NYC NOW - May 8, 2024: Midday News

Episode Date: May 8, 2024

Advocates and family of Win Rozario, the 19-year-old Queens teen shot and killed by police in March, are gathering Wednesday afternoon on the steps of New York City Hall to protest the shooting after police body cam footage shows Rozario holding a pair of scissors before being shot. In other news, New York City Public Schools Chancellor David Banks is set to testify on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., before a Congressional committee examining anti-Semitism. Plus, the 'Celebrate Brooklyn' festival in Prospect Park has announced its summer lineup, including artists like Fishbone and Meshell Ndegeocello. Finally, New Yorkers have about a year left to obtain a Real ID, required for boarding domestic flights without a passport. WNYC’s Sean Carlson speaks with New York DMV Commissioner Mark Schroeder to learn more.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Wednesday, May 8th. Here's the Midday News from Lance Lucky. Advocates and family of a queen's teen shot and killed by police in March are gathering this hour on the steps of City Hall. Police body cam footage recently released by the state attorney general's office shows Wyn Rosario holding a pair of scissors and moving towards the two officers after they tasered him, police then shot the teen less than three minutes into the encounter. Family and advocates say the officers did not need to kill Rosario and that he had called 911

himself in an apparent mental health crisis. The NYPD says the officers acted in self-defense. The AG's office is investigating. New York City Public Schools Chancellor David Banks is testifying today in Washington before a congressional committee examining anti-Semitism. He's appearing before a similar House committee that grilled Ivy League university presidents in recent months, leading to some of their resigning. nations. Some educators and students are planning to rally outside the Education Department

headquarters later this afternoon. They say they're protesting Israel's war in Gaza and what they call the city's failure to protect pro-Palestinian teachers, students, and parents. If you're dreaming of picnic baskets and drinking from plastic cups, take note. The Celebrate Brooklyn Festival of free shows in Prospect Park has announced its summer lineup. Executive director Saida Blant says performers will include Fishbone, Michelle Indigay-Ocello, and more. This is our 46th season. It's really crazy. It's the longest running free-performing arts festival in New York City.

There will also be a film screening of Spike Lee's 1989 classic Do the Right Thing with a panel of guest speakers. You can find the full lineup at our news website Gothamist. 75 right now becoming sunny this afternoon and near 85 and rather windy. It's on to start tomorrow and then showers becoming likely. Stay close. There's more after the break. On WNMIC, I'm Sean Carlson. Believe it or not, there is just about a year left to get a real ID in New York State,

which you need to board domestic flights without a passport. So joining us now to talk more about the real ID is New York DMV Commissioner, Mark Schroeder. Commissioner, can we start with what exactly is a real idea and why do New Yorkers need to get it? Yeah, and the reason is, if you remember, right after 9-11, there was a 9-11 commission, what is called the Real ID Act, passed by Congress. This is a federal program. It's been delayed a few times. But as you pointed out, we have one year to go and then the deadline ends so that if you

want to fly domestically, you need to be real ID compliant. So that means you would have a real ID and or what is called an enhanced driver's license. or if you have a passport that would give you the opportunity to get on an airplane here at LaGuardia and fly to see your grandmother in Fort Lauderdale. What documents do you need to bring to the DMV to get a real ID? You would have to have a U.S. purse certificate, a U.S. passport or a foreign passport with proof of lawful status in the U.S. you would have to bring in a social security card or other proof of SSN. You would have to bring in two proofs of New York State residency.

And you would also have to bring in proof of a name change. It's particularly harder for women who have had a name change. What we're interested in doing is one and done. Speaking of which, getting the DMV for anything, really, can be kind of a pain sometimes. You know, if you have a job, maybe you have kids, you got a lot. look out for. So for folks who might find it hard to get to the DMV in person, is there another way to apply for the real ID? This is a federal requirement, and the federal requirement requires a New Yorker or anybody in the nation that you have to go into your DMV office to do this.

Do you envision anybody struggling to get all the documentation together to get the ID? I don't, only because our staff at DMV is absolutely outstanding. We have online capabilities. so that if you were coming in to do a real ID, you would be able to send us online. You download it, and then we would upload it, and we would look at it and we would say, Sean, you got everything you need. You come on in. And then this way, there's no room for error. When we were talking about the documentation, you need to get a real ID.

You talked about an enhanced ID. How is that different from the real ID? So that enhanced license, that gives you the ability to fly domestically. And if you're from Buffalo, New York, and you're only four miles away from the Peace Bridge that goes into Ontario, Canada, that enhanced license will get you over the Peace Bridge. There's a lot of people who are old school. They don't like to carry their passport unless they have to, unless they're traveling internationally. This enhanced license is a great. opportunity for not only Canada, but also for Mexico, to cross the border. So that's exactly

what that's all about. Now, I think if we're being honest with ourselves, there's going to be a whole lot of people who come next spring say, oh, my God, I didn't get the real ID. And the DMV is going to be packed with people trying to get this thing. How is New York DMV preparing to serve a lot more folks next year who are trying to get these things? Just the last couple of weeks, we unveiled what is called the mobile unit. It is booked already. It is booked all spring and all summer. It will be at state parks, libraries, Jones Beach, you name it.

It will be there. We will plaster it all over our website so that people know that if they realize that they have to have a real ID and they really, for whatever reason, at summertime, they don't want to go to a DMV office, great. Meet us at the state fair. and we will have the mobile unit available not only in upstate New York, especially at the state fair, but also we are really concentrating on New York City in Long Island. Opponents of Real ID say that it's a threat to personal privacy and an overstep of information gathering by the federal government. Say for undocumented immigrants who want to get a driver's license, the shift to Real ID might be a bit of a threat.

What is your response to that? Well, see, undocumented New Yorkers, they may be able to fly if they have an approved form of identification. That does not go through DMV. That would be something that they would go through Homeland Security or there's also a hotline number for what is called New Americans. But the New Americans hotline number is 1-800-566-76-76. So if there are complications and people have a situation and they really need to find out, that would really be through the federal level. That was New York DMV Commissioner, Marks-Roder. Commissioner, thanks so much for joining us.

We appreciate it very much. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WNYC. Be sure to catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives. Also subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back this evening.