MAYOR DE BLASIO AND NYCHA ANNOUNCE KICKOFF OF HEAL-THE-VIOLENCE PROGRAM FOCUSED ON ENGAGING YOUNG PEOPLE TO PREVENTING CONFLICTS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES

 

The $720,000 violence prevention program will serve young people at more than 20 NYCHA campuses 

 Mayor de Blasio and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) today announced the launch of the Heal-the-Violence program. Funded through a larger $2 million grant provided by the City, this pilot program will support a localized anti-violence curriculum, training young people to develop solutions for curbing violence, using techniques like Healing Circles, Asset Mapping, Conflict Mediation, and other prevention-based responses.  

"A recovery for all of us is rooted in public safety, and one central way to keep our city safe is by uplifting our young people," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "NYCHA's innovative Heal-the-Violence program will reach young people where they are and create a safer future for our neighborhoods."

 

“NYCHA is committed to taking a holistic approach towards public safety that’s predicated on providing our young people with expanded programming, public space improvements, and robust engagement, said NYCHA Chair & CEO Greg Russ. “We are grateful to the Mayor’s Office for joining with us to develop new approaches for addressing this vital issue.” 

 

“Young people living in underserved and under-resourced public housing communities are especially impacted by traumatic violence, and this program is designed to center their voices in finding meaningful solutions for creating safer neighborhoods,” said NYCHA EVP for Community Engagement and Partnerships Sideya Sherman and Executive Director for the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity. “Heal-the-Violence is one of several long-term strategies that will support community health, security, and opportunity at NYCHA campuses.” 

 

"Public safety begins and ends with communities. These interventions work because they strengthen our neighborhoods. We look forward to working with our partners in the community and in government to continue our City’s recovery," said Marcos Soler, Director of the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice.

 

“For the NYPD, crime fighting and community service are intrinsically linked in all we do and we applaud this program as enhancing all of our strategies to engage with and support New York City kids,” said Chief of Housing David Barrere. “The men and women of the NYPD’s Housing Bureau are unwavering in their commitment to public safety – which is a collective mission we pursue every day with our New York City Housing Authority partners.”

 

Heal-the-Violence will target young people ages 14-24. Those selected to participate in the program must live at one of the participating NYCHA campuses across the five boroughs and are eligible to receive up to $150 for their participation, with designated youth leaders eligible for $300. The program follows the large-scale renovation of more than a dozen basketball courts at NYCHA campuses earlier this year, and the roll-out of a youth basketball league organized in partnership with the New York Knicks and NYPD that concluded this past month.

 

Selected vendors will host onsite activities such as workshops and classes 1-2 times per week. NYCHA sought applications from Anti-Violence providers including those in the New York City Crisis Management System: a network that deploys teams of credible messengers who mediate conflicts on the street and connect high-risk individuals to services that can reduce the long-term risk of violence. According to the New York City Office to Prevent Gun Violence, the Crisis Management System helped contribute to a 40 percent reduction in shootings across program areas – compared to a 31 percent reduction in comparison sites – from 2010 to 2019. 

 

60 Days and Counting

 

Good news - 92% of the New York City workforce has gotten vaccinated against #COVID19, with 2,000 more in the last 24 hours alone.

Question from a pesky reporter - Mr. Mayor how can all these people who just took their first vaccine shot be vaccinated, when it takes two shots with the second shot at least twenty - one days after the first shot? Aren't you fudging the numbers, what is the percentage of city workers that are fully vaccinated, and we saw that you, Mr. Mayor took the Johnson and Johnson vaccine so you would only have to take one shot. However it was proven that anyone who took the J & J vaccine had to get a second shot, so even you Mr. Mayor were not fully vaccinated until you got that second shot of the COVID vaccine which was Moderna not the J & J.

DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AND WORKER PROTECTION SETTLES NYC PAID SAFE AND SICK LEAVE CASE WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES

 

 Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Peter A. Hatch today announced a settlement agreement with American Airlines to resolve violations of the NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law. As part of the settlement, American Airlines’ federal lawsuit arguing that the NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law does not apply to airport workers will be dropped. The settlement also requires American Airlines to pay $220,000 to 598 ground crew workers whose rights had been violated, including its management and support staff, fleet service and mechanical employees, and passenger service employees, and to comply with the law going forward by updating their safe and sick policy which will improve access to leave for thousands of ground crew workers. 

DCWP’s workplace-wide investigation found that American Airlines illegally assigned disciplinary points for each sick day used by ground crew workers and therefore illegally retaliated against employees for using sick leave. The airline also failed to pay employees for sick leave at the required rate, failed to allow employees to use accrued sick leave, illegally required advance notice of the unforeseeable need to use sick leave, illegally required medical documentation for sick leave absences of three or fewer days, and failed to provide employees with the Notice of Employee Rights.

“American Airlines denying its workers sick leave and putting their health at risk is just inhumane,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Paid safe and sick leave is critical for the safety and well-being of employees and we will continue to hold corporations accountable if they choose to violate the law. I applaud DCWP for getting these workers the money they deserve.” 

“Today’s settlement is a clear statement that NYC airport workers are entitled to the protections of our Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law,” said DCWP Commissioner Peter A. Hatch. “These employees work in major transportation hubs where tens of thousands of people are passing through daily. Forcing them to choose between going into work sick or getting in trouble for taking a sick day is not only illegal but a risk to public health. Paid sick leave is especially critical right now during this pandemic and no worker should face retaliation for exercising their right to sick leave. We thank the brave workers who came forward and urge any worker facing these problems at work to file a complaint with us.” 

The settlement requires American Airlines to: 

·         Pay $220,000 in restitution to 598 workers;

·         Implement a safe and sick leave policy that is compliant with the Law and corrects the violations in the company’s prior policy;

·         Post and distribute the Notice of Employee Rights to all staff;

·         Train all human resources personnel with direct oversight of the employees on the NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law; and

·         Appoint a compliance officer to monitor and report on compliance with the Law.

Under the NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law, employers with five or more employees and employers of domestic workers in New York City must provide paid safe and sick leave to employees. Employers with fewer than five employees and a net income of $ 1 million or more, and employers with between five and 99 employees must provide 40 hours of paid leave. Employers with 100 or more employees must provide up to 56 hours of paid leave. Employers with fewer than five employees and a net income of less than $1 million must provide unpaid safe and sick leave. Safe and sick leave is accrued at a rate of one hour of leave for every 30 hours worked, and begins on the employee’s first day of employment. Employers of five or more employees who do not front-load safe and sick leave on the first day of a new calendar year must allow employees to carry over up to 40 or 56 hours of unused safe and sick leave from one calendar year to the new calendar year, depending on the size of the employer. 

If the need to use leave is foreseeable, employers can require up to seven days advance notice to use accrued leave. If the need is unforeseeable, employers may require notice as soon as practicable. Employers can require documentation for more than three consecutive workdays of leave, but it is illegal to require that documentation specify the reason for using it. Employers may not engage in or threaten retaliation against employees, which includes firing and any act that punishes an employee for or is likely to deter an employee from exercising their rights under the Law.

Since the Law went into effect, DCWP has received more than 2,470 complaints about Paid Safe and Sick Leave, closed more than 2,175 investigations, and obtained resolutions requiring more than $13.9 million in combined fines and restitution for more than 37,515 workers.

DCWP’s case was handled by Supervising Investigator Juana Abreu, Senior Enforcement Counsel Emily Hoffman under the supervision of Litigation Director Claudia Henriquez of DCWP’s Office of Labor Policy & Standards, which is led by Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Holt, and Law Department Senior Counsel Annette Lalic. 

Employers and employees can visit nyc.gov/workers or call 311 (212-NEW-YORK outside NYC) for more information about the NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law, including the required new Notice of Employee of Rights, which is available in 26 languages, one-page overviews for employers and employees, and the complaint form.

Bronx Man Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking And Firearms Offenses

 

Antonio Mora Committed Multiple Shootings of Drug Rivals, Including Shooting a Rival in Front of the Rival’s Young Daughter

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ANTONIO MORA pled guilty today to drug trafficking and firearms offenses in connection with his participation in two Bronx-based narcotics conspiracies.  MORA is scheduled to be sentenced on February 3, 2022, by U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken, who accepted today’s plea.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Antonio Mora was a prolific dealer of heroin and crack, and a violent enforcer for two different narcotics organizations.  Mora participated in multiple shootings of rival drug dealers, including a brazen daytime shooting on a busy residential street where Mora shot a man twice in front of his young daughter.  Now Mora awaits sentencing for his multiple acts of violence and drug trafficking.”

According to the Superseding Indictment, statements made in court, as well as other publicly filed documents in this case:

Between in or about December 2015 and in or about November 2018, MORA participated in two separate conspiracies to distribute crack cocaine and heroin in the Bronx and elsewhere.  MORA also participated in multiple shootings, including two in the second half of 2018.  On September 6, 2018, the defendant and a co-conspirator pursued a rival drug dealer in broad daylight and shot him in the abdomen.  On September 17, 2018, MORA and others chased down a rival drug dealer while he was walking on the street with his daughter in the Bronx, pulled the rival dealer’s daughter from his hands, and shot him twice in the leg.

MORA, 28, pled guilty to three counts: (1) conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 280 grams and more of crack cocaine and 1 kilogram and more of heroin from in or about December 2015 to June 2018, which carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years and a maximum prison term of life; (2) conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine and heroin from in or about June 2018 to November 2018, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison; and (3) using and carrying firearms during, and possessing firearms in furtherance of, the narcotics conspiracy, some of which firearms were discharged, which carries a mandatory consecutive prison term of 10 years and a maximum prison term of life.

The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department.

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - NOVEMBER 1, 2021

 

44,197 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours   

33 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.   

"After a month of monumental progress with vaccinations and keeping our infection numbers down, let's continue to build on our efforts," Governor Hochul said. "As we look ahead to Thanksgiving, I want to remind everyone that the best protection for your friends and family against the virus is to get vaccinated as soon as you can."

Today's data is summarized briefly below: 

• Test Results Reported - 116,311
• Total Positive - 2,907
• Percent Positive - 2.50% 
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 2.18% 
• Patient Hospitalization - 1,856 (+14)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 184 
• Patients in ICU - 428 (-20) 
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 255 (2) 
• Total Discharges - 208,554 (163)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 33 
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 45,600

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only. 

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 58,045

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings. 

• Total vaccine doses administered - 27,253,429
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 44,197
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 570,422
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 84.3% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 76.7% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 87.7% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 78.8% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 71.5% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 64.9% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 74.4% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 66.7% 

Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association Meeting - Tuesday November 9th, 2021 at 7pm, 2134 Barnes Avenue

 

Join us as the PPNA has their monthly community  meeting  on Tuesday  November 9th, 2021 at 7pm at our new location 2134 Barnes Avenue (on the corner of Lydig Avenue and Barnes Avenue). We will welcome 3 special guests ,State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, City Councilman Mark Gjonaj, and Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez.  This is your opportunity to bring your issues, questions and concerns and problems  to this meeting. Involvement from the community  is essential  to having a safe ,clean, and graffiti  free neighborhood.  Its time to get  involved in your community  and stay involved .Your  problems get addressed and action taken. Show  up  and speak up! 

California Attorney Pleads Guilty To Multimillion-Dollar Investment Fraud Scheme

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that DEREK JONES, an attorney currently suspended from practicing law in California, pled guilty today to charges of carrying out a long-running wire fraud scheme, through which JONES defrauded investors out of at least $5.8 million. JONES is scheduled to be sentenced on February 23, 2022, before United States District Judge Loretta A. Preska, who accepted today’s plea.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:  “For many years, Derek Jones used fake documents and falsehoods to defraud innocent investors out of millions of dollars. Such investors have every right to expect that those promoting real estate deals and venture capital investments are treating them honestly and telling them the truth about their investments. Today, Jones admitted to violating those rights.”

According to the Indictment, statements made in court, as well as other publicly-filed documents in this case:

From at least 2012 through at least 2019, JONES solicited and obtained investments into various companies and investment funds he controlled, including purported real estate development and investment firms using variations of the names “BlueRidge,” “Living City,” and “Atiswin,” and the purported venture capital firm Realize Holdings (“Realize”).  

In fraudulently inducing victims to invest in his funds, JONES routinely made materially false oral and written statements, including in glossy brochures and legal documents that contained lies about real estate purportedly owned or otherwise controlled by BlueRidge, Living City, and Atiswin. For example, JONES falsely told investors and prospective investors that BlueRidge was developing a “resort village” on land it controlled in Washington State, and separately that BlueRidge had purchased an existing hotel in that same location, when in fact neither BlueRidge nor JONES owned or controlled any of that property. In other cases, JONES falsely claimed that his companies were under contract to purchase a ranch in Colorado, and that his companies had leased various pieces of property slated for development. Instead, JONES misappropriated investors’ money, using much of it to make Ponzi-like payments to other investors to whom he owed money in connection with earlier transactions, and for personal and family expenses, including the private-school tuition of his children.

In executing his scheme, JONES also sent investors and others falsified and counterfeit documents. For example, on repeated occasions JONES provided doctored bank statements stating that he had millions of dollars in various corporate accounts, when in fact he had little or no money in such accounts. On other occasions, he provided counterfeit financial statements that falsely purported to be based on internal audits of companies that he controlled.

JONES defrauded investors—at least three of whom lived and/or transacted their banking in Manhattan—out of at least approximately $5.8 million. To prolong and conceal the fraud scheme, JONES regularly told lies designed to avoid meetings with or inquiries from victims. For example, in explaining his failure to respond promptly to questions or his reason for postponing meetings, JONES falsely told different investors, on different occasions, that one of his relatives was hospitalized and undergoing surgery. JONES also used the names of other individuals—without those individuals’ authorization or knowledge—to communicate via email with investors and thus foster the illusion that JONES’s businesses were viable operations with real employees.

JONES, 47, of California, pled guilty today to a single count of wire fraud.  That charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the sentencing judge.

Mr. Williams praised the excellent work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

Comptroller Stringer Releases Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report

 

 New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer released the City’s  Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, which includes the City’s audited financial statements for the year, outlines important economic and financial data about New York City, and highlights the work of the Comptroller’s Office during the fiscal year. This year’s Annual Report highlights that while New York City’s economy grew robustly through much of the fiscal year, it has yet to make a full recovery from the devastating economic impacts of the pandemic.

“As we work to rebuild our economy after the challenges of the pandemic, transparency, accountability and sound fiscal management are paramount,” said Comptroller Stringer. “This year’s Annual Report provides a comprehensive review of the City’s pandemic response and financial performance across municipal government during one of the most trying periods in our history. While we have a long road to recovery ahead of us, I am pleased to report steady growth—and I am confident that our city continues to be the best place to live, work, and raise a family. I thank the dedicated professionals who serve in the five pension systems, the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget, the Office of the Actuary, and the staff of our Bureau of Accountancy, led by Deputy Comptroller Jacqueline Thompson, for their diligent work to compile this important report.”

In accordance with the City Charter, the Annual Report is released annually no later than October 31. In addition to the financial statements of the City as a whole and for each of the City’s accounting funds, explanatory notes to the financial statements, and supplemental financial and statistical information about the City, the Annual Report contains the basic financial statements of the City’s five pension systems and closely-related entities such as NYC Health + Hospitals, the NYC Water and Sewer System, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC).

Highlights from the FY 2021 Annual Report include:

New York City’s Finances and Economy

• New York City entered the fiscal year with much of the economy closed, private employment at 3.36 million and record unemployment.
• New York City ended the fiscal year with steady economic growth. Employment rose to a seasonally adjusted 3.6 million in June 2021, up 226,000 from the start of the fiscal year, but still 505,000 below pre-pandemic highs. The bulk of these job losses were in lower paying sectors of the economy providing in-person goods and services, while higher income workers telecommuted and were largely spared the worst impacts of the pandemic.
• Final total revenues for FY 2021, including restricted fund revenues, were $99.587 billion. Net of restricted funds activities, which are not included in the calculation of the annual surplus or deficit for purposes of the Financial Emergency Act, revenues were $99.073 billion, up 13.2 percent from projections in the Adopted Budget, due to $6.9 billion in additional tax revenues and nearly $5.3 billion in additional categorical Federal aid.

The Comptroller’s Office Bureau of Asset Management — The Comptroller’s Bureau of Asset Management is the investment advisor to the City’s five retirement systems.

• As of June 30, 2021, the Bureau of Asset Management had responsibility for $266.1 billion of the City’s combined five Systems investment assets. This represented an increase of $52.5 billion from the June 30, 2020 value of $213.6 billion.
• During the Fiscal Year, the market value of the assets ranged from a low of $221.6 billion (July 2020) to a high of $266.1 billion (June 2021). The time-weighted return (net of manager fees) of the aggregate portfolio was 25.8% in Fiscal Year 2021 and 4.4% in Fiscal Year 2020.

Bureau of Public Finance — The Bureau of Public Finance works with the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget to issue bonds to finance the City’s extensive capital program and to refund outstanding bonds for savings.

• In FY 2021, the City and the New York City Transitional Finance Authority (TFA) issued $5.37 billion of long-term debt to finance the City’s capital needs.
• The New York City Municipal Water Finance Authority (Water Authority), a discretely presented component unit, issued $981.30 million of long-term debt to finance the City’s water- and sewer-related capital needs.
• The City, TFA, and Water Authority issued a total of $7.41 billion of refunding bonds in FY 2021. This accounted for 54% of the total issuance for these credits and generated a total of $932.64 million in budgetary savings and $400.57 million of savings for ratepayers.
• In FY 2021, Moody’s Investors Service downgraded its rating of the City’s General Obligation (GO) bonds to Aa2 from Aa1 and later revised its outlook to stable from negative. Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings maintained its rating of the City’s GO bonds at AA, revising its outlook to negative and later back to stable. Fitch Ratings downgraded its rating of GO bonds to AA- from AA. In FY 2021, the City also engaged Kroll Bond Rating Agency to rate its GO bonds.

Bureau of Labor Law — The Comptroller’s Office sets and enforces prevailing wage rates for construction work on New York City public work projects and building service work on City funded work sites. In FY21, the office:

• Assessed over $5.6 million in underpayments and interest against employers covered by prevailing wage requirements.
• Assessed over $138,000 in civil penalties against City contractors. During the same fiscal year, BLL opened up 50 new cases and resolved 51 cases.
• Debarred three contractors from New York State and City public works for egregious conduct.

Bureau of Economic Development — Since 1981, the City Pension Funds have invested in Economically Targeted Investments (ETIs). As of June 30, 21:

• The one-year overall performance of core ETIs was 0.68% net of fees and the ten-year overall performance was 4.47% as compared to the benchmark performance of -0.33%.
• During Fiscal Year 2021, the ETI program made cumulative investments of $62.1 million in individual multifamily projects through its Public/Private Apartment Rehabilitation (PPAR) program. These investments financed the rehabilitation or new construction of 974 units of affordable housing.

Bureau of Audit and Investigation — The City Charter requires the Comptroller’s Office to audit some aspect of every City agency at least once every four years. In Fiscal Year 2021, the Comptroller’s Office Bureau of Audit:

•  Issued 56 audits and special reports focused on the effectiveness and service quality of City programs and on financial issues.

Office of Diversity Initiatives — The Comptroller’s Office of Diversity Initiatives works to develop innovative solutions that expand economic opportunities for all, serving as a watchdog for the inclusion of women and people of color in City business. In Fiscal Year 2021, the Comptroller’s Office:

• Met its goal to allocate 12 percent ($18.3 billion) of actively managed assets under management to emerging managers across each asset class and set an additional goal to target $1 billion in new commitments to M/WBE fund managers.
• Spent over $9 million with M/WBEs, 49% of its Local Law 1-eligible dollars. This is a $6.7 million and   36 percentage point increase from 2014, the first year of the administration.
• Surveyed more than 500 M/WBEs on the impact of COVID-19 on their firms and highlighted that 85% of M/WBEs believed they could not survive for six more months due to limited access to COVID related contracts and financial aid. The Office of Diversity Initiatives conducted a follow up survey of 500 M/WBEs in Fiscal Year 2021 and found that 50% of them had to lay off and furlough employees, and more than 30% projected being unable to pay rent in the next three months.
• Released its eighth annual Making the Grade report, which evaluates each City agency’s spending with M/WBEs.
• The Office of Diversity Initiatives has advocated for a Chief Diversity Officer in City Hall and within every City agency to serve as executive level diversity and inclusion strategists driving the representation of people of color and women across government. In Fiscal Year 2021, the Mayor issued an Executive Order to appoint Chief Diversity Officers within every City agency.

To view the full report, click here.