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A Time to Testify

When someone writes the history of Bill de Blasio's mayoralty, the moment on Thursday when heckling and booing totally drowned out his words at the George Floyd memorial service will likely go down as the point when everything faded to black. It is unlikely the mayor will be removed from office but it hardly matters. De Blasio is a lame-duck mayor with with zero political capital and few allies running a city that is billions in the red. His mayoralty is effectively over.

There will be time someday to argue over what combination of bad luck, bad actors, bad coverage and bad moves on his part devoured the de Blasio mayoralty; suffice it to say there were healthy doses of all four. The question now—amid our three-sided civil rights, economic and health crisis—is whether the mayor can pull himself out of the whirlpool long enough to defend the city's right to self-government.

Sometimes it is handy to hit bottom. De Blasio has no political future, and it is doubtful the first lady does, either. If rank-and-file cops hate him as much as their union leaders suggest, he can hardly offend them more. The editorial boards already despise him. Gov. Cuomo has kneecapped him too often for it to hurt anymore. The left is through with him. The unions are mostly thinking about 2021. De Blasio has nothing left to lose.

For years the mayor has tried to thread the needle on criminal justice. He did push through significant reforms. He also did embrace outdated policing approaches, like Broken Windows. He was pulled into closing Rikers, then owned that cause. In the past week, besides deploring violence against cops as every mayor should, he has oscillated between condemning and condoning police actions against protesters. These issues can be complex, but his parsing has always given off the odor of calculation.

There is nothing to be afraid of anymore. De Blasio can tell us what he really thinks, as the father of Black children, as the commander of 36,000 cops, as a human being. If he thinks there's still something fundamentally wrong with policing in the city, he can say it. If he thinks reforms have gone far enough, then own up to it. If he feels he cannot control the NYPD, the people have a right to know that.

With luck, that kind of full, unfiltered, consistent candor might win de Blasio enough respect from some side of the city to allow him to fulfill his duty through December 31, 2021. At worst, the hecklers will grow hoarse and move on.

Jarrett Murphy
executive editor


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Top Stories
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Crisis Led to Shift in Senior Meals that’s Raising Concerns ([link removed][UNIQID])
New enrollees in NYC’s home-delivered meals program for seniors are being diverted to the city’s emergency food program—which advocates say doesn’t deliver the same quality or support.

Officials and Advocates Agree on Plan to Make June 23 Voting More Accessible ([link removed][UNIQID])
While advocates are happy they won this concession, it only applies to the June 23 primary. A lawsuit to make absentee voting in future elections accessible is ongoing.

Challengers Make their Case Against Nadler ([link removed][UNIQID])
Lindsey Boylan and Jonathan Herzog are challenging the veteran Congressman.

A Rally, a March and a Command: ‘Be Like Water’ ([link removed][UNIQID])
As the crowd surged east, filling the block, one of the lead organizers beckoned his fellow marchers to stay close together. ‘We’re going to take the highway,’ he said.

How NYC’s Prosecutors are Handling Protest and Looting Cases ([link removed][UNIQID])
There were concerns that a sudden influx of people into the city’s jails could exacerbate the spread of coronavirus among those detained.

Death, Tears and ‘Here Comes the Sun’: A Hospital Worker Remembers ([link removed][UNIQID])
‘Instead of a code, we heard something else — the first few seconds of a Beatles tune. Everyone sighed with relief.’

As Those Around Her Died, She Gave Birth During COVID-19 ([link removed][UNIQID])
As New York’s COVID-19 cases began to skyrocket in late March, the same hospitals that filled with the sick and dying were where at least 66 women were giving birth to their babies.

Pols Decry Cuts to City Capital Budget ([link removed][UNIQID])
They say the reductions will exacerbate the housing crisis and worsen inequality—and not help the city close its budget gap.

Commercial Tenants Desperate for Relief in Greenpoint ([link removed][UNIQID])
Commercial tenants in Brooklyn are finding that the governor’s eviction moratorium hasn’t stopped their landlord from hounding them for rent.

Read our in-depth coverage of the COVID-19 crisis here. ([link removed][UNIQID])


** Voices of New York
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Amplifying NYC's Ethnic and Community Press

Attacked for Wearing A Mask, NYC Student Launches Group to Fight Racism ([link removed][UNIQID])
Bincheng Mao launched the East Coast Coalition for Tolerance and Non-Discrimination (ECC) with some college friends, calling for young people to come fight against racism.

A COVID-19 Memory: Quarantined for Ramadan ([link removed][UNIQID])
How the Islamic Bay Ridge Center adapted to Brooklyn’s COVID-19 outbreak.


** Una Ciudad sin Límites
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City Limits en Español


Lo que necesita saber: qué necesita una persona indocumentada para hacerse el test del COVID-19 en Nueva York ([link removed][UNIQID])
Así que el test es gratuito para todas las personas, sin importar de sus estatus migratorio o si la persona tiene o no seguro médico en los sitios dispuestos por la ciudad.

Recién llegados a la política buscan asiento en el congreso por el Bronx ([link removed][UNIQID])
Presentamos los perfiles de los candidatos que no tienen carrera política y que vienen de organizaciones comunitarias.

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.
Help City Limits cover this crisis. Become a member. ([link removed][UNIQID])


** City Views
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Opinions on Policy and Politics

Opinion: NYC’s Nonprofits Need Help from Congress, the Fed ([link removed][UNIQID])
‘Large nonprofits across the country are rising to the challenge and will be picking up the pieces for months, even years, after the curve flattens and falls.’

Opinion: Focus on the ‘Hot Zones’ to Truly Control COVID-19 ([link removed][UNIQID])
'The resolve of all city government officials should reflect the central understanding that New York City will continue to be at risk of COVID-19 case surges until our most vulnerable neighborhoods have the tools needed to reduce transmission.'

Opinion: Treat Homecare Aides as the Essential Workers They Are ([link removed][UNIQID])
'We are not asking to be prioritized over doctors and nurses. We simply need to be given the same resources.'

Opinion: Now More Than Ever, NYC Needs Nature, and NYC’s Nature Needs Funding ([link removed][UNIQID])
'As we start to recover from this pandemic, it’s clear that New York City’s investments in natural areas need to be sustained for both their short-term benefits — like recreational space to socially distance and hundreds of green jobs — and long-term benefits — like climate change mitigation and adaptation.'

Opinion: Homeless New Yorkers Need Housing, Not Policing ([link removed][UNIQID])
The mayor 'can and should secure vacant hotel rooms for homeless New Yorkers, including those who are street homeless.'

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])

Need help or info? Check out our resource library. ([link removed][UNIQID])

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