The Briefly for July 27, 2020 – The "Do You Think He's Talking About Me?" Edition

Today - Low: 81˚ High: 93˚

Humid throughout the day.

Have you had Covid-19? According to the CDC, a quarter of New Yorkers have had it this year. (Adam Nichols for Patch) Apartment Porn: Inside the apartments inside Central Park Tower, the world's tallest residential building. (Dana Schulz for 6sqft) Is there any question that when the governor says “Local government, step up and do your job,” he's specifically talking about Mayor de Blasio? The State Liquor Authority issued 37 violations for violating social-distancing measures on Friday, most of them inside the city. He threatened to shut down all bars and restaurants unless "local government" steps up in enforcement. On the list in the city was Cipriani Downtown, Aqua, in Belmont, Guaro’s Tapas Bar and La Pollera Colorado II in Jackson Heights, Set L.E.S. on the Lower East Side, and Kandela in Ozone Park. (Tanay Warerkar for Eater) Mayor de Blasio has once again suspended alternate side parking, this time until August 2. (Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech for amNewYork Metro) The mayor added 2.87 miles to its Open Streets program, but also removed 2.77 miles from the Open Streets program, ultimately adding 0.1 miles to the total open streets. (Gersh Kuntzman for Streetsblog) The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the inequalities of the city's design. 1.1 million New Yorkers don't live within a 10-minute walk of a public park. When the city closed the playgrounds, it meant those New Yorkers lost their only public space. In a poor neighborhood, the average park is 6.4 acres, in a wealthy neighborhood, it averages 14 acres. In predominantly Black neighborhoods, the parks are 7.9 acres. In predominantly white neighborhoods, they are 29.8 acres. (Winnie Hu and Nate Schweber for NY Times) Mayor de Blasio's Open Streets program was supposed to balance out some of this inequity, but the Open Streets program favors wealthier neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. (Julianne Cuba for Streetsblog) A Covid-19 funding moratorium has frozen any fixes that were scheduled to be made at more than 20 NYCHA playgrounds, keeping them closed or mid-construction. (Reuven Blau for The City) The New York Giants released kicker Aldrick Rosas after he was arrested for an alleged hit-and-run last month. (Joe Pantorno for amNewYork Metro) The city's Restaurant Revitalization Program comes with some interesting strings attached. The program is awarding $30,000 grants to 100 restaurants in target neighborhoods identified by the city's Racial Inclusion and Equity Task Force, but part of accepting the grant is agreeing to pay employees full minimum wage, not inclusive of tips, to all workers within five years of returning to regular business practices. (Sophia Chang for Gothamist) Chief of Department of the NYPD, Terence Monahan, says that NYPD officers "can't be afraid" of using a now-illegal chokehold and "We can't be afraid of what we do. We can't walk away." (Ishena Robinson for The Root) It's no wonder that voices calling for NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea's ouster are growing while the public sees no discipline for cops who flagrantly use violence against the citizens they serve. (Rosa Goldensohn for The City) Where to eat outside in Astoria. (Hannah Albertine for The Infatuation) The New York Civil Liberties Union is fighting a gag order preventing them from publishing a vast database containing NYPD disciplinary records. (David Cruz for Gothamist) While we don't have those records, there is now a searchable database of closed cases of every active-duty police officer who had at least one substantiated allegation against them. (Derek Willis, Eric Umansky and Moiz Syed for ProPublica) If you've ever seen the lakes in Prospect Park in the summer, you know about the algae that bloom over the water's surface, giving it the water the appearance of a solid green surface. The city feels compelled to put up signs warning that it is, indeed, a lake and not a solid surface. (Reuven Blau for The City) The President backed out of an offer that he claims came from Yankees president Randy Levine to throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium on August 15, stating he'll do it "later in the season." (Tim Moran for Patch) Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Hicks have begun kneeling during the national anthem before Yankees games and have the support of multiple teammates. (Thomas Carannante for Yanks Go Hard) “We all deserve better than a careless Major League Baseball organization that consistently ignores the surrounding community while pandering to an unapologetic white supremacist like Donald Trump.” -Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr (David Cruz for Gothamist) Photos: Inside the newly reopened Central Park Zoo. (Scott LYnch for Gothamist) The state's interim commissioner of education is quitting after 8 months. She replaced another interim commissioner of education who quit after two months. She replaced the commissioner of education who quit last August. Multiple deputy commissioners have also quit over the last year. What's going on over there? (Reema Amin for Chalkbeat) Neiman Marcus is closing its flagship at Hudson Yards, looking ahead to life after the pandemic, stating customers' shopping habits aren't likely to go back to how they once were. Developers are already trying to lease the space for offices instead of retail. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft) Green-Wood cemetery is looking for an artist-in-residence to make the cemetery the inspiration for their art from January through September. (Collier Sutter for Time Out) New York state is suing President Trump over his attempt to exclude undocumented immigrants from the Census. (Sophia Chang for Gothamist) The Times takes a hard and depressing look at the block in Midtown surrounding the Time & Life Building, calling its current dead state "omen for the city’s future." (Michael Wilson for NY Times) The first eviction cases have been filed since Governor Cuomo's initial moratorium expired. His extension is not as extensive, leading to the first look at an expected tidal wave headed towards the city once the extension ends. (Michael Herzenberg for NY1) Where to eat outside in Woodside and Sunnyside. (Nikko Duren for The Infatuation)