Pioneering his own unique blend of South Asian fusion, Brooklyn-based musician and activist Sonny Singh is continuing a decades-long mission of bringing people together.
Singh was raised in Sikhism, a religion originating in the Punjab region of India that preaches meditation and equality of all people. Born of two Indian immigrants in North Carolina, Singh embraced his Sikh background as a way to cope with rising racial and ethnic tension in America.
“When times were tough, I found myself gravitating towards some of the [Sikh] devotional songs I learned as a kid,” Singh said.
Noting that the demographics of Charlotte in the 1980s was mostly white and Black people, Singh and his brother were the only children in their school who wore turbans. He described this as causing a deep feeling of isolation and otherness.
“Kids on the playground would ask me, ‘are you white or black?’ and I wouldn’t know how to answer,” he said.
Despite being part of a small minority in the American South, Singh found a way to feel he was a part of something. Exploring his heritage, and specifically the music of his ancestors, provided Singh an outlet to feel connection and peace within his community. Though there were not any gurdwaras (Sikh temples) in their area growing up, Singh was able to find meaning through playing music at small events, usually at community members’ houses.
After making his career in music, which he calls becoming “a musician with a capital ‘M,’” Singh found success in trying out many different genres. Participating in bands that played mixes of ska, reggae, punk rock, and other fused genres, he has only recently returned to his roots in Sikh-inspired compositions. After the release of his first solo album, Chardi Kala, in 2022, Singh fully embraced the style of music that comforted him in childhood while putting his own flair in every song.
Sonny Singh performing music from his debut solo album “Chardi Kala”
Singh’s second solo album, Sage Warrior, will be released on September 6th. While his recent work harkens back to the religious music of Sikhism, which he calls “sacred poetry,” Singh is not simply performing renditions of the spiritual hymns of his faith. His music combines different genres, languages and instruments to reflect the unique identity Singh has formed over decades of playing music.
While classical renditions of Sikh music usually contain the Punjabi language and instruments such as the harmonium and tabla (a type of South Asian drum), Singh expands on this. He can be heard singing in Punjabi, Spanish, English and Hindi; in addition, Singh’s skill as a trumpet player is utilized often, creating a distinctive new sound. While Singh notes that some more traditional Sikhs may disagree with his interpretation of their religion’s music and teachings, he is sure that his work is having positive effects for their community.
“It’s a constant evolution… I’m making music that makes sense to me and my own heart,” he said.
A facet of Singh’s work that is especially important to him is its foundation in social justice and activism. Since becoming involved in social causes as a teenager, Singh has continually worked to help others not only through his music, but through activism work as well. A major tenant of Sikhism is the notion that all people are equal: providing justice to everyone is paramount.
“This sacred poetry of our tradition, there is so much wisdom in it that’s applicable today… Sikh wisdom has always inspired me, has inspired my activism,” he said.
Through music and activism, Singh notes he was able to avoid falling into “despair and assimilation,” and keep his culture alive. During his live concerts, he gives context and history to the audience, most of whom are not Sikh themselves.
Singh describes his current musical journey as “Coming back to my past, coming back to ancestral wisdom.”
Sonny Singh’s new album Sage Warrior can be pre-ordered before release on September 6th at https://sonnysingh.com/.
The New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is suing the Planned Companies divisions for over $72,000 in unpaid wages to custodial staff, doorpeople, and security guards. The company provides services to The Williams apartment building.
The petition alleges that Planned Lifestyle Services and Planned Building Services failed to pay wages and benefits to staff members who worked at 282 S. 5th Street in Williamsburg. The company provides services to another building in Manhattan. Sam Spilkes LLC owns both buildings and the comptroller alleges that the company owes over $140,000 total in unpaid wages.
This lawsuit comes after a 2020 case of the same nature. Spilkes and the Comptroller’s office agreed to a settlement in which Spilkes agreed to pay $450,000 in lost wages, the Comptroller reports. The case was based on the same Williamsburg building.
“We cannot stand by while workers continue to be cheated out of their hard-earned wages,” said Claudia Henriquez, Director of Workers’ Rights at the Comptroller’s Bureau of Labor Law. “This is about ensuring fairness and accountability for all employees employed by Planned.”
Planned Companies did not respond to a request for comment.
Under the Real Property Tax 421a law, development companies can receive a tax credit for building multiple dwellings. In exchange, some apartments are subject to rent stabilization. One of the terms of receiving the benefits is that the company pays prevailing wage to workers. The prevailing wage is what workers for public works projects receive. The comptroller alleges that Planned companies violated the 421a eligibility requirements.
421a expired in 2022, but a “placeholder” law, 485-x, was enacted in April 2024. It provides similar benefits including prevailing wage requirements.
32BJ SEIU is a union that represents several workers at Planned Companies and helped with getting workers in touch with the comptroller about lost wages. President Manny Pastreich said that the company has repeatedly hurt hard-working staff members and thanked the Comptroller for his help.
“The union’s going to do its part to defend that, but the comptroller is doing his part,” Pastreich said. “We really appreciate it. We’ve fought very hard to win and defend these standards, and together with the Comptroller, will ensure that these workers get what they deserve.”
Pastreich clarified that this case is an exception and that most companies his union represents pay employees fairly. Pastreich emphasized that real estate companies should only support contractors that pay workers fairly.
The RealDeal reports that the comptroller’s office has resolved nine wage suits related to 421a buildings since 2022. The cases have involved construction workers rather than building service workers.
Jenn Miles grew up in the foster care system. She aged out at the age of 21 after years of cycling in and out of the hospital and various foster homes since the age of two. Now, at 30, Miles holds her six-month-old son on her chest in her own apartment in Crown Heights. Her goal is to be a better mother than her own and raise her son to achieve anything.
“I’m in a better stage, a better mindset,” Miles said. “I’m a different and better person from where I was before.”
It hasn’t been easy for Miles. She’s had to learn how to work through anger management problems and depressive episodes. She is working to maintain her wellness, and her son, Lucas, motivates her to do so.
“Aging Out”
In the system, Miles explained that she felt like an item rather than a person. She said she was abused in one foster home, and the case manager did nothing to resolve the situation. Miles said case workers rarely believe children in abusive foster homes.
“When I see kids in the system, I see nothing but sadness and anger,” Miles said.
Miles carried some of the same sadness and learned to be independent at a young age, like many foster kids. She wanted to be a social worker but decided not to pursue the career knowing the realities of the system.
Miles met Sharon Sorrentino, vice president of Child, Family, and Young Adult Services at the Institute of Community Living, while staying at a hospital. She was put into another ICL house for young adults who aged out of the foster care system. The first crucial item Miles received was support.
The ICL is a network of housing that provides supportive care to New Yorkers with behavioral health challenges. The organization provides supportive housing, healthcare, and recovery services to those in need.
An Administration for Children’s Services report from 2022 says 17 percent of 3,020 children in foster care “age out,” meaning children reach the age of 21 without being adopted or reunited with their parents or guardians. Foster children can technically exit the system at 18, but Miles did not recommend doing that because she saw many people who aged out at 18 become homeless. For young adults who choose to remain in care until their 21st birthday, the ACS will help them find housing in NYCHA or Section Eight.
Miles is able to take care of herself and her son through support of Emerson. Credit: Jean Brannum
Finding Support
Miles was excited to find out she was pregnant, but her behavioral challenges put her at risk of losing custody of her child. She also lost her supportive housing due to her pregnancy. She entered the Emerson house, another ICL establishment, to receive housing, behavioral, and case management support.
Emerson caters to single parents who are at risk of losing custody of their children or working to reunite with children in foster care due to behavioral health problems. Sorrentino explained that ICL works with courts and parents to avoid involvement from Child Protective Services by giving parents the necessary resources to care for their children. For parents working to reunify with their children, Emerson staff will help them by ensuring parents attend court sessions and maintain regular visits. Parents will then receive assistance with reestablishing a bond with their children after reunification.
For parents to reunite with their children, family courts require the parents to provide a stable place for them. Most single parents who are homeless will only be eligible for single adult homes, which include living with roommates and do not allow children. A child can also be barred from visitation since the parent lives with other strangers due to safety concerns. This creates a barrier to reunification for many families and can cause familial bonds to diminish.
“Sometimes families who are in the homeless shelter find themselves kind of between a rock and a hard place if they’ve been separated from their children, because they may not qualify for family housing, which then prevents them from being able to reunify with their children,” Sorrentino said.
The ACS report says 54% of foster children in 2022 were reunited with their families. The first goal of foster care is reunification, but as Sorrentino explained, the process can be long and tedious. Miles said she worked hard through her problems to make sure she never lost Lucas to foster care because it would be very difficult to regain full custody.
Emerson helps Miles by providing household and childcare support as well. Miles rattled off names of people who will help her with laundry and cleaning, and look after Lucas when she is due in court. Miles disclosed an incident at her previous job that she regrets. She said continues finding positive ways to express and manage her emotions.
Emerson also offers parenting support and community events. Miles is, by admission, an introvert, but she sometimes attends these events where single parents can bond and receive peer support.
Looking Ahead
Lucas will soon start daycare, and Miles is working to maintain her wellness. She continues to go to therapy and is working on producing music. She wants to teach her son about managing emotions and encourage him to be successful in academics.
“I want him to be successful in life and know that he can do anything he wants to.”
Being a single mom can be difficult, but Miles said that her solution to some of the chaos is kids’ TV show personality, Ms. Rachel.
“I can actually take my shower, I can actually clean or cook,” Miles said. “Most of the time, he wants to be in my arms but once I (turn on Ms. Rachel), I’m invisible, so I work with that.”
Currently, Miles plans to stay at Emerson until she is ready to be independent and move into her own place outside of ICL.
The Emerson program is, unfortunately, one-of-a-kind in the US. There are no similar programs in New York or any other state. The ICL continues to advocate for greater flexibility in the shelter system that will allow single parents to receive housing vouchers in appropriate apartments for their children, including children that parents hope to reunite with.
Courtesy of @AnatheaforNY and https://nyassembly.gov/
Emily Gallagher, a member of the DSA’s eight-person Socialists in Office caucus in Albany, is among the most progressive lawmakers in the state; the LLC Transparency Act and the All-Electric Buildings Act are among her legislative victories. She won her seat in Greenpoint and Williamsburg’s Assembly District 50 in 2020; prior to that, she researched environmental issues relevant to the district, worked at an education nonprofit, and engaged heavily with local activism. Her campaign pulled off a stunning upset by unseating third-generation lawmaker and 48-year incumbent Joe Lentol who outspent her ten to one; Gallagher found success in the increasingly liberal district amidst a larger wave of younger progressive newcomers taking on long-serving establishment representatives.
Now a crowd of local moderate Democrats, along with some powerful corporate donors, are aiming to take the seat back from the progressive wing. Gallagher is facing her first well-resourced challenger as an incumbent in Anathea Simpkins, a former teacher and single mother who currently serves as Associate Vice President of the gun violence prevention organization Sandy Hook Promise. Simpkins has identified herself as a Lentol protégé and benefits from the support of Brooklyn’s politically powerful Broadway Stages company, which has fought against the DOT’s proposed redesign of McGuinness Boulevard. She has her strongest local support among a more moderate crowd that opposes the DSA and is sentimental for Lentol’s reign.
The race is one of several throughout the boroughs that find themselves within a very expensive push to defeat DSA candidates in Democratic state primaries, drawing eyes and dollars from outside the district. Simpkins is one of ten assembly candidates receiving support from Solidarity PAC, a pro-Israel group with significant real estate interests spending against (mostly) DSA picks; nearly half of her funds through May 20 came from the group. Various independent expenditure groups have joined in on the campaign finance drama as well. The pro-charter school group Moving New York Families Forward, funded by Walmart heir Jim Walton and former mayor Mike Bloomberg, has dropped over $100,000 on Simpkins so far.
Simpkins’ campaign centers on an argument that the district is rife with division and that Gallagher is to blame. She frames herself as a mediator and a listener; her campaign motto is “putting the unity back in community.”
“I’m part of a group of moms that have been disheartened with the state of affairs in Greenpoint and Williamsburg for a while now,” Simpkins said in an April interview with the Queens Ledger. “I’ve been here for 17 years, and I’ve seen a lot of concerning trends over the past few years. We’ve never seen so much us-versus-them language, and pitting neighbors against neighbors, and ideologies instead of bringing people together to accomplish shared goals.”
Gallagher has always presented herself as a fighter. She established herself in the district as a local activist and community board member, organizing around issues including environmental justice, bike safety, housing, and sexual assault prevention. In an April interview with the Ledger, Gallagher pushed back against Simpkins’ messaging about political divides and bridge-building.
“What I’ve learned through doing advocacy for so long is that it is impossible to make everyone happy all the time, and there has to be a moral center to what you’re doing. Otherwise, you become a pawn for people with a persuasive interest, and usually that persuasive interest is big business,” Gallagher said. “We can see from what’s happening with the election, and the support that both of us are getting, that being a mediator and a peacemaker between people who have historically had significant power in this community, and people who have never had any power in this community — it gets messy.”
She added, “I’ve shifted the center of power, and that’s what people don’t like. I think that that’s okay. I think people need to learn to compromise, and I think that right now, I’ve been asking people to compromise who traditionally have never had to compromise, and that’s where the conflict comes from.”
On the Issues
When candidates speak in broad strokes about division and compromise in the 50th district, McGuinness Boulevard is often the issue under the surface.
Street safety advocates and local residents catalyzed by traffic-related deaths on the busy road have organized with the group Make McGuinness Safe for street safety improvements, eventually winning a proposed redesign from the DOT in May 2023 which included lane reductions, parking-protected bike lanes and pedestrian islands. An opposing group named Keep McGuinness Moving — organized in large part by the Argento family, which owns Greenpoint’s film production company Broadway Stages and donates generously to Democratic candidates across Brooklyn — campaigned hard against the proposal. Mayor Adams walked back the DOT’s plan for lane reductions in July 2023. The path forward for the project is unclear.
Gallagher has long been outspoken in support of the redesign and has torn into the campaign against it, while Simpkins advocates for coming up with an altered proposal.
“I think there are things that can be done to increase safety that don’t necessarily mean cutting down our only main artery and diverting trucks,” Simpkins said at a town hall campaign event, suggesting more crosswalks, improved arrow signals on traffic lights, and raised medians.
Simpkins has received at least $6,250 from the Argentos and has been enthusiastically endorsed by Keep McGuinness Moving. Gallagher received $5,150 from the family between 2021 and 2022, but said she decided to stop accepting funds from them after they succeeded in getting Adams to walk back the DOT’s plan.
“I could see that there could be a miscommunication there that the money that was being given was meant to influence my decisions,” Gallagher said.
Simpkins maintains that financial and political support from the Argentos has not influenced her own position on the issue.
“For the assumption to be made immediately that, because I’ve taken donations, I am being controlled by a man, is flat-out misogynistic,” Simpkins said in an April interview.
The candidates haveclearly diverging platforms on Housing, a hot button issue in the ultra-gentrified district. Gallagher was one of two architects of the Social Housing Development Authority bill introduced this past February, which calls for a new state agency to build permanently affordable cooperatively-controlled housing with union-only labor; she was also a supporter of the original Good Cause legislation. Simpkins, meanwhile, has mostly stuck to supporting the housing policies that did make it through the state budget in the end: she refrained from supporting Good Cause until its modified final version passed the budget, and has stated her support for the new 485-x affordable housing tax incentive passed to replace the 421a. Simpkins has also emphasized her support of small “mom and pop” landlords in the district.
“We have to stop villainizing landlords. That is something that has become a battle cry of the Democratic Socialists,” Simpkins said at a town hall event in late May.
When asked by the Queens Ledger if she had ideas as to how to keep the district affordable for long-time renters, Simpkins said the issue “goes into so many things that need to be unraveled.”
“This is something that I’m willing to work on and learn more about — again, anybody who comes up here and says they know 100% about anything is lying. So it’s something that I do need to learn about. What I do know is that it needs to be addressed immediately,” Simpkins said.
Gallagher has been fully supportive of Congestion Pricing and outspoken in her disapproval of Hochul’s decision to pause its implementation. Simpkins has been quieter on the issue since that most recent development, but outlined in her transportation policy platform that she would support exemptions for union members and low-income commuters.
Education is an issue Simpkins has put front and center in her campaign. While there are few immediately clear distinctions between Gallagher and Simpkins’ approach to the issue, Simpkins has emphasized her first-hand experience with the school system as a teacher. “I got into this because I wanted to fight for our schools,” Simpkins said in a May interview. “I want to be the education expert in Albany.”
“I have a deep knowledge of education policy, a deep understanding of it, and I understand how education works. We haven’t had any policy come forward that has to do with education. We have our schools suffering,” Simpkins said in an April interview, emphasizing her opposition to funding cuts for 3K, Pre-K, and after school programs. In a May interview, Simpkins alleged that Gallagher had made “no visits” to the district’s schools.
Gallagher’s chief of staff, Andrew Epstein, had different things to report about Gallagher’s interaction with the issue locally and in Albany.
“[Gallagher] was part of the fight that finally fulfilled New York State’s Foundation Aid commitments and fully funded K-12 education for the first time in state history. She’s dedicated hundreds of thousands of dollars in capital funds to making sure schools have the facilities and resources that they need,” Epstein said. “She’s visited every single school in the district, some of them multiple times.”
Gallagher has highlighted Simpkins’ support from big spenders in support of charter schools. Commenting on one mailer from Moving New York Families Forward, Gallagher wrote that the advertisements “never mention the actual issue that’s motivating these billionaires to spend against me: charter schools and the privatization of public K-12 education.”
Simpkins said that her campaign does not coordinate with PACs. “First of all, I don’t know anything about that. We don’t have any participation with the PACs that do marketing on our behalf,” she said in a May interview.
“I think that charter schools which are in existence need to be held to the same requirements, the same oversight as public schools,” Simpkins said. “I think that there should be a cap on charter schools. I think that we should be investing in our public schools and not putting a bandaid on things, because that’s what’s happening.”
Constituent services are another area where Simpkins has levied frequent critiques against Gallagher, alleging that they have “fallen off a cliff” since the incumbent took office. “You need to make sure that you have an active presence, that you provide language access, that your assembly office is visible, that it’s easily accessible by everyone in the district,” Simpkins said in a May interview, adding that she would provide longer hours and a streamlined process to make appointments online.
Epstein said Simpkins’ criticisms were “so wildly inaccurate, it feels like it’s coming from another planet.”
“The first thing that Emily did when she took office in 2021 was to move the district office, which had previously been tucked away in a pretty difficult to access part of the district for most constituents, and put it smack-dab on Manhattan Avenue in the heart of Greenpoint,” Epstein said. “We are there five days a week with a storefront office. We have an incredibly energetic and caring constituent services team that processes dozens of cases every single week. We are on the regular paths of elders in our communities who stop by to check on their cases or just to say hello.”
Party Power
Simpkins is not officially endorsed by the Brooklyn Democratic Party, but her campaign is in alignment with the goals of some of its top leadership. Party boss and Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn has been an ally to the Argentos, supporting the Keep McGuinness Moving project. She also doled out an official party endorsement to Averianna Eisenbach and Everton Smith, two district leader candidates running in alliance with Simpkins (Eisenbach is a co-founder of Keep McGuinness Moving). It might be particularly crucial for Bichotte Hermelyn’s security as party chair to usher in as many votes as possible for that slate; her number of allied district leaders shrank from 26 to just 22 out of 40 after the 2022 primaries.
Simpkins has aligned herself closely with Lentol, referring to him as her mentor and working with one of his former staffers on her campaign. The former assemblymember introduced Simpkins to a crowd of supporters at her campaign launch, and he was there at her town hall event in June.
“He was in office for a long time. And I know that a lot of people felt like maybe it was time to hand the torch off, and I understand that,” Simpkins said in an April interview with the Ledger. “[But] he was really well-respected and he was able to act as the adult in the room — and that’s kind of my inspiration here.”
Since leaving office, Lentol has attended multiple Keep McGuinness Moving events; he took $16,900 from Anthony and Gina Argento himself while in his seat.
Lentol’s long tenure in the Assembly made him well-equipped to secure funds for the district. Thanks to an unofficial spoils system in the state legislature which rewards seniority, he was able to take home a large portion of earmarked taxpayer dollars to distribute to projects and programs in the district. His tenure had also enabled longstanding relationships between the representative and local organizations used to receiving a steady supply of those funds. All that was inevitably shaken up when Gallgher won; one progressive organizer in the borough said that those who are peeved to have lost their priority for funding in the transition may be among Simpkins’ backers.
State of the Race
Gallagher started out 2024 with about $68,000 to spare and raised a total of $77,850 since then, securing $148,544 in matching funds. Simpkins, after launching her campaign in late January, racked up funding quickly — she has raised a total of $120,145 since then, pulling in $114,615 in matching funds.
Overall, Simpkins has spent more than twice as much as Gallagher has, reporting $190,667 in expenditures.
Things have only gotten hotter in the final weeks before votes are counted. Simpkins spent about $84,940 in the month of June alone (Gallagher reported spending $23,700 over the same period). Moving Families Forward also made their $100,000 in expenditures for the challenger in late May and throughout June.
A New York Focus analysis found that approximately 45% of Simpkins’ donations up until May 20 came through Solidarity PAC. Since May 20, Simpkins has raised another $33,883.55: $28,900 of that is from just 11 individuals who also donated to the PAC in the same time period.
As spending has climbed, so has online discourse and drama. Simpkins has taken many opportunities to make harsh criticisms of Gallagher via X throughout her campaign — an article from the New York Post about the assemblymember’stickets, a publicly proposeddebate that she did not attend, and ongoing political turmoil regarding Community Education Council 14 have served as sticking points. Gallagher has been hitting back more as the election draws closer, generally focusing on Simpkins’ corporatedonors.
In a Thursday X exchange, Simpkins posted an apparently covertly-recorded video of a union carpenter stating his support for Trump in conversation with a passerby while canvassing for Gallagher. “My opponent has no local labor support, which is why she’s relying on Trump supporters to canvass for her,” Simpkins wrote about the video — prompting a scolding from the union’s political director and response from Politico journalist Jeff Coltin who pointed out that Gallagher has the support of over a dozen local unions. “Labor aligns with DSA when they’re incumbents,” Coltin reminded X users.
On Friday, a truck drove around the district sporting a huge digital screen reading “Anathea Simpkins has been bought and paid for by Real Estate/ Sincerely, The Carpenters Union.”
Gallagher has the advantage of a wealth of endorsements. Aside from blue collar unions and myriad progressive organizations, Gallagher has the backing of Planned Parenthood, Eleanor’s Legacy, the United Federation of Teachers, and the New York State Nurses Association. She added an endorsement from Congresswoman Alexandria Occasio-Cortez to that list on Tuesday — the same day the congresswoman endorsed Larinda Hooks, who is running an increasingly competitive race in Queens.
Simpkins, for her part, recently secured the backing of the National Association of Social Workers’ local chapter. She’s supported by three other unions, including the local Uniformed Fire Officers Association and Theatrical Teamsters Local 817 (largely representing employees of the film industry). Simpkins cross-endorsed Gabi Madden, a fellow Solidarity PAC endorsee challenging a DSA incumbent in the Hudson Valley, in late May.
The contentious primary season in the district will come to a close on Tuesday, June 25. You can find your local polling site here; early voting hours run until 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Editor’s Note: Emily Gallagher formerly worked as a columnist for BQE Media.
Editor’s Note: A different version of this article was published in print on June 20, 2024.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander announced he will work with a team of legal experts and advocates to look into legal avenues to make Governor Kathy Hochul reverse her decision to halt the implementation of congestion pricing.
The comptroller alleges that Hochul violated the 2021 Green Agreement, the Central Business District Tolling Program, and the American Disabilities Act. Disability and transit advocates, who were also in attendance, said that the money from congestion pricing that would go towards transit improvements will be taken away due to the pause.
“This sudden and potentially illegal reversal wrongs a host of New Yorkers, who have a right to what was long promised to all of New York,” Lander said
The Green Agreement guarantees that all New Yorkers have the right to clean air and environment. Part of the proposed benefits on congestion pricing include better air quality in the Central Business District, which includes everything in Manhattan below 60th st. .
The comptroller also claims that the delay violates the Central Business District Tolling Program, which was passed in 2019 and allows anyone to challenge the state’s failure to implement congestion pricing. Columbia Law School Professor Michael Gerrard said that the governor does not have the authority to go against state laws and the indefinite pause indicates that the governor could kill congestion pricing altogether.
“The 2019 statute gives the MTA the mandatory duty to implement congestion pricing,” Gerrard said. “It is illegal for the governor to unilaterally cancel it.”
Sharon McLennon Wier, executive director of the Center of the Independence of the Disabled of New York, said that the delay on congestion pricing disrupts the MTA’s agreement to make almost all subway stations accessible. Credit: Jean Brannum
Disability advocates also expressed anger that the pause on expected MTA funds from congestion pricing will create a significant roadblock to making stations accessible. Sharon McLennon Wier, executive director of the Center for Independence of the Disabled of New York, said that the pause goes against a previous agreement in 2022 in which the MTA agreed to make at least 95 percent of stations accessible by 2055.
“We waited, and we continue to wait,” Weir said. “When is it going to be over? When is accessibility going to become universal access for everybody?”
A statement from MTA Chief Financial Officer Kevin Willens and MTA General Counsel Paige Graveson June 10 said that the pause will greatly harm potential improvements to transit due to the lack of funds. Projects such as accessible stations, electric buses, and signal improvements will likely be deprioritized.
In addition to the harm that could be caused to riders, Lander also said that the pause will impact people who bought MTA bonds backed by the expected revenues on congestion pricing.
The comptroller says he will wait until after the upcoming MTA board meeting June 24 and 26 to see how other agencies respond. In the meantime, Lander pushes Hochul to reverse her decision to delay. Lander also pushed Mayor Eric Adams to advocate for implementing congestion pricing.
Door-to-door canvassing, postcards, and tabling are some of the ways the Environmental Protection Agency is trying to encourage people to get their homes tested in the Meeker Avenue Plum Superfund Site.
While over 200 properties have been tested for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the soil and air, the EPA needs people to get their homes tested for data collection and to prevent exposure to toxic chemicals, according to a spokesperson from the EPA.
The spokesperson said that the EPA has had trouble getting into homes to test for VOCs and that one of the reasons is that homeowners and landlords fear that the property value may decline. However, the EPA also said that no remediation not only jeopardizes human health but could hurt the value of the home more in the long run.
After testing, if there are no VOCs in the air or ground, then the EPA will send an official letter saying so. If there are VOCs and remediation is needed, then the EPA will do it. The EPA has said he uses those facts to convince people to get their homes tested.
About Volatile Organic Compounds
Examples of volatile organic compounds are trichloroethylene (TCE), and tetrachloroethylene (PCE), which are the prime contaminants in the Meeker Avenue site. VOCs tend to exist in a liquid or solid form but vaporize into the air easily. Gasoline, dry-cleaning agents, and paint thinners are substances that can contain such compounds.
The superfund site has previously been an area for many industries that use VOCs for dry-cleaning, drum reconditioning, and metal fabrication to name a few. The compounds can pollute the air inside of the home in the basement or first floor.
VOCs have contaminated the soil and groundwater in the plume area, but residents do not need to be concerned that drinking water is contaminated. New York City receives water from an upstate reservoir and the pipes do not reach the depth of groundwater.
The EPA will be testing and remediating homes for at least the next five years, according to a press release. The plume cleanup was previously managed by New York State, but escalated to the National Priorities List, and was put under EPA management, in March of 2022. The EPA is investigating the extent of contamination in the soil and groundwater.
An illustration of how volatile organic compounds can contaminate homes without remediation. Credit: EPAIllustration of sub-slab depressurization, one form of remediation. Credit: EPA
About Testing and Remediation
The testing process takes three days. A staff member from the EPA will first install a sub-slab gas port into the floor of the lowest level of a building. The quarter-sized port is cemented and removed after sampling. The next day, sampling canisters are plugged into the ports and in the lowest level and outside the home to collect air samples over 24 hours. Finally, the EPA will collect everything and notify property owners and tenants of the results when available.
If a home requires remediation, the most common method is sub-slab-depressurization. This method is essentially a tube and fan that vents compounds to the outside without going through the home. A tube starts underground and goes through the basement, then up the outside of the house to the roofline. The EPA spokesperson mentioned that some homes have been remediated privately without the EPA’s assistance. The state has installed mitigation systems to some homes and sealed the floors of two homes to keep VOCs from getting into the building.
The EPA is planning to add more wells for additional monitoring of groundwater after predictive computer models identified areas that need more data. New monitoring wells will be scattered throughout the superfund site in the summer. The EPA will continue indoor air quality testing this upcoming winter.
The EPA is also receiving public comments regarding the cleanup process of the superfund site. The comment period was extended until June 25. Written comments can be submitted to Rupika Ketu, Remedial Project Manager at ketu.rupika@epa.gov
The 11.4-mile long Brooklyn-Queens Crosstown G train subway service will be partially shut down this summer for track reconstruction and modern signal installation.
Starting Friday, June 28, the G train will undergo the first phase of an extensive multi-week, 24/7 project to replace its 1930s-era legacy signal system with Communications-based train control (CBTC) — a wireless connectivity system that keeps trains in constant contact, and in turn, more reliable.
Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, Senator Kristen Gonzalez and Councilmember Lincoln Restler hosted a town hall on Thursday, May 30 at John Ericsson Middle School in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where representatives of the Metropolitan Transit Authority and New York City Department of Transportation explained how the shutdown will catapult the G train “into the 21st century.”
The forum allowed for regular G train commuters to ask questions and express their concerns about the shutdown, which was described as a “huge inconvenience” to the Greenpoint community and beyond.
“When we got this news a few months ago, we pushed and prodded the MTA to consider if there are ways to do just overnight work, are there ways to limit this so we don’t have to endure a six-week full shutdown of this train line,” said Restler. “We haven’t been able to identify an alternative path forward, they are insistent that this is the necessary way to go.”
Sean Fitzpatrick of the MTA explained exactly why the service outages are needed on the G train, the main reason being the age of the subway line.
The G train has some of the oldest signals left in the New York City train system, which has caused “below average” performance times, according to Fitzpatrick. The current system is fixed-blocked signaling, which means the trains are divided and registered into fixed blocks with buffers up to 1,000 feet-long installed between them.
“It’s a marvel of early 20th century engineering,” Fitzpatrick said.
However, the drawbacks of this current system include not being able to pinpoint the exact location of a train, so trains run farther apart to create a safety buffer — creating service delays.
The infrastructure for fixed-block signaling is also expensive to install and maintain.
CBTC signaling allows trains to transpond to one another: in simple terms, the train’s position on the track is easily located because the section of track around each train moves with the train, rather than being on pre-defined, fixed blocks.
“We are able to run them more closely together, more quickly, while maintaining safety,” Fitzpatrick said. “We also have a better view of the entire system so we’re able to respond better when there are incidents — it’s the single biggest investment that we can make to improve the reliability of a train.”
This transition from a fixed-block to CBTC system for the G train requires the installation of new signaling equipment, replacement of 30 miles of track and more than a dozen switches and the integration and testing of the new system.
Fitzpatrick said replacing the 1930s-period switches and tracks is particularly challenging, especially in the underground tunnels. To create a safe, workable environment for the project, the MTA said it has no choice but to shut down the G train line temporarily.
With ridership lower in the summertime and school not in session, Fitzpatrick said it is the ideal time for the outage to take place.
He added the MTA is promising to be finished with the reconstruction by Sept. 2.
During the outage, shuttle buses will be available at impacted stations every one to four minutes during the weekdays and every five to 10 minutes on the weeknights.
Shuttle buses can be expected to arrive at stations on weekend mornings and evenings every three to five minutes; every five to 10 minutes on late nights.
Several tools will be implemented to keep traffic moving and areas clear for the shuttle buses, such as turn restrictions, daylighting, monitoring and automated camera enforcement.
Here is the timeline of the shutdown and list of alternative shuttle bus transportation options:
Phase 1: Friday, June 28 to Friday, July 5
G trains won’t run between Court Square and Nassau Avenue
Free B94 shuttle buses will run between Court Square and Nassau Avenue and make all stops.
Phase 2: Friday, July 5 to Friday, August 12
G trains won’t run between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand Avenues.
Free B98 shuttle buses will run between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and make all stops.
Phase 3: Friday, August 12 to Tuesday, September 3
G trains won’t run between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Church Avenue.
Free B93 shuttle buses will run between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Jay Street-MetroTech, making all stops between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Hoyt-Schermerhorn.
The overall long term work of the G train will continue into 2027. With this specific line becoming the go-to transportation option in some of the fastest growing communities in the state, elected officials are urging Governor Kathy Hochul and the MTA to further invest in the G train’s future.
This includes extending the G train back to Forest Hills, Queens. According to Gallagher’s public campaign in favor of a full G train upgrade, the petition mentioned how up until 2010, the G train served parts of Astoria, Woodside, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Rego Park and Forest Hills.
“The G is our lifeline in this community,” said Gallagher. “It’s going to be a very long summer.”
To find out more information about the G train shutdown this summer, visit tinyurl.com/ymv5b99c.
On Monday, May 20th, supporters gathered in a private residence in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, NY to attend a fundraiser to rally behind Democratic representative Jamaal Bowman’s re-election for the Democratic nomination in N.Y.’s 16th Congressional District.
The event featured passionate appeals for unity and support of Bowman’s candidacy from Council Member Shahana Hanif, who represents Brooklyn’s 39th District in the New York City Council, and Rana Abdelhamid, former candidate for Congress and a Muslim human rights activist.
With topics ranging from combating racism, a call for a Gaza ceasefire, and xenophobia to housing and food insecurity, Bowman addressed concerns shared by those dedicated to advancing progressive ideals.
“This is not about an election. This is about our humanity. If we are not governing from the perspective of our humanity, then we should not be in positions of power,” said Representative Bowman. “Humanity comes first, and humanity means every single life is precious and sacred, and we have to stand up and fight for those lives, whoever they are, whether they’re in the Bronx, Mount Vernon, Gaza, Israel, Yemen, Sudan, wherever they are. That is our mission.”
Abdelhamid, Hanif, and Bowman raised questions about the substantial financial resources collected by Bowman’s opponent, George Latamier, particularly focusing on Latamier’s largest donor: AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee).
“Just like this election isn’t only about me, it’s about everything we all have fought for our entire lives, and everything we represent, this election is also about what he represents,” said Bowman. “To make the conscious decision to do fundraisers with Trump donors, make the conscious decision to be endorsed by AIPAC, be supported by people who are going after our reproductive freedom and voting rights and affirmative action and supporting 200 insurrectionists. This is who this so-called lifelong Democrat is deciding to partner with to take the first black man in U.S. history out of this congressional seat.”
It was openly acknowledged that in addition to more general worries about racial fairness and reproductive justice, AIPAC’s role was strongly connected to issues concerning Israel and Palestine.
“36 days left and millions have been poured in by AIPAC and they’re not just genocidal. They’re not just inciting violence in our communities. They are also anti-reproductive rights, they are also anti-climate reparations, they are also anti-racial justice, so we cannot have the other guy in that seat, too much is at stake” said Councilmember Hanif.
Councilmember Shahana Hanif praised Bowman’s track record as a leader dedicated to fighting for the well-being of his constituents as she discussed the challenges she faces as a woman in elected office.
“There’s no, there’s no roadmap, there’s no blueprint on how to show up with dignity with the identities that we hold as a Muslim woman, as an Arab woman, as a Palestinian woman,” said Councilmember Shahana Hanif. “But Jamaal doesn’t need that blueprint because he knows how to show up with dignity. He knows how to show up compassionately and with empathy.”
Bowman expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from not only his volunteers but the women in leadership working alongside him and pledged to continue fighting for a future where social justice causes and equity are prioritized.
The fundraiser concluded with calls to action, encouraging attendees to donate throughout the event by scanning QR codes placed around the host’s home, volunteering, and spreading the word about Bowman’s campaign as they emphasized their urgency with just 36 days remaining until the primary election.
In a shocking twist of events, Governor Kathy Hochul put an indefinite pause on congestion pricing and supporters of the plan are not taking the news quietly.
Rider’s Alliance, a group for congestion pricing, gathered outside the governor’s office on June 5 to show their anger towards Hochul’s change of plans. Protesters waved signs calling on Hochul to stop waiting to implement the program.
“Governor Hochul is turning her back on the promise she made to riders and New Yorkers,” said Rider’s Alliance Executive Director Betsy Plum.
The Gov, who has pushed to implement a $15 toll for people commuting to the city business district, was supposed to be implemented on June 30. The toll was meant to persuade commuters to take public transportation to improve air quality and decrease gridlock in Manhattan. In addition, the money from toll payers would provide funding for improvements to the subway and commuter rail systems.
However, critics have said congestion pricing would be a burden to New Yorkers who do not live near public transportation and cause more pollution in the outer boroughs.
Protestors against the Governors decision gathered outside her New York City office holding up signs calling for congestion pricing. Credit: Jean Brannum
“Let’s be real: a $15 charge may not mean a lot to someone who has the means, but it can break the budget of a working- or middle-class household,” Hochul said in her announcement. “And given these financial pressures, I cannot add another burden to working- and middle-class New Yorkers – or create another obstacle to continued recovery.”
There were also opposers of congestion pricing at the event. Jack Nierenberg from Passengers United, a group against congestion pricing, said that while he was shocked, he believes it is the right decision.
“I’m glad to see the governor is now finally taking the action that she should have taken a while ago,” Nierenberg said.
Plum mentioned that New York State is required to mitigate the potential air quality issues that would worsen in the South Bronx. An MTA environmental report showed that air quality in the area would worsen due to westbound traffic circumventing Manhattan through the Bronx.
Two men disrupted the conference to protest congestion pricing. Their yelling was promptly drowned out with chants from protesters. The police outside the building eventually escorted them away from the crown. The counter-protesters continued to make noise to disrupt the rally.
It is not clear what Hochul’s next steps are, but in her speech, she said she was committed to further improvements to the subway and rail systems.
Editors Note: A previous article incorrectly stated that NYC residents would receive a 20% increase in their rates. Current proposals say that New York City residents would have an increase of about $28. This article was also updated to add additional context and background from National Grid.
Residents of Greenpoint gathered outside a now-defunct Little League field to call for the shutdown of the company that gifted it to the community.
Sane Energy Project, a green energy and anti-fracking advocacy group, hosted a rally and bike ride protesting Nationals Grid’s rate hike proposal and called for the cleanup of contaminated land to make way for green energy and green space in North Brooklyn. The organization previously fought against the final part of the North Brooklyn Pipeline and the building of more LNG vaporizers in March.
Before the rally, community members took part in a bike ride around North Brooklyn to raise awareness about sustainable energy. Credit: Jean Brannum
National Grid is a gas and electricity company that services upstate New York and several places in the city. The company does not provide electricity for New York City, residents.
In April, the company reached a three-year rate plan agreement promising commitment to introducing green energy alternatives and ensuring safe distribution networks. The agreement also promises $210 million in rate credits for New Yorkers who are struggling financially. The settlement was reached after feedback from the community, environmental advocates, and key stakeholders. The plan is pending approval from the Public Service Commission and it would mean that customers in Brooklyn could pay about $28 more monthly for the first year of the agreement. National Grid said that state and federal mandates, and the cost of delivering fuel efficiently, were a large part of the proposal.
According to National Grid’s website, The Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) tanks hold fuel for the winter months, when gas usage is greater. The Department of Energy explained on its website that LNG is fuel cooled to -216 degrees Fahrenheit, which keeps the fuel in a liquid state. Gas is transported to National Grid and liquefied in storage, a spokesperson from National Grid said.
Sane Energy Project Director Kim Fraczek said that LNG is volatile and toxic.
Fraczek mentioned that National Grid customers used a measly 3% of the energy stored at the facility from 2019 to 2022. She received this information from a discovery question. She claimed that there was no need for such a facility.
“If we would just make our buildings better and put our unions to work making the buildings weatherized and remediated, We wouldn’t even need to have extra gas on hand that’s toxifying our community,” Fraczek said.
State Assemblymember Emily Gallagher pushes for National Grid to end fuel storage in Brooklyn and for green energy creation. Credit: Jean Brannum
State Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, a longtime supporter of green energy, said that she is working to divest fossil fuels in New York. Gallagher is also fighting National Grid due to its footprint in the Greenpoint area.
“National Grid is not in charge of this state nor should they be,” Gallagher said. “Go and fix the system. Go Green, clean up our land, and put it back in the hands of the people, of the communities that live here”
Joe Therrien plays Dr. Frackenstein, a satirical character based on National Grid. Credit: Jean Brannum
A Home Run to Finish
The rally took place in front of the Greenpoint Little League field, which was National Grid’s gift to the community before being shut down due to concerns of contamination in the ground.
Parent Katherine Thompson, whose son played at the Little League field when it was open in 1999, said it’s “sickening” to think about how she and her children played and picnicked on toxic ground.
To conclude the rally, the community launched “mudballs” over the barbed wire fence into the overgrown field. Ecologist and Team member of the Sane Energy Project JK Canepa explained that the balls of dirt were packed with microbes necessary to clean the contaminated land.
But before the balls of dirt could fly, Dr. Frankenstein, a satirical character of National Grid, disrupted the rally to challenge everyone to a game of baseball outside the field. The character claimed to have billionaire counter-protesters. His team, the New York “Tankees” lost their fake game.
One of the protesters then exclaimed that they should play a new game under their own rules by pitching their mud balls into the field.
National Grid stated that it voluntarily cleaned up the field in 2001 in partnership with the State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Health. In 2022, National Grid notified Little League that the ballfields would be closed for the “foreseeable future.”
Additionally, National Grid wrote the following in response to the rally:
“The organizers of Sunday’s protest ignore the fact that New Yorkers need reliable, affordable access to energy now, and the Greenpoint Energy Center provides that energy to our 1.9 million downstate customers and is the only on-system reliability resource available to our customers in the event of a supply interruption as we experienced during Winter Storm Elliot. Maintaining our existing energy networks is critical to New York’s energy future. National Grid is committed to achieving the State’s decarbonization goals and to working closely with our partners in Albany, City Hall, and communities across the state to execute a clean energy transition without leaving anyone behind.”
National Grid also mentioned that the safety of its customers is a top priority and that the Greenpoint facility is subject to regular inspections from the Public Service Commission Staff and the New York City Fire Department.
