The Briefly for June 9, 2020 – The "A Real Reason for the City's Curfew" Edition
Today - Low: 71˚ High: 84˚
Clear throughout the day.
The state Assembly passed the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) The Times goes deep on the backgrounds and possible motivations of Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman, who were arrested for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail into a police vehicle. (Nicole Hong and William K Rosenbaum for NY Times) Bronx’s District Attorney Darcel Clark found "no criminality" in the death of Layleen Polanco, the 27-year-old Afro-Latina trans woman who died in her cell in Rikers Island a year ago. Polanco was in Rikers because she was unable to pay a $500 cash bail. Adding insult to injury is DA Clark's use of Polanco's deadname rather than her chosen name. (Harron Walker for Jezebel) Video: A man drove his car through on the sidewalk through a group of peaceful protesters. After a week of beating the shit out of protesters all across the city for an entire week, watch the NYPD civilly confront him while arresting him. Yes, he was white, how did you know? (John Del Signore for Gothamist) I hope you're sitting down. The city’s police watchdog on Monday released its first-ever report on the NYPD’s treatment of young people, ages 10 to 18 — and found that boys who are black or Hispanic are disproportionately victims of cop misconduct. (Eileen Grench for The City) A federal judge has ordered the NYPD to incorporate their formerly secret lists of police officers with dishonesty issues into an early intervention system, which will use data to identify officers exhibiting disturbing behavior. (George Joseph for Gothamist) When the dust settles, remember who publicly defended the NYPD. Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said she would not commit to reducing or eliminating her agency's partnership with the NYPD. (Gersh Kuntzman for Streetsblog) “In a critical time of vicious income inequality and racial disparity, he has shown New York City he is not an ally to progressives. Real New Yorkers take firm stances on tough issues…And it’s high time the Mayor decides whether or not he’s in favor of the NYPD’s aggression or people’s dignity.” -Nicholas Tamborra, the vice president of the Lambda Independent Democrats (LID), an LGBTQ political club in Brooklyn. (Duncan Osbourn for Gay City News) The mayor may not be comfortable with defunding the police, but he's 100% comfortable with defunding affordable housing. It's an issue that he supposedly cares about, but in his proposed budget he cuts over a billion dollars from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. (Kathryn Brenzel for The Real Deal) Let's check in with the latest progress on the L train construction. It's not terrible, so there's some good news today. (EV Grieve) A guide to the city's reopening. (Jen Carlson for Gothamist) The MTA wanted 60 miles of new busways for phase one of the city's reopening. The mayor, never one to completely rise to any occasion, provided 20 miles of new busways on Jamaica Ave, Manhattan's Fifth Ave, Brooklyn's Jay Street, and E 181st St for car-free roads and four more for dedicated lanes. He also made the 14th St busway permanent. (Gersh Kuntzman for Streetsblog) The mayor said in an interview that it was his fear of Governor Cuomo taking over the situation that led him to institute the city's curfew. Did all of this happen because Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo can't see eye to eye on anything? (NY1) While this piece is about Mayor de Blasio defending the detaining of protesters for over 24 hours, there's a tidbit about a rumor of NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea and Chief of Department Terence Monahan resigning. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) The mayor won't commit to a number when it comes to defunding the NYPD, but he's made the smallest of changes. A small portion of the budget would be diverted to youth and social services for communities of color, the dollar amount is unknown. The NYPD won't be responsible for overseeing street vendors, giving instead to a civilian agency. (Michael Dorgan for LIC Post) “We have been fighting for this for years now, and this is just the bare minimum.” The reaction to the NYPD not overseeing street vendors wasn't exactly met with a huge reaction. The NYPD had previously written 18,000 tickets per year to vendors. (Tanay Warerkar for Eater) The City Council's Oversight and Investigations Committee is calling for an investigation of the NYPD union that released personal information on Chiara de Blasio's arrest. The SBA, which City Councilmember Richie Torres called a hate group, tweeted her height, weight, and address, which is a violation of the city's charter. SBA president Ed Mullins is already under investigation for declaring "war" on the mayor in February. (Brigid Gergin for Gothamist) "You can no longer hide behind your black wife and children, you are exposed now. We are in a time when we need your leadership and it's not there." -NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams about Mayor de Blasio. (Gloria Pazmino for NY1) Looking for a safe space while protesting? The city's theaters and museums are opening their lobbies to help you. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft) Hundreds of current and former Mayor de Blasio staffers gathered for a protest of the mayor for his failure to protect Black and brown residents of the city that he swore he would shield from racist policing. (Terrell Jermaine Starr for The Root) Photos: The Green-Wood Cemetery tribute to New Yorkers lost to Covid-19. (Noah Singer for Brooklyn Eagle) Workers in Amazon's Staten Island warehouse are suing the company to ask for safer working conditions. (Amanda Farinacci for NY1) 14 notable NYC restaurants and bars that have now permanently closed. (Bao Ong for Time Out) Here's what you can expect the next time you take the subway. (Howard Halle for Time Out) Governor Cuomo announced the city can resume elective surgeries and ambulatory care. (Emily Davenport for amNewYork Metro) Say hello to Scott Wiener, the owner of the world's largest pizza box collection and the founder of Slice out Hunger and Scott's Pizza Tours. How many boxes you ask? 1,550. (Anne Ewbank for Atlas Obscura) Video: Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Suraj Patel, Pete Harrison, Lauren Ashcraft debate ahead of the primary for New York's 12th Congressional District. (Gotham Gazette) The Columbus Circle Target is expected to open this fall instead of its original July 19th date. (Mike Mishkin for I Love the Upper West Side) Child abuse cases are down 51%, this is worrisome. (Nikita Stewart for NY Times) 35 restaurants supporting the Black community. (Hannah Albertine for The Infatuation) Thanks to reader Chelsea for today's featured photo!