Good Morning, Brooklyn: Tuesday, October 18, 2022

October 18, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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AFTER LATEST BURGLARY, MALLIOTAKIS DEMANDS CHANGES TO BAIL LAW: After the burglary this morning of Lulianos Pizzeria in Bay Ridge —the latest in a series of thefts against merchants —U.S. Rep Nicole Malliotakis (R-11/southwestern Brooklyn) demanded that Governor Kathy Hochul and the state legislature fix the bail law. “This morning, a small business located one block from my office was targeted by a perp whom police tell us is a parolee with a criminal history,” said Malliotakis, who has introduced legislation (H.R. 8647, the Protecting All Communities Equally Act) that would hold states with lax bail laws accountable and require that bail laws provide judges with the discretion to set bail if the accused is considered a danger to society.

Three weeks ago, Malliotakis held a press conference calling on Governor Hochul and the State Legislature to fix the bail law and stop releasing repeat offenders and parolees back on the streets.

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UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE SYSTEM UPGRADES ACCESS SECURITY: A new multi-factor authentication (MFA) initiative is now in use throughout the unemployment insurance (UI) system to provide top tier cyber protection for New Yorkers, the New York State Department of Labor announced today, in concert with October being Cybersecurity Awareness Month. MFA is an increasingly-used security technology that requires multiple methods of authentication, such as a code sent via text message or as a push notification on a mobile app, to verify a user’s identity for login purposes.

This new security measure, which provides added protection against criminals seeking to defraud the UI system, will keep users’ information secure; but the new policy could become an additional obstacle for those who do not have mobile devices or text message services.

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NEW REPORT: ONLINE PLATFORMS HAD MOTIFYING ROLE IN BUFFALO MASS SHOOTING: Online platforms played a key role in the traffic tragic and racially-motivated Buffalo mass shooting that took the lives of 10 Black individuals earlier this year, according to a newly-released report from New York Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Kathy Hochul. During the course of the investigation, OAG obtained and reviewed external and internal content and policies of several of the online platforms used by the shooter, fringe online platforms, like 4chan, radicalized the shooter; livestreaming platforms, like Twitch, were weaponized to publicize and encourage copycat violent attacks; and a lack of oversight, transparency, and accountability of these platforms allowed hateful and extremist views to proliferate online, leading to radicalization and violence.

The investigation has prompted Attorney General James and Governor Hochul to urge that federal and state reforms be made to combat online extremism and violence, including state legislation that would criminalize graphic images or videos created by a perpetrator of a homicide, penalize individuals who reshare or repost those same materials, and to hold the online sites accountable.

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GUILTY PLEA AND SENTENCING FOR COMPANY THAT AIDED FOREIGN TERRORIST GROUPS: Lafarge S.A. (Lafarge), a global building materials manufacturer headquartered in France, and Lafarge Cement Syria, S.A. (LCS), a Lafarge subsidiary headquartered in Syria, pleaded guilty today in Brooklyn federal court a one-count criminal information charging them with conspiring to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and the al-Nusrah Front (ANF), both U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations. Immediately following the defendants’ guilty pleas this morning, United States District Judge William F. Kuntz, II sentenced the defendants to terms of probation and to pay financial penalties, including criminal fines of $90.78 million and forfeiture of $687 million, totaling $777.78 million.

For many years, LaFarge had a location on 25^th Street on Sunset Park’s waterfront. The site was since acquired by another company.

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‘DON MARIO’ DRUG LORD SENTENCED TO 35 YEARS: United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry in Brooklyn federal court sentenced Colombian citizen Daniel Rendon Herrera, also known as “Don Mario,” to 35 years’ imprisonment for engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise as a leader of the paramilitary, multibillion dollar drug organization known as the “Clan del Golfo” (CDG). Rendon Herrera was sentenced also to 15 years’ imprisonment (with time to be served concurrently) for conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC).

As part of the sentences, which will run concurrently, the Court ordered Rendon Herrera, who pleaded guilty last November, to pay $45,750,000 million in forfeiture.

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HEARING AIDS NOW BEING SOLD OVER-THE-COUNTER: Hearing aids become more affordable and accessible yesterday, thanks to President Joe Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy. The FDA issued a final rule that adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss can buy hearing aids at a store or online without a prescription, exam, or audiologist fitting.

The FDA estimates this could lower average costs by as much as $3,000 per pair—providing significant relief for the nearly 30 million Americans with hearing loss, including nearly 10 million adults under age 60.

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CORRECTIONS DEPT. ACCUSED OF DATA TAMPERING: The Legal Aid Society has condemned the New York City Department of Correction (DOC) for allegedly tampering with data about lengthy stays in the intake areas of the Eric M. Taylor Center on Rikers Island. Through a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request, Legal Aid obtained documents revealing that, during a sample of days in June 2022, DOC appeared to alter admissions data in the tracking system used to demonstrate compliance with a September 2021 federal court order (Nunez v. City of New York) that required the Dept. of Corrections limit its intake to 24 hours, in re response to multiple reports of horrific conditions.

According to the documents, New York City Board of Correction (BOC) staff discovered the tampering when examining the new admission system.

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PUBLIC HEARING FOR PROPOSED HISTORIC DISTRICT IN FLATBUSH: A block of rowhouses in Flatbush could soon get its own Historic District, with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission’s public hearing set for tomorrow, Tuesday, October 18. The LPC will convene the public hearing on the proposed Melrose Parkside Historic District, a set of remarkably cohesive and intact group of 38 single- and two-family row houses on Parkside Avenue between Flatbush and Bedford avenues that were built between 1909 and 1915. Two of Brooklyn’s most prominent architects, Benjamin Driesler and Axel S. Hedman, designed the rowhouses for developers William A. A. Brown and Eli H. Bishop & Son.

Public hearings provide an opportunity for the public to testify (via https://www.youtube.com/user/nyclpc/featured) before the Commission on proposed landmark designations, with written testimony also accepted The next step will be a public meeting during which the Commission will vote on the designation.

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HEALTH DEPT. REPORT URGES STUDIES ON SMOKING: The root causes of smoking inequities among racial and ethnic lines must be addressed, according to a new report that the Health Department released yesterday. The report found that, although fewer adults in NYC smoke cigarettes than in decades past, some New Yorkers continue to smoke at higher rates, and smoking remains a leading cause of death. For example, data are shown on menthol smoking rates, which highlight the harmful impact of aggressive tobacco industry promotion of menthol cigarettes to communities of color.

During 2020, 52 percent of all adults who smoked in NYC usually smoked menthol cigarettes, but 89 percent of Black and 68 percent of Latino/a adults who smoked used menthol cigarettes, compared with only 32 percent of White and 25 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander adults who smoked.

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COMMUNITY BOARD 18 TO HEAR ABOUT HEALTH EQUITY PROJECT: The Health Equity and Access to Care (HEAC) project will be the focus of a guest presentation during Brooklyn Community Board 18’s next hybrid meeting and Public Hearing this Wednesday, October 19. Health Equity and Access to Care (HEAC) Study at CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy is a project that the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is funding as a response to their racial equity initiatives and interest about segregation that occurs in healthcare settings.

Also during the meeting (link available via Community Board 18’s website), Jim Morris, Director of Capital Projects for NYC Parks will provide a brief presentation on the work-in-progress design of the second phase of the reconstruction planned at Power Playground, in efforts to secure an overall community board approval.

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NEW CITY PARKING APP FACILITATES PAYMENTS: The city has launched a new ParkNYC app that offers improved functions, making it easier for drivers to pay for parking, Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced today. The new ParkNYC app includes a modern and user-friendly interface, featuring the ability to pay-as-you-go for a parking session, and the continued ability to pre-load a ParkNYC wallet.

Many of the same convenient features will still be available: users can check how much time is remaining, choose to receive push notifications when time is about to expire, and extend their time to maximum limit without returning to the vehicle—all without needing to put a receipt on their dashboards.

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DON’T PUT OUT THAT TRASH BIN YET: A public comment period has opened for new Department of Sanitation rules that would reduce the number of hours that trash and recycling sits on public sidewalks, Mayor Eric Adams and the Department of Sanitation have announced. The new rules, which would push later to 6 p.m. the permissible time to place secure trash receptacles to the curb, and 8 p.m. for trash bags. Likewise, businesses would be allowed to place bags at the curb after 8 p.m. or secure receptacles at 7 p.m.

Currently, trash and recycling may be placed on the curb after 4:00 p.m. the night before collection — the earliest of any major American city — meaning that in many neighborhoods these items can sit out for more than 14 hours, including during the evening pedestrian rush hour.

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FIGHTING THEFT OF VEHICLE EXHAUST SYSTEMS: New laws that Governor Hochul signed today aim combat the theft of catalytic converters, a key piece of a vehicle’s exhaust system. The new actions increase interagency vehicle and catalytic converter theft enforcements in high-theft areas by targeting unauthorized and illegal vehicle dismantlers, or “chop shops,” and by imposing restrictions on the purchase, sale, and possession of catalytic converters by vehicle dismantlers and scrap processers.

Theft of catalytic converters is costly to auto dealers, as well as the driving public. It can cost a dealer $2,000 to $3,000 to replace a stolen converter in order to fix damage to a vehicle’s undercarriage, fuel line, and electric lines in the process of a theft.

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ROUNDTABLE ON HOW TO COMBAT PREDATORY MARKETING OF JUNK FOOD: Predatory marketing, particularly of junk food, will be the topic of a roundtable discussion with stakeholders, community leaders & health care professionals on the impact of junk food and predatory marketing in our community that State Senator Zellnor Myrie is moderating. Panelists at the discussion, taking place tonight, October 18, from 6-8 p.m. at the SUNY Downstate Auditorium (395 Lenox Road) are Amanda Everich, Curriculum Development & Program Assistant at Teens for Food Justice; Xander Singleton, Youth Advocate at the Brooklyn Community Justice Center; Dr. Melissa Lee, from NYC H+H/Kings County Hospital; Christina Guillen, MD from SUNY Downstate; Dexter McKenzie, MD of the LaSante Health Center; and Nick Freudenberg, CUNY School of Public Health.

The Predatory Marketing Prevention Act Roundtable aims to organize the 20^th Senatorial District’s healthcare professionals, faith leaders, and community stakeholders to discuss the maladies associated with overconsumption of junk foods amongst young people.

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NEW LAW CLARIFIES OLDER AMERICANS ACT TO INCLUDE LGBT NEEDS: A new law that Governor Kathy Hochul signed amends a program that the New York State’s Office for the Aging administers to support older New Yorkers. The law clarifies the that the Older Americans Act of 1965, which directs funding and services based on “greatest social need,” includes consideration of barriers or isolation caused by racial and ethnic status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or HIV status.

This bill will ensure that these factors are used to direct services to support each individual’s capacity to live independently.

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FREE ONLINE CLASSES FOR OLDER ADULTS: The New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) and Association on Aging in New York (AgingNY) have expanded their partnership with GetSetUp to continue offering free online classes for hundreds of thousands of older adults in New York State. NYSOFA and AgingNY began their partnership with GetSetUp during the pandemic as a solution to combat social isolation and bridge the digital divide for older New Yorkers, with physical exercise, balance, and agility classes ranking among the most popular offerings for New York users, including classes on morning fitness, Tai Chi-Shibashi, and Stretch and Destress Yoga.

The platform also offers practical skills-training classes in photography and culinary arts, with an emphasis on reskilling and upskilling curriculum for older New Yorkers to access new economic opportunities.

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BROOKLYN NETS CELEBRATE FIRST DECADE IN BROOKLYN: The Brooklyn Nets basketball team, in celebration of its 10^th year in this borough, is debuting The Brooklyn Way, focusing on the unique culture and community of the borough across five pillars: Basketball, Music, Fashion, Food and The Arts. 10 Years in Brooklyn Celebration games at Barclays Center with special giveaways, with a special November 1 game against the Chicago Bulls.

. Additionally, the Nets have released a short film called 10 Years in Brooklyn, which Brooklynite Andre Wagner has directed — a visual love letter to the borough told through the eyes of the first generation of born-and-bred Nets fans, 10-year-olds.

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Photo courtesy of Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue

MORGAN’S BROOKLYN BARBECUE REOPENS AFTER FIRE: Showing its resiliency following a destructive three-alarm fire, Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue is officially re-opening in Prospect Heights on Oct. 25, after 18 months of closure. Owner Mathew Glazier of GlazierWorks, who opened another restaurant in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania during that period, rebuilt the restaurant’s lively smokehouse atmosphere, with updated wood finishes, furnishings and reclaimed industrial lights, while the on-site smoker remains intact for Executive Chef Cenobio Canalizo (pictured) to create the restaurant’s signature slow-smoked prime brisket, sausage, pork ribs and bacon.

The restaurant first opened nearly a decade ago, becoming one of the now-seminal smokehouses that put the borough on the map as a grilling capital to rival Texas and the Carolinas.