18 C R Y D E RP O I N TDEC/JAN STATE OF THE CITY: middle classHelp the BY BILLY RENNISON for the current $7.25 an hour rate to be raised over five Madison Square Garden also found itself in Liu’s years to $11.50. crosshairs during the talk. “Why has Madison Square Raising the minimum wage, providing free college Ensuring more residents graduate from high school Garden been awarded a $15 million a year real-property tuition and ending corporate welfare were among the and college is one way for more residents to earn a tax exemption?” Liu asked. myriad of topics touched on during Comptroller John decent living, the comptroller said. Eliminating tax breaks and corporate welfare Liu’s State of the City speech last week. Currently, four out of five high school students in handed out to big companies would raise hundreds of After a pre-speech show featuring a children’s choir, the city do not graduate from college, according to the millions of dollars in revenue for the city, Liu said. interpretive dancers and violinists, the presumptive comptroller. Skyrocketing tuition costs is one reason More than $250 million was handed out last year to a mayoral hopeful delivered his second State of the City behind the high number of students without a bachelor’s handful “of lucky and well-connected businesses,” he speech this year which focused heavily on ways to aid degree. Liu suggested offering the top 10 percent of said. the city’s working and middle classes to a packed room students at public schools free tuition at any CUNY While big businesses enjoy tax breaks, many at John Jay College on Thursday, December 20. school. smaller businesses struggle under the weight of taxes “If we are serious about narrowing the wealth gap “The offer of free tuition would help motivate and fines. Liu unveiled a series of proposals to reduce we need to have the courage to pay all people a livable students and elevate CUNY, one of our city’s most taxes and fines by $500 million for small businesses. minimum wage,” Liu said. valuable gems, to the level of a competitive prize,” Fines doubled over the past decade, Liu said. The comptroller said due to the city’s high cost of said Liu. “It would also be a lifesaver for many “While fines are sometimes a necessary evil to living, the effective minimum wage in the five boroughs working families who are struggling to send their kids protect public safety and health, they should not be used was less than $4, the lowest in the country. Liu called to college.” just to generate revenue for the city,” he said. NYPD CLAIMS Murders, shootings he said. “When you settle cases down in 2012: BY MELISSA CHAN to do with guilt or innocence,” Claims filed against New when the police are not doing York’s finest spiked 35 percent anything wrong, it’s going to in the last fiscal year, leading lead to more and more cases and ‘The safest big city the city to shell out nearly $186 more tax money being wasted.” according to a report issued by involving false arrest and police in America isVallone said few cases million in settlement costs, Comptroller John Liu. brutality are justifiable, with The NYPD was responsible the majority stemming from safer than ever’ for more claims during the 2011 “sleazy” lawyers looking for a fiscal year than any other city payout. agency. “Sometimes good cops are BY BILLY RENNISON When murders reached their all-targeted by dirt bags, and thentime high in the city in 1990, nearly“The surge in claims for reasons that have nothing immediately comment. rose more than 9 percent. one.saw slight upticks while grand larceny111th and 104th precincts each hadThe NYPD did notRape, robbery, assault and burglaryhomicides were recorded while thesidewalks.was 471 in 2009.Within the 112th Precinct, zeroin schools or from defectiveThe previous record low in murdersjumped more than 6 percent.accidents and injuries that occurstatistics began being kept in 1963.80 last year while shooting incidentsviolations, motor vehicleboth record lows since comparableIn Queens, murders fell from 82 topolice action, civil rightsmost recent numbers available --year.include medical malpractice,incidents, as of December 23, the(237) of killings were by guns lastPersonal injury claims414 homicides and 1,353 shootingof murder within the city; 57 percent2,550.In the five boroughs, there wereGuns remained the leading causeof personal injury claims withviolence.”murder or other serious crimes.but the second lowest numberdoing everything possible to stop gunsomeone else has to go to prison forclaims in the city with 3,425it also reflects our commitment tobefore someone is killed and beforenumber of property damageon the line for us every day — andsaid Kelly. “We’re preventing crimesQueens had the largestmen and women who put their livesstop, 800 of them illegal handguns,”according to report findings.hard work and determination of theannually out of the hands of people wedamage settlements in 2011,safer than ever is a testament to the“We’re taking 8,000 weaponspersonal injury and propertythe safest big city in America ishigh-crime areas, for the decreases.from the year before — in totalMichael Bloomberg. “The fact thatImpact, which funneled resources tomillion — a 5 percent jumprecorded city history,” said Mayorpolice initiatives such as OperationThe city doled out over $550year will be lower than any time inCommissioner Raymond Kelly creditedtaxpayers.”“The number of murders thisBloomberg and Policeonly people who lose are theticked slightly upward.murder or shooting is one too many.selling drugs. It’s amazing. Theother felonies in the five boroughsover one per day, Bloomberg said onemore money suing cops thandramatically in the city last year asEven with that number dropping to justsaid. “Drug dealers are makingMurders and shootings fellsix New Yorkers were killed each day.there are legitimate cases,” heThe 114th Precinct in AstoriaBut Councilmember Peter“The Corporation Counsel against the NYPD is an alarm bell for the city,” Liu said. “The trend can and must be stemmed and reversed with better risk management including training, clearer accountability and the convening of a multi-disciplinary task force.” topped the list in Queens with 53 claims, the comptroller’s report showed, while the 113th Precinct in Jamaica had the highest number of crime complaints in the borough with 2,370. Vallone, chair of the Public Safety Committee, defended the NYPD. Vallone said claims against cops surge when the Corporation Counsel of the city’s Law Department settles too many “nuisance” cases regardless of merit. settles everything, and they settle 18 cryder point courier | deceMBer/JAnuAry 2013 | WWW.QUEENSCOURIER.COM
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