Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that there will be up to $2 billion in cuts for the upcoming fiscal year.

“We hoped this day would never come, but it has,” said DeBlasio. “If ever there was a time to draw on reserves, it’s now.”

The cuts would close outdoor pools and beaches, suspend up to 1000 one thousand summer camp slots, suspend the Summer Youth Employment program, and cut training, overtime, materials and professional development in the school system. The department of education would lose up to $827 million in cost saving measures, according to the proposed budget. 

The budget, which was originally intended to be $95 billion, is now approximately $89.3 billion dollars. De Blasio said  that New York City is predicted to lose $7.4. billion in tax revenue in the next fiscal year, due to the pandemic.

The city has seen 123,146 positive coronavirus cases and over 11,477 deaths. Although statewide hospitalizations have gone down, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo coronavirus hospitalizations have gone up by 386 cases. 

In order to overcome this emergency phase, the mayor said that the city would tap into its fiscal reserves.

The mayor said that this financial decision is a reflection on the lack of federal aid needed for the state of New York. He also criticized FEMA, mentioning that the city is expected to pay 25% of FEMA aid. 

“We have been the epicenter,” he said.“When you look at the impact here, anybody with a heart would recognize that the federal government has to come to the rescue.” 

He claimed that the city should receive at least $7.5 billion in federal aid, but the federal government has prioritized helping large companies instead.

“We got 1.4, billion. We’re the epicenter of the crisis, 8.6 million people, the airline industry got $58 billion,” said DeBlasio. “But a bailout for the place that needs it most has been minimal.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House is working on an additional relief package. It would largely mirror the CARES Act passed last month, which provided $2.2 trillion to fund individual stipends and financial support to local and state governments, corporations, small businesses and hospitals , providing New York state with about $3 billion. Congressional leaders are also constructing a smaller package which would aid $250 billion for small businesses. But since both the House and Congress have extended their recess until May 4, the wait time for these additional legislations is uncertain.

“President Trump, here’s my appeal to you. Help us back up. Tell Mitch McConnell, that we need stimulus 3.5, and we need it directly to New York City, directly to New York State, so we can keep providing the help that people need,” said De Blasio. “If you lead, the Senate will follow. If you are silent they will not. It’s on you, Mr President.”

In an effort to further flatten the curve, Governor Andrew Cuomo extended the NY Pause rule until May 15. 

“I remind you, the federal government was very quick to bail out the banks, a decade ago, no questions asked,” said DeBlasio. “That is what our federal government should do for every reason morally. practically as any question of fairness is any question of how we move forward. And we’re still waiting. 

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In May 2018, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced four safe injection sites would be built across New York. Nearly a year later, while the opioid crisis rages on, the sites are no closer to reality due to a mix of legal and financial issues and questions about the research that suggests them as a solution.

Not everyone is convinced that the mayor’s office is genuine about wanting to get these sites operational.

“I think they just [announced them] to shut everybody up,” said Axcel Barboza, a syringe exchange and outreach specialist at New York Harm Reduction Educators (NYHRE). “It takes a lot to start a safe injection site up, a lot of money and s–t like that. I think they just said yes to calm everybody down.”

Solutions to the opioid crisis are in high demand as overdose deaths continue to rise across the country. Providing a place to do drugs may sound counter-productive, but according to advocates, these sites they could be the new front lines in the opioid crisis.

“When someone says ‘Oh, I think these things are a bad idea because X,’ I think the thing you need to add onto that sentence is, ‘And that’s why I believe people shooting up in McDonald’s bathrooms is a better thing,’’’ said Peter Davidson, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of California.

Underneath an expressway off-ramp near 181st Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Washington Heights, used syringes, crack pipes and empty liquor bottles are left lying on the floor in a popular spot for drug use. Photo by Razi Syed.

While SISs do not officially exist in the United States, more than one hundred such sites are operating around the world, including in Canada, Australia, and Europe. They allow drug users to inject themselves in a safe environment, with medical professionals on hand; they provide clean syringes and stock overdose-reversing medications, as well as a place to ‘hang out’ while the high wears off.

Liz Evans has been involved with harm reduction for over two decades. Currently the executive director of NYHRE, she was a co-founder of Insite, a site in Vancouver, Canada, established in 2003 – the first safe injection site in North America. Between 2003 and 2017, three million people injected there.

“[Insite] quickly became so much more than just an injection site,” said Evans. “No one ever died there. Millions of injections have happened there, so for one thing, no one ever dies at an injection site, ever, because there’s staff to make sure you don’t, which is huge.”

According to Evans, these sites are meant to protect those dependent on drugs, while also increasing general public safety in high-risk areas. Research does seem to indicate that they’re doing just that – but there are some who think that the research itself is flawed.

“Many [studies] fail to use an actual control group. They don’t compare the results of safe injection sites to other solutions,” said Alex Titus, a public interest fellow based in Washington, D.C. “The research is sloppy.”

Naloxone, a drug on hand at clinics used to administer in cases of opioid overdose. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

A significant blow to the safe-injection site discussion came in August, when a major study in the field was retracted. Another analysis, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, found that the sites have no significant effect on overdose deaths and only a small effect on crime reduction, and found only eight studies that were “rigorous and transparent.”

Magdalena Cerda, DrPH, the Director of the Center on Opioid Epidemiology and Policy at New York University, points out that the research on safe injection sites is mostly preliminary and comes from out of the country, especially from Canada and Australia, where such sites are legal.

Even if safe injection sites can overcome the research-based hurdles they face, they still have to counter legal challenges. In many cities, they are on the brink of reality,  including a mock site in San Francisco and an attempted start up in Philadelphia that is currently being challenged by the federal government. Evans thinks that the future of safe injection sites depends on that case.

“The mayor isn’t going to move on it until the governor says it’s okay, and now that there’s this legal case that’s just come up in Philadelphia, I don’t think anyone is going to do anything about it until they hear what the outcome of that case is,” she explained.

The Philadelphia site is being challenged as violating the “Crackhouse Statute,” a law which makes it a felony to “knowingly open, lease, rent, use, or maintain any place for the purpose of manufacturing, distributing, or using any controlled substance.”

Despite these restrictions, there is at least one site operating illegally in an undisclosed location somewhere in the country.

“In about 2013 or 2014, an organization in the United States who provided services to people who use drugs was struggling with the fact that a lot of their service-users were dying of overdose, and they didn’t want to wait,” said Davidson. “They just opened one.”

Davidson performed a research study there, along with Alex Kral, Ph.D., an infectious disease epidemiologist at RTI Health Solutions. The study showed him that safe injection sites are a valid response to the crisis.

“It can be fairly difficult to study something that’s so underground, our research to date has basically said that this facility has saved multiple lives, and doesn’t seem to be having any negative impact on the surrounding community,” he said.

Titus seemed less convinced.

“These sites lead to drug normalization, which is exactly what we’ve been trying to fight,” said Titus. “Advocates claim such sites save lives. Sure, you’re saving that individual that single time they overdose, while continuing to allow them to be slaves to the drug.”

“People are going to shoot up wherever they’re going to shoot up,” said Evans. “That’s a given. This is a response to something that’s already happening.”

Davidson argues that the sites are especially useful when it comes to helping users get into treatment, which can break the cycle of addiction.

Davidson says that while the sites are backed by research, it almost doesn’t matter how effective these sites are – they are always a better option than the alternative.

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On Thursday evening, as the sun set and the air cooled in signs of fall, a horde of yellow invaded downtown Manhattan.

Beginning at E 59th Street and Fifth Avenue, hundreds of bicyclists decked in yellow flowers and safety vest rode from Fifth Avenue to Washington Square Park in a protest demanding not only safe passage for cyclists and pedestrians, but also that New York Mayor Bill de Blasio take immediate action on Vision Zero and invest in fixing dangerous streets in the city.

Seventeen cyclists have been killed this year, which is more than the last year total of 15.

In 2014, the mayor’s office and various city agencies released the Vision Zero Action Plan, an outline of 63 initiatives that they would initiate to diminish the amount of deaths and serious injuries on the streets of New York. Since its inception, 58 new initiatives have been added including installing speed cameras at 20 new locations and installing 250 speed humps.

But for 46-year-old Andreas Turanski, the plan is not doing enough.

“I was telling someone what Vision Zero meant because they had no idea, so obviously the message isn’t getting out,” he said. “They’re not policing enough.”

Though he forgot his bike at home, Turanski wouldn’t let that deter him from joining the protest and rented a Citi Bike to participate with.

“I have two bikes at home, I forgot to bring one, but I really want to be a part of this because I care,” said the software developer who lives on the Upper West Side. “My son’s 14 and he walks on the streets too and also rides on them, as do I and so does everyone else. I wanted to be a part of this so I grabbed one down in the Financial District where I work and biked up here.”

Despite forgetting his bike at home, 46-year-old Andreas Turanski was determined to join the protest for safer streets for bicyclists and pedestrians and rented a Citi Bike to be able to join. Photo by Brelaun Douglas.

Riding his bike about 20 times a week, Turanski really hoped that the event would put pressure onto the issue of pedestrians and bicyclists killed by motorists.

“I would like to get real policing so that people who drive are aware that if they speed, if they turn aggressively, they will get a ticket and they will stop doing it,” he said.

Amirl Hamer, 49, is an activist with Transportation Alternative, one of the groups responsible for putting on the protest, also wanted to see a change in the safety of the streets for all.

“We’re fighting for safe streets, whether you’re a cyclists, a pedestrian, you’re in a wheelchair or whatever form of transportation you take besides cars,” she said. “We’re working on having safe streets.”

Angela Azzolino, of Sunset Park in Brooklyn runs an organization called Get Women Cycling, geared towards encouraging women to ride their bikes, and wanted to see a safer environment for that to happen.

“The number one reason in all my conversations with women is that they’re afraid to ride their bikes because they’re afraid of being hit by a car,” she said. “That’s a pity because it shouldn’t prevent you from a healthier lifestyle, so we’re doing everything we can to get safer streets for everybody.”

Adam Johnson,43, a lawyer from Hell’s Kitchen, also came out to show his support in the cause and hoped that real changes would occur.

“This year there have been twice the number of deaths to this point in the year than there have been in past years despite the mayor’s lip service to Vision Zero,” he said, sitting on his bicycle while still decked out in suit pants and a button up shirt. “We need better enforcement of traffic laws by NYPD, we need enforcement of speed limits for cars, we need better infrastructure in support in terms of protected bike lanes where appropriate and better street architecture. That’s why I’m here. That’s why all of us are here and we hope New York pays attention.”

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Elizabeth Carlson stands in her pre-k classroom on the Upper West Side. By Zoe Lake

When New York City public schools open their doors next September, they may be opening their doors for nearly 55,000 prekindergartners under Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s proposed expansion of pre-K, and experts say, for opportunities to close the achievement gap.

“The more exposure a child has to safe and social settings from a young age the more exposure they have to opportunities, and early language skills predict academic achievement. Kids with poor language skills don’t do well,” said Dr. Christina Reuterskiold. a language development specialist and speech pathologist. Her research at New York University focuses on language disorders in young children.

Dr. Christina Reuterskiold sits in her office at NYU where she leads studies on language development and disabilities in young children. Courtesey of Christina Reuterskiold for Zoe Lake

The widening achievement gap http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/achievement-gap/ has become a concern for educators and policy makers alike, especially in large cities like New York, where wealth disparity among residents has been linked to gaps in academic achievement. De Blasio has made it his personal crusade to expand pre-K across the city to ensure that all kids have access to safe, reliable education from an early age.

But the logistics of a universal pre-k program have become muddled in funding talks. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed expanding the program with funding from the state budget, while De Blasio would prefer to raise money by implementing a new tax on city residents making over $500,000 a year, a tax Cuomo is hesitant to put in place during an election year. Neither plan has been ruled out with the state budget expected to be released on April 1st. No matter where the funding comes from, educators are united in their belief that pre-k would overwhelmingly benefit the city’s school children.

Elizabeth Carlson, 44, of Morristown, NJ, is a pre-k educator at the Hollingworth Center, on the Upper West Side. The Hollingworth Center is located within Columbia University’s Teachers College and not only provides education to young children, but to young teachers who wish to get real world experience in a pre-K setting. Carlson, who teaches both children, and educators, believes it’s time for people to take early childhood education seriously,

“Play is the work of children, it is very serious, and very elaborate,” she said. Pre-k programs “give children the opportunity to develop a sense of self, take safe risks, and be challenged,” all foundations integral to success later in a child’s educational life.

Anna Suh, 42, of the Upper East Side, has a 5-year-old son in Elizabeth Carlson’s class. Suh, who believes strongly in the idea of universal pre-k, says her son’s time spent at the Hollingworth Center has helped him to become more articulate and creative. Next year her son will enter kindergarten, a move she thinks Hollingworth has helped him prepare for, despite a history of difficulties with transitions.

“I think my son is definitely prepared, but he is also very privileged. If [pre-k] has made that big of a difference for someone like him, who has educated parents, and a stable home environment, I can’t imagine the difference it would make for someone who doesn’t have these advantages at home,” said Suh. “If a child is not getting an education and encouragement in the home then where else will they get it but at school?”

Studies carried out by experts at Princeton, Stanford, The National Association for Children in Poverty,and The National Association of Elementary School Principals, among others point out that the achievement gap begins before traditional schooling, and many impoverished and minority children who miss out on education in the home from a young age enter kindergarten well behind their more affluent peers.

While exposure to literacy and learning at home is important, experts agree when children are introduced to a classroom setting at a young age, they are apt to develop the socialization skills needed to succeed later in life. In addition, educators at the pre-K level are given the opportunity to observe very young children in a controlled situation often allowing for early detection and intervention in instances of language and developmental disabilities.

Extensive pre-k programs have proven successful in other states and cities like New Jersey and Washington DC, where pre-k is essentially universal. Curtis Andrews, 38, of Washington DC, is a pre-K educator in in the DC area. He believes his understanding of the importance of early childhood education has increased with each passing year he has taught.

“It is important not just for children, but for parents who we work with to find strategies and solutions for dealing with behavioral and learning issues outside of the classroom,” he said. “That’s the part that’s more meaningful than learning to write, we are a community for these children and their families.”

Andrews, like Carlson, works hard in conjunction with other educators to develop curriculum that suits the needs of his students. While pre-k activities may seem like a lot of song and dance to outsiders, curriculum is laced with important lessons meant to facilitate self-expression, problem solving, spacial relation, and body control-lessons imperative for students’ success moving forward to kindergarten, a move that can be a lesson in itself.

In her classroom last year, Carlson introduced her students to a unit on the puffin, a South American migratory bird whose life cycle provided a template for understanding their upcoming ‘migration’ to kindergarten.

“We try to form connections from one unit to another,” she said. “Children are responsive to understanding connections in their own lives. Pre-K is all about possibility, the possibility of developing a child’s foundation for learning. I am constantly impressed with what my students are capable of taking on.”

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