Community Board 7 has once again banned a rancorous community activist after he raised his voice at a recent Veterans Committee meeting.
Anthony Rivieccio was banned by Board District Manager Ischia Bravo after lashing out at the board for changing a planned breakfast honoring veterans. Rivieccio had been banned by the two previous district managers, inspiring one of them to erect a divider between the waiting area and where employees sit.
The incident opened the question of whether a community board, a government entity on the ground level, can ban a resident. The answer is yes and no. The Norwood News reached out to George Freeman of the Media Law Resource Center, who said a resident can’t be banned if their grievance was “content-based.” “[T]hat is, retaliation for what he said,” said Freeman. “The board can’t legally do that.”
There is a but. “If [the board] claims, with validity, that he’s a distraction, then they might be able to [ban him],” said Freeman.
The borough president’s office, which holds governance over the 12 community boards, did not respond to requests for comments.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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I’m just happy that something is finally being done to rid crime… Wait a minute… This isn’t important to improve my community!!!
Activist? He and Sheila play both sides and sell out to politicians for pennies.
And with a name like that- what else needs to be said about your statement lol
Finally, we have a definitive answer … yes but, no …. lol!