Kallos, Powers Co-Sponsor Senior Health Fair
Council Members Ben Kallos (D-Yorkville, Lenox Hill) and Keith Powers (D-Upper East Side, Carnegie Hill) will be co-sponsoring a senior health fair this Thursday.
The fair will provide seniors in attendance with free flu shots, Medicare enrollment, fire safety education, and various giveaways and prizes. There will also be an identity theft protection seminar, courtesy of the office of Attorney General Letitia James (D).
The event will take place on Thursday, Oct. 10 from 5-7 p.m. at St. Peter’s Church, 619 Lexington Ave.
Chin Responds to Fatal Attack on Homeless Men in Chinatown
Council Member Margaret Chin (D-Battery Park City, Chinatown) released a statement in response to the news of a mass murder in Chinatown.
Last Saturday, a young homeless man beat four other homeless men to death with a metal pipe. Early reports indicate that the victims were attacked while sleeping. The culprit currently in police custody.
“This senseless and devastating act of violence against the most vulnerable members of our community must serve as a wakeup call,” said Chin. “We must do more than the bare minimum to help the tens of thousands of New Yorkers in our homeless shelters and on our streets. As the City faces a mounting housing crisis, the tragic loss of four New Yorkers makes it clear that the response to the magnitude of this emergency has been insufficient. Therefore, I call upon Mayor Bill de Blasio and his Administration to join me, faith leaders, homeless advocates, community leaders and every day New Yorkers to create a bold plan that rises to the immensity of the challenge we are facing.”
Brewer and Co. to Push DHS to Stop Plans to Transition 107th Street Shelter from Women to Men
Today, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer (D) will join several other electeds to call on the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) to halt the plan to transition a 107th Street shelter from women-only to men-only.
Brewer’s concern is that the transition will force the existing female tenants – all 120 of them – to abruptly relocate, possibly to other boroughs. She will be joined by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams (D), Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell (D-Upper West Side, Morningside Heights) and Council Member Mark Levine (D-Manhattan Valley, Manhattanville).
The rally will take place today at 2:30 p.m. at 237 West 107th St.
Rodriguez Voices Concerns with de Blasio’s IDNYC Chip Proposal
Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Washington Heights, Marble Hill, Inwood) released a series of tweets yesterday regarding his reservations about Mayor Bill de Blasio’s (D) IDNYC payment chip proposal.
Recently, de Blasio announced his intentions to install a smart chip in the City’s municipal identity card. Critics, including Rodriguez, are concerned that the chip would constitute unwarranted government surveillance.
“I have a real concern with the IDNYC chip, and the unwanted effects it could bring,” said Rodriguez. “If the State issued ID does not have a chip, we need to hear what the rationale behind adding a chip to the IDNYC is. The NYC-ID was created to allow ALL New Yorkers regardless of status, to have a form of identification. We need to ensure that we are vigilant and guarantee the protection of people’s privacy!”
