Message from Councilman Mark Gjonaj
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, A 48 UGUST 16-22, 2019 BTR
COUNCILMAN MARK GJONAN
Benedetto sponsors Driver Safety Program
As a service to his constituents,
Assemblyman Michael
Benedetto will be sponsoring
an NYS DMV Approved Insurance
Reduction Program
on Saturday, September 14,
from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The
course is held at Fort Schuyler
House, 3077 Cross Bronx Expressway.
Registration for this
class begins on Monday, July
22.. To reserve a seat, call (718)
892-2235. The cost for this class
is $29. Space is limited.
This 6-hour course will refresh
your driving knowledge
with a review of time-tested
safe driving tips. Those who
complete the course will receive
a reduction of approximately
10 percent from the base
rate of automobile and motorcycle
liability premiums each
year for three years.
BY GENE DEFRANCIS
As the summer comes to a
close and kids are ready to go
back to school we are set for
some great events and surprises.
This Saturday, August 17
the International Food Festival
returns to Allerton. Special
thanks to Jackie Acevedo
our event coordinator and Assemblywoman
Nathalia Fernandez
for helping us make
this event the best it could be.
The stage is located on Barnes
Avenue so come early and try
a little bit of everything.
Following the Food Festival,
we will jump start the
Allerton Movie Nights. Enjoy
classic fi lms with your friends
and neighbors and bring the
whole family. Join our Facebook
page or email us at AllertonMerchants@
gmail.com for
exact dates and times.
The Community Garden
has been secured for next
season and we will work on a
season to season basis. If you
wish to be a garden coordinator
(gardening and communication
skills a must) email us
at AllertonMerchants@gmail.
com. Email us as well if you
are just interested in volunteering
(all are welcome to volunteer
- the more the merrier)
Our Back To School Cleanup
will be here soon too so we
will need volunteers to assist
us as always. A few tags have
popped up in the community
that need our attention.
We will also clean up and
around the memorial on Allerton
for Bill Suriani as well
as do some light Fall Cleaning.
Email us and join our Facebook
page to stay engaged in
all things Allerton.
Because your community is
your business.
BY AL D’ANGELO
How far does the hypocrisy
go? Shouts from both sides of
the aisle clamor for less hate
speech, more respect for our
police, fi xing the racial divide
and working together for the
people of this country. Talk is
cheap; hate and division seems
to be ruling the day.
How is blaming the mass
murders on the words of the
President ok but criticizing
Hollywood movies or actors
and actresses that weigh in
with hate speech tolerated?
Why don’t these rigorous entertainers
tone down their
rhetoric and turn down movies
that depict violence and depravity?
Violence and sex sell,
just look at the news papers
and the violent videos posted
on social media.
There is more hate speech
and hypocrisy coming out of
the mouths of these rich pampered
elitists who clamor about
climate change from their gas
guzzling private planes and
yachts. They clamor about the
homeless while they ride past
them on their way to their
gated mansions. How about
putting your money where
your mouth is?
The media can do much
in the way of honestly reporting
the facts and not taint
the news with their political
views. If Trump walked on water
the news would report “the
President can’t swim”. The
personal attacks against the
President and his family is repugnant
and is hate speech. It
was wrong when they did it to
Obama and it is wrong what
they’re doing to Trump. Two
wrongs don’t make a right.
Respect for the police has
hit a new low and who do you
think is going to suffer for this.
I was disgusted by what I saw
repeatedly in the media of police
offi cers being doused by
water while onlookers laughed
and posted videos on social
media. What would have happened
if an offi cer pulled his
gun and ordered one of these
fools to stop and when he didn’t,
fi red and say he was in fear of
his life not knowing what was
in the pail. Would he have been
justifi ed? How would you react
if one of your employees
doused you with water when
you were in a meeting? These
men and woman in blue are
the ones who run into trouble
when we’re running the other
way.
What a great way to repay
them for keeping us safe. A law
has been proposed that such an
act would be considered a felony.
Why is this being opposed
by some in Albany? Maybe if
we started dousing some of
them, they would get the message.
Racism seems to be the
catch word of the day. When in
doubt throw out the race card.
It is the fl avor of the day for
politicians and some community
leaders who are vying for
or are trying to direct the minority
vote. You can legislate
racial equality but can’t legislate
racism. Racism needs to be
unlearned, in the home, in the
classroom and in the media.
The polarization of our country
by elected offi cials has divided
this country and set race
relations back decades. It is repugnant
that we allow people
to live on the streets, allow children
to go to inferior schools,
build a rocket to the moon but
can’t, or won’t, build a factory
in the inner city to provide
work for the residence.
Community leaders who
spew hate rather than education,
blame rather than foster
responsibility, selling despair
rather than hope and pandering
to fear rather than understanding.
We need our elected
offi cials to unite us, not divide
us for political gain. What ever
your politics we must be ready
to kick to the curb any elected
offi cial who puts politics before
the American people. Time
to stop worrying about party
loyalty and started thinking
about loyalty to each other and
this great country.
We have turned so far to the
dark side that people in ‘the
land of the free’ are afraid to
voice their political opinion or
donate to a politician for fear of
physical or fi nancial reprisals.
Some of our elected offi cial are
fostering this fear and encouraging
people to use physical or
fi nancial pressure against an
opponent. Since when is it okay
to harm your neighbor because
he has a different opinion than
you?
Whatever your political persuasion
you have a right under
our constitution to express your
views freely and without reprisal.
All elected offi cials should
be speaking out against this.
Why aren’t they? Could it be
that it fi ts their political narrative?
When do, they start thinking
about the American people
fi rst and politics second. They
vowed “To support and defend
the Constitution of The United
States against all enemies foreign
and domestic…”.
Recently, I began ShameNYC, a social
media campaign calling on residents
of the Bronx to draw attention
to the egregious neglect the Bronx
has faced for decades. Residents of the
Bronx and every New Yorker for that
matter can use this online resource to
alert my offi ce of any new or outstanding
issues throughout the city. It has
become extremely evident that government
agencies lack apt response and
repair times for a myriad of issues,
such as noise, illegal parking, unmaintained
parks, potholes, and hazardous
sidewalks. We have had previous dialogue
with the NYC Department of
Parks, Transportation, and Sanitation
for their unacceptable maltreatment of
our public spaces.
However, we have succeeded in
many ways. Rodman’s Neck, a beautiful
and lush destination off City Island,
has been the unfortunate home
to almost 20 abandoned and deteriorating
boats. Along with debris, these
boats have been both an eyesore and
a danger to people trying to spend
time in and around the bay. Fortunately,
last week, following incredible
pressure from constituents through
ShameNYC, the Department of Parks
fi nally removed debris and fi ve of the
boats.
Overgrown grass has also threatened
the cleanliness and aesthetic of
the Bronx. On streets where the Departments
of Sanitation and Transportation
offer no help, grass and bushes
creep through sidewalks and fences,
damaging property and posing fall
risks. Esplanade Avenue, East Tremont
Avenue, and Bruckner Avenue
are just three of many streets to suffer
from this negligence. Fortunately,
constituents used ShameNYC to bring
these problems to our attention. While
in one instance the Department of
Sanitization addressed the issue, for
the other we collaborated with Wildcat
Service Corp to clean the sidewalk.
These successes, however, are only
steps in the right direction. Boats remain
Eastchester Bay and many sidewalks
still sprout overgrown grass.
While the Department of Sanitation,
Parks, and Transportation are responsible
for fi xing these issues, it takes a
considerable amount of time and pressure
from my offi ce and constituents.
Hence, for the time being, it is imperative
to hold every government agency
accountable, in hopes that these departments
become more responsible
and productive.
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