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Dear New Yorkers,

Earlier this month, Brooklyn’s Democratic leader, Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, rushed to a criminal court arraignment to support City Councilmember Susan Zhuang — after Zhuang appeared to bite a police officer.

The incident between Zhuang and police happened during a heated protest against a proposed Bensonhurst homeless shelter. In the past, Bichotte Hermelyn had railed against neighborhoods that pushed back on hosting shelters.

Yet Bichotte Hermelyn stayed at Zhuang’s side for days, even meeting with the mayor to plead Zhuang's case. (Zhuang has pleaded not guilty to assault and other charges.)

But to Brooklyn Democratic Party insiders, it all made perfect sense. Zhuang had played an instrumental role in helping Bichotte Hermelyn oust two district leaders on Zhuang’s turf. In their place, Bichotte Hermelyn installed loyalists who will help piece together enough likely votes to secure her re-election for party chair come September.

Read more here about how the alliance between Zhuang and Brooklyn's Democratic boss was built.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Monday’s Weather Rating: 4/10. Mostly cloudy and more humid with a few rounds of showers, too. Highs in the mid-80s with a damp breeze. I dunno man, the vibes are not great out there.

Our Other Top Stories

Twenty years after plans were first put into motion, Queen’s first public animal shelter opens in Ridgewood today. It comes at a critical time for city animal shelters, which are struggling to cope with overcrowding as New Yorkers have surrendered pets at high rates since the pandemic. The facility will provide comprehensive adoption counseling — and will eventually also offer full veterinary services, which could help people keep their pets long term. One out of every six NYCHA playgrounds is closed this summer, in spite of campaign promises from Mayor Eric Adams to prioritize their repairs. Only 12 of the 117 shuttered playgrounds this summer are unavailable to kids because they are being renovated.

Reporter’s Notebook

Adams Emergency Order Blocks Solitary Ban

Mayor Eric Adams on Saturday signed an emergency executive order that blocked parts of a law that strictly limits the use of solitary confinement in city lockups from going into effect.

Adams declared that Local Law 42, passed by the City Council in December, would put detainees and officers at risk.

“It is of the utmost importance to protect the health and safety of all persons in the custody of the Department of Correction,” Adams wrote in the emergency order.

The law was set to go into effect on Sunday and would have blocked jail officials from putting a detainee in so-called “restrictive housing” for more than a total of 60-days in any 12-month stretch.

The move infuriated advocates for detainees who have pushed for years to ban the use of solitary confinement. “The Mayor is using this sham emergency order to try to illegally subvert a law enacted when a supermajority of the City Council overrode his veto,” said Anisah Sabur, #HALTsolitary campaign organizer and a survivor of solitary confinement.

The emergency declaration is the latest salvo in the years-long battle over solitary. In January, Adams vetoed the solitary confinement ban legislation only to have his veto overridden by the Council.

— Reuven Blau

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Things To Do

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

Friday, August 2: An interactive tour for very young museum-goers and their caregivers that uses baby-friendly programming to explore the exhibit “Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm.” Free with admission from 10 to 11:15 a.m. at the Brooklyn Museum. Friday, August 2: An outdoor performance by NYC’s La Excelencia, an award-winning salsa dura band. Free from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Bryant Park in Manhattan. Saturday, August 3: “Deep Looking: Points Of Connection Abound,” a “Field Guide” workshop that explores interconnected root systems. Free from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (pre-registration required, limited space) at Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens.

THE KICKER: New York Olympian fencer Lauren Scruggs, who chatted with THE CITY ahead of her Olympic debut in Paris this month, won the silver medal in the women’s individual foil competition. She lost to another American, Lee Kiefer, who is from Kentucky.

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

Love,

THE CITY

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