NYC NOW - February 28, 2024: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: February 28, 2024

Two men are facing 20 years to life behind bars after being convicted of murdering hip-hop legend Jam Master Jay. Plus, a proposed bill would dramatically reduce the amount of plastics in shipments across New York state. Also, WNYC's Karen Yi reports on New York City's latest efforts to help seniors living in poverty. And finally, WNYC’s Ryan Kailath looks into a 90s Brooklyn crew that turned preppy fashion into a streetwear staple.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City. From WNYC, I'm Jenae Pierre. It's definitely a long time coming. Justice delayed. It's not always justice denied. Two men are facing a minimum of 20 years behind bars and a maximum sentence of life in prison after being convicted of murdering hip-hop legend Jam Master Jay. U.S. Attorney Breon Peace says,

he hopes this verdict brings comfort to those who knew Jam Master Jay. My sincere hope is that it brings some closure and solace to his family, his friends, his fans, and all those who loved and appreciated him. Carl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington were found guilty of federal murder charges in connection with the 2002 shooting, which happened at a music studio. Their attorney's plan to appeal the verdict, which could take several years. Jam Master Jay was part of the pioneering queen's hip-histor. group Run DMC.

A bill working its way through New York's state legislature would dramatically reduce the amount of plastics in shipments and on shelves across the state. The proposed packaging reduction and recycling infrastructure act would require businesses to pay fees based on the amount of packaging created for their products. That includes plastics, cardboard, and glass that cover most consumer goods. The Senate Environmental Committee passed the measure on Tuesday, and it passed the Assembly's Environmental Committee earlier this month. Advocates say the bill would help cut down on the 15 million tons of garbage the city sends to landfills every year. Up next, as the cost of living in

New York City goes up, some older residents are struggling to make ends meet. We'll hear that story after the break. Older adults are among the fastest growing population in New York City, but newly released data show one in four experienced poverty as rents and food prices keep rising. WNYC's Karen Yee reports on the city's latest efforts to help seniors. George Pierre is delivering hot and frozen meals to New Yorkers 65 years and older. He works at Encore, a non-profit focused on helping older adults. This area is really expensive. That's why they count on us.

He rolls a cart down 8th Avenue in Midtown. It holds a red cooler and a blue cooler, each filled with meals. He weaves between workers rushing to their office. while also dodging delivery bikes and cracks in the sidewalk. Mez on wheels? First up is 79-year-old Ileana Hobat. Are you going to come in? I don't like my door open.

After surgeries to her legs and eyes, Hobat says she can't move around as much as she did when she was an early childhood educator and a runner. She says she relies on the free meal program and her home healthy to help her buy groceries. Sometimes we walk. Remember when we walk? As more older New Yorkers suffer from decreased mobility and social isolation post-pandemic,

the city says it plans to expand its meal deliveries to cover holidays, not just weekdays. And now we'll offer halal options. It comes as a new report by the Robin Hood Foundation points to an upward trend. Older adults are more likely to experience poverty than working-age New Yorkers. What makes New York City affordable and economical is the ability to work. Lorraine Cortez Vasquez is the city commissioner for the Department of Aging. It is a lifelong experience of underemployment, poor pay, that then you have encountered this in your old age, which is why so many older adults are in poverty. You know, you got clean fishes, you got healthy fish.

Many older adults like Hobat live alone and have no family in the city. She's relied on meal deliveries for 10 years and has some feedback. Before they used to send pieces of cake, it used to come sealed. And now that I don't have diabetes, I love cake. The nonprofit City Meals on Wheels helps fund groups like Encore to fill the gap left by the city and provide meals on weekends and holidays. Beth Shapiro is the CEO of City Meals. People don't want to think about getting old.

You want to think about being young. And dollars go to children and families as they should. But we cannot forget this older population. It's the fastest growing population in the country. She says half of their recipients live on less than $19,000 a year, and two-thirds are women. 86-year-old Soylacchuno lives on the second floor of a steep walk-up and rarely leaves her apartment.

I don't cook at all. I bought my food. I born even the water. I borne myself. Sometimes I forgot it. her brother lives in the Upper West Side, but they never see each other. He's homebound, too. 78-year-old Rubem Das Silva began relying on meal delivery since the pandemic. Food prices rose 2% compared to the same time last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and De Silva

is feeling it. Going to the supermarket is kind of a murder for me, because I live on my social Security Meals says 14% of recipients rely solely on the free meal they get from the program. De Silva says he does too, but sometimes makes one of his favorite dishes, beans. I'm a big guy, and I feel a little bit hungry. The Adams administration says it's working to source and prepare meals locally to help feed the growing population of aging New Yorkers, educators, civil servants, bookkeepers who helped build this city. That's WNYC's Karen Yee. In the late 80s and early 90s, a group of kids in Brooklyn laid the foundation for the streetwear fashion we see today.

They call themselves the low-lifes because of their obsession with Ralph Lauren Polo. That obsession put the brand on the map for a whole new consumer. It's all best described in a new autobiography from the low-lif's founder. WMYC's Ryan Kyloth has the details. George Billups, aka Racklow, grew up in Crown Heights and Brow. Brownsville, always getting into very Brooklyn kinds of trouble. Well, back in those days, they had like these stores, like pigeon stores. And we were hustling on the streets, and we would go and get different types of birds.

Keeping pigeons was expensive. He hustled packing grocery bags and pumping gas, but also breaking pay phones open and stealing. He didn't really care about the consequences, you know. It was all about survival and just getting by and not really wanting to depend on mom and pop. for too much. Phillips got interested in clothing around age 10. My mother used to always celebrate Easter Sunday. And I remember me and my brother getting our first pair of Puma sneakers.

I had the red and white version. He had the blue and white version. We both had on lead jeans. And we had Caesar haircuts. And it's like seeing all the attention I was getting. All the compliments. It's just something I carried on with me throughout my life. He and his friends started stealing clothes.

And Polo was their favorite. Any major department store that sold Polo, we gave them hell, you know. But at the same time, we was like walking billboards. The low-lifes went 90s viral, first in New York, then around the world. Polo became one of the most coveted brands in hip-hop, musicians wearing it in music videos. Billip says official low-life chapters in multiple countries host regular meetups to share and celebrate their clothing. Ralph Lauren Corporation didn't respond to a request for comment, but Billip says the brand has quietly embraced its streetwear consumers, even sending photographers to his

low-life meetups. With fashion, he says, it all starts from the street, you know, with really big influences. So they really try to capitalize on stuff like that. Now a career counselor for a national nonprofit, Billip says he's working to give back to his community in Brooklyn. That's WNYC's Ryan Kylath. Low Life, the autobiography of Racklow, is out now. You can read more on our news website, Gothamist. Thanks for listening to NYC Now from WMYC. Catch us every weekday, three times a day.

I'm Junae Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.