The Briefly for September 4 - 5, 2020 – The "A Real Turd of an Idea From Cuomo" Friday Edition

Today - Low: 67˚ High: 85˚

Clear throughout the day.

This weekend - Low: 66˚ High: 81˚

What's open and closed on Labor Day. (Matt Troutman for Patch) 62% of New Yorkers believe the worst is yet to come when it comes to Covid-19, according to a Siena College Research Institute poll. 82% believe the state will face another large outbreak in the fall. Who says New Yorkers aren't optimistic? Apparently New Yorkers. (Matt Troutman for Patch) The bonkers story of Gennaro Brooks-Church and Loretta Gendville, the eco-yogi slumlords of Brooklyn. (Bridget Read for The Cut) A rolled-up cheese sandwich, a cup o noodles, Pop-Tarts, and the other Bushwick-esque foods being offered by bars in, yes, Bushwick. (Jackson Schroeder for Bushwick Daily) A year ago, the city's jobless rate was at 4.3%. This year unemployment is sitting at 20%. (Matt Troutman for Patch) The first statue of historical women in Central Park was unveiled, Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument, featuring Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony. (Noah Sheidlower for Untapped New York) A Ford Taurus drove into a group of protesters on Thursday night in Times Square, injuring multiple people protesting the killing of Daniel Prude. The NYPD declined to say if the driver had been arrested. (Jake Offenhartz and Gwynne Hogan for Gothamist) The New York City public school system’s reopening will be delayed, with “instructional transition and orientation” starting remotely on September 16th and in-person learning pushed back to September 21st. (Sophia Chang, Jen Chung, and Jessica Gould for Gothamist) “We’re trying to move heaven and earth to try to get buses in place by the first day of school.” How is it possible that the city has had the entire summer to get ready for schools to open and it's not a given that the city's children will have buses to bring them to school. According to the executive director of pupil transportation, "it's really a day-to-day scenario." (Alex Zimmerman for Chalkbeat) The City Council met to hear concerns about Mayor de Blasio's school opening plans. 140 people spoke, not one of them was a Department of Education official. According to one of de Blasio's advisors, we'll see"a resurgence." Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said she allocated $12 million for ventilation system upgrades in schools and the money hasn't been spent, despite the city claiming poverty. School starts on September 21 and in-person classes start one week later. (David Cruz for Gothamist) Success Academy, the city's largest charter school system, is going completely remote for the remainder of 2020a first look at what Covid-19 outdoor classes will look like. (Caroline Lewis for Gothamist) Several city school teachers are filing for injunctive relief against the city and Chancellor Richard Carranza, asking a judge to block in-person learning at the city's public schools. (David Cruz for Gothamist)

"Since coronavirus is less likely to spread outdoors, letting all New York City schools hold class in public parks and on cordoned-off city streets, on its face, seems like a positive development. But I didn’t need to read the fine print to know that our immigrant, Black, and brown communities — the ones that have been hit hardest by the COVID-19 crisis — would get the short end of the stick. I didn’t need to know who organized and petitioned for outdoor learning to know that the “nice white parents,” a perennial force for maintaining inequities in one of the nation’s most segregated school systems, would get their way. Again."

-Lynn Shoh, a public school teacher, I advocate for outdoor learning. But NYC’s plan for it will further privilege ‘nice white parents’ for Chalkbeat

Diddy and educational speaker Dr. Steve Perry announced on Thursday that they are opening their latest charter school, Capital Prep Bronx, which aims to provide “historically disadvantaged” students with a standout curriculum, in order to prepare them with “college and career readiness skills.” (J'na Jefferson for The Root) J’Ouvert festivities are canceled, but that isn't stopping the NYPD from stepping up their presence this weekend in Brooklyn. (Ben Verde for Brooklyn Paper) A look at the history of the NYPD's computerized system CompStat and why NYPD captains want to stop its usage. (Alexander Jusdanis for Bedford + Bowery) The NYPD's Police Benevolent Association endorsed Donald Trump president, which was a surprise to the Guardians Association, a fraternal order of Black police officers, who called the endorsement a "lack of respect" and takes police to "a dark place." Let's be honest here, the NYPD endorsing Trump is as surprising as your very obviously racist uncle from Alabama telling you about his collection of knives from WWII that just so happen to be from Germany. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist) Bronx Country District Attorney Darcel Clark announced that she would move to dismiss more than 300 of the curfew summonses issued during protests in Mott Haven on June 4. (Christopher Robbins for Gothamist) In the wake of the death of Layleen Polanco, the mayor said the NYPD should not be arresting people for sex work. The mayor has no authority over what the NYPD does and does not do and it's up to district attorneys to decide to press charges against people who have been arrested. (Rosa Goldensohn for The City) There are 200 people in city jails due to technical parole violations, lower than last year's 726, but mostly due to Governor Cuomo's push to reduce jail populations du to Covid-19 fears. Criminal justice advocates are pushing for the number to be zero. (Reuven Blau for The City) Does the mayor have any authority in this city? Mayor de Blasio asked community boards to voluntarily lay off some of their pad staff to help contribute to the city's $9 billion budget shortfall. The answer from some boards was "no." (Kevin Duggan for Brownstoner) Add the Barclays Center to MSG as a polling site this November, making both the largest polling site in their respective boroughs. (David Gannon for 6sqft) Noticing a whole lot more "no-fee" apartments throughout the city? Pandemic, pandemic, pandemic. Normally in August, there might be 50% of all apartments in Brooklyn and Manhattan. This year the number is closer to 75 or 85%. (Michael Kolomatsky for NY Times) RIP Tom Seaver, the Mets' greatest player. (Kevin Walsh for Forgotten New York) Have you received a random copy of The Epoch Times, which is also known as "garbage?" You're not alone. The pro-Trump newspaper was suddenly delivered to people in multiple Brooklyn neighborhoods surrounding Bed Stuy. (Jessy Edwards for The Brooklyn Reader) A look at U Thant Island, Manhattan's smallest island that's also off-limits to the public. Wanna go visit? U Thant! I'll be here all weekend. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft) I'll admit this has been a lot of bad news, but here's a palate cleanser for you. 25 quotes about New York that fill us with immeasurable pride. (Will Gleason for Time Out) Photos: Rockefeller Center's new major sculpture installation. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out) The Governor is allowing malls will be reopening in the city on September 9. Food courts and other eateries will remain closed and no mallrats. (Matt Troutman for Patch) Myths and secrets of the Grand Central Clock. (Michelle Young for Untapped New York) The city is lowering the speed limit on nine roads to 25 miles an hour, the standard speed limit on city roads. This includes parts of Riverside Drive, Flatbush Ave, Northern Blvd, Bruckner Blvd, Short Parkway Service Rd, Dahlgren Pl, Webster Ave, and Targee St. (Christina Goldbaum for NY Times) Apartment Porn: Four outdoor spaces, a wine cellar, and a ludicrously large shower can be found in shis $6 million Park Slope brownstone. Another portion of the Highline, The Spur, is reopening to the public this weekend (Robert Pozarycki for amNewYork Metro) Congrats to Alaska and Montana for making the NY Covid-19 quarantine list. (Matt Troutman for Patch) A makeshift Breonna Taylor memorial has popped up outside St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery. (EV Grieve) Here's what to expect inside the city's newly reopened gyms. (Daniel E. Slotnik for NY Times) Over 60% of restaurants and bars in the state are "likely" or "somewhat likely" to permanently close by next year, according to a New York State Restaurant Association survey of 1,042 responses. (Luke Fortney for Eater) Over 300 restaurants are suing the city for $2 billion for the city's ongoing indoor dining plan. (Luke Fortney for Eater) What's the latest on indoor dining from the mayor? In his ever-changing public comments about it, he's now pivoted to saying that there will be an answer by the end fo the month. (Matt Troutman for Patch) Governor Cuomo has a real turd of an idea. According to the governor, indoor dining could resume in NYC if the NYPD enforces compliance of regulations. Maybe he doesn't remember why the NYPD was pulled from enforcing social distancing in the first place? It looks like an NYPD officer not wearing a mask properly with his knee on the neck of a person of color on the sidewalk. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft) Eater is keeping a running list of restaurants that have permanently closed. (Eater) Opposite of that list, here's a list of new restaurants that opened in NYC. (Eater) The 21 most in-demand NYC outdoor dining reservations. (Bao Ong for Time Out) 13 to-go Negronis you can grab today. (Hannah Albertine & Nikko Duren for The Infatuation)