NYC SERVICE AND CITIZENS COMMITTEE LAUNCH THE “LOVE YOUR BLOCK” APPLICATION TO SUPPORT COMMUNITIES MAKING LOCAL CHANGE

The “Love Your Block” Program will award 25 community groups with a grant, City services, and project support to improve their neighborhood

   

   NYC Service and Citizens Committee for New York City launched the 2019 Love Your Blockapplication to support residents in transforming public spaces and engaging neighborhood volunteers to make local change. Twenty-five community groups will be selected as Love Your Block winners and rewarded a $1,000 grant, project management support, and City agency services to improve their neighborhood. The application will remain open through Wednesday, November 7th.

                                                                                                                                                                                    

NYC Service and Citizens Committee for New York City encourage resident-led volunteer groups to submit project proposals that engage local volunteers to address community concerns. Successful applications highlight how the project will transform public spaces, like City blocks or community gardens, and engage residents to be change makers in their neighborhoods. Successful proposals will also utilize City services to address important community concerns and contribute to building stronger communities by engaging neighbors to work together toward sustainable improvements. The 2019 Love Your Block application can be found at nyc.gov/loveyourblock.

“Love Your Block is about partnering with residents and giving them the support and resources to become neighborhood change agents,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Building a healthier democracy means engaging our residents in opportunities to make a difference in the life of their community, so I encourage every resident-led group to apply and propose community solutions that will help us continue to build thriving neighborhoods.”

“NYC Service believes that volunteerism is a catalyst for civic engagement in New York City,” said NYC Chief Service Officer Paula Gavin. “Love Your Block supports residents to engage their neighbors and address local needs through service. Over the last ten years, the program has helped over 260 resident groups improve over 400 public spaces and City blocks. NYC Service is proud to continue Love Your Block with Citizens Committee and our sister agencies to inspire and empower 8.6 million New Yorkers to come together and serve each other.”

“There are more than 60,000 blocks in our City. While Citizens Committee for New York City’s, Love Your Blockfocuses on only a very few, it should serve as a model for every New Yorker on every block to get to know your neighbors and to join them in making your block the envy of every New Yorker,” said Citizen’s Committee for NYC Executive Director Peter Kostmayer.

In addition to a $1,000 grant and project planning assistance, Love Your Block winners will receive city services from the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Sanitation, and the Department of Transportation. City agency services include; pest control and removal; tree stewardship workshops; graffiti removal; repair of and installation of street signs and street lights; traffic safety surveys; and installation of bicycle racks, speed bumps, and more.

NYC Service and Citizens Committee for New York City encourage resident-led volunteer groups across all five boroughs to apply for a Love Your Block Grant by November 7th. Visit nyc.gov/loveyourblock for more information. Interested participants may also attend a Love Your Block Information Session on October 16th or October 23rd from 6:00 - 7:30pm. Contact MGonzalez@citizensnyc.org or call (212) 822-9579 for more information and to RSVP.

Love Your Block applications will be evaluated on the following:

• Groups must be volunteer-led, without paid staff and must demonstrate the ability to mobilize a minimum of 20 volunteers
• Groups must work with two (2) out of the four (4) City agency partners for services
• Projects must help address a shared community need (e.g. Tree planting, graffiti removal, speed bumps)

“The Love Your Block program is a great way to support innovative community-based projects proposed by residents that protect the environment and improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods on a block by block scale,” said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Vincent Sapienza. “DEP is proud to partner with NYC Service, Citizens Committee for NYC, and community groups from all five boroughs on theLove Your Block program.”

“As the steward of more than 30,000 acres of public land, we value the contributions of volunteers who work to move our system forward,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP. “Through initiatives like Love Your Block, citizens are encouraged to help maintain and sustain thriving green spaces that all New Yorkers can enjoy. In the 10 years since its inception, this program has spread love through our streets, our communities, and our hearts.”

“Residents are our best partners in keeping New York City healthy and clean,” said Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia. “They have valuable insights, knowledge and strong community relationships, which is why we encourage resident-led volunteer groups to put their best ideas forward and apply to the Love Your Block initiative. Love Your Block provides residents with the opportunity and resources to beautify their neighborhood, initiate progress, and take pride in their communities. We are proud to continue being part of this important initiative that is helping keep our city neighborhoods healthy and clean.”

CLIMATE WEEK: CITY ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF “BRING IT” CAMPAIGN TO EMPOWER YOUNG NEW YORKERS TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST WASTE

In partnership with NYC-based S’well, every NYC public high school student will receive a S’well reusable water bottle

  To kick off Climate Week NYC and to support the City’s Zero Waste by 2030 goal, the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, with support from the Department of Education, announced BRING IT, a multi-channel campaign focused on helping students, and by extension their family and friends, reduce waste through advocacy and action. BRING IT launches with a year-long partnership with reusable bottle company S’well. Through this initiative, more than 320,000 high school students across all five boroughs will receive S’well or S’ip by S’well reusable bottles with the goal of displacing more than 54 million single-use plastic bottles in New York City. 

“To reach our goal of sending zero waste to landfills by 2030, we have to upend our whole way of doing things. The BRING IT campaign will help create a cleaner, fairer city for all by empowering youth to lead the way. We’re proud to partner with a New York City company, S’well, to get this off the ground,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The first year of BRING IT will engage and mobilize NYC public school students and be supported with a wide range of programs and events that foster knowledge around sustainability, cultivate green job mentorship opportunities and encourage students to take action for their schools, city and planet.

“I am so proud to be a part of a program that is creating real impact for New York City, S’well’s home,” said Sarah Kauss, founder and CEO, S’well. “Together, we are developing a platform for change, offering today's youth and tomorrow’s leaders the knowledge, resources and inspiration to address the global challenges posed by waste and single-use plastic bottles through meaningful actions.”

“We cannot simply leave young people to inherit and then solve our environmental crisis tomorrow, we must equip them with the resources to take action and make different choices today,” said Mark Chambers, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. “We are honored to partner with S’well, our students, and our schools to end single-use plastic waste and transform how we live, work and play in our city.”

“We are so proud to be a part of BRING IT, and we know New York City students are ready to be leaders in creating a cleaner and more sustainable City,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “I thank our partners at the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and S’well for empowering our students to make a difference, and for making us an important part of the efforts towards the City’s goal of zero waste.”

To celebrate the launch of the program, MOS, DOE and S’well kicked-off a five-day challenge to inspire and mobilize high school students to ‘bring’ not only their bottles, but their ideas, passions and unique perspectives to the challenge of creating a sustainable city. To that end, programming also includes the chance for NYC students in elementary to high school to participate in designing S’well’s 2019 Earth Day Collection and participate in activities that promote storytelling and sustainable change. The Department of Sanitation is also a supporting agency in this program.

Over the course of the year, S’well will continue to collaborate with DOE and MOS to support a variety of existing sustainability programs. This includes supporting engagement with school sustainability coordinators, teachers and administrators who help develop green initiatives, as well as the Borough Student Advisory Council and Chancellor’s Student Advisory Council.

Single-use plastic is a major source of preventable waste in New York City, as well as for our country and globe. Nationally, Americans throw away enough plastic water bottles to fill the Empire State building one and a half times each month. That is plastic that never goes away but breaks down and seeps into our water and ultimately our food, impacting our health. The production of plastic water bottles in the United States also uses 1.5 million barrels of oil a year, which is enough to power 250,000 homes or 100,000 cars all year.

Engaging New Yorkers to adopt waste-reducing behaviors, like bringing reusable water bottles, is critical to achieve the City’s Zero Waste goal by 2030 and enables New Yorkers to save money and make healthy drink choices easier. Using national averages, each student with a reusable bottle will be able to displace 167 plastic water bottles from NYC’s trash and save about $250 in buying plastic bottles this year. 

To learn more, stay up-to-date on BRING IT initiatives and get involved, visit BRINGIT.NYC 

“Making real change that lasts requires partnership across government, industry and community, and we are thrilled to see partners like S’well working with City government to empower our next generation of leaders with the knowledge and tools to take action on environmental sustainability,” said Darren Bloch, Senior Advisor to the Mayor and Director of the Office of Strategic Partnerships. “We’re proud to stand with S’well and our City partners as we embark on this important campaign in support of the City’s Zero Waste goals.”

“The Mayor’s Fund is thrilled to support the launch of BRING IT. We know that it is important to engage young people in the City’s efforts to reduce waste and promote environmental sustainability,” said Toya Williford, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. “The partnership launched today will foster behavior change and encourage high school students to think differently about our collective impact on the environment.”

“Young people’s partnership and support is vital in creating a sustainable New York,” said Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia. “Students are the future of our city and programs like BRING IT are helping them reduce waste and empowering them to become active partners in reaching our City’s zero waste goals.”

“Using reusable water bottles to drink our award-winning NYC tap water will not only lead to a healthier environment, but a healthier you,” said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Vincent Sapienza. “The production of plastic water bottles in the United States uses 1.5 million barrels of oil a year, which is enough to power 250,000 homes or 100,000 cars all year. Our tap water is a healthy alternative to sugar-sweetened beverages and at roughly one penny per gallon, it is the best deal in town.”

Statement from Assemblyman Marcos A. Crespo: Trump Administration to Limit Green Cards for Legal Immigrants on Public Assistance

Uncivilized attack on American Dream

 

“The current presidential administration’s latest attacks on immigrants and their families cannot be overshadowed by the current news cycle. Aside from wickedly tearing families apart and causing irreversible physical and emotional damage to countless children and parents – notwithstanding the child detention centers within New York City – the Trump Administration is set on threatening to reject granting permanent residency to legal immigrants for using any and all forms of public assistance including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Section 8 vouchers and assistance; public housing; and enrolling in the available low-income subsidy to help pay prescription drug expenses through Medicare Part D.” 

 

“According to the Migration Policy Institute around 4 million noncitizens were enrolled in SNAP benefits from 2014 to 2016. The administration is hiding behind the narrative that noncitizens are burdens on American taxpayers. As if none of the four million non-US citizens on any form of public assistance do not pay their taxes. The IRS states, ‘Each year, thousands of nonresident aliens are gainfully employed in the United States.’”

 

“The Immigration and Nationality Act allows government officials to reject visas and green cards to immigrants deemed a public charge, however this president’s goal of successfully condemning all legal immigrants as drains of finite resources is a gross attack on the American Dream.”  

 

“For now, the proposed enhancements will not impact refugees and asylum-seekers – yet these immigrants in search of safety and liberty face another set of challenges.”

 

“The new enhancement is set to be published in the Federal Register soon. The following 60-day comment period is crucial for voicing opposition. All potential and present immigrants seeking green cards are threatened. Ultimately, the present danger is the significant reshaping of future legal immigration without the say of congress.”

 

Bronx Chamber of Commerce Hispanic Heritage Luncheon honors Six Distinguished Individuals

 

Phil Cardone

Events, Communications & Grants Director

Bronx Chamber of Commerce

"The Network for Business Success"
1200 Waters Place, Suite 106
Bronx, NY 10461
718-828-3900

Friends of Van Cortlandt Park - Hike-toberfest is Almost Here

Hike, Eat, Drink & Celebrate with Friends 

and come see why 
VCP is Where NYC Hikes.

Hikes start at 2pm: Hikers will have the option of going on a 4-5 mile hike throughout the park OR a 2 mile leisurely nature or history hikes. All hikes will be led by guides and take about 2 hours. All registered participants will receive a VCP Where NYC Hikes giveaway. 

Oktoberfest is from 4-7pm: Attendees will receive a Souvenir Mug, eat German food from Loreley Restaurant & Biergarten and enjoy local beers served bythe Bronx Beer Hall. Special thank you toYonkers Brewing, KelSo Beer Co., Captain Lawrence Brewing and Alewife Brewing for donating! Yard games courtesy of Loving the Bronx and Van Cortlandt House Museum will be setup on the lawn. 

Get Your Tickets Now
Ticket Prices at the Door are Higher and Giveaways Cannot Be Guaranteed. 

DONATE

Friends of Van Cortlandt Park vancortlandt.org 718-601-1553 info@vancortlandt.org 80 Van Cortlandt Park South Ste. E1 Bronx, NY 10463, US

Two Men Plead Guilty to Violent Armed Robbery of Jewelry Store in Downtown Brooklyn

Defendants Were Members of Robbery Team Posing as Construction Workers

  Yesterday, in federal court in Brooklyn, Darryl Odom and Lashawn Williams pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act Robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence in connection with the May 25, 2017 gunpoint robbery of a jewelry store located at 60 Court Street in  Brooklyn.  Odom also pleaded guilty to the February 10, 2017 Hobbs Act Robbery of Eleven, another jewelry store located in Brooklyn.  The plea proceeding took place before Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom.  Previously, co-defendant Kenneth Davis pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act Robbery and use of a firearm during a crime of violence, and Shaka Davis pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act Robbery, for their roles in the 60 Court Street robbery.

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent-in-Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), New York Field Division, and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the guilty pleas.

At approximately 5:15 p.m. on May 25, 2017, Williams and Odom entered the 60 Court Street store disguised as construction workers.  Kenneth Davis, also disguised as a construction worker, stood watch outside, and Shaka Davis waited in a getaway car.  Inside the store, one of the robbers pistol-whipped the store owner, and the robbers stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry.  

When sentenced, Odom and Williams each face a mandatory minimum of seven years in prison and up to life in prison.  Kenneth Davis faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and up to life in prison. Shaka Davis faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment.

The case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section.  Assistant United States Attorney Josh Hafetz is in charge of the prosecution. 

The Defendants:

DARRYL ODOM

Age: 54

Residence: Bronx, New York

LASHAWN WILLIAMS (also known as “Ron Johnson”)

Age: 50

Residence: Bronx, New York

KENNETH DAVIS

Age: 53

Residence: Brooklyn, New York

SHAKA DAVIS

Age: 30

Residence: Brooklyn, New York

Ocasio-Cortez Kicks off November Campaign

  While she was waiting to be called up to speak at her November General Election Campaign Kick-Off Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was all smiles. After all she defeated ten-term incumbent Joe Crowley in the June Federal primary to become the candidate of the Democratic Party for the 14th Congressional District. 

  However the ten-term incumbent she defeated will still be on the ballot once again for the November general election. Joe Crowley had secured the Working Families Party line, a tactic used by many candidates to gather more than one party line to ward off competitors. It can also be used as Joe Crowley is doing, that being to say to voters that they have another chance in November to re-elect him. That was why today's November Kick-Off campaign event was important to 'The Movement' as said by the Democratic Party candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

  When Alex spoke, she mentioned that after her win in June she helped to get two Muslim women elected in Michigan, and a black woman elected in Massachusetts. She went on to say 'The Movement has rocked the Democratic world, where people like her are winning elections by knocking on doors and talking to people. She added that 'The Movement' has arisen millennials like her to run for office, and win. Another comment by the Democratic candidate for the 14th Congressional District was that 'one year ago at this time I (Alex) was a bartender'.  

  

Above - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stood on top of a chair to talk to her supporters who came to Lorraine's located on Unionport Road for her November general election Campaign Kick-Off.

Below - Alex answers questions from reporters. One reporter asked if the place she chose to kick-off her November campaign was because she was a bartender? 

Alex answered yes that it did play a role in the selection of the location.

Joseph Percoco, Former Executive Aide And Campaign Manager To N.Y. Governor, Sentenced To 6 Years In Prison For Accepting Bribes

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JOSEPH PERCOCO, the former executive deputy secretary to the Governor of the State of New York, was sentenced to six years in prison for soliciting and accepting more than $315,000 in bribes in return for taking official state action to benefit energy company Competitive Power Ventures (“CPV”) and Syracuse-based real estate developer COR Development (“COR”).  On March 13, 2018, PERCOCO was convicted of two counts of honest services fraud conspiracy and one count of bribery following an eight-week trial before United States District Judge Valerie E. Caproni, who imposed today’s sentence.   

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “Joseph Percoco, the former executive deputy secretary to the Governor, was a powerful New York State official who sold his influence and his office in exchange for more than $300,000 in bribes.  For those crimes, he will now serve time in federal prison.  Today’s sentence sends a strong message that public officials who violate their duties to faithfully serve the citizens of New York will be held accountable for their corrupt actions.”

Judge Caproni stated during the sentencing:  “I hope this sentence will be heard in Albany.”

According to the evidence introduced at trial, other proceedings in this case, and documents previously filed in Manhattan federal court:                                                                

PERCOCO, who served as the executive deputy secretary to the Governor between January 2012 and mid-2014, and again in 2015, abused his official position and extensive influence within the executive branch of New York State (the “State”) by seeking and accepting bribe payments from executives at companies that were seeking benefits and business from the State, in exchange for PERCOCO’s use of his official authority and influence to benefit those companies. 

PERCOCO solicited the bribe payments from executives at two clients of Todd Howe – CPV and COR – both of which had retained Howe as a consultant to help them obtain official State action.  In email correspondence between PERCOCO and Howe, PERCOCO and Howe referred to the bribe payments as “ziti,” a reference to a term for money used by the characters in the television show “The Sopranos.” 

Bribes from CPV

PERCOCO, Howe, and others conspired for PERCOCO to receive more than $287,000 in bribe payments in exchange for PERCOCO’s official assistance for CPV on an as-needed basis. 

State action was critical to CPV’s business.  Starting as early as 2010, CPV provided personal benefits to PERCOCO, including expensive meals and a Hamptons fishing trip, in an effort to cultivate access to PERCOCO.  In response to CPV’s requests for official State assistance, PERCOCO, who was experiencing financial difficulties at the time, requested that CPV hire his then-unemployed wife.  In or around the end of 2012, CPV executive Peter Galbraith Kelly Jr. created a position for PERCOCO’s wife that paid approximately $90,000 per year while requiring PERCOCO’s wife to do little work.  In exchange for these payments, PERCOCO agreed to use his official position and influence, and did in fact use his official position and influence, to help CPV with specific State matters as the opportunities arose. 

Among other things, PERCOCO agreed to use his official position and influence to assist the CPV’s efforts to obtain (i) a valuable agreement from the State allowing CPV to buy lower-cost emissions credits in New York for a power plant proposed to be built in New Jersey and (ii) a long-term power purchase agreement with the State guaranteeing a buyer for the power to be produced at a power plant proposed to be built in New York, which was expected to save CPV approximately $100 million in development costs.

CPV’s payments to PERCOCO’s wife were concealed in various ways to hide their true source.  For example, monthly payments to PERCOCO and his wife were made through a consultant who worked for CPV in order to disguise the source of the payments.  For his part, PERCOCO concealed the criminal scheme by failing to include CPV as the source of payments on his State-mandated financial disclosure forms. 

Bribes from Aiello and the Syracuse Developer

Beginning in early 2014, PERCOCO was also paid bribes totaling approximately $35,000 from COR.  These bribe payments were orchestrated by Steven Aiello, the COR president.  Aiello arranged for the payment of these bribes in exchange for PERCOCO’s official assistance for COR on an as-needed basis. 

Specifically, PERCOCO agreed to, and did, take official action for the benefit of COR to (a) reverse an adverse decision by the Empire State Development Corporation, which is the State’s main economic development agency, that would have required COR to enter into a costly labor peace agreement for a development project in Syracuse, (b) free up a backlog of more than $14 million in State funds that had already been awarded to COR but were delayed in payment, and (c) secure a substantial pay raise for Aiello’s son, who worked in the executive chamber.

To disguise the nature and source of the bribe payments, COR’s bribes to PERCOCO were funneled through bank accounts and a shell company set up by Howe.

In addition to the prison term, PERCOCO, 49, of South Salem, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release.  Restitution and forfeiture amounts will be determined at a later date.

PERCOCO is the first defendant who has been sentenced after being convicted in this case.  Steven Aiello, who was found guilty at the same trial of one count of honest services fraud conspiracy, will be sentenced on November 29, 2018.  Peter Galbraith Kelly Jr., who pled guilty on May 11, 2018, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, will be sentenced on October 16, 2018.     

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding work of the Buffalo Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, as well as the Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, who jointly conducted the investigation.