2 MARCH 9 - MARCH 15, 2018 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP
BORO PREZ TO HOST MARCH
FOR OUR LIVES RALLY
Coinciding with the March for Our Lives National
School Walkout, Borough President Eric Adams will
host a rally on Wednesday, March 14 at the Prospect
Park Bandshell.
The rally – to take place the same day students across
the country are planning a 17-minute school walkout
in honor of the 17 lives lost during the mass shooting at
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland,
Florida on February 14 – will occur from 2 to 5 p.m.
To RSVP, visit www.brooklyn-usa.org/schoolwalkout.
For more info, e-mail programs@brooklynbp.nyc.
gov or call 718-802-2356.
COMPTROLLER RELEASES
IMMIGRATION MANUAL IN 10
LANGUAGES
New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer on
Thursday, March 1 released what his office referred
to as an "updated, comprehensive" 75-page manual on
immigrant rights.
The manual is available in 10 languages — including
Arabic and Urdu for the first time — and is designed
to assist immigrant New Yorkers to understand their
rights by outlining resources, providing detailed
guidance and offering up information on a wide range
of topics.
The manual is also available in Spanish, Chinese,
Korean, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Russian, French and
English.
60TH PRECINCT COP
INDICTED FOR PUBLIC
LEWDNESS
A New York City police officer assigned to the 60th
Precinct anti-crime unit was indicted on Friday,
March 2 on seven counts of public lewdness and four
counts of exposure.
According to the indictment, on February 16, a
female officer assigned to the same precinct as 31-yearold
Anthony Avosso filed a complaint with her Patrolmen's
Benevolent Association delegate stating that
the night before and on two other occasions, Avosso
exposed himself while going about business and alone
together in the precinct.
In addition, the officer allegedly exposed himself to a
probationary officer while asking her about her goals
in the department, exposed himself on the subway to a
female officer sitting next to him and exposed himself
to another female officer and masturbated in front of
her in a marked police car until she finally exited the
vehicle.
He is also said to have exposed himself to a fifth
female officer inside the 60th Precinct while the two
of them were alone in a room together and when the
two were alone together in a police car.
—Meaghan McGoldrick
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photo by Helen Klein
The intersection of 86th Street and Seventh Avenue is one of 50 citywide
chosen for stepped-up Block the Box enforcement.
Increased enforcement of 'Don't
Block the Box' coming to 86th
Street and Seventh Avenue
BY JAIME DEJESUS
JDEJESUS@BROOKLYNREPORTER.
COM
The intersection of
Seventh Avenue and
86th Street is one of
50 around the five boroughs
chosen for stepped up enforcement
of block the box
infractions whose goal is to
decrease traffic congestion
across the city.
The announcement was
made by New York City Department
of Transportation
(DOT) Commissioner Polly
Trottenberg and NYPD Chief
Thomas Chan on Monday,
March 5 at the intersection of
Broadway and Broome Street
in SoHo.
“We know traffic can be
frustrating, but blocking the
box just causes gridlock for
everybody — bus riders, pedestrians,
cyclists and your
fellow motorists,” said Trottenberg.
“Please be courteous
and safe — and don’t block the
box.”
Blocking the box occurs
when a driver blocks an intersection
after the light has
changed because traffic ahead
has made it impossible for
his or her vehicle to proceed
through and past it.
Councilmember Justin Brannan
said that the move is a step
in the right direction.
“I think some traffic enforcement
would go a long
way around here," he told this
paper. "Right now, I see lots of
parking tickets being written
but not much else. Not only is
this new enforcement important
for traffic flow but it should
make it safer for pedestrians to
cross 86th Street.”
DOT has installed special
markings and updated signage
at the key intersections,
including the Bay Ridge one,
to make drivers aware of the
restrictions. The city chose
intersections along major
routes leading to river crossings,
highway on-ramps, and
commercial centers.
“Late last year, we announced
a series of initiatives designed
to address congestion issues
around New York City, a
symptom of the city’s record
population and economic vitality,”
said Mayor Bill de Blasio
in a statement. “Blocking the
box is one area where focused
NYPD enforcement can and
will make a big difference to
keep traffic moving around hot
spots in every borough.”
The NYPD is slated to increase
enforcement at these
locations to keep traffic moving,
hiring an additional 50
uniformed officers to enforce
block-the-box violations.
A block-the-box parking violation
could be a $115 fine, said
Chan, while a moving violation
would be $138 along with two
points against the driver’s
license.
According to de Blasio, the
Clear Intersections effort is
part of the his plan to reduce
congestion, which includes
other tactics citywide such
as the Clear Lanes, Clear
Curbs, Clear Zones and Clear
Highways initiatives. These
efforts will help keep traffic
moving, clear curbs during
rush hours, ensure intersections
are kept clear of congestion,
limit curbside access
in crowded corridors, and
bring coordinated attention
to recurring traffic hot spots
on local highways.
Details about other elements
of the congestion initiative
will be announced in the
near future, according to the
administration.