NYN Media Buzz: Dec. 5, 2017

The New York City Council heard testimony from nonprofit leaders and activists who are urging the city to close the jail on Rikers Island much sooner than the 10 years that Mayor Bill de Blasio says will be necessary. Pressure has increased in recent years to close the controversial jail, which has earned a reputation for violence, corruption and inefficiency. “When is it that those that are affected are at the table,” said Akeem Browder, a former mayoral candidate whose brother Kalief garnered national attention for serving three years as a juvenile without being convicted of any crime. Glenn Martin, president of JustLeadershipUSA and founder of the Close Rikers Campaign, added: “The lack of a true speedy trial law in this state means that those who cannot afford bail continue to be held in the hellhole that is Rikers Island for months or years at a time, while prosecutors drag their feet and face no repercussions for their unwillingness to expeditiously bring a case to trial.” Testimony also included representatives from The Bronx Defenders, Innocence Project, The Legal Aid Society, and other groups, which all be seen on the New York City Council website.

A new report from Amida Care examines how nonprofits organizations can help HIV-positive people find employment. Topics within “Hire Me! End AIDS With Jobs” include how peer training, education, health providers and job training can promote employment for HIV-positive people while furthering New York state’s goal to end the AIDS epidemic by the year 2020.

A new analysis from Hunger Free America of the GOP Senate tax bill finds that the 13 percent of Americans who live in poverty would pay $140 billion – about $3,448 more per person – in additional taxes in the next decade. “This additional burden would make U.S. poverty, hunger, and homelessness – already at rates higher than in any other industrialized, Western nation – further soar,” CEO Joel Berg said in a statement. The wealthiest 7 percent of Americans meanwhile would pay $833 billion less in taxes. Berg warned that the bill would also serve as a pretense for congressional Republicans to slash funding for social welfare programs in upcoming years in order to deal with a projected increase in the federal budget deficit.

The Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York recognized three nonprofits for exemplary management at an event on Dec. 1 in New York City: Brooklyn Community Services, Children’s Aid and the Gay Men’s Health Crisis. Representatives from the nonprofits also participated in a panel discussion (jump to 20:35 for panel) to offer their own reflections and suggestions for other nonprofits.