REPORT : The Feds countenance voter disenfranchisement

The Feds countenance voter disenfranchisement

Progress New York - Update

REPORT

As the Board of Elections tosses absentee ballots, a signaling that the Feds may countenance voter disenfranchisement

In the Federal election cycle four years ago, the Board of Elections admitted it unlawfully purged voter rolls. This year, the Board of Elections is accused of the widespread disqualification of absentee ballots.

By Progress New York Staff

July 19, 2020

The New York City Board of Elections is reportedly disqualifying between 20 to 30 per cent. of absentee ballots cast in some election districts in the June 23 Democratic Party primary, according to various news reports, raising the spectre that the embattled Government Agency may again be engaged in voter suppression. During the 2016 Democratic Party primary, it was revealed that the Board of Elections had unilaterally purged voter rolls, including removing over 100,000 voters in Brooklyn alone.

This year, voters in every borough of New York City requested absentee ballots in numbers greater than than in-person votes were respectively cast during the June 23 Democratic Party primary, according to a report published by Gotham Gazette. This was due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. The widespread absentee ballot disqualification in this year's Democratic Party primary, if allowed to stand, may propose to disenfranchise approx. 100,000 voters City-wide, based on the rate of disqualification in Queens, as reported by the New York Times. The widespread practise of absentee vote disqualification has triggered the filing of a Federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

In 2016, civil litigation filed in Brooklyn Federal Court over that year's voter purge led the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn and the Office of the New York State Attorney General to join that lawsuit, triggering a settlement that was going to lead to at least some reforms. However, those reforms were apparently not enough to stop reports of widespread voter disenfranchisement in this year's Democratic Party primary.

The Federal lawsuit filed in Manhattan attempts to downplay any wrongdoing by the Board of Elections.

The apparent, nonstop attempts by the Board of Elections to suppress votes in the 2016 and 2020 Democratic Party primaries has been happening during a time of great upheaval in Democratic politics. Beginning in 2013 and continuing through this year, Democratic Party primary voters across the nation, reportedly the most progressive in the party, have voted out of office entrenched, corporate centrists, such as former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, former U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY 14), and U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY 16). Critics have charged that the actions by the Board of Elections to purge voters and disqualify votes merely represents desperate attempts to protect incumbents.

Although some see hope in the new lawsuit filed in Manhattan, others see it as part of the problem. The Federal lawsuit challenging the disqualification of 2020 absentee ballots characterises the widespread voter disenfranchisement as a "snafu," according to the Complaint and an accompanying Memorandum of Law filed in Federal Court. One of the lawyers, who filed the Manhattan lawsuit, Ali Najmi, was a political supporter of former U.S. Rep. Crowley. If the 2016 lawsuit filed in Brooklyn Federal Court is any indicator, then the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan may reasonably be expected to file motion papers to apply to join the Manhattan lawsuit as an intervenor. If that happens, then all voters should expect would be more promises of reforms, as were made in 2016. As it is, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan has a pattern or practise of settling cases involving allegations of systemic corruption with nonprosecution agreements that largely allow bad actors to remain participants in the marketplace for corruption.

Besides disqualifying absentee ballots, the Board of Elections has been accused of denying in-person voters the full ballot or informing registered voters that they could not vote in the Democratic Party primary. During the early voting period preceding the June 23 Democratic Party primary, voters were also reportedly hampered by polling places located in disparate locations in some election districts. For this report, the press office supporting Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss never answered a press inquiry.

Read More

• Cuomo, Board Of Elections Sued For Disenfranchising Thousands of Voters Over Postmark Problems On Absentee Ballots (2020) [Gothamist]


• Suraj Patel files lawsuit in 12th District ballot battle with Rep. Carolyn Maloney (2020) [The New York Post]


• Over 20 Percent of Absentee Ballots Are Being Invalidated in Some Parts of NYC (2020) [NY1]


• City Board of Elections Admits It Broke the Law, Accepts Reforms (2017) [WNYC]


• With DOJ proposing to join lawsuit over voting rolls purge in Brooklyn, will Feds probe deeper ? (2017) [Progress Queens]

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REPORT : What 'tensions' exist between SDNY and City Hall ?

What 'tensions' exist between SDNY and City Hall ?

Progress New York - Update

REPORT

After U.S. Attorney General William Barr met with NYPD officials, chaos reigns as U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman was fired amidst 'tensions' with White House and City Hall

The office of U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman was reportedly investigating political operatives with close ties to President Donald Trump.

By Progress New York Staff

June 22, 2020

Two days after the U.S. Attorney for New York's southern district, Geoffrey Berman, was fired by President Donald Trump, reports indicate that Mr. Berman had resisted a request made last Friday to meddle in the de Blasio administration's handling of Coronavirus pandemic restrictions on churches. One report, published by the New York Daily News, cited the limitation on religious gatherings as problematic for the Trump administration over possible First Amendment concerns. Mr. Berman refused the request to meddle over his own concerns that the request was politically-motivated and would result in heightened tensions between the U.S. Attorney's Office and City Hall, according to a report published by the Wall Street Journal.

The row over the U.S. Attorney's Office's refusal to interfere in the de Blasio administration's handling of restrictions on religious gatherings took place on the same day when U.S. Attorney General William Barr met with senior officials at the New York Police Department, as the embattled law enforcement agency has come under fire over its own problems with First Amendment and civil rights violations during the George Floyd-inspired anti-racism and anti-police brutality protests have elevated systemic racism to match public health as the social priorities facing the Government.

It's unknown if the religious row was being used as a smoke-screen for the Trump administration's need to remove Mr. Berman from his post. He is the second U.S. Attorney to be removed during the Trump administration during times of reported investigations of individuals with close ties to President Trump. Recent reports indicate that former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (R-New York), who now serves as private attorney to President Trump, may be the subject of Federal investigations. In 2017, then U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara was fired amidst reports that he was investigating senior officials in the Trump administration, possibly including Tom Price, according to a report published by ProPublica. Mr. Price later resigned as secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services following scrutiny over his use of charted flights.

It's not known what 'tensions' exist between the U.S. Attorney's Office and the office of Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-New York). A report published by POLITICO has revealed that the de Blasio administration is in breach of a Settlement Agreement between the New York City Housing Authority, the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Dept. of Justice. Since taking office, Mayor de Blasio has also faced near non-stop reports that have questioned his fundraising practises. For this report, the U.S. Attorney's Office said it could no longer speak for Mr. Berman. A subsequent request for comment went unanswered.

The Trump administration is sending mixed signals on First Amendment issues facing New York City.

Attorney General Barr's meeting with NYPD officials last Friday was made to demonstrate "strong support" for law enforcement, according to a read-out issued by the Justice Dept. Such support appeared to overlook reported controversies over the patterns or practices of police-involved homicides of civilians and police brutality by the NYPD. For example, the tussle over First Amendment concerns of religious gatherings has over-shadowed a report, published on Friday by the New York Times, that the number of individuals killed by NYPD activity was "more than twice what has been reported."

For its part, the NYPD refused to answer a request about information about the Attorney General's meeting.

The Trump administration's First Amendment concerns for religious gatherings have appeared to have given short shrift to the Bill of Rights' guarantees of freedom of assembly and freedom of the press. As reported by Progress New York, the NYPD have reportedly made dragnet apprehensions during protests that have led to the arrests of legal observers, usually civil rights and civil liberties attorneys, who monitor political demonstrations for police abuses of power. Such massive law enforcement responses that have led to the arrests of legal observers in the past have been deemed to have been unlawful. Reports have also indicated that journalists have also been battered by the NYPD during the recent spike in anti-racism protests. Other allegations of First Amendment rights violations have included threats by the NYPD to revoke press passes and the suspension of processing press pass applications.

Read More

• After U.S. Attorney General William Barr met with NYPD officials, chaos reigns as U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman was fired amidst 'tensions' with White House and City Hall


• EDITORIAL : To restore faith in Government, U.S. Attorneys must shine a light of transparency on the NYPD [Progress New York]


• Top Federal attorney in charge of enforcing First Amendment rights and civil liberties ducks responsibility over deliberate NYPD arrests of legal observers [Progress New York]


• Mayor Bill de Blasio ends curfew early after threats of litigation, as U.S. Attorneys remain mum about coördination with NYPD [Progress New York]


• Anti-racism protesters reportedly beaten at Cadman Plaza, near the office of Brooklyn U.S. Attorney [Progress New York]


• As DOJ ignores racism and police brutality at NYPD, unanswered questions about whether Federal civil rights are subject to discretionary enforcement [Progress New York]


• Federal guidelines for the prosecution of activists appear to reconstruct a legal framework lost under the Smith Act [Progress Queens]

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EDITORIAL : Federal role in lack of NYPD transparency

U.S. Attorneys MIA on NYPD scandals

Progress New York - Update

EDITORIAL

To restore faith in Government, U.S. Attorneys must shine a light of transparency on the NYPD

For one-off cases of NYPD misconduct, the U.S. Attorneys' Offices sometimes come into public view. When the police misconduct complaints are systemic in nature, they go into hiding.

By the Editor

For weeks, New York City has been swept up in a whirlwind of the Coronavirus pandemic, anti-racism protests, and police brutality scandals. More and more, news media have revealed that Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-New York) and Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-New York City) were to blame for the unpreparedness for and mismanagement of the pandemic. As both political leaders have attempted to feign ignorance or to shift blame, they've both been quick to admit that systemic racism, particularly in policing, has been a long-standing problem that they did not create. In the flashpoint of protest and debate over a lack of police oversight and accountability, two Government offices known for their silence have kept resolutely quiet and still : The U.S. Attorneys' Offices in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

The Federal prosecutors' offices have showed up in the public radar before, notably when Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue announced in 2019 that no charges would be filed against New York Police Department officer Daniel Pantaleo for the chokehold homicide of Eric Garner. The office of Manhattan U.S. Attorney similarly gave a pass in 2016 to a group of NYPD officers in the suspicious shooting death of Ramarley Graham in his own bathroom. For one-off cases, such as these, the U.S. Attorneys' Offices sometimes come into view. But when the complaints about the NYPD are systemic in nature, they go into hiding.

One opaque Law Enforcement Agency has oversight over another opaque Law Enforcement Agency.

The offices of U.S. Attorneys form part of the U.S. Department of Justice, an Agency which believes it can comply with Government transparency laws, including the Freedom of Information Act, at its sole discretion, an unlawful posturing that is unfortunately routinely reinforced during open records litigation by the Federal Courts and by Government lawyers at the U.S. Attorneys' Offices, including those in Brooklyn and Manhattan. That culture of impunity is reflected at the NYPD. New York City Councilmember Mark Treyger (D-Bensonhurst) has complained about the NYPD refusing to comply with a law requiring the police to report on metal detectors and scanners in schools. When Councilmember Treyger suggested that school principals evaluate school safety performance, he encountered resistance and complained that the evaluations never took place.

There is such a failure of accountability at the NYPD that Albany legislators had to repeal a law that was reported to have been deliberately misinterpreted by Mayor de Blasio in a corrupt effort to block disclosure of NYPD officers' disciplinary records. Critics of Mayor de Blasio's misinterpretation of the law blamed him for violating Government transparency laws by withholding the release of records many considered eligible for release under open records laws.

In connection with large-scale public demonstrations or civil protests, the NYPD consult with U.S. Attorneys regarding investigations of Federal crimes or issues of national security, as reported by Progress New York. Given those consultations, U.S. Attorneys are in a position to question the NYPD about allegations of police misconduct and about their violation of Government transparency laws, particularly if those violations are related to the NYPD's actions to squash large-scale public demonstrations or civil protests. But, true to the opaque nature of law enforcement — whether Federal or Municipal — there is no clarity on those consultations, or whether any oversight has been or is exercised by Federal authorities as a result of allegations of Municipal police misconduct.

The public's confidence in Government has collapsed.

Besides one-off consultations between the NYPD and U.S. Attorneys for matters pertaining to Federal crimes or national security, as is required by the Attorney General's Guidelines on Domestic FBI Operations, it is not known what process or procedure the NYPD follow that give their controversial Strategic Response Group authority, either one-off, periodic, or standing, to suppress large-scale protest activities as a Law Enforcement Agency. An anti-terrorism unit that was created by former NYPD Commissioner Willliam Bratton, the SRG unit has been deployed to squash large-scale civil uprisings, including during recent anti-racism protests in New York City. During the recent anti-racism protests, the NYPD have engaged in dragnet arrests that have threatened journalists and swept up legal observers. In the past, such indiscriminate arrests have been deemed unlawful. As reported by the precursor to Progress New York, the Federal Government has appeared to have given itself authority to criminalise civilian activities protected by the First Amendment based on biases against certain political ideologies. For several reports published by Progress New York, the U.S. Attorneys' Offices in Brooklyn and Manhattan have declined to comment.

The Government's heavy-handed use of force to squash civilian uprisings are rooted in the State's interest in self-preservation. But public confidence in New York's Municipal Government has collapsed, because the Government has countenanced systemic racism and corruption, despite laws making such conditions unlawful. The de Blasio administration has been described to be in a state of "implosion" by the New York Daily News. If the Government cared about restoring the public's faith in Government, it would immediately bring transparency to all matters of law enforcement, beginning with the NYPD, its SRG unit, and the U.S. Attorneys' Offices.

Read More

• EDITORIAL : To restore faith in Government, U.S. Attorneys must shine a light of transparency on the NYPD [Progress New York]


• Top Federal attorney in charge of enforcing First Amendment rights and civil liberties ducks responsibility over deliberate NYPD arrests of legal observers [Progress New York]


• Mayor Bill de Blasio ends curfew early after threats of litigation, as U.S. Attorneys remain mum about coördination with NYPD [Progress New York]


• Anti-racism protesters reportedly beaten at Cadman Plaza, near the office of Brooklyn U.S. Attorney [Progress New York]


• As DOJ ignores racism and police brutality at NYPD, unanswered questions about whether Federal civil rights are subject to discretionary enforcement [Progress New York]


• Federal guidelines for the prosecution of activists appear to reconstruct a legal framework lost under the Smith Act [Progress Queens]

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TOMORROW : Fight For NYCHA March Against Racism and Austerity

Join us Saturday for a March Against Racism and Austerity

Fight For NYCHA - Updates

March Against Racism and Austerity

Date : Saturday, May 30, 2020

Time : 1 p.m. starting time

Place : Meet at 9th Ave. and W. 27th St., Manhattan

R.S.V.P. : March Against Racism and Austerity [Facebook]

Austerity leads to racism

There is a convergence in the betrayal of public housing with the Coronavirus pandemic. Hospital closings led to disparities in healthcare outcomes, as we have seen during the Coronavirus outbreak. The refrigerator trucks are a sign that austerity leads to racism. Now, NYCHA residents are being used as guinea pigs for testing and contact tracing in order for politicians to dangerously fast-track the reopening of the economy.

We are targeting some politicians, who claims to experience oppression, but who have done nothing to end racism or austerity. The apartment houses of the specific politicians we will visit are : Christine Quinn, Corey Johnson, Deborah Glick, and Brad Hoylman — each of whom had a role in the closing and luxury condo conversion of the old St. Vincent's Hospital. They thought nothing of taking away a safety net hospital from us, and they have done nothing to fight austerity or racism, as evidenced by how public housing has been neglected on their watch — and in their district.

Stop ''pinkwashing'' austerity

An LGBTQ activist is taking the lead in the planning of this protest march, so this is not an attack on identity, but, rather, criticism on how politicians have used the experience of oppression for personal political gain — only to countenance the oppression of others.

Please be health-responsible

We ask everybody to wear a mask and gloves, and to observe social distancing for everybody's health. This march is about 25 blocks. The route is attached in an image.

Fight For NYCHA is a collective of tenants, activists, artists, and advocates, who are providing technical support to NYCHA tenants to self-determine the future of public houisng in New York City. We oppose Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to put 1/3 of NYCHA into the hands of private landlords. We reject Mayor de Blasio's proposal, because the money exists to save NYCHA. We just have to change our priorities. Learn more about our People's Budget to fully-fund NYCHA.

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City Council candidate Rick Echevarria exposes price gouging

Rick Echevarría exposes price-gouging by suppliers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Echevarría campaign investigation into Bushwick price-gouging makes the news

Vote on June 23 for Rick Echevarría for City Council

Brooklyn merchants said some suppliers were price-gouging during the coronavirus epidemic

Rick Echevarría visited dozens of Brooklyn stores in recent days, asking owners to sign a pledge promising they wouldn't price-gouge during the coronavirus pandemic. Whilst making the rounds, Echevarría kept hearing similar stories : Suppliers had jacked-up their prices on cleaning supplies being used to disinfect for the coronavirus —- and shop owners were refusing to buy the supplies at the higher prices.

Prices on 19 oz. spray canisters of Lysol disinfectant were raised by as much as 42%, and prices on 16 oz. bottles of Clorox bleach increased by as much as 45%. As a result, shelves have gone bare, and customers have left stores empty-handed as many people across the boroughs scrambled to buy essentials to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Echevarría, a candidate for City Council's District 37 seat, which covers parts of north Brooklyn, including Bushwick, spent several days with a gouge watch crew meeting with local stores.

The findings of his campaign were the subject of an article published by The City. For that report, Echevarría said, "We can't have the owners feeling like they can't afford to restock."

To report price-gouging, you can file an online complaint with the New York State Attorney General's Office.

• Store Owners Say Suppliers Fuel Coronavirus Disinfectant Price Gouging [The City]

Support Our Campaign

You are the game-changer in this race. Every donation you make allows us to fight for housing justice in Brooklyn. By making an early donation of $15, you make us a winning campaign.

In service to the community,

Rick Echevarría

# # #

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How long do we have to save public housing ? Fight For NYCHA Updates

Fight For NYCHA editorial in the New York Daily News : RAD is a raw deal for NYCHA we must refuse.

Fight For NYCHA - Updates

The Daily News publishes our editorial

Many groups have now jumped on the cause of saving public housing in New York City. But few dare to stand up to Mayor Bill de Blasio, the man primarily responsible for strong-arming tenants into becoming part of Rental Assistance Demonstration (''RAD''), the federal government program that moves public housing into private management. RAD hikes rents and fuels evictions. Find out how U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman let down NYCHA tenants and what a large nonprofit did to prop up a politician guilty of turning his back on NYCHA residents. There is a real danger that Mayor de Blasio will end public housing as we know it. We urge New Yorkers of goodwill to join us to save NYCHA.

• EDITORIAL : RAD is a raw deal for NYCHA we must refuse [The New York Daily News]

An updated People's Budget was adopted at the Fight For NYCHA town hall meeting

The guest speakers at our town hall meeting included Lindsey Boylan, Howie Hawkins, and Michael Sussman.

The update to the People's Budget consisted of adding : (i) the conservative estimated cost of developing Sunnyside Yards and (ii) U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez's bill (H.R. 4546), the latter which would fund capital repairs at NYCHA, showing that over $440 billion is available for new Government policy on housing, justice, and dignity. The People's Budget is a package of ideas for legislation that will raise taxes on the rich and reallocate funds from gentrification development plans to fully-fund public housing and forge new Government policy based on justice and dignity.

• People's Budget, Updated [in English] [Archive (dot) org]


• El presupuesto del pueblo, propuesta [In Spanish] [Archive (dot) org]

Media Report

• Residents and activists in Chelsea hosted a town hall discussing how to prevent NYCHA properties from being privatized. Chelsea Residents Resist Public Housing Privatization at Town Hall [Washington Square News/NYU News]

Fight For NYCHA need your support

Fight For NYCHA have announced plans to begin direct action, if necessary, to stop Mayor de Blasio's plans to expand RAD to NYCHA. We are looking for immediate fiscal sponsors. If you are able, please consider making a donation to our supplies expense Go Fund Me. Stay tuned for our next announcement of a direct action planning workshop.

Fight For NYCHA is a collective of tenants, activists, artists, and advocates, who are providing technical support to NYCHA tenants to self-determine the future of public houisng in New York City. We oppose Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to put 1/3 of NYCHA into the hands of private landlords. We reject Mayor de Blasio's proposal, because the money exists to save NYCHA. We just have to change our priorities. Learn more about our People's Budget to fully-fund NYCHA.

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Fight For NYCHA - Town Hall Wednesday Night

Fight For NYCHA holds a very important Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 6:30 at P.S. 33 in Chelsea.

Fight For NYCHA - Town Hall

Three, Special Guest Speakers

Fight For NYCHA holds a very important Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 6:30 at P.S. 33 in Chelsea. We are providing updates regarding :

• Our lawsuit ;


• The People's Budget ; and


• Funding bills and legislation.

R.S.V.P.

Date : Wed., Feb. 5, 2020

Time : 6:30 p.m.

Place : P.S. 33, 281 9th Ave., Chelsea

R.S.V.P. Fight For NYCHA - Town Hall [Facebook]

Guest speakers

We will have special guest speakers !

• Michael Sussman, our new counsel and the famed civil rights attorney, who won the legal fight to overturn the Inwood neighborhood rezoning ;


• Howie Hawkins, a 2020 Green Party presidential candidate ; and


• Lindsey Boylan, a 2020 Democratic Party Congressional candidate running in NY's 10th District.

Read More / Related Links

• The de Blasio administration has no plan for people evicted from #NYCHA due to #RAD conversion. RAD supporter Ritchie Torres concern trolls the issue of evictions at 572 Warren Street (Warren Street Houses) by saying the City has no plan to deal with it, and he callously suggests that the City may not legally offer amnesty to people not on NYCHA Section 9 public housing leases. Another RAD supporter and candidate for the Queens Borough President special election in March, Donovan Richards, said the The Legal Aid Society met with tenants at Ocean Bay Apartments but admits that Legal Aid's assistance did not stop evictions. Legal Aid, the nonprofit giant, also comes under fire for failing public housing residents. "They know that #RAD is an eviction machine," said a #FightForNYCHA member. NYC public housing residents fear privatization of buildings [The New York Daily News]
  


• RAD conversion of Section 9 public housing leads to an audit, and residents not listed on the residential lease may face eviction. What will happen to NYCHA's hidden population under RAD ? [Red Hook Star-Revue]


• NYCHA releases the form of its RAD Lease, an agreement that appears to preclude residents from suing RAD Landlords and NYCHA over repairs and injuries. DOCUMENT DROP : RAD Lease shows that NYCHA residents are forced to accept apartments "as is," waiving implied warranty of habitability [Progress New York]

Fight For NYCHA is a collective of tenants, activists, artists, and advocates, who are providing technical support to NYCHA tenants to self-determine the future of public houisng in New York City. We oppose Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to put 1/3 of NYCHA into the hands of private landlords. We reject Mayor de Blasio's proposal, because the money exists to save NYCHA. We just have to change our priorities. Learn more about our People's Budget to fully-fund NYCHA.

# # #

Visit : Fight For NYCHA | Twitter | Facebook

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