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Bystanders

The videos blur together. The one where the cop shot a guy in the back who was running away—was that before or after the one where the guy in the car bled to death as his girlfriend filmed, or where the caretaker was shot while lying on a street in broad daylight?

One distinguishing factor in several incidents, however, is whether there were other officers on the scene, and what they do. Or, more to the point, don't do.

The cavalier attitude of the people who stood around while Eric Garner edged toward death in 2014 is horrifying to observe, even these many years later. Similarly, there were three other cops on the scene where George Floyd was arrested in Minneapolis on Monday. How could they not react to the distress the human being in their custody was indicating?

On Tuesday multiple NYPD officers responded to my Bronx block twice: once to a midday shooting outside our bodega, and at night to a person in emotional distress. I was glad they were there for the first, and glad someone responded to the second (although I know that police response to mental-health emergencies is problematic). The cops were polite, low-key, and seemingly effective.

I wondered: What would they have done if they'd been on that Staten Island sidewalk, or on that Minneapolis street?

Some believe that police critics malign good cops. More important, though, is that police violence mars good cops whether activists say so or not—unless those good officers call out their own who have crossed the line. That's true whether a cop is on the scene or just doing the same job a thousand miles away. There are times when behavior is so obviously wrong that even the most generous interpretation of “thin blue line” solidarity doesn't justify staying silent.

As local advocates press for the defunding of the NYPD, and as we slip into a fiscal crisis that evokes memories of the 1970s when the city actually laid cops off, there could soon be a debate about how many officers we need and what they should be doing. In the way of background, it would be helpful to know, from the cops, the commanders and the unions: Which of those videos haunt you?

Stay healthy,
Jarrett Murphy, executive editor
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Top Stories
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Setback for Efforts to Make City Waters Swimmable ([link removed][UNIQID])
With a few clicks of the delete button, New York State this week made a significant change to how the federal Clean Water Act applies to the waters around New York City.

Rent Relief Bill Approved in Albany ([link removed][UNIQID])
Both houses of the legislature approved a bill to create a $100 million fund to pay rents for people who have lost income because of the COVID-19 crisis.

Advocates Sue BOE to Make Absentee Voting Accessible for the Primary ([link removed][UNIQID])
The plaintiffs are already seeing some success outside of court, with the BOE passing a resolution to try to make PDF ballots available to some of those who request them for the primary.

Albany Shows its Work, as Some Eye Deeper Reforms ([link removed][UNIQID])
Two state senators weigh in on what lawmakers have been doing during the COVID-19 crisis, the laws they are now passing and the deeper reforms some want to consider.

Worries About the Pace of Progress Four Years After East New York's Rezoning ([link removed][UNIQID])
Residents, community groups and the borough president’s office are voicing their concerns over whether benefits promised to the neighborhood are being delivered–and how the COVID-19 budget crunch might affect the city’s ability to make good on the rest of the to-do list.

Dispute Over Who Will Fund Hazard Pay for NYC's Essential Workers ([link removed][UNIQID])
As the demand for hazard pay grows, so has the uncertainty about who will pay for it.

City’s Workforce Nonprofits, In Need More Than Ever, Face Their Own COVID-19 Crisis ([link removed][UNIQID])
While much attention has been paid to the plight of the unemployed, advocates say another crisis is unfolding among the network of organizations that train, support and connect those job seekers with work. These groups face budget cuts while seeing unprecedented need.

City’s Courts Seen Lacking in Interpreters ([link removed][UNIQID])
There appears to be no accurate record of how many people per month or per year require the services of an interpreter to exercise their right to access to justice.

Read our in-depth coverage of the COVID-19 crisis here. ([link removed][UNIQID])
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** Voices of New York
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Amplifying NYC's Ethnic and Community Press

Voices of New York Video: A Hairbraider's Journey ([link removed][UNIQID])
'In Harlem, hair isn’t just a style; it’s a way of life.'

With Parishioners’ Pictures on Pews, Polish Church Hosts Virtual Masses ([link removed][UNIQID])
‘A mass said to the familiar faces feels so much different than one said to a bare camera,’ says the pastor at Holy Rosary Church in Jersey City.

Virtual English Classes Offer Escape and Comfort for Immigrants During Lockdown ([link removed][UNIQID])
Some immigrants who are out of work during the pandemic are using the time to take English classes. 'To me, this has been a relief in the middle of the sad and painful situation we are enduring,' one such student tells El Diario.


** Una Ciudad sin Límites
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City Limits en Español


Cinco políticos locales esperan que la carrera del Bronx los envíe a Washington ([link removed][UNIQID])
City Limits ha contactado a los cinco candidatos que cuentan con experiencia en cargos públicos y carrera política para presentar a nuestros lectores perfiles de cada uno de ellos.

The daily death tolls are dropping. But COVID-19's impact on our city has just begun. From hospitals to housing, education to the economy, there are tough questions to be answered and important stories to be told. With your help, we can tell them.
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** City Views
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Opinions on Policy and Politics

Opinion: What's the Plan for New York City Youth this Summer? ([link removed][UNIQID])
'Summer programming is not just a fun alternative to school: It is child care for essential workers. It is educational stimulation that helps mitigate summer learning loss in neighborhoods where most students read below grade level.'

Opinion: Don’t Leave the Vulnerable with Less Defense in NYC Courtrooms ([link removed][UNIQID])
'We’re urging the City Council to maintain funding for public defenders and help ensure that low-income New Yorkers have the support and services they need, and have access to justice that others take for granted.'

Opinion: Legislature Must Address the COVID Threat to People in Prison ([link removed][UNIQID])
‘Maintaining social distance and staying healthy is impossible in antiquated and crowded prisons. Yet elected officials have turned a blind eye to this ongoing crisis.’

Opinion: Nonprofits Will Lead the Recovery—if we Give Them a Chance ([link removed][UNIQID])
'We must protect and support these organizations so the critical staff and programs which our residents rely on can stay in place through the crisis and emerge from the crisis when the need for human services, educational, and cultural programming will surely escalate.'

Opinions: On June 23, Elect Champions for a Recovery for All ([link removed][UNIQID])
'We need leaders who are fighting for a true recovery for all, and not just for band-aids to respond to the crisis and then try to return to the status quo.'

Opinion: Stop Taxing Unemployment Benefits ([link removed][UNIQID])
'Millions of New Yorkers receiving unemployment insurance benefits (UI) will be faced with one of UI’s absurd and counter-intuitive realities – the money is taxable by the federal and state governments.''

Opinion: COVID-19 Shows the Need to Combine Housing with Healthcare ([link removed][UNIQID])
'The COVID 19 pandemic boldly underscores the need for housing and health to be coordinated at the front end of planning a development project.'

Coronavirus Resources
• New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene ([link removed][UNIQID]) • New York State Department of Health ([link removed][UNIQID]) • U.S. Centers for Disease Control ([link removed][UNIQID]) • World Health Organization ([link removed][UNIQID])

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