Council Member Pierina Sanchez on district violence and J-51 reauthorization

Council Member Pirina Sanchez, followed by Brewer.

Thank you, Majority Leader.

I first also want to acknowledge my legislative fellow, Dylan Campos.

Last stated with us, you've been amazing.

My whole team is here from the district, so what up?

But on a more serious note, I want to talk about a little bit, I want to talk a little bit about

the insane movie-style level of violence that is happening in my district, in Althea's, in Oswald Feliz's.

Just yesterday we had allegations, there was a terrible fire, four businesses lost on 183rd Street, and there are allegations that it was arson, that some of those businesses were not legitimate, they were just fronts, and

someone almost lost his life, thank God he did not, and we just, as the news crews were out there, we had open air drug sales.

We just had people dealing the drugs in front of New York One, in front of Telemundo, in front of Fox 5, in front of NYPD, in front of every,

the level of violence that's happening in our district with respect to the drug, the illegal drug trade, just, I'm crying out for help.

I thank my colleagues, I thank you, Speaker, for visiting, but we need so, so, so much more than we have, and I can't do it alone, and I'm literally crying.

I'm crying figuratively.

We need help, and if we don't get it,

More people are going to die.

A 15-year-old died last night due to gun violence.

I just, I can't do it alone.

Help.

Help mayor.

Help governor.

Help all of the leaders.

I'm introducing legislation today to fix up properties.

I won't talk too much about it.

J-51 is an as-of-right tax incentive.

Senator Kavanaugh passed it, the housing chair in the Senate passed it earlier this year.

We are going to be reauthorizing it.

Please join me, colleagues, so that our buildings can get fixed up with this tax incentive.

And that's all I can say.

Thank you, Majority Leader.

All right, we've got two more to go.