Dear John
First things first, happy Ramadan! This Friday marked the first day of the Muslim month of rest, reflection, and spirituality. I have a lot of thoughts on this special holiday - but I’ll save them for another newsletter. For now, I hope all who are fasting have an easy fast, and be on the lookout as I’ll be sharing information about community iftars (this is the meal we eat to break our day’s fast) and events on our social media channels.
Also, if you checked your email last Sunday and were disappointed not to see our email in your inbox, I promise we didn’t take a week off! Last Sunday, we sent out information about District 39’s upcoming Participatory Budgeting vote week (April 2nd through April 10th) and all of the fantastic events my staff and I have planned. If you didn’t get it, you are likely not signed up for our Participatory Budgeting reminders, so just send us a quick note, and we’ll be sure to get you on that list. We’ll link to last week’s email here so you can catch up on the 17 Participatory Budgeting projects on this year's ballot and find out about all the great events, both in-person and virtual, happening this week.
COVID-19
We’re moving the COVID-19 section up this week because we have unfortunately seen a spike in cases in our community and New York state. Across the City, we’re seeing the BA.2 subvariant grow in prevalence, now making up a majority of cases in the City. Right now, the major uptick is mostly located in Manhattan among those ages 24-34, in part because of the low booster rate in that age group. However, spikes in certain populations are almost always what we see proceeding an overall surge which is an important reminder to get your booster because the City is stuck at a booster rate below 40%. Additionally, if you are over 50, immunocompromised, or received two shots of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine - you are now eligible for an additional booster. Public health guidelines should be coming out soon about when exactly you should get that shot.
While hospitalizations and deaths remain low and stable, we must be vigilant about this concerning rise in cases. As I wrote a few weeks ago, I strongly disagreed with the Mayor’s decision to end the vaccine key and to remove masking mandates when we lacked definitive proof that rising caseloads weren’t on the horizon. Like everyone, I am eager to move beyond this pandemic, but that cannot come at the cost of smart public health policy. We also cannot be making arbitrary exemptions for the rich and powerful from a vaccine mandate that has been proven to be effective and saves lives. As we enter into the second year of this pandemic, I am frustrated about the trajectory of public health policy. For two years, we have been simply reacting to crisis after crisis, and for two years, it has failed. We need a comprehensive and transparent policy for how our City will deal with this virus both in the short term and in the long term.
Until then, we’ll keep you updated with the information you need to stay safe.
City Services & Resources
We get a lot of calls asking for City resources at our offices, so we wanted to preempt some of those calls with a list of resources! Let us know if there’s something you want that isn’t on this list, and we’ll be sure to send it your way.
Community Bulletin
- Don’t forget to vote for your favorite Participatory Budgeting project! Vote online with our virtual ballot or drop by our office anytime this week from 10 am - 4 pm to cast your ballot IRL. We also hope you will join us at one of our in-person voting events, RSVPs are encouraged - check out the list of events.
- Fifth Avenue Committee is hosting a virtual Empowerment Self Defense Workshop this Wednesday, April 6th at 6:30 pm. This workshop is facilitated through a trauma-informed lens and centers the experiences of those most at risk for violence.
- Sing into Spring next Saturday, April 9th, at 1 pm in Kensington Plaza! Sponsored by Arts & Democracy and The Singing Winds, join us for a Spring Concert featuring tabla player, Mir Naqibul Islam and bansuri (bamboo flute) player, Steve Gorn.
- Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC) is holding a mobile adoption event next Sunday, April 10th from 1 pm to 5 pm at Kings County Distillery! All ACC adoptions include vaccinations, spay/neuter, a pre-registered microchip, an identification tag, a collar, and a certificate for a free initial exam at a participating veterinarian.
- Sanitation Foundation and donateNYC are holding their 4th annual ReFashion Week NYC – April 2-8. This event is a weeklong event series reimagining the New York fashion industry with sustainable and secondhand solutions from across the City.
- Our office is partnering with State Senator Zellnor Myrie, Assembly Member Marcela Mitaynes, and Council Members Joseph and Hudson to host a Know Your Public Utilities Rights Town Hall on April 19th. We'll be joined by the Public Law and Utility Project to share important resources and provide assistance to anyone behind on their bills.
- Check out the Gowanus Dredgers' new art installation - Pulp and Pebble for an exhibit and discussion on water access and use in the Gowanus canal. The exhibit is open for viewing on April 3, 9,10, 16, 17, 23, 24, and 30 from 1-5 pm.
- Do you or someone you know need help? Kensington-Windsor Terrace Mutual Aid is a network of neighbors helping neighbors cope with the physical, mental, emotional, and economic needs intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing inequality. Reach out to them here.
In Solidarity,
Shahana
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