Townhall
Friday, June 28, 2019
BP DIAZ CELEBRATES OPENING DAY OF CAMP JUNIOR
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. greeted the first group of Bronx kids headed to the inaugural session of "Camp Junior" as they boarded buses at the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club in Belmont.
"The best way to honor Junior’s life is to encourage youth to follow in his footsteps and that’s why Junior’s family worked with my office to create Camp Junior in his memory. This camp includes an anti-violence component so that we are arming these kids with the tools to overcome the gang culture which ultimately cost Junior his life. Thank you to Junior’s parents, the Fresh Air Fund, New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and the New York State Parks Department for your collaboration on this incredible program,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
Camp Junior is a free, two week, sleepaway Summer Camp for Bronx youth established in memory of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz. The program is administered by The Fresh Air Fund and serves Bronx children ages 9-13, and includes an anti-violence curriculum as part of its programming.
Leandra Feliz, mother of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz; Lisandro Guzman, father of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz; Carl Heastie, Speaker of the New York State Assembly; Erik Kulleseid, New York State Parks Commissioner; Fatima Shama, Executive Director, The Fresh Air Fund and Tim McChristian, Executive Director, Madison Square Boys & Girls Club joined Borough President Diaz to celebrate the opening of Camp Junior.
"The loss of Lesandro ‘Junior’ Guzman-Feliz impacted the lives of so many in our community,” said New York State Assembly Speaker Heastie. “His death was the result of senseless violence, but by banding together in the creation of Camp Junior we're honoring his memory and providing much needed resources for at risk youth in the Bronx, acting as a deterrent from gangs. As we continue to mourn the tragic passing of Junior, this camp will memorialize his life, honoring his memory for generations to come."
"We are proud and honored to operate Camp Junior in partnership with the Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and Palisades Interstate Park Commission," said Fatima Shama, Executive Director, The Fresh Air Fund. "Camp Junior will provide a safe, nurturing environment that encourages children from the Bronx to be engaged in and exposed to new environments, broaden horizons and experience ways to increase their confidence and skills. This collaboration and investment in Bronx youth will provide opportunities and interventions and help to reduce the violence affecting our young people which we believe can provide an alternative to joining gangs."
BP Diaz Jr. gives campers a high-five as they board the bus to Camp Junior.
Senator Jamaal T. Bailey Hosts Gun Violence Awareness Basketball Game
Senator Jamaal T. Bailey hosted a gun violence awareness basketball game. The game included members from Mount Vernon Project SNUG and Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence (BRAG). During the game, Senator Bailey presented both organizations with a check of $4,000 each for the work they do in the community.
"We have lost far too many members of this community due to gun violence. I am proud to have two great organizations, BRAG and SNUG in my district, that strive everyday to combat gun violence in our neighborhoods," said Senator Bailey.
The basketball game is a part of Senator Bailey's "24 Hour Tour of the District."
Bronx Metro-North Co-Op City Interactive Public Workshop
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Representative Adriano Espaillat Statement Following SCOTUS Decision to Withhold Citizenship Question from the 2020 Census
The Constitutionally-mandated Decennial Census is undeniably one of the most consequential duties carried out by our federal government. If immigrants and communities of color are excluded or intimidated from participating in the Census, the results will undercount our communities by millions.
Representative Adriano Espaillat released the following statement on the Supreme Court decision in U.S. Department of Commerce v. New York to withhold the Trump Administration’s citizenship question from the 2020 Census.
“While today’s Supreme Court decision in Department of Commerce v. New York on the inclusion of the citizenship question in the 2020 Census was mixed, the Court expressed clear skepticism as to the Trump Administration’s motives,”said Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13). “Notably, the decision reads that, ‘Viewing the evidence as a whole, we share the District Court’s conviction that the decision to reinstate a citizenship question cannot be adequately explained in terms of DOJ’s request for improved citizenship data to better enforce the Voting Rights Act. Several points, considered together, reveal a significant mismatch between the decision the Secretary made and the rationale he provided.’ The Court sees right through the administration’s blatant lie that it needed to include a citizenship question to expand and enforce voting rights.
“To rehear this case with new evidence and further Trump Administration lies will take a significant amount of time that could result in the delay of the enumeration, having a more serious impact on the functioning of our democracy. The Trump Administration should drop its ridiculous effort to include a citizenship question, so we can have an on-time and accurate Census.”
The Constitutionally-mandated Decennial Census is undeniably one of the most consequential duties carried out by our federal government. If immigrants and communities of color are excluded or intimidated from participating in the Census, the results will undercount our communities by millions. This will diminish our congressional representation and the federal funding communities receive for the next decade, as well as determine the course of our democracy for generations to come.
Engel Statement in Opposition to Senate Border Bill
“The President and his Administration have manufactured an abhorrent humanitarian crisis at our nation’s southern border. I visited the border earlier this year and have seen the inhumane conditions these children are living in. It’s an absolute disgrace and requires significant action to fix. Unfortunately, the Senate’s solution does not do nearly enough.
“When the House passed our version of the border bill earlier in the week, we fought hard to ensure there were crucial protections and safeguards for children and families. I only voted for the bill after those concerns about health and hygiene were addressed, and assurances were made that the Administration could not re-allocate any of the funding for their nefarious purposes.
“But the Senate border bill does not have those strong protections. Because this President simply cannot be trusted to care for asylum seekers without greater oversight, I voted NO on the Senate bill this evening. It is critical to implement stronger guardrails than those proposed by the Senate GOP. These children are in desperate need of help, but this bill is not the answer.”
TO PROTECT ACCESS TO ABORTION AT NATION’S LARGEST PUBLIC HOSPITAL SYSTEM, MAYOR DE BLASIO AND NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS REJECT FEDERAL FUNDING TIED TO NEW “GAG RULE”
Under new federal rule, providers accepting Title X funds would be banned from sharing information about full range of reproductive health services, including abortion
Mayor Bill de Blasio, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Herminia Palacio, and President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals Dr. Mitchell Katz today announced the City’s public health system will cease participating in the federal Title X program for as long as the “gag rule” is in effect. The rule prevents medical providers from sharing information and counseling about abortion to their patients. In a directive to all NYC Health + Hospitals personnel, Dr. Katz today instructed doctors and nurses to support patients on whatever pathway they choose, including providing referrals to abortion and reproductive health services.
“The doctors and nurses at the heart of New York City’s public hospital system took an oath to protect and serve patients, and we will do whatever’s necessary to ensure they are able to provide the best medical treatment,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Our decision to reject Title X funds sends a clear message – we will not stand by while the Trump Administration tries to censor our providers and prevent them from giving patients information about abortions.”
“The Title X gag rule is yet another cruel attempt by federal government leaders to control reproductive rights,” saidFirst Lady Chirlane McCray. “New York City will not allow politicians with their regressive rulings to dictate what people can and cannot do with their bodies. We will protect New Yorkers access to reproductive health care – no matter what happens in Washington.”
In February 2019, the Trump Administration issued the federal “gag rule,” which bars health care providers who receive federal Title X funding from referring or counseling patients about their abortion options. A federal lawsuit – for which New York City filed an amicus brief – had been blocking the gag rule from taking effect. Last week, the Federal Court of Appeals in the Ninth Circuit vacated this injunction, allowing the gag rule to take effect immediately across the country. This would force doctors and medical providers who receive these federal funds for sexual and reproductive health to withhold information about safe, legal abortions from their patients.
Rather than censor providers, NYC Health + Hospitals will reject $1.3 million in federal funding from the Title X program — which funds a range of family planning and related preventive health services — until the gag rule is lifted. The City will cover the lost Title X funds, and NYC Health + Hospitals will direct doctors and nurses to continue providing referrals to abortion and reproductive health services. NYC Health + Hospitals remains committed to providing patients comprehensive reproductive health options and services the system has always offered, without interruption.
“This rule is unconscionable and an affront to the professional ethics of all doctors,” said Dr. Herminia Palacio, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services. “Physicians must have the freedom to provide accurate and unbiased medical information to their patients, and this rule runs counter to that basic fact. In refusing Title X funds, NYC Health + Hospitals reaffirms its commitment to protecting reproductive care rights – our doctors will not be silenced, and our patients will continue to receive the best care possible.”
“NYC Health + Hospitals delivers essential services to New Yorkers, and we will not let the federal government tell us how to limit the health care options for our patients,” said Mitchell Katz, MD, President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals. “We are prepared to find other ways to compensate for the loss of funding and ensure that we remain true to our mission to care for all, without exception, and regardless of income, immigration or insurance status.”
“We object to the dangerous policies that are restricting access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care across the country and will not allow the censoring of our doctors and nurses,” said Machelle Allen, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals. “Our doors will remain open to all and we will continue to support our patients on whatever path they choose.”
NYC Health + Hospitals facilities offer comprehensive and confidential care for patients that includes contraceptive counseling, management of pregnancy loss, and elective medical pregnancy termination services and surgical termination services up to 24 weeks (2nd trimester). The system is committed to providing a safe and supportive environment.
“As the Trump-Pence administration continues to undermine the Title X national family planning program as part of its larger anti-abortion agenda, New York City is once again standing strong for abortion access,” said Andrea Miller, president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health. “NYC Health + Hospitals has a long and proud history of providing comprehensive reproductive health services, including abortion, and we applaud H+H for its commitment to counseling patients without bias and offering this crucial care.”
Any New Yorker wishing to make an appointment at an NYC Health + Hospitals location can call 1-844-NYC-4NYC.
MTA NY Transit head Andy Byford Meets Bronx CM Andy King, Other Elected & Com. Leaders in Co-op City, Bronx, Speaks to Hundreds of Community Residents Rallying Against MTA BX Bus Redesign Plan
MTA New York City Transit head Andy Byford came to Co-op City this evening to meet with local Council Member Andy King, Senator Jamaal Bailey, Assembly member Michael Benedetto, members of the Riverbay Cooperative Board and community leaders, as well as to address hundreds of local residents in the Co-op City community at a rally in opposition to current efforts by the Metropolitan Transit Authority [MTA] to radically change bus routes that go through the Co-op City community, the largest co-operative housing community in the world and the largest "Naturally Occurring Retirement Community" [NORC] in the nation.
Byford, after explaining it was a draft and a willingness to compromise, joked that residents who didn't want addition bus transfers would ensure he saw a transfer if an amended plan were not made a reality
King, who has represented Co-op City in the Council since 2012, stressed that the current plan was unacceptable, but offered he felt Byford was genuine in expressing openness to the community's suggestions to amened the draft plan.
The rally rook place outisde in a courtyard next to a public community engagement meeting at the Bartow Community Center.
The MTA has stated that the draft proposal seeks to update the bus routes, "which have largely remained unchanged since they were converted from trolley lines nearly a century ago, within the Bronx’s existing grid system. These recommendations take into consideration the service performance of each route, the speed, ridership and reliability on key corridors, and how individual routes contribute to the larger network. Recommendations were developed in collaboration with NYCDOT, with focus given to identifying key corridors where roadway treatments and traffic signal improvements can be implemented to expand bus priority and better support sustainable, all-day bus service. The details of NYCDOT’s proposed bus priority plan for the Bronx are included in the draft plan for the Bronx Bus Network Redesign." - MTA Bus Design press release<http://www.mta.info/
Information about the Bronx Bus Network Redesign can be found at https://new.mta.info/