State Sen. Parker passes Phoenix Act
to address intimate partner violence
State Senator Kevin Parker,
candidate for New York City
Comptroller, on Wednesday, May
26 applauded his Senate colleagues
for passing Senate Bill
S.3020A, the New York State
Phoenix Act, sponsored by Senator
Parker. The act, which passed
the chamber unanimously, would
for the first time define Coercive
Control as a felony offense
in New York State, as well as
extend the statute of limitations
for prosecuting intimate partner
violence.
Coercive control is a pattern
of verbal, emotional, and psychological
abuse toward an intimate
partner. It involves ongoing
oppressive behavior like intimidation,
gaslighting, degradation,
isolation, and false accusations.
According to the National Intimate
Partner and Sexual Violence
Survey, about 34 percent
of women and 40 percent of men
in New York will experience coercive
control at some point in
their lives. Its effects may not be
physical, but the emotional toll
can last a lifetime.
By defining the offense of
Coercive Control, New York State
Sen. Kevin Parker, D- Brooklyn, during a news conference at
the Capitol in Albany, N.Y. Associated Press / Hans Pennink, fi le
would join a select few governments
at the forefront of combating
this serious crime. Currently,
Hawaii, California, England,
Wales, and parts of Australia have
laws against coercive control.
“Intimate partner violence,
including coercive control, is not
a joke or ‘none of my business.’
It is a real and serious problem
Back to Life. Back to BMCC.
Caribbean L 10 ife, June 4-10, 2021
affecting thousands of New
Yorkers,” Senator Parker said.
“I am happy to see that all 63
members of the Senate voted in
favor of this bill because it shows
that we understand and recognize
the need for a formal law to
combat this abusive practice. I
look forward to my colleagues in
the Assembly passing this vital
piece of legislation in the coming
weeks, and the governor signing
it into law before the end of the
legislative session.”
Tropicalfete’s ‘Authors
Connecting Program’
By Nelson A. King
Tropicalfete, Inc., the
Brooklyn-based cultural
organization, observing Caribbean
American Heritage
Month with an “Authors Connecting
Program.”
According to Alton Aimable,
the group’s St. Lucianborn
president and founder,
the program comprises a list
of activities, such as reading
sessions, interviews and interactive
workshops.
Aimable said the program
will be streamed live on Facebook,
YouTube, Twitch, Periscope,
Linked, Instagram and
Tropicalfete.com.
“’Authors Connecting’ is a
program designed to emphasize
the importance of literacy
and how culture can
influence education, as well
as one’s view of world events,”
he said. “The program is targeted
at people of all ages and
consists of workshop sessions
with authors, who will read
from their works.
“The viewers will be
encouraged to ask questions,
so they can take advantage
of learning from the authors’
experiences,” he added.
At the end of the session,
Aimable said books will be
distributed “to encourage a
love for reading.”
For this year’s program, he
said Tropicalfete, Inc. is connecting
with Assemblywoman
Latrice M. Walker and will
be donating the books from
Tropicalfete, Inc.’s program to
the “Little Library” project
that Walker started in front
of her office in Brownsville,
Brooklyn.
The schedule for Tropicalfete’s
“Authors Connecting
2021 includes interviews with
autors Kim Johnson, Anslem
Douglas, Nadege Fleurimond,
ventriloquist Geltown, Yolanda
Lezama-Clark, Dawad
Philip, Tai Abrams, Garvin
Johnson, Dr. Rudolph Ottley
and Liselle Sambury.
Aimable said Tropicalfete,
Inc.’s mission is to develop
the community in the area
of arts and social services,
“with the focus on educating
the community on Caribbean
culture.”
TEXT OR CALL: (347) 305-4497
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