Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic

 

Statewide 7-Day Average Positivity is 0.39% -- Record Low for 3 Consecutive Weeks, Has Declined for 74 Consecutive Days

78,837 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours

9 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday

Vaccination Data by Zip Code Now Live on Dashboard

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combatting COVID-19.

"While New Yorkers have done a tremendous job fighting COVID and we are returning to normalcy, it's important to remember we are still not yet out of the woods," Governor Cuomo said. "Now is the time to do what you can to keep yourself and your community safe. There are no more excuses -- if you have yet to get your COVID-19 vaccine, take advantage of one of the numerous incentive programs out there and get your shot today."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

·         Test Results Reported - 110,387
·         Total Positive - 370
·         Percent Positive - 0.34%
·         7-Day Average Percent Positive - 0.39%
·         Patient Hospitalization - 548 (-32)
·         Patients Newly Admitted - -161
·         Patients in ICU - 143 (-6)
·         Patients in ICU with Intubation - 79 (-7)
·         Total Discharges - 184,065 (+82)
·         Deaths - 9
·         Total Deaths - 42,905

·         Total vaccine doses administered - 20,451,032

·         Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 78,837

·         Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 539,446

·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 68.1%

·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 61.4%

·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 70.6%

·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 62.6%

·         Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 56.4%

·         Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 50.4%

·         Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 58.5%

·         Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 51.4%

DEC ENCOURAGES NEW YORKERS TO HELP AVOID CONFLICTS WITH BLACK BEARS

 

Feed Pets Indoors, Secure Garbage, and Take Down Birdfeeders to Reduce Potential for Human-Bear Interactions

 State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today encouraged New Yorkers to take a few simple precautions to avoid conflicts with bears. 

“DEC is receiving reports of bears roaming neighborhoods in several parts of upstate New York,” Commissioner Seggos said. “We are encouraging New Yorkers to help reduce the potential for negative interactions with bears by removing the things bears find attractive like pet food and trash.”   

Summer is a busy time for bears. Young bears disperse from family groups, breeding bears search for mates, and all bears forage for food to gain the fat needed for winter. With this increased activity comes a greater potential for human-bear conflicts, when bears find food near people. 

New Yorkers living in bear country, which includes much of upstate New York, are asked to take a few simple steps this summer to protect their communities and bears from harm:

• Secure garbage indoors or a locked outbuilding until the morning of pickup;
• Remove birdfeeders;
• Clean grease from grills; and
• Secure livestock food and don’t feed pets outdoors. 

For more information, please visit DEC's webpage on reducing human-bear conflicts.

Bronx Progressives Invites You to Our Welcome Summer-City Reopens-Social Gathering!

Join Fellow Progressives for our Bronx Progressives Welcome Summer-City Reopens-Social Gathering!

RSVP HERE

Greetings Bronx Progressives Members!

Hope you and your loved ones are starting off your summer in good spirits, and are looking forward to a landscape of possibilities of summer fun and relaxation, as we experience a city fully reemerging into a new normal. 

With less than five days to go for the primary elections on June 22, I hope you're making the time to plan out your vote (whether that is voting early, by Absentee, or on Election Day), and using wisely Ranked Choice Voting to vote on the most progressive candidates to lead our city and communities.  

In the spirit of summer upon us and our city emerging into a citywide reopening, the Working Group at Bronx Progressives decided to do something different for our June general meeting. Something we haven't done as a group in a very long time since we went into a lockdown. 

Join us on Sunday, June 27 at 3pm to our In-person Welcome Summer-City Reopens-Social Gathering.

Come join us for some delicious food and beverages, fun and games, music, a safe space to reflect on the elections, our work and what comes next after the New York Health Act and Public Power. We will be visited by two special guests. So come join us to learn who they are! Stay tuned for updates. 

Bronx Progressives Welcome-Summer-City-Reopens-Social- Gathering!

RSVP HERE (So we can accommodate enough food)

Date: Sunday, June 27
Time: 3pm
Location: 2080 Barnes Avenue, Bronx, NY 10462 (Use service entrance at south end of building) Gate will be left open to allow guests to access space behind the building.

Transportation:

2 Train to Pelham Parkway

Governor Cuomo Announces Reopening of New York State Capitol

 

Empire State Plaza Complex Including the Capitol, Legislative Office Building to Reopen to the Public June 18

Free Tours of Capitol and Empire State Plaza Return

Tour Restrictions Lifted as 70% of Adult New Yorkers Have Received First Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine

Tour Reservations Available Online Here

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that with 70 percent of New Yorkers aged 18 or older having received the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccination series, the Empire State Plaza Complex, which includes the New York State Capitol and the Legislative Office Building, will reopen to the public tomorrow, June 18. Additionally, tours of the Capitol resume on Monday, June 21, and the popular outdoor tours of the Empire State Plaza will start up again on Wednesday, July 7. Unvaccinated individuals will continue to be responsible for wearing masks, in accordance with federal CDC guidance.

"New Yorkers have worked hard against the COVID virus and as a result, landmarks and attractions across the state are reopening to visitors. We are thrilled to welcome New Yorkers and guests from afar back to our beautiful State Capitol and the amazing Empire State Plaza," Governor Cuomo said. "The Capitol is filled with extraordinary history anyone can appreciate. While it was necessary to close its doors during the pandemic, it is time to welcome people back to its grand halls."

Free Capitol Tours

• When: Monday through Friday
• Times: 10 a.m. & noon
• Location: Information Desk in Capitol's State Street lobby
• Reservations: Space is limited, and reservations are recommended but not required for groups of fewer than 10 people - reserve online here. For groups of 10 or more, call 518-474-2418 to make arrangements
• Unvaccinated Visitors to the Capitol are required to wear a mask during indoor Tours

Sitting atop Albany's State Street hill, the New York State Capitol has served as the seat of government for New York since the 1880s. The building is a marvel of late 19th century architectural grandeur, built by hand of solid masonry over a period of 32 years. Highlights of the 45-minute tours can include the legislative chambers, Hall of Governors, Governor's Reception Room, Hall of New York, historic staircases, and carvings.

Free Outdoor Empire State Plaza Tours

• When: Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
• Time:  2 p.m.
• Location: Outside at the main entrance to The Egg Center for the Performing Arts on the Empire State Plaza.
• Reservations: Space is limited to 25 people per tour, and reservations are required - reserve online here or by calling 518-474-2418

The 45-minute tours feature highlights of the world-class, 98-acre complex where state government, unique architecture, and modern art share the same space. No two tours are the same, and highlights can include The Egg Center for the Performing Arts, the Plaza's main platform, Capitol, Robert Abrams Building for Law and Justice, Cultural Education Center, Corning Tower, Legislative Office Building, and agency buildings, as well as the memorials that honor those who have dedicated or given their lives in service to others. Those taking the tour will also learn about the Empire State Plaza Art Collection, which is known as the largest publicly owned modern art collection in the country housed outside of a museum.

Attorney General James Ends Discriminatory Housing Practices Against Jewish Community in Orange County

 

Orange County and Town of Chester Mandated to Comply with Fair Housing Act

Following Concerted Efforts to Stop Jewish Community from Moving to Chester

 New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that her office has reached agreements with Orange County and the Town of Chester to end their use of discriminatory housing practices that were designed to prevent members of the Jewish community from moving to Chester, New York. The agreements mandate that the county and the town comply with the Fair Housing Act and take preventative measures to ensure equitable housing practices moving forward.

“The discriminatory and illegal actions perpetrated by Orange County and the Town of Chester are blatantly antisemitic, and go against the diversity, inclusivity, and tolerance that New York prides itself on,” said Attorney General James. “Every New Yorker deserves equal opportunities in housing, regardless of gender, race, nationality, or their faith. Today and every day, I stand with all communities against hate and discrimination, which will not be tolerated in New York state.”

In May 2020, Attorney General James intervened in lawsuit filed by the developers of the “The Greens at Chester,” alleging that the town and county engaged in a concerted and systematic effort to prevent Hasidic Jewish families from moving to Chester by blocking the construction of a housing development. The original lawsuit, filed in July 2019, outlined countless discriminatory and unnecessary actions that Chester and Orange County took to stop the homes from being built in order to prevent Jewish families from purchasing and occupying them — gross violations of the Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Act dictates that it is unlawful for anyone to refuse to sell or rent a dwelling based on an individual's religion, race, sex, national origin, or familial status, among other protected classes.

In October 2017, the developers of The Greens purchased a 117-acre property in the Town of Chester in Orange County, New York, which had been fully approved for residential development under the ownership of the previous developer. Since the purchase of the property in 2017, officials from the town repeatedly sought to block development of the site and openly expressed discriminatory intent to block the development at public town meetings — explicitly referencing their desire to keep Hasidic families out of the community. 

Additionally, the town placed multiple obstacles in the way of the developers in an attempt to thwart construction — all in violation of a settlement agreement, reached in 2010, regarding the zoning and construction of the land. They passed a law to restrict the size of the houses that could be built in an attempt to make them uninhabitable for families. The town also advanced proposals to levy extra taxes on the development; to limit the hours that construction could occur on the site; and to require the developer to provide the personal information of its managing partners to local officials. 

The town also imposed costly and unnecessary requirements that the developer had to comply with before construction could commence, including mandating that a new sewer waste line be rerouted and requesting the main road be moved by 10 feet. After the developer complied with each of these unnecessary requests, the town still denied all building permit applications, even though the developer clearly satisfied the requirements necessary to be granted the permits. A separate agreement between the developers, Orange County, and the Town of Chester has resulted in the construction of The Greens moving forward.

The agreements announced today mandate that Orange County and the Town of Chester must enact numerous policies to uphold fair housing regulations, including:

• Full compliance of the Fair Housing Act;
• Adopting outreach measures that disseminate information about fair housing to communities;
• Administering fair housing trainings to county and town employees working in housing or planning;
• Appointing a fair housing compliance officer; and
• Documenting and reporting of all housing discrimination complaints to the Office of the Attorney General.

198 Days and Counting

 

The series with Milwaukee is tied 3 - 3, but they are playing at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn. Let's go Nets, and advance to the next round the Conference Finals in the NBA playoffs. Only nine games more to win the championship. 

What's that, today is Friday I'm going to make a few appearances I have to as Mayor, then its get ready for Game 7 of the NBA Conference Semi Finals, GO BROOKLYN.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NYC MAYOR’S OFFICE DEMOCRACYNYC AND THE NYC CIVIC ENGAGEMENT COMMISSION HOSTS “COUNTDOWN TO VOTE”, INCLUDING PERFORMANCES, THE PEOPLE’S BUS AND LARGE-SCALE PROJECTION/ILLUMINATION

 

Event at Union Square featured Broadway dancers, stilt walkers, building projections, and a former Dept. of Correction bus that has been converted to a civic engagement art installation

 On Wednesday, June 16, 2021 at Union Square, DemocracyNYC hosted “Countdown to Vote,” a free community event open to the public to promote the Primary Election and Ranked Choice Voting. The event featured performances by local artists as well as The People’s Bus—a retired NYC Department of Correction vehicle that has been transformed into a community-led, intergenerational mobile civic engagement center. 

Photos and video from the event can be found here.

The People’s Bus is designed by Yazmany Arboleda, a Colombian-American artist who creates living sculptures. The bus will be parked on the plaza at Union Square for the event and will have opportunities for New Yorkers of all ages to learn about voting and to provide feedback for the development of the bus.

Performances at the event included local performers: rapper Kosha Dillz and Friends, Tony Glausi’s jazz trio, Broadway dancers Annelise (of “Jagged Little Pill”) and Kyle (of “Beauty and the Beast”), the Street Beat Brass Drum Line, stilt performer Brianna, NYC-based all-women Brazilian Samba Reggae drum line Fogo Azul, and Harlem-based youth poet Fanta Ratty. 

A large-scale illumination was executed by The Illuminator, a NYC-based artist-activist collective, and featured Ranked Choice Voting-focused artwork by diverse NYC-based artists including Ruben Dario Ramirez, Bernardo Rodriguez, Suzanne Ruzzo, and others.

As of 2021, NYC is using Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in primary and special elections for NYC offices. Ranked Choice Voting is a new system of voting in which you can rank up to five candidates in order of preference. With so much at stake in local elections and the implementation of a new system of voting, public education is even more important than ever this year, which is why DemocracyNYC is working on educating New Yorkers through multilingual workshops, Get Out the Vote programming, community engagement, phonebanking, tech tools, and print and digital media campaigns.

DemocracyNYC is a nonpartisan mayoral initiative focused on increasing voter participation and civic engagement in NYC. For more information about the City’s $15 million Ranked Choice Voting campaign, see here.

The Civic Engagement Commission was created in 2018 through a Mayoral Charter Revision Commission and citywide vote. CEC’s Mission is to enhance civic participation in order to increase civic trust and strengthen democracy in New York City. The Commission is committed to engaging and listening to communities, while lifting up the voices of all New Yorkers, particularly the underserved and marginalized.

Production partners for this event include Enfluence, Kaleidoscope, and F.Y. Eye.

“As the amazing event in Union Square demonstrated, we are here to tell New Yorkers loud and clear: Ranked Choice Voting here—and it can be fun and engaging, too!” said Laura Wood, Chief Democracy Officer at DemocracyNYC. “DemocracyNYC is thrilled to work with so many wonderful artists from this great City to get out the vote in the final stretch before the June 22 Primary Election. From the pizza toppings vote to our multilingual media campaign, from our in-person and online informational events, to our street canvassing, phone-banking and texting, we believe that partnering with local artists and community leaders is the best way to build a campaign that is truly by and for New Yorkers. We hope New Yorkers feel the energy and vote by June 22.”

"On Wednesday, The Civic Engagement Commission's "Peoples Bus" rolled up to Union Square for the last stop on our five borough voter education tour. Together with agency partners, community organizations, artists, and performers, we brought information and excitement around the election directly to New Yorkers, meeting them where they are at. It is crucial that civic engagement be accessible, intelligible, and joyful; activations like the "Countdown to Vote" do exactly that," said Dr. Sarah Sayeed, Chair & Executive Director of the New York City Civic Engagement Commission.

“Community events like the one at Union Square bring New Yorkers together to celebrate their fundamental right to vote and help us reach New Yorkers in creative, attention-getting ways,” said Deputy Mayor J. Phillip Thompson. “Voting impacts New Yorkers' everyday lies, so we need to bring voting into their everyday lives. What a great way to herald the future of fairer and more inclusive elections by celebrating Ranked Choice Voting.”

"Enfluence is so proud to be part of such a fun, lively,  and most importantly impactful event around the upcoming election and Ranked Choice Voting education! We felt the energy of the city and the excitement of the people,” said Kendra Weldon, Enfluence Co-founder.

BRONX DISTRICT ATTORNEY DARCEL D. CLARK ANNOUNCES SEVEN ALLEGED BETANCES GANG MEMBERS/ASSOCIATES INDICTED FOR SERIES OF SHOOTINGS IN THE SOUTH BRONX

 

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark and New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea today announced that seven alleged members or associates of the Betances Gang, who operated in and around the Betances Houses in the South Bronx, have been variously charged in four indictments on charges including conspiring to murder and assault rival gang members and possessing firearms for incidents spanning the past three years. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “These alleged gang members fired guns on the streets of the South Bronx, bringing fear to residents during a long period of violence. In one incident, the defendants severely wounded a young man. The shootings were retaliatory, and with these charges we believe we ended a cycle of gunfire.”

 NYPD Commissioner Shea said, “Each day the NYPD works to identify and dismantle gangs and crews and prevent the senseless violence that is often associated with their activity. This challenging and often dangerous work continues to be of paramount importance to the NYPD and our law enforcement partners. I thank and commend the NYPD detectives involved in this Bronx investigation for their dedication to this vital work and I thank the members of the Bronx District Attorney’s Office for their efforts which led to these indictments.”

 District Attorney Clark said defendant, Michael Columna, 20, of the Bronx, was arraigned today before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Denis Boyle and remanded. Defendant Jhustin Martinez, 18, of the Bronx, was arraigned on June 14, 2021 before Judge Boyle and was remanded. Defendant Jeremy Delgado, 18, of the Bronx, was arrested and arraigned on May 25, 2021, before Judge Boyle and bail was set in the amount of $250,000 cash, $500,000 insurance company bond, and $750,000 partially secured bond at 10 percent. Raymond Corchado, 18, Adam Delarosa, 19, and Joshua Sampson, 17, all of the Bronx, were indicted and arraigned previously. Defendant Derek Centeno, 17, of the Bronx has not been apprehended.

 According to the joint investigation by the Bronx District Attorney’s Office and the NYPD’s Gun Violence Suppression Division, members and associates of Betances conspired to acquire firearms in order to protect the areas in and around the Betances Houses, which they considered to be their turf.

 Members of this organization often used coded language to discuss and boast about their illicit activities in telephone conversations and on social media.

 According to the indictments, on March 15, 2019, alleged Betances Gang members Derek Centeno, Jeremy Delgado, and Jhustin Martinez, fired multiple times at a member of Patterson YGz Gang, nearly striking him, behind a building at 880 Garrison Avenue. The shooting was allegedly planned in retaliation for a previous shooting committed against one of their own.

 According to the indictments, on March 21, 2019, alleged Betances members Michael Columna, and Jhustin Martinez, fired multiple times at a Patterson YGz member, striking the victim in the head and causing life-altering injuries. This shooting also was in retaliation for a shooting committed against another member of Betances.

 According to the investigation, on January 27, 2019, Adam Delarosa, Jhustin Martinez, and other Betances associates, robbed and assaulted a young woman on a subway platform in the Bronx. On March 18, 2020, alleged Betances members Raymond Corchado, Adam Delarosa, and others, acting together, shot at rival gang members at the Mitchell Houses in the Bronx. A .380 caliber firearm was recovered after the shooting. On January 7, 2021, alleged Betances associate Joshua Sampson discharged a firearm on the corner of East 149th Street and Exterior Street in the Bronx. Officers recovered a 9-mm semi-automatic pistol after Sampson fled from the police and discarded the gun down the garbage chute of a nearby building.

 Jhustin Martinez allegedly committed violent attacks while being held at Horizon Juvenile Facility in the Bronx. He allegedly assaulted another detainee, causing the victim to suffer a concussion and a fracture to the face, and allegedly assaulted an officer, causing him bruising and swelling.

 District Attorney Clark thanked Detective Patriciann Caputo, Detective Michael DelGardo, Detective Cristofer Schiavone, Sergeant Louis Martinez, Lieutenant Paul Prendergast, Captain Brian McCaughey and Inspector Joseph Savino of the NYPD’s Gun Violence Suppression Division, and Chief of Detectives James Essig for their hard work on the investigation. District Attorney Clark thanked police officers from the 40th Precinct and PSA 7 who assisted in the investigation.

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.