Pied-à-Terre Tax Standoff, Empty Apartments Outcry, NYPD…

Politics & Policy

• Mamdani administration skips pied-à-terre tax rollout hearing as Council members fume over unanswered questions · Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration declined to attend a City Council hearing on the pied-à-terre tax rollout five days after the mayor said officials could juggle the hearing with an ongoing lawsuit, leaving lawmakers without live answers. The department submitted written testimony but did not engage directly. (AM New York)
• Zohran Mamdani’s Promise and the Reality of Supermarket Prices · The City named La Marqueta in East Harlem the first site of its plan for five city-owned grocery stores offering goods at 30% below market prices, aiming to save households roughly $90 monthly. The Hunts Point location will open late 2027, with La Marqueta scheduled for 2029. (Vital City)
• Feds pass deadline to answer questions about why Queens soldier wasn’t included in Iran War death count · The federal government missed a deadline to explain why Staff Sergeant Angel Sarah Rampersad and three other Queens soldiers were removed from the Iran War casualties list, despite demand from a Queens lawmaker. (Queens Daily Eagle)

Housing, Transportation & Infrastructure

• Opinion: 57,000 Empty Apartments and Not a Word of Apology · Local Law 18 closed short-term rental income for many families, contributing to 57,000 empty apartments, which officials dismiss as statistical noise without apology. (City Limits)
• Noho parking lot to become 200 apartments after Landmarks approves revised design · The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved Minskoff Equities’ plan to develop two high-rise buildings with over 200 apartments on a Noho parking lot, including up to 65 affordable units. (6sqft)
• Amtrak completes first phase of East River tunnel project amid LIRR disruptions · Amtrak finished the first phase of a 15-month rehabilitation project to repair East River tunnels damaged by Hurricane Sandy, restoring one of two tunnels used by trains in and out of Penn Station. (6sqft)

Culture & Lifestyle

• An Inexpensive Hand Roll Pop-Up Now Has a Storefront · NYC’s new restaurants, bars, and cafes for August include a formerly pop-up hand roll spot that has opened a permanent storefront. (Eater NY)
• School of Visual Arts Faculty “Blindsided” by Course Cuts Amid $22M Deficit · SVA faculty union called on leadership to collaborate with the community following course cuts amid a $22 million budget shortfall. (Hyperallergic)
• One of the Upper West Side’s most popular brunch spots is closing after 45 years—here’s the last day to dine · A cherished Upper West Side brunch spot will serve its final meal this month after 45 years, with its famous breakfast items set to continue elsewhere. (Time Out)
• New York’s most iconic brewery is shuttering its doors after 30 years this month—but it’s not goodbye forever · Williamsburg’s long-standing brewery will close its North 11th Street tasting room this month before relocating to a larger space four blocks away. (Time Out)
• NYC Culture Commissioner Diya Vij Appoints Bryan Joseph Lee as Deputy · Cultural strategist Bryan Joseph Lee joins the Department of Cultural Affairs as Deputy Commissioner working alongside Diya Vij. (Hyperallergic)

Business & Economy

• Brooklyn Cyclones Admit They Dropped the Ball on Worker Tips · Brooklyn Cyclones management acknowledged failing to pay proper tips and reimbursed at least one employee following an investigation exposing wage theft. (The City Reporter)
• Teamsters Hit Amazon Over Delivery Worker Layoffs, With Millions at Stake · The International Brotherhood of Teamsters filed a complaint accusing Amazon and 13 subcontractors of violating state law that protects employees from mass layoffs, risking millions in penalties. (The City Reporter)
• Officials tour planned site of first city-owned grocery store · City officials and potential operators toured the Bronx site designated for New York’s first city-run grocery store as part of Mayor Mamdani’s initiative to provide affordable groceries. (Spectrum News)

Civic Services & Government

• The 6-Year Battle Over a Brooklyn Bridge Park Bathroom · Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pierhouse bathroom remains closed amid a six-year legal battle, frustrating regular visitors encountering barricades and closure signs. (Curbed)
• English-Only Classrooms, Spending Cuts: How Federal Changes to Head Start Could Impact Kids in NY · Federal changes threaten Head Start programs serving 43,300 children and 900 pregnant women in NY by imposing English-only classrooms and cutting funding for early education and nutrition services. (City Limits)
• Mother sues ACS for year-long ‘barrage’ of allegedly unconstitutional home searches · Katie Valdez filed a federal lawsuit against ACS alleging repeated unconstitutional warrantless home searches and coercive interrogations by child welfare caseworkers. (AM New York)
• State to help fund legal services for immigrant kids after Trump cuts program · New York State pledged over $7 million to provide legal representation to 1,400 unaccompanied immigrant children left without counsel after the Trump administration ended its contracts. (Queens Daily Eagle)
• NYC schools have seen 250 antisemitic incidents since Oct. 7, report finds · A report documents 250 antisemitic incidents in NYC schools since October 7, including antisemitic fliers targeting a housing redevelopment in Chelsea. (JTA)

DEEP DIVE

New federal monitor report: Black and Hispanic New Yorkers make up 91% of those stopped and frisked by NYPD special units found to be violating the Constitution

Specialized NYPD units formed under ex-Mayor Eric Adams continue unconstitutional stops, frisks, and searches disproportionately targeting Black and Hispanic New Yorkers, according to federal monitor Mylan Denerstein’s 31st compliance report. The report reveals only 83.4% of stops, 68.6% of frisks, and 61.7% of searches by these units met constitutional standards in 2025, far short of compliance benchmarks. These units—Neighborhood Safety Teams, Public Safety Teams, and Community Response Teams—operate mainly in plainclothes using unmarked cars and initiate stops independently in so-called high-crime areas.

The report follows a 2011 settlement finding NYPD’s original stop-and-frisk policy unconstitutional due to racial profiling. Despite that, compliance rates for the most intrusive stops remain low, with no sustained improvement through 2025. The monitor flagged that 91% of people stopped by these specialized units are Black or Hispanic, highlighting ongoing racial disparities. Additionally, the NYPD failed to audit hundreds of stops by the Community Response Teams from 2023 until March 2026, delaying accountability.

This federal oversight signals urgent need for NYPD ownership and reform to align policing with constitutional rights. The findings implicate thousands of Black and Hispanic New Yorkers subjected to unconstitutional stops, potentially eroding public trust. The department must show concrete changes in upcoming compliance reports or face further legal consequences, while city residents demand an end to discriminatory policing practices rooted in these specialized units. (AM New York)