6 FEBRUARY 3, 2022 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
NYC’s #1 Source for Political & Election News
Mayor Adams unveils gun violence policy
BY MORGAN C. MULLINGS
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Mayor Eric Adams is proposing
more arrests, stricter
sentences, more outreach
and a rollback to some criminal justice
reforms and bail laws to stem gun
violence in New York City.
In a Jan. 24 press conference, Adams
addressed the “iron pipeline,” and rising
incidents in gun violence that took
the lives of two police offi cers.
Aft er hearing criticism on holding
the presser with no Q&A, the Adams
administration rescheduled the event
to focus on the court of public opinion.
“Gun violence is a public health crisis.
There is no time to wait. We must act.
The sea of violence comes from many
rivers. We must dam every river that
feeds this greater crisis,” Adams said.
He claims that the eff ects of his “Blueprint
to End Gun Violence” will be seen
and felt very quickly.
In the 30 precincts where most of the
gun violence occurs, Adams’ offi ce will
deploy more offi cers and neighborhood
safety teams in the next three weeks.
“In doing this, we will avoid mistakes
of the past. These offi cers will be identifi
able as NYPD. They will have body
cameras, and they will have enhanced
training and oversight,” he said.
The city will also collect and report
evidence of gun sales to support the
state’s Interstate Gun Tracing Consortium,
including using facial recognition
and spot checks at major ports.
“Gun violence is not only a law
enforcement issue. It is a social issue,
a community issue, and we will be taking
a citywide approach to meeting this
challenge. New Yorkers have heard me
say many times that any eff ective plan
to reduce gun violence must include
intervention AND prevention,” Adams
said, pivoting to his plans to address
the root causes of violence.
The mayor plans to expand intervention
programs and youth-centered
programs, and create a Quality of Life
Task Force, which includes members
of the NYPD and Department of Homeless
Services (DHS), to make sure that
law enforcement and mental health
professionals are working together to
stop violence among the homeless and
mentally ill.
In the briefi ng and the question-andanswer
portion aft erward in the City
Hall Rotunda, the mayor focused on his
recommendations to change laws and
court processes to make sure threats
are minimized.
“We must allow judges to take dangerousness
into account. New York is
the only state in the country that does
not allow a judge to detain a defendant
who poses a threat to the community,”
Adams said.
“We must also look at ‘Raise the Age’
legislation, which is being used as a
loophole for gang members to demand
young people under 18 take the fall for
guns that are not theirs,” he continued.
Though he clarifi ed that he does not
want to target the youth, he wants to
take some of the prosecutions out of
family court and make sure they are
tried in criminal court.
Read more on PoliticsNY.com.
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Two Queens lawmakers are
calling for the state Legislature
to prioritize a bill that
will protect street vendors by
eliminating the cap on licenses
and allowing the small businesses
to receive relief aid.
The state recently announced
its 2022 Executive Budget, which
included a proposed $1 billion relief
package for small businesses.
However, many street vendors in
New York City are without licenses
— making them ineligible for the
much-needed relief.
In response, state Senator Jessica
Ramos and Assemblywoman Jessica
González-Rojas proposed the
state Legislature prioritize S1175A/
A5081. This legislation would formalize
and regulate street vending
in cities with a population of 1
million or more people, as well as
lift the license cap and eliminate
the waitlist for street vendors, allowing
them to pay their taxes and
comply with regulations.
Getting a license is nearly impossible
for street vendors due to
a cap to limit how many vendors
are allowed to operate in the city,
advocates have said.
“When Queens was enduring
the worst of the pandemic, it was
immigrant-owned street vending
operations providing outdoor
dining and shopping experiences
that allowed many people in our
neighborhoods to access what
they needed,” González-Rojas said.
“A5081 has been featured in the
New York State Black, Puerto Rican,
Hispanic, and Asian Legislative
Caucus’ 2022 People’s Budget as a
piece of legislation that is necessary
for a just recovery. We need to
pass A5081 to legalize street vending,
bringing revenue back to our
cities and state while honoring the
valued contributions of immigrant
entrepreneurs.”
Last June, agencies started issuing
$1,000 fines to unpermitted
mobile food vendors, even though
licenses are unavailable. Advocates
from the Street Vendor’s
Project (SVP) gathered to protest
these regulations over the summer.
“How is this city so cruel as to
issue a $1,000 ticket to a mother
selling tamales to take care of her
family, after barely surviving
the pandemic, simply for a lack of
business licensing which she has
no way to access due to the cap on
permits and licenses,” said Carina
Kaufman-Gutierrez, SVP’s deputy
director.
Ramos said that a lack of licenses
means these small businesses can
not adequately provide for their
families and communities.
Mayor Eric Adams has said in
the past that he stands with SVP
and the push to lift restrictive
permit caps.
Intro 1116 in the City Council
passed last year, which lifted the
cap and added 4,000 permits after
closing the waitlist in 2017. However,
considering thousands more
are waiting to be licensed, Ramos
and González-Rojas are working to
eliminate the cap altogether.
Mayor Eric Adams attends a vigil for the two NYPD offi cers who were
shot outside the 32nd Precinct in Harlem.
Photo by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Offi ce
Queens electeds call for legislative action to protect street vendors
PoliticsNY.com PoliticsNYnews PoliticsNYnews PoliticsNYnews
/PoliticsNY.com
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
/PoliticsNY.com
link
link
