A RECOVERY FOR ALL OF US: MAYOR DE BLASIO SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER ESTABLISHING CENTER FOR CREATIVE CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND CELEBRATES SUCCESSFUL MEDIATION OF A COMMUNITY-BASED DISPUTE

 

  Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Executive Order 63, officially establishing the Center for Creative Conflict Resolution (CCCR) within the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) as the City government’s central dispute resolution resource. The Executive Order also directs all agencies to consult with CCCR to incorporate restorative justice principles into their workplaces and missions.

“The disruption caused by the pandemic has also led to new and creative programs that will improve how the City serves all New Yorkers,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “A recovery for all of us includes setting up businesses for success, rather than punishment. The expansion of the Center for Creative Conflict Resolution will help business owners and the public solve common problems, together.”

 

The signing of the executive order coincided with the signing of a mediation agreement between first time restaurant owner Jacob Poznak, of Moonrise Izakaya located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and a long-time neighborhood resident, Gregory Brown, whose quality of life issue was successfully mediated. This case, which involved a dispute about noise, was mediated by CCCR mediators as part of the MEND NYC program which was launched last year as a partnership between CCCR and the Office of Nightlife at the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.  During the mediated conversation, the parties also exchanged contact information agreeing to continue to have a conversation between themselves directly should future issues arise.

 

OATH’s CCCR has been in existence since 2016 and has served as a resource for NYC government, its agencies, employees and unions to create positive change in the ways that conflicts are managed and resolved. In fiscal year 2020, the Center handled close to 400 mediations, consultations, career coaching, trainings and group facilitations.

 

In 2020, under the leadership of Commissioner Joni Kletter, OATH has expanded the work of its center to add more public-facing work. This included partnering with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and its Office of Nightlife in the creation of the successful MEND NYC program which provides mediation for residents experiencing quality of life issues emanating from neighboring restaurants and bars, issues exacerbated by the sudden increase of restaurants and bars operating outdoors while New Yorkers also spend more time in their homes due to the pandemic.  MEND NYC has since expanded its services to include mediation for small businesses facing commercial lease disputes with their landlords.

 

“Mediating these neighborhood disputes opens a dialogue between neighbors, increases the quality of life by quickly addressing neighborhood nuisances, provides an effective alternative to formal enforcement and can help small businesses avoid costly summonses.  When people in conflict have access to free, professional and meaningful conflict resolution services and are willing to enter into a dialogue we have a real opportunity to build better, more sustainable communities where our small businesses and residents live and thrive together,” said Joni Kletter, Commissioner of the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.

 

MEND NYC represented the first time OATH’s Center has offered its conflict resolution services to assist the general public in mediating their disputes.  MEND NYC also represents the first program where a City agency has leveraged the Center’s mediation services to incorporate restorative justice into that agency’s work. 

 

Additionally, the Executive Order signed today creates an advisory board to guide the CCCR’s work and directs all agencies to appoint an alternative dispute resolution coordinator. 

 

“I am thrilled to see the establishment of a permanent office within City government to address the City's conflict needs at a time when the City is looking to heal from the trauma of the pandemic and to address the inequities our nation faces,” said Administrative Law Judge Ray Kramer, director of the Center for Creative Conflict Resolution. “Our center is committed to expanding the use of alternative dispute resolution and restorative practices by City agencies in support of its workforce and the communities the City serves and to helping New York City become a more restorative city. This is the kind of visionary thinking that sets New York City apart.”

 

“Our office has had a front row seat to the exceptional work done by OATH’s Center for Conflict Resolution. The Mayor’s executive order reiterates how important this resource is for dispute resolution Citywide,” said Kapil Longani, Counsel to the Mayor. “Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, this Administration has worked tirelessly to find creative solutions to support our businesses. MEND NYC is great example of the innovation that has become commonplace at OATH. It will no doubt provide an invaluable tool to our business operators and residents for resolving any issues impacting our neighborhoods.”

 

"The Office of Nightlife is very proud of our partnership with OATH’s Center for Creative Conflict Resolution in creating MEND NYC, a new free mediation program to help small business such as bars, restaurants or nightclubs resolve quality of life issues with their neighbors,” said Ariel Palitz, senior executive director of the Office of Nightlife at the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. “We believe through direct communication and compromise, hospitality businesses and residential neighbors can find common ground and co-exist as we rebuild and recover.”

 

“As the city reopens and communities are recovering, it’s more important than ever for our local establishments and residents to be able to work together to resolve disputes,” said the Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, Anne del Castillo. “We are proud to partner with OATH to offer free conflict resolution for restaurants and bars through MEND NYC and applaud Mayor de Blasio for establishing the Center for Creative Conflict Resolution as the City’s new office that will house this valuable work.”

More information about CCCR’s work can be found at nyc.gov/conflictresolution.  New Yorkers interested in learning more about resolving quality of life issues emanating from a local business can visit nyc.gov/mendnyc to learn how to request mediation for their issue.

 

Attorneys And Managers Of Fraudulent Asylum Scheme Charged In Manhattan Federal Court

 

Defendants at Two New York City Firms Prepared Coached Clients to Lie During Immigration Proceedings

 Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeny Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Patricia Menges, the New York Asylum Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), and Jason J. Molina, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the Newark Field Office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), announced the unsealing of two indictments charging nine individuals in two respective schemes to prepare and submit fraudulent asylum applications, affidavits and other documents to USCIS, and to coach asylum seekers to lie under oath during immigration proceedings.

ILONA DZHAMGAROVA and ARTHUR ARCADIAN, two immigration attorneys based in Brooklyn, New York, and their associate, IGOR REZNK, were charged in one indictment with conspiracy to commit asylum fraud (the “Dzhamgarova Indictment”).  The case has been assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil.  All three defendants were taken into custody today.  DZHAMGAROVA and ARCADIAN are expected to be presented in the Southern District of Florida.  REZNIK is expected to be presented in the District of Maryland.

In a separate indictment, YURY MOSHA, ULADZIMIR DANSKOI, JULIA GREENBERG, ALEKSEI KMIT, TYMUR SHCHERBYNA, and KATERYNA LYSYUCHENKO were charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to commit asylum fraud.  That case has been assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Alison J. Nathan.  Five defendants were taken into custody today.  MOSHA and DANSKOI are expected to be presented in the Southern District of New York today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker.  GREENBERG and KMIT are expected to be presented in the Districts of Colorado and Idaho, respectively.  LYSYUCHENKO was arrested in Milan, Italy, and is pending extradition.

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Fear of violence and persecution, be it on the basis of race, religion, or sexual orientation, is a daily reality for too many across the world. To exploit and profit from the fears of the victims of persecution is cynical; to do so through lies and for money is fraud. As alleged, these defendants engaged in a scheme to deceive asylum officers of the United States through carefully scripted lies, trading on deeply held concerns for actual victims of persecution in an effort to obtain money and illegal immigration documents. Asylum fraud was not merely a means of lining these defendants’ pockets. It is a burden on the asylum system and a hindrance to those legitimately in need of our country’s protection.”

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said:  “The elaborate deceptions allegedly created by the groups of attorneys and managers in this investigation are astounding.  As we allege, they told their clients to lie on asylum applications and under oath about being persecuted in their home countries, and they even created ghost-written blogs to bolster those false claims. As these defendants will learn, engaging in this kind of conduct has grave consequences. Creating false narratives to conceal the identities of people seeking asylum in the United States threatens our national security, and we will continue to address it accordingly."

USCIS New York Asylum Director Patricia Menges said: “USCIS is committed to finding and stopping those who want to cheat the immigration system, and preserving it for those who qualify for immigration benefits.”

Special Agent-in-Charge, HSI, Newark Jason J. Molina said: “Under the guise of fictitious stories of persecution to gain asylum, these individuals allegedly exploited their fellow Russians for financial gain. Their arrest should serve as a warning to others of his ilk that the cooperative efforts of law enforcement agencies will track and persecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

According to the allegations in the Indictments[[1]]:

The charges in these two Indictment arise from an investigation into two New York City immigration firms, the “Dzhamgarova Firm” and “Russian America,” which helped their respective clients – primarily aliens from Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States – seek visas, asylum, citizenship, and other forms of legal status in the United States.  Among other things, both firms advised certain of their clients in the manner in which they were most likely to obtain asylum in this country, fully understanding that those clients did not legitimately qualify for asylum.  The firms also prepared and submitted to USCIS clients’ fraudulent Form I-589 asylum applications, asylum affidavits – statements of an asylum applicant’s personal history and claimed basis for asylum, often including allegations of past persecution – and related supporting documentation.  Members and associates of each firm also coached certain clients to lie under oath during interviews conducted by USCIS Asylum Officers and provided legal representation to their clients during various immigration proceedings.

The Dzhamgarova Indictment

Between November 2018 and December 2021, ILONA DZHAMGAROVA, an immigration attorney, maintained the Dzhamgarova Firm, based in Brooklyn, New York.  Among other things, DZHAMGAROVA advised clients to seek asylum by falsely claiming that they were members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (“LGBTQ”) community who suffered persecution in their native countries, when DZHAMGAROVA fully understood that these clients were not members of that community and suffered no such persecution.  Additionally, DZHAMGAROVA and her husband, ARTHUR ARCADIAN, also an attorney, prepared and submitted clients’ fraudulent asylum applications and affidavits to USCIS, under penalty of perjury, fully understanding that these documents at times contained material falsehoods.  DZHAMGAROVA and REZNIK also coached certain clients to lie in asylum interviews conducted by USCIS asylum officers and represented clients during immigration proceedings.

The Dhzamgarova Firm also employed writers and bloggers, including IGOR REZNIK, who knowingly concocted and drafted clients’ fraudulent asylum affidavits so that they could be submitted as part of clients’ asylum applications.  These affidavits, which were designed to support clients’ persecution claims, conveyed purported aspects of clients’ personal histories that were filled with falsehoods, including events and incidents of alleged persecution that were completely manufactured by REZNIK.  

The Mosha Indictment 

YURY MOSHA and ULADZIMIR DANSKOI operated and maintained Russian America’s Manhattan and Brooklyn offices, respectively. Each advised and aided clients to seek asylum under fraudulent pretenses.  Among other things, MOSHA encouraged certain clients to establish and maintain online blogs that were critical of the clients’ home countries, as a way to generate a claim that, based on the clients’ invented political opinions, it was unsafe for them to return to their native countries.  MOSHA did so understanding that the clients’ decision to blog was prompted not by their own idea or initiative, but by MOSHA’s instruction, and that the clients’ motive for blogging was to contrive a basis for asylum, rather than to publicly express a sincerely held opinion.  MOSHA also understood that, in some instances, these clients lacked the desire, topical knowledge, journalistic ability, and/or technical expertise to write blogposts and maintain these blogs.  In those instances, MOSHA connected some Russian America clients with TYMUR SHCHERBYNA, a Ukraine-based purported journalist, with the understanding that, in exchange for a fee, SHCHERBYNA would and did maintain and ghost-write the clients’ blogs.  MOSHA also personally prepared and submitted clients’ asylum applications and related paperwork under penalty of perjury, knowing that these documents contained material falsehoods.  ALEKSEI KMIT, who worked directly under MOSHA in Russian America’s Manhattan Office, and who understood that certain clients were seeking asylum under fraudulent pretenses, served as a liaison between these clients and Russian America employees and at times advised these clients regarding their fraudulent applications.

DANSKOI performed similar functions as MOSHA, but in Russian America’s Brooklyn Office.  For example, DANSKOI advised one Russian America client, a confidential FBI source (the “Source”), to seek asylum on the fraudulent basis that the client was persecuted in Ukraine for being a gay male, when in fact DANSKOI fully understood that the Source was a heterosexual male who suffered no such persecution.  DANSKOI also advised the Source on how to most effectively advance this fraudulent claim.

Both MOSHA and DANSKOI referred certain clients to KATERYNA LYSYUCHENKO – an Italy-based associate, who helped certain Russian America clients draft fraudulent Asylum Affidavits by, among other things, sending them template Asylum Affidavits to model off of, and advising clients about what information to include in their affidavits, understanding these documents to be fraudulent – and JULIA GREENBERG, a New York immigration attorney, who coached clients to lie to Asylum Officers and provided legal representation to such clients during immigration proceedings.  For example, GREENBERG, understanding that the Source was a heterosexual male who did not suffer persecution in his home country, prepared the Source for questioning by an Asylum Officer and advised the Source how to falsely answer certain anticipated questions from the Asylum Officer.

DZHAMGAROVA, 44, and ARCADIAN, 42, both of Brooklyn, NY; and REZNIK, 39, of New York, NY, are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit immigration fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. 

MOSHA, 45, DANSKOI, 54, and GREENBERG, 41, each of Staten Island, New York; KMIT, 30, of Boise, Idaho; SHCHERBYNA, 35, of Ukraine, and LYSYUCHENKO, 39, of Italy, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to commit asylum fraud. 

The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s New York Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, USCIS New York Asylum Office and Fraud Detection and National Security unit, and thanked United States Customs and Border Protection and the New York City Police Department for their assistance.

 [1] The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State Vaccination Program

 

As of 11 AM today, New York's Health Care Distribution Sites Have Administered 96% of First Doses Received Week 1-9   

Vaccine Dashboard Will Update Daily to Provide Updates on the State's Vaccine Program; Go to ny.gov/vaccinetracker; Dashboard Now Includes Demographic Data 

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's vaccination program. As of 11AM today, New York's health care distribution sites have administered 96 percent of first doses received for week 1-9 first doses. The week 10 allocation from the federal government is beginning to arrive in New York State, and New York's health care distribution sites have administered 85 percent of doses so far delivered.   

Approximately 10 million New Yorkers are currently eligible to receive the vaccine. The federal government has increased the weekly supply by more than 20 percent over the next three weeks, but New York's vast distribution network and large population of eligible individuals still far exceed the supply coming from the federal government. Due to limited supply, New Yorkers are encouraged to remain patient and are advised not to show up at vaccination sites without an appointment.   

"New Yorkers have been doing their part to keep the infection rate down, and we're continuing to do everything we can to get shots into arms as quickly and fairly as possible," Governor Cuomo said. "It's working - we've made it past the post-holiday surge and our numbers continue to go down every day - but our issue remains lack of federal supply. With new leadership in Washington we are now expecting another increase in doses for week 11, allowing us to vaccinate even more New Yorkers every week and bringing us one step closer to winning this war and becoming the first COVID-free state."   

The 'Am I Eligible' screening tool has been updated for individuals with comorbidities and underlying conditions with new appointments released on a rolling basis over the next weeks. Starting next week, local health departments will also receive vaccine allocations for these individuals. New Yorkers can use the following to show they are eligible:

• Doctor's letter, or
• Medical information evidencing comorbidity, or
• Signed certification 

Vaccination program numbers below are for doses distributed and delivered to New York for the state's vaccination program, and do not include those reserved for the federal government's Long Term Care Facility program. A breakdown of the data based on numbers reported to New York State as of 11AM today is as follows. Beginning week 9, allocation totals are inclusive of some excess vaccine doses that have been reallocated from the federal Long Term Care Facility program. The allocation totals below include 40 percent of the week 10 allocation which will finish being distributed to New York provider sites on Sunday.   

STATEWIDE BREAKDOWN

First Doses Received - 2,335,250

First Doses Administered - 2,109,690; 90%

Second Doses Received - 1,284,300

Second Doses Administered - 984,100  

Council Member Ruben Diaz Sr. - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Governor Andrew Cuomo

 

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz

18 District, Bronx County

You Should Know that no elected official has publicly criticized and gone against Governor Andrew Cuomo more than I have.  

 

The deaths of more than 13,000 elderly persons in nursing homes in New York State is travesty. The posture taken by Governor Andrew Cuomo is an ugly representation of the his leadership tarnishing his past accomplishments. 

 

My gripes and disagreements with the governor are due to my positions as a Conservative Democrat and Pentecostal minister.  My religious conservative beliefs compel me to go against the governors stand on certain issues, that in my purview, are morally wrong and damaging. 

 

I would like to make it clear that my position against Governor Andrew Cuomo have been solely based on my deeply rooted Christian Conservative values.  Other than that, if I were a liberal socialist Democrat, I would confidently say that no one has done more to move forward the progressive socialist agenda than Gov. Cuomo. However, I acknowledge that despite his leftists views he has done some humanitarian and good will for those in need. For example: 

 

1. For Puerto Rico: During the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria. The governor went above and beyond the call of duty to help my beautiful island. 

 

2. For the Gay and Lesbian Community:  Have Gov. Cuomo to thank, when he fought and twisted many arms to ensure that Same Sex Marriage became legal in New York State. My opposition to Gay Marriage was the main cause of my contention with the governor. 

 

3. For the Bronx County: Governor Cuomo assisted the Bronx when he intervened and allocated monies to The Hunts Point Market, the Bruckner Sheridan Expressway, Orchard Beach, the building of four Metro North Train Stations, (which he jested that he would name one of them Ruben Diaz station), the allocation of much needed funds for Bronx affordable housing, and a piece of land to create The Junior camp for Bronx  youths, after the senseless killing of Junior Guzman. 

 

4. For Union Workers:  Gov. Cuomo was influential when he got involved in rebuilding and repair of the state’s infrastructure.  The construction and repair of new and old bridges, repaving highways, and roads opening doors for the unions to create new jobs for their members. Governor Cuomo also fought for increase in the minimum wage, helping low wage earners. 

 

6. For students and immigrants: The governor’s administration was also instrumental in passing the Greenlight Bill, which gave college age students and immigrants access to free college tuition.  

 

Even though Gov. Cuomo has always been a Governor only for the left and the socialists and has ignored conservative and people of faith like me to the point of expressing ugly comments such as “there is no room in New York State for people like that” and going to the extreme of saying “God didn’t do that, we did it” when referring to the state’s decrease in COVID- 19 deaths.   

 

Nonetheless, I will always continue to keep him in my prayers, and will always recognize the good, the bad, and the ugly, in Gov. Cuomo. 

 

This is Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz and this is what you should know. 

February 17th City Council District 11 Special Election Forum

Last night's City Council District 11 Special Election forum.

The six candidates are Carlton Berkley, Eric Dinowitz, Jessica Haller, Mino Lora, Dan Padernacht, and Kevin Pazmino.

The link is https://youtu.be/AbezzBWXP3o. 

 

Third Avenue Business Improvement District - Job Search During COVID-19 // What path is for me?

 

Register Now!

Register Now!

Four Alleged Smugglers Charged For Importing Banned Catfish Into The United States

 

 Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Peter C. Fitzhugh, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), Timothy Donovan, Assistant Director of the Northeast Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”), Office of Law Enforcement (“OLE”), and Bethanne M. Dinkins, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Office of the Inspector General for the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA-OIG”), announced the unsealing today of a Complaint charging MAHMUD CHOWDHURY, a/k/a “Masum Chowdhury,” a/k/a “Uncle Masum,” SHAKIL AHMED, BELAYET HUSSAIN, a/k/a “Belayet Sohel,” and FIROZ AHAMMAD with participating in a conspiracy to smuggle banned catfish into the United States through the Southern District of New York.  All four defendants were taken into custody today and will be presented this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker.

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “As alleged, food safety for U.S. consumers was seriously compromised by these defendants, who disguised their importation and distribution of dangerous fish and fish products.  Thankfully, investigators with HSI, NOAA, and USDA-OIG detected something fishy and reeled in the defendants, who now face serious federal charges.”

HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh said:  “Something smelled fishy, and this investigation led to this transnational criminal organization as the center of an alleged smuggling operation moving multiple shipments of catfish from prohibited countries into our ports to further a very lucrative scheme.  It is a major concern when food entering the U.S. does not meet our strict health and safety guidelines, and HSI New York, working with CBP and our law enforcement partners, will continue to protect the public from potentially contaminated, diseased or adulterated food products and bring to justice those who choose to line their pockets at the expense of our food supply chain.”

NOAA-OLE Northeast Division Assistant Director Timothy Donovan said:  “This case demonstrates the importance of our cooperation with U.S. government partners to interdict illegal products before they enter the country.  OLE continues to work to protect consumers and fishermen from seafood fraud and the illegal importation of seafood through initiatives like our Seafood Import Monitoring Program.”

USDA-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Bethanne M. Dinkins said:  “Protecting the safety of food is a top priority for USDA-OIG, and we will continue to dedicate investigative resources and work with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to protect the integrity of the food supply and bring to justice those who circumvent food safety protocols and put consumers at risk.” 

As alleged in the Complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court[1]: 

Since in or about 2017, the importation into the United States from most countries of fish of the order Siluriformes, which includes multiple species of fish commonly referred to as catfish, has been prohibited by federal law, in order to ensure the safety of food for human consumption in the United States.  From at least in or about January 2018 up to and including at least in or about October 2019, notwithstanding this ban, MAHMUD CHOWDHURY, a/k/a “Masum Chowdhury,” a/k/a “Uncle Masum,” SHAKIL AHMED, BELAYET HUSSAIN, a/k/a “Belayet Sohel,” and FIROZ AHAMMAD, the principals of Asia Foods Distributor Inc. (“AFD”), a trading company based in New York City, conspired to smuggle large quantities of prohibited catfish into the United States through the Southern District of New York for distribution to their customers around the United States.  The defendants implemented a scheme through which the banned catfish were listed as other species of fish in the shipping documents of foreign exporters presented at customs, and also in the commercial invoices that they provided to their customers, thereby disguising their importation and distribution.  In or about 2019, a customs inspection of a shipping container bound for AFD led to the discovery of the prohibited catfish.  Further quantities of illegally imported catfish were also found at AFD’s warehouse and at certain of AFD’s customers’ stores during site inspections.  The ensuing investigation of HSI, NOAA, and USDA-OIG led to the seizure of multiple shipping containers bound for AFD, in which banned catfish were identified.  Moreover, the execution of a search warrant at AFD’s warehouse resulted in the seizure of evidence documenting AFD’s orders to foreign exporters and communications between the defendants about how to avoid the detection of their scheme and the accompanying risk of potential arrest and imprisonment. 

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of HSI, NOAA, and USDA-OIG, as well as the assistance of United States Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”).

This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant United States Attorney Thomas John Wright is in charge of the prosecution.

 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 constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES SHOP YOUR CITY: BE NYC TO SUPPORT BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES

 

Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Jonnel Doris today announced Shop Your City: BE NYC, a targeted campaign to encourage New Yorkers to shop from the city’s Black-owned businesses.

 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every small business in our city – but our Black businesses have been hit especially hard,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “BE NYC is part of our commitment to create a recovery for all New Yorkers and help our small businesses succeed in this pandemic and beyond.”

 

“Black businesses have taken a tremendous hit because of this pandemic. BE NYC, the City’s first initiative to fight the racial wealth gap, will continue to find new and creative to support these businesses," said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives J. Philip Thompson. "The Shop Your City: BE NYC campaign will urge New Yorkers to shop local and help our small businesses come back stronger than ever.”

 

“Black businesses aren’t just places to purchase goods and services. They serve as cornerstone centers for communities across the City and resource hubs to share critical information with neighbors,” said Jonnel Doris, Commissioner of NYC Department of Small Business Services. “Now more than ever, shopping locally can make or break a business. Shop Your City: BE NYC, will encourage New Yorkers to shop at local Black-owned businesses during Black History Month and beyond.”

 

Launching during Black History Month, Shop Your City: BE NYC is a targeted campaign that aims to generate attention and support for Black businesses – which constitute 3.5% of all businesses in New York City. The Shop Your City: BE NYC campaign will:

• Spotlight Black businesses on social media that have continued to operate and serve their communities throughout the pandemic.
• Post online resources to help New Yorkers discover and shop at the City's Black-owned small businesses.
• Encourage New Yorkers to tag a small Black-owned business they’re supporting, using our Instagram story template.

 

In addition to the campaign, SBS will host a Black History Month roundtable event on February 25, highlighting past and present examples of resilience, resourcefulness and reimagination within the Black business community and overall lessons for NYC’s economic recovery.

 

Studies show that Black businesses have been severely impacted by the pandemic and are twice as likely to shut down during the pandemic. Black businesses as a whole saw a 41 percent decrease in business activity between February and April of 2020 alone. BE NYC, a first-of-its-kind model in a major American city to help address the racial wealth gap, is actively working to address the needs of struggling Black business owners during the pandemic and beyond.

 

For more information on the Shop Your City: BE NYC campaign visit nyc.gov/benyc.