Manhattan Borough President World: The Wednesday COVID Update

At press time, TheCity.nyc’s COVID-19 tracker shows Manhattan has 25,131 confirmed cases and 2,929 deaths; New York City as a whole has 201,123 cases and 21,649 deaths.

Primary Day is just three short weeks away, on June 23, 2020, encompassing primaries for President, Congress, and state and local races.

The ballot will be two-sided. On page one, Presidential candidates and then all the delegates will be listed (with the candidate that they are pledged to, at the right of their name). Voters can choose up to any seven of the delegates, regardless of which Presidential candidate they are pledged to. Page two will list Congressional candidates (all four incumbent Manhattan Congress Members have challengers) and State Senate, Assembly, State Committee, and Judicial Delegate candidates.

There are three ways to vote:

In person:  at your regular polling place, from 6 am to 9 pm on Primary Day. Search pollsitelocator.com for that location.

By mail, via Absentee Ballot: All eligible registered Democrats have already been mailed an application which they should fill out and return on or before Tuesday, June 16 by mail in the enclosed postage paid envelope. If you missed that application in your mailbox, you may also request an application online at the Board of Elections website at vote.nyc.  (If you miss the mail-in deadline of June 16, you can also drop off your application and vote in person at the Board of Elections office at 200 Varick Street, 10th Floor, during normal business hours until 5 pm on June 22, the day before the primary.)

In completing the application, specify “Illness” as your reason (The Governor has declared illness a legitimate reason to receive a ballot this year) and list the address to which you want the ballot sent (either your home or your “COVID address”). Again, you must apply by June 16 if using the mail to receive a ballot, which you must complete and return by mail, postmarked by June 22 or returned in person, to the Manhattan Board of Elections office, 200 Varick St., 10 Fl, New York, NY 10014 by 9 pm on Primary Day.

Remember to put the absentee ballot into the provided envelope and sign and date that envelope!

Early, in person: Between Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 21, during these hours at these locations (info from the BOE):

• Saturday, June 13, 2020 10 AM to 4 PM
• Sunday, June 14, 2020 10 AM to 4 PM
• Monday, June 15, 2020 7 AM to 3 PM
• Tuesday, June 16, 2020 12 PM to 8 PM
• Wednesday, June 17, 2020 12 PM to 8 PM
• Thursday, June 18, 2020 10 AM to 6 PM
• Friday, June 19, 2020 7 AM to 3 PM
• Saturday, June 20, 2020 10 AM to 4 PM
• Sunday, June 21, 2020 10 AM to 4 PM

Manhattan’s early voting sites (known as “New York County” at the BOE):
You should visit the site closest to you…

• Taino Towers IV, 240 E. 123rd St. New York, NY 10035
• JHS 143 Eleanor Roosevelt, 511 West 182nd St. New York, NY 10033
• Columbia University Wien Hall, 411 West 116th St. New York, NY  10027
• Jackie Robinson Education Complex, 1573 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10029
• Hunter College Brookdale Dorms, 440 East 26th St. New York, NY 10010
• Robert Wagner Middle School, 225 East 75th St. New York, NY 10021
• PS 175 Henry H. Garnet, 175 West 134th St. New York, NY 10030
• John Jay College North Hall, 445 West 59th St. New York, NY 10019
• West Side High School, 140 West 102nd St. New York, NY 10025
• Campos Plaza Community Center, 611 East 13th St. New York, NY 10009
• The Church of St. Anthony of Padua, 155 Sullivan St. New York, NY 10012
• Columbia University Berrie Pavilion, 1150 St. Nicholas Ave. New York, NY 10032

Whichever way you choose, please remember to vote!

I’d like to point you to a few links that my staff are reading in our current circumstance:

 “Ways to be in the Struggle Beyond the Streets.”

“The Trauma & Burden of Racism.” 

“We Are Done Dying,” a statement from the national president of the NAACP.

“Why Black Lives Matter” a statement by Sheena Wright, CEO of the United Way of NYC.

A statement from former Mayor David N. Dinkins.

And yesterday the Harlem Mothers Stop Another End to Violence (SAVE) offered “Prayers for George Floyd and peace in our city and nation.”

In speaking with transit leaders and advocates, they’re concerned that not enough people know that busses are free in Manhattan right now! I don’t know how long this will last, but everyone should know you can board at the rear door, be relatively distanced in a bus that’s sanitized every night, and get where you want to go without trying to find a scarce cab or expensive for-hire car or going underground– I know, I’ve done it!

The Chinatown Partnership and the Chinatown Business Improvement District are hosting a GoFundMe for businesses damaged and looted during protests. All funds raised will go towards the replacement of damaged glass for small businesses (i.e. no large institutions, chains or banks).

New York City has officially conducted over one million COVID-19 tests, but we are still below our testing capacity. I encourage every Manhattanite to get tested.

The Testing Project, a public health advocacy group, has created a list of all the free testing sites in Manhattan (Google Doc). The City and State refer people to this map tool from Castlight Health. I also have a list of sites on my website that notes this week’s two pop-up sites at Upper Manhattan churches.

Tomorrow (6/4), at 1 pm, Rev. Al Sharpton is slated to deliver the eulogy at George Floyd’s memorial service.

Tomorrow (6/4) at 5:30 pm, I’ll be hosting the fourth Uptown Arts Call, with topics including proposed FY21 city funding for arts institutions. Co-sponsored by the Coalition of Theatres of Color, the Arts and Culture Committee of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, the Harlem Arts Alliance, and the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance. Register here.

Tomorrow (6/4) from 6 – 7 pm, I’ll be joining WEACT for one of their Uptown Chats online events, where I’ll be talking about some of the issues that matter most to Northern Manhattanites and taking questions. Register here.

Tomorrow (6/4) from 6 – 8 pm, I’ll be co-sponsoring a Pandemic Tenants’ Rights Virtual Town Hall with Council Member Ben Kallos and other local, state, and federal elected officials from Manhattan. Attorneys will be available to provide additional information and  answer questions. RSVP online or call (212) 860-1950.

Tonight, Thursday and Friday nights (6/3, 6/4, and 6/5) the New York Urban League is hosting online discussions as part of their yearly The State of Young Black New York Conference. Panels will discuss rebounding financially after COVID-19, resources for virtual teaching, and the way forward for organizers on everything from policing to the Census. Register here for tonight (6/3), Thursday (6/4), and Friday (6/5).

Tonight (6/3) at 7:30 pm, a group of independent NYC-based educational consultants present #CollegesUnbranded: A Virtual College Fair with a Catch.” Students and families can watch presentations from six admissions officers, but details about the colleges will be discussed before the schools’ names are revealed. Register here.

Tomorrow (6/4) from 7 – 10 pm, the Apollo Theater is hosting a “Let’s Stay (In) Together” online concert and benefit featuring performances from Kool & the Gang, Gary Clark Jr., Michael McDonald, Ray Chew, DJ Reborn and others, with special appearances by Dionne Warwick, Teddy Riley, Doug E. Fresh, Roy Wood Jr. and more. The concert will stream free on apollotheater.org, but you can also RSVP in advance.

Friday (6/5) the Congressional Black Caucus is hosting a virtual town hall with national civil rights leaders titled, “Living While Being Black in America.” Click on the title to register.

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) invites children, parents and caregivers to use CMOM at Home, featuring daily themes that explore world culture, science, movement, storytelling and more.

Practice Makes Perfect has announced a free online student enrichment program which will serve 5,000 NYC public school students between grades 3 – 8. Learn more, and fill out the interest forms in English or Spanish.

This summer, Metropolitan Opera is hosting “Met Opera Global Summer Camp,” a free eight-week opera appreciation program featuring Met Opera writers, artists, and musicians for students from grades 3-12. Learn more and register here.

Today’s FreshDirect delivery was made to Taft Houses. From there, the 10-lb food boxes were distributed to King Towers and Lehman Village, as well as Carver, Washington, Clinton, Johnson, and Wilson Houses.

Manhattan Borough Presidents World is planned to be a new newsletter with the information from the current Manhattan Borough President news by Harlem World Magazine.