The Briefly for July 23, 2020 – The "Abolition Park, Abolished" Edition
Today - Low: 76˚ High: 89˚
Possible light rain in the evening and overnight.
Congrats to Emily Gallagher for defeating 47-year incumbent Joe Lentol in the election for the state assemblymember in the 50th district. (Greenpointers) With a return date for theater in New York City a complete unknown, Off-Broadway’s Playroom Theater in Times Square closed for good. (Matt Windman for amNewYork Metro) Mayor de Blasio's Open Streets plan "lacks vision and ambition," just like the mayor himself. Instead of supplementing the city's transportation and economy, Open Streets is a disconnected network with management challenges and does little to help. (Ben Yakas for Gothamist) With a legislative session starting, expect the fight over nursing homes to be center stage for legislation. (Jesse McKinley and Luis Ferré-Sadurní for NY Times) There will be no use of facial recognition in New York schools until 2022 at the earliest thanks to a new bill created in the state legislature. This was in response to a school district upstate introducing facial recognition into all of its schools. (Kyle Wiggers for VentureBeat) In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the NYPD cleared out Abolition Park, the center of the City Hall occupation, in a move that was reminiscent of the NYPD's clearing out fo Occupy Wall Street. (Jen Chung, Jake Offenhartz, and Gwynne Hogan for Gothamist) Mayor de Blasio says it was coincidental that City Hall Park was cleared out shortly after President Trump threatened to send federal troops to New York City and the raid on Abolition Park has been planned for weeks. Let's not forget that Mayor de Blasio implemented city-wide curfews to prevent Governor Cuomo from stepping in. (Rocco Vertuccio for NY1) The city's defense against federal agents? Lawsuits. (Matt Troutman for Patch) 15 public pools will start reopening in NYC, eight this Friday and seven on August 1. (Dana Schulz for 6sqft) Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz says three Queens residents and a man from Virginia have been arrested in connection with a gun trafficking operation in which dozens of firearms were purchased legally in Virginia but then sold illegally in Queens. (Ron Lee for amNewyork Metro) The NYPD won't strip the officer caught on video punching a homeless man on the subway of any duties, but will be put on "modified duty."All from the same NYPD commissioner that praised the NYPD for "incredible restraint" during the George Floyd protests. (Erin Durkin for Politico) Photos: Inside Susan Sarandon's $7.9 million Chelsea duplex. Is that a bathtub in the bedroom? Yes it is. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft) The myMTA app will now include information about how crowded buses are. (Adam Light for Streetsblog) The city's Doughnut Plant locations are closed due to financial fallout from Covid-19. This isn't a permanent closure, but temporary while owner Mark Israel secures funding to reopen (hopefully) in September. (Tanay Warerkar for Eater) Interviews with four restaurant owners on why to-go windows feel safer than table service. (Hannah Albertine for The Infatuation) NYPD officer Joseph Recca was arrested and charged with conspiracy, drug sales, and drug possession in connection with an Oxycodone ring and a fatal overdose of a Long Island man last September. (Sophia Chang for Gothamist) Photo Preview: The Frieze Sculpture at Rockefeller Center will return on September 1 with works of art by Ghada Amer, Beatriz Cortez, Andy Goldsworthy, Lena Henke, Camille Henrot and Thaddeus Mosley. (Howard Halle for Time Out) Exploring the idea of what would happen if there was a major blackout in the city. ConEd says there is an overall lowered use of energy due to all of the empty office buildings and businesses, but the NYC Prepper's Group is getting ready anyway. Yup, of course there's an NYC Prepper's Group. (Virginia Breen for The City) Despite recommendations to review their use of plastic cuffs, the NYPD continues to use them while making arrests, often leaving people in cuffs too tight for hours on end, threatening permanent damage. (Peter Senzamici for The City) A look back at the city's lost amusement parks. (Noah Sheidlower for Untapped New York) Are you starved for some social distance? How about taking a canoe tour of the Gowanus Canal? (Dana Schulz for 6sqft) Where to eat outside in Williamsburg. (Matt Tervooren for The Infatuation) The city's $3 million Graffiti-Free NYC program was cut from the city's budget. (Elie Z. Perler for Bowery Boogie) Modern Pinball on Third Avenue is closing due to pandemic-related financial hardship. (Elie Z. Perler for Bowery Boogie) 10 iconic streets and spots in NYC open for outdoor dining. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft) Thanks to reader Lisa for today's featured photo of the storm that postponed John Trivialta at Parklife and A League of Their Own until Sunday night.