Winner of Vol. 71, No. 19
What’s inside?
the Pulitzer Prize
Thursday, June 18, 2020
$1.00
50-a repeal tests how far police reforms go Officer personnel records are now open to the public, but what’s next? By ANTHONY CAPOTE of The Riverdale Press
COVID review Scott Stringer isn’t happy with how New York was hit with the coronavirus. But could it all have been different? Page A3
Name dispute Manhattan College faces controversy that could force it to rename Kelly Commons. Page A7
A proper sendoff When you can’t have a funeral, friends and family of Mike Rooney take a whole different approach. Page B5
Weeks of non-stop protests seemed to accomplish what nearly two decades of advocacy couldn’t: State lawmakers in Albany passed a slew of bills last week intended to reshape policing throughout New York. Chief among them was the repeal of a law known as Section 50-a, which kept police officer disciplinary records away from the public. The repeal came after vigorous calls at both the state and lo-
JULIUS CONSTANTINE MOTAL / File
The New York Police Department will no longer have the protection afforded by Section 50-a, the law that kept police disciplinary records secret, now that Gov. Cuomo has repealed it. cal levels to increase police transparency. Section 50-a was first enacted in 1976, part of an effort
to protect the identities of state employees, like law enforcement. But in the nearly 45 years since, it
has drawn the ire of police transparency advocates who claim the law was a stumbling block for those seeking to improve policecommunity relations. The package that repealed Section 50-a included nine other bills aimed at changing how police function, and how much autonomy law enforcement has over those functions. One law, for example, establishes an office for special investigations, which will automatically investigate any instance where someone dies in police custody. Another bans the use of chokeholds by police departments — a move outlawed by the New York Police Department in the 1990s — and makes it possible to charge officers with a felony if a chokehold ultimately kills someone. State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, who cosponsored all 10 bills, said the package of new laws is just
one step toward rethinking the role of police in New York state. “Obviously, one bill does not solve all of our problems,” she said. “I think the biggest thing we are seeing across the country right now — and especially in New York — is a real need to reimagine what law enforcement and public safety are.” But what exactly are the benefits of repealing Section 50-a? And what ultimate impact will it have on policing? Lauren Jones is a researcher at the Vera Institute of Justice, an organization dedicated to resolving race and class disparities in the criminal justice system. Her work is centered around building resources for those trying to navigate their way through Manhattan’s criminal court system while reducing the use of jails. Increasing access to police POLICE REFORMS, page A4
Phase II reopening
Whether from a sanctuary or from a home, virus is no match for God By ROSE BRENNAN of The Riverdale Press
S
inging prayers together is an integral part of Congregation Tehillah’s typical Shabbat service. But it doesn’t sound the same as it once did. For the past three months, Tehillah has met on the Zoom online videoconferencing app. And when the time comes to join voices, one member leads the song, and the rest of the congregation follows along — except their microphones are muted, so they ‘Right now, can hear their own singing. we’re just going Tehillah is not unique among the city’s houses of to kind of have worship. Like all areas where a prayer service mass gatherings used to take place, churches, synagogues, that you show temples and mosques, among others, were forced to end up for and in-person operations in March then go home, 22 when the coronavirus was ravaging the city. without all of But now, houses of worship the social pieces can welcome congregants as part of the second that normally go back phase of New York City’s reopening plan — if all goes along with it.’ well, on track to begin June 22. — Rabbi Shmuel Hain However, there’s one restriction: Each location will only be allowed to operate at 25 percent capacity. For Tehillah rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn, the city’s religious leaders aren’t exactly sure what that means. “The governor’s instructions are very vague,” the rabbi said. “If you come to the service with your family, are you considered one group?” In the three months since New York City shut down, religious organizations had to get creative to provide their congregants with their usual services. Many made use of videoconferencing apps like Zoom or livestreams on social media. Tehillah’s members can use technology on Shabbat because they’re particular beliefs don’t restrict such usage on the sabbath. Some congregations don’t have that option, however. WORSHIP, page A4
JULIUS CONSTANTINE MOTAL / File
Despite the partial reopening for houses of worship, Rabbi Linda-Shriner Cahn looks to continue services for Congregation Tehillah remotely, as she doesn’t want to be in a position of preventing people from coming to worship in person.
Shuttered businesses feeling way to a ‘new normal’ in reopening By ANTHONY CAPOTE of The Riverdale Press
Roosevelt Spivey hasn’t been to work in more than three months. The barber was forced to close his doors March 22 after Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued statewide stay-at-home orders as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 58-year-long owner of Marble Hill’s International Unisex Salon on West 228th Street spent most of that time at his home in New Jersey. In fact, like thousands of business owners, Spivey couldn’t return to check on his shop for most of that time. It wasn’t until this past Monday he finally made it into the Bronx to pick up three months’ worth of mail. Spivey is one of the millions of Americans out of work since the coronavirus pandemic forced a near-
complete shutdown of the national economy. But weeks later, he’s finally scheduled to return to work, that is if New York City moves forward in the second phase of reopening next week. But unlike the owners of essential businesses — who’ve already negotiated the tricky politics of changing the workplace to conform to social distancing guidelines — barbers, nail salon workers and tattoo artists must learn how to work within the “new normal,” and stay above water. “Oh, it is definitely going to affect the amount of money we can take in,” Spivey said. “I don’t know to what extent right now until I get in there and start working, but I know it will affect how much we can make.” While the first phase has managed to go off without a hitch, Lisa Sorin from the advisory board of New York Forward — the state’s organization rolling out NEW NORMAL, page A4
WORSHIP Stricter br using elec which me simply ou So wha of Young Riverdale dox synag home on communi non-Shab As the Israel was services i They curr School on have plen social dist But ev together a tions. The population of the you services b understan distancing to create a judgment-free way to help curb at “For th least some of the hunger in a neighborhood. into Phase Friendly Fridge initiative was started by a(in-person self-described Brooklyn anarchist group knowndren who as In Our Hearts, a group known to not only side the w known for its anti-war protests, but also its fightHain, You to bring food for those who need it. So far, these Althou outdoor fridges have been set up in Harlem, shipping t Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights,Hain wou Brownsville, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, and now Kingsbridge. It’s found a home in front of The Last Stop, an eatery at 5977 Broadway, that came about after Selma Raven and Sara Allen asked owner Pardeep Singh Deol and sister Raji Kaur to ask if they could set one up. Raven and Allen — locals with an interest in helping to feed those who are less fortunate — already got a no from a few other FRIENDLY FRIDGE, page A4
Last Stop provides new hope with outdoor food-filled fridge By MAYA KATZ Intern
JULIUS CONSTANTINE MOTAL
Sara Allen, left, and Selma Raven check the produce inside the ‘friendly fridge’ they help maintain outside The Last Stop on Broadway.
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More than 37 million people struggled with hunger in 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But with the coronavirus pandemic, that number could top 54 million, according to Feeding America. That’s one in every six Americans who may not have enough food to eat. Still, society generates plenty of food waste — the kind that doesn’t have to be wasted, and could help someone in need. That’s where the Friendly Fridge initiative has emerged. These are quite literally refrigerators set up outside of businesses or other heavily trafficked locations, stocked with food free for anyone who needs it. The food inside is donated by anyone with supplies to spare, all in an effort
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