demanding cash payment and overcharging for fees applied to the pickup of vehicles at towing lots, or for so-called "drop fees" charged to motorists to have their vehicles unhooked from the trucks. Under city laws, tow truck operators are required to accept at least two major credit cards. The city also limits fees to $125 plus tax for the retrieval of impounded vehicles and $62.50 plus tax for "drop fees." However, motorists report being charged as much as $136 for the latter service.

 

DCA offers consumers a formal complaint process against improper practices by licensed businesses. This includes a mediated settlement process with the business owner and the opportunity to recoup losses from the agency's DCA Trust Fund, which licensees are required to contribute to as part of their bonding and licensing with the city. DCA records accessed on the agency's website list Riverdale Towing Associates LLC as a licensed business with the city.

 

In addition to the letter to DCA, Assembly Member Dinowitz has been working with the NYPD's 50th Precinct to alert residents to the practice and collaborate on increased enforcement. Dinowitz also released a public statement last month warning motorists of the practice, which his office says has plagued the community "for years." Dinowitz also reports that his office has tried to directly engage towing companies, to no avail.

 

"As Chair of the Consumer Affairs Committee, I take my responsibility to protect consumers very seriously. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and we need to ensure consumers are protected as they run their daily errands," concluded Dinowitz.

28th Annual New York Cares Coat Drive Kicks off through December 31st

NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT FIRST DEPUTY COMMISSIONER BENJAMIN TUCKER, NBA LEGEND RON HARPER, AND WNBA LEGEND KYM HAMPTON KICKOFF THE 28^TH ANNUAL NEW YORK CARES COAT DRIVE

Record Requests for Coats Exceed 125,000 this Winter; Donations Can be Made by Text

   New York Police Department First Deputy Commissioner Benjamin B. Tucker, NBA legend Ron Harper, and WNBA legend Kym Hampton joined New York Cares today at The Bowery Mission on the Lower East Side to launch the 28^th Annual New York Cares Coat Drive.

This year, New York Cares is hoping to collect and distribute 125,000 coats, which represents a record number of requests from its nonprofit and school partners but is estimated to be only a fraction of the total need for coats that exists throughout the city. In order to meet this growing need, and to get coats to New Yorkers sooner, New York Cares has created the initiative where individuals can text the word “COAT” to 41444 to donate $20, or in increments of $20, to purchase and deliver new coats. All donations are tax deductible.

From today through December 31, 2016, individuals can also donate gently used, freshly laundered coats at hundreds of locations throughout the five boroughs including all NYC Police Precincts, Queens Library branches, and major transit hubs. For a full list of drop-off sites and other ways to keep New Yorkers warm, visit newyorkcares.org/coats. 

Joined by Commissioner Tucker, NBA legend Ron Harper, and WNBA legend Kym Hampton, New York Cares distributed coats to 50 homeless residents of The Bowery Mission.

“The New York City Police Department is honored to again collaborate with New York Cares for their 28^thAnnual Coat Drive. New Yorkers can drop off coats at every precinct, transit district and police service area across the City, day or night,” said First Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Tucker. “The need for coats this year has grown, and we’re asking generous New Yorkers to please think of their neighbors and donate a coat. We know we can make this another plentiful season of giving.”

“Homelessness has reached a record high, with approximately 60,000 New Yorkers spending each night in the shelter system,” said New York Cares Executive Director Gary Bagley. “In addition, 1.7 million residents live below the poverty line. The need in our city is simply enormous, and we’re calling on all New Yorkers to give the gift of warmth this holiday season. The Coat Drive is an opportunity to show each and every one of our neighbors that they are cared for and that we recognize the struggles they are going through.”

“As temperatures begin to drop, we know this will be another tough winter for New York’s neediest, and thousands will turn to The Bowery Mission for help.  It will take the support of generous New Yorkers and community partners like New York Cares to meet the need,” said David P. Jones, President and CEO of The Bowery Mission. “On behalf of those we serve, The Bowery Mission is thankful to New York Cares and proud to host the launch of this 28^th Annual Coat Drive.”

New York Cares’ iconic ‘Shivering Statue of Liberty’ Coat Drive PSA, including information about texting donations, will air on the TOSHIBA VISION screens located at the top of One Times Square to raise awareness of the Coat Drive from Friday, November 18^th to Friday, December 30^th. The PSA will also appear on billboards and online thanks to efforts by media partners Mindshare, Xaxis, Group M, Kinetic Worldwide, and Straus News, and will air on NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47.

About The 28^th Annual New York Cares Coat Drive

The New York Cares Coat Drive is one of the largest of its kind in the United States. Since 1989, New York Cares has collected and distributed more than 1.8 million coats.

The thousands of donated coats will be counted, sorted and distributed to organizations serving the homeless and other low-income New Yorkers, at an 8,600 square foot temporary warehouse space located at 157 West 31st Street in Midtown Manhattan. 

The sponsors for this year’s New York Cares Coat Drive are the New York City Police Department, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Neuberger Berman, Bank of America, Vornado Realty Trust, Toshiba, KKR, Mindshare, NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47.

New Yorkers can make financial donations in support of the Coat Drive and New York Cares’ year-round work online, by text or by mail.  For more information about the New York Cares Coat Drive, locations, news, or to make a financial donation, the public can visit newyorkcares.org/coats

How to Donate Coats

New Yorkers can text the word “COAT” to 41444 to donate $20, or in increments of $20, to purchase and deliver new coats. All donations are tax deductible. New Yorkers can also donate gently-used, freshly laundered coats at almost 300 public sites around the city, as well as hundreds of private sites hosted by corporations and civic groups. 

New Yorkers may donate coats at the following locations through Saturday, December 31, 2016. Please visitnewyorkcares.org for exact times and locations, and additional collection sites.

·         Every New York City Police Precinct (24 hours a day)

·         Every library branch in the Queens Public Library system (during open hours)

·         The New York Cares Warehouse, 157 West 31st Street between 6th and 7th Avenues (9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday)

·         New York Cares office, 65 Broadway (weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

·         New York Penn Station - LIRR concourse (weekdays, 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.)

·         Grand Central Terminal - Track 16/Graybar Passage (weekdays, 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.)

·         Any participating member of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association

·         And many more sites citywide.

Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj - Winter Health and Wellness Fair Dec. 12th

Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj and Senator Jeffrey Klein 

in conjunction with 

Bronx House 

 present

WINTER HEALTH & WELLNESS FAIR

BRONX HOUSE

990 Pelham Parkway South

Bronx , NY 10461

Monday - December 12, 2016

5:30 - 8:30pm

Senator Jeff Klein Hosts 9th Annual Veterans' Breakfast

  State Senator Jeff Klein, in partnership with Congressman Joseph Crowley, Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, and Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, hosted the 9th Annual Veterans’ Breakfast at Villa Barone Manor. 

Lieutenant Colonel Ron Watson, the Grand Marshall of the Throggs Neck Veterans’ Parade, was recognized along with 99-year-old Nicholas Calabrese, who received the Lifetime Service Award.  Joseph Byrne, US Marine Corps; Irma Gallagher, US Army; William Hyland, US Army; Frank Morales, US Army; and Marshall Siciliano, US Army received posthumous awards for their service to our country.

The day begin with a complimentary breakfast followed by the patriotic program. After the presentation of colors by SUNY Maritime College’s Color Guard, the pledge of allegiance and the national anthem, Senator Klein presented the family of the late Paul Rosario Nelson with re-issued military medals that he earned during his service in the Vietnam War.

Senator Klein also announced $15,000 in funding that he secured for Bronx Veteran Mentors, which helps veterans who seek treatment for mental health and/or drug related issues as an alternative to incarceration. The veteran mentors, who understand  first-hand military experience, help provide veteran participants with a true support system.

After the breakfast, Senator Klein and the veterans gathered and marched in The 32nd Annual Bronx Veterans’ Day Parade in Throggs Neck. Photos of the breakfast are below.

Above and Below - Senator Klein went around the busy room to talk to many of those on hand for his 9th Annual Veteran's Breakfast.

Above - The program began with the SUNY MARITIME COLLEGE COLOR GUARD presentation of the Colors.

Below - The National Anthem being sung by Ms. Theresa Cassen.

Above and Below - You can see the packed room as the Pledge of Allegiance is being recited.

Above - Senator Klein gives a moving speech of what Veteran's Day means to him, and how he is helping to try to bring funding for veterans. 

Below - Senator Klein presents a check for $15,000.00 to the Bronx Veteran Mentors. Mr. Pat Devine is on the left, while Mr. Dwayne Gathers the President and CEO of the Bronx Veterans Mentors is on the right of Senator klein in the photo.

Above - Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj gets a few words in about what Veterans day means to him.

Below - Lieutenant Colonel Ron Watson the 'Throggs Neck Veterans Parade Grand Marshall' is center of Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, Senator Jeff Klein, and Mr. Tom Messina of Congressman Joe Crowley's office.

Above - Bugler Albert Nicotina plays TAPS for the fallen soldiers as Michelle Dolgow (of Senator Klein's office), Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, Tom Messina, and Ms. Nathalia Fernandez (Chief of Staff to Assemblyman Gjonaj).   

Below - Senator Klein, Pat Devine, and DA Clark stand at attention for the playing of TAPS.

The Honorees, Senator Klein, Assemblyman Gjonaj, and Mr. Messina.