(MSCC) POSTED: November 16, 2021

Chairperson: John Mudd, Secretary: Sharon Jasprizza

Welcome and Introductions

John Mudd carried out the introductions and the program,

INTERSECTION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND HOMELESSNESS

Sharon Jasprizza spoke to the topic Professor Terrence Coffie was to speak on at the meeting. Reference was made to the following report. 

Democracynow audio link: reported the following on Rikers Island in October 2021

• Facts: NYC has the world’s largest jail complex
• Most of 5,700 in NYC jails are held at Rikers Island, and most are just waiting for trial
• 12 people have died at the City’s jail this year (climbing to 14 to date October 26 since this report)
• Cathy Hochul and Bill de Blasio transferring 230 women and transgender people held at Rikers to two state prisons (which includes Bedford Hill’s maximum-security prison) waiting for trial and can’t pay bail (Updates available soon)

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams: 

• “There was one man in a cell — what they called a cell, was a shower — couldn’t sit, couldn’t lay down. I didn’t know if it was urine or water that was keeping this person wet. They were just naked.”
• “I saw a cell that should have had two or three people, with six people. They had a bag, which they were sharing as a bathroom because the toilet wasn’t working. People who should have been moved within 24 hours were there seven, eight days.”
• “There were HIV patients, mental health patients, who hadn’t gotten their medication in weeks.”
• “I would point out — you mentioned that Rikers is the largest jail complex in the world, which, sadly, probably makes it the largest mental health institution in the world, as well, which is a whole’ another problem.”

Anisah Sabur: 

• They don’t see detainees as people… Moving someone who has not had due process from a city jail, where you’re detained, to a state-sentence facility is traumatic.
• The state has three facilities located in New York City that could have been transformed or repurposed to hold these women until something better could have came along.
• Why put un-sentenced people in state facilities? Do you know the pressure that’s going to have on the state correction officers and their union, and the fight, how people are going to be neglected even more because they’re not state-sentenced? No programming. The medical in the state is just as bad. Have you seen the report that Center of Justice just did on the death of the elders in prison, 55 and over? Every three days there’s a death in one of New York’s state prison facilities. Human lives are being lost on a daily basis

Amy Goodman: 

• The Sentencing Project just came out with their report, not only on what’s happening in state prisons in New York but around the country. It said Black people are incarcerated in state prisons across the country at nearly five times the rate of whites.
• I’m also thinking about Layleen Polanco, who died at Rikers in 2019. She was being held there, a transgender Afro-Latinx woman, being held at Rikers because she couldn’t afford the $500 bail. She was put in solitary. She had epilepsy, and she died

(more…)

Zoom at 6:30 pm-7:30 pm, Thursday, June 24, 2021

Chairperson: John Mudd

Secretary: Sharon Jasprizza

Welcome and Introductions

• John Mudd opened with introductions and the evening Council’s Quality of Life meeting for Community Building and Engagement agenda. Sharon and John summarized the work in progress, and asked people to list their emails in the Chat-box, add to this and future agendas via the Chat-box or email to John and Sharon
• Tom Taylor spoke about illegal hotels and Bill Ottersen spoke about the Penn Station expansion
• New videos are up on our YouTube (midtownsouthcc.org)

PROGRAM

New Developments and items of interest

John outlined the following:

• Street sheets are available, and are being distributed regularly
• Laundry for Kids program is doing well
• Health Care Columbia Report is being distributed to a select group, press release is follow, and we’re looking at the recommendations and planning actions. The screening of the zoom presentation will be advertised shortly
• Urban Farm: We’ve distributed 85-95 pounds of greens in the past three weeks to Dwelling Place, Encore, Moravian Open Door
• Workshops for shelter residents currently being held at the Skyline hotel: 12 step program, health and fitness, and interview preparedness. They are ending, and will resume at a location to serve more people from various shelters
• We’re discussing the return of our Lifestyle Workshops with Metro Baptist
• HONDA Bill was somewhat successful, the zoning relief was left out. Adaptive Reuse second forum is being planned
  • Reach out if you wish to join this forum and action group
• Rent Guidelines Board increased rents of stabilized and rent controlled tenants: “In New York City, a 5% rent increase has been associated with an additional 3,000 residents becoming homeless”—Urban Matters, 2018
  • Guide to Rent Increases
  • NY Rent Guidelines Board set mid-year rent hike
• The Homeless and Housing meeting has been meeting for the past 4 years and networks with over 160 local organizations
• The Council Community Building and Engagement Meetings are held every 4^th Thursday, at 5.30 pm. The Council does not hold meetings during July, Aug, and Dec, but side meetings will be held to address issues as they arise if there is a need. Please email John Mudd with issues that may need addressing during these months

Illegal Hotels Committee 

Tom Cayler spoke to:

• Legislation was introduced to the City Council requiring housing platforms to register with the city. This is based on Santa Monica, CA, implementation three years ago. Air B &B sued Santa Monica, but the 9^th Court rules against them, saying it is not home sharing about profit.
• NYC can make its law because business is based on financial transactions, and this has the right to intervene
• Under the De Blasio administration, there has been work, but as one closes, the next open in another space
• Mr. Eric Adams has been supported by Hotels Association, so he will be in the pocket of the Hotels Association and so will do what this Association wants
• Allen Oster asked the question if State legislation was part of this too? Tom said State is not about changing multiple dwelling laws. Tom has submitted this legislation at the State level, which is only about the requirement for housing platforms to comply with the law. Every business in NYC is regulated and taxed. Airbnb should thus adhere also. Murray Cox runs a website, “Inside Airbnb.” Murray found that of 60,000 Airbnb units, 50,000 were illegal and could be returned to NYC as class A apartments
• Airbnb impacts the warehousing of apartments because after apartments are off the market for four years, apartments are no longer rent-stabilized. Landlords can survive these four years because of their income from Airbnb
• The Committee needs testimonials at the Council Hearings regarding noise, loss of rent-stabilized housing, and worries residents have. Tom wants our network and meetings to source testimonials to build the panel before December 2021 and before the Council changes after the election, and there is a whole new administration. Reach out to John Mudd, Sharon Jasprizza, or Tom at tacayler@verizon.net

Advancing our Mission in Midtown

John Mudd spoke about the Council’s changes to include rebranding, expanding our mission, building our board, and its requirements to be a member. The Board meeting next week will discuss how all of this is to happen. 

Sharon Jasprizza spoke to the new-look Council and how it may look in the future rather than being limited to Midtown South. 

Community Issues

• Bill Otterson spoke about the Penn Station rally on Saturday, June 26, 2021, at 4.30 pm. John will share the flyer. The Op-Ed Eugene Sinigalliano wrote is about the action the residents are taking. 
• Tarik French spoke about the outreach team Target developed a new program (three months ago) at the Herald Stree Store in New York to support people who are unhoused and needing services.  Tarik hopes to meet with more services and providers to ensure the program is successful. Tarik’s contact is Tarik.French@target.com
• Asher from 6^th Ave, between 623 and 624 blocks, spoke to his block regarding drug use, drug traffickers, people living on the streets, and garbage. Asher and residents banded together and worked to clean up their block. They had recurring meetings with the City Council and other government agencies and had some success. Allen Oster suggested the group form a block association and will support Asher to do this. Allen and Asher will talk further about this and report back to the Council. John Mudd will contact the Borough President, Mayor’s office, with this recap seeking support. 

LOOKING FORWARD 

• Next Homeless and Housing Policy Meeting: 8.30 am, July 6, 2021
• Next Homeless and Housing Meeting: 8.30 am, July 6, 2021
• Next to Midtown South Community Council Building Community and Engagement Meeting (every 4^th Thursday, except July, August, December) at 5.30 pm, September 23, 2021

ADDENDUM A: COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES

John Mudd, President and Executive Director

Bill Ottersen, VP

Sharon Jasprizza, Community Service Director

Nancy Pascal, Special Advisor

Josephine Ishmon, Director of Youth, Education, & Human Rights 

Allen Oster, Director of Community Relations 

Marni Hasan Director of Youth Culture program

Lenise Dazzel-Harris, Community Food Program Director

Leslie Boghosian Murphy, Community Precinct & Council Relations 

Charisma White, Homeless and Housing Advocacy 

Eugene Sinigalliano, Director of Beautification and Gardens 

Allen Oster, Director of Community Relations

ADDENDUM B: HOTEL OPPORTUNITIES

This is a list of hotels in regards to Quality of Life issues: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1geqx7Q-9FPaV6P9gD9YnxzTUtN4FOVG9rIRCKnIIWEM/edit#gid=0

John was planing to call them to see if the contacts were still active, status, and to see if they would be open to a purchase. I’ll look to combine all the lists with the google doc above asap.

There is a hotel under construction now on 38th Street. I’ve reached out to them through email several weeks ago. They’re worth reaching out to again. The contacts are Peter Krokondelas <peter@kasirer.nyc>, <rhendrickson@quadrumglobal.com>

Jaz Patel bought a former residential building and had tried to turn it into a hotel. They were stopped because of legalities. They came to an agreement with CB4 and City, but COVID intervened. John spoke with Jaz a few times. He was hurting over the delays. Seems to be open to a deal, but he is in for 28 mil at this point. You can build up to 12 floors. He has plan for a hotel.

HOTEL AS SHELTERS (see link and attached letter)

The five hotels that I have had contact with or know are being used as shelters:

• Springhill Suites / 338 W 36 St.
  • Housing: Single Adults, / 200 / substance abuse, / 
  • Management: Black Veterans (BVSJ) / (Jelani), / 24 hour number if complaints/support: 347-493-1740 / 934-800-8941 / Or call Watson Hotel directly Jumaine HRA – send text first 646-544-8055 /jmashariki@bvsj.org,https://bvsj.org/profile-

• Double Tree by Hilton, 341 W 36 St.
  • Housing: Single adults / 318 / 
  • Management: NAICA (pronounced NI-KA) / Ricardo Cosme Ruiz Director Intergovernmental and Community Affairs / 929-502-9456 / rcosme@naicany.org

• Hilton Garden, 326 W 37 St
  • Housing: Single women / 294 / mental illness
  • Management: ICL, / Janine MH
• VP (518 on 36th; 294 on 37th; Total 812)???)

• Travelers Inn, 46 Street, 10Ave / Candlewood Suites, 333 W 39th St. / Skyline, 725 10th Ave
  • Housing: ?
  • Management: Acacia
  • Contacts: Ronald <rabad@acacianetwork.org>, 646-224-9202 Ext: 6202, cell 929-458-5432, 646-732-9028
    • Raul Russi is the CEO of Acacia. He can be reached through his Executive Assistant, Juana Rosado ( 347-649-3037). If you can’t get Juana on the phone you can try Ronald Abad. His contact info is below. 
  • Keith Elcock <KElcock@basicsinc.org>??

• Hilton Gardens, 63 W. 35th Street
  • Housing: Women
  • Management: SUS
  • Contacts: Judith Jackson <jjackson@sus.org>, Sharlene Hobson <SHobson@sus.org>, Nathan Kisin <nkisin@doe.org>, sdorr@sus.org, Trish <tmarsik@sus.org>, valerie.smith@westhab.org, mvasquez@sus.org

• Kixby Hotel, 45 W 35th St.
  • Housing: Adult males /
  • Management: BRC
  • Contacts: Miguel Guadalupe <mguadalupe@brc.org>

Letter from CB4 with list of hotels shelters:

https://cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us/cb4/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/10/12-HHHS-letter-to-DHS-re-temp-shelter-density-reduction-request-W36thW37th-streets.pdf

ADDENDUM C: COMMUNITY CONCERNS

GENERAL

COVID-19 has sent people running from this city for perceived refuge and brought tourism and travel to a standstill. The restaurant Association predicted 75% of the restaurants will not survive. I’m predicting 85% or more. Many have gone already. No one wants to see them go. The businesses are not closing because of the homeless issues. The midtown restaurants were doing 40-60% in tourism, that’s a huge portion of income that will not be returning anytime soon. Several months on pause will not bring us back to where we were, nor should we want to be where we were pre-COVID-19, nor should we accept a “new normal” that offers further extraction of wealth during or after this disaster.

. 

COVID-19 is vividly showing us our pre-existing social crisis that was hidden or easily ignored with a busy city.  We have 80,000 give or take who are without housing; this includes approximately 60,000 sheltered (includes over 44,300 children), 3,600 living on the streets, others dispersed in emergency wards, living in cars, couch surfing, and doubling up with family and friends. “Princeton University’s Eviction Lab estimates up to 40 million people are now at risk of eviction in the coming months.”

What is hampering the cure for the homeless and housing crisis, is the continual degradation of communities for the extraction of wealth. The many hotels littering our neighborhood will tell you as much. We’re glad to have you share your concerns for our social crisis. These concerns are important to us. We look forward to your participation to improve the quality of life in Midtown Manhattan.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM COMPLAINTS

• Business having windows broken, defecating in front of restaurants
• The men loiter all day long on the street, tree rail guards as seats, makeshift table, eat and litter on the street, verbally harassed each time he(?) leaves his home
• A neighbor (?) mugged and then saw perp the following day enter one of the hotels. The ones(?) on the street are not socially distancing, not wearing masks
• Need to address immediate safety issues – masks and harassment on the street. Long term – 36th cannot absorb over 500 people—Highlights from July 2, 2020 meeting with community and business members (see Addendum C for additional notes)

• Need “guidance on how to deal with the drug addicts, drug related activities and other issues in front of our buildings on 9th Avenue” [and 38th Street (NE)]. A tenant(?) residing at 574 9th Avenue was robbed in front of the building. A rise of various illegal activities going on (?). My buildings (?) are constantly being broken into by ppl looking for a place to do drugs. People are even dealing drugs in the broad daylight out in the open on the corner of 9th Avenue and 42nd Street and the phone booth in front of 568 9th Avenue…. complaints with 311 to have that phone booth removed because no one uses it to make phone calls but instead they use it to urinate, defecate, use and sell drugs. …Losing tenants and are having difficulty renting out vacant apartments. For the 1st time in the 6 years that I’ve been managing these buildings, I fear for my safety especially after an incident I had with a homeless woman on 9th Avenue where she tried to hit me and was using racial slurs at me because i refuse to give her money—Sanders Investment, Lisa He

• “…large groups of homeless men hanging out all day unmasked in front of Il Puntos’ shuttered doors had became very worrying, and there was even a death on the street…. We have been alerting City Agencies and Outreach all along; I personally use the 311 app almost on a daily basis, but nothing seems to happen. I went from being sad and frustrated to fearing for my life now.—Lilia Pino Blouin, 502 9th Ave Condo Association

• I have witnessed gatherings of dozens of unmasked men hanging out all day in front of Il Punto, urinating against the wall, pretty much every single day since March. A couple of weeks ago, I saw someone shooting up in broad daylight at 3 pm in front of Penn Station. I have been very aggressively approached on the street several times over the past month, for the first time in 12 years Lilia Pino Blouin, 502 9th Ave Condo Association

• Noticeable “uptick in crime in recent weeks…49th and 9th, as my wife and I were sitting for dinner:
• …we noticed a shirtless man walking southbound on the sidewalk with a chainsaw
• …numerous alerts on my Citizen app notifying me of violent crime in the area. This is fairly typical most nights of the week:
  • 1:30pm: 2 men fighting with knives at W. 25th St & 10th Ave
  • 4:30am: Person assaulted at 325 W. 37th St
  • 2:30am: Report of attempted assault with hot iron at 9th Ave and W. 36th St
  • 2:30am: Man assaulted at W. 48th St & 8th Ave
  • 2:30am: 5 men fighting at W. 39th St & 8th Ave
  • 10pm last night: Report of Man Armed with Machete at Times Square NQRW subway stop
• A 49 year old man was stabbed to death at W. 38th St & 9th Ave on Saturday (?) evening around 9:15pm
• While I can’t confirm which hotels are housing how many homeless people, I can confirm that there is a ton of public urination, feces, shopping carts, office furniture, trash, and countless people sleeping on the streets during the day as they are supposedly only allowed inside the hotels at night
• …while some of the homeless may have been saved from COVID, several have been attacked or killed due to violence
• Most of these homeless people, mind you, are not wearing masks.—Deb, 502 9th Ave Condo Association 

• …encampment has taken up residence on Dyer Ave between W34th and W35th streets and grows in size number daily. There are currently 6 encampments on both the east and west sides of Dyer Ave next to residential buildings
• The homeless are openly selling and using drugs (shooting up), are aggressive towards local residents (spitting, yelling, blocking traffic demanding handouts), are throwing their trash onto the properties of the Webster Hotel and 433 W34 Street, do not wear masks, are not social distancing, and are blocking the sidewalks with tents, furniture, mattresses, bicycles, and suitcases
• Some have tried entering residential buildings and are harassing building employees
• I make 311 requests daily, as do other residents, and every day I receive a text saying N/A or case closed
• No one from DHS has visited the site. I sit at my computer at my window all day and see the encampments. They have not been visited from any city agency. They have been visited by drug dealers and drug buyers
• The situation is degrading daily. Additionally, there are new graffiti tags on buildings, walls, fences and sidewalks  every day. This is being done at night.—Julia Campanelli

• 11:45 am EDT, 09/01/20
• I am on the board of 347 W 39th Street. You had asked to be kept abreast of events: there was a murder on the corner of 39th and 9th last night/this morning. I did see police and medics, and detectives – but no press. Do not know any further details.— Nick, Nayana Currimbhoy

For full email see Copied Agenda 9.17.20aADDENDUM C: SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

Midtown’s cOVID AND Hotel/Shelter ISSUES 

The restaurant owners, who were at the 2:00pm meeting on July 2, 2020, are desperate to salvage their operations. They are not planning to go down without a fight. the odds are against them, as the pandemic becomes more worrisome, and as is our future for the next few years. The owner of Tavola, who owns his own building  may be able to wait it out, close up, and reopen, depending on his leverage debt.

Restaurants will fair far worse than most businesses during COVID: they are non essential and more prone to spreading the virus. Experts have given the restaurants a 75% chance, I estimate higher. I’ve spent a considerable amount of my time in the restaurant business and understand the challenges restauranteurs are facing. Operating at 10% of their previous income levels will not carry them forward. When operating at full capacity the profit margins are thin. A good operator may have 13% profit margin, give or take a few points. I’ve known many who were proud of their 7% profit margin. The restaurant owners, who attended the aforementioned meeting, and operate on the 9th Avenue strip between 38th to 35th Street have invested emotionally and financially in their businesses.

There is no immediate vaccine for COVID-19. Midtown, a heavily commercialized area, relies too heavily on tourism, and has an imbalance of hotels, with very little housing. Tourists will not be roaring back anytime soon. These business owners who’ve invested so much of their lives in their businesses are screaming through their inability to change the course of their lives. The added concentration of shelters have added to our incredulous reality. COVID-19 highlights the severity of our homeless crisis, and the tentativeness of our lives.

PROBLEMS

The main problems for these restaurants are COVID and no trade. The immediate and controllable problems are from the shelters and street homeless include: Harassment, threats and feeling threatened, disruptive behaviors, damaged property, defecation, intimidation, lounging on sidewalks, drug and alcohol abuse, and more. The intensity of which is frightening for some.

Remarks were made that the Methadone clinics added to the problem. The MTS Precinct and MSCC have a good relationship with the clinics, they have been here a long time, and are very well managed. The security for the clinics are hyper vigilant. If there are any problems with individuals from the clinics, it is very minute. The people going to the clinics are there to recover from addictions.

The people staying in the hotel shelters and congregating on the sidewalks, combined with the increase of people who are living on the streets, make the community intensely uncomfortable. The concentration of shelters in the Midtown South location, particularly the three mentioned below, have placed many unhoused people in the area.

SHELTERS

The shelters are not the real problem, but it’s the focus of the restaurant owners and residents. To discuss this will delay our service to the public’s interest and belongs to a bigger discussion and problem.

The three hotel shelters discussed at the meeting were:

• Springhill Suites / 338 W 36 St., / Single Adults, / 200 / Substance abuse, / managed by Black Veterans (BVSJ) / (Jelani), / 24 hour number if complaints/support: 347-493-1740 / 934-800-8941 / Or call Watson Hotel directly Jumaine HRA – send text first 646-544-8055 /jmashariki@bvsj.org,https://bvsj.org/profile- , adeberry@bvsj.org, young@bvsj.org

• Double Tree by Hilton, 341 W 36 St., / Single adults / 318 / managed by NAICA (pronounced NI-KA) / Ricardo Cosme Ruiz Director Intergovernmental and Community Affairs / 929-502-9456 / Rcosme@naicany.org

• Hilton Garden, 326 W 37 St, / Single women / 294 / managed by ICL, Women with mental illness and mental illness / Janine MH

(Hilton Gardens 326 W. 37, ICL, 294 SA Women – VP (518 on 36th; 294 on 37th; Total 812)???)

SUPPORTIVE OPTIONS

First order of business would be to discover where exactly the communities complaints stems from. It may be best to evaluate the shelters independently, it may prove to be more efficient to share, consolidate, and coordinate resources.

The above hotel shelter operators’ histories and management models should be reviewed. It was mentioned that the Springhill Suites, that is managed by the Black Vets, has successful operations elsewhere. Maybe the problem lies with the other two hotel shelters. People have different problems, which calls for different services and pipelines.

Answers to the following questions will help to better assess shelter management needs:

• How many people are part of the security team?
• When and where are they stationed?
  • What are the instructions?
• What other staff support do they have?
• What programs are available in house? 
• What programs are needed?
  • Perhaps other providers can help support
  • Perhaps community could support
• What are the COVID policies? Are they providing PPE? 
  • What efforts are made to encourage PPE uses?

The above bullet points can be addressed during regular CAB meetings in order to adapt to ongoing changes. CAB meetings are opportunities for the community and city representatives to review and keep updated with hotel shelter management and operations.

People cannot be confined to their room, they are not prisoners, and without social outlets, alternative places, or funds. People without homes have no place to go but the streets. Removing people from sight does not resolve the problem.

Some thoughts for solutions:

• Cab Meetings at every location to keep a watchful eye on the shelter’s management and keep communication streamline
• Focus the management’s security in the right areas, and the right times
  • Uniforms to identify shelter staff
  • Schedule of security
• Points of contacts:
  • JCC Unit: 212-607-6040, shccc@nyc.gov
  • Outreach and Police contact (dedicated person per shift, and weekends?)
  • 311, 911 how best to use (details: see page 15-17 Homeless and Housing Study)
• Added street outreach*
• Review types of social distancing space can be constructed indoors, can the management arrange for a social distancing gatherings?
• Construct popup lounges in the many places which are empty
• Community gatherings in the parks away from the businesses
• The NYC Council, MSCC, and others were very much in favor the French styled clinics where users sit in safety and come down from their drug induced high: Boston McGinnis House has a room for such use: it’s safe for them and keeps them off the streets (possibly a popup for now)
• For Street Homeless: Mobile showers operation provides hygiene, clothes, and laundry service; It has an opportunity to provide other services such as Ryan Chelsea’s Mobile Health Unit
  • Recently the Doctor’s Without Borders closed in midtown, they have turned over their Harlem location to Shower Power
  • They were caring for 50-60 people a day.
• Bring back the beat cops for presence, social workers are called when problems are called
• Thrive NYC was well funded and may be able to provide services
• Partnering with the housing groups for education and encourage involvement
• Investigate work force development groups, bring several to the table regularly (this is a tough during COVID)
• Assign community groups: Community Court’s programs for formerly incarcerated, Wellness or similar
• Regular Social Service Providers’ meeting with a mission to develop options of opportunity, productivity, and activity to replace the sedentary street activity; a think tank??, perhaps an auxiliary committee to the Homeless and housing meeting
• Oversight to make sure clients are being cared for (only so much you can do without housing inventory)
  • Introduce them to housing proponents and workshops
  • Introduce housing proponents to people who are sheltered

This pandemic is an open invite for disaster capitalism. The larger real estate owners are buying up other properties. The core needs are clear, Supportive, affordable,  and medical respite housing. The core problem is the imbalance of our neighborhoods, it’s over commercialized and design to drain wealth from our economy and leave people behind.

We have a great deal of hotels within midtown, this could be an opportunity for a social revolution. As much funding we’re providing for hotel operators (3,500 to 6,000?), it would be better to put it toward medical respite facility, and permanent affordable and supportive, housing. 

Warmest Regards,

John Mudd, President

Sharon Jasprizza, Community Service Director

Midtown South Community Council

www.midtownsouthcc.org

917-520-3009 cell

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead 

July 3, 2020

ADDITIONAL MEETING NOTES FROM JULY 2, 2020

Shelter management: Needed info:

[The following information can be updated during CAB meetings regularly]

• Staff
• Makeup per shift
• CW
• RA
• Security
• Other

• Security rounds include what and when
• Patrol how far 
• Ensure compliance/Oversight
• Security wear anything specific while patrolling
• Clients:
• Capacity
• Census
• Outside area for smoking etc
• Services they have onsite 
• Needs being met

• BVSJ: QR Codes for oversight. Social Services inhouse. Most staff do perimeter checks. Staff does outside perimeter checks. Different atmosphere. HIs view is that there is a concentration of shelter residents. 
• NAICA: Mabel Calderon. Social Services. Going to look into QR Codes. They perimeter the block. 
  • For Residents: Name and contact for issues/concerns: NAICA Ricardo Cosme Ruiz Director Intergovernmental and Community Affairs 929-502-9456; Email for issues: Rcosme@naicany.org
• ICL: Janine MH and Gen Pop West 29th; 2 on West 37th. 

Other Notes:

Changes: Anything you have been made aware of and addressed

• CB5 and CB6 inundated with shelters INV this!
• Short term? Police cars stationed? Can relocate residents b/c shelter
• Long term? Need to reduce numbers. Relocate
• Scaffolding
• 2 per room min
• moved 1000 per week from congregate to hotels, seniors first
• cb4/5 have the most
• heat – alcohol and drug
• model budget
• 36th nail salon

(MSCC) Ashley Clemente, Posted date: April 4, 2021

SUMMARY: Discussions on bail reform and talks on community safety.

CHAIRPERSON: John Mudd

POLICE PRECINT ANNOUNCMENTS

Deputy Inspector Rob O’Hare encouraged everyone to report any hate crimes. Time Square shooting on midtown northside, the shooter was apprehended in a short period of time.     

GUEST SPEAKER

Speaker Andrew Warshawer is a deputy chief of the trail division in New York county district attorney’s office, and he spoke about the bail reform program

BAIL REFORM

Andrew Warshawer explained:

• Removes coercive aspect of the option of either jail or services for people who have mental or substance problems who commit minor offenses
• Direction of bail reform is offering services without the threat of criminal prosecution for refusing the services
• Supervised release is to ensure the defendant returns for their court date

(more…)

MSCC Minutes: Sharon Jasprizza March 21,2021

SUMMARY: Community discussion shares concern of crime rates and hotel shelters on 36th street, and bikers riding on sidewalks.

CHAIRPERSON: John Mudd

POLICE PRECINCT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Officer O’Hare: Robberies up by 108%, assaults up by 142%. Unique thing being seen is that people being taken in, its their first “rodeo” in midtown south, ie no midtown south history, so fighting the unknown, aim is to reduce victim numbers.

Officer O’Haire says there is an increase in the crime even though less people are on the street. Prior to May 28, national guard moved into hotels, and they moved out the final week of May.. Officer O’Hare discussed the characteristics that are part of homelessness and what this means for communities. Officer O’Hare noted Midtown South has the greatest number of unhoused people than it has in previous times.

(MSCC) Sharon Jasprizza, January 26, 2021

SUMMARY

Most of the discussion centered around the shelter hotels on 36th Street and the Times Square Hotel incidents among residents.

CHAIRPERSON: John Mudd

POLICE PRECINCT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Detective Thomas Byrne: Assault up 27%, burglary up 53%, robbery up 100%, grand larceny down because no bars or restaurants open where tourists leave handbags, etc., on backs of chairs, etc. Difference between burglary (from the property) and robbery (from the person), Call Detective Byrne and 911 for issues. 

(more…)

Date: Thursday, October 15, 2020 by Zoom

Time: 6:30 pm-7:30pm

Chair person: John Mudd

Welcome and Introductions

John Mudd outlined the purpose of meeting and carried out introductions. John introduced Claire Barker Program, Associate at UpNext Program, Midtown Community Court. 

Police Precinct Announcements

PO Kelly MTS Community Affairs outlined the monthly comparisons for crime in Midtown for 2020 and 2019. All categories are up except for grand larceny because of shop closures, less visitors. 

rape 4 vs 2

robbery 19 vs 12

felony assault 17 vs 15

burglary 43 vs 13

grand larceny 87 vs 155

gla 4 vs 2

Go to the Precinct website for further information and event management. https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/precincts/midtown-south-precinct.page 

SPEAKER(S): 

• Nancy Pascal was not able to be present. Sharon Jasprizza outlined the need to get the census done as only 60% of New Yorkers have completed their census. Leslie Boghosian updated the Court’s decision to end the Census at 3:00am, October 16 2020.
• Claire Barker Program Associate at UpNext Program at the Midtown Community Court. The Program is for Non-Custodial Dads ages 18 and over. CBarker@courtinnovation.org/347-965-0725. Main goal of the program is to work with non-custodial fathers and case manage underlying issues, work on parenting, and work skills. John will put Claire in touch with our networks and shelters. 

KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY SAFE

Davis Aviles, Director of Security at Hippodrome/ Edison Properties, is concerned about the Pre and post-election contingency plans of security and or police presences for the Commercial buildings within the Time Square District.

PO Brian Kelly and Detective Thomas Byrne outlined the following initiatives:

• Early Voting Polling Booth at Madison Square Garden where increased police presence is planned 
• Between 26 October and 9 November NYPD has plans in place for switching police to places needed. Canceled training, court days, personal leave days to ensure increased police presence. And this is in addition to the Critical Response Team
• NYPD will lock down areas as needed. 6^th to 8^th and 42^nd to 48^th are possible areas to be locked down because of proximity to tunnels, Port Authority and where people tend to congregate

Stephen Diamond (via email) is concerned about three hotels that are not DHS shelters and which have been issues for residents in the past weeks. John Mudd and PO Brian Kelly reported that there doesn’t seem to be too many issues since the last meeting, but NYPD continues to monitor. PO Brian Kelly asked Stephen Diamond to reach out to him if Stephen sees continuation of issues. 

Leslie Boghosian referred to the high numbers of people being sheltered and how the impact of these concentrations are difficult for all involved. For example, in Hells Kitchen 1/5 of the population are single homeless men. Gail Brewer has sent a 4 action point letter to DHS. 

PO Brian Kelly and Detective Thomas Byrne reported:

• Numerous meetings with Matt Green (Corey Johnson’s office), CBs and others over the last months to come up with solutions 
• Cleaning at hotel shelters causes problems for clients and residents because the hotel maintenance has to clean one floor at a time, resulting in a whole floor of people needing to leave the hotel. Its not these people committing crimes but because they are on the streets all at once the perception is otherwise. 

Garry Rissman (stage name Abraham Lincoln the Third) is concerned about stores on 8th Avenue and beyond, because door openers are not wearing masks and speak aggressively asking for money. NYPD talks to shop owners continually, and all officers have supplies of PPE for people on the streets. 

LOOKING FORWARD 

• Next Community Council Meeting speaker(s): November 19th, 2020, 6:30pm, Zooming! 
  • Plans to move to a new day after Christmas. Information about the change will be emailed to everyone as soon as the Council makes its decision.
• Next Homeless & Housing meeting: November 3, 2020, 9:30am, Zooming!

ADDENDUM A: COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES

President and Executive Director

Bill Ottersen, VP

Sharon Jasprizza, Community Service Director

Nancy Pascal, Special Advisor

Josephine Ishmon, Director of Youth, Education, & Human Rights 

Allen Oster, Director of Community Relations 

Marni Hasan Director of Youth Culture program

Lenise Dazzel-Harris, Community Food Program Director

Leslie Boghosian Murphy, Community Precinct & Council Relations 

Charisma White, Homeless and Housing Advocacy 

Eugene Sinigalliano, Director of Beautification and Gardens 

Allen Oster, Director of Community Relations

ADDENDUM B: COMMUNITY CONCERNS

GENERAL

COVID-19 has sent people running from this city for perceived refuge and brought tourism and travel to a standstill. The restaurant Association predicted 75% of the restaurants will not survive. I’m predicting 85% or more. Many have gone already. No one wants to see them go. The businesses are not closing because of the homeless issues. The midtown restaurants were doing 40-60% in tourism, that’s a huge portion of income that will not be returning anytime soon. Several months on pause will not bring us back to where we were, nor should we want to be where we were pre-COVID-19, nor should we accept a “new normal” that offers further extraction of wealth during or after this disaster.

COVID-19 is vividly showing us our pre-existing social crisis that was hidden or easily ignored with a busy city.  We have 80,000 give or take who are without housing; this includes approximately 60,000 sheltered (includes over 44,300 children), 3,600 living on the streets, others dispersed in emergency wards, living in cars, couch surfing, and doubling up with family and friends. “Princeton University’s Eviction Lab estimates up to 40 million people are now at risk of eviction in the coming months.”

What is hampering the cure for the homeless and housing crisis, is the continual degradation of communities for the extraction of wealth. The many hotels littering our neighborhood will tell you as much. We’re glad to have you share your concerns for our social crisis. These concerns are important to us. We look forward to your participation to improve the quality of life in Midtown Manhattan.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM COMPLAINTS

• Business having windows broken, defecating in front of restaurants
• The men loiter all day long on the street, tree rail guards as seats, makeshift table, eat and litter on the street, verbally harassed each time he(?) leaves his home
• A neighbor (?) mugged and then saw perp the following day enter one of the hotels. The ones(?) on the street are not socially distancing, not wearing masks
• Need to address immediate safety issues – masks and harassment on the street. Long term – 36th cannot absorb over 500 people—Highlights from July 2, 2020 meeting with community and business members (see Addendum C for additional notes)

• Need “guidance on how to deal with the drug addicts, drug related activities and other issues in front of our buildings on 9th Avenue” [and 38th Street (NE)]. A tenant(?) residing at 574 9th Avenue was robbed in front of the building. A rise of various illegal activities going on (?). My buildings (?) are constantly being broken into by ppl looking for a place to do drugs. People are even dealing drugs in the broad daylight out in the open on the corner of 9th Avenue and 42nd Street and the phone booth in front of 568 9th Avenue…. complaints with 311 to have that phone booth removed because no one uses it to make phone calls but instead they use it to urinate, defecate, use and sell drugs. …Losing tenants and are having difficulty renting out vacant apartments. For the 1st time in the 6 years that I’ve been managing these buildings, I fear for my safety especially after an incident I had with a homeless woman on 9th Avenue where she tried to hit me and was using racial slurs at me because i refuse to give her money—Sanders Investment, Lisa He

• “…large groups of homeless men hanging out all day unmasked in front of Il Puntos’ shuttered doors had became very worrying, and there was even a death on the street…. We have been alerting City Agencies and Outreach all along; I personally use the 311 app almost on a daily basis, but nothing seems to happen. I went from being sad and frustrated to fearing for my life now.—Lilia Pino Blouin, 502 9th Ave Condo Association

• I have witnessed gatherings of dozens of unmasked men hanging out all day in front of Il Punto, urinating against the wall, pretty much every single day since March. A couple of weeks ago, I saw someone shooting up in broad daylight at 3 pm in front of Penn Station. I have been very aggressively approached on the street several times over the past month, for the first time in 12 years Lilia Pino Blouin, 502 9th Ave Condo Association

• Noticeable “uptick in crime in recent weeks…49th and 9th, as my wife and I were sitting for dinner:
• …we noticed a shirtless man walking southbound on the sidewalk with a chainsaw
• …numerous alerts on my Citizen app notifying me of violent crime in the area. This is fairly typical most nights of the week:
  • 1:30pm: 2 men fighting with knives at W. 25th St & 10th Ave
  • 4:30am: Person assaulted at 325 W. 37th St
  • 2:30am: Report of attempted assault with hot iron at 9th Ave and W. 36th St
  • 2:30am: Man assaulted at W. 48th St & 8th Ave
  • 2:30am: 5 men fighting at W. 39th St & 8th Ave
  • 10pm last night: Report of Man Armed with Machete at Times Square NQRW subway stop
• A 49 year old man was stabbed to death at W. 38th St & 9th Ave on Saturday (?) evening around 9:15pm
• While I can’t confirm which hotels are housing how many homeless people, I can confirm that there is a ton of public urination, feces, shopping carts, office furniture, trash, and countless people sleeping on the streets during the day as they are supposedly only allowed inside the hotels at night
• …while some of the homeless may have been saved from COVID, several have been attacked or killed due to violence
• Most of these homeless people, mind you, are not wearing masks.—Deb, 502 9th Ave Condo Association 

• …encampment has taken up residence on Dyer Ave between W34th and W35th streets and grows in size number daily. There are currently 6 encampments on both the east and west sides of Dyer Ave next to residential buildings
• The homeless are openly selling and using drugs (shooting up), are aggressive towards local residents (spitting, yelling, blocking traffic demanding handouts), are throwing their trash onto the properties of the Webster Hotel and 433 W34 Street, do not wear masks, are not social distancing, and are blocking the sidewalks with tents, furniture, mattresses, bicycles, and suitcases
• Some have tried entering residential buildings and are harassing building employees
• I make 311 requests daily, as do other residents, and every day I receive a text saying N/A or case closed
• No one from DHS has visited the site. I sit at my computer at my window all day and see the encampments. They have not been visited from any city agency. They have been visited by drug dealers and drug buyers
• The situation is degrading daily. Additionally, there are new graffiti tags on buildings, walls, fences and sidewalks  every day. This is being done at night.—Julia Campanelli

• 11:45 AM EDT, 09/01/20
• I am on the board of 347 W 39th Street. You had asked to be kept abreast of events: there was a murder on the corner of 39th and 9th last night/this morning. I did see police and medics, and detectives – but no press. Do not know any further details.— Nick, Nayana Currimbhoy

For full email see Copied Agenda 9.17.20a

ADDENDUM C: SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

Midtown’s COVID AND Hotel/Shelter ISSUES 

The restaurant owners, who were at the 2:00pm meeting on July 2, 2020, are desperate to salvage their operations. They are not planning to go down without a fight. the odds are against them, as the pandemic becomes more worrisome, and as is our future for the next few years. The owner of Tavola, who owns his own building  may be able to wait it out, close up, and reopen, depending on his leverage debt.

Restaurants will fair far worse than most businesses during COVID: they are non essential and more prone to spreading the virus. Experts have given the restaurants a 75% chance, I estimate higher. I’ve spent a considerable amount of my time in the restaurant business and understand the challenges restauranteurs are facing. Operating at 10% of their previous income levels will not carry them forward. When operating at full capacity the profit margins are thin. A good operator may have 13% profit margin, give or take a few points. I’ve known many who were proud of their 7% profit margin. The restaurant owners, who attended the aforementioned meeting, and operate on the 9th Avenue strip between 38th to 35th Street have invested emotionally and financially in their businesses.

There is no immediate vaccine for COVID-19. Midtown, a heavily commercialized area, relies too heavily on tourism, and has an imbalance of hotels, with very little housing. Tourists will not be roaring back anytime soon. These business owners who’ve invested so much of their lives in their businesses are screaming through their inability to change the course of their lives. The added concentration of shelters have added to our incredulous reality. COVID-19 highlights the severity of our homeless crisis, and the tentativeness of our lives.

PROBLEMS

The main problems for these restaurants are COVID and no trade. The immediate and controllable problems are from the shelters and street homeless include: Harassment, threats and feeling threatened, disruptive behaviors, damaged property, defecation, intimidation, lounging on sidewalks, drug and alcohol abuse, and more. The intensity of which is frightening for some.

Remarks were made that the Methadone clinics added to the problem. The MTS Precinct and MSCC have a good relationship with the clinics, they have been here a long time, and are very well managed. The security for the clinics are hyper vigilant. If there are any problems with individuals from the clinics, it is very minute. The people going to the clinics are there to recover from addictions.

The people staying in the hotel shelters and congregating on the sidewalks, combined with the increase of people who are living on the streets, make the community intensely uncomfortable. The concentration of shelters in the Midtown South location, particularly the three mentioned below, have placed many unhoused people in the area.

SHELTERS

The shelters are not the real problem, but it’s the focus of the restaurant owners and residents. To discuss this will delay our service to the public’s interest and belongs to a bigger discussion and problem.

The three hotel shelters discussed at the meeting were:

• Springhill Suites / 338 W 36 St., / Single Adults, / 200 / Substance abuse, / managed by Black Veterans (BVSJ) / (Jelani), / 24 hour number if complaints/support: 347-493-1740 / 934-800-8941 / Or call Watson Hotel directly Jumaine HRA – send text first 646-544-8055 /jmashariki@bvsj.org,https://bvsj.org/profile- , adeberry@bvsj.org, young@bvsj.org

• Double Tree by Hilton, 341 W 36 St., / Single adults / 318 / managed by NAICA (pronounced NI-KA) / Ricardo Cosme Ruiz Director Intergovernmental and Community Affairs / 929-502-9456 / Rcosme@naicany.org

• Hilton Garden, 326 W 37 St, / Single women / 294 / managed by ICL, Women with mental illness and mental illness / Janine MH

(Hilton Gardens 326 W. 37, ICL, 294 SA Women – VP (518 on 36th; 294 on 37th; Total 812)???)

SUPPORTIVE OPTIONS

First order of business would be to discover where exactly the communities complaints stems from. It may be best to evaluate the shelters independently, it may prove to be more efficient to share, consolidate, and coordinate resources.

The above hotel shelter operators’ histories and management models should be reviewed. It was mentioned that the Springhill Suites, that is managed by the Black Vets, has successful operations elsewhere. Maybe the problem lies with the other two hotel shelters. People have different problems, which calls for different services and pipelines.

Answers to the following questions will help to better assess shelter management needs:

• How many people are part of the security team?
• When and where are they stationed?
  • What are the instructions?
• What other staff support do they have?
• What programs are available in house? 
• What programs are needed?
  • Perhaps other providers can help support
  • Perhaps community could support
• What are the COVID policies? Are they providing PPE? 
  • What efforts are made to encourage PPE uses?

The above bullet points can be addressed during regular CAB meetings in order to adapt to ongoing changes. CAB meetings are opportunities for the community and city representatives to review and keep updated with hotel shelter management and operations.

People cannot be confined to their room, they are not prisoners, and without social outlets, alternative places, or funds. People without homes have no place to go but the streets. Removing people from sight does not resolve the problem.

Some thoughts for solutions:

• Cab Meetings at every location to keep a watchful eye on the shelter’s management and keep communication streamline
• Focus the management’s security in the right areas, and the right times
  • Uniforms to identify shelter staff
  • Schedule of security
• Points of contacts:
  • JCC Unit: 212-607-6040, shccc@nyc.gov
  • Outreach and Police contact (dedicated person per shift, and weekends?)
  • 311, 911 how best to use (details: see page 15-17 Homeless and Housing Study)
• Added street outreach*
• Review types of social distancing space can be constructed indoors, can the management arrange for a social distancing gatherings?
• Construct popup lounges in the many places which are empty
• Community gatherings in the parks away from the businesses
• The NYC Council, MSCC, and others were very much in favor the French styled clinics where users sit in safety and come down from their drug induced high: Boston McGinnis House has a room for such use: it’s safe for them and keeps them off the streets (possibly a popup for now)
• For Street Homeless: Mobile showers operation provides hygiene, clothes, and laundry service; It has an opportunity to provide other services such as Ryan Chelsea’s Mobile Health Unit
  • Recently the Doctor’s Without Borders closed in midtown, they have turned over their Harlem location to Shower Power
  • They were caring for 50-60 people a day.
• Bring back the beat cops for presence, social workers are called when problems are called
• Thrive NYC was well funded and may be able to provide services
• Partnering with the housing groups for education and encourage involvement
• Investigate work force development groups, bring several to the table regularly (this is a tough during COVID)
• Assign community groups: Community Court’s programs for formerly incarcerated, Wellness or similar
• Regular Social Service Providers’ meeting with a mission to develop options of opportunity, productivity, and activity to replace the sedentary street activity; a think tank??, perhaps an auxiliary committee to the Homeless and housing meeting
• Oversight to make sure clients are being cared for (only so much you can do without housing inventory)
  • Introduce them to housing proponents and workshops
  • Introduce housing proponents to people who are sheltered

This pandemic is an open invite for disaster capitalism. The larger real estate owners are buying up other properties. The core needs are clear, Supportive, affordable,  and medical respite housing. The core problem is the imbalance of our neighborhoods, it’s over commercialized and design to drain wealth from our economy and leave people behind.

We have a great deal of hotels within midtown, this could be an opportunity for a social revolution. As much funding we’re providing for hotel operators (3,500 to 6,000?), it would be better to put it toward medical respite facility, and permanent affordable and supportive, housing. 

Warmest Regards,

John Mudd, President

Sharon Jasprizza, Community Service Director

Midtown South Community Council

www.midtownsouthcc.org

917-520-3009 cell

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead 

July 3, 2020

ADDITIONAL MEETING NOTES FROM JULY 2, 2020

Shelter management: Needed info:

[The following information can be updated during CAB meetings regularly]

• Staff
• Makeup per shift
• CW
• RA
• Security
• Other

• Security rounds include what and when
• Patrol how far 
• Ensure compliance/Oversight
• Security wear anything specific while patrolling
• Clients:
• Capacity
• Census
• Outside area for smoking etc
• Services they have onsite 
• Needs being met

• BVSJ: QR Codes for oversight. Social Services inhouse. Most staff do perimeter checks. Staff does outside perimeter checks. Different atmosphere. HIs view is that there is a concentration of shelter residents. 
• NAICA: Mabel Calderon. Social Services. Going to look into QR Codes. They perimeter the block. 
  • For Residents: Name and contact for issues/concerns: NAICA Ricardo Cosme Ruiz Director Intergovernmental and Community Affairs 929-502-9456; Email for issues: Rcosme@naicany.org
• ICL: Janine MH and Gen Pop West 29th; 2 on West 37th. 

Other Notes:

Changes: Anything you have been made aware of and addressed

• CB5 and CB6 inundated with shelters INV this!
• Short term? Police cars stationed? Can relocate residents b/c shelter
• Long term? Need to reduce numbers. Relocate
• Scaffolding
• 2 per room min
• moved 1000 per week from congregate to hotels, seniors first
• cb4/5 have the most
• heat – alcohol and drug
• model budget
• 36th nail salon

(MSCC) September 23, 2020

Location: Zoom

Date: Thursday, September 17, 2020

Time: 6:30 pm-7:30pm

Chair person:  John Mudd

Welcome and Introductions

John Mudd provided for introductions and outlined the use of the chat box for the recording of other issues not referred to in the agenda program

OVERVIEW OF OUR HOMELESS AND HOUSING CRISIS

John Mudd referenced The Homeless and Housing committee’s September meeting which was focused on transforming underutilized properties in an over commercialized midtown into housing opportunities. See the Council’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/537585579597175/videos/769605333867125/ or Midtown South Community Council @Midtownsouthnyc

STREET CONDITIONS

John Mudd:

• Summarizedcommunity emails and highlighted some specifics (see addendum B)
• Explained shelter concerns from community perspectives
• Characterized people living in the shelters and Streets from the social services and client perspectives
• Noted the transfer of clients (pressured by UWS community members) from Lucerne Hotel to other locations has been put on hold
  • The move would have destabilize Harmonia’s shelter’s progress, uproot families, and create job loss
• JCC phone number 212-607-6040 is for our midtown area concerns for the street homeless and shelters

Inspector Brendan Timoney outlined the issues facing midtown. Some include:

• Individual apprehended for the broken windows at local Duane Reade pharmacy
• Concerns for the Bail reform and Police reforms but NYPD is still working to ensure safety of community
• 3,000 people being moved into midtown has created challenges for community and NYPD
  • The # 3,000 people sheltered within the whole command, which is the midtown south from 55 Street to 29th Street and from 9th Avenue to Lexington. “A good portion of the hotels were 36-44 street, 8th-9th Avenue” 
• Reassured community members to call precinct if NYPD presence is not seen, and Inspector would follow up on concerns
• DHS needs to check on clients regarding masks and social distancing
• Most hotels are co-operating and following COVID guidelines
• There are two hotels charging below standard rates, are not following COVID protocols; resulting in antisocial activities. They are privately managed and are not under DHS oversight 

Britt Melewski, Breaking Ground, outlined some of their work:

• Case managers, teams and outreach are all working to see everyone on the street 
• Partnering with Times Square Alliance for outreach
• Midtown Homeless Report is updated weekly. John Mudd will email this to members
• See submitted weekly report

Lauren Curatalo outlined Midtown Community Court Work

• Reassured community that summons can be issued  for people who do not clean up after their dogs
• Court is working with the North Precinct
• Planning Prevention outreach where Court personnel available on day of arrest for people to access services
• Partnering with Fountain House to help provide mental health Rapid Engagement Program
• Partnering with other organizations including Breaking Ground

John Mudd

• Chelsea Ryan Health Clinic are in the neighborhood regularly with their medical mobile units
• NYC Council’s action are doing Book drives
• Is working towards meeting with shelter managers 
• Agreed to work with Steven Diamond to bring people together: Action is Bi-weekly meeting with Cory Johnson office, NYPD, DHS, etc

Community Suggestions included

• Outdoor movie theater idea
• Clean up routines and payments for people who are homeless 

 AOB

Next Meeting October 15, 2020 (NOTE: meeting dates will change after the new year. Information will be forwarded with the changes before the end of the year) 

Meeting closed 7.40PM

Meeting closed 7.40PM

ACTIONS

Current action in progress or in development:

• Send meeting minutes to all parties of interest
• Seek update/summaries of actions through committees, presentations, emails, or other from the below partners:
  • Homeless services Outreach
  • DHS
  • NYC Council
  • Community Court
  • DA’s Office
  • Midtown South Precinct
  • NCO
• Additional Actions see Addendum C

COMMUNITY ISSUES

• See Addendum for current emailed issues
• New issues
  • Unsettling shelter transition
  • Stabbing on 31st Street between 5th and Broadway

ADDENDUM A: COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES

President and Executive Director

Bill Ottersen, VP

Sharon Jasprizza, Community Service Director

Josephine Ishmon, Director of Youth, Education, & Human Rights 

Allen Oster, Director of Community Relations 

Marni Hasan Director of Youth Culture program

Lenise Dazzel-Harris, Community Food Program Director

Leslie Boghosian Murphy, Community Precinct & Council Relations 

Charisma White, Homeless and Housing Advocacy 

Eugene Sinigalliano, Director of Beautification and Gardens 

Allen Oster, Director of Community Relations

ADDENDUM B: COMMUNITY CONCERNS

GENERAL 

COVID-19 is vividly showing us our pre-existing social crisis that was hidden or easily ignored with a busy city.  We have 80,000 give or take who are without housing; this includes approximately 60,000 sheltered (includes over 44,300 children), 3,600 living on the streets, others dispersed in emergency wards, living in cars, couch surfing, and doubling up with family and friends. “Princeton University’s Eviction Lab estimates up to 40 million people are now at risk of eviction in the coming months.”

What is hampering the cure for the homeless and housing crisis, is the continual degradation of communities for the extraction of wealth. The many hotels littering our neighborhood will tell you as much. We’re glad to have you share your concerns for our social crisis. These concerns are important to us. To begin to understand the core root of the problem is to find the pathway forward. We look forward to your participation to improve the quality of life in Midtown Manhattan.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM EMAILED COMPLAINTS

Note: When documenting, reporting, emailing, etc. concerns, it is important to be specific with day, date, time, description, location (NE, south, west…corners, exact address when possible). Also, please be present if possible during meetings opened for public to discuss follow up and solutions.

Highlights from July 2, 2020 meeting with community and business members, NYC Council, Outreach, Shelter providers, and others

• Business having windows broken, defecating in front of restaurants
• The men loiter all day long on the street, tree rail guards as seats, makeshift table, eat and litter on the street, verbally harassed each time he(?) leaves his home
• A neighbor (?) mugged and then saw perp the following day enter one of the hotels. The ones(?) on the street are not socially distancing, not wearing masks
• Need to address immediate safety issues – masks and harassment on the street. Long term – 36th cannot absorb over 500 people

Sanders Investment, Lisa He

• Need “guidance on how to deal with the drug addicts, drug related activities and other issues in front of our buildings on 9th Avenue” [and 38th Street (NE)]. A tenant(?) residing at 574 9th Avenue was robbed in front of the building. A rise of various illegal activities going on (?). My buildings (?) are constantly being broken into by ppl looking for a place to do drugs. People are even dealing drugs in the broad daylight out in the open on the corner of 9th Avenue and 42nd Street and the phone booth in front of 568 9th Avenue…. complaints with 311 to have that phone booth removed because no one uses it to make phone calls but instead they use it to urinate, defecate, use and sell drugs. …Losing tenants and are having difficulty renting out vacant apartments. For the 1st time in the 6 years that I’ve been managing these buildings, I fear for my safety especially after an incident I had with a homeless woman on 9th Avenue where she tried to hit me and was using racial slurs at me because i refuse to give her money

Lilia Pino Blouin, 502 9th Ave Condo Association

• “…large groups of homeless men hanging out all day unmasked in front of Il Puntos’ shuttered doors had became very worrying, and there was even a death on the street…. We have been alerting City Agencies and Outreach all along; I personally use the 311 app almost on a daily basis, but nothing seems to happen. I went from being sad and frustrated to fearing for my life now.
• I have witnessed gatherings of dozens of unmasked men hanging out all day in front of Il Punto, urinating against the wall, pretty much every single day since March. A couple of weeks ago, I saw someone shooting up in broad daylight at 3 pm in front of Penn Station. I have been very aggressively approached on the street several times over the past month, for the first time in 12 years

Deb, 502 9th Ave Condo Association 

• Noticeable “uptick in crime in recent weeks…49th and 9th, as my wife and I were sitting for dinner:
• …Noticed a shirtless man walking southbound on the sidewalk with a chainsaw
• …Received numerous alerts on my Citizen app notifying me of violent crime in the area. This is fairly typical most nights of the week:
  • 1:30pm: 2 men fighting with knives at W. 25th St & 10th Ave
  • 4:30am: Person assaulted at 325 W. 37th St
  • 2:30am: Report of attempted assault with hot iron at 9th Ave and W. 36th St
  • 2:30am: Man assaulted at W. 48th St & 8th Ave
  • 2:30am: 5 men fighting at W. 39th St & 8th Ave
  • 10pm last night: Report of Man Armed with Machete at Times Square NQRW subway stop
• A 49 year old man was stabbed to death at W. 38th St & 9th Ave on Saturday (?) evening around 9:15pm. …
• While I can’t confirm which hotels are housing how many homeless people, I can confirm that there is a ton of public urination, feces, shopping carts, office furniture, trash, and countless people sleeping on the streets during the day as they are supposedly only allowed inside the hotels at night. …while some of the homeless may have been saved from COVID, several have been attacked or killed due to violence. …Most of these homeless people, mind you, are not wearing masks

Julia Campanelli

• …encampment has taken up residence on Dyer Ave between W34th and W35th streets and grows in size number daily. There are currently 6 encampments on both the east and west sides of Dyer Ave next to residential buildings
• The homeless are openly selling and using drugs (shooting up), are aggressive towards local residents (spitting, yelling, blocking traffic demanding handouts), are throwing their trash onto the properties of the Webster Hotel and 433 W34 Street, do not wear masks, are not social distancing, and are blocking the sidewalks with tents, furniture, mattresses, bicycles, and suitcases
• Some have tried entering residential buildings and are harassing building employees
• I make 311 requests daily, as do other residents, and every day I receive a text saying N/A or case closed
• No one from DHS has visited the site. I sit at my computer at my window all day and see the encampments. They have not been visited from any city agency. They have been visited by drug dealers and drug buyers
• The situation is degrading daily. Additionally, there are new graffiti tags on buildings, walls, fences and sidewalks  every day. This is being done at night

Nick, Nayana Currimbhoy

• 11:45 AM EDT, 09/01/20
• I am on the board of 347 W 39th Street. You had asked to be kept abreast of events: there was a murder on the corner of 39th and 9th last night/this morning. I did see police and medics, and detectives – but no press. Do not know any further details

Note: For full email in copied Agenda 9.17.20a

ADDENDUM C: SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

Midtown’s COVID AND Hotel/Shelter ISSUES 

The restaurant owners, who were at the 2:00pm meeting on July 2, 2020, are desperate to salvage their operations. They are not planning to go down without a fight. the odds are against them, as the pandemic becomes more worrisome, and as is our future for the next few years. The owner of Tavola, who owns his own building  may be able to wait it out, close up, and reopen, depending on his leverage debt.

Restaurants will fair far worse than most businesses during COVID: they are non essential and more prone to spreading the virus. Experts have given the restaurants a 75% chance, I estimate higher. I’ve spent a considerable amount of my time in the restaurant business and understand the challenges restauranteurs are facing. Operating at 10% of their previous income levels will not carry them forward. When operating at full capacity the profit margins are thin. A good operator may have 13% profit margin, give or take a few points. I’ve known many who were proud of their 7% profit margin. The restaurant owners, who attended the aforementioned meeting, and operate on the 9th Avenue strip between 38th to 35th Street have invested emotionally and financially in their businesses.

There is no immediate vaccine for COVID-19. Midtown, a heavily commercialized area, relies too heavily on tourism, and has an imbalance of hotels, with very little housing. Tourists will not be roaring back anytime soon. These business owners who’ve invested so much of their lives in their businesses are screaming through their inability to change the course of their lives. The added concentration of shelters have added to our incredulous reality. COVID-19 highlights the severity of our homeless crisis, and the tentativeness of our lives.

PROBLEMS

The main problems for these restaurants are COVID and no trade. The immediate and controllable problems are from the shelters and street homeless include: Harassment, threats and feeling threatened, disruptive behaviors, damaged property, defecation, intimidation, lounging on sidewalks, drug and alcohol abuse, and more. The intensity of which is frightening for some.

Remarks were made that the Methadone clinics added to the problem. The MTS Precinct and MSCC have a good relationship with the clinics, they have been here a long time, and are very well managed. The security for the clinics are hyper vigilant. If there are any problems with individuals from the clinics, it is very minute. The people going to the clinics are there to recover from addictions.

The people staying in the hotel shelters and congregating on the sidewalks, combined with the increase of people who are living on the streets, make the community intensely uncomfortable. The concentration of shelters in the Midtown South location, particularly the three mentioned below, have placed many unhoused people in the area.

SHELTERS

The shelters are not the real problem, but it’s the focus of the restaurant owners and residents. To discuss this will delay our service to the public’s interest and belongs to a bigger discussion and problem.

The three hotel shelters discussed at the meeting were:

• Springhill Suites / 338 W 36 St., / Single Adults, / 200 / Substance abuse, / managed by Black Veterans (BVSJ) / (Jelani), / 24 hour number if complaints/support: 347-493-1740 / 934-800-8941 / Or call Watson Hotel directly Jumaine HRA – send text first 646-544-8055 /jmashariki@bvsj.org,https://bvsj.org/profile-

• Double Tree by Hilton, 341 W 36 St., / Single adults / 318 / managed by NAICA (pronounced NI-KA) / Ricardo Cosme Ruiz Director Intergovernmental and Community Affairs / 929-502-9456 / Rcosme@naicany.org

• Hilton Garden, 326 W 37 St, / Single women / 294 / managed by ICL, Women with mental illness and mental illness / Janine MH

SUPPORTIVE OPTIONS

First order of business would be to discover where exactly the communities complaints stems from. It may be best to evaluate the shelters independently, it may prove to be more efficient to share, consolidate, and coordinate resources.

The above hotel shelter operators’ histories and management models should be reviewed. It was mentioned that the Springhill Suites, that is managed by the Black Vets, has successful operations elsewhere. Maybe the problem lies with the other two hotel shelters. People have different problems, which calls for different services and pipelines.

Answers to the following questions will help to better assess shelter management needs:

• How many people are part of the security team?
• When and where are they stationed?
  • What are the instructions?
• What other staff support do they have?
• What programs are available in house? 
• What programs are needed?
  • Perhaps other providers can help support
  • Perhaps community could support
• What are the COVID policies? Are they providing PPE? 
  • What efforts are made to encourage PPE uses?

CAB (Community ) Meetings

The above bullet points can be addressed during regular CAB meetings in order to adapt to ongoing changes. 

CAB meetings are opportunities for the community and city representatives to review and keep updated with shelter management and operations. CAB meetings work. Not only do they inform the public of progress and changes for our emotionally, medically, financially, dependent, and socially challenged community members, but it gives all members an incentive for success. 

People cannot be confined to their room, they are not prisoners, and without social outlets, alternative places, or funds. People without homes have no place to go but the streets. Removing people from sight does not resolve the problem.

Some thoughts for solutions:

• Cab Meetings at every location to keep a watchful eye on the shelter’s management and keep communication streamline
• Focus the management’s security in the right areas, and the right times
  • Uniforms to identify shelter staff
  • Schedule of security
• Point of contact:
  • JCC Unit: 212-607-6040, shccc@nyc.gov
  • Outreach and Police contact (dedicated person per shift, and weekends?)
  • 311, 911 how best to use (details: see page 15-17 Homeless and Housing Study)
• Point of contact best practices could include decimating information to public to let them know particular problems are being attended too
• Added street outreach*
• Review types of social distancing space can be constructed indoors, can the management arrange for a social distancing gatherings?
• Construct popup lounges in the many places which are empty
• Community gatherings in the parks away from the businesses, in spaces, ballrooms, community centers, etc.
• The NYC Council, MSCC, and others were very much in favor the French styled clinics where users sit in safety and come down from their drug induced high: Boston McGinnis House has a room for such use: it’s safe for them and keeps them off the streets (possibly a popup for now)
• For Street Homeless: Mobile showers operation provides hygiene, clothes, and laundry service; It has an opportunity to provide other services such as Ryan Chelsea’s Mobile Health Unit
  • Recently the Doctor’s Without Borders closed in midtown, they have turned over their Harlem location to Shower Power
  • They were caring for 50-60 people a day.
• Bring back the beat cops for presence, social workers are called when problems are called
• Thrive NYC was well funded and may be able to provide services
• Partnering with the housing groups for education and encourage involvement
• Investigate work force development groups, bring several to the table regularly (this is a tough during COVID)
• Assign community groups: Community Court’s programs for formerly incarcerated, Wellness or similar
• Regular Social Service Providers’ meeting with a mission to develop options of opportunity, productivity, and activity to replace the sedentary street activity; a think tank??, perhaps an auxiliary committee to the Homeless and housing meeting
• Oversight to make sure clients are being cared for (only so much you can do without housing inventory)
  • Introduce them to housing proponents and workshops
  • Introduce housing proponents to people who are sheltered

This pandemic is an open invite for disaster capitalism. The larger real estate owners are buying up other properties. The core needs are clear, Supportive, affordable,  and medical respite housing. The core problem is the imbalance of our neighborhoods, it’s over commercialized and design to drain wealth from our economy and leave people behind.

We have a great deal of hotels within midtown, this could be an opportunity for a social revolution. As much funding we’re providing for hotel operators (3,500 to 6,000?), it would be better to put it toward medical respite facility, and permanent affordable and supportive, housing. 

Warmest Regards,

John Mudd, President

Sharon Jasprizza, Community Service Director

Midtown South Community Council

www.midtownsouthcc.org

917-520-3009 cell

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead 

July 3, 2020

ADDITIONAL MEETING NOTES FROM JULY 2, 2020

Shelter management: Needed info:

[The following information can be updated during CAB meetings regularly]

• Staff
• Makeup per shift
• CW
• RA
• Security
• Other

• Security rounds include what and when
• Patrol how far 
• Ensure compliance/Oversight
• Security wear anything specific while patrolling
• Clients:
• Capacity
• Census
• Outside area for smoking etc
• Services they have onsite 
• Needs being met

• BVSJ: QR Codes for oversight. Social Services inhouse. Most staff do perimeter checks. Staff does outside perimeter checks. Different atmosphere. HIs view is that there is a concentration of shelter residents. 
• NAICA: Mabel Calderon. Social Services. Going to look into QR Codes. They perimeter the block. 
  • For Residents: Name and contact for issues/concerns: NAICA Ricardo Cosme Ruiz Director Intergovernmental and Community Affairs 929-502-9456; Email for issues: Rcosme@naicany.org
• ICL: Janine MH and Gen Pop West 29th; 2 on West 37th. 

Other Notes:

Changes: Anything you have been made aware of and addressed

• CB5 and CB6 inundated with shelters INV this!
• Short term? Police cars stationed? Can relocate residents b/c shelter
• Long term? Need to reduce numbers. Relocate
• Scaffolding
• 2 per room min
• moved 1000 per week from congregate to hotels, seniors first
• cb4/5 have the most
• heat – alcohol and drug
• model budget
• 36th nail salon

(MSCC) Sharon Jasprizza, Posted: February 29, 2020

John Mudd opened the meeting with introductions.

Officials in attendance Deputy Inspector Brendan Timoney, commanding officer, MTS; Community Affairs POs, Edward McDonald, Detective Thomas Byrnes, Brian Kelly.

MSCC President John Mudd, Vice President Bill Otterson, Beautician Director Eugene Sinigalliano, Director of Community Relations Allen Oster; Director of Youth Culture program Marni Hasan, Community Services Director Sharon Jasprizza.

John Mudd welcomed Twilla Duncan from Gail Brewer’s office

Police Precinct Announcements: 

John Mudd introduced Inspector Brendan Timoney who delivered the month of January crime statistics and who cautioned against leaving unattended cars running and unlocked cars. 

Community Councils Announcements

• Sharon Jasprrizza invited all to the 2020 Council Review and Planning Social to be held prior to the next meeting at 5.45pm on Thursday 19 March at the New Yorker Hotel 
• John Mudd announced the updates for the spring planting for the Urban farming program 
• John Mudd asked for further funding for the GoFundMe: Laundry For Kids – Update: raised close to $4,546 and served 323 kids
• John Mudd outlined the new program for plastic bags. Make the Switch to Reusable Bags: Starting March 1st, New York State laws will prohibit businesses in NYS from distributing plastic carryout bags to customers, with limited exceptions. In addition, businesses will be required to charge a five-cent fee for each paper carryout bag. The fee will not apply to customers using SNAP or WIC. DSNY is notifying and distributing free reusable bags to residents
  • John Mudd spoke about the current issue of medical respite beds the Homeless and Housing Committee  in NYC were pursuing for the homeless. Medical respite beds: 
    • Advocating for Medical Respite Beds is important because we have none in NYC

John referred to The McInnis House, Boston’s medical respite bed visit 10/24/19 as a reference point for the study the committee is working on. (The following Homeless and Housing Committees representatives went to the Boston’s Barbara McInnes House medical respite bed: John Mudd and Sharon Jasprizza, MSCC; Cassie Dessalines, Mariam Alami, Martha Zabetta, Miliano, Sarah Zammiello, and Juan Rivera, BronxWorks; Reggie Miller, NYDIS; Sara Sasone and Sharmistha Mohapatra Ryan’s Chelsea Health clinic)

• John Mudd outlined the Workshop development, the 4 pilot programs that combine food and life skills education did well. One is scheduled each month starting in March of this year
• Sharon Jasprizza spoke about the cost of running the workshops and requested for further donations to run these programs
• John Mudd mentioned voucher issues, ISP, Diversionary plan discussions for the upcoming Homeless and Housing meeting on Tuesday March 3
• Policy for Non Medical Respite bed is going through a third draft  

Speaker(s):

Brittany Neary from Safe Horizons spoke about the program for reaching and supporting the community with counselling services.  There are advocates in each precinct. Other programs include Safeway Forward.

Marni Halasa, Vera Naseva, from Fight for NYCHA, outlined NYCHA and Housing issues residents have concerns about. The contract and the Resident Handbook” A guide to NYCHA RAD conversion were available and outlined the problems faced as a result of RAD taking over the management and maintenance of public housing. Points raised included:

• A fight for public housing and its funding
• NYCHA is America’s 3^rd largest city (used as a reference to point out how many people depend on public housing)
• NYCHA is $32 bill in arrears
• Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) is a joint venture with private managers. NYCHA is turning over buildings to RAD for to reverse years of neglect. 
• NYCHA fearful of RAD because of spiked rents, and fear privatization of their homes
• RAD changes Section 9 and turns it into Section 8, rents rise and residents have to pay for utilities 
• A Brooklyn meeting where residents were forced to sign a RAD lease, a clause states residents have to accept the apartment as is, another clause refers to habitat standards do not have to met, another clause refers to family gatherings are to rent a public space
• Mani made reference to $440 mill fund that could be used
• Mayor created a working group for residents however Marni’s team was invited and later disinvited
• Marni pointed out a year ago no one was talking about funding for NYCHA but now a bill to fund NYCHA is prepared. People are needed to come on board.

Debra and Constance Sailer from Hearts of Gold, which started 25 years ago, Debra outlined her charity organization and the training her team provides people to run a store, also funds a learning centre for kids and provides private tuition.

MEETING OPENS FOR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS

• Twilla Duncan from Gail Brewer’s office promoted the 

Suffrage Event on March 1 at 1 Center Street

• George will continue to correspond with Inspector Brendan Timoney about issue raised before meeting
• Marni noted the noise at Hudson Yards coming form Con Edison 34th and 9^th. Its in the 10^th Precinct. Eugene pointed out noise regulations and that DEP would carry sound meters and issue summons. Go to DOB site for violations and permits. 

Looking Forward

• Next Council Meeting: March 19, 2020
• Next Homeless & Housing meeting: March 3, 2020, 9:30a, Port Authority, 550 9th Avenue, ground Floor, northeast corner of 40th Street & 9th Avenue (doors on the right before the escalators)
• Next meeting speaker(s): TBA

(MSCC) Sharon Jasprizza, John Mudd, Posted November 19, 2019

Inspector Brendan Timoney provided an update on crime statistics and news: 

YTD, robberies were down 50% during last 28 days tracked.  Additionally, Grand Larcenies were down 8%.  There have been more slashing incidents recently that have been occurring on 8th avenue between 34-37 streets, so please be aware of that activity.  Potential causes are drug usage. Inspector Timoney also spoke of recent burglary activity involving one male subject who was targeting hotels in the area.  This subject has been arrested, and is no longer a threat to the community now.  We were also briefed on the importance of paying attention to your surroundings, protecting your belongings while out shopping, i.e. ladies not leaving purses in carts or fitting rooms while out shopping as theft can occur quickly when not paying attention.  

John Mudd reported that: 

The progress of the MSCC and Community Court’s urban farm produced very little the first year because of the late start, he said sponsors are needed to support the project, and expects to do five times as much in product for 2020.

The McInnis House, Boston’s medical respite bed visit is officially scheduled for 10/24/19

The Street Sheets are progressing: layout is done, printed first draft, design is progressing, data collected, vetting information to ensure all contacts are credible and efficient. The street sheets are a list of shelters, food pantries, and other services for the homeless. 

The Homeless and Housing meeting is on the first Tuesday of each month.  The meeting is held at Urban Pathways, 575 Eighth Avenue at 9:30AM.  

Swimming in Mudd (Show created by John Mudd) is scheduled for 10.19 so tickets are available if interested.

John Mudd said they are building a proposal and looking for locations for Automatic Public Toilets. The Gofundme Laundry for Kids has raised $4,546.00 and served 274 kids. 

Trees for the Port Authority are scheduled for Monday, October 21, 2019.  

PROGRAM: 

John Mudd introduced the guest speaker(s):  Kevin Jean Baptiste, Community Coordinator, Community Partnerships Unit, New York County District Attorney’s Office and Kelly Stankiewicz, Assistant DA, Crime Strategies Unit. No video was taken.

General

Kevin’s area encompasses the area from 14th Street to 59t Street, with 13, 10, 17th, MTS, and MTN precincts. Kevin’s role, Supervisor Community Engagement Coordinator, is to be engaged with community to develop events and programs and share information and resources. There are six coordinators that cover the city.

The DA’s office policy have shifted towards prevention rather than penalization. The DA office is reinvesting seized funds from banks and drug deals for projects/programs within communities which work toward prevention. 

DA’s Programs and Initiatives

The DA’s office have several units to focus on various initiatives (units) which focus on domestic violence, child and elderly abuse… They also have a youth development and reentry team.

Youth and education team goes to community groups, particularly schools, to highlight and educate around subjects such as cyber bullying, teen dating, gun violence….

Free sports program for 11-18 year-olds, the program activates gyms that are not in use, particularly on Saturdays: when most youth seem to get into trouble. 

Because not everyone liked sports, the Art of Healing was initiated. This initiated the art of healing that brings together several organization, music, visual, and creative arts using art as a method to heal, it is well attended by the youth.

The supervised release program, run by CJA criminal Justice Association, is, which connects a person with social worker to ensure return to court. This program existed for low level crimes before and now has been extended to felonies.

The reentry team, around since 2011, helps to provide people (mostly violent felons) coming out from being incarcerated with ID, benefits, job, housing, etc. to function in society. Objective is to keep them from going back into the penal system. The felons are often under 25 years of age.

Kelly Stankiewicz: The network of various agencies and nonprofits, from law enforcement to community base organization, engages with the formerly incarcerated. Besides the DMV to give a person the basic ID, the network includes community coordination officers, Fortune society, Odyssey House, ATF, and others.

Bill Ottersen asked Kelly if there were job training programs. He mentioned that Pennsylvania have more jobs (blue collar trades) than workers, so they are training people within the prisons to provide jobs for them when they exit. Valhalla has something similar too.

Kelly, in answer to Bill’s question, says, that’s a department of corrections state or city program. The DA’s program is to serve as a bridge, because people are sent home with a bus ticket and 40.00.  Boston has a minimum security work release program, if they do well, they go to work release, and then they are set up with job and housing before they leave the prison system. 

There is a disconnect somewhere, and the DA’s office are trying to fill in the gap in NYC by using the assets seized to fund programs that prevents recidivism.

Bail Reform

Kelly went on to talk about Bail Reform: Starting January 2020, monetary bail can only be set for qualifying offenses: 

A qualifying offense is a violent felony, if you are not charged with a violent felony, you cannot have bail set, but for a five exceptions: misdemeanor sex crimes that include, forceable touching, sex abuse 2 & 3, sexual misconduct, domestic violence with criminal intent.

There are two violent felonies that don’t count for bail: burglary of a dwelling, robbery in the second degree (when you are with other people). 

No flight risk or public safety exceptions for bail. E felonies such as shoplifting, petty theft are given desk appearance tickets (returnable in 20 days). Open warrants, bail jumping, domestic violence, sex crimes, are exceptions and arrests can be made and person can be processed. 

Prior convictions have no bearing to a current charge.

Drug crimes do not qualify for bail. Major drug trafficking will qualify, but requires investigation. 

Example, a guy who is driving through Manhattan, with loads of cash and10 kilos in their car, with intent to sell, and he is arrested, he will walk the next day

The bail reforms were passed by the state (Governor Andrew Cuomo) under budget bill.

January 1, 2020, anyone in a county jail who is not in for a bail qualifying offense will be released.

Discovery laws have changed which may impact victims of crimes and police officers. A person is charges with a felony, he is arraigned twice, once in criminal court when first arrested, and if indicted and goes in front of a grand jury, he gets arraigned in the supreme court.

The sentencing structure has not changed.

All prosecutors have victims safety in mind while meeting their discovery needs.

Prosecution age for youths has been raised. Ages sixteen & seventeen were prosecuted as adults. They now will likely go to family court. 

Robbery in the second degree with injury is a bailable offense.

Kelly suggested we call our state legislatures for change.

Panels without the background were to watch prosecutors. This is being argued in court, an injunction because it was found unconstitutional. 

The new reforms are to prevent the bail abuse. 

DA Vance argued for safer measures similar to other states in Albany. Bridget Brennan, special narcotics prosecutor who handles all major drug cases, wrote articles against such extreme measure.

There are several prosecutors who agreed reform was needed, but were displeased by how this was done and voiced their opinions.

This is was passed through legislation. 

The reforms may be away to compensate for the cruel bail measures that have been going on for a long time.

MEETING OPENS FOR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS:

Community members were concerned with the seemingly overly lax reforms.

Jen, a community member mentioned that gangs of drug dealers have blossomed around the block of 31st Street and Broadway, mostly on Broadway. 

Inspector corrected the term “gangs” to groups, said they are selling Marijuana. He said MTS have made arrests. 

The community member went on to say groups of 4-5 people are working the corner from morning to night, using the scaffolding as cover and runs to a car. She felt certain they were selling more than marijuana.

The inspector will be following up on the situation.

MSCC IN ATTENDANCE

President John A. Mudd, Vice President Bill Otterson, Secretary/Assistant Secretary (Open Positions) Community Services Director Sharon Jasprizza

OFFICIALS IN ATTENDANCE

Inspector Brendan Timoney, P.O. Thomas Byrnes, Brian Kelly

Twitter account handles:  @NYPDMTS, Transit Division @NYPDTRANSIT 

The next MTS Community Council meeting will be held on Thursday, November 21, 2019 7:00 p.m., Wyndham New  Yorker Hotel on 8th Avenue between 34th and 35th streets.