NYC awards $47 million in culture grants while shuttering small businesses and slashing police funding



New York City is spending tens of millions of dollars on arts and cultural institutions while leaving small businesses high and dry and slashing law enforcement budgets.

The city's Department of Cultural Affairs announced Tuesday that it would be giving $47 million in grants to more than 1,000 culturally focused nonprofit organizations, the New York Times reported. Some of the beneficiaries include the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, the Apollo Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Museum of Chinese in America — all of which will receive more than $100,000.

While the newspaper reported that $3 million out of the $47 million will go to organizations in low-income neighborhoods and to those most affected by the pandemic, the news is still likely to receive pointed criticism.

It comes as small businesses all over the city remain shuttered under stringent coronavirus lockdown mandates and just months since the city opted to slash the police budget by $1 billion. The Times even noted that the news comes amid "a year filled with layoffs and budget cuts."

Small businesses in the city such as restaurants, bars, and retails shops have been greatly suffering under heavy-handed lockdowns. In August, the Times reported that one-third of the city's small businesses were in danger of closing their doors forever because of the pandemic restrictions. As of late November, their grim prediction appeared to be coming true.

Then just last week, Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a new ban on indoor dining as part of an effort to combat a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. The move came despite estimates from the governor's office showing that restaurants and bars accounted for less than 1.5% of the virus' spread while household and small social gatherings accounted for nearly 75%.

Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned recently that a "full shutdown" might be looming.

What's more is that the city itself — not just small businesses — is facing a financial crisis in the form of a $9 billion, two-year revenue shortfall. Yet, city officials were still able find stimulus money for some, just not for everybody.

(H/T: The Post Millennial)

NYC Orthodox Jews protest Cuomo's COVID-19 shutdowns with festive Trump rally: 'There will be civil disobedience'



Orthodox Jews held a massive protest in Brooklyn on Wednesday night, rallying against COVID-19 restrictions enacted by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) while also showing strong support for President Donald Trump by holding a rally.

On Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed new shutdowns of all nonessential businesses and schools in nine ZIP codes in an effort to tackle the rising number of coronavirus cases. On Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced the "Cluster Action Initiative" to "address COVID-19 hot spots that have cropped up in Brooklyn, Queens, and Broome, Orange and Rockland counties."

The order introduces new restrictions in areas "with the highest concentration of COVID cases and the surrounding communities." The governor's initiative does not take into account hospitalizations from COVID-19 or coronavirus-related deaths. There were eight COVID-19 deaths in all of New York state on Tuesday, according to Cuomo.

There are three threat levels, the highest being the "Red Zone," which triggers major restrictions:

  • Houses of Worship: 25% capacity, 10 people maximum
  • Mass Gatherings: Prohibited
  • Businesses: Only essential businesses open
  • Dining: Takeout only
  • Schools: Closed, remote only

The new restrictions go into effect for a minimum of 14 days.

In the hotspot ZIP codes the positivity rate is 5.1%.We are taking quick action to respond to the clusters & stop… https://t.co/FbFG7tVrRm
— Andrew Cuomo (@Andrew Cuomo)1602088173.0

Areas that have large populations of Orthodox Jews were declared to be a Red Zone by Cuomo, shutting down businesses and schools, plus heavily restricting places of worship. Hundreds of Orthodox Jewish demonstrators gathered in Brooklyn on Tuesday and Wednesday to protest the draconian measures.

On Monday, police attempted to forcefully break up a large group of people celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot in the Crown Heights neighborhood.

Demonstrators, who were mostly maskless and not practicing social distancing, burned a pile of face masks on Tuesday.

Demonstrators argued that their community is being unfairly punished, pointing out the hypocrisy of Cuomo and de Blasio being supportive of Black Lives Matter protests with thousands of people while also shutting down schools and businesses.

Protest organizer Sammy Gross said the protest was to expose the double standard.

"The hypocrisy that's going on here. People can go rioting, looting, but they're singling out our community when people want to go to our houses of worship. That's wrong," Gross said of the Jewish community's message to Cuomo.

One protester told Daily Caller reporter Jorge Ventura that Cuomo and de Blasio "want to destroy" the Orthodox Jews' freedom of religion.

Another demonstrator said, "Let's be very clear, the most important thing for us is our children's' education."

"There will be civil disobedience," one man proclaimed. "Because that is our right."

Spoke to Sammy a #Brooklyn local who says the new lockdown restrictions by Gov. Cuomo and Mayor De Blasio targets t… https://t.co/TISdU0Bqal
— Jorge Ventura Media (@Jorge Ventura Media)1602123729.0
"They want to destroy our freedom of religion" Jewish protester criticizes NY Gov. Cuomo and #NYC Mayor Del Blasio… https://t.co/fii7xNQOT3
— Jorge Ventura Media (@Jorge Ventura Media)1602143129.0
"Our education is the most important thing we cannot have our kids home" says Mendy, Jewish protester on new lockdo… https://t.co/l6iAz8557L
— Jorge Ventura Media (@Jorge Ventura Media)1602144393.0
"There will be civil disobedience because that's our right" says #Brooklyn local, Jewish protester on new lockdown… https://t.co/HbB7E556Oq
— Jorge Ventura Media (@Jorge Ventura Media)1602147371.0

There was also a festive pro-Trump rally where people wore Trump face masks, and waved "TRUMP 2020" flags as they sang and danced.

Heshy Fried claimed that the area was being targeted by Cuomo because of its support of President Donald Trump.

"The real reason, what's going on, is that this is Trump country,' said Fried. "All the areas they are trying to close down ... are like 90% voting for Trump. It's political and everybody knows it."

Jewish protesters dancing and singing in #Brooklyn https://t.co/6oL5IaPHuE
— Jorge Ventura Media (@Jorge Ventura Media)1602141691.0
Last night in Brooklyn https://t.co/QsHOUvBxGp
— Daily Caller (@Daily Caller)1602175127.0

There was a protest led by Heshy Tischler, "a talk radio host and candidate for Brooklyn City Council known for his outspoken opposition to wearing face masks," according to Newsweek.

"I'm going to take these children, these soldiers, these future leaders. These are my people," Tischler told the crowd. "We're going to create an army. We are at war with you, Mr. de Blasio. Here is my army. We are at war! You are my soldiers!"

At one point, Tischler reportedly cornered journalist Jacob Kornbluh, the national political reporter for the Jewish Insider, for covering the event.

Kornbluh, who is a Hasidic Jew, claimed that he "brutally assaulted" by the crowd.

"I was just brutally assaulted, hit in the head, and kicked at by an angry crowd of hundreds of community members of the Boro Park protest — while yelling at me 'Nazi' and 'Hitler' —after Heshy Tischler recognized me and ordered the crowd to chase me down the street."

Video shows the mob shouting at Kornbluh, calling him a "moyser," which means "snitch."

Here’s Heschy egging then on. “He’s lucky time be alive,” one of the protesters told me after. A few yards away,… https://t.co/gFFvJBblV7
— Jake Offenhartz (@Jake Offenhartz)1602124113.0

Progressives kill Brooklyn project that would’ve created 20,000 jobs over gentrification concerns — and even the NYT pans them



A host of progressive politicians and community groups in Brooklyn recently killed a major business project that would have created as many as 20,000 jobs in the city at a time when it is struggling to regain its footing amid the coronavirus pandemic.

What are the details?

The project — approved by the city planning commission — which called for rezoning and expanding the Industry City complex on the Brooklyn waterfront in Sunset Park into a burgeoning retail space, was yanked this week amid a pressure campaign from the left.

Why were progressives so outraged over the job-creating project? Because it would have led to more "displacement and gentrification" among the working-class community, a group of 10 Democratic lawmakers, including members of Congress, argued in an opposition letter this week.

Even the New York Times took note of the unfortunate politics at play in a recent write-up on the news:

It was slated to be one of the biggest real estate projects in New York City in years, a major expansion of the Industry City complex on the Brooklyn waterfront that could have created as many as 20,000 jobs at a time when local unemployment has soared because of the pandemic.

But on Tuesday night, the project's owner canceled the expansion in the face of fierce opposition from left-leaning Democrats, ending the biggest clash over development in the city since the collapse of the Amazon deal in Queens last year, and highlighting the growing influence of the left in local politics.

What are they saying?

In a statement announcing the withdrawal of the application, Industry City CEO Andrew Kimball blamed "the current political environment and a lack of leadership" for the project's failure.

"Over and over, we have heard from key decision makers that while the substance of the project is strong, the politics of the moment do not allow them to support any private development project," Kimball said, according to the Gothamist. "Even the historic nature of our commitments — which significantly elevated the bar for future development projects — and a seven-year record of creating jobs and opportunity weren't enough to overcome purely political considerations."

"If a project like this can't succeed, it concerns me very much about the future of New York City — a place I've spent my whole life," Kimball added in an interview with the Times on Wednesday.

Far from concerned, Sunset Park Councilman Carlos Menchaca championed the project's defeat as "a win" for the community.

Industry City has withdrawn their application. A WIN FOR SUNSET PARK! People power has triumphed ✊🏾. Our work conti… https://t.co/p9f6rJcMm0
— Carlos Menchaca 萬齊家 (@Carlos Menchaca 萬齊家)1600865903.0

Menchaca had come out against the rezoning months ago and, on Tuesday, he was joined by other Democratic New York lawmakers, including Reps. Jerrold Nadler, Nydia Velázquez, Yvette Clark, and Hakeem Jeffries.

The group wrote in the opposition letter that the project "would further exacerbate real estate pressures, displacement, rising rents, and forever shift the nature of the waterfront away from one of the few remaining manufacturing hubs to commercial tourism and service economy."

Another city councilman, Eric Ulrich of Queens, disagreed. He told a Times reporter: "We are sending such a terrible message to the rest of the country that we're not open for business, and we're not open to economic development and new jobs."

He was even more straightforward on Twitter, writing, "NYC is going to s**t. God save us!"

Anything else?

New York City is projected to lose at least half a million jobs this year as a result of the coronavirus-related economic shutdowns, and the city's unemployment rate is currently 16%. It is estimated that low-income workers of color are being disproportionately affected by the downturn.

Yet even so, progressives in the city have proven themselves to be more concerned with gentrification than job creation.

Facing financial crisis, NYC Mayor de Blasio to furlough himself and 495 members of his staff for a week



New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced Wednesday that all members of his mayoral staff — including himself — will be subject to a mandatory one-week furlough due to the city's massive revenue shortfall amid coronavirus lockdowns.

The policy, which forces city employees to essentially take an unpaid vacation sometime between October and March, will affect 495 people, including de Blasio himself and first lady Chirlane McCray, the New York Times reported.

The forced furlough comes as de Blasio has so far failed to petition New York state for longterm borrowing or the federal government for a stimulus bailout.

It is a largely symbolic move as it is expected to yield $860,000 in savings — a mere drop in the bucket compared to the city's $9 billion, two-year revenue shortfall.

In recent weeks, the embattled mayor has threatened laying off 22,000 city workers unless the city receive a bailout of some kind. But so far, state and federal officials have balked at his warnings.

President Donald Trump, for one, has voiced opposition to granting federal bailouts to Democratic states and cities, which he argued suffered from significant fiscal mismanagement long before the virus.

On Wednesday, de Blasio took on a more somber tone in making the announcement.

"This is a step you never want to see for good, hardworking people, the folks who work here throughout this crisis," the mayor said. "So it is with pain that I say they and their families will lose a week's pay."

"We have to make tough choices to move this city forward and keep our budget balanced," he added.

During the news conference, de Blasio made sure to call on constituents yet again to push their federal and state representatives to act on behalf of the city.

"We'll keep fighting for those bigger changes," he said.

Speaking with the Times, Citizens Budget Commission President Andrew Rein argued that, now six months into the pandemic, the mayor should have already produced a plan to tackle the debt.

"It would be great if this helps dislodge that inertia," Rein said. "It's hard to say if it will."

In contrast, Bill Neidhardt, a spokesman for the mayor, hailed the move as "a significant gesture that reasserts City Hall recognizes the sacrifices that will have to be made across the board if we don't get a stimulus or borrowing."

Fox News reported that with a mayoral salary of $258,541 per year, de Blasio is set to lose just short of $5,000 during his weeklong furlough.