Racist hacks into South Queens Education town hall zoom meeting

AOC brings the ruckus again

The forum was organized by Ocasio-Cortez in order for residents to ask questions and get feedback from the lawmaker on her record and policy positions.

 

Queens Post 

A community forum hosted by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Astoria last night was disrupted by a group of angry protesters.

The event, which was held at The Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens on 30th Road, saw a group of around 10 demonstrators heckle the progressive Congresswoman inside the packed auditorium.

Video clips of the disruptions have gone viral showing demonstrators chanting “AOC Has Got to Go” and “Vote Her Out.”

A man with a hand drum can be seen pounding out a beat, while other protesters are holding signs reading “Stop Sandy Lying,” and “Wake up New York. Vote for Tina Forte. F–k AOC.”

Forte is Ocasio-Cortez’s Republican opponent in the upcoming election for New York’s 14^th Congressional District.

Ocasio-Cortez in one of the clips can be seen smiling and dancing to the taunts while sitting on the stage and sipping from a bottle of water.

A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez said the demonstrators were not constituents and are part of a “far-right wing group that regularly protest against COVID vaccinations [and] LGBTQ rights.”

“We do thank the numerous constituents from Astoria who turned out last night to engage in the civic process,” the spokesperson said. “We’re grateful that we were still able to have a meaningful dialogue, in spite of that group.”

The forum was organized by Ocasio-Cortez in order for residents to ask questions and get feedback from the lawmaker on her record and policy positions.

AOC yelled at for sending more billions of dollars to Ukraine

First time I've seen any high profile "progressive" figure challenged on the rabidly pro-war policies they've backed without reservation over the past eight months https://t.co/5Vgo1khTSv

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) October 13, 2022

Don't miss the bus

 

MTA undermines and represses community and commuter's concerns at town hall meeting

The Wave 

In a setting more akin to a Cold War Soviet show-trial than a NYC Town Hall meeting, MTA officials at Feb. 6’s transit meeting in the YMCA spent time patting themselves on the back discussing their accomplishments and future plans before moving on to pre-screened questions from the audience.

A group of five transit officials sat at a table at the front of the room and began the meeting with a series of stats and charts to show how the MTA has improved service over the year before opening up to a Q&A session. Many in the audience, however, felt the bureaucrats ignored the real questions and censored the voices of those in the room – a fact which led to at least one person to call out “I thought this was America!” during the proceedings. 

 “Tonight was a sham,” said an exasperated John Cori.  Cori, a Community Board 14 executive board member who made the aforementioned “America” statement, spoke to The Wave following the meeting.

“It was censorship, it violated our constitutional rights to freedom of speech by censoring our questions. I put two in, and they both were not read. I was one of the first ten people to put questions in, and the woman went through them, picked and chose what she wanted to give, and gave them the cream-puff questions.”  

“The meeting was mind-numbing because of the way MTA chose to filter the questions, but not surprising” added local transportation advocate Rick Horan. “They like to control the conversation and so the value of this… is a little dubious.”    

 Among the hard-hitting questions that MTA rep Lucille Songhai pitched to the panel were whammies like “can everyone talk about how they got here this evening,” and even then the bureaucrats on the board failed to appease. “We came here on the A-Train of course!” was the answer many gave, an answer which left several in the audience wondering if the blatant pandering had any truth to it. 

 “I will gladly escort you to the station!” an incredulous Glenn DiResto replied from the rear of the room, echoing the doubts of many as to the “everyman” persona the officials were trying to portray for themselves. Like so many other comments of the evening, however, this too was ignored by those on the panel, and Songhai teed up yet another softball for the board.

“You talked a little bit about what you’re doing for people with disabilities beyond elevators. I was hoping that you could talk about one particular aspect that you feel most proud about,” and “who cleans up racist graffiti” were among the other thrillers the MTA decided to regale the crowd with during the Q&A session. And even when they did touch upon questions locals were interested in – questions regarding the possibility of a revitalization of the H-train from Mott Ave. to Beach 116th or the truncation of the Q22, among others, – the officials again failed to deliver.

The H-train, it seems, is nothing more than a pipe dream, as the officials stated that the inclusion of the H-train would create further reliability issues on the A-line because the new train would displace other cars in the terminal. As for the Q22, panelists said that the ridership numbers west of 116th were very low, but officials did say that they were still listening to community input and would take that input into account before rolling out any final changes.

The lack of any solid, productive answers led to more than a few outbursts from the crowd, and local Democratic District Leader Lew Simon at one point – tired of being ignored – made his way to the front of the room and tossed a letter from a local student on the panelist table, urging them to read it and see how their proposals would impact the people of the peninsula.

“This is a petition from an 8-year-old child who rides the Q53 every day,” Simon shouted, reminding the agency reps that their decision was impacting the way local children would get to school. 

 Admin note: A commenter alerted me this post was 2 years old. My fault for not checking it date since I put it up in a rush. 

AOC lets Dr. Chok take over a town hall

 

 Queens Chronicle

A virtual town hall on Wednesday, organized by the office of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx, Queens), was missing the U.S. representative herself.

Ocasio-Cortez brought on city Commissioner of Health Dr. Dave Chokshi to talk about Covid with her constituents, but was unable to make an appearance after what her office called an “unavoidable conflict” came up at the last moment. In her absence, Chokshi held down the floor, reiterating the importance of getting vaccinated and boosted in the face of the Omicron wave, and taking questions from constituents.

“We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to see our constituents at next month’s town hall,” said an Ocasio-Cortez spokesperson. 

Chokshi began his presentation by updating constituents about the progress the city has made fighting back the Omicron variant. As of this week, the seven-day case average per day has dropped below 8,000 — about a fifth of the 43,000-case-per-day peak earlier in January.

“We have climbed down from the worst of the Omicron peak, but we know we have more work to do,” he said.

Similarly the city has seen a decrease in Covid hospitalizations from a total of about 6,500 patients hospitalized citywide on Jan. 11 to under 4,700, according to the most recent state data. 

The guidance for preventing more cases has stayed generally the same in recent months: Get vaccinated and get boosted, wear a mask in public, but particularly a high-quality one like a KN95, KF94 or N95, and continue to get tested and stay home if you’re positive or feeling sick.

Chokshi acknowledged that breakthrough cases for the vaccinated have increased under Omicron, but said that inoculation still has been shown in those cases to be an important form of protection from severe disease and hospitalization.

When he began taking questions from the audience, one constituent asked about the risk of blood clots from the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Chokshi recognized that there is a “small risk” of blood clotting, “most most significant for younger women” but said overall the vaccine’s protection exceeds the risks.

“The most important thing to know is that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh any small risks,” he said.

Whatever it was that was so important to abdicate her responsibility as a representative of the people to this gaslighting weasel, she could have easily rescheduled this for another day. Especially since this was on zoom. 

Apparently, Dr. Chok is more powerful than we thought.

Community Boards want to keep hearings virtual during pandemic resurgence

 

Patch

Community board chairs are pushing back on a requirement that their meetings resume in person next month — with some saying they plan to defy state law if necessary to keep their sessions COVID-safe.

And as interpreted by New York's official watchdog for public access to government, the state's open meetings law means that every community board member who Zooms into a meeting now technically must advertise in advance the address they are dialing in from — even if that is their home — and open their doors to all who wish to join.

"Opening up people's homes? That's insanity. That's ridiculous," scoffed Frank Morano, chair of Staten Island's Community Board 3.

After Gov. Andrew Cuomo suspended in-person government meetings last year in declaring a state of emergency at the dawn of the pandemic, the city's 59 community boards migrated to online video platforms such as Webex and Zoom.

Civic engagement soared as members of the public, the boards and government agency reps easily participated from the comfort of their homes via the internet, mastering the mute button and other video conferencing features.

But once vaccinations made gathering safer, the state lifted the emergency order on June 24. Community boards were once again subject to the state's open meetings law — requiring public access to the physical premises of an official gathering.

With the return of board meetings following a summer break coming up in September while virus risks remain, volunteer board members and boards' government-employed managers are sounding the alarm on the risks of in-person gatherings, pleading with city and state officials to allow them to continue meeting remotely.

"Not only are we still in the midst of this ongoing health crisis, but we're on a trajectory with cases going up," said Alexa Weitzman, chair of Queens Community Board 6, which represents Forest Hills and Rego Park. "This is not a time to reconvene in person."

Because board members are not employed by the government, the vaccine and testing mandates covering city workers do not apply. Nor can boards screen members of the public in the way that restaurants, gyms and theaters now must.

All in the room must wear masks, according to a City Hall memo, which also directed community boards to keep six feet of distance between participants.

Morano and Weitzman told THE CITY that they plan to keep holding virtual-only meetings, either because of virus concerns or because of a lack of space to socially distance.

Cojo's spreading rumors about running for comptroller

 

NY Times

Five months after dropping out of the race for mayor of New York City to focus on his mental health, Corey Johnson, the City Council speaker, said on Tuesday that he was considering a late entry into the city comptroller’s race.

Mr. Johnson said that he had been approached by several elected officials and City Council members who said he should consider running to be the city’s fiscal watchdog, and that his desire to contribute to its recovery from the pandemic spurred his interest.

“I wouldn’t be considering this if I didn’t feel good about where I am personally and the work I’ve done over the last six months in focusing on myself and my own well-being,” Mr. Johnson said in an interview.

Mr. Johnson had been one of the leading Democratic candidates in the mayor’s race, but he announced in September that he was dropping out because he said that dealing with his depression, handling his job as the leader of the City Council, and running for office would be too difficult.

Mr. Johnson said he would make a final decision on the comptroller’s race in the next two weeks, before petitioning is set to start. The current comptroller, Scott M. Stringer, is barred from seeking a third consecutive term, and is now a leading candidate in the race for mayor.

 Mr. Johnson’s potential entry would add a level of star power to the contest. As Council speaker, he has developed a reputation as a civic booster, known for doing back flips and dancing at parades and professing his love for the city.

 Now he is currently trying to flip the city he loves so much with his "Planning Together" 

Don't forget to sign the petition and join the show, make that charter committee on February 23, Tuesday at 10 a.m. 

 

Update Cojo is holding a zoom town hall tomorrow night on his horrible plan for the city.

Urgent Town Hall Wed 2/17 7PM!
Sign up to learn more about Corey Johnson's power-grab so-called 'Comprehensive Planning' bill-Intro 2186 -a de facto emasculation of local communities to be shut out of their democratic future weigh-in! Please RT! https://t.co/LusMeCC4No pic.twitter.com/zKysGZL0lp

— Preserve Our Brooklyn Neighborhoods (@infopobn) February 15, 2021

De Blasio kicks meeting attendee out for exercising First Amendment right

For those who don't have facebook and are viewing this on other browsers besides Chrome. Here's the whole hearing. Where our mayor shows contempt and gives condescending responses to every other citizen who had the mike. Start it at the 25 minute mark to save time. JQ LLC

Schools Chancellor Carranza walks out on town hall following complaints to his face from parents with kids being bullied in his schools

NY Post

 Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza was jeered off the stage at a packed town hall meeting at a Queens middle school Thursday as anger over school safety boiled over.
 
The Department of Education boss faced the wrath of more than 500 parents at MS 74 Nathaniel Hawthorne in Oakland Gardens.

“What is happening here?” parent Katty Sterling yelled at Carranza. “We’re not getting answers! Nobody is giving answers!”

Exasperated, Sterling told school officials how her daughter had twice allegedly been assaulted by a female classmate at MS 158 Marie Curie in Bayside and is now too afraid to return to school.
 
Her daughter’s tormentor was never suspended and remains in class, according to Sterling.

“The other student is sitting in school getting all the privileges and what is my daughter doing? Sitting at home, sick, getting traumatized!” Sterling screamed at the dais just feet from Carranza.
MS 158, one of the district’s highly regarded schools, has been hit with a string of ugly incidents in recent months, including a vicious lunchroom fight last week and a classroom sexual assault last month. Both incidents resulted in arrests.

Tired of an attempt at reassurance by School District 26 Superintendent Danielle Giunta, Sterling had approached the dais to give Carranza and other officials a piece of her mind.
As she vented her frustrations, others in the audience joined in.

After several unsuccessful attempts to quiet the crowd, Carranza rose and exited the stage as the hooting continued.
Earlier in the meeting, after the superintendent spoke, a school dad whose daughter was allegedly forcibly touched in an MS 158 classroom in November, tried to address the panel.

But panel members told him they were answering only questions that had been submitted in writing before the meeting — and that he was out of order.

NY Post

A mom whose daughter was seen in a viral video being beaten at a Queens school and who tried to confront schools Chancellor Richard Carranza about it at a meeting Thursday ripped him for abruptly walking out while she and others were trying to get answers.

“I will be honest with you,” said Katty Sterling, whose daughter was attacked in a cafeteria by a bully at MS 158 in Bayside last week. “I really don’t think he cares. He didn’t say a word, he just sat there. He had no answers for what the parents were asking. And then he left.”

A crowd of more than 500 parents and teachers swarmed the meeting of Community Education Council 26 Thursday night to address concerns over what they say are spiraling classroom conditions.

9-year-old girl asks Mayor de Blasio why he can't do his job right

     

NY Post

A precocious 9-year-old and the aunt of a teen killed by a stray bullet grilled Mayor Bill de Blasio about crime, homelessness and public transit at a Queens town hall Wednesday.

Amaryllis Greene, 9, drew applause and laughter from the audience of over 400 people assembled at Austin Martin High School in Jamaica, Queens, when she asked the mayor a list of questions including, “Why is the MTA never on time?”

The fourth-grader, who attends a Montessori school, also quizzed Hizzoner about delays on the Q43 bus line, homelessness on the trains and NYPD leadership.

“With all due respect, why was Mr. Benjamin Tucker not selected as police commissioner,” Greene asked about the NYPD’s first deputy commissioner who was passed over for the job in favor of his colleague, Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea.

De Blasio complimented the youngster, asking if he could call her “future council member,” then answered her questions.

He reminded her that the state, not the city, controls the MTA but promised improvements with funding from congestion pricing. He pledged to address vagrants on the subways by putting more outreach workers underground and explained that he “made the decision that Chief Shea was the right person to lead” the NYPD.

Outside the event, Greene told reporters she was unimpressed with the mayor’s answers and that she wanted to hear more about how he’d help get homeless people back on their feet.

I really, and I mean REALLY liked how that brilliant little girl used that line "with all due respect", because that line is only used when respect is obligatory than when it's actually deserved.

I also really like how this kid knows more about how to run a city and serve its citizens than that corrupt doofus does.

 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proposes a renewable energy hub on Rikers Island

PIX News

 The future of Rikers Island is being debated and discussed.

A judge, reform advocates, and the City of New York have said the jail facility needs to be fixed because of its design, location and history.
 
A proposal from the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio to replace Rikers with 4 borough-based community jails is in the first phase of public hearings.
 
What will happen to the 413 acres that make up the actual island?
 
The possibilities are endless.
 
A town hall with the theme "Renewable Rikers" was held on Thursday in Jackson Heights.
Council Member Costa Constantinides, U.S  Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, State Senator Jessica Ramos, Assembly Member Catalina Cruz, and Council Member Daniel Dromm spoke about environmental and green options for the location.
 
A panel of environmental experts and criminal justice stakeholders was introduced to talk about their experiences and possible plans.
 
Professor Rebecca Bratspies, founding director at CUNY Law School’s Center for Urban Environmental Reform, moderated the panel.

This is too far gone now. The city does not want to hear from the communities of where they want to place the tower jails, which were all rejected by them over a week ago. The shutdown looks even more cynical now that Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez is using her political and viral celebrity status to advocate for and tying the green new deal to it while spouting platitudes and marketing solar paneling.

St. Albans doesn't want shelters either

From PIX11:

ST. ALBANS - The Department head of Homeless Services Steven Banks and Mayor de Blasio jointly addressed a crowd filled with disgruntled residents concerned with the city's use of homeless hotels.

PIX11 has covered extensively the city's growing reliance on these hotels, lack of social services, overspending to book those rooms and absence of security.

Residents as of late have been vocalizing their worries over the hotels and on Wednesday, de Blasio heard more of the same.

"I'm terrified of these people who are going to live in these hotels," one woman said. "So I ask you Mayor de Blasio how can you help me and my community address these issues and stop the building of these hotels."

The number of hotels popping up and rezoning changes are on Blasio's list of proposals to the city council in an effort to address those concerns, according to the mayor.

"I think on the larger issue of how we plan the community [is] to make sure the scaling of things is right, etc. is something we want to do more changes to in the city council," de Blasio said.

Meanwhile, the mayor's team is actively booking hotels that are appearing all over the city in order to house the homeless.

All this as the homeless population in the city is on the verge of reaching 60,000.

(The funny thing is that the people that attend these town halls are pre-screened so as to avoid the mayor having to answer embarrassing questions. And I guess black folks value their quality of life and integrity of their communities as much as whites do.)

Avella invited to de Blasio town hall meeting at the last minute

Dromm only let de Blasio supporters inside town hall

From Progress Queens:

Dozens of New Yorkers showed up to a town hall meeting held by Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-New York City) at Public School 69 on Thursday evening in Jackson Heights, Queens.

But these dozens were forced to stand inside a make-shift police pen outside P.S. 69, to wait to see if municipal employees could accommodate them inside.

At least five municipal staff paced outside P.S. 69 with iPads, like they do at Apple stores, checking people's names on a reservation list that would determine if the New Yorkers would be allowed to attend the town hall meeting.

Contrary to a previous report published by Progress Queens (subsequently corrected), the town hall meeting turned out not to be open to everybody. Attendees had to apply for a reservation with the office of Councilmember Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights), who would then pre-approve attendees, in order to screen out any critics of the de Blasio administration. A request was made via e-mail by the publisher of Progress Queens to Councilmember Dromm, seeking a reservation. After that request was never answered, the publisher of Progress Queens carried a protest sign outside the site of the town hall, drawing attention to the restrictive policies in effect on town hall attendees.

When the publisher of Progress Queens explained that Mayor de Blasio was holding a town hall meeting at P.S. 69, many individuals complained that their children attended P.S. 69, but the school administration hadn't informed them about the mayor's town hall. Unfortunately, the publisher of Progress Queens had to explain to the disappointed parents that Councilmember Dromm had required an R.S.V.P. from town hall attendees, from which he would screen attendees based on the degree of their political support for Mayor de Blasio.

What does Bill have against meeting with people?

From Gotham Gazette:

Scott Stringer has led 16 town hall-style events since becoming Comptroller; Letitia James, the Public Advocate, hosted her 28th on Wednesday night in Brooklyn. As has been well-documented, Mayor Bill de Blasio - along with Stringer and James, one of three popularly-elected citywide officials - has not yet held a town hall event himself.

Is it time for the mayor to host one?

As de Blasio and his team wrestle with how to combat sagging public opinion poll numbers, what they see as unfair press coverage, and a perception gap that many agree leaves New Yorkers thinking de Blasio is performing worse than he actually is, it may be time for de Blasio to take his message directly to the people and hold his first town hall.