[[link removed]]Dear John,



It's a spooky time for our families all around, with a presidential election looming amid a deadly pandemic, a Supreme Court now poised to impose minority rule and steal away health care and civil rights, colder weather starting to push us back indoors ... and a full moon falling on Halloween.

But even in a pandemic, our community can help make something better out of this spooky season.

Commit to a safe, socially distanced Halloween this year. Sadly, the Park Slope Halloween parade is cancelled. I think this will be the first one that I’ve missed in at least a decade (even if my kids stopped going long ago). But there are so many pandemic-appropriate ways to celebrate whether you are a kid, or an adult who likes to think you are one sometimes.

Both the City [[link removed]] and the State [[link removed]] have issued guidance for safe Halloween activities this year (because of course they have to have different ones). The bottom lines are – keep your distance, don’t trick-or-treat inside apartment buildings, no indoor parties, don’t pass candy from hand to hand, and wear a mask. Alternative celebrations like virtual costume contests, pumpkin-carving, decorating, watching scary movies are all good options. Or try visiting the Dia de los Muertos Altar at Greenwood Cemetery [[link removed]] (10 am - 4 pm every day through Nov. 1), joining Transportation Alternatives for an inter-boo-rough Hallowheel bike ride [[link removed]] , or taking part in this awesome Pumpkin Hunt [[link removed]] across our district and beyond. And of course, good old-fashioned, door-to-door trick-or-treating usually involves a mask, staying outside, and keeping your distance from strangers (just put the candy in a bowl this year).

Vote safely and securely, if you haven’t already. It’s been inspiring to see so many of you showing up to vote early at the Park Slope Armory, Barclay’s Center, Brooklyn Museum, Kings Theatre, and more. The lines have been too long (we need far more early voting sites, machines, and poll workers, and also a fundamental restructuring of the NYC Board of Elections, whose spooky structure is frighteningly prone to corruption and inefficiency [[link removed]] ). But I’m sure glad we have early voting in this pandemic. Remaining early voting hours are Tues 12-8, Wed 12-8, Thurs 10-6, Fri 7-3, Sat 10-4, Sun 10-4 (find your early voting site here [[link removed]] ). Today is the last day to request an absentee ballot electronically or by e-mail [[link removed]] if you have not already. You can return absentee ballots to any early voting site, or any election day poll site, or make sure they are postmarked by Election Day. And polls will be open on Tuesday, November 3rd, 6 AM to 9 PM, if old habits die hard. Wear a mask, and keep your social distance. The best chance we have to save our democracy from ghosts, ghouls, and monsters is to vote.

Speaking of the season, October marks the first month of the heat season in NYC. As of October 1 (through May 31) landlords in NYC are obligated to ensure that temperatures do not fall below 68 degrees during the day time and 62 at night inside residential units. It has been relatively warm – perhaps too warm – this fall, but colder weather is here and winter is coming soon. If you are a tenant facing heating issues, you can file a complaint by calling 311, visiting 311 online [[link removed]] , or using the 311 mobile app. If you are a landlord or property owner having trouble affording heat in your home, assistance is available. Reach out to the Home Energy Assistance Program at 1-800-692-0557 or online here [[link removed]] .

Outdoor dining remains open, even as temperatures fall. The pandemic is keeping many of us outdoors for socially-distanced socializing this fall and winter. The City Council passed legislation allowing for the use of heaters for outdoor dining, and the City has issued detailed guidance [[link removed]] . Electric heaters are allowed on sidewalks and roadways, following DOB guidelines. Gas heaters are only allowed on sidewalks, and are forbidden for roadway dining. Hopefully the addition of some heat can keep us outside longer. If Norway can do it, I think we can.

Together, we can keep each other safe from ghouls and goblins of many kinds.

Brad

Updates and Resources

*
Latest
Virus
Data:
In
NYC,
there
were
425
new
cases
identified
yesterday.
We
have
lost
23,969
people
in
NYC
from
the
virus,
including
sadly
2
in
the
last
few
days,
and
263,694
total
cases
have
been
identified
in
the
city
since
the
start
of
the
pandemic.
The
citywide
7-day
rolling
average
of
positive
test
rates
is
1.3%.
There
is
now
a
COVID
look
up
site
[[link removed]]
to
check
the
hotspot
rules
at
a
specific
address.


*
Opt-in
to
In-Person
Learning:
Yesterday
the
Mayor
announced
that
families
whose
students
are
learning
remotely
will
only
be
able
to
opt
back
in
to
in-person
learning
once
this
year,
between
November
2-15,
via
the
online
portal
here
[[link removed]]
.
This
is
a
change
from
the
previous
commitment
to
allowing
families
to
opt
in
to
blended
learning
on
a
quarterly
basis.
It’s
extremely
frustrating
to
have
the
rules
changed
yet
again,
and
now
to
have
to
make
a
big
decision
without
enough
time
or
information.
I’ve
been
visiting
schools
across
the
district
and
remain
so
grateful
to
the
principals,
teachers,
and
school
staff
for
how
hard
they
are
working
for
all
our
kids,
blended
and
remote,
in
this
impossible
time.


*
School
Openings
and
Closures:
Over
100
of
the
schools
that
had
been
closed
due
to
the
Governor
and
Mayor’s
actions
to
curb
COVID
clusters
reopened
this
week
for
blended
learning
students.
You
can
look
up
your
school
[[link removed]]
on
this
map
from
the
DOE.


*
DOE
Townhall
Tonight:
The
Department
of
Education
is
hosting
a
telephone
townhall
[[link removed]]
this
evening
at
6:30,
dial
1-800-280-9461
to
listen
and
ask
questions.


*
No
Failing:
The
DOE
announced
a
new
grading
policy
[[link removed]]
this
week
–
students
receive
“needs
improvement”
or
“course
in
progress”
rather
than
failing
grades
this
year.


*
Vote:
Today
is
the
last
day
to
request
an
absentee
ballot
[[link removed]]
,
but
at
this
point,
if
you
can,
I
recommend
going
to
vote
early.
Look
up
your
early
poll
site
and
double
check
the
hours
here
[[link removed]]
.
You
can
also
mail
in
your
absentee
ballot,
drop
it
off
at
a
poll
site,
or
at
the
county
board
of
elections
office.


*
Participatory
Budgeting:
Submit
your
ideas
[[link removed]]
for
how
to
help
our
neighborhoods
recover
and
rebuild
from
this
crisis.


*
Tell
DOT
where
new
CitiBike
stations
are
needed:
The
DOT
is
taking
suggestions
about
where
new
CitiBike
stations
should
be
placed
in
South
Slope,
Windsor
Terrace
and
Sunset
Park.
Take
a
look
at
the
map
and
submit
ideas
here
[[link removed]]
.



456 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-499-1090
[email protected]

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