As the state legislature passed a long-stagnant series of bills dealing with police reform, mothers grieving for children whose lives were taken as a result of police brutality called on New York City leaders to defund the New York Police Department.  More →

Late last month, video of a confrontation between an avid birder and a dog walker in the Central Park Ramble went viral. While Twitter and the op-ed pages rightfully prioritized the degree to which white privilege, prejudice, and misplaced fear motivated the dog walker’s more than inappropriate response, the exchange also underscored long-standing tensions between birders and dog walkers in the Ramble, and sparked broader conversations about city park usage in general. That conversation has become all the more timely now that parks are playing host to massive protests against police brutality and systemic racism. More →

Three weeks ago, Anna Dejesus’ water started leaking. It was two months before her due date, so she was rushed to the nearest hospital. Her medical team immediately began trying to halt her premature labor, with hopes of keeping it on pause until it was safe to give birth. Her hospital stay was expected to stretch up to a month, and with the Covid-19 crisis restricting visitors, she was told it would be a solitary one. In search of solace, support, and skills for braving the weeks to come, she decided to call her birth doula, Melissa Murphy. More →

Greenwich Village, which is usually bustling with people in every corner, has been much quieter since New York City went on pause in late March and non-essential businesses were forced to temporarily shut down. But local stores are finally able to slowly – and carefully – open their doors again. More →

On the second day without curfew, as thousands gathered in Houston, Texas to mourn the death of George Floyd, protesters once again took to the streets of New York City yesterday to call for an end to police brutality. A movement that was initially marked by clashes with the NYPD has in its second week become more multifaceted, with increasingly strident demands and the support of politicians citywide. As of Tuesday morning, the NYPD reported that there had been no arrests Monday night. More →

At a St. Louis hospital in early April, a baby was admitted with 15 broken ribs. Physicians believed the injuries likely resulted from repetitive stomping, by a much larger adult. The case was deemed child abuse. The infant died.  More →

A tenth day of protests against police brutality ended without the widespread arrests seen in previous nights and culminated in the lifting of a citywide curfew and a pledge to cut NYPD funding. “Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city,” tweeted Mayor Bill de Blasio, ending the highly contentious curfew a day early. “We will be moving funding from the NYPD to youth initiatives and social services,” the mayor announced this morning. More →

Update, June 7: Mayor de Blasio announced Sunday morning that New York City’s curfew has been lifted a day early. “Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city,” he tweeted. The NYCLU tweeted, “This would not have happened without immense pressure from New Yorkers protesting + the threat of a lawsuit.”

Four civil liberties organizations have threatened to sue Mayor Bill de Blasio if he extends a controversial curfew that has resulted in the arrests of hundreds of protesters. The curfew, the city’s first in 75 years, was imposed Monday in the wake of widespread looting, but critics– including a growing and increasingly vocal chorus of elected officials– argue it has led to more of the police brutality that thousands have been peacefully marching against all week. More →

As protests of the murder of George Floyd and police brutality continue across New York City, the NYPD is very likely using a bevy of wide-reaching digital surveillance techniques to track demonstrators and record their information.  More →

“You’ll think everything is going to be great one day and then two days later you’re writing an Instagram post saying you’re closing down,” says Honey Moon, owner of 1 of A Find Vintage in Prospect Heights. “But you don’t post it. You think… Maybe I won’t close down.” More →