NYC NOW - October 25, 2023: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: October 25, 2023

New York City Mayor Eric Adams says the city is reaching what he's calling "new territory" in the migrant crisis. Plus, hate crimes against Jews in the Big Apple are on the rise since Hamas’ attack on Israel. Also, WNYC’s Ramsey Khalifeh reports on neighbors in Queens pushing to get leaders at Forest Hills Stadium to turn down the volume. And finally, we mark Breast Cancer Awareness month with a reflection from a survivor of the disease.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. I'm Jenae Pierre. New York City Mayor Eric Adams is warning New Yorkers that they may start seeing migrants sleeping on the streets, as the city reaches what he's calling, new territory in the migrant crisis. Adams says city shelters are so full with newcomers that his administration is starting to explore putting recent arrivals in large outdoor spaces, although he didn't specify any sites. So we're going to have to manage a terrible situation. My goal, my pecking order is we have to do everything possible for children and families not to sleep on the street. Adam says his administration

is reaching out to international leaders to figure out how to handle the ongoing crisis and that all options are on the table. The NYPD says hate crimes against Jews in New York City are increasing since Hamas's attack on Israel earlier this month. WNYCHHH Charles, Lane has the report. Police say hate crimes are still down compared to last year, but 30 anti-Semitic crimes have been reported to the NYPD since the attacks. There were only six over a similar period last year. Chief of Detective's Joe Kenny says the department immediately reached out to Jewish communities after Hamas' attack. They're reporting more because we're asking them to. You know, it's obviously getting a lot of attention. Community meetings. I think last week we had a

team's meeting with over 500 members of the Jewish community. Kenny says, says there were four anti-Palestinian crimes since the attack. He says all of the crimes appear to be unplanned and limited to mostly graffiti and non-felony assaults. New York State is giving a green light to three new wind farms off New York City shore. WMYC's John Campbell has the details. Governor Hokel's administration tentatively awarded contracts for the major wind projects a few dozen miles from land. One of them also promises to turn the Ravenswood power plant in Queens into a clean energy hub. This is an historic investment to demonstrate our full commitment to renewables in this particular energy.

Hockel's administration will now enter into final contract negotiations with the developers behind the three projects. The wind farms are expected to help the state meet its climate goals, but they'll add an average of nearly $3 a month to consumer energy bills. Stay close. There's more after the break. Forest Hill Stadium is an iconic venue in New York City. It's where the U.S. Open was once held and regularly hosts legendary artists. But not everyone is a fan.

WMYC's Ramsey Caliphate reports on neighbors pushing to get the Queen's Stadium to turn down the volume. Forest Hill Stadium capped off its 100th anniversary this month with a three-night electronic dance blowout. And Christopher Dre felt like he had an unwanted front row seat. That's a recording from his nearby apartment as DJ Fred again shook the neighborhood. My mail slot shakes when it does. If I came here and just put a glass of water down, it was like the scene from Jurassic Park. When the dinosaurs are coming, you see the water start to shake. And it's not just the music.

Dre says it's the rowdy crowds leaving the shows, too. Here's another recording he captured from outside his house. Jure is one of many residents who believe the venue schedules its loudest shows for the end of the season. That way, city officials won't have an upcoming concert to investigate. Andy Court, president of the concerned citizens of Forest Hills, says the music is unbearable. Those last three events were really bad. It's the base. It's powerful base that travels throughout the neighborhood, and it hits people inside their homes.

Some neighbors have been pressing for two years to reduce noise coming from the outdoor stadium. A sold-out show draws about 13,000 people. The city's Department of Environmental Protection has already, done one round of noise mitigation at the stadium. The agency tells WNYC it's doing a second round of abatement measures, but not everyone wants to stop the music. We like to sit outside on the porch and listen to the music, actually, with the kids and, like, dance. And he says, dance party.

Do you have a dance party? Dance party. Another neighbor, Jeff Latter, likes hearing musicians like Bob Dylan, Drake, and Lil Wayne from the comfort of his apartment. I live, like, eight or nine blocks away, and I hear the music. Sometimes I can tell who it is. And so it's generally pretty nice. I mean, I think, like, you know, it kind of comes with the territory of living near a stadium. One neighborhood group, the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation, has had enough.

In May, they filed a lawsuit against the stadium seeking to end the concerts entirely. Complaints from residents have been effective before. Forest Hills Stadium stopped hosting concerts in the 1990s after a barrage of noise violations. It was revived in 2013 with typically no more than 15 shows. There are more than two dozen in the past season, further aggravating some neighbors. Andy court suspects the city is going easy on the stadium. Something's wrong. Something's rotten in Denmark. The suit from the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation argues that the stadium is both a public and private nuisance.

The suit alleges the venue also shouldn't be permitted to hold concerts because it began as a tennis club. WNYC reached out to representatives of the stadium, but they did not respond. In legal filings, the tennis club's general manager says the corporation launched a bad faith campaign to completely shut down the stadium. The concerts are over for the season, but Christopher Dre says there's still no relief from the noise. Standing on his front lawn, he complains about new construction now taking place at the stadium.

How far away do you think we are? Maybe 50 feet? Not even. You know, why? I don't understand. They should put up a 10-foot noise-proof fence and move everything to the side where no one lives. When this guy pulls backwards, it, beep, beep, nonstop. It's never quiet.

That's WNYC's Ramsey Caliphate. As we mock breast cancer awareness months, we're capturing the stories of people from our area who've been impacted by the disease. My name is Stacey Axelrod, and I am from New York City. I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 when I was 26 years old.

So first time I was, Went to talk to doctors about just even mentioning concerns about a lump in my chest. I was told that I was too young to have breast cancer. I was originally diagnosed while I was living on my own in California. My family was taking turns flying to California from New York to come take care of me. And it was just very overwhelming. Eventually, I moved back to New York to be with my family and started going to a way. specific rest center where they had more resources for younger people. And it was a lot of trying to

figure out what I was going to be doing next. One of the things that I started doing was in 2018, I joined the New York City Cancer to 5K running team and met a bunch of friends with different cancer diagnoses and experiences with cancer. The point was just to move. and be in community, and it turned into, I just ran my third marathon yesterday. When I started getting more serious about running, it's when I started reprioritizing my time. Being where I am now, six and a half years out of being diagnosed, I feel like I fully understand how important is to have that time with friends, with family, with the people that we love, because it's never guaranteed.

And it's changed how I look at what I want to do with my life because I want to make sure I do things that allow me to have a positive impact on my communities and the people around me. Stacey Axelrod is a breast cancer survivor from New York City. 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.