The Briefly for November 25, 2019 – The "We Have A Heart, Also You're Under Arrest" Edition
This week's late night subway disruptions end on Wednesday night, because holiday schedules start on Thursday. (Subway Weekender)
It’s that time of year again, time to start speculating if weather will ground the Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. (CNN)
Construction injuries were up 61% last year and the city is mobilizing its inspectors to make surprise visits to the largest construction sites to crack down on dangerous conditions and it seems to be working. Injuries are down 26% this yer. The team of 38 has carried out 10,256 surprise inspections and that still only covers a quarter of active construction sites. (NY Times)
Portraits of the city's Black vegan movement from Black VegFest. (Civil Eats)
FedEx's delivery robots have made their way to Lower Manhattan. (Gothamist)
It's hard enough to figure out what is temperature appropriate to wear on a daily basis in the city when the outside temperature is below freezing, some subway platforms are roughly 85 degrees, and your average office temperature fluctuates between chilly and uncomfortably cold, let along if you're moving from California. Welcome to New York Joan Summers, none of us know how to dress in New York City. (Jezebel NYC)
Those same NYPD transit cops gave Matthew Chavez, the creator of the "Subway Therapy" project, a ticket for his post-it note-based project which has been going for over two years without incident in the tunnel between 6th and 7th Aves in the 14th St subway stop. (Gothamist)
NYPD transit cops pinned a homeless woman to the ground and handcuffed her in another disturbing video made public by passersby. The mayor's office claims the woman was being sent to a hospital as a part of the MTA's "homeless outreach." Weird how helping someone with a mental illness looks a lot like arresting them. (Gothamist)
Protests against the NYPD's policing of the subways briefly shut down the 125th St stop on the 4/5/6 on Friday night. (amNewYork)
Photos from the protest, which resulted in 58 arrests. (The Independent)
The Coney Island subway station is roofed with solar panels, but they've been off-line since in 2012. When installed, the panels were supposed to cut back on 17,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over 40 years. That is, of course, if they are operational. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
The city will shut down Fifth and Sixth Aves surrounding Rockefeller Plaza to cars for portions fo the day from Thanksgiving to January in hopes of relieving sidewalk congestion and forcing automobile traffic to find another way around the neighborhood. This is the plan that the Department of Transportation announced last month and the mayor said wasn't yet approved. (NY Times)
The FDNY has "deep health and safety concerns" about the pedestrian plaza plan, claiming it will make it harder to get around the area due to rerouting of vehicles and that the mayor's office didn't adequately notify the local fire companies. (amNewYork)
The MTA isn't happy with the plan either, due to the bus stops that will be bypassed during the hours the pedestrian plazas will be in operation. (Streetsblog)
The city's reported HIV cases are at their lowest since the city started tracking them in 2001, with until 2000 cases reported in 2018. That number is 67% down from 2001. (amNewYork)
The NYPD agreed to give the Civilian Complaint Review Board access to body-cam footage except in the most serious cases. It sounds simple, but the actual agreement is ridiculous. There will be a "secure room" where one NYPD member will look for footage and one CCRB member will oversee. This is meant to get the CCRB footage without 10-25 days instead of the current 18-month backlog that exists. (Gothamist)
If you love Christmas more than anything else in this world, this Buddy the Elf-themed hotel room at the Midtown 45 is probably up your alley. (Time Out)
The NYPD took time to attend a Community Board 6 meeting to spread fear about the bail reforms kicking in starting in January. Bail reforms were signed into law in April. (Bronx Times)
The NYPD aren't the only ones fear-mongering over bail reform. Republican State Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis, who represents Bay Ridge and a portion of Staten Island, is hopping on the scare train. Crime in New York has declined for 28 years straight and is at post-World War II levels. (The Brooklyn Home Reporter)
Photos from the Harlem Light It Up parade. (amNewYork)
A LIRR train derailed on Friday night at Jamaica. There were no injuries, but the MTA is investigating what caused the derailment. This is the second derailment in that area on that track. (amNewYork)
With Mike Bloomberg getting into the presidential race, every NYC mayor since 1993 is or has run for president. Maybe David Dinkins has some ambitions we don't know about. Either way, Bloomberg is in. (Patch)
Here's his announcement video. (Bloomberg 2020)
A water main break caused flooding in Sunset Park on Sunday after a 30-foot wide crater opened up and shot out water for six hours. There were no injuries or major damage. (amNewYork)
The Coast Guard pulled 23 out of 32 ferries out of operation over "safety discrepancies" after annual inspections were performed on Sunday. Six ferries are back in the water. (amNewYork)
Someone posted a Times Square bomb threat to Reddit on Sunday morning. The threat was deemed not credible and the NYPD are investigating the post. (NY Times)
Where to go out for Thanksgiving dinner in NYC
Thanks to MG Ashdown for today’s featured photo