News from Melissa Mark-Viverito

We have received many questions about donating to the family of Joel Morales to cover funeral and burial costs. We appreciate your generosity and are in touch with the family in their time of need as they figure out the best way to accept donations. We will provide an update as soon as we can.

Today, Melissa delivered this statement at the City Council’s stated meeting in memory of Joel Morales:

Thank you Madam Speaker. This is truly a tragedy. Joel Morales was just 12 years old. That he could be driven to end his young life in this way is truly unfathomable. One cannot imagine the amount of pain Joel must have been feeling in his final moments, as a result of constant bullying, teasing and harassment. By all accounts, Joel was a wonderful young man. Yet he was relentlessly teased and harassed — for being short, for being studious, and even for having a deceased father. He was chased down and jumped after school and he was even met at his door by bullies who threw sticks and a pipe at him.

His mother did everything within her power to make life better for her son — moving him to a new school, requesting a transfer to a new housing development, obtaining a restraining order against one of the bullies. Still, the cruel and painful sting of bullying drove him to take his own life. My heart truly breaks for Ms. Babilonia, as well as Joel’s entire family and his friends. I am currently reaching out to the family to offer my support and condolences.

In memory of Joel and in an effort to prevent another tragedy like this one from taking place, my office will work with our local schools and youth groups to send a message that bullying will not be tolerated in our community and that there is help out there for young people who are feeling overcome with pain. We need all of our youth to play a role, even if they are not the bullies or the ones being bullied. We need our young people to stand up for one another, and also to know the signs of when a friend might need some extra help, and how to get that help.

I am proud of the work we in the Council have done around both bullying and suicide. Tragedies like this one underscore the importance of these efforts. Thank you all.

Last night, more than 300 parents, youth and service providers joined Melissa at a town hall meeting to discuss cuts to after school and child care programs. We actually had more people than the Children’s Aid gym could handle so we set up speakers outside so everyone could hear. Young people testified about their after school programs across our district and how they benefited. Youth from the Bronx even did a step performance on peer pressure to show the importance of these programs to them.

The Campaign for Children is doing a call-in today to let the Mayor know we have not given up the fight to save these essential programs. Call (888)-279-3491 to let our City leaders know that child care and after-school must be saved! Download a guide and more information before calling Bloomberg up.

You can also email Mayor Bloomberg and Christine Quinn from the Citizens’ Committee for Children’s website.

Thousands of children could lose their childcare and after school programs… where will they go?

Come to the East Harlem Children’s Aid Center – 130 East 101st St (@ Lexington) on Wednesday, May 30th at 5 pm for our Town Hall on the issue.

Find out about the Mayor’s proposed cuts to childcare and afterschool programs and get involved to stop them. The Campaign for Children will present on the impact the cuts have on our District and our city. Representatives from organizations in our community will speak out on the cuts as well.

New York City is facing a surge of pets abandoned or given up for adoption and the Animal Care & Control of New York City, a non-profit and the largest pet organization in the northeast, is looking for foster pet owners and volunteers to help care for the animals they take in!

AC&C regularly rescues nursing moms with babies, kittens and puppies without mothers, and injured and ill animals. Their doors are always open to receive animals in need but these animals may need extra love and attention to get healthy and ready for adoption.

Join the Foster Program, which places them temporarily in the homes of caring individuals who help prepare them for forever homes. Foster volunteers give the animals the time and care they need.

AC&C is entering a very busy time of the year and really needs more volunteer fosters. If you are interested in fostering a pet or just volunteering, please visit their website at http://nycacc.org/Volunteer.htm.

You can also adopt a pet at the Manhattan Care Center, located at 326 East 110th Street (between 1st and 2nd Aves.)

Shelter Hours: 8AM – 8PM, 7 days a week. Adoption Hours: Noon to 7PM, 7 days a week.
Closed on all Holidays and certain Training Days.
For more information, visit their website at http://www.nycacc.org/index.htm

The City Council has been working with the New York State legislature to pass legislation (S7015 and A9861) which would allow New York City to make kindergarten mandatory.

The Senate Education Committee recently passed this legislation, putting us one step closer to our goal of ensuring that all NYC families have access to an early childhood education.

But we need to get this through the Senate and Assembly before they break for the summer. Sign our Kindergarten is a Right petition

Kindergarten is a crucial foundation. Students who have had access to quality early childhood education have higher graduation rates, are less likely to drop out of school, and are more likely to be successful as adults.

Yet, each year, thousands of children in New York City enter first grade without ever having set foot in a classroom. Many of the students who are missing out on kindergarten are the ones who need it the most, such as foster children, English language learners, or children in transitional housing.

We believe Kindergarten should be a right for all New Yorkers. That’s why we ask the State Legislature to support New York City families and to pass this important legislation to give every child in New York City gets a strong and healthy start!

Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, Speaker Christine Quinn, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and other elected officials and community members stand in opposition to Secure Communities in NYC.

Earlier this week, the federal Secure Communities (S-Comm) immigration enforcement program has been activated across the United States, including here in New York City.  This program will facilitate the unjust deportation of even more immigrants by automatically sharing fingerprints collected by the NYPD with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  Once these fingerprints are shared, ICE can place a detainer on an immigrant, even if he or she is not convicted of any wrongdoing.

“The Department of Homeland Security should respect the State of New York’s request to opt-out of Secure Communities,” said Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito. “A city like New York, where we welcome immigrant communities, should not be forced to turn our police stations into a clearinghouse for deportations. We have worked hard to build trust between immigrant communities and the police and have crafted a balanced policy that will protect immigrants from unjust deportations. Secure Communities will undo all of that progress. I urge the Obama administration and the Department of Homeland Security to reverse this decision to roll out Secure Communities nationwide.”

Although Governor Cuomo formally opted out of the program, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has moved ahead with activating the program in cities and states throughout the nation.  On Monday, Melissa joined Speaker Christine Quinn, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, other elected officials and community groups in protesting the forced implementation of S-Comm in New York and sent a letter to DHS in opposition.  Melissa will also be working with Speaker Quinn to craft a new piece of legislation similar to law sponsored by Melissa last year that will seek to expand protections of immigrants who are arrested, but not convicted, of a crime.