2.22.18 – Hamodia: “NYPD Investigating Swastikas Scratched on Cars in Boro Park”

As reported by Hamodia on 2.22.18:

The NYPD is investigating after swastikas were found scratched onto two cars in Boro Park Wednesday night.

The swastikas were found on the front passenger side windows of a black Ford sedan and a silver Lexus SUV, parked on 52nd Street near 17th Avenue. The Hate Crimes Task Forcehas been notified of the incident.

Assemblyman Dov Hikind and State Senator Simcha Felder are offering a $3,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator.

“Once again, the specter of hate rears its ugly head in our community,” said Felder. “I am outraged and saddened to learn of the recent etching of swastikas into the windows of two cars in Boro Park. As home to the largest number of Holocaust survivors in the United States, this obvious hate crime is particularly egregious and painful.”

Read the full story here in Hamodia.

— Posted on 2.23.18 by JVS, backdated to 2.22.18

1.16.18 – Questions re: Felder’s op-ed on Right to Know Act submitted for 2nd time

On 1.16.18, JVS submitted for the second time the below questions concerning a Dec. 21 op-ed Mr. Felder wrote for The Yeshiva World against the Right to Know Act, passed last year by the New York City Council. The questions were co-signed by 43 NYSD 17 for Progress members.

The questions were submitted for the first time on Dec. 26, 2017, when they were co-signed by 8 members of NYSD 17. However, as of 1.16.18, a response from Mr. Felder’s office had not been received.

The text of JVS’s email – sent to Felder staffers Bryan Best and Rodney Powis, as well as Mr. Felder’s general email inbox – is below, along with a list of signatories. (Note: some last names have been redacted for privacy.)

Dear Mr. Powis and Mr. Best,

My name is John V. Santore, and I’m a constituent at 602 39th Street.

On Dec. 26, I submitted the below public safety questions on behalf of several members of NYSD 17 for Progress. The questions were in response to Sen. Felder’s Dec. 21st op-ed in The Yeshiva World against the Right-to-Know Act.

I have followed up with your office several times since that submission, but we have yet to speak with a staffer. As such, please find below a re-submission of our questions, co-signed by 43 individuals. Can you please let us know when someone will be able to speak with us about these important matters?

Sincerely,
John
—

Dear State Sen. Felder,

We write to you as constituents who read your December op-ed in The Yeshiva World (link: http://bit.ly/2CMPqsm) against the Right to Know Act, passed in December by the New York City Council. Several elements of the piece caused us concern, and we’re hoping to learn more about your thinking regarding these key matters.

1) You wrote that, “Graffiti, petty street crimes and homelessness are only the beginning” of the city’s growing public safety problems.

We found it troubling that you seemed to list “homelessness” as a criminal matter to be addressed by the NYPD. Homelessness in NYC has indeed increased dramatically in recent years (link: http://bit.ly/1I9w4HH), but numerous homeless individuals work full-time jobs, while advocates link homelessness to a lack of affordable housing (link: http://bit.ly/1uCPVcG). A recent article in The Yeshiva World noted that you bought a homeless man a gift card to Dunkin’ Donuts on Thanksgiving (link: http://bit.ly/2EhjGIc). Did your piece really mean to portray homelessness as a crime?

2) You wrote that, “Despite some elected officials chirping about how safe NYC is, the truth is that since the outlaw of stop and frisk quality of life crimes have increased exponentially.”

a. According to NYPD crime statistics (link: http://on.nyc.gov/2CLAuKm), through Dec. 31, the precincts covering South Brooklyn saw five categories of major crime – burglary, felony assault, grand larceny, and car thefts – fall compared to the same period last year. Two categories increased slightly: there were two additional rapes (214 in 2017 vs. 212 in 2016) and two additional murders (53 vs. 51 in 2016).

b. The number of major crimes in South Brooklyn fell from 14,636 in 2016 to 13,845 in 2017, a decrease of 5.4 percent. More historically, the number of major crimes reported in South Brooklyn has fallen nearly 50 percent since 2001.

c. City-wide, through Dec. 31, major crime throughout NYC in 2017 was down 5.4 percent compared to 2016. And 2016 crime levels were 37.2 lower than in 2001.

Assuredly, crime remains an issue for New York residents, and even one crime is a crime too many. That said, based on the above statistics, we don’t see why you feel that “quality of life crimes have increased exponentially” in recent years. Can you explain why you believe this to be the case?

3) You wrote that with the Right to Know Act, the City Council aims “to obliterate any remaining authority our officers still have,” adding that the legislation is part of a “constant chipping away at the authority of the police creates an atmosphere of anxiety around proactive policing.”

Can you explain why you believe the social and practical authority of the NYPD has been reduced in recent years, and what specifically leads you to believe this? We would note that later in the article, you described the NYPD as “a world class department.”

We are eager to receive your thoughts on these important matters.

Sincerely,
NYSD 17 for Progress

Signed:
Madelyn —
Jessica Byrne
Colin —
Naomi A. Rabeeya
Leah —
Ben Theodore
Natasha —
David Goldberg
Daniel —
Meg —
Gerald Cook
Nina —
Mary —
Philippa —
Maria —
William —
John V. Santore
Victoria —
Eric —
Sam —
Lena —
David Goldberg
Ellen Bilofsky
Julio Pena
Cara —
Gilly —
Jeffrey —
Noreen —
Samuel —
Sarah —
Helen —
Robin —
Andrea —
Dorothy —
Dave —
Colleen —
Eleanor Whitney
Sheldon —
Isobel —
Vinit —
Aaron Wexler
M. —
Ann —

— Posted on 1.16.18 by JVS

12.26.17 – Questions re: Felder op-ed against Right to Know Act

On 12.26,17, members of NYSD 17 for Progress sent the following email to State Sen. Felder asking specific questions about an op-ed he authored arguing against the Right to Know Act. The email is included below. This blog will be updated with any response received.

Dear State Sen. Felder,

We write to you as constituents who recently read your op-ed in The Yeshiva World against the Right to Know Act, passed in December by the New York City Council. Several elements of the piece caused us concern, and we’re hoping to learn more about your thinking regarding these key matters.

1) You wrote that, “Graffiti, petty street crimes and homelessness are only the beginning” of the city’s growing public safety problems.

We found it particularly troubling that you seemed to list “homelessness” as a criminal matter to be addressed by the NYPD. Homelessness in NYC has indeed increased dramatically in recent years, but numerous homeless individuals work full-time jobs, while advocates link homelessness to a lack of affordable housing. A recent article in The Yeshiva World noted that you bought a homeless man a gift card to Dunkin’ Donuts on Thanksgiving. Did your piece really mean to portray homelessness as a crime?

2) You wrote that, “Despite some elected officials chirping about how safe NYC is, the truth is that since the outlaw of stop and frisk quality of life crimes have increased exponentially.”

According to NYPD crime statistics, through Dec. 17, the precincts covering South Brooklyn saw all categories of major crime – murder, rape, burglary, felony assault, grand larceny, and car thefts – fall compared to the same period last year, with one exception: 53 murders were reported this year in South Brooklyn, compared to 48 last year.

More broadly, the number of major crimes reported in South Brooklyn has fallen from 90,355 in 1990 to 14,561 in 2016.

City-wide, through Dec. 17, major crime throughout NYC is down 5.47 percent compared to the same period last year, down 8.75 compared to two years ago, down 8.95 percent compared to seven years ago, and down 77.66 percent compared to 24 years ago.

Assuredly, crime remains an issue for New York residents, and even one crime is a crime too many. That said, based on the above statistics, we don’t see why you feel that “quality of life crimes have increased exponentially” in recent years. Can you explain why you believe this to be the case?

3) You wrote that with the Act, the City Council aims “to obliterate any remaining authority our officers still have,” adding that the legislation is part of a “constant chipping away at the authority of the police creates an atmosphere of anxiety around proactive policing.”

Can you explain why you believe the social and practical authority of the NYPD has been reduced in recent years, and what specifically leads you to believe this? We would note that later in the article, you described the NYPD as “a world class department.”

We are eager to receive your thoughts on these important matters.

Sincerely,

David Goldberg
Naomi Rabeeya
Aaron Wexler
Ellen Bilofsky
Gerald Cook
Julio Pena III
Rebeca Ames
John V. Santore

SD 17 constituents and members of NYSD 17 for Progress

— Posted on 12.27.17 by JVS, backdated to 12.26.17

12.21.17 – In op-ed, Sen. Felder criticizes Right To Know Act

In an op-ed published on 12.21.17 in The Yeshiva World, Sen. Felder criticized the Right to Know Act, recently passed by the New York City Council.

As described by Patch.com, the Act “would require the NYPD to instruct officers on how to get consent from people they search without a warrant,” as well as “require the Police Department to develop policies for recording such searches and explicitly telling civilians that they can refuse to be searched.”

In his op-ed, Mr. Felder described the Council’s passage of the bill as a “frenzied circus act.”

“By passing this inane set of bills, which mandate officers, upon approaching a suspect, to hand out business cards along with a courteous introduction and the option not to comply, the City Council hopes to obliterate any remaining authority our officers still have,” Mr. Felder wrote. Other excerpts from his piece:

–> “This constant chipping away at the authority of the police creates an atmosphere of anxiety around proactive policing. It discourages officers from making stops that might thwart terrorists and prevents searches that help lead to the arrest of violent criminals before the completion of a heinous crime.”

–> “Despite some elected officials chirping about how safe NYC is, the truth is that since the outlaw of stop and frisk quality of life crimes have increased exponentially. Graffiti, petty street crimes and homelessness are only the beginning.”

–> “As the threat of terror attacks grows, our city needs to be more prepared than ever. I, for one, feel safer when I know that those who choose to dedicate their lives to protecting innocent people can do so without their hands tied behind their backs, but that’s exactly what will happen if the City Council has its way.”

Read the full editorial in The Yeshiva World.

— Posted on 12.23. by JVS, backdated to 12.21.17.

12.7.17 – Open constituent question re: concealed carry law passed by U.S. House of Representatives

On 12.7.17, SD 17 constituent Natasha Wimmer sent an email to State Sen. Felder’s office asking Sen. Felder to speak out against a concealed carry law before the U.S. House of representatives. The legislation was passed by the House in early December. As reported at the time by The Hill:

Under the House legislation, people with permits for carrying concealed handguns could do so in any state that allows concealed weapons.

People could only use their concealed-carry permits in other states that allow the practice if they are carrying a valid government-issued photo ID and are lawfully licensed to possess a concealed handgun. They would still have to adhere to established state and local laws.

Wimmer did not receive a response to her email, which is below:

<———–@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Dec 7, 2017 at 7:53 PM
Subject: Felder and concealed carry

Dear Senator Felder,

I was encouraged to see today that Council Member Jumaane Williams has spoken out against the concealed carry law being debated in Congress that will allow out-of-staters to carry concealed weapons in NYC. Will you consider speaking out about the bill too? While I disagree with the bill you’ve introduced to mandate armed security guards outside schools, I share your concern for the safety of our children. Can we find common ground on this issue?

https://bklyner.com/local-lawmakers-oppose-concealed-carry-reciprocity-act/

Thanks so much for your consideration.

best,

Natasha

— Posted by JVS on 12.24.17, backdated to 12.7.17

9.7.17 – Felder, Trottenberg announce McDonald Avenue lighting upgrades

On 9.7.17, State Sen. Felder joined Department of Transportation head Polly Trottenberg to debut new lighting on McDonald Avenue between Ditmas Avenue and Bay Parkway. From the DOT press release summarizing the event:

“With this grant, school children can walk in safety, families can cross streets without fear, and business owners can go home at night confident that newly, well-lit streets will keep their stores more secure,” said State Senator Felder. “Thanks to the de Blasio administration’s DOT Commissioner, Polly Trottenberg, we can finally see the light on McDonald Avenue.”

In efforts to improve safety along this corridor, Senator Felder allocated $500,000 of the project’s total cost of $685,000, with DOT funding the remainder. DOT removed and replaced all existing fabricated steel poles with sustainable Davit poles with brighter, energy-efficient light–emitting diode (LED) lights. In addition, 94 new street poles have been installed, 21 additional poles will be installed at the traffic intersections. The new poles are now spaced approximately 55 feet apart compared to the previous intervals of 120 feet. To increase visibility on sidewalks, DOT has also installed 82 pedestrian lighting poles. Remaining poles and underdeck lighting will be installed upon completion of an ongoing MTA rehabilitation project at the Avenue I and Bay Parkway Manhattan-bound F stations.

— Posted by JVS on 12.30.17, backdated to 9.7.17