Borough President Vito Fossella, Elected Officials Call For Reforms To Juvenile Justice System9/23/2024
Borough President Vito Fossella, State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, and District Attorney Michael McMahon called for measures to reform the juvenile justice system following two recent incidents of gun violence in Staten Island schools.
Specifically, they called for a rollback of the “The Raise Age” law. Signed into law in 2017, the legislation changed the age at which a child can be prosecuted as an adult to 18. Those younger than 18 are prosecuted in Family Court. Legislation introduced by State Senator Scarcella-Spanton would allow those under the age of 18 who are charged with serious crimes to be tried as adults in criminal court. Borough President Fossella said the frustration over the “Raise the Age” law is evident in the voices of educators, parents, and members of law enforcement. “Why the frustration -- because a lot of people who want to cause harm are allowed to get away with it, young or old,” said Borough President Fossella at a press conference outside of the Staten Island Supreme Court building. “The good news is 98 percent or 99 percent of the kids on Staten Island are great kids who just want a place to learn in a safe and secure environment. But, there’s always that one or two percent who disrupt it for everybody else. For some of those people, it just gets punted over to Family Court. Let’s speak loudly in one voice on behalf of the innocent kids who just want to live free, live in peace, and live their lives.” Borough President Vito Fossella announced that the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded a grant to support his Behavioral Health Blueprint for Staten Island Children and Young Adults.
The five-year $3.67 million Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention Grant was awarded to the New York State Office of Mental Health. The grant will support the creation of a model to prevent youth suicide by combining clinical intervention and proactive efforts to prevent young people from feeling suicidal or developing critical mental illnesses. Borough President Fossella spoke about anecdotal incidents of youth acting out or longtime teachers witnessing behaviors they hadn’t seen before. “You start putting the pieces together and you realize that there is something more to it,” said Borough President Fossella during a press conference in Borough Hall. “So, we asked many of you a couple of years ago to establish a blueprint to ensure that the mental health and behavioral issues of young people would be addressed and resolved.” Borough President Fossella noted the blueprint is the first of its kind in the country. “So, all eyes are going to be on us and there is a good chance that this becomes a model for the rest of the United States,” he said. Dr. Marion Wilson, District 31 School Superintendent for Staten Island, thanked Borough President Fossella “for not only believing in this mission, but acting on it.” “Unfortunately, we have lost too many students to suicide and the fact that this Borough President has decided to actually take action is something that warms my heart because it helps with prevention and trying to find a cure," said Dr. Wilson. Borough President Vito Fossella presented Bishop Edmund J. Whalen with the 2023 Albert V. Maniscalco Community Service Award during a ceremony at Monsignor Farrell High School.
The Albert V. Maniscalco Community Service Award, established in 1986, honors our ninth Borough President and celebrates civic-minded Staten Islanders who have dedicated their lives in service for the betterment of their community. His tenure from 1955 to 1965 saw the creation of the Greenbelt and the construction of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. Bishop Edmund Whalen, a West Brighton native, was ordained in 1983. His presence has been felt across the globe, including in Kenya where he served those who were underprivileged as a deacon to the Bukusu tribe. He served as the principal of Monsignor Farrell High School from 2010 until his appointment as vicar for clergy in 2019. “Normally, this service is done in a very quiet way in Borough Hall and a few family members come to speak,” said Borough President Fossella. “But, I thought if there was ever a place to have this ceremony, it would be right here at Monsignor Farrell High School, in part because Bishop Whalen basically helped to shape and create the faithful man -- as we all know, Vir Fidelis.” Borough President Fossella said Bishop Whalen found his calling at a young age -- “a calling that was meant as the essential servant to speak with the voice of God and instilling a sense of doing better always with a high degree of faith.” “In a world that moves rapidly and where there are a lot of young people who perhaps have drifted away, it was Bishop Whalen as a man of the cloth who was able to reaffirm and to ensure that every young person who walks through this school and through these doors, would have a conversation with Christ. It was the core of the faithful man that he tried to shape, that Christ is at the core of who we are.” He called Bishop Whalen a “real leader who never seeks the limelight and never asks for anything in return.” “We know there are so many folks whose lives you changed for the better,” said Borough President Fossella. “They may not know it at the age of 14 or 16, but in 20, 30, or 40 years, they will think that if it wasn’t for Bishop Whalen who knows where I would have been.” Bishop Whalen said the reason “the witness of God comes out of us is because we see it in others and it is drawn of us.” “It is an honor to receive this award from you, not only for the award itself, but more importantly because you are a true public servant in a country that seems to be forgetting that, but that is what makes Staten Island unique,” said Bishop Whalen. “Thank God for the people who are here and who bring the best out in each other. As the Borough President said, ‘learn from it, do it, live it.’ Thank you all for being here and thank you for this award.” Borough President Vito Fossella stood in front of the soaring wings of the Postcards Memorial, which perfectly frame the spot where the Twin Towers once stood across the harbor, to reflect and remember the 267 Staten Islanders who were lost 23 years ago when the blue-sky morning turned black, breaking our skyline and our hearts forever.
Hundreds gathered for the annual September 11th Memorial Ceremony amid a backdrop of American flags and the Tower Of Lights shimmering in the distance. “Twenty-three years ago was a day like today and a bunch of folks, many of them who we know just wanted to go about their life, and as we know by now, they didn’t come home,” said Borough President Fossella. “All they wanted was a life of happiness, a life of joy, to see their kids go to school, to hopefully see their kids get married, and maybe see their grandchildren -- but they didn’t get to experience those joys and those blessings. We are never going to forget their memory, their existence, their spirit. Their spirits will never die.” The processional was performed by the Staten Island Pipes & Drums and the colors were presented by U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York at Fort Wadsworth, the U.S. Army North East Medical Area, and the Fort Wadsworth Readiness Support Group. Rebecca Quilla sang the National Anthem. Bishop Peter Byrne, pastor of Blessed Sacrament R.C. Church, led the invocation, and Bishop Victor Brown, pastor of Mount Sinai United Christian Church, led the benediction. Gov. Kathy Hochul also offered remarks. Bells tolled, heads bowed, and tears were shed as the names of those lost on Sept. 11 and in the years since from 9/11-related illnesses were read one-by-one by their family members while an FDNY tugboat sprayed fountains of water into the harbor. The ceremony concluded with the Tottenville High School Ceremonial Taps Unit as family members gently placed roses at the Postcards Memorial and ran their fingers over the names of their loved ones forever etched into the silhouettes of the wing’s graceful curves, evoking notes sent to heaven. Our thoughts were also with those who were at the Pentagon and those on the plane that crashed into an empty field in Shanksville, Pa. Borough President Vito Fossella was joined by local elected officials, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 726 President Daniel Cassella, and concerned Staten Island commuters to call out the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the poor state of affairs of the local bus transit system at a press conference outside the Yukon Bus Depot.
"This is really a call to arms to the MTA to listen to the people of Staten Island, listen to the commuters who suffer disproportionately, and help us out," said Borough President Fossella during a press conference outside of the Yukon Avenue Bus Depot. Many commuters routinely report buses failing to provide reliable service and complete their routes, disrupting their daily commute. The significant number of buses in disrepair, lead to service disruptions across the borough. Currently, 304 of the 798 MTA buses serving Staten Island are either out of service or in need of repair. This situation causes frequent delays and excessive wait times for commuters. He emphasized, “If you add up all the buses on Staten Island, almost half the buses don’t go out because of mechanical issues.” The issue is partly attributed to reduced overtime for bus operators and mechanics, according to Cassella. This shortage of manpower has resulted in buses being sent out with problems such as non-functional air conditioning, broken signage, and, in extreme cases, even roaches. The pending closure of the Meredith Avenue bus depot will further strain the system and threaten to offload 75 buses and roughly 130 personnel to the other three overwhelmed depots. It will drastically disrupt traffic and bus service across the island. |
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September 2024
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