Narcotics Dealer Responsible For Overdose Death Pleads Guilty To Offenses Related To The Distribution Of Fentanyl Analogues And Synthetic Opioids On The Darknet And To Making False Statements

Chukwuemeka Okparaeke Netted Millions by Distributing Fentanyl Analogues and Synthetic Opioids Through a Darknet Marketplace and the United States Mail, Completing Over 7,000 Sales 

 Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Phillip R. Bartlett, the Inspector in Charge of the New York Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), and Peter C. Fitzhugh, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), announced that CHUKWUEMEKA OKPARAEKE, a/k/a “Emeka,” pled guilty to distributing U-47700, a controlled substance analogue of AH-7921; importing 100 grams and more of acryl fentanyl, a controlled substance analogue of fentanyl, from Hong Kong; and making false statements to prosecutors and investigators regarding the proceeds of his offenses.  OKPARAEKE pled guilty today in White Plains federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul E. Davison.  The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román.

Through his guilty plea, OKPARAEKE admitted that in November 2016, he sold U-47700 to an individual (the “Victim”), who died from an overdose after using the drug.  OKPARAEKE further admitted that his narcotics offenses involved 9.044 kilograms of acryl fentanyl, 6.957 kilograms of U-47700, 1.159 kilograms of furanyl fentanyl, an analogue of fentanyl, and 12 grams of 4-ANPP.  As part of his guilty plea, OKPARAEKE agreed to forfeit 680.60963624 bitcoins – approximately $7,298,000 – in proceeds generated by his illicit narcotics sales.

Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “As he admitted today, Chukwuemeka Okparaeke peddled highly addictive, and in one case lethal, opioids over the darknet.  He also lied to agents and prosecutors about the whereabouts of more than $7 million in bitcoin proceeds from his illegal sales.  Now Okparaeke will forfeit those illicit proceeds, and he awaits sentencing for his crimes.”

Postal Inspector in Charge Phillip R. Bartlett said:  “This case represents the tragic impact of fentanyl and other illicit narcotics in this country.  Mr. Okparaeke used the anonymity of the darknet to peddle his narcotics believing he would be shielded from arrest and prosecution.  Postal Inspectors want to remind criminals there is no place you can hide when you use the U.S. Mail to facilitate your illegal activity.  We will spare no resource to find you, arrest you, and bring you to justice for your illegal deeds.”

HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh said:  “This investigation identified Okparaeke as a darknet marketplace vendor responsible for the sale of highly addictive and deadly narcotics which resulted in a fatal overdose.  The anonymity most seek by using the darknet did not shield Okparaeke, who is now facing the consequences of his actions.  One overdose, one life taken, is one too many.  To those who try to hide on the darknet while profiting off ruined lives, you will be found, you will be arrested, and you will be prosecuted.”

According to the allegations in the Superseding Information, Complaint, other court filings, and statements made during public court proceedings:

From at least July 2016 through March 2017, OKPARAEKE imported kilogram-quantities of fentanyl analogues, including acryl fentanyl and furanyl fentanyl, and other synthetic opioids, including U-47700, from Hong Kong and China into the United States.  To transact with customers and coordinate his narcotics sales, OKPARAEKE used a darknet website known as AlphaBay Market (“AlphaBay”), accessible only through a special software program that allows users to mask their identities and anonymize their internet traffic.  Under the AlphaBay vendor name “Fentmaster,” OKPARAEKE engaged in more than 7,000 sales of synthetic opioids, which he shipped to customers throughout the United States using the U.S. Postal Service.  OKPARAEKE paid a commission on each of his narcotics sales to the administrators of AlphaBay.  In total, OKPARAEKE’s narcotics trafficking generated more than $7 million in illicit proceeds.

In November 2016, OKPARAEKE sold three grams of U-47700 to the Victim, an 18-year-old living in Vancouver, Washington, in an AlphaBay transaction.  The Victim used the drugs purchased from OKPARAEKE and died in a U-47700 overdose on November 10, 2016.  Prior to his death, the Victim researched Fentmaster online.  On November 6, 2016, the Victim sent a friend a text message saying that he had purchased drugs from Fentmaster.  The Victim subsequently left a review on OKPARAEKE’s AlphaBay vendor page confirming that he had received the drugs.

OKPARAEKE – who attended medical school before he began selling synthetic opioids on AlphaBay – used extensive measures to conceal his identity, including software to encrypt his internet traffic and communications sent from his cellphone.  Using alter egos, he boasted online about his exploits as a darknet drug trafficker, offered advice to other drug dealers, and published a short story describing his criminal activities and his strategies for evading law enforcement.  In January 2017, Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”), in conjunction with HSI and USPIS, intercepted several packages containing kilogram quantities of fentanyl analogues that OKPARAEKE had imported from Hong Kong.  Subsequently, in March 2017, law enforcement searched a drug premises OKPARAEKE maintained in Kearny, New Jersey.  During the search, law enforcement seized more than 10 kilograms of U-47700, acryl fentanyl, and furanyl fentanyl, as well as a quantity of 4-ANPP and approximately 82 mailing envelopes containing smaller amounts of those substances that OKPARAEKE had packaged for distribution to his customers.

On September 15, 2020, OKPARAEKE met with representatives of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and USPIS.  During that meeting, OKPARAEKE falsely represented that approximately 680 bitcoins – more than $7 million – generated by his narcotics sales on AlphaBay were not in his possession and control.  In addition, OKPARAEKE falsely claimed that a third party had stolen the bitcoin from him through hacking and other unauthorized access to OKPARAEKE’s electronic accounts.  OKPARAEKE subsequently surrendered the 680 bitcoins to USPIS and agreed to forfeit those proceeds as part of his plea agreement.

OKPARAEKE, 31, of Middletown, New York, pled guilty to one count of distributing U-47700, a controlled substance analogue of AH-7921, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of importing 100 grams and more of acryl fentanyl, a controlled substance analogue of fentanyl, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment; and one count of making false statements in a matter within the executive branch of the Government of the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of five 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 defendant will be determined by the judge.

OKPARAEKE is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Román on December 17, 2020, at 10:30 a.m.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding efforts of USPIS, HSI, CBP, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Fairfax County, Virginia, Police Department, the Virginia Office of the Attorney General, the Middletown Police Department, and the Vancouver, Washington, Police Department for their investigative work and ongoing support and assistance with the case. 

Comptroller Stringer Proposes Free Tuition at all CUNY Community Colleges and Overhaul of New York City’s Workforce Development Strategy

 

Comptroller outlines comprehensive plan that will leverage CUNY to upskill New York City’s workforce and compete in the global economy

Stringer’s workforce development plan includes tuition-free community college, a universal paid internship program for CUNY students, more Career and Technical Education and Early College High Schools, an expansion of Certified Apprenticeship, Subsidized Wage, and Bridge Programs and more

Stringer: “The pandemic has upended our economy and displaced thousands of workers. If we don’t act right now to revolutionize how we support New Yorkers and get everyone on the ladder of opportunity, we risk leaving thousands of New Yorkers behind and deepening the inequality gap.”

 New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer unveiled a comprehensive overhaul of workforce development in New York City, including making CUNY community colleges free for all to build a more competitive and inclusive post-pandemic economy and to better align training with the jobs of tomorrow. With COVID-19 displacing hundreds of thousands of workers and rapidly accelerating long-standing trends in e-commerce, telework, digitization, and automation, Comptroller Stringer’s plan calls for the City and State to dramatically expand the scale, quality, accessibility, and affordability of education and job training programs. Comptroller Stringer outlined a series of proposals to upskill millions of New Yorkers, dramatically diversify high-wage industries, and generate career opportunities during the current economic crisis and beyond to spur New York City’s recovery.

“CUNY is essential to any workforce development strategy in New York City—which means it is vital to our City’s economic recovery. The pandemic exposed inequities in our economy and worsened the longstanding gaps in our social safety net. While some sectors of our workforce have the tools, resources and career flexibility to work remotely, many New York City jobs and careers have been derailed and debilitated by the economic shutdown. As we work to recover and rebuild, we must address these gaps and ensure that New York City’s workforce is strong and ready to take on the opportunities and challenges of the post-COVID, 21st century global economy,” said New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. “My plan overhauls and modernizes our approach to job training, job placement, and education to reflect the evolution of work and aims to break down systemic barriers that have historically excluded women, people of color, immigrants and young people from higher-wage industries. As we emerge from this economic crisis, we need to work with CUNY and other engines of economic mobility to build a pipeline of opportunity for the next generation and live up to a promise that anyone can make it in New York City.”

Comptroller Stringer’s plan focused on the need to expand employment opportunities in healthcare, logistics, engineering, finance, design, early education, analytics, cyber-security, software development, and other occupations and professional services that have largely withstood the economic shock of the pandemic endured by the service-oriented, lower-wage sectors. The plan centers on the City University of New York, the largest urban university system in the nation and uniquely positioned to educate and upskill first-generation, working, part-time, low-income, and adult learners and serve as an engine of economic mobility in the five boroughs. In the months and years ahead, CUNY must be ready, resourced, and empowered to better prepare displaced workers, part-time learners, disconnected youth, first-generation students and mid-career learners to compete in a post-pandemic economy. It must also forge stronger partnerships with the DOE, community-based organizations, and private employers and offer, for the first time in decades, free tuition for all residents at its community colleges. Finally, it must be well-staffed with committed, full-time teachers and refrain from leaning on part-time adjuncts.

In sharp contrast to past New York City recessions, where employment in the professional services industries plummeted while low-wage, shift-work jobs held steady, it is communities of color and low-wage workers that have bore the brunt of this pandemic and its myriad impacts. Since the end of 2019, the private sector has shed 479,000 jobs and the restaurant, retail, accommodations, building, and personal services industries have lost a disturbing 253,000 jobs — many of which may be permanently eliminated amidst store closures and the rise of e-commerce, automation, and telework. Helping displaced workers in these industries — of whom 74 percent are Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC); 73 percent live in the non-Manhattan boroughs; 54 percent are foreign-born, and 16 percent are under the age of 25 — and all New Yorkers gain access to education, training, and jobs has never been more vital.

With BIPOC and non-Manhattan New Yorkers disproportionately concentrated in the low-wage service sector, the unemployment rate for Asian (18.2 percent), Hispanic (16.7 percent), and 16-24 year olds (24.3 percent) in New York City is far higher than the city-wide rate (15.7 percent) and that of white New Yorkers (14.2 percent). The rate for Bronx (21.1 percent), Brooklyn (16.5 percent), Queens (16.4 percent), and Staten Island (13.8 percent) residents, meanwhile, significantly outpaces unemployment among Manhattanites (12.9 percent).

To address these devastating inequities and support communities across the five boroughs, Comptroller Stringer outlined the following steps for a comprehensive workforce program for New York City:

The State should make CUNY community colleges tuition-free and the City should guarantee universal access to CUNY ASAP for all community college students

• The New York State tuition-free Excelsior Program serves less than 2 percent of CUNY students. It should be expanded to meet the needs of part-time, working, low-income, and adult learners.
• CUNY ASAP, which provides financial assistance for books and transportation as well as structured academic supports like tutoring and personalized academic advisory, should be expanded to all full-time community college students.
• CUNY should hire 50 “college navigators” to help advise adult learners who have been away from higher education for several years. These navigators will provide specialized supports, helping adult learners overcome the logistical, financial, and academic barriers to earn their desired credential or degree.
• CUNY must invest in experienced, full-time faculty. For years, CUNY has increasingly relied on part-time staffers to fill a broad range of positions — from classroom professors and librarians, to lab technicians and administrative support staff. Indeed, part-time adjuncts now comprise more than 50% of CUNY’s teaching staff. The combination of low salary and the time spent traveling from one campus to another means that part-time faculty are frequently less able than full-time faculty to invest the time necessary to fully develop the academic and workplace potential of students.

Build Out a Universal, Paid Internship Program for CUNY Students

• Only 21 percent of CUNY students participated in an internship in 2019 and only 12 percent were in a paid internship.
• The City and CUNY should work with private sector employers to build out a universal, guaranteed paid internship program for all students entering their final year of study. This program will double down on CUNY’s extraordinary record as an engine for economic mobility.
• CUNY must build out its campus Career Engagement and Development Centers and upgrade its online tools to help students find paid work that aligns with their studies.

Expand Career and Technical Education, Early-College, and College Now in our Public Schools

• The City must continue to invest in Career and Technical Education (CTE) and ensure that these schools and programs meet rigorous standards for industry-aligned curriculum, teacher certification, work-based learning, and job-placement. A focus on IT, STEM, and other high-paying fields is essential.
• The State must work to streamline its byzantine CTE approval process, which can take well over five years to complete.
• CUNY and the DOE should expand the number of early-college high schools, a proven model for boosting high school graduation and college attendance. Over the next four years, they should be expanded to 34 schools, with at least one early college high school in each of New York City’s 32 community school districts.
• DOE and CUNY should work together to expand College Now, which allows 22,000 students to take college credit courses while still enrolled in high school. They should aim to target 75,000 high school students by 2025, so that 75% of incoming freshmen will already have some college credit upon entering.

Create a CUNY Tech Corps to help small businesses adopt digital tools and develop an online presence

• Small Business Services should partner with CUNY to launch an NYC Tech Corps, helping Main Street businesses develop a web presence, expand online sales, and implement digital payroll, sales, and inventory tools.
• The Tech Corp would work directly with business owners to design websites, to help purchase business software, and to set up these tools. It would be staffed by recent CUNY graduates as well as interns majoring in tech, design, and business-related fields.

Align Private Industry and Workforce Training

• In the months ahead, the City should work closely with business leaders to develop new job training programs and scale up existing ones; establish apprenticeship, paid-internship, and work-based learning programs; help CUNY and workforce development organizations keep their curriculums up-to-date; and develop new certificate programs in conjunction with CUNY’s Workforce Innovation Lab.
• Private employers should play a more active role in retraining, upskilling, and diversifying their own workforce and refrain from leaning on contingent labor.
• New York City employers should coordinate and aggregate their philanthropic support for the workforce development and educational field.
• Corporate HR departments should review their job descriptions and degree requirements in order to better align with workforce nonprofit and community college credentials and to diversify their staffing.
• Finance, legal, accounting, and tech firms that have relocated back-office operations to low-cost states and countries should bring these middle class jobs back to New York City.

Focus on Youth Unemployment and Out-of-School, Out-of-Work New Yorkers

• The DOE and CUNY must work diligently to bring Out-of-School, Out-of-Work youth back into the education system and prevent high drop-out rates amidst remote learning.
• The DOE must unlock the potential of Transfer Schools to support older immigrant youth. As part of this effort, the City should expand its Internationals Network, transfer schools that integrate language development along with project-based and work-based learning.
• The City should work closely with private employers to expand youth apprenticeships and subsidized, transitional employment opportunities.
• The City should invest in institutional partnerships between CUNY and CBOs. The CUNY Network for College Success, for instance, aims to significantly increase college persistence and graduation rates by helping CBOs develop and improve their college readiness workshops, career guidance, financial aid counseling, and assistance with transfers and re-enrollment. It should be expanded throughout the five boroughs.

Build Out Subsidized Wage Programs for Targeted Populations and Expand Certified Apprenticeships

• The City should expand its successful transitional employment programs, offering subsidized, living-wage employment to New Yorkers in homeless shelters, out-of-school-out-of-work youth, those exiting Rikers, and other populations in need.
• The City should expand and restructure its modest Apprenticeship NYC program, building a public-private partnership to introduce more Registered Apprenticeship and Pre-Apprenticeship programs in healthcare, analytics, finance, logistics, and design. These programs should be focused on diversifying those fields and increasing economic mobility for those without a college degree.

New York State Should Overhaul its Shared Work Program to Help Businesses Rehire and Retain Staff

• The State’s Shared Work program is an effective tool for countering recessions, helping businesses retain staff, and rehiring workers. Unfortunately, it is severely underutilized.
• To increase enrollment in its Shared Work program and help employers rehire workers, the New York State Department of Labor should improve outreach, marketing, and staffing, streamline enrollment and certification, leverage recent federal government subsidies, and adjust the hours that employers are allowed to cut and furlough.
• Employers should be encouraged to switch their workers from unemployment insurance to Work Share so that they can begin to transition back to work.
• New York State should use the Shared Work Program as an opportunity to connect furloughed employees to education, training, and upskilling programs.

Expand Bridge Programs that Pair Job Training with Language Education and Basic Skills Training

• To better support the two million New Yorkers who lack literacy skills, English language proficiency, or a high school diploma, the City needs to better align job training with language education and basic skills training.
• CUNY, with its robust network of community colleges, continuing education and certification programs, and English language and remedial education courses, has begun to build out a wide range of these “Bridge Programs” for those pursuing careers in a variety of industries and occupations. They should be dramatically expanded with support from the City.

CITY PARKS FOUNDATION FREE FALL SPORTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS

 

Virtual and Limited In-Person Programs Offered in STEM Learning, Track & Field and Yoga for Seniors 

City Parks Foundation is continuing its free programs this fall with sports and environmental education programs for young people and seniors in New York City. The programs are being held both virtually and on a limited in-person basis, adhering to city recommended safety regulations. CityParks Learn Environmental Education programs include CityParks Learn: Green Girls Empowered by ING, Coastal Classroom, Seeds to Trees, Teacher Training and Learning Gardens. CityParks Play Sports programs include: Seniors Fitness, Track & Field and the Junior Golf Center. 

CityParks Learn

CityParks Learn: Green Girls Empowered by ING (digital), which was recently awarded the inaugural Climate Change Award from the National Summer Learning Association, is an after school program that uses fun-filled online adventures to teach middle school girls about the natural ecosystems in NYC’s parks, careers in the sciences, and about their own power to create change and advocate for the environment and their parks. This fall, participants will investigate how climate change is affecting our city and our future and will learn the history of climate action and how young people have advocated for the environment. Green Girls meet weekly online through December 17th with multiple session times available to fit your student’s schedule. Registration is still available at cityparksfoundation.org/green-girls. 

In 2021, City Parks Foundation will make the Green Girls Empowered by ING curriculum available to teachers and out-of-school time providers around the country, free of charge. The curriculum will be offered free for download but will require teachers to participate in an online learning session with CityParks Learn educators beforehand and to report on their program outcomes to inform and help shape future curriculum updates. The curriculum will include suggested lesson plans, tips on establishing partnerships, and advocacy tools to help instructors run a successful program. For more information about the CityParks Green Girls Empowered by ING program and the 2021 digital nationwide program, please visit cityparksfoundation.org/green-girls.

CityParks Learn: Coastal Classroom Afterschool Program (digital) is designed for middle school students to create meaningful relationships with waterfront parks, looking at topics including coastal ecology, water quality, urban waterfront restoration and preservation. Using virtual lessons and authentic learning experiences, students will learn about the ecology of the aquatic ecosystems in NYC waterfront parks and the species living in them.  And they’ll have fun in the process! This free online program is held weekly through December 4 from 3:30 to 5:30 PM ET. Registration is still available at cityparksfoundation.org/coastal-classroom

CityParks Learn: Learning Gardens sponsored by TD Bank (digital) offers educators who are looking to supplement their environmental science curriculum this year with a remote Learning Gardens School Day Program that teaches youngsters about the importance of urban gardens. Students will learn about plant and soil science, urban biodiversity, food justice and healthy eating. High school students looking for an in-person urban gardening experience and interested in learning about food justice, may also apply now for our High School Internship Training Program. Accepted students will work safely and socially distant in the gardens this fall, learning new skills and earning high school credit. CityParks Learning Gardens are located in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. Registration is still available at cityparksfoundation.org/learning-gardens

CityParks Learn Seeds to Trees (digital) offers teachers looking to enhance their science curriculum a special program, Seeds to Trees, as a fully remote program that combines guided, hands-on classroom activities with virtual field trips to NYC parks, all led by our skilled science educators. The program focuses on urban ecology and nature and encourages students to explore the dynamics of urban ecosystems. Registration is still available at cityparksfoundation.org/seeds-to-trees

CityParks Teacher Training: Experiential Learning: Using Parks as Outdoor Classrooms  (limited, in-person) provides 2nd – 8th grade teachers with academic and administrative tools to conduct science lessons using a New York City park as their outdoor classroom. Focusing on forest ecology in the fall, the free training will equip teachers to plan and implement safe and effective outdoor lessons that provide students with hands-on experiences relative to their in-class curriculum.  Training pays special attention to the recommendations by the NYC DOE for excellence in environmental education particularly regarding place-based education and real world experiences involving investigation, analysis and problem solving. Content is drawn from the City Parks Foundation Seeds to Trees program for elementary and middle school students, activities are carefully aligned with the NYS Science Learning Standards and ASPDP credit is an option. Registration is now full; more information can be found at cityparksfoundation.org/teacher-training

CityParks Play

CityParks Seniors Fitness (digital) gives New Yorkers 60+ the chance to participate in free online yoga classes Monday - Friday this fall, September 21- October 30. Typically held in 18 neighborhood parks across the city, Seniors Fitness instructors will represent the parks they normally teach within this fall with a variety of classes including chair yoga and a special focus on stress reduction. The program has served over 10,000 participants since it began in 2006 and encourages older New Yorkers to maximize their health benefits by staying active. Registration is still available at CityParksFoundation.org/play

• Mondays at 10am with Lois Heitner, representing Soundview Park. Chair yoga class to help develop strength and flexibility with the support of a chair. We will also explore breathing techniques to help both calm and energize the soul, and deep relaxation to complete our practice. Good for those with limitations or injury.
• Tuesdays at 9am with Haile Bennett, representing Tremont Park
• Tuesdays at 10am with Ruth Vargas, representing Roy Wilkins Park
• Wednesdays at 11am with Richard Barcia, representing Carl Schurz Park, JJ Walker Park and Williamsbridge Oval. A class focused on proper alignment, breath work and an introduction to a variety of beginner yoga poses.
• Thursdays at 10am with Joann Rivezzo, representing Marine Park, South Oxford Park and Faber Park
• Fridays at 9am with Peggy Hill, representing Pelham Bay Park. Mat Hatha yoga class customized for 60+ participants and focuses on stress reduction, flexibility, strength, concentration, and resilience. It includes integrated breath practice and relaxation.

CityParks Track & Field (limited, in-person), supported by the Randall’s Island Park Alliance, is open for registration at a limited capacity and following safety protocols. Held in three parks, this free program gives New York City youth the chance to learn the basics of the sport, from hurdles and relay races, to long jump, shot put and javelin throw. The program runs from September 19 - October 25 in Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx and is held once per week, available to youth ages eight - 14. Registration is still available at cityparksfoundation.org/track-field

The Jesse Owens Track & Field at Thomas Jefferson Park fall program introduces novice runners to cross country distance running through runs from East Harlem to Randall's Island Park. The fall program will also incorporate a variety of track and field activities. This free weekly track & field youth program runs from September 19 - October 24 in Manhattan, and is held once per week, available to youth ages eight - 14. Registration is now full; more information can be found at cityparksfoundation.org/track-field

CityParks Play Track & Field is open to the press interested in attending to cover; interviews with City Parks Foundation representatives are available. 

For more information about City Parks Foundation’s 2020 fall programs, please visit www.CityParksFoundation.org

Generous private support for CityParks Play is provided by the Venable Foundation. Generous private support for the CityParks Junior Golf Center is provided by presenting partners Lacoste and The First Tee. Generous private support for CityParks Track and Field is provided by L+M Development Partners. In partnership with NYC Parks and Randall's Island Park Alliance. Generous private support for CityParks Seniors Fitness is provided by David B. Pinter and Zwicker Electric Co., Inc., and The Linda B. and Howard S. Stern Family Foundation. Public support is provided by the NYC Council under the leadership of Speaker Corey Johnson, including Council Member Costa Constantinides, Council Member Ruben Diaz, Sr., and Council Member Debi Rose. CityParks Play is presented in partnership with NYC Parks.

Generous private support for CityParks Learn is provided by The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation, Con Edison, The Coca-Cola Foundation, The Linda B. and Howard S. Stern Family Foundation, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, ExpandEd Schools, The Barker Welfare Foundation, MUFG Union Bank Foundation, and the Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation. Generous public support is provided by the NYC Council under the leadership of Speaker Corey Johnson. Generous private support for Learning Gardens is provided by Jane and Frances Stein Foundation and the Michael Tuch Foundation. Generous private support for Coastal Classroom is provided by Patagonia. Generous Private support for Green Girls is provided by The Pinkerton Foundation, the National Summer Learning Association, the Catskill Watershed Corporation in partnership with New York City Department of Environmental Protection, and the Watershed Agricultural Council. Green Girls is presented by ING Financial Services and is the recipient of the 2020 National Summer Learning Association Climate Change Award. CityParks Learn is presented in partnership with NYC Parks. TD Bank is a supporting sponsor of CityParks Learning Gardens.

About City Parks Foundation

At City Parks Foundation, we are dedicated to invigorating and transforming parks into dynamic, vibrant centers of urban life through sports, arts, community building and education programs for all New Yorkers. Our programs -- located in more than 400 parks, recreation centers and public schools across New York City -- reach 310,000 people each year. Our ethos is simple: thriving parks mean thriving communities.

COMMUNITY RESIDENTS RALLY TO DEMAND NEIGHBORHOOD’S ONLY BANK REMAIN OPEN

 

Chase has refused to budge from their decision to close the only bank in southern Riverdale at the end of this year.

 The fight for southern Riverdale’s only bank was ratcheted up a notch as Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Council Member Andrew Cohen, representatives of Community Board 8 and Congressman Eliot Engel, and numerous community residents rallied outside of the Chase branch at Knolls Crescent. Chase has announced that this branch is scheduled to close after December 30, 2020.

The closure of the Chase branch at 13B Knolls Crescent would mean that local residents have to travel by bus, car, or traverse large hills to use banking services. The closest Chase locations to Knolls Crescent are at least 20 minutes away by foot, assuming that is a viable option. However, the southern Riverdale area has a much higher than average percentage of residents that are likely to have limited mobility – seniors and families with strollers.  28% of residents are over the age of 65 (10% over the age of 80) and 7% of residents have children under 4 years old.[i] Approximately 10% of local residents require the use of special equipment to walk.[ii]

 

Chase, a multinational corporation that generated $115 billion in revenue in 2019, has not provided any rationalization for their decision to close this bank branch except for the presence of other branches one mile away. In a recent phone call between Assemblyman Dinowitz and representatives from Chase, Chase did not cite branch underperformance or lease issues as part of their decision.

 

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said: “This is the hallmark of a decision made in a boardroom and not in the community where its impact will be felt. Far be it for me to tell a private business how to conduct their operations, but when a multinational corporation makes $115 billion in a single year – largely on the backs of people like those in our community and sanctioned by our government regulators – we need to start talking about what civic responsibility these massive banks have. If any executives from Chase want to join me on a tour of the neighborhood, I would be happy to show them exactly what they are asking our community to do. There’s still time for Chase to be the hero here, and I urge them to reconsider this ill-advised decision.”

 

Congressman Eliot Engel said: “In the middle of a pandemic, Chase Bank has decided to make a callous business decision that will make life far more difficult for people in Riverdale, especially seniors. Folks who live in the Knolls Crescent area have enough to worry about without wondering whether or not they’ll need to find a new place to do their banking. Assemblyman Dinowitz, Council Member Cohen and I are demanding that Chase reverse course immediately and keep this branch open.”

 

Council Member Andrew Cohen said: “At a time when our residents and businesses are relying on the essential services and resources provided by local banks more than ever and when we desperately need greater investment in our local economies, it is devastating that Chase is choosing to go in the exact opposite direction by closing down the only accessible branch location for many in the community. The loss of this community resource will cause tremendous hardship for elderly patrons, people with disabilities, those who are mobility-limited and cannot easily access nearby branches, particularly in the midst of an ongoing pandemic and economic downturn. We are asking Chase reverse this decision for the sake of all of the patrons that will lose critical banking services and continue to invest in a community that has supported and trusted the branch to be there in times of need.”

 

Community Board 8 Chair Laura Spalter said: “This branch is an Integral part of our community. Its loss will be an extreme hardship for the merchants, residents, and most especially our senior citizens.”

AOC Organizing Team - GOTV!

 

Just 19 days until the final ballots are cast, Team AOC is ramping up our GOTV activities – and we need your help.

From the very beginning, our movement has centered around getting folks who have been left out of our system into the polling stations. Now, it’s time to practice what we preach.

Right now, one of our most important needs is direct GOTV in the city. Organizers will be available to train you to (safely) contact voters, and make sure they cast their ballots!

JOHN CUMMINGS RAISES $5.5 MILLION FROM 126,000 DONORS DURING 3RD QUARTER

 

$8.8 MILLION RAISED OVERALL FROM OVER 250,000 DONORS

Today, former NYPD officer and high school civics teacher John Cummings announced that he will be filing a 3rd quarter FEC report that shows he raised $5.5 million from 126,000 donors this quarter alone. He has raised $8.8 million throughout the course of his campaign against Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York's 14th Congressional District from over 250,000 donors from all 50 states. The average donation to the Cummings campaign is under $35.00 John Cummings said, "The overwhelming support for my campaign from people across the nation is humbling. My message of restoring common-sense local representation to the people of the Bronx and Queens is obviously resonating. People are anxious about their health, their jobs and their families and they are tired of Washington, DC establishment politicians who care more about Instagram likes than they do about their constituents. I have a 30 year record of service in our community, while my opponent has been missing in action since she left for Washington two years ago. She doesn't even have a district office in the Bronx portion of the district. This is one of the most important elections of our lifetimes - people's lives and livelihoods are on the line - and our Congresswoman is nowhere to be found. I am grateful for the wide and deep support for my campaign and I am looking forward to restoring common-sense local representation to our district in Washington."

ABOUT JOHN Born and raised in Parkchester, John Cummings followed in his father's footsteps and was sworn in as a New York City Police Officer in 1983. Initially assigned to NSU (Neighborhood Stabilization Unit) 7, in the South Bronx, which covered the 40, 42, 44, and 48 precincts, he was then assigned to the 46th precinct, where he remained for 2 years. He was later assigned to the NYPD Harbor Unit, where he served first as an operations coordinator in the Bronx, and then as a member of the Harbor George unit in College Point, Queens. John suffered a serious knee injury in the line of duty, and was forced to retire in July 1991, and did so with multiple commendations for bravery and excellence in the line of duty. Returning to his alma mater, Saint Raymond High School for Boys, John taught History and Government for over 20 years. He also served as the Alumni Coordinator, Director of Development, the History Department Chairperson, and the Recruiting Coordinator. John also served as the cantor at school Masses, held on Catholic Holy Days of obligation. For more information please visit https://cummings2020.com

PUBLIC ADVOCATE TO INTRODUCE WORST LANDLORD ACCOUNTABILITY LEGISLATION

 

  Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams will introduce legislation today as part of the Worst Landlord Accountability Act, to combat the practices of some of the worst landlords in New York City and support tenants in need of relief and repairs. Each year, the Public Advocate's office releases the Worst Landlord Watchlist, which spotlights the top 100 most egregiously negligent landlords in New York City as determined by widespread and repeated violations in buildings on the list. These bills, drafted in response to the current Watchlist, are aimed at correcting and preventing disingenuous tactics used by some of those landlords in order to attempt to remove themselves from the list. 

"In putting together the Worst Landlord Watchlist, we found far too many instances of landlords failing to live up to their most basic responsibilities of being a steward for the housing of renters who call New York home," said the Public Advocate in introducing the Worst Landlord Accountability Act. "In case after case, violation after unchecked violation, bad actors demonstrated an inability or an unwillingness to live up to their end of the bargain - and it's past time to put in place meaningful reforms to not just call out these actions, but to put a stop to them. This legislation is about preventing landlords from evading accountability and protecting their tenants from conditions which are physically unsafe or otherwise insecure."

Within the current system, landlords are often able to self-certify their own repairs without city verification. Today the Public Advocate introduced legislation, Intro 2121, which would require the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to maintain a certification of correction list and prohibit any listed landlord from certifying correction of violations in multiple dwellings without an inspection. This would prevent landlords already identified as bad actors from falsely claiming repairs have been made. 

The bill would also increase penalties for failure to correctly certify. A landlord who fails to file a statement of registration or an amendment of a statement of registration will have to pay a fine of anywhere between $500 and $1,000. Anyone willfully making a false certification of correction of a violation will have to pay between $500 and $2,500 for each violation falsely certified, as well as to any other penalties required. Additionally, penalties would increase for hazardous violation of housing standards based on severity.

The Public Advocate also introduced legislation which would mandate more urgent action to respond to housing violations deemed immediately hazardous. Intro 2122 would require the city's department of Housing Preservation and Development to communicate with a complainant reporting Class C violations within 12 hours, and perform an inspection, if warranted, within 24 hours. HPD would also have to communicate regarding Class B violations within 24 hours, and perform an inspection within 48 hours. No violation can be closed until it has been certified to be corrected to the satisfaction of HPD.

Addressing unsafe conditions quickly is essential to tenant safety and housing security. This new timeline would increase the efficiency and effectiveness of HPD, thereby reassuring tenant confidence. It would give landlords a shorter window within which to ignore repairs, thereby deterring negligence.

Following the release of the 2019 Worst Landlord Watchlist, his first since taking office, the Public Advocate vowed to pursue legislative and organizing based solutions to improve building conditions, strengthen tenants rights, and remove landlords from the list by correcting their actions.

"Tenants & Neighbors applauds New York City Public Advocate, Jumaane Williams for putting forth this timely and pertinent piece of legislation. If the New York City Council passes the Worst Landlord Accountability Act, it will greatly improve housing conditions for thousands of New York City renters who are forced to live in substandard and often unhealthy apartments. The Worst Landlord Accountability Act, if enacted into law will be an additional tool in our organizing tool box, especially, at a time like this when New Yorkers are being encouraged to spend more time at home to reduce COVID-19 infections," said Yolande Cadore, Executive Director, New York State Tenants & Neighbors. "Forcing tenants to stay-at-home in poor living conditions should not be tolerated and this bill is a giant step in the right direction to protect tenants and keep every New York City resident safe and healthy. The time to hold "egregiously negligent" landlords accountable is long overdue."

Attorney General James Issues Political Activity Guidance for Non-Profits Ahead of the November Election

 

Provides Guidance for Non-profits on the Prohibitions and Permissions of Political Activity

 Ahead of the November 3^rd election, New York Attorney General Letitia James has issued guidance to remind New York non-profits of the political activities in which they may or may not engage in.

“We must ensure the integrity of the election in November, which means ensuring everyone is abiding by the rules on election activities,” said Attorney General James. “The nonpartisanship of non-profits ensures that these groups can operate transparently and with the trust of the public. My office remains committed to helping New York charities understand the laws regarding political activity and their responsibility to uphold them.”

Charitable organizations, including houses of worship that receive a tax exemption pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), are prohibited from participating in any political campaign on behalf of a candidate for public office. A violation of those provisions may result in the denial or revocation of tax-exempt status by the IRS; the loss of exemption from New York income, sales, and use taxes; and enforcement or regulatory actions by the New York Attorney General.

In the guidance, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) names the following actions as prohibited for 501(c)(3) organizations:

• Making or soliciting contributions for, on behalf of, or against any candidate for public office or to a political party. A candidate for public office includes any candidate in an election for a national, state, or local public office;                                    
• Endorsing or opposing a particular candidate or political party;
• Making statements in support of, or in opposition to, a candidate or a political party, whether orally, recorded, or in writing, including by in-person distribution, mail, email, text, or posting on social media or the internet;
• Using the organization’s resources — including office space, telephones, internet account, printers, employee time — to engage in political campaign activity; and
• Providing funds from a 501(c)(3) organization to a 501(c)(4) organization which engages in political activity without controls to assure that the funds are used solely for 501(c)(3) exempt activities, and not for political campaign activity.

The following actions are permitted for 501(c)(3) organizations to engage in:

• Distribution or posting of non-partisan voter guides that may include links to other nonpartisan educational sites or that provide information to the public about the positions taken by elected officials or candidates in a wide range of issues, without taking a position on their positions;
• Voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives that encourage people to register and/or vote without reference to any political party or candidate;
• Hosting candidate forums or debates or inviting a candidate to an organization’s event. Such events may be permissible as long as:
  • All candidates for the office are invited, even if some do not attend.
  • All candidates are given an equal opportunity to speak.
  • Multiple topics are covered, and the questions asked are formulated and presented in a nonpartisan manner.
  • The candidates do not engage in any campaigning or fundraising.

The full political activity guidance can be found on the OAG website.