22 THE QUEENS COURIER • APRIL, 22, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Meng calls for passage of COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMEDSCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
QNS
Congresswoman Grace Meng and her
colleagues in the House and Senate on
Tuesday, April 13, called for the passage
of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which
seeks to help combat the ongoing bigotry
and violence directed toward Asians
Americans.
Meng joined Senate Majority Leader
Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senator Mazie Hirono
(D-HI) and Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ)
to announce the measure that has received
support from President Biden, who is also
calling on Congress to pass the bill.
In March, Meng and Hirono reintroduced
the legislation, which seeks to
address the ongoing hate and senseless
violence targeted toward Asian Americans
and Pacifi c Islanders (AAPIs) by providing
greater assistance with law enforcement response
to COVID-19 hate crimes and creating
a position at the Department of Justice
to facilitate expedited review of cases.
“Oft entimes, we tell people to report if
something happens to them, but it’s always
not easy to do so,” said Meng, fi rst vice
chair of the Congressional Asian Pacifi c
American Caucus (CAPAC). “People might
not know where a police precinct is, have
language obstacles, and we also need more
resources for our local entities to be able to
fi gure out how to most eff ectively investigate
these types of incidents.”
Meng described the attacks as “horrifying”
that have been occurring across the
nation and in her district in Queens, where
several incidents have been reported to the
NYPD.
“We have heard about and seen videos of
both young and elderly Asian Americans
being shoved to the ground, stomped on,
beaten, spat on and shunned — these
heinous acts have been outrageous, unconscionable,
and they must end,” Meng said.
In order to combat hate crimes, Meng
said the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act will
encourage more reporting of incidents in
multiple languages, and help make communities
feel more empowered to come
forward and report the incidents. Th e bill
will also direct federal agencies to work
with community-based organizations to
fi nd ways to talk about the pandemic in a
way that is not discriminatory.
“Th ere are over 3,800 cases of reports
and the number of incidents are likely
higher,” Meng said. “Increased reporting
of hate crimes would give us accurate data
and a clearer and fuller picture of attacks
occurring, so we know what resources
specifi cally are needed.”
Over the past year, the congresswoman
(From l. to r.) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Rep. Grace Meng
(D-NY) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speak at a press conference on Tuesday, April 13,
urging Congress to pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.
has met with Asian American community
members whose lives have been threatened
or their loved ones that have been attacked,
she said. According to Meng, she is hopeful
that her legislation is moving forward and
is approved by the Senate and House.
“It’s about people’s lives and their right
to be safe. It’s about our parents and
grandparents walking down the street
safely, it’s about our kids being able to go
to school and play outside without fear of
being harassed,” Meng said. “We must
all, as Democrats and Republicans, stand
together against this racism and violence,
and say enough is enough.”
According to Schumer, there has been a
rising tide of violence and discrimination
of Asian Americans, driven by fear, misinformation
and age-old prejudices, from
shouted insults to racial slurs and actual
physical assaults.
Read more on QNS.com.
Dromm calls for expansion of immigrant tenant protections
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRYSCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
QNS
With tenant protections on the minds
of many Queens residents during the
economic crisis caused by the COVID-19
pandemic, Councilman Daniel Dromm
introduced a resolution in the Immigration
Committee calling for immigrant New
Yorkers to be eligible for the Disability Rent
Increase Exemption (DRIE) program.
“Since I took offi ce, my offi ce has been
helping constituents apply for what is
popularly known as the Rent Freeze
Program, which helps low-income seniors
and disabled New Yorkers stay in their
homes,” Dromm said. “In addition to
meeting fi nancial criteria, recipients of the
Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption,
or SCRIE, must be at least 62 years of age.
Recipients of the Disability Rent Increase
Exemption, or DRIE, must show that they
receive federal benefi ts, mainly through
Social Security Disability Insurance or
Supplemental Security Income. SCRIE
and DRIE are invaluable to many of the
residents of Jackson Heights and Elmhurst
and throughout the city.”
Th e DRIE program assists tenants
with a disability who qualify to have
their rent frozen at their current rate.
Tenants would also be exempt
from future rent increases
starting from the date
of their initial application
approval.
“Representing an
incredibly immigrantrich
district and having
chaired the Committee
on Immigration my fi rst
term, I always try to
remain sensitive to the
immigrant perspective,”
Dromm said. “I bring
this lens to my work as
chair of the Committee
on Finance, overseeing
the Department of
Finance, which administers
SCRIE and DRIE.
“Sadly, much government
assistance in our
society is denied to immigrants in
need, an
and DRIE is no exception.
Many
disabled individuals in
my dist
district and throughout the
city are
are ineligible, for no other
reason
reason than their immigration
status. Th
Th ey do not qualify for
the relevant federal programs and,
therefore,
do not qualify for DRIE.
It is fundamentally unfair that the
most vulnerable of the vulnerable
are prevented from accessing the
releva
fund
vul
prev
pr
very programs that are supposed
to be
helping them. SCRIE has
been working to assist
our seniors, regardless
of their immigration
status. And there is absolutely
no reason why
DRIE should not do the
same.”
Dromm’s resolution
is in concert with a bill
currently sponsored by
Assemblywoman Jessica
González-Rojas and
state Senator Gustavo
Rivera to remove anti-immigrant barriers
to disability housing assistance throughout
the state.
“New York state is the home to millions
of our immigrant neighbors with a majority
living in New York City. Th roughout
the coronavirus pandemic, we learned
just how nuanced these communities’
needs are and that they are at the intersection
of vast health care and economic
disparities,” González-Rojas said. “So
we can no longer ask these New Yorkers
to choose healthcare or housing, public
assistance or legal support; they need it
all and it is the government’s job to get
it to them.
“Coming off of a major statewide win for
our excluded workers, I am proud to be
joining Senator Gustao Rivera in introducing
legislation that will expand eligibility
for the Disability Rent Increase Exemption
to our immigrant neighbors who are excluded
from the program. I am grateful to
Councilman Dromm for his ongoing support
of our most vulnerable communities
is his resolution in the Council and I look
forward to getting this legislation passed.”
Courtesy Dromm’s offi ce
sts tenants
fy rrent s
Councilman Daniel Dromm introduces
a resolution calling for the expansion
of DRIE protections to all immigrant
New Yorkers with disabilites.
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