The Briefly for May 3, 2020 – The "Does Anyone Know Who is in Charge?" Edition

Today - Low: 66˚ High: 81˚

Heavy rain until evening.

Request an absentee ballot before June 16 Click and sign support for the repeal of 50-a Donate to The Equal Justice Initiative and The Bail Project The city remains on PAUSE, with 5/7 metrics met. We are expected to start phase one on June 8. The recording of the NYPD on their radios saying “Shoot the motherf*****rs,” talking about protestors in Brooklyn. The 8 pm curfew is now upon us, but it's not the first time the city has been under curfew. Here are ten times New York City was under curfew. (Noah Sheidlower for Untapped Cities) Can restaurant delivery workers deliver food after curfew? Will people stocking shelves overnight be stopped and asked for paperwork? The state's documentation says there are "no specific requirements for ID" when it comes to essential workers. It's almost like this wasn't well thought out. (Tanay Warerkar for Eater) “I’d rather die than live in a world where this kind of violence is normalized. I’ll jump in front of a million police cars if I have to.” -Devin Khan, who was one of the protesters holding the barricade in front of an NYPD SUV on continued marching. (Virginia Breen for The City) Who really runs the city? Yes, Bill de Blasio is our current mayor, but in his press conference on Tuesday, Governor Cuomo commented that he would be within his power to "displace" the mayor using emergency powers. If that wasn't already a troubling enough statement, he also mentioned that the NYPD should use all 38,000 officers. For reference, there were 8,000 officers on duty last night. (Brendan Krisel for Patch) Satire (or is it?): "De Blasio: ‘It Is An Honor To Have My Daughter Doxxed By The Greatest Police Force In The World’ (The Onion) What will Mayor de Blasio say today when it comes to violence across the city? The mayor has shifted the blame on a daily basis. First, it was "out of town" agitators, then it was anarchists, then it was gangs and career criminals. On Tuesday he asked local leaders to "stand up for peace," after it has become clear that his current approach of "the police will figure this out" is not working out. (Joe Anuta for Politico) Speaker Corey Johnson announced that the City Council will vote to finally make the chokehold illegal in June with a veto-proof majority and the mayor's opinion does not matter. Under the bill, any technique that restricts the flow of air" will be a misdemeanor. (Anna Quinn for Patch) When the NYPD wanted Citi Bike and Revel to shut down, the mayor obliged and sent the order. The directive arrived at 10:30 pm on Moday, 30 minutes before the curfew. On Tuesday, Citi Bikes started shutting down before 6 pm. (Julianne Cuba for Streetsblog) New York City legally requires people arrested see a judge within 24 hours. It's been that way for nearly 30 years. People arrested during the weekend's protests spent over 24 hours in Manhattan without seeing a judge. To quote the president o the New York State Court Officers' Association, "Everything is f*****d up." (Rosa Goldensohn for The City)

"Covering protests, especially chaotic ones, has always been tough. Reporters are used to getting jostled, taunted, and sometimes threatened with arrest. And while the level of aggression has been increasing in the last decade, the number of attacks of the past few days is far beyond anything we have ever seen before."

- Judy Patrick, VP for editorial content at the New York Press Association for amNewYork Metro, Be outraged over police attacks on journalists in America

Black New Yorkers Talk About Their Fear in Public Space (Steven Vago for Streetsblog) New York Civil Rights Law section 50-A is a state law, the mayor's support or non-support of its repeal means nothing, but that hasn't stopped him from talking out of both sides of his mouth about it. He says he supports repeal but he is been responsible for its expansion since taking office. (Nick Pinto for Gothamist) A new report from the city’s Commission to Combat Police Corruption shows the NYPD's disciplinary system regularly protects bad cops, including 11 of the 45 cases where the cops involved should have been fired. (Yoav Gonen for The City) Pride Month started with a vigil in Sheridan Square to remember LBTQ people of color lost to police violence as well as other Black Americans who died at the hands of police. (Donna Aceto for Gay City News)

"Opting to stay silent only suggests that [James] Dolan is compliant with the police brutality and systemic racism that has plagued the cultural landscape of this nation — a tone-deaf action considering his general manager is black and all but one of the players on the Knicks’ roster is black."

Joe Patorno for amNewYork Metro, Knicks owner James Dolan’s silence is part of the problem

There is a narrative that the looting that has accompanied protests is undermining the message, as this piece from amNewYork Metro's Editor-In-Chief supposes. The way that looting is covered that undermines the message of the protests, not the looting. Yes, you'll find photos of shattered windows and ransacked stores if you look for it, but you'll also find photos of people in the streets whose hearts are broken and spirits have sustained much more damage than any building. (Robert Pozarycki for amNewYork Metro) There are always people looking to pervert the message of a protest. The owners of a Staten Island restaurant owners want to open early because people are violating social distancing rules at protests. (Amanda Farinacci for NY1) The owner of the Nets, Joe Tsai, has agreed to extend his pledge to pay Barclays Center workers beyond its original date, paying 2,000 part-time workers. (Norman Oder for Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Project) Inside a $16,000 Covid-19 renovation of Christie & Co. Salon in Bayside. (Carlotta Mohamed for QNS) Apartment Porn: A $2.3 million penthouse with a roof deck with a view of Billionaire's Row. A perfect opportunity if you're dying to regularly moon Billionaire's Row. (Dana Schulz for 6sqft) A look at some of the work of Shelley Seccombe, a photographer who has documented the Greenwich Village waterfront since 1970. (Louisa Winchell for GVSHP) The free food fridge in Bed-Stuy, set up by Thadeaus Umpster, is inspiring similar acts of kindness across the city. (Angely Mercado for Brooklyn Based) Governor Cuomo will allow day camps to open on June 29th, including camps in the city. (Sophia Chang for Gothamist) RIP Patricia Reed Scott, who helped bring TV and film production back to the city in the 80s and 90s. (Sam Roberts for NY Times) Meghan McCain says her Manhattan neighborhood was "eviscerated." But also? She's a liar. What a doofus. (David Moye for HuffPost) “If I didn’t have a primary, I wouldn’t care.” Congressperson Eliot Engel, who represents portions of the Bronx and Westchester, is a dipshit and is being challenged by Jamaal Bowman in the June 23 election. (Emily Ngo for NY1) Click here to request an absentee ballot for the June 23, 2020 election and primary. Do this before June 16. Information on the NYPD's shooting of an armed man in response to gunfire in Crown Heights. (Edgar Sandoval and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs for NY Times) The Metropolitan Opera canceled the rest of their performances for 2020 through New Year's Eve. (Michael Cooper for NY Times) 10 organizations supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in NYC. (6sqft) Thanks to reader Mike for today's featured photo!