DOJ Declines to Indict Cop Who Killed Eric Garner; Heat Wave Stresses City Resources

Local News

• After the US Department of Justice declined to prosecute NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo for federal civil rights violations in connection with the death of Eric Garner, political pressure is increasing on Mayor de Blasio to fire the officer.  Leaders in the city’s African-American community, want De Blasio to see that Pantaleo does not escape all punishment for killing Garner while arresting him for selling loose cigarettes.
• City Limits examines how last week’s dangerous heat wave could be a preview of New York City as climate change worsens. Nearly a third of seniors were out of reach of the City’s existing network of “cooling centers” during last week’s heat wave. Streetsblog asks why the Mayor disregards cars as a source of heat and pollution on hot days.
• The warden at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, who oversaw the power failure last winter that left inmates without heat or power during the coldest weeks of the year, has been promoted. On Friday, the same facility broke out into a fire in the middle of last week’s heat wave.
• ICE attempted several raids in Brooklyn and Queens last week, according to city officials. Elected officials warned New Yorkers to stay vigilant for more possible raids over the next week.
• The Intercept covered the major volunteer operation continuing to support Tiffany Cabán’s campaign during the election’s recount, which may stretch into late July without any clear conclusion.
• Governor Cuomo signed into law the most ambitious legal mandate for cutting greenhouse gases in the nation, requiring an 85% reduction from 1990 levels by 2050 and a carbon-free electric system by 2040. Last year, Cuomo put forward his own much less comprehensive climate bill that refused to set a timeline for economy-wide emission reductions.  Activists under the coalition New York Renews credit the stronger bill’s passage to a sustained, multi-year campaign.
• The developers of Atlantic Yards have broken a decades-old promise to provide ample and indoor bicycle parking for Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
• East Village politicians and residents are asking the City to expand protected bike lanes to Avenues A-D in Alphabet City. Total traffic fatalities are up 15 percent compared to this time last year.

Elections

• Lindsey Boylan, who is running a primary challenge against Jerry Nadler in the 10th Congressional district, is criticizing Nadler for not pursuing impeachment against President Trump. Nadler, who has been in Congress since 1992, is the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which would oversee an impeachment inquiry.
• Over one third of Mayor de Blasio’s 2020 presidential campaign donations raised in the second quarter are tied to people and entities with business or interests with New York City.
• In May, Mayor de Blasio paid $20,000 for a video announcing his run for President using funds from a political action committee he claimed was established to help Democrats win legislative seats in Albany. His presidential campaign is claiming it was not a campaign expense.
• Assembly Member Nicole Malliotakis (District 46 - Bay Ridge, East Shore), the only remaining Republican to hold elected office in Brooklyn, is vacating her seat to run for Congress against Democratic Rep. Max Rose (NY-11).
• CIty Council Speaker Corey Johnson’s expected mayoral campaign appears to be pursuing a small donor strategy more similar to the Julia Salazar and AOC campaigns, rather than the usual sources of New York City political donations: real estate, lobbyists, and corporate PACs.
• State Assembly Member David Weprin is running for City Comptroller, joining City Councilmembers Helen Rosenthal (District 6 - Upper West Side) and Brad Lander (District 39 - Park Slope) in the race.