Saturday, July 6, 2024

📩 Latest from Councilwoman Kristy Marmorato's Desk

 

Take a look at what we’ve been up to!

Sixth Annual Yemeni American Parade

It was such an honor to be a part of the Sixth Annual Yemeni American Parade within our District last month.

People who are of Yemeni descent make up an important part of our District, and we acknowledge all they do within our community on a daily basis ðŸ‡¾ðŸ‡ªðŸ‡ºðŸ‡¸

Fiscal Year 2025 Budgets for District 13 officially announced

We usually only include events that take place within our District, but we’ll make an exception because this is all about our District! 

 

The Fiscal Year 2025 Budgets for District 13 include funding for schools/education, fire departments, police departments, and libraries within our District, including a much needed renovation of the City Island Library Branch! 

Fourth coffee with Kristy event at Allerton Diner

Another great “Coffee Time with Kristy” event at the Allerton Diner earlier this week ☕

Had a chance to sit down with some of the constituents in my district the discuss important aspects of our community. Thanks for taking the time to speak with me!

Chess With A Cop event with the 45th Precinct

Such an exciting time at the 45th Precinct’s Chess with a Cop ðŸ‘®‍♂️ event today!

It was also so fun to celebrate and wish Detective Rivera a Happy Birthday ðŸŽ‚

St. Benedict’s Senior Center residents receive proclamations, celebrate 101st birthdays

It was a great time at St. Benedict’s Senior Center earlier this week.

We presented proclamations to 2 of our District 13 residents, both of whom are celebrating their 101st birthdays today!

NYC DOT, DEP fix sink hole on Fairmount Avenue in Country Club

NYC Department of Environmental Preservation and NYC Department of Transportation responded to a report of a sinkhole on Fairmount Avenue in Country Club earlier this week, after one of our constituents brought it to our attention. 

 

We appreciate DOT and DEP for being on top of this right away and repairing the street within one day, along with our community members that always keep us posted on happenings in the community! 

Keeping Up with the Community!


It was a very informative meeting held by the Throggs Neck BID earlier thi
s afternoon to discuss the BID’s upcoming events for the summer.

Very much looking forward to the Throggs Neck BID’s Business Appreciation Day on July 13 to highlight the successful businesses in our District!

Sending a big thank you to NYC Department of Sanitation for removing this derelict Tesla on Taylor Avenue, which had been inactively parked for weeks.

DSNY towed this car the day after it was reported on social media. A great example of city agencies and the community working together to solve an issue!

 

Giving a big shoutout to NYC Department of Transportation for fixing this broken fence which resulted in illegal and unsafe access to the Hutchinson River Parkway.

Thank you DOT for resolving this issue in only two days — and helping to keep the residents of our community safe!

Upcoming Events

Take a look at the upcoming District 13 events!

NYPD ANNOUNCES CITYWIDE CRIME STATISTICS FOR JUNE, SECOND QUARTER 2024

 

SIXTH-STRAIGHT MONTH OF MAJOR CRIME REDUCTIONS MARKED IN JUNE AS SECOND QUARTER, YTD CITYWIDE STATS SEE CONTINUED DECLINES 

Monthly subway crime drop achieves 14-year low when unskewed by pandemic data

For the sixth month in a row, reductions in overall index crime prevailed again in June 2024, with a 4 percent drop in major offenses compared to the same month in 2023 (10,598 vs. 11,040), led by another 21.1 percent decrease in murder (30 vs. 38); a 9.9 percent reduction in grand larceny (3,949 vs. 4,381); a 9.4 percent drop in grand larceny—auto (1,267 vs. 1,398); an 8.8 percent decrease in burglary (942 vs. 1,033); and a 1.5 percent reduction in robbery (1,427 vs. 1,448). Major crime also fell another 2.7 percent in the second quarter of 2024, compared to the same quarter last year (31,162 vs. 32,029), and dropped another 2 percent year to date (60,211 vs. 61,409).

Resulting from the NYPD’s comprehensive, ongoing strategy to prevent crime and reassure passengers using the nation’s largest transit network, the city’s subway system sustained its overall crime reduction in June. Major crime in the system was down by 6.9 percent year to date (1,044 vs. 1,121), by 13.9 percent in the second quarter (496 vs. 576), and by another 15.3 percent in June compared to the same month last year (172 vs. 203) – achieving the lowest level of transit crime in 14 years when discounting pandemic-era irregularities. Similarly, crime on New York City public housing properties was reduced by 2.9 percent year to date (2,964 vs. 3,053), by 4.1 percent in the second quarter (1,509 vs. 1,574), and by 8.1 percent in June (479 vs. 521).    

The NYPD accomplished the repeated monthly crime reductions across the five boroughs while attending to and safeguarding a record number of demonstrations this year, many of them related to Israel’s ongoing battle against the terrorist organization Hamas. A hefty increase in the number of potential anti-Jewish bias incidents being investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force were a result of the fiery rhetoric and sometimes violent actions that accompanied the protests in New York City. Twenty-six of the 32 additional incidents taken on by Hate Crime investigators in June 2024 were anti-Jewish in motivation, reflecting a 137 percent increase in that category compared to the same month in 2023.

Precision policing strategies and other proactive enforcement efforts paid dividends in recent weeks and months, as police officers assigned to shooting-prone areas took illegal firearms off the streets and arrested those carrying the weapons. NYPD officers seized 3,378 illegal guns through June 30 this year, 220 of which were untraceable, 3-D printed “ghost guns” assembled from component parts lacking serial numbers. Those add to the nearly 17,000 guns – more than 1,050 of which were illegal “ghost guns” – recovered by police since Jan. 1, 2022. In the month of June 2024, arrests for gun possession jumped by 7.6 percent (368 vs. 342) compared to the same month last year, while arrests for all major index crimes increased by 9.6 percent (5,029 vs. 4,589). The number of shooting incidents citywide declined by 8.5 percent (441 vs. 482) year to date, and dropped by 0.4 percent in the second quarter compared to the same period last year. While there were five additional shooting incidents in the month of June compared to the same month last year (109 vs. 104), 41 fewer people have been shot year to date, a 7.3 percent reduction (524 vs. 565). Citywide year to date, 37 fewer people have been killed (171 vs. 208), a 17.8 percent decrease.

“As we look back on the first half of this year, we can see the steady progress in the NYPD’s relentless fight against violence and disorder – an unwavering commitment that will continue through the summer months,” said NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban. “The tireless efforts of the men and women of the NYPD have made a remarkable difference, and we will not ever let up. We are confident that our work will continue to positively impact our city and improve the lives of all the people we serve.”

*All crime statistics are preliminary and subject to further analysis, revision, or change.*

Index Crime Statistics: June 2024


June
2024

June
2023
+/-% Change
Murder3038-8-21.1%
Rape1751106559.1%
Robbery14271448-21-1.5%
Felony Assault280826321766.7%
Burglary9421033-91-8.8%
Grand Larceny39494831-299-9.9%
Grand Larceny Auto12671398-131-9.4%
TOTAL1059811040-442-4.0%

*90% of the rapes reported in June 2024 are categorized as domestic/acquaintance cases in which the survivor and the perpetrator are known to each other in some way. Additionally, 39 of the 175 rapes reported in June 2024 occurred in prior years (see chart below). Rape continues to be underreported. If you are a survivor of sexual assault, please come forward. The 24-hour NYPD Special Victims Division hotline is: 212-267-RAPE (7273).

Index Crime Statistics: Q2 (April 1 – June 30)


Q2 2024

Q2 2023

+/-% Change
Murder82109-27-24.8%
Rape4393538624.4%
Robbery422640531734.3%
Felony Assault784973874626.3%
Burglary30973334-237-7.1%
Grand Larceny1185012768-918-7.2%
Grand Larceny Auto36194025-406-10.1%
TOTAL3116232029-867-2.7%

Additional Statistics: June 2024


June
2024

June
2023


+/-

% Change
Transit
172203-31-15.3%
Housing
479521-42-8.1%
Shooting Incidents
10910454.8%

Additional Statistics: Q2 (April 1 - June 30)


Q2
2024

Q2
2023


+/-

% Change
Transit
496576-80-13.9%
Housing
15091574-65-4.1%
Shooting Incidents
259260-1-0.4%

Hate Crimes Statistics: June 2024

(Representing June 1 – June 30 for calendar years 2024 and 2023)

Motivation20242023Diff% Change
Asian
32-350%
Black
25-3-60%
Ethnic
413300%
Gender
02-2-100%
Hispanic
32150%
Jewish
451926137%
Muslim
303***
Religion
211100%
Sexual Orientation
1715213%
Grand Total
79473268
Note: Statistics above are subject to change upon investigation, as active possible bias cases June be reclassified to non-bias cases and removed from counted data.

Six People Indicted for Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking in Massachusetts

 

Charges Include Trafficking a Minor by Force, Fraud and Coercion

An indictment was unsealed last week in Boston charging Christy Parker, 26; Alexander Smalls, 25; Cory Primo, 42; Avvani Jeffers, 22; Tre’sean Reid, 21; and Tyreik Reid, 20, with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and other sex trafficking charges.

According to the indictment, between January and August 2023, Parker, Smalls, Tre’sean Reid and Tyreik Reid used force, threats of force, fraud and coercion to compel an adult woman to engage in commercial sex. The indictment further alleges that, between July and August 2023, Parker, Smalls, Primo and Jeffers used force, threats of force, fraud and coercion to compel a minor to engage in commercial sex. The indictment further alleges that, in August 2023, Parker, Primo and Jeffers knowingly recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided, obtained and maintained another minor for commercial sex. Finally, the indictment alleges that all defendants conspired to commit sex trafficking between January and August 2023.

Jeffers was arrested on June 27 and made an initial appearance later that day. Jeffers is currently detained pending a detention hearing on July 8. Parker and Primo will appear in U.S. District Court in Boston on July 8. Smalls is awaiting trial in South Carolina and will be arraigned in Boston at a later date. Tyreik Reid will appear in US District Court in South Carolina for a detention hearing on July 10. Tre’sean Reid is currently a fugitive.

If convicted of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, the defendants each face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. If convicted of sex trafficking of a minor, the defendants face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. If convicted of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, the defendants face a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts and Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England Field Office made the announcement.

The Somerset Police Department and HSI New England Field Office are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Riley-Cunniffe for the District of Massachusetts and Trial Attorney Francisco Zornosa of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.

HSI asks anyone with information about the defendants to contact the HSI New England Field Office at (617) 565-7400. If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation Opens Investigation into Civilian Death in Queens

 

The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation has opened an investigation into the death of a civilian who died on July 4, 2024 after an encounter with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in Queens. 

At approximately 5:23 p.m. on July 4, two NYPD officers responded to a reported assault at a residence in Queens. Upon arrival, officers encountered a man with a knife in his hand who was struggling with another man, who was wounded. The officers ordered the man to drop the knife, but he did not comply. One of the officers discharged his service weapon, striking the man. The man was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officers also found an injured 8-year-old child in the apartment. The child was rushed to a hospital, where he died from his wounds. Officers recovered two knives at the scene.

Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.  

These are preliminary facts and subject to change.