MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES LOWER EAST SIDE LATE-NIGHT QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENT PLAN

  Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced a multi-agency plan to improve the quality of life of thousands of New Yorkers living in one of the city’s densest nightlife districts. The plan, created by the Office of Nightlife, targets a 6-block area on Ludlow and Orchard Streets between Houston and Delancey on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Improvements will reduce traffic and pedestrian congestion on the street and make garbage sweeping routes more efficient. Nightlife patrons will also see a new etiquette campaign encouraging them to be more respectful and aware of their surroundings.

“The world loves New York nightlife, but we also have to take care of the New Yorkers who live where others play,” said Mayor de Blasio. “We are creating cleaner, quieter streets to improve quality of life while ensuring bars, restaurants and clubs can thrive.”

“Nightlife is vital to New York City’s local culture and global identity,” said Ariel Palitz, Senior Executive Director for the Office of Nightlife. “The Lower East Side is one of the city’s most vibrant and social neighborhoods. This plan coordinates City services to support our thriving nightlife and respond to the needs of the residential community, to ensure that nightlife is fair and works for everyone.”

“We are proud to partner with our colleagues in city government and the local community to develop and implement collaborative solutions to quality of life concerns surrounding nightlife on the Lower East Side,” said Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, Anne del Castillo. “Nightlife establishments are a fundamental part of the city’s DNA; they employ almost 300,000 New Yorkers. Through these collaborative efforts, MOME can ensure that the city’s creative and cultural industries like nightlife can thrive in ways that are mutually beneficial for all.”  

The area of Ludlow and Orchard Streets between Houston and Delancey contains more than 80 food and beverage establishments. For years, residents and businesses have complained of late-night horn honking and loud voices as traffic stops due to double-parked cars dropping off and collecting passengers on the area’s narrow streets. Moreover, litter builds up overnight under parked cars and on sidewalks, which is unsightly, unsanitary, and attracts rats.

The Lower East Side Late-Night Quality of Life Improvement Plan was designed with the support and input of residents, business owners, workers, and local officials to  make their neighborhood more livable. The plan includes:

New parking regulations to ease traffic congestion and reduce noise

• DOT is implementing a “No Standing” rule from midnight to 6 AM on the west side of the streets and 7 PM to 7 AM on the east side of streets, seven days a week
• Removing standing vehicles overnight eases congestion, honking and other noise

New litter removal schedule coordinated with bar closing times for more efficient cleaning and additional street cleaning

• To more efficiently clean neighborhood streets, DSNY street sweepers will now operate between 3 and 6 AM
• The prior schedule from midnight to 3 AM was less efficient, as many businesses were still open and patrons were still out
• The Business Improvement District (BID), the Lower East Side Partnership, will provide 200 hours of street cleaning services a week, seven days a week
• Council Member Chin allocated $30,000 expense funding to LESP for cleaning Ludlow St, which is outside the  BID boundaries
• Council Member Chin has also allocated $40,000 in capital funds to LES Partnership to purchase a power washer truck

Increased enforcement of for-hire vehicles

• TLC will increase enforcement patrols to crack down on unlicensed for-hire vehicles double parking and making unauthorized pickups
• A 10-person team of TLC officers and supervisors will conduct random patrols between 11pm and 3am at least once every Friday and Saturday night

Mayor’s Office of Nightlife “Night Owl” etiquette campaign urging patrons to be more considerate 

• Awareness Campaign will urge patrons to use common-sense nightlife consideration including keeping sound to a minimum and keeping sidewalks clean and clear. The PSA will be displayed on LinkNYC kiosks in the area
• The Office of Nightlife and NYPD will distribute signs to bars and clubs with tips for theft prevention

"The Quality of Life Improvement Plan addresses the noise, public safety, and trash issues associated with the Lower East Side's thriving nightlife scene," said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been. "I want to commend the neighborhood businesses, nightlife patrons, and residents who have created a pilot that is rooted in mutual understanding and compromise, and we're excited to see the results.”

“Enjoying New York City’s nightlife shouldn’t come at the expense of the well-being of New Yorkers who call these neighborhoods home,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Laura Anglin. “This multi-agency initiative will ensure the Lower East Side is safer, cleaner, less congested, and more enjoyable for all those who visit while continuing to support the bars and restaurants in the area.”

“Shifting the street sweeping start time in this area will allow our Department to more efficiently clean neighborhood streets,” said Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia. “We are happy to partner with other city agencies, the Office of Nightlife, the Community Board and the Lower East Side Partnership to help bring quality-of-life improvements to the area. Business are still open at midnight, and patrons are still out and about. Shifting our schedule still allows us to clean the streets, while providing the best service to businesses, visitors and residents.”

"Community Board 3 is always proud to partner with the LES Partnership and City agencies to improve the quality of life of our community," said Alysha Lewis-Coleman, Chair, Manhattan CB3. "This initiative will directly address many longstanding issues in the community—horn honking, traffic congestion, garbage. We particularly look forward to the etiquette campaign to address the noise complaints of residents. CB 3 looks forward to a continuing effort of collaboration that will improve quality of life for residents as well as the vitality of our small businesses."

EDITOR'S NOTE:

It is unfortunate that Mayor de Blasio's Quality of Life Community plan is only for Lower Manhattan, leaving the Bronx #Not on the List, when it comes to Quality of Life issues, 

Council Member Ruben Diaz Sr. - FOR A SAMPLE A SINGLE BUTTON WILL SUFFICE

What You Should Know

By Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz

Bronx County

  You should know that in Puerto Rico there is a cliché that says “Para muestra con un boton basta” translation is that “For a Sample a single button will suffice” which means that it is not necessary to disclose everything, because one can easily deduce everything that remains to be discovered by merely showing a button. When someone wants to know if there is authenticity this old saying signifies that with a sample one button is enough. 

 

You should also know that Bronx County is represented by nine (9) elected members on the City Council of the City of New York.  Each one of them claims to be the best advocate, and defender of our communities within the districts each one of them represents.

 

The job and responsibilities of those nine (9) Council members is and must be to protect, guard, defend and create better opportunities for the Bronx County and its residents by ensuring their welfare and security.

 

It is important that you know that this past Thursday, October 17, the President of Bronx County, the members of the Community Planning Board # 1, the residents of the Beekman Houses, and the residents of public housing in the South Bronx were abandoned, when five (5) out of the nine (9) Bronx Council Members disgracefully voted in favor of constructing a prison in the area of the Beekman Houses, only (4) voted against bringing a prison to this area.

 

You should know that the only (4) Bronx Council Members voting against this project were Councilmen Rafael Salamanca, Jr., Andy King, Fernando Cabrera and yours truly, Rev. Rubén Diaz. We voted against the construction of these prisons and against spending 10 billion tax payer dollars. The four of us recognized that if there is no money to make boiler repairs in NYCHA buildings in the Bronx and throughout the city, then those 10 billion dollars should not be spent on the construction of four (4) new prisons.

 

The Bronx Community Board # 1, the residents of Beekman Houses, and the majority of Bronx County residents, led by Bronx Borough President Rubén Diaz, Jr., conducted a battle against spending money and building a prison in the area of Diego Beekman Houses. Only Council members Rafael Salamanca, Rev. Fernando Cabrera, Andy King, and yours truly heard the clamor and the desperate request of the people we represent.

 

The other (5) Bronx council members who shamefully voted in favor of this project are Richie Torres, Diana Ayala, Vanessa Gibson, Mark Gjonaj and Andy Cohen. They decided to turn their backs on the Bronx residents and instead chose to support Mayor Bill de Blasio going directly against the people of the Bronx which they were elected to represent.

 

This project, costing 10 billion dollars, is geared toward the building of four (4) new high rise prison buildings in four NYC Boroughs which are Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn, while in Staten Island not one prison will be built. Why? This plan was hatched by Melissa Mark-Viverito when she was serving as the President of the City Council.

 

Those billions of dollars in funding could have been allocated and put to better use in repairing existing public housing apartments, make much needed boiler repairs so that our people, children, and elderly don’t suffer in the winter without heat and hot water, or allocate monies to painting and renovating the apartments to prevent our children from getting poisoned due to exposure to lead paint.

 

That money (10 billion) dollars could have been used to build permanent housing for the 60 thousand homeless families now living in NYC shelters.

 

Instead these five (5) of our representatives, Richie Torres, Diana Ayala, Vanessa Gibson, Mark Gjonaj and Andy Cohen decided to spend 10 billion dollars on the construction of four (4) new prison buildings including one in the Bronx, ignoring the will of the residents of the area, ignoring the will of Community Board # 1 and ignoring the will of the Bronx Borough President.

 

When it comes to defending our community and when it comes to not bowing down to Mayor Bill de Blasio or to the pressures of vested interests; Council members Rafael Salamanca, Fernando Cabrera, Andy King, and this servant, with our vote against the construction of said prisons in our neighborhoods, sent a strong message to the Mayor: Saying that Our goal has always been, is and will continue to be in the defense, the welfare, and betterment of our communities.

 

The vote that was cast against and in favor of building new prisons in our neighborhoods should now tell you who are the ones that adhere to their oath to defend and serve our communities.  Therefore, I want you to know how that old saying goes “For a sample a single-button will suffice”.   

 

The single action by these (9) Bronx Councilmembers and the way in which they voted should tell you who are the true defenders of our Bronx communities.

 

I am Council Member Rev. Rubén Díaz and this is what you should know. 

DE BLASIO ADMINISTRATION FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE TO END ILLEGAL SHIPMENT OF CIGARETTES THROUGH INTERNATIONAL MAIL FACILITIES NATIONWIDE

Postal Service delivers hundreds of thousands of cartons of cigarettes annually, costing New York City and States nationwide tens of millions of dollars in tax revenues

  Mayor Bill de Blasio, Acting Corporation Counsel Georgia M. Pestana, and New York City Sheriff Joseph Fucito today announced the filing of a joint lawsuit with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra against the United States Postal Service (USPS) for illegally shipping hundreds of thousands of cartons of cigarettes to postal customers throughout the country in violation of federal law.

“Cigarette smuggling doesn’t just break the law – it endangers the health of countless Americans and enriches terrorists and organized crime,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Yet despite all of this, our nation’s own postal service has ignored the practice and enabled one of the biggest killers in our country. It needs to end, and we intend to be the ones to end it.”

“The Postal Service has turned a blind eye to the illegal shipment of cigarettes through its facilities, undermining our health laws and causing millions of dollars of tax losses to New York City,” said Acting Corporation Counsel Georgia M. Pestana. “Further, the USPS Inspector General has warned the agency that its policy of returning contraband packages to senders instead of destroying them is in conflict with the law and allows cigarette sellers simply to try again to have their cigarettes delivered. We are asking the Court for relief, including that these illegal practices be halted.”

“Trafficking in untaxed cigarettes causes problems beyond lost revenue, said New York City Sheriff Joseph Fucito. “It is a keystone offense that bridges organized crime, terrorism and health problems that can affect every New Yorker. The words and deeds of government entities needs to be congruent with the law.”    

According to the complaint, the federal Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act that became law in 2010 has deterred domestic cigarette sellers from mailing cigarettes to buyers, but international vendors less subject to U.S.-based enforcement efforts have become a major source of contraband cigarettes delivered through the USPS. 

Package audits conducted by a task force of federal, state and City investigators at the John F. Kennedy International Mail Facility in 2018 revealed parcels containing more than 100,000 cartons of cigarettes destined for 48 states.  The packages originated from Vietnam, China, Israel, and other overseas locations. Most packages were headed to California and New York. Based on those estimates, USPS may be shipping as many as 600,000 cartons – six million packs – of cigarettes to California each year, resulting in an annual tax loss of more than $19 million. An estimated 500,000 cartons – five million packs of cigarettes – are estimated to be delivered annually to New York City and New York State, resulting in annual tax losses of over $21 million. 

Congress has found that cigarette trafficking provides income to organized crime and terrorist groups. The 2018 audits contained packages of cigarettes sent by an overseas commercial shipper whose U.S. affiliates had been convicted of a variety of federal crimes related to cigarette trafficking. In 2015, the USPS had been notified that this overseas seller was illegally mailing cigarettes, but the deliveries continued as revealed by the 2018 audit.

The complaint says USPS fails to use a list of known commercial cigarette shippers provided by the U.S. Department of Justice to block shipments, and packages continue through the mail even when the contents are labeled as “cigarettes.”  When USPS workers do identify contraband cigarettes, the parcels are returned to the shipper, allowing shippers to simply resend their packages, a policy criticized by the USPS Inspector General.

Cigarette smoking is one of the biggest causes of preventable premature death in the United States. Smoking annually kills more than 480,000 people nationwide, including 26,000 New Yorkers, a figure that exceeds the combined number of deaths from alcohol, motor vehicle collisions, and firearms. According to the World Health Organization, the high taxes on cigarettes that trafficking evades are the most effective policy intervention for deterring cigarette smoking, especially among young New Yorkers.

The investigations were conducted by the federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, the New York City Sheriff’s Office and the California Department of Justice. 

The joint City-California complaint was filed in federal court in Brooklyn and seeks, among other relief, a permanent injunction prohibiting the USPS from delivering packages known or reasonably believed to contain cigarettes.

The complaint is being handled by Eric Proshansky and Hope Lu of the NYC Law Department’s Affirmative Litigation Division.

“Accepting and delivering contraband cigarettes is not only a health hazard for our citizens but a detriment to our state’s economy,” said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. “The California Department of Justice will remain vigilant in pursuing contraband cigarettes that are smuggled into California.”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - My next endorsement:

When I first announced my campaign for Congress, people told me it wasn’t possible for someone like me to run and win. They said we couldn’t raise enough money or earn the endorsements needed to unseat a powerful incumbent.

We proved them wrong. We showed that the grassroots could beat the big money and establishment insiders. This year, I became the youngest woman to serve in Congress — and I want another young progressive woman to shatter that record in 2020.

That’s why I’m proud to endorse Jessica Cisneros for Congress. She’s a progressive fighter running up against an entrenched incumbent. She can’t win this race on her own — but with the people behind her, she’ll be unstoppable. That’s why I’m asking you to help her right now:

Jessica was born and raised in the border town of Laredo. The daughter of immigrant farmworkers, she grew up watching her parents work hard but still struggle to get by. While her parents fought to keep their small business afloat, she saw firsthand how many of the laws written in D.C. weren’t written to protect people like her. And she noticed that the people elected to represent her were more accountable to corporate donors than to the members of her community.

Just like us in 2018, Jessica is running against a powerful incumbent as an unapologetic advocate for her community. Her opponent, Henry Cuellar, has more than $3,000,000 in his campaign bank account, and these funds aren’t coming from the grassroots. They’re coming from corporate PACs, Big Oil, and private prison corporations like GEO Group.

I need your help to bring Jessica to Congress so we can fight together for a Green New Deal, Medicare for All and fixing our broken immigration system. Together we can shift the center of gravity in Congress away from the privileged, powerful few and towards the many.

Pa'lante,

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

TRICK OR TREAT WITH SENATOR BIAGGI

TRICK OR TREAT IN DISTRICT 34! Come celebrate Halloween 2019 with State Senator Alessandra Biaggi – stop by our district office for candy and other goodies! WHEN: Thursday, October 31st 2019 | 2:30PM - 3:30PM. WHERE: 3190 Riverdale Avenue, Suite 2, The Bronx NY 10463.

New Bronx Chamber of Commerce - Trick or Treat Halloween 2019

Yonkers Man Charged With Attempted Murder Of A Special Deputy United States Marshal

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Michael Greco, the United States Marshal for the Southern District of New York (“USMS”), and John Mueller, Commissioner of the Yonkers Police Department (“YPD”), announced charges today against MICHAEL CABON for attempting to murder a federal law enforcement officer.  The defendant was presented in White Plains federal court this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Lisa Margaret Smith.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “As alleged, the defendant brazenly used deadly force against law enforcement seeking to effectuate a routine warrant.  This incident is a solemn reminder of the dangers our law enforcement partners face each and every day.  We will work tirelessly to ensure that those who put them in harm’s way face justice.”

FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said:  “People in this country break the law every day, and as law enforcement we are charged with investigating those crimes and holding those criminal accountable.  We assume the physical risks when carrying out court ordered actions, but no one should lose their lives while those actions take place.  I’m relieved this situation did not turn deadly which is a credit to the professionalism of the arresting officers and agents who were on scene.”

United States Marshal Michael Greco said:  “This incident involving members of the U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, highlights the inherent dangers often facing our deputies and task force officers in the performance of their duties.  Nevertheless, these courageous and dedicated law enforcement officers continue to uphold their sworn duty in the pursuit of justice without hesitation.”

Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller said:  “Every officer knows the risks and dangers inherent to law enforcement work but still goes out every day into the world to do the complex and difficult job of keeping us safe. When an officer is assaulted, it is an attack upon our community, our residents, our society, and will be met with swift justice. I am grateful and relieved that the victim will recover and extremely proud of him and the officers at scene; despite being faced with deadly force, they took the defendant into custody and delivered him into the criminal justice system where he must now answer for his acts.”

As alleged in the Complaint[1]:

On October 18, 2019, a joint operation between the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and local law enforcement sought to arrest CABON on a bench warrant issued by a Yonkers City Court Judge.  In the course of that arrest, CABON wielded knives in both hands and attempted to stab arresting officers, including a Special Deputy United States Marshal (“Victim-1”).  CABON successfully stabbed Victim-1 before being restrained and arrested by other officers.  Victim-1 was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital and treated for his injuries. 

CABON, 29, of Yonkers, New York, is charged with one count of attempting to murder a federal officer and one count of using a deadly weapon to interfere with the performance of a federal officer’s official duties.  Each count carries a maximum 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 sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, which comprises Special Agents and Task Force Officers from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, U.S. Probation, New York State Police, New York City Police Department, Westchester County Police Department, Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, Yonkers Police Department, Mount Vernon Police Department, Peekskill Police Department, Greenburgh Police Department and New Rochelle Police Department.  He also thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance.

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

 [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

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Forfeiture Of North Korean Cargo Vessel

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, announced today the entry of a judgment of forfeiture regarding the M/V Wise Honest (the “Wise Honest”), a 17,061-ton, single-hull bulk carrier ship flagged in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (“DPRK” or “North Korea”).  The Wise Honest, one of the largest North Korean-flagged vessels, was used to conduct large illicit shipments of coal from North Korea and to import heavy machinery back to the DPRK.  Payments for maintenance, equipment, and improvements of the Wise Honest were made in U.S. dollars through unwitting U.S. banks, in violation of U.S. law and United Nations Security Council resolutions. 

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “Today’s judgment of forfeiture finalizes the U.S. government’s seizure of the Wise Honest and officially takes this North Korean vessel out of commission.  It will no longer be used to further a criminal scheme.  Using the full set of tools at our disposal, we will continue to investigate and prosecute attempts to evade U.S. sanctions, including by the North Korean regime.”

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers said:  “This order of forfeiture sinks the Wise Honest’s career as one of North Korea’s largest sanctions-busting vessels.  The Department of Justice will continue to pursue other property used to violate U.S. and international sanctions, around the globe, with the cooperation of our international partners.”

According to documents filed in Manhattan federal court:

Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”) and the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016 (“NKSPEA”), the DPRK and individuals or entities that the Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) has determined are involved in the facilitation of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (“WMDs”) are prohibited from engaging in transactions with U.S. persons, involving U.S.-origin goods, or using the U.S. financial system.  The United Nations Security Council has similarly prohibited the provision of goods, technology, and services to North Korea, including the sale, supply, or transfer of coal.

From November 2016 through April 2018, the Wise Honest was used by Korea Songi Shipping Company, an affiliate of Korea Songi General Trading Corporation – which, in 2017, OFAC determined was “subordinate to the [Korean People’s Army] and involved in exporting North Korean coal” – and one of Korea Songi Shipping Company’s representatives, Kwon Chol Nam, to export coal from North Korea to foreign purchasers and import machinery to North Korea (the “Korea Songi Scheme”). 

On March 14, 2018, the Wise Honest was loaded with coal in Nampo, North Korea.  On April 2, 2018, Indonesian maritime authorities intercepted and detained the Wise Honest.  Although maritime regulations require vessels like the Wise Honest engaged in international voyages to operate an automatic identification system (“AIS”) capable of providing information about the vessel to other ships and to coastal authorities, and despite its March 2018 voyage from North Korea, the Wise Honest had not broadcast an AIS signal since August 4, 2017. 

Participants in the Korea Songi Scheme additionally attempted to conceal the Wise Honest’s DPRK affiliation by falsely listing the Wise Honest’s nationality or the origin of the illicit coal on board the vessel in shipping documentation, for example, as from Tanzania or Russia.

In connection with Korea Songi Scheme, Kwon paid for numerous improvements, equipment purchases, and service expenditures for the Wise Honest in U.S. dollars through U.S. financial institutions.  Such transfers constitute a provision of services by U.S. banks to both the sender and recipient of the funds, and U.S. law prohibits banks from providing such services to North Korean parties.  In connection with the March 2018 shipment of coal on board the Wise Honest alone, payments totaling more than $750,000 were transmitted through accounts at a U.S. financial institution.

On May 9, 2019, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture complaint against the Wise Honest, which had previously been seized pursuant to a warrant issued in the Southern District of New York.  Today’s judgment of forfeiture was ordered by U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel. 

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and its New York Field Office, Counterintelligence Division, and thanked the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section’s Program Operations Unit and Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Department of State for their assistance.

Mr. Berman also thanked Fred and Cindy Warmbier, the parents of the late Otto Warmbier, for their willingness to voluntarily withdraw their claim in the action in order to facilitate the forfeiture of the Wise Honest.