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A New, Safer Future for Third Ave in Brooklyn


At the 2020 vigil for Clara Kang


Three years ago, my Brooklyn neighbors and I stood in Martin Luther Playground and held a vigil for Clara Kang. She was a nurse at NYU Langone Brooklyn (still called Lutheran Medical Center by locals). While we were at home during covid lockdown, Clara was literally saving lives. She was killed on 56th Street while bicycling home from a shift at the hospital.

Official after official stood in that park and told us not one more death on Third Avenue - but sadly, even after more crashes, accidents, and fatalities, little has moved the needle in fixing the corridor stretching from Prospect Ave to 65th St, leaving community members outraged and calling for change. Over the years, Third Avenue has seen an alarming number of crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists. In the last 10 years alone, there have been over 1,600 reported crashes along Third Avenue and more than 13 fatalities (see NYC Crash Mapper).

No more.

The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) has finally heard these concerns and has begun a safety study for Third Avenue - beginning with two workshops, which are aimed at hearing about and addressing the safety issues along the corridor. The first was held on April 18 and the second and final workshop will be held on Thursday, April 27 at PS 503/506 (old school Sunset Parkers still call it PS 314). It is crucial that Sunset Park residents attend this workshop to ensure their voices are heard and that DOT understands the community's concerns.

The importance of community participation in this process cannot be overstated. The workshop organized by DOT presents a unique opportunity for the community to come together and work towards a shared solution. The workshop aims to gather input from community members on their experiences with Third Avenue and their ideas for improving safety. This feedback will be used to develop a plan for redesigning Third Avenue to make it safer for everyone who navigates the corridor — students, families, small businesses, and others. 

By participating, community members can provide valuable insights into how Third Avenue can be redesigned to be safer for pedestrians, bike-riders, and drivers alike. They can share their experiences of navigating the corridor, highlight problem areas, and suggest potential solutions. In addition, community participation will demonstrate to DOT the level of urgency felt by the residents of Sunset Park. It will show that we are invested in making our community a safer place for everyone, and that we are willing to work collaboratively to achieve this goal.

The final Third Avenue Workshop organized by DOT presents a unique opportunity for the Sunset Park community to come together and work towards a safer corridor. It is imperative that community members attend this workshop and provide input and feedback to ensure that the solutions developed are in line with community needs and concerns. By doing so, we can demonstrate our commitment to making our community a safer place for everyone, and help pave the way for a safer future on Third Avenue.

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Julio Peña III is Chair of Brooklyn Community Board 7 and has been a member of the board since 2016. The final DOT workshop on Third Avenue is Thursday, April 27 at 6:30pm at PS 503/506, 330 59th Street — learn more about the workshops and provide feedback here. On Twitter @Julio_PenaBK.

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Little Has Changed Since I was Held on Rikers; It's Time to Shift Resources as We Close the Jail


A classroom on Rikers Island (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


I spent three-and-a-half years on Rikers Island, as both an adolescent and adult. During this time, I experienced and witnessed countless episodes of abuse and neglect, including frequent medical and mental health neglect, and the inadequacy of programming that properly prepares those detained for community reentry. 

It appears that very little has changed in the 31 years since I was incarcerated, and conditions may have worsened. In the past two years, 36 people have died after being held in the custody of the Department of Correction, including 19 people last year alone. 

Instead of relying on this broken system, we should close Rikers Island by 2027, as is the law, and invest in resources that will keep all of us safe: supports for those reentering our communities, such as behavioral health services, substance use treatment, medical care, employment support, and more.

Those held on Rikers are suffering needlessly and in ways that render everyone there – staff and people in custody alike – unsafe. Over half of the people in Correction’s custody have a mental health diagnosis – and between 20% and 50% desperately need consistent mental health treatment of some kind – yet from February to October of 2022, people in custody missed over 12,000 medical appointments, in part because staff were not there to escort them.

This is simply unacceptable and must not be rewarded by increasing the budget for an agency that is failing to provide basic services to those in its custody and control.  

The proposed city budget for the Department of Correction represents an increase of more than $35 million, and projects that 88.5% of agency expenses are earmarked for staff salaries and benefits. This is both disproportionate and shocking, because the Department does not lack financial resources.  

The problems in our jails will not be solved by increasing funding for the same line items that are not only failing to produce results but resulting in harm and death. In 2022, our city spent 350% more for each incarcerated person than the two other largest jail systems in the country — Los Angeles and Cook County, Illinois — and yet individuals in its custody are being subjected to horrific conditions.  

One way that cost savings from the budget could be utilized is to enhance funding for supportive housing for people leaving jail and prison, to prevent them from returning. Current funding for Justice Involved Supportive Housing is so far below what is sufficient that no current service provider, including my organization, The Fortune Society, submitted a proposal to receive that funding.  

That was a painful choice to make given the need, because the Fortune Society, which supports successful reentry from incarceration and promotes alternatives to incarceration, has been in the business of providing such housing for more than two decades.

Another solution would be to enhance the Board of Correction: the Board must have the staff necessary to perform its city charter-mandated oversight of the Department of Correction. The Board needs the resources to conduct regular, unscheduled visits to observe jail conditions and speak with people in custody, as well as Correction staff. Having eyes and ears on the ground has proven crucial to the Board’s ability to report on the circumstances surrounding the deaths of people in custody.

At The Fortune Society, we believe in the power of people to change. But the city must change as well in the face of the record number of deaths and persistent dysfunction at Rikers.

The city is bound by law to close Rikers Island by 2027. Given the waste of our taxpayer funds on a broken system, the mayoral administration must adhere to that timeline, while investing in crucial jail oversight, alternatives to incarceration programs, reentry services, and supportive housing.  

This is not only a pathway to humane treatment, but also one with a proven track record of improving public safety. We can no longer avoid what has become a stain on the conscience of our city – and continue to put too many lives at stake.  

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Andre Ward is the Associate Vice President of The David Rothenberg Center for Public Policy at The Fortune Society. On Twitter @AAWardSR1 & @thefortunesoc.

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Clean Slate is Good for New York’s Businesses


Ready to work (photo: Caroline Willis/Mayoral Photography Office)


Across New York, many employers continue to struggle to find workers.  

The labor market remains tight, even amid fears about a looming recession. According to a recently released study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there are over 450,000 open jobs in New York State with only about 400,000 unemployed New Yorkers. This workforce shortage has a devastating impact on the New York economy as it drives up costs, makes it difficult for businesses to expand, and becomes a disincentive for businesses to relocate to New York.   

Yet there is a way for our State Legislature to help employers bring workers back into the economy, while also making our communities safer. Indeed, this is exactly what the Clean Slate Act would do (S1553-Myrie/A6399-Cruz).   

It's state legislation that will seal old conviction records and enable more than 2.3 million New Yorkers to obtain jobs. This crucial bill will help businesses across New York hire employees, boost our state’s economic growth, and increase public safety.    

The Clean Slate Act has growing support across the state, including from Fortune 500 companies, business groups, labor unions, and local and county legislatures.  

After old conviction records are sealed, individuals are more likely to obtain jobs, stay employed, support their families, and strengthen their communities. Those are positive outcomes that will benefit every town, city, and county in New York.  

According to a recent analysis, the Clean Slate Act would generate an estimated annual earnings boost to New York State of $7.1 billion.   

The Clean Slate Act would automatically seal old conviction records for New Yorkers who have successfully completed their sentence, are no longer on community supervision, and have not incurred any new charges or convictions after three years for misdemeanors and seven years for felonies. We have to ask ourselves, what is enough? When people have paid their debt, when can they move forward?  

These New Yorkers want to work and contribute to our economy, but are currently held back in doing so because of their old convictions. By decreasing barriers to jobs, housing, and education, the Clean Slate Act will make it easier for these New Yorkers to support themselves and their families.    

Research shows that, after old conviction records are sealed, individuals are more likely to maintain employment and increase their earnings, and less likely than members of the general public to be convicted of a crime.  

Let’s be clear on what this means: sealing old conviction records helps reduce crime and increase public safety because it enables more job-seekers to enter the workforce and remain employed, rather than re-engage in criminal activity.  

New Yorkers of all backgrounds should welcome the Clean Slate Act. There are limits to the sealing provided in the legislation. Records remain accessible for a number of purposes, including work in certain regulated fields, as well as to law enforcement and the courts. In carefully crafting the bill, the Legislature has considered a wide array of interests, including businesses, which has contributed to the support from so many business leaders, like JPMorgan Chase. The result is a strong bill that will benefit directly-impacted people, their families and communities, as well as employers and New York State as a whole.  

Clean slate bills are proven to work. Consider a recent study on Michigan’s clean slate law: it found that, within two years of Michigan clearing old conviction records, residents of that state were 11% more likely to have a job and were earning 25% more in income.      

Across the country, clean slate bills have earned bipartisan support and passed in red and blue states including Utah, Connecticut, California, and Michigan. Even Texas, Missouri, and West Virginia are actively considering them now as well.   

Nationally, excluding individuals with old conviction records from the workforce costs the economy as much as $87 billion annually in lost GDP — a devastating loss for businesses, workers, families, and communities.  

Here in New York, clean slate can’t wait. Our message to Governor Hochul and the legislative leaders is: let’s get it done.

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Paul Zuber is executive vice president of the Business Council of New York State. Catalina Cruz is an assembly member representing Queens’ district 39. On Twitter @NYAssemblyCruz & @BusinessNYS.

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