NYC NOW - October 18, 2023: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: October 18, 2023

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is in Israel and continues to call for humanitarian aid for all of those impacted by the conflict. Plus, the U.S. The Attorney's Office in New Jersey has opened an investigation into Trenton's Police Department. Also, WNYC’s Karen Yi reports from a food pantry in Jackson Heights as rising food prices push more New Yorkers to rely on free meals. And finally, we nod to Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a survivor of the disease.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news and around New York City from WMYC. I'm Jenae Pierre. Israel must offend itself against terrorism or else terrorism will know no boundaries. And we have seen what terrorism looks and feels like in our own city streets. New York Governor Kathy Hogle says her trip to the Middle East this week is about showing solidarity with the Israeli people at a time of crisis. She isn't sharing many details of our itinerary, citing security concerns. as the tensions between Israel and Hamas escalates. With New York being home to the largest Jewish population in the U.S.,

Hockel says she wants to show her support. I fully expect to be meeting with elected officials, business and community leaders, families, New Yorkers living in Israel, and any individuals who've been impacted by the attacks. The governor posted to social media Tuesday after the bombing of a hospital in Gaza and said she continues to call for humanitarian aid for all those impacted by the conflict. the conflict. Hokel is scheduled to return to New York on Friday. In New Jersey, the U.S. Attorney's Office has opened an investigation into Trenton's police department. Federal officials say they've

gotten reports of troubling practices. WMYC's Charles Lane has the details. The U.S. Attorney's Office says it's reviewed numerous reports accusing Trenton Police of misusing force or conducting stops, searches, and arrests for no good reason. Lawrence Ham, a police reform advocate, says Trenton police aren't the only ones who need more scrutiny. I think Trenton warrants an investigation, but I think other cities warrant an investigation too. But they can't investigate them all at one time. They probably don't have a staff. Trenton's mayor, Reed Gassiora, pledged the city's full cooperation and said,

if any officers violated the public's trust, they should be held accountable. Stay close. There's more after the break. bureaucratic delays for public benefits and rising food prices are pushing more New Yorkers to rely on free meals. For more, WMYC's Karen Yee takes us to a food pantry in Jackson Heights. The doors of the Salvation Army aren't even open yet, but the line of people waiting outside already stretches down the block,

wrapping around the single-story concrete building and passed a row of city bikes. Every time, people coming and coming and coming every time. Yes, a lot of people. Delia Joseph is one of nearly 200 people in line on a recent October morning. I'm not getting no payment, so I just come in here, little what I get. I use in it, what I don't want, I give him to the neighbor. Joseph is 87 and worked as a home health aide. She lost her income last year when the person she was caring for passed away.

Food providers say with soaring rents and the end of pandemic-era assistance programs, there's less of a safety net for people like Joseph. That's pushing demand for free groceries and hot meals. It's reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic, when lines for food pantries snaked up and down blocks. Guillermo di Caterina is the director of the Salvation Army in Queens and says he's noticed the need is more widespread, that includes new arrivals.

Before COVID, we will serve 90% of Hispanic families. Right now, you can see the diversity. I mean, we have Asians, we have people from India, Bangladesh, South America, Central America. The Salvation Army is serving 53% more meals this year than it did last year across all its New York locations. Other food pantries also say demand is climbing. Providers say people's paychecks can't cover rising food prices. And in February, the federal government ended its extra COVID cash boost to help people buy food. And further compounding the problem, New York City is processing food stamps and cash assistance

applications at its slowest rate ever, creating a bottleneck for thousands unable to afford their monthly expenses. Everything, yeah, it's like, you know, the perfect storm, I will say. Ashley Young is with Henry Street Settlement, a social services provider on the Lower East Side. She says public assistance programs are a lifeline for residents, and any sort of delay means they can't afford enough food. She says her case managers tell her, it's happening a lot, a lot, a lot. City data shows just 10% of the 43,000 cash assistance applications in June were processed within 30 days as required by state law. That's the lowest rate since 2006. The city says

it's seeing twice the number of applications from before COVID and doesn't have enough staff to cut through the backlog. The system is just kind of buckling under the weight of it all. The Salvation Army in Jackson Heights sits on a quiet residential street. Volunteers hand out groceries at 10 a.m. every Thursday. But residents arrive the night before. They tie plastic bags along the iron fence or hang their tote bags to save their place in line. Others start lining up at 6 or 7 a.m., bringing little stools or makeshift seats. Some listen to music, bring their dogs, or make friends in line.

But tensions flare. When someone tries to claim a spot, they say they reserved the night before with a white plastic bag. Many people in line say they just started going to the pantry a year ago, when they lost jobs, when their partners who helped pay the rent died, or when their fixed income couldn't buy enough food for the week, like Judy Rivera. I paid almost $7 for a dozen eggs. I was flamvested at the thought of paying that. New numbers by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show food prices increased by more than 3% this year compared to last.

Right now, I'm the age, retired. It's Sandra Lee's first time at the pantry. She says she heard about it from her friends. She's on a fixed income. So no more money. So take a food, maybe it's a half the little. I don't know. Two migrant children are also in life.

They told Dicaterina who heads the pantry. They just arrived in the city last week. Dikaterina says new arrivals often don't have any socks or coats. He lets them move up in line. Inside, volunteers are bagging up dried goods, vegetables, some meats, and I Love New York bags. By 10 a.m., volunteers start handing out groceries, and the line moves quickly. Before the last of the food is handed out, a new line has already formed for the hot meals, about 300 given out every day. That's WNYC's Karen Yee.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and although only a small percentage of men are diagnosed with the disease, education remains key. We've been talking with people from our region to learn of their experiences and insights about breast cancer. My name is Michael Singer. I'm born and bred in the Bronx, New York, and I currently reside in Orange County, New York, and a hamlet called Cuddybackville. I was diagnosed with male breast cancer in December of 2010. I was a 50-year-old male. I walked into my doctor's office as what I thought was a healthy male and walked out as a

breast cancer patient. Many things are running through your head. Most of all, I was just embarrassed because I had never heard of men getting sick. breast cancer. I thought I was a freak. It's a funny thing because when people hear you have cancer, they want to know what kind of cancer I have. And I have to be honest, I just couldn't say that I had breast cancer. I said I had chest cancer. And most people don't know how to associate chest cancer. I kind of like dodged a bullet and I would walk away from there. You know, chest cancer could be so many other things and not breast cancer. I finally found out I wasn't alone when I was watching a TV

show called the Katie Couric show. And on that show, they had several other male breast cancer survivors and thrivers. And at that point, it was like an epiphany. My head exploded. I started running around the living room. I'm not alone. There were other men out there. Why am I so embarrassed? I need to get out there and talk about male breast cancer. I've joined so many different cancer nationally. They've all given me a platform to talk about male breast cancer and raise awareness. I'll travel the country. We do health fairs, conferences, TV shows, newspaper articles. I went from being embarrassed to empowered, and I went from being silent to outspoken because I needed to raise awareness and let other men know that they weren't alone.

Michael Singer is a Bronx native who now lives in Orange County. He's a breast cancer survivor and advocate for men living with the disease. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC. Catch us every weekday, three times a day. I'm Jene Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.