Cops break up another
mass gathering in
Manhattan as COVID-19
war continues
Dozens were issued summonses and five were arrested in an illegal gathering
in violtation of the Covid-19 related laws preventing people from getting together.
They were also said to be trespassing and had gained access illegally
to the Manhattan party room at 20 West 23rd Street.
BY TODD MAISEL
What part of “stay home” did they
not understand?
That’s what cops must have
been asking themselves when they broke
up a mass gathering in Manhattan on April
20. The event was a party in which one
attendee said the participants promised to
wear masks and practice social distancing
while having a good time.
The explanation didn’t matter to the
NYPD, entrusted to enforce city and state
orders on occupancy and social distancing
during the coronavirus outbreak. Offi cers
handed out summonses to 38 revelers
for criminal trespassing. Five individuals
also received summonses for marijuana
possession.
Two individuals were found to have outstanding
warrants, including one who was
sought for burglary, police offi cials said.
Police from the 13th Precinct hit the
The Loft in the Flatiron District at 20 West
23rd Street at about 4:30 p.m. on April 20
after calls that there was a disturbance
going on in the rental.
When police arrived, they found numerous
people in the apartment. Most of those
present were hit with a desk appearance
ticket, while four people were escorted
to the precinct in handcuffs, undisclosed
charges pending.
None of those leaving the building
PHOTO BY TODD MAISEL
guarded by mask-wearing cops would
comment. Only one person said it was
supposed to be a “social distance, mask
wearing party.” Some of those leaving
the building attempted to hide, wore their
masks, and some made obscene gestures to
photographers on the scene.
Most residents were incredulous that
anyone would be having mass gatherings
given the COVID-19 pandemic. However,
Steve White, a resident of the neighborhood,
said people should be given opportunity
to gather if confi rmed not to have
the virus.
“I think that if they were all verifi ed that
they don’t have COVID-19, if you’ve taken
all the proper measures to make sure you
don’t have it, and are not a carrier, then life
goes on,” White said. “Why should a bunch
of people who verifi ed that they don’t have
it be prevented from gathering in that case.
I respect the desire to contain and nip this
in the bud – but honestly, I think this is all
a crying shame.”
This latest bust occurred as the NYPD
struggles to regain former strength, with
yet the ninth straight day of reductions in
sick reports with 13.8% of the uniformed
members still out.
On Saturday night, 60 people were issued
summonses and two were arrested
for gun possession at a rap video fi lming
and after party at a Canarsie barber shop
in Brooklyn.
HIGHER ED TODAY
The steps we take to guide The City University
of New York through the COVID-19
crisis are born out of CUNY’s historic mission
to support our students, promote equity
and make sure the most vulnerable are not
excluded from the learning process.
We see who the coronavirus is attacking
in disproportionate numbers — it’s those
who come from our most diverse neighborhoods,
the very communities that form the
backbone of this University.
The principled imperative to make sure
that no one is left behind has set the framework
for CUNY’s decision-making from the
moment I assumed the role of Chancellor.
As I approach my one-year anniversary
on May 1, I couldn’t be prouder of the
work we have done over the last 12 months to
honor the founding values of this University,
a template of opportunity and inclusion that
led us most recently to announce the Chancellor’s
Emergency Relief Fund on April 8 to
provide an urgent lifeline to CUNY students
facing financial strain amid COVID-19.
Launched with $3.25 million including
$1 million each from the Carroll and Milton
Petrie Foundation and the James and Judith
K. Dimon Foundation, and $500,000 from
Robin Hood, the Fund has enabled us to begin
issuing grants of $500 each to thousands
of CUNY students in the first CUNY-wide
student assistance program of its kind. The
first checks were delivered this week. (Individual
contributions can be made at cuny.
edu/emergencyfund.
With support from Governor Cuomo,
CUNY last month invested $12 million to
quickly purchase thousands of laptops and
tablets, without which a sizable number
of our students would have been unable to
make the transition to distance learning and
move forward with their courses.
We have broadened CUNY’s record of
public service from participating in relief
work in Puerto Rico to collecting and distributing
vital personal protective equipment
for health workers and helping to create
face shields from campus 3D printers.
We continue to fill our ranks with pioneering
leaders, individuals like S. David
Wu, the incoming president of Baruch,
who will be the first Asian-American college
president at CUNY. He will be joined
by Robin L. Garrell, newly appointed president
of the Graduate Center; Frank H. Wu,
tapped to lead Queens College and CUNY’s
second Asian-American college president;
and Daisy Cocco De Filippis, who will be
interim president of Hostos Community College
and the first Dominican woman to serve
as a CUNY college president. I am also proud
to have built a cabinet of tested leaders representative
of the City we serve.
As I joined a video conference on April
13 to cheer the inaugural graduating class
of the CUNY School of Medicine, I was reminded
of the school’s mission to address
health care disparities in underserved areas.
These newly minted MDs are a perfect
match for the moment as they graduate early
and embark on their careers at a time of unprecedented
demand, a shining embodiment
of the University’s mission to safeguard the
most vulnerable while creating social mobility
for our graduates.
I also have no doubt that the road to recovery
of New York City’s economy and public
health goes through CUNY. I’m proud to
see, for example, CUNY staff already working
with government and health leaders,
taking steps to train and prepare the thousands
of social tracers we will need in the
months to come.
It all underscores a truth about CUNY,
which I knew to be true 12 months ago when
I had the privilege to become chancellor, and
continues to guide me today: The ground beneath
us may shift, but our commitment to
the equity, inclusion and excellence needed
to sustain New York City’s standing as a
world-class city will never, ever waver.
12 April 23, 2020 Schneps Media