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April 1, 2022 • Schneps Media
BY MAX PARROTT
New York City clergy, state
legislators, youth advocates
and legal service providers
joined forces on March 25 in Harlem
to denounce Governor Kathy
Hochul’s proposal to roll back the
state’s Raise the Age law through
the state budget.
In rejecting the Governor’s proposed
changes to bail reform and
the 2017 Raise the Age law that
raised the state’s age of criminal
responsibility from 16 to 18 years
old, the coalition argued that Hochul
needs to provide increased
investments to address the underlying
causes of violent crime.
“We need to protect legislation
like Raise the Age and recognize
that gun violence is a poverty issue.
We need to invest in our communities
and protect our children,” said a
spokesperson for state Sen. Cordell
Cleare (D-Harlem) at the rally.
The proposal to change Raise
the Age is part of the Governor’s
10-point public safety package
originally leaked to the New York
Post, which also includes expanding
LOCAL NEWS
the number of crimes that are
bail eligible. Hochul verified the
existence of the plan at a news
conference Monday.
The Governor is proposing to
change Raise the Age by granting
judges the option to keep a case
in criminal court if a person from
age 16 to 18 is in possession of a
gun, according to the Post. The
plan reportedly justified the rollback
by pointing to “a dramatic
increase in the number of teens
under 18 carrying guns.”
Coalition members argued that
Raise the Age is not responsible
for the increase in gun violence.
Instead of treating young people
with gun offenses as adults, speakers
at the rally argued the Governor
could better address the spike
in gun violence by spending more
on housing programs, vocational
programs, mental health services,
youth engagement programs and
programs that address gun violence
as a public health issue.
“We have to provide resources,
not jail to our young people,
through a state budget that prioritizes
marginalized youth, young
adults and families,” said Apostle
Onleilove Alston from Harlem
Clergy United & Beyond and
Prophetic Whirlwind Ministries.
Jason Cone, chief policy officer
of the Robin Hood foundation,
pointed out that the state has so
far failed to distribute the $800
million in social services that was
allocated for the Raise the Age
legislation as part of the 2018
state budget. A spokesperson for
the Office of Children and Family
Services said the state government
had only distributed just $290
million of that funding.
“We remain fully committed to
meet our statutory obligation to
reimburse 100 percent of eligible
local Raise the Age costs,” said
the spokesperson.
“Governor Hochul’s executive
budget includes bold initiatives
to embrace this once-in-a-generation
opportunity to invest in our
future and we look forward to
continuing to work with the legislature
to finalize a budget that
serves all New Yorkers,” Governor’s
spokesperson Avi Small said
in a statement.
BY DEAN MOSES
More than a dozen
climate and affordable
housing
demonstrators wound up
in handcuffs on March 28
after their street demonstration
outside Governor
Kathy Hochul’s Midtown
office brought traffic to a
standstill.
Drivers were left fuming
during their Monday morning
commute when traffic
came to a screeching halt
on 41st Street and 3rd Avenue
as the activists lined
Some even laid on the ground.
the roadway and blocked
traffic.
Chanting and waving signs,
the group refused to permit anyone
from passing in hopes of
having their message heard loud
and clear. The looming New
York State budget deadline of
April 1 made many climate and
housing advocates make a personal
and boisterous plea to Hochul,
who was not in Midtown
Monday morning, to repeal the
421-a tax break.
The controversial tax code was
created during the 1970s as an
incentive for real-estate developers
and landlords that helps lower
their property tax bill if they
create new multi-family residential
housing. Over the years, this
break continued, encouraging
real-estate developers to create
more residential property with
a certain percentage allocated
for affordable housing units (income
based apartments) along
with their market rate.
The governor has shown support
for this bill and has included
a new section of the code (485-
w) that focuses on including a
high percentage of affordable
units as well as lowering the area
median income (AMI) depending
on the number of units in a
building. However, protesters at
the rally believe this expensive
tax break is meant to solely benefit
the wealthy and will not vastly
improve housing conditions in
New York City.
Activists are demanding Hochul
pass the All Electric Buildings
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
Act, eliminating the use of
gas in newly constructed buildings.
In doing so, both the housing
and climate activists say this
will greatly reduce greenhouse
emissions. They also added
that 421-a perpetuates housing
inequities by creating apartments
that in the eyes of many
are not truly affordable, and
are only for a small percentage
of the population.
One irate driver who claimed
to be a city employee was so
livid he confronted the crowd
and demanded them to disperse.
“Move! Everybody move!
I work for the New York City
Parks Department! Move!”
The man yelled.
Chatting “Ban gas now!” and
“Housing is a human right!” the
blockade continued unimpeded
for about 45 minutes until police
officers arrived. Members of the
NYPD warned the protesters
they would be arrested if they
continued. However, the group
simply dug in their feet and
took hands.
One by one 14 protesters
were placed in zip ties and led
away, some still clutching their
banners under arms.
In response to this protest,
a representative from the governor’s
office stated that she
is working to put forward the
Affordable Neighborhoods for
New Yorkers tax incentive (485-
w), which would create affordable
housing for the average
wage standard.
PHOTO BY MAX PARROTT
Activists in Harlem protested rollbacks of the “Raise the Age” bill in Harlem on March 25.
Midtown climate, housing
protest leaves 14 in
cuffs for blocking street
Invest, not detain
Youth advocates rally in Harlem against
rollback of Raise the Age law for teen offenders