Thousands March in Climate Strike + AOC Will Face Primary Challenger
No 133
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
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Local News
- An estimated 250,000 New Yorkers, including many schoolchildren, took to the streets on Friday for the climate strike. New York City public schools excused absences for students who chose to demonstrate.
- The fourth Sunnyside Yard public meeting organized by the city’s Economic Development Corporation was disrupted by protesters organized by the Coalition to Stop Sunnyside Yards. Protesters and organizers from groups including Stop REBNY Bullies and Queens Neighborhoods United fear the development will value developers’ desires over those of the community, resulting in displacement, much like Hudson Yards or Atlantic Yards.
- Council Member Carlos Menchaca (Sunset Park) walked out of a town hall he convened regarding long-delayed plans to rezone Industry City after protesters jeered at his presentation.
- On Tuesday hundreds of Uber and Lyft drivers conducted a “slow vehicle procession” toward Gracie Mansion, causing significant traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge and FDR Drive, to protest new changes to the companies’ apps. Drivers are protesting a new Uber policy that kicks drivers off the apps in low-demand areas to avoid paying drivers as much as is required by city law. Drivers argue this has prevented them from earning a living and are demanding action from the Mayor and City Council.
- New York’s new rent law bars landlords from collecting more than one month’s security deposit from prospective tenants. However, some brokers and landlords are still demanding “good-faith” deposits from renters before they sign the lease. Prospective renters risk losing this deposit if they do not sign the lease.
- A Gothamist/WNYC investigation found that prosecutors in all five boroughs consistently fail to document signs of police officer dishonesty.
- Josmar Trujillo makes the case for shrinking the NYPD in the Daily News. And in the Gotham Gazette, Bob Gangi of the Police Reform Organizing Project offers a plan to close Rikers without building new jails.
Elections
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has a primary challenger.
- Finally realizing that “it’s clearly not [his] time,” Mayor De Blasio ended his presidential campaign after consistently polling under 1%.
- After significant push from Bernie Sanders’ campaign and his supporters, Governor Cuomo has signaled that he intends to sign a bill pushing New York State’s party registration deadline from October to February.