Task Force Roundtable, Rallies, and Real Questions on Library Cuts

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Hi Friend,
* Our office is supporting Council Member Hudson's Migrant Resource Fair on June 1st– and we need volunteers! Learn more here ([link removed]) .
* We have a new office! We will be ready for in-person appointments on 6/10, more information to come. In the meantime, we are unable to offer in-person appointments with extremely limited exceptions. If you need help, call us at (718) 499-1090 or send us an email at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

Participatory Budgeting (PB) Results

Drum roll, please! The 2024-2025 PB Project Winners Are:

Capital Projects:
* Decades Old High School Bathroom Improvements for John Jay ($300,000)
* Laptops for Community Adult Literacy Program at PS 230 ($100,000)
* Handrails and Lighting for Prospect Park Paths ($750,000)

Expense Projects:
* Farm to Brooklyn: Connect CHiPS to Regional Produce ($20,000)
* Safety Trainings for School Communities ($15,000)
* Send the BCS RoboSharks to the FIRST Robotics Competition ($14,000)

This year we had a turnout of 5,600 District 39ers! Throughout PB Vote Week, I visited poll sites across our district which included Powerhouse Arts in Gowanus, the Windsor Terrace Library, Old Stone House in Park Slope, and Kensington Plaza. It is a joy to see constituents show up to learn about local community projects proposed by their neighbors and add their voices to the conversation on government investments. It was especially exciting to speak about civic engagement with youth as young as 11 years old, who were voting in their first-ever election! Participatory Budgeting is a powerful community exercise in local democracy rooted in the everyday issues and priorities that impact our neighbors, streetscapes, and institutions. Thank YOU for voting!

Budget Hearings Continue - Libraries and Cultural Institutions on the Chopping Block

This week I participated in two important hearings on the Executive Budget that concerned cuts to our libraries and arts and cultural organizations. If the proposed Executive Budget passes as is, it will signify a regression of a decade's worth of hard-won progress for our city. In six weeks, the Brooklyn Public Library will be compelled to reduce services to a mere five days a week in over half of its locations, slash operating hours, shrink collections and programming, and drastically limit hiring while halving part-time staff hours. Such measures are indefensible, especially as we witness a surge in demand for library services in the COVID era and as our city continues to welcome asylum seekers, with visits, program sessions, attendance, and new card applications all up by over 40%. Instead of meeting this heightened and enthusiastic demand, Mayor Adams is defunding our libraries. If these cuts come to fruition, the ramifications are dire: teen programming will suffer a third reduction,
Young Adult Literacy classes will be halved, citizenship classes will be slashed by over 50%, visits to senior centers and nursing homes will drop by 50%, visits to children and families in medical facilities will decrease by 30%, and creative aging classes for older adults will decline by 14%. I am imploring reconsideration of these detrimental proposals to safeguard the invaluable services our libraries provide to our communities.

I am also concerned about cuts to NYC’s cultural organizations proposed in the Executive Budget. As I’ve said before, culture is not a luxury, it’s essential to cultivating a stronger and safer city. I am frustrated that only a small restoration of cuts has been offered which still leaves cultural institutions with a funding gap of more than $60 million, compared to what the City Council is advocating for. At City Hall I joined arts workers and organizations, including District 39 based Arts & Democracy and Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX), and others representing all parts of our city, to rally against these cuts. I will continue to fight for an expansion of critical arts investments.

Task Force to Combat Hate – Jewish-American Heritage Month Roundtable

This week, in our roles as Co-Chairs of the Task Force to Combat Hate, Council Member Dinowitz and I hosted a roundtable with students from NYC high schools in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month. I was especially proud to welcome several students from District 39 schools: Brooklyn Collaborative Studies and Millennium High School.

Our goal for this conversation was to hear from these youth about how they experience being Jewish in their schools and in their communities, with a focus on safety. Students shared encouraging accounts of building community and safe spaces through student clubs led by their peers. I was particularly moved to hear about how at Millennium High School, the Jewish Student Union worked in partnership with the Muslim Student Association following the October 7th, 2023 attacks to issue a joint solidarity statement ([link removed]) . We also heard troubling accounts of antisemitic attacks and bullying that have created an unsafe environment on some school grounds. Another concerning through-line is the overall shortfall of meaningful education in the classroom coming from the school administration about current events. Additionally, many students spoke up about the lack of
non-peer led spaces and interventions to allow them to analyze and process their emotions. Representation of heritage and history in school curriculum is also sorely missing. Civil discourse, debate, and learning in our schools should be encouraged alongside teaching students how to navigate the news, both from traditional publications and social media.

These insights will help guide the Task Force to propose trauma-informed policy and funding recommendations for school programming and initiatives to address safety and create a more respectful and compassionate school community.

Community Bulletin
* Get your vote in for “The People’s Money!” Now through June 12th, all New Yorkers over 11 have the opportunity to vote on a ballot for their home borough on how to spend over $3 Million! Vote online ([link removed]) or by paper ballots that will be available citywide at sites listed on Participate.nyc.gov ([link removed]) .
* Join Fifth Ave Committee at Brooklyn Public Library for a workshop on the Rent Guidelines Board and knowing your rights as a rent-stabilized tenant – learn more here ([link removed]) .
* Brooklyn Org is currently accepting applications to support nonprofits that are doing impactful work in Brooklyn – learn more and apply here ([link removed]) .
* The NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) is hosting a NYC Small Business Month Expo to provide a variety of free information, resources, and direct services – sign up here ([link removed]) .

In Solidarity,

Shahana
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