NYC NOW - July 24, 2024: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: July 24, 2024

Thirty-two New York senators are urging the state Board of Elections to revise the draft language for the proposed Equal Rights Amendment. They want simpler terms like “abortion” and “LGBT” included to ensure clarity on the ballot question. The amendment guarantees access to abortion and protects LGBTQ individuals from discrimination. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office is dropping its indictment against a police officer who shot a man running away from him based on new evidence. The case will be re-investigated. Also, WNYC’s Ramsey Khalifeh reports on why air conditioners on New York City’s 1 trains are failing. Plus, WNYC’s Community and Partnerships Desk is transforming some laundromats across the New York metro area into civic engagement hubs. George Bodarky, who leads the project titled “Suds & Civics,” makes a stop at Star Laundromat in Staten Island. Finally, starting this Wednesday, the Sanitation Department is opening a new site in Brooklyn where New Yorkers can get free compost for their gardens.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. I'm Jene Pierre. 32 New York senators are calling on the state board of elections to change draft language for a ballot question this November. Senator Liz Kruger is a sponsor of the Equal Rights Amendment. She sent a letter with her colleagues to the board Tuesday asking it to reword the question using simpler language. The proposed amendment would guarantee access to abortion. and protect LGBTQ plus people from discrimination.

But neither the words abortion nor LGBT appear in the draft ballot question. WMYC previously reported on concerns of the amendment's backers that current phrasing is unclear. The New Jersey Attorney General's office is dropping its indictment against a police officer who shot a man running away from him and the case will be reinvestigated. The AG's office says it's filed. a motion to drop the case against officer Jerry Moravec of Patterson on the basis of new evidence.

Moravec shot 28-year-old Khalif Cooper in 2022 after ordering him to drop a gun. But Attorney General Matthew Placken has said no gun was found with Cooper or seen in body camera footage. A state grand jury indicted the officer on aggravated assault and official misconduct charges last year. The AG says his office plans to represent its case to a grand jury, with the new evidence. According to European scientists, this past Sunday was the hottest day in recorded global history. We've certainly felt the heat in our region with three heat waves already. But it's even hotter inside New York City's One Train.

WMYC's Ramsey Caliphate reports on the failing air conditioning on the line's subway cars. I'm standing in the middle of a one train on a steamy Monday morning departing from the line's southern terminus at South Ferry. I've got a thermometer in my hand, and the number showing me is brutal. Okay, my temperature reads 94 degrees Fahrenheit. This is in a car that has no working AC. This type of hot car is notorious on this subway line, where riders regularly complain about broken air conditioners.

As the train moves uptown, Helene Les gets on at Canal Street. She says the heat is unbearable. Ugh. Thinking about if I can move quickly to another car. I'm probably just going to ride it out because I'm only going to 72nd. MTA data shows during the city's latest heat wave last week, nine train cars on the line were taken out of service due to broken ACs. Trains that run on the one line have been in service since the 1980s

and are known for faulty air conditioning. And with Governor Hokel's pause of congestion pricing, the MTA will no longer have the money that was earmarked to replace them. Steve Halvax is a retired MTA chief mechanic who oversaw. subway car repairs. These cars have a history of having air conditioning problems. So what happens is the design of the car, if one of the blow motors go out, there's two blow motors.

The whole system goes down. The MTA says air conditioners break down on just 1% of the subway's overall fleet of train cars, including the one line. Ramsey-Halefe, WNYC News. Up next, this election season, WMYC is using laundromats across the New York metro area as hubs of civic engagement. Our next stop is a laundromat on Staten Island. That story after the break.

Election year politics have taken a few dramatic turns in recent weeks, starting with the attempt on Donald Trump's life, then President Biden's decision to end his re-election campaign. WMYC's Suds and Civics Project is visiting laundromats across the New York metro area to hear what's on people's minds ahead of the November elections, which are 104 days away. My colleague Michael, Hill spoke with editor George Bodarky, who visited Star Laundromat earlier today on the north shore

of Staten Island. We've been spending time at this laundromat since February, Michael. And over the last several months, we've heard a lot of support for Donald Trump, particularly because of his push for stricter immigration policies. We talked with 27-year-old Ashanti Hannan here just a few days ago. She's currently attending business school. Hanan said she's still undecided about November, but echo Trump's rallying cry around immigration. I would like for all of them to just get deported and for all of the funding that was being used for those migrants to be transferred to suffering Americans that need help. The veterans, people that are still suffering after COVID, businesses that are suffering after COVID. 25-year-old Trollani Baptist was doing his wash just a few feet away from Hannon.

For him, homelessness is an issue that needs more attention. It's just sad to see sometimes where they don't have no food. Everybody just walking by, you know, government don't even care too much about them. Baptiste says he's not likely to vote in the presidential election because he thinks his voice goes farther in local politics. He's looking forward to voting for mayor in 2025. But if he does go to the polls, he'd vote for Donald Trump because he thinks he'll be better for the economy. George, what other issues have come up during your recent laundromat visits? Yeah, public safety is a big issue for a lot of people.

44-year-old Kizzy Dawson was getting her wash done at bubble. are us in Patterson, New Jersey. She was with her nine and seven-year-old kids. I'm getting emotional, but the crime, hearing black men getting killed often, because I have sons. So that's a very high issue for me. And not only that, but I'll live a situation,

rent control, homelessness. Dawson says she's praying on who she'll vote for in November, but has a message for all elected officials. Talk to us. You only talk to us when it's time to vote. Talk to us often. Come to the churches. Come to the schools.

Come to just walk around the town and ask a question. How do you feel the day? Like you're doing right now. Did anyone else have such pointed advice for the candidates, George? Yeah, Ashanti Hannan from right here on Staten Island. She says politicians literally need to walk the walk. And what she means by that is walk the walk that she and other. other New Yorkers take every day.

Walk the streets at 2 a.m. in the hood, on the train, really wherever. It doesn't even have to be in the hood. It could just be wherever in New York City at this point. Face the realities before you start making promises that you know you're not going to be able to keep. Just because it sounds nice and pretty, it's basically delivering crap and a rapper. How are the people you're talking to in laundromance? How are they overall reacting to the latest political developments? Yeah, Nilda Kokesham was doing her watch at Madison,

laundry in East Harlem the day after Biden called it quits. That was on Monday. She's 64 years old and says she's voted in every election since she turned voting age. And she's always voted for Democrats. Kokesham says she's saddened by Biden's departure. I was in shock yesterday when he just quit. But I was hoping he would stay on. He's a good president. He's a Democrat. But Kokesm says she did have some concerns about Biden's ability to govern for another four years. debate. I saw him. It was little odd, seeing him trying to figure out what he wouldn't say. I think that was a sign that he thinks it's something wrong mentally. Kokesm says while she's a lifelong Democrat, she does support some of what Donald Trump stands for.

In particular, his stance on immigration. Immigrants, they're just coming flowing in. When Trump was in power during the presidency, he didn't let none of them in unless they were legally, you know, legal, but now they're all over the place. But when asked whether that issue is enough to sway her in Trump's direction at the polls in November, Coxham was quick to say no. I never would do that. I don't know.

I think I'll betray my people. I'd say with Democrat. Now, on whether Kamala Harris should be the next commander-in-chief, Kokesm simply said it would be nice to have a woman president. George, what else are you hearing about Kamala Harris potentially becoming the Democratic candidate? Yeah, 39-year-old Danny Silverio was also doing his laundry in East Harlem. He says he was undecided before Biden dropped out, and he's still undecided, but he's also underwhelmed by the prospects of Harris leading the country.

Personally, I don't feel like Carmilla Harris has shown that she's capable of handling it, so I'm concerned with that. Silvario says he wants more attention paid to independent presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. I'm somewhat shocked about the RFK, like, you don't hear enough about him. So I wanted to kind of know more, especially with his history and his family. It would kind of be interesting to have that third person running to actually be able to debate and speak about their policy. We also met 33-year-old Marika Kremlin at Madison Ave Laundry. She's lived in East Harlem since 2019 and worked at a global health nonprofit.

She says so far this election year has been a lot for. her to take in. I'll be honest, it's been giving me a lot of anxiety. I think there's a lot riding on this election and not to seem like I'm blowing it out of proportion, but you know, I think after learning more about Project 2025's plans, it does really feel like more is on the line than we had initially thought. And I'm, you know, kind of scared of what that change back to a Trump administration could mean for the U.S.

And Michael, I'll let Kizzy Dawson from Patterson, New Jersey chime back in here because I think most of us can agree these are words to live by. Just love one another. Love is the answer to all things. If we love one another, this world will be a totally different place. That's my colleague Michael Hill in conversation with editor of the Community and Partnerships Desk, George Bodarky. Heads up, the sanitation department is opening a new site in

Brooklyn, where New Yorkers can get free compost for their gardens. Starting this Wednesday, the department says those seeking compost can pick up a bag of what officials call black gold at 530 Kingsland Avenue in Greenpoint. The sanitation department already gives out free compost at a facility on Staten Island, but says it's collecting so much compost through its new curbside collection programs that a second location is necessary. The free compost in Greenpoint is limited to 100 people per day. It's only available to amateur gardeners, not commercial operations. The rollout comes after Mayor Adams cut the budget that supported community composting programs across the city. You can find out how to register to get free compost at nyc.gov slash get compost.

Thanks for listening to NYC now from WNYC. Catch us every weekday three times a day. I'm Jenae Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.