Sparklers are prohibited in NYC. Image credit: Maxpixel.
All types of fireworks are illegal throughout New York City and any person who violates the law could be subject to fines and/or jail time. There is something special when a firework is lit and sent into the sky, exploding with a beautiful array of colors. Each firework is unpredictable. The noise can be too much to bear for some, but for others it is like you are a kid again when you see fireworks light up the sky in unimaginable ways. (more…)
Image credit: Jeff Hopkins.
New York City changed the rules on the enforcement of low-level crimes when, on June 13, 2017, the Council-passed Criminal Justice Reform Act became effective. The new local law adds a new civil summons in lieu of issuing a criminal summons returnable in criminal court. (more…)
New York City Council Member Jumaane Williams. Image credit: NYCC/William Alatriste
Housing Committee hears testimony on 21 pieces of legislation to address 30 deaths at construction sites in past two years, including requiring apprenticeship training citywide. On January 31, 2017, the City Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings heard testimony on a large package of bills concerning construction safety in New York City. Chair Jumaane Williams began the eight-hour long hearing by reading the names of the 30 workers that lost their lives in construction accidents in the past two years. Twenty-one pieces of legislation were on the Committee’s calendar to consider. (more…)
Image Credit: CityLaw
Recently the City got some good news about Rikers Island, a change from the bad news of recent years. On August 2, 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio, together with Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte, announced that for the first six months of 2016 the frequencies with which staff used serious force on inmates and inmates seriously assaulted staff dropped by nearly half over the past year. Overall uses of force and assault numbers were also down over 2015, but not by as much. The mayor trumpeted the improvement although the frequency of the use of force and assaults in 2016 remained far higher than had been experienced from 2011 to 2014. Still, the improvement in 2016 over 2015, the most violent year, was a welcome step in the right direction.
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Council Member Gentile holds rally on new illegal conversation bill. Image Credit: Council Member Gentile’s Office.
Proposal imposes steep fines on bad actors, and helps Buildings inspectors gain premises access. On June 21, 2016, New York City Council Members Vincent J. Gentile, Jumaane D. Williams, and Barry S. Grodenchik introduced legislation that would impose high penalties on bad actor landlords and equip the Department of Buildings with means to gain entry into suspected illegal conversion sites. This bill was developed with the support of Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, after a November 2014 fire in an illegal unit above a Flatbush church killed an individual and injured 16 others, destroying the building. (more…)
