Dear John,
At long last, NYC is scheduled to start Phase 1 of our reopening process on Monday, June 8. I know that so many of you are, like me, so eager to emerge back into our wounded city, and start the long, hard, urgent process of economic recovery.
But there is no “normal” to return to any more. As the protests against centuries of racist violence that are continuing in the streets poignantly remind us: for many, normal was fear of walking down the street without being harassed by police, uncertainty about the ability to make rent, fear of being deported away from family, and more. And we must move through the re-opening phases while maintaining social distancing, wearing masks, and working together to slow the spread of coronavirus (all things I still find hard, and quite abnormal).
Still, at least we are getting started with recovery. As many as 400,000 New Yorkers are expected to go back to work in retail (for curbside pickup), manufacturing, construction and other industries. Hopefully, if we maintain social distancing and virus numbers stay low, two weeks later we will be able to move into Phase 2; at a Council hearing on Wednesday, the NYC Department of Transportation outlined a plan for outdoor restaurants and bars that should be ready by then.
There are many questions about the next phase of this new reality we are starting on Monday. We still have no real plan for how they will commute safely on public transit. And many thousands of New York parents are worried about how they will manage childcare with daycares and schools still closed.
New York simply cannot reopen our economy and begin to recover from the #COVID crisis without affordable, high-quality child care for working families. Unfortunately, there is a very real possibility that many child care providers will be forced to permanently close their doors.
I’ve talked to many child care providers over the last few weeks. They are facing extreme uncertainty, with families not signing up for next year, difficulty accessing PPP loans, and a lack of guidance from the State & City. And of course, rent, insurance, and staff still need to be paid. At the same time, many parents are financially struggling and asking for refunds for care that they are not receiving because of the pandemic.
New York State received $164 million in child care grants from the CARES Act, but has only spent $30 million so far on childcare for essential workers. So, together with Councilmember Debi Rose and 20 of our colleagues, I organized a letter [[link removed]] to Governor Cuomo earlier this week urging him to use the $134 million earmarked for child care to immediately help struggling small businesses and working parents.
Join us in calling on Governor Cuomo to use the CARES Act money to stand up the childcare industry! [[link removed]]
Child care providers are small businesses, largely owned, operated and staffed by women, many of whom are women of color. They provide a vital service not only to our children during their most important developmental years, but also to the millions of working parents whose labor is the foundation of our economy. Most child care providers operate on thin margins and have high fixed costs. In addition, while some receive funding via subsidies and city contracts, many child care providers receive no public investment, even as their role in society and value as a public good is taken for granted.
Analysis from the NYC Comptroller’s office found [[link removed]] that over half of NYC community districts were “child care deserts,” meaning there were 5 times more children in the neighborhood needing care than seats in daycare. Child care is one of, or even, the largest expense of many families. The current, average cost of center-based care in NYC is approximately $21,000 a year. If childcare providers are forced to permanently close by the pandemic, access will be even more limited and even more costly.
New York State is one of only 12 states [[link removed]] in the country who has not developed or implemented a plan to utilize CARES Act money to provide much needed support to child care providers. 38 other states have taken action to stabilize their child care industries.
Congressional leaders have introduced legislation [[link removed]] to provide $50 billion to cover child care operating expenses, new safety measures, and tuition relief for families. But there’s no need to wait for more money when we already have $134 million to help now. We will continue to push the Governor to activate the CARES Act funding to NYS’s child care providers can weather the economic storm. Working families depend on it.
Add your name to our letter calling on the Governor to put this funding to work to preserve childcare for working families. [[link removed]]
In this email:
City and State Updates
Upcoming Events
Update on Protests
City and State Updates
Latest impacts: The city has lost 16,992 people tested for COVID-19, and another 4,760 presumed from the virus. We’ve seen 52,528 people hospitalized, and 202,319 confirmed cases of the virus. Yesterday, the city had zero deaths from the first time since March 12.
Curfew: The Mayor’s ill-advised curfew, which has become an excuse for aggressive arrests of protesters and even essential workers trying to get home, is currently in place from 8 PM to 5 AM through Sunday night.
Texting 911: New Yorkers can now text 911, a long overdue service update that will help New Yorkers get help in emergencies without needing to make a phone call.
Outdoor Dining: Yesterday, City Council held a hearing on proposed legislation to open up streets to outdoor dining. The administration is working on a plan to allow restaurants to easily apply for sidewalk seating and convert adjacent parking spaces into seating. The Governor just announced that outdoor dining will be allowed in regions that are currently in Phase 2 of the economic reopening.
Pandemic EBT: Many of you have been asking whether you can donate your Pandemic EBT cards. They are non-transferable, but we are working on a plan to enable people who want to use them to support emergency food providers. You can sign up here if you are interested in donating your pandemic EBT and we will be in touch.
Summer Day Camps: Summer day camps statewide can open on June 29th. The state will make a decision on sleep-away camps in the coming weeks.
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, June 9 at 7 PM: Community Forum on Taking Action for Black Lives. Register here. [[link removed]]
Come hear from Assemblymember Diana Richardson and other Black elected and community leaders about their perspectives on this moment, learn about ways to take action, and participate in discussions of how best to show up as an ally.
Update on Protests
Protests are continuing around the city against police brutality. The website nycprotests.info [[link removed]] has started aggregating protest times and locations. If you are going out, please wear a mask, have a buddy, and stay safe.
Last night, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and I were able to help de-escalate a tense standoff between the NYPD and a group of nonviolent protesters. The march, like others around the city last night, had been proceeding peacefully for hours around downtown Brooklyn. A diverse group of about 1000 young people, were crying out for justice for #GeorgeFloyd, to defund the police, to insist that #BlackLivesMatter.
Around 10:15, at Fulton St & Washington Ave, all of a sudden, several cops surged into the crowd, grabbed a couple protestors, put them on the ground. Jumaane and I asked why the aggressive arrests had begun, what had happened? It was clear that nothing had happened. The cops had just gotten tired of marching. Thankfully, we were able to de-escalate the situation, but it never should have escalated in the first place. This will keep happening as long as the curfew continues. It is designed to escalate conflict, not to defuse it.
I shared some reflections here [[link removed]] about the police aggression, and what it would take to de-escalate. It starts with a real process for a fundamental re-thinking of how we achieve community safety.
We will talk about all of this at the community forum on Tuesday. Register here. [[link removed]]
Brad
Lander for NYC
456 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor, Suite 2
Brooklyn, NY 11215
[email protected]
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