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BLOWBACK TO BAIL REFORM
WEEK OF JANUARY
9-15 2020 INSIDE
To take away the judge’s discretion, I think, is ridiculous.” Inspector Kathleen Walsh, commanding officer of the 19th precinct on the UES
CRIME Mayor Bill de Blasio and other New York politicians joined thousands of participants in the March Against Anti-Semitism on the Brooklyn Bridge on Sunday, January 5. Photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
TAKING ACTION AGAINST HATE SOCIETY
Anti-Semitic attacks through the holiday season bring tens of thousands out to a rally – and spur calls for greater protection BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN
“No Hate. No Fear.” “#JewishANDProud.” “America 2020 Not Germany 1933.” The signs were everywhere on a cold, clear day in Lower Manhattan. After a series of brutal attacks on Jews in and around New York City, an estimated
25,000 people gathered at Foley Square on Sunday, Jan. 5, then marched across the Brooklyn Bridge. The crowd was joined by an array of New York politicians, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Carolyn Maloney, NY Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Council Member Mark Levine.
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Law enforcement and elected officials worry new law will mean an increase in crime as repeat offenders let go after arrests
DON’T STIFLE THAT SNEEZE!
Let your body do its thing to get rid of irritants. p. 2
BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM
The new year has ushered in the end of cash bail for many nonviolent defendants in New York, which advocates say will also end the practice of jailing people awaiting trial because they can’t afford to pay bail. But in the first few days of its implementation, local law enforcement officials are concerned that the new law will allow repeat offenders back out onto the streets and that arrests will no longer serve as a deterrence. Last spring, the state legislature passed these reforms, which now limits the charges for which bail can be set. The law mandates that individuals be released on their own recognizance unless more restrictive conditions are needed to ensure they will return for their court date, and require judges to take the defendant’s ability to pay bail when applicable.
FRANCE COMES TO MANHATTAN
Via Micro-Folie, a digital platform for the arts on view from Jan. 14. p. 13
Inspector Kathleen Walsh, commander of the 19th precinct, expects bail reform to contribute to an increase in larceny and robbery on the Upper East Side in 2020. Photo: David Noonan
The reforms also take away a judge’s discretion to set bail on a range of misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies, which has not sat well with Republicans and moderate Democrats. Just a few days into the new rules, legislators
are looking to revise the law, according the New York Post. The updated law would allow judges to consider whether a defendant poses a threat to the community when decid-
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STERN AND LARSEN: TWO GREATS GONE
Jon Friedman reflects on a pair New York sportsmen. p. 8
A VISION FOR 2020
20 glimpses of how NYC could shape up in the new decade. p. 9
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SPRING ARTS PREVIEW
WEEK OF APRIL
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FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL
presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration a lay point of view,” lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders separate a in and then, how he arrived his decision, detailing Visitors to the blog at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want unthey whether really want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiArbitration Man, suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
9-16
MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20
2015
In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in actions the owners, policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s quantitative give us the first with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step problem. the xing fi of deformality for To really make a difference, process is a mere complete their will have to to are the work course, the advocaterising rents, precinct, but chances-- thanks to a velopers looking find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout lives on who problem. Angelo, vexing most said Mildred construction permits gauge what Buildings one of the Ruppert said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She on the Over the past is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever Every New Yorker clang, tion Act tangible signs go as they please. work between early, and some come metal-on-metal can construction any small sound: the or on the weekend, have no respect.” the piercing of progress. For many can’t come p.m. and 7 a.m., the hollow boom, issuance of these business owners, that moving in reverse. as after-hours. The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits
SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS
A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311
Newscheck
for dollars in fees ated millions of and left some resithe city agency, that the application dents convinced
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