Our Town - June 11, 2020 by Our Town

The local paper for the Upper East Side LEARNING TO LIVE AFTER COVID-19 ◄ P.9

WEEK OF JUNE

11-17 11-17 2020

THE NEW ACTIVISTS

PROTESTS

Two NYC college students on the purpose and optimism they found at demonstrations in Manhattan BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM

At Governor Andrew Cuomo’s daily press brieﬁng on Sunday, June 7, 2020. Photo: Darren McGee / Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

LIFTING THE LOCKDOWN CORONAVIRUS

Reopening begins this week amid differences over timetables and transit questions. A look at the challenges ahead BY MICHAEL ORESKES

New York City begins its climb out of lockdown this week much the way it entered, with its leaders contradicting each other, its business community fragmented and its people eager to do the right thing if they could only be clear what that is. The first phase of bringing the economy back on line felt a little like the last reel of an old British war movie in which the commander and his aide step into the sun after days in the basement of the admiralty unsure whether it was time for din-

ner or breakfast. Officially, of course, dinner or any other meal out is still restricted to pick up or delivery. The first 400,000 workers permitted back are in construction, manufacturing and in wholesale and retail trades that are able to offer curbside pickup of purchased items. This may seem like a lot of workers. But in the economy of New York City, it is less than 9% of the 4.6 million people employed here at this time last year. What began this week was the test of whether a city wounded by the pandemic, propelled by protests and jarred by looting, can build its way back. A look at some key challenges:

For the city’s college students, it had already been an incredibly uncertain time. They spent the last two months stowed away from a dangerous and unpredictable virus, trying to tend to coursework and wondering what the remainder of their college experience might look like. All the while an economic depression looms like a funnel cloud overhead, threatening to touch

ground. The deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd at the hands of police and self-appointed vigilantes only exacerbated anxieties, adding elements of anguish and anger to their grief. Some Black college-aged activists, though, are finding purpose and optimism in the streets, joining hundreds of thousands who have shown up in New York City and cities around the world over the two weeks as part the Black Lives Matter movement to protest police brutality. “The death of George Floyd was really the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Charlene, who is a 22-year-old medical student at City College

in Harlem. Charlene and her friend Joseph, a 21-year-old student studying politics at Queens College (both requested to go by their first names), have been attending the protests in Manhattan, and have found them to be a source of inspiration. “I’ve been on the ground since Friday night, and it’s truly an extraordinary experience,” said Joseph. “There were so many people, and little kids, as we walked from Harlem to the Lower East Side. That was a 10-mile hike. As we hit the Hudson Parkway highway, I saw many people in the car … people waving their hand in support.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

At the June 2 protests at One Police Plaza in downtown Manhattan. Photo: Kodakkotei

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Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney calls for student debt forgiveness for COVID-19 heroes. p. 2

THIS SQUIRREL IS STAYING HERE

A City Council candidate on the challenge of remaining in NYC at a tough time. p. 6

Love Life” follows Anna Kendrick as one of “those girls who glide through life with a lipstick and a MetroCard”. p. 7

Who can go back to work was reasonably clear, less so how they should get there.

OURTOWNNY.COM

WANT TO THANK FRONTLINE HEALTH WORKERS?

ROM-COM NOSTALGIA

TRANSIT

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

INSIDE

Voices 15 Minutes

6 11

Business

Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, June 12 – 8:10 pm. For more information visit www.chabbaduppereastside.com.

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JUNE 11-17, 2020

WANT TO THANK FRONTLINE HEALTH WORKERS? LET’S FORGIVE THEIR STUDENT DEBT LEGISLATION

For our COVID-19 heroes, a loan forgiveness program to cover medical or professional training BY REP. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

Living in New York City, the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis, we are firsthand witnesses to the suffering caused by deadly disease. In this darkness, we have also seen our community band together to fight this – including the unparalleled dedication of health care workers. After caring for patients during extended shifts, some health professionals go to

temporary housing or isolate themselves in their homes, so they can keep their families safe from potential infection. We have never been more dependent on a strong healthcare system. We cannot eliminate the risk that doctors, nurses and other health care workers become ill, but we can eliminate another enormous burden that predates the pandemic – student loan debt. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, medical school students graduate with a median student loan debt of $200,000. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing estimates that nursing school students finish their programs with between

$40,000 and $54,999 in student loan debt. They take on this debt to serve their communities. In return, I believe that we have an obligation to ensure that these men and women are relieved of the debt they incurred to train for this critical work – in graduate degree programs or other professional education programs. At the height of the pandemic in our city, New Yorkers came together every day at 7 p.m. to cheer and applaud frontline health care workers at the end of their shifts. It was a small way to show our thanks to the medical professionals who are risking their safety every single day to care for the sickest among us. The Centers for Disease Control

New Yorkers gathered outside Lenox Health Greenwich Village to thank health care workers on Sunday, April 5, 2020. Photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

CUNY STRONG “ My heartfelt thanks to CUNY faculty and staff, who have done everything they could during these difficult times to support our students and enable them to stay on the path to academic success. To CUNY students, who are coping with the challenges of a modified learning environment amid an unprecedented crisis, I salute your resilience. For all that you’ve done to show what it means to be CUNY Strong, I’m grateful, and prouder than ever to serve as your Chancellor.

”

– Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez

cuny.edu

JUNE 11-17, 2020

something

us to

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into

care heroes have done over just the last few weeks in a time of crisis for the entire nation has shown that for these particular frontline workers, financial relief is urgently needed and well-earned. They should not have to worry about their financial security on top of the worries that come with fighting COVID-19 day in and day out. This is a burden we can relieve right now and it is an investment in the health care system and the people who are taking care of all of us. Although there are many uncertainties about the road to recovery and what our new “normal” will look like, one thing is clear; simply telling our frontline healthcare heroes “thank you” is not enough. Providing them with hazard pay, while imperative, is not enough. The outrageous costs of higher education necessitate reform, and there is no better place for the Congress to start than by helping those who have done so much to help all of us.

and Prevention reports that as of June 2, 2020, more than 67,600 health care workers in the U.S. had contracted COVID-19, and hundreds have died. Nevertheless, frontline health care professionals continue to work in especially dangerous conditions. On 9/11, our heroes ran into burning buildings, now they are walking into hospitals. We need to do more to support them. These heroes are the doctors, nurses, and health care professionals in emer-

gency departments and ICUs; medical residents and interns; and those who have abandoned their usual areas of specialty to lend a hand so that all patients can get the care they need. This unprecedented moment calls for an unprecedented effort and our response must reflect that. We must forgive their student loans. Last month, I introduced H.R. 6720, the Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act, that would do just that by establishing a loan forgiveness program for frontline health care workers to cover all loans taken out for medical or professional training. An array of health care workers would be eligible to apply to the program, including doctors, nurses, lab workers conducting COVID-19 tests, medical researchers developing treatment and vaccines, mental health professionals, home health workers, EMTs, and telehealth providers. I strongly support student loan debt cancellation for all, but seeing what our health

have

I strongly support student loan debt cancellation for all, but seeing what our health care heroes have done over just the last few weeks in a time of crisis for the entire nation has shown that for these particular frontline workers, financial relief is urgently needed and wellearned.

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QUIT SMOKING TODAY. Smoking may increase the risk of severe illness with COVID-19. For free help quitting, visit nysmokefree.com or call 1-866-NY-QUITS.

JUNE 11-17, 2020

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STATE LEGISLATORS State Sen. Jose M. Serrano State Senator Liz Krueger Assembly Member Dan Quart Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright

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JUNE 11-17, 2020

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WHAT IS MULTISYSTEM INFLAMMATORY SYNDROME IN CHILDREN? Multisystem inï¬&#x201A;ammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a new health condition associated with COVID-19.

SEEK CARE IF YOUR CHILD HAS PERSISTENT FEVER PLUS ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS: Irritability or decreased activity Abdominal pain, diarrhea, or vomiting Conjunctivitis, or red or pink eyes Red, cracked lips or bumpy tongue Swollen hands or feet Lack of appetite Rash

IF YOUR CHILD IS SEVERELY ILL, GO TO AN EMERGENCY ROOM OR CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY.

For more information, call 311 or visit nyc.gov/coronavirus.

Bill de Blasio Mayor Oxiris Barbot, MD Commissioner

JUNE 11-17, 2020

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Voices

Write to us: To share your thoughts and comments go to our website and click on submit a letter to the editor.

NY TOUGH - WITH SOME SAME OLD SAME OLD EAST SIDE OBSERVER

BY ARLENE KAYATT

Just like old times - Stop orders. Stays. Waits. Gone. Forgotten. Fini. We’re back to where we left off in building the buildings of NYC. This past Monday, non-essential construction got the go-ahead to start building. So look for the convening of cranes at the northwest corner of 85th and Madison where Dean & DeLuca once stood and where a 13-story tower is in its future. Patch.com reported that the residential-commercial edifice will have 12 floors of large apartments, a gym, a squash court, children’s play room, and theater among the amenities. And a commercial tenant in the ground floor commercial space. Yes, we’re NY Tough. Neither protests nor pandemics can stop NYC from taking the next steps to getting buildings built. Whether building luxury housing is a priority at this time is a topic for another day. It’s just good that the COVID fear is abating and that we’re ready to move on. At the same time, it’s unfortunate that restaurants in NYC have to wait until at least the first week in July to be able to serve

diners even if it’s only outdoors. Can’t wait. And ruing that my first postCOVID restaurant experience was in Connecticut where I dined outdoors with sister and bro-in-law. Connecticut’s restaurant restrictions were lifted during first week of June. NYC awaits me. Reader redux - The real subject of last week’s column article, “Far and Away Neighbors,” has responded. And here it is, lightly edited: “Just finished reading your article, and reflecting on my actual experience, I appreciate all the acts of kindness I received. I will never forget all the efforts made on my behalf; and I know when given the opportunity I will reciprocate gladly. The [national publication’s] story had the attention of a certain type of reader reading about a certain type of individual. What I’m trying to convey is this: We see true need, poverty and desperation every single day right in front of our eyes, and yet most have just become immured and do nothing or very little. I am grateful for the outpouring I received and frankly am enjoying all the lovely things I received. So, I guess I am conflicted. I will need more time to process everything. Being

alone and scared is horrible and leaves one vulnerable. I never want to think of myself as a delicate snowflake! I enjoy being strong, selfreliant and independent. All of these features, however, depend on being in good health. I always enjoy your articles and hope the man or women responsible for the artwork you point out will come forward and be proud to be noticed. Yes, indeed our postal workers also need applause as do newspaper deliverers. I have been fortunate in getting my three day a week paper all this time and I know I have to personally find a way to thank this person.” Art rant - Another reader took exception to my writing about Anton Russev’s art work in various empty storefronts on the UES. Liking Russev’s or his client’s artwork was not the intention of my ink. It was that the inside of the empty storefronts where the artwork was displayed were cleaned up as opposed to pre-COVID days when Russev and the landlord didn’t care about how the store looked from the street. Here’s the lightly edited reader’s readback: “Arlene - Sometimes your articles give ink to people that don’t deserve it.”

THIS SQUIRREL IS STAYING HERE VIEWPOINT

BY TRICIA SHIMAMURA

Like many families in New York City, my husband and I have been sheltering in place since mid-March with our infant son. And like many, without our beloved library, we’ve been reading the same books to our child over, and over again. Despite the repetition, there’s one book that still makes me tear up. It’s the story of a young squirrel looking for her home. At the end of her perilous journey, the story ends with: “Now Squirrel is right where she should be, napping in her favorite tree.” Even this cold-hearted New Yorker gets weepy, every time. What a beautiful idea: that you are exactly where you are meant to be, in your favorite place, with your favorite squirrels. Recently, we’ve been reading a lot about families making the difficult decision to leave the city, perhaps to find someplace that’s more removed from the threats of COVID-19, or offers more space for a family of four. I get it. With unemployment at a historic high, museums, playgrounds, and our favorite restaurants closed, and the threat of infection every time you pass an unmasked stranger, it’s easy to see why you might want to leave and find some other tree to call home. But this squirrel is staying here, and I hope you do too. Yes, things are bad right now, but there’s still a lot worth sticking around for. It’s true that many of the

Photo courtesy of Tricia Shimamura.

things we love most about New York are either closed or going to be very different. And yes, there’s still so much unknown about how or if essential functions like work, day care and school will ever be the same. However, I maintain that we have an opportunity to fight not just for the return of what was, but for more of what we love.

Meaningful Investments Walking on the East River Esplanade, Carl Schurz Park, or the open street at East End Avenue, it’s easy to see that open space is critical to city living. All it takes is one look at the joy in the little girl riding her bike, or the elderly couple walking side-by-side, to see that open space can connect us, even while staying socially distant. We should be making meaningful investments in our open spaces and parks, and look for areas to expand the open streets program, even after COVID-19 subsides. Although many small businesses have shut their doors, there are still thousands who are surviving and need our help more than ever. I’m not just talking about ordering out for Delizia pizza or Mansion burgers or Conmigo tacos (al-

though they’re all open and delicious). I’m also talking about calling our elected officials to deliver real rent relief, ease up on regulations on sidewalk cafes and create new cash flow opportunities. As the city begins to reopen, there are so many critical conversations going on about the institutions that affect our families: school and day care. We need families living through this experience at the table to advocate for increased access to technology, expanded 3K, universal day care, mental health services and cleaning and safety protocols. Finally, these past weeks have shown the importance of showing up for our neighbors and calling for desperately needed change. With the tragic death of yet another Black man, George Floyd, at the hands of law enforcement, we find ourselves in the midst of another crisis: the health and prosperity of Black people in America. No matter your race, income, or zip code, these are issues of human rights, and it is everyone’s responsibility to demand change. The only way forward is to stay and fight for the future our families deserve. So here we are – exactly where we should be. For many, this isn’t as easy a choice, and I realize that some cannot afford to stay. But for those who can, I hope you will help us build something special together. This tree is worth fighting for, from one squirrel to another. Tricia Shimamura is a candidate for New York City Council District 5. You can learn more about Tricia at TriciaforNY.nyc and ﬁnd her on Twitter at @ShimamuraTricia.

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JUNE 11-17, 2020

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ROM-COM NOSTALGIA ON THE TOWN

“Love Life” follows Anna Kendrick as one of “those girls who glide through life with a lipstick and a MetroCard” BY LORRAINE DUFFY MERKL

To live and date in New York City. This never-gets-old topic is explored by the new streaming service HBO Max with the Anna Kendrick romcom, “Love Life.” The romantic comedy anthology series follows a different protagonist’s quest for love each season — this time ‘round it’s Kendrick’s “Darby Carter,” a child of divorce who’s been trying to make emotional connections since adolescence and chronicles her adult couplings over the course of a decade. This jour-

ney from first to lasting love shows us how those we date along the way make us into who we are when we finally end up with our “someone.” With the first three episodes available for viewing, one can’t help but say “that’s how it is” or if you’re a person of a certain age like me, “was,” when trying to find a guy in the city that never sleeps. (There is no COVID-19 in Darby’s world, where people roam free without masks and hug when they encounter each other.) Of course, she has roommate/BFFs — Sara, Jim and Mallory — who help deconstruct every word, (mis)deed, and head scratch her dates make. Like the mother of all dating shows to which all others will be compared ad infinitum, “Sex and the City,“ each week we’re treated to a new man and issue those on the market face, except, because

Darby’s stories don’t necessarily go in chronological order, we know her future before she does. Not as glitzy as SATC, yet not as bleak as “Girls,“ the double entendre titled show gives us Darby the 2012 NYU student, who remains in Manhattan after graduation to become one of “those girls who glide through life with a lipstick and a MetroCard.” Until that happens, Darby works as a museum docent and has a whirlwind night with Augie, plays the wait-by-the-phone game, then finds herself in full-blown love — with a guy whose new job offer is in Washington D.C. A year later, she’s doing odd jobs and seeing the requisite divorced, older man whose been-there-done-that attitude clashes with her FOMO, apropos her friends’ bar crawls through the BK, and casts a glaring light on just

Anna Kendrick in “Love Life.” Photo: HBO Max

how awkwardly unsophisticated she truly is. By 2015, she’s working at the Whitney and has learned when a guy says he’s too busy for a relationship, he means with her, because he’s not too busy for one with a blonde, Boho hippie chick, who Darby stalks on Insta. She also, discovers when you meet a guy who’s still saved the voicemails of his ex who broke up with him three years prior, it’s a red flag. Of course, the guys she wants don’t want her; the

ones who want her she has no interest in. And it’s inevitable, one runs into one’s ex when one is wearing Crocs. There’s also the valuable lesson that “sometimes we’re chasing one thing when we’re really chasing something else.” Darby has a very sweet mom (veteran indie actress Hope Davis), who herself is on Tinder and also struggling to find love, and eventually puts a therapist on the payroll to help her figure out why she’s so bad at relationships, but is she really? Like most women,

she blames herself because some man turns out to be not as he portrayed himself originally. Whereas Carrie & Co. were jaded, and the Hannah Horvath crowd was bratty and entitled, this show’s star is hopeful, something I wish I had been more of decades ago. Like Darby, my future was bright, but the light was always eclipsed by my anxieties that things weren’t going to work out. The show is charming, and the “Perfect Pitch” actress is as always engaging, but the best thing about it is watching people be out and about in what used to be the normal way. In our current climate, where people are dating over Zoom, “Love Life” is almost a nostalgia piece, not only making those my age, but twentysomething New Yorkers say, “Remember when?” Lorraine Duffy Merkl is the author of the novels “Fat Chick,“ “Back to Work She Goes,“ and the upcoming “The Last Single Woman In New York City.”

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ACTIVISTS

Affordable Housing for Rent

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The Smile 70 NEWLY CONSTRUCTED UNITS AT 158 East 126th Street, New York, NY 10035 East Harlem

Amenities: 24-hour concierge, on-site resident manager, fitness center, spa, conference room, coworking space, game room, social lounge, demonstration kitchen, private party room, media room, rooftop pool with hot tubs, card-operated laundry room (additional fees apply; amenities come as a package and are not available for individual selection) Transit: Trains: 4, 5, 6, Metro North; Buses: BX15, M1, M35, M60, M100, M103 : www.nyhousingsearch.com or www.thesmile.com No fee to apply This building is being constructed through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program of the New York State Housing Finance Agency and the Inclusionary Housing Program of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), and is anticipated to receive a Tax Exemption through HPD’s 421a Tax Incentive Program. Individuals or households who meet the income and household size requirements listed in the table below may apply. Qualified applicants will be required to meet additional selection criteria. Applicants who live in New York City receive a general preference for apartments.

Rent

Units Avail-

Studio

$1,023

1 bedroom

$1,090

2 bedroom 6

$1,297

•

Income3

Size2

Minimum – Maximum4

1 person

$38,400 - $47,760

2 people

$38,400 - $54,600

1 person

$41,143 - $47,760

2 people

$41,143 - $54,600

3 people

$41,143 - $61,440

2 people

$49,406 - $54,600

3 people

$49,406 - $61,440

4 people

$49,406 - $68,220

5 people

$49,406 - $73,680

Rent

UNITS

Unit Size

A percentage of units is set aside for: o Mobility–disabled applicants (5%) o Vision/Hearing–disabled applicants (2%) Preference for a percentage of units goes to: o Residents of anhattan C B (50%) o Municipal employees (5%)

•

130% AREA

Apply?

Units Avail-

Income3

Size2

Minimum – Maximum4

1 person

$70,423 - $103,480

2 people

$70,423 - $118,300

$2,054

1 person

$75,429 - $103,480

$2,200

Į 2 people

$75,429 - $118,300

3 people

$75,429 - $133,120

2 people

$97,680 - $118,300

3 people

$97,680 - $133,120

4 people

$97,680 - $147,810

5 people

$97,680 - $159,640

$2,849

Rent includes gas for cooking. Tenant is responsible for electric including electric heating. 2 Household size includes everyone who will live with you, including parents and children. Subject to occupancy criteria. 3 Household earnings includes salary, hourly wages, tips, Social Security, child support, and other income. Income guidelines subject to change. 4 Minimum income listed may not apply to applicants with Section 8 or other qualifying rental subsidies. Asset limits also apply.

Apply? Apply online or through mail. To apply online, please go to nyc.gov/housingconnect. To request an application , Call/text 929-344-1309 - F 9am- 5pm. Only send one application per development. Do not submit duplicate applications. Do not apply online and also send in a paper application. Applicants who submit more than one application may be disqualified. Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than

. Late applications will not be considered.

After the deadline, applications are selected for review through a lottery process. If yours is selected and you appear to qualify, you will be invited to an appointment of eligibility to continue the process of determining your eligibility. Appointments are usually scheduled from 2 to 10 months after the application deadline. You will be asked to bring documents that verify your household size, identity of members of your household, and your household income. Español

䨾ḑᳫ㑅 Русский

Presente una solicitud en línea en nyc.gov/housingconnect. Para recibir una traducción de español de este anuncio y la solicitud impresa, por favor llame o envíe un mensaje de texto a 929-344- F 9am- 5pm. Escriba en inglés la palabra “SPANISH.” Las solicitudes se deben enviar en línea o con sello postal antes de 23 de julio 2020. 䇯䰞 nyc.gov/housingconnect ൘㓯⭣䈧Ǆྲ㾱㧧ਆᵜᒯ੺৺Җ䶒⭣䈧㺘Ⲵㆰփѝ᮷⡸ˈ䈧㠤⭥ᡆਁ⸝ؑ 929-344- F 9am- 5pm 䈧⭘ 㤡䈝⌘᰾ĀCHINESEāǄᗵ享൘ԕлᰕᵏѻࡽ൘㓯ᨀӔ⭣䈧ᡆ䛞ᇴҖ䶒⭣䈧 ᒤ ᴸ ᰕǄ Чтобы подать заявление через интернет, зайдите на сайт: nyc.gov/housingconnect. Для получения данного объявления и заявления на русском

Charlene also took part in that protest and spoke in awe of a fellow activist who made that march on crutches. “You can just imagine having crutches and only one leg to lean,” said Charlene. “Something must really be wrong to have someone protesting for 10 miles on crutches.”

At the protest on June 2 at One Police Plaza. Photos: Kodakkotei

Escalating Tensions

was so surprised and honestly disgusted by that interaction.”

Early in the uprising, cases of looting and vandalism had been reported by news outlets, depicting these protests not as the peaceful demonstrations Charlene and Joseph believe them to be, but as violent riots. These instances resulted in Mayor Bill de Blasio enforcing a city-wide curfew and deploying NYPD in riot gear. This action, advocates argue, escalated tensions and gave police officers the pretext to instigate violence, use excessive force and arrest protesters. Viral videos showing police officers beating protesters with batons and tackling them to the ground with no apparent rationale made the rounds on social media, making protesters’ case that police should be held accountable ever more salient. Charlene and Joseph said they did not witness any violence by protesters or police during this time, but Charlene said some officers exhibited a chilling callousness. She said she witnessed a protester trying to engage in a conversation with officers about her deceased boyfriend, a Black man she said had been shot and killed by police. Charlene said the police laughed at the women, and didn’t offer her compassion. “In that moment, to me that was so sick,” said Charlene. “I

языке пожалуйста, позвоните или текст 929-344- F 9am- 5pm. напишите слово “RUSSIAN” на английском языке. Заявки должны быть поданы онлайн или отправлены по почте (согласно дате на почтовом штемпеле) не позднее 23 июль 2020. ଛ˯ߪ

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㋀㢬㢨G㵁䣀G㐔㷡㉐⪰G⸨⇨㚰G䚝⏼␘U Aplike sou entènèt sou sitwèb nyc.gov/housingconnect. Pou resevwa yon tradiksyon anons sa a nan lang Kreyòl Ayisyen ak aplikasyon an sou papye, rele oswa voye yon mesaj tèks 929-344- F 9am- 5pm. Ekri mo “HATIAN CREOLE” an Anglè. Ou dwe remèt aplikasyon yo sou entènèt oswa ou dwe tenbre yo anvan dat 23 jiyè 2020. ‫ اﻻﺗﺻﺎل أو إرﺳﺎل رﺳﺎﻟﺔ ﻧﺻﯾﺔ اﻟﻌرﺑﯾﺔ‬،‫ ﻟﻠﺣﺻول ﻋﻠﻰ ﺗرﺟﻣﺔ ﺑﺎﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻟﻌرﺑﯾﺔ ﻟﮭذا اﻹﻋﻼن وﻟﻧﻣوذج اﻟطﻠب اﻟورﻗﻲ‬.nyc.gov/housingconnect ‫ﺗﻘدم ﺑطﻠب ﻋن طرﯾﻖ اﻹﻧﺗرﻧت ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻣوﻗﻊ اﻹﻟﻛﺗروﻧﻲ‬ 2020 ،‫ ﯾوﻟﯾو‬23 ‫ ﯾﺟب إرﺳﺎل ﻧﻣﺎذج اﻟطﻠﺑﺎت ﻋن طرﯾﻖ اﻹﻧﺗرﻧت أو ﺧﺗﻣﮭﺎ ﺑﺧﺗم اﻟﺑرﯾد ﻗﺑل‬."ARABIC" ‫ اﻛﺗب ﺑﺎﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻹﻧﺟﻠﯾزﯾﺔ ﻛﻠﻣﺔ‬. 929-344- F 9am- 5pm] :‫إﻟﻰ‬

Governor Andrew Cuomo • Mayor Bill de Blasio • HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll • HCR CEO/ Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskus

Protest signs.

“They Would Not Leave Us Alone” As Black New Yorkers, Charlene and Joseph both said they’ve been targeted and treated unfairly by the NYPD in the past. For Joseph, he said he first felt the issue of systemic racism among police when he moved from a predominately white neighborhood in Queens to East Flatbush. He said one day a police cruiser followed him and a friend as they walked the neighborhood, later ambushing them at a corner and interrogating them about an incident Joseph said he knew nothing about. In Charlene’s case, she said seven police officers showed up to her apartment in Harlem, saying they received a noise complaint and demanded that Charlene and her roommates prove that the apartment was in fact their residence. “Even though we said we were students at City College and renting this apartment, they would not leave us alone until we showed them the lease that had our names on it,” she said. The pair said that they do believe police reform is possible in New York City and the United States more broadly. They said reform begins in New York with the repeal of

50-A, a state law that deems personnel records — and misconduct reports — of police officers confidential and not subject to public scrutiny. “New York is probably one of the worst in the nation in terms of hiding police misconduct,” said Charlene. They would also like to see significant cuts to the NYPD budget, and those funds invested back into communities of color. In the past, the proclamation of “Black Lives Matter” has been one of controversy. But Joseph and Charlene have felt a shift in the perception of this movement, and a chance to make tangible change, in part thanks to the pandemic. “A lot of people have been brought to a state where they’re more conscious of what’s going on politically,” said Joseph. “The fact that everybody’s in tune with everything that’s going on because we’ve been confined kind of has built a greater momentum. It’s causing us to burst out.” New York City has never been more united than in this moment of protest, said Charlene. “At the protests, you see people who don’t even look like me but they’re just as energized as me,” she said. “I’m not expecting things to go back to normal. I don’t think that things can go back to normal.”

JUNE 11-17, 2020

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LEARNING TO LIVE AFTER COVID-19 HEALTH

Rehabilitation is crucial for those recovering from coronavirus BY CAROL ANN RINZLER

When it comes to medical jargon, these past three months have certainly expanded the list, starting with the microbe SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) and COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the illness it causes. Here are two entries more for the lexicon: PICS and PICS-F. The first stands for post intensive care syndrome; the second for the effects of PICs on a patient’s family. As every medical professional knows, spending time in an intensive care unit (ICU) can leave a patient with both physical and emotional problems. Add a ventilator and the problems multiply. Even if the patient survives, statistics show lingering physical and psychological effects not just for him but for his family members, as many as three of every ten of whom will be anxious, stressed and depressed. Three years ago, to reduce the PICS’s effects on the patient, respiratory specialists at the Super Specialty Hospital in New Delhi (India) proposed an alphabet of prevention for the critically ill while they are still in the ICU: Awakening (using light or minimal sedation); Breathing (spontaneous breathing trials); Coordination of care and communication among various disciplines; Delirium monitoring, assessment, and management; Early ambulation in the ICU. Now, as thousands of COVID-19 patients slowly recuperate, what matters most is rehabilitation. The most common prob-

Steven Flanagan, medical director of the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Langone Health. Photo courtesy of NYU Langone Health

lem after a relatively long time lying motionless in bed is likely to be weakened muscles. That means patients will have to repeat the childhood experience of learning how to walk without toppling over while having a hard time catching their breath because time on a ventilator can leave a person gasping if he tries to walk quickly. Manhattan Democratic district leader Louise Dankberg can attest to that. Her rendezvous with COVID-19 cost her nearly two months in Bellevue Hospital, which has treated and successfully released more than 1,000 OVID19 patients. When rehab began, she says, it was “three steps, then 20 steps, and now, sooner than later I hope, a marathon.”

Damage to Organs Other problems are invisible but real. Even mild or moderate COVID-19 disease appears to produce abnormal liver function tests and imaging scans that show damage to various organs. And then there’s the brain, which is exquisitely sensitive to sedatives and to the oxygen deprivation that may occur when a patient is sick enough to need a ventilator. The result, says Amy Bellinghausen, a pulmonary and critical care fellow at the University of California, San Diego, can be long lasting ef-

fects on memory and thinking. To which Joshua Morganstein, MD, chair of the American Psychiatric Association Committee on the Psychiatric Dimensions of Disasters, adds appropriate stress and anxiety which, he says, will likely resolve over time. Back at the walking and breathing stage, reclaiming one’s “normal” requires exercise, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, symptom management and constant follow up for some time after the initial recovery. The British Chartered Society of Physiotherapy says this is particularly important for those whose rehabilitation may have been interrupted by general or self-set quarantines and need to have access to rehab services in the community after leaving the hospital or a subacute facility. In short, says Steven Flanagan, the medical director of the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Langone Health, “Rehabilitation plays a vitally important role throughout an illness. As with other disabling conditions, we often start with rehabilitation in the ICU and follow these patients throughout their recovery. In some instances, it could last a lifetime. Our goal is to help enable people to become as independent as possible.” One step. Two steps. Three steps. Go.

JUNE 11-17, 2020

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THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FRONT LINE COMMUNITY

Coping with COVID in group homes for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities BY DANIELLE CRUZ

At first, they thought they were dealing with seasonal allergies. But when Robert’s symptoms worsened and he developed a fever, Kisha Kennedy VanHolt said she knew that the group home she managed for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities was dealing with their first case of COVID-19. They called 911 immediately. After being admitted to the hospital, Robert died of complications from COVID-19. The other residents in the home and one staff member also started to display symptoms, with the staff member later testing positive for COVID-19. “But the rest of the individuals that stayed back, they didn’t develop fevers, but they had other things,“ said Kennedy VanHolt. “They were very fatigued. They were not eating.

Mongomery Carter, who lives in an AHRC NYC group home in the Bronx, after he recovered from COVID-19. Photo courtesy of AHRC New York City

They just were not themselves and because we work here with them every day, we knew that things were just not right.” The spread of the virus in group homes is a reality for many organizations that provide residential services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), like AHRC New York City, the organization Kennedy VanHolt works for. Due to the pandemic, these organizations have had to change the way their group homes are run and also help the residents cope with the new reality of the pandemic. At first, they were faced with the lack of access to testing, leaving staff worried that asymptomatic residents or staff might pose a health threat.

“A Perfect Storm” Marco Damiani, the CEO of AHRC New York City, one of the largest organizations in New York serving individuals with IDD, said the individuals they deal with are especially vulnerable to the virus as they often have other underlying health conditions like asthma, diabetes and heart disease. “When the virus started to move around New York City, we kind of were a perfect storm,” said Damiani. “We have lots and lots of people that have health risks, they’re immunosuppressed in some cases and have other conditions.” Out of 740 individuals with IDD who live in one of AHRC New York City’s 150 residences, 17 have died from coronavirus, 105 have tested positive and another 160 have “COVID-like” symptoms. The staff has also been affected: four staff members have died and 83 have tested positive for COVID-19. Damiani said that at first AHRC New York City did not have access to tests for their population despite the number of sick residents they have. People were only getting tested if they were sent to the hospital,

which Damiani said led to an undercount of the virus in the group home. Now AHRC New York City said they are able to provide testing. “I am pleased to say that we have formed a good relationship with a major lab and urgicare network to provide both virus and antibody testing for the people we support and for our staff,” said Damiani. If someone starts to display symptoms, Damiani said they are essentially treated as though they have been tested positive and are heavily treated and monitored by staff. The support professionals who assist the individuals in the home are not registered nurses. Eventually, Damiani said, AHRC New York City had to hire nurses to help support the staff and provide more clinical interventions. Denise Flores, the assistant vice president for the developmental disabilities’ division at The New York Foundling, said that during the beginning of the pandemic they had to ration out the protective equipment they had. They would only give masks, gloves and gowns to residences with sick individuals. “I mean we don’t have any to waste, but we do have a system in place that everyone has now either face shields, gowns or masks,” said Flores. Now most organizations for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities have enough protective equipment to hand out to their staff and residents. Magaretta Style, a transitional project coordinator and residence manager for The New York Foundling, said it was vital that she have masks for her staff and residents, and that the administrators understood that. In the residency she manages, one of the individuals is an essential worker. So they had to make sure that he had the proper protective equipment to go safely to work.

Denise Flores (center) with Deon Williams and Corey Brashear, two residents from The New York Foundling’s Laconia residence, during a BBQ in 2019. Photos courtesy of The New York Foundling

Style’s residency does not have a washer or dryer. Once a week staff go out with the residents to a laundromat and have to make sure that the residents are wearing protective equipment and practicing social distancing while outside.

“Like Part of Our Family” Yet finding and adjusting to the new reality hasn’t been easy for the individuals the homes’ staffers work with. Style said that it has been a struggle to get the residents to understand the importance of wearing their protective equipment properly and washing their hands. “But now it’s almost like a reality, they’re learning a new reality of, you know, this is what I have to do in order to go wash clothes,” Flores said. Leslie Pantor, the manager of a home in Brooklyn for AHRC New York City, said that it has been hard for the residents to adjust to being stuck inside every day. She and her staff said that they are constantly trying to find new ways to keep the residents entertained and take their minds off the death of some of their friends. One of the residents in Pantor’s residence died of complications from coronavirus, and she said it was like losing a family member. “You know the guys here, they’re like part of our family. You know, it’s very difficult, extremely difficult and painful to watch.” Alicia Sy, the manager of AHRC New York City’s Greenberg Residence, said that while she does have sick individuals in her home and even one in the hospital, she and her staff have also been finding ways to keep the residents engaged and find

a sense of normalcy. On Easter she recalled that one of the individuals had asked her if the festivities were canceled because of the virus. She told them that they would find a way to celebrate it and still practice social distancing. “So, I asked the staff to help me and they went and purchased the candy and stuff and we did an Easter egg hunt,” said Sy. “We have a big backyard, so they weren’t so close together ... and they were able to do their Easter egg hunt.” Magaretta Style said that in her group home many of the residents are still getting used to the fact that they cannot attend their day programs, where they were able to interact with others and see their friends. A lot of them were also active members of their community and were used to going out on a daily basis. “There are some of them that are not grasping, that don’t realize that their life has been changed ... and they really can’t tolerate it,” said Style. “So, every day, myself and my staff has to be coaching them [on] coping skills.”

Care Packages Flores said that The New York Foundling has also encouraged individuals in their group homes to use Zoom or FaceTime to keep connected with friends and family. “We’ve also, with some of our older individuals, they write letters, they do pictures where they mail them out and they know that the staff are going to mail them out,” said Flores. “Parents have been sending care packages in.” In some AHRC New York City homes, residents participate in virtual yoga sessions

and other online classes to stay connected. Technology is also being used to help provide staff with medical support from doctors as they work to assess and treat sick residents. With hospitals limiting the number of people let in as a health precaution, staff members have to rely on technology to offer triage support to individuals with IDD sent to the hospital. Damiani said that many AHRC New York City staff feel helpless when they send residents to hospital, where they may have difficulties communicating with the doctors and nurses due to their disabilities. Grace Duncan, a direct support professional at one of AHRC New York City’s residences in Brooklyn, said that when one resident was admitted to the hospital, none of the staff were allowed to be by her side to offer support. “I know it must have been very confusing for her,” said Duncan. “It’s really hard when these guys have to go by themselves because [they] have special needs and they are used to seeing and having support around them.” For now, Kisha Kennedy VanHolt said she and her staff had to fight to “bring back life to the program” after the virus made its way through the group home. Though it took a while, eventually the residents in the home slowly started to recover and act like themselves. “I came in on a Sunday after two days off and one of my individuals had a huge mess in her bedroom with coloring books and crayons and I was so happy to see the mess because it felt normal again.”

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YOUR 15 MINUTES

To read about other people who have had their “15 Minutes” go to our website and subit your story

A ‘BIG’ HELP DURING A TIME OF ‘LITTLE’ CERTAINTY COMMUNITY

CEO of Bigs & Littles NYC on providing meaningful support during a period of crisis BY ANGELA BARBUTI

“When COVID first started, we said, ‘Wow, this is going to be really hard. How is this going to continue because it’s all about in-person connection?’” explained Vidhya Kelly, CEO of Bigs & Littles NYC, a 118year-old nonprofit that matches youth with volunteer mentors. However, through the resilience of all those involved, the program only got stronger. Since most of their children are black and Hispanic from low-income, single-parent households, the population hardest hit by the virus, Kelly and her team quickly realized the need to pivot their mission. Their call to action, which includes daily check-ins and raising emergency money, centers on the families’ immediate insecurities with food, housing and jobs. Matches, which are carefully made after an extensive interview process with social workers, are known to go for a slice of pizza or a walk in the city, or even to a Broadway show or sporting event. Although these in-person get-togethers have been halted, Bigs and Littles are still connecting, only now it’s through Zoom, FaceTime, calling and texting. An affiliate of Catholic Charities,

Vidhya Kelly, CEO of Bigs & Littles. Photo: Jaya Kelly

Eddie and Daniel. Photo: Dilim Dieke

the organization, which now has a waitlist of 100 kids, works to ensure that the bonds between their pairs will last a lifetime. “We have so many stories where our Little Brothers and Little Sisters end up being the Best Man or Maid of Honor in their Bigs’ weddings,” Kelly said.

How are you helping your families through COVID-19?

Our social workers check in with the parents and kids daily. We’ve worked really hard to raise emergency money, ensuring that every child in our program has access to a workable computer so their schooling isn’t falling short. We’re happy to say every kid in our program has a working device. Some of them are in charter schools and didn’t receive one, so we bought them … For us, one of the things that we’ve noticed, and also with school being out, we have really become more critical than ever. Our volunteers are not clinicians, so many don’t have experience supporting families with these challenges. What’s been great is that the Bigs have been able to be a second ear for us, saying, “We talked to our Littles and their families on FaceTime and they did express these are some of the challenges they are having.”

You said that many of your Littles are raised by a single mother. What else can you tell us about the

children in the program?

Our kids typically go to schools that are overcrowded where there are not enough teachers, too many kids in a classroom, and oftentimes the environments of the schools themselves aren’t healthy. So the things we really focus on in terms of outcomes for our program are social, emotional and academic. When our children are served by our organization, we look at six months, a year, and every year thereafter. Statistics like if they are promoted every year, high school graduation rate, college entry and persistence through the ﬁrst year, avoidance of getting in trouble with the law, early parenting. Ultimately you can run all these programs, but if you’re not looking at what the impact is, then it doesn’t really matter. In this past year, 100 percent of our kids avoided derailing behaviors, 99 percent got promoted, 98 percent graduated from high school and 95 percent of those kids either got into college or a training program.

Give us some examples of pairs of Bigs and Littles.

We have one Big Brother, Eddie, who is 30, African American and lives in Harlem. He’s a classical pianist and actually just released an album and it went to number one on iTunes. He got matched with a 13-year-old African American boy who lives on the Lower East Side, Daniel, from a single-parent household. They have

Kristina and Savannah. Photo: Bartosz Jankowski just completely grown with each other. And you can hear it when they speak. Eddie has just proven to be someone who calls when he says he’s going to call, shows up when he says he’s going to show up. He’s just exposed Daniel to so many diﬀerent activities. Savannah was diagnosed with Turner syndrome and it impacted some of her learning abilities, and she was held back. She’s really thriving since being matched with her Big Sister, Kristina, almost three years ago. And the interesting piece is that Kristina actually had a learning disability that went undiagnosed for many years, and ended up becoming a special ed teacher. And this year, Savannah made Dean’s List.

Many of your Bigs are in their 20s to 40s, but you also have some retirees who volunteer.

The sweet spot that we found in terms of age of volunteers is between 26 and 32. Because New York City is a transient area, these are folks who come in and have new jobs and just get settled, maybe not yet have their own kids. But we have also been trying to work with AARP, because

people who are older have all the wisdom. They may have the time; they may be empty nesters. We ended up matching a volunteer in his 60s, an older white male, Roy, with a Hispanic Little Brother, Noel. Roy always says, “I was honest with Noel. I told him if he needed someone to play basketball with or run around with, I’m not that guy, but I said, ‘I promise to walk you all over New York City to all of the monuments, talk to you about how I grew up, what I’ve experienced. And you can ask me any question you want, and I’ll be there for you.’” To volunteer, visit https://bigslittlesnyc.org/volunteer To donate, visit: https://donate.onecause.com/emergencyfund_bigslittlesnyc/donate To join their virtual annual fundraiser on June 11th, visit: https://bigslittlesnyc.org/2020bignightin

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LOCKDOWN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 One of the first businesses to reopen was the New York Stock Exchange, which began allowing brokers back on the trading floor on the condition that they not use mass transit to get there. The Centers for Disease Control, based in Atlanta, a city with a rail system a tenth the size of New York’s, embraced that approach a few days later when it urged employers to help workers avoid mass transit. (The NYSE incentive appeared limited to allowing brokers to have their jobs on the trading floor.) Mayor Bill de Blasio dismissed the CDC recommendation as unworkable for New York City. He then began feuding with the MTA, a state agency, over how to make riders safe. The mayor insisted that every other seat on subways and buses should be roped off for social distancing. The interim president of the Transit Authority, Sarah Feinberg, said she took the mayor’s suggestions very seriously. “But to suggest that the New York City Subway system, as ridership grows, can allow for social distancing, I think suggests an unfamiliarity with the system or a lack of sincerity,” she said. The MTA chair, Pat Foye, said major transit systems in Europe and Asia had restarted without triggering new waves of infection. The MTA is aggressively cleaning all its equipment and facilities and riders will be told they must wear masks, he said. To reduce peak crowding the MTA appealed to employers to stagger work hours and asked riders to avoid peak

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To suggest that the New York City Subway system, as ridership grows, can allow for social distancing, I think suggests an unfamiliarity with the system or a lack of sincerity.” Sarah Feinberg, interim president of the Transit Authority

rush hours, which have moved earlier as the system is mainly used by frontline workers.

ECONOMY Governor Andrew Cuomo has said reopening will be in four phases, each separated by two weeks to track the virus, although the mayor has said phase two may not begin until July. What is not in dispute is that there is an enormous task ahead. The State Labor department reports that 823,000 private sector jobs in New York City evaporated in a month between March and April - 500,000 of those were in restaurants, hotels, entertainment and hospitality. The business ripples are just beginning: Businesses that can’t pay their rents to landlords who can’t meet their mortgages or pay their taxes. The mayor has raised the threat of government layoffs unless the federal government helps to close a huge gap in the city’s budget. The mayor also asked the state for permission to borrow to pay operating costs like police officers, which was promptly denounced by those with long memories of how the city got in fiscal trouble in the 1970s.

PANDEMIC A big unknown is the future of the coronavirus. New cases are plummeting in the city. The capacity to test for the virus and trace the source of infections, nonexistent when the virus arrived in New York, is substantial now, around 30,000 a day, although only about 20,000 to 25,000 New Yorkers are seeking tests each day, according to the chair of the City Council Health Committee, Mark D. Levine. Both need to rise, he said, to effectively screen for new cases before the virus spreads out of control again. “I think it should be 100,000 a day,” Levine said. The concern is that the protests and confinements by police in enclosed jails, combined with the resumption of some business activity, might spur a second wave. Tom Frieden, former NYC health commissioner and former head of the CDC, says the concerns are misplaced. For one thing, the protests are in the open air, which dilutes the virus and thus the danger.

Moreover, public health fears should never be used to discourage the exercise of basic rights, Frieden said. The most important factor in suppressing the pandemic, he said, is trust. If New Yorkers don’t trust each other and their government, they won’t cooperate with measures like contact tracing that have proven effective in controlling outbreaks.

NEW DEAL REDUX? The current political conversation could intersect with the success of recovery. New York has long been a laboratory for the nation’s social challenges. The key measures of what became the New Deal were road tested in New York by Governors Alfred E. Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Might that happen again? Mayor de Blasio announced last week the creation of three community clinics to improve inadequate health services in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. Multiplied to scale, aggressive efforts to alleviate chronic health conditions would do more than almost anything – certainly between now and a vaccine – to reduce the terror of COVID-19, which has disproportionately killed people of color and lower incomes. The link was made explicit by two JP Morgan bankers in a note to their clients Friday. “Recent events are shining a bright light on the systemic inequities that Black and other minority groups in the United States have been facing for decades,” wrote Elyse Ausenbaugh and Jeff Greenberg. “Talking about anything else almost feels trivial right now … Psychological scar tissue could keep people out of restaurants, crowded stores, and travel hubs for a while. Temporary layoffs could convert into permanent ones, and certain types of jobs may be forever eliminated. Second waves of infections still pose a threat. Racial injustice and associated protests could deepen political divisions and exacerbate economic devastation.” Ultimately the deaths of both George Floyd and the 21,782 New Yorkers lost to Covid-19 can be traced to one precondition: Inequity. Alleviating that would help answer whether the city is just building back, or building back better.

JUNE 11-17, 2020

20 23 27

1 5

WORD SEARCH by Myles Mellor

N C O A T N N T E H R T N L A

M W S V T S E X E S R I B Y W

H S U S H L S A L H U I K N X

M L P L I K G C K W F O S S I

H O F T F H N P S E W L L P F

G A S T V D I P Y T R U E B P

A F I J K P K X N X L S E S S

W E F A G D C H L O D E H H Q

S R J R I R O Y Y K R Z B I P

Y S S P C S T Z J E E T Y R W

O L C U F F S I Z T S X V T C

P P S J I V R H D G S B C L I

15 words are listed below. They may go across, up and down or diagonally in the puzzle. Circle each one as you ﬁnd it.

B V W U F T F L L R E K V S T

Belts Blouse Coat Cuffs Dress Heels Loafers Pants Shirt Skirt Sneakers Stiletto Stockings Suit Ties

ANSWERS I

B O A

50 42

A M B

R O D

31 24

O N

K O 22

M I

R 3

U 4

R O A

E S

D E T

E O N

19 13

N 49

E 32

D O O R 2

Y M

18 12

A 21

A M

U B

40 33

R 6

E 7

O B

14 8

I L E D

C N Y S

M L P L I K G C K W F O S S I

H O F T F H N P S E W L L P F

G A S T V D I P Y T R U E B P

A F I J K P K X N X L S E S S

W E F A G D C H L O D E H H Q

S R J R I R O Y Y K R Z B I P

Y S S P C S T Z J E E T Y R W

O L C U F F S I Z T S X V T C

P P S J I V R H D G S B C L I

B V W U F T F L L R E K V S T

3 1

2 7

9 2

8 1 4

6 5 4

6 3

6 9 4 3 5 7 1 2 8

1 3 2 4 7 9 8 5 6

5 8 9 2 6 1 3 7 4

4 6 7 5 8 3 2 9 1

7 5 3 1 9 8 4 6 2

8 4 6 7 3 2 9 1 5

9 2 1 6 4 5 7 8 3

Los Angeles 26. Common deciduous tree 28. Preﬁx with thermal 29. Arctic for one 30. Mass. senator Kennedy 34. Hosts 35. Tennis shots 36. Conceive 37. Addict 38. To stay the same 39. Overhauled 42. To and ____ 43. Young builder’s dream 44. Blvds 45. Medicinal plant 47. Gym site 48. Lohan ﬁlm “___ Girls” 49. Football positions

W F J R S R A A T T E R X U Y

H S U S H L S A L H U I K N X

X C M I Q V Z P O O V F Z D C

M W S V T S E X E S R I B Y W

Down 1. Start over 2. It’s clicked on a computer 3. Swamp critter 4. Reputed Archimedes exclamation 5. Clear 6. Callas’ forte 7. Serial killer killer show 8. Keepsakes 9. Rather 10. Sandwich maker 11. ‘N ___ 20. Garden implement 22. This __ that 24. In the manner of 25. ____ Air: upscale area of

5 8

N C O A T N N T E H R T N L A

cluster 50. Script rewrites 51. End of grace 52. S-shaped curve 53. Corn site 54. Bunch 55. Model, Kate 56. Literary always 57. Browns

Level: Medium

W F J R S R A A T T E R X U Y

X C M I Q V Z P O O V F Z D C

Across 1. “Interview with a Vampire” writer (last name) 5. Oliver Twist, e.g. 8. Youngsters 12. Hosiery shade 13. Upset 14. Follow orders 15. Room access 16. A little of this, a little of that 17. Furnace 18. Fairy tale start 19. Pitiful 21. Colorful carp 23. Long stretch 24. On a cruise 27. Protest 31. Untilled tract 32. Glimpse 33. Acid neutralizer 37. Not in this country 40. “Maggie May” singer Stewart 41. Busy creature 42. Flaming torch 46. Flat-topped ﬂower

5 3

4 6

3 7

Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9X9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3X3 squares. To solve the puzzle each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult.

O G E

M O S

SUDOKU by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan

by Myles Mellor

CROSSWORD

Eastsider 1

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

JUNE 11-17, 2020

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Business

HOW REAL ESTATE BUSINESS MIGHT RESUME REAL ESTATE

What a reasonable rollout would look like BY FREDERICK PETERS

A month after our shelter in place took hold here in New York, real estate practitioners all over the state began to speculate about when and how business might resume. We, our customers, and our clients are looking forward to safely beginning to transact again. At the same time, none of us wish to assume undue risk as we move back into a more active mode. I, therefore, offer a few thoughts, some my own and some gathered from others with whom I am in contact, about what a reasonable rollout might look like:

No more open houses.

While this may seem obvious, it needs to be stated. For the foreseeable future, agents cannot create situations in which a group of people are encouraged to occupy the same space. The virtual open house, in which an agent leads a video tour through the apartment, will be our substitute for the time being. That tour, in addition to clear photos, greater specificity about such issues as ceiling height and construction values in the written description, and a detailed floor plan, should enable prospective purchasers to do a “first viewing” online.

Showing protocols will involve social distancing. As

showings begin again, agents and buyers will need to adhere to strict protocols to keep all parties and the prop-

erty free of infection. These protocols might include allowance for the seller’s agent to conduct the showing, observing distancing requirements, with the buyer’s agent, if desired, attending the showing virtually on FaceTime. Gloves, booties, and masks should be required for all parties. The exclusive agent will open any doors or cabinets into which the buyer wishes to look; the buyer will be asked to touch nothing in the apartment. Once the buyer leaves, the agent will disinfect all surfaces which have been touched.

Ofﬁce time should be staggered and curtailed. Most ad-

ministrative staff and many agents in New York must ride to work on public transportation. Since this inevitably involves proximity to others, the risks should be mitigated by staggering both office hours and office days. Many employees will have perfected techniques for working from home, which they should be permitted to do much of the time. I would suggest that staff be staggered so no more than 50% is in the office at one time, with that 50% arriving and departing, to as great a degree as possible, at off-peak hours. At my company [Warburg Realty], we will also alternate agent office days so everyone in the offices sits a minimum of 6 feet away from their nearest colleague on either side. Our offices will be sterilized by UV lighting and viricidal cleaning products.

Closings should be continued virtually. The way clos-

ings were conducted throughout my career, with a group of participants

Photo: Steven Strasser

crammed into a small conference room, will be a thing of the past for the foreseeable future. Since attorneys and transfer agents have gained experience in handling many aspects of closings virtually, using DocuSign and virtual notarization, these skills should continue to be deployed as we open the business up while still maintaining safety. Use of

several conference rooms and protective gear will also aid in this effort to keep critical attendees socially distanced.

The Governor should lay out a behavioral roadmap.

New Yorkers will feel more confident in proceeding towards a new normal if the state government and health authorities endorse it, ideally with specifics about how business should best be con-

ducted. The Governor’s words, these days during which he has become a national spokesperson for rational response, will reassure the public substantially. No one has a timeline for when we can (or will) feel safe about interacting freely within our social and business environments. But we all know that the economy must be kicked into gear. How care-

fully and strategically the real estate industry can ramp up will make all the difference for agents, buyers, and sellers in both transacting business and staying safe on the streets of our cities and towns. Frederick Peters is the CEO of Warburg Realty, a luxury residential real estate brokerage in New York City. Reprinted with permission from Frederick Peters’ Forbes column.

JUNE 11-17, 2020

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