Dear friends,
This has been a rough week on earth. No wonder the billionaires are exploring their options. Air quality in NYC is abysmal due to western wildfires, there are massive floods in Central China, and I could go on and on. One of the themes for today is the consequence of slow action on urgent problems.
New York saw some alarming flooding just two weeks ago. Climate experts recently gathered to discuss the city’s vulnerability to flooding and how we can plan for increased resilience in the face of climate change.
Anthony Rogers-Wright, environmental justice director at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, framed the problem as a
a quintessential and global climate crisis that’s racialized, gendered and disproportionately harms the lives of Indigenous, Black, Brown and Asian peoples as well as poor folk of all races and ethnicities.
He suggested that we ask Cuomo to call a special session of the legislature to pass the Climate and Community Investment Act (CCIA) and Sen. Jabari Brisport’s “Pollution Justice Act.” Brisport’s bill would replace all power plants that generally run only when there is peak demand with renewable energy sources within five years.
Let’s do it. Cuomo might be excited about a chance to change the narrative.
Ask Cuomo to call a special session of the legislature to address the climate emergency. Here’s a ready-made message.
Republicans in the Senate are blocking debate on an infrastructure bill, because they never fail to fail to meet the moment.
And still, we persist.
A lot of what we need will have to be folded into a reconciliation bill (the filibuster-proof budget bills). Federal legislation is needed to improve care for every American and to sustain the care-giving workforce.
Sign this petition to support legislation to strengthen and expand access to Medicaid home- and community-based care services, and provide better pay and benefits for the direct care workforce.
This week, the mayor finally made moves to require staff in city-run hospitals and health clinics to get vaccinated against COVID-19. If they refuse the vaccination, they will be tested weekly. Around 40 percent of workers in the city’s health facilities are still unvaccinated.
Council member Carlina Rivera said that the city is considering extending the order to other city employees.
The police, for example, have a very low rate of vaccination, with just 43% of officers vaccinated. There have been 11,000 cases of COVID in the NYPD alone.
De Blasio has said he will not bring back a general mask-mandate. He has expressed concern that
a renewed focus on mask-wearing would undermine the ongoing effort to persuade people that vaccinations are the best defense. To date, 54% of New Yorkers are fully vaccinated, but parts of the city, particularly in Black and Orthodox neighborhoods, continue to see rates below 40%.
At this writing, the only places where everyone in the city is required to mask up are “on public transit and inside schools, hospitals and congregate settings like homeless shelters.”
A recent Transit Authority survey found that compliance among subway riders is falling below 90%.
At least one of my friends who works in a school has wondered why vaccinations are not required for every staff member and every student 12 and over. I suspect that there are a few reasons why they are not. The first is that while vaccines were authorized by the FDA for emergency use and have proven to be overwhelmingly safe and effective, they are not yet FDA approved.
In May, the Governor announced that
the City University of New York and State University of New York boards will require COVID-19 vaccinations for all in-person students starting this fall. Cuomo also said he would recommend private colleges require vaccination. Cuomo said the requirement would go into effect only if one of the COVID vaccines receives full approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
Both the Pfizer vaccines is in the pipeline for FDA approval. The FDA has until January to respond to Pfizer’s application and a response could come as soon as two months from now. The difference between approval and an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) is a matter of scale, in terms of the volume of data considered. And there are dangers to rushing; people want to know that the process is painstaking and thorough.
But full approval may sway some people. For example, for members of groups that have been treated poorly by the health care system, signing a consent form to get vaccinated—a requirement for vaccines with an EUA—may be a psychological barrier, Monica Gandhi [an infectious disease physician at the University of California, San Diego] says. “Signing a consent that says ‘experimental’ and the phrase ‘experimental’ brings up issues of experimentation on Black and brown communities.”
At this time, vaccine mandates are in place at “more than 500 U.S. universities,” including my employer, NYU.
Indiana University’s requirement that everyone on campus be vaccinated for the fall semester has already withstood a challenge in federal court. It is, of course, unlikely that this will be the final legal challenge to vaccination requirements.
If the mayor and governor are waiting for FDA approval — in order to avert challenges from unions and students — we are not going to see vaccine mandates in place in time for school reopening. Unfortunately, coronavirus cases in NYC are up 218 percent in the last two weeks.
Let the mayor know your views on vaccination mandates for schools.
I’m really glad that I forgot to include a piece of good news on Tuesday, because I’m guessing you are already longing for some. Here it is:
Almost all Brooklyn Public Library branches are open to their pre-pandemic hours, with many restored services. You can browse the shelves, sit and work at tables, and reserve computer time.
Yesterday afternoon, I went to the library; for me, it is a happy place, even though I have to wear a mask when I’m there. I browsed, I borrowed books, I drank from the water fountain, and saw a friend who works there.
Just as I got ready to leave, I saw that it was raining, so I checked out a little exhibition about Major Owens, who began his career as a Brooklyn Public librarian and ended it as an 11-term Congressman who championed the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title I funding for education. I was moved by his biography — his activism and his creative pursuits were impressive.
And then I felt a little better, a little more hopeful.
Have a great day!
with love,
L