At Overdue Hearing, Advocates Push NYC to Fulfill Promise of Housing Court Help for Low-Income Tenants
March 1, 2023
The city’s landmark Right to Counsel law was the country’s first to guarantee legal representation in housing court to low-income tenants most at risk for eviction. But advocates and providers say it’s been undermined in recent months as the courts schedule eviction cases faster than there are available attorneys to take them.
Written for City Limits.
Photo by Annie Iezzi
Photo by Adi Talwar/City Limits
NYC’s Floundering ‘Right to Counsel’ Fails to Keep Pace With Eviction Cases
January 3, 2023
The city’s trailblazing program guaranteeing legal representation to the city’s poorest tenants facing eviction has been falling short since the state eviction moratorium was lifted last year; many still face housing court alone. State officials told City Limits the program has declined more than 10,000 cases since March 2022.
Written for City Limits.
Queer Riis Beachgoers Celebrate Community as Demolition of Nearby Hospital Looms
August 29, 2022
With major change to an LGBTQ-favorite park on the horizon, queer beachgoers rejoiced in the annual Ms. Colombia Walk even as they face an un-shore future.
Written for THE CITY.
Photo by Hiram Alejandro Durán/THE CITY
Demolition of Long-Abandoned Medical Center Could Leave Queer Beachgoers Exposed
May 9, 2022
Those who flock to the sands of Bay 1 on Riis beach — including a historically Black and brown community of trans and queer sunbathers — fear tearing down a long-abandoned medical center that acted as a shield will ruin their “utopia.”
Written for THE CITY.
Arson Shakes Bushwick Queer Community
April 6, 2022
Two people were injured when a man in a hoodie walked into Bushwick’s queer nightclub Rash on Sunday night, poured flammable liquid around the bar, lit a match, and bolted. The bar went up in flames, police said.
Written for Pavement Pieces.
Formerly Incarcerated People Call Hochul’s Private Prison Labor Proposal “Legal Slavery”
March 16, 2022
Fed up advocates and directly impacted folks gathered in Foley Square yesterday for an “End Convict Leasing 2.0 Rally” to raise the alarm about what they call a reintroduction of “legal slavery” into New York state prisons within Governor Hochul’s “Jails to Jobs” proposal.
Written for Pavement Pieces.
A Fight for the New Rights of Delivery Workers: Los Deliveristas Unidos
January 31, 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic–and last weekend’s blizzard–have made ordering hot food at home an essential for many New Yorkers. Los Deliveristas Unidos, a grassroots coalition of immigrant food delivery workers, has organized to demand that their rights are considered essential, too.
Written for Pavement Pieces.
Honoring Indigenous People’s Day via Motorcycles
October 10, 2021
Indigenous songscapes and engine revving reverberated off the limestone in Manhattan’s Financial District this morning. In front of the National Museum of the American Indian, more than 100 motorcycles lined the sidewalk. This was the starting point of the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Ride.
Written for Pavement Pieces.
Judge Sentences Human Rights Lawyer for Criminal Contempt
October 1, 2021
Dozens of Ecuadorians, environmental activists, and union members rallied outside the Southern District of New York federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan this morning, but according to Judge Loretta Preska, they were protesting a case that had already been decided.
Written for Pavement Pieces.
Local Haitian Aid Organization Struggles with Resources to Help Asylum Seekers
September 26, 2021
Before 14,000 Haitian immigrants arrived at the southern border of the United States this past week, Haitian Americans United for Progress was significantly exceeding its quota for providing immigrant services. Now, thousands of asylum seekers who were not forced onto deportation flights are looking to build lives in the United States, and HAUP is preparing to stretch its already thinly-spread resources even further.
Written for Pavement Pieces.
Preachers, Pole Dancers, and Protesters Rally Against Vaccine Mandates at New York’s Freedom Rally
September 19, 2021
Outside the Times Square precinct of the NYPD yesterday, hundreds of protesters gathered to chant their new version of the pledge of allegiance.
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to its Constitution, upon which our free republic stands, one nation, under god, free from tyranny, with liberty and justice for all,” they said in unison.
Written for Pavement Pieces.
Hospital Demolition Plans Worry Queer and Nude Beachgoers
September 15, 2021
The former Neponsit Hospital has long shielded The People’s Beach at Jacob Riis Park in Queens, from prying eyes. As it crumbles, queer and nude communities there fear for the beach’s future.
Written for Pavement Pieces.
Inaugural Church Lighting Marks 20 Years Since 9/11
September 10, 2021
The only house of worship destroyed when the Twin Towers fell, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine was illuminated from within on the eve of the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
Written for Pavement Pieces.
