Tuesday, September 25, 2018
News From Congressman Eliot Engel
ENGEL STATEMENT ON TRUMP’S UN SPEECH
Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement regarding President Trump’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly:
“America's standing in the world has plummeted so far in the last 20 months, and President Trump's blustery and bullying speech will serve only to isolate us further. As usual, the President exaggerated his accomplishments, literally drawing laughter from world leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly; offered kind words for strongmen and dictators while insulting our allies and international institutions; and, despite making ‘sovereignty’ a key theme of his speech, was silent about the greatest current threat to American sovereignty: Russia's ongoing attack on our democracy. Mr. Trump has repeated these refrains ad nauseum, but it remains deeply unsettling to see an American president stand before the United Nations—a body in which American leadership has changed the course of the world for decades—and espouse a worldview that undermines so much of what we helped build on the global stage.
“With respect to the President's threats to cut off foreign assistance, I want to remind him and Secretary Pompeo that under the Constitution, Congress determines how much we spend on foreign policy and we will continue to assert our prerogatives. But sadly, that's just a small part of the damage this Administration is doing to our leadership, values, and security. Until this Administration drastically changes course, America's standing will continue to diminish and the threats to our security will continue to grow.”
DEMOCRACYNYC: MAYOR DE BLASIO PARTNERS WITH “MAYORS FOR OUR LIVES” FOR STUDENT VOTER REGISTRATION EFFORT ON NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY
Collaborative outreach effort with Mayors For Our Lives and launch of new City website will make it easier for youth to stay informed about the latest opportunities to get civically engaged: nyc.gov/studentvoice
To mark National Voter Registration Day, Mayor Bill de Blasio teamed up with Mayors For Our Lives to register students to vote in schools across New York City. This is a continuation of an effort that began last spring which successfully registered more than 10,000 first-time student voters in New York City. Mayors For Our Lives is a national movement led by March For Our Lives that aims to register high school and college students to vote and increase civic engagement. Mayor de Blasio is a leading voice in this effort, helping to mobilize a bi-partisan group of 200 mayors from across the nation who are also participating in this effort.
The Administration also launched a new website where students can sign up to be a #DemocracyNYC leader to help register fellow students to vote and promote civic engagement in their schools. Students interested in participating in these efforts can find more information at nyc.gov/studentvoice.
“Our students are the future leaders of our country, and their voices matter as much today as they will years from now,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “They should know that their vote and civic participation at all levels of government is crucial in our effort to strengthen our democracy. Our non-partisan outreach with Mayors For Our Lives will remind them of this and mobilize countless young people to have their voices heard.”
“Our job as educators is to create active, engaged citizens who are going to change the world. By bringing voter registration into our schools and combining it with the work our teachers are doing every day, we’re making it easier for our students to have a say in the future of this City and this country. I’m proud to stand with Mayor de Blasio to support a new generation of leaders, activists, and citizens,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza.
“Today’s leaders have a responsibility to make civic participation as easy and equitable as possible for every New Yorker. I am excited that we are taking the lead to proactively help New York City’s youth learn about the importance of playing a direct role in our community and democracy. We will continue using the tools at our disposal to increase participation in elections while advocating for the State to modernize archaic laws that create unnecessary barriers to voting,” said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives J. Phillip Thompson.
“It is the responsibility of all Americans, young and old to vote. Since the march, we have traveled the country meeting, talking and listening to people of all backgrounds. While many agree with our platform to prevent gun violence, one thing we can always agree upon is that it’s in our country’s best interest to have an informed and representative electorate committed to protecting all people. We believe that the more Americans we have participating in our democracy, the better off our country. That is why we are proud of the over 200 members of Mayors For Our Lives working to empower voices in their communities by encouraging and registering them to vote.” said March For Our Lives Co-Founder David Hogg.
To kick off this outreach effort, Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza, New York City student activists – including Ramon Contreras – and Stoneman Douglas High School student activists David Hogg and Delaney Tarr visited City-As-School, a high school in Manhattan, to help register students to vote. They also joined a civic engagement discussion with City-As-School students.
As part of this outreach effort, the Administration distributed a Civics for All toolkit to all public schools that includes voter registration lesson plans for teachers; guidelines on where to access and how to fill out voter registration forms; and information on the new DemocracyNYC website where students can sign up as school leads for future voter registration drives. “The City’s Civics for All initiative includes Student Voter Registration Day (SVRD), the first-ever citywide event through which more than 10,000 students registered to vote this past spring, as well as new curricula, funding, and teacher training to promote instruction in civics and hands-on civic engagement opportunities.
The Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit also will be sending multilingual outreach specialists to 25 schools with the largest population of eligible student voters. PEU staff will be working directly with these students to help them register to vote and encourage them to sign a DemocracyNYC pledge to become a voter registration lead at their school.
This registration effort is part of Mayor de Blasio’s 10-point democracy agenda known as DemocracyNYC, which aims to increase civic engagement and strengthen democracy locally and nationally.
“New York City’s students represent the next generation of leaders and we are excited for their voices to be heard in the upcoming elections,” said Mayor’s Public Engagement Acting Director Eric Rotondi. “Our democracy works best when it’s shaped by everyone it represents and I encourage all New Yorkers – especially students who are eligible for the first time – to register to vote and cast a ballot this November.
“The Mayor's Community Affairs Unit is proud to be part of the National Voter Registration Day effort. A democracy is only as strong as the generation that will inherit it and we look forward to continue engaging young people throughout the city,” said Marco Carrión, Commissioner of the Community Affairs Unit.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
We edited this as to leave out any and all comments from the elected officials Mayor de Blasio was able to find.
Monday, September 24, 2018
Organized Crime Member Pleads Guilty To Attempted Murder Of Witness
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JOSEPH DATELLO pled guilty today before United States District Judge Cathy Seibel to numerous acts of racketeering, including attempting to kill a witness against him. In May 2017, DATELLO and 18 other members and associates of the Luchese Family of La Cosa Nostra were arrested and charged in a nine-count Indictment. Since the unsealing of the Indictment, DATELLO and 12 other defendants have pled guilty, and have been or will be sentenced by Judge Seibel.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Witness safety is paramount to ensuring the prosecution of criminal organizations. Thanks to the FBI’s Joint Organized Crime Task Force, who uncovered Datello’s crimes without risking the security of the witness, Datello now faces life in prison for threatening a federal witness.”
According to the plea agreement DATELLO signed as part of his guilty plea, his statements when pleading guilty, the allegations in the Indictment, and statements made in related court filings and proceedings:
In 2002, an individual (the “Witness”) who had been working with DATELLO and Steven L. Crea, a leader in the Luchese Family, provided information to state and federal authorities concerning DATELLO’s and Crea’s participation in racketeering activity. That information, and other evidence, led to the successful prosecution of DATELLO, Crea, and others. In October 2016, DATELLO learned information that he thought revealed the Witness’s current whereabouts. DATELLO travelled to what he believed was the Witness’s address and waited there, trying to find the Witness. Had DATELLO found the Witness, he intended, with the blessing of Crea, to kill the Witness.
Crea is also charged with attempting to have the Witness killed, and other crimes, and is scheduled to begin trial before Judge Seibel in 2019.
DATELLO, 67, of Staten Island, New York, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering, and as part of that plea admitted racketeering acts including the attempted murder of the Witness, narcotics trafficking, and collecting debts through the threat of violence. These crimes carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. DATELLO will be sentenced before Judge Seibel.
The allegations contained in the Indictment as to Crea and the other defendants who have not pled guilty are merely accusations, and these defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s Joint Organized Crime Task Force, which comprises agents and detectives of the FBI, NYPD, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor.
BRONX MAN INDICTED FOR STABBING EX-GIRLFRIEND MULTIPLE TIMES
Defendant Allegedly Stabbed Victim In Front Of Her Two Children;
Tried To Flee Country After Attack
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been
indicted for stabbing his ex-girlfriend multiple times.
District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant allegedly broke into the victim’s home and
stabbed her in front of her two young children. Fortunately, responding police officers applied a
tourniquet to stop massive bleeding and the victim survived. The defendant bought a plane ticket
to the Dominican Republic in an effort to evade justice, but he was apprehended before he left
the country at John F. Kennedy Airport.”
District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Wilson Rojas, 32, of 2505 Aqueduct Avenue,
was indicted on Attempted Murder in the second-degree and first-degree Assault before Bronx
Supreme Court Justice George Villegas. Remand was continued and the defendant is due back
in court on October 3, 2018.
According to the investigation, on August 27, 2018, the defendant allegedly went to the
home of Florimel Lora Santos, his former girlfriend, at 665 Allerton Avenue. The defendant
allegedly kicked the door open and stabbed the victim multiple times with a kitchen knife in her
arms and chest. Shortly after the attack, the defendant purchased a plane ticket and called the
victim’s friends and family members from JFK airport and told them that he had killed Lora
Santos. Police apprehended the defendant on the tarmac before he fled the country.
According to the investigation, the incident happened in front of the victim’s two children.
One of the children who was present during the attack is the biological child of the defendant.
The victim was aided by four New York Police Department Police Officers who responded to
the scene and applied a tourniquet before paramedics arrived. The multiple stabbings caused
massive blood loss and the victim had to undergo multiple surgeries. She also sustained nerve
damage on her left arm.
District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Officers Steve Yankowski, Justin Sokol, Tanya
Acevedo and Steven D’Alisera from the 49th Precinct. She also thanked NYPD Detectives
William Cadena and Robinson Martinez.
An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.
NYC SERVICE AND CITIZENS COMMITTEE LAUNCH THE “LOVE YOUR BLOCK” APPLICATION TO SUPPORT COMMUNITIES MAKING LOCAL CHANGE
The “Love Your Block” Program will award 25 community groups with a grant, City services, and project support to improve their neighborhood
NYC Service and Citizens Committee for New York City launched the 2019 Love Your Blockapplication to support residents in transforming public spaces and engaging neighborhood volunteers to make local change. Twenty-five community groups will be selected as Love Your Block winners and rewarded a $1,000 grant, project management support, and City agency services to improve their neighborhood. The application will remain open through Wednesday, November 7th.
NYC Service and Citizens Committee for New York City encourage resident-led volunteer groups to submit project proposals that engage local volunteers to address community concerns. Successful applications highlight how the project will transform public spaces, like City blocks or community gardens, and engage residents to be change makers in their neighborhoods. Successful proposals will also utilize City services to address important community concerns and contribute to building stronger communities by engaging neighbors to work together toward sustainable improvements. The 2019 Love Your Block application can be found at nyc.gov/loveyourblock.
“Love Your Block is about partnering with residents and giving them the support and resources to become neighborhood change agents,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Building a healthier democracy means engaging our residents in opportunities to make a difference in the life of their community, so I encourage every resident-led group to apply and propose community solutions that will help us continue to build thriving neighborhoods.”
“NYC Service believes that volunteerism is a catalyst for civic engagement in New York City,” said NYC Chief Service Officer Paula Gavin. “Love Your Block supports residents to engage their neighbors and address local needs through service. Over the last ten years, the program has helped over 260 resident groups improve over 400 public spaces and City blocks. NYC Service is proud to continue Love Your Block with Citizens Committee and our sister agencies to inspire and empower 8.6 million New Yorkers to come together and serve each other.”
“There are more than 60,000 blocks in our City. While Citizens Committee for New York City’s, Love Your Blockfocuses on only a very few, it should serve as a model for every New Yorker on every block to get to know your neighbors and to join them in making your block the envy of every New Yorker,” said Citizen’s Committee for NYC Executive Director Peter Kostmayer.
In addition to a $1,000 grant and project planning assistance, Love Your Block winners will receive city services from the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Sanitation, and the Department of Transportation. City agency services include; pest control and removal; tree stewardship workshops; graffiti removal; repair of and installation of street signs and street lights; traffic safety surveys; and installation of bicycle racks, speed bumps, and more.
NYC Service and Citizens Committee for New York City encourage resident-led volunteer groups across all five boroughs to apply for a Love Your Block Grant by November 7th. Visit nyc.gov/loveyourblock for more information. Interested participants may also attend a Love Your Block Information Session on October 16th or October 23rd from 6:00 - 7:30pm. Contact MGonzalez@citizensnyc.org or call (212) 822-9579 for more information and to RSVP.
Love Your Block applications will be evaluated on the following:
- Groups must be volunteer-led, without paid staff and must demonstrate the ability to mobilize a minimum of 20 volunteers
- Groups must work with two (2) out of the four (4) City agency partners for services
- Projects must help address a shared community need (e.g. Tree planting, graffiti removal, speed bumps)
“The Love Your Block program is a great way to support innovative community-based projects proposed by residents that protect the environment and improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods on a block by block scale,” said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Vincent Sapienza. “DEP is proud to partner with NYC Service, Citizens Committee for NYC, and community groups from all five boroughs on theLove Your Block program.”
“As the steward of more than 30,000 acres of public land, we value the contributions of volunteers who work to move our system forward,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP. “Through initiatives like Love Your Block, citizens are encouraged to help maintain and sustain thriving green spaces that all New Yorkers can enjoy. In the 10 years since its inception, this program has spread love through our streets, our communities, and our hearts.”
“Residents are our best partners in keeping New York City healthy and clean,” said Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia. “They have valuable insights, knowledge and strong community relationships, which is why we encourage resident-led volunteer groups to put their best ideas forward and apply to the Love Your Block initiative. Love Your Block provides residents with the opportunity and resources to beautify their neighborhood, initiate progress, and take pride in their communities. We are proud to continue being part of this important initiative that is helping keep our city neighborhoods healthy and clean.”
CLIMATE WEEK: CITY ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF “BRING IT” CAMPAIGN TO EMPOWER YOUNG NEW YORKERS TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST WASTE
In partnership with NYC-based S’well, every NYC public high school student will receive a S’well reusable water bottle
To kick off Climate Week NYC and to support the City’s Zero Waste by 2030 goal, the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, with support from the Department of Education, announced BRING IT, a multi-channel campaign focused on helping students, and by extension their family and friends, reduce waste through advocacy and action. BRING IT launches with a year-long partnership with reusable bottle company S’well. Through this initiative, more than 320,000 high school students across all five boroughs will receive S’well or S’ip by S’well reusable bottles with the goal of displacing more than 54 million single-use plastic bottles in New York City.
“To reach our goal of sending zero waste to landfills by 2030, we have to upend our whole way of doing things. The BRING IT campaign will help create a cleaner, fairer city for all by empowering youth to lead the way. We’re proud to partner with a New York City company, S’well, to get this off the ground,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The first year of BRING IT will engage and mobilize NYC public school students and be supported with a wide range of programs and events that foster knowledge around sustainability, cultivate green job mentorship opportunities and encourage students to take action for their schools, city and planet.
“I am so proud to be a part of a program that is creating real impact for New York City, S’well’s home,” said Sarah Kauss, founder and CEO, S’well. “Together, we are developing a platform for change, offering today's youth and tomorrow’s leaders the knowledge, resources and inspiration to address the global challenges posed by waste and single-use plastic bottles through meaningful actions.”
“We cannot simply leave young people to inherit and then solve our environmental crisis tomorrow, we must equip them with the resources to take action and make different choices today,” said Mark Chambers, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. “We are honored to partner with S’well, our students, and our schools to end single-use plastic waste and transform how we live, work and play in our city.”
“We are so proud to be a part of BRING IT, and we know New York City students are ready to be leaders in creating a cleaner and more sustainable City,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “I thank our partners at the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and S’well for empowering our students to make a difference, and for making us an important part of the efforts towards the City’s goal of zero waste.”
To celebrate the launch of the program, MOS, DOE and S’well kicked-off a five-day challenge to inspire and mobilize high school students to ‘bring’ not only their bottles, but their ideas, passions and unique perspectives to the challenge of creating a sustainable city. To that end, programming also includes the chance for NYC students in elementary to high school to participate in designing S’well’s 2019 Earth Day Collection and participate in activities that promote storytelling and sustainable change. The Department of Sanitation is also a supporting agency in this program.
Over the course of the year, S’well will continue to collaborate with DOE and MOS to support a variety of existing sustainability programs. This includes supporting engagement with school sustainability coordinators, teachers and administrators who help develop green initiatives, as well as the Borough Student Advisory Council and Chancellor’s Student Advisory Council.
Single-use plastic is a major source of preventable waste in New York City, as well as for our country and globe. Nationally, Americans throw away enough plastic water bottles to fill the Empire State building one and a half times each month. That is plastic that never goes away but breaks down and seeps into our water and ultimately our food, impacting our health. The production of plastic water bottles in the United States also uses 1.5 million barrels of oil a year, which is enough to power 250,000 homes or 100,000 cars all year.
Engaging New Yorkers to adopt waste-reducing behaviors, like bringing reusable water bottles, is critical to achieve the City’s Zero Waste goal by 2030 and enables New Yorkers to save money and make healthy drink choices easier. Using national averages, each student with a reusable bottle will be able to displace 167 plastic water bottles from NYC’s trash and save about $250 in buying plastic bottles this year.
To learn more, stay up-to-date on BRING IT initiatives and get involved, visit BRINGIT.NYC
“Making real change that lasts requires partnership across government, industry and community, and we are thrilled to see partners like S’well working with City government to empower our next generation of leaders with the knowledge and tools to take action on environmental sustainability,” said Darren Bloch, Senior Advisor to the Mayor and Director of the Office of Strategic Partnerships. “We’re proud to stand with S’well and our City partners as we embark on this important campaign in support of the City’s Zero Waste goals.”
“The Mayor’s Fund is thrilled to support the launch of BRING IT. We know that it is important to engage young people in the City’s efforts to reduce waste and promote environmental sustainability,” said Toya Williford, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. “The partnership launched today will foster behavior change and encourage high school students to think differently about our collective impact on the environment.”
“Young people’s partnership and support is vital in creating a sustainable New York,” said Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia. “Students are the future of our city and programs like BRING IT are helping them reduce waste and empowering them to become active partners in reaching our City’s zero waste goals.”
“Using reusable water bottles to drink our award-winning NYC tap water will not only lead to a healthier environment, but a healthier you,” said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Vincent Sapienza. “The production of plastic water bottles in the United States uses 1.5 million barrels of oil a year, which is enough to power 250,000 homes or 100,000 cars all year. Our tap water is a healthy alternative to sugar-sweetened beverages and at roughly one penny per gallon, it is the best deal in town.”
Statement from Assemblyman Marcos A. Crespo: Trump Administration to Limit Green Cards for Legal Immigrants on Public Assistance
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Uncivilized attack on American Dream
“The current presidential administration’s latest attacks on immigrants and their families cannot be overshadowed by the current news cycle. Aside from wickedly tearing families apart and causing irreversible physical and emotional damage to countless children and parents – notwithstanding the child detention centers within New York City – the Trump Administration is set on threatening to reject granting permanent residency to legal immigrants for using any and all forms of public assistance including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Section 8 vouchers and assistance; public housing; and enrolling in the available low-income subsidy to help pay prescription drug expenses through Medicare Part D.”
“According to the Migration Policy Institute around 4 million noncitizens were enrolled in SNAP benefits from 2014 to 2016. The administration is hiding behind the narrative that noncitizens are burdens on American taxpayers. As if none of the four million non-US citizens on any form of public assistance do not pay their taxes. The IRS states, ‘Each year, thousands of nonresident aliens are gainfully employed in the United States.’”
“The Immigration and Nationality Act allows government officials to reject visas and green cards to immigrants deemed a public charge, however this president’s goal of successfully condemning all legal immigrants as drains of finite resources is a gross attack on the American Dream.”
“For now, the proposed enhancements will not impact refugees and asylum-seekers – yet these immigrants in search of safety and liberty face another set of challenges.”
“The new enhancement is set to be published in the Federal Register soon. The following 60-day comment period is crucial for voicing opposition. All potential and present immigrants seeking green cards are threatened. Ultimately, the present danger is the significant reshaping of future legal immigration without the say of congress.”