School Opening Delayed + State AG Empanels Grand Jury in Prude Case

LOCAL NEWS:

• The reopening of the NYC public school system has been pushed back from Sept 10th to the 21st. The delay was announced after the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) President Michael Mulgrew made a backroom deal with the mayor. In addition to the brief delay, the deal includes mandatory testing and guaranteed protective equipment.
• New York State Attorney General Tish James announced that she will be convening a grand jury as part of her office’s investigation into the death of Daniel Prude in the custody of Rochester police. The police initially claimed his death was the result of a PCP overdose, but recently-emerged video footage shows police forcing him onto the ground and kneeling on his back.
• At a Times Square protest over the Prude killing, a car drove through a group of peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters, causing multiple injuries. The car was a former police car purchased at auction, and the license plate matches that of a prominent pro-NYPD activist. It also appeared to be carrying counter-demonstrators who received a police escort, according to video taken just moments before the collision.
• The NYPD’s use of “challenge coins”—trinkets that are shared amongst officers to promote camaraderie in precinct houses—is receiving scrutiny after a Gothamist investigation uncovered several coins featuring racist imagery. 
• Council Member Justin Brannan (District 43, Bay Ridge) is calling on State lawmakers to pass a series of bills that would bring Con Ed under public control.
• Brooklyn’s federal courthouse was temporarily shut down after multiple security officers tested positive for Covid-19.
• Apartments converted from “cluster site” housing for homeless New Yorkers into permanent housing in February still have serious maintenance and security issues, according to City Limits.
• The Trump administration has announced it intends to direct federal money away from “lawless” cities including New York City, Seattle, Portland and Washington, D.C.
• A new order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention bansevictions until the end of the year. The order only protects tenants who meet certain criteria, and it doesn’t cancel rent.

ELECTIONS:

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) interviewed incoming DSA-endorsed State Senator Jabari Brisport (District 25, Central Brooklyn) in Interview Magazine.
• Sandy Nurse received a slate of endorsements from progressives, including State Senator Julia Salazar (District 18, Bushwick)  and Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (NY-7), in the race for Council District 37 (Bushwick). Nurse was kicked off the ballot by the Democratic Party establishment in the June primary for this year’s special election for the seat, but relaunched her campaign in July for the 2021 cycle.
• The race to fill Council Member Andrew Cohen’s soon-vacant seat in Council District 11 (Northwest Bronx) is solidifying. The special election is facing scrutiny because it leaves candidates little time to campaign and will likely cost the City upwards of $1 million.
• The American Prospect published an in-depth look at NYC-DSA successes in the 2020 Democratic primaries.