WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC the city THE CITY News Journal Update - Sanctuary city explained, Rikers numbers, snow day

 

Dear New Yorkers,

The January brawl between NYPD officers and a group of migrants in Times Square that went viral has sparked a national firestorm over long-standing sanctuary city policies that restrict cooperation between federal authorities and local law enforcement.

Republicans seized on the attack to argue that sanctuary laws should be changed, and Mayor Eric Adams asked the City Council to reexamine them — somewhat.

“Here's the only area of the law that I think should be examined,” he said at a Feb. 5 press briefing. “You repeatedly commit felonies, dangerous crimes, if you're found guilty, you should not be in our city.”

The City Council defended the protections, saying they have no bearing on the incident in hand.

“Sanctuary policies have no bearing at all on how crime is prosecuted,” City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said. “They don’t conceal or shelter people from detection, nor do they shield people from deportation or prosecution for criminal activities.”

But what does it even mean to be a “sanctuary city”?

Read THE CITY’s guide to the policies that define “sanctuary city” in New York City — plus how that actually affects migrants — here.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Tuesday's Weather Rating: 2/10. Periods of snow will continue this morning, heavy at times and leading to travel delays. The storm pulls away by early afternoon, but keep an eye out for slick spots and ice through the evening hours. Much colder tonight. The vibes are wintry!

Our Other Top Stories

Lots of snow is in the forecast today. Here’s THE CITY’s guide to what to do if icy, snowy sidewalks haven’t been shoveled. Mayor Eric Adams has said that Rikers Island may be too full to shut down by a 2027 deadline. A little over a year ago, the commissioner in charge of city jails, Louis Molina, told local lawmakers that his staff believed the incarcerated population would spike to 7,000 this year. Vital City, a nonprofit, wanted to know what calculations Molina used to come up with the 7,000 figure. It filed a Freedom of Information Law request — and the Department of Correction finally supplied the reasoning last month. After examining the predictions, critics questioned why the forecast did not account for the ways the city itself could help reduce its jail population. New York City public schools will conduct classes remotely today as a winter storm threatens to dump up to eight inches of snow on the five boroughs, reports Chalkbeat. After-school programs, adult education, and Young Adult Borough Centers will not be open.

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Reporter’s Notebook

Mayor Loses Voice

Mayor Eric Adams will no longer be able to send out robocalls in multiple languages after a federal agency outlawed them.

The Federal Communications Commission last week voted unanimously to prohibit robocalls using any voices generated by artificial intelligence – like the kind the mayor sent out last fall to let the public know about city programs.

The self-described “techie” said at the time that the program was an amazing way to connect with New Yorkers. “Conversational AI is amazing, once you put the script in you can put it in any language you want with my voice,” he said.

City Hall officials said at the time that they recorded AI mayoral voices speaking Spanish, Yiddish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Haitian Creole.

Last month, a 10-second clip that sounded like Manhattan Democratic Party leader Keith Wright trashing Assembly Member Inez Dickens turned out to be an AI-generated deep fake. And New Hampshire residents received a fake President Biden robocall that is now being investigated as created by AI.

A spokesperson for Adams said they “will continue to harness this new technology in a smart, sensible, and ethical way."

— Katie Honan

Spending and Taxes: New York Leads the Way

With the state and city soon to start serious work on their next budgets, the nonprofit Citizens Budget Commission compared New York to other states in spending and taxes. The results are not new. New York state and local governments on average spend more than almost anyone else and impose higher taxes than anyone else.

In 2021, according to a report released Tuesday using the most recent data available, only Alaska spent more per person than New York, which bested California by 7%, New Jersey by 55% and Connecticut by 77%. The numbers were especially large when compared with popular destinations for people leaving New York: New York outspends Texas by 71% and is just about double Florida.

Per person state and local taxes averaged $10,331, the highest of any state. The national average was $6,334. Texas per capita taxes totaled $4,861 and Florida $4,281.

The CBC, a non-partisan civic group backed primarily by business interests, argued that the figures show increasing taxes would be risky, especially given rising migration away from the state.

— Greg David

Things To Do

Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.

Wednesday, Feb. 14: A Valentine’s Day screening of “Mahogany,” a 1975 film starring Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams. Free from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. Thursday, Feb. 15: A conversation at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on how to join a community garden in your area. Free from 6 to 8 p.m.  Saturday, Feb. 17: Live Mini-Portraits by Manny Vega, whose iconic mural and mosaic art is currently featured in Byzantine Bembé: New York by Manny Vega. The artist will draw portraits of museum-goers for free, which will be displayed for a limited time as part of the exhibition. Free with admission at 1 p.m., at the Museum of the City of New York.

THE KICKER: The city health department wants to ban vaping and smoking from outdoor dining, reports Gothamist.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Tuesday.

Love,

THE CITY

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