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New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Staying Juvenile: ‘Raise the Age' is killing New York kids
Last week, 14-year-old Angel Mendoza was fatally stabbed in a Bronx playground by a group of teens. His 15-year-old friend Yasmin found him dying. In the days since, a 13-year-old was stabbed by a 14-year-old in Queens, and a 17-year-old shot at a rival teen in Times Square, hitting tourists. Unfortunately, these are not anomalies. By last year, the number of youths arrested with guns had risen 136% since New York State's 'Raise the Age' legislation began to take effect in 2018. And tragically, the number of juvenile shooting victims grew 81%. Indeed, the proportion of all our city's shooting victims who are children has approximately doubled since 2018. Why? 3 Angel Mendoza, 14, was fatally stabbed in a Bronx playground by a group of teens last week. In the days since, a 13-year-old was fatally stabbed by a 14-year-old in Queens, and a 17-year-old shot at a rival teen in Times Square. Brigitte Stelzer Because the criminal justice process under RTA allows too many violent teens to cycle through the system, unchallenged, back to playgrounds and reckless shoot-outs with few, if any, repercussions. The law substantially increased the rate at which criminal cases for teenagers are diverted to Family Court, and in so doing, significantly decreased the likelihood of meaningful accountability for even serious crimes. Sadly, when kids commit crimes, the victims are often other kids. This means more young lives cut short. And it incentivizes adults to put weapons in the hands of younger gang members who risk fewer consequences. I have no doubt that 'Raise the Age' was well-intentioned; but the tragic unintended consequences harm the very children our lawmakers seek to help. They must amend it. Every day brings new proof that RTA is failing its objective of diverting vulnerable youths from their criminal trajectory. Under RTA, juvenile gun arrests have reached a quarter-century peak, with 486 arrests last year. Young felony assault victims also hit an 18-year peak of 2,451. And juvenile murder arrests have nearly quadrupled, from eight in 2017 to 30 in 2024. 3 NYC mayor Eric Adams and NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch (pictured) announced the expansion of the Q Team, a quality of life division of the NYPD, into Queens at a press conference in the Astoria Houses on Aug. 11, 2025. Stephen Yang for the New York Post All this while 2025 has broken records for the lowest number of shootings and shooting victims in the first half of the year. Our city's safety wins are not extending to our children—and that is as unconscionable as it is preventable. Nor has RTA achieved its stated goal of ameliorating racial disparity. In 2017, 72 Black and Hispanic youths were shot – compared to just three white victims. By last year, the number of juvenile Black and Hispanic victims skyrocketed to 114 (58% rise); white victims decreased…to zero. That's because, rather than actually focusing on the outcomes of each kid, RTA created a convoluted chutes-and-ladders of juvenile justice – in which authority figures operate blind. Youths now shuttle from arrest through criminal court, family court, probation, and detention without any adult in these agencies getting a full view of their journey – let alone whether a child is actually reforming his or her behavior. RTA removed from vulnerable teen offenders the one thing they needed most: adult oversight. Instead, they cycle pinball-style through family court and other avenues of diversion and return immediately to terrorizing younger kids. Simultaneously, social media and drill rap have grown exponentially since RTA passed. This means youths now always track each other, advertising where they are, what violence they've committed, and how the courts freed them yet again. When a 15-year-old arrested for robbery has his case removed to family court and ultimately dismissed, his classmates all know he's immediately back in school with no consequences. But the prosecutors assigned his case are blocked from knowing how it resolved. Our officers who arrested and charged him are also prohibited from finding out what happened. And tragically, even victims can't find out. 3 Jayden Clarke, 17, seen handcuffed at the Manhattan Criminal Court on Aug. 10, 2025, ahead of his arraignment for allegedly shooting three people in Times Square. Michael Nagle Worst of all, when the same teen is arrested for a gunpoint robbery next month, the judge he stands before won't be allowed to know about his previous cases. Nor will prosecutors or cops. But the young offender will be bragging about it online. RTA rules make it very difficult to responsibly keep dangerous youths in the criminal system. According to recent New York State court data, among 16- and 17-year-old offenders, around 83% of felonies and 75% of violent felonies now roll gently over to family court, where there are limited consequences. This thwarts one of the system's key functions of satisfying victims. Instead, the desire for redress too often spills over into gang retribution. And with no actual repercussions or adult authority, young offenders aren't using repeated forgiveness for their crimes to learn mature judgment. They're escalating to more reckless violence – perpetuating feuds to enhance their own status. And due to social media, gang members know where their rivals are with GPS-accuracy. More than half of juvenile shootings now happen outside of shooters' home precincts. Compare that to NYPD officers, who are legally blocked from knowing where violent teens are. Our cops cannot even access whether an arrestee is in custody or out loose. How can we keep kids safe? As a mother of 10- and 13-year-old boys and the Police Commissioner of the City of New York, I am certain that we must put the actual lives and safety of our children above our good intentions. New York legislators must return adult authority and oversight to juvenile justice before more kids get killed.
The Independent
30-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Giving birth now costs up to $39k in this US state
The cost of childbirth in the United States is significantly increasing, with some states experiencing considerably higher expenses for new parents. Alaska records the highest average costs, with vaginal deliveries estimated at approximately $29,000 and C-sections at nearly $39,500. Other states, including New York, New Jersey, Maine, and Vermont, also report elevated costs, particularly for C-sections, which are more complex and expensive procedures. Cost disparities are influenced by factors such as provider training levels, local salaries, malpractice insurance, and insurers' bargaining power, with Black and Hispanic people often incurring higher maternal care costs. The escalating expenses associated with childbirth and childcare are a primary reason for the plummeting fertility rate across the US, as families express concerns about financial resources.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Feds look to drop oversight of bank accused of discrimination in Newark
A judge ordered federal oversight after Lakeland Bank was accused of lending discrimination in 2022 in Newark. Feds now want to end oversight. (Photo by New Jersey Monitor) The Trump administration aims to end federal oversight a judge ordered in 2022 of a bank that avoided giving mortgages to people of color and opening bank branches in Black and Hispanic communities in the Newark area. Lakeland Bank has substantially complied with changes required under the September 2022 consent decree to end such discrimination, which is known as 'redlining,' and agreed to carry out whatever court-ordered reforms that remain unfinished, federal prosecutors said last week in a motion asking to end oversight more than two years early. But a nonprofit that advocates for low- and middle-income residents filed an affidavit this week calling for the consent decree to remain in place, because ending it would threaten progress made in the last two years and leave advocates with no remedy if the bank's compliance with unfinished remedies falters. It also 'sends a very bad message,' said Leila Amirhamzeh of New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund, a Newark-based nonprofit that does housing counseling and fair housing investigations. 'Our concern with the Department of Justice's motion to terminate the consent order really speaks more to the overall message that the administration is sending to financial institutions — that it is not going to enforce fair lending laws, that it is not going to ensure that any bad actors that do engage in discriminatory redlining practices are held accountable,' Amirhamzeh said. Newark officials did not respond to a request for comment. Under the decree, Lakeland agreed to open two branches in Newark communities of color and spend $12 million on a 'loan subsidy' fund to offset closing costs, mortgage insurance premiums and down payments for Black and Hispanic residents in Essex, Somerset and Union counties who apply for mortgages and home improvement and refinancing loans. The bank also agreed to spend $1.1 million on outreach, advertising, financial counseling and community development partnerships and assign at least four loan officers to serve neighborhoods they had excluded. Lakeland merged with Prudential Financial Services last year. Prudential opened a new branch this week on the edge of the Ironbound, a Newark neighborhood home to many immigrants and people of color. It's unclear whether and when it will open a second branch, as ordered under the consent decree, as well as how much of the $13 million for the loan subsidy fund and outreach remains unspent. Keith Buscio, a Prudential Bank spokesman, referred those questions to the Justice Department, and a spokesman there did not respond to a request for comment. 'Provident acknowledges the benefit of the mortgage loan subsidy to underserved communities and, in the event the DOJ's motion is granted, will commit to spending the remaining amount under the subsidy,' Buscio said. Despite such assurances, critics remain concerned. The move to end oversight comes just two months after federal banking regulators announced they would rescind a 2023 update meant to modernize the Community Reinvestment Act, a 1977 law passed to prevent redlining, Amirhamzeh said. Ending oversight also fits a pattern of Trump-administration rollbacks of Biden-era policies that protect marginalized people, she added. The Trump administration is terminating $400 million in funds for states across the country to modernize their unemployment systems, money that was authorized in the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act passed under the Biden administration. Trump officials also recently dropped a federal civil rights investigation into police brutality and racial profiling in Trenton. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Feds seek to ditch settlement over alleged redlining with North Jersey bank
The Trump administration is asking a judge to drop a 2022 settlement the Justice Department had reached with North Jersey-based Lakeland Bank — which was later absorbed by Provident Bank — over allegations of redlining against Black and Hispanic customers. While Provident Bank said it will continue to provide low-cost mortgages to underserved communities, the motion by the U.S. Justice Department to abandon the settlement has drawn the ire of community advocates and legal experts, who say it would make it easier for banks to engage in redlining. 'It goes without saying it's a good thing when financial institutions are complying with those consent orders, but when you take away the teeth — the actual enforcement — who's to say that they will continue to comply,' said Leila Amirhamzeh, director of community reinvestment for New Jersey Citizen Action, a consumer advocacy four-page motion by the Justice Department, filed May 28 in U.S. District Court, seeks to terminate the consent order the Biden administration negotiated with what was then Lakeland Bank. In the initial complaint, the Justice Department said Lakeland violated the federal Fair Housing Act and Equal Credit Opportunity Act by deliberately avoiding banking with Black and Hispanic customers, particularly in and around Newark. The discrimination in question allegedly took place between 2015 and 2021, according to the Biden administration. To settle the complaint, Lakeland agreed to pay $12 million to subsidize mortgages, home improvement loans and home refinancing loans for Black and Hispanic residents and open two branches in underserved neighborhoods. Lakeland also had to provide $150,000 a year for advertising, outreach and consumer finance education in the Newark area. Newark Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ras Baraka wanted one of those new branches to be in his city, and the Greater Toms River Chamber of Commerce also wanted a branch in its area. According to the Provident Bank website, there are currently four locations in Newark and three in Toms River. After acquiring Lakeland, Provident took ownership of the settlement and the mandate to open two branches in underserved areas of New Jersey. The Justice Department in its motion to terminate the order said Lakeland reached substantial commitment to comply with the consent agreement and it is committed to continuing its disbursement of the loan subsidy. Provident spokesperson Keith Buscio told and the USA TODAY Network New Jersey that the bank remains committed to the loan subsidy initiative. He said Provident is not a party to the litigation and referred other questions to the Justice Department. The Justice Department could not immediately be reached for comment. Baraka's office in Newark said it is planning to hold a press conference about the motion by the Justice Department on June 5. Court filings show two attorneys who helped file the initial complaint against Lakeland, Michael Campion and Susan Millenky, withdrew as counsel from the case. Campion was appointed in 2022 to lead the U.S. Attorney's Office's Civil Rights Division that was created to enforce federal civil rights laws in New Jersey. The Fair Housing Act was passed as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 to prohibit landlords and mortgage lenders from discriminating based on race, religion, national origin or sex. Nearly 60 years later, racial wealth disparity remains vast. In New Jersey, the median household wealth of white families is $322,500, compared with $17,700 for Black families and $26,100 for Hispanic families, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice said. In New Jersey, 77.3% of white residents owned a home in 2020. By comparison, 42.8% of Black residents and 32.7% of Hispanic residents were homeowners, according to the Urban Institute, a research group. Critics said the Justice Department's motion to drop the Lakeland settlement is a step by the Trump administration's bid to reverse diversity, equity and inclusion programs. David Troutt, a professor at Rutgers Law School in Newark, said the motion by the Justice Department to terminate the consent decree is part of a larger campaign by the department to rescind investigations and agreements involving anti-Black racism, while beginning investigations into what it deems 'illegal DEI.' 'The Trump administration's withdrawal from a federal consent decree without justification is an extraordinary act of endorsing racist practices and housing market manipulation,' Troutt said. 'For the very government that successfully enforced those borrowers' civil rights to now repudiate them sends a message unlike any we've seen since the federal government first endorsed redlining in the 1930s,' Troutt said. Lakeland isn't the only New Jersey bank that faced scrutiny under the Biden administration. Toms River-based OceanFirst Financial Corp. agreed to pay $14 million to subsidize mortgages, helping settle a lawsuit that alleged the bank violated federal discrimination laws. Since then, it has improved the rating given by federal bank regulators who oversee investments in underserved communities to 'outstanding.' The Justice Department hasn't filed a motion seeking to terminate the consent order with OceanFirst. But two attorneys who represented the U.S. in the initial complaint, Millenky and Nathan Shulock, have filed motions to withdraw from the case, according to the court docket. A combined 22 Provident and Lakeland branches closed in 2024 following the $1.3 billion merger creating a 'super community bank.' Each branch that closed was within roughly three miles of a nearby branch. Activists and opponents warned that the merger would mean fewer banking services would be available for underserved communities, such as people of color, the elderly and disabled. New Jersey Citizen Action applauded Provident for its continued commitment to the terms of the consent order. But the group said the Justice Department should continue to enforce it. 'When you actually terminate these consent orders, there's no deterrence, and it's basically telling financial institutions that the Department of Justice is going to be taking a hands-off approach to fair lending issues, to redlining,' New Jersey Citizen Action's Amirhamzeh said. Daniel Munoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor and the economy for and The Record. Email: munozd@ Twitter:@danielmunoz100 and Facebook Michael L. Diamond is a business reporter for the Asbury Park Press. He has been writing about the New Jersey economy and health care industry since 1999. He can be reached at mdiamond@ This article originally appeared on Feds seek to drop Lakeland Bank settlement over alleged redlining
Miami Herald
14-05-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Three-fourths of NSF funding cuts hit education
The outlook for federal spending on education research continues to be grim. That became clear last week with more cutbacks to education grants and mass firings at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the independent federal agency that supports both research and education in science, engineering and math. A fourth round of cutbacks took place on May 9. NSF observers were still trying to piece together the size and scope of this wave of destruction. A division focused on equity in education was eliminated and all its employees were fired. And the process for reviewing and approving future research grants was thrown into chaos with the elimination of division directors who were stripped of their powers. Meanwhile, there was more clarity surrounding a third round of cuts that took place a week earlier on May 2. That round terminated more than 330 grants, raising the total number of terminated grants to at least 1,379, according to Grant Watch, a new project launched to track the Trump administration's termination of grants at scientific research agencies. All but two of the terminated grants in early May were in the education division, and mostly targeted efforts to promote equity by increasing the participation of women and Black and Hispanic students in STEM fields. The number of activegrants by the Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM within the education directorate was slashed almost in half, from 902 research grants to 461. Related: Our free weekly newsletter alerts you to what research says about schools and classrooms. Combined with two earlier rounds of NSF cuts at in April, education now accounts for more than half of the nearly 1,400 terminated grants and almost three-quarters of their $1 billion value. Those dollars will no longer flow to universities and research organizations. Cuts to STEM education dominate NSF grant terminations The post Three-fourths of NSF funding cuts hit education appeared first on The Hechinger Report.
