Photo by Pamela Bayless.

March 22, 2021 Weather: Clear, with a high of 59 degrees.

Notices:
Our calendar has local and virtual events.

News:
“Recent violence against Asian women is shining overdue light on longstanding, harmful stereotypes,” New York Magazine wrote, in a piece about the proliferation of anti-Asian hate crimes in the country and New York City, where the NYPD reported a nine-fold increase in 2020. The Upper West Side is not immune. “‘I’ve been living in New York for 20-plus years and I’ve never felt unsafe or harassed at all. But just in the last six months, I’ve been harassed multiple times on the subway and the street,’ said Henry Chan, a 48-year-old attorney who lives on the Upper West Side. ‘It feels like if we don’t stand up together now as a community, it’s only going to get worse.’” Thousands gathered in downtown Manhattan on Sunday to honor those killed in the Atlanta shootings, and to express solidarity with the Asian community.

Starting this Wednesday through April 7, parents can sign their kids up for hybrid learning in NYC public schools. “While all parents can indicate interest, the city only has plans for now to bring more elementary school students into school buildings in April,” the Times reports.

Columbia University graduate students are striking, the Spectator reports. “The strike, which officially began on Monday, is the result of two years of unsuccessful negotiations between the union and the University. A central tension of the strike has been navigating the distinction for student-workers between labor and education.”

City, state, and federal laws prohibit discrimination by landlords and brokers against people because of their source of income — including when a federally funded, section 8 housing voucher is involved. Ninety NYC landlords and brokers are accused of flouting those laws, Curbed reported. “One exchange in particular highlights the urgency many tenants now face because of the pandemic: Last May, a broker from Guidance Realty suggested an available studio on the Upper West Side to an investigator, but when the prospective tenant mentioned a Section 8 voucher they were told, “This landlord does not participate.” Even after the would-be tenant described living in a shelter with her 3-year-old daughter and her fears about COVID-19, the agent replied: “I would love to help you but I don’t have a landlord that is taking Section 8.”

You can see the distinctive contours of the once-controversial, now-under-construction Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, rising fast on the western side of the American Museum of Natural History. YIMBY had some text and recent photos showing ‘the reinforced concrete superstructure taking form next to Theodore Roosevelt Park and the intersection of West 79th Street and Columbus Avenue. The distinctive curved edges of the building are becoming apparent as the structure rises below the yellow crane. Steel rebar, orange netting, wooden railings, and construction equipment were spotted alongside construction workers walking across the newly created floors.” The Center is expected to be finished sometime in 2022.

Classifieds:
A Nonprofit organization in Washington Heights is seeking sealed bids for: installation of closed circuit television equipment, installation of impact resistant doors, fixed area lighting, and installation of shatter resistant film or exterior glazing. Specifications and bid requirements can be obtained by contacting us at htprojectbids@gmail.com or calling  (212) 568-8304.