oped letters & comments
Third Ave. BID and HUB Assistance In Recovery
From Vandalim And Looting
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR JUNE 12-18, 2020 13
BY COUNCILMAN
MARK GJONAJ
In gracious cooperation
with the New York Legal Assistance
Group (NYLAG),
the New York Women’s
Chamber of Commerce, the
Violence Intervention Program
and the Mayor’s Offi
ce to End Domestic and
Gender-Based Violence, I
was able to hold a tele-town
hall focused on domestic violence
resources.
Amongst the most useful
information to come out of
this town hall was the affi
rmation that, while physical
offi ces were closed,
telephone resources from
NYC’s Domestic Violence
Hotline, which can be
reached at 1-800-621-HOPE,
remain open.
This hotline can provide
those experiencing
domestic violence with assistance,
safety planning,
shelter acquisition assistance
and access to various
community resources,
which have been optimized
as the city directs NYPD
and the District Attorney’s
offi ce to ensure issues of domestic
violence are seeing
maximal attention. Also,
organizations like the Violence
Intervention Program,
another resource
for domestic violence, offers
cultural translators for
those who would otherwise
be deterred from seeking
assistance by perceived language
barriers.
In addition to outlining
the various resources domestic
violence victims can
access, I was able to provide
an overview of my offi ce’s
legislative and budgetary
efforts to address domestic
violence.
On the legislative end,
I have introduced a bill
that would allow victims
of violent crimes to request
that NYPD withhold their
names from public disclosure,
which of course includes
victims of domestic
violence. I have also signed
onto domestic violence-related
legislation introduced
by other NYC Council Members,
including a bill to establish
an investigatory
task force with an emphasis
on a particular kind of domestic
violence.
In fi scal year 2020, my
offi ce allocated funding,
through the DOVE initiative,
to NYLAG, the NY
Women’s Chamber of Commerce,
the Urban Justice
Center and the Violence Intervention
Program. It was
a budgetary effort our offi ce
was and remains proud of.
If you or someone you
know is a victim of domestic
violence, please, again,
call 1-800-621-HOPE to receive
assistance.
LET US HEAR FROM YOU
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right to edit all submissions.
We are Lorraine Ellis Jordan
and Greg Clancy, proud
Bronx residents and the leaders
of the Boy Scouts of America
(BSA) in the Bronx. We are
writing this letter in solidarity
with the family of George
Floyd and with our neighbors
who have suffered from
anxiety and a lack of peace,
whether from recent events
or from a history of injustices
within our community.
The two of us come from
different backgrounds. We
are a black woman and a
white man who through our
shared experience of Scouting
have come to love each other
as close friends who share in
a common cause. Over time
we have discovered that our
worldviews and hopes for the
future are quite the same. This
may seem astonishing given
that Lorraine has had the experience
of a black woman
who started her life in a politically
active family in the days
of segregation. Greg has had
the experience of a white man
who was raised in a conservative
Catholic Family.
We grew up with a different
perspective on country,
the police, opportunity, justice
— the list could go on. So,
how could we come to share
such similar thoughts on the
best future for our community?
For starters, we do not
compel one another to conform
to the others’ truth. Neither
of us require the other
to think and say the “right”
thing. Neither of us labels
the other for failing to meet
an expected standard. The
black woman from the Bronx
is not required to praise the
police (who have a terrible record
in her precinct) in order
to prove she is not a criminal.
The white man (who is a Marine
Corps combat veteran) is
not required to kneel in order
to prove that he is not a racist.
We all have our own reasons
why, and it’s okay.
Scouting is not a white
or black or brown organization.
It is a youth movement
designed to bring young boys
and girls up in the world. The
path from Lion Scout to Eagle
Scout is designed to build a
sense of self worth. We teach
courtesy, kindness, citizenship
and leadership. We teach
service as an ideal and we give
kids the opportunity for comradery.
Most important in the
context of today’s news is that
Scouting opens doors!
As a black mother, Lorraine
prays that doors that
were not open for her will be
open for children. As a father
and a white man of conscience,
Greg’s personal call to action
has been to open those doors
for all kids through the shared
experience of Scouting.
The Boy Scouts of America
is over 100 years old and
we have had a history of
both triumphs and of challenges.
Today’s world demands
a higher standard and
we accept that high standard
and the accountability that
comes with it. Our mission
is to strengthen the BSA in
the Bronx because we want
to enfranchise all of our kids
in Scouting and in the world
ahead. We want to use our historical
youth movement which
we love, to empower your children
and to open doors previously
undreamed of.
We pray for peace, justice
and human dignity. We will
not attain our goals perfectly,
because we are human. But
our pledge to the parents and
friends of Scouting is that
we will do our best to fulfi ll
the promise of service and a
brighter future for ALL of our
children.
Yours in Scouting,
Lorraine Ellis Jordan &
Gregory Clancy
Councilman Gjonaj holds
virtual town hall focused
on domestic violence
Third Avenue BID and community partners dispatch volunteers and BID employees from the HUB Wednesday,
June 3, to assist areas in recovering from vandalism and looting. BID employees and NYC Small
Business Services were also on hand to assist any small business impacted by violence.
Photo courtesy Third Avenue BID
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