tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40133836901751222642024-03-19T01:10:51.814-04:00Queens Crap<br>A website focused on the overdevelopment and "tweeding" of the borough of Queens in the City of New YorkQueens Crapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02527465812176461894noreply@blogger.comBlogger26652125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-35353816399496702472024-03-18T23:08:00.001-04:002024-03-18T23:08:17.797-04:00Quid Blow Quo<p><i>A former police colleague of New York City Mayor <span class="caas-xray-inline-tooltip has-tooltip-click has-wafer-click wafer-tooltip-done wafer-loader-success wafer-destroyed" data-wf-local-storage-key="xray-inline-tooltip" data-wf-reset-every="90" data-wf-template-id="caas-xray-inline-wafer-tooltip-template-with-close-d6489b67-4b57-3b63-9dfc-c843d9b911b5" data-wf-tooltip-position="bottom" data-wf-tooltip-text="Get info without <br/> leaving the page." style="--inline-xray-tooltip-arrow-pseudo-marginleft: 33.61669921875px;"><span aria-haspopup="dialog" class="caas-xray-inline caas-xray-entity caas-xray-pill rapid-nonanchor-lt" data-entity-id="Eric_Adams" data-ylk="cid:Eric_Adams;pos:1;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:Politician;" tabindex="0">Eric Adams</span></span> claims in a bombshell new lawsuit alleging sexual assault that he exposed himself to her and demanded she perform oral sex on him in exchange for help with a job issue more than three decades ago.</i></p><p><i>The accuser, Lorna Beach-Mathura, first came forward in November by filing a notice of claim saying she planned to sue Adams for sexual assault. The brief November filing didn’t include specifics about the accusation.</i></p><p> <img alt="https://i0.wp.com/www.nydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP9312090278.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.nydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP9312090278.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" /></p><p><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/lawsuit-claims-nyc-mayor-adams-191000432.html" target="_blank">NY Daily News</a><i></i></p><p><i>In
response to the newly filed lawsuit, Sylvia Hinds-Radix, the city
government’s corporation counsel who’s representing Adams in the sexual
assault case, said the mayor vehemently denies Beach-Mathura’s
accusations.</i></p><p><i>“While
we review the complaint, the mayor fully denies these outrageous
allegations and the events described here; we expect full vindication in
court,” Hinds-Radix said in a statement.</i></p><p><i>The suit, filed Monday afternoon in Manhattan Supreme Court, alleges the incident took place in 1993, when Beach-Mathura and Adams both worked for the city Transit Police Department.</i></p><p><i>In addition to being a transit cop, Adams was at the time a top official for the Guardians Association,
a Black police officers’ organization. Beach-Mathura, who was also a
Guardians member, alleges Adams picked her up in his car after work in
Manhattan and brought her to a vacant lot near the Hudson River after he had agreed to meet with her to talk about helping her get a promotion in the Transit Police Department.</i></p><p><i>Beach-Mathura said she went to Adams with the employment issue
because she found him “inspiring” and thought he could help in his
capacity as a Guardians leader. She alleges she first got to know Adams
from working with him years earlier.</i></p><p><i>Initially, Beach-Mathura
alleges in the lawsuit Adams was going to pick her up and give her a
ride home to Coney Island to talk. Once in the car, she realized instead
that he was headed to an area near the Hudson River, which made her
“nervous and scared,” the lawsuit says.</i></p><p><i>Once in the empty lot, Beach-Mathura alleges Adams asked her to explain her employment issue.
After she did, “Adams told Plaintiff that he thought he could help her
but that he ‘also needed some help’ and began rubbing his penis through
his clothes with his hand,” according to the lawsuit.</i></p><p><i>Adams then
told her he wanted oral sex from her in exchange for his help, the court
paper says. The lawsuit says “while repeatedly cajoling, demanding, and
begging Plaintiff for oral sex, Defendant Adams unzipped his pants” and
exposed himself.</i></p><p><i>Beach-Mathura alleges she “repeatedly and
adamantly refused” Adams’ overtures. The suit claims Adams then
“assaulted” Beach-Mathura “by grabbing her hand and placing it on his
exposed” genitals and told her to masturbate him.</i></p><p><i>Beach-Mathura
alleges she again refused, repeatedly saying, “No,” and trying to pull
her hand away. Beach-Mathura “feared that she would be raped” by Adams,
but “tried to remain calm,” the lawsuit alleges.</i></p><p><i>“Plaintiff was
frightened not only due to Defendant Adams’ appalling conduct, but also
because she knew that he, as a police officer, had at least one loaded
gun in the car,” her lawsuit charges.</i></p><p><i>Beach-Mathura claims that
after several more attempts, Adams stopped trying to talk her into a sex
act, and instead started masturbating. Court papers say semen from
Adams landed on Beach-Mathura’s thigh and stocking.</i></p><p><i>After the
alleged assault, Beach-Mathura claims in the suit that Adams told her he
needed to get back to work. He then drove her to the Chambers St.
subway station in Manhattan where he dropped her off, according to the
suit.</i></p><p><i>She alleges Adams never helped her with the employment
issue. She left city government in 1994 and currently lives in Florida,
where she has worked as a public school teacher.</i></p><p><i>Beach-Mathura claims she told “numerous people” about the alleged assault, including current and former <a class="link " data-rapid_p="26" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:NYPD;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/nypd/index.page" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">NYPD</a> officials as well as her two daughters, according to the suit.</i></p><p><i>She
said she never formally reported the incident out of fear of
retaliation from Adams, the Guardians or the NYPD, all of whom are named
as defendants in her lawsuit. In addition to accusing Adams of sexual
assault and battery, Beach-Mathura’s suit says the Guardians and the
NYPD violated anti-gender violence laws by having “enabled” his alleged
behavior.</i></p><p><i>The NYPD and the Guardians did not immediately return
requests for comment on Beach-Mathura’s suit, which is seeking $5
million in damages.</i></p><p><i> </i></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-20738528695192009782024-03-18T21:10:00.003-04:002024-03-18T21:10:10.863-04:00Squatter restorative justice<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GlKqGPG7KsE?si=ENatzj3d-lWwPUND" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-6534363065947789172024-03-18T20:43:00.005-04:002024-03-18T20:43:37.316-04:00Soon you can make your own "City Of Yes"<p><img alt="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GI-eBPsWMAAf_fb?format=jpg&name=large" class="shrinkToFit" height="693" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GI-eBPsWMAAf_fb?format=jpg&name=large" width="579" /><img alt="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GI-eBPuXMAAn80i?format=jpg&name=large" class="shrinkToFit" height="691" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GI-eBPuXMAAn80i?format=jpg&name=large" width="576" /> </p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-77487937430347802672024-03-18T20:41:00.001-04:002024-03-18T20:41:25.955-04:00Fringe bike zealot org demands more bike lanes to Ridgewood Reservoir<p></p><p><img alt="https://qns.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Ridgewood-Reservoir-1024x576.jpg" height="237" src="https://qns.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Ridgewood-Reservoir-1024x576.jpg" width="421" /> </p><p><a href="https://qns.com/2024/03/ridgewood-group-launches-petition-pedestrian-cyclist-safety-changes/" target="_blank">QNS</a></p><p><i>A group of residents who have formed Ridgewood Rides — an advocacy
group of bicyclists that calls for safe streets — have launched <a href="https://act.transalt.org/a/safe-access-to-ridgewood-reservoir" rel="noopener" target="_blank">a petition</a> demanding safer access for cyclists and pedestrians to the Ridgewood Reservoir.</i></p>
<p><i>The Ridgewood Reservoir, located within Highland Park, is situated on
the border of Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods, including Bushwick and
Cypress Hills. The group has garnered approximately 800 signatures in
its quest to make access to the 1.18 miles of park space safe to enjoy
the neighborhood’s greenery.</i></p>
<div class="emp-ad-article-leaderboard" id="emp-f3ad6" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<p><i>Advocates of the petition are calling for protected bike lanes and
wide, unobstructed sidewalks along Cypress Avenue and Vermont Avenue —
citing unsafe conditions for cyclists and pedestrians. They plan to
present the petition to the NYC Department of Transportation and city
officials once the petition is fully signed.</i></p><div class="amp-action" id="emp-2ec2c" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<p><i>Bree Mobley, speaking on behalf of Ridgewood Rides during a Community
Board 5 meeting this month, said that it is unsafe for people like her
who rely on bicycles and mass transit to get to the reservoir. She
called on the board to write a letter of support.</i></p>
<p><i>“It’s one of the closest and largest greenspaces that many of our
neighbors have access to and it’s primarily a place for motorists,”
Mobley said. “For people like me who don’t have access to a car, it’s
really unsafe and difficult.”</i></p>
<p><i>Ridgewood Rides argues that access to the Ridgewood Reservoir from Ridgewood, Glendale
and northern parts of Brooklyn, especially from Cypress Avenue and
Vermont Place, is dangerous given that drivers often speed. They also
say there is not enough roadway space for cyclists.</i></p><p>I thought these<i> </i>people wanted to take the bus there?<i> <br /></i></p><div class="ad-container embedded-ad-container">
<div class="responsive-ad">
<div class="bkg-pale" id="qns_content_responsive_1">
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</div>
</div><p> </p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-829683952531246552024-03-14T07:44:00.001-04:002024-03-14T07:44:02.702-04:00Resorts World wants to make their world bigger<p><i> </i> <img alt="https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/qchron.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/d0/7d030635-b3b0-5d0d-b62c-e2a25b7c621f/65e9ef5c38010.image.jpg" height="425" src="https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/qchron.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/d0/7d030635-b3b0-5d0d-b62c-e2a25b7c621f/65e9ef5c38010.image.jpg" width="566" /></p><p><a href="https://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/resorts-world-going-all-in-on-license-pitch/article_977df876-a477-5602-8f5e-97028a91d251.html" target="_blank">Queens Chronicle</a><i></i></p><p><i>Resorts World NYC last Thursday laid down its markers for the public —
and the state — in its efforts to bring full casino gambling, 10,000
construction and permanent jobs and “a world-class entertainment resort”
to South Ozone Park.</i></p><p><i>Resorts World is pursuing one of three
downstate casino licenses that have been approved by the state
Legislature but have yet to be awarded.</i></p><p><i>Officials of the
international gaming giant were joined in the lobby of their complex
next to Aqueduct Race Track by government officials from Queens as well
as celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, who has agreed to bring a
restaurant to the proposed project. There also was a reception hosted by
hip-hop artist and Queens native Nas.</i></p>
<p><i>Included
in what the company is calling a $5 billion investment in Southeast
Queens and the city would be a 7,000-seat arena; a combined 350,000
square feet for entertainment, meeting and conference space; a
1,600-room Crockfords luxury hotel on top of the 400 existing rooms at
the Hyatt Regency; and 10 acres of publicly accessible open space.</i></p><p><i>Robert
DeSalvio, president and CEO of Genting Americas East, which operates
Resort World NYC, said the site already has pumped billions into the
state economy, particularly for education funding. Speaking with the
Chronicle after the press conference, he said there would be no need for
downtime between receiving a state license and breaking out the shovels
and hammers.</i></p><p><i>“We could begin immediately,” DeSalvio said. “You
heard me say we could have full table gaming up in six months. It could
take three to four years to build it out fully, but we could start right
away.”</i></p><p><i>State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) is chairman of
the Senate’s Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee. He also is about as
staunch an advocate for a full Resorts World casino as DeSalvio.</i></p><p><i>The senator said as of now there is no hint of when decision will be made.</i></p><p><i>“That’s
the frustrating thing — there’s no timeline yet,” Addabbo said. “Some
of the proposals need things like zoning issues which the state would
like to see cleared up. I’ve told the state they can’t wait forever.”</i></p><p><i>New
York Mets owner Steve Cohen, who is seeking his own casino license for
what is now the parking lot at Citi Field, did not need to be mentioned
by name when Addabbo was asked if Queens could support two casinos.</i></p><p><i>“Somebody would have to make that case,” he said.</i></p><p><i>Betty
Braton, chairwoman of Community Board 10, said Resorts World has proven
to be an outstanding member of the community since opening; something
she said the state should take into account.</i></p><p><i>“Who’d have thunk it
in 2010 when we stepped outside for the groundbreaking?” Braton asked.
“It was hard to envision what we would see. It was a leap of faith, as
I’ve said before, and that faith was well-placed. Resorts World has been
a true corporate citizen in the best way. We have a proven entity.
Everywhere else where there is a proposal, it is a new thing. Our
community knows what we are gonna get. The State of New York State knows
what it is gonna get.”</i></p>
<p><i>Borough President Donovan Richards went into hard specifics.</i></p><p><i>“There’s
a big difference between jobs and careers,” Richards said. “Resorts
World has created careers. Sen. Addabbo and I talk about the days of
Hurricane Sandy in the Rockaways when we were devastated and we needed
to get food on the table for our residents. Resorts World was providing
food every single day.</i></p><p><i>“Then we needed assistance with Covid-19
for testing and the vaccinations, and this institution opened its doors
for the community.”</i></p><p><i> </i></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-32279017862052997812024-03-14T07:39:00.001-04:002024-03-14T07:39:11.461-04:00Stable housing in Aqueduct?<p> <img alt="https://i0.wp.com/www.thecity.nyc/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/031324_adrienne_adams_sotc_1_edit-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1" height="427" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.thecity.nyc/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/031324_adrienne_adams_sotc_1_edit-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1" width="640" /></p><p><a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/03/13/2024-state-of-city-ny-adams/" target="_blank">THE CITY</a> </p><p><i>City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams laid out her annual vision for
the city Wednesday, focusing on the affordability of living in the city
ahead of another budget battle with the mayor.</i></p>
<p><i>The speaker delivered her State of the City remarks at the Brooklyn
Academy of Music, praising its cultural significance before pivoting to
the rising cost of living in the five boroughs. </i></p>
<p><i>“For too many New Yorkers, the housing and affordability crisis has
presented an impossible dilemma: you cannot afford to live in the city,
so you struggle or you leave,” she said. “The situation is dire.”</i></p>
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<p><i>Despite her enthusiasm, key initiatives from the speaker’s previous
State of the City address last year remained unfulfilled or paused. As she did last year, Adams stressed the importance of hiring at understaffed agencies across the city, but many roles are still empty.</i></p>
<p><i>An exodus of working and middle-class residents, she said in
Wednesday’s speech, points to a failure of civic leadership — and has
disproportionately impacted communities of color. </i></p>
<p><i>“As a government, we are not fulfilling our duty to New Yorkers,” she said. </i></p>
<p><i>Adams, who has represented neighborhoods in Southeast Queens since
2018, announced initiatives to help with the cost of housing, education
and child care. She focused on rebuilding a government and city hobbled
by the pandemic, and stressed strengthening libraries and the City
University system.</i></p>
<p><i>“Our economic and job recovery has been uneven, and we must provide
opportunities for people at every level to succeed,” she said.</i></p>
<p><i>One package of bills touted Wednesday aims to tackle deed theft,
which predominantly affects working-class communities of color. The
legislation will require the city to inform homeowners and people who
inherit property of the fair-market value of their homes, and will also
provide legal assistance to help them protect their assets. The move
comes in response to an investigative series from THE CITY.</i></p>
<p><i>“We must build a city where all New Yorkers, especially working
people who make up the backbone of our communities, can build their
legacy right here in our city,” Adams said. </i></p>
<p><i>The speaker also discussed the possibility of transforming the
Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, saying the 172-acres of
state-owned land in Queens “represents a generational opportunity” to
build more housing and amenities. The land is also next to a city-owned
site near the A train, which would also be a good location for housing,
she said. </i></p>
<p><i>“Repurposing the land for housing and other amenities can uplift this
community district — which has produced the lowest amount of housing of
any in Queens,” she said. </i></p>
<p><i>Adams did not mention the pending proposal from the site’s operator,
Resorts World Casino, to obtain a coveted state casino license and fully
develop the site. </i><br /></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-69636726774194426272024-03-09T06:09:00.003-05:002024-03-09T06:09:42.956-05:00Green life sentence<div class="separator"><p style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> <img alt="https://i0.wp.com/www.thecity.nyc/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/renewable_rikers_render_1.jpg?w=1061&ssl=1" height="267" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.thecity.nyc/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/renewable_rikers_render_1.jpg?w=1061&ssl=1" width="400" /></p></div><p><a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/03/07/adams-agency-green-rikers-jails-2027-shutdown/" target="_blank"> THE CITY</a></p><p><i>The Adams administration is adamant it’s not on track to close Rikers
Island jails by a legally mandated 2027 deadline — but meanwhile it’s
detailing how to turn the island into a hub for renewable energy and
greener public works.</i></p>
<p><i>On Monday, the same day Mayor Eric Adams’ budget director, Jacques Jiha, declared
to the City Council that “We know it’s not going to happen by 2027,”
two city entities delivered reports ordered up by the Council declaring
it feasible to build a new wastewater treatment plant on the island,
along with solar, battery storage and new equipment to feed offshore
wind power into the electric grid.</i></p>
<p><i>The reports came as a result of the Renewable Rikers Act, signed into law by former Mayor Bill de Blasio, which seeks to reinvent Rikers as a hub for renewable energy.</i></p>
<aside class="scaip scaip-1 "><aside class="widget_block clearfix" id="block-26"></aside></aside>
<p><i>But for the city to realize the multi-billion-dollar green vision for
Rikers Island, the jail complex on Rikers Island must shutter. That
rests on the completion of four borough-based jails, at a cost that Jiha
testified has now reached $12 billion. </i></p>
<p><i>Another impediment to closing: the current Rikers population of more than 6,200 is significantly higher than the planned 4,160 capacity of the borough jails. Outside criminal justice experts say the Adams administration can and should do more to divert people from jails while awaiting trial.</i></p>
<p><i>But Adams continues to cite the size of the jail population as a reason to be skeptical Rikers will close by 2027 and has called for a “Plan B.” </i></p>
<p><i>For backers of Renewable Rikers, the reports are a bright spot at a
difficult time for those pressing to close the notorious jails.</i></p>
<p><i>The reports “reaffirm we can move forward with Renewable Rikers,”
said Councilmember Sandy Nurse (D-Brooklyn), chair of the Council
Committee on Criminal Justice. “Given the deplorable conditions on
Rikers, the cuts to programs that get people out of Rikers and now more announced delays, it is a good thing there was something to show.”</i></p>
<p><i>Darren Mack, co-director of Freedom Agenda at the Urban Justice
Center and an organizer of the campaign to close Rikers, described
frustration at a climate of disinvestment in city communities that rely
on government for services and opportunities.</i></p>
<p><i>He says he would like to see the Adams administration “restoring all
these proposed cuts to all the city programs and agencies that
vulnerable people and marginalized communities rely upon,” in addition
to “making investments on top of that…with the construction of these
facilities.”</i></p><p><i> </i></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-7012967551359488442024-03-08T21:58:00.003-05:002024-03-08T21:58:45.316-05:00Operation Hochul Drop<p><img alt="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/tis09608pT0UftVrNGxT5A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/wnyw_fox_local_articles_540/9f85412280b9746e03a88070db8a8c6f" height="341" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/tis09608pT0UftVrNGxT5A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/wnyw_fox_local_articles_540/9f85412280b9746e03a88070db8a8c6f" width="606" /></p><p><a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/03/06/hochul-subway-bag-checks/" target="_blank">THE CITY</a> </p><p><i>Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday announced the latest in a series of
subway safety initiatives, placing MTA police officers, state troopers
and 750 National Guard members at some of the city’s busiest stations to
conduct bag checks.</i></p>
<p><i>Following some headline-grabbing incidents underground — including
the slashing last week of a conductor that led to what a top transit
official called “some kind of work-stoppage charade” by the transit workers union — Hochul said beefing up the uniformed presence in stations will curb rider and worker fears.</i></p>
<p><i>“There’s a psychological impact, people worry they could be next,
anxiety takes hold,” the governor said. “And riding the subway, which
would be part of your everyday life, is filled with stress and
trepidation.”</i></p>
<aside class="scaip scaip-1 "><aside class="widget_block clearfix" id="block-26"></aside></aside>
<p><i>Hochul unveiled a “five-point plan to rid our subways of people who
commit crimes” while standing alongside police officers, National Guard
troops and MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber at New York City Transit’s
Rail Control Center in Midtown.</i></p>
<p><i>The five elements are: deploying about 1,000 more uniformed personnel for bag checks; accelerating the installation of cameras on every train
and in conductor cabs; a proposed bill that would allow judges to ban
people convicted of assault; expanding the number of mental health
response teams; and holding regular meetings between transit personnel,
police and prosecutors.</i></p>
<p><i>The MTA’s police force, which patrols the Long Island Rail Road and
Metro-North, already posts officers at subway stations connected to
commuter rail hubs.</i></p>
<p><i>The latest anti-crime effort in the subway comes as NYPD numbers
show transit crime in 2024 through March 3 is up by 13% from the same
period last year and just last week TWU International President John
Samuelsen said assaults on workers have increased by nearly 60% from
last year.</i></p>
<p><i>“No one should have to go through what Alton Scott went through,”
Lieber said, citing the veteran subway conductor who was slashed in the
neck last week.</i></p><p><i>Overall, crime in the subway system is rare. According to the MTA’s latest data
from January, less than two major crimes took place per one million
riders that month. Major crimes are defined by the NYPD as burglary,
felony assault, robbery, grand larceny, rape and murder.</i></p>
<p><i>Richard Davis, president of Transport Workers Union Local 100,
praised the plan to put more police in stations, while saying the
union’s calls for beefed-up subway security were ignored for months.</i></p>
<p><i>“As a result, riders and workers alike have suffered,” Davis said.
“While MTA leadership willfully looked the other way, blood has been
spilled.”</i></p>
<p><i>Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams — who pinned his absence from the latest
subway safety announcement on a scheduling conflict — have previously
unveiled multiple versions of plans to cut into subway crime and homelessness by increasing the number of police officers in stations.</i></p>
<p><i>In an interview on WPIX-11
Wednesday along with Chief Michael Kemper, head of the NYPD Transit
Bureau, Adams insisted the new bag checks would not lead to racial or
ethnic profiling. </i></p>
<p><i>“We’re not profiling, we’re random based on the count, a number,” the
mayor said. “And people who don’t want their bag checks can turn around
and not enter the system. You don’t have to come through and do the bag
checks, but they are random.”</i></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-32998042880323838162024-03-08T06:24:00.002-05:002024-03-08T06:24:56.041-05:00Caption Donnie and Danny<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPTZuk0nIrsiYPhRa-KXs0eDGx9Bahx3D8aJQcf4I8-6pscPSDmGfYy2O2gghk65q6NrJ3WGjlX3oZQ97RcrGQ8SZgzmD753suaBHYFhNRCKuXVhvahA4uVc7w7peJ5x_JgZI5U3iiXs69dNaeq6kdUbVM-nyP5drzrXe-kcYQzbAOVDpeJytjZPJmwU/s646/Cityofyesdd.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="646" height="429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPTZuk0nIrsiYPhRa-KXs0eDGx9Bahx3D8aJQcf4I8-6pscPSDmGfYy2O2gghk65q6NrJ3WGjlX3oZQ97RcrGQ8SZgzmD753suaBHYFhNRCKuXVhvahA4uVc7w7peJ5x_JgZI5U3iiXs69dNaeq6kdUbVM-nyP5drzrXe-kcYQzbAOVDpeJytjZPJmwU/w541-h429/Cityofyesdd.png" width="541" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-70817085790076174332024-03-05T08:22:00.002-05:002024-03-05T08:22:40.269-05:00Still need congestion pricing?<p> <img alt="Image" class="css-9pa8cd" draggable="true" height="360" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GAxFFkTWoAA64oe?format=jpg&name=large" width="640" /></p><p><a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/04/us-news/still-600m-in-potential-savings-from-second-ave-subway-designs-even-after-mta-trims-post-analysis/" target="_blank">NY Post</a></p><p><i>The MTA could potentially find another $600 million in savings in its
bloated plans to extend the Second Avenue Subway, a Post investigation
found — as the agency faces pressure to prove it’ll spend its upcoming
congestion toll windfall wisely.</i></p>
<p><i>New York is potentially just about three months away from launching a controversial $15 daily charge on cars
that drive below 60th Street in Manhattan, raising $1 billion a year
for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to spend on projects, such
as its expansion of the Q line to East Harlem.</i></p>
<p><i>“MTA management is ineffective, and handing more money to unelected
bureaucrats will not fix the MTA’s problems,” testified real estate
agent Lucas Callejas, 38, of Inwood, during a public hearing about the
congestion fee plan Monday.</i></p>
<p><i>“I absolutely don’t trust the MTA with my money … They spend like
crazy,” added Dana Matarazzo, 40 an oncology nurse at Memorial Sloan
Kettering from Staten Island, who spoke to The Post after testifying
against the toll.</i></p>
<p><i>MTA officials announced last month they shaved $300 million off the $6.9 billion total estimate
to extend the Q line from its terminus at 96th Street another 1.5 miles
up Second Avenue and then westward along 125th Street to Lexington
Avenue.</i></p>
<p><i>But The Post’s analysis found another $600 million in savings in the
MTA’s station designs, when compared to what it would cost to build a
similar project overseas.</i></p>
<p><i>While the tunneling costs are in line with those of other major
cities, such as London and Rome, the station costs and designs remain in
an entirely different league, The Post’s analysis revealed.</i></p><p><i>Before the recently-announced trims, the MTA’s budget for tunneling,
trackwork, stations and power, computer and radio systems was estimated
to be $4.1 billion.</i></p>
<p><i>The new, “more efficient” station designs
have helped lower the figure to $3.8 billion — still more than the $3.2
billion would cost to build a similar project in London, the most
expensive of the European cities examined by The Post, in a worst case
scenario.</i></p>
<p><i>Experts and researchers zeroed in on two major factors that have
pushed the MTA’s station costs to levels not seen elsewhere: The amount
of area set aside of passengers to circulate on mezzanines before
heading down to the platforms; and the amount of “back of house” areas
sealed away from public view that provide space for storage closets,
mechanical functions and break rooms. </i></p><p><i>The feds granted permission to rework the 125th Street station design in 2020
in an earlier second round of reviews for the East Harlem leg, but
officials not reveal the full scope of the overhaul until stories ran in
The Post highlighting the size of the original 2004 design. The first
round of tweaks approved by regulators in 2018 allowed the MTA to put
the 116th Station in an empty piece of existing tunnel. </i></p>
<p><i>The three rounds of reviews have shaved an estimated 17% off of what
could have been a $7.6 billion total price tag, records show. Officials
have said the third round of reviews remains ongoing. </i></p>
<p><i>The overall now-$6.6 billion budget for the East Harlem expansion
also includes $245 million for land purchases and eminent domain, $559
million for outside engineering, design and management firms, plus a
whopping $943 million for a budget reserve.</i></p>
<p><i>The project’s construction costs alone could have been as high as
$4.4 billion had the MTA re-used the station designs from the Second
Avenue Subway’s Upper East Side extension, a much-delayed project that
shattered cost records.</i></p>
<p><i>“That’s the hard part, turning this ship around,” said Eric Goldwyn,
who lead a team of researchers at New York University that revealed how
oversized the MTA’s Upper East Side designs were compared to those used
in Stockholm, Rome and Istanbul, dramatically inflating costs. </i></p>
<p><i>“When people asked them about our research, they said ‘we were
a–holes,’ basically,” Goldwyn added. “I’ve been encouraged by what I’ve
seen, but there are absolutely things to keep looking at.” </i></p>
<br />JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-72597697338615132342024-03-03T21:43:00.003-05:002024-03-03T21:43:47.320-05:00Maspeth's newest neighbor....<p> <img alt="https://commercialobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/10/58-30-grand-avenue-om-15.jpg?quality=80&w=755" height="325" src="https://commercialobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/10/58-30-grand-avenue-om-15.jpg?quality=80&w=755" width="502" /></p><p><a href="https://commercialobserver.com/2024/02/fly-e-bike-signs-52k-sf-industrial-lease-in-maspeth/" target="_blank">Commercial Observer</a> </p><p> </p><p><i>Fly E-Bike<span> — a manufacturer of electric bikes, scooters, moped and motorbikes — is establishing a presence in Maspeth, Queens.</span></i></p>
<p><i><span>The company signed a five-year, 52,000-square-foot lease to open a warehouse at </span><b>The Davis Companies</b><span>’ </span>58-30 Grand Avenue<span>, </span><span>Crain’s New York Business</span><span> first reported</span><span>. </span></i></p>
<p><i><span>The asking rent was unclear but Queens saw an average asking
rent of $26.33 per square foot for industrial space in the fourth
quarter of 2023, </span><span>according to a </span>Cushman & Wakefield<span> report</span><span>.</span></i></p>
<p><i><span>C&W’s </span>Joseph Hentze<span>,</span><span> </span>Joshua Kleinberg<span>, </span>Helen Paul<span>, </span>Rico Murtha<span>, </span>Gurpreet “Sonny” Singh<span> and </span>Amanda Gerhardt<span> represented The Davis Companies in the deal while </span><b>Pinnacle Realty</b><span> handled negotiations on behalf of Fly E-Bike.</span></i></p>
<p><i><span>Names of the Pinnacle brokers were not disclosed, and
spokespeople for C&W and Pinnacle did not immediately respond to
requests for comment.</span></i></p>
<p><i><span>Constructed in 1930, the building has a total of 156,792 square feet and sits at the corner of Grand Avenue and Rust Street.</span></i></p>
<p><i><span>Fly E-Bike was established in 2018 and has picked up a lot of
momentum as it has grown to at least 40 retail locations throughout the
tri-state area as well as Maryland and Pennsylvania, including four in
Queens.</span></i></p>
<p><i><span>While the components for its products are fabricated in China,
Fly E-Bike’s vehicles, which cater to food delivery workers, are
assembled in warehouses in the United States, according to the company’s
website.</span></i></p><p><i> </i></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-77085263472196077892024-03-02T09:25:00.005-05:002024-03-02T09:25:42.736-05:00Couple buys house with bankrupt squatter occupying it and renting rooms for temporary lodging <iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://abc7ny.com/video/embed/?pid=14477044" allowfullscreen frameborder="0"></iframe>
<a href="https://abc7ny.com/squatting-queens-homeowner-douglaston/14475827/"></a>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-56031603984216102902024-03-01T07:40:00.004-05:002024-03-01T07:40:27.825-05:00Winnie Greco and the pay to play factory
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/EzARFtNz6O">https://t.co/EzARFtNz6O</a> was right AGAIN!!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/ViralNewsNYC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ViralNewsNYC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexJonesMW3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlexJonesMW3</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SaltyCracker9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SaltyCracker9</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TodayX22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TodayX22</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SGTreport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SGTreport</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/andweknow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@andweknow</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nypost</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AOC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DonaldTrump</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PapiTrumpo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PapiTrumpo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/infowars?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@infowars</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYCMayor</a> <a href="https://t.co/uwkwO7M0f2">pic.twitter.com/uwkwO7M0f2</a></p>— jonathan David Rinaldi (@JDRforNYC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDRforNYC/status/1763335028346413455?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p> </p><p> <a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/02/29/winnie-greco-fbi-raid/" target="_blank">THE CITY</a></p><p><i>FBI agents raided two Bronx homes owned by a top aide to Mayor Eric
Adams early Thursday morning, along with the offices of a Queens mall
that hosted Adams campaign operations. </i></p>
<p><i>THE CITY previously uncovered strong evidence of potentially illegal straw donations tied to the mall. </i></p>
<p><i>The aide, Adams’ director of Asian affairs Winnie Greco,
was deeply involved in eight separate fundraising events at the New
World Mall that generated tens of thousands of dollars for Adams’ 2021
mayoral campaign. </i></p>
<aside class="scaip scaip-1 "><aside class="widget_block clearfix" id="block-26"></aside></aside>
<p><i>She is on leave from her job, the Mayor’s press office announced
Thursday. Greco is the third person associated with Adams whose home was
raided by federal officials in the past four months. In November, the
FBI raided the homes of Brianna Suggs, then Adams’ chief fundraiser, and
Rana Abbasova, an aide in Adams’ international affairs office. </i></p>
<p><i>One New World Mall worker told THE CITY that she was asked by
employers to make a $249 donation — and later reimbursed. That would
make it a “straw” donation, a criminal violation that has already led to
the prosecution
of one set of Adams fundraisers by the Manhattan District Attorney, as
well as a separate investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s office into
another set of donors with links to the Turkish government. </i></p><p><i> Another New World Mall employee told THE CITY
she never made out a check to the campaign and didn’t recognize the
signature on the check. Nearly two dozen others who donated claimed that
they made their contributions at the behest of or with encouragement
from mall managers.</i></p>
<p><i>The Bronx raids began at around 6 a.m., when FBI agents, acting in
conjunction with the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s office, swooped down on
two homes owned by Greco on Gillespie Avenue, sealing off intersections.
The FBI later confirmed to THE CITY the sprawling New World Mall in
Flushing as the site of a third raid.</i></p><p><i>One neighbor, who declined to give his name, told THE CITY that more
than a dozen FBI officials were on Gillespie Avenue ready to enter the
home. “They had all the blocks closed off, every intersection,” he said.
“It was frozen for a bit. Nobody was allowed to leave.”</i></p>
<p><i>An Adams spokesperson said Thursday in a statement about the raid:
“Our administration will always follow the law, and we always expect all
our employees to adhere to the strictest ethical guidelines. As we have
repeatedly said, we don’t comment on matters that are under review, but
will fully cooperate with any review underway. The mayor has not been
accused of any wrongdoing.”</i></p>
<p><i>Greco, who is paid $100,000 a year for her City Hall job, is already
being probed by the city’s Department of Investigation in the aftermath
of another story
by THE CITY detailing allegations of ethical improprieties against her.
One business executive alleged to THE CITY that Greco solicited a
$10,000 donation for a nonprofit she had founded as a condition for
attending an event at Gracie Mansion with Adams honoring the Chinese
community. A former Adams campaign volunteer who obtained a city
government job with Greco’s help told THE CITY that Greco demanded he
supervise renovations at one of her houses for no pay.</i></p>
<p><i>A longtime advisor to Adams dating back to his start as Brooklyn
borough president a decade ago, Greco has helped raise hundreds of
thousands of dollars for his prior and current mayoral campaigns. Adams’
chief confidant and top political advisor at City Hall, Ingrid
Lewis-Martin, once called Greco her “baby sister.” </i></p>
<p><i>When asked by THE CITY about Greco in November, Adams said he had a
“hands-off policy when things are being reviewed.” Greco still appeared
with him at some public events, including in Times Square on New Year’s Eve for the ball drop and at a women’s focused event later in January.</i></p>
<p><i>However, Greco was conspicuously absent from or played a smaller than usual role in Adams’ recent Lunar New Year celebrations.</i></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-25717820300843265232024-02-29T06:28:00.004-05:002024-02-29T06:28:34.393-05:00Today is the day to stop the MTA's congestion tax scheme<p><i> </i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOO4jkMdsZb0_FBIl8d71DHsfFf8DPqSWiF2epWL-QxrMaoMoTagxn0IZ74F2SRwKKtqJK5jH_aj_A0AobAahlSLJH7NFAiACO6149XVeG494lWjqEYxxk9fblMq5hXjTuYR-hrpLoWPPIqO6xpjhFUt0ciCd9iLgROJFMfRpXa1aTF6Dc8JxGBiSHfpU/s4160/486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="1872" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOO4jkMdsZb0_FBIl8d71DHsfFf8DPqSWiF2epWL-QxrMaoMoTagxn0IZ74F2SRwKKtqJK5jH_aj_A0AobAahlSLJH7NFAiACO6149XVeG494lWjqEYxxk9fblMq5hXjTuYR-hrpLoWPPIqO6xpjhFUt0ciCd9iLgROJFMfRpXa1aTF6Dc8JxGBiSHfpU/w288-h640/486.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><a href="https://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/mta-s-congestion-toll-hearings-start-feb-29/article_b48b6a82-9a0e-52fd-b5fb-e94e0c75ea67.html" target="_blank">Queens Chronicle</a><i></i></p><p><i>The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will host four hybrid
hearings on the proposed rates for congestion pricing beginning at the
end of this month.</i></p><p><i>The hearings will be hosted in person at 2
Broadway in Manhattan in the William J. Ronan 20th Floor Board Room.
People may also register to participate remotely via Zoom or telephone.</i></p><p><i>The
hearings are 6 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 29; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on
Friday, March 1; and both 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 10 p.m. on Monday,
Ma</i>rch 4.</p>
<div class="tncms-region hidden-print" id="tncms-region-article_instory_top"></div><p><i>The proposed toll rates can be found online at <a href="http://bit.ly/42Hts2F">bit.ly/42Hts2F</a>. The MTA hopes to impose them starting in June, though several lawsuits have be filed to block the plan.</i></p><p><i>Each public hearing will be livestreamed on the MTA YouTube channel at MTA Live — YouTube and on the project website: <a href="http://mta.info/CBDTP">mta.info/CBDTP</a>.</i></p><p><i>The hearings also will be accessible online at <a href="http://mta.info/CBDTP">mta.info/CBDTP</a>.
Comments can be submitted online, or by email, mail, fax, or voicemail
message through Monday, March 11. Comments can be submitted in the
following ways:</i></p><p><i>• Online: <a href="http://contact.mta.info/s/forms/CBDTP">contact.mta.info/s/forms/CBDTP</a>;</i></p><p><i>• Email: <a href="mailto:cbdtp.feedback@mtabt.org">cbdtp.feedback@mtabt.org</a>;</i></p><p><i>• Mail: CBD Tolling Program, 2 Broadway, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10004;</i></p><p><i>• Phone: (646) 252-7440; and</i></p><p><i>• Fax: Send to (212) 504-3148 with Attention to CBDTP Team.</i></p><p><i>The MTA said all comments will be afforded equal weight and will be recorded and submitted for review.</i></p>
<p><i>Members
of the public who wish to speak at the hearings are required to
register in advance online, by calling the Public Hearing Hotline at
(646) 252-6777, or in person.</i></p><p><i>Registration will open one week
before the start time of each hearing and will close 30 minutes after
the meeting starts. Speakers will be provided two minutes. American Sign
Language and CART Captioning Services will be available.</i></p><p><i>The
stated purpose of the tolls is to raise $1 billion per year to fund the
MTA’s capital projects budget; and to move traffic congestion and
pollution out of Midtown and Downtown Manhattan by charging tolls for
any vehicle entering the Central Business District at or below 60th
Street.</i></p><p><i>The base rate is $15 per car during peak hours and $24 or
$36 per truck depending on the size. Overnight discounts and other
variations apply.</i></p><p><i>Originally set for April, the implementation could be delayed by any or all of four federal lawsuits that have been filed since.</i></p><p><i> </i></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-45340607322966861462024-02-28T22:55:00.002-05:002024-02-28T22:55:16.364-05:00Caption these congestion pricing tax fauxgressives<p> <img alt="Image" class="css-9pa8cd" draggable="true" height="653" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GHebqfZWoAAxGfx?format=png&name=small" width="614" /></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-13346566370746952802024-02-27T22:22:00.000-05:002024-02-27T22:22:11.017-05:00Small business owner ran a migrant shelter in his basement<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FX3Sq9MiJGc?si=aW2qI6Z84kIy05Sz" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-81125461855360055842024-02-27T06:37:00.002-05:002024-02-27T06:37:15.335-05:00NYC transit yachts are broke<p data-editable="text" data-uri="www.curbed.com/_components/clay-paragraph/instances/clsxmsuvw001z3b7yxq8xknao@published" data-word-count="57"> <img alt="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/b19/b16/ecd745abe635dc3167b88909292b8051a9-nyc-ferry.rhorizontal.w700.jpg" height="427" src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/b19/b16/ecd745abe635dc3167b88909292b8051a9-nyc-ferry.rhorizontal.w700.jpg" width="640" /></p><p data-editable="text" data-uri="www.curbed.com/_components/clay-paragraph/instances/clsxmsuvw001z3b7yxq8xknao@published" data-word-count="57"> <a href="https://www.curbed.com/article/new-york-ferry-hornblower-bankrupt.html?fbclid=IwAR1n3PTYz6OEqgxIzyZ5kbkVcv1Dqk-fzdsqrt3iOO8RJqJRDxXMPGuwZG4_aem_AZ04Nxeno3E0BeqNwKIYYj0A0QdL9JcqB8ECtFAINQENehXuvbojdG-d58Ct7uODtQk" target="_blank">Curbed</a></p><p data-editable="text" data-uri="www.curbed.com/_components/clay-paragraph/instances/clsxmsuvw001z3b7yxq8xknao@published" data-word-count="57"><i>Hornblower
Group, the San Francisco–based company that operates NYC Ferry, filed
for bankruptcy yesterday, claiming it could not manage its roughly $1.2
billion of debt. One of its investors, the private equity firm Strategic
Value Partners, agreed to acquire the company in a debt-for-equity swap
that’s part of a larger restructuring, according to The Wall Street Journal.</i></p>
<p data-editable="text" data-uri="www.curbed.com/_components/clay-paragraph/instances/clsxmsy1l00263b7yshomkcsh@published" data-word-count="88"><i>Hornblower
operates three primary divisions: an Australian company that seems to
be doing well, a ferry and sightseeing division, and a luxury cruise
division, American Queen Voyages. It’s this last unit, which mostly
consists of old-timey paddlewheel riverboats, that Hornblower
representatives in court said was the company’s “Achilles’ heel” that
never recovered from the pandemic, according to Emily Lever of Law360.
The company took on hundreds of millions of dollars in debt after its
revenue dropped to $175 million in 2020 from $690 million just a year
earlier.</i></p>
<p data-editable="text" data-uri="www.curbed.com/_components/clay-paragraph/instances/clsxmsy1n00273b7y6e14jwud@published" data-word-count="175"><i>Exactly
how New York City’s ferry service fits into Hornblower’s restructuring
is unclear. For now, CEO Kevin Rabbitt is adamant that service will not
be affected, claiming the restructuring will allow Hornblower to
eliminate debt unrelated to the ferry system while continuing “record
growth across the five boroughs.” Indeed, a court filing described NYC
Ferry as a bright spot in the company’s portfolio. Just last year
Hornblower re-upped its contract with the Economic Development
Corporation, the city nonprofit that oversees NYC Ferry, at $405 million
over the next five years, with two optional three-year extensions. The
EDC chose Hornblower despite a 2022 audit by comptroller Brad Lander
that put the total taxpayer subsidy for ferry rides in 2021 at $12.88,
nearly double the city’s previous estimate. (A 2019 study
by the Citizens Budget Commission estimated taxpayers contributed ten
times more to each ferry ride than each subway ride and, for a voyage on
the ferry’s Coney Island route, taxpayers covered $24.75.) According to
the EDC, the subsidy has since been reduced to $8.55 per ride.</i></p>
<p data-editable="text" data-uri="www.curbed.com/_components/clay-paragraph/instances/clsxmsy1n00283b7yankz0gtf@published" data-word-count="121"><i>Hornblower originally won the NYC Ferry contract in 2016 in a somewhat controversial deal. According to The City,
Hornblower beat out a team of three local ferry operators, but
Hornblower’s underbid came with a hidden cost. While the local operators
had proposed using their own armada of water taxis, Hornblower asked
taxpayers to front $232 million to buy 38 vessels and an additional $137
million at a later date for more boats. A spokesperson for the EDC at
the time justified the arrangement, in part, by saying it was smart for
the city to own its vessels — logic that flies in the face of the old
adage that a boat is a hole in the water you throw money into.</i></p><p><i> </i></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-46758498764088628062024-02-23T07:56:00.004-05:002024-02-23T07:56:36.700-05:00Sacrificing life and limb for housing equity<p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> </i><img alt="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b9ffe0f1137a680c2c08250/2a9ce6ff-1739-4e29-ae99-a732d2916509/IMG_6185.jpeg?format=2500w" class="shrinkToFit" height="417" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b9ffe0f1137a680c2c08250/2a9ce6ff-1739-4e29-ae99-a732d2916509/IMG_6185.jpeg?format=2500w" width="556" /></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> </i><a href="https://queenseagle.com/all/2024/2/21/worker-injured-at-rockaway-construction-site-already-under-scrutiny" target="_blank">Queens Eagle</a><i></i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Another worker was injured at the construction site of a Rockaway affordable housing development being run by a construction company that lawmakers in January demanded be taken off the project, the Eagle has learned. </i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Earlier this month, a construction worker contractor Joy Construction was injured while working on building Edgemere Commons, a planned affordable housing development in the Edgemere section of the Rockaway peninsula.</i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The city’s Department of Building’s later found that the site’s safety coordinator had recently fallen out of compliance with their licensing, which had expired. </i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>In January, several elected officials rallied at the site, calling on Joy Construction to be removed from the project due to a previous history of worksite incidents at other developments and because of a separate worker injury at Edgemere Commons. </i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>On Feb. 8, DOB inspectors were called to the worksite, located at 5119 Beach Channel Drive, to investigate reports of a worker injury, according to the Department of Buildings. </i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>At the site, it was determined a worker fell off a ladder after a harness they were wearing caught on a handrail. </i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The worker sustained minor injuries and complained of back pain, and was transported by an ambulance to a local hospital. DOB further determined that all required safeguards were in place, and they found no unsafe conditions at the scene at the time of their inspection.</i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>However, while on site for the injury, DOB found that the site safety coordinator’s license had expired about a week prior and that the coordinator had not properly renewed their license.</i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>A Stop Work Order was put in place by the Department of Buildings. The order was eventually lifted four days later when Joy brought in a new site safety coordinator for the job.</i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“I hate to say I told you so,” said Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson, who rallied against the contractor in January. “Unfortunately, I am disappointed by the news of this injured worker and the discovery of an expired site safety license, which prompted a Stop Work Order, but I am not surprised. </i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“Joy Construction has a troubled and well-documented history of criminal lawsuits, hazardous workplace conditions, and fatal worker injuries,” he added. “At a recent rally, my elected colleagues and I urged the city to remove Joy Construction from the Edgemere Commons project and out of the Rockaways entirely. I wish the injured worker a full and speedy recovery and will continue to demand accountability and fight for workers’ rights, dignity, and safety.”</i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Construction on Edgemere Commons began in May 2022. The project is a $100 million affordable and supportive housing development, which will bring 2,000 affordable homes, retail, community space, medical facilities and outdoor public space on the site formerly occupied by Peninsula Hospital. </i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The first phase of the project, directly adjacent to the construction site in question, was constructed using union workers rather than Joy, a private contractor. </i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>In January, four local elected officials for the Rockaways and Southeast Queens rallied with union members to call for Joy’s removal from the project over the contractor’s recent history of workplace incidents, including an injury at Edgemere Commons in December that resulted in a $10,000 fine after the contractor failed to report the incident. </i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Lawmakers also raised concerns over an incident at a Joy Construction site that left a worker dead at the site of a Bronx project a year earlier. ]</i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“We are demanding that Joy come off of this project,” City Coucilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers said in January. “Joy has an unfortunate track record that has seen many deaths on construction projects where they have not taken enough care and concern for the worker. That is unacceptable.” </i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Not so fast<i>, </i>let's hear some virtue signalling banalties from the Queens Borough Redundancy that won't lead to any fundamental changes for worker safety at the site...</p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> Queens Borough President Donovan Richards was not present at the rally, but said at the time that if issues persist, then a new contractor should be considered. </i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“Queens has been, is and forever will be a union borough — a borough where we uplift, protect and support the working people who make up our organized labor movement,” Richards said. “Safe, plentiful and prosperous union participation in the first phase of Edgemere Commons’ development via Arker Companies reflected that fact, and as we embark on the second phase of the project with Joy Construction, it is my belief that our brothers and sisters in labor should be treated the same way by the contracting company tasked with the job.” </i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“Should those common sense standards not be met as construction continues, then a new contracting company must be brought in to complete the project,” he added. </i></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></p><p><i> </i></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-50687046073012155262024-02-22T08:44:00.006-05:002024-02-22T08:44:56.481-05:00Illegal immigrants, sorry, migrants can't vote in New York City<p><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFTlE2g6QlrN_Ig-Z7PMbiWP9azaQZfu7C5hOhNiwUPEXSdqfc-gLnOPZb6kT9LRcBkhdKnn1YQdLQ6vs1Lo7tV_vicaWmBf0hrl-JwCdfVk3BdO5wGzWPiDCfYWUnIYVQN758N5nuTTzeQDX29nhVQbqyGflJp3dQIIzf0aUMTanDrpNohRxDsnMGEU/s4160/223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1872" data-original-width="4160" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFTlE2g6QlrN_Ig-Z7PMbiWP9azaQZfu7C5hOhNiwUPEXSdqfc-gLnOPZb6kT9LRcBkhdKnn1YQdLQ6vs1Lo7tV_vicaWmBf0hrl-JwCdfVk3BdO5wGzWPiDCfYWUnIYVQN758N5nuTTzeQDX29nhVQbqyGflJp3dQIIzf0aUMTanDrpNohRxDsnMGEU/w656-h295/223.jpg" width="656" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Migrants waiting for lodging in a public realm at Herald Square-photo by JQ LLC<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p> </p><p> <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4482097-appeals-court-nyc-law-allowing-noncitizens-vote-local-elections-violates-state-constitution/" target="_blank">The Hill</a></p><p><i>A New York appeals court ruled Wednesday that a law allowing
noncitizens to vote in local elections in New York City violates the
state’s constitution.</i></p>
<p><i>The Appellate Division for the Second Judicial Department ruled
against the bill allowing noncitizens to vote in local New York City
elections, including for mayor, in a 3-1 decision released Wednesday. The New York City Council approved the bill in 2021, which quickly faced a lawsuit challenging the law after Mayor <span class="person-popover" data-nid="90525">Eric Adams </span>(D) enacted it in 2022.</i></p>
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<p><i>“This case concerns the validity of Local Law No. 11 (2022) of City
of New York, which created a new class of voters eligible to vote in
municipal elections consisting of individuals who are not United States
citizens and who meet certain enumerated criteria,” Associate Justice
Paul Wooten wrote in the appeals court decision.</i></p>
<p><i>“We determine that this local law was enacted in violation of the New
York State Constitution and Municipal Home Rule Law, and thus, must be
declared null and void,” he added.</i></p>
<p><i>This delivered a win for those who filed a lawsuit against the bill, including Rep. <span class="person-popover" data-nid="91702">Nicole Malliotakis </span>(R-N.Y.), who celebrated the news on X, formerly Twitter.</i></p>
<p><i>“Great news! We won in the appellate court and @NYCMayor’s attempt to
implement the law to register noncitizens to vote in #NYC elections has
been struck down. This is a big victory in preserving both the
integrity of our elections & the voice of American citizens!” she
said.</i></p>
<p><i>Others who joined the lawsuit included New York City Council Republican leader <span class="person-popover" data-nid="91133">Joe Borelli,</span> who told Politico it was “an easy case.” Staten Island Borough President <span class="person-popover" data-nid="14078">Vito Fossella </span>was also listed as a plaintiff in the case.</i></p>
<p><i>“All they had to do was read the state constitution and municipal
law. The criticism falls on the proponents of the bill,” Borelli told
Politico.</i></p>
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<p><i>A New York Supreme Court justice also ruled in 2022 that the law violated the state’s constitution. The law would have allowed an estimated 800,000 noncitizens to vote in New York City if it was enacted, according to The Associated Press.</i></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-56603244872545697452024-02-21T09:04:00.001-05:002024-02-21T09:04:05.367-05:00Vaccine reparations<p><i> </i><img alt="https://www.rockawave.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/1_A-1024x620.jpg" height="388" src="https://www.rockawave.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/1_A-1024x620.jpg" width="640" /></p><p><i> <span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.rockawave.com/articles/councilwoman-ariola-co-sponsors-resolution-to-reinstate-unvaccinated-city-workers/" target="_blank">Rockawave</a></span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">The New York City Council’s Common Sense
Caucus gathered on the steps of City Hall with unvaccinated city
workers last week to introduce a resolution supporting state legislation
that would reinstate all city employees who were fired for not
complying with the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Co-sponsored by NYC Councilwoman
Joann Ariola and Minority Leader Joseph Borelli, the resolution, while
non-binding and unlikely to be passed by the full Council, advocates for
the passage of S7466A, the senate bill sponsored by NYS Senator Andrew
J. Lanza.</span></i>
</p><p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We’ve gathered here today
because for the past two years, thousands of hard-working New Yorkers
have been prevented from working at their jobs, jobs that they love,”
Ariola said. “All for refusing to take the vaccine, a vaccine that is no
longer mandated.”</span></i>
</p><p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Last week’s rally took place on
Thursday, Feb. 8, which marked the first anniversary since the city
ended the vaccine mandate for public and private sector workers. Yet
despite the mandate being lifted, many of the 1,700 fired city workers
have still not returned to work due to a waiver requirement that forces
them to forfeit their civil service rights and rights to back pay in
exchange for their jobs back.</span></i>
</p><p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“A piece of paper is all that
stands between them and going back to work, going back to work in a city
that is seriously under headcount in all of our essential services, as
well as our educational services and our first responders,” Ariola
added. “These are men and women we must get back to work. They have been
wrongfully removed from their positions.”</span></i>
</p><p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Throughout the rally, numerous
city workers who lost their jobs due to the mandate spoke of their
experiences as well as those of their colleagues.</span></i>
</p><p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Michael Kane of the Teachers For
Choice recalled how unvaccinated city workers felt isolated when the
mandate was first rolled out two years ago, adding that they were often
called names and ostracized for their decision to not take the COVID-19
vaccine.</span></i>
</p><p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“In the beginning, we were
alone,” said Kane, a teacher of 15 years. “But history, while it turns
at a long and winding road, it bends in the direction of truth. That’s
where we’re headed now,” he added. “We’re suing because we were
discriminated against because of our sincerely-held religious beliefs.”</span></i>
</p><p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sal Maita of the Bravest For
Choice echoed Kane’s remarks, adding that the goal of their movement is
to appeal to the “humanity” of Mayor Eric Adams, the Department of
Citywide Administrative Services, the Law Department, and elected
officials on both sides of the aisle in hopes that it will inspire them
to reinstate city workers without barriers like the waiver.</span></i>
</p><p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It is now over two years since
the pandemic propagated a scourge and a purge that turned our lives
upside down,” said Maita, an FDNY firefighter of 15 years. “We must
continue to fight. If we don’t, there’s other things coming down the
line.”</span></i>
</p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-10424751622202756322024-02-21T07:24:00.002-05:002024-02-21T07:24:43.823-05:00Where in the world's borough is Jenifer Rajkumar?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGKU-Ll6xKNdJFsNlw88XMKaHY0Fs8YYEQdpUZAwTmr4ceBhdoAvlwmZ5ZOH7jVg9NtPsflCoDPpPqpeTWDvveHLRHgGs0kVAfSTvFqJw1NDn4ZrYByjah-y82eee1CK4_iI8-Uumz8EMIkxdGNlNQ4nc-8KAD-zABxXS7DeOyaiYZvK5Y5ZEFaC59FM/s4160/150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGKU-Ll6xKNdJFsNlw88XMKaHY0Fs8YYEQdpUZAwTmr4ceBhdoAvlwmZ5ZOH7jVg9NtPsflCoDPpPqpeTWDvveHLRHgGs0kVAfSTvFqJw1NDn4ZrYByjah-y82eee1CK4_iI8-Uumz8EMIkxdGNlNQ4nc-8KAD-zABxXS7DeOyaiYZvK5Y5ZEFaC59FM/w640-h360/150.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://qns.com/2024/02/assemblywoman-rajkumar-clashes-community-board-member-presence-district/" target="_blank">QNS</a> <p></p><p><i> Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar firmly addressed a member of Community Board 9
last week at their monthly meeting on Thursday, Feb. 15, responding to
critical comments regarding her alleged lack of presence in the district
and her frequent appearances alongside Mayor Eric Adams.</i></p>
<p><i>The community board member Victor Starsky, rebuked by Assemblywoman
Rajkumar, initially voiced his concerns to Rajkumar’s chief of staff
during the 102nd Precinct Community Council Meeting earlier this month.</i></p><div class="emp-ad-article-leaderboard" id="emp-0cb04" style="text-align: center;">
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<p><i>While Starsky admitted to having been particularly forthright with
the staffer during the community council meeting, he also represented
the wider concerns of a few others in raising questions about Rajkumar’s
involvement and presence in the community.</i></p><div class="amp-action" id="emp-2fd65" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<p><i>Starsky asked a series of questions to the legislator’s staffer that
placed the Assemblywoman’s recent actions under question and caused
Rajkumar to go on the defensive.
</i></p><p><i>“Is Jenifer still on the Mayor’s payroll?” Starsky first asked Rajkumar’s Chief of Staff.
</i></p><p><i>Rajkumar’s Chief of Staff refuted Starsky’s sentiments,
clarifying the Assemblywoman has never been on the Mayor’s payroll and
further explaining the Mayor is a political ally to Rajkumar.</i></p>
<p><i>Shortly thereafter, Starsky went on to further explain that his upset
with the legislator comes from wanting her further involved and seen in
the community — a point he brought up again at the community board
meeting.</i></p>
<p><i>“The point that I’m bringing up is, where in the world is Carmen
Sandiego?” Starsky asked. “She’s in Staten Island. She’s in the Bronx.
She’s with the Rats Czar. She’s with the Mayor, she’s with the Mayor,
she’s with the Mayor. She should be in our community, here.”</i></p><div class="ad-container embedded-ad-container">
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<p><i>Starsky’s reference to ‘Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?’ is
meant to compare Rajkumar to the fictional character of Carmen Sandiego
who, in the game, tv show, and book series, is a spy dressed in red that
is chased across the world.</i></p>
<p><i>Rajkumar had this to say about Starsky’s questioning:
</i></p><p><i>“I love town halls where I can hear from all people. I applaud
Mr. Starsky for expressing himself freely. That is what makes us the
greatest democracy in the world. Mr. Starsky is right: I am everywhere,
just like Carmen Sandiego. There is a reason I won my seat by the
largest margin of any challenger in the entire state,” Rajkumar shared
in a statement to QNS. “I have used my reach across the city and state
to bring the people of my district the resources they need. I serve my
constituents 24/7 because it is my passion. I am proud to have brought
unprecedented energy to my district. This is just kind of energetic and
effective leadership the people of my district deserve.”</i></p><p><i>During the board meeting, Rajkumar shut down Starsky whenever he
tried to speak during her designated time slot, standing up for her
staff and citing the ample time he had used with her chief of staff in
their last conversation.</i></p>
<p><i>Rajkumar reminded Starsky that her victory in nabbing the Assembly
seat came at one of the highest voter turnouts in the district and her
connection with the Mayor helps brings resources to her district.</i></p>
<p><i>“I think that the way you’re spinning this is not correct,” Rajkumar
told Starsky. “I think that I love my job. As you know, I work at this
24/7. And that’s the energy that an elected official should have. You
want a real leader here.”</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-90786691531434937172024-02-20T20:49:00.001-05:002024-02-20T20:49:38.791-05:00The Thin Blue Dance Line <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mj0pc5En9zw?si=1XU4bC7gtMbO48RX" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p> </p><p><a href="https://babylonbee.com/news/terrified-mugger-flees-as-nypd-dance-squad-arrives">Babylon Bee</a> </p><p><i> An alleged mugger is still believed to be at large in the city today
after fleeing the scene of the crime as soon as the New York Police
Department Dance Squad arrived.</i></p><p><i>The incident, which authorities
believe to have occurred early this afternoon near Midtown Manhattan,
was still in progress when witnesses say the perpetrator saw the NYPD
Dance Squad approaching, causing the aggressor to break off his attack
and run away in terror.</i></p><p><i>"He took off once he saw the dancers got
here," one eyewitness said. "It was obvious that he wanted no part of
them. Honestly, who can blame him? If I saw that group rolling up toward
me, I'd want to get as far away from them as I could. I've never seen
such a strong crime deterrent."</i></p><p><i>As word of the NYPD Dance Squad
has continued to spread throughout the city's underworld, officials
reported a noticeable decrease in criminal activity. "It's had a
surprising effect on crime," said an NYPD source. "The mere mention of
the dance squad sends criminals scrambling away in horror. We told the
inmates at one of our local detention centers that we'd bring the
dancers in if they didn't shape up, and we've never seen such model
behavior."</i></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-16263401693791512222024-02-20T05:44:00.003-05:002024-02-20T05:44:58.466-05:00Mayor Adams's migrant debit card debacle<p><i> </i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARiDOc2ppJiMNQPoXuv1trLrBn2yo8-RpW2muFMkzRasZuiOdOSzyZNo1qCBkVVVliNjy5HU78Z8_0DoDesNCDZsNU2Td_eCpzjpKRWDEkXgKVNmEpdIzVtgVUIZNWTnrQ_TJdTyipsu1A0SPcTOA1RB23CzKr-JJUcY2HLPZ4XMJwFH9lAEc-S5eoFY/s512/433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="288" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARiDOc2ppJiMNQPoXuv1trLrBn2yo8-RpW2muFMkzRasZuiOdOSzyZNo1qCBkVVVliNjy5HU78Z8_0DoDesNCDZsNU2Td_eCpzjpKRWDEkXgKVNmEpdIzVtgVUIZNWTnrQ_TJdTyipsu1A0SPcTOA1RB23CzKr-JJUcY2HLPZ4XMJwFH9lAEc-S5eoFY/w360-h640/433.jpg" width="360" /></a></i></div><i><br /></i><p></p><p><i> </i><a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/19/opinion/inside-mayor-adams-migrant-debit-card-boondoggle-no-bid-bank-gets-50-million-border-crossers-up-to-10000-each/" target="_blank">NY Post</a><i></i></p><p><i>It takes money to make money, as the old saying goes, and,
apparently, it also takes money — as much as $53 million — to give money
away.</i></p>
<p><i>Earlier this month, The Post broke the story that Mayor Adams is giving out pre-paid cash cards to migrants.</i></p>
<p><i>Unusually for the mayor, Adams didn’t publicize this story himself,
and his administration has for nearly a month failed to correct several public misperceptions about it.</i></p>
<p><i>One misperception is that the program allows the city to give out just $50 million to migrants.</i></p>
<p><i>No wonder the mayor has been reticent.</i></p>
<p><i>This debit-card program — if you read the actual contract — has the
potential to become an open-ended, multi-billion-dollar Bermuda Triangle
of disappearing, untraceable cash, used for any purpose.</i></p>
<p><i>It will give migrants up to $10,000 each in taxpayer money with no ID check, no restrictions and no fraud control.</i></p><p><i>When The Post exposed the mayor’s debit-card program earlier this
month, the mayor’s office spun it as a money-saving program, to solve a
problem: migrants staying in hotels don’t eat all their food.</i></p><p><i>DocGo, the city’s no-bid “emergency” contractor to provide migrants with three meals a day, throws away up to 5,000 meals daily, wasting $7.2 million a year.</i></p>
<p><i>Some food is inedible — expired or rotten — and other food doesn’t meet migrants’ dietary needs.</i></p>
<p><i>Providing mass-scale meals competently and with options for specific
needs — halal, kosher, vegan, non-gluten — isn’t that hard: the school
system does it, airlines do it, hospitals and jails do it.</i></p>
<p><i>It wouldn’t be that difficult for the city to solve this problem:
on-site city auditors could refuse to pay for meals that are objectively
inedible, with visible mold, for example, or with expired labeling.</i></p>
<p><i>Instead of assuring that it’s existing no-bid “emergency” contractor
fulfills its duty to provide edible food, however, the Adams
administration has solved its problem by retaining a new no-bid
“emergency” contractor — to provide a service with far more scope for
waste, fraud, and abuse than stale sandwiches: giving out potentially
billions of dollars of hard cash, few questions asked.</i></p>
<p><i>Which vendors did the city’s Housing Preservation & Development
consider for this contract, as qualified to provide this complex
financial service?</i></p>
<p><i>New York City is home to hundreds of top-tier financial-services and
public-benefits providers, a dream of a competitive bidding pool, to
ensure that the city gets a good price, as well as strong protections
against fraud and abuse.</i></p>
<p><i>But HPD considered only one: Newark-based Mobility Capital Finance, which also has an office in Harlem.</i></p>
<p><i>MoCaFi was founded by Wole Coaxum, a former managing director at
JPMorgan Chase, who said the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in
2014 inspired him to serve the “underbanked” and “narrow the racial
wealth gap.”</i></p><p><i>How did HPD choose Mobility Capital? The contract makes it quite clear: MoCaFi was “referred to HPD by City Hall.”</i></p>
<p><i>What kind of experience did MoCaFi bring to this complex endeavor?</i></p>
<p><i>None. As HPD helpfully notes, on a “listing of prior / related
emergency large contracts,” MoCaFi is “a new provider of emergency
services for HPD.”</i></p>
<p><i>MoCaFi’s only city experience, HPD notes, is small-scale support of the city’s participatory-budget program.</i></p>
<p><i>The company’s broader nationwide experience is as a “platform” for
pre-paid third-party debit cards and bank accounts, marketed to
minorities.</i></p><p><i>The only clue is from a stray off-the-cuff comment Adams made at a reception earlier this month,
calling MoCaFi a minority business “that we met on the campaign trail. .
. . Little did we know that God is going to say there’s going to be a
crisis, you’re going to have to meet them. . . . And it’s going to cost
us money” to “put investment . . . in our community.”</i></p><p><i> </i><i>A year ago, the Adams administration was already eager to find something for MoCaFi to do.</i></p><p><i>Last year, the director of the mayor’s fund to advance New York City — a slush fund powered by anonymous private donors
— raised at one of the fund’s board meetings the concept of “an
upcoming partnership with the mayor’s office . . . and MoCaFi . . . on a
universal basic income project”: that is, giving poorer New Yorkers
(not migrants) cash.</i></p><p><i> </i><i>Coaxum seems to have become part of the mayor’s orbit, and even
provided a quote to an official City Hall press release praising Adams’
founding of a new “Office of Engagement.”</i></p><p><i> </i></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-615320568642600302024-02-19T11:30:00.000-05:002024-02-19T11:30:02.129-05:00Transportation Nihilists and Delinquents<p> <img alt="Image" class="css-9pa8cd" draggable="true" height="425" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F_0J2QXXIAAKjnB?format=jpg&name=240x240" width="498" /></p><p><a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/17/us-news/nyc-transportation-honchos-rack-up-speed-camera-tickets/" target="_blank">NY Post</a> </p><p><i> Two of the Big Apple’s top transportation honchos — known for talking
tough at traffic scofflaws — need speed themselves, data reviewed by
The Post reveals. </i>
</p><p><i>Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez and his
baby mama Christina Melendez, a top director at the Department of
Education, have racked up a staggering 66 traffic violations totaling at
least $5,600 in fines the past decade using the same vehicle –
including 14 since 2019 for speeding in school safety zones, according
to city records. </i></p>
<p><i>The chair of the City Council’s Transportation Committee,
Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers (D-Queens), has cruised in a family
car that racked up 25 tickets over the past 16 months, including 20 for
speeding near schools and another for blowing a red light, records show. </i></p><p><i> It’s unclear how many of the summonses were handed out on Melendez’s Nissan Rogue when Rodriguez was behind the wheel. </i>
</p><p><i>As DOT commissioner for the past two years, he’s enjoyed the perk of having a city vehicle that comes with an assigned driver.</i></p><p><i>“Ydanis Rodriquez, who gets chauffeured in a giant SUV, and Selvena
Brooks-Powers are prime examples of ‘do as I say, not as I do,'” fumed
Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens).</i></p>
<p><i>They’re “hypocrites who act as if laws don’t apply to them,” he added. </i></p><p><i>Other lefty pols with a long history of being speed demons who’ve racked up plenty of traffic violations include Comptroller Brad Lander, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.</i></p>
<p><i>Rodriguez regularly drove Melendez’s Nissan to work at City Hall when
he was a Manhattan councilman — even obtaining a parking placard for it
— but he and his former domestic partner, who share two daughters, have
since split, according to sources. </i></p><p><i>The vehicle was slapped with six speeding tickets during the final
five months leading up to Rodriguez’s January 2022 appointment by Mayor
Adams as DOT commissioner.</i></p>
<p><i>Since then, the Nissan has received six parking tickets – including
two for misusing a parking permit—and was caught speeding in July and
November of last year. </i></p><p><i>On March 2, 2023, the vehicle was slapped with two tickets
totaling $160 for illegally parking in a spot in lower Manhattan on
Warren Street reserved for state senators and assembly members. </i></p>
<p><i>The traffic agent noted in the tickets that the car was flashing
a Department of Education parking permit. Melendez works nearby as the
DOE’s $195,000-a-year executive director of Family and Community
Engagement. </i></p>
<p><i>A Post photographer on Thursday spotted Melendez getting into the vehicle, which was illegally parked </i></p><p><i>Rodriguez, who has cheered congestion pricing and speed cameras and has helped promote City Hall’s anti-car agenda, earns $243,171 and now gets a free ride to work in a city vehicle. </i></p>
<p><i>He has not driven his ex’s car since being appointed commissioner two
years ago “and is confident he has not received any [traffic]
violations in this role,” said DOT spokesman Vincent Barone.</i></p>
<p><i>The DOE and Melendez declined to comment.</i></p>
<p><i>Brooks-Powers has been a longtime proponent of using speed cameras to help curb traffic accidents and has pushed legislation seeking to reward New Yorkers who report hit-and-run drivers fleeing deadly crashes. </i></p>
<p><i>However, a 2019 Nissan the pol has said she shares with her husband Demetrius
Powers II racked up 25 tickets totaling $1,395 in fines since September
2022 — including the 20-speed cam violations, records show. </i></p><p><i> </i><img alt="Image" class="css-9pa8cd" draggable="true" height="356" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F_0tEzcWsAALAvb?format=jpg&name=4096x4096" width="633" /></p><p> <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/17/us-news/fuming-travis-kelce-image-fueling-nycs-anti-car-agenda/" target="_blank">NY Post</a><i></i></p><p><i>Some New York City agencies are using the viral image of Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce screaming at head coach Andy Reid during the Super Bowl to push their policy agendas.</i></p>
<p><i>“OUTDOOR DINING TAKES UP LESS THAN .5% OF STREET PARKING IN NEW YORK
CITY. PUBLIC SPACE IS FOR EVERYONE, NOT JUST CARS,” posted the city Department of Transportation Monday on X, along with a photo of Kelce jawing on the sidelines at a stone-faced Reid.</i></p>
<p><i>Some critics slammed DOT for using the photo of Taylor
Swift’s boyfriend barking at his coach to drive home anti-car policies
advocated by Transportation Alternatives and other advocacy groups.</i></p><p><i>“Instead of focusing on filling potholes and installing speed bumps
in a timely manner, the DOT prefers to tweet nonsense that New Yorkers
couldn’t care less about,” fumed Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens).
“<b>The Department of Transportation Alternatives</b> needs a major change in
leadership.”</i></p>
<p><i>DOT spokesman Nick Benson quipped that he’s “notoriously bad at lip
reading, but I think it’s a safe assumption that Travis Kelce was
vociferously expressing his support for outdoor dining in New York City.”</i></p><p>The guy photographed above is Vin Barone<i>, </i>he's in charge of media at the<i> </i>Department Of Transportation Alternatives which includes their obnoxious twitter account (which is also stupidly known as X).<br /></p><br /><p><i> </i></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013383690175122264.post-82375133215864307492024-02-19T08:53:00.005-05:002024-02-19T08:53:59.245-05:00Happy President's Day from Queens<p> <img alt="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.vanityfair.com%2Fphotos%2F626c5735e9997d9f5fa12621%2Fmaster%2Fw_2560%252Cc_limit%2F578546876&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=c9a2a098097ec802543281752e5776c66aaf4273661be3e61232eeedd1f8c4be&ipo=images" class="shrinkToFit" height="350" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.vanityfair.com%2Fphotos%2F626c5735e9997d9f5fa12621%2Fmaster%2Fw_2560%252Cc_limit%2F578546876&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=c9a2a098097ec802543281752e5776c66aaf4273661be3e61232eeedd1f8c4be&ipo=images" width="524" /></p>JQ LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203861642095498340noreply@blogger.com15