BP DIAZ, DA CLARK AND SAFE HORIZON PARTNER ON ANTI-STALKING CAMPAIGN

  Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark and Safe Horizon have launched an anti-stalking campaign, which aims to use relevant social media content to enhance stalking victim safety and awareness of available resources for domestic violence victims.

The social media campaign, supported by federal funds under the Grants to Encourage Arrest and Enforcement of Protection Orders, seeks to educate the public on the early warning signs of stalking and where to get help.  The campaign will take an innovative approach towards disseminating the information through the use of social media platforms.

"Stalking and cyber-stalking are very serious issues, and this campaign is designed to use popular internet culture to find those who need help distancing themselves from a stalker and potential abuser and to connect them to resources on domestic violence, stalking and related issues. I am proud to partner with Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark's office and Safe Horizon on this innovative initiative to fight abusive behavior," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. 

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said, “Last year, we prosecuted 278 cases with stalking-related charges. This crime makes people feel defenseless, and cyber-stalking magnifies victims’ fear and vulnerability. This is why we have extended our outreach through social media with this essential campaign that primarily targets the younger people in our borough. I’m thankful to Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and to Safe Horizon for collaborating in our efforts to educate the public and eradicate this hi-tech form of domestic abuse.”

Ariel Zwang, Safe Horizon CEO said, “Stalking is a crime that can get more serious over time, and may leave a victim feeling paralyzed or afraid to perform their normal, everyday routine. With the rise of social media and GPS apps, abusers have learned to utilize these platforms to further intimidate their victim in the form of cyber-stalking. But social media can also be a powerful tool to connect victims to services. That's why we are proud to partner with the New York City Police Department, New York City Department of Probation and the offices of the Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark's and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. on this anti-stalking social media campaign to connect victims to resources and services that can keep them safe online and in real life.”

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, stalking is a public health concern known to affect millions of people in the United States. Stalking not only creates immediate emotional and physical damage, and impairs mental health; it also results in long-term outcomes such as mental disability, social isolation, and sometimes death. Stalking has become a national epidemic. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence(NCADV) found that 81 percent of women who were stalked by a current or former husband or cohabitating partner were also physically assaulted by that partner, and that 31 percent of women were also sexually assaulted.

Additionally, an estimated 6.5 million men have experienced stalking victimization during their lifetimes. Nationally, 7.5 million people file stalking police reports every year (NADW). Furthermore, approximately one in four stalking victims reported some form of cyberstalking such as e-mail (83 percent) or instant messaging (35 percent) (BJS). These statistics demonstrate the demand for enhanced public safety and policy reformation that address stalking.

This online campaign provides an opportunity to go beyond the confines of printed material and leverage social media. The campaign allows service providers to target specific groups while also reducing exposure to harm, as an abuser may become violent if they notice printed material about domestic violence in a victim’s possession. In addition, a data-driven, more personalized approach to communications can help work through stigma to better reach and serve populations at-risk.

MAYOR DE BLASIO AND CHANCELLOR FARIÑA ANNOUNCE 115 MORE HIGH SCHOOLS TO OFFER NEW ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES THROUGH EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE FOR ALL

Over 100 New York City business leaders urge Albany to pass long-term mayoral control extension

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor Carmen Fariña today announced that 115 high schools have committed to offer new Advanced Placement courses this fall, including 38 offering the AP Computer Science Principles course. Of these 115 high schools, 32 offered no AP courses during the 2016-17 school year.

Earlier today, over 100 New York City business leaders sent a letter to Governor Cuomo, Majority Leader Flanagan, Assembly Speaker Heastie and Leader Klein voicing their support for mayoral control and urging the legislature to grant a long-term extension. New York City business and community leaders, including Blackstone CEO and Co-Founder Steve Schwarzman and Chairman and CEO of Infor Charles Phillips, flanked the Mayor at today’s announcement to reiterate their support and again call on the legislature to pass a multi-year extension.

The new AP courses are part of AP for All and Computer Science for All, two key initiatives in Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Fariña’s Equity and Excellence for All agenda, which is only possible because of mayoral control of New York City public schools. The new AP courses build on record numbers of New York City students taking and passing Advanced Placement exams. By fall 2018, 75 percent of high school students will have access to at least five AP classes and all high school students will have access to at least five AP classes by fall 2021. By 2025, the City will provide computer science education in every elementary, middle, and high school.

“Under mayoral control, we are transforming New York City’s schools to ensure equity and excellence for every student,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We are changing the game, and giving every student the courses they need – including Computer Science and Advanced Placement – to succeed in college and prepare for 21^st century careers.”

“As a New York City educator for over 50 years, I know mayoral control is the only system that works,” said Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña. “We’re sending a message to our high school students that we believe in them, and to business leaders that we are preparing the next generation of students to thrive in the local and global economy.”

  

The Equity and Excellence for All agenda aims to ensure that by 2026, 80 percent of students graduate high school on time and two-thirds of graduates are college ready. Building on record-high graduation rates, record-low dropout rates, and a high-quality pre-K seat for every New York City 4-year-old – all achievements under mayoral control – Equity and Excellence for All is creating a path from pre-K to college and careers for every child in every neighborhood in New York City.

Earlier this year, Mayor de Blasio announced record numbers of New York City students taking and passing Advanced Placement exams. The number of students taking at least one Advanced Placement exam in 2016 rose 8.4 percent, from 41,419 students to a record 44,906 students compared to the year prior. The number of students passing at least one Advanced Placement exam rose 8.2 percent, keeping pace with the increase in participation.

In its first year, AP for All has built on this work, and in the 2016-17 school year, 63 high schools are offering new Advanced Placement courses through the initiative, including 31 that offered no AP courses during the 2015-16 school year.

Many of the high schools selected for the expansion currently offer few or no AP courses, and they have demonstrated readiness to begin offering additional AP coursework. They include 39 high schools in the Bronx, 32 in Brooklyn, 21 in Manhattan, 20 in Queens, and three on Staten Island.

88 of these schools have committed to offer new AP courses as part of AP for All. 38 of these schools have committed to offer the AP Computer Science Principles course and exam through Computer Science for All, which is bringing Computer Science to every elementary, middle, and high school by 2025 through public-private partnerships facilitated by the Fund for Public Schools. The expansion of the new AP Computer Science Principles course includes a National Science Foundation funded partnership between New York City, the Education Development Center (EDC), and the University of California, Berkeley; as well as a program partnership with Code.org and Code/Interactive. Additional elementary, middle, and high schools will also offer a variety of new computer science coursework this fall.

Among the 115 high schools, 22 schools across 8 high school campuses will utilize a “campus model,” sharing courses with co-located schools to provide increased opportunity across the school building. In 2017-18, the 115 high schools have committed to offer over 200 new AP courses, including approximately 100 in STEM subjects.

From Pre-K for All to College Access for All, the Equity and Excellence for All initiatives are building a pathway to success in college and careers for all students. Our schools are starting earlier – free, full-day, high-quality education for three-year-olds and four-year-olds through 3-K for All and Pre-K for All. They are strengthening foundational skills and instruction earlier – Universal Literacy so that every student is reading on grade level by the end of 2nd grade; and Algebra for All to improve elementary- and middle-school math instruction and ensure that all 8th graders have access to algebra. They are offering students more challenging, hands-on, college and career-aligned coursework – Computer Science for All brings 21st-century computer science instruction to every school, and AP for All will give all high school students access to at least five Advanced Placement courses. Along the way, they are giving students and families additional support through College Access for All, Single Shepherd, and investment in Community Schools. Efforts to create more diverse and inclusive classrooms through Diversity in New York City Public Schools, the City’s school diversity plan, are central to this pathway.

Senate passes Klein’s “Ildefonso Romero Jr.’s Law” to create new felony charge for one-punch crimes

Bill would create charge for aggravated assault leading to serious injury or death

The New York State Senate on Thursday  passed “Ildefonso Romero, Jr.’s Law,” sponsored by Senator Jeff Klein. The law  would create a new felony charge for an aggravated assault that results in serious injury or death.

It is now three years after the tragic death of Ildefonso Romero, Jr. who was killed as he attempted to break up a fight in front of his Bronx home. Romero, Jr. tried to protect a young woman in danger, when a 17-year-old man fatally punched him in the head.

“Ildefonso Romero, Jr. tried to help a young woman under attack and with one punch, his life was senselessly ended. Every year the Senate has sent a message in Ildefonso Romero, Jr.’s name, that when a perpetrator uses his fist as a weapon to cause serious injury or death there will be a serious price to pay. No family should ever go through the grief of losing a loved one and then watch his killer get a slap on the wrist. This legislation would finally close a glaring loophole in the penal code,” said Senator Klein.

Also known as the “one-punch bill,” “Ildefonso Romero, Jr.’s Law” arms prosecutors with a tool to charge and convict perpetrators who use their fists as deadly weapons. It creates a new class E felony offense that carries a maximum prison term of four years.

Police reports indicate that “one-punch” crimes are on the rise and videos illustrating “one-punch” or sucker punch techniques are proliferating online.

Romero Jr’s perpetrator received only five-months imprisonment for the deadly blow, because the court could only charge his attacker with a misdemeanor. The lack of justice devastated his family.

Romero, Jr., who worked at Lincoln Hospital,  was a father of five and just about to celebrate his 34th wedding anniversary at the time of the deadly attack. His family had been planning a surprise 60th birthday party for him on the day he intervened in the fatal June 21, 2014 fight. They were heartbroken.

“My family and I are extremely grateful for the continuous support from Senator Klein, Assemblyman Sepulveda, the Senators  and all the Assembly Members. We are so happy that we have reached the passage of the bill in the Senate. We are hoping that with the passage of this bill in my father’s name that there will be justice for families and no one will go through what our family has endured. There will be nothing that will bring my father back, but a bill being passed in his name will at least bring some peace to our hearts. We want to make a difference in the lives of others. That is what my dad would have wanted,” said the victim’s daughter, Jennifer Perez.

News From Congressman Eliot Engel

Engel, House Dems Write to White House Warning of Cybersecurity Deficiencies at Trump Properties

  Congressman Eliot Engel, the Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a top Member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, penned a letter to White House Counsel Donald McGahn signed by 23 of his House colleagues urging the White House to take immediate action to secure vulnerable networks at Trump properties, including Mar-a-Lago.

Recent reports have highlighted network vulnerabilities at several Trump properties where the President often spends time vacationing, taking meetings, and hosting foreign leaders. Among other deficiencies, these reports uncovered weakly encrypted wifi networks at Mar-a-Lago, unsuitable for protecting vital information. 

Engel Opposes Financial CHOICE Act

  Congressman Eliot L. Engel, a top member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement on the Financial CHOICE Act:

“The Financial CHOICE Act is yet another bill designed by the GOP to dismantle key consumer protections under the false pretense of ‘consumer choice.’ If signed into law it will undo significant portions of the Dodd-Frank financial reforms, threatening to send our economy back to a time when reckless behavior in the financial sector was the norm. This bill could trigger another financial crisis, which as we all know can take years to fix, and do untold harm to the job market and working-class families in New York. I strongly oppose this bill and any action that could drag our economy back to the brink of collapse.”   

Senator Marisol Alcántara Passes Bill Establishing Commission on Adolescent Mental Health

Council will Monitor Statewide Mental Health Programming, Suggest Policy Solutions for Youth with a Special Focus on Latinos

Senator Marisol Alcántara on Tuesday passed The Strong Minds, Strong Communities Act (S.5500C) that establishes a council to tackle the ongoing adolescent mental health crisis with a special focus on the disproportionate rates of mental health problems faced by Latinos in the state.

“We must address the mental health needs of the Latino community, particularly Latino adolescents, who face a higher rate of depression and suicide than their peers. This council will not only help deliver much needed services to this community, but also hopefully shed light on the sources of disparities between minority adolescents and their peers,” said Senator Alcántara.

In 2015, one in four of New York State’s Hispanic youth considered suicide and one in seven attempted suicide. At the same time, only 35% of Hispanics with depression received care as opposed to 60% of whites. Furthermore, just 1% of the American Psychology Association identified themselves as Latino, and many bilingual Latinos are unable to find mental health treatment in their native language.

This bill will establish a nine-member council with duties that include coordinating the delivery of mental health resources, monitoring the implementation of mental health agencies’ action plans, and determining further services and policies that will address the needs of adolescents at risk of suicide.

This final mandate will be conducted with an eye towards the special needs of minority groups, especially Latina and Latino adolescents who face higher rates of depression and suicide than their peers. In the course of their duties, the members of the council will prepare a report with policy recommendations that will be submitted to the governor and the legislature no later than October 2018.

CRESPO HAILS COURT OF APPEALS DECISION THAT ALLOWS MUNCIPALITIES TO BAN SEX SHOPS AND STRIP CLUBS NEAR CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, PARKS

Calls for other cities across New York State to use ruling to clean up their communities from such lewd businesses

The following is a statement being released by Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, Chair of the Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, on efforts to halt the proliferation of “adult” shops from being located in residential neighborhoods.

“For over decades and more aggressively over the past few years there has been a strong push to stop the proliferation of “adult” shops and strip clubs into residential communities.   Legislation I authored on this issue was considered a possible violation of First Amendment rights (Assembly Bill 6832 of 2015).

Yesterday’s unanimous ruling by the New York Court of Appeals allowing municipalities like New York City the ability to enforce its 2001 law to restrict the location of these establishments near schools, parks, churches and is most neighborhoods is a tremendous victory for families and children.

In my community and many more throughout New York State and New York City, parents and community leaders have found themselves helpless to prevent such establishments from setting up in the core of their neighborhood life.

These establishments have a history of attracting criminal activity, sex trafficking, drug trafficking and lewd behavior.

I applaud the Court of Appeals decision that allows policymakers to protect the moral fabric of our communities without infringing on Constitutional guaranteed rights of free speech.

The Court has clearly decided that the focus of these establishments on sexually explicit materials and activities allows them to be regulated as New York City has done.

I encourage other localities and cities in New York State to use this court decision to clean up their neighborhoods and protect their families and children from the associated lewd and dangerous activities that follow strip clubs and pornography dens.

Calling on Governor Cuomo to Protect Medicaid Patients who need Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy

What You Should Know 
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz 32nd Senatorial District 

  You should know that the New York State Department of Health is attempting to exclude Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy for Medicaid patients, and on behalf of these Medicaid patients, I am calling upon Governor Andrew Cuomo, who oversees the Department of Health, to stand by his decree that “healthcare is a human right” and permit this therapy to continue for the poor and the needy.

It is important for you to know that Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy is a safe and effective treatment for patients suffering from chronic, open wounds that come from diseases like diabetes, and have not responded to other forms of therapy.  

For several years, I have met with Medicaid patients who use Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy because it helps to prevent amputations.

You should know that New York State’s Medicaid patients who need this treatment are overwhelmingly low income Black and Hispanic people, and more of these patients live in the 32nd Senatorial District in the Bronx than in any other part of the State of New York.

This means the New York State Health Department’s decision, which are overseen by our beloved Governor Andrew Cuomo, affects me personally because it affects the people I directly represent and care about deeply.

Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy treatment is proven effective and New Yorkers like those in my district cannot afford to lose access to it. It is imperative that the State of New York does not deny our Medicaid patients the treatment they need and already receive.

My colleagues in the New York State Legislature and I have been fighting to make sure the State covers Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy treatment. We in the Senate have even passed the bill.

I’m asking Governor Andrew Cuomo to step in and do whatever it takes to protect our vulnerable Medicaid patients who rely upon Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy, because their healthcare is a human right, too.

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

DE BLASIO ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES COMPLETION OF CAMERA INSTALLATION AT 22 NYCHA DEVELOPMENTS

New, state-of-the-art closed-circuit television cameras are creating safer communities for more than 42,000 residents

  The de Blasio Administration today kicked off National Safety Month by announcing the installation of new closed-circuit television cameras at 22 public housing developments, representing an investment of $15 million in City and State funding. These comprehensive security upgrades will strengthen security throughout NYCHA developments and improve the quality of life for more than 42,000 residents.

“We are continuing on our promise to improve the quality of life for public housing residents” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “These installations will help more than 42,000 New Yorkers feel safer in their homes, and are a vital tool in our efforts to decrease violence and illegal activity in our neighborhoods.”

“Security upgrades are crucial to improving safety, and we’re making them across our portfolio with the support of our City and State partners," said NYCHA Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye. “These security cameras will benefit over 19,000 NYCHA families and bring us one step closer to our NextGeneration NYCHA goal of creating safe, clean and connected communities.”

With the $15 million in City and State funding, NYCHA has installed 599 new CCTV cameras and upgraded 38 existing cameras at 121 buildings. The Authority is aggressively expanding security measures throughout its portfolio, installing cameras, exterior lighting, and layered-access control (LAC), which uses key-fob technology to provide building entry access to residents. Since 2014, NYCHA has spent more than $171 million installing and upgrading nearly 4,000 CCTV cameras, bringing the total number of cameras to approximately 14,0000. NYCHA has also installed LAC doors at 32 developments.

As part of the Mayor Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety, a comprehensive strategy to reduce violence and increase neighborhood safety at the 15 NYCHA sites, $140 million has been allocated for security enhancements, including lighting, CCTV and LAC doors, with funding from the City Council and Speaker, the Mayor’s Office and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. NYCHA has completed the installation of 4,469 state-of-the-art, energy efficient LED lighting fixtures at 11 of 15 MAP sites, and work is underway at 3 sites. By the end of this year, 14 of the 15 sites will have brand new lighting. The next phase of security enhancements will include the installation of CCTV and LAC. CCTV installation is complete at 1 site—Butler Houses— and work is underway at 13 MAP sites. Most of the sites are estimated to be completed by the end of 2018.

In addition to MAP, NYCHA is installing safety lighting at 4 developments with $9 million in City and State funding. To date, work has been completed at one site—Ravenswood Houses.

The State has committed approximately $50.6 million for security upgrades, including safety lighting, CCTV, and LAC at 74 NYCHA developments citywide. The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York is administering these funds and projects. To date, DASNY has completed two projects.

List of developments with newly installed cameras

1. Bayview
2. Berry St/South 8^th St.
3. Breukelen
4. Boston Secor
5. Douglass
6. Forest
7. Gowanus
8. Highbridge
9. Holmes Towers
10. Isaacs
11. Lafayette
12. LES V
13. Lexington
14. Melrose
15. New Lane Shores
16. Palmetto Gardens
17. Throggs Neck
18. Tilden
19. Todt Hill
20. Webster
21. West Brighton
22. Whitman