 Borough President Vito Fossella, NYD Borough Commander Melissa Eger, District Attorney Michael McMahon and interfaith leaders from across Staten Island took a stand against violent hate crimes committed against people for solely practicing their faith in peace.
They joined together in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of three worshippers at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday. San Diego authorities have identified the shooting as a hate crime. “The First Amendment of the United States Constitution, the first words that are given to the folks who live in this country, is basically the right to express their religion,” said Borough President Fossella at a press conference outside of Borough Hall. “They felt people should be able to express it without persecution, without condemnation, without being assaulted, without being jailed because that was the healthiest thing for this country. We pray for those who were injured, we pray for those who were killed.” Imam Tahir Kukaj, vice president of the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center of Staten Island, said the reason for today’ gathering is to “pray for the victims of San Diego and to send a message of unity and respect that we share here on Staten Island.” “Wherever it happens, whatever type of hate or killing against anybody, we come together on Staten Island,” he said. “We are always together. We send our prayers to the victims and their families in San Diego. We pray that less of these events or zero of these events happen anywhere in the world. As long as we stand shoulder-to-shoulder, one-by-one together, hate has no place on Staten Island.” NYPD Commander Eger said the prayers of the entire Staten Island police force are with the victims of the San Diego shooting. She said the NYPD has increased its presence and visibility at houses of worship across the five boroughs “to ensure we remain proactive and safeguard our communities at all times.” “Nobody should ever, ever fear gathering in prayer or in fear of practicing their faith,” she said. “The right to worship freely and peacefully is something that we, the NYPD, will always protect.”  Borough President Vito Fossella called on the State Department of Transportation to suspend planned maintenance work on the Korean War Veterans Parkway until after Labor Day, citing increased volumes of traffic crossing the Outerbridge into New Jersey during peak summer months.
The state’s current plan involves shutting down the entire right lane of the southbound parkway for the duration of work, which is slated to begin on Tuesday and projected to take place through the summer. “We’re trying to avoid the summer of hell here on Staten Island on the Korean War Veterans Parkway,” said Borough President Fossella at a press conference on the Tyrellan Avenue Overpass. “Right now, the state is proposing a construction project that will disrupt the lives of tens of thousands of people.” Borough President Fossella said he hasn’t been fully briefed on the scope of the project, nor has the NYPD. “Who was at the wheel when they decided to practically shut down the Korean War Veterans Parkway on Staten Island during the summer?” he asked. “You have people going back and forth and so many other reasons where traffic increases during the summer months -- and it’s only going to get worse, and dramatically worse.” He said the state “has an obligation to come forward to explain what they’re going to do” and called upon Staten Island’s state legislators to step in. “We implore those at the highest levels of the state of New York to say: ‘Listen to the people of Staten Island, their pleas, their concerns, who sit in this traffic every day,” said Borough President Fossella. “It’s time for the state to listen, to step forward, call a timeout on this proposed project and figure out a better way to implement it so you’re not inconveniencing tens of thousands of people on a weekly basis.”  Borough President Vito Fossella, District Attorney Michael McMahon, the Staten Island Performing Provider System, and MISSION grant partners announced the results of the first series of training, which provided tools to assess and prevent substance abuse and suicide.
Two years ago, Borough President Fossella unveiled a federally funded, first-of-its kind Mental and Behavioral Health Blueprint for Children and Young Adults. The Blueprint was designed to address an alarming increase in mental health conditions with the main goal of zero suicides and zero overdoses. Borough President Fossella linked the effects of isolation during COVID-19 to an increase in substance abuse and suicide. “We started to embark on a journey about two years ago to get to a point of identifying the correlation between substance abuse and mental illness and to truly get to a point of zero suicides and zero overdoses,” said Borough President Fossella at a press conference in Borough Hall. There were 320 participants from the mental health, education, and law enforcement communities who participated in the first six training sessions. “To me, what made this series so meaningful was seeing so many different people across systems coming together and willing to learn,” said Ileana Acosta, the director of Behavioral Health at the Staten Island Performing Provider System. “Sometimes, the difference is simply knowing what questions to ask, how to screen and assess, and where to connect someone for help, instead of feeling afraid or unsure of what to do. I think that is exactly what this series accomplished -- helping people become more prepared, more confident and willing to step into those conversations instead of avoiding them."  Borough President Vito Fossella and the Staten Island EMS Task Force were proud to honor emergency medical technicians, paramedics, emergency service instructors and students for their heroic, life-saving actions during the 32nd Annual EMS Recognition Ceremony in the Hilton Garden Inn.
"The training, the compassion, and the way you do things every single day needs to be acknowledged and recognized, and that’s why we do this, because we appreciate what you do,” said Borough President Fossella at the ceremony which coincided with National EMS Week. “There’s a family out there, probably today, that will be stressed, there will be an urgency, but they will be in good hands when one of you shows up.” FDNY Chief of EMS Operations Paul Miano said the entire EMS team on Staten Island works together for a common goal: To save the lives of Staten Islanders. “Please know that we acknowledge you every single day,” he said. “You wake up, you come to work, you change outcomes, you deliver babies, you save lives. You are a special breed of people. Don’t ever let anyone take that away from you. You are the heroes’ heroes, don’t ever forget that.” In a poignant moment, the parents of EMT Brianna Sison received commemorative military dog tags in her honor. She died last year following a courageous battle with cancer. Our congratulations to all the honorees -- and our thanks to all the men and women who put their own lives on the line to help their fellow Staten Islanders. |