Dear John,

We did not need to see the horrific video of the shooting of Jacob Blake this week to know that abuse of force by police against Black men is a national emergency.

Jacob Blake’s three young children will never be able to forget the trauma they experienced this week, watching their father be shot in the back, 7 times, at point blank range, only barely escaping with his life, now paralyzed from the waist down. And we cannot forget either.

I voted against the City budget this year because it failed to respond to the urgent demands of the movement for racial justice and the need for a fundamental rethinking of how we work to secure public safety for everyone in our city.

Now, two months later, the police department and the police unions are fighting hard against accountability, trying to undo even the modest reforms we passed this spring. They’re fighting in the courts to undermine the release of misconduct records enabled by the state legislature’s repeal of 50A. They are pressuring the City Council to weaken the law banning police chokeholds that we passed in June. And as shootings rise across the city, police are blaming our effort to secure cuts to the NYPD budget -- cuts that did not occur -- for their own low morale and work slow down.

We aren’t going to end police violence or undo systemic racism overnight, but there are steps that each of us can take towards racial justice in our communities every single day.

The Milwaukee Bucks showed us that last night, when they went on strike during the NBA playoffs to protest police brutality and demand their state legislature take action. They sparked collective action across the NBA that quickly spread to other sports, teaching an inspiring lesson about racial justice and worker organizing to millions of fans.

We may not all be sports stars, but we too are more powerful when we act together, to reject business as usual and demand change.

Here are two ways I’m taking action this week:

Today, I’m working with a coalition of advocates and colleagues to call on the Department of Education to drop screens for middle school admissions, which we know deepen segregation and inequality in our schools. The pandemic requires that we do things differently this year. We cannot use last spring’s grades, attendance, or test scores, all of which are nonexistent or meaningless, to sort the life-chances of the 9-year-olds who are living through this crisis.

Right here in our district, we have the model of D15's ranked lottery system, which has resulted in markedly more integrated 6th grade classes. While the coming of school this year is full of anxiety, it’s worth remembering that the first incoming middle-school class under the program was one of the most encouraging things to happen in our city last fall. Let's drop the screens for 2021-2022 middle school admissions citywide, and commit to a plan to engage parents, students and educators in a process to make longer-term policy changes to advance fairness and equity. Read more about what we are calling for here.

Tomorrow, I’ll be heading to DC for the day to join the “Get Your Knee Off Our Necks” March on Washington, on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Visit https://2020march.com/ to watch the livestream and learn more about participating virtually.

Next week, next month, next year? Over 30 years ago, reflecting on his 60 years, and the 400 years of people of African descent on this continent, James Baldwin searingly asked, “You always told me ‘It takes time.’ It’s taken my father’s time, my mother’s time, my uncle’s time, my brothers’ and my sisters’ time. How much time do you want for your progress?”

The pandemic has torn open deep fault lines in our city, striking hardest the communities that already suffered the most from the ways that racism and inequality structure our economy, our healthcare, and our schools. Going forward, the grounding principle of NYC’s recovery must be a deeper commitment to equality and shared prosperity.

We all have a part to play in that, in every one of our communities.

Brad

In this email:
Updates and Resources
Upcoming Events

Updates and Resources

Latest Virus Data: There were 315 new cases identified yesterday, and 5 more New Yorkers died from the virus. We have lost 23,674 people in NYC from the virus, and 233,140 total cases have been identified in the city. Currently, the 7-day rolling average percent of tests that came back positive citywide remains low, 0.8% as of yesterday, although we know that the infection rate varies widely across neighborhoods.
Schools Can Apply for Outdoor Space: Schools in our district and around the city are submitting requests for street closures and permission to use open space, thanks to the advocacy so many of you were part of. Priority will be given to schools in neighborhoods hardest hit by COVID-19 and those that lack existing outdoor space.
Survey on Childcare Needs: The DOE is working to provide the child care they promised for 100,000 families on the days their children will not be in school. There’s a survey available now to express interest in the program. The form asks if you are a teacher, essential worker or low-income family, who are likely to be prioritized in the program as it scales up. Fill out the survey here.
Pandemic EBT: We got our Pandemic EBT card in the mail this week. It comes in a plain, easy-to-miss envelope so keep an eye out for yours, and use it! All New York public school families should receive p-EBT this summer. If you have not received your benefits, call the Pandemic-EBT helpline at 1-833-452-0096. If you want to share your pandemic EBT with others, read our guide for how to do so here.
Reminder to Fill Out Your Census: Fill out your Census at my2020census.gov if you haven’t already and remind your friends and neighbors. We’ve heard reports that Census enumerators have had trouble getting access to buildings, if you see or hear of that happening let us know and please, let them in! Making sure all New Yorkers are counted is critical to our city’s future and constitutionally mandated.
Unemployment Update: New York was approved by the federal government for a $300 a week supplemental payment for unemployed residents, though the timeline for those payments is uncertain.
Mental Health Support Available: During this stressful time, New Yorkers can call the state's hotline at 1-844-863-9314 to get free emotional support, consultations and referrals to a provider or visit headspace.com/ny for free meditation and mindfulness resources.
Lien Sale Virtual Info Sessions throughout August: The deadline to resolve debt on homes before the city's lien sale is September 3rd. Find out if your property has a tax lien and sign up for an info session here. I am supporting calls led by colleagues to postpone the lien sale again to give homeowners relief during this time.
Request an Absentee Ballot Now: Voters can start requesting absentee mail-in ballots right away online here or by calling 1-866-VOTE-NYC. Ballots will begin to be mailed out after September 18. Voters should check the box for “temporary illness,” which has been expanded to cover COVID-19 concerns, when completing the absentee ballot request.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, September 2, 11 AM at P.S. 15: Outdoor Learning Demonstration

Parents are organizing an “Outdoor Learning Demonstration” to show how elementary schools can use outdoor space for learning this year. All are invited to attend.