City & State New York 061520

the fire this time THIS IS HOW YOU CHANGE THE WORLD

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June 15, 2020

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June 15, 2020

City & State New York

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EDITOR’S NOTE

JON LENTZ Editor-in-chief

NOT SO LONG AGO, political scholars were questioning the effectiveness of mass protests. Millions of people around the globe marched against going to war in Iraq, though it didn’t dissuade President George W. Bush from sending in the troops. Occupy Wall Street was effective at drawing attention to widening income inequality, but the movement achieved no major policy changes. The election of Donald Trump as president spurred a Women’s March that boasted record turnout, yet there’s no sign it has been able to pressure the White House to shift course in any significant way.

Yet over the past few weeks, widespread marches and protests in response to the death of George Floyd have translated into real change. In New York, the state Legislature, which had ceded power to Gov. Andrew Cuomo during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, leapt back into action, speedily passing a package of reforms aimed at curtailing police brutality. The New York City Council is preparing its own set of criminal justice reforms, and even Mayor Bill de Blasio – who has come under sharp scrutiny for defending the police crackdown on protesters – has pledged to reduce funding for the NYPD. In this week’s magazine, we examine the many reverberations of this movement – not just the legislation that is moving forward, but also the measures that have yet to advance.

CONTENTS REPEALING 50-A … 8

How state lawmakers seized the moment

ACTIVIST RESPONSE … 12

Protest leaders say the work’s not done

CELESTE SLOMAN; TETIANA.PHOTOGRAPHER/SHUTTERSTOCK

DEFUNDING THE POLICE … 14 How to take $1 billion from the NYPD THE PROTEST PRIMARY … 17

The movement will define the upcoming election

INSURGENT CANDIDATES … 20

3 young progressives could topple white incumbents

WINNERS & LOSERS … 26

Who was up and who was down last week

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CityAndStateNY.com

June 15, 2020

“I submit to you: being black and brown in this country is not easy.”

50-A REPEALED AND OTHER CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORMS State lawmakers returned to work in the wake of

statewide and nationwide protests against racism and police brutality to pass a slate of criminal justice reforms. In all, they passed a package of 10 bills over three days. The

most significant of those was the repeal of Section 50-a, which had kept police disciplinary records secret.

Its repeal will make those records, including past complaints, internal trial

MR. CUOMO, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL Change comes slowly, and then all at once. Following protests against police brutality, New York ushered in a wave of reforms that activists have long fought for, including repealing 50-a, a state law that shields police disciplinary records. Many say that law propped up a “Blue Wall of Silence” between police and the public. But as the Daily News illustrates, repealing 50-a takes a wrecking ball.

details and disciplinary actions, available to the public. Police unions around the state have long opposed the repeal and have been criticized for standing in the way of greater accountability. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the repeal on Friday. Lawmakers also passed the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act, first introduced after NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo placed Eric Garner in a fatal chokehold on Staten Island in 2014. The bill, which was also signed by Cuomo, bans chokeholds and criminalizes their use by police if they result in injury or death. Another bill would

“How reckless, how mean, how cruel.”

– Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on a tweet by President Donald Trump that suggested a 75-year-old man had faked being injured by Buffalo Police Department officers, via the Daily News

KEVIN RC WILSON/SHUTTERSTOCK; ASSEMBLY; MIKE GROLL/OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

– Assembly Majority Leader Crystal PeoplesStokes, at a Monday press conference on new police reforms, via the New York Post

June 15, 2020

require New York State Police officers to wear body cameras. They’re currently the largest state law enforcement agency that doesn’t equip its officers with body cameras.

NYC IS (MINIMALLY) OPEN FOR BUSINESS

New York City entered the first phase of reopening, meaning that the entire state has reopened to some degree. In the city, construction has resumed and curbside retail pickup is available. Since taking the first step to fully reopening, subway ridership has begun increasing, hitting its highest levels since March. However, some businesses in the city, impatient to return to normal, aren’t adhering to the reopening rules. Meanwhile, other parts of the state are moving ahead in the later stages of reopening. The mid-Hudson Valley and Long Island entered the second phase, which includes opening outdoor dining and in-store retail, while parts of upstate have entered the third phase, which includes the return of spas and indoor dining at restaurants.

Although most indicators about the severity of the coronavirus pandemic in the state have remained fairly positive, concerns remain about a possible resurgence, especially as cooped-up New Yorkers venture out without wearing masks and/ or ignore social distancing rules. In New York City, for example, the percentage of people testing positive for the coronavirus has increased slightly in recent days.

THE

WEEK AHEAD

City & State New York

A SECOND WEEK OF PROTESTS

Following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, ongoing protests against police brutality and racism continued into a second week across the five boroughs. After New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio lifted the curfew, police this week seemed to take a lighter touch with the overwhelmingly peaceful protesters, with fewer clashes and fewer arrests.

In fact, on one recent night, police recorded no arrests at all, compared to 700 arrests made in a single night the week before. Calls to defund the police have intensified as protesters keep hitting the streets demanding change.

Advocates want to cut $1 billion from the NYPD’s $6 billion budget this year and redirect it to social services. More and more lawmakers have joined the calls for significant cuts to police spending, although most have not committed to $1 billion.

Even de Blasio has now committed to instituting cuts to the NYPD’s budget and redirecting those funds to social services, including youth employment programs. But nonprofits and other groups have said there’s been radio silence regarding that promised money. And the mayor said he doesn’t support removing the NYPD from city schools, one of the goals of criminal justice and police reform advocates.

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A black Buffalo cop stopped another officer’s chokehold. She was fired.

In 2006, Cariol Horne, a black Buffalo police officer, intervened when a white officer, Gregory Kwiatkowski, had a black suspect, David Mack, in a chokehold. Horne jumped on Kwiatkowski’s back to prevent him from harming Mack. In 2008, she was fired from the Buffalo Police Department for her intervention.

Horne, who had been on the force for 19 years, was just one year away from earning her pension. The Buffalo Police Department investigated the incident said Horne’s actions put her fellow officers in danger.

“The police department didn’t believe her story, and they punished her severely,” Brenda McDuffie, president and CEO of the Buffalo Urban League, told City & State. “She lost her livelihood. I mean, which one of us who has any humanity, seeing someone choked to death, just like those officers (in Minneapolis) who should have said, ‘Get off his neck.’”

After she was fired, Horne worked several jobs to make ends meet. “It didn’t just affect me,” Horne told Spectrum News in 2016. “I have three sons that I have to worry about now.

The message that they sent was clear: Even as a police officer, you don’t stand up against police brutality.”

On June 9, the Buffalo Common Council approved three resolutions in the wake of the recent protests against police brutality. One of the resolutions will enforce the city’s “duty to intervene” policy, which mandates that officers intervene if they see another officer using excessive force. The council will also create a task force to review police policies, and the third resolution will ask the state attorney general’s office to determine how many days Horne would need to work to regain her pension.

Since her firing in 2008, Horne has become outspoken against police brutality and hopes to have legislation passed in her name that would protect officers who intervene when another officer uses excessive force and when reporting misconduct by fellow officers.

The Buffalo Police Department has been widely criticized since June 4, when 75-year-old protestor Martin Gugino was pushed to the ground

by Buffalo police officers. In the video, as Gugino begins bleeding from his ear, one officer attempts to tend to him, but a fellow officer motions for him to keep moving.

The officers who shoved Gugino, Robert McCabe and Aaron Torgalski, were suspended and charged with second-degree assault.

In response to the suspensions, 57 Buffalo police officers resigned from the department’s Emergency Response Team in protest, but are still on the force. It is not uncommon for police officers in any city to stand in solidarity with their fellow officers, even if the offending officers are found to be in the wrong.

It’s this culture that McDuffie cites as one of the major reasons why Horne was fired in 2008. “She’s a woman, and a black woman, and she broke the wall of silence,” she said. “So basically (the department said) let’s get rid of her because she’s somebody that we can’t depend on to be silent in matters like this.”

The Buffalo Police Department did not return a request for comment.

McDuffie hopes that Horne is finally “made whole again and feels that whenever that happens that there were people who were listening and people who didn’t forget.”

-Amanda Luz Henning Santiago

THURSDAY 6/18

MONDAY 6/22

TUESDAY 6/23

The New York City Council holds its first remote stated meeting since massive protests against systemic racism began. The council is expected to criminalize police chokeholds at the 1:30 p.m. meeting.

New York City is expected to enter the second phase of reopening. That means restaurants can open up to outdoor dining and those Sunday brunches can resume with a hefty serving of social distancing.

Primary election day in New York, with polls open in most of the state from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. to vote for candidates for state Legislature, Congress, Queens borough president and other offices.

INSIDE DOPE

With mail-in voting massively expanded this year due to COVID-19, it is likely to be an underwhelming election night. Results for many races aren’t likely to come in until a week or two later.

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CityAndStateNY.com

June 15, 2020

BY CAITLIN DORMAN

A TOTALLY REAL AND NOT MADE UP AT ALL

HEALTH DEPARTMENT

SEX GUIDE (WE MADE IT UP.)

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HE NEW YORK CITY health department recently released new guidelines for getting busy during COVID-19. After acknowledging that the love lives of millions of New Yorkers can’t be put on indefinite pause during the pandemic, the department offered up some rather specific ideas for safe sex.

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June 15, 2020

City & State New York

Republicans are saying, ‘We don’t want to defund police.’ Well, you’re defunding police if you’re not giving money to state and local governments around the country.

A Q&A with Rep.

TOM SUOZZI What’s going on at the federal level with reopening, and what are you seeing in your own district?

I think that there’s a tremendous amount of anxiety that remains. Some people are anxious about reopening, and other people are anxious to reopen. We’ve been through so much. So from a federal perspective, my No. 1 priority is we have to get money in New York.

We first handed out money for hospitals. And more money went to hospitals in Texas, which at the time had 2.5% of the cases, than went to New York, which at the time had over 35% of the cases. So we said, “That doesn’t make any

sense. What the heck’s going on here?” Now we have a special fund to try and get money in the HEROES Act the Democrats passed to states based upon the rate of infection.

I got every Democrat and every Republican in New York and New Jersey, and then we built coalitions throughout the country with other states that are hard hit, to say that this special fund – we got up to $49 billion – will go to those states that were hardest hit. Of that $49 billion, New York will get about $10 billion of that money alone. That, combined with the other money, will bring in about $20 billion to New York state if we get this deal done.

What is the mood in Washington, given the news that we are officially in a recession, and getting a deal done on the next relief bill?

It’s the height of hypocrisy (for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell) to suggest we’re getting bailed out. New York is the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis. We need to make up not only for the money we’ve spent, but for the lost revenues that we’ve been hit with so hard, because of the shutdown of the economy. If the federal government can make one mistake right now, it’s not spending enough. Now, we really have to help the states and the local

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governments that have all the frontline workers that have been suffering throughout this process.

Republicans are saying, “We don’t want to defund police, we don’t want to defund police.” Well, you’re defunding police if you’re not giving money to New York state and to our state and local governments around the country.

What can we do to help minority communities that have disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and its economic impacts in terms of reopening?

Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, who’s the chairwoman of the Small Business Committee in

Congress, fought, along with many of us, to make sure that the second round of the PPP loans, actually, a big piece of it was given to minority-owned banks.

A big piece was given to community banks, a big piece was given to credit unions, so that not only could we try to drive more of these loans to smaller small businesses, but minority- and womenowned businesses as well.

And whether it’s testing related to the HEROES Act, whether it’s money to state local governments, I think that it’s essential going forward that we start thinking about what’s the impact going to be on persons of color.

MAKE THAT 8

CityAndStateNY.com

June 15, 2020

CHANGE June 15, 2020

State Sens. Jamaal Bailey and Zellnor Myrie celebrate the Senate voting to repeal 50-a.

Myrie had been pepper-sprayed by police at a protest a week earlier.

City & State New York

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Their bills had been waiting for years.

Then state lawmakers seized the moment – with the whole world watching.

by Z A C H W I L L I A M S

NY SENATE MEDIA SERVICES

T

HE MAY 25 death of George Floyd – a Minneapolis man who suffocated with a policeman’s knee on his neck – has mobilized the public behind the cause of police reform, and the New York state Legislature has responded by passing long-delayed measures to increase transparency and accountability in policing. While it remains to be seen what will happen at the federal level, New York state began passing a package of legislation on June 8 that includes a legal prohibition on chokeholds by officers, new body camera requirements for local and state police and the repeal of 50-a, a state law that had prevented the public release of police disciplinary records. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bills into law last week.

There were no guarantees that such reforms would happen just two weeks after Floyd died, but state lawmakers moved quickly in the days following his death to assemble a bill package from a list of more than two dozen ideas that were already before the state Legislature. These proposals that waited for years now suddenly had a mass movement behind them.

“There’s no way on God’s green earth that a few weeks ago, we could even think of having a unanimous vote on a bill called the ‘Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold bill,’” said state Sen. Brian Benjamin, who represents a Harlem-based district in uptown Manhattan.

The disproportionate effects of the coronavirus pandemic on black and Latino neighborhoods was already on the minds of state lawmakers in mid-May as members of the state Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus began resuming weekly meetings that had been interrupted

by New York’s coronavirus outbreak. While NYPD enforcement of social distancing was already stirring controversy at the time, caucus members were initially focused on addressing public health issues highlighted in a May 18 joint legislative hearing, according to the caucus’s executive director, Kyle Ishmael. “I would have guessed we would have passed some more stuff to deal with the inequities in our health system,” Ishmael said of legislative priorities at the time.

“Then Amy Cooper happened.”

Cooper, a white woman in Central Park, called 911 on the morning of May 25 after a black birdwatcher named Christian Cooper (no relation) told her to put her dog on a leash, as park rules require. “I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life,” she told the man, who was not near her and who did not threaten her life. The video exploded across the internet. To many, she was the latest privileged white person to weaponize the police against black people.

As soon as he saw the video on his phone, Benjamin began considering what he could do to move a bill that he had already sponsored that would make race-based, fraudulent 911 calls a hate crime. Other lawmakers began pursuing similar efforts following the death of Floyd a few hours later.

The following days were a whirlwind of phone calls and texts among members of the caucus, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who have enormous power over what bills can move through their respective chambers. While the legislative leaders told lawmakers they were open to pursuing a new round of reforms, they would wait several more days before announcing their plans to reconvene the state Legislature in early June.

By then a few key things had happened.

The ongoing protests showed that public outrage over the Floyd killing had staying power. Things only got more personal for black lawmakers following the May 29 pepper-spraying of state Sen. Zellnor Myrie and Assemblywoman Diana Richardson at a Brooklyn protest. “I was really hurt by it,” Richardson said in an interview. “New York needed to see that and New York needed to hear that and New York needed to act on what the people were calling for.”

With the usual opponents of police reform measures – police departments and officers’ unions – on the defensive, Cuomo stated on May 30 that he would sign the repeal of 50-a if it got to his desk. Some state lawmakers also took the lack of involvement of the governor on this issue as a sign that Cuomo would follow their lead on a broader set of reforms. “It’s a blank check,” state Sen. John

CityAndStateNY.com

Liu later said. “We’re going to write in a lot of zeroes.”

A list of 28 bills was compiled for a June 1 meeting of the Democratic Assembly and state Senate conferences. By the time it was over, both chambers had decided to do something, and Heastie and Stewart-Cousins announced later that night that state lawmakers would meet the following week to consider a package of police reforms – but they did not say which ones would make the cut. That would fall to the caucus.

“They very much turned to us and said: ‘We want to see your list,’” Ishmael said of legislative leaders. “It had to be a package – not just 50-a and we go home.”

Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright, who chairs the caucus, Assemblyman Clyde Vanel and Ishmael decided the following day to focus on 13 proposals that fell into four broad categories: police record transparency, misconduct prosecution, policing procedures and body cameras. This would not be the final list of bills that would get approved. Some would fall by the wayside in later days, as a working group including Assemblymen Walter Mosley, Phil Ramos, N. Nick Perry, Erik Dilan and Vanel continued refining the list.

Among the nixed proposals was the idea of transferring NYPD disciplinary proceedings to the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings. Benjamin’s 911 bill would get replaced by a proposal from Richardson that would make racially-based fraudulent emergency calls a civil offense (rather than a hate crime) while expanding the definition of offenses that can result in monetary damages. Other legislation from the original 28, like a controversial bill to decriminalize the crime of loitering for the purposes of prostitution – activists say this law has effectively allowed police harassment for people “walking while trans” – would not make it back onto the caucus’s list despite the calls of some activists.

Proposals to limit the use of solitary confinement in state prisons and to mandate the release of older inmates didn’t make the cut either. Even at a time when public opinion appeared to be on their side, state lawmakers were wary of taking on too much at one time, especially given the tricky politics of dealing with police reform in an election year. “I would say there were definitely lessons learned from bail reform,” Ishmael added. This included the futility of confronting a governor whose powers are at their peak during the budget process. The public backlash to bail reform also underscored the importance of keeping things as simple as possible in order to maintain public support.

“One of the things we will be doing in the next three days is really clarifying in many ways what is acceptable and what is not acceptable in policing,” Stewart-Cousins told WNYC as the voting began on the final

State Sen. Brian Benjamin signs the bill repealing Section 50-a.

A total of 11 criminal justice reform bills passed in the Legislature.

package of bills. “Police have had the ability in many ways to construct their own rules.”

In the end, a total of 11 bills passed both houses. Some of them received bipartisan support, like the chokehold ban and a proposal codifying the right to record the police. Others, like the 50-a repeal and a bill establishing the office of special investigation within the office of the attorney general, faced much more opposition from Republicans and police unions. Some GOP lawmakers likened the idea of releasing disciplinary records to inviting the assassination of NYPD officers – though some personal information like home addresses and phone numbers could still not be released under the new law.

Taken as a whole, the passage of the package also marked a turning point for the relationship between the Legislature and a governor who had grown increasingly powerful since the coronavirus struck New York. After watching the governor largely determine the state political agenda during the pandemic, state lawmakers are now reasserting their legislative power in a way that has not been seen since Democrats outmaneuvered the governor last year to pass ambitious expansions of tenant protections and a bill allowing undocumented New Yorkers to get driver’s licenses.

The Legislature’s political comeback began with two mid-May hearings on COVID-19 issues and continued later in the month as lawmakers passed a litany of bills addressing the pandemic, including bills aimed at preventing price gouging on personal pro-

tective equipment and banning utilities from shutting off services during public health emergencies. Such proposals were much less controversial than police reform, a fact that highlights just how far Democratic lawmakers have come in recent weeks. Just a few months ago, Democratic lawmakers were playing defense on bail reform. Now, criminal justice reforms are once again a political asset rather than a liability.

That does not mean that state lawmakers have solved the problem of police misconduct once and for all. Both Heastie and Stewart-Cousins have said the legislating will continue this year and Democrats are already considering additional measures to rein in the power of law enforcement – including proposed bans on the use of tear gas at political demonstrations. The legislative leaders have also suggested they will likely reconvene their chambers over the summer to address other issues like potential budget cuts to public schools, taxes and the parochial issues that are important to lawmakers’ districts.

A multibillion-dollar state budget shortfall, the ongoing pandemic and a fiscally conservative governor will not make it easy to address such issues. But that can always change in the constantly evolving world of state politics – as long as state lawmakers seize the moment. “Sometimes, things happen in the normal course of politics and government where it just opens people’s eyes,” Heastie told reporters on June 8. “What some people believed was a tough issue (can) finally see the light of day.”

■

NY SENATE MEDIA SERVICES; A KATZ/SHUTTERSTOCK

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City & State New York

THE REFORMS 11 bills made their way through the Legislature lice in public. While filming the CHOKEHOLD BAN RECENT PROTESTS HAVE 2014 confrontation between Although it did not prevent spurred state lawmakers to Garner and the NYPD did not Officer Daniel Pantaleo do what appeared unthink11 CityAndStateNY.com cost Staten Islander Ramsey from putting his arm across able just two weeks ago – Orta his freedom per se, it Eric Garner’s neck in 2014, getting a package of police did bring him to the attention official NYPD policy does reform bills through the state of police who later got him not allow chokeholds. That Legislature over the longlocked up on drug and weaphas created legal ambiguity standing opposition of police ons charges. about what types of grappling unions.

This includes the repeal of what has been called “the most contentious state law on the books” – 50-a, the provision that prevented disclosure of police personnel records – among other changes to how police operate. Other bills that passed the state Senate and Assembly included a chokehold ban and the codification of the public’s right to record law enforcement in public.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to sign into law this Gwen Carr has been fighting for many of these reforms after her son, week as demonstrations conEric Garner, died at the hands of police in 2014. tinue in the wake of the May 25 death of George Floyd, THE “AMY COOPER” LAW maneuvers are still allowed a Minneapolis man whose While there was talk of makand whether officers can be death has inspired wideing it a hate crime to frauducharged with a crime if they spread outrage that is now lently call 911 in order to get use a chokehold. There are being channeled into new black people in trouble, lawalso other departments in the police reform efforts across makers eventually settled on state that lack specific bans. the country. a bill that would allow victims The bill that passed the state That means big changes in to sue for damages whenevthe Empire State. Here is what Legislature makes it a class c er someone – like a certain felony to place someone in a each of the 11 bills approved white woman in Manhattan by the state Legislature will do fatal chokehold, though some exceptions are made for police who didn’t want to leash her once they take effect. dog – seeks to weaponize the in life-threatening situations. police in the future.

POLICE DISCIPLINARY PROHIBIT RACIAL RECORDS/50-A REPEAL ATTORNEY GENERAL PROFILING The most controversial bill OFFICE OF SPECIAL Believe it or not, racial proapproved by state lawmakers INVESTIGATIONS filing will only become illegal would change state law to Under this legislation, a new once the governor signs allow the release of police disoffice under the purview of the into law a bill prohibiting the ciplinary records. Supporters state attorney general would practice. The state attorney say this will make it easier to investigate any fatal encoungeneral would also be able weed out cops with a history ters between members of the to bring legal action against of misconduct allegations public and police. police departments that before they are involved in continue to target racial and additional incidents, as was LAW ENFORCEMENT ethnic minorities. the case with the officer who INSPECTOR GENERAL placed Eric Garner, a Staten The governor would be able RIGHT TO RECORD Island man who died in 2014, to appoint a new inspector Another bill inspired by the in a fatal chokehold. Some general to oversee local and Garner case establishes an personal information, howstate police across the state. affirmative right for members ever, would not be subject to That person, who would serve of the public to record the popublic release.

a five-year term, would have a $10 million annual budget and the power to access any records held by local and state law enforcement agencies. There are limits written into the legislative language, however, on what types of information could be released to the general public.

BODY CAMERAS State troopers must wear body cameras 30 days after the governor signs this legislation.

MORE DATA ON ARRESTS AND IN-CUSTODY DEATHS The idea for this bill came from President Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. While it took a few years to get it through the state Legislature, it will require that law enforcement collect and publicly release additional demographic information on who is arrested for low-level offenses and what happened to people who die while in jails and prisons.

MEDICAL ATTENTION IN CUSTODY Criminal defendants would be allowed to pursue civil damages against police who deny them the “reasonable” level of medical care necessary to prevent “injury or significant exacerbation of an injury or condition,” according to the legislative language.

FIREARMS DISCHARGE REPORTING Police officers will have to notify their commanding officers within six hours whenever they shoot a gun – on or off duty – in a way that could have caused bodily harm to someone. A written report would also have to be filed within 48 hours, according to the legislation. This closes a loophole in state law that allowed one NYPD officer to initially avoid telling anyone he fatally shot a man in a 2007 road rage incident by claiming he thought all those bullets he fired hadn’t hit anyone.

- Zach Williams

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THE FIRST STEP 12

CityAndStateNY.com

Activists hail the repeal of 50-a – but say there’s so much more to do in the fight to end police brutality

by A N N I E M C D O N O U G H

A

FTER A LONG FIGHT, a state law that shields police disciplinary records from public view will soon be repealed. Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill passed by the state Legislature on June 9 that repealed Section 50-a of the state Civil Rights Law, which keeps the personnel records of police officers, firefighters and corrections officers “confidential and not subject to inspection or review,” without the officer’s permission.

“Repeal 50-a” has become one of the legislatively focused rallying cries in New York for people protesting police brutality and systemic racism in the wake of the police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky. But it’s not the only policy change that advocates and activists say is necessary to end police brutality and racist policing.

Hawk Newsome, chairman of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, told City & State that while repealing 50-a is a step in the right direction, it’s still just one step in a longer march toward justice. “I know the governor is taking steps in the right direction,” Newsome said. “But Gov. Cuomo has the chance to do something epic and historic, and set a precedent for the rest of the country that Joe Biden can also pick up and pick up a lot of votes.”

To comprehensively battle police brutality, Newsome said, New York lawmakers need to embrace some of the proposals that groups like his have been backing for years. That includes prosecuting police officers who file false reports, defunding police departments, and prosecuting law enforcement officials who deny help to a person displaying signs of medical distress.

One step that Newsome is less excited

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about? New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s announcement that the city will paint “Black Lives Matter” on a street in each borough. “I never got one phone call,” Newsome said, arguing that it’s only now that lawmakers are starting to listen to Black Lives Matter leaders. “I would have told him to keep his street painting and give us real justice.”

To weigh in on what the repeal of 50-a does to combat police brutality – and the problems that remain despite its repeal – City & State reached out to a slate of experts and advocates: Hawk Newsome; Alexis Hoag, a civil rights lawyer and research scholar at Colum-

bia Law School; Joo-Hyun Kang, director of Communities United for Police Reform; Zara Nasir, deputy director of community organizing and advocacy at the New York City Anti-Violence Project; and Chivona Newsome, co-founder of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, a Democratic candidate for New York’s 15th Congressional District and sister of Hawk Newsome. The responses have been edited for length and clarity.

WHAT WILL – AND WHAT WON’T – THE REPEAL OF 50-A DO FOR EFFORTS TO COMBAT POLICE BRUTALITY IN NEW YORK? ALEXIS HOAG: 50-a’s repeal is huge! It gives victims of police misconduct access to the very information that can help hold officers accountable for violating the rights

of people they are meant to serve. However, additional steps are necessary to address the NYPD’s disproportionate use of force against black people. In 2018, 56% of the people subjected to police force were black.

The repeal fails to address this disparity.

HAWK NEWSOME: It gives a bit of transparency to people, so that’s a step in the right direction. But it won’t prevent police brutality. Because in places where this type of stuff is public information – where people actually know what’s going on with the police – they still have police brutality. Nothing short of detailed legislation that will send cops to jail will stop police brutality.

JOO-HYUN KANG: New York had the worst in the nation loophole, called 50-a, that was used to hide police misconduct and discipline.

It was a statewide statute that carved out unnecessary and harmful secrecy around abuse committed by police, fire and correction officers to shield police misconduct and failed police disciplinary processes from public view.

The law passed this week will provide much-needed transparency on police misconduct and discipline in New York state and help address the systemic lack of accountability for officers who engage in misconduct. New York’s Freedom of Information laws will, as always, protect private information about officers – like their home address – but finally the public will be able to access information about police misconduct and the failure of too many law enforcement agencies to hold their officers to account and take any meaningful action when they hurt people or communities.

ZARA NASIR: The notorious police secrecy 50-a statute in New York state has been used to keep New Yorkers in the dark about consequences for officers even after serious or deadly incidents. The repeal 50-a bill pushed by Communities United for Police Reform – of which NYC Anti-Violence Project is a member – creates privacy protections for survivors of police violence, complainants, witnesses and

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BLACK LIVES MATTER OF GREATER NEW YORK

Hawk Newsome, chairman of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, says repealing 50-a is a step in the right direction. “Gov. Cuomo has the chance to do something epic and historic,” he says.

family members, and makes it harder for police departments to hide information about misconduct and discipline, currently permitted to be redacted in Freedom of Information Law requests.

While Communities United for Police Reform is working on many different fronts to end police brutality in New York state, including the #NYCBudgetJustice #DefundNYPD campaign, 50-a is both a tremendous step in getting justice for families whose loved ones have passed due to police violence, like Eric Garner, Mohamed Bah, Kawaski Trawick and many others. Because of 50-a, consequences police officers have faced for misconduct or violence have often been hidden, and demanding accountability has been difficult if not impossible in many circumstances. Repealing 50-a makes it harder for police departments to keep secret and protect abusive police officers, and thus helps break down the culture that allows such incidents to take place in the first place.

CHIVONA NEWSOME: Black Lives Matter of Greater New York has fought a very long time for the repealing of Section 50-a. The NYPD can no longer hide its abusive practices against communities of color. Although this is a step in the right direction, repealing 50-a would be largely meaningless if the information of police brutality could not be utilized to prosecute police officers who brutalize black and brown people. Ending qualified immunity will make it easier to hold police officers accountable within the justice system and give victims access to legal damages.

More legislation is needed to protect the public from law enforcement. We need to tear down the “blue wall of silence” by prosecuting officers who falsify reports. The political power of police unions needs to be dismantled, including lessening their influence in local and state governments, and ultimately decertifying and disbanding their unions entirely.

A special prosecutor is needed to investigate the misconduct of law enforcement.

Federal, state and local district prosecutors have an inherent conflict of interest in investigating a member of the law enforcement office that they work with.

An elected civilian review board should be implemented to replace the current Civilian Complaint Review Board to investigate public complaints against the police department. Lastly, law enforcement must be demilitarized and defunded – by closing the pipeline between the military and the police by eliminating programs that sell military-grade equipment to police departments, provide military training to officers, or find veterans jobs in the police force. Local and state government agencies (should) divert funds from law enforcement and reinvest funding into vulnerable communities to build stronger, safer and productive communities.

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SMALLER FORCE

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Calls to reduce the police budget aren’t new, but now they may be answered. How would NYC cut $1 billion from the NYPD?

by R E B E C C A C . L E W I S

STEPHEN MULCAHEY/SHUTTERSTOCK

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FTER NEARLY two weeks of protests against police brutality and racism in New York City, following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, policy demands have begun to crystalize. None are without controversy, but perhaps the most contentious is the call to defund the New York City Police Department. Criminal justice activists are calling for the city to slash the nearly $6 billion annual budget by $1 billion, and to reinvest that money in social services like homeless outreach and mental health counseling.

In late April, to help address a budget gap that has since grown to $9 billion, Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed some deep cuts to city services when he released his executive budget proposal. But many, including lawmakers, bristled at the fact the mayor spared the NYPD from significant cuts, proposing a less than 0.5% reduction compared to last year’s budget. Many lawmakers, including Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Councilman Donovan Richards, had been calling for cuts to the NYPD budget for weeks in light of the city’s fiscal crisis. Those calls crystallized as the protests against police brutality – and the NYPD’s sometimes brutal response – continued. Slashing police spending shifted from a largely fiscal decision with criminal justice undertones to a criminal justice issue with fiscal undertones. On June 4, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer released the most detailed proposal on deep cuts to the NYPD. On June 5, several City Council members committed to voting down a budget that does not include significant cuts. Days later, de Blasio reversed course, committing to cut department spending after having initially resisted.

With crime at historic lows and more police officers in New York City than there were a decade ago, it might seem that there is plenty of room to cut. But how exactly advocates propose to reduce the department’s spending by nearly 17% remains unclear.

Defunding – and even abolishing – police departments is not a new idea, but until recently it largely remained among the fringes of left-wing ideology in New York City. Now, as protests have occurred daily and police have often responded with violence against protesters, the idea has found more mainstream acceptance.

Even before Floyd’s death galvanized a nationwide protest movement, New York City faced a precarious fiscal situation due to the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout. It came at a time when the NYPD had been criticized for its racially disparate enforcement of social distancing rules.

With many public agencies facing cutbacks and public concern about aggressive policing on the rise, Stringer’s proposal laid out how the NYPD could save $265 million per year, which in four years would result in a $1 billion in total savings. Those would be achieved through a hiring freeze for new officers in the upcoming fiscal year, which Stringer said would reduce the uniformed NYPD headcount from the current 36,461

NYPD BUDGET UNDER DE BLASIO Fiscal year 2011 budget:

$4,804,760,396 $5,976,818,447 UP 24% – OR $1,172,058,051 Fiscal year 2019 budget:

Source: New York City Independent Budget Office

to about 35,000, as a result of retirements.

This would result in $112 million in direct savings per year from pay, plus another $111 million in fringe benefits such as health insurance and pensions. The other two approaches to saving are reducing budgeted overtime by 5% and all expenses other than payroll, such as computer services, by 4%.

Most lawmakers have avoided committing to specific dollar amounts. That’s in part what prompted Stringer to put out his analysis, something to get the ball rolling. “This is a baseline,” Stringer told City & State.

“You can certainly go a little higher … Before we did this, there was no movement.”

City Councilman Ben Kallos has backed a plan cutting $1 billion over four years, while Councilman Carlos Menchaca has called for at least $1 billion in cuts in the budget this year, but has not yet offered specifics on how to achieve those cuts. City Councilman Daniel Dromm, chairman of the City Council’s Finance Committee, echoed two of Stringer’s proposals – capping overtime and cutting costs associated with a new class of cadets.

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson has also committed to significant cuts to the NYPD, but has not offered a dollar amount – nor has de Blasio, although he has implied that he will do so in the coming weeks.

Although many criminal justice and police reform advocates feel that Stringer’s proposal does not go far enough, the math behind how to achieve a $1 billion cut in the next fiscal year has not yet taken firm shape. And that significant reduction would likely involve some unpalatable choices. “I don’t think you can hit that kind of number without layoffs,” Andrew Rein, president of the Citizens Budget Commission, a think tank that advocates for fiscal restraint, said. “Maybe you can get there, but it’s pretty dramatic because you really have to control the overtime like you never have before.” Rein said that the areas that Stringer is looking at are good places to reduce costs without layoffs, adding that an overall hiring freeze, including for civilian

CityAndStateNY.com

personnel, such as school safety agents and crossing guards, would be prudent. But short of completely eliminating overtime and all nonpersonnel services, Rein said the $1 billion-a-year goal is hard to hit.

Criminal justice advocates are working on a detailed budget proposal, but how to get there is still a little up in the air. Communities United for Police Reform, a coalition of groups advocating for civil rights and civil liberties, has proposed some strategies. Several have already been mentioned by Stringer and Rein, including a hiring freeze, no new cadet classes and cuts to “nonessential areas” like surveillance equipment. The coalition also calls for “cuts related to abusive policing,” such as settlement payouts – which do not come out of the NYPD budget – and keeping cops on the payroll while they await discipline. Stringer mentions the settlement issue in his own proposal, noting that in 2018 the city paid out over $230 million in lawsuits related to police misconduct, but neither Stringer nor the activist coalition have laid out exactly how to reduce those costs immediately.

The final, and perhaps hardest to quantify, category is reducing the police role in social services like homeless outreach and responding to mental health crises. Although the numbers are being finalized, Leo Ferguson, a community organizer with Jews for Racial and Economic Justice who works with Communities United for Police Reform, estimated reductions in this category could total around $400 million. That includes shifting school safety agents from the NYPD to the Department of Education and ending programs like the Homeless Diversion Program and Mental Health Co-Response Teams. Ferguson argued that the police force today is larger than it needs to be. “Even if it does require layoffs, that’s how we make smart decisions about the kind of city we want to have,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson said that a hiring freeze and halting new cadet classes could result in $200 million in reductions, while reducing aggressive policing and improving disciplinary processes would save the city about $270 million. He did not offer specifics about other “nonessential areas,” citing a

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Simple line item cuts without accompanying reforms to the NYPD won’t satisfy activists.

lack of transparency around the portion of budget earmarked “other than personnel services,” but noted that the NYPD recently spent $500,000 on a fleet of 14 drones.

“This is infrastructure that has been built over decades,” Ferguson said. “We do not have an army of budget experts, so we have some very smart people working very hard to crunch these numbers… The one thing we know is that we can do it.”

There will, of course, be resistance from cops and more conservative members of the Council. “Let me be clear, I will vote against any deliberate attempt to de-fund (the NYPD),” Republican City Councilman Eric Ulrich wrote on Twitter on June 3. And although the New York City Police Benevolent Association has not yet publicly responded to more recent calls for deep cuts up to $1 billion, the union strongly opposed the far smaller $50 million cut proposed by Richards in mid-May. “It would be insanely reckless to defund the NYPD in the middle of this crisis,” PBA President Pat Lynch told the Daily News at the time. “If public safety

“EVEN IF IT DOES REQUIRE LAYOFFS, THAT’S HOW WE MAKE SMART DECISIONS ABOUT THE KIND OF CITY WE WANT TO HAVE.” – Leo Ferguson, community organizer for Jews for Racial and Economic Justice

isn’t Councilmember Richards’ top priority, he should resign from the committee.”

NYPD spending has increased about over $1 billion since de Blasio took office. That included the hiring of 1,300 new police officers in 2015 for a new community policing initiative, a hiring decision pushed by the City Council over de Blasio’s objections and approved by many of the same Council members now calling for cuts. According to Gothamist, the rate of yearly growth has outpaced that of the city budget as a whole over the past 40 years. And according to the Citizens Budget Commission, the NYPD is one of four agencies that represents the bulk of the city’s budget increases since the start of de Blasio’s tenure. The other three agencies are the Departments of Education, Social Services and Homeless Services.

Aside from the questions of how the NYPD budget can be trimmed, the mayor and City Council will have to wrestle with how those cuts translate to improved relations between cops and the communities they serve, because simple line item cuts without accompanying reforms to the department won’t satisfy activists. “I think what feels clear here is that the way that we’ve done policing in New York City doesn’t work, and it harms folks,” Anthonine Pierre, deputy director of Brooklyn Movement Center, a community organizing group in Bed-Stuy, and steering committee member of Communities United for Police Reform, said. “The City Council’s job here is not just to defund, but we really need them to lead in (determining) what does it look like to do policing with less money?”

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ANNA KRISTIANA DAVE/SHUTTERSTOCK

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Assemblyman Michael Blake is touting his racial justice record in the NY-15 race.

THE F PROTEST PRIMARY

THIS PAGE AND FOLLOWING PAGE: BLAKE FOR CONGRESS

by J E F F C O LT I N

The movement against racism and police brutality has reshaped the electoral landscape.

OUR YEARS AGO, NYPD officers slammed Assemblyman Michael Blake into a gate after he ran up to another arrest that was in progress near the Morris Houses in the South Bronx. The Bronx Democrat said he was then unlawfully detained on the street, until a higher-up realized they were dealing with an Assembly member.

Blake, who is black, sued the NYPD for physical and emotional damages, and got $25,000 in a 2017 settlement.

Now, Blake is running for Congress in the South Bronx, in an election that’s happening amid nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism. Blake told City & State that the incident with the police has shaped his politics as he’s worked for racial justice as a legislator. It has also given him credibility as a candidate. “I had a constituent walk up on me last week who said I still remember what happened to you years ago over at Morris Houses,” he said.

Protesters across New York are demanding immediate legislative changes on police accountability. Among other laws, state legislators have voted to repeal Civil Rights Law Section 50-a, which protected police disciplinary records, and the New York City Council is expected to make it a crime to use a chokehold during an arrest.

But these protests are also affecting state legislative and congressional Democratic primaries as candidates point to their records on antiracism and police reform to win over voters – and in some cases, criticize their opponents for

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being too friendly with the cops.

The Democratic primaries are on June 23, but in-person early voting starts on June 13, and many voters are already filling out mail-in ballots while daily vigils and protest marches continue. What was going to be the coronavirus primary is now the coronavirus and police violence primary.

So Blake didn’t shy away from a direct attack in a congressional debate hosted by News 12 The Bronx on June 9. “We have to be honest,” Blake said during an answer about how he’d respond to the protests. “There are people in this race, in particular Ritchie Torres, who have been very inconsistent when it comes to the black community.” Blake gave his evidence: Torres “co-endorsed” a white candidate, Zephyr Teachout, for state attorney general in 2018 after initially backing Letitia James, a black woman who was then New York City public advocate. He allowed some concessions on a 2017 police transparency bill known as the Right to Know Act, which enraged some criminal justice reform groups. Torres harshly criticized then-NYCHA Chairwoman Shola Olatoye, a black woman, but not NYCHA general manager Vito Mustaciuolo, a white man.

And, maybe most damning in the moment, Blake accused Torres of sending out a mailer that referenced the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of the police, “but not standing out with the protests that were happening this weekend.”

Torres initially ignored the salvo, but when Blake pressed him to respond, Torres delivered a litany of unrelated criticisms of Blake, including that the assemblyman once consulted for the debt collector Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, a company “that preys upon communities of color, including mothers who have lost their children to police violence,” Torres said. “So I don’t need to be lectured by Michael.”

A May poll conducted by the left-leaning Data for Progress put Torres in second place in the race, at 20%, trailing only New York City Councilman Rubén Díaz Sr., with 22% of likely voters. Blake was tied for third, at 6%, although the poll had a margin of error of 5.7%. Torres sent a lengthy statement to City & State, which included the assertion, “What matters to Michael Blake are not black and brown lives, which take a back seat to his bank account.” Torres also said that he has attended protests, and was present at a June 4 march in the South Bronx that resulted in mass arrests.

The fact that Blake, who is black and the son of Jamaican immigrants, felt comfortable attacking Torres, who is Afro-Latino of Puerto Rican descent, for “disrespecting the black community,” and that Torres chose to hit back along the same lines says something about the political moment, and about the race. Racial justice was already a major

June 15, 2020

focus in the race to replace the retiring Rep. José Serrano in the 15th Congressional District. One candidate, Chivona Newsome, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, says she’s been “at the forefront of the new civil rights movement.”

Like Blake, Torres has talked on the virtual campaign trail about being harassed by the police and feeling targeted for the color of his skin. Samelys López, who earned the endorsement of progressive groups such as the Working Families Party, has called for police departments around the country to be defunded and demilitarized.

One candidate doesn’t seem to be aligning himself with the protesters: Díaz, who is a socially conservative Pentecostal minister. Díaz was endorsed by the Police Benevolent Association, the largest NYPD union, before widespread protests began.

The PBA has long been opposed to the very police accountability reforms which are now becoming law, and Díaz has not co-sponsored the council bill that would criminalize police chokeholds. While most of his fellow candidates have been outspoken in support of the protests, Díaz’s Twitter feed has been all but silent.

“To accept that (PBA) endorsement, you’re pretty much saying you don’t care about black and Latino people who are afraid that they could die at the hands of cops,” Blake said of Díaz, who is black and Latino. Díaz did not respond to a request for comment. The reverend is considered a top contender for the seat, but experts think the PBA’s support could actually hurt his chances. “A lot of voters are going to look at him and see him as being too aligned with interests that don’t match the moment,” said Basil Smikle, a lecturer at Columbia University and former Racial justice already big executive director of was piece of the NY-15 the state Democratic race, but after the Party. protests against Díaz isn’t likely to police brutality, Blake has disavow the support, Michael made it a pivotal but many other can- part of his camdidates in Democrat- paign. ic primaries across the state already have. Law enforcement unions have long been a boogeyman for New York’s progressive left, but that didn’t stop many Democrats from taking their campaign donations. Now, more than a dozen legislators running for reelection are bolstering their criminal justice reform credentials by returning the money, and donating an equivalent amount to reform groups or bail funds.

That includes Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas, who is facing Democratic Socialists of America-backed challenger Zohran Mamdani in western Queens, and Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry, who is running for reelection against former state Sen. Hiram

Monserrate, an ex-cop who was previously convicted on corruption charges.

The protests explain the newfound scrutiny of law enforcement union support, but much of the naming-and-shaming was the work of Aaron Narraph Fernando, a Queensbased college student and activist, who compiled a massive spreadsheet of New York law enforcement donations this election cycle.

Taking money from law enforcement might keep lawmakers from changing the criminal justice system, Fernando told The Appeal.

“How can we trust you to pass [reform] legislation if you’re taking this money?”

In response to public pressure from New Yorkers hitting the pavement – and lawmakers’ inboxes – the state Legislature is passing long-delayed bills meant to stop police brutality and increase accountability.

For some politicians, the timing couldn’t be more fortuitous. Take Assemblyman Joe Lentol, the lead sponsor of the Police STAT Act, which requires police departments to report more data on things like deaths in police custody. Though it was introduced more than four years ago, it just passed the Assembly and state Senate this week. Lentol, who is facing a tough reelection battle

June 15, 2020

in North Brooklyn against Emily Gallagher, was happy to take credit for the major win while also putting out a digital ad highlighting Gallagher’s 2016 comments in support of increasing police patrols. Gallagher hit back, noting that the PBA has always endorsed Lentol. But that too has changed since the protests began. After Lentol responded to the political moment and returned his donations from police unions this cycle, the PBA officially rescinded its endorsement of the Brooklyn Democrat.

In the Central Brooklyn Assembly race between Assemblywoman Diana Rich-

City & State New York

brutality, got the legislative win Hamilton couldn’t, and she is letting voters know. So Hamilton pushed back, planning a rally last week in favor of his bill, while asking New Yorkers to sign a petition decrying Richardson’s “watered-down” bill.

In another Brooklyn primary, Assemblyman Walter Mosley can take credit for being the lead sponsor of a just-passed bill criminalizing police chokeholds that cause injury or death. Mosley is facing a serious challenge from Phara Souffrant-Forrest, who has the support of the DSA, but Mosley’s campaign was able to send out an email last

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win over voters, Smikle said. But, overall, the recent protests would seem to benefit younger candidates and insurgents. “There is a new look at people who’ve held office, who’ve held authority and may not have done enough to move the needle in terms of holding police accountable,” he said.

Of course, this year’s primaries are harder to predict than usual, given the high level of absentee voting expected, and the way the coronavirus put a total halt on most traditional forms of campaigning. But savvy candidates – insurgents and incumbents alike – have been able to benefit as New

“THERE IS A NEW LOOK AT PEOPLE WHO’VE HELD OFFICE, WHO’VE HELD AUTHORITY AND MAY NOT HAVE DONE ENOUGH TO MOVE THE NEEDLE IN TERMS OF HOLDING POLICE ACCOUNTABLE.” – Basil Smikle, former state Democratic Party executive director

ardson and former state Sen. Jesse Hamilton, 911 calls making false claims against people of color have become a major issue.

Before Hamilton lost his 2018 reelection bid over his membership in the controversial Independent Democratic Conference, the then-senator had introduced a bill that would make certain false emergency reports a hate crime. It never passed. But Richardson was the lead sponsor of a similar bill that did pass last week, increasing legal protections for the targets of racist emergency calls. Richardson, who was recently pepper-sprayed at a protest against police

week pointing to a specific legislative win on a hot topic the very week that some of his constituents are filling out ballots.

Mosley told City & State that despite what some may think, the bill wasn’t a “knee-jerk reaction” to the recent protests. In fact, he introduced the bill in 2015. But getting his bill passed during this time “will validate who I am, in terms of my ability to reflect my district’s desires and wants and needs.”

It isn’t clear whether most voters will feel the same way. Elected officials who have a progressive record on criminal justice reform should be able to point to it and

Yorkers turn to social media more than ever.

The protests aren’t just affecting the races happening this month. According to Smikle, the candidate who has responded best to the moment won’t be on the ballot until next year: New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. “I think the last few weeks have launched him into the top tier of mayoral candidates for 2021, should he decide to go that route,” Smikle said of Williams, who has previously pledged not to run for mayor. “He’s probably shown the most leadership on this issue of anyone in the city and the state.”

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Mary Jobaida, top, Jenifer Rajkumar, left, and Jessica Gonzålez-Rojas, right, are running for Assembly against longtime white incumbents in racially diverse districts. But in order to win, they need to overcome the inability to knock on doors during a pandemic – and fend off fellow progressive challengers.

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These young insurgents from communities of color are poised to topple longtime white incumbents.

NEXT THE

by A N N I E M c D O N O U G H

P

Y.K.W. ERIC L. COOPER; SULTAN KHAN; MARY RASO

*(YO U KNO W WHO)

ICTURE THIS: A young, relatively unknown woman of color launches a grassroots campaign to unseat a longtime, white incumbent in one of New York’s diverse, and increasingly progressive, districts.

In the June 23 Democratic primaries, at least three progressive insurgents fit this bill in Queens alone: Jessica González-Rojas, an activist running against Assemblyman Michael DenDekker, whose district includes Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst; Mary Jobaida, an activist running against Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan in western Queens; and Jenifer Rajkumar, a civil rights attorney running against Assemblyman Michael Miller in southwest Queens.

To any political spectator who was living above ground in 2018, these three races might call to mind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s stunning defeat of then-Queens Democratic boss Joe Crowley that year. Ocasio-Cortez not only emerged as the winner of that race, but has become a progressive sensation, arguably inspiring others like her to take on establishment Democrats.

We know, we know. We’re as tired of the unending search for the next AOC as you are. But these three parts of Queens – the 34th, 37th and 38th Assembly districts – hold some commonalities with Ocasio-Cortez’s congressional district and the path she took to victory. As do the candidates themselves.

Ocasio-Cortez shares some surface similarities with these three Assembly challengers: a previously unelected woman of color running to the left of a longtime white incumbent. Each has said that representation – of their ethnic background, of their experience as immigrants or children of immigrants – is in fact crucial to representing the diverse communities that make up their districts. “That was my goal, to really tap those that felt that there was never anyone representing them,” González-Rojas said of her attempts to reach disenfranchised voters – especially in neighborhoods like East Elmhurst and Corona, where the Hispanic and Latino community is not a minority contingent, but a majority. “They never saw anyone who shared their last name or understood their experience (in office), because there was never a choice for this position. I want to be that choice for them.”

But for challengers like González-Rojas, Jobaida and Rajkumar to defeat their incumbents, experts say, they’ll need to overcome a few challenges Ocasio-Cortez didn’t have to contend with in 2018 – including fighting off other progressive candidates in the race similarly inspired by AOC, and, of course, a global pandemic.

If these candidates can make do in the age of coronavirus without the traditional strong suit of grassroots campaigns – door-to-door campaigning – and can keep voters from choosing a different progressive challenger to the incumbent, they’ll be well-positioned to replicate Ocasio-Cortez’s victory. The real challenge is consoli-

June 15, 2020

dating a coalition of voters, including progressive white gentrifiers, as well as garnering a significant portion of voters in the so-called “minority” communities that make up the majority of many parts of their districts.

These are the groups that helped elect Ocasio-Cortez, political consultant Jerry Skurnik told City & State.

“It looks like it was a combination of the white gentrifiers, and her running even or narrowly beating Crowley among the Hispanic vote,” Skurnik said of Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 win. “She got people to come out who definitely hadn’t voted in any other congressional or legislative primary,” he added.

One candidate who may have the best chance of mirroring AOC’s success is González-Rojas, an activist who has worked on immigrants rights, whose father immigrated from Paraguay and whose mother is Puerto Rican. “We They may be taking a page out of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s playbook, but unlike in that race, the are extremely diverse,” González-Rojas incumbents facing Jessica González-Rojas, left, and Mary Jobaida, right, are making sure to take these said of her district. “And we’ve never young challengers seriously. been represented by someone that reflects either the diversity or the values of the But in recent days, in the wake of police bru- DenDekker is because of the fact that her tality protests and push for policing reforms, district, while progressive and gentrifyneighborhood.”

In the distinct 34th Assembly District, González-Rojas has hit the incumbent as- ing, also has a larger black population. which includes Jackson Heights, East Elm- semblyman for receiving support from law “Cathy has three different public housing hurst and parts of Woodside and Corona, a enforcement groups, including the New developments, including the largest public housing development in the country – significant Latino population could propel York City Police Benevolent Association.

DenDekker has since been vocal about Queensbridge,” the Queens insider said. her forward. “Mike DenDekker is probably one of the most endangered incumbents his support for police reforms, and while “Public housing includes substantial Afriin the state,” a Queens insider told City & the PBA originally endorsed him, the union can-American populations, and in Queens, State. “He represents a district that is heav- has now rescinded that endorsement. “The African-Americans are the most likely ily populated by people of color. The white brutal response of the NYPD to the most- supporters of establishment campaigns. … voters who live there, by and large, are the ly peaceful protests over the past two weeks You see that locally in that’s where Melinprogressives who provided energy to AOC highlighted the need for significant police da Katz won the district attorney race.”

Jobaida also faces a hurdle in that while and to (popular former queens district at- reforms, but the constant abuse of power by torney candidate) Tiffany Cabán. That police was occurring before then, and has she may have a slight advantage over Breckleaves him without a clearly defined base of gone on for far too long,” DenDekker wrote er, raising more than $39,000 to Brecker’s in an email. “This week’s bills are a step in $22,000, she doesn’t have the kind of lead supporters.”

González-Rojas also carries endorse- the right direction, but I know we have more that González-Rojas has over her fellow ments from the powerful Working Fami- work to do,” he added, referring to legislation challengers. Splitting the progressive vote lies Party and Cabán, as well as New York including the repeal of 50-a, a state law that and handing victory to the incumbent may be more of a risk in the 37th District.

City elected officials, including City Coun- shields police disciplinary records.

Even still, Jobaida may gain traction with West of DenDekker’s district is that of cilman Daniel Dromm and state Sen. GusAssemblywoman Cathy Nolan, the longest voters in her bid to represent the district and tavo Rivera.

In his six terms in office, DenDekker serving member among the three incum- bring her experiences and voice as an imhasn’t faced a primary challenger, but he now bents, having assumed office in 1985. The migrant to Albany. “I, myself, as a person faces several. In addition to González-Rojas, 37th Assembly District, which includes of color, come from a community that has there’s Nuala O’Doherty-Naranjo, a former Sunnyside, Ridgewood, Long Island City never been represented in elected offices,” prosecutor, Joy Chowdhury, a labor organiz- and Astoria, has two challengers: Jobaida, Jobaida said, adding that she supports proer, and Angel Cruz. (Cruz appears to have an activist who was born and raised in posals including free CUNY and SUNY edno campaign website or social media, and Bangladesh, and moved to Queens in 2001, ucation, and defunding the police. “When reported no fundraising activity to the state and Danielle Brecker, an activist who or- we face housing issues, it’s everyone’s issue.

Board of Elections in the 32-day pre-prima- ganized around flipping the state Senate in When you have problems with education, ry report.) And while González-Rojas is the 2018. New York City’s Bangladeshi com- with food security, health care – it’s not frontrunner among these candidates, there is munity has grown in recent years, with only an issue for myself or my Bengali comstill a risk that having more options to the left over 66,000 in the city as a whole as of munity, or the way you want to categorize me. This is an issue all the people who are of DenDekker will split the progressive vote. 2015 – 66% of whom live in Queens.

While Jobaida doubtless shares paral- living in this district are facing.”

DenDekker has a fairly progressive votOne of the specific issues Jobaida has ing record – he was an original sponsor of lels with González-Rojas as a woman of the state’s DREAM Act and supported the color challenging a longtime white in- pinned on Nolan is Amazon’s aborted Green Light law, which allows undocument- cumbent, where Nolan may be set up HQ2. While news of Amazon’s plans to ed immigrants to apply for driver’s licenses. to face a primary challenge better than build a headquarters in Long Island City

ERIC L. COOPER; MARY RASO

22 CityAndStateNY.com

June 15, 2020

“THIS SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITY HAS BEEN READY FOR DECADES FOR A SEAT AT THE TABLE OF POWER IN NEW YORK.”

with the mayor and the governor on that.”

Finally, there is Assemblyman Michael Miller’s district, with Jenifer Rajkumar as arguably the least progressive of the three challengers mentioned here. Rajkumar, a civil rights attorney whose parents immigrated from India, has raised over $232,000 and carries endorsements from Rep. Ro Khanna of California and New York City Councilman Donovan Richards. The 38th – Jenifer Rajkumar, candidate for District in southwest Queens 38th Assembly District covers neighborhoods including Woodhaven, Ridgewood and Ozone Park, which have large Latino and South Asian communities. “This South Asian community has been ready for decades for a seat at the table of power in New York,” Rajkumar told City & State. “My candidadrew a progressive backlash against many cy is historic for that reason. But really for of Queens’ elected officials, Nolan was all populations in this district, all ethnic one of the few who supported the proj- groups, our campaign is doing outreach and ect. “I made the decision, in consultation doing very well.” Also running in the diswith a lot of people in the community – trict is Joey de Jesus, a poet and activist.

While Rajkumar has a hefty war chest including the leadership of Queensbridge Houses, and many other people in the dis- and a few high-profile endorsements betrict – that the proposal, though it needed hind her, she has a history as an also-ran work and needed to be negotiated, had the that could pose a problem. Rajkumar prepotential to provide a lot of jobs, particu- viously ran for ex-Assembly Speaker Shellarly to our NYCHA residents in Queens- don Silver’s Manhattan district in 2016, bridge, Ravenswood and Astoria houses,” and before that, for Margaret Chin’s ManNolan told City & State. “Some people are hattan City Council seat in 2013. She later not voting for me or my ticket because I moved to Woodhaven, where she now lives.

Still, with Miller, a moderate Democrat supported the project. Nobody said it was a perfect project, but I wanted to work who has also been elected on the Conserva-

City & State New York

23

tive Party line, Rajkumar doesn’t have to go too far left to position herself as a progressive alternative. Miller, who took office in 2009, voted against same-sex marriage in the Assembly that year, and then against the Marriage Equality Act in 2011. But while the 38th District is increasingly progressive – it went for Cabán last year – it’s also not as progressive as neighborhoods like Sunnyside or Astoria, the Queens insider said. Miller did not respond to a request for comment. “There’s a significant Asian vote in the 38th,” Skurnik said. “It’s not enough alone to elect Rajkumar, but if she can combine that with white gentrifiers and getting a share of the minority, Hispanic vote, then I think she could win.”

So just how replicable are the conditions for Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 win in these three districts? The three white establishment incumbents, who either haven’t faced a primary challenge or haven’t faced one recently, should undoubtedly be on their toes, especially in diverse districts.

Skurnik – who said he is friendly with DenDekker, Nolan and Rajkumar, but has not consulted for their campaigns – added that the incumbents this time around have an advantage in seeing what happened with Crowley, who seemed to dismiss the threat of Ocasio-Cortez at the time, and knowing not to repeat his mistakes. “I know personally DenDekker and Nolan have been taking it seriously,” Skurnik said of their challengers. “We actually spoke with them or their campaign people as late as last year, and they were both aware of these primaries and they’re definitely not complacent.”

And though the coronavirus pandemic will hamper insurgents’ ability to go door to door, some predict it will lead to higher than usual turnout. “What we’re seeing because of coronavirus is two things,” the Queens insider said. “One, you’re going to see dramatically higher turnout because of the combination with the presidential primary.

Presidential primaries always have higher turnout. Secondly, the widespread availability of absentee ballots and the state taking the affirmative step to mail an application to voters, means that there are far more people filling out applications and getting ballots, and thus likely to vote in this year’s primary than have ever participated in primaries before.”

And while comparing these three insurgents – González-Rojas, Jobaida and Rajkumar – to Ocasio-Cortez may not capture all the nuances of their own districts and races, Ocasio-Cortez has served as an inspiration for candidates like them. “I admire and I support AOC. I volunteered for her, I supported her,” González-Rojas said. “I was really excited to see a woman of color – a young woman of color and a Latina in particular – step up and challenge the status quo. Ultimately, I just feel like representation matters.

It really, really matters who’s at the table.”

■

24

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legalnotices@cityandstateny.com Notice of Formation of JB Capstone Enterprises, LLC, filed with SSNY on 2/4/14. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 12 East 37th St, 2nd Floor, NY, NY 10016. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of 5hndred Autohaus, LLC filed with SSNY on March 3, 2020. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 615 Manor rd, Staten Island, NY. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of Bre Travel, LLC filed with SSNY on March 25, 2020. Office: Kings County. Sydney Baker designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 655 Macon Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11233. Purpose: any lawful act or activity NOTICE IS HEREBY given that a license number #TBA for a beer and wine has been applied for by Antwerp J LLC D/B/A/ MOJO DESSERTS, to sell beer and wine at retail in a coffee and dessert shop for on premises consumption under the Alcoholic Beverage Control law at 177 E. 100th St., New York, NY 10029, New York County.

App. for Auth. (LLC) Solid & Striped LLC. App. for Auth. filed w/ the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 4/1/20. LLC formed in DE on 6/7/12. Office Location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: c/o The LLC, 529 W. 20th St., #7E, NY, NY 10011, registered agent upon whom process may be served. Purpose: All lawful purposes.

Notice of Formation of AR Practice Management Firm, LLC filed with SSNY on March 5, 2020. Office: NY Dutchess County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 59 Hudson Heights Drive, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601.

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DCJB, LLC . Art. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 5/4/2020. Office: Richmond County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 54 West Terrace Staten Island, NY 10312. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

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Notice of Formation of Rise N’ Shine Commercial Cleaning, LLC filed with SSNY on April 20, 2020. Office: Westchester County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served: Jordane Johnson. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 160 Concord Avenue, White Plains, NY 10606.

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NOTICE OF FORMATION of limited liability company (LLC). Name: MO WELLNESS FOUNDATION, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 04/01/2020. Office location: Bronx County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to: MAURICE HURD 3410 DE REIMER AVE APT 7J BRONX, NY 10475. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

Design Lady LLC. Art. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/07/2020. Office: Bronx County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, 7014 13th avenue suite 202 Brooklyn, NY 11228.

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ZNK, LLC Art. of Org filed with the SSNY on 4/17/20.

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SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 47 E 30th St., Apt. 5, New York, NY 10016. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of Rise N’ Shine Commercial Cleaning, LLC filed with SSNY on April 20, 2020. Office: Westchester County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served: Jordane Johnson. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 160 Concord Avenue, White Plains, NY 10606.

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LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY NOTICE OF FORMATION of WIRED FOUNDATIONS LLC. Arts. Of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) on 4/22/2020.

Office Location: Westchester County.

SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: WIRED FOUNDATIONS, LLC P.O. Box 8350, Pelham, NY 10803. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of Saturday Cartoons LLC filed with SSNY on 1/17/20. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 694 Metropolitan Ave,#201 Brooklyn, NY 11211. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of formation of MikeGeez Fitness Boutique, LLC. Filed with SSNY Richmond County on 1/20/2020. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it ay be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 4131 Hylan Blvd, SI, NY 10308.

Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of Peach Ink LLC filed with SSNY on February 18, 2020. Office: Westchester County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 50 Deertree Lane, Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of formation of JJS 220, LLC, a domestic LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 5/11/20.

Office location: Westchester County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served and the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to: The LLC, 1 Stoneleigh Plaza, Bronxville, New York 10708.

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Notice of Formation of SHLUF LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 5/5/20. Office location: NY County.

Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 888 7th Ave., 4th Fl., NY, NY 10106, principal business address. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Notice of Formation of Malone Services, LLC dba Purely Clean Services filed with SSNY on May 15, 2020. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 31 Parcot Ave. New Rochelle, NY. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Public Notice of Registered Assumed Name Westchester, New York Please be advised that Ramona Sanchez Mendez, living at 43 Garfield St, Yonkers, New York [10701] is the Nameholder changing Ramona Sanchez Mendez’s name to Sandra Maria Chalas, in place of this present name. Date Filed 09/06/2019.

Notice of Formation of Yumin 11106, LLC filed with SSNY on March 11, 2020. Office: Kings County, NY. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to LLC: 2042 W 8th St Brooklyn, NY, 11223. Purpose: any lawful act or activity

Notice of Formation of Halo Architecture PLLC filed with SSNY on 02/04/2020. Office: Richmond County. SSNY designated agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to address:2744 Hylan Blvd Suite #155 Staten Island, NY 10306. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of Numeracy I, LLC filed with SSNY on May 5, 2020. Office: NY County.

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Matine Group, LLC filed with SSNY on February 21, 2020. Office: Richmond County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 8 Melba Street, Staten Island, NY 10314. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of Trade Signal’s, LLC. Arts of Org filed with Sec. of State of NY on 5/20/20. Office Location: Richmond County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and mail process to: c/o the LLC, 4218 Amboy Rd. SI, NY 10308. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of Too High Records, LLC filed with SSNY on March 26, 2020. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 24 Monument Walk, Apt 2B, Brooklyn, NY 11205. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of qualification of Kabia & Santos LLP for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/08/20. Office location: NY County. LLP formed in New Jersey (NJ) on 01/05/20. SSNY designated as agent of LLP upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to c/o Regus, 77 Water St., 7th and 8th Fl, New York, NY 10005. NJ addr. of LLP: c/o Regus, 221 River St, 9th Fl, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of NJ, Dpt. of Treasury, Div. of Revenue and Enterprise Services., P.O. Box 628, Trenton, NJ 08625-0628.

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Notice of Formation of Limited Liability Company (LLC) Name: 159 KANE ST., LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on April 27, 2020.

Office Location: Kings County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: 175 Van Dyke Street, Brooklyn, New York 11231. Purpose: to engage in any and all business for which LLCs may be formed under the New York LLC law.

Exploring The Wonder Years LLC. Filed with SSNY on 05/26/20. Office: BX County. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail copy to LLC: 1368 Metropolitan Ave #8G, BX, NY 10462. Purpose: any lawful act.

Notice of Formation of Angelic Tresses By Chelly LLC filed with SSNY on April 28, 2020.

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Notice of Formation of SAFDEYE CITADEL PARTNERS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/28/20. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543.

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Office Location: NY County. LLC formed in New Jersey on 7/5/2019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Jay Sandys, 15 Plymouth Ave Maplewood, NJ 07040 NJ address for LLC 15 Plymouth Avenue Maplewood NJ 07040. Purpose: any lawful activity NOTICE OF STATUTORY RECEIVERSHIP - To All Parties claiming to be creditors or having an interest in DPC New York, Inc., D.P. Consulting Corp. and DP Construction Corp. (collectively, the “DPC Parties”), take notice: 1.

Scott J. Freedman, Esq. was appointed Statutory Receiver for each of the DPC Parties by the 4/24/20 Order Appointing Statutory Receiver Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 14A:14-Et Seq. entered by the Superior Court of NJ, Law Div., Middlesex County at Docket No. MID-L-5741-19 in the matter captioned Provident Bank v. DPC New York, Inc., et al.; 2.

Pursuant to the 5/29/20 Court Order for Statutory Receiver Compliance With N.J.S.A. 14A:14-15, all creditors and other parties in interest of any of the DPC Parties shall present written proof of their claims, under oath, on or before 12/11/20, to Scott J. Freedman, Esq., Statutory Receiver for DPC Parties, Dilworth Paxson LLP, 457 Haddonfield Rd., #700, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002; and 3. Any creditor who does not file its claim as provided in this Notice, and all those claiming through or under that creditor, shall be forever barred from suing on such claim or otherwise realizing upon or enforcing it, except as otherwise provided in N.J.S. A .14A:-14-15(2)(a) or (b).

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NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1326347 FOR LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 549 GREENWICH ST. NY, NY 10013 NY COUNTY, FOR ON PREMISE CONSUMPTION. PETNO RESTAURANT INC PUBLIC NOTICE AT&T Mobility Services (AT&T) proposes the modification of an existing AT&T facility installed atop an existing building at 46-12 6th Ave in Brooklyn, Kings County, NY (Job #47791).

In accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the 2005 Nationwide Programmatic Agreement, AT&T is hereby notifying the public of the proposed undertaking and soliciting comments on Historic Properties which may be affected by the proposed undertaking. If you would like to provide specific information regarding potential effects that the proposed undertaking might have to properties that are listed on or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and located within 1/2 mile of the site, please submit the comments (with job number) to: RAMAKER, Contractor for AT&T, 855 Community Dr, Sauk City, WI 53583 or via e-mail to his tor y@ramaker. c om within 30 days of this notice.

Notice of Formation of 37 Saw Mill LLC . Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 06/8/2020. Office Location 205 S. Riverside Ave, Croton on Hudson NY 10520 (Westchester County). SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: 205 S. Riverside Ave, Croton on Hudson NY 10520. Purpose: any lawful activity.

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

Cellco Partnership and its controlled affiliates doing business as Verizon Wireless (Verizon Wireless) proposes to build a 120-foot COW/ COLT Communications Tower. Anticipated lighting application is medium intensity dual red/ white strobes. The Site location is 75 Middleville Road, Northport, Suffolk County, NY 11743, Lat: [40-53-58.21], Long: [-73-18-27.50]. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Antenna Structure Registration (ASR, Form 854) filing number is A1165848.

Cellco Partnership and its controlled affiliates doing business as Verizon Wireless (Verizon Wireless) proposes to collocate wireless communications antennas at a top height of 102 feet on a 95-foot building at the approx. vicinity of 45 East Main Street, Mt. Kisco, Westchester County, NY 10549. Public comments regarding potential effects from this site on historic properties may be submitted within 30 days from the date of this publication to: Trileaf Corp, Trileaf Corp, Laura Elston, l.elston@trileaf. com, 1395 South Marietta Parkway, Building 400, Suite 209, Marietta, GA 30067, 678-653-8673

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS – Interested persons may review the application (www.fcc.gov/ asr/applications) by entering the filing number.

Environmental concerns may be raised by filing a Request for Environmental Review (www.fcc.gov/ a s r/e nv i r o n m e n t a l r e quest) and online filings are strongly encouraged.

The mailing address to file a paper copy is: FCC Requests for Environmental Review, Attn: Ramon Williams, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554. HISTORIC PROPERTIES EFFECTS – Public comments regarding potential effects on historic properties may be submitted within 30 days from the date of this publication to: Trileaf Corp, Morgan Rasmussen, m.rasmussen@ trileaf.com, 1395 S. Marietta Pkwy, Building 400, Suite 209, Marietta, GA 30067; 678-653-8673 ext. 657.

Notice of formation of Gabby Produce LLC, a domestic LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on February 12, 2020. Office: Bronx County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 4316 Boyd Avenue, Bronx, NY 10466. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1329018 FOR LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 1050 44TH DRIVE LIC , NY 11101 QUEENS COUNTY, FOR ON PREMISE CONSUMPTION. ARELO LLC

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1322195, FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 7526 37TH AVE JACKSON HEIGHTS, NY 11372.

QUEENS COUNTY, FOR ON-PREMISE CONSUMPTION. TIBETAN JAPANESE RESTAURANT NY LLC

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1328550, FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 60-11 39TH AVE WOODSIDE, NY 11377.

QUEENS COUNTY, FOR ON-PREMISE CONSUMPTION. BEE CAFÉ INC

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26 CityAndStateNY.com

June 15, 2020

CITY & STATE NEW YORK MANAGEMENT & PUBLISHING CEO Steve Farbman, President & Publisher Tom Allon tallon@cityandstateny.com, Comptroller David Pirozzi, Business & Operations Manager Patrea Patterson, Administrative Assistant Lauren Mauro

Who was up and who was down last week

CREATIVE Art Director Andrew Horton, Senior Graphic Designer Alex Law, Graphic Designer Aaron Aniton

LOSERS

DIGITAL Project Manager Michael Filippi, Digital Content Manager Amanda Luz Henning Santiago, Digital Marketing Strategist Caitlin Dorman, Web/Email Strategist Isabel Beebe

PAT LYNCH After an unprecedented grassroots movement, legislators are finally increasing transparency around policing. And the one being exposed by the increasingly shaky Blue Wall of Silence is Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch. Former allies like Assembly members Michael DenDekker and Joe Lentol are denouncing Lynch and returning union campaign donations, forcing Lynch to publicly rescind their endorsements.

THE BEST OF THE REST

THE REST OF THE WORST

LETITIA JAMES & ERIC GONZALEZ

ZOHRAN MAMDANI

Immigration enforcement officers can’t make arrests around New York’s courts anymore, a federal judge ruled in response to a 2019 lawsuit brought by the two prosecutors.

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ According to Rep. Eliot Engel, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is so powerful that she’s practically a dictator who can all but anoint candidates seeking office.

If that’s the case, then AOC will have no trouble securing her own seat in the upcoming primary on June 23.

When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced a series of endorsements, she backed every single member of the NYC DSA slate except for the one running in her own district. That is rough.

DERMOT SHEA

The week started with rumors of the NYPD commissioner’s resignation, later denied.

Then, for a City Council hearing to answer for police response to the protests, he sent his deputy, Benjamin Tucker – a black man passed over for Shea’s job. All the while, his “outside agitator” copaganda continues to be debunked.

WINNERS & LOSERS is published every Friday morning in City & State’s First Read email.

Sign up for the email, cast your vote and see who won at cityandstateny.com.

ADVERTISING Vice President of Advertising Jim Katocin jkatocin@ cityandstateny.com, Account/Business Development Executive Scott Augustine saugustine@cityandstateny.com, Vice President, Advertising and Client Relations Danielle Koza dkoza@cityandstateny.com, Sales Associate Cydney McQuillan-Grace cydney@cityandstateny.com, Legal Advertising Executive Shakirah Gittens legalnotices@ cityandstateny.com, Sales Assistant Zimam Alemenew EVENTS events@cityandstateny.com Sales Director Lissa Blake, Events Manager Alexis Arsenault, Event Coordinator Amanda Cortez

Vol. 9 Issue 23 June 15, 2020

the fire this time THIS IS HOW YOU CHANGE THE WORLD

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NY SENATE MEDIA SERVICES; LEV RADIN, A KATZ/SHUTTERSTOCK

JAMAAL BAILEY & DANNY O’DONNELL The state legislative duo erased “the most contentious state law on the books” by passing a bill allowing for the release of police disciplinary records. Cops still have a few tricks up their sleeves to hold back the coming deluge of FOIL requests. And police unions are still going to say they’re the real victims as the country confronts systemic racism. But the cause of police reform just took one big step forward.

OUR PICK

OUR PICK

WINNERS

Who says protests don’t get results? The massive marches by New Yorkers demanding real change in response to the police killing of George Floyd have already had a major impact, with state lawmakers passing new legislation to hold the police more accountable, and the New York City Council is looking to take action as well. This Winners & Losers recognizes the champions of those criminal justice reforms – and other politicians who were up or down last week as well.

EDITORIAL editor@cityandstateny.com Editor-in-Chief Jon Lentz jlentz@cityandstateny.com, Managing Editor Ryan Somers, Senior Editor Ben Adler badler@cityandstateny.com, Special Projects Editor Alice Popovici, Deputy Editor Eric Holmberg, Senior Reporter Jeff Coltin jcoltin@cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Zach Williams zwilliams@cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Rebecca C. Lewis rlewis@cityandstateny.com, Tech & Policy Reporter Annie McDonough amcdonough@ cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Kay Dervishi, Associate Copy Editor Holly Pretsky

JULY 23, 2020 1:00PM-4:00PM

City & State’s 2020 Virtual Digital New York event will take what we have done for years with our in-person event and transform the program with new situations that have come out of COVID 19. It will continue to gather New York’s information leaders from government and industry, for a dynamic program of candid discussion and thought-provoking presentations on the innovative ideas being used to improve the delivery of services to both citizens and government agencies.

FEATURED SPEAKERS

CLYDE VANEL Assemblyman, Chairman, Internet and Technology Committee

GALE BREWER, BREWER Manhattan Borough President

RICHARD T. JACOBS Assistant Special Agentin-Charge, Cyber Branch, FBI’s New York Office

DESHARD STEVENS, STEVENS Chief Information Officer, NYC Commission on Human Rights

TARIQ HABIB Chief Information Security Officer, MTA

RSVP at CityAndStateNY.com/Events For more information on programming and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Lissa Blake at lblake@cityandstateny.com THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

THE FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION IN NEW YORK POST COVID-19 JUNE 16, 2020 - 2:00-3:00PM EST As a result of COVID 19 and the enforcement of work from home policies for all non-essential businesses, ridership has plummeted across New York’s mass transit systems as officials scramble to keep service running. Additionally, in early May, NYC opened up 40 miles of streets citywide.When we return to work, what will public transportation and our streets look like?With the increased homeless population on thesubways, how can we get to work timely and safely and put our children back on the subways to get to school safely?

PA N E LI STS I N C LU D E

COREY JOHNSON New York City Council Speaker

POLLY TROTTENBERG Commissioner, New York City Department of Transportation

PHILLIP ENG President, Long Island Railroad

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR

RSVP at CityAndStateNY.com/Events .For more information on programming and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Lissa Blake at lblake@cityandstateny.com