The local paper for the Upper East Side CATS, DOGS, LLAMAS AND COVID-19
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DAYS OF PROTEST
UNREST
Confrontations in NYC between demonstrators and police officers after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis Mayor Bill de Blasio tours Flatbush with Council Members Farah Louis and Mathieu Eugene and Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte on Sunday, May 31, 2020. Photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
DE BLASIO’S RECKONING VIEWPOINT
The mayor seems overwhelmed by how the pandemic and the protests dramatize the “two cities” of New York he promised to bridge BY MICHAEL ORESKES
He was elected on a pledge to bridge the “two cities” of New York, one rich and privileged, the other poor and pressured. Yet, as he approaches the end of his tenure, Mayor Bill de Blasio seems overwhelmed by the conflicts this divide has generated. To be sure, few of us have lived through days like these, when crises pile on each other - a hundred-year pandemic stoking grief and anger, which then boils over as yet another African American man dies in the
custody of police in yet another American city. Our president has not made the job of local leaders easier, warning that looters could be shot, then jetting off to Florida to revel in the dawn of commercial manned space flight. As some sought escape into space, others here yearned to go back in time. It was striking this weekend that more than a few New Yorkers invoked images of the mayor from the silkstocking East Side, who strode Harlem in his shirt sleeves in an earlier crisis. John Lindsay and Bill de Blasio each came to office as a progressive. Lindsay, however, had a gift for the message, the moment and even the happening, while de Blasio has struggled to hit the high notes of leader-
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BY BRIAN MAHONEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York City officials were looking for a peaceful
way forward as the city entered another day of protests against police brutality that have left police cars burned and led to the arrest of hundreds of people. On Monday afternoon, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a curfew for the city, from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. On Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said city police showed “tremendous restraint overall” during the weekend’s pro-
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INSIDE
WHY EVERY SCHOOL NEEDS A SOCIAL WORKER Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer on impact of the COVID19 crisis on kids. p.6
‘THERE TO HELP PEOPLE’
Back on the ballot, Cameron Koffman talks about new challenges facing the UES. p. 7
DREAMS DEFERRED
Artists on the brink of brave new stages in their careers have found ways to perform virtually — and support those on the front lines. p. 11
Protesters march down the street as trash burns in the background during a solidarity rally for George Floyd, Saturday, May 30, 2020, in New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of Floyd, a black man who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. Photo: Wong Maye-E / AP
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tests, but promised an investigation of video showing two police cruisers lurching into a crowd of demonstrators on a Brooklyn street. He was appointing two city officials to conduct an independent review of how the protests unfolded and how they were handled by the police. “We all better get back to
WEEK OF JUNE
Voices City Arts
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15 Minutes Real Estate
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Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, June 5 – 8:06 pm. For more information visit www.chabbaduppereastside.com.