Briefing 7/28: Marches, Vigils & Coronavirus Testing

It’s Tuesday! It’s hot outside (again), so please remember to take care of yourselves and your neighbors. We also have some nice stories coming up this week and next, including one tomorrow on Brooklyn students doing great work during the age of the coronavirus. Stay tuned!

• In a span of just ten hours, two neighbors were killed, one by gun, one by a knife. If you think all we are doing is reporting crimes, please note that there have been 84 murders this year so far in Brooklyn, compared to last year’s 53.
• Council Members Carlos Menchaca officially strikes down Industry City rezoning, Crain’s NY reported.
• Revel services in NYC will be shut down until further notice, Revel announced. “We’re reviewing and strengthening our rider accountability and safety measures and communicating with city officials, and we look forward to serving you again in the near future.”
• The NYC Council just passed a resolution calling on the federal government to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA) in memory of the late Representative John Lewis, a proud sponsor of the VRAA.
• Rapid coronavirus tests are expanding in New York City as some wait almost 2 weeks for results, CBS reported.
• NY infection rates remain low as other states struggle, ABC7 reported.
• “Waiting times for results of coronavirus tests have been cut by half, down to a median time of two days,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
• There will be the Census March for Racial Justice on Sunday, August 2 at 1:30 p.m. People can meet up in front of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on Fifth Avenue and in front of Brookdale Hospital at 1 Brookdale Plaza.
• There will be an in-person census event on July 30 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 450 Clarkson Avenue. Once you complete the census, you can get a free mask and food bag.
• There will be a community clean-up on the corner of 86th Street & 14th Avenue at 6:00 p.m. tomorrow. Then, on Thursday, July 30, there will be a clean-up on 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge.
• There will be a Unity March in Appreciation of Essential Workers this Saturday at the flagpole at 80th Street & Shore Road at 1:00 p.m. There will be a march along the water to the 69th Street Pier for a vigil at 2:00 p.m.
• Alternate Side Parking will remain suspended through Sunday, August 2. Rules will come back in-effect beginning Monday, August 3.
• The Professional Staff Congress union (PSC-CUNY) endorsed State Senator Andrew Gounardes for re-election “because of his strong commitment to public higher education and the rights of CUNY faculty and staff.”