James Conolly (right) and lawyer Alan M. Rocoff, organizers of the Unity
Brunch. Photo by Nelson A. King
Caribbean Life, JUNE 11-17, 2021 5
By Nelson A. King
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams
said on Wednesday that while he’s glad
to finally see the federal government
taking meaningful action on a community
level, he’s not fully sold on the
New York Police Department (NYPD)
and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms (ATF) partnership to combat
gun violence.
“I have questions and concerns about
where the ATF partnership will focus
and how it will be implemented,” said
Williams. “If the sole focus is on seizing
guns already on our city streets, it will
be insufficient.
“We need a focus on stopping the
initial flow of firearms into communities,”
he added. “Gun arrests on our
streets are already at record rates, and
it’s essential to interrupt this pipeline
that has long fueled violence earlier on
its path.
“My hope is that law enforcement
and the ATF will focus attention on bad
actors who deliberately violate gun laws,
which are already all too weak, such as
dealers who repeatedly ‘lose’ guns in
states with weaker laws, which make
their way to cities like ours,” the public
advocate continued.
Additionally, Williams noted that “we
have seen in the past that NYPD collaboration
with federal agencies like ICE
(Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Agency) have sometimes led to
the enabling of abuses, to the disruption
of and distrust within communities.
“As this new initiative moves forward,
it’s vital that the city and administration
be transparent about it and
include more community-led safety
stakeholders in the process of integrating
new resources into current strategies,”
he said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday
that the NYPD and the ATF will form
a partnership aimed at reducing gun
violence and stopping the flow of illegal
guns into the city.
By Nelson A. King
As the June 22 Democratic Primary
in New York draws near, several
candidates and elected officials used
the opportunity on Sunday to tout
their candidacies at the inaugural Unity
Brunch at Spoons Restaurant on Avenue
J in Flatbush, Brooklyn.
The event — organized by former
City Council candidate, James Conolly
and lawyer Alan M. Rocoff — primarily
attracted City Council candidates,
as well as State Assemblyman David I.
Weprin, who is running for city comptroller.
“It’s important for us to reconnect
because COVID has been devastating
our community,” said Council Member
Farah N. Louis, the daughter of Haitian
immigrants, who is seeking re-election
in the 45th Council District.
“This year is a very important year in
our city; so, we need to pick the right
people to be elected in our community,”
added Louis, whose district comprises
parts of Flatbush and East Flatbush, as
well as the neighborhoods of Midwood,
Marine Park, Flatlands and Kensington
in Brooklyn.
“It’s an opportunity to represents our
community,” continued Louis, who was
endorsed last week by veteran New York
State Assemblyman Jamaican N. Nick
Perry, currently the assistant speaker
pro tempore of the New York Assembly;
chairman of the New York State Black,
Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative
Caucus; and regional chairman,
(Region 2, NY & PA) National Black
Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL).
“It was not easy to represent the
community during the pandemic, and
I’m the best person to represent you
in our community,” said Louis, who
chairs the Mental Health, Disabilities
and Addictions Committee in the City
Council. “My platform has always been
a unified community.”
In just under two years in office,
Louis said she has accomplished “a
great deal on behalf of District 45 and
New Yorkers across New York City.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut
down the city, she said she “immediately
sprang into action” to support the
community by distributing meals and
PPEs, securing iPads for students participating
in remote learning, and by
fighting for the first COVID-19 testing
site in Flatbush.
As rates of the virus declined and the
city continued to reopen, Louis said she
was not interested in a recovery that
called for a return to “normal.”
She said she will continue to advocate
for support and resources for frontline
and essential workers, and work closely
with the community to bolster the 45th
District’s small businesses, especially
those hit hardest by the crisis.
Louis said addressing gun violence
and ensuring that residents feel safe in
their community was her top priority.
She said that the pandemic has led
to an increase in shooting incidents, “as
New Yorkers continue to struggle with
the emotional and economic impacts of
the crisis.”
Louis said she was “committed to
helping residents take back our streets,”
and will work with non-profit partners,
elected officials and the community
“to secure even more resources for the
district to interrupt violence before it
happens and to create productive alternatives
to crime.”
Haitian-born Josue Pierre — who is
contesting the adjacent 40th Council
District, currently represented by his
compatriot, the term-limited Dr. Mathieu
Eugene, who is running for Brooklyn
Borough President — told the Unity
Brunch that, he has “the struggles
of the population who are here” after
migrating from Haiti, when he was only
5 years old.
“As a proud product of New York City
public schools, an immigrant and decades
long community leader, I understand
the challenges that face the people
of the 40th District,” Pierre said.
“We want affordable housing, equity
in education, well paid jobs, community
friendly zoning, more resources
for small businesses, safer streets and
more.
“We want a better Brooklyn and New
York City for us all,” he added. “Together,
we will make that happen.”
Retired New York Police Department
(NYPD) detective, Barbadian Dr. Judith
Newton, expressed confidence in victory,
as she contests the crowded 46th
District seat in Brooklyn.
The 46th District encompasses the
neighborhoods of Bergen Beach, Canarsie,
Flatlands, Georgetown, Gerritsen
Beach, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Mill
Island and Sheepshead Bay.
“I’m running on a family-first ticket,”
Dr. Newton told the reception, stating
that her platform addresses “bread and
butter issues.”
“And what I’ll be responsible for is
bringing the necessary resources,” Dr.
Newton said. “I ask for your support.”
Earlier, she had told Caribbean Life
that her goals and aspirations were
“simple: To represent the people of
the 46th District, especially working
families.
“I’m running on a platform of
rebuilding, preserving, and restoring
the community and district by putting
families first,” she said. “I believe that
the damage done to families in the district
by the twin pandemics of poverty
and COVID-19 are also aggravated by
high unemployment, joblessness.”
Dr. Newton said “the unintended
consequences and fall-out occasioned
by these issues need someone who can
roll up their sleeves and get to work,
putting our families interests first.
New York City Public Advocate
Jumaane Williams. Associated Press/
John Minchillo, fi le
Candidates, elected officials attend
inaugural Unity Brunch in Flatbush
Williams doubtful
about NYPDAFT
partnership
to combat gun
violence