New York City
Looking Back at NYC in 2020: The Year in Photos
Jeanmarie Evelly |
A look back at New York City scenes from 2020, a year largely defined by a global pandemic and its accompanying economic fallout.
Housing and Homelessness
NY Lawmakers to Pass Bill to Halt Pandemic-Related Evictions Through May
Sadef Ali Kully |
The COVID-19 Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Act would create a hardship declaration form that tenants can fill out and submit to their landlords, or to housing court, if they’ve experienced economic difficulties due to the pandemic.
ARTS and CULTURE
NYC’s Latin American Indigenous Communities Demand Protection
Edwin Martínez for El Diario |
A lack of translation services has complicated access to healthcare and financial aid for the many thousands of Latin American people who speak neither English nor Spanish.
COVID-19
When Will New York Vaccinate People in Prisons and Jails?
Nicole Javorsky |
While the governor’s draft vaccination plan includes those in congregate settings in its second phase for vaccines, it doesn’t specifically refer to people in jails and prisons. That lack of clarity has drawn the concern of criminal justice advocates.
Economy
Sharp Drop in City Bankruptcies Could Foreshadow Big Jump Next Year
Jarrett Murphy |
Filings are down by nearly 50 percent this year thanks to debt forbearance, federal aid, slower courthouses and the persistent stigmas against declaring a personal financial crisis.
COVID-19
Checking in on Lines at NYC’s COVID Test Sites as Infection Numbers Rise
City Limits |
It’s not clear yet if the December holidays will draw same test-line crowds that Thanksgiving did: An average of 48,380 New Yorkers got molecular coronavirus tests on Dec. 14, the most recent date for which city data is available, well below the high of 58,243 people who were tested on Nov. 24.
COVID-19
Climbing Jail Population and Second COVID Wave Renews Push to Release NYers Behind Bars
Nicole Javorsky |
The number of people in New York City jails has increased in recent months, reversing progress made earlier in the pandemic to reduce the jail population—and heightening advocates’ concerns about how both the city and state are managing the threat in its correctional facilities.
Voices of New York
Non-Violent Offenders Remain Exposed to COVID-19 Despite Qualifying for Release
Edwin Martínez for El Diario |
Infection numbers are rising in the state prison system. But some inmates facing short sentences and bearing high health risks are still inside.
Economy
NYC Households With Children Hit Hardest by Economic Loss in Pandemic, Analysis Finds
Nicole Javorsky |
“Basically what this tells you is hardship is widespread in New York City, but deeply felt by the people that can least afford to lose income,” says Jennifer March, CCC’s executive director.
COVID-19
For City’s Public Meetings, Shift to Virtual Format Has Meant Attendance Boost—& Complications
Sadef Ali Kully |
The shift to remote-only civic meetings during the pandemic is impacting how communities get to weigh in on important city proposals, like rezonings. It’s led to more people attending — but there have also been problems, and criticism.
