16 APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, 2018 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP
Parkland students continue
to garner attention for their
gun safety movement
The tragic Parkland, Florida
sit amet, consectetur adipiscing
urna in sem ornare blandit
velit, volutpat nec vehicula
neque. Aliquam semper euismod
Pellentesque sem metus,
mass shooting represents a rare
event; however, the event is not
condimentum nec, laoreet at dolor. Sed
consectetur ac, suscipit quis
rare enough in modern history.
This mass shooting is distinguished
by the sustained interest and reaction
that it fostered. Sadly, the attention
span of the average American has
been modified and shortened by modern
media.
Even mass shootings like those in
Las Vegas and Newtown usually capture
news coverage for just a few days,
perhaps a week or two, before it they
are pushed aside by the next hot story.
The Parkland tragedy has sparked a
movement and the movement seems to
have momentum. Media attention on
various aspects of the high school shootings
has been sustained for longer than
with previous mass shootings because
the surviving students have worked
to keep the story alive and in fact have
garnered results from their efforts.
The Florida state legislature
passed stricter gun laws in the wake
of the shootings and the marches and
speeches by the young activists. They
did not look for this role but now they
are utilizing it to accomplish what no
one else has been able to accomplish.
They have convinced politicians to
break ranks with the NRA and try
implementing new gun regulations
to make it more difficult for some
persons to acquire firearms.
The fact that the young people actually
affected by the shootings have been
able to come forward and eloquently
demand change has been the reason for
the sustained media attention.
The victims are teenagers and old
enough to talk about their own experiences
and speak to regular Americans
in a way that they understand. With
COMMON SENSE
BY JERRY KASSAR
WE THE
PEOPLE
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP • JUNE 5 - JUNE 11, 2014
WE THE
PEOPLE
BY BRIAN KERIN
WE THE PEOPLE
BY BRIAN KERIN
organizational support from existing
groups looking to have increased regulation
of firearms, they have taken
their personal experiences to prime
time and kept the attention on the
issue.
These teenagers are used to social
media and are comfortable using it so
the memory does not fade. They have
travelled to speak with lawmakers and
demanded to be heard. They have been
interviewed hundreds of times and
can understand that talking points
are important when dealing with the
media.
They have stolen a page from the
NRA. After the Parkland shootings,
hashtag “#BoycottNRA” demanding
companies reconsider ties to the NRA
went viral.
Andrew Gounardes, a Democratic
contender hoping to run against Republican
State Senator Marty Golden,
challenged him to adopt gun control
measures in the wake of the Parkland
BY BRIAN KIERAN
mass shooting.
The measures included extended
background checks and waiting times
to purchase a firearm. Gounardes
said, “The mass shooting in Parkland,
Florida, the 18th at a school this year,
…lays bare … we are not doing
enough to keep violent weapons out
of the hands of those who are a threat
… to public safety.
“I fully support the efforts of spearheaded
by courageous members of the
State Senate to pass common sense gun
laws in New York,” he went on, “and
today I’m asking all of my supporters
to call Senator Golden’s office and ask
him to do the same.”
Golden responded with a call for
security scanners in all school facilities.
It fails to address the problem
of firearms ending up in the hands of
killers. Perhaps the eloquence of the
young survivors of Parkland speaking
up for change will convince Mr. Golden
and Senate Republicans to consider
common sense firearm regulations
that will make all of us safer.
Hospital situation
need of triage
College Hospital seems to be destined
Victory Memorial Hospital, Peninsula
Vincent’s Hospital.
proposed plans are short on service to
on dollars in the pockets of developers.
believe that, as the city grows,
increases
prospers,
fewer
health
Do we
chain
bank on
hospitals?
the company that wins the proposal
be obligated to provide a large
facility to compensate for the
service hospital it will replace.
Congressmember Hakeem Jefferies
opportunity to complain that the NYPD
low-level marijuana arrests in
hinted that this may be an indication
Blasio is really not serious about
following through on his campaign
promises to assure the NYPD scrupulously honors
individual citizens civil rights.
He stated that the “new administration promised
change but instead we get more of the same.”
That is not true. The number of arrests for low-level
marijuana possession
has dropped and NYPD
policy is not to force a
suspect to display small
amounts of pot in order
to make an arrest.
Governor Cuomo has
proposed decriminalizing
possession of 15
grams or less of pot whether hidden or in plain view,
which would take this controversy and its attendant
political baggage off the table. It would be nice to let
police offi cers perform their duties instead of being
pawns in a political chess game.
Mayor de Blasio has fulfi lled an incredible amount
of his promises in a very short time. He has imposed
the extra protection of an inspector general for the
NYPD and signed off on the laws passed by the City
Council which may leave police offi cers subject to
lawsuits for negligent performance of their duties.
He has provided universal pre K without a tax
increase. He is settling the outstanding municipal
worker contracts neglected by Mike Bloomberg for
the next mayor to handle. He is championing Vision
Zero to reduce traffi c fatalities to zero. It is unfair
to question his commitment to his ideals or to the
fulfi llment of his promises.
The City Council will pass 11 laws and four resolutions
to create a Vision Zero environment for our
streets. The new laws provide a lower speed limit for
city streets and enhanced penalties for reckless drivers.
The state legislature must approve the changes.
We also need the state legislature to provide a
reasonable number of speed cameras to enforce the
new laws. Let us hope that our legislators will work
together as a group to see that these changes and
improvements are made quickly.
Brian Kieran is an attorney who works as a Principal
Law Clerk in the Supreme Court of the State of New
York in Kings County and is a Democrat.
dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing
sed urna in sem ornare blandit
nunc velit, volutpat nec vehicula
neque. Aliquam semper euismod
luctus. Pellentesque sem metus,
condimentum nec, laoreet at dolor. Sed
consectetur ac, suscipit quis
felis
felis
Ut
rutrum
non
sapien
ullamcorper
vulputate id ante. Nulla varius,
pulvinar congue euismod, eros odio
vulputate nisi elit eu mauris.
condimentum, erat eget posuere
tellus varius arcu, a rutrum mi
Quisque ac massa nunc, id lacinia
vitae metus ac lacus fermentum
Pellenesque tincidunt ligula non velit
tempus orci pretium. Donec facilisis, odio et iaculis
iaculis, sem arcu rutrum mi, a vulputate erat
lorem porttitor metus. Mauris sagittis interdum
feugiat. Fusce laoreet vehicula laoreet. Nam
id accumsan magna. Vivamus a felis at lacus
tincidunt sodales quis sed nisl. Donec vitae dui
purus. Quisque eu nisi eros, et venenatis eros.
Proin non lacus
orci, eu ultrices tellus.
Vestibulum nec
nisl magna. Duis
tincidunt gravida
lorem, a dictum
leo imperdiet ut.
Sed eu massa in
leo eleifend viverra.
Proin eros sem,
convallis quis adipiscing
pulvinar,
mattis vel purus.
Fusce sapien sem, aliquet vitae tempor sit
amet, auctor id ante. Pellentesque vel vestibulum
sem. Cras lobortis lorem at lectus pretium
feugiat vel quis libero. Praesent consectetur
consectetur tortor vitae lacinia. Mauris turpis
nisl, rutrum ut condimentum eu, elementum
non neque. Vivamus eget vulputate mauris.
Vivamus elit tellus, euismod ut condimentum
diam, ac malesuada purus ligula nec mauris.
Donec eleifend magna non justo fringilla fermentum.
Suspendisse potenti. Quisque eros arcu,
fringilla a blandit et, pellentesque sit amet risus.
Fusce iaculis magna vel felis scelerisque nec
suscipit nibh lacinia. Suspendisse potenti. Proin
sed interdum justo. Sed sollicitudin tristique
suscipit. Sed mattis, odio a imperdiet tempus,
orci tortor pellentesque nibh, sit amet aliquet
enim magna nec ligula.
Curabitur suscipit enim sed metus adipiscing
imperdiet. Praesent commodo scelerisque tellus
nec ornare. Integer sit amet volutpat turpis.
Integer congue condimentum urna, sit amet
aliquam ligula mollis sit amet. Maecenas odio
quam dapibus lectus sit amet arcu tempor
imperdiet.
Nullam porttitor posuere mi, fringilla laoreet
lorem semper idm ornare congue arcu, non interdum
mauris dapibus id. Aenean feugiat ultrices
metus a vulputate. Praesent luctus venenatis
purus sed viverra. Nulla rhonmentum tortor.
Aliquam tincidunt molestie mi, tincidunt vestibulum
sem rutrum bibendum. Integer malesuada
elit commodo vel vehicula quam ultrices. Sed at
massa sed lorem facilisis ultrices.
Brian Kieran is a community activist who works
Double decked headline
fit alloted space
“Mayor de Blasio has ful lled an incredible
Mayor amount Bloomberg of his promises continues in a very to push short
a
fantasy time.
that, if he had more power,
everything would be okay. When so
much is at stake, it is not the time to
make political statements or play
games”.
vulputate id ante. Nulla varius,
congue euismod, eros odio
vulputate nisi elit eu mauris.
condimentum, erat eget posuere
varius arcu, a rutrum mi
Quisque ac massa nunc, id lacinia
metus ac lacus fermentum
tincidunt ligula non velit
vel nibh condimentum eu
tempus orci pretium. Donec facilisis, odio et iaculis
iaculis, sem arcu rutrum mi, a vulputate erat
lorem porttitor metus. Mauris sagittis interdum
feugiat. Fusce laoreet vehicula laoreet. Nam
id accumsan magna. Vivamus a felis at lacus
tincidunt sodales quis sed nisl. Donec vitae dui
purus. Quisque eu nisi eros, et venenatis eros.
Proin non lacus
orci, eu ultrices tellus.
Vestibulum nec
nisl magna. Duis
tincidunt gravida
lorem, a dictum
leo imperdiet ut.
Sed eu massa in
leo eleifend viverra.
Proin eros sem,
convallis quis adipiscing
pulvinar,
mattis vel purus.
Fusce sapien sem, aliquet vitae tempor sit
amet, auctor id ante. Pellentesque vel vestibulum
sem. Cras lobortis lorem at lectus pretium
feugiat vel quis libero. Praesent consectetur
consectetur tortor vitae lacinia. Mauris turpis
nisl, rutrum ut condimentum eu, elementum
non neque. Vivamus eget vulputate mauris.
Vivamus elit tellus, euismod ut condimentum
vitae, molestie a lectus. Donec molestie, ligula
consequat venenatis lobortis, libero eros porttitor
diam, ac malesuada purus ligula nec mauris.
Donec eleifend magna non justo fringilla fermentum.
Suspendisse potenti. Quisque eros arcu,
fringilla a blandit et, pellentesque sit amet risus.
Fusce iaculis magna vel felis scelerisque nec
suscipit nibh lacinia. Suspendisse potenti. Proin
sed interdum justo. Sed sollicitudin tristique
suscipit. Sed mattis, odio a imperdiet tempus,
orci tortor pellentesque nibh, sit amet aliquet
enim magna nec ligula.
Curabitur suscipit enim sed metus adipiscing
imperdiet. Praesent commodo scelerisque tellus
nec ornare. Integer sit amet volutpat turpis.
Integer congue condimentum urna, sit amet
aliquam ligula mollis sit amet. Maecenas odio
quam dapibus lectus sit amet arcu tempor
imperdiet.
Nullam porttitor posuere mi, fringilla laoreet
lorem semper idm ornare congue arcu, non interdum
mauris dapibus id. Aenean feugiat ultrices
metus a vulputate. Praesent luctus venenatis
purus sed viverra. Nulla rhonmentum tortor.
Aliquam tincidunt molestie mi, tincidunt vestibulum
sem rutrum bibendum. Integer malesuada
elit commodo vel vehicula quam ultrices. Sed at
massa sed lorem facilisis ultrices.
Brian Kieran is a community activist who works
for the State of New York and is a Democrat.
Double decked headline
fit alloted space
“Mayor Bloomberg continues to push a
fantasy that, if he had more power,
everything would be okay. When so
much is at stake, it is not the time to
make political statements or play
games”.
us never forget
BY BRIAN KIERAN
The fact that the young people
actually affected by the shootings
have been able to come forward
and eloquently demand change
has been the reason for the sustained
media attention.
No one has the monopoly on foolish
public statements and social
media posts.
RANTS AND OTHER
TIRADES
You know the world has gone
upside down when an individual
named Jeffrey Guterman
— who describes himself as a mental
health counselor and has 204,000 followers
on Twitter — posted of his excitement
at Trump Tower having a fire
because it is owned by the president.
His joy, apparently at the expense of
the president, immediately backfired
when literally thousands responded,
criticizing his statement for its insensitivity,
especially in light of a resident
losing his life and four firefighters
being injured.
The outrage caused Mr. Guterman
to apologize and remove the post.
Frankly, it truly worries me when a
mental health counselor with a large
following can make such a crude statement
and at least at one point think it
was perfectly acceptable.
* * *
Bizarre rants by well-known
people are not restricted to social
media. Brooklyn Democratic Assemblymember
Diana Richardson, who
represents the heavily Orthodox
Jewish community of Crown Heights
among other neighborhoods, chose
her local community board meeting
for a 50-minute tirade invoking anti
Semitism and racism.
City Councilmember Lew Fidler (as
reported in the New York Post), who
was attending for the borough president,
said that he found her statements
“offensive, dripping of anti-Semitism.”
She further went on to taking a shot
at State Senator Simcha Felder — whom
she described as “the Jewish Senator
from Brooklyn” — for depriving her
of sleep because his efforts on an issue
important to his constituents held up
the state budget for part of a day, causing
it to be passed in the early morning.
Many found her remarks upsetting.
And she too, faced with a storm of criticism,
apologized.
No one has the monopoly on foolish
public statements and social media
posts. I do believe that, when it comes
to public officials, one needs to wonder
what really is in their hearts. Of course,
no one but the person making the statements
and posts knows for sure.
It is a reminder that character is an
important consideration when voting
for a candidate. It should also be taken
into consideration by political parties
and primary voters when the candidate
for the general election is chosen.
As it so happens, when Richardson
was elected in a special election a few
years ago, the Orthodox Crown Heights
Jewish community voted decisively for
the Republican/Conservative candidate.
Richardson still won inasmuch as
Crown Heights makes up no more than
25 percent of the Assembly district.
* * *
State Senator Marty Golden (whom
I serve as chief of staff) and Assemblymember
Nicole Malliotakis held
a press conference in front of the
governor’s midtown office to bring
attention to the release of mass murderer
Christopher Thomas who killed
eight children and two mothers.
He was released under a statute
which says you can be released after
serving two thirds of your sentence
after you have been denied parole. In
this situation, he had been sentenced
to 50 years and was being released
after serving a little under 33 years
because, to add insult to injury, his
sentence was further reduced for
good behavior.
Golden and Malliotakis, both Republican/
Conservative legislators,
intend to introduce legislation prohibiting
those charged with first degree
manslaughter from being considered
for conditional release.
In this case, Thomas would have remained
in prison for another 17 years,
being released at 85 instead of 68. They
further called on the governor to intervene
actively with the Department
of Corrections, which he controls, to
keep murderers off the streets.