ENGEL REMARKS ON ATTENDING THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS AND STATEMENT IN RESPONSE

   Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and a senior member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, today delivered the following remarks in the House of Representatives:

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have long prided myself on working across the aisle to get things done for my constituents and all the American people. That’s what most people want: a government that grapples with tough issues in a constructive way. Unfortunately, since January 20th, the new Administration has shown no interest in working with the Congress on both sides to tackle problems, including Russia’s unlawful interference in last year’s election. That’s why I’ve decided not to stand on the aisle of the House chamber to shake the President’s hand during this joint session of Congress, as I have done in the past through Democratic and Republican administrations alike.  This will be the first time during my 29 years in the House that I’ve made this decision.

“I have deep respect for the Presidency, and I will attend the joint session. But that respect between branches must be mutual. The President has attacked the free press by calling it the ‘enemy of the people.’ He’s rejected America’s traditional role welcoming refugees, which have helped to make our country great. He’s cozied up to Vladimir Putin, the strongman who attacks our democracy. He’s moved to gut the Affordable Care Act and looked the other way when threats against the Jewish community have increased in recent year.

“This isn’t part of our normal political discourse.  This goes beyond ideological and political differences. The President needs to work with all people. And therefore, I will listen to what he has to say today, but I will not greet him and shake his hand. Thank you.”

Engel Statement In Response To The President’s Address

Congressman Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a leading member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement in response to the President’s address before a joint session of Congress:

“There were few surprises in President Trump’s speech tonight. I do appreciate that he started his speech by acknowledging the recent spike in anti-Semitic violence in this country, and we all must work together to put a stop to this troubling trend.

“As for the rest of the speech, it was heavy on rhetoric and light on details. It described a country that is both crumbling and prospering, limping along in despair while sprinting to new heights since his election. Sadly, the truth about our country’s true standing was left out, and as a result the American people are no closer to understanding how the President plans to deal with the real issues facing our nation.  

“President Trump’s rhetoric on immigration continues to be deeply troubling. I have spoken out for weeks against his dangerous and unconstitutional policy against Muslims, and tonight he added a troubling new dimension: a plan to publicly highlight crimes committed by immigrants for political purposes. His stories tonight left out any mention of people like Jeanette Vizguerra, a working mother of four from Denver who was called before an ICE hearing this month to await deportation. She’s currently taken sanctuary at a church in Denver and her story, though disheartening, is not unique.

“On health care, President Trump promised a system that will ‘expand choice, increase access, lower costs, and at the same time, provide better health care.’ Yet seconds later, he touted policies that do nothing to achieve those goals.

“We cannot hope to ‘expand treatment for those who have become so badly addicted’ while simultaneously gutting the law that ensures coverage for substance abuse treatment. Defunding an organization that provides comprehensive reproductive health care is antithetical to the goal to ‘invest in women’s health.’ And “access to coverage” for Americans with pre-existing health conditions means nothing without the Affordable Care Act’s protections that keep insurers from charging those consumers more for care. Democrats have long pointed to the problems with such policies. Yet the President and Congressional Republicans remain more concerned with scoring political points than building on the ACA’s progress to address the challenges facing American families.

“President Trump was right to call education a civil rights issue, but the solution he offered only serves to set us backward. His call to take funding away from our public schools and divert it to private, charter, magnet, and religious schools will not lead to greater achievement. As a former public school teacher, I know that vouchers threaten our public schools by diverting valuable resources away from our education system and offer no real ‘choice’ for the overwhelming majority of students. We must continue to invest in public education and ensure that all Americans have access to free, quality schools.

“I’ve always prided myself on working across the aisle, and if there is one thing on which we can all agree it’s that our country faces some real challenges. But tonight’sspeech did little to address those challenges in a meaningful way.”

DE BLASIO ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES PLAN TO TURN THE TIDE ON HOMELESSNESS WITH BOROUGH-BASED APPROACH; PLAN WILL REDUCE SHELTER FACILITIES BY FORTY FIVE PERCENT

City will end the use of 360 hotel and cluster shelter sites; Administration projects first reduction in New York City’s shelter population in a decade 

   Mayor Bill de Blasio, standing alongside faith and community leaders, today unveiled a comprehensive borough-based plan to reduce the footprint of New York City's homeless shelter system and drive down the population of homeless New Yorkers relying on shelter.

In a speech at the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, before an audience of nonprofit service providers, community leaders, and homeless New Yorkers, the Mayor outlined the timing and logistics of his plan to end the use of 360 cluster sites and commercial hotel facilities. Replacing the sites will be 90 traditional shelters distributed across the five boroughs. The new network will be able to more effectively house the homeless near the communities, jobs, school, houses of worship and support systems needed to help them get back on track. 

This announcement builds on reforms underway as a result of the Mayor’s 90-day review of homeless services, which comprehensively examined City homeless policies for the first time in decades. This review, which included focus groups and feedback from both nonprofit service providers and homeless New Yorkers, produced 46 critical reforms now underway to increase prevention, address street homelessness, improve shelter conditions and strengthen supports to help homeless New Yorkers transition from shelter to permanent housing.

“Today, we turn the page by launching a new, 21st century response to the 21st century reality of homelessness,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “For years, too many families have struggled against rising rents to stay in the homes and communities they love. Our plan will continue to bring more people off the streets, reduce the number of shelter sites by almost half, while strengthening services and keeping homeless New Yorkers closer to the supports they need to help them get back on their feet. It will take a united effort and the help of many New Yorkers, but together will turn the tide of homelessness.”

“This is the next phase of our administration’s comprehensive efforts to better serve the homeless and communities across New York City,” said Dr. Herminia Palacio, Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services. “We will end the use of cluster apartments and commercial hotels, implement a borough-based placement system, and forge a new compact with communities.  Homelessness is a is citywide problem that requires a citywide solution, and we ask all New Yorkers to lend their compassion and support to their homeless neighbors as we work to implement this plan.”

“Homelessness increased 115 percent in New York City between 1994 and 2014,” said Department of Social Services Commissioner Steven Banks. “In response, this administration implemented an aggressive prevention-first strategy that provided rental assistance to 161,000 households for whom an emergency could have resulted in eviction and increased funding for legal services tenfold that helped reduce evictions by 24 percent and keep 40,000 New Yorkers in their homes. At the same time, we provided rental assistance to help 51,000 New Yorkers move out of shelter and avoid coming into shelter and redoubled our efforts to help our homeless neighbors off the streets, including nearly 700 individuals since the launch of HOME-STAT. This plan is the next step in that systematic approach—a citywide roadmap for more effectively addressing the homelessness impacting all five boroughs.” 

The City's 114-page plan outlines a vision that relies on three key strategies to address the homelessness crisis, integrating current successful tactics with a new, reimagined shelter strategy:

·         Continue to implement an aggressive prevention-first strategy that keeps more people in their homes by making housing more affordable, stopping illegal evictions, and connecting New Yorkers who are struggling to resources that will help them stabilize their lives;

·         Continue to actualize the 46 reforms identified throughout the 90-day review of homeless services, making long-needed operational and other reforms to better serve New Yorkers on the verge of homelessness and homeless New Yorkers in shelter;

·         Launch today's reimagined shelter strategy that will:

(1) Completely eliminate the use of cluster apartment units by the end of 2021 and commercial hotel facilities by the end of 2023;

(2) Reduce the current number of shelter sites by 45 percent; and

(3) Keep homeless New Yorkers closer to their communities and supports that they need.

The City will eliminate the use of 360 cluster sites and commercial hotel facilities and replace them with approximately 90 new shelter facilities and 30 expanded existing sites. The City estimates opening about 20 new shelters annually over the next five years, which will require a combination of building new locations and renovating existing buildings. At the same time, prevention and rehousing initiatives will reduce the current number of homeless New Yorkers in shelter by 2,500 people over five years – the first projected systemic reduction of New York City’s homeless shelter population in a decade.

The plan acknowledges that in the past, the City has not always sufficiently brought communities to the table as partners in addressing homelessness. Homeless shelters would often be opened in the middle of the night with little or no notice provided to surrounding communities. This administration pledges to continue its commitment to providing at least 30 days’ notice to the surrounding community prior to opening a new shelter, while maintaining robust engagement throughout the process that is responsive to community input and creating a community advisory board after the site opens. For the first time, the administration will also notify communities simultaneously when renting rooms at commercial hotels during this transition period while new shelter capacity comes online.

Click here to access a copy of the full plan, "Turning the Tide on Homelessness, Neighborhood by Neighborhood." 

Housing New Yorkers: Keeping People in Their Homes, Enhancing Street Outreach, Securing Permanent Housing

Homelessness in New York City is a challenge that has grown over decades, with the Department of Homeless Services shelter census increasing 115 percent between 1994 and 2014. Since 2014, the de Blasio Administration has worked to systematically address the city’s homelessness problem:

·         Launched HOME-STAT, the nation’s most comprehensive street outreach program, doubling the number of street homeless outreach workers from 191 to 387 and increasing the availability of case management and other targeted services tailored to the individual needs of homeless New Yorkers. The City’s HOME-STAT outreach teams—mobilized citywide 24 hours per day, seven days a week—help bring homeless individuals into shelter, including 690 individuals helped off the streets last year.

·         Increased investments in rental assistance, eviction prevention services, and other rehousing programs since 2014, including a tenfold increase in legal services for tenants from $6.4 million to $62 million – which helped more than 50,000 New Yorkers transition to or keep their permanent housing, with evictions down 24 percent between 2013 and 2016.

·         Implementing a 15,000-unit supportive housing plan, the largest municipal commitment ever to build and expand housing with supportive services, including mental and physical healthcare access, alcohol and substance use programs, and other social services. It is a proven, cost-effective approach to delivering stability and permanently housing New Yorkers who struggle with mental illness, homelessness and substance use while reducing reliance on homeless shelters, hospitals, and mental health institutions. 

Assemblyman Dinowitz, Joined by Fellow State Lawmakers and Riders Alliance, Protests the Executive Budget Proposal to Cut MTA Budget by $65 Million.

Assemblyman Dinowitz, Joined by Fellow State Lawmakers and Riders Alliance,  Protests the Executive Budget Proposal to Cut MTA Budget by $65 Million.

   Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz attended a press conference hosted  by the Riders Alliance to protest of the Executive Budget proposal to reduce the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) budget by $65 million.

This year, the Executive Budget Proposal outlined a plan to provide the MTA  $244 Million for the Payroll Mobility Tax transfer. A reduction of $65 million dollars from the anticipated $309 million. Even with this reduction, the Governor’s office argues that overall the MTA budget is being increased. However this “increase” does not account for the funds the MTA would have made if not for the Governor’s 2011 cut to the Payroll Mobility Tax transfer that helps to fund the MTA.

In 2011, the Governor Cuomo and lawmakers scaled back the Payroll Mobility Tax transfer that but promised to replace the missing funds every year “dollar for dollar”. The tax contributed around $1.5 billion to the MTA but was reduced to $1.2 billion after the scale-back.  

Every year since that time, the State has largely kept that promise, contributing approximately $309 million a year to offset the funds lost from the 2011 tax cuts.

This year the proposed $244 million falls far short of the funds the MTA would have had if the Payroll Mobility Tax had remained in place.

As the newly appointed Chairman of the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, which oversees the MTA, Assemblyman Dinowitz believes this proposed cut to be untenable and has written a letter cosigned 45 other Assembly Members opposing the proposal.

“A promise is a promise. When we restructured the Payroll Mobility Tax in 2011, the Governor, the Legislature promised to make up the funds to the MTA. Each year we have kept that promise, budgeting $309 million annually on replacement funds. This year, however, the Executive Budget cuts that amount by 21%, which is $65 million dollars. That is unacceptable. The promise must be kept. The money must be restored and that is what I will fight to do as we negotiate a state budget,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz.

The MTA, which has been experiencing an overall decline in ridership as well as general service problems and delays needs this money badly. Now is not the time to make cuts to the organization relied upon by 9 million people.

SENATOR KLEIN HONORS MONTEFIORE SURGICAL TEAM THAT SEPARATED CONJOINED TWINS

Members of the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Were Presented with Resolution for Separating Conjoined Twins Anias and Jadon McDonald

Senators Jeff Klein and  David Valesky, Senate Health Committee Vice-Chairman, honored the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore’s team of surgeons, doctors and nurses for successfully separating craniopagus conjoined twins Anias and Jadon with a Legislative Resolution on the Senate floor today. The team, made up of approximately 50 highly-skilled medical professionals and led by renowned neurosurgeon Dr. James T. Goodrich, included  Dr. Oren Tepper, Dr. Joaquim Farinhas, and nurse practitioner Kamilah A. Dowling, among many others.

The McDonald twins are the seventh pair of craniopagus conjoined twins Dr. James T. Goodrich and the team at CHAM have separated with various surgical teams around the world and the second ever in The Bronx. Dr. Goodrich is widely considered a leading expert on this immensely complicated procedure, however, this particular case proved to be the most challenging because of the degree at which the boys brains were intertwined.

Anias and Jason McDonald were conjoined at the brain and skull when they were born near Chicago and traveled all the way to The Bronx to receive care. At just thirteen months old, the twins underwent a harrowing and awe-inspiring 27-hour surgery that has given them a chance to live relatively healthy lives. Despite the challenges of the surgery, the McDonald twins made history and surprised many experts with the fastest recovery times ever with a procedure of this nature.

“I am so proud of the level of innovation, professionalism and expertise that exists at Montefiore, right here in my backyard in The Bronx. Doctors Safyer, Goodrich and Tepper are truly leading the way in the healthcare field through a constant quest for advancement and they are proving it with every life they save, like those of Anias and Jadon. Thanks to this wonderful team at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, the McDonald boys will share the inseparable bond of twins through happy separate lives,” said Senator Klein.

“The incredibly talented team at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore is a perfect example of the high-quality health care that can be found in New York. Today reminds us of the lives we can change when we continue to invest in our hospitals and improve the delivery of care for our residents throughout the state. I am thrilled to stand with Senator Klein in congratulating this group of professionals,” said Senator Valesky.

“We are humbled and grateful that our friends in the Legislature are recognizing our work today. This operation represents the best of what Montefiore is and does. The separation of Jadon and Anias required teamwork on every level, along with clinical excellence and expertise, innovative research, and a profound commitment to the entire McDonald family,” said Steven Safyer M.D., President & CEO of Montefiore Medical Center.

Through the use of cutting edge, three-dimensional imaging of the boys’ brains and skulls, the surgical and medical teams were able to carefully plan each step of the highly complex procedure well in advance.

The story of such a medical feat and the inspiring story of the McDonald twins captured an audience of millions around the globe and many continue to watch the progress of the two.

Medical Doctor Charged In Manhattan Federal Court For Fentanyl-Related Overdose Death

   Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and James P. O’Neill, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the unsealing of a complaint charging AVINOAM LUZON with selling fentanyl that resulted in the death of an Upper West Side man.

The complaint alleges that, on or about October 22, 2016, LUZON distributed fentanyl that resulted in the death of Gabriel Tramiel, age 32, of Manhattan. LUZON was arrested this morning and will be presented today before United States Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “As a medical doctor and graduate student in public health, Avinoam Luzon was supposed to help the sick get healthy, but instead he allegedly helped fuel the nation’s most serious health crisis, the opioid abuse epidemic. As an alleged drug dealer with a medical degree, Luzon sold fentanyl to Gabriel Tramiel, a 32-year-old New Yorker, and it allegedly killed him.”

NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill said: “We will continue to investigate every single overdose across this city and to make arrests like this. Our goal: to protect life and deter those who peddle these deadly opioids.”

According to the allegations in the Complaint[1] filed in federal court:

Gabriel Tramiel was found dead by his wife in the early morning hours of October 23, 2016. Tramiel was transported to the hospital and was examined by a medical examiner from the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner who determined that a fentanyl overdose was the cause of Tramiel’s death. Text messages recovered from Tramiel’s phone show a conversation with LUZON the evening of October 22, 2016, in which LUZON requested payment from Tramiel for narcotics and the two arranged a meeting to exchange narcotics for payment. Surveillance video recovered from the apartment building where Tramiel died shows Tramiel inhaling the contents of a nasal spray bottle in the building elevator several hours before he was found dead.

LUZON, 32, of New York, New York, has been charged with one count of narcotics distribution resulting in the death of another, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence for the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding work of the NYPD for its investigative efforts and ongoing support and assistance with the case. He also thanked the New York State Department of Health’s Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement for their assistance with this investigation.

The prosecution of this case is being overseen by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karin Portlock is in charge of the case.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 

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[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the descriptions of the Complaint set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

Clinic Owner Sentenced In Manhattan Federal Court To Five Years In Prison In $70 Million Scheme To Defraud Medicare And Medicaid

Fraud Ring, with Three Clinics in Brooklyn and Queens, Paid Kickbacks to Individuals to Undergo Medically Unnecessary Tests

   Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that VICTOR LIPKIN, a former owner of a health care clinic in Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a massive health care fraud scheme through which three medical clinics in Brooklyn and Queens submitted over $70 million in fraudulent claims to Medicaid and Medicare. On August 3, 2016, LIPKIN pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud. LIPKIN was sentenced last Friday, February 24, in Manhattan federal court by the Honorable Ronnie Abrams.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “Victor Lipkin spearheaded a scheme that involved recruiting disadvantaged and homeless people to undergo expensive and unnecessary medical tests. Lipkin and his co-defendants submitted over $70 million in bogus claims to Medicare and Medicaid, burdening those programs while enriching themselves.”

According to the Superseding Indictment to which LIPKIN pled guilty, and other publicly filed information in this case:

The Heath Care Fraud Scheme

From 2005 to November 2014, LIPKIN, Vadim Zubkov, Eduard Zavalunov, Nikoloz Chochiev, Anatoliy Fatkhov, Mariana Swaffar, Jacqueline Pinez, Jonathan Oliver, Jason Brissett, Gilbert Trotman, and Giorgi Buleishvili engaged in a scheme to operate three medical clinics in Brooklyn and Queens, through which they recruited financially disadvantaged and homeless people insured by Medicare and/or Medicaid (the “Phony Patients”) to undergo unnecessary medical tests, typically performed by unlicensed personnel, at the clinics in exchange for cash, and then billed the insurers for administering those unnecessary tests. Beginning in or about 2005, LIPKIN and Zubkov recruited and paid a particular licensed physician (the “Doctor”) to act as the nominal owner and/or physician under whose name three purported medical clinics would bill Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance providers (the “Insurance Providers”) for unnecessary services and tests – including sleep tests and stress tests – performed at the clinics. The clinics were located on Avenue V in Brooklyn, New York – the clinic owned and operated by LIPKIN – and on Hillside Avenue and Elmhurst Avenue, respectively, in Queens, New York. LIPKIN and Zubkov were, in fact, the beneficial owners of the clinics, but they concealed their ownership through the Doctor’s nominal affiliation with the clinics, and by laundering the proceeds of the clinics’ operation through shell companies that they owned and controlled. LIPKIN, Zubkov, Zavalunov, and Buleishvili operated and controlled the clinics, and ran the clinics’ day-to-day operations, despite the fact that they were not licensed physicians, as required by New York law.

At the direction of LIPKIN, Zubkov, Zavalunov, and Buleishvili, other members of the scheme, including Oliver, Brissett, and Trotman (the “Runners”), as well as Chochiev, recruited financially disadvantaged individuals with Medicaid and/or Medicare insurance to act as Phony Patients and undergo unnecessary medical tests at the clinics in exchange for cash payments. The Runners often recruited such individuals from soup kitchens and local welfare offices, and coached them on what to say on various medical forms in order to make it falsely appear that the medical tests to which the defendants intended to subject them were medically necessary. In furtherance of the scheme, Chochiev also made threats of physical violence to individuals who Chochiev believed owed money to the scheme members.

Also in furtherance of the scheme, before the medically unnecessary tests were performed on the Phony Patients, Swaffar and Pinez obtained the Phony Patients’ Medicaid and/or Medicare insurance information, and then contacted the Insurance Providers to confirm that the Insurance Providers would reimburse for the tests. Swaffar and Pinez engaged in such conduct knowing that the Phony Patients were being recruited and paid by the Runners to undergo the tests. Once they determined that a particular Phony Patient’s insurance would pay out claims made by the clinic for the planned medical tests, Swaffar and Pinez notified the Runners that the individuals were eligible and could be brought to the clinic to undergo such tests.

After the Phony Patients had been recruited, confirmed to be Medicare and/or Medicaid eligible, and transported to one of the clinics by the Runners or Chochiev, in many instances certain individuals who were not physicians administered a host of unnecessary medical tests to them. In particular, for example, Fatakhov administered unnecessary medical tests, including stress tests, to the Phony Patients of the Elmhurst Avenue Clinic. Fatakhov administered these tests outside the presence and supervision of the Doctor or other licensed physician, despite knowing that the presence or supervision of a licensed physician was required. After the unnecessary medical tests were administered, the Phony Patients were paid cash kickbacks. The defendants, through the clinics, then submitted fraudulent claims to Medicaid and Medicare seeking reimbursement for the unnecessary medical tests. In total, in the course of the scheme, the defendants fraudulently billed over $70 million to Medicaid and Medicare, for which they received over $25 million in reimbursements.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Abrams ordered LIPKIN, 51, of Brooklyn, New York, to serve three years of supervised release and to pay over $8 million in restitution and forfeiture

As set forth below, all of the other defendants charged in this matter have pled guilty. On January 13, 2017, Pinez was sentenced to six months in prison. The remaining defendants are pending sentencing.

Vadim Zubkov, 49, pled guilty on January 13, 2017, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud.

Nikoloz Chochiev, 42, pled guilty on August 11, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud.

Anatoliy Fatakhov, 59, pled guilty on July 28, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud.

Mariana Swaffar, 51, pled guilty on August 15, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud.

Jacqueline Pinez, 33, pled guilty on July 11, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud.

Jonathan Oliver, 53, pled guilty on September 6, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud.

Giorgi Buleishvili, 42, pled guilty on January 31, 2017, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud.

Eduard Zavalunov, 35, pled guilty on February 7, 2017, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud.

Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York Police Department, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He also thanked the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General for its assistance.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz

  Andrew Cuomo, Bill de Blasio and Eric Schneiderman, the Great Defenders of the Immigrants: Please, Give Me A Break!

You should now that the top leaders of this State and City have come out, according to their own pronouncements, to defend the immigrants from the abuses that are being committed by Donald Trump.  Among these leaders are Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

These three great leaders are now competing among themselves to show the world which of them loves the immigrants the most.

The problem with all of this, my dear reader, is that the abuses, the oppressions, the discrimination, and the bad treatment against the immigrants have been happening for many, many years before Donald Trump.

These three leaders: Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, are the ones who, right under their noses have either been persecuting the immigrants, or have been allowing the same abuses they blame Donald Trump for causing to the immigrants.

You should know that for many years before Donald Trump, New York State Assemblyman Francisco Moya and New York State Senator JoséPeralta have been fighting with the Governor to establish a $20 million dollar fund to create what is known as the DREAM Act, in order to help immigrant students obtain a college education.

But surprise, surprise!

It is important for you to know that it has been Governor Andrew Cuomo who for many year has been playing with the feelings and sentiments of the DREAM’ers, and behind doors has done everything possible to kill the DREAM Act.

Now our beloved Governor, in a loud voice, is busy bragging about how he has come out against Donald Trump, making believe he is the great defender of the immigrant …. Please, give me a break!

On the other hand, here in the City of New York, we have more than 100,000 immigrant men and women who work in the livery taxi industry.

For years and years, the abuses and persecutions committed against these immigrant men and women who drive livery taxis are longstanding and pervasive.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission, under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Administration, has oppressed, persecuted and abused these immigrant livery and taxi drivers like no one else in history.

These taxi and livery drivers are being subject to abuse, entrapment, fines that range from $1,000 to $10,000, and license suspensions without even giving them the opportunity to come before a Taxi and Limousine arbitrator to listen to their story.

These immigrant drivers are punished with points on their licenses for traffic infractions bigger that what the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles applies for the same infraction to you and me.

It is important for you to note that the City of New York and the Taxi and Limousine Commission, under Mayor Bill de Blasio and years before Donald Trump, has persecuted, abused and mistreated immigrants without compassion, preventing these immigrants from bringing food to their families’ tables.

Now our Mayor is busy organizing big demonstrations against Donald Trump to defend the immigrants because he is a great defender of the immigrant.  Please, give me a break!

Mr. Mayor, you should first solve the problems of those thousands and thousands of immigrant men and women here in the City of New York who under your Administration, are trying to make a decent living driving in the streets of our city.

Bring down those fines and have more compassion for the livery and taxi drivers, if in fact, you love the immigrant as you say you do.

The third leader, the Honorable and Distinguished New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, another great defender of the immigrant, has also come out against Donald Trump.

It is important for you to know, my dear readers, that many years ago, the State of New York created a Workers compensation fund exclusively to help the livery taxi drivers.

For years and years, drivers have been complaining that this fund has not been properly managed, and that they are not receiving the help they need when they get hurt on the job.

To that effect, on November 15, 2016, I wrote a letter to New York State Eric Schneiderman (please see the attached) asking if the Attorney General would look into these complaints to see if, in fact, the livery and taxi drivers’ workers compensation fund has been improperly run or not.

As of today, the Attorney General has completely ignored my letter, and I have not even received a response to it.

Now, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has brandished his sword as Don Quixote de la Mancha against Donald Trump to defend the immigrant.

But right here, in the State of New York, right under his nose, thousands and thousands of immigrant livery taxi drivers are still waiting for Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to tell them if there is anything wrong with their workers compensation fund.

Mr. Attorney General Schneiderman, please solve the problems of the immigrant livery and taxi drivers’ workers compensation fund right here if you really love the immigrant and want to defend the immigrant, because otherwise, I am going to say: Please give me a break.

I am Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.

IMPROVING PARKS IN EVERY BOROUGH: UPDATE ON CONSERVANCY COMMITMENTS TO COMMUNITY PARKS

Eight major conservancies are on track to meet or exceed their $15 million commitments to Community Parks Initiative-related sites

   In November 2015, Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, announced a $15-million package of conservancy engagements to improve parks in Community Parks Initiative neighborhoods.  Just over a year later, the Mayor and Commissioner announced eight major conservancies involved are on track to meet or exceed their commitments. 

See the original announcement – with Genius annotations detailing each updated commitment (click on the yellow highlights) – here.

“Public spaces that serve all New Yorkers are elemental to a strong, just city. Through the Community Parks Initiative, and the support and continued commitment of our conservancy partners, thousands of New Yorkers are seeing substantive improvements in parks that have been neglected for decades,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“Parks are shared spaces – and supporting them is a shared responsibility. Over the past year, our conservancy partners generously stepped up and extended their expertise beyond their bases. By collaborating with NYC Parks and neighborhood volunteer groups, these eight conservancies are helping to bring world-class parks to all New Yorkers,” said Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver.

“Our system of parks is strengthened by its conservancies – especially when our conservancies are an active part of our parks system. That’s why I proposed the Neighborhood Parks Alliance, and why I am so excited by the partnerships that have grown out of that proposal,” said State Senator Daniel Squadron. “Participating conservancies deserve big credit for voluntarily stepping up to help neighborhood parks, and Commissioner Silver and Commissioner de Commissioner deserve big credit for making the Community Parks Initiative and these partnerships a reality. Thank you to Commissioner de Commissioner, Commissioner Silver, and all the participating conservancies.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: 

Please click on the links to see just where this $15 million dollars is going. Not to parks that need city money but to the Bryant Park Corporation (BPC):, Central Park Conservancy (CPC):, Friends of the High Line (FHL):, Madison Square Park Conservancy (MSPC):, New York Restoration Project (NYRP):, Prospect Park Alliance (PPA):, Randall’s Island Park Alliance (RIPA):, and The Battery Conservancy (TBC):. 

Now a quote from the New York City Council Speaker - “Every neighborhood in New York City deserves to have a spectacular park, no matter where you live or what your zip code may be,” said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “The New York City Council has invested millions to make our parks more vibrant and sustainable across the five boroughs. Public spaces are a foundation of communities across New York City and by improving access to and quality of our City parks, we’re strengthening neighborhoods across the five boroughs. This City Council will continue to work with the de Blasio Administration and our conservancy partners to fulfill the goals of the Community Parks Initiative to enhance and expand parks throughout New York.”

I wonder if the Community Boards these eight parks lie in even made a single budget request of the Parks Department.

I know of many community board budget requests for local New York City parks came back "NO FUNDS AVAILABLE". 

Commissioner Silver - Why don't you visit parks in outer boroughs where the bathrooms have not been working for many years, buildings are crumbling, play areas are uneven, and I could go on. 

How about it Parks Commissioner Silver get off your butt and visit some of the parks you are in charge of, then tell us that all NYC parks are 100 percent functionable like these pet parks.