The Briefly for June 19, 2020 – The "Here Comes Phase Two" Weekend Edition
Today - Low: 68˚ High: 78˚
Partly cloudy throughout the day.
This weekend - Low: 68˚ High: 79˚
A guide to Juneteenth marching, mourning, picnicking, and dancing. (Emmy Freedman and Erin O'Brien) We're only at the tail end of phase one, but why are some people acting like we're past it all? (Michael Wilson for NY Times) It's official, we're headed to phase two on Monday. (Brendan Krisel for Patch) What this also means is that outdoor dining returns on Monday. (Bao Ong for Time Out) Let's hope we don't see more clusters of idiots hanging out outside bars in large groups drinking and eating. Governor Cuomo has expanded the power os the State Liquor Authority to revoke or suspend liquor licenses for restaurants and bars that don't enforce proper social distancing rules. (Ryan Sutton for Eater) The Department of Transportation is in talks with Mayor Bill de Blasio to study turning a roadway on the Brooklyn Bridge into a bike lane. Someone check to see if hell's frozen over yet. (Kevin Duggan for Brooklyn Paper) There will always be people who naysay transportation evolutions. In Flushing, Queens, the businesses on Main Street are the ones making a stink about it. (Dan Rivoli for NY1) Remember when the city pledged to bring a bike-share program with 1,000 dockless bikes to Staten Island? Bike sales are up, Citi Bike usage shot up in May, and Staten Island remains the only borough without any bike-share program. (Clifford Michel for The City) Video: Relax with a tour through the blooming roses at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. (Jake Dobkin for Gothamist) Who should have the power in the process of approving liquor licenses? Should it be the community board, which represents the people of the neighborhood or a business improvement district, which represents local businesses? The Lower West Side Partnership is attempting to muscle its way into the decision making process. (Bowery Boogie) The scandals at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park are too long to list. Most recently inmate Jamel Floyd died after being pepper-sprayed in the face. New reports are surfacing that inmates are being confined to their cells nearly 24 hours a day and have provided very little response to Covid-19. (Jessica Parks for Brooklyn Paper) The mayor has the talent to make people hate him. Two different City Councilmembers put forward different resolutions for his removal by Governor Cuomo, one because he did too much to maintain order during George Floyd protests and another because he didn't do enough to maintain order. (Maya Kaufman for Patch) The MTA's influence goes far beyond NYC. The MTA's budget is spent in all but one of the continental US states, meaning the MTA's finding is also America's funding. (Gersh Kuntzman for Streetsblog) I Need More, the boutique owned by the late Jimmy Webb, will be (closing for good at the end of July. (Elie Z. Perler for Bowery Boogie) Rents will freeze for roughly 2 million New Yorkers with rent-regulated apartments for the next year to help ease the financial burden of the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) The Rent Guidelines Board vote, explained. (Amy Plitt for Curbed) Photos: Photographer Peter Schafer's portrait series of New Yorkers in mask. (Howard Halle, photos by Peter Schafer for Time Out) Meet Elisa Crespo, the trans candidate looking to succeed Richie Torres as a Bronx City Councilmember. Matt Tracy for Gay City News) Ready to start riding a bike? Check out these nine tips from cyclists. (Monica Torres for HuffPost) It's been over a year since the death of Layleen Polanco and there still haven't been any significant reforms around solitary confinement. One of the reasons reforms stalled was Mayor de Blasio's opposition to them. (Rosa Goldensohn for The City) New York State's 118 billionaires increased their net worth by an estimated $44.9 billion, or 8.6 percent, from March 18 to May 15. More than 100 state legislators won't approve any spending cuts without raising taxes on the wealthy. (Christian Murray for Queens Post) The City Council passed a ban on police chokeholds the mayor said he'll sign, despite weeks of his arguing for an exception for potentially fatal situations. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) Say hello to Abraham Knofler, the city's latest noted racist. He's the guy who stood outside of Burly Coffee in Bed-Stuy for at least eleven minutes arguing that their Black Lives Matter sign was somehow offensive. IT's a miracle that he didn't get his ass beaten. (Tanay Warerkar for Eater) Did you know that New York City has a "Rat Row?" Well due to the city's restaurants being closed, Rat Row has been expanding. (Jeff Arnold for Patch) If you're looking for a mud-slinging primary, look no further than the 43rd Assembly district contest between incumbent Diana Richardson and former State Senator Jesse Hamilton. (Ben Verde for Brooklyn Paper) Looking for more nature in your life? Here are 10 Forever Wild nature preserves in the city. (Noah Sheidlower for Untapped New York) Get ready, because New York City is entering phase two of reopening on Monday. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) 16 books about New York City by Black authors. (6sqft) If you're formulating an escape for Rikers Island, how do you get to freedom? IF you're the inmate who tried to escape on Thursday, you try to swim across the East River. Sadly, they didn't make it without being caught. (Brendan Krisel for Patch) It felt like we just rid ourselves of the Islanders, but they may be coming back. The owners of the Nassau Coliseum indefinitely closed the arena, leaving the team with nowhere to play their home games. With no other options, the Isles could come back to Brooklyn until their new home at the Belmont Racetrack is constructed. (JT Torenli for Brooklyn Eagle) More than 50 New York lawmakers called for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to strengthen his eviction ban extension, which ends on Monday. (Georgia Kromrei for The Real Deal) The Naval Cemetery Landscape is once again open to the public for those that want a moment of respite and also one surrounded by buried bodies. (Noah Sheidlower for Untapped New York) The Association of Jewish Camp Operators is suing Governor Andrew Cuomo over his closure of sleepaway camps this summer, arguing the order violates their constitutional rights of the free exercise of religion. (Sophia Chang for Gothamist) If the idea of spending the summer with your kids is daunting (or terrifying), the Times has some idea of how to entertain your kids. (Alexis Soloski for NY Times) City Councilmember Donovan Richards is calling for the removal of NYPD officers from school security duties. (Michael Dorgan for Queens Post) The NYPD has vacated Carl Schurz Park after blocking access for no good reason. (Steven Vago for Streetsblog) The City Council passed the POST Act, which will require the NYPD to reveal information about their arsenal of surveillance tools, which include stingray devices, drones, facial recognition, and more. The mayor is expected to sign the bill into law. (Alan Feuer for NY Times) 45 ice cream shops open for summer 2020. (Regan Miles for amNewYork Metro) Thanks to reader Arden for today's featured photo!