For 27 years, Robert Rosenthal has been representing people who have been ignored or pushed aside because of what they look like, where they are from, what they believe, who they love, or what they have – or don’t have. He will bring a true progressive spirit to the bench.
Staff from the NYC Department of Transportation presented to Community Board 3’s Transportation Committee on Thursday, June 28, 2018 in regards to the traffic on Grand, Clinton, and East Broadway.
DOT promised elected officials a traffic study of the area in 2017, but by the end of last year could say only that no conclusions could be drawn until after Essex Crossing construction is completed. Additional pressure from community leaders and elected officials this year brought DOT back to the neighborhood … but its report last week was still inconclusive.
The DOT says that data traffic collected this spring still needs to be analyzed. Aside from minor changes to signage and light-timing, no new proposals were presented for review by the CB3 committee.
What we did see were slides indicating a dozen or so proposals from the community that DOT has said it will be considering in the coming months, plus an estimated timeline that pushes any real proposals to the end of 2018. No date has been set for a return to CB3, and it was noted that this timeline pushes right up against considerations for L Train shutdown mitigation beginning spring 2019, which will make it even more difficult to implement.
In the past two months, DOT has made small changes to make drivers aware of other ways to the Williamsburg Bridge:
Coming soon:
Now DOT is modelling more far-reaching proposals based on recent data:
CB3 will invite DOT back in the fall. In the meantime, we believe that continued pressure from elected officials and community leaders, including members of Grand Street Democrats, will be critical in forcing DOT to recognize that Clinton Street is not an appropriate approach to the Williamsburg Bridge.
Here are the slides from DOT’s presentation on June 28:
In the past few weeks the Trump administration has become even more Orwellian. The actions and language around so-called “tender care” shelters epitomizes the worst treatment of refugees and undocumented people in our country. Wednesday’s executive order should not be mistaken for real progress.
So what now?
1) Donate. The legal and therapeutic services on the ground have massive work to do, both to reunite children and parents currently separated, and to help aid these families manage their ongoing trauma. Donations at this link will be distributed among 10 excellent organizations, including the ACLU, La Union del Pueblo Entero, and the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services.
2) Rally. Protests will be held nation-wide on Saturday, June 30 including here in NYC. Grand Street Democrats will partner with our friends at the Manny Cantor Center to organize a crew from the LES. Sign-making will be on Friday, June 29 from 4:00 – 6:00 at MCC, 4th floor. And then we’ll meet in front of MCC again the next morning at 9:15 am to go together to the rally in Foley Square. (Email me if you want to be more involved in organizing the neighborhood for this rally.)
3) VOTE. In every election — including the Democratic primary coming up this Tuesday, June 26. Our endorsed congressional candidate for NY-12, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, has a strong record of standing up to Trump and we know she deserves another term to defend our values. (If you’d like to help Get Out the Vote for Maloney over the next 5 days, sign up here.)
In solidarity,
Caroline Laskow, Democratic District Leader
PS. An even bigger ask, but also important: can you work in your local poll site on Election Day? It’s a really long day but without our poll workers our elections wouldn’t happen. And you do get paid. Just email me if you are interested.
With only days left in Albany’s legislative session, now is the time to put pressure on the State Senate and Gov. Cuomo to strengthen New York’s gun safety laws by passing the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act (ERPO) sponsored by our State Senator Brian Kavanagh.
According to the Giffords Law Center: “ERPO empowers families and law enforcement to prevent gun tragedies by allowing them to petition a court to temporarily remove guns from individuals at an elevated risk of endangering themselves or others. An ERPO prohibits individuals in crisis from purchasing or accessing firearms and requires them to relinquish any guns they possess while the order is in effect.”
The bill has already passed the Democratic-led State Assembly but will need Gov. Cuomo’s full support to pass the State Senate. Please take a moment on Monday to share on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media channels your support of ERPO.
After the unexpected resignation of NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in May, this open seat has attracted three dynamite candidates for the Democratic nomination. After having a chance to meet all three, GSD members voted to endorse Letitia James.
James is currently the NYC Public Advocate. Before that she represented parts of Brooklyn in City Council, and has served as Assistant Attorney General under AG Eliot Spitzer. She began her career as a public defender for the Legal Aid Society.
Christopher Marte, born and raised on the Lower East Side, has made his presence felt in downtown Manhattan as a community activist, political candidate, and volunteer. He intends to bring that spirit of public service and activism to the role of Democratic State Committeemember, an unpaid position within the Democratic Party. Marte is currently an Associate at The Arena, a political organization dedicated to encouraging new progressive voices in American politics.
Grand Street Democrats members voted this week to endorse Jenny Lam Low for re-election as female representative to the Democratic State Committee from the 65th Assembly District.
A proud product of New York City’s public schools, Jenny began volunteering as a teenager in activities that encourage Asian American citizens to become registered voters and participate in the electoral process. She is the first Chinese American to be elected as a Democratic District Leader in Lower Manhattan. Jenny serves as a Vice Chair of the New York State Democratic Committee and was elected as delegate to the Democratic National Convention several times, most recently in 2016. Jenny is a Director of the Board and Vice President of the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee, a political action committee that trains and supports pro-choice Democratic women running for elected offices across New York State.
Jenny has served for over 30 years on the board of the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), one of the largest Asian American non-profit multi-social service agencies in the country. CPC’s programs and services enable immigrant and low-income families to become economically self-sufficient. Jenny previously served as Board Chair, a Vice Chair, and chair of the finance committee. She is currently CPC’s Board Treasurer.
As an advocate for better schools and more equitable education funding all across the state, affordable housing, LGBTQ equality, clean energy, legalizing marijuana, and women’s reproductive rights, Cynthia Nixon is running a grassroots campaign for governor without corporate funding. She is committed to opening up a new anti-corruption commission in Albany to clean up state politics once and for all.
Grand Street Democrats endorsed Cynthia Nixon for Governor at its May 15 meeting. [cynthiafornewyork.com]
As an advocate for affordable housing, anti-gun violence measures, fair policing, equity, and social justice, Jumaane Williams is serving his third term on the NY City Council representing the 45th district in Brooklyn. Williams wants to see the Lt. Governor have a more active role in state policy and advocacy, more like a public advocate at the state level. GSD members endorsed his campaign at their May 15 meeting. [jumaanewilliams.com]
At last night’s regular meeting, Grand Street Democrats voted overwhelmingly in support of Brian Kavanagh’s re-election to the New York State Senate.
