New Yorkers are getting older. Can NYC Aging’s funding keep up?
Tandy Lau, Amsterdam News, January 30, 2025
Frigid temperatures did not stop the likes of 88-year-old Annie Stevenson-King from rallying outside City Hall last Thursday, Jan. 23, against cutting $108 million from the NYC Department for the Aging (DFTA) budget.
“I’m out here freezing in this cold weather at age 88 because the budgets are being cut and the seniors are not getting their due,” said Stevenson-King, who volunteers for AARP. “We voted for them, we put them in office, [and] we support them, we’re always there for them, but yet, they keep cutting the budget and leaving us in the cold. Aging services are important because as we get older, we have many problems: We need healthcare [and] we need a place to live. The rents are outrageous.”
According to the State Comptroller, in a report released earlier this month, more seniors live in New York City now than ever before. In particular, an influx of nonwhite elders fueled this population growth from 2000 to 2023. Many were immigrants. Over that time, the number of Black New Yorkers ages 65 and older grew by 68%. They made up 22.2% of the city’s senior population in 2023.
Jada Camille, amNY, January 23, 2025
Seniors and advocates from more than 50 organizations rallied at City Hall Thursday to demand that NYC provide $2.3 billion in additional funds to enhance services for older adults.
LiveOn NY, a city-wide non-profit servicing older adults, joined with a coalition of more than 58 advocacy groups to launch the ‘Age Strong NYC’ campaign, an ambitious campaign calling upon Mayor Eric Adams and city leaders to invest a significant $2.3 billion for senior housing, food, community support and more.
Advocates say thousands of older New Yorkers currently face difficult choices daily, often forcing them to decide between basics like food, healthcare and rent. A recent report from state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, the number of New Yorkers aged 65 and older has soared to 1.43 million in 2023—a staggering increase of 53% since 2000. With this demographic expected to grow by 25% by 2040, the inadequacies in the current funding for aging communities risk pushing many older residents out of their homes.
Deed theft bills would warn owners, council members about potential scams in progress
Celia Young, Brick Underground, January 21, 2025
New York City property owners—and their City Council representatives—could soon get a heads up when a new deed or mortgage-related document is filed on a property, under two bills discussed by the City Council’s Committee on Finance last week.
Both bills are meant to target deed theft—when a scammer steals the deed of a property from its owner, often through forgery. Thieves target vulnerable New Yorkers, like older residents and those in gentrifying communities, said Council member Crystal Hudson, who authored one of the bills, Int 0889.
“This is a problem that has plagued predominantly Black and brown communities for a long time,” Hudson told Brick Underground. “Any measure to try to address deed theft, deed fraud, and to help long-time residents and their families stay in their homes, is a great thing for the city.”
Councilmember Crystal Hudson leads push to address key issues among older New Yorkers
Spectrum News Staff, Spectrum News/NY1, December 17, 2024
The City Council is considering a new legislative package aimed at addressing key issues facing older New Yorkers.
It comes as a study from the CUNY Graduate Center finds that the city’s population of 65 and older will climb 25% between 2021 and 2040.
The measure includes expanding access to meals, fraud education and resources to help with financial planning.
Out of the 11 bills, six of them have so far been established as law, and the remaining five are still making their way through the council.
City Councilmember Crystal Hudson joined NY1 political anchor Errol Louis on “Inside City Hall” Tuesday to discuss this bills and more.
Hudson serves as the chair of the Council Committee on Aging, and introduced the legislative package.
Her Brooklyn district includes the neighborhoods of Prospect Heights, Fort Greene, Crown Heights and Clinton Hill.
Councilmember Crystal Hudson gives out turkeys and housing, health information
Spectrum News Staff, Spectrum News/NY1, November 26, 2024
Turkey giveaways are happening in many parts of the city in the lead-up to Thanksgiving.
City Councilmember Crystal Hudson held her third annual turkey giveaway in Prospect Heights over the weekend.
She was joined by dozens of volunteers at Saint Francis de Sales School for the Deaf on Eastern Parkway.
They handed out a whopping 1,000 turkeys – plus all the fixings – to families in need.
In addition to the food, people were also able to connect to various resources for help with housing and health care.
Spectrum News was among the companies who were on hand to help several community groups at the event.
Spectrum is the parent company of Spectrum News and NY1.
‘A force of inspiration’: Brooklyn council member declares Oct. 20 ‘New York Liberty Day’
Jada Camille, Brooklyn Paper, October 23, 2024
In a significant show of support for the city’s champions, City Council Member Crystal Hudson introduced a resolution during Wednesday’s stated meeting designating Oct. 20 “New York Liberty Day.”
This resolution celebrates the New York Liberty, who recently clinched their first-ever WNBA championship.
The team made history on Sunday by securing the first WNBA title in franchise history, marking the first time in more than 50 years that a professional basketball championship has returned to the five boroughs. Their victory celebrates athletic excellence and highlights the ongoing progression toward equality in sports.
Jake Pearson, ProPublica, September 18, 2024
The chair of the New York City Council’s Committee on Aging is calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders to overhaul the state’s beleaguered guardianship system in response to a ProPublica investigation that found elderly and infirm New Yorkers living in dire conditions while under court-mandated oversight.
City Councilmember Crystal Hudson introduced a resolution last week intended to force Albany to take up the cause of those whom judges have deemed incapable of managing their own affairs — a constituency without powerful lobbyists or political influence whose needs have long been ignored by state legislators.
“Too many people have been failed by this system, and a real overhaul is long overdue,” said Hudson, a Democrat. “We need a system that instills confidence — one that guarantees people in need of guardianships a dignified existence.”
More than 28,000 people statewide are currently under the care of court-appointed guardians, and nearly 60% of them live in New York City.
Hudson’s bill, which calls for an annual infusion of state funding to serve poor New Yorkers in the system, will be the subject of public hearings later this fall.
NYC Council passes bill to study reparations for slavery
Jenna DeAngelis, CBS News, September 12, 2024
New York City Council members passed legislation Thursday aimed at acknowledging, studying and addressing the impact of slavery and racial injustices in New York City, including a bill that mandates the study of reparations.
New York City had one of the highest rates of slave ownership in the country during the 1700s, according to the City Council.
One of four bills establishes a task force to consider the creation of Freedom Trails in the city. Another would require the installation of signage near Wall and Pearl Streets, to mark the site of New York’s first slave market.
NYC lawmakers expected to back slavery legacy and reparations study
Giulia Heyward, Gothamist/WNYC, September 11, 2024
City lawmakers are poised to pass legislation this week greenlighting a study on the legacy of slavery in New York City, including possible payment of monetary and non-monetary reparations.
City Council is expected to vote on Thursday on the measure authorizing the study, with proponents forecasting passage after false starts earlier. Councilmember Farah Louis of Brooklyn also said her bill “was initially expected to pass months ago,” but stalled because of “considerable doubts” from her colleagues.
“Even within our own ranks, there were those – particularly among Black and brown legislators – who were reluctant to engage with this sensitive issue, fearing the potential consequences,” Louis said.
For some advocates, passage of the bill would be groundbreaking development in a decadeslong battle for racial justice.
“We’ve been talking about reparations ever since the original promise when slavery ended – It’s been people’s lifetime’s work to try and see this into fruition,” said Lanessa Owens-Chaplin, who heads the Racial Justice Center at the New York Civil Liberties Union.
With adoption, New York would join at least a dozen other cities that have approved local reparations efforts. A national reparations bill has languished in Congress since the 1980s. New York City’s iteration lists a range of “reparative measures” the city can take beyond financial restitution, including providing medical care, legal services, public apologies and memorials.
A New Clinton Hill Family Housing Emerges Thanks to $1.5M Funding
BK Reader, September 7, 2024
The Institute for Community Living (ICL) Emerson-Davis Family Residence, a one-of-a-kind program that keeps families together, will move forward with the construction of a new building thanks to City Council Member Crystal Hudson, who recently allocated $1.5 million in capital funding for the project.
The Emerson Davis Family Residence, developed in 1996 in partnership with the State Office of Mental Health, is the only program in New York City to provide supportive housing and stabilization services for adults with mental health challenges who have been, or are at risk of being separated from their children, according to a press release.
Back-to-school fair, basketball tournament held at Jackie Robinson Playground in Crown Heights
News 12 Staff, News 12, August 30, 2024
Council member Crystal Hudson hosted a back-to-school fair and basketball tournament Friday in Crown Heights. The event was held at Jackie Robinson Playground at Montgomery Street between Franklin Avenue and McKeever Place from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Organizers handed out free backpacks and school supplies.
Older New Yorkers rally at City Hall to fight for funding for meal program
Monica Morales, PIX11, June 17, 2024
Dozens of older New Yorkers rallied on the steps of City Hall Monday to protest cuts to the city’s Department for the Aging.
Advocates said the city wants to reduce services and funding for meals for older residents. To send a message, dozens of older New York City residents handed out meals to lawmakers,
Advocates said the city only funds one meal per day, five days a week. Some say that’s not enough. For many older adults, it’s often their only hot meal, according to New York City Council member Crystal Hudson.
Hudson, the chair of the city’s Committee on Aging, said the city cut the Department for the Aging’s budget by $20 million last year, and it faces additional cuts in the budget for the next three fiscal years, impacting critical services for older residents, including meal programs.
Cheryl Chapman, a 75-year-old from the Bronx, said she fears if she loses her free meals from her senior center due to budget cuts, she will be forced to eat cat food. Chapman, a retired nurse’s aide, said she pays more than $1,000 in rent and has very little left for food.
The director of AARP said she wants older residents to have access to three meals per day, seven days a week.
NYC renters can pay $10K in move-in costs. FARE Act would change that: Pol
Dan Mannarino, PIX11, June 16, 2024
New York City renters can pay over $10,000 in move-in costs thanks to hefty broker fees, but the FARE Act could change that, City Council Member Crystal Hudson said.
Hudson joined PIX on Politics to discuss the Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses Act, which proposes that whoever hires the broker has to pay them, instead of automatically putting the expense onto the renter.
“We’re simply saying whoever hires the broker pays for the broker,” Hudson said.
Brooklyn Councilmember Crystal Hudson discusses LGBT+ safety
Cheryl Wills & Dana Perez, Spectrum News, June 9, 2024
Brooklyn Councilmember Crystal Hudson talked about why it’s important to center efforts around the most marginalized communities in the city.
Hudson explained the hardships behind LGBT+ youth homelessness and what’s being done to help those struggling.
She also broke down what queer migrants are going through trying to seek asylum from bad conditions in their home countries.
Hudson closed with discussion over the recent pride event at the City Council to kick off Pride Month.
City councilwoman answers questions on Section 8 housing voucher
Spectrum News, June 4, 2024
A Brooklyn councilwoman said the number of New Yorkers who sign up for low-income housing could balloon more than it already has by the end of the week.
More than 100,000 people signed up for the Section 8 housing voucher waiting list in just the first nine hours after the application process went live Monday, city data shows.
Brooklyn Councilwoman Crystal Hudson believes that the number of signups could double or triple by the end of the week, when the period to apply for the housing voucher ends.
Despite that, Hudson encouraged anyone eligible and interested to apply for the program, which offers subsidies to eligible low-income families so they can rent in the private market.
“It’s not that complicated. It’s an online application, you can submit a paper application, but it’s a lot easier to do it online. Not everybody, unfortunately, has access to reliable internet, and not everybody can navigate the internet so easily,” Hudson said during an interview on “Mornings on 1.”
With that in mind, Hudson is hosting a Section 8 clinic Wednesday, opening the doors of her office from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to allow for one-on-one appointments for people to sit with her team to fill out applications.
To learn more about the Section 8 application process, go to here.
Council passes bills to fortify parking garage safety
Annie McDonough, City & State, May 23, 2024
Just over a year after a parking garage across from City Hall collapsed, killing the garage manager, the New York City Council passed a package of legislation aimed at fortifying garages across the city against negligent care and structural risks.
One bill sponsored by Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers will require the city Department of Building to conduct a study of the structural state of a sample of garages across the city, beyond the regular inspections they already receive. The bill will help determine a baseline for how widespread structural issues are, Brooks-Powers said.
Another bill, sponsored by Council Member Crystal Hudson, will actually make those regular inspections more frequent, going from once every six years to once every four years.
And a third bill, sponsored by Council Member Amanda Farías, would increase penalties for violations issued to owners of parking garages.
“It’s the government’s responsibility to guarantee the integrity of the infrastructure that shapes our communities, and that certainly includes parking structures,” Hudson said at a press conference.
New York City Council reforms parking garage regulations in wake of collapse
Henry Rosoff, PIX 11, May 23, 2024
The city council changed the way thousands of parking structures around the city are regulated.
It comes after that fatal garage collapse on Ann Street more than a year ago.
Survivors reunited with heroic rescuers at FDNY’s 28th Second Chance Ceremony
Councilmembers Crystal Hudson and Amanda Farias spoke exclusively to PIX11 News at the site of the Ann Street garage Thursday shortly before the City Council reformed the way parking structures are inspected– and, if necessary– fined if safety violations are discovered.
“You walk by the structures every day, and you don’t spend any time thinking something like this could happen,” Farias said before Hudson continued: “That’s why these bills are so important because we know our infrastructure is dated, but we also trust when we are parking our cars, and going to our homes, and walking down the street, the buildings are not going to collapse around us.”
Hudson’s bill means garages will get inspected every four years instead of every six. Democratic Majority Leader Farrias’s legislation will double the penalties for various safety violations.
A third bill would require the Department of Buildings (DOB) to conduct a load-bearing capacity study for all parking garages. It will look at age, materials, and structural design.
NYC lawmakers warn of ‘crisis’ for older New Yorkers if Adams’ cuts go through
Gothamist, Giulia Heyward, May 19, 2024
Dozens of centers for older adults in New York City could close and meal programs could be diminished if budget cuts proposed by Mayor Eric Adams go through, senior advocates and councilmembers warn.
The city’s Department of the Aging is looking at a $28 million cut from last fiscal year in its $494 million budget proposed by the mayor in the latest round of budget negotiations. City lawmakers have asked for an additional $78.2 million to fund meal programs, non-profit senior centers and other services for older New Yorkers.
“The Council is especially troubled in this case that the administration, once again, put precisely zero dollars in response to our proposals,” Council finance chair Justin Brannan said during a budget hearing Friday. “We identified over $1 billion that the mayor’s preliminary budget left off the table, which could keep key resources like our older adult centers open, while fully insuring us against economic hazards.”
New York City is home to roughly 1.8 million residents age 65 or older — or more than 25 percent of the city’s population — according to city officials, though advocates and councilmembers point out the Department of the Aging budget accounts for less than half of 1% of the city’s $112 billion budget.
Elderly New Yorkers Throng City Hall to Protest Proposed Cuts to Senior Centers
Katie Honan, The City, May 16, 2024
Hundreds of older New Yorkers rallied outside City Hall to protest cuts to the city’s Department for the Aging, which could shutter dozens of senior centers and reduce services like meal delivery.
The agency, which had its budget slashed by $20 million last year, faces an additional $80 million in cuts in the budget City Hall has proposed for the coming fiscal year.
Hundreds of people thronged Broadway on Thursday, and many booed Mayor Eric Adams when he was mentioned. The City Council will be holding a hearing on the Department of Aging’s budget Friday.
“We agree with you,” Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said to the crowd as they chanted “no more cuts.”
Senior advocates pointed out that the Department for the Aging represents a small portion of overall city spending.
“The agency’s budget represents less than one half of one percent of the city’s entire budget, but the mayor has remained intent on slashing funding for the agency,” Brooklyn City Councilmember Crystal Hudson, who chairs the Committee on Aging, wrote in an email to constituents.
At the rally, she decried “indiscriminate budget cuts to the programs that keep our communities afloat.”
Chris Janaro, City Limits, May 8, 2024
Frustrated with the piecemeal approach to development in her district, a city councilmember introduced a comprehensive framework for developers that she hopes could guide projects across the city and set a precedent for her peers.
On a rainy Friday afternoon in mid-April, Councilmember Crystal Hudson convened a press conference at the Brooklyn Public Library to unveil her framework for projects that require a zoning change in Council District 35, which spans Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights and part of Bed-Stuy.
Designed to complement the traditional Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), it offers developers two tracks of criteria that residential projects should meet if they need city approval for increased density, height or other zoning changes.
Kirstyn Brendlen, Brooklyn Paper, May 8, 2024
Thousands of migrants are living in shelters in Council Member Crystal Hudson’s district, and they – and the neighborhoods they’re located in – need more help from the city government, Hudson said in a May 6 open letter to Mayor Eric Adams.
Hudson said her community has received “no material support” from City Hall. Her office and a host of local community organizations have stepped up to raise money, gather supplies, and provide resources for the roughly 4,000 migrants living in two Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers in District 35, she wrote, but it’s not enough.
“Despite our shared efforts, the reality is that an influx in the population requires an increase in the resources our communities need,” Hudson wrote. “More people means more trash, greater use of public facilities like parks, and more neighborly disputes around issues like noise or loitering. My office and my neighbors have been asking for your assistance for the better part of a year to no avail.”
4,000 newly arrived asylum seekers making new life in Clinton Hill
Cory McGinnis, PIX 11, May 6, 2024
New York City Councilmember Crystal Hudson is pleading for Mayor Eric Adams’ support in addressing the strain a large migrant shelter has placed on the Clinton Hill community.
“It’s not about politics,” Hudson said. “It’s about the significant strain on the existing community” caused by the influx of over 4,000 new residents.
Residents have reported issues with increased trash, abandoned vehicles, and loitering.
Hudson’s team has struggled to address these concerns without support from the Mayor’s office. They requested resources like vaccination buses and town halls but received “no meaningful response.”
“We’re asking now, at this point, for him to commit to coming to the community and doing a town hall,” Hudson said.
Builders Need to Follow a New Land Use, Development Framework in District 35
BK Reader, April 17, 2024
Council Member Crystal Hudson released a new framework on Friday to ensure transparent and equitable decisions are made around land use and development in District 35, covering Prospect Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Crown Heights.
The nonprofit Hester Street developed a community-led framework that Hudson will use to evaluate proposed projects going through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), according to a news release.
The framework can be used by community members as an accountability mechanism to ensure their priorities are considered in the early phases of development; by the Council Member’s office as a checklist to ensure that community needs are integrated into new development; and by developers as a guide to understand the types of development that residents demand.
Brooklyn councilmember talks about affordable housing
Errol Louis, NY1, April 10, 2024
State and city lawmakers have been wrapped up in budget negotiations, with housing taking center stage.
In the city, advocates warn numerous families will be displaced if more affordable housing isn’t built soon.
One councilmember has developed a new framework to guide new projects in neighborhoods.
Brooklyn Councilwoman Crystal Hudson, who’s chair on the Committee on Aging, joined NY1 political anchor Errol Louis on “Inside City Hall” Wednesday to discuss her framework.
Her district includes the neighborhoods of Prospect Heights, Fort Greene, Crown Heights and Clinton Hill.
“I think what folks have seen is a lot of individual developments going up one by one without a real consideration for the broader context for that particular neighborhood and certainly not for the entire district,” Hudson said. “We have launched this effort to, in some ways, put the power back in the people’s hands and i think also to provide an opportunity for people to provide a much larger and meaningful say in the type of developments that come into our neighborhoods.”
Eric Adams Vetoes Law-Enforcement Reforms in Standoff With City Council
Nia Prater, New York Magazine, January 19, 2024
Since its passage last year, Eric Adams has made no secret of his opposition to a City Council measure that would require police officers to further document lower-level stops of civilians. On Friday, the mayor officially announced that he would be vetoing the bill, reiterating his previous comments that the legislation would impede the ability of NYPD officers to do their jobs.
Intro. 586-A, part of a package referred to as the How Many Stops Act, would requires officers to provide reports on Level One and Two stops, encounters that don’t require a “reasonable suspicion” that a crime has occurred or is occurring. Last December, the legislation was passed by the City Council with a 35-9 vote, a vetoproof majority.
Families of People Killed by NYPD Brace for Eric Adams to Veto Criminal Justice Reform Bills
Akela Lacy, The Intercept, January 18, 2024
A small group of organizers rallied outside of New York City Hall on Wednesday to call on Mayor Eric Adams not to veto a series of bills that would ban the use of solitary confinement in city jails and increase oversight over police stops and searches.
The push by grassroots reform groups to ban solitary confinement comes in response to a surge in recent years of deaths in city jails, including several cases of people who had been detained in solitary confinement. Families of people killed as a result of stops by New York Police Department officers have also urged the mayor to sign the policing measures into law.
Advocates and officials working on the reforms expect Adams, who has publicly opposed the bills, to veto at least two of the measures this week. He has until Friday to do so, or the measures will pass into law.
The battle pits a pro-police mayor, an NYPD veteran himself, against a progressive City Council, which approved the three bills last month by large margins during its last meeting of 2023. The fight is the latest in a well-trod pattern of centrist Democrats or Republicans fighting back against popular and democratically enacted welfare reforms. In New York, City Council leaders and members said they have the votes to override the mayor’s veto.
“We are prepared to override the mayor’s veto,” council member Crystal Hudson, who sponsored a bill to strengthen laws around consenting to a search, told The Intercept. “The City Council is the city’s legislative body. The body has spoken.” The council would have 30 days from a mayoral veto to issue an override.
NYC Council passes resolution supporting parole reforms amid growing advocacy
Robert Abruzzese, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 28, 2023
The New York City Council has taken a significant step towards criminal justice reform by passing a resolution which urges the New York State Legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul to enact the Fair & Timely Parole and Elder Parole bills.
These reform measures aim to modernize the parole system by providing individualized, case-by-case evaluations for parole supervision of inmates in New York State prisons, particularly benefiting older and long-term incarcerated individuals.
Watership down: Why are we always fighting for NYC libraries?
Ariama Long, Amsterdam News, December 21, 2023
Libraries are considered safe spaces for virtually all communities––seniors, homeless individuals, students and working families. They store rare collections and artifacts, provide free research materials and safe study space, offer educational and English language courses, access to the internet, and provide computer and job training. For lower-income, Black, brown, or immigrant communities these things are crucial to survival.
To protest the loss of library services due to city budget cuts, totaling $46 million this year, book lovers came together in Brooklyn this past weekend to hold a candlelight vigil.
The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), The New York Public Library (NYPL), and Queens Public Library (QPL) leadership in a joint statement said that public libraries provide vital services that are a lifeline for many New Yorkers. Despite cuts, they remain committed to continuing to serve communities as best they can in challenging times.
Thousands Of Turkeys Handed Out In Brooklyn Ahead Of Thanksgiving
Emily Rahhal, Patch, November 22, 2023
As Brooklynites pop their turkeys in the oven and deep frier, locals also carved out time to spread the love, and food, this holiday season.
Electeds, businesses and locals passed out thousands of turkeys and other Thanksgiving fixings ahead of Thursday’s holiday. Here’s a look at some of the events over the last week.
Salvation Army kicked off a two-day turkey giveaway in Bensonhurst to pass out 200 turkeys at the community center on 18th Avenue between 73rd and 74th Streets.
The giveaway was scheduled to return to the community center for a second day between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. Wednesday.
“Thanksgiving is a week away, and many New York families are struggling to put food on their tables,” a representative of the organization said. “Thanks to this event, local families in need can enjoy a meal at their Thanksgiving dinner.”
In Bushwick, Borough President Antonio Reynoso teamed up with City Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez and state Sen. Julia Salazar to pass out 400 turkeys and 140 chickens from I.S. 347 Magnet School for Humanities.
The representatives doled out the poultry Tuesday, just in time for the holiday.
On Saturday, City Council Member Crystal Hudson went “bigger” with a festive giveaway including “MORE turkeys, boxes of fix-ins, and bundles of fresh produce than we did last year,” Hudson said.
In total, the council member’s office handed out a whopping 1,500 turkeys, Hudson said in an Instagram post.
“It takes a village, and I’m so grateful for ours,” Hudson said.
City Council votes to establish commission on LGBTQ older adults
Dashiell Allen, Gay City News, November 16, 2023
The New York City Council on Nov. 15 passed a bill to establish a commission within the Department of Aging to study and make recommendations to meet the needs of LGBTQ older people living in NYC.
The bill, Int. 564, was spearheaded by LGBTQIA+ Caucus Co-Chairs Councilmembers Tiffany Cabán and Crystal Hudson, though Cabán is the lead sponsor. It’s one of several policies proposed in The Marsha & Sylvia Plan, which the Caucus released in June.
Int. 564 states the commission would “analyze and study the health, housing, financial, psychosocial, home-and-community-based services, assisted living and long-term care needs of LGBTQIA+ older adults and their caregivers.”
Every city lawmaker who voted on the bill approved it, though five councilmembers were absent — including LGBTQIA+ Caucus member Erik Bottcher of Manhattan. Another member of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus, Kristin Richardson Jordan of Manhattan, missed the vote due to medical reasons.
The Marsha & Sylvia Plan highlights the need to build more housing for LGBTQ elders, provide free sexual health and wellness programming, and conduct outreach to HIV-affected older people. It also notes that New York City’s older adult population is projected to increase 41% by 2040.
Why the New York City floods should be a wake-up call
Scott Dance, The Washington Post, October 6, 2023
When Shekar Krishnan walked his young children to school in a downpour Sept. 29, confronted by flooded streets, his mind went to worrying about the estimated 100,000 residents of illegal basement apartments across New York City. During tropical rains in 2021, 11 people in the city councilman’s home borough of Queens drowned in their homes, and now, nearly as much water was falling, and nearly as quickly.
But this time, no one died. Firefighters rescued residents trapped in half a dozen basements, but otherwise, the storm’s toll was limited to buildings and property, as well as the city’s dense transportation network, once again brought to a waterlogged standstill.
What made the difference?
“Sheer luck,” if you ask Krishnan, a Democrat who represents the Elmhurst and Jackson Heights neighborhoods of Queens.
Dense Housing, Job Creation Prioritized in Community-Led Plan for Atlantic Avenue Rezoning
Anna Bradley-Smith, Brownstoner, August 30, 2023
A report released Tuesday by Crown Heights Council Member Crystal Hudson and the Department of City Planning details how locals want to see development play out around an industrial corridor of Atlantic Avenue largely in Crown Heights. If adopted, it would lead to a dramatic transformation of the area with new mixed-used but largely residential high-rise developments.
The Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan Community Vision and Priorities 2023 report springboards off the more than decade-old Community Board 8-led M-CROWN rezoning plan, which sought to protect manufacturing and jobs in the largely industrial area between Vanderbilt and Nostrand avenues and Bergen Street while allowing for some residential development.
Brooklynites Push for Safer Streets, Affordable Housing in Atlantic Avenue Rezoning
Rebecca Baird-Remba, Commercial Observer, August 30, 2023
The desires of long-suffering residents in one of Brooklyn’s fastest gentrifying neighborhoods are finally being heard.
After several months of meetings about rezoning the industrial borderlands of Crown Heights and Prospect Heights for residential development, the Department of City Planning has released a report detailing what central Brooklynites want from the city as part of the process, including pedestrian upgrades along Atlantic Avenue, better homeless services and more affordable housing.
The project — formerly known as M-CROWN but now called the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan (AAMUP) — hopes to transform 13 blocks between Atlantic Avenue, Vanderbilt Avenue and Nostrand Avenue from a mix of low-slung commercial buildings and retail into housing, green space and modern commercial, industrial and community facility spaces.
“The AAMUP rezoning has been a long time in the making,” said Crystal Hudson, the City Council member representing Brooklyn’s District 35. “For more than a decade, the community surrounding Atlantic Avenue has called for a new vision for this dangerous corridor that delivers more deeply affordable housing, increased investments in the area’s local economy, safer streets, and greater consideration of local infrastructure needs.”
Ximena Del Cerro, Brooklyn Paper, August 17, 2023
In with the new. As New York City faces an ongoing housing crisis, a parking lot that sits in Prospect Heights keeping a handful of cars owned by the city off the street, will become a housing development for homeless and low-income seniors.
The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development selected Jobe Development Corp. to convert the 17,145 square-foot parking lot on 542 Dean St. into an all-affordable housing development. Given the location, the new homes will be connected to health and wellness amenities, social services, community facilities and open recreational spaces.
The redevelopment is part of the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan. Neighboring blocks in Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant will feature new developments with housing, retail, commercial and industrial spaces — and safer, more pedestrian-friendly streets. During the community outreach for AAMUP, Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy residents indicated a desire that the city prioritize creating 100% affordable housing on public, city-owned sites, according to HPD. Terms of purpose for HPD developments will last for at least 30 years.
New rules for NYC parking garages introduced in the City Council
Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, August 3, 2023
Four months after the dramatic collapse of a lower Manhattan parking garage that killed one and left five injured, the New York City Council is introducing a slate of new bills to address garage safety.
If passed, the package of five bills would mandate weight restrictions for parking garage levels, require more frequent inspections, raise fines for garage owners in breach of regulations, create an inspection checklist for garage owners and require a study on the load bearing capacity of parking structures.
Council passes bills to report on trans incarcerated population and protect gender-affirming care
Matt Tracy, Gay City News, July 13, 2023
The New York City Council on July 13 voted to approve two pieces of legislation intended to protect transgender individuals, including a bill requiring the Department of Correction (DOC) to report on information pertaining to trans people in custody.
City lawmakers also voted for a separate bill barring the city from cooperating with out-of-state investigations related to gender-affirming care, backing up an executive order signed by Mayor Eric Adams last month and complementing a state-based law of the same nature that was signed by Governor Kathy Hochul on Pride Sunday in New York City.
The New York City Council on July 13 voted to approve two pieces of legislation intended to protect transgender individuals, including a bill requiring the Department of Correction to report on information pertaining to trans people in custody.
The DOC bill, which passed out of the Health Committee on July 13 in unanimous fashion, was approved by the full City Council later that same day. The legislation requires the DOC to report on information pertaining to those in custody whose gender identity is not aligned with the one they were assigned at birth. The legislation stipulates that the DOC must report on housing placements as well as when individuals request to be housed in accordance with their gender identity but are rejected.
The bill calls for the commissioner to submit the report — which would contain information including the number of trans people in custody and their housing settings — to the mayor, the City Council speaker, and the public advocate, and to post it online.
Street in Crown Heights co-named after ‘Carnival Queen’ Joyce Quamina
Nelson King, Caribbean Life, June 28, 2023
In picture-perfect weather, family, friends, carnival organizers and lovers, soca artistes and elected officials were on hand Saturday for the co-naming ceremony of a street in Crown Heights, Brooklyn after renowned Trinidadian “Carnival Queen” Joyce Quamina, a long-standing treasurer of the Brooklyn-based West Indian-American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA), organizer of the annual, massive West Indian American Day Carnival Parade on Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway.
The street at President Street and Nostrand Avenue was co-named Joyce Quamina’s Way after a 1 ½-hour-long ceremony at the corner of President Street and Nostrand Avenue that featured, among other things, speeches, soca and steelpan music, costume displays and Stilt Dancers.
Quamina, one of the former stalwart executive members of WIADCA and a long-time Brooklyn resident, died on March 1, 2022 – incidentally, the same day as “Carnival Tuesday” in Trinidad and Tobago – at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside, Long Is., her only daughter Michelle Quamina told Caribbean Life. She was 85.
City Council Member Crystal Hudson, the representative for the 35th Council District that encompasses Crown Heights, described Quamina as “a titan in her field who was known and beloved by many in Crown Heights and across Brooklyn.”
But Hudson, the daughter of Jamaican and Honduran immigrants, first thanked pre-eminent Grenadian-born entertainment promoter Derek Ventour, a Brooklyn resident, “who has shepherded this co-naming from start to finish.
“He presented before Community Board 9, worked with my staff to collect all the information necessary, and is a major reason we are all here today,” she said. “Please show Derek some love.”
Hudson said “there may have been no single individual who embodied this (Caribbean culture and heritage) more than Joyce, our ‘Carnival Queen’.
Crown Heights Street Named After Late ‘Carnival Queen’
Emily Rahhal, Patch, June 26, 2023
After four decades of work preserving and promoting Caribbean culture in Brooklyn, Joyce Quamina’s legacy will be forever memorialized on President Street and Nostrand Avenue.
After a ceremony Saturday afternoon, the intersection is now known as “Joyce Quamina’s Way,” recognizing the late local’s dedication to the West Indian American Day Carnival Association and the Crown Heights community.
“She’d be smiling and she’d say ‘oh god!’… in her Trinidad voice,” Quamina’s daughter told News 12.
The renaming process, meant to honor people who have made “extraordinary” contributions to a community for 10 years, was hugely expedited, Council Member Crystal Hudson told to News 12. The process that normally takes two to three years took only 6 months.
Quamina, who died in 2022 at 85-years-old, is credited with spearheading beloved local traditions, like Children’s Carnival, and a steelband fundraiser and Brooklyn’s Boys and Girls High School.
Marcia Kramer, CBS News, June 25, 2023
It’s Pride Month and New York City lawmakers are seeking equitable treatment for the LGBTQ+ community.
Around the country, 14 states are considering anti-drag show legislation, there are more than 120 anti-trans bills in state legislatures, and 19 states have laws restricting gender-affirming care.
Tiffany Caban and Crystal Hudson, co-chairs of the New York City Council LGBTQIA+ Caucus, discussed an apparent rise in hate in the city and said Elon Musk was wrong to declare “cisgender” a slur on Twitter.
Caban and Hudson responded to Mayor Eric Adams’ sweeping veto of a package of bills that increase aid to homeless New Yorkers. While Adams said the bills were too expensive, Hudson said she’s confident the City Council will override his veto.
Joyce Quamina Way: Crown Heights street renamed in honor of influential resident
News 12 Staff, June 24, 2023
A street in Crown Heights was renamed as a tribute to the life and legacy of beloved Brooklyn resident Joyce Quamina. After moving to Brooklyn from Trinidad and Tobago in 1969, Quamina became known for taking on many active roles in the community. In addition to her work with the West Indian American Day Carnival Association, she also started programs like the Children’s Carnival and developed Youth Fest in Brooklyn.
Quamina died in 2022. Her daughter says she would have been 85 years old. A street sign reading “Joyce Quamina Way” was unveiled at the Nostrand Avenue and President Street intersection on Saturday.
Attendees at the unveiling said the event was both a memorial and party celebrating Quamina’s life.
Quamina’s daughter says she hopes her mother’s legacy continues to inspire others to contribute to their communities.
Mayor Eric Adams vetoes 4 bills aimed at increasing aid to homeless New Yorkers, citing cost
Marcia Kramer, CBS News, June 23, 2023
Mayor Eric Adams vetoed four bills seeking to increase aid to homeless New Yorkers on Friday, setting up a showdown with the New York City Council amid tense negotiations over a new budget due June 30th.
First, the mayor cut the ribbon for a new public space project on Broadway, but it wasn’t his most momentous action of the day – by a longshot.
Shortly after, he vetoed a sweeping package of housing bills that would cost billions of dollars that the city cannot afford, he said.
“The bills not only create expectations among vulnerable New Yorkers that cannot be met, they also take aim at the wrong problem,” said a statement attributed to Adams.
Michael Gartland, New York Daily News, June 22, 2023
New Yorkers in need would soon be able to receive cash handouts from the city — with no strings attached.
A bill approved by the City Council on Thursday would permit the city to fund pilot programs that provide unconditional monetary assistance to people found eligible. Sponsored by Councilwoman Crystal Hudson (D-Brooklyn), the bill was approved with a 42-6 vote, with one Council member abstaining.
Eligibility requirements include residing in the city, and either having an annual gross income of no more than 80% of the area median income, or being a runaway or homeless youth.
“It makes it legal for the city to actually do this, to have a cash assistance program,” Hudson said of her bill Thursday afternoon.
She said the exact contours of the pilot program’s scope have yet to be determined, but that work would begin once the bill gets a final sign-off from Mayor Adams.
City Council considers bills to alleviate the harms of slavery
Sahalie Donaldson, City & State NY, June 15, 2023
The New York City Council recently introduced several measures aimed at reckoning with the history and impact of slavery on Black New Yorkers and city institutions, including legislation that could lead to the removal of artwork depicting people who participated in slavery or committed other crimes against humanity.
The package of four bills – which also included a measure that would create a task force to consider reparations – comes just ahead of Juneteenth and as the state continues to wrestle with how to address the lingering impacts of slavery and systemic racism. Even in New York City, the vestiges of slavery can be found all over the five boroughs. For example, Stuyvesant High School, Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village and Bedford-Stuyvesant are named for Peter Stuyvesant, a prominent figure in city history who enslaved 15 to 30 people in the 17th century. Many city streets, neighborhoods, and subway stations bear similar ties to other individuals.
Spirited Brooklyn Pride festivities draw families and big crowds
Matt Tracy, Gay City News, June 11, 2023
Out with the smoke, in with the rainbows!
After Canadian fire smoke blanketed the five boroughs earlier in the week, Brooklynites of all ages stepped outside and swarmed Fifth Avenue on June 10 for the annual Brooklyn Pride festival and twilight march.
There was a noticeably larger crowd along Fifth Avenue than in recent years when many events were subdued due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some people watched the march from the curb, while others planted their lawn chairs on the perimeter or simply stood and cheered. Several locals waved Rainbow Flags from their windows or fire escapes.
City Council bill would establish protections for sex workers
Matt Tracy, Gay City News, June 9, 2023
Some members of the New York City Council are proposing legislation to establish protections for sex workers and steer resources to organizations serving them.
The bill, which was officially introduced on June 8 following the release of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus’ new comprehensive policy platform, would create a program to award grants to community groups working with sex workers, establish a board to support sex workers and inform them of their rights in the workplace, ban housing discrimination based on whether a prospective tenant has engaged in sex work, and more.
UPRISING: City Council celebrates honorees for LGBTQIA+ pride month
Ariama C. Long, Amsterdam News, June 8, 2023
The New York City Council LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and more) Caucus hosted a pride night at City Hall, honoring long-standing queer activists in the city.
The evening’s events were led by Co-Chairs and Councilmembers Crystal Hudson and Tiffany Cabán, and Speaker Adrienne Adams.
“We celebrate pride to uplift LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers and ensure that they are seen in their fullness. As a government we must be unapologetic in our pursuit of safety and equal rights for all,” said Adams. “That is our purpose, so that everyone can be exactly who we are, especially when trans rights are under attack across the country.”
The caucus honored three Black queer leaders: the Chief Strategy Officer for Hetrick-Martin Institute Soraya Elcock, Reverend Crone Goddess Magora Kennedy, who was present at the first Stonewall Inn Uprising, and Founder and Executive Director for Destination Tomorrow Sean Coleman. They had two drag story hour performers read short children’s books about the pride parade as well.
City Council LGBTQ+ Caucus announces comprehensive plan to protect the gay community
Natalie Duddridge, CBS NY, June 7, 2023
As part of Pride Month, the City Council and the LGBTQ+ Caucus on Wednesday announced an overarching plan and a package of bills to protect the community.
It’s called the Marsha and Sylvia Plan, named after Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, leaders of the gay liberation movement that took place at Stonewall in 1969.
Organizers say its the first ever comprehensive plan covering a wide range of issues. It comes on the heels of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and legislation in other parts of the country.
“It’s addressing every single area from health care to housing to arts and culture to education. Every issue is an LGBTQIA+ issue,” Councilmember Crystal Hudson said.
“This package of legislation, as well as advocacy to invest into our queer spaces, is a stride in fighting to make sure that this city is one of the safest cities for LGBTQ people,” Councilmember Chi Osse said.
From the plan, there are dozens of bills that are all in different phases of passage.
City Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus unveils comprehensive policy plan
Matt Tracy, Gay City News, June 2, 2023
The City Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus kicked off Pride Month by releasing a comprehensive, multi-pronged policy agenda outlining legislative goals and recommendations on how the city can better serve LGBTQ constituents across the five boroughs.
The policy agenda, labeled as the Marsha and Sylvia Plan in honor of the late LGBTQ trailblazers Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, points to nine critical areas of need: arts and culture; education; government operations; health; housing and homelessness; older adults; public safety; sex work; and Youth and foster care. The agenda was put forth by members of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus, led by co-chairs Tiffany Cabán of Queens and Crystal Hudson of Brooklyn.
NYC set to slash millions in home delivered meals program for seniors
Giulia Heyward, Gothamist, May 15, 2023
The Adams administration is pushing to cut back on delivering meals to New York seniors, slashing millions of dollars of funding from the program. The move comes amid an anticipated boom in New Yorkers over 65, a population segment expected to outpace the growth of any other age group within the next couple of decades.
The administration plans to cut $5 million from its home-delivered meals program for seniors at the beginning of fiscal year 2024. It’ll be followed by another reduction of $7 million in the same time period, and a reduction of $5.6 million in each of the next three years, according to Council member Crystal Hudson, who represents parts of Brooklyn, including Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, and chairs the Council’s aging committee.
Seniors, city officials call on Mayor to stop budget cuts to senior programs
amNY, May 12, 2023
New York City’s senior community is calling for the mayor to not cut back on services that help seniors live their daily lives.
In his proposed budget, Mayor Eric Adams outlined over $12 million dollars in budget cuts directed toward the city’s aging sector’s congregate and home-delivered meals programs in a year. Of those cuts, $7 million would be cut for Older Adult Centers, $5 million would be cut for the home-delivered meals program, and there would be the elimination of the $1 additional one-time reimbursement rate for home-delivered meals for the 2024 fiscal year.
Led by LiveOn NY, over 400 seniors, as well as many of the city’s elected officials, gathered outside City Hall Park on May 11 to call for better budget contributions to the senior community, as well as cost of living adjustments for staff in those sectors.
“Mr. Mayor, do you hear us? Older New Yorkers are demanding a just budget—one that affirms our communities and strengthens the services and resources they rely on most,” said Council Member Crystal Hudson on Twitter. “Be sure, Mr. Mayor. Older New Yorkers vote, and they are watching.”
New York City Council members, advocates call for accountability in Jordan Neely’s death
Jennifer Bisram, CBS New York, May 11, 2023
It’s been over a week since Jordan Neely’s death was ruled a homicide, and Thursday, city leaders and advocates called for accountability, at times with tears in their eyes.
“Anybody on the subway train could have helped Jordan Neely, anybody,” New York City Council member Crystal Hudson said.
It was an emotional rally at City Hall Park.
“Whether we’re walking down the street minding our business, whether we’re just saying that we’re hungry, our life is on the line,” New York City Council member Selvena Brooks Powers said.
“It’s a dramatic experience that we’re seeing every single day. The support here has been great. Coming out here and talking about it and kind of letting those feelings go is a part of the coping mechanism that we are actually utilizing as well,” New York City Council member Kevin Riley said.
Council member, advocates criticize reduced city funding for senior meals
Annie McDonough, City & State, May 8, 2023
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has consistently said that his citywide savings initiatives – known as Programs to Eliminate the Gap – have been achieved without layoffs, furloughs or cutting services.
How, then, do these plans achieve billions in savings? One strategy is vacancy reductions, in which agencies eliminate currently vacant positions, sometimes in large numbers. In the latest round of budget cuts included in Adams’ executive budget for fiscal year 2024, city agencies more frequently identified savings through cost “re-estimates,” defined as an agency spending less on a program or service because it cost less than they expected.
But ahead of a new round of City Council budget hearings set to begin on Monday, some council members and advocates are arguing that some of those re-estimates could threaten the city’s ability to adequately provide a service that New Yorkers rely on – meal programs for older New Yorkers.
Pols and Neighbors Call For a Safer Franklin Avenue After Killing of Cycling Advocate
Julianne Cuba, Streetsblog NYC, May 5, 2023
The city must do a better job of protecting cyclists on Franklin Avenue, a local council member said in the mournful aftermath of Monday’s death of 39-year-old cyclist Adam Uster at the hands of a truck driver on the crucial Brooklyn route — where neighbors will hold a vigil and rally on Friday.
“On this particular corridor where we’ve just seen so much vehicular violence I think definitely having a protected bike lane would help save lives,” said Council Member Crystal Hudson (D-Fort Greene). “This is a tragic loss that could have been avoided. I hope his death does not go in vain.”
According to police and family, Uster — a cycling advocate and member of Transportation Alternatives with a passion for photography — was heading home from Wegmans with his bike trailer filled with groceries when he was struck by the driver of a flatbed truck at the corner of Franklin and Lexington avenues at about 11:30 a.m. Police, who did not release the driver’s name nor issued any summonses, said the investigation is ongoing.
Get Me In The Rat Zone, Says 200+ Prospect Heights Residents
Peter Senzamici, Patch, May 4, 2023
Prospect Heights has so many rats that, instead of the classic “birds and the bees” talk, parents are having the “please don’t play with the squished rat” chat.
And neighbors are fed up. At least a few hundred of them.
Over 200 Prospect Heights neighbors submitted testimony demanding the city recognize the neighborhood for what they claim it really is: one of the most rat-infested neighborhoods in the city.
Brooklyn high school leads pilot program training anti-bullying and harassment tactics for students
Sarah Belle Lin, amNY, May 3, 2023
High school students at a Brooklyn school are learning how to intervene when they see bullying and harassment at school and on the streets.
The Academy of Urban Planning and Engineering (AUPE), formerly Bushwick High School, has partnered with anti-bullying nonprofit Right to Be since last September to equip teachers with a curriculum that trains people how to be better bystanders when they witness a situation.
School Library, Garden Win Participatory Budget Funds In Brooklyn
Emily Rahhal, Patch, April 27, 2023
Four Central Brooklyn schools will share $1 million in public funding for library, school yard and other improvement projects after residents voted in this year’s participatory budgeting process.
Nearly 2,000 locals age 11 and older voted to fund school-related projects in Clinton Hill and Crown Heights, according to City Council Member Crystal Hudson.
P.S. 11 in Clinton Hill will receive the biggest share — $350,000 to upgrade its school yard, which has been damaged by years of construction, according to Hudson. The school yard is currently a concrete play area that is unsafe for students.
The “Unapologetic Quest” of the City Council’s Crystal Hudson
Brian Braiker, Brooklyn Magazine, April 24, 2023
Crystal Hudson didn’t initially intend to get into public service. The City Council member, who represents the 35th district, was in marketing for a decade, first for pro sports in Washington D.C., and then for Amtrak. But when Hudson’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she became her primary caregiver for eight years … and found herself navigating the byzantine bureaucratic systems for elderly and sick New Yorkers. Galvanized to make a difference, she went to work for the city where she served as deputy public advocate to Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and is a former aide to City Council Member Laurie Cumbo. She ran for office in 2021 on a platform that tackled issues around affordable housing, education, criminal justice reform, and elder care.
This week, Council Member Hudson, a third generation Brooklynite from Prospect Heights who represents her own neighborhood plus Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights and part of Bed-Stuy, joins us on “Brooklyn Magazine: The Podcast.” One of first open Black gay black women — and one of 20 members of the progressive caucus — on the City Council, Hudson joins the podcast to speak about her first year in office, her accomplishments, goals and challenges.
Revamping Atlantic Avenue: You May Have a Say in Brooklyn’s Transformation Plans
Romaissaa Benzizoune, BK Reader, April 18, 2023
What do you want Atlantic Avenue to look and feel like? What types of businesses do you want to see on the avenue? Are the housing options inclusive enough?
These are just a few of the questions New York City officials asked dozens of Brooklynites on April 16, at a walking tour of the area. The gathering was part of a community-based brainstorming process called the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan.
AAMUP aims to create an “inclusive, mixed-use” area along Atlantic Avenue and nearby blocks in Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy.
The plan’s objectives include facilitating the construction of affordable housing, providing additional space for jobs and services, improving pedestrian safety and investing in neighborhood enhancements, according to city documents.
Help Shape Central Brooklyn’s Land Use Policies
Emily Rahhal, Patch, April 18, 2023
Central Brooklyn residents will weigh in on the accessibility of community hubs, transit, businesses, parks and more in a new local participatory land use process.
City Council Member Crystal Hudson, who represents Crown and Prospect Heights, recently asked residents to fill out a survey to help electeds make decisions about land use and development.
The survey is part of a larger project to include community feedback in land use decisions, Hudson said in an update to locals Monday.
‘It’s baffling’: NYC proposes cuts to senior programs despite anticipated boom in population
Giulia Heyward, Gothamist, March 29, 2023
The Adams administration is considering more than $16 million in cuts to resources it provides to senior citizens across the five boroughs in the city’s budget next year. These reductions are coming at the same time that the number of New Yorkers over 65 is expected to exponentially increase – more than any other age group – in the immediate future.
Brooklyn Councilmember Crystal Hudson, a Democrat who chairs the Committee on Aging, called the anticipated cuts both “baffling” and “unconscionable.” On March 14, Hudson led a preliminary hearing that examined potential cuts to the budget of the city’s Department for the Aging that would affect New Yorkers 65 years and older.
Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus rips New York Post over coverage of Nashville shooter’s gender identity
Matt Tracy, Gay City News, March 28, 2023
The co-chairs of the New York City Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus blasted the New York Post on March 28 after the newspaper ran a cover story describing the Nashville school shooter as a “TRANSGENDER KILLER” who targeted a “CHRISTIAN SCHOOL”
The cover was published just hours after a March 27 school shooting in the Green Hills section of Nashville, Tennessee, where an individual entered the Covenant School and fatally shot three children and three adults. The shooter was fatally shot by police officers who responded to the scene.
After 1 Year In Office, Brooklyn City Council Rep Reflects On Policies
Emily Rahhal, Patch, March 22, 2023
After just over a year in office, Brooklyn City Council member Crystal Hudson reflected on and celebrated her office’s wins Tuesday, including protections for aging residents and tenants.
Hudson delivered her “State of the District” address Tuesday evening at Medgar Evers College, a “gem of an institution” just a few blocks away from where she held her inaugural ceremony just over a year ago, Hudson said. Hudson represents Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and part of Bed Stuy.
Attorney General James leads drag story hour ‘read-a-thon’ at LGBT Center
Matt Tracy, Gay City News, March 20, 2023
Attorney General Letitia James hosted a drag story hour “read-a-thon” at the LGBT Center in Manhattan on March 19, drawing supporters and some opponents who flashed signs outside of the venue.
“The recent rise in anti-LGBTQ+ protests, rhetoric, and policies has left New Yorkers — myself included — devastated and disappointed,” James said in a written statement after the event. “But I know better than anyone that when the choice is between love and hate, between joy and venom, New Yorkers will always choose love, and New Yorkers will always choose joy.”
Brooklyn Councilmember Crystal Hudson on progressive politics, budget talks
Errol Louis, NY1, March 14, 2023
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams delivered her State of the City address last week, touching on issues of affordable housing, the employment shortage in city agencies, and Rikers Island.
This comes as the council continues budget hearings.
Meanwhile, the council is going through some changes of its own with a shakeup within the progressive caucus, causing the group to shrink to just 20 members.
One of the remaining members, Councilmember Crystal Hudson, joined Errol Louis on “Inside City Hall” to discuss what it means to be a progressive, public safety, her work as the chair of the Committee on Aging, and the diverse constituencies of her district.
Her Brooklyn district includes the neighborhoods of Prospect Heights, Fort Greene, and parts of Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant.
What Does It Mean to Be a Progressive in New York City?
Jeffery C. Mays and Emma G. Fitzsimmons, The New York Times, February 17, 2023
In the summer of 2020, New York’s progressive movement looked more robust than ever before. The murder of George Floyd by the police led activists to occupy City Hall Park for a month and prompted the City Council to pass a budget that called for $1 billion in cuts to the New York Police Department.
It quickly became voguish for Democratic politicians, especially in New York City, to proclaim their progressive bona fides — and suddenly everybody was aligning themselves with the left.
So leaders of the City Council’s Progressive Caucus decided they needed to establish a litmus test: a “statement of principles” that called for a commitment to a lengthy agenda including universal early childhood education, affordable housing and, most controversially, a reduction in the Police Department at a time when major crime rose by 22 percent last year.
One year in office: Councilmember Crystal Hudson talks wins, losses, and her plans for the future
Ximena Del Cerro, Brooklyn Paper, February 8, 2023
Last year, a host of brand-new New York City councilmembers took their seats in City Hall for the very first time. Among them was councilmember Crystal Hudson of District 35, representing Prospect Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and parts of Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant. A former city government employee and the founder of a local mutual aid group, Hudson was elected in 2021 and became one of the first gay Black women ever to the council.
Now a little over a year into her first term — and facing the prospect of council elections this summer — Hudson is reflecting on her first 365 days in office: what she’s accomplished, what she’s learned, and what she’s planning for this year and the hopeful future terms to come.
Emily Davenport and Paul Frangipane, amNY, February 8, 2023
Community officials and advocates gathered at City Hall on Wednesday to call for legislation that would ensure more accountability and transparency from the New York City Police Department.
Organizations from around the city, including Communities United for Police Reform, joined Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Council members Alexa Avilés and Crystal Hudson to rally for the passage of the How Many Stops Act, which consists of two bills aiming to bring oversight and transparency to the NYPD’s interactions with the public.
“A lot of what happens, they’re saying they’re trying to deal with the violence going on but as we have seen for decades, simply adding more police and more aggressive police does not address the gun violence that is affecting so many of us in this city, state and country,” said Williams.
Rally outside City Hall calls for more transparency from NYPD
News 12 Staff, February 8, 2023
Following the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of police officers in Memphis, advocates and City Council members are calling on the NYPD to provide more transparency in their operations.
The reform advocates were joined by community organizations outside City Hall on Wednesday, demanding new legislation be passed that would force police to report more of their interactions with the public.
City Council members Crystal Hudson and Alexa Aviles are sponsoring the How Many Stops Act, with support from Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. The act would consist of two bills that they say would make communities safer.
City Council Members facing harassment and intimidation for drag story hour support
Jeff Coltin, City & State New York, February 3, 2023
Protests against drag story hours – and the New York City Council members who support them – have been happening with regularity, and not every incident gets press coverage. “They’ve come to my district 11 times in the last six months,” Council Member Shekar Krishnan said of the anti-LGBTQ activists. “Four times at my district office, twice at my house, four times at the library, and another LGBT event that we had, too.”
Krishnan and Council Members Crystal Hudson and Erik Bottcher got together at City Hall Thursday to talk about being targeted by far right hate groups, including the Proud Boys. Hudson, who like Bottcher, is gay, said it wasn’t protesting, but “harassment and intimidation” for supporting and funding the popular programs where drag artists read to children. “It was ringing my neighbor’s bell saying ‘is she in there, bring her out,’ screaming all sorts of things for hours.” Two people were arrested in December after trespassing into Bottcher’s building and tagging his home with homophobic graffiti.
Ethan Stark-Miller, AMNY, February 3, 2023
After being targeted at his office and home over the past few months by a group of far-right protesters vehemently opposed to Drag Story Hour events, City Council Member Erik Bottcher said Thursday that he’s looking to increase funding for the program in the coming fiscal year.
Bottcher, an out Democrat who represents Manhattan neighborhoods including the West Village and Chelsea, made the remarks during a sit-down interview on Thursday afternoon, in which he and his colleagues who’ve also been targeted — Council Members Crystal Hudson (D-Brooklyn) and Shekar Krishnan (D-Queens) — shared their experiences with reporters.
NYC Jails Want to Ban Physical Mail, Then Privatize Scanning of Digital Versions
Akela Lacy, The Intercept, January 23, 2023
The New York City Department of Correction wants to stop incarcerated people from receiving physical mail inside city jails. The department, known as DOC, said the proposed changes are part of an effort to increase safety in the jail system by cracking down on illegal contraband following the deaths of 19 people last year at Rikers Island, the city’s jail complex. Several of the people died from apparent drug overdoses, including at least one from fentanyl.
Top Electeds Honored Martin Luther King Jr in Poignant Annual Tribute at BAM
BK Reader, January 18, 2023
Local and state officials donned their best to take in Brooklyn’s annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Brooklyn Academy of Music hosted its annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Jan. 16, at the Howard Gilman Opera House.
The 37th annual event, presented by BAM and Brooklyn Borough president Antonio Reynoso, is a beloved Brooklyn tradition.
Kirstyn Brendlen, Brooklyn Paper, January 18, 2023
The city’s Board of Corrections has formed a committee to explore the consequences of a proposal that would effectively ban people held in city jails from receiving physical mail and packages, it announced at a Jan. 10 meeting.
Three members of the board, which oversees and monitors city jails and the Department of Corrections, will “focus on the impact of the proposed variances on the incarcerated population,” said BOC chair Dwayne C. Sampson. The committee — made up of BOC members Jacqueline Sherman, Jacqueline Pitts, and Joseph Ramos — will work to address the concerns of the board and of the general public before the next BOC meeting on Feb. 14, according to Sampson.
Community voices ideas, concerns about Atlantic Avenue development in Brooklyn
Greg Mocker, PIX 11, January 17, 2023
New housing and jobs are at the top of the list when new development projects are discussed.
How will new zoning proposals change a neighborhood? The conversation is coming to a stretch of Atlantic Avenue between Vanderbilt and Nostrand avenues.
New York City is moving ahead with the next big plan along the busy corridor in Brooklyn. A 13-block stretch runs through Bedford-Stuyvesant, Prospect Heights and Crown Heights.
Smart Composting Bins Appear in Prospect Heights, Delighting Neighbors
Peter Senzamici, Patch, January 17, 2023
Reinforcements have arrived in the war on rats — and for once, it’s not for the unwashed rodent horde.
Seven Smart Composting Bins appeared in Prospect Heights this morning, and neighbors were welcoming the apparition of public curbside 24/7 organic waste drop off with open arms.
One neighbor’s social media reaction: “AAAA!!”
Our Time Press, January 16, 2023
My name is Crystal Hudson, and I am your Council Member, proudly representing the neighborhoods of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Bed-Stuy, right here in the People’s Republic of Brooklyn. Thank you to BAM’s esteemed president, Gina Duncan, and to the incredible staff, who work tirelessly to ensure that the Brooklyn Academy of Music remains a true gem in our City and a place where all are welcome. It is an honor to represent this district for so many reasons, and BAM is most certainly one of them. Dr. King’s legacy is one marked by sustained struggle.
Drag Story Hour in Jackson Heights draws hundreds
Deirdre Bardolf, Queens Chronicle, January 5, 2023
Hundreds flooded 81st Street in front of the Jackson Heights library last Thursday to defend Drag Story Hour, a program in which drag artists read stories to kids, while some counter-protested opposite them.
Tensions were high as police separated protesters yelling in each other’s faces and one arrest took place but Drag Story Hour continued on despite the ruckus outside.
A chorus of outrage rings out against mayor’s proposed cuts to nonprofits
Ariama C. Long, Amsterdam News, December 29, 2022
Mayor Eric Adams is in hot water this holiday season over a letter he crafted that calls for 50% cuts to City Council grants for nonprofit organizations.
City agencies were told to reduce spending by 3% back in September under the eliminate-the-gap (PEG) program to reach specific goals in the city’s financial plan. The financial plan totals $5.55 billion in savings over the next four years. The comptroller’s office concluded that the PEG programs “are an essential part of addressing the city’s sizable budget gaps” but warned against “calls for a broad 50% reduction” to the city’s agencies.
E-Bikes Are Not Allowed in Prospect Park, But These Brooklyn Electeds Think They Should Be
BK Reader, December 28, 2022
Brooklyn council members Shahana Hanif, Rita Joseph and Crystal Hudson are urging New York City Parks to allow electric bikes in Prospect Park.
The council members penned a letter to NYC Parks Commissioner on Dec. 20, urging the parks department to work with Prospect Park Alliance to establish a policy that permits e-bike users. Their districts all include portions of Prospect Park.
NYC Mayor Adams, Council members clash on how to pay for costs from migrant crisis
Michael Gartland, New York Daily News, December 21, 2022
Mayor Adams and City Council members locked horns Wednesday over how city government should bankroll aid to the thousands of migrants who have come here this year — with the mayor arguing lawmakers should dip into their own discretionary funding to foot the bill.
Adams’ suggestion that City Council members use funding typically reserved for their own pet causes came after two days of Council hearings devoted to the migrant crisis.
Three Council Members Whose Districts Surround Prospect Park Demand the Return of E-Bikes
Gersh Kuntzman, StreetsBlog NYC, December 21, 2022
E-bikes aren’t evil.
Three Brooklyn Council members whose districts all touch Prospect Park are demanding that the Parks Department allow the battery-boosted bikes to be used inside the greenspace, which, like other city parks, don’t permit e-bikes.
The trio — Shahana Hanif (D-Park Slope), Crystal Hudson (D-Prospect Heights) and Rita Joseph (D-Prospect Lefferts Gardens — said in a letter to the agency that it acknowledged that Prospect Park officials have “safety concerns” about electric bikes, but then quickly added, “E-bikes are legal to ride on New York City streets and make moving around the city more accessible without adding more pollution and congestion to our streets and parks via cars or environmentally unfriendly forms of transportation.”
Adams’ First Two Neighborhood Rezonings Take Shape as Mayor Looks to Supercharge Development
David Brand, CityLimits, December 9, 2022
Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday released new details about the first two neighborhood-level rezonings pursued by his administration, positioning plans for the East Bronx and Central Brooklyn in a broader strategy to supercharge housing development across New York City.
The mixed-use rezonings, previously discussed by city planning and housing officials following years of preparation, will target neighborhoods around new Metro-North stations set to open in Morris Park and Parkchester/Van Nest in 2027, as well as a light manufacturing corridor along Atlantic Avenue.
Group of city councilmembers push for federal takeover of Rikers Island
Courtney Gross, NY1, November 16, 2022
At least seven City Council members are now urging a federal judge to appoint a receiver for Rikers Island. In a letter obtained exclusively by NY1, these lawmakers say Rikers Island has only become more deadly and the only way to turn things around would be through a federal takeover. Eighteen people in custody or recently released from custody have died this year. “Over the past 11 months, many of us have visited the jails and have held public and private meetings with the Department of Correction’s executive leadership. On these visits, we have continued to witness Rikers’ deteriorating conditions and spoken with dozens of detainees who experience a lack of basic services and safety precautions,” the councilmembers wrote. “Despite promises from leadership, the jails have grown more deadly and far less transparent.”
Prospect Heights Council Member Offers Free Turkeys And Music
Peter Senzamici, Patch, November 16, 2022
Come get your free turkey, courtesy of your local Council member! On Saturday, Nov. 19, first-term Council Member Crystal Hudson is hosting a free turkey giveaway from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Prospect Heights Educational Campus located at 883 Classon Ave. The announcement promises “all the fixins’” in addition to the seasonal birds.
Childcare bills signed into law
Ariama Long, Amsterdam News, November 17, 2022
Mayor Eric Adams signed a package of childcare bills into law last week sponsored by a majority woman city council. The bills address chronic issues with the city’s child care system and access to services. “No parent leaves home without their phone, their keys, and without knowing that their child has a proper place and well-being. COVID-19 really decimated families of far too many; they had to make some strong and challenging decisions,” said Mayor Adams at the signing on Wednesday, Nov. 9. “They have lost wages and childcare in the process. We understand that and we’re focused on rightsizing to get this right.”
Local Dems push for ranked choice voting
Jeff Hirsh, Evanston Now, October 26, 2022
Crystal Hudson may have been in first place, but she was still not officially “first,” at least not until New York City’s system of ranked choice voting was applied. Then she became the winner. Hudson was part of a webinar Tuesday night from the Democratic Party of Evanston, as DPOE tries to convince Evanstonians to change the way city officeholders are chosen. “Ranked choice voting is the way to go,” Hudson said, reflecting on her own experience running for New York’s City Council, saying the system “empowered” the voters.
New $500K Plan Recruits LGBTQ+ Workers For Unions Jobs: PH Elected
Peter Senzamici, Patch, October 7, 2022
Council member Crystal Hudson announced Friday a $500,000 initiative to help get more LGBTQIA+ workers at unionized positions, according to the lawmaker’s office. The initiative will help fund recruitment efforts at nonprofits and city agencies with the aim to get more LGBTQIA+ employed at union jobs. Funding will also prepare workers for jobs across different sectors — like building trades, pre-apprenticeships, civil service and certification exams — and provide support on the job, Hudson’s office said in a release.
Prospect Heights Hopes For Rat Help From New Council Member
Peter Senzamici, Patch, September 30, 2022
It’s not secret that rats are a major problem in this otherwise bucolic neighborhood. And finally, after years of community meetings — and dodging rats on the streets — residents say a meeting with their new council member left them with a sense of change. At the start of the meeting on Monday Sept. 26, residents were not quite seeing the light. Some told Patch that they felt frustrated by presentations on how 311 works and the basics of the Department of Health Rat Academy lessons.
Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus urges Yeshiva University to recognize Pride Alliance
Matt Tracy, Gay City News, September 28, 2022
Five members of the New York City Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus delivered a letter to Yeshiva University on September 27 demanding that the school recognize an undergraduate LGBTQ club on campus in the midst of a protracted legal battle over whether the school should be required to acknowledge the group.
“Simply put, your refusal to recognize this group is in blatant defiance of the spirit and letter of the New York City Human Rights Law,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter addressed to Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, who serves as Yeshiva University’s president. “As a non-sectarian educational institution, as indicated by your charter, Yeshiva University is not exempt from the human rights law and cannot deny recognition of a student group on the basis of religious freedom.”
Hudson, older NYers call for more age-in-place protections for seniors
Ariama Long, Amsterdam News, September 15, 2022
Data shows older adults represent New York City’s “fastest growing demographic.” Councilmember Crystal Hudson, The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), and other electeds joined forces to introduce bills that will help senior tenants age in place on Sept 7. At least 23 out of the 55 census defined neighborhoods citywide have a majority immigrant older adult population, said Hudson. She added that older New Yorkers, ages 50+, generally want to age in their homes and neighborhoods rather than institutional settings.
51 Council Members in 52 Weeks: District 35, Crystal Hudson
Brian Lehrer, WNYC, August 30, 2022
The majority of the New York City Council members are new and are part of a class that is the most diverse and progressive in city history. Over the next year Brian Lehrer will get to know all 51 members. This week, Councilmember Crystal Hudson, talks about her priorities for District 35, which includes Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights, Prospect Heights and Bedford Stuyvesant.
Brooklyn firehouse reflects diversity of community
Ayana Harry, PIX11, August 26, 2022
A group of Brooklyn firefighters was recognized on Friday. They hail from Engine 234, which holds the distinction as one of the most diverse fire companies in the FDNY. “We’re proud of that,” Capt. Paul Washington said. The fast-paced firehouse is stationed in the heart of Crown Heights. “Some of our members were born and raised in this community or surrounding areas so we have a special feeling for the neighborhood,” Washington said. PIX11 News was there as City Council member Crystal Hudson stopped by to recognize Engine 234, tour the firehouse and say thank you. “These are places that we don’t actually get into all the time, and that we don’t see necessarily who’s behind the uniform,” Hudson said. “To see all different types of people serving a community that looks like me — it is inspiring.”
City Council and LGBTQIA+ Caucus to introduce monkeypox bills
Ariama Long, Amsterdam News, August 15, 2022
Councilmembers Crystal Hudson, Chi Osse, and the LGBTQIA+ Caucus introduced a package of bills last week to address the monkeypox crisis as well as vaccination equity and public outreach, just as the COVID-19 pandemic recedes. “This City has had more than two years to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic; to study its missteps and put into place a rapid response plan to handle any future outbreaks of infectious disease effectively and efficiently,” said Hudson in a statement.
Brooklyn councilmembers propose new legislation on affordable housing, monkeypox response
Kirstyn Brendlen, Brooklyn Paper, August 12, 2022
Brooklyn councilmembers took the reins at Thursday’s regular full City Council meeting, introducing new packages of legislation relating to affordable housing, the monkeypox outbreak and more, and celebrating as their previously-written bills were approved by their colleagues. The Council on Aug. 10 overwhelmingly voted to approve a package of bills on reproductive health and maternal mortality. Four of the seven bills in the package were sponsored by Brooklyn pols, and the newly-approved legislation will create education programs, force more transparency between hospitals and birthing patients, and more.
Council passes package of reproductive health legislation, expanding doula and midwifery services
Ethan Stark-Miller, PoliticsNY, August 11, 2022
Building on their mission to counter the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning Roe v. Wade last month, the City Council Thursday passed a package of reproductive health and maternal mortality legislation following an abortion protections package they passed last month. The seven bill and five resolution package includes legislation requiring the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) to post its annual Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Report on its website and to provide doula services to low income communities across the five boroughs as well as direct the city to distribute educational information on doula and midwifery services.
LGBTQIA+ Caucus Members In BK Want To Close Monkeypox Vax Equity Gap
Naeisha Rose, Patch, August 11, 2022
The city is falling short on distributing the monkeypox vaccine, especially among queer minorities, a prominent Crown Heights Council Member charged this week. Crystal Hudson, co-chair of the Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus, plans to join her colleagues in introducing bills to stop the spread of the virus. The bills also aim to focus on people of color in the LGBT communities, who have long been ignored in past inaction, she said.
Astrid Martinez, CBS News, August 11, 2022
As cases of monkeypox increase across the country, so are the calls for a change in the way the vaccine is distributed. As CBS2’s Astrid Martinez reports, new legislation was introduced in New York by the City Council’s LGBTQ caucus Thursday. Emergency orders declared. Long lines of people waiting hours for a monkeypox vaccine. New York City residents detailing their struggles to get a shot.
Missing Crown Heights Teen Found After Week-Long Search, NYPD Says
Kayla Levy, Patch, August 4, 2022
After going missing for over a week and spurring a neighborhood-wide search effort, a Crown Heights teenager was found Thursday, officials confirmed. “Aunisty Elliot has been found and is safe!!!” announced Brooklyn Councilmember Crystal Hudson, who spearheaded the local search efforts. Police also confirmed she has been found and is safe. Elliot, 14, went missing from her Prospect Place home on the morning of July 27.
Brooklyn politician wants ‘urgency’ in search for teen
Mary Murphy, PIX11, August 3, 2022
The New York City Council member who represents central Brooklyn called on the NYPD to treat the disappearance of a 14-year-old girl last week with “urgency.” “We know that statistically, Black girls are labeled as runaways,” Council member Crystal Hudson observed, “even when, you know, there might be evidence of trafficking or other types of foul play.”
Brooklyn Electeds Introduce Bills to Provide No-Cost Doula Services for NY’ers
BK Reader, June 9, 2022
New York City Councilmembers Jennifer Gutiérrez, Farah Louis and Crystal Hudson last week introduced legislation to build a pipeline of no-cost professional doula services and an educational campaign across the city. “This country has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality among high-income countries, especially when it comes to women of color,” said Gutiérrez. “We know that when people use doulas during pregnancy and birth, they’re two times less likely to have birth complications and four times less likely to have a low birth weight baby. Those are life-saving statistics”
A Q&A with New York City Council LGBTQ Caucus Co-Chairs Tiffany Cabán and Crystal Hudson
Annie McDonough, City and State, June 7, 2022
New York City Council Members Tiffany Cabán and Crystal Hudson are looking to shake things up as co-chairs of the council’s LGBTQ Caucus – starting with its name. “We’re finalizing our bylaws, but the name of the caucus is formally being changed to the LGBTQIA+ Caucus,” Cabán told City & State recently. Transitioning to a more inclusive name might not achieve material gains for the community, but it’s indicative of the approach that the two co-chairs are taking to lead the caucus. While the co-chairs wouldn’t talk much about a package of bills that the caucus is working on, Cabán and Hudson said they were “unapologetic” in their intention to focus on the most at-risk members of the LGBTQ community, including transgender youth and seniors as well as queer people of color.
Brooklyn pol makes good on ‘Black Agenda’ campaign promise with 4 new bills
Kirstyn Brendlen, Brooklyn Paper, June 2, 2022
Councilmember Crystal Hudson made good on her campaign policy “A Black Agenda For New York City” on Thursday, introducing a package of bills central to the policy’s goals in the City Council. Hudson, who represents parts of Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, and Bedford-Stuyvesant, introduced the policy early on in her campaign, releasing a comprehensive study identifying the most pressing needs of Black New Yorkers and a list of recommendations for elected officials way back in February 2021. Now halfway through her first year in office, Hudson is taking her own advice and introducing four bills that address health, economic, housing and discrimination justice.
Council approves Atlantic Avenue buildings after Hudson negotiates more affordable units
Kirstyn Brendlen, Brooklyn Paper, May 2, 2022
The New York City Council voted 48-1 to approve a pair of new buildings on Atlantic Avenue on Thursday, a move Brooklyn Councilmember Crystal Hudson said would change the game for affordable housing in future rezonings.
Making NYC Age-Friendly: An ABC7 Town Hall with AARP
ABC 7, April 27, 2022
Channel 7 Eyewitness News anchor and reporter Mike Marza will moderate a discussion on the needs of older New Yorkers and NYC’s responsibilities to them. The panel will discuss a wide range of issues, including ageism, affordable housing, transportation, food security and more.
Ben Max, Gotham Gazette, April 25, 2022
City Council Member Crystal Hudson, a Democrat representing parts of Brooklyn, joined the show to discuss her work chairing the Council’s Committee on Aging, city budget priorities, housing policy, and more.
Bill aims to increase heat in NYC apartment buildings following deadly Bronx fire
Sonia Rincon, ABC 7, March 28, 2022
An effort is underway to require New York City apartment building landlords to turn up the heat during the coldest months of the year to help prevent devastating fires. The deadly fire back in January that killed 17 people in the Bronx, started with a space heater.
City Council eyes boosting minimum heat rules
Rich Calder, New York Post, March 26, 2022
The City Council is looking to turn up the heat on landlords. In a bid to reduce the use of space heaters like the one which caused the Bronx blaze in January that killed 17 people, Councilwoman Crystal Hudson (D-Brooklyn) introduced legislation that would require building owners to raise the minimum temperature in all residential units during the eight-month “heat season.”
NYC Council Member Crystal Hudson Inaugurated in Brooklyn
COLive, March 13, 2022
Crystal Hudson, the newly elected New York City Council Member of District 35, was sworn in to her new role at an Inauguration Ceremony on Saturday night in Brooklyn. Elected officials joined Hudson’s supporters, family, and friends for the celebration which included speakers New York Senator and the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Attorney General of New York Tish James, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
Councilwoman Crystal Hudson to co-chair LGBTQ caucus
Monica Espitia, NY1, March 10, 2022
Councilwoman Crystal Hudson was recently appointed co-chair of the LGBT Caucus, alongside Tiffany Cabán from Queens. She joined Errol Louis on “Inside City Hall” on Thursday to talk about some of her legislative priorities. Hudson is also the chair of the Council’s Committee on Aging and represents District 35, which covers all or part of Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights and Crown Heights.
NYC Councilmember Hudson talks Adams’ faith leader controversy
Dan Mannarino, PIX11, February 27, 2022
New York City Mayor Eric Adams continues to face criticism, even from within the Democratic Party, over a recent appointment. This past week, Adams named Bronx pastor Fernando Cabrera his senior faith advisor. Many City Council members, as well as New Yorkers, took issue with the appointment because of Cabrera’s past comments praising Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ policies.
‘Anti-Gay’ Mayoral Appointments ‘Disappoint’ Local LGBTQ Leader
Kayla Levy, Patch, February 22, 2022
An LGBTQ local leader spoke out against Mayor Eric Adams’ choice to appoint a pastor who rallied against gay marriage and a politician who praised a law criminalizing homosexuality to his administration. “As a member of the NYC Council’s LGBTQ Caucus, I am disappointed with a number of [Mayor Eric Adams’] appointments,” wrote Council Member Crystal Hudson, alongside a joint statement written by the City Council caucus.
Council’s LGBTQ Caucus Condemns Adams’ Appointments
Matt Tracy, Gay City News, February 21, 2022
The City Council’s LGBTQ Caucus criticized Mayor Eric Adams on February 21 over his appointment of several individuals with a history of making anti-LGBTQ statements to spots in his administration.
“New York City went to the polls in November to elect a government among the most diverse in history,” the LGBTQ Caucus wrote in a joint statement. “The people have spoken: inclusion, dignity, and justice are clear shared values. Unfortunately, a number of Mayor Adams’ new appointments are steps in the opposite direction.”
Bronx Fire Prompts Safety Walkthroughs At Crown Heights Buildings
BK Reader, February 5, 2022
A long list of repairs in three major Crown Heights apartment complexes are getting renewed attention given the fatal fire in the Bronx, which was caused by a faulty space heater. Tenant leaders in the Ebbets Field apartments, Tivoli Towers and Stoddard Place complexes led a group of elected officials on a tour through their buildings this week in the hopes of correcting long-standing problems, including heat issues, that have spurred even more concern given the January fire.
City Watch: New Brooklyn Councilmember Wants to Streamline Housing Aid
David Brand, CityLimits, February 2, 2022
Central Brooklyn’s newest councilmember is urging New York City and state to streamline assistance for renters in need as she settles into her first term in office amid an affordable housing shortage. Councilmember Crystal Hudson, who represents Brooklyn’s 35th District, appeared on City Watch on WBAI 99.5 FM Sunday to discuss her priorities for her first term in office. Hudson was appointed chair of the Council’s Committee on Aging earlier this month. She said one of her goals is to connect seniors with rental assistance and permanent housing after eviction protections expired Jan. 15.
13 Brooklyn Pols Appointed City Council Committee Chairs
Kirstyn Brendlen, Brooklyn Paper, January 21, 2022
The almost all-new slate of New York City councilmembers have been hard at work at City Hall for just about three weeks now, and on Thursday they received their committee assignments, setting the course for which issues they’ll champion over the next four years. The council’s 38 committees — or 39, including a new special task force on fire prevention, formed in the wake of the deadly Twin Parks fire — handle most of the Council’s day-to-day work, hashing out the details of proposed legislation, taking votes, and holding hearings to receive feedback from the community. A number of subcommittees, including the newly-formed Subcommittee on COVID Recovery and Resilience and the often popular Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, handle specific issues within their larger committees.
Queer Councilmembers Secure Committee Assignments
Matt Tracy, Gay City News, January 20, 2022
The seven new members of the City Council’s LGBT Caucus have received their committee assignments under City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and several of them have been tapped to serve as committee chairs. Crystal Hudson will chair the Aging Committee; Chi Ossé will lead the Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations Committee; Lynn Schulman will be chair of the Health Committee; and Tiffany Cabán will chair the Committee on Women and Gender Equity.