Dear John,

50%. 

That is the proportion of people in Brooklyn who have filled out their Census so far this year. Here in District 39, we are doing a little better, but not much. Just 57% of District 39 has completed the Census so far. 

New York City, and Brooklyn in particular, is lagging well behind where we need to be in the once-a-decade count of our population. If we don’t turn the trend around now, our city’s recovery from the coronavirus crisis will be much, much harder. We will lose out on billions of federal dollars that our city needs for our schools, hospitals, roads, and emergency services. We may even lose one or two Congressional seats, leaving us with fewer votes and voices to fight for us in Washington. 

Sign up to join me in phonebanking New Yorkers to complete the Census during next week’s week of action.

There’s a reason that the Trump administration has gone out of its way to try to discourage undocumented people from completing the Census, first by proposing a citizenship question that was defeated in the courts and most recently, this week claiming untruthfully (and unconstitutionally) that undocumented people would be subtracted from the count. Doing so would mean not only that the communities where immigrants live would be denied the resources needed to help their communities flourish, but also because undercounting those areas means less political representation for towns and cities that are more likely to be progressive than rural areas. 

The Census data is used to make decisions about redistricting and allocating federal funding for all sorts of essential services that local governments provide. And it’s not just federal money either. States and cities also use the Census data to make decisions about which neighborhoods to build new schools in, which hospitals need more support, where we need more bus routes, and so many more decisions that deeply shape the lives of New Yorkers. 

The good thing is, we still have time to get NYC counted! Join me next Thursday to make calls to New Yorkers about the Census.

And if you havent filled it out yourself yet, please do now at my2020census.gov.

Census “enumerators” will start knocking on doors on August 11, and the more people we get to fill out the Census in the next two weeks, the fewer doors they will need to knock during the pandemic. Many people are wary of government officials coming to their door, often for good reason. So let's do what we can to get our numbers up now. 

NYC Census is holding regular phone and text outreach events, and making a big push next week. One place to learn more about the Census is at People In Need’s food distribution and resource fair on Tuesday afternoon, from 1-3 PM at 964 Coney Island Avenue. 

Sign up to join me next week, or let us know if you would be interested in joining other outreach events and we will send more information. 

Brad

In this email: 
Updates and Resources
Upcoming Events

Updates And Resources

• Latest Virus Data: There were 388 new cases identified yesterday, and 35 more New Yorkers died from the virus. We have lost 23,463 people in NYC from the virus, and 222,832 total cases have been identified in the city. Currently, the percent of tests that came back positive remains low, around 1.2%.

• Back-to-School: Thanks to the 600+ of you who joined the townhall with the DOE on Thursday. If you missed it or want to rewatch, the link is here. I share the frustration of many of you that we still don't have the information that many would want to be able to decide by the August 7th deadline whether to opt for fully remote or blended learning school. I’ll continue to push on the child care issues, open streets for schools, to cancel state tests this year, and my office stands willing to help troubleshoot and address issues as best we can. As a reminder, the form for parents to pot for fully remote learning is due August 7th and available here. 

• Cooling Centers Open: Find your nearest open cooling center at nyc.gov/beattheheat or call 311. Social distancing measures are being followed. The city’s public pools are opening too, learn more here. 

• Get an A/C: Eligible New Yorkers can apply for assistance buying and installing an air conditioner. Learn more and apply here.

• Census Job Opportunity: NYC Census is hiring to help get out the count. Learn more about how to apply to be a Census Canvasser or Census Team Leader. 

• F Train Repairs: The MTA announced that the F train tunnel will be undergoing repairs to fix Superstorm Sandy damage. The York and East Broadway stations will be closed on some nights and weekends through March 2021, and the train will run on the A/C lines. 

• Alternate Side Parking: Will be suspended next week.

• Food Assistance: People in Need is hosting a food distribution and assistance fair on Tuesday, July 28 from 1 to 3 PM, outside Jalsa Grill and Gray Restaurant, 964 Coney Island Avenue. Interpreters will be available for 6 languages to help people with filling out the Census, rent and eviction issues, SNAP, EBT & WIC applications and more. Support People in Need’s important work here. 

Upcoming Events

• Saturday and Sunday, 8 PM: Celebrate Brooklyn’s festival is live online this year, with amazing performances both weekend evenings. Learn more here.

• Thursday, July 30 from 5:30-8:00 PM: Get Out The Count Census Phonebank. Register here.

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