By: Blaine Prescott

Defense attorneys for Ghislaine Maxwell are trying to hide overly explicit evidence from being made public ahead of her trial.  On Monday, Maxwell’s attorneys filed a proposed protective order, detailing the discovery materials they feel should be kept out of public view, and filed under seal in the Manhattan federal court case.  The “highly confidential” evidence includes any nude photos and sexualized videos, as per court documents.  The lawyers requested that those particular pieces of evidence should not be “disseminated, transmitted, or otherwise copied.”

“Highly Confidential Information contains nude, partially-nude, or otherwise sexualized images, videos, or other depictions of individuals,” the court papers state.  The judge will have the final decision to approve which documents will be withheld from the eyes of the public.

As reported by the NY Post, Maxwell’s attorneys were working together with the prosecutors to agree which discovery materials should be made public and which to keep under lock and key.  The only points they did not agree on is whether Maxwell’s defense attorneys should be permitted to disclose the identities of victims revealed in the discovery material who have already spoken on the record.  “The government’s proposed restriction is therefore ‘broader than necessary’ to protect the privacy interests of these individuals who have already chosen to self-identify, and will hinder the defense’s ability to conduct further factual investigation, prepare witnesses for trial, and advocate on Ms. Maxwell’s behalf,” Maxwell’s attorneys wrote.

Maxwell, the 58-year-old British socialite, has been accused of working with Jeffrey Epstein to acquire and groom girls.  On July 2nd, Maxwell was arrested on a on a six-count indictment for allegedly procuring underage girls for Epstein to abuse, and for then lying about it under oath during a 2016 deposition.  The indictment includes: conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sexual acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and two counts of perjury.  The FBI had launched an investigation late last year probing Maxwell’s involvement.  She had been doing her best to stay under the radar, hiding out in a large New Hampshire mansion, after Epstein’s death.  She is now being held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center, located on Park Row behind the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse at Foley Square.

By: Casey Leigh Jackson

A lawyer for one of Harvey Weinstein’s victims is pointing a finger at New York Attorney General Letitia James for going back on her word to approve the heavily contested class-action settlement.  In June, James had pushed the proposed settlement, which bundles the suits against the 67-year-old former movie mogul, and which only earmarks $19 million for payouts to the victims.

As reported by the NY Post, Lawyer Thomas Giuffra, who represents victim Alexandra Canosa, said he is “very disappointed that the AG didn’t follow her words.”  He said James had promised attorneys for victims who were not represented in the class action suit that she would not accept any deal which would benefit Weinstein and his company.  “She made those representations to attorneys for non-settling victims. She said she’d never agree to a settlement that gave Harvey Weinstein money at the expense of the victims,” Giuffra said.

Notwithstanding, a Manhattan federal judge rejected the suggested settlement, saying at the hearing that the terms were unfair to the victims who were raped or sexually abused.  The included victims would each only get payouts of $10,000 to $20,000.  The deal would also set aside about $15 million to the pay legal fees for Weinstein, his brother Robert, and The Weinstein Company’s board of directors, none of whom would even be required to admit to any wrongdoing, and would be released of future accountability, as per the court papers.  Another $7.3 million would go to the company’s creditors, in the deal which is worth a total of $46.8 million.

“The main winners of this deal, if approved, are Harvey Weinstein, Robert Weinstein, and the ultra-wealthy former directors of the Weinstein Company, who will be absolved from liability, contribute nothing to the settlement,” Douglas Wigdor, the lawyer for the women, wrote in a motion challenging the deal earlier in July.

Proponents for the deal said that it was a chance to get something, considering the troubled finances of Weinstein, who was sentenced to 23 years in jail in March.  In a statement, a spokesperson for James defended the rejected deal.  “Attorney General James has been, and will always be a fighter for survivors of sexual assault and harassment,” the statement says.  “Without a comprehensive settlement in this case, dozens of Weinstein survivors will be left with nothing, and will lose their opportunity to find justice, given the statute of limitations has run out on a lot of their cases. These brave women have been through so much, and the Attorney General believes that they deserve to receive what they’ve long been owed.”

By: Anthony Tartone

Real estate in the Hamptons can now be described by depictions of bidding wars, quick turnarounds, and scarce inventory.  Home prices have jumped up, and despite this, the inventory of homes available are selling out like hotcakes.  The market’s enthusiasm is attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to an exodus out of New York City’s busy neighborhoods.  Not only are New Yorkers keen to get out of the virus’s epicenter, but the onset of remote working and virtual schooling have made it convenient to be in a place where one can enjoy some fresh air.

As reported by the NY Post, home prices in the Hamptons have soared to reach record highs.  The median sales price in the Hamptons leaped 27.1 percent, reaching $1.08 million during the second quarter of 2020, as per Elliman Report released July 23.  That median price had been at $850,000 last year at the same period. The move into the six figure prices, marks the highest median sales price level recorded in the report’s history.  “The pricing is not just up, but way up,” said the study’s author, appraiser Jonathan Miller. “We’ve seen more high-end sales.”

The Average Sales Price for homes in the Hamptons in the second quarter reached $2.09 million, which is a 21.1 percent jump from Q2 in 2019. The average sale price was notably higher than median price, because as in most prosperous periods, there were a few really big-ticket transactions that pulled up the average.

The boom in Hamptons house prices started with the affluent, who wanted to wait out the worst of the pandemic in the comfort of a country home.  Property rentals for March through Labor Day were snatched up as soon as they were listed.  Even the Hampton’s most expensive mansion — developer Joe Farrell’s Sandcastle at 612 Halsey Lane in Bridgehampton — was taken off the market just a day after being listed.  An anonymous magnate payed $2 million to rent the 21,000-square-foot home, with 10 bedrooms and 15 bathrooms, from mid-March through the first week of September.  The rush to rent there for the summer manifested itself into a rush to purchase homes, once the inventory of rentals was depleted.  “There’s somewhat of a herd mentality. There was an eagerness to lock in something out of the city for the summer,” Miller said. “And when rentals weren’t available, sales were the next best thing.”

While prices are soaring, the number of homes in listing inventory is falling. The Elliman study showed 1,906 Hamptons properties on the market in the second quarter, down 25.5 percent from the 2,557 homes listed for sale last year at the same time frame.  “Inventory fell at a significant rate because many homeowners in the beginning of the quarter pulled their listings,” said Miller, explaining that owners were fearful of the pandemic’s shutdown with no open houses allowed. “They were concerned of what the future looked like and would-be listers delayed listing because, again, this uncertainty that was pervasive.”  The houses that did remain on the market, sold out fast, however.  “Because of the lack of inventory, good homes are selling for higher prices,” said Douglas Elliman broker Enzo Morabito.

Despite all the good news, between April and June, the Hamptons saw 433 sales, which is 13.1 percent less than last year, and the lowest second-quarter sales total in 11 years, as divulged by the report. That decline represents the COVID-19 shutdown, and is nevertheless less drastic than the lowered number of sales in other parts of Long Island, including North Fork.

By Hadassa Kalatizadeh

The heart wrenching rise in homeless people living on the streets of the Big Apple continues, amid the coronavirus and ensuing unemployment.  In recent weeks, the sidewalk on Second Avenue between Seventh and Eighth streets has become a make-shift encampment for a community of homeless people.  With access to a city phone-charging kiosk, the East Village encampment has included multiple bundles, blankets and boxes, complete with a tarp, a desk, a large headboard, and a mattress.  City sanitation workers had come and taken apart the encampment, and hauled it away on Saturday.

On Sunday July 26, not 24-hours after city workers took down the makeshift camp site, it was back.  The homeless community had speedily rebuilt their station.  “We had a blissful 12 hours of peace,” said local resident Vanessa Valdes, in an email to The Post on Sunday. “They are back and rebuilding structures again. I saw five people, including the sex worker interviewed in (a Post) article. What can be done?”  As reported by the NY Post , Valdes showed pictures of the street block which showed a tarp, cot and lop- sided shelving unit with two people sleeping underneath.  The encampment is tucked under scaffolding, which was put up in 2015 when an apartment building was devastated by a gas explosion.

The crude shelter has received plenty of negative attention and complaints from neighbors.  Mayor Bill de Blasio had pledged to crackdown on similar encampments in Manhattan.  “Anyone who tells us about an encampment, we’re going to have it addressed right away by Homeless Services, Sanitation, PD,” de Blasio said, referring to the camps on West 55th Street and 10th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen; at West 10th Street and Seventh Avenue South in the West Village; and at West 24th Street and Sixth Avenue in Chelsea. “Whatever it takes.”   This is what led to the sanitation workers that came to clear out the above described installation on Saturday.

Locals were disappointed to see, however, that the homeless occupants did not go far.  They crossed the street, and waited under the shade of the Orpheum Theater, and came right back when the city workers left.  “They clear it out two times. They come back right away,” said Mike Tarabih, 45, a cook at the neighboring B&H Restaurant. “It’s too much. The blankets, the beds the furniture. They make apartments on the sidewalk. Customers say, ‘No, I go somewhere else.’”

On Sunday, the city Department Homeless Services made a statement.  “Anytime we encounter or learn about a condition on the street that needs to be addressed, we do so as quickly as we can, discussing directly with any unsheltered individuals who may be there at the time the options and resources available to them, and coordinating with partner agencies as needed,”  said DHS spokesman Isaac McGinn in an email.  “Engaging those in need isn’t easy or quick work, nor is accepting services for those who’ve lived unsheltered for some time,” McGinn added. “It requires persistence, compassion, and trust, and we will keep coming back.”

By:  Rusty Brooks

Former Governor George Pataki went on the popular political round table radio show hosted by NY billionaire and former mayoral contender John Catsimatidis to discuss the current crime explosion in NYC

“When I took office, New York was the most dangerous state in America. People got used to safety over the last 20 years,” he said during a radio interview with John Catsimatidis on 770 AM.

“They don’t remember the time back when we were so dangerous. What we are seeing now is a regression to those dark days when criminals ruled the streets,” Pataki went on. “When parents were afraid to send their kids to school. And when tourists knew better than to come to New York. I’m worried about the future of New York”, the former 2 term governor who was known for his professionalism, bipartisanship and calm demeanor, stated.

The shootings have become so plentiful, it is hard to keep track of endless police reports and news briefs. This past weekend, the reports of violence were flying off the presses. AM NY reported on Sunday July 26^th: one man is dead, and five others wounded in separate shootings as police struggle to make arrests in three previous homicides the night before. This would bring the death toll on Saturday to 4, after 3 deaths on Friday night.

Here is breakdown of the mayhem Saturday into Sunday morning, as per AM NY

July 25, 8:30 p.m. – A man was reportedly shot in the leg at the corner of Herkimer Street and Hunterfly Place in East New York, Brooklyn after a dispute, police from the 75th Precinct say.

The victim was taken to Brookdale University Medical Center and was in stable condition. There are very few details on this incident.

July 26, 12:42 a.m. – Police from the 120th Precinct found a 32-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the right leg in the rear of 260 Park Hill Avenue in Staten Island. The victim was rushed by EMS to Staten Island University North, where he was pronounced deceased from a severe loss of blood. There are no arrests and the investigation is ongoing

July 26, 3:10 a.m. – Police from the 49th Precinct found a 37-year-old man shot once in the head in front of 2760 Bronx Park East in the Bronx. EMS pronounced the man dead at the scene.

Police are looking for witnesses in this incident and are studying security video from surrounding buildings. The victim has not yet been identified.

July 26, 5:42 a.m. – A 24-year-old man was shot once in the head and a second man was shot once in the groin at Garden Street and Grott Street in the Bronx.

Both men were rushed by EMS to St. Barnabas Hospital where the man shot in the head is in critical condition and the second man is stable.

Meanwhile of Friday night, 3 more people died Friday night into Saturday. One of the most disturbing reports came Friday, as reported by AM-NY:  A 39 year-old-man was fatally gunned down in front of the Miller Evangelical Christian Union Church at 1110 President Street. Police from the 71st Precinct say the victim was shot point-blank in the face and neck. He was rushed by EMS to Kings County Hospital but could not be saved.

Pataki pointed out that by allowing left wing radicals to endlessly protest against the NYPD, the violence has escalated. In other words, de Blasio and the city council have set the tone by allowing the intense hatred against the police to permeate on the streets.

“In a short period of time, the radicals have taken over,” Pataki said.

“Name one politician in the State of New York or the City of New York that’s standing up and defending our police,” he went on.

“I fear now with people working remotely…they’re going to say, ‘I don’t need the commute. I do not need to put up with the homeless on the streets. I don’t need to put up with the crime”, Pataki went on.

“We’re going backwards. It’s tragic,” he added. “We’ve got to change it.”

Most major cities are totally at the mercy of radical left-wing governments who are totally sympathetic to the Marxist anti-police radicals, which have taken over cities such as Portland and Seattle. The tolerance for the protesters who in many cases border on literal terrorists, have created an endless cycle of death. Minneapolis, the heart of the BLM protests, has seen crime climb to record highs, since the protests have started. With a one-party system in almost every major city, there is little hope this mayhem will ever stop.

“A mass exodus of productive, law abiding citizens from every major city in the country, would certainly be the most peaceful way to handle this. With no taxpayers left, and only criminals inhibiting places like Portland, Minneapolis, Seattle, and others, they would sink.  Trump should literally  mail large checks to law abiding citizens who want out of the city, cut the radical leftist governments out of the tax money, coming from the good citizens, and let the radicals drown in a river of blood, this would protect the innocent, who do not support the madness”  Jared Evan, political analyst and writer told TJV.

By Ellen Cans

Actress Spencer Grammer, daughter of Kelsey Grammer, was reportedly slashed in the arm, at an East Village restaurant on Friday evening.   She and a friend were dining outdoors at the eatery The Black Ant on Second Avenue.  She and her pal, who were not part of the argument, bravely confronted a blade-wielding drunk who had come in and disturbed the peace at the restaurant.  The drunk man had turned his weapon on them, as per multiple law enforcement sources.

As reported by the NY Post, at about 11:30 pm on Friday night, the chaos began when a man, who seemed to be intoxicated, entered the cozy eatery and tried to get a table. He was snubbed because it was close to closing time at the establishment.  At this, the man seemed to lose restraint, as per several sources and bystanders.  The man refused to leave and began fighting with a male diner, who in turn picked up a chair and began to swing it.  This led to a full-fledged scuffle with over a dozen employees and onlookers joining the fight.

Grammer, 36, a voiceover actor on Adult Swim’s “Rick and Morty” cartoon, along with her friend, Jan Phillip Mueller, 32, were there at that time, and tried to defuse the situation.  The drunken man began swinging what one law enforcement source called “a silver blade.”

“Everyone jumped out of their seats. About 15 people maybe. Everyone was trying to pull them apart,” one eyewitness named David told The Post of the drunk and the chair-swinging man.  “It looked like there was a full-on brawl.”

It was David who reportedly called the police after seeing the debacle from the window of his home.  “First I heard yelling,” said David, referring to the shouting and swearing on the sidewalk where the restaurant was convened.  David said a waitress from the eatery later told him that the man swinging the chair had shouted a racial slur, which escalated the tension and led the dunk man to take out a blade.  “Some people got up to try to separate them,” David said of the two combatants.  That was when the drunkard became a stabber.  “One guy was trying to restrain the stabber,” David said, describing Grammer’s courageous friend. “Then I saw blood coming out of the lower right hand side of his back. I saw enough blood coming out to tell that something was going on,” he said.  That was when he said he called 911.  He said that despite the police arriving in a minute, the slasher, who he described as buff, bald and wearing a white shirt, had already fled on Third street, and has not yet been apprehended.  “I’ve been quarantining outside of the city and had just gotten back, and there is a stabbing outside of my apartment,” David said. “This is my welcome back to New York.”

Grammer, who also played the part of Casey Cartwright on “Greek,” the ABC Family dramedy, was reportedly slashed in the right forearm, and her pal Mueller across the back by the assailant, as per multiple police sources.  Both the victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital, where they were treated for their injuries and released.  As per the Post, the police report says they both received stitches.

Grammer, who lives nearby in the East Village where the incident occurred, did not comment.  Her father, Kelsey Grammer, the star of “Frasier”, downplayed his daughter’s injury.  He commented through a spokesman on Saturday to say, “There are elements of truth to the story but Spencer was not slashed; she is fine.”

By Benyamin Davidsons

Posh condo sales at 220 Central Park South are still on track this month, post-Corona. Two big deals were closed in July at the Billionaires Row tower in NYC, which is owned by Vornado Realty Trust and led by Chairman Steve Roth. As reported by the Real Deal, the total for the two deals at the building summed up to $109 million.  The more expensive of the apartments was sold for $55.5 million, with a closing date of July 21. The four-bedroom condo, with 5,935-square-feet of space, was on the 68th floor of the luxury 950-foot tall condominium skyscraper. The seller, was listed as a foreign limited liability company KMZM LLC, who had gone into contract buying property in October 2018.  The new buyer was not named in the public records.  The unit was last listed for sale at $60 million, as per the latest condo offering plan. Actually, Vornado had initially listed it for $51.5 million in the original offering plan, but later raised the price.

Another big sale was closed just a week earlier.  Another 4-bedroom unit of the same size, on the 64th floor, sold for $53.9 million. The buyer in this sale was also not named in public records.  The seller had purchased it through an LLC, and had gone into contract in 2015. The las listing price for this apartment was $58 million, also up from its initial offering of $49 million.

The building boasts a Limestone Façade and has 70 floors with 116 units, overlooking Central Park.  Designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, with interiors by Thierry Despont, it features amenities including a 95-foot swimming pool, squash court, fitness center, spa, board room, club room, private dining room, garage and full service staff.  The apartments offer luxury top-of-the-line appliances, oversized windows, high ceilings and designer moldings.  The tower’s duplex penthouse notably closed in January 2019 for an astounding price of $239,958,219, which set the record for the highest price paid for a personal residence in the U.S.

The renowned building didn’t really experience downtown in selling its units.  A similar pair of apartments, on the 63rd and 65th floors, closed in April for a combined price of $110 million. Weeks earlier, there were the closings for sales of pads on the 61st and 62nd floors.  The luxury condos at 220 Central Park South continued to be a money maker for the Vornado, despite the pandemic, and despite the investment trust’s enormous write-down on some of the retail properties it owns.  In this year’s second quarter, the REIT still reported a $49 million after-tax net gain from sales at 220 Central Park South.

By: Hellen Zaboulani

There was a slither of good news, but then some more bad news for New York City landlords.  As per a study by a NYC landlord group, delinquencies in rent payments fell last month from 25 percent down to 18 percent, however residential buildings saw vacancies double, rising to 8 percent since February.

As reported by Crain’s NY, the Community Housing Improvement Program report showed that even though rent payments are somewhat back on track, they are still lower than the norm for landlords.  Land owners have been struggling to keep up expenses on their property while tenants fell behind on payments.  The report said, more than 15 percent of renters are one month or more behind in their payments—this would mean that renters of roughly 300,000 units in NYC are late in their payments.  “This is no time to take a victory lap,” said program Executive Director Jay Martin. “Tens of thousands of New Yorkers are struggling to pay their rent, and that means the owners of hundreds of apartment buildings are in financial distress.”

As a result of the financial pressure many tenants have left the city.   Their exit has further aggravated the situation, handing the landlords scores of vacancies.  The jump in empty apartments–roughly 200,000 units—has more likely occurred in expensive units, as per the report.  This is bad news for rent-stabilized units too, because it’s the expensive units that help subsidize the affordable units. The number of available Manhattan apartments for rent on StreetEasy reached 20,833 on Friday, up from 9,350 just last year.

“Many of our members are in serious danger of losing their buildings if the federal government does not step up and provide renters with help,” Martin said.  He said that the landlords still have to pay their mortgages and tax payments even though their rent collection has slowed. Martin said he expects some landlords may need to sell their properties if this situation keeps up or much longer.

“The real estate industry is the main financial driver of revenue that keeps the city and its essential services operating,” said Joseph Strasburg, president of the Rent Stabilization Association, which reps 25,000 owners of a million rent-stabilized apartments in NYC’s five boroughs.   The problem will have a wide impact of the city’s economy.  As per Crain’s, property taxes bring in 40 percent of the city’s annual tax revenues. The Independent Budget Office has downgraded its projected intake for the next four years.

At the same time, Commercial vacancies are also up, pulling down prices, as per a report from real estate firm CBRE.

By: Benyamin Davidsons

In less than a decade, a New York-based money manager has invested a whopping $1 billion into a small niche segment of the market.  Once upon a time, not so long ago, even Wall Street executives hadn’t heard of impact investing.  As of December, impact funds managed a total of $715 billion, up exponentially from only $8 billion in 2012, as per the Global Impact Investing Network.

Rekha Unnithan, has been co-Head of Impact Investing since 2012, and instrumental to determining the Impact Investment strategy at Nuveen.  The 38-year-old led the creation of Nuveen’s impact investing portfolio and is responsible for growing and expanding it across sectors, asset classes, and regions.  As per Crain’s, she oversees more than $1 trillion of assets, including over $5.8 billion in impact strategies.   The investments she specializes in aim to make a positive impact on society and the environment, while making money.  Last week alone, Nuveen attracted $150 million from institutional investors on investments that focused on battling income inequality and climate change.

Despite her success, she was forthcoming in issuing a warning, to keep a straight head while investing in such a fast growing market.  “Impact investing is now all of a sudden having its moment,” said Unnithan. “It’s cool now and is getting a lot more attention. We must be very mindful though that this is done correctly to actually have impact as opposed to just moving capital around and calling it impact.”

The impact investments are both socially and financially rewarding, making them naturally appealing, particularly now during the pandemic and racial unrest and tensions. Nuveen’s investments concentrate on health care for low-income consumers, education for the underprivileged and affordable housing.

Impact funds differ from Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing, which is a more traditional socially responsible investing.  ESG basically only dodges irresponsible companies that pollute or make tobacco products or have poor ESG scores.  By Contrast, impact funds, which have only gained popularity in recent years, invest in companies that work to bring forth desirable change, like eradicating disease or lowering carbon emissions, or adding affordable housing.

Unnithan focuses on impact in private equity and real estate. She told Crain’s that an average impact investment for Nuveen ranges from $20 million to $60 million.  Recent impact investments for the company include: $50 million in a company that makes energy-efficient windows while reducing glare; roughly $30 million for an affordable housing project for low-income seniors in Brooklyn;  and $10 million investment in Revolution Foods, which provides fresh ingredient meals to schools in underserved communities.

As per a report by Nuveen, by its own count, its impact-investment activities from 2009 to 2018 succeeded in preserving 20,000 affordable housing units across the country, allowed 14 million low-income patients to get medical care and helped avoid  the emission of 1.8 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Unnithan declined to provide details on the financial performance of Nuveen’s impact funds, though she said they have been “in line with expectations on a risk-adjusted basis.”

The pandemic has changed Reyes’ life and those of many in Corona, a Latino neighborhood in Queens that was among the hardest hit places in the world.

By: AP

Damiana Reyes is back at work at a busy Manhattan hair salon, making highlights, blowouts and extensions. But her mind often drifts to her father, with whom she lived in Queens, before he succumbed to the coronavirus at age 76.

“All my clients ask about him and then, when I return home, people ask me in the street where he is. It’s a constant reminder that he is not around anymore,” said Reyes, who thinks her father got sick while playing dominoes at a day care center for elders.

The pandemic has changed Reyes’ life and those of many in Corona, a Latino neighborhood in Queens that was among the hardest hit places in the world.

Even though tropical music emerges from recently reopened stores and some people sit outside at restaurants offering sidewalk dining, the lingering effects of COVID-19 are noticeable. Hunger and joblessness are rising. Survivors are still grieving lost loved ones.

Lines for free food stretch every day for two blocks on 39th Avenue, filled mostly with Latino men who lost jobs in restaurant kitchens, in construction or doing domestic work when the city shut down in March.

Shutters are down on businesses that have closed permanently. Many people haven’t paid rent in weeks, said Pedro Rodríguez, executive director of La Jornada, a food pantry.

“We have gone from 20 to 30 new clients a week to thousands in the last three months,” said Rodríguez, whose pantry is based in Flushing but recently started to also deliver food once a week from the Queens Museum, in Corona, to serve between 700 and 1,000 families.

“The calls we have gotten over the last month, requesting food, come from Corona,” he said. “Before the pandemic, we used to see many elderly people. Now, we see young families in their 20s, in their 30s. It’s dramatic.”

It is pure coincidence that the neighborhood, where more than 440 people have died, shares its name with the coronavirus. But it’s no coincidence that the virus picked Corona and other neighborhoods like it in the city to reap victims.

City data shows that poor immigrants and Black New Yorkers were hit harder than wealthy, white sections of the city. Health officials have attributed that partly to the virus spreading easier in cramped apartments among laborers who can’t telecommute to work.

Corona has the city’s highest percentage of foreign born residents (60%) and North Corona sits in Queens Community District 3, which has the largest percentage of unauthorized immigrants in the city, according to census data. That’s why many here work informal jobs, don’t have health insurance and can’t apply for federal relief.

Every day, immigrants from Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala and Colombia start lining up around noon to get food distributed by the nonprofit Alianza Ecuatoriana Internacional.

Eduardo Macancela, a 60-year-old Ecuadorean immigrant, is one of the first in line.

“I have sold everything I had, any jewelry, everything,” said Macancela, who worked at a Forrest Hills shoe store for more than 20 years. The store has shut down, leaving him without a job. He hasn’t paid rent in weeks but he says his landlord is starting to pressure him.

“Who is going to hire me at 60?” he said. “I want to go back to Ecuador. I have three children there.”

The unemployment rate for foreign-born Latinos has jumped from 4.4% in February to 13.5% in June, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

In New York, the city partnered with the Open Society Foundations to offer a total of $20 million in payments to immigrant workers regardless of their immigration status.

(AP)

By: Mike Mustiglione

Hundreds of people in New York City have been moved from homeless shelters to the Lucerne, an Upper West Side hotel.

As was reported by the NY Post, the Lucerne is one of 140 hotels citywide that DHS tapped since the pandemic broke out to take in the homeless, who are considered at greater risk for COVID-19 infection if they remain in city-run shelters. Some 13,500 single adults are now being put up in hotels.

While this has been a financial benefit to the hotel owners, who have been destroyed economically due to coronavirus, the end results are usually increased crime, drug addicts shooting heroin in front of the hotel, people defecating on the floor, and endless fights on the street.

Residents in the surrounding area in the UWS spoke to CBS news and claim they were not told about this until the last second and had zero input.

CBS reported: I’m worried about whether there are going to be a lot of homeless men just hanging around on the street,” said neighbor Jamie Berg.

“I have no problem taking care of these people, OK? I have no problem. But to put them at my back door, I am petrified. I am really petrified,” a neighbor named Carolee said.

Neighbors say they were not told about the decision until late last week. They had no input and no choice.

“It’s not right that we didn’t have any say, that they were just put here,” said Robert Montano.

“Well as soon as I knew, they knew,” said City Councilmember Helen Rosenthal.

Rosenthal said the city’s shelters are too crowded, often sleeping two dozen people in a room. So the city has been emptying its shelters, placing thousands of people in hotels to reduce the spread of the virus.

There’s a children’s school, which is about a block and a half away from here. How is that happening? So, I have concerns,” Montano said.

It costs an average $174 a night to put up a homeless person in a hotel in the city. Right now, there are more than 13,000 people sheltered in hotels as a result of this pandemic, CBS reported.

FEMA is supposedly paying the city 75 percent of the cost to house homeless in hotels during the pandemic, the program’s economics are mostly a mystery, according to the NY Post

The NY Post spoke to another local: Dorota Brosen, who lives across the street from the previously converted Belleclaire on West 77th Street, watched the Lucerne move-in and warned, “I see what goes on from my window. There’s drinking, smoking, and sleeping on the sidewalk. People are afraid to walk past.”

In areas such as Hells Kitchen and Times Square where hotels have been converted into homeless shelters, residents have experienced a whole slew of anti-social and vile behavior, including public acts of lewdness. The fears of the locals appear justified