Police Violence Escalates + Bernie Endorses Jabari
No 168
Monday, June 01, 2020
A note to our readers: The Thorn has switched from Mailchimp to Substack so we can keep delivering you local New York politics news from a socialist perspective with fewer administrative costs. Starting in January 2022 our new issues can be at thethornnyc.substack.com along with how to subscribe. This website will serve as an archive of our past issues.
Local News
- Protests erupted at the Barclays Center and throughout New York in response to the police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. The NYPD response included beating protesters, firing pepper spray, and attacking them with moving vehicles. State Senator Zellnor Myrie and Assemblymember Diana Richardson were among those pepper sprayed. The NYPD tried to commandeer city buses to transport protesters to jail, but bus drivers refused, with the support of the Transit Workers Union.
- The Mayor defended the NYPD officers who drove their SUVs into protesters, provoking widespread condemnation.
- New York City will begin Phase One of its reopening plan on June 8th. Phase One includes resumed work in wholesale business, construction, manufacturing, and curbside retail. About 400,000 New Yorkers are scheduled to return to work, but the Mayor admitted that concerns about public transportation, and the absence of an MTA plan.
- The State Board of Elections was sued by disability rights groups for not making the new absentee ballot program more accessible.
- The Brooklyn Housing Court is likely still weeks away from holding in-person hearings, in part due to unique challenges of the building at 141 Livingston Street. Gov. Cuomo’s moratorium on evictions is set to expire on June 20th.
- Included in Gov. Cuomo’s recent austerity budget was a broad grant of immunity to hospitals and nursing home companies for any liability they might have otherwise incurred in their response to Covid-19.
Elections
- Jabari Brisport is blowing away the field in fundraising thanks to a massive small dollar donors. In the latest campaign finance filing, his campaign reported a sizable lead in total funds raised and cash on hand, in addition to an overwhelming lead in total donors (nearly 2900). Bernie Sanders also endorsed Jabari on Wednesday.
- Gay City News covered Brisport’s campaign finance report, noting that he would make history as the first out LGBTQ black state senator in New York even though many liberal LGBTQ Democratic organizations have endorsed Jason Salmon.
- Multiple New York incumbents pledged to return donations from police, correction, and court officer unions.