PLAINVIEW, NY (TIP): “Today’s breaking news from Israel offers a glimmer of hope that Omer Neutra – whose remains are still in Hamas captivity after the terrorist assault – and all the hostages, whether alive or deceased, will finally come home to the families and loved ones who have endured two years of unthinkable anguish since the barbaric Oct. 7 assault upon Israel,” Nassau County Legislature Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker (D – Plainview) said. “However, the words of a malicious adversary such as Hamas must be met with action to have any meaning. As we continue to monitor these urgent new developments, may each of us remain unwavering in our prayers and demands for the return of Omer Neutra and every single hostage – and may we remain steadfast in our commitment to forever ending the Hamas campaign of terror so that a just, lasting peace can be achieved.” Please contact me at 516-458-4967 if you would like to speak further with Deputy Minority Leader Drucker on this topic.
Tag: ARNOLD W. DRUCKER
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Working Together to Achieve a New Year’s Potential
By Arnold W. Drucker As we welcome the arrival of the holiday season (and the cold weather that always seems colder than the year before for some reason), I want to take a moment to wish you all a joyful, peaceful and healthy Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, as well as all religious and cultural holidays and occasions to be celebrated.
With winter now upon us, Legislative District 16 is actively engaged and focused on responding to the particular needs and protections our constituents deserve and expect from my office. Earlier this month, in partnership with the County’s Office of Emergency Management, I hosted an Emergency Preparedness Workshop, where approximately 100 Plainview-Old Bethpage seniors received invaluable and potentially life-saving tips and reminders of what should be done in the event of a major storm affecting the essential services we often take for granted.
In partnership with the Nassau County Police Department – an agency beyond compare – we hosted a Senior Scam presentation to alert our most vulnerable residents of the increasing and disturbing schemes and scams that unscrupulous criminals have been using to frighten and trick people into disclosing personal information and even giving their money away to these truly nefarious people.
My office is also proud to regularly host Shed the Meds events at various locations in the district – another outgrowth of our partnership with the NCPD, which provides an opportunity for all residents to safely dispose of all unused, expired or excessive medications. In doing so, they are preventing these medications from ending up in the hands of children and other relatives or avoiding harming our environment by throwing them in the garbage.
I am also pleased to host several blood drives throughout the year to address the critical blood shortage we have in our area, and our next will be from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 28 at the Plainview-Old Bethpage Library. I am proud to work with the New York Islanders, who are generously donating two complimentary tickets to an upcoming Islander home game to every donor. Many thanks to the Syosset Fire Department for hosting our last event at the Fire House.
From December 2nd through December 22nd, in partnership with the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, we sponsored a winter coat drive, and I am proud to acknowledge the Syosset, Jericho and Plainview Old Bethpage Libraries as well as Always Orthodontics of Syosset for so generously volunteering their locations as drop-off sites. Their support made it possible to once again create a tremendous impact for deserving families throughout our region.
Finally, at the Legislature, the Republican Majority finalized the 2025 budget over the objections expressed by myself and my Democratic colleagues. With the court-ordered repeal of Nassau’s excessive red light camera fees and other financial stressors, there are significant risks present in the 2025 budget, and I will be especially vigilant to ensure the steps we take to address them will in no way jeopardize the County’s operations. I will remain ever mindful of protecting the interests of my constituents and ensuring that the necessary resources and services continue without fail as I have done throughout my service as your Legislator.
As we embark upon a New Year together, I hope that you do so energized by the memories of a blessed, joyous, and prosperous holiday season. Stay warm and always keep in mind that my office is always open to all of you for all of your needs.
(Arnold W. Drucker, of Plainview, is the Deputy Minority Leader of the Nassau County Legislature. He has represented the 16th Legislative District since 2016)
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Nassau Lawmakers, Advocates and Former Law Enforcement Demand C.E. Blakeman Abandon Controversial Citizen Militia Plan
MINEOLA, N.Y. (TIP): More than 100 concerned residents – including a diverse coalition of community advocates and retired law enforcement personnel – assembled at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive & Legislative Building in Mineola on Monday, April 8 with a single demand of Nassau County Executive Bruce A. Blakeman – abandon your plans for a makeshift militia of private citizens with gun permits.
The Blakeman administration solicited applications for the “provisional sheriff” program in a March 17 Newsday legal notice. Those armed citizens, who would not be part of any type of professional law enforcement agency, could be mobilized to guard public spaces during vaguely defined “states of emergency” Few concrete details have been shared by the administration as to how these individuals would be vetted or trained before being deputized.
“The idea of any County Executive having a private, armed group of people to deploy at their sole discretion is risky, unnecessary, and has created tremendous anxiety in people across Nassau County,” said Nassau County Legislature Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D – Glen Cove). “During the last several weeks, my office has been flooded with calls, and the consensus is clear – we don’t want it, and we don’t need it because we have one of the best police forces in the nation. The Minority Caucus will not relent in its efforts to reverse this profoundly misguided idea.”The proposal has roiled Nassau County and the region since news of its existence first emerged in media reports. A change.org petition demanding that County Executive Blakeman abandon the plan has garnered more than 1,400 signatures in less than a week.
During Monday’s rally, New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) Nassau County Chapter Director Susan Gottehrer, Rockville Centre resident Laura Burns from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, National Organization for Women (NOW) Nassau Chapter President Patty Pastor, leaders of the Hempstead NAACP and Elmont resident and retired New York City Corrections Officer Angel Joyner, joined Minority Leader DeRiggi-Whitton and the full Democratic caucus in denouncing the plan.
“Deputizing armed citizens – with no training, no experience, and no knowledge of how to handle what he or any County Executive deems a state of emergency – will most assuredly foster and promote lawlessness during an emergency and may in fact endanger the lives of our law enforcement as well as other residents,” said Nassau County Legislature Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker (D – Plainview). “This is yet another disturbing example of our County Executive veering so far out of his lane and devoting his attention to issues that don’t exist or aren’t likely to ever exist. The authorization of an armed militia in these scenarios is downright dangerous.”
“Nassau County residents and visitors benefit from our highly trained and capable law enforcement and Office of Emergency Management personnel. We need highly trained individuals – trained in de-escalation; trained in mental health; trained to use technology we equip them with like body cameras; and trained to work with the mental health professionals we imbed in their response to mentally aided calls,” said Nassau County Legislature Alternate Deputy Minority Leader Siela A. Bynoe (D – Westbury). “As a body, we have invested wisely and collaboratively with our police unions and prior administrations to build greater trust between police and our communities. One bad act by one bad actor of this militia could erode all the trust that we have worked to get. No militia – no way. Not on our watch.”
Nassau County Legislator Seth I. Koslow (D – Merrick) echoed the sentiments of the crowd as he stressed that “only police officers who are trained should be doing police work,” adding that Nassau’s thousands of officers often receive training exceeding State requirements.
“Are these deputies going to be trained? How much training are they going to get? Will they be re-trained? We don’t know any of this because Bruce Blakeman is making it up as he goes along,” Legislator Koslow said. “What about chain of command issues? What about the state and federal resources we have in times of emergency? All of this begs the question – does County Executive Bruce Blakeman not trust our law enforcement to protect us in times of emergency? Well, I do. I’m here today – we’re here today to tell Bruce Blakeman to stop this charade, stop terrifying citizens of Nassau County, and do away with this militia.”
Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages (D – Valley Stream) recounted his experiences as a father to relay concerns that other parents have expressed to him about the County’s proposal.
“As the father of a young Black man who sometimes wants to wear a hood – God forbid a young man wearing a hood is out and about, minding his business during this so-called ‘state of emergency,’ which is not defined under the law, and God forbid an overzealous George Zimmerman-type of person chooses to think that young man is a danger,” Legislator Solages said. “Our County Executive is trying to take us back in time. This is dangerous, and we cannot allow this to stand.”
Nassau County Legislator Debra Mulé (D – Freeport) recalled her experiences as a Freeport resident during Superstorm Sandy to demonstrate how the provisional sheriff initiative is unnecessary and potentially hazardous.
“The County Executive mentioned – well, we might need additional people to protect us during an emergency such as Sandy. I lived through it. In my area of Freeport, we had no power, no gas for five days, and things could have gone terribly wrong,” Legislator Mulé said. “But you know what happened? The National Guard was brought in – people who are trained to deal with situations such as this. They made sure that life and property were secured. We do not need this extremely misguided idea.”
“There’s one more very practical and real reason that everyone in this County should be opposed to this proposal – it’s your pocketbook,” Nassau County Legislator Scott M. Davis (D – Rockville Centre) said. “According to the administrative code of Nassau County, implementing this policy would create tremendous liability, and that liability would fall on the shoulders of all the residents of Nassau County. You’re talking about putting people in a highly stressful situation where you can only imagine, in a densely populated area, the likelihood of something going wrong. This is not a burden that we need to bear, nor should we bear.”
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“No Safe Harbor for Hate in Nassau County”
DEAR EDITOR,
On Sunday, July 25, I had the distinct honor and privilege to celebrate the opening of the beautiful Gurudwara Shaheedan of Hicksville and rejoice in the spirit of peace, love and light embraced by our brothers and sisters of the Sikh community.
Last week, we learned that a gurdwara under construction in New Hyde Park was the target of disgusting, racist vandalism. Worse yet, as reported by the Washington Post, the Sikh Coalition noted the vandalism occurred days before the ninth anniversary of the Oak Creek gurdwara mass shooting in Wisconsin, when on Aug. 5, 2012, a gunman with links to neo-Nazi groups killed six worshipers.
This most recent incident is sadly emblematic of the targeted hatred that so many in the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community have endured throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. That is why I filed legislation this spring to update County law to specifically outlaw discrimination based on an actual or perceived relationship to the pandemic and empower victims of discrimination to sue for compensatory and punitive damages and other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Unfortunately, since that time, the measure has languished without a public hearing. I once again urge my colleagues in the Majority to bring this measure to the floor of the Legislature so that it can be debated, approved, and sent to the County Executive’s desk.
Hate has no place in Nassau County, and I proudly stand with the Sikh community today and always. Police are asking anyone with information about the New Hyde Park incident to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
ARNOLD W. DRUCKER
Nassau County Legislator (LD 16)
Plainview, NY
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Nassau Must Use Federal Action on Hate Crimes as Catalyst for Local Action
DEAR EDITOR :
I applaud President Biden for signing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law – an important, timely, and refreshingly bipartisan piece of legislation that will provide federal law enforcement agencies robust tools to push back against the alarming increase in senseless bias and violence that the Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) community has endured throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, Senate Majority Leader Schumer – who spoke recently on the front steps of this Legislature about the importance of fighting this scourge – deserves our thanks for leading the Senate to a nearly unanimous vote in favor of the measure.
Here in Nassau County, we have an obligation and a responsibility to add to that toolkit so that members of our local AAPI communities can once again regain the sense of security they deserve.
Last month, I filed a proposed local law that would update the County’s Human Rights Law to specifically outlaw discrimination based on an actual or perceived relationship to the COVID-19 pandemic. This bill would empower victims of discrimination and the County Attorney to sue for compensatory and punitive damages, attorney’s fees and other relief deemed appropriate by the court. Individuals who violate the statute would furthermore face penalties of $5,000 to $25,000 per incident, which would be recoverable and payable to the aggrieved victim, as well as thousands of dollars in additional fines.
I urge my colleagues in the Majority to bring this measure to the floor of the Legislature so that it can be debated and adopted unanimously. By doing so, we would send a clear message that we will aggressively defend the rights of all Nassau County residents to live lives free of fear, hatred, and bigotry.
ARNOLD W. DRUCKER