NYC NOW - October 18, 2024: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: October 18, 2024

Former President Donald Trump made a swing through New York City this week to attend the annual Al Smith charity dinner. Plus, a new audit by New York State Comptroller says the State's Division of Human Rights routinely mishandled housing discrimination complaints. Also, the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade returns Saturday with some changes to this year’s event. And finally, WNYC’s Michael Hill talks with Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez about the proposed redesign of the Cross Bronx Expressway.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news and and around New York City from WMYC. I'm Junae Pierre. With Election Day just a few weeks away, former President Donald Trump made a swing through New York City this week to attend the annual Al Smith charity dinner. In his keynote speech, he quickly addressed the political elephant in the room, Mayor Adams' federal corruption charges. Mayor Adams, good luck with everything. They went after you. They went after you, Mayor. Trump pointed to Adams' criticism of President Biden's border policies as the reason for his legal troubles.

The mayor made similar comments shortly after being charged, claiming he was targeted because of his comments about the migrant crisis. When asked about Trump's apparent show of sympathy, Adams' spokesman says the charity dinner is about people making jokes, and, quote, no one takes them seriously. A new audit by New York State Comptroller Tom DeNapoli, says the state's division of human rights routinely mishandled housing discrimination complaints. WMYC's Catalina Gonella reports.

Auditors looked at hundreds of housing discrimination claims filed with the DHR between April 2019 and October 2020. They found the agency mishandled claims in a multitude of ways, including by taking too long to investigate them, poorly documenting them, or simply losing the complaints altogether. Aaron Carr is the founder of Watchdog Group Housing Rights Initiative. He says it's crucial that investigations be done efficiently. When a tenant is in crisis, right, they need an enforcement agency that is going to quickly enforce the law so they can gain housing. The Human Rights Division says it generally agrees with the audit and it's already made leadership changes. The Tompkins Square Halloween dog parade returned Saturday without its official costume contest. WMYC's Ryan Kylath has more on some of the changes to this year's event.

To be clear, there will still be dogs in costumes, trotting down Avenue A from 14th to 7th Street. But at the finish line, the dogs and their humans will kind of just wander away. Organizer Joe Bourdune says he couldn't get approval for his stage in space this year, where judges normally crown a winner in front of cheering crowds. In fact, he's found the bureaucracy so stifling that this is his last year throwing the parade. Why? Why is this year last year? I mean, I can't say they'll be edited from all the beeps. It's just, you know.

Boarding's hoping a larger community organization will step up to take over next year. New York City is considering a major overhaul to portions of the Cross Bronx Expressway. More on the proposed redesign after the break. New York City is considering a major overhaul to portions of the Cross Bronx Expressway. Its construction during the mid-20th century has been widely criticized

for worsening traffic and health conditions in the borough. Now the city is offering local residents a chance to weigh in on what it should look like. My colleague Michael Hill discussed a proposed redesigned with Department of Transportation Commissioner Edanus Rodriguez. Commissioner, your agency put out a report this week with a list of potential redesigns for this highway. It says they would make communities around the Bronx whole again.

Explain for us, please. In what way is the expressway dividing the community now? Well, definitely the construction of the cross bronze in the 1940, divide community who used to live in the area. This is the result of injustice urban planning. made by Robert Moses. And what we all know is that the crossbrons is one of the most congested road in the nation. And it contributes to be in the area that has one of the highest rates of asthma for the

resident who live in that area. That, by the way, they are the most working class resident that we have in New York City. Commissioner, would you break down some of these proposals? One of them would cap parts of the expressway. Would you explain that? Yes. First of all, it is an overdue project. And I always saw people that this is a project that it doesn't matter.

Who will be in government? And of course, we have the leadership of Mayor Eric Adams, the mayor of Mary Yoshi and myself in many agencies at the federal and state level. Senator Schumer, Richard Torres, and other leaders in the bronze who say, enough is enough. people who live in that area doesn't deserve to have children that they go to school being exposed

to the level of contamination because of all the trucks. So one of the major idea that came out from the community is to cap the cross-brons. It will mean it will be around 13 locations

that New York City DOT working with the other agency and with the support and the voices of the community say we should be thinking about copying the cross bronze where we can build above the cross bronze

more area, greenway, spaces for cyclists and walking and cultural spaces. So this is again a great opportunity that the residents of the bronze are right now that Mayor Adams and all the leaders, Governor Hawkins and other, we have said we are ready to develop

the concept. And after the concept is developed that we expected it will be done by the end of this year, then we will have a better idea on what we can do reimagining the cross bronze. Again, reconnecting community that they were divided, community that their children are dealing with high rates of asthma, and we believe that by capping the cross bronze,

which is one of the years, we will provide more and largest green space for the resident of the great borough of the bronze. And when by capping, basically you're talking about, creating like mini tunnels and putting parks and things on top of them. But it also noted ventilation would still be needed to circulate air for vehicles in cap sections of the express right. Is that part of the plan still being worked out or do you still, or do you have all the plan for that? No, again, this is the third round of the community engagement and the ideas

of capping the cross bronze so that we can reduce the level of contamination in that area. it came from the community. The reason why we have identified 13 spots, 13 area, is because those are 13 areas that we can do looking at the feasibility to build. So there's not going to be a large corridor where we can say there's going to be three miles or where the crossrun will be cap continually. When can New Yorkers expect this to actually happen? how much would it cost and who's going to pay for?

By the end of this year, the concept will be developed, the leaders from Mayo Adams and Cati Hoko and all the other federal level, they will be working together to identify the financial sources. It will take a year to be built. It will take a lot of money. I can say it would be in billions of dollars. So, but the most important is that there's a commitment of support from leaders across the nation and stay in the city to rebuild,

rematch the cross bronze and one of the ideas to work around capping 13 locations in the cross bronze. That's Commissioner Edanis Rodriguez, talking with my colleague Michael Hill. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC. Shout out to our production team. It includes Sean Boutich, Amber Bruce, Owen Kaplan, Audrey Cooper, Leora Noam Kravitz, Jared Marcel, and Wayne Schoemeister, with help from all of my wonderful colleagues in the

WMYC Newsroom. Our show art was designed by the people at Buck, and our music was composed by Alexis Quadrado. I'm Jene Pierre. Have a lovely weekend. See you on Monday.