The Briefly for July 7, 2020 – The "Long Island City is Empty" Edition
Today - Low: 74˚ High: 81˚
Humid and partly cloudy throughout the day.
There's mounting scientific evidence that Covid-19 can hang in stagnant air on tiny droplets for hours. Wear your masks and keep your distance while indoors, because they are just as important as washing your hands. (Apoorva Mandavilli for NY Times) Everything you need to know about phase three of NYC's reopening. (Jen Carlson for Gothamist) There are no current plans to allow the city's music venues or movie theaters to open and indoor dining remains on hold. (Bill Pearis for BrooklynVegan) Let's look ahead to what we need to know about phase four. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out) This week the absentee ballots form the June 23 election will begin to be counted. Statistically speaking, if you voted, you voted absentee. Here are why your absentee ballots may be invalid. (Brigid Bergin for Gothamist) It's time for the latest battle in the city's ongoing war against mosquitos. The city will begin spraying non-residential wetlands on Wednesday morning. (Emily Davenport for amNewYork Metro) What else is the city losing in the annual budget? On top of the Fair Fares program, an OT cut in the Department of Corrections by $66 million, and the Department of Social Services losing 700 employees? The deer sterilization project, Sunday litter collection, and two-hour parking meters will become more expensive, to start. (Bobby Cuza for NY1) Nearly 60% of condo units built in Long Island City, Queens, since 2018 remain unsold. Seems like no one wants to pay $1.5 million for an apartment under one thousand square feet. (The Real Deal) "In these uncertain times" isn't just a phrase you're extremely tired of hearing in commercials. It's easier than ever yo find a short-term rental in NYC. (Valeria Ricciulli for Curbed) The message is simple: Rename the Barclays Center after Jackie Robinson. (Rose Adams for Brooklyn Paper) The High Line is reopening next week, but you'll need a (free) reservation to gain access. Reservations start at 10 am on July 9. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft) Plans: Check out the long-awaited revamp of Woodside’s Sohncke Square. (Christian Murray for Sunnyside Post)
I want to feel safe, and to know that others do, too. I want their feelings to be validated by real safety. The harsh reality is that many systems and institutions in our society have failed. Historically marginalized communities are waiting—we stand together, on the streets and in our homes, watching this fire burn night after night.
- Aleina D. for Gothamist, "Burn The Car, We’ll Find A New Way There": Thoughts On Protests From NYC Teens
A press conference with Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Congressional candidate Jamaal Bowman, Iesha Sekou from Street Corner Resources, and anti-violence groups was interrupted by protesters. Rather than escalate the situation, the protesters were invited to speak alongside the organizers. Everyone was calling for a solution to end the city's recent gun violence. (Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech for amNewYork Metro) July 4th weekend was a violent one in the city, with 64 people shot. (Anna Quinn for Patch) The NYPD blamed bail reform for the rise in violence, which is a tired refrain from the NYPD, anecdotal at best, and a claim that can be verified. (Todd Maisel for amNewYork Metro) "This is something we have to double down on to address." Mayor de Blasio's solution for the spike in violence in the city is to beef up neighborhood policing and work with clergy, local groups, and Cure Violence groups. "Doubling down" is a favorite phrase of the mayor's. He "doubled down" on social distancing in April, "doubled down" on fighting crime in February, "doubled down" on improving schools for Black and Hispanic children in June of 2019, "doubled down" on efforts to help the homeless in April of 2019, and "doubled down" on Vision Zero in February of 2019. How many of those are still issues? (Sydney Pereira for Gothamist) The NYPD has deployed 2 officers for 24 hours a day and seven days a week to protect the Christopher Columbus statue in Astoria. Hard to believe some people think the NYPD's budget is too big. (Adam Light for Streetsblog) The NYPD hired multiple companies to attempt to fix its relationship with Black and Latino New Yorkers. The companies they hired had one thing in common: They were all white-owned. (Greg B. Smith for The City) Photos: Lower Manhattan's new colorful Black Lives Matter mural. (Michelle Young for Untapped New York) In February, the Mets rejected a $2.6 billion sale price. Now the Wilpons have opened up to bids and "bid indications appear weak" and under $2 billion. (Joe Pantorno for amNewYork Metro) The Yankees and Mets 2020 schedule has been released. (Joe Pantorno for amNewYork Metro) A failed Ferris wheel, a minor league baseball stadium with a team that's scheduled to be dropped, a $350 million mall with more than half the stores closed, a quarter-billion-dollar mixed-use development with no timeline for completion. The billion-dollar Staten Island shoreline is sputtering. (Clifford Michel for The City) A fast-growing fire in East Flatbush killed a boy and his grandfather early Monday morning. Five firefighters were injured in the rescue, none of the injuries serious. The rescue was complicated because the house was a Collyer's Mansion. (Todd Maisel for Brooklyn Paper) A Collyer's Mansion is a home so full of stuff that it presents a danger to firefighters who enter in an emergency and named for a pair of brothers infamous for their compulsive hoarding and paranoia. Their home was a series of traps and boxes and when it was cleaned out after the brothers' death, there were over 120 tons of possessions and trash removed. (Harlem World Magazine) NYC is the fifth-worst city in America for first-time home buyers, according to a new study from WalletHub. They used 26 metrics, including affordability, cost of living, tax rates, and more. (Nikki Gaskins for Patch) A new three-acre portion of Brooklyn Bridge Park opened next to Pier 2. Once the plaza under the Brooklyn Bridge opens, Brooklyn Bridge Park will be considered "complete." Don't get too excited, construction doesn't start until December 2021. (Kevin Duggan for Brooklyn Paper) Amy Cooper, the asshole in Central Park who called the police on a Black bird watcher, will be facing misdemeanor charges for filing a false police report. (Jan Ransom for NY Times) It wasn't readmitting patients into nursing homes, but employees and visitors caused the horrible spread of Covid-19 into the state's nursing homes according to a new study from the state, Mount Sinai Hospital, and Northwell Health. Governor Cuomo has been catching shit for his decisions around nursing homes and being given the blame for deaths, but a combination of this study and New York's low death per capita in nursing homes compared to other states would suggest the anger is misplaced. (Elizabeth Kim for Gothamist) The former Jeffrey Epstein companion Ghislaine Maxwell was transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn from New Hampshire. (Ben Yakas for Gothamist) That didn't take long. Less than a month after the sale of their company, the founders of Ample Hills are out. (Kevin Duggan for Brooklyn Paper) Three art galleries in the city are opening this week with phase three. Here's a look at the exhibits, which you'll need to reserve time in advance, wear a mask, and socially distance from everyone else present. (Howard Halle for Time Out) Farewell to China Chalet in Chinatown, an LGBTQ-friendly business, lunch spot for the working crowd, an underground party spot for NYU kids, and well-known celebrity hang out. (Robert Sietsema for Eater) Farewell to Beverly’s on Essex. After seven years, the strains of the Covid-19 pandemic have forced the bar's closure. (Mili Godio for Bedford + Bowery) Farewell to Cranberry’s in Brooklyn Heights, which had been in the neighborhood for 42 years. For each restaurant or bar or coffee shop that you read about closing, there are countless others that don't get a writeup from a local news site. (Tanay Warerkar for Eater) 15 breweries for drinking locally. (Jenny Hart and Liz Provencher for Thrillist) Thanks to reader Jenny for today's featured photo!