NYC NOW - December 29, 2023 : Midday News

Episode Date: December 29, 2023

Experts are warning New Yorkers to beware of charity scams this giving season, especially those that copycat the names of known and trusted non-profits. Meanwhile, a New Jersey law taking effect in 2024 that gives a telemarketer just 30 seconds to disclose their name, address, and phone number for the party they're representing. Finally, this year, WNYC's Community Partnerships Desk started teaming up with the nonprofit, Street Lab, to highlight stories from neighborhoods across New York City. We recently set up shop in Manhattan's Meatpacking District.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. I'm Jenae Pierre. As the year comes to a close, our team is taking some much-needed time off. But that doesn't stop the news, does it? Here's today's headlines from David First. Experts are warning New Yorkers to beware of charity scams this giving season, especially those that copy the names of nonprofits. you may already know and trust.

Research shows nonprofits receive more than a quarter of their annual donations in December, but scammers know this, says Kevin Scali of Charity Navigator, a charity rating organization. Unfortunately, it definitely brings out the best in people where they want to give,

but sometimes that also brings out the worst in people where people try to take advantage of that. Scali says experts are seeing a rise in telemarketing, text, and email scams that pretend to be from reputable charity. experts say you should do your research, look up the charity online, and make sure you're donating to the right place, and don't feel pressured to make a decision on the spot. A New Jersey law taking effect in 2024 gives a telemarketer just 30 seconds to disclose their name, address, and phone number for the party they're representing. It was nicknamed the Seinfeld Bill after a scene from the show where Jerry asks a telemarketer calling his home for his number so that he can call.

call back later. The marketer says they're not allowed to do that. Oh, I guess you don't want people calling you at home. Well, now you know how I feel. The bill also says telemarketers cannot make calls to any customer between nine at night and eight in the morning. Violators could be hit with fines or even jail time. 52 degrees expecting a high of 55 today with mostly sunny skies this afternoon. Tomorrow, partly sunny with a high of 47 degrees. Stick around. There's more after the break.

This year, WMYC's Community Partnerships Desk started teaming up with the nonprofit Street Lab to highlight stories from neighborhoods across New York City. We recently set up shop in Manhattan's Meatpacking District. Here's some of what we heard. My name is Joe Lucas, and I'm from North London, and I'm here with my husband. And it's the first time we've ever flown across the pond. So New York here we came. We landed on Monday and it's got progressively colder,

but not so cold that it's cold, cold, because it's coming from kind of near Wales where we live, cold is really gold. We went to see Times Square yesterday, and it was like, oh no, it was awful. I'm really sorry. And we asked somebody, just on the local corner shop, up just where we were staying,

and she said, oh, go do the highlight. And it was great. The high line was really impressive. So you were out of the buzz, but you could see everything. You just look to one side and there's skyscrapers and you look to the other side and there's thuds and it was refinding your headspace after having yomped around the met and been to MoMA

and gone on the subway and walked Central Park. You were suddenly in a space where you could just be yourselves. Kind of cleared your head and you connect with yourself again. I think that was what was brilliant about it. My name is Jimmy Dong. I work at two mines. We're located 34 Gans. the Transport Street and the meatpacking district.

I've been here since 2021 during the pandemic when there's very few people or businesses moving in the area. The first 4th of July, we were here. A couple from Philadelphia pulled up in front of the store. They came in shop and the husband stood outside with me. And for a second, we looked at each other and said, it looked like the rapture happened. Because there was like four or five people walking around

on the 4th July in this area and nobody else was here. So the past couple years, I've been lucky to watch this place, grow and become something. Give you a small example, Halloween, trick-a-treat, treats in the streets. The first year, meatpacking and two mines and maybe one or two others were passing out candy of the kids. Now we had over 26 vendors passing out candy of the kids. Becoming part of this community and most importantly part of the meatpacked district, I'll never forget how we believe that we are not here to work against each other, but for each other. My name is Vincent in Conellius.

I'm over on Gansford Street since 1969. I'm an artist and a very special opportunity to be one of the last working artists in this area. But I remember most when it was the real meat on the street and it was all the street workers and the clubs and the S&M bars. It always fascinates me when I walk down Washington Street now and I see people having dinner. and thinking what really went on in those buildings in the 70s and the 60s

and all the way into the 80s and 90s. There's all sorts of thoughts I have about the progress that some people would say has happened and the things we've lost. I feel mixed. Sometimes aesthetically, I think it's pleasant to walk around, but it doesn't have the character that it used to have. And there was such character with the people, that lived in the neighborhood more.

We're all a lot older now, the ones that are left, and I guess this happens with every generation. My name is Simone Wilson, and I'm located in New York City. Every holiday season, I always find myself walking alone around some sort of lighting structure, and it just reminded me of years of living, D.C., and walking through the Christmas lights. I used to find different exhibitions in the city

that featured lights around Christmas time, And it was just a really peaceful experience for me to walk around and look at the lights by myself. The holidays are kind of difficult for me because of family issues and West Indian trauma. So, and I've always been a loner and had to find my own happiness and joy because sometimes the family time can be awkward or difficult. And the lights is kind of the magical movie Christmas part that I can hold on to for myself. That's a collection of voices from Manhattan's Meatpacking District as part of our collaboration with the nonprofit Street Lab.

Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC. Quick shout out to our production team. It includes Sean Boutage, Amber Bruce, Ave Carrillo, Audrey Cooper, Leora Noam Kravitz, Jared Marcel, and Wayne Schoenmeister, with help from the entire WNYC Newsroom. Our show art was designed by the folks at Buck, and our music was composed by Alexis.

Quadrado. I'm Jenae Pierre. Have a great holiday weekend. We'll be back in the new year.