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☆ NYC Councilwoman Arrested After Bringing Gun to Pro-Palestinian Protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov was arrested for criminal possession of a firearm after showing up armed at a pro-Palestinian protest. Vernikov, a Republican, turned herself in Friday morning and was released with a court date, a New York City Police Department spokeswoman said. Vernikov didn’t menace anyone with the handgun, the spokeswoman said. Vernikov, who is Jewish and has criticized pro-Palestinian protestors, was at the demonstration at Brooklyn College on Thursday and documented it on social media. Vernikov didn’t respond to a request for comment Friday.

Persons: Inna Vernikov, Vernikov Organizations: Republican, New York City Police Department, Brooklyn College Locations: York, New

New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters Thursday that police would do extra patrols in some city neighborhoods and send additional resources to schools and houses of worship. Kathy Hochul stressed that law enforcement wasn't aware of any credible threats against the state or the city. The Secure Community Network, which advises U.S. Jewish institutions on security, has encouraged Jewish communities to be vigilant and bolster their security efforts. Michael Masters, the group’s CEO, warned against letting “fear or clickbait threats cause chaos” in Jewish communities because he said that is part of the objective of those spreading hateful rhetoric online. ____ Associated Press reporters Jake Offenhartz, Deepti Hajela and Karen Matthews in New York City contributed.

Persons: Christopher Wray, Ashley Reyes, ‘, ’ ” Reyes, Rania Mustafa, Mustafa, “ It’s, else’s, Eric Adams, Adams, Kathy Hochul, ” Hochul, “, New York City councilmember, Inna Vernikov, Vernikov, Charles E, Smith, Michael Masters, ”, Jake Offenhartz, Deepti Hajela, Karen Matthews Organizations: BOSTON, — Police, U.S . Capitol, Hamas, Palestinian American Community Center, New, New York City, New York Gov, Republican, Columbia University, Palestinian, Capitol, Charter School, Smith Jewish Day School, Police, Secure Community Network, Associated Locations: New York, Los Angeles, Israel, U.S, Montclair , New Jersey, Clifton , New Jersey, New York City, Gaza, Manhattan, Washington, Rockville , Maryland, Westchester County , New York, Boston

☆ NYC passes bill to make pandemic-era outdoor dining program permanent, with more specific guidelines
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Jessica Xing | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The New York City Council approved a bill Thursday to make the pandemic-era outdoor dining program a permanent part of the city, with some restrictions, according to the Office of New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The city instituted the outdoor dining program in 2020 under the administration of Adams’ predecessor, Bill de Blasio, to assist the struggling restaurant industry during the height of the pandemic. Under the new bill, however, roadway dining structures such as outdoor sheds will need to be removed during the winter. Sidewalk dining will be allowed with a permit all year-round, according to a statement from the city council. People eat dinner in an outdoor sidewalk shed at a restaurant on Bedford Street in Greenwich Village on December 17, 2021 in New York City.

Persons: Eric Adams, Adams, Bill de Blasio, Gary Hershorn, Councilwoman Marjorie Velazquez, ” Adams, ” Velazquez, “ Organizations: CNN, The New, New, New York City, Corbis, Department, Transportation, NYC Council Locations: The New York, New York, Bedford, Greenwich Village, New York City, York

☆ Streep and Clooney Lead Donation Campaign for Striking Actors
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hollywood actors have now been on strike for nearly three weeks. They have walked picket lines in broiling heat, orchestrated noisy rallies and flooded social media with cris de coeur. The president of the actors’ union, Fran Drescher, on Tuesday spoke about “greed-driven” studios at a New York City Council meeting. The SAG-AFTRA Foundation, a charity that provides financial assistance to workaday performers, said on Wednesday that Ms. Streep and Mr. Clooney had helped lead a donation campaign that had raised more than $15 million over the last three weeks. The pair each gave $1 million and then started to lobby Hollywood’s other top-earning stars for contributions.

Persons: cris de coeur, Harrison Ford’s, Fran Drescher, Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Streep, Clooney Organizations: SAG, AFTRA Foundation Locations: Georgia, New York

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/yusef-salaam-of-central-park-five-case-from-prison-to-new-york-city-council-2828b9f8

Persons: Dow Jones, yusef

☆ New York Primary Election Results
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

New York City Council Ninth DistrictThe Ninth Council District’s Democratic primary in Harlem pits two State Assembly members, Inez Dickens and Al Taylor, against Yusef Salaam, one of five men who were convicted and then exonerated in a 1989 rape and assault of a female jogger in Central Park. The name of Councilwoman Kristin Richardson Jordan, the incumbent, remains on the ballot despite dropping out of the race last month.

Persons: Inez Dickens, Al Taylor, Yusef Salaam, Councilwoman Kristin Richardson Jordan Organizations: Ninth, Council, Democratic, Assembly Locations: York, Harlem, Central Park

☆ District Attorneys in Queens and the Bronx Prevail in Democratic Primary
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Several Democratic incumbents in New York saw unusual challenges from more conservative candidates in Tuesday’s primary, with the opponents hoping to benefit from a demographic change, as an influx of immigrants is shifting some districts to the right. Incumbents easily held off primary challenges in Democratic primaries for district attorney in Queens and the Bronx; further north, a Council race in Buffalo was won by a woman whose son was shot in the Tops supermarket racist massacre. In New York City, just over 149,000 people had cast their ballots as of 6 p.m., according to the City Board of Elections. That includes 44,611 votes that were cast during the nine-day early voting period that began June 17 and ended on Sunday — less than a quarter of the early-voting turnout two years ago, when candidates for mayor were competing in the primary. There were contested primaries in New York City Council contests across the boroughs, with the races for a two-year term instead of the usual four years because of redistricting.

Organizations: Democratic, Buffalo, City Board, City Council Locations: New York, Queens, Bronx, New York City

☆ Chipotle wants you to think composting before burrito bowl becomes trash
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Composting has been a key part of that for Chipotle, and the fast-casual restaurant chain is expanding that focus this year. In 2023, Chipotle has set a goal to institute composting programs in at least 23% more restaurants, or approximately 234 additional locations. In certain jurisdictions, compostable products have to be fiber-based, while in others plant-based compostable products are accepted. Infrastructure is key for Chipotle, Shibata said, as there are many Chipotle restaurants in areas where there is no facility that can compost certain items. She sees more jurisdictions pushing in the direction of more composting, and said that a focus from companies like Chipotle on composting will help generate momentum.

Persons: Brandon Bell, Chipotle, Brian Niccol, Laurie Schalow, Lisa Shibata, Shibata, We've, Frank Franciosi, Franciosi, Schalow Organizations: Mexican Grill, Getty, composted, Companies, New, New York City, Seattle Locations: Mexican, Austin , Texas, Chipotle, U.S, New York, West Coast, San Francisco

☆ New York City teachers say students are increasingly coming to school high: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

New York City teachers say children are increasingly coming to school high, per The New York Times. But the proliferation of unlicensed smoke shops has become a major issue among city officials. Gale Brewer, a New York City council member, pointed to the growing number of unregulated vape shops in the city — using her own Upper West Side district as a barometer. New York City Eric Adams has pledged to go after unlicensed smoke shops, but he has not yet taken broad steps do so, per The Times. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. has also taken a firm stance against unlicensed shops by floating evictions, but his office has not yet gone through with such actions.

☆ Bill Perkins, Defender of His Harlem Constituents, Dies at 74
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Sam Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Bill Perkins, who for 24 years as a legislator from Harlem championed his community — by, among other things, challenging Donald J. Trump’s aggressive demand for the death penalty when five teenagers, who were later exonerated, were arrested in connection with a rape in Central Park in 1989 — died on Tuesday at his home in Manhattan. His death was announced by his wife, Pamela Green Perkins. She did not give a cause, but Mr. Perkins had undergone treatment for colon cancer and, according to Richard Fife, a family spokesman, had developed dementia. In 1989, when five Black and Hispanic teenagers were charged with the rape of a white jogger in Central Park, Mr. Perkins was among the first Black civic leaders to publicly raise questions about the evidence and to suggest that there had been a rush to judgment. At the time he was president of the tenants’ association of Schomburg Plaza, the Manhattan apartment complex where several of the defendants lived.

☆ After the killing of Jordan Neely, New York City Mayor Eric Adams faces backlash over his approaches to subway safety and mental illness
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

NYC Mayor Eric Adams is being blasted by progressives over his response to Jordan Neely's killing. Neely's death has now placed an even brighter spotlight on Adams' policies regarding homelessness, which the mayor defended during a press conference last Thursday. "People who are dealing with mental health illness should get the help they need and not live on the train. The chief medical examiner's office last Wednesday said that the cause of Neely's death was compression of the neck and ruled his death as a homicide. Meanwhile, protestors are demanding that Penny face charges in Neely's death.

☆ Jordan Neely: Man dies after being put in a chokehold by another rider on New York City subway, officials say. The DA is investigating
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Brynn Gingras Laura Ly Maria Santana | Brynn Gingras | Laura Ly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Manhattan prosecutors are conducting a “rigorous ongoing investigation” into the death of a man seen in video being put in a chokehold by another rider on the New York subway. Jordan Neely, 30, died Monday due to “compression of neck (chokehold),” a spokesperson for the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said. Another rider then approached Neely from behind and put him in a chokehold, Vazquez said. New York police officers respond after a man riding the subway was placed in a chokehold by another passenger. The man who put Neely in the chokehold has been identified as a 24-year-old from Queens, a law enforcement source said.

☆ Ex-Clinton pollster promoting DeSantis as a way to defeat Trump is 'dangerous,' Democratic group warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An ex-Clinton pollster boosted Ron DeSantis and dismissed Joe Biden as the way to defeat Donald Trump. Mark Penn's commentary is "significant" and "dangerous," on Democratic group, Third Way, warns. Ron DeSantis — and dismissal of President Joe Biden — as the way to defeat former President Donald Trump in 2024 is "significant" and "dangerous," one Democratic group warned on Monday. "There is nothing 'dangerous' in questioning whether Joe Biden can beat Donald Trump," he added. "If we do get to the Biden/Trump rematch, I will surely be writing 'How Joe Biden can beat Donald Trump,'" he wrote.

Just 14% say they have a great deal or "quite a lot" of confidence in the criminal justice system, half the level of a decade ago. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case is the first of several involving Trump as the country braces for a 2024 presidential election in which Trump is the leading Republican candidate. Trump himself has over the years complained that law enforcement was targeting him for political purposes, and his rhetoric has heightened since the New York case surfaced. On Wednesday, Trump called on his fellow Republicans in Congress to slash funding for the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI. "It's obvious the criminal legal system can punch down - it's proven that, and oppressively so," Ali said.

☆ Wrongly accused Central Park 5 member cheers Trump's indictment with a single word statement: 'Karma'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump declined to apologize for his controversial position in 1989 on the Exonerated 5. Yusef Salaam said on Twitter that Trump "never said sorry for calling for my execution." Now that Trump has been indicted in New York, a member of that exonerated group has a concise response: "Karma." —Yusef Abdus Salaam (@dr_yusefsalaam) March 30, 2023In 1989, Trump bought newspaper advertisements calling for New York State to adopt the death penalty after the attack on the jogger. "Let's not forget that it was Donald Trump who took out full-page ads calling for these five Black and Brown young men to get the death penalty.

☆ NYC appears poised to pass a bill banning size discrimination — making height and weight a protected class. Some states are also looking into the issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The New York City Council appears prepared to pass a bill banning weight and height discrimination. The bill would apply to employment opportunities, housing, and public accommodations. Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey, and New York state might enact similar policies, per The Washington Post. "This was long overdue as a civil rights issue," Abreu told The Washington Post. If someone looks a certain way, if someone is of a different body size or has higher weight, who cares?"

☆ Fact Check-Video shows illegal dirt bikes bulldozed in New York in June 2022, not motorcycles destroyed by Nigeria’s Tinubu in Lagos
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video showing illegal dirt bikes crushed under a bulldozer in New York in June 2022 has been shared by social media users who have falsely claimed it shows an incident carried out in Lagos under the orders of Nigerian presidential candidate Bola Tinubu. “This is how Tinubu and his boys destroyed motorcycles owned by northerners in Lagos, time for payback is here. On June 21, 2022, the New York Police Department bulldozed illegal dirt bikes it had confiscated in New York City. The New York City Council enacted a bill in 2017 which “prohibits the operation of all-terrain vehicles [ATVs], including dirt bikes in New York City, unless given consent by the property owner” (here). Footage shows illegal dirt bikes destroyed in New York, not Lagos, Nigeria.

A group of mostly Venezuelan families who migrated to the U.S. seeking asylum were welcomed with a Three Kings celebration in New York City organized by a national Latino nonprofit. "Many families are seeking refuge in New York after fleeing civil strife, natural disasters, violence, and so much more." Newly arrived asylum-seekers celebrated their first Three Kings Day in the United States at a dinner Thursday hosted by Hispanic Federation. Three Kings Day this year is an opportunity that allows families to connect and celebrate while keeping with the traditions of home." Greg Abbott following the busing of thousands of migrant families to New York City, with Abbott responding that it's up to the federal government to deal with border issues.

☆ Drag Story Hour protest in NYC caps a year of anti-drag attacks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The latest occurred Thursday outside a public library in the borough of Queens, where a Drag Story Hour event for children was scheduled. A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department said one person was arrested in connection with Thursday’s protest. Demonstrators gather for a protest in support of the Drag Story Hour outside the Queens Public Library in New York on Thursday. Demonstrators gather to protest against Drag Story Hour outside the Queens Public Library in New York on Thursday. Yuki Iwamura / AFP via Getty ImagesThursday’s incident marks at least the second protest of a Drag Story Hour event in New York City this month.

Last year, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, the Human Rights Campaign, labeled 2021 the “worst year” for LGBTQ rights in modern U.S. history, citing a record number of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures across the country. “The LGBTQ+ community is really under siege right now,” said Ricardo Martinez, CEO of LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Texas. One bill that was successfully implemented, and gained national headlines for months, was Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, or what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The word “grooming” has long been associated with mischaracterizing LGBTQ people, particularly gay men and transgender women, as child sex abusers. Those losses came after some conservative groups ramped up misleading or inflammatory campaign ads targeting transgender rights.

☆ Up to 25% of NYC's Airbnb listings could disappear under a new law set to go into effect — here's what to know if you're a host or traveler
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A NYC law set to go into effect in January requires Airbnb hosts prove they reside at the property. An estimated 10,000 — or 25% — of the city's Airbnb rental units could be shut down as a result. There are about 40,000 Airbnb listings in New York City, according to the unofficial database Inside Airbnb. Some real-estate investors turned their eye toward short-term rental properties during the pandemic, with short-term rental listings spiking by 19% from September 2019 to this September, according to AirDNA. Like the looming New York City rules, Atlanta requires short-term rental landlords to register with the city.

Two people were arrested at a New York City Council member's apartment building Monday after opponents of a drag reading event targeted it with messages the politician called “pure hate, unmasked,” officials said. A group had targeted the public reading event geared toward neurodiverse children at a library in Chelsea on Saturday, NBC New York reported. Our resolve is strengthened.”Earlier Monday, the hallways inside the building that houses Bottcher’s council district office were also vandalized, police said. Right-wing figures and influencers have targeted drag events, sometimes with incendiary rhetoric about “groomers." Bottcher, who was elected to represent District 3 in 2021 and took office in January, said after Saturday's event that reading helps children grow, and he thanked the drag reading event organizers.

☆ Protesters swarm NYC library hosting Drag Story Hour for kids
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Protesters trying to shut down a reading event geared toward neurodiverse children at a branch of the New York City Public Library were met by a wall of counterprotesters. NYC Councilmember Erik Bottcher / via TwitterSaturday's protest was just the latest in a string of standoffs across the country from a fringe movement targeting drag events over unsubstantiated allegations of grooming. New York City Council member Erik Bottcher shared images and videos online of the protesters, some of whom he tried speaking with before entering the children’s reading event. “I want to show you the face of hate, right here in Chelsea,” Bottcher said in a video shared on Twitter, before showing the counterprotesters clad in rainbows. A representative for the New York Public Library said the event went on as planned and added that the library would continue to offer programs supporting diverse voices.

The cases were weeks apart and eerily similar: Two young men at popular New York City gay bars. Both of their bank accounts were drained. The New York City Police Department said that the city’s medical examiner is still determining the official causes of Ramirez’s and Umberger’s deaths. John Umberger was found dead in New York City in May and his bank accounts were drained. “It’s horrifying and infuriating that people are being preyed upon and victimized in New York City in this way,” Bottcher said.

☆ This common problem with tenant background checks is costing renters
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Inaccurate screening reports are driving moving costs for renters even higher, according to a new report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The problem is pervasive, says Eva Rosen, an associate professor at Georgetown University who studies the intersection of poverty and American housing policy. Inaccurate reports lead to rejectionsLandlords often use application fees to run background checks on perspective tenants. The average fee is between $40 and $59, but almost 10% of renters reported application fees more than $100. Screening reports are typically sent directly to landlords.

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