Gov backs serial subway sex-abuser ban
BY LINCOLN ANDERSON
Last Thursday, Governor Andrew
Cuomo publicly called on the
Metropolitan Transportation
Authority board to slap repeat subway
sex offenders with a lifetime ban.
But shortly afterward, a leading
transit-advocacy group said everyone
has the right to ride the rails — even
incorrigible perverts. Two days earlier,
Transit police busted Santiago Gonzalez,
71, a Level 3 sex offender, for trying
to pickpocket a man on the 4/5/6
line, the New York Post reported.
According to the newspaper, Gonzalez
had 27 prior arrests, 24 of those
in the subway system, and had just
fi nished a 97-day stint behind bars in
June. His most recent subway sex-abuse
bust was in March, when he targeted a
woman. Cuomo cited the Post’s article
— which noted that Edward Delatorre,
the Transit police chief, backs the ban.
“I applaud the N.Y.P.D.’s successful
investigation and arrest of one of
the worst serial sex offenders on the
New York City subway, and support
their efforts to ban this individual from
the system,” Cuomo said.
Warren to speak in Wash. Square
BY GABE HERMAN
Elizabeth Warren has been steadily
rising through the Democratic
primary season to become one of
the front runners for the party’s nomination.
This month she’ll be riding her
momentum into Greenwich Village.
Warren will speak at a campaign rally
in Washington Square Park on Mon.,
Sept. 16., at the park’s Arch.
“Elizabeth will deliver a speech on
how corruption in Washington has allowed
the rich and powerful to grow
richer and more powerful,” said a Facebook
page that has been created for
the rally.
People will be let into the event space
starting at 4 p.m., with things scheduled
to run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. It is
listed as free and open to the public.
While tickets are not required, they
are strongly encouraged, according to
the event page, indicating a big crowd
might be expected. In April 2016, during
the Democratic primary season,
Bernie Sanders held a campaign rally
in Washington Square that fi lled up the
park, plus had overfl ow crowds listening
on the surrounding Village streets.
Warren’s Village rally will be four
days after the third Democratic primary
debate, which will be held Thurs.,
Sept. 12, in Houston, Texas.
Admission to the park event will
be fi rst-come, fi rst-served. People can
RSVP at https://my.elizabethwarren.
com/page/s/join-elizabeth-in-nyc.
COURTESY U.S. SENATE
Presidential candidate Elizabeth
Warren will speak in Washington
Square Park on Sept. 16.
“This is a commonsense issue,” he
continued, “which is why I am calling
on the M.T.A. board to end the repeated
victimization of riders on our
subways and buses and enact a lifetime
ban on any individual who engages in
such abhorrent behavior.
“The defi nition of insanity would be
to allow this conduct to continue unabated
and somehow expect our transit
system to improve,” the governor added.
“The N.Y.P.D. is right to seek this
ban, and now it is the M.T.A.’s responsibility
to take action against these
repeat offenders once and for all.”
Albany can pass legislation to banish
individuals from the subway system,
but the M.T.A. can also implement
its own ban, according to the Post. In
June, the state Senate voted to approve
such a ban, but not the Assembly.
However, two hours after Cuomo issued
his press release, Riders Alliance
issued its own, objecting to preventing
anyone — including repeat subway sex
offenders — from using the system.
“Government shouldn’t ban New
Yorkers from public spaces like our
subways and buses,” said Danny Pearlstein,
the group’s policy and communications
director. “Blaming riders for
problems with transit distracts from
Governor Cuomo’s responsibility to deliver
an M.T.A. capital plan that puts
reliable and accessible subways fi rst.”
PrEP is available regardless of your ability to pay
or your immigration status. Talk to your doctor or
visit nyc.gov/health and search "PrEP."
TAKE PrEP
TO PREVENT HIV
PrEP is a safe, daily pill that reduces your
risk of HIV. Use condoms to protect against
other sexually transmitted infections.
Bill de Blasio
Mayor
Oxiris Barbot, MD
Health Commissioner
10 September 12, 2019 TVG Schneps Media
/my.elizabethwarren
/my.elizabethwarren
/health