News from Melissa Mark-Viverito

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.

Melissa stands with Martin Luther King III and other elected officials late last month in support of reform to stop and frisk practices (Photo by Sam Levin).

After intense pressure from community members, advocates and elected officials, the tide is beginning to turn on the NYPD’s stop and frisk policies.  Yesterday, a federal judge ruled that all New Yorkers who were stopped and frisked since January 2005 could join a class action suit against the NYPD over these practices.  Because of this decision, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers could potentially seek legal recourse for being stopped without suspicion of wrongdoing.

Click here to read more about the strong decision issued by Judge Shira A. Scheindlin, which cited an amicus brief submitted by the City Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus.   The full version of the decision is also included at this link.

At today’s City Council budget hearing, Commissioner Kelly unveiled a series of reforms which he included in a letter sent to Speaker Christine Quinn this morning.  These reforms include expanded training and greater monitoring by Executive Officers at the precinct level.  While the NYPD is clearly feeling the pressure, more can still be done to truly reform the NYPD’s stop and frisk practices, expand community policing efforts, and provide much-needed independent oversight over the NYPD.  In seeking these reforms, Melissa made clear today that “we are not asking for softer policing, but smarter and more effective policing.”

Check out a brief excerpt from Melissa’s comments at today’s budget hearing below:

Stay tuned for more info, but in the meantime, please plan to join us at the Father’s Day silent march against stop and frisk that will be taking place on June 17, 2012.  More details to come!

Please join Melissa, other elected officials and community leaders at this rally tomorrow evening!  

Workers of the East Harlem community at LMC Wash and Lube Carwash and other LMC carwashes across the city, work long hours many earning less than a minimum wage with no benefits and no promise of raise. They work year long without the hope of a paid sick day or paid week of vacation. Now the workers at this carwash are demanding respect, dignity, and basic benefits at their job: No more robbed wages, no more stolen tips. Workers and the community demand justice!

When: Thursday May 17, 2010 @ 6:00PM

Where:  334 E. 109^th Street and 1^st Ave

JOIN US as we rally TOGETHER with workers and community members to ask for JUSTICE and DIGNITY in the Carwash industry!

REMINDER: Please join us this Saturday for an Employment and Small Business Opportunities Expo, sponsored by the New York City Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus!  There is still time to register and walk-ins are also welcome.  Come connect with resources to help you on your job search and in supporting your small business.

The Employment and Small Business Opportunities Expo

Saturday, May 19, 2012 11AM-2PM

New Balance Track & Field Center, Fort Washington Armory on the Hudson, 216 Fort Washington Avenue, New York, NY 10032

Featured Events include:

• Power Hour Sessions on New York City’s Training Grant Program
• Resume Review and Job Matching in High Growth
• Small Business Fundamentals
• Developing a Business Plan
• Financing Facts & Fictions
• Doing Business With Government and Tips for Successful Bidding

For registration information please contact Andrew King at 212-788-6960