introduced a collection of eight bills known as the "Criminal Justice Reform Act" to reduce the penalty for acts such as violating park rules, littering and public urination from misdemeanors to the civil process. In addition, the Criminal Justice Reform Act also suspended enforcement for "excessive noise," which resulted in a sudden spike in noise complaints around the five boroughs, according to data compiled by 311, New York City's complaint submission platform. Mark-Viverito sponsored the bills so that young people in communities of color could "fulfill their potential" by incentivizing officers to give verbal warnings and fines but not remove the option of making arrests. In 2016, Mark-Viverito was alleged to have pressured the New York City Housing Authority to fire a black manager of a NYCHA housing project and replace her with a "Spanish Manager". As of 2018, the lawsuit is still pending and the City of New York's motion to dismiss the lawsuit was denied. In 2017, Mark-Viverito declined to boycott the Puerto Rican Day Parade, after organizers decided to honor Oscar López Rivera, a prominently incarcerated member of Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional Puertorriqueña (FALN). 2019 NYC Public Advocate Special Election In 2018, Mark-Viverito announced her intention to run for the open seat of New York City Public Advocate, but lost to Jumaane Williams. Personal life Mark-Viverito campaigned in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement and identified herself as part of the "99%" of income earners despite having a net worth in the millions. She and her family inherited an estimated $6.7 million from her father, a doctor. Prior to her inheritance, she applied for a taxpayer-subsidized loan in 1998 when her property at the time was worth $310,000. As of 2014, the multi-story condominium property was worth around $1,300,000. Mark-Viverito rents out her properties, but did not report her rental income. Her spokesman claimed it to be an honest oversight on her part. In August 2014, Mark-Viverito publicly disclosed that she was infected with the most common STD, the human papillomavirus. She said she was an "extremely private person" but that she what announcing it because she wanted to destigmatize and raise awareness about the disease. Election history See also Nuyorican Puerto Ricans in New York City Puerto Ricans in the United States References External links Melissa Mark-Viverito for the Bronx campaign website |- 1969 births 2016 United States presidential electors 21st-century American women politicians