John,

● It’s tax season! Tax returns this year are due on 4/18, and to help you out, the City offers free tax filing tools to those who make under $72,000.

● New Yorkers ages 14 to 24 can now apply to DYCD’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)!

● Voting for Participatory Budgeting is starting in just a few weeks and we need the help of community members to staff voting locations. Sign up here to get involved.

Stated Recap

On Wednesday 3/1, the Council held a long overdue oversight hearing on the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group (SRG). The SRG has long been the NYPD’s frontline shock troopers during peaceful non-violent protests protecting anti-abortion activists, exercising extreme force, putting dozens of New Yorkers in the hospital, and forcing the City to pay out millions in lawsuits. Their over $90 million budget is also shrouded with secrecy. What was most shocking at the hearing was that despite constant delays and rescheduling, the NYPD didn’t even show up! The arrogance and total lack of respect is embarrassing and underscores how important it is to disband this group.

On the legislative front, I was proud to introduce two pieces of legislation related to asylum seekers. While many new arrivals are placed in shelters run by the Department of Homeless Services (DHS), the system has quickly filled up and the Mayor tasked the NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H) and Office of Emergency Management (OEM) with expanding our City’s emergency shelter capacity. These agencies have set up Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRCs) to provide housing, food, and services to asylum seekers. The first one was at Randall’s Island, and at our Immigration Committee hearing on the matter last September, we pushed back on the administration’s plan to warehouse asylum seekers in an outdoor tent city. Our advocacy led the administration to abandon the outdoor tent model for several months, but the Mayor is still pursuing large-scale congregate housing options at the Brooklyn Cruise terminal, where there are 1000 beds in close quarters.

Warehousing people in congregate settings is an inhumane way to treat our newest neighbors and feedback has successfully moved the Mayor to use hotels for additional shelter capacity. However, because the HERRCs are operated by departments outside of DHS, they don’t have to follow the same standards as the DHS shelter system (found in our City’s Right-To-Shelter mandate). This circumvention has legalized unacceptable conditions such as one thousand beds being set up head-to-toe in the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. To correct this, I introduced two pieces of legislation to mandate all HERRCs follow the same standards set in our shelter system and to do a better job of ensuring asylum seekers are informed of their rights to housing in our City. This legislation will ensure New York City lives up to our sanctuary city status, ensuring dignified housing for anyone regardless of their situation.

The Council also passed a suite of bills to address the serious issue of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in electric bikes. As many of you know, these are batteries commonly used for e-bikes, used by many New Yorkers, including delivery workers across the City. Unsafe living and charging conditions have been the spark to start dangerous fires, and I’m glad our Council is beginning to take action. Through a new informational campaign, updated safety standards, and new guidelines around what batteries can be sold, I’m hopeful our City can address this serious issue while also ensuring our hard working deliveristas are supported. This package is just the start, and further action is needed to create a safe and sustainable working environment for these workers including safe battery distribution (Int. 950), a citywide charging infrastructure (Int. 927), and guaranteed paid sick leave (Int. 617).

Finally, I also want to note that the landmark designation for the Lesbian Herstory Archives in Park Slope passed! This historic queer institution in our district has been a hub for gay and lesbian learning, documenting, and archiving for decades. They are a critical part of the beautiful tapestry of our City’s narrative and I’m thrilled that their landmark designation will give them the recognition they so deserve.

Check our twitter thread for more on what was introduced at Stated!

Community Bulletin

● The initial Gowanus Oversight Task Force (GOTF) Public Update Meeting is on 3/29 from 6-8pm at P.S. 032 Samuel Mills Sprole School (420 Union St) and via Zoom. Attend to learn more about the GOTF and its work with City agencies to ensure that the Gowanus rezoning commitments are met.

● The Menstrual Equity Project is a youth movement with the goal of spreading awareness, cultivating action, and enabling change around menstrual product accessibility in District 39 public schools.They are actively recruiting students to participate in their project by attending a series of youth-led workshops. Register HERE!

● Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, South Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation, and Building Skills are hosting a Construction Training Program. Earn five in-demand credentials and break into the construction world for FREE! Training starts on 3/13. Register for an info session here.

● Applications for the Sadie Nash Summer Institute, a 6-week summer program where participants explore their own leadership and activism skills with other like-minded women and gender-expansive youth, are now open!

● The S.E.E.D. project workshop series is an introductory education course to prepare potential cannabis license applicants to participate in the “Business of Cannabis in New York.” The course is a 30-hour instructional, encompassing 15 classes of 2 hours a piece, taught over five weeks (three classes per week). Sign-up today!

● There are several vacancies at the Department of Transportation, Department of Social Services, and other City agencies. If you’re interested in working for the City, check out their job board and see if there are openings that fit your qualifications or aspirations.

● The New York Historical Society’s Citizenship project has a new website! Check it out for help navigating the citizenship process, find helpful study material, or find out how to sign up for their March English classes.

● Ruth’s Refuge takes furniture donations to help furnish new apartments for asylum seekers and other refugees. If you have furniture you’re looking to get rid of, please consider donating!

In Solidarity,

Shahana