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Dear District 39 Constituent,

• Political violence has no place in our society. I condemn the attempt on former President Trump’s life in the strongest possible terms, wish a speedy recovery for those injured, and mourn the life of the rally attendee who was killed.

• As a reminder, our new office is located on the Ground Floor of 197 Bond Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217. To make an appointment, contact our Constituent Services Director Bryan Gross at [email protected]. Appointments are available from Monday-Thursday 10 AM to 4 PM.

• Our Office is sponsoring Camp Friendship’s School Supply Drive! We are soliciting donations from now through August 23rd. See details on desired supplies and drop-off locations here.

• Our office is proud to support the Gowanus Mutual Aid Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, a food access program distributing over 300 bags of regional fruits and veggies every other week to local public housing residents. If you have extra Fresh Direct bags you would like to donate please bring them to our District Office at 197 Bond Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217 between 10 AM and 4 PM from Monday - Thursday. If you would like to get involved with the distributions, your help is welcome and you can sign up here.

• The Sheriff Joint Compliance Task Force (SJCTF) has issued a sealing order and padlocked the following unlicensed cannabis shops in the District: PB on the Slope LLC, located at 435 5th Ave, and Flatbush Smoke Zone Corp, located at 393 Flatbush Ave. We urge further action to crack down on these shops that have proliferated in our neighborhoods. While I support the rollout of legal dispensaries, the boom of illegal shops jeopardizes public health and undermines the legal market. We need proper regulation to keep everyone safe.

• As always, I am in solidarity with municipal retirees in their demand to stop Mayor Adams’s plan to force them off their current healthcare coverage and onto an inferior Medicare Advantage plan. I was proud to join many of my constituents this weekend at the Grand Army Plaza green market to celebrate Medicare’s 59th anniversary. See here for coverage of an exciting recent development and stay tuned for a deep dive into this important issue in next week’s newsletter.

Expense Budget Wins

Each year, my Office allocates $400,000 to community-based organizations that carry out direct services and programming in the district. This year, thanks to our partnership with Speaker Adrienne Adams and the Brooklyn Delegation, we were able to secure an additional $188,750 in funds, for a total of $588,750 coming back to the district. We are incredibly grateful for their collaboration!

For the full list of allocations, see the Council’s Schedule C document here. See some highlights in key issue areas below:

Food Security and Public Health

• Community Health in Park Slope (CHiPS): $30,000 to support food pantry work

• GrowNYC: $25,000 to purchase vegetables from regional New York farms for biweekly distribution to public housing residents, organized by Gowanus Mutual Aid

• Hatzolah: $20,000 to support operating expenses for recruitment, training, equipment, and emergency services provided to the Borough Park Community

• Ezras Nashim: $10,000 to support the all-women EMT corps who meet the emotional and physical needs of Orthodox Jewish women in emergencies

Sanitation and Small Business Services

• Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless: $140,000 for litter pick up in Kensington corridors like Church Avenue and plaza spaces

• Department of Sanitation: $50,000 for District 39 hotspot litter patrol

• Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID: $15,000 for public space management of the 5th Avenue commercial corridor

• Lower East Side Ecology: $10,000 for e-waste collection events in District 39 with community partners

Youth

• New York Sun Works: $30,000 for hydroponic education programming in schools

• Beam Center Inc: $19,000 for work-based learning apprenticeship program for youth

• South Asian Youth Action: $11,500 to support after-school programming at P.S. 230

• John Jay Jaguars: $5,000 for uniforms for all the sports teams at the John Jay Complex

Environmental Justice

• Fifth Avenue Committee: $75,000 for the Gowanus Oversight Task Force, an unprecedented community-driven body ensuring accountability and the implementation of the 56 points of agreement secured to support the Gowanus neighborhood rezoning. This funding is backed by Speaker Adams.

• Prospect Park Alliance: $39,000 to support landscape management to care for the natural areas of Prospect Park

• Gowanus Canal Conservancy: $35,000 for the Gowanus Green Team, which educates and trains local youth on the importance of environmental work in Gowanus

• Big Reuse: $10,000 for tree stewardship events in District 39 to support our urban forest

Immigrant Services

• Fifth Avenue Committee: $50,0000 for adult literacy and computer skills programming for immigrant communities

• Arab-American Family Support Center: $30,000 to support immigrant communities with anti-violence programs and cultural enrichment

• Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts (BIPA): $25,000 to support Bengali arts and language through accessible classes and platforms for emerging artists and performers. This funding is backed by Speaker Adams.

• Mixteca: $20,000 for workforce development for asylum seekers

Community Safety

• Sakhi for South Asian Women: $35,000 to support domestic violence survivors with trauma-informed direct services including a helpline, counseling services, and housing assistance

• Center for Anti-Violence Education: $20,500 for violence interruption and prevention programs

• Justice Innovation: $20,000 for peer-led diversion program for young people ages 10-18 referred by schools, courts, and the police for low level offenses

• New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project: $10,000 for crisis intervention, counseling, empowerment workshops, and legal advocacy

In case you missed it, check out last week’s newsletter for details on the $13,476,000 in capital funding for District 39 that is included in the budget!

Community Bulletin

• See here for information on how to apply year-round City-subsidized care for children five years old or younger.

• One World Project has available spots in its preschool program for the upcoming school year. See the application here and information about financial aid here.

• On Saturday, July 20th at 10 AM, the NYC Bird Alliance, Gowanus Canal Conservancy, Public Housing Community Fund, and NYCHA are hosting a free birding event at Wyckoff Gardens Community Center- 280 Wyckoff Street, Brooklyn, NY. Binoculars and snacks are provided! See details here.

• From July 5 to August 12, G​ trains won’t run between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand Avenues. See details here.

• See here for important updates from DOT on road closures including the following:

  • Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Queens-bound between Atlantic Avenue and Washington Street

    • Single-lane on the mainline and Atlantic Avenue entrance ramp will be closed Monday to Friday from 12:01 AM to 5 AM, Saturday from 1 AM  to 6 AM, and Sunday from 1 AM to 9 AM, through July 31, 2024, to facilitate steel plate removal, asphalt placement, and core extraction and testing.

  • Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Staten Island-bound between Vine Street entrance ramp and Atlantic Avenue

    • Single-lane on the mainline will be closed Tuesday to Friday from 1 AM to 5 AM, Saturday from 1 AM to 6 AM, and Sunday from 1 AM to 9 AM, through July 31, 2024, to facilitate core extraction and testing.

  • Hamilton Avenue Bridge over Gowanus Canal

    • Manhattan-bound lanes will be closed Monday to Friday from 11 PM to 5 AM next morning through August 30, 2024, to facilitate urgent repairs. All traffic will be shifted to Staten Island-bound with two lanes in each direction.

  • Ninth Street Bridge over the Gowanus Canal

    • Single-lane eastbound will be closed and the bridge will be fully closed intermittently for 15 minutes at a time Monday to Friday from 10 PM to 5 AM next morning through August 16, 2024, to facilitate maintenance and repairs.

  • Third Street Bridge over the Gowanus Canal

    • Bridge will be intermittently closed Monday to Friday from 11 PM to 5 AM next morning through August 30, 2024, to facilitate urgent repairs. Motorists are advised to use either Union Street Bridge or the Ninth Street Bridge as an alternate route.

In Solidarity,

Shahana