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2-8 2017
Church Street and Trinity Place on Sunday afternoon. Photo: Val Castronovo
RELIGIOUS LEADERS REACT TO TRAVEL BAN President Trump’s action sparks responses from Manhattan congregations across the faith spectrum BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
“This God loves immigrants, giving them food and clothing. That means you must also love immigrants, because you were immigrants in Egypt.” “Thus says the Lord, do justice and righteousness and deliver from the hand of the oppressor she who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless and the widow.” Bible verses on the topic of the stranger, read aloud during last Sunday’s service at Riverside Church in Morningside Heights, resonated deeply in light of President Donald Trump’s executive order, issued Friday, Jan. 27, temporarily barring refugees and nationals of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. Trump’s order was met with a swift response from thousands of New Yorkers over the weekend, as protest-
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Mayor Bill de Blasio at a Battery Park rally on Jan. 29 held to oppose President Trump’s executive order barring residents from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. Photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
BUDGET FOR A SANCTUARY CITY After de Blasio’s presentation, uncertainty over how Trump’s action will affect federal funds BY MADELEINE THOMPSON AND MICHAEL GAROFALO
Just a day after Bill de Blasio presented his preliminary budget for the next fiscal year, President Donald Trump threw what could be a major wrench in the mayor’s plans. On the afternoon of Jan. 25, Trump signed an executive action to pull funding from so-called sanctuary cities that attempt to protect undocumented immigrants, of which New York City is one. Roughly
unlikely that the entire $7 billion could be taken away. More probable is the stripping of $165 million federal dollars for security measures like surveillance cameras and other anti-terrorism protections. “This president and these Republicans have to understand that we are and will always be the number one terrorist target in the world,” Stringer said. Trump has also said that he will not pull funds from law enforcement, so it is unclear exactly how the city’s security could be affected. At an emergency rally last week, New Yorkers and several elected officials spoke out in
10 percent of the city’s budget comes from federal aid, adding up to more than $8 billion in 2016 and a projected $7 billion for next year. At his budget presentation, de Blasio acknowledged the questions surrounding the new president’s administration. “Against a backdrop of a lot of uncertainty … we are still confident that with this budget we can deepen the investments we’re making in this city,” he said. “It is clear to us that while we’re waiting for the situation in Washington to develop, we’ve got to keep moving.” According to New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, it is
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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 view,” of a lay point lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing blog the to Visitors at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally 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 indiMan, Arbitration suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
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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 owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step fixing the problem. of for deTo really make a difference, is a mere formality will have to the work process looking to complete their advocate are the chances course, velopers precinct, but rising rents, -- thanks to a 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 who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one 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 Over the past on the 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 signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. 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
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support of the city’s immigrant population. Hundreds of New Yorkers gathered in Washington Square Park on Wednesday evening to express their broad dissatisfaction with several of President Trump’s actions: the sanctuary cities order; an additional order to begin building a wall at the border between the U.S. and Mexico; and reports that Trump was considering an order restricting immigration from certain predominantly Muslim countries, which he signed two days later. Protesters, many wearing the
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