Opinion: When it comes to transportation, the MTA must get the bus redesign right
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“It is more important than ever for community members to make their voices heard [on the MTA’s redesign of Queens’ bus network].”
Read MoreOpinion: Metropolitan Park is an environmental win for Queens
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“Queens deserves better than 50 acres of asphalt. We deserve a realistic solution based on facts. We deserve Metropolitan Park, and all the environmental solutions that come with it.”
Read MoreOpinion: Legal assistance for immigrants is a moral imperative and an economic opportunity
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“Hundreds of thousands of immigrants living in our state face the terrifying prospect of deportation and forced family separation, simply because they do not have access to legal representation in a complex and often unforgiving immigration system.”
Read MoreOpinion: NYC Board of Elections must increase ballot access to incarcerated New Yorkers
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“While we as citizens have the constitutional right to participate in our civic process on all levels, in New York State that opportunity is stripped from those people who are in jail waiting for their court dates.”
Read MoreOpinion: A once-in-a-generation opportunity for Queens
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“We are convinced that Metropolitan Park is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our area of Queens.”
Read MoreOpinion: Another Groundhog Day for public safety as Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams tout their budget proposals
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“Much like Bill Murray's character in Groundhog Day, New Yorkers find themselves trapped in a cycle of unchanging circumstances, courtesy of Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams' misguided budget priorities.”
Read MoreOpinion: Police stops in NYC are at their highest level since 2015. The NYPD doesn’t want us to know just how high
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As public defenders, we know that even low-level encounters impact New Yorkers’ core constitutional “right to be left alone.” Under the law, we have the right to refuse to answer questions or simply to leave these encounters. In reality, few people feel empowered to walk away from an armed police officer questioning them.
Read MoreOpinion: The cost of congestion pricing
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If congestion pricing moves ahead as planned, the cost of goods and services will skyrocket. Working families have dealt with the impacts of the pandemic and inflation in recent years.
Read MoreOpinion: The false choice in Corona Plaza
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“There is a false choice hanging over Corona Plaza. An escalating discourse around street vending has created the impression that we have to choose between the right people have to earn an honest living and the right to clean, safe public space. But both should – and can – be true.”
Read MoreOpinion: Don’t be fooled, Rikers is a hellhole
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“Let’s use our common sense. Whose assessment of conditions at Rikers Island is more credible: a court-mandated federal monitor team of expert watchdogs, or George Santos’ closest political allies who routinely spew bigoted MAGA garbage and conspiracy theories worthy of QAnon?”
Read MoreOpinion: Survivors like me can’t rebuild without a clean slate
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“New York is closer than ever to passing the Clean Slate Act. For me, this means I could finally apply for positions that I am more than qualified for without the fear that my record will bar me from consideration.”
Read MoreOpinion: Queens district attorney’s Cold Case Unit solves backlog of cases, brings closure for families
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Today’s technology coupled with increasing successes nationwide in solving cold cases has empowered investigators and prosecutors to endeavor to solve the unsolvable and begin to decrease the daunting cold case backlog.
Read MoreOpinion: The only way to build a stronger democracy is by giving more voices more choices
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“Unfortunately, in New York, restrictive ballot access laws, partisan gerrymandering, closed elections, and party bosses selecting candidates behind closed doors have left voters with fewer and fewer choices. More people feel like their votes do not matter and more people, especially those that consider themselves independents, are staying home.”
Read MoreOpinion: Steve Cohen is putting community first
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“No matter what, three new casinos are coming to New York City. And with sports betting apps always just a click away, it is clear that we need to find ways to address gambling addiction in not just our community but across the board. Steve Cohen and his team have directly engaged with us, and made it clear that they want to be our partners in finding solutions, which is more than can be said for any of the other proposed projects.”
Read MoreOpinion: Hochul’s bail plan undermines safety and progress
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“Governor Kathy Hochul claims to care about the safety of our communities, but her lip service is going to cost people their lives. The governor is yet again holding the state budget hostage in order to push through harmful changes to New York’s bail laws.”
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