One Brooklyn
BROOKLYN, NY, April 30, 2014: Today, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams proposed Brooklyn Borough Hall as a processing center site for the landmark municipal ID program through testimony submitted to the Council’s Committee on Immigration, which is holding a hearing today on the related legislation, Intro 253; the testimony will be delivered by Brooklyn Deputy Borough President Diana Reyna.
“What greater symbol could there be for making access to civic life a priority for all of us in government than to use Brooklyn’s oldest public building as a hub for this pioneering initiative?” said Borough President Adams. “Since the first day I took office, I have made access to Brooklyn’s civic culture a top priority of his administration. I am eager to expand the opportunities for our residents to get that access by using their own Borough Hall as the gateway to these opportunities.”
Through his testimony, Borough President Adams and Deputy Borough President Reyna outlined the rationale for implementing a municipal ID program in New York City, citing the impact on opening a bank account, applying for a library card, visiting a child’s school to talk to a teacher or interacting with a police officer. He noted Brooklyn’s nearly one million foreign born residents, more than 300,000 senior citizens and nearly 600,000 youth under 18 years of age who would benefit in different ways from having identification, in addition to the borough’s disabled, formerly incarcerated, and homeless populations.
“Each and every day, the gates of New York City’s civic life are opened for those who can prove their identity and display a photo ID,” said Borough President Adams. “For those who don’t have an ID card, those gates remain tightly shut, preventing those individuals from enjoying the same privileges, opportunities, and services available to others who are fortunate enough to have ID. Oftentimes, the very individuals who are in the greatest need of these privileges, opportunities, and services are the same ones who cannot receive them because they lack the necessary documentation to access them.”
Borough President Adams and Deputy Borough President Reyna also expressed their thanks to the sponsors of Intro 253, particularly its lead sponsor, Council Member Daniel Dromm, as well as Committee on Immigration Chair Carlos Menchaca, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and the many groups and organizations who have organized and advocated for this proposal to become law.
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