Council Member representing District 38: Red Hook and portions of Gowanus, Park Slope, Sunset Park, Borough Park, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, and Bath Beach 🗽
🧵1/10
It’s hard to believe it’s been 21 months since I took office. Yesterday, we held a state of the district to look back on the past two years of work. From block parties, to rallies, to the chambers at city hall, my team and I have centered neighborhood voices.
On the first day of early voting in Red Hook,
@NYPD76Pct
officers confronted community activists handing out PPE in front of an early polling site & then seized it. This is unacceptable, the NYPD must issue clear guidelines & not escalate situations at the polls.
There must be accountability. We are one city, and there should be peaceful responses by the NYPD. Anything short than that could lead to voter suppression.
5 of 9, so more than half. Also three women, and two out LGBTQ
But yes, please erase our identities to fit a false narrative this Council used to erase the identities of protesters so as to discredit and delegitimize their demands
Today I am introducing a resolution calling on
@NYCCouncil
to express a loss of confidence in the Mayor and remove him from office
Resolution⬇️
Op-Ed⬇️
Video Transcript⬇️
This Mayor🤦🏾♂️- a few things (THREAD):
- Sunset Park is one of the hardest hit communities by COVID-19
- Nearly half its residents are immigrants, and 3/4 people of color
- It's been neglected for years by the Mayor, and now is being underfunded by the Council b/c of politics
Mayor
@BilldeBlasio
says he doesn't know what is causing an uptick in coronavirus cases in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
What did the contact tracers find out?
How many of the 228 positives gave their contacts? How many of those contacts isolated?
Industry City has withdrawn their application. A WIN FOR SUNSET PARK! People power has triumphed ✊🏾. Our work continues as community voice drives the growth and future of our neighborhood.
Here is some of what I shared on the
@NYCCouncil
floor a few minutes ago:
This Tuesday, April 12th, my daughter left our home at about 8:20, headed to the 36th train station for school.
We need somebody who’s going to be focusing on finding solutions to the things we need now
We don’t need a tourist to go to the Darién water gap who thinks he’s going to convince individuals not to come to New York City
It’s absurd
This is the line to get into Sunset Park Pool on July 4 weekend.
Imagine if we adequately funded parks, paid decent wages and invested in job prep for youth?
I strive to be fair if nothing, and I acknowledge the advances made in this budget.
Nonetheless, I cannot vote for a budget that slashes funding for our schools in the name of "right-sizing."
This is not what I was elected to do.
We did our best, but it was not enough
This Budget protects the NYPD, not New Yorkers
#DefundTheNYPD
is not about a number
It is about changing our approach to public safety, no matter who wears the blue
The next Mayor and Council is in the streets. I am ready to follow them
This budget is not a victory for the people.
Teachers and social service providers are going to lose their jobs, but not one cop will be fired because of this budget.
That’s not justice. That’s not the sacrifice this moment demands.
We need a real cut to the NYPD
#BREAKING
As Hudson County in NJ nears end of its contract w/ ICE, I am joined w/ state &
@NYCCouncil
elected officials urging the county freeholders to end their immigration jail contract w/ ICE. Currently, all 70+ of immigrants detained in Hudson County are NYers.
#AbolishICE
Our Sunset Park community is deeply shaken by this morning’s mass shooting.
My response to this morning's 36th Street Station shooting with
@MMitaynes
.
Doctors who work for ICE now say we need to release detainees from immigration detention, or else we’ll allow a catastrophe to take place.
It’s very simple - incarcerated people cannot practice social distancing. We have to do it for them
#FreeThemAll4PublicHealth
We are aware of reports of a shooting at 36th St subway station, and we are in touch with our city partners and NYPD on the scene.
Please exercise caution and seek alternate travel routes. We will share further details as they become available.
More than 40 years ago, I watched my father die in front of me when he was shot multiple times.
And what do we have to show for our approach since then? We produce MORE guns, we employ MORE police, and we have MORE mass shootings and ongoing acts of gun violence.
NYPD had an opportunity Monday to state their case for the Strategic Response Group in the face of well-documented abuse.
But once again, they refuse to show and the hearing is postponed.
It's time we disband SRG, once and for all.
@NYCLU
.
#BREAKING
@NYCCouncil
sends letter to ICE calling for suspension of immigration enforcement, and release of detainees, at min those who are elderly, pregnant, or immuno-compromised - to prevent the spread of
#COVID19
and protect the health of everyone in the immigration system
That includes mental health support for the victims immediately in addition to long-term investments in violence prevention and interruption, full employment, and guaranteed housing for all.
We urgently need these investments in our public safety — before more people get hurt.
Just one day after Eric Salvitzsky lost his life to traffic violence on 9 Ave,
today a deliverista was struck and killed at 4 Ave and 21 St.
What we have on 4 Ave is incomplete. We cannot wait any longer for safe, complete, fully protected infrastructure along 4 Ave.
Our community is shaken by this senseless act of violence. The investigation is still active at this time.
My thoughts and prayers are with all 16 of those injured. At this time we know that 10 are being treated for gunshot wounds and 5 are in critical, but stable condition.
As I have said before: what our community needs right now more than ever is reassurance that we will not be abandoned in the aftermath of Tuesday’s incident—that our pain will not be used as a scapegoat for policies that won’t keep us safer.
1/ Today, I am proud to introduce a legislative package relating to New York City public housing and our city’s housing crisis.
We desperately need NYCHA to succeed for its nearly half a million residents and the tens of thousands on NYCHA’s waitlist. 🧵
Folks we need to fight! 15% budget cuts to schools within District 38. In one case, cuts as high as 36%?! This is absolutely reprehensible.
Are you ok with that? I am NOT! We need to call on
@NYCMayor
to fully fund our schools.
A rent increase as large as 15% or anywhere near that would be a disaster for working class tenants in districts like mine.
We are still in the midst of a deadly pandemic, with so many tenants asking — what recovery? How about a rent ROLLBACK.
It’s
#JuneteenthDay
. I recommit to:
- Defund the NYPD by *at least* $1B (we can, and should, do more)
- Reinvest that money back into programs that work (SYEP & others)
- Continue to follow Black and abolitionist leaders, who are not newcomers, but part of a decades long fight
I will vote to
#DefundTheNYPD
later this month when we pass the City budget.
More cops ≠ more public safety
#NYCBudgetJustice
is the strongest means we have right now to create police accountability
My statement here and below:
Last week, thousands of delivery workers marched demanding safety and dignity for their essential work.
Today, the
@NYCCouncil
acts.
I’m proud to stand alongside
@CarlinaRivera
and
@JustinBrannan
as we introduce a legislative package to deliver justice for delivery workers
If you are concerned about the welfare of someone who may have been affected by the event and are unable to contact them, please call 311.
From outside of NYC, you may call 212-639-9675.
Any form of prejudice and racism is harmful. I am dismayed by the language that was used as I arrived at yesterday's hearing.
Asian New Yorkers are New Yorkers. Period. Responding to prejudice with more prejudice takes us backward and away from justice.
I voted NO on this Mayor’s austerity budget that guts services and calls it a “win”.
Apparently, the City can’t find money to provide school aids with a living wage, or pay parity for EMS workers, or school social workers and guidance counselors.
🚨STATEMENT: Progressive Caucus Denounces Mayor Adams’ Harmful Budget Cuts
“Now is the time for NYC to make serious investments in affordable housing, education, and childcare. Instead,
@NYCMayor
has insisted on devastating cuts to our schools, childcare and tenant protections."
An unserious critique from an unserious person.
The How Many Stops Act only requires reporting on investigative encounters (Levels 1, 2, and 3), which are defined in the Patrol Guide (p. 186) as interactions with a specific law enforcement or investigative purpose.
‼️🗞️ The RADICAL LEFT is at it again! Public Advocate
@JumaaneWilliams
, who lives at an army base guarded by heavy police protection, wants to DISMANTLE & OVERBURDEN our police. On December 20
@NYCCouncil
will vote on his bill that would require the NYPD to document every
My office has been alerted to dangerous ice on the 4th Ave bike lane. We have contacted
@NYC_DOT
to clear the ice and any obstructions to nearby storm drains.
Holiday or no – if you see hazardous conditions, contact my office and we will take immediate action!
We need this mayoral administration to stop parroting Trumpian talking points and attacking the basic due process rights that everyone should be protected by.
Read
@CMShahanaHanif
and my op-ed “NYC’s sanctuary policies make our city safer” in
@amNewYork
This cannot be tolerated. This is a terrifying display of unaccountable power. Who is next? We need answers Mr mayor. If this is happening in broad daylight, what else R U allowing to happen in our city. NYers: keep recording & hold these rouge agents/police officers accountable
NYC is taking after Portland - a trans femme protestor was pulled into an unmarked van at the Abolition Park protest - this was at 2nd Ave and 25th Street
These camoflauged and armed individuals could be anyone. They never identify who they are, what they’re doing, or who they represent, and then arrest someone. How is this something we are tolerating? How is this not a terrifying display of unaccountable power?
Militarized Federal Agents from a patchwork of outside agencies have begun policing Portland (in rented minivans vans) without the explicit approval of the mayor, the state, or local municipalities. This is what that looks like in practice:
- Our best chance to save communities like Sunset Park was the budget - defund the NYPD, which was not doing its job, and refund our communities, who needed the $
- Instead, the Mayor pushed through a budget that left us even more vulnerable to COVID, and the Speaker piled on
Yet another example of overly aggressive policing. As NYC celebrates pride,
@NYCCouncil
@NYCMayor
must deliver real cuts to NYPD budget $1 Billion +&invests in social workers, teachers, lawyers 4 tenants &homeowners fighting banks/evictions. More cops does not equal public safety
Today’s hearing centers the experiences of Black immigrants in NYC and has turned out over 1000 people
We must uproot the anti-Blackness that plagues our systems of care - this work requires dedication, creativity, and a city willing to fund our short, mid, and long term needs
A security guard tells me an est. 1,200 people are in line outside New York Coty Hall.
These are largely Black migrants here for a council hearing on the experiences of Black migrants.
The guard said there's never before been that many attendees for a hearing.
Reopening the overnight subway is a worker rights issue. It is an immigrant rights issue.
For almost a year, immigrant NYers have been keeping us fed and alive during this pandemic.
Yet we continue policies that hurt them most. It is cruel and has to stop
#24HourSubways
Every single day in this country 321 people are shot; 22 children are shot.
We tinker around the edges, checking backgrounds while allowing the unabated flow of creation and profit off of guns. We hire a whole industry of people to manage impacts without disrupting their flow.
Every day, our office receives complaints about illegal parking along 4 Avenue. And now, needed safety work is temporarily putting people in harm's way.
If enforcement can't keep up with complaints every day, that's exactly why we need complete, self-enforcing streets.
People are forgetting that the NYPD is under a federal monitor because of its systemic, persistent, and pernicious use of unconstitutional stops.
We should be asking of our government: how can we be a better city that protects the rights of our people?
1/4 I was just arrested and may spend a night in jail. But this is nothing compared to what immigrant taxi medallion owners have to go through like crushing debt and suicides that they have endured over the past years. Today and always I will stand in solidarity with them.
To every parent, student, educator and advocate who has spoken out against the cuts to our schools: this city owes you a debt of gratitude.
This ruling does not mean we will let up, and we as
@NYCCouncil
must do better next year. ¡La lucha sigue!
Today, the City Planning Commission voted to approve the Industry City rezoning. This, by itself, is unsurprising. What IS remarkable, and deeply offensive to the Sunset Park community, is how they defended their decision with weak reasoning and glaring omissions. (THREAD)
Today hundreds came out to Sunset Park to share food, to dance, to reflect and to heal together after tragedy struck our city this Tuesday.
Above all in this moment, we hoped to share a message of love and unity and that shone through this afternoon.
Today, the How Many Stops Act passed the New York City Council with a veto proof majority. ☑️
I have deep admiration for the families who have lost loved ones to police violence, having fought for decades for accountability and reliving traumas in pursuit of justice.
- I will continue to listen and fight for this community
- I also stand ready to work with the Mayor if he is serious about helping Sunset Park
- The next generation is already showing their power to lead and change the way the City does things. They are the future of this City
Elephants want to live freely–not in captivity.
In 2017, New York City banned the use of elephants in circus acts. It’s time to take the next step and ban elephant captivity.
@CMShahanaHanif
@NonhumanRights
@theanimalvoters
This is why I voted no. This is why I do not trust the Mayor. Like Rikers, the Council tried to make something terrible better, and was destined to failed. Our role is to check the Mayor, not happily negotiate with him
Our beloved community needs healing.
Please join me,
@MMitaynes
, local faith leaders and mental health practitioners for a space of reflection and community building this Saturday at 4pm at Sunset Park.
Delivery workers are essential workers! They biked from the Upper East Side to City Hall demanding worker protections: designated places to use a restroom and rest while they work, covid19 relief, Food App companies must provide support $ to workers who work each day to feed NYC!
Just now I asked
@NYPDFIRSTDEP
to explain how the NYPD is cooperating with
@ICEgov
during the protests.
He said ICE is protecting precinct houses while NYPD patrol the streets.
He also said there is NO formal agreement that lays out the # of precincts, timeline, etc for review
People’s consciences are being shocked. But we’ve known too long the truth of what we’re seeing.
Forget
@NYCMayor
. The
@NYCCouncil
& State Legislature have the power of law and accountability.
We must use it. Defund the NYPD. Repeal 50a. Give CCRB real teeth.
Let’s act.
*Activists and Legislators:* Here’s a thread of MEANINGFUL legislation that has been proposed and, in some cases, passed in cities and states to address police violence. Consider passing legislation like this in your community, too. (1/x)
Here’s but one example of why
@NYPDnews
pays millions in settlements
When you believe laws don’t apply to you, when you create conditions of violence, and when
@NYCMayor
emboldens you to do as you wish, top brass gets to break conflicts of interest law and bully
- The Mayor decided some translated materials and a nice website were enough
- Meanwhile ICE raids increased, making it even harder for Sunset Park community leaders to educate families about safe practices and bring them resources
- Back in MARCH, we asked DOH to work with our local community leaders, who have the trust of the people, to do safe outreach to Sunset Park residents
- We knew that barriers of language and internet access would disproportionately impact our neighbors
Our office contacted the 72nd precinct & received confirmation that it was not ICE. The US Postal Inspector was conducting a narcotics related arrest.
We’re monitoring the situation & the the detained activist will be released in a few hours.
Police swarming Sunset Park this morning & making violent arrests. Neighbors & community activists on the scene told me ICE agents showed up wearing federal postal service shirts & knocked down the front door of a house, unannounced with no warrant, & rushed in and made arrests
Before sharing some of what I had to say about my vote on the city budget: allow me to disclose that my two daughters are students of
@NYCSchools
, and my sister is an employee of
@NYCParks
. 😉
Half of New York City’s essential workforce are immigrants. Yet they are excluded from direct cash payments and other recovery programs. There is a simple fix to this madness and hypocrisy. Tax the rich and fund excluded workers.
#TaxTheRich
#FundExcludedWorkers
@MaketheRoadNY
In partnership with
@AMPHS_NYC
, we are doing a trilingual week of action in
#SunsetPark
to help the community sign up for vaccine appointments. We can make a difference and protect our neighbors from
#COVID19
. Tomorrow, we will be out on 4th 5th 7th 8th Ave.
#VaxUpSunsetPark
No one should be intimidated to celebrate their faith this holiday season.
I have been in touch with relevant agencies on this matter.
This is unacceptable.
Erick Diaz Cruz, who was visiting his father on a legal visa in February, was shot by ICE and also handcuffed to an NYC hospital bed.
This is why we say
#Defund
and
#Abolish
. Policing and immigration enforcement are two sides of the same problem, the same disease
- At the same time, while we praised essential workers and fought to protect them, Industry City was ignoring essential workers demanding safer working conditions during COVID-19
- The Mayor is now open to rewarding their bad behavior through a rezoning proposal
.
@NYCMayor
's latest proposal for mid-year cuts isn't about fiscal prudence. It’s about shifting resources to his priorities and avoiding accountability.
Today, many of my colleagues and I spoke out to say: Mayor Adams’ austerity agenda is unconscionable. It must be defeated.
This is a hard decision for me, as I am sure it is for so many of my colleagues. I want to acknowledge the tireless work of the Speaker, her team and the council members who engaged, negotiated and communicated with us throughout the process. 1/9
.
@NYCSchools
has confirmed that dismissal will proceed as usual at 2:40pm at all local schools including PS 24, MS 136, Sunset Park Prep and Sunset Park High School.
We advise families to avoid 4th Ave when going to pick up their children today to avoid excess traffic.
The
@NYCMayor
is threatening the City Council with layoffs because he doesn't want to cut the NYPD budget by $1 billion. I hope the people of NYC see through this nonsense.
This is an indictment of our entire approach to public safety. Social workers, not cops, should be helping New Yorkers who lack stable homes. The budget was an opportunity to reorient our priorities. We must not squander the next chance that arises
Mister Mayor, you talk a lot about blue collar New Yorkers - working class New Yorkers - but your actions only seem to favor the rich
Working class people are leaving this great city in droves while your rich buddies are sitting tight offering quotes for your press releases
- As always, it is our community that has stepped up
- Help from non-profits and mutual aid networks have kept our families safe and fed
- The networks we created after Sandy were reactivated and helped us reach our most vulnerable neighbors
“I’m not sure what’s changed between candidate Adams and now Mayor Adams,” Avilés told
@theintercept
“What is clear is he and the NYPD are now working the media circuit spreading falsehoods and fear-mongering about a common sense bill.”
Today, I’m introducing Res. No. 497 which reaffirms our right to protest and calls on the NYPD Protest Response Oversight Committee to examine and prevent ways that protestors may continue to be silenced.
How does continuing a cycle of indiscriminate violence, mass bombings, and displacement credibly contribute to national security or piece?
We need the hostages returned and a permenant ceasefire now
#CeasefireNOW
Thank you to these anti-war champions in the city council who are calling for a
#CeasefireNow
! Ceasefire means an END to the siege on Gaza, release of ALL hostages, an end to occupation, and a just, free, equal future for Palestinians and Israelis.
Gov. Cuomo just announced indoor dining will be closed in New York City. Federal government must URGENTLY act to provide relief to small businesses including immigrant owned businesses.
#TIMEISNOW
#COVID
This incredibly alarming for two interrelated reasons:
1. How is it that the NYPD, with a $6 Billion dollar budget, cannot secure their own precinct houses while observing a citywide protest?
Today we marched for
#JamelFloyd
Tonight, again for
#GeorgeFloyd
Tomorrow we will keep marching until we
#DefundTheNYPD
We cut $1B from the NYPD budget this year, and reinvest that back into our communities
Or else no budget gets my vote
That’s accountability. That’s justice
Our Sunset Park community experienced what too many Americans have experienced before us, another senseless act of gun violence.
While we are thankful that no casualties have occurred, ten suffered gunshot wounds, up to another sixteen were injured, and countless traumatized.
I can’t explain how quickly I made it to her. Once I got her to safety, I returned to the scene, just a few blocks from my home, to see the most emergency vehicles and personnel I have ever seen in my life.
The horrific details of what transpired had just begun to emerge.
HAPPENING NOW! Hundreds of delivery workers riding demanding dignity. Justicia para los deliveristas! I stand in support of delivery workers who keep our city running especially during the pandemic. I’m committed to passing legislation at
@NYCCouncil
to show NYC is behind them
I'm excited to announce that
@NYCCouncil
just passed my bill, Intro. 708-A , a landmark, citywide truck route redesign bill
It requires the DOT to redraw the existing truck map, reducing emissions and done in partnership with those most impacted
If you want to understand how far we have to go to achieve a society where George Floyd never died, just listen to the ridiculous sentiment expressed here
Got that everyone? Non-sick people on Rikers are being housed with sick people who test positive for COVID-19. While we isolate & separate, we are putting other NYers in a death trap. Enough:
@NYCMayor
&
@NYGovCuomo
, if you believe in doing everything to save lives, free them now
READ THIS NOW: A detailed list of all conditions on Rikers we’re hearing right now from people inside. Sewage. No sanitization. And perhaps worst of all: Housing people who are not sick, including elderly, with people who *have confirmed cases of COVID-19.* Read. Share. Help us!
I wish a restful and observant Eid al-Fitr to the eight MTA drivers in South Brooklyn who are deserving of time off at the end of this holy month
I will always stand in solidarity with workers seeking to express their religious beliefs on and off the job
A transit union officer says he's encouraging a group of eight Muslim bus drivers in Brooklyn to walk off the job today after the MTA denied their last-minute request to take the day off to observe Eid al-Fitr.
Read more:
Today, I joined my colleagues, advocates & residents to raise our voices as we do a collective action calling
@NYCMayor
to implement a proactive plan to make sure NYC streets are safe. Littlest New Yorkers like Abigail, Joshua, and Kevin remind us that our work is incomplete.
Instead of spending $20M to hire 475 new school cops, we could pay for:
- 283 School Nurses
- 208 School Psychologists
- 224 School Social Workers
- 197 School Counselors
- 2/3 of the Restorative Justice Program
It's not even a contest.
#NoMoreSchoolCops
#Reinvest20Million
Did you know there's currently a hiring freeze in NYC for teachers?
Yet, NYC is planning to spend $20 M to hire 475 new school cops!
@NYCMayor
+
@NYCCouncil
, we've had enough w/ you funding racist policing at all costs!
#NoMoreSchoolCops
!
#Reinvest20Million
in our futures!
I will be voting NO when it comes to City Council. I stand with the Flushing community. We need to undo the Council’s tradition of deference to developers. We do not owe developers that. We owe it to the Community to defer to them.
#NoFlushingRezoning
- What was needed was massive support for our community orgs and leaders, who have the trust of the people and the knowledge to reach them
- Instead, the Mayor ignored us as usual, and now that a rapid testing pilot is being carried out, numbers are confirming what we knew