Dear John,
Summer’s over, and we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming! Before we get going, we’re going to start something new at the top of our newsletter. We got some feedback that it would be helpful to have a short roundup at the start of the email to let people know the highlights. We sincerely appreciate any and all feedback, so please keep it coming!
- The Speaker gave each Council Member $100,000 to spend on public safety initiatives; read more in the next section about what we funded.
- COVID-19 and MPX numbers are down across the City, and we should have guidance on when to get a new Omicron-specific booster soon.
- One of our neighbors requested we give a shout-out to Mars Laundromat on 6th Avenue for their amazing greenery! Check out our little blurb about Tim and his garden down below.
- Flu season is coming up, so be sure to get your shot to be healthy this Fall.
Public Safety Initiatives
At the start of budget season, Speaker Adams announced a new Council initiative to fund holistic public safety programs in each of the 51 Council districts. Each member received $100K to support organizations working to make our communities safer through funding non-carceral programs. Our City already spends over $11 billion a year on policing, and yet concerns of safety have persisted. We know that by investing in care, not cages, we can truly be safe and build stronger communities. My tea identified seven organizations, all either located within District 39 or serving communities in our district specifically, with incredible programming that, with this new funding, will be able to serve even more people in our City. I’m proud to say each organization we awarded funding to focuses on supporting survivors of violence, young people, and immigrants.
- First up is the Arab-American Family Support Center’s Restorative Justice Responses to Intimate Partner Violence Project. This program will hold support groups, healing circles, and counseling for domestic violence survivors to help repair trauma, prevent future harm and ensure community safety without the NYPD.
- Next up is funding for the Center for Anti-Violence Education’s upstander workshops. Workshops are interactive, address a range of concerns, and participants walk away with helpful de-escalation skills they can use in real life. This program is open to anyone looking for tools to prevent and disrupt violence in their community.
- We also ensured that the Beam Center will receive funding to support their apprenticeship training program. I believe professional development for our young people is key to making our City safer in addressing the root causes of crime like poverty and joblessness. This apprenticeship program focuses on work readiness skills and provides young people with valuable economic pathways to success at an early age.
- I’m also proud we secured funding for the Center for Court Innovation’s Driver Accountability Program. This program is an innovative response to driving-related offenses that seeks to improve traffic safety and increase accountability among dangerous drivers without turning to the police.
- Through this new funding stream, we were able to secure money for Brooklyn Legal Services to help our neighbors access free, high-quality legal services to preserve affordable housing and prevent displacement. We know part of the solution to our public safety issues is to secure housing for everyone, and Brooklyn Legal Services is at the forefront of the fight to ensure that happens.
- We’re also funding 826 NYC’s Young Writers Publish Program! This amazing program creates space for students to collaborate with educators outside of the classroom on creative and impactful projects. This work can transform students into published authors and is exactly the kind of critical cultural programming that is essential to safe and healthy communities!
- Last but not least is funding for the Street Vendor Project’s Community Outreach and Education Program. This project conducts multilingual outreach to street vendors in order to share information on legal rights, public health guidance, as well as immigration help for those who need it.
COVID-19 & MPX
On the COVID-19 front, cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to drop across the City. Deaths remain low, the caseload seems to be under control, but hospitalizations remain concerningly high, so I would still exercise caution when possible. On the vaccination front, the FDA approved the new Omicron-specific booster, and we should see CDC’s guidance on when to get your next shot. It’s also good to mention here that, like COVID-19, waves of the flu are seasonal, and it’s a good time to sign up to get your flu shot.
On the MPX front, our City has surpassed 3000 cases (with almost 19,000 nationwide), continuing to make us the global epicenter of this outbreak. The good news is that we’ve seen a serious decline in cases across the City, in part thanks to our City’s vaccination program. Second dose appointments will be available 10 weeks after the initial doses, so if you have your first shot, register for your second one here.
Community Highlight - Mars Laundromat
Tim Ho has been managing Mars Laundromat for over ten years now, and in the last five, he’s grown a beautiful garden for the neighbors to enjoy. A few weeks back, a District 39 resident, Tom Otts, nominated Mr. Ho and his green thumb to be highlighted in our newsletter for making the community just a little bit greener. A member of our team stopped by Mars to take a few pictures, and ask Mr. Ho about his garden. He told us that both he and the upstairs tenant take care of the dozens of plants that adorn the sidewalk. If you’re doing laundry on Sunday, you can even catch Mr. Ho outside watering his many plants. His advice: if you want to start your own garden in New York City, make sure you water all your plants well, and summer is the best time to start.
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If you have a business, building, or person you want to see highlighted in our newsletter, please email our Communications Director at [email protected].
Community Bulletin
- Since I took office in January 2022 and, more specifically, in the past few weeks, my office has received hundreds of emails calling for us to make Flatbush Avenue and Grand Army Plaza safer. I want to let you all know that we hear you, and we’re right on board. I meet with DOT monthly, and my staff does weekly to discuss ongoing improvements to both of these prominent streets. I commend our community for their tremendous advocacy and recommend that you all also submit safety concerns through 311 and the DOT so that imminent issues are resolved expeditiously.
- A quick head’s up, NYPD and FDNY will be parking in Prospect Park as part of their operations for the West Indian Day Parade on 9/5. The entrances on Flatbush and Empire will be blocked off partially for vehicle usage.
- Our office is excited to help organize a District 39 community garden get-together on Tuesday, 9/13, from 5:30-7:30 PM at 6/15 Green. If you are a long-time gardener or interested in community gardening, please join us to learn about resources from GreenThumb and make connections with other community gardeners in the neighborhoods of District 39. This will be an event of good vibes, good snacks, and great community! Please RSVP to let us know you are coming.
- Save the date! On Saturday, 9/17, DSNY will return to Park Slope to hold another Sanitation Station on the 4th Street Plaza. Bring your e-waste, take home compost, and shred your old stacks of paper!
- This is a month away, but our office is proud to be hosting the 14th annual PTA 5K Fun Run on 10/22! This beloved event brings together parents, students, and educators to mobilize financial support for our communities’ greatest asset, our public schools. As we get ready for the run, we’re recruiting community members who would like to volunteer to help with activities like face painting or cheering on our runners. More to come on how to sign up in our next newsletter!
- Participatory Budgeting isn't the only way community projects get funded. Because of the advocacy of dedicated neighbors through District 39, our office was proud to commit $1 million to revamp the Greenwood Playground handball courts. Handball is a unique sport that has been bringing New Yorkers together for years. Check out this short documentary by one of our very own neighbors on how impactful the sport has been to so many people.
- As the back-to-school season ramps up, many families are dealing with the added stress of back-to-school shopping. Check out these donateNYC resources if you’re looking to help a family or a classroom or if you need help finding supplies.
- Our friends over at Documented have put together a helpful guide to help asylum seekers navigate the complex shelter and benefits system in our City.
- Learn more about what’s at stake with period tracking apps and privacy in a post-Roe world at this virtual panel hosted by Columbia University’s Mailman School for Public Health.
- DOROT, an NYC nonprofit dedicated to addressing the challenges of an aging population, is currently looking for adults 65+ and high school students to volunteer for GENuine Connections, its virtual intergenerational program, which is expanding to include all five boroughs and become a completely immersive experience. They’ll share their life experiences, benefit from one another’s wisdom, and come to see each other as assets to be treasured. The Fall semester begins 10/19 - adults and teens can apply at this link. High school students will receive community service credit.
- If you or someone you know has a disability, the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled (BCID) can help you. BCID can give advice on housing issues, Social Security/Disability insurance, and Medicaid and connect you with people who have similar disabilities. For more information about how BCID can help you or how to get involved with their advocacy campaigns, call 718-998-3000 during business hours or write to [email protected].
- Calling all musicians! Arts & Democracy is recruiting 10-18-year-old musicians for the Fall session of the 5 PM Porch Music Program. This free program trains students by mentoring musicians on neighborhood porches in Ditmas Park from 9/18-10/16. Arts & Democracy has instruments for students who need them. Please fill out this form to confirm your spot.
In Solidarity,
Shahana
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