City Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley on FDNY Cuts in Mayor Bloomberg's City Budget...

City Council Fire & Criminal Justice Chair Elizabeth Crowley (D-Queens) said, “New Yorkers deserve to know that this budget will keep them safe – and that includes keeping our fire companies open. Whether its rapidly responding to fires and medical emergencies, building collapses and most importantly, in this context, terrorist attacks, our fire companies are always among the first to response and should not be cut. It is common sense: the greater the emergency response network we have on call, the more effectively we can protect ourselves from tragedy. Hundreds of people in every borough through New York City have rallied and will continue to send the clear message to the Mayor: keep our fire companies open.”

Council Progressive Caucus: Fat Cats Should Sacrifice Too by Frank Lombardi -The Daily Politics

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Ten of the 12 members of the City Council’s new Progressive Caucus held a tax-the-rich press conference shortly after Mayor Bloomberg gave his private budget briefing this morning to elected officials.

Their theme: Everybody’s being asked to sacrifice -- except the fat cats of Wall Street and well-off New Yorkers. They called for higher tax hikes on Wall Street profits and on New Yorkers earning above $500,000 a year.

Leading the tax-‘em bunch was Brad Lander (D-Brooklyn), who did most of the talking. Others included Margaret Chin (D-Manhattan), Daniel Dromm (D-Queens), Julissa Ferreras (D-Queens), Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Manhattan) , Annabel Palma (D-Bronx), Diana Reyna (D-Brooklyn) , Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Manhattan), Deborah Rose (D-Staten Island and James Sanders Jr. (D-Queens).

While they downplayed the notion that they’re part of a mini-revolt, it’s unusual to have so large a segment of the Council speak up in unison on a budget this early in the process. The Council doesn’t usually reach a budget agreement with the mayor until mid-June, after prolonged behind-the-scene budget negotiations with Council Speaker Quinn’s finance staff and the councilmembers on the budget negotiating team.

Lander said the speaker was aware of the press conference, but deflected a question on whether she approved: “You’d have to ask her,” he said.

“We have to speak out,” one member of the caucus said of the move to inject the issue of tax increases into the troubled budget picture, indicating that some of them think Quinn has been too closely allied with the mayor on many issues, including the city budget.

Council insiders scoffed at the action by the progressive caucus, nearly half of whom are first-time members elected last year with the help of the Working Families Party. They said there’s not enough support for taxing Wall Street and wealthier residents among the majority of the 51-member Council. “They won’t happen,” said one.

State Agency Eyes Ridgewood Reservoir As Possible Wetland by Robert Pozarycki - www.timesnewsweekly.com | Times Newsweekly

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First Phase Of Project Moves Forward

Though the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is considering instituting wetland status to the Ridgewood Reservoir on the Brooklyn/Queens border, the New York City Parks Department maintains that the first phase of improvements to the site will be moving as scheduled.

According to a DEC statement sent to the Times Newsweekly, the agency is currently reviewing the 55- acre site adjacent to the Jackie Robinson Parkway and Vermont Place as a possible “state-regulated freshwater wetland.” If the site is given that designation, the state DEC would have the authority to review any potential activities at the reservoir and require permits for any specific improvements.

In a statement, the Parks Department indicated that the agency has been working closely with the DEC and the city Department of Environmental Protection “to investigate conditions on the site,” adding that “[t]he environmental conditions at this site have been taken into account since the start of the project.”

Even with the DEC review underway, the Parks Department noted that it intends to start the first phase of improvements to the Ridgewood Reservoir beginning this fall. The work includes the installation of new fencing around the former basins as well, new lighting as improvements to the pathway around the perimeter of the site.

The agency’s review has become a cause of concern for those close to the project. Gary Giordano, district manager of Queens Community Board 5, told the Times Newsweekly that he would contact state and city officials in the weeks ahead to ascertain further information regarding the DEC’s concerns and how the Parks Department will move forward with improvements.

Plans for the redevelopment of the Ridgewood Reservoir as a public park have been the subject of much controversy since 2004, the year when Mayor Michael Bloomberg transferred control of the property from the DEP to the Parks Department.

Defunct since 1989, the reservoir has naturally evolved over the last two decades to become a habitat for various plant and wildlife. The center basin of the reservoir’s three chambers remains filled with water and resembles a natural lake.

As part of its PlaNYC 2030 master plan, the city announced in 2007 that it would redevelop the Ridgewood Reservoir as well as the adjacent Highland Park, making it one of eight “regional parks” around the city. Initial plans called for one of the reservoir’s three basins to be cleared and developed with new ball fields and play areas.

Community activists voiced opposition to the plans, observing that the reservoir should remain at a nature preserve and that ball fields at Highland Park should be improved instead. Numerous community meetings were held by the Parks Department over the last several years, gathering opinions from residents in both Brooklyn and Queens.

Better Energy Choices Than "Drill, Baby, Drill" - Friends of the Earth

We have better energy choices. It's time to stop offshore drilling. An ad released by Friends of the Earth US.

Woodhaven Blvd Unsafe for Pedestrians by Lisa Fogarty - Queens Chronicle -

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Pedestrians are playing beat the clock to make it across Woodhaven Boulevard safely. Photo by PJ Smith

Forty years ago, Dolores Quintana said she used to feel bad watching her elderly neighbors attempt to cross nine or 10 bustling lanes of traffic on Woodhaven Boulevard in lightning speed time, quite often with walkers in hand.

Now 84, Quintana is confronting the same boulevard, albeit packed with a few more cars than it had in the 1970s. Traversing the street is “like playing beat the clock,” she said.

She’s not alone. Matthias Kleinhans, 74, is also anxious about crossing Woodhaven Boulevard so that he can visit the Forest Park Senior Center. Not long ago, his wife fell in the middle of the street while hurrying to beat the light. Two drivers came to her aid, but the incident could have been avoided, Kleinhans said.

“If it was at least five seconds longer, she could have crossed to safety,” he said. “Woodhaven Boulevard is wide. The light starts blinking and cars start moving before you’re three-quarters of the way across.”

New York State has the third-highest number of pedestrian fatalities in seniors, according to the city council. Despite much ink that has been spilled over Queens Boulevard and its moniker, the “Boulevard of death,” 15 of the 94 pedestrian fatalities that took place in Queens between 2006 and 2008 occurred in Senate District 15, of which seven were individuals over 50. Woodhaven Boulevard is as wide as 10 lanes in some areas and the islands separating the lanes are extremely narrow, barely big enough to fit a wheelchair, walker or baby stroller, said state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach).


“No one should have to be an Olympic athlete to cross Woodhaven Boulevard,” said Addabbo, who held a press conference about pedestrian safety at the corner of Woodhaven Boulevard and 89th Avenue last Thursday morning alongside Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven), Community Board 9 District Manager Mary Ann Carey, Forest Park Senior Center Director Donna Caltabiano, AARP executives and several local seniors.

The meeting place was chosen because it is located within a two-block radius of Forest Park Senior Center, PS 306, which has over 220 students, and PS 60 with over 1,200 students.

“Residents have come to complain that at 85th and 86th streets, they don’t have enough time to cross to get to the library,” Miller said. “We need a Complete Streets policy that recognizes older residents to make our community safer, healthier and a better place to live.”

Caltabiano, a Republican candidate for the 38th Assembly seat now held by Miller, said something as simple as increasing the timing of lights would allow her seniors to feel more comfortable walking to the center. “It’s very difficult for seniors to cross this street,” she said.

AARP’s Create the Good joined with its partners and volunteers last week to survey hundreds of dangerous intersections and streets across the city in an effort to demonstrate to policymakers the need for Complete Streets legislation — which both Addabbo and Miller are sponsoring in the Senate and Assembly.

The bill would require the state to approach road design while keeping in mind the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, people with disabilities and public transportation users. The legislation also proposes changes that include increasing the width of medians, lane shoulders and crosswalks, as well as implementing count-down clocks and adjusting the timing of lights — an option that wouldn’t cost the state a dime, Addabbo said.

According to studies, the standard amount of time a pedestrian has to cross a street is one second for every four feet, though that average has recently dropped even further to one second for every three-and-a-half feet, said William Stoner, associate state director of Livable Communities at AARP. At Woodhaven Boulevard and Myrtle Avenue, a pedestrian has just 35 seconds to cross the 120-foot-wide intersection, Miller said.

“Too often our roads are built for cars to go as fast as possible without consideration for pedestrians,” Stoner said. “In communities like these, you could recommend three feet per second because of seniors and children. It costs nothing.”

The Department of Transporation began meeting with elected officials, experts and residents in 2008 to discuss traffic volume, roadway alignment and other issues that affect Woodhaven Boulevard between Queens Boulevard and Liberty Avenue. Although the Woodhaven traffic study has yet to be released, Carey said she is still working with the borough commissioner on these problems and hopes DOT will produce solutions and recommendations that can then be presented to Albany to lobby for legislation.

Another glimmer of hope came last week when several members of the city council, including former police office Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone), argued on behalf of passing Intro 120, or the “Saving Lives Through Better Information Bill,” which requires the New York City Police Department to make certain traffic-related statistics available through its website.

Reports: Lawrence Taylor Arrested In Rape Case - 1010WINS.com

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Ramapo Police Department Press Release

Former New York Giants great Lawrence Taylor has been arrested for rape in Rockland County, according to reports.

Taylor, 51, was taken into custody by Ramapo police after being accused of raping someone in the Holidome Hotel in Montebello early Thursday.

The Journal News reports the alleged victim was a 15-year-old girl and that she was reportedly beaten during the attack.

Ramapo Detective Lt. Brad Weidel said Taylor has not been formally charged. He said formal charges will be filed when the police investigation is completed.

A news conference is expected later Thursday afternoon where police will reveal more details.

This is not Taylor's first run-in with the law. In the 1990s he was arrested twice on drug charges and in Nov. 2009 he was arrested in Florida for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident.

Censored: Ad Criticizing Mayor Bloomberg for Out of Control Marijuana Arrest Policy is "Too Controversial" by Gabriel Sayegh - The Huffington Post

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Driving along the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE), you'll see advertisements for just about everything, including alcohol, strip clubs and casinos. But there's one ad you won't see: a rejected billboard highlighting Mayor Bloomberg's marijuana arrests policies in New York City.

Most New Yorkers don't know that last year, the New York Police Department arrested close to 50,000 people for marijuana possession at a staggering cost of nearly $100 million. Even fewer know that possession of marijuana has been decriminalized in New York State since 1977. Yet over thirty years later, New York City has the dubious distinction as the marijuana arrest capital of the world.

To raise public awareness, the Drug Policy Alliance contracted advertising space on the BQE from TITAN 360, the world's largest transit advertising company. The billboard, criticizing Mayor Bloomberg for his out of control marijuana arrest policy, was set to go up this week in Brooklyn and run through the month of May. TITAN estimated the billboard would be seen by nearly 400,000 people per day.

Then last week, TITAN rejected the billboard. In an email exchange, the TITAN representative said the landlord refused the ad because of "political circumstances from the Mayor's office."

This was a stunning response. What political circumstances? Did the landlord have ties with the Mayor? Was the landlord worried about upsetting the Mayor? We inquired with TITAN--but got no answers.

The rejected ad (link) states: "Nearly half of all New Yorkers have tried marijuana--including Mayor Bloomberg. We can't arrest them all but Bloomberg is trying." The ad then states two statistics: "Marijuana arrests last year: 50,000. Cost to taxpayers: nearly $100 million."

Prior to 1997, the lowest-level marijuana arrests were one percent of all arrests in the city. Since 1997, marijuana arrests have averaged 10 percent of all arrests in the city. Bloomberg, it turns out, has overseen more low-level marijuana arrests than under Mayors Dinkins, Koch and Giuliani combined.

The vast majority of those arrested are young and an astonishing 87 percent are Black and Latino - even though whites have higher rates of marijuana use. This costs New Yorkers nearly $100 million, while we face severe cuts to services like education and the MTA.

Why are there so many people arrested if marijuana is decriminalized? Often it's because in the course of interacting with the police, individuals are asked to empty their pockets. That results in the pot being "open to public view" - which is, technically, a misdemeanor. Most of those arrested spend a day or two in holding cells before being released. But even a simple arrest for a minor drug offense can have profound collateral consequences, like loss of college financial aid, food stamps, public housing and, in some cases, even voting rights. For immigrants in our City--even legal immigrants--these arrests often lead to deportation.

DPA believes New Yorkers need to know about these arrests. So yesterday, we issued a press release about the rejected billboard and TITAN's explanation for its refusal to carry the ad.

Within hours, an aide from Mayor Bloomberg's office called. He angrily denounced our account of TITAN's rejection, and demanded we change our press release and send him a copy of the email exchange between myself and the TITAN representative. We did neither.

Later that day, TITAN's general counsel suddenly called with a new explanation. He explained the company had an internal policy which prohibits "attack" ads and ads that will create controversy. He said our ad, as is, cannot be placed by TITAN since it names Mayor Bloomberg. It was not the landlord's political concerns that caused the rejection, he said, but rather TITAN's own internal policy.

Most of the reporters who responded to our press release were, appropriately enough, looking for signs of direct involvement by the Mayor's office. When they didn't find any, their interest waned. As one reporter from a prominent daily told us, "Well, there's not really a story."

And so it goes. While the Mayor denies involvement and TITAN changes its reason for the billboard's rejection from "political considerations" to being "too controversial," the real story is being ignored: Why are Bloomberg's police unfairly targeting Blacks and Latinos for arrest when marijuana is decriminalized? Undoubtedly, the media's reaction would be different if the 50,000 people arrested every year were white.

We still hope to place the ad. In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers continue to try marijuana. For white people, marijuana possession remains essentially decriminalized, while Blacks and Latinos continue to face questionable and outright illegitimate arrests for marijuana possession, spending 24-72 hours in a jail cell, and winding up with criminal records after being fingerprinted and photographed.

If the Mayor's office responded as quickly to the injustice of racial profiling as they did to TITAN's insinuation of political influence over a rejected billboard, we may not have a rapidly escalating marijuana arrest crusade in New York. Which is, after all, the point and the story.

Gabriel Sayegh is the director of the state organizing and policy project of the Drug Policy Alliance (www.drugpolicy.org) .

CURES Press Release - For Immediate Release May 5, 2010...

CURES received some good news about emissions & idling reduction action this morning from Raymond Hessinger, (Acting) Director, Freight & Passenger Rail Bureau, NYS Department of Transportation "... I do have some good news to report to you on idling at Fresh Pond. Last week, CSX and Canadian Pacific (CP) announced an agreement ...on joint operations in New York. Once facet of the transaction includes CSX's agreement to carry CP's traffic between Albany and Fresh Pond on their existing trains. By doing so, it will allow CP to discontinue running their own trains to Fresh Pond. While CP only operates 2 round trips per week to Fresh Pond, their locomotives idle for at least 8 hours in Fresh Pond during each trip as their train crews take their federally mandated rest. More information on the broader statewide agreement can be found in their joint filings with the Surface Transportation Board at this link:

One of CURES major requests has been that the railroads reduce idling and emissions. This action is welcome as it takes a step in that direction. This action demonstrates how the railroads and the agencies can get together on issues CURES has been raising. They can change operations in ways that reduce community burdens and current adverse impacts of trains on public health, safety, welfare, and property values. Citizens experience the effects, however we are on the outside looking in. It is the railroads and agencies that know the rules and have the power and discretion to make changes that can reduce community burdens and make "green" freight rail operations and equipment in NYC a reality. CURES wants all levels of government working together with the railroads in NYC to accelerate the pace of change.

Change is needed now because today, for CURES communities, freight rail is not "green." People are suffering from adverse health effects, noxious odors, noise and emissions from vintage 1978 LIRR locomotives at Fresh Pond Terminal, and other impacts from rail at all hours of the day and night. The transport of city garbage by rail has made a historically bad situation exponentially worse, and for many more people. Here is a quote from Mary Parisen about her experiences this week at her house and her sister's house on 69th St., near the intersection with Otto Rd., across the street from Fresh Pond Terminal: "Last night they (the trains in Fresh Pond Terminal) were going from 7-12 pm. I was sitting on my sister's porch with her and my neighbor and at one point I had to cover my mouth because of the diesel fumes. It was horrible."

Join CURES Facebook page...

Civics United for Railroad Environmental Solutions
69-06 69th St., Glendale, NY 11385 Phone # 347-482-1962

40th Anniversary of the Kent State Massacre - May 4th, 1970

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The Kent State shootings – also known as the May 4 massacre or Kent State massacre – occurred at Kent State University in the city of Kent, Ohio, and involved the shooting of unarmed college students by members of the Ohio National Guard on Monday, May 4, 1970. The guardsmen fired 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding nine others, one of whom suffered permanent paralysis.

Some of the students who were shot had been protesting against the American invasion of Cambodia, which President Richard Nixon announced in a television address on April 30. Other students who were shot had been walking nearby or observing the protest from a distance.

There was a significant national response to the shootings: hundreds of universities, colleges, and high schools closed throughout the United States due to a student strike of four million students, and the event further affected the public opinion – at an already socially contentious time – over the role of the United States in the Vietnam War.

The Ohio Natl Guard killed Allison Krause Jeff Miller Bill Schroeder Sandy Scheuer. Wounded 9 more. No soldier or the governor was ever arrested for these murders.

Senator Addabbo to Host Energy Savings for Small Businesses Forum in Ozone Park and Glendale...

Click on image to enlarge...

What:

Energy Saving for Small Businesses Forum with Con-Ed and National Grid

When:

Ozone Park - May 6th at St Mary Gate of Heaven 104-06 101st Avenue
Glendale May 13th - Glendale Memorial 72-02 Myrtle Avenue

Time:

7pm - 9pm

For further information contact Peter Delucia - 718-738-1111

Sen Addabbo, Assemblymember Pheffer and CB 10 Chair Braton Inspect Cross Bay Blvd. & Liberty Ave-Rockaway Blvd.Proposed DOT Changes...

The intersections of Cross Bay Blvd. and Liberty Avenue and Rockaway Blvd. are the busiest and most heavily traveled locations in Queens County. That is why Assemblywoman Audrey I. Pheffer, Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. and Chair Betty Braton, upon learning of Queens Department of Transportation’s plans for drastic changes to the area, conducted an onsite visit to see first hand the impact these changes would have.

“Safety is our number one concern for both pedestrians and motorists. However, merchants, residents and both bus and train riders must be equally accommodated in this plan. I will work closely with Community Board #10’s transportation committee and all concerned parties to ensure that needed corrective actions do not unfairly impact all who utilize this busy intersection.” said Assemblywoman Pheffer.

“I am very concerned about the DOT proposal for the Cross Bay Blvd. and Liberty Avenue area. I believe at each step of the process the people of the community should be informed and allowed to give input. Long after DOT is done with their proposal, we have to live with the changes.” said Senator Addabbo.

Unidentified Homeless Woman Found Bludgeoned to Death in Queens' DeMutiis Playground, Cops Say by Wil Cruz and Katie Nelson - NY Daily News

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The body of an unidentified woman, who lived in the Police Officer Nicholas DeMutiis Playground in Queens, was found by a homeless man Monday morning. Savulich/News

A homeless woman was found bludgeoned to death Monday in a playground next to a Queens police precinct, cops said.

The unidentified woman, believed to be in her 50s, spent most of her days on a bench in the Police Officer Nicholas DeMutiis Playground, which is next to the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park, police and neighbors said.

Her body was found on one of those benches by a homeless man, who reported it to cops about 9:30 a.m.

Investigators believe the woman was beaten to death with a hard object, and a rock found at the shady green scene
was sent for testing. The time of death was unclear, but the NYC Medical Examiner's office scheduled an autopsy for Tuesday.

The woman's belongings, which she kept in a grocery hand cart, were found strewn around the benches.

Everything about the scene was distressing, said Simoa Santiago, 32, who has lived in the area for six years.

"I would see her almost every day," said Santiago. "She always minded her own businesses."

"There are always a lot of children and families around so generally this feels like a very safe place, so I was really surprised and sad when I realized what had happened. She has been here for so long. She's a fixture.

Homeless Woman Found Bludgeoned To Death In Ozone Park Playground - 1010WINS.com

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Police say a homeless woman has been found bludgeoned to death on a bench in a Queens playground.

The woman's body was discovered by a homeless man who reported it to police at about 9:30 a.m. Monday. The unidentified woman is believed to be in her 50s.

Authorities and neighbors said she spent most of her time on a bench in Police Officer Nicholas DeMutiis Playground. The playground is next to the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park.

Investigators believe she was beaten with a hard object. A rock found near the scene was sent for testing. Her time of death was unclear but an autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday

Stop Offshore Oil Drilling

This terrible oil spill tragedy in the Gulf Coast is a sad reminder that oil is dirty, dangerous, and deadly. We need to address the needs of local residents and the environment, and then we need a commitment to end offshore oil drilling.

Contact President Obama to say you've had enough—it's time to halt all proposals to allow more oil drilling off our coasts—permanently.

Eric Holder Remarks on the Arrest of Shahzad Faisal