YMI's Cyrus Garrett (photo: @NYCyoungmen)
In August of 2011, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg addressed a group of nonprofit and community leaders as he announced the launch of a landmark approach to tackling persistent problems facing young black and Latino men. The Young Men’s Initiative, Bloomberg said, would address “four areas where the disparities are greatest and the consequences most harmful: education, health, employment, and the justice system.”
Upon its 2011 launch, Bloomberg put together a steering committee that included major players from the administration, including then-Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs; then-schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott; Veronica White, Director of the Center for Economic Opportunity at the time; and Andrea Batista Schlesinger, Gibb’s Director of Strategic Initiatives, who Bloomberg said was the driving force behind the initiative.
The program was initially funded by a combination of one-time $30 million contributions from Bloomberg Philanthropies and The Open Society Foundation and ongoing support from New York City tax dollars (up to $67.5 million over three years, Bloomberg said at the time). In his speech, Bloomberg said the purpose was that “‘equal opportunity’ is not an abstract notion – but an everyday reality, for all New Yorkers.”
That goal is, generally, the operating motivation for all of the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio, Bloomberg’s successor. However, while de Blasio has supported the Young Men’s Initiative, the program is not exactly a central piece of de Blasio’s fight against inequality. On Wednesday, about five years after the launch of the Young Men’s Initiative, the City Council will hold an oversight hearing to examine the status of YMI and its effectiveness nearly three years into the de Blasio administration.
The Council’s Youth Services Committee, chaired by Council Member Mathieu Eugene of Brooklyn, will hear from Cyrus Garrett, the current executive director, and other YMI stakeholders, including those who have gone through its programming.
According to a status report conducted by the Urban Institute in January of this year, most stakeholders agreed that under Bloomberg, YMI’s approach to New York’s disparity in justice for young men of color was most successful. YMI 1.0, as the Urban Institute called its Bloomberg era form, ushered in policies like Close to Home, an initiative allowing juvenile offenders to stay close to their families while spending time in non-secure and limited-secure city facilities and ARCHES, a group mentoring program to help remove men aged 16-24 from the criminal justice system.
In 2013, when Bloomberg left office, YMI 1.0 had already presided over (or, at least, coincided with) several successes, according to the 2013 YMI annual report: juvenile crime was 30% lower in 2013 compared to 2012, and had dropped 18% since 2006; 40 high schools for black and Latino boys had received investments from the Expanded Success Initiative (a YMI offshoot that has since transitioned to the NYC Department of Education); after the introduction of Cure Violence, a program designed to treat violence as a public health issue by putting outreach workers on the ground, there was a 28% decrease in gun violence in the target neighborhoods of the South Bronx, South Jamaica, Crown Heights, East New York, and Central Harlem.
Interestingly, the 2013 report was co-authored by Richard Buery, who was then leading Children’s Aid Society, but would soon be named a deputy mayor under de Blasio and now oversees YMI.
Along with apparent progress, YMI 1.0 also had some structural problems. According to the Urban Institute, “there was widespread belief that YMI needed continuous input and consultancy with actors outside city government” and “community-based organizations, both large and small, did not have sufficient input into YMI processes and decisionmaking.”
Fast forward to the present and YMI is led by Garrett, who assumed the role of YMI executive director in December 2014. YMI 2.0 -- as the Urban Institute refers to it -- includes a number of changes, some that seem to speak to the Urban Institute’s findings, and some that seem to adapt the initiative to de Blasio’s own policies outside of YMI.
At an event in 2015 inaugurating the launch of YMI 2.0 and Garrett's appointment, de Blasio outlined the trajectory going forward: “New York City is answering President Obama’s call and doubling down on its commitments to expanding literacy in our youngest children, ensuring our high school graduates are ready for college and career, and forging a deeper partnership between police and community to prevent crime.”
While YMI 2.0 remains committed to many of the successful programs under Bloomberg, it has since been reconfigured to focus on neighborhoods in the South Bronx, East Harlem, Southwest and Southeast Queens, the North Shore of Staten Island, Brownsville, and East New York. This likely reflects budgetary constraints: the seed money from Bloomberg and Soros has all been spent, as their $60 million was only allocated for the three years after the 2011 launch of YMI.
YMI has also begun to align itself with goals set forth in Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, a nationwide program launched in 2014 that de Blasio referred to at the 2015 event and which the city officially partners with. According to Obama, his initiative focuses on “providing the support [young men of color] need to think more broadly about their future.” While My Brother’s Keeper has a much larger focus (and a corresponding $600 million budget), it’s genesis can be traced to the Young Men’s Initiative.
Alignment with My Brother’s Keeper has led to some adjustment in YMI’s vision. Under Bloomberg, YMI targeted men of color aged 16-24, but under de Blasio, programs are offered to different age groups. The “Talk to Your Baby” campaign and reading programs for children enrolled in kindergarten through third grade are both My Brother’s Keeper-united programs that clearly target a younger audience. While there are several goals of My Brother’s Keeper that also correspond with Bloomberg’s original 16-24 demographic, the Urban Institute recommended that the de Blasio administration define “what constitutes YMI-aligned programming and clearly communicating which programs count as YMI aligned.”
Other important new highlights of YMI 2.0 include improved relationships between the NYPD and young men of color -- a goal that was outlined in de Blasio’s 2015 launch with Garrett -- but one that lacks any evident policy behind it, though the city is rolling out its expanded neighborhood policing program.
In April, YMI released “The Disparity Report,” which “provides a snapshot of where young people of color stand in relation to their peers in the areas of Education, Economic Security and Mobility, Health and Wellbeing, and Community and Personal Safety.” Generally, the report shows that there have been “decreases in several disparities for young men and women of color,” but that “disparities persist, warranting an in-depth exploration of the underlying factors that account for these continued discrepancies.”
And on Monday, the de Blasio administration released the Mayor’s Management Report (MMR) for fiscal year 2016, which ended June 30. The Young Men’s Initiative section of the report shows that it is partnering with about 20 city agencies and offices, mentions its increasing alignment with My Brother’s Keeper, and says that “In Fiscal 2016, YMI implemented new programs and refined existing ones; developed trackable indicators and metrics; and launched a policy committee to further advance New York City’s capacity to promote the advancement of [boys and young men of color].”
Specifically, “YMI implemented major initiatives on mentoring, early childhood literacy and teacher recruitment and retention” in fiscal 2016, the MMR section states.
Council Member Eugene’s office confirmed that at Wednesday’s hearing his committee will be looking for new information from YMI about its programs and their effectiveness, what its budgetary needs might be, and more.
When the City Council examines the Young Men’s Initiative Wednesday, a project spearheaded by the Council Speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito, could also come up. The Young Women’s Initiative, launched by Mark-Viverito in October 2015, targets gaps in services for young women aged 12-24. Similar to YMI, YWI focuses on structural inequality facing women of color, with a spotlight on health, education, economic and workforce development, criminal justice, and self-sufficiency and mobility.
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by Elena Burger, Gotham Gazette
@GothamGazette
New York City Hall
What to watch for this week in New York politics:
As the week begins, the city remains focused on the explosion that went off Saturday night in Chelsea and the other explosive device that was found nearby. The NYPD, FBI, and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and on Monday morning a suspect, Ahmad Rahami, was arrested in New Jersey. On Sunday evening the NYPD pulled over a car and questioned five people. On Monday morning, the FBI, Mayor de Blasio and NYPD identified a wanted suspect, Rahami, who was later engaged in a shootout with police and captured.
For the latest from the NYPD, read its Twitter feed here.
This week is the first week as NYPD Commissioner for James O'Neill, who has taken the helm from Bill Bratton, who left 1 Police Plaza for the last time as commissioner on Friday to much fanfare. O'Neill was privately sworn in by Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday, but had a public swearing-in ceremony on Monday at 11 a.m. at 1 Police Plaza. O'Neill, a long-time NYPD veteran, is front-and-center on the Chelsea bomb incident in his first moments at the top of the department. According to de Blasio's public schedule, the mayor will preside over O'Neill's swearing in as the 43rd NYPD Commissioner. Afterward, at about 12:30 p.m., the mayor and O'Neill are due to hold a media availability.
Otherwise, there's a great deal happening all over the city this week, with many events to be aware of - see our day-by-day rundown below.
***Do you have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics?
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The run of the week in detail:
Monday
At 8 a.m. Monday, the Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC) NYC will have a conversation with several leaders on neighborhood development and displacement. Vicki Been, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), will be among the speakers.
At 8:30 a.m. Monday, the New York City Food Policy Center at Hunter College will hold an “Agriculture and Technology Breakfast Seminar.”
At 9 a.m. Monday, Civic Hall will have a mini-conference “on practical innovations that U.S. debate producers, participants and viewers can apply to election debates at all levels of government.”
Postponed: At 10 a.m. Monday at City Hall, Families for Excellent Schools will lead a demonstration demanding that the de Blasio administration “to support the opening of 50 new charter schools in public space over the next two years.”
At 12:30 p.m. Monday, New York City Council Member Andy King will be launching the “Project Green Thumb” as part of the plan to beautify his Bronx district.
At 1 p.m. Monday, the City Planning Commission will hold a review session.
Comptroller Scott Stringer is scheduled Monday to attend O'Neill's NYPD swearing-in. He's then set to give 2 p.m. remarks at a JCRC press conference in solidarity with Dr. Leah and Dr. Simcha Goldin.
At 2 p.m. Monday, there will be a press conference in Gantry State Plaza Park, Long Island City, to announce the location of the LIC North Citywide Ferry Service Ferry landing. The event will be led by City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer, Borough President Melinda Katz, State Senator Michael Gianaris, and State Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan.
At 6 p.m. Monday, the Municipal Art Society of New York will hold a panel discussion on a controversial bill to eliminate limits on “floor area ratio” (FAR) in New York City. State Senator Liz Krueger and Chair of the New York City Planning Commission Carl Weisbrod will be among the panelists.
At 6:30 p.m. Monday, the Riders Alliance is hosting its 2016 gala. Special guests include Assemblymember Jim Brennan and Chairman of the Fund for the Environment and Urban Life and Founder of the Commuter Check Services Corporation, Richard L. Oram.
At 6:30 p.m. Monday, the Brooklyn Historical Society will host “From Gray to Green: The Role of Urban Parks in the 21st Century.” The event will include a panel discussion about the ways in which cities across the country, including New York, are finding new ways to make parks a central piece of urban renewal efforts. Executive Director of New Yorkers for Parks, Tupper Thomas, will moderate the discussion.
At 6:30 p.m. Monday, the Museum of the City of New York will host “Who’s the Man? | Alexander Hamilton v. Robert Moses.” This event explores the life and careers of these two influential New Yorkers from different eras, and consider the question of who would’ve been more influential if they came from the same era. City Council Member Daniel Garodnick will be a featured speaker.
On Monday, Public Advocate Letitia James is set to attend O'Neill's NYPD swearing-in. In the evening, James is set to deliver 7:30 p.m. remarks at the 2016 Unsung Heroes of the Upper West Side Annual Awards Ceremony and 8 p.m. remarks at the Times Square Advertising Coalition's Pediatric Cancer Awareness Night.
At 7 p.m. Monday, Planned Parenthood of NYC Votes will have Assemblymember Nily Rozic as a keynote speaker for “Your City, Your Vote: Why Local Elections Matter.”
Tuesday
At the City Council on Tuesday:
On Tuesday at 11 a.m., "Mayor de Blasio will host a roundtable with tenants from Visions at Selis Manor to discuss the Chelsea bombing...After, the Mayor will visit the Malibu Diner to meet with residents from the Chelsea area," according to the mayor's public schedule.
At 3 p.m. Tuesday, the CUNY Graduate Center will hold “Racism, Xenophobia, Populism: The Miseducation of the Public.” Jessie Daniels (Hunter College), Mary Phillips (Lehman College), and Linda Sarsour (Arab American Association of America) will be the panelists.
At 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, the CUNY Graduate Center will host an event which looks at the current state of the Presidential Race. Various professors and students in the American Politics section of the CUNY Graduate Center will host this discussion.
At 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the New York City Campaign Finance Board will hold a Voters Assistance Advisory Committee (VAAC) meeting.
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, City & State NY continues its annual “Borough Series” with “Borough Series: Bronx” at the Hard Rock Café Yankee Stadium. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. will headline the event.
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, the New York City Food Policy Center will hold a conversation with Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University. This conversation “will discuss the soda industry, sugar, who’s doing what, and what we can do to change the paradigm.”
Wednesday
At the City Council on Wednesday:
The Business Council of New York State will have its annual meeting from September 21 to September 23. Bob Woodward is the keynote speaker at this meeting.
At 9 a.m. Wednesday, the CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy will host “Urban Food Policy Forum on Food Marketing and Countermarketing: Charting New Options for New York City.”
At 10 a.m. Wednesday, the City Planning Commission will hold a public meeting.
On Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at the Chelsea Recreation Center, "a “Day of Action” for IDNYC, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives Richard Buery and Commissioner Nisha Agarwal of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs will hold a press conference to announce new IDNYC benefits." "IDNYC’s Day of Action is the launch of an IDNYC Week of Action" "to encourage and help all New Yorkers enroll for IDNYC and experience its great benefits."
At 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Queens Library, "New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli will be joined by Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and other elected officials and representatives of the Greater Jamaica community on Wednesday to release a report on the neighborhood’s economy."
At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, the New York City Panel for Education Policy will hold its monthly meeting at Murry Bergtraum High School in Manhattan.
At 6 p.m. Wednesday, the New York City Bar Association will hold “Examining Conditions of Confinement in New York's Correctional Facilities: A Focus on Prisoners' Rights.” This event will focus on the physical and mental health needs of prisoners, problems of prisons like Rikers Island, and more.
At 6 p.m. Wednesday, the New York City Bar Association will hold “Human Trafficking Cases: Working with Law Enforcement from a Victim-Centered Perspective.”
At 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the Brooklyn Historical Society is hosting “The Brooklyn Way: Putting Together the Pieces of a 21st Century Downtown,” an event focused on the reinvigoration of Downtown Brooklyn. Speakers include former Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and former BAM President Karen Brooks Hopkins. Downtown Brooklyn Partnership President Tucker Reed will moderate the event.
Mayor de Blasio is scheduled to host an education-focused town hall in Brooklyn Thursday evening.
Thursday
At 8 a.m. Thursday, the New York City Housing Conference will begin a policy symposium on “Affordable Housing Strategies to Help Preserve Public Housing.” The first of three panels will be with policymakers and moderated by NY1’s Errol Louis. It will include Holly Leicht, Regional Administrator, U.S. Dept of Housing and Urban Development; Shola Olatoye, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, New York City Housing Authority; and Ritchie Torres, New York City Councilmember, District 15.
At 8 a.m. Thursday, the Association for a Better New York is hosting a breakfast event featuring New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer.
At 8 a.m. Thursday, City & State Reports will have an awards ceremony for outstanding people working in labor, law, and lobbying. A panel discussion will follow.
At the City Council on Thursday:
At 11 a.m. Thursday, the state Senate Standing Committee on Social Services will sponsor a public hearing on “Food Pantries – Identifying Best Practices to Address Food Insecurity.” This will be held at Meals on Wheels Headquarters in Nanuet.
At 6 p.m. Thursday, the Manhattan Democratic Party will have its judicial nominating convention; Herbert G. Cave Auditorium, Harlem Hospital Center.
At 6 p.m. Thursday, Riders Alliance will hold its first meeting to plan for their new “Bus Turnaround Campaign.”
At 6 p.m. Thursday, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Manhattan Community Board 1 will hold a forum on downtown construction projects. Brewer will discuss the disruptions which have occurred as a result of these projects, and also the long-term benefits of the projects.
At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, the Brooklyn Historical Society will host “Righting Wrongful Convictions” a discussion with Barry Scheck, co-founder and co-director of the Innocence Project, and Assistant District Attorney Mark Hale, Chief of the Conviction Review Unit in the Brooklyn DA’s Office.
Friday and the weekend
At the City Council on Friday: The Committee on Public Safety and the Committee on Courts and Legal Services will hold a joint oversight hearing on wrongful conviction and conviction integrity units.
On Saturday at 2 p.m., JustLeadershipUSA is hosting a march and rally to close the Rikers Island Prison. This rally will begin at Queens Plaza and will end with a rally and vigil at 5 p.m.
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Have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics? E-mail Gotham Gazette executive editor Ben Max any time: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (please use "For Week Ahead" as email subject).
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by Brendan Birth and Ben Max
@GothamGazette
Vote Today (via The Governor's Office on Flickr)
2016 is a big election year in New York. Not only is there a national Presidential election, but as is the case every two years, all of the New York State Legislature is on the ballot in 2016. New Yorkers have four - yes, four - election days this year if registered with one of the two major political parties and living in a district with competitive primaries. There were presidential primaries in April, congressional primaries in June, and state legislative primaries in September. Now, all eyes are on the general election, which will be on Tuesday, November 8. While Donald Trump plans to make New York competitive, Hillary Clinton is almost sure to win the state that they both call home. Meanwhile, there are several pivotal congressional seats at play in New York, which will influence which party controls the House of Representatives. There is also the matter of which party controls the New York State Senate. And, there are always other interesting races that may have fewer broad implications but are of more importance locally.
Below, find 2016 election stories, resources, and guides either produced or compiled by Gotham Gazette:
GENERAL ELECTION COVERAGE & FALLOUT FROM STATE LEGISLATIVE PRIMARIES
Super PAC's Big Primary Spending Mostly Comes Up Short
Manhattan GOP Sees Hope on Upper East Side
Trump Could Tip Key Races for State Senate Control
Can Trump Win New York? Inside the Numbers
Could 'Third Party' Candidates Swing the Presidential Election?
STATE LEGISLATIVE PRIMARY COVERAGE (Prior to September 13, 2016 vote)
Gotham Gazette partnered with WNYC for an interactive election guide to the state legislative primaries. Other coverage:
Races to Watch in State Legislative Primaries
Crowded Assembly Field Looks to Quickly Unseat Silver Replacement
Assembly Candidates Turn Down Televised Debates
Two Very Different Democratic Assembly Primaries in Brooklyn
Education-Focused Super PAC Spends on Additional Legislative Races
In Race to Replace Espaillat, Ramifications for His Power, Senate Control, and More
2016 A Far Different Election Year for Independent Democrats
New Yorkers Head to the Democratic National Convention
Super PAC Begins Flyering Bronx Senate Race
Senate Republicans Face Departures with Battle for Control Looming
New Yorkers, Including the Presidential Nominees, Head to the National Party Conventions
New York Primaries are Closed, Repetitive and Costly
Former Informant, Out; Candidate Indicted on Voter Fraud, In
Rangel’s Replacement Decided, Other Uptown Races Take Shape
New York Congressional Primary Results; Espaillat, Teachout Among Winners
Former Government Informant to Run for Old Assembly Seat
Bronx Council Member Preparing to Again Challenge Incumbent State Senator
New Yorkers Vote in Congressional Primaries June 28
Takeaways from New York Presidential Primary Voting
Special Election Results Buoy Hopes for Reform
New York Voting Results: Presidential Primary and Special Elections
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY COVERAGE (Prior to April 19, 2016 vote in New York)
Delegate Matters: How New York’s Presidential Primaries Actually Work
Mapping New York’s Presidential Primary
Calls for Democrats to Address Urban Issues at New York Debate
New Yorkers Run for President: History and Insights for 2016