The Briefly for October 27 - 29, 2020 – The "Nobody Fails in 2020" Tuesday Edition

Today - Low: 54˚ High: 61˚

Mostly cloudy throughout the day.

Early voting information. (NYC Board of Elections) The NYPD removed a table full of masks and Covis-19 fliers from outside an early voting site in Red Hook because of course they did. Among the volunteers handing everything out was City Councilmember and mayoral candidate Carlos Menchaca. The NYPD called it "electioneering" but everyone else is calling it "intimidation." (Brigid Bergin for Gothamist) "Trump 2020. Put it on YouTube. Put it on Facebook. Trump 2020," -an unidentified NYPD officer who was suspended without pay for making political statements while on the job. (Sydney Pereira with Brigid Bergin for Gothamist) The city is not ready for early voting. On day three (Monday) there were still multi-hour lines at many of the 88 polling spots across the city. Make sure to check the schedule before you head to the polls to vote early and make sure you've got some time carved out to make it happen. (Jen Chung and David Cruz for Gothamist) It's time to flush the NYC Elections Board. Need proof? "Inside Decades of Nepotism and Bungling at the N.Y.C. Elections Board." (Brian M. Rosenthal and Michael Rothfeld for NY Times) A look at the scariest part of your future commute: the elevator. (Michael Wilson for NY Times) A group of eight small theaters and comedy clubs in New York City has filed a lawsuit challenging the closing of their venues during the coronavirus pandemic, arguing that if bowling alleys can open, they should be able to. (Michael Paulson for NY Times) East Village Neighbors are stocking a community fridge and food pantry outside S'MAC on 12th and First. (EV Grieve) The New York Civil Liberties Union and the Legal Aid Society are suing Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD, charging they are responsible for the “indiscriminate brutalizing of peaceful protestors” earlier this year. The lawsuit is seeking the judge to rule the city violated the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, and to award damages to the eleven plaintiffs. (Erin Durkin for Politico) Mayor de Blasio, the Mets of being mayor, gets a say in the sale of the team. Citi Field's land belongs to the city, so the city's law department has to review the sale of the team. (Joe Pantorno for amNewYork Metro) Of the city's 1.1 million children in the public education system, only 283,000 actually attend in-person classes. The city's ability to track students is a mess and the mayor's messaging around it is worse. (Eliza Shapiro for NY Times) Next week will start a two-week opt-in period for students to go back into public classrooms for blended learning. More than half of the city's students are learning remotely full time. (Matt Troutman for Patch) The latest stunt from Improv Everywhere created floating offices on the East River in partnership with the Tideland Institute. (Will Gleason for Time Out) Along with TikTok, President Trump's administration is also trying to ban WeChat, which could have disastrous consequences for NYC's Chinese restaurants. (Tony Lin for Eater) Students are getting a bit of a break this year, as no one will receive an F in NYC public schools this year. (Matt Troutman for Patch) Despite historically low inmate populations, the use of force is on the rise in city jails. (Sydney Pereira for Gothamist) A draft map for Staten Island's 2021 bike-share program. 350 dockless, pedal-assisted and traditional bikes will be arriving by March. (Dave Colon for Streetsblog) Does adding a lane reduce traffic? No, and it's been shown over and over again. On Staten Island, the DOT is adding a lane to the Staten Island Expressway and will find out all over again. (Vince DiMiceli for Streetsblog) Yes, there's a moratorium on evictions at the moment, but that doesn't extend to storage units. The contents of nearly 1,000 storage units are going to be actioned off by the end of the year. (Rosa Goldensohn for The City) October's new restaurant openings. (Nikko Duren for The Infatuation) thanks to reader Francesca for today's featured photo!