5th Annual Domestic Violence Awareness By the Carrion Movement "THERE IS LIFE AFTER ABUSE"

(L - R) - Ms. Jayda Palau, Ms. Zelideth Diaz-Hatch, Ms. Tanya Carrion, Master of Ceremonies Jose Rivera, Ms. Alison Santiago, and Ms. Meryland Cuevas-Canela. 

"THERE IS LIFE AFTER ABUSE"

That was the theme of the 5th Annual Domestic Violence Awareness event held at the UFT Bronx headquarters. It was to teach people that while a person (men as well as women) that there is life after abuse. 

It was a quick four and a half hours as there were many different segments of this event. There were 'Life Stories' by some who have experienced Domestic Violence. You could see real tears as the speakers told their stories, and real concerns they had while in the abuse part of a relationship, but also fears of what may happen now that those relationships have ended. The stories were very different, telling some of the many horrors of Domestic Violence, and what it does to the victims other than the injuries. The lack of belief of the story by some of those in authority,

Two elected officials were present who spoke, Assemblyman and Bronx Democratic County Leader Marcos Crespo, and recently elected 87th A.D. District Leader John Perez. While Assemblyman Crespo spoke of his travels to Puerto Rico with Governor Cuomo, District Leader Perez spoke of the Domestic Violence he had endured during a marriage. 

There was different entertainment as you will see in the photos, Zumba, children performing, and singers where people went up front to dance. 

Above - Event organizer Tanya Carrion stands with Assemblyman Marcos Crespo (r), and District Leader John Perez (l).

Below - Ms. Jayda Palau told a very revealing story of her Domestic Violence that she endured. 

Above - Assemblyman Marcos Crespo congratulates Ms. Palau for telling her story of abuse.

Below - District Leader John Perez tells of a very bad case of abuse his former wife hurled on him while they were married.

Above - A song by Juanky.

Below - The Skk Dancers.

Above - Miguel and John Q in a song performance.

Below - Ms. Tanya Carrion joins with Ms. Jayda Palau and others to dance to the music.

A group photo with Miguel and Jon Q, Emcee Jose Rivera, and the Domestic Violence survivors who came up to dance.

DOI INVESTIGATION LEADS TO ARREST OF NEW YORK CITY CORRECTION OFFICER ON CHARGES OF SMUGGLING CONTRABAND INTO THE MANHATTAN DETENTION COMPLEX

  Mark G. Peters, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), announced today the arrest of a Correction Officer with the New York City Department of Correction (“DOC”) on charges of bringing in contraband, specifically what is believed to be marijuana, into the Manhattan Detention Complex. DOI’s drug-sniffing dog, Buster, was positioned at the front gate during a routine screening on Friday morning, October 12, 2018, at about 9:40 a.m. and alerted on Correction Officer THOMAS STEWART as he entered the facility where he is assigned. The case is being prosecuted by office of New York County District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr.

 DOI Commissioner Mark G. Peters said, “This is the second arrest this week involving insider corruption at the City’s jails. In this case, and the one earlier this week in the Bronx, a correction officer violated his oath to protect safety within the jails, the safety of his fellow officers, by smuggling in contraband, according to the charges. We know that contraband fuels an underground trade and violence behind bars. We thank the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for its partnership on these important arrests.” 

  STEWART, 37, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was charged with Bribe Receiving in the Third Degree, a class D felony; Promoting Prison Contraband in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of Marijuana in the Fourth Degree and Official Misconduct, all class A misdemeanors. Upon conviction, a class D felony is punishable by up to seven years in prison, and a class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year’s incarceration. 

 STEWART has been employed by DOC as a Correction Officer since June 2017, he receives an annual base salary of approximately $44,333, and was suspended immediately after his arrest.

 According to the criminal complaint and DOI’s investigation, on October 12, 2018, DOI’s drugsniffing dog, Buster, alerted on STEWART as he entered the front gate at the Manhattan Detention Complex. After Buster alerted, the defendant surrendered two brick-sized packages wrapped in black plastic tape that he had concealed on himself. The investigation determined that the bricks weighed approximately 142.6 grams, or over five ounces, and contained multiple rubber balloons filled with a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana. DOI later recovered $140 in cash from the defendant who indicated he had been paid that sum to bring in the contraband to give to a prisoner.

 The investigation is ongoing.

DOI Commissioner Peters thanked Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. and his staff for their prosecution of this matter; and DOC Commissioner Cynthia Brann and her staff for their cooperation in this investigation.

 A criminal complaint is an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty 

STATEMENT BY DOI COMMISSIONER MARK G. PETERS

  James McGovern, who I appointed to conduct an independent investigation of whistleblower claims by Anastasia Coleman and Daniel Schlachet, has informed me that he has substantiated their claims. He recommended and determined the following: (1) That they be restored to their prior employment and provided with back pay; (2) I exceeded my authority by integrating the office of the Special Commissioner of Investigation within the Department of Investigation and that all actions in that regard should be reversed; (3) I erred in my conduct and should be disciplined in the form of a letter of apology. I will accept and follow Mr. McGovern’s recommendations. 

 Accepting oversight, even when you are the subject of that oversight, is critical for good government. Now that this process is complete, I look forward to continuing the systemic and important oversight work of DOI, the City’s Inspector General.

Comptroller Stringer Releases Investigative Survey of NYCHA Doors

  Unlocked doors, missing latches, and broken locks were found at 65 percent of developments located in every borough

61 developments found severely vulnerable – with over half their entrances unlocked

  Today, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer released the results of a survey of NYC Housing Authority building doors that revealed over 1,000 broken and defective doors at 195 NYCHA developments. When tested, the doors swung open – or were held open by rope, tape, or chains.

The Comptroller’s audit and investigations team visited 299 NYCHA developments, including 3,538 buildings within them. 65 percent of developments had unsecured doors. Further, 61 developments were severely vulnerable, with over half of their entrance doors unlocked. 47 percent of all front entrances were not equipped with security cameras.

The Comptroller launched the comprehensive, citywide review after a NYCHA resident spoke out at a town hall about safety concerns. She reported that her building lacked a working door for 19 years, the entire life of her grandson.

“All New Yorkers should feel safe in their own homes – but hundreds of broken latches, busted locks, and doors held open by chains and rope leave NYCHA families without that basic sense of security,” said Comptroller Stringer. “Unsecured doors are unacceptable. NYCHA must promptly secure, repair and replace broken doors.”

The Comptroller’s comprehensive building-by-building review of NYCHA’s exterior door security was conducted in summer 2018. The full findings include the following:

Nearly 200 Developments Affected

• Auditors visited 299 developments citywide, pushing or pulling on over 4,551 exterior building doors – and found that 195 developments were affected by unsecured doors:62 percent of Bronx developments had at least one door unsecured; including 14 developments where over half of the doors were open to intruders.
  • 73 percent of Brooklyn developments had at least one door unlocked; including 13 developments where over half of the doors were open to intruders.
  • 59 percent of Manhattan developments had at least one door unlocked; including 32 developments where over half of the doors were open to intruders.
  • 67 percent of Queens developments had at least one door unlocked; including 2 developments where over half of the doors were open to intruders.
  • 89 percent of Staten Island developments had at least one door unlocked; no developments had more than half their doors open.

Over One Thousand Broken, Tampered, Open Doors Across All Boroughs

• Citywide, 1,023 building doors were broken, tampered with, or unlockable, leaving developments open to intruders, including roughly 23 percent of all front doors and 21 percent of all rear or side doors.
  • In Manhattan, 37 percent of the developments’ 761 front doors were open and 33 percent of 269 rear or side doors were unlocked;
  • In the Bronx, 24 percent of the developments’ 767 front doors were open and 20 percent of 276 rear or side doors were unlocked;
  • In Staten Island, 19 percent of the developments’ 108 front doors were open and 21 percent of 28 rear or side doors were unlocked;
  • In Queens, 18 percent of the developments’ 470 front doors were open and 9 percent of 81 rear or side doors were unlocked; and,
  • In Brooklyn, 17 percent of the developments’ 1,432 front doors were open and 14 percent of 359 rear or side doors were unlocked.

Roughly Half of All Front Doors Unmonitored

• Auditors also searched for security cameras by front doors, and found that just 53 percent (1,887) of all 3,538 entrance doors had cameras placed by the entrance.

Following the auditors’ citywide review, Comptroller Stringer called on NYCHA to immediately assess its security measures, and recommended that NYCHA improve residents’ safety by taking the following steps:

• Repair or replace all damaged exterior doors identified in this Citywide review and equip them with sturdy, functional hardware;
• Regularly inspect all exterior doors and maintain all doors and locks in good working order;
• Ensure that security cameras are operational and located at all publicly accessible entrances and exits; and,
• Conduct a top-to-bottom review of its security and maintenance systems and procedures to ensure that when exterior doors are obstructed or unsecured, staff are made immediately aware of the conditions, and the doors are promptly fixed.

“Thank you Comptroller Scott Stringer for bringing the importance of our entrance doors to be secured as a priority. Residents safety should always be first,” said Rhonda Bennett, Tenant Association President of Polo Ground Towers.

“We want NYCHA to be more transparent and responsive on this issue. For example, the front door leading to the vestibule has been broken for the last three months. We thank NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer and his office for doing the work on this issue. We look forward to working with them in ensuring this gets addressed,” said Neva Harper, President of Shelton Houses Residents Association.

“Residents in Lehman Village complain about how the front doors don’t lock in the lobby and how people are getting robbed. We as residents should be able to live in a safe and healthy environment,” said Patricia Burns, Tenant Association President at Lehman Village.

“Bronx River is compiled of eleven buildings, with two of them being senior buildings. As residents we don’t feel safe because none of the entrance doors lock properly and the lighting is very dim. We have had seniors getting robbed in the buildings because doors do not lock. Doors are of poor quality and are mostly broken. NYCHA set up for Bronx River to have intercom and it has yet to happen. Please, we are in need of help with security/safety improvements and we hope this report sheds light and puts pressure on the importance of this matter,” said Norma Saunders, Bronx River Resident Association President.

To read results from the investigative survey, click here.

CONGRESS MEMBERS SMITH, ENGEL, AND SCHIFF JOINT STATEMENT DEMANDING ACTION ON THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SAUDI JOURNALIST JAMAL KHASHOGGI

  Today, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA), House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-NY), and House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Adam Schiff (D-CA) released the following joint statement in response to the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi:

“As attacks on the press have proliferated in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and other countries around the world, the disappearance and possible death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is deeply alarming. If the reports detailing the involvement of the Saudi government are true, the United States should not be afraid to take bold action to demonstrate to the world that we will not stand by in the face of such an appalling violation of international human rights. 

“We fully support the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s letter to the administration invoking the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act to trigger an investigation and determination of sanctions. If Saudi Arabia is found to have been involved in the disappearance of Mr. Khashoggi, inaction is simply not an option. The United States should leverage our support and strong relationship with Saudi Arabia to advocate for respect for human rights and push back against these types of actions, which isolate Saudi Arabia. As Congressional leaders, we must show that the United States will stand up against injustices and human rights violations in any country, including our partners. We wish the administration would do the same.”

CITY TARGETS OVER 1,000 BUILDINGS FOR NEW TENANT PROTECTION PROGRAM

The Certification of No Harassment pilot is a new tool to shield New Yorkers from tenant harassment

  Today, the de Blasio Administration announced the implementation of the Certification of No Harassment (CONH) Pilot Program, a new law that requires buildings that meet certain criteria to certify that no tenant harassment has taken place before being granted construction permits to significantly alter their properties. Today, the City also published the listof more than 1,000 buildings with approximately 26,000 units that will now be subject to the CONH program.

“New York City is stopping tenant harassment in its tracks,” said Mayor de Blasio. “We are taking a proactive approach to enforcement and targeting at-risk buildings for increased scrutiny in order to protect affordability across the city.”

Owners of buildings included on the program list will be required to apply for a Certification of No Harassment before they are approved for construction permits by the Department of Buildings. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development will conduct the investigation to certify that no tenant harassment has taken place. Owners denied a CONH will not be able to significantly alter their buildings for five years, unless they provide permanently affordable housing to be built without City subsidy, tax benefits, or inclusionary housing. The list of flagged CONH properties will be updated by HPD and included on HPD’s and DOB’s websites.

“This administration has been working on multiple fronts to proactively and aggressively combat tenant harassment, while preserving affordable housing at record pace.  Now, the City has a new tool to root out harassment that will be applied to more than 1,000 buildings, including 26,000 apartments in neighborhoods identified as most at risk,” said HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer. “I want to thank the City Council, in particular Councilman Brad Lander, for their leadership, and the many advocacy groups who partnered with us to take another strong step to protect tenants and ensure New York remains a city for everyone.”

“We look forward to working with our partners at HPD to prevent bad-actor landlords from getting construction permits. This new effort builds upon our agencies’ work together in the city-state Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force, which has secured unprecedented penalties, including jail time, for landlords who abuse their tenants,” said Buildings Commissioner Rick D. Chandler, PE.

“The Council is proud to have worked with HPD and DOB to make this Certification of No Harassment Pilot a reality,” said New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. “In the midst of an affordability crisis, tenants in New York have enough to deal with without worrying about harassment from unscrupulous landlords. I will continue to fight for tenants and expansion of tenant protection laws.”

Two versions of the CONH program have been in place in Hell’s Kitchen since 1974 and for Single-Room Occupancy buildings (SROs) citywide, but the program was significantly expanded thanks to the City Council’s 2017 CONH legislation. The broadened 36-month pilot includes buildings that meet the following criteria:

·  Buildings which meet a threshold of distress within 11 community board districts throughout the city.  The Community Boards have either undergone city-sponsored neighborhood-wide rezonings or have a high concentration of distressed buildings

      Any building citywide where a full vacate order has been issued, or where a building is enrolled in HPD’s Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP) and remained active in the program for more than four (4) months.

·   In addition, any building citywide where there has been a final determination of harassment in court, or by NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) within the preceding five years will be added to the list and will automatically be denied a CONH upon application. 

Once a building owner subject to the program applies for a Certification of No Harassment, HPD will notify tenants, community groups, the community board, and local elected officials. HPD will then conduct an investigation into whether tenant harassment has taken place at the property within the last five years. If HPD determines that there is evidence of harassment, a hearing will be held at the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings and the building owner can be potentially barred from seeking DOB permits.  If no evidence of tenant harassment is found, HPD will grant the building a Certification of No Harassment.

The expanded CONH program is the product of a working group led by Council Member Brad Lander and HPD.   The group was comprised of a wide range of stakeholders, including government agencies, City Council members and staff, the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, Cypress Hills LDC, Los Sures, United Neighborhood Housing Program, Urban Justice Center, Make the Road, Fifth Avenue Committee, Mobilization for Justice, Housing Conservation Coordinators Inc., The Legal Aid Society, Legal Services NYC, Faith in NY, New York State Association of Affordable Housing, Rent Stabilization Association, Community Housing Improvement Program, Real Estate Board of New York, NYU Furman Center, Northern Manhattan Improvement Corp., and other experts interested in identifying ways to further deter harassment. 

Working with members of the group, the City continued to analyze data to find characteristics of buildings where tenant harassment was suspected, reported, or confirmed. The group looked at many factors and learned that buildings that are physically distressed or recently sold may be associated with reports of harassment.

  

BP DIAZ & HUD ADMINISTRATOR PATTON VISIT NYCHA

  Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Regional Administrator Lynne Patton toured various South Bronx NYCHA Houses and visited the Patterson Houses, a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) development.

The Patterson Houses “temporary” boilers have been installed since 2011, despite having been fully funded for replacement. During last winter’s severe cold snap the boilers became a symbol of the inability of NYCHA to properly address the heat crisis that faces its more than 400,000 residents during the colder months.

Above - Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr. talks about the problems at the Patterson Houses where funding was provided in 2011 to install new boilers, but to date nothing but temporary boilers have been placed at the Patterson Houses.

Below - HUD Regional administrator Lynne Patton says that the federal government gives the city $2.5 Billion dollars for NYCHA every year, but it seems that very little gets done and there is little if any accounting for the monies that NYCHA gets. She added that she spoke recently with the acting head of NYCHA, and was disappointed to hear his response that NYCHA only has enough money to handle emergency situations. 

Above - The temporary boilers in the street in front of the Patterson Houses that have been there since 2011.

Below - New temporary boilers being added in the yard behind one building that will be burning oil to provide heat. A furnace is being built along side this building to let the fumes from the boiler go above the building. 

BP Diaz and HUD Regional administrator Lynne Patton look inside one of the new temporary boilers being installed at the Patterson Houses.

REPRESENTATIVE ADRIANO ESPAILLAT HOSTS DISTRICT CAREER FAIR

  Join Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) on Thursday, October 18^th from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Mural Pavilion – Harlem Hospital Center located at 512 Lenox Avenue for a career fair open to job seekers and employers throughout New York’s 13^th congressional district.

“New York has a thriving business community, and I’m hosting this career fair to help individuals looking to make a career transition or who are searching for part-time, full-time, or seasonal positions meet local and national business leaders seeking to fill available opportunities within their respective companies,” said Rep. Espaillat (NY-13).

Employers are encouraged to register and may download the registration form and email the completed form to Michelle.Booker@mail.house.gov or Laurie.Tobias-Cohen@mail.house.gov by Thursday, October 11, 2018. Interested companies may also call 212 - 663 - 3900 to reserve space.

This event is open to the public.