Dear John,
I want to take a quick moment to talk about the recent Hurricane in Puerto Rico. For the second time in five years, residents have been forced to deal with widespread power outages and flooding. Provisions of major resources have exacerbated this crisis to new levels, and right now, people need help. We put together a quick thread on the organizations we recommend you direct your donations to. Now for your headlines.
- Our next Neighborhood Assembly for Participatory Budgeting is Tuesday, October 11th, at the Carroll Gardens Library! RSVP to let us know you’re coming.
- Not able to make it to a Neighborhood Assembly? You can still submit an idea online until October 17th.
- No MPX or COVID-19 updates; just remember to get your new booster!
- As more buses arrive at the Port Authority each week, the asylum seeker influx continues to grow. Read more below.
Asylum Seeker Situation
As of this week, over 13,000 asylum seekers have come to our City. Some have come here of their own free will, but many have been inhumanely bussed from the southern border by the callous Texas Governor Abbott. Using people as political pawns, thousands of people have been dropped off at the Port Authority, with many unaware of why they are here. As your Council Member and your Chair of the Immigration Committee, I want to give you an update on the situation.
Right now, we’re seeing a steady increase in buses. Last month, it was 3-4 a day, and now we’re seeing between 8-10, which cumulatively hold 300-400 people. Most of the migrants are coming in from Venezuela, but we have seen people from all over the world. I, myself, have been at the Port Authority on multiple mornings welcoming people and delivering essential resources while observing how our City agencies are responding.
Most people are triaged at the Port Authority and sent into the City’s shelter system (around a third of those in the shelter system are in Brooklyn). We estimate a third of people arriving have connections in New York City, a third have connections in other cities across the country, and the remaining third have no connections at all. For those with connections, the City works to get them connected with friends, families, or a bus/plane ticket to their final destination. There is also a new “Navigation Center” in midtown where people can go to obtain health, legal, and other critical resources free of charge.
We also received disturbing reports this week that the Mayor plans to open what can only be described as a refugee camp in a beach parking lot in the Bronx. One on hand, it seems we do need a transient space for those who need short-term housing while they are connected to family and resources outside of the shelter system. With the City poised to accept as many as another 50,000 asylum seekers before the end of the year, our shelter capacity will run out, and we need to make beds available for those that need long-term support. But this facility is a misguided attempt to meet the problem. We have dozens of facilities across the City that could serve the needed purpose, but it appears the Mayor is more concerned with convention halls hosting business expos than helping immigrants. Furthermore, after the Mayor’s comments on “reassessing the right to shelter”, I have deep concerns that the existence of this facility will be used to circumvent the essential right mandated by State law to a bed and other minimum standards that everyone in our State is guaranteed. I’ll be holding a hearing with the Immigration Committee this upcoming Friday, 9/30, at 1PM where I plan to question the Mayor’s Office Of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) and New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM), one of the key agencies involved in the construction of this proposed facility, to get to the bottom of what’s going on. The hearing will be live-streamed here on the “City Hall, Council Chambers” channel.
Climate Week Recap
This past week was Climate Week in New York City, and our office was happy to stay on theme! On Monday, 9/19, we released an op-ed in City Limits outlining some of the many infrastructure issues we’ve faced since I took office in January. Most notably, whether it’s been flooding or water main breaks, the pipes and storm surge capacity of our City have fallen into deep disrepair. I was proud to call for a doubling in investment not just to keep our sewer system working but to upgrade it to prevent future storms from overwhelming our infrastructure. On Wednesday, 9/21, we hosted a District 39 Climate Town Hall with scientists and on-the-ground activists to understand the fuller picture of the climate issues in our community and what our neighbors are doing to solve them.
On social media, we released a short thread on Twitter about the work of community garden 6/15 Green and how, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, they turned their efforts to mutual aid. I’d give it a read to understand how issues of environmental justice and social justice are intertwined. Finally, on Friday 9/23, I got into a little trash talk with a composting FAQ to answer all of your burning questions about Intro 244, my bill to bring universal residential composting to our City.
Climate change is a year-round problem that requires year-round solutions. We talk about these issues every week but wanted to take Climate Week to lift them up even higher. If you’re feeling the climate bug, be sure to sign up for a Participatory Budgeting event this year where we’re working to solve our local climate issues with direct democracy!
Community Bulletin
- Please note: there will be no in-person Constituent Services appointments this Wednesday, 9/28 at our office.
- Planned Parenthood of Greater New York is doing everything they can to ensure that patients turning to them for abortion care—from near and far—get compassionate, high-quality care regardless of their zip code, immigration status, or ability to pay. Join them in that effort by attending a volunteer night on Thursday, 9/29, between 4-8 PM at 26 Bleecker Street to make after-abortion care kits for PGNY patients!
- Join the Mural Justice Project and PS 295’s Latino Heritage Celebration for the “Freedom to Dream Day” street festival on Saturday, 10/1 from noon to 4 PM on 19th Street between 6th and 7th Avenue. “Freedom to Dream Day” is a family-friendly day of excitement and community building with professionally curated art and music stations, dance performances, bouncy castles, and more!
- There will be overnight closures of the entrance ramp from 3rd Avenue and 62nd Street to the Westbound Gowanus Expressway (I-278) on Monday, 9/26, and Tuesday, 9/27, from 11 PM to 5 AM each night due to painting and steel repairs. Please contact [email protected] or (917) 885-1008 for any concerns.
- People 60+ experiencing depression can enroll in a nine-week virtual research program conducted by Weill Cornell Medicine to explore how increasing participation in pleasurable and rewarding activities can lead to improvement in depressive symptoms. Contact (844) 999-8746 ext. 720/714 or [email protected] if you’re interested in enrolling.
- Check out the Carroll Park Shakespeare group’s performance of “Measure for Measure” this upcoming week at the Mark O’Donnell Theater at The Entertainment Community Fund Arts Center!
- September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month! While mental health may be a trending hashtag on social media, there are still many myths and misconceptions surrounding mental health and suicide, and it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. To learn more, join the Samaritans of New York's workshop this Tuesday, 9/29, at 1 PM titled “10 Things You Need To Know About Mental Health + Suicide (but are too afraid to ask.)”
- Motivated, collaborative, and creative teens ages 14-18 who want to share their voice in library decision-making and event planning can now apply to join the Brooklyn Library Youth Council, a stipend opportunity to delve deep into library operations.
- Check out the Citizenshipworks Portal, a free, secure, and online tool to support eligible immigrants through all stages of the citizenship process.
- There will be no parking starting on Monday, 9/26, through the end of the day on Tuesday, 9/27 on 6th Avenue between Lincoln & Berkeley Place on both sides of the street due to temporary paving of the roadway. If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to learn more about this DDC Project, please call the Community Construction Liaison: Niel Patel at [email protected] or (347) 889-5271.
Happy Rosh Hashanah!
Shahana
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