FEDERAL COURT ORDERS HOUSES OF WORSHIP TO RESUME MEETINGS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Congratulations to our elected officials that protected our houses of worship from being evicted from public school buildings. The leaders of the DOE need to understand that this nation still believes in a higher power. Shame on them for trying to impose their elitist agenda against the will of the majority. How could our educators have gotten it so wrong?

Gregory

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WHO: Council Member Fernando Cabrera & Bronx Household of Faith

WHAT: Federal District Court halts eviction of houses of worship meeting for worship services
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 24, 2012

WHERE: New York, NY

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NEW YORK — In the latest twist of Bronx Household of Faith vs. Board of Education, Bronx Household of Faith attorneys won a court order Friday that allows churches to continue meeting for worship services in New York City public schools while a lawsuit against the city continues.

New York City Council Member Fernando Cabrera who has played an important role in protesting against the City’s policy and who introduced Resolution 1155 in the New York City Council, urging the state legislature to act to repeal this policy, is hopeful about the preliminary injunction. He believes it should push the New York State legislature to act.

“The New York State Assembly should wait no longer,” said Council Member Fernando Cabrera. “Speaker Sheldon Silver expressed concerns about the bill and now it is sufficiently evident that there are indisputable grounds to repeal this policy. The bill has 74 formal co-sponsors in the assembly, and others who support it. If it were brought to the floor today, it would pass. I urge Speaker Sheldon Silver to bring this bill to the floor for a vote.” A bill that would compel the city’s Department of Education to allow the worship services passed the state senate this month and is awaiting action by the state assembly.

The preliminary injunction against the city’s unique-in-the-nation prohibition on worship services in vacant public school buildings on weekends comes on the heels of a temporary order that allowed the Bronx Household of Faith to meet for 10 days.

Bronx Household of Faith sought the injunction on Feb. 3 from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to stop the evictions based on violations of the First Amendment that had not been ruled on previously in the case, Bronx Household of Faith v. Board of Education of the City of New York.

“In this Court’s view, losing one’s right to exercise freely and fully his or her religious beliefs is a greater threat to our democratic society than a misperceived violation of the Establishment Clause,” the court wrote in its opinion accompanying the order.

NYS SENATE PASSES RIGHT TO WORSHIP BILL 6087A, CABRERA COMMENTS

Here is an update from NYC Councilman Cabrera on Bill 6087 that just passed in the State Senate. The Assembly vote is still pending.

Gregory

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WHO: NYC Council Member Fernando Cabrera

WHAT: Cabrera lauds New York State Senate for passing a bill that would allow Houses of Worship to rent from schools

WHEN: February 6, 2012

WHERE: Albany, NY

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NEW YORK — Despite heavy and unprecedented lobbying from the Bloomberg Administration, the New York State Senate overwhelmingly approved Senate Bill S6087 which amends education law in relation to authorizing religious meetings and worship in school buildings and school sites. When asked to comment on the bill, one of its leading supporters, Pastor and New York City Council Member Fernando Cabrera responded by saying:

“Today was a real testament to the power of bipartisan leadership but now, we need the same leadership and bipartisan example showed by the Assembly. We now call on speaker Silver to follow the example of the Republican lead senate, to stand for houses of worship poor communities.”

Councilman Fernando Cabrera has served the 14th Council District of the Bronx since January 2010 and as senior pastor for New Life Outreach International in the Bronx since 1988.

PRAYER RALLY DURING MAYOR BLOOMBERG'S STATE OF THE CITY"S ADDRESS, OPPOSING THE CITY’S DECISION TO EVICT HOUSES OF WORSHIP FROM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

For more on the battle brewing on the issue related to "Houses of Worship" renting space from public schools, please see the information posted below.

Gregory
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WHO: New York City Councilman Fernando Cabrera and Religious Leaders including Alliance
Defense Fund Senior Counsel

WHAT: Prayer Rally Opposing Mayor’s Decision to Evict Houses of Worship from Public Schools.
Faith leaders to Bloomberg: “Don’t leave churches homeless; stand for equal access, religious
liberty.” Discriminatory policies will eject churches from communities citywide by Feb. 12,
growing coalition continues protests.

WHEN: Thursday January 12, 2012 12:00PM EST

WHERE: Morris High School, 1100 Boston Rd. (at corner of 167th St.), Bronx, New York

NEW YORK — New York City Council Member Fernando Cabrera and Religious Leaders including Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence will be available for media interviews Thursday following a rally organized to protest Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s decision to evict houses of worship from public schools. The rally is open to the public.

“Houses of worship throughout the city consider this policy to be nothing short of discrimination, and we will make that known on Thursday,” said Cabrera. “I applaud the New York City Housing Authority’s efforts to work with religious groups that meet in their spaces, but the Department of Education needs to follow suit.”

Cabrera explained that the city is in perilous economic times and that houses of worship provide social services that take the burden off the city and its taxpayers.

“Treating houses of worship equally with other community groups helps our communities,” said Cabrera. “Evicting them hurts people and neighborhoods by denying them the social and spiritual services they desperately need, which in my district includes tutoring services, soup kitchens, and more. Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Walcott need to listen to what the citizens of this city want.”

The rally comes on the heels of the first big victory for equal access in New York City this year. Following a series of rallies and demonstrations organized by Pastor Dimas Salaberrios and other religious leaders (including a rally on Thursday January 5^th where Council Member Fernando Cabrera, Pastor Dimas Salaberrios, Pastor Bill Devlin and Pastor Michael Carrion were arrested along with three congregants): the New York City Housing Authority relented from its efforts to evict at least five churches meeting for worship services in the community centers of the city’s public housing properties. Pastor Joe Fletcher of Bronx Bible Church and Pastor DimasSalaberrios of Infinity New York Church received calls from Housing Authority officials who told the pastors that the city is willing to sign long-term agreements so the churches can continue conducting their services in the projects.

“Churches and other religious groups should be able to meet in public buildings on the same terms as other community groups,” said Lorence. “These churches offer the people in hurting communities hope and help for their daily needs. To drive out the churches based on a discredited, extreme notion of ‘separation of church and state’ benefits no one and harms people who need help most.”

In December, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied review in the Bronx Household of Faith v. Board of Education of the City of New York case, the Housing Authority sought to expand the ban on worship services from the city’s public schools to include the community centers at public housing developments. ADF attorneys explained the relevant constitutional law to the Housing Authority and warned of legal action if it did not allow the churches to keep meeting.

Councilman Fernando Cabrera has served the 14th Council District of the Bronx since January 2010, and he has served as senior pastor of New Life Outreach International since 1988.

ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.

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NYC COUNCIL MEMBER FERNANDO CABRERA URGES MAYOR BLOOMBERG TO INCLUDE PRAYER IN THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY 9/11 CEREMONY

Religion and prayer has been in the news more often lately ,on a national level, due to the approaching Republican primaries and the association of the Republican party with religious issues. Here is a Bronx Democrat elected to the NYC Council making a statement of his own on a local level somewhat proving there is no straight line regarding beliefs in outward expression of religion and political affiliations. NYC Councilman Cabrera is urging Mayor Bloomberg to include prayer at this years 9/11 memorial. From the statement made by Councilman Cabrera, I think everyone can safely assume prayer is not included in the ceremony commemorating the 10th anniversary.


NYC COUNCIL MEMBER FERNANDO CABRERA URGES MAYOR BLOOMBERG TO INCLUDE PRAYER IN THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY 9/11 CEREMONY
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“I am urging the Mayor to reconsider the decision to exclude prayer from the 10th Anniversary 9/11 ceremony,” said Councilman Cabrera. “During 9/11, the faith community served as pillars for many New Yorker’s coping with the tragedy. As a pastor during the tumultuous aftermath, I know firsthand that it was a time where people were searching for meaning and things bigger than themselves,” he continued. “People’s Faith helped fill this void and continue to serve as spiritual and emotional support.”

Councilman Cabrera has spoken nationally on FOX, CNN, the Associated Press, and various nationally syndicated radio stations in support of prayer inclusion during the 9/11 Ceremony. He has launched a petition to give voice to those who also support prayer for the 10th anniversary ceremony at CouncilmanCabrera.com and his Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/councilmembercabrera)

“I sincerely hope that the Mayor will allow prayer in this year’s ceremony as we remember and honor the victims of a tragedy that is still being felt today.”

BoogieDowner Editorial: Dennis Walcott, Michael Quill, and the Moral Example of New Yorks' Trade Union Tradition

My last few posts included statements from NYC Comptroller Liu, NYC Council Technology Chair Fernando Cabrera and union leaders from CWU. All three in varying degrees requested a postponement of the $120 million dollar contract renewal between the NYC Department of Education and Verizon. Various reasons for the postponement of the renewal included investigations into alleged fraud and a more thorough review if the funds could better serve our youth. Please do feel free to review the actual press releases, statements and letters posted on previous BoogieDowner posts.

As a side note, even though the letters and press releases were written and made public, and the demonstration lead by CWU was loud and clear, there was hardly a peep about it in the main stream media. The only coverage of union demonstrations I saw Tuesday night included union workers rallying for increases in toll charges for the Port Authority, even though our State Comptroller issued a report blasting the Port Authority for excessive overtime abuse.

As I unexpected, NYC School Chancellor Dennis Walcott ignored all requests for a postponement of the DOE/Verizon contract renewal. He is quoted as saying, “We have a responsibility to pay Verizon - but to do this we have to approve this contract”. The top two questions I have in connection with his actions and words are;

1- How is it possible to pay NYC teachers when they often work without a contract for years, but not pay DOE consultants when they are not under contract?
2- Why would you renew a contract where allegations of a 3.7 million dollar fraud are circulating without further review?

Some people, including our Mayor, have connected the press releases, statements and letters sent as an unholy intrusion of government into the private sector. My response to them is again two fold. Firstly, when there are allegations of miss-appropriation of funds by our NYC Comptroller and other reputable authorities, they should be taken into consideration. Not only does government have a right to intervene it also has a fiduciary responsibility to tax payers to intervene. Secondly, government does have a right to intervene when American workers are under attack. In addition, the voters have a right and obligation to remember if the intervention was justified and handled properly when the ballot box is passed.

On Walcott’s first day as Chancellor he visited Harvest Fields Community Church in the Bronx. The April 18th, 2011 New York Post article stated they “laid hands on the education department new honcho on Palm Sunday Mass”. For those who do not follow the Christian faith, Palm Sunday is one of Christianities most revered holidays. It commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem as the “Prince of Peace”. I posted the link below for anyone wishing to review the article.

Many had reasonable hopes for Walcott’s appointment after Cathy Blacks “resignation”. Would he be the “Prince of Piece” of the NYC school system, as his public relations stunt at the Harvest Fields Community Church in the Bronx implied, or would he be just another pawn in the privatization of our school system for plutocrats intent on holding him on a tight leash. My conclusion is obviously the latter. He did not even have the line to postpone the contract renewal to a later date.

When a NYC teacher is deemed to be “Unsatisfactory” he is given an opportunity to improve. In the same spirit of helping Chancellor Walcott improve as NYC Chancellor, I attached a video of a true “messiah” of the people. Someone who was a true champion of and for the people. Hopefully the video will be a teachable moment for our school chancellor. It is a short video of the late TWU labor leader Michael J. Quill. As a teaser to the video, here is quote from Dr. Martin Luther King about him’

“Mike Quill was a fighter for the decent things in life – Irish Independence, Labor Organization, and Racial Equality. He spent his life ripping the chains of bondage off his fellow man. This is a man the ages will remember”

- Martin Luther King Jr.

(Video about late TWU labor leader Mike J. Quill)

May the late great Michael J. Quill rest in peace and be remembered for ages as Dr. Luther King predicted.

Sincerely,
Gregory

P.S. Special Thanks John O

Link to April 18th 2011 Daily York Post Article: "Thank God for Walcott"
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/bronx/thank_god_for_walcott_hByFjLPEdrG7zwHSqY3PdP