WORLD WORLDWIDE US USA - New York NY - New York City NYC - the city THE CITY - Accused migrant killer gets hate crime charge, top cop escapes punishment

 

Dear New Yorkers,

The Brooklyn district attorney has upgraded the charges against a former city parks worker accused of fatally shooting a homeless Venezuelan man — now alleging the killing was motivated by a hate for migrants.

Elijah Mitchell, 23, a seasonal Parks Department employee, is accused of targeting 30-year-old Arturo Jose Rodriguez-Marcano on July 21.

Three days earlier, Mitchell allegedly confronted migrants living in Steuben Playground and ripped tarps from where the men had been sleeping so he could clean the park.

“This defendant allegedly came to the location where the victim was staying, armed with a gun, to settle a score,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez in a statement.

In a lengthy interview that Mitchell gave to NYPD detectives immediately following his arrest, he admitted he’d argued with the homeless migrants on July 18, but denied having a gun or shooting Rodriguez-Marcano. He said he was in the park on the night of the killing, but peeing when he heard shots. Mitchell faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

Rodriguez-Marcano and other migrants had been living in the playground after being timed out of a nearby shelter on Hall Street.

Read more here about the killing, and why the charge was upgraded to be a hate crime.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Thursday's Weather Rating: 9/10. ANOTHER GEM! High temperatures in the upper 70s, comfortable dew points and a light breeze. Clouds increase this afternoon with an isolated sprinkle possible, but we're not complaining. The vibes are VERY good out there once again!

Our Other Top Stories

On Monday, Police Commissioner Edward Caban hammered the final nail into the coffin of an effort to punish Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey for intervening in the arrest of a retired cop. Last year, Maddrey was found by a police oversight board to have “improperly influenced an arrest” by voiding charges against an ex-cop who was once one of his subordinates. But last month, a departmental judge ruled the board didn’t have jurisdiction to prosecute Maddrey, the highest ranking uniformed member of the NYPD. And this week, Caban approved that ruling without disclosing his reasoning — meaning the case is now closed. For our summer newsletter, THE CITY hung out at Citi Field with Sue Lucchi, who oversees all of the electricians, grounds crew, painters and more who keep the stadium fresh for Mets games. Lucchi started with the team as an intern in the mid-90s and is now the head of ballpark operations.

Reporter’s Notebook

City Hires Another Firm to Demolish Outdoor Dining Structures

The city Department of Transportation inked another contract for an emergency demolition contractor to take down the dining sheds rogue restaurant owners keep up.

On Wednesday, they announced a contract with the New Jersey-based JEG Inc. for demolition work in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island. The contract is for up to $2 million, according to two listings in The City Record.

In May, the city signed a deal with JJWI Inc., based in Springfield Gardens, to potentially demolish dining sheds in Queens and The Bronx, a contract also worth up to $2 million.

A spokesperson for the DOT declined to comment.

The city unveiled its new permanent outdoor dining program, Dining Out NYC, earlier this year to take over and standardize the often haphazard structures that went up at the peak of the pandemic.

Restaurants will now have the option for sidewalk and roadway cafes, with new regulations and restrictions for the structures. Roadway structures will only be allowed April through November, while sidewalk seating is permitted all year long.

Owners will also have to pay annual fees based on their location.

Those who failed to take their structures down earlier this month face large fines — $500 for the first offense and $1,000 summonses for each subsequent one — and will keep getting fined until they’re removed.

— Katie Honan

Things To Do

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

Thursday, Aug. 22: The 2024 Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, an annual celebration with free live music across the city, at various times and locations through Aug. 25. Saturday, Aug. 24: An outdoor performance of “Tosca” by the New York City Opera. Free from 7 to 9:30 p.m. in Bryant Park in Manhattan. Saturday, Aug. 24: NYC Discovery Lab, family-friendly activities that dive into how the city’s water works. Free with admission from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Museum of the City of New York in Manhattan.

THE KICKER: A Gramercy Park woman who faced eviction over her three emotional support parrots instead won hundreds of thousands of dollars in court.

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

Love,

THE CITY

PS. Love THE CITY? Our nonprofit newsroom runs on support from readers like you. Donate here.

Want to view Scoop in your web browser? Click here.

THE CITY's work is made possible, in part, through the support of our sponsors. Interested in becoming a sponsor of THE CITY? Contact us here.  Copyright © 2024 THE CITY, All rights reserved.