Dear CRDC,

This upcoming Thursday we will be holding our second Virtual Happy Hour with Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, plus other special guests. See details in the 'Upcoming Events' section. Also, check out our new Resource page on our website. The link can be found below in the 'What Else is Going On' section.

Just as a reminder, even though the weather is becoming nicer outside, it doesn’t mean you should forget about all of the safety rules we have been following for the last couple of months. Please continue to wear masks and practice social distancing. Nobody enjoys our current situation, however if we ever want things to get better, if we want NYC to open up, if we want life to go back to whatever our new normal will be, we must be mindful and considerate with everything we do.

Here are the latest items you all can do from home. Whether it’s joining a Zoom meeting, filling out your census, or simply reading through our helpful resources, we hope the following will help occupy some of your time. #FocusOnThePositive Enjoy!!!

• This upcoming Thursday at 7pm, we will be hosting our 2nd Virtual Happy Hour meeting. We will be hearing from Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney as well as Ken Jockers, Executive Director of Hudson Guild, Darlene Waters, President, Elliott-Chelsea Houses Tenant Association,  Miguel Acevedo, President, Fulton Houses Tenant Association, and Erik Bottcher, Corey Johnson's Chief of Staff, who will be discussing what’s been going on in our community and what they have been doing about it. Please use this link to join in on this Zoom event or you can call in using this number; 1 929 436 2866 - Password: 038175 Meeting ID: 852 9935 1701

• COVID-19 has impacted all of our lives, but it impacts the lives of people with disabilities even more. Four Freedoms Democratic Club, in collaboration with Manhattan Young Democrats, Chelsea Reform Democratic Club, and Village Independent, will be holding a Zoom panel on May 20, 2020 at 7:00PM, which will address the types of struggles people with disabilities are facing at this time and how people without disabilities can be an ally. Our panelist will speak and take questions at the end.  To attend the event, please register here.

• NYC Council Hearings. There will be legislative and budget hearings over the next few weeks. Check the hearing calendar on the Council website for upcoming meetings.

• June 23 Election: All registered voters can vote by mail in June. You can confirm your address and registration status here or by calling 1-866-VOTE-NYC (1-866-868-3692). Click here to request your ballot.

• Federal appeals court judges seemed inclined during oral arguments Friday to let New York’s Democratic presidential primary proceed in June. Read about this here.

• Covid-19 has changed everything; You can read Governor Cuomo's full plan for re-opening here

• This week the City Council passed a package of bills that included legislation capping food delivery app commission fees to as little as 5% during the pandemic; preventing commercial landlords from going after COVID-impacted small business owners’ personal assets; protecting COVID-impacted small businesses from harassment; prohibiting delivery apps from charging restaurants for phone orders that didn’t take place; and suspending sidewalk cafe fees. Click here to read more

• It is absolutely vital that we take appropriate safety precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19: There's more information on the risks and necessary precautions for outdoor activity in this New York Times article.

• Congratulations to Erik Bottcher for receiving the endorsement from the United Federation of Teachers for City Council. "We are proud to endorse Erik for the City Council and know he will be an effective advocate for both District 3 and all of New York City,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew. Read about it here.

• Meet the New York City Volunteers Risking Their Lives to Feed People

• With Broadway dark due to coronavirus, costumers are now producing masks for NY’ers in need 

• Fill out your Census! There is one thing we can all do for New York while we are stuck indoors. Fill out the form you have received in the mail, do it online at https://my2020census.gov, or over the phone by calling 844-330-2020. 

• Blood Donations are needed!!! - find a location near you: 

• Apply to be a contact tracer. Contact tracing is a public health project where a team of professionals trace the contacts of anyone who tests positive for COVID-19. Click this link to apply for a Contact Tracer job or to search for other jobs within this initiative. You can email [email protected] for more information

• Vote Blue 2020: consider donating to Vote Blue.  They are still looking for at least 51 contributions in order to become a multi-candidate PAC. You can donate here: https://votebluenyc.org/donate.

• Check out our new Resource page. All the useful information we have posted in past Eblasts is located here. This Resource page will be updated often with the latest information. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

• NYC families: if your child has a persistent fever, rash, abdominal pain, vomiting or other symptoms, call your doctor immediately. It could be related to Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome. If you don’t have a doctor, call 311. Learn more: https://on.nyc.gov/3fHCFz4

• The following was written by a colleague who had contracted the Coronavirus. Each day he took notes, detailing his own experience in hopes it would be helpful to others. He has granted us permission to share this with you all. Thank you Brian for these helpful, "lessons learned."

We truly hope you are all still doing the best you can. If you need any kind of assistance, please do not hesitate and reach out to us. We are #AloneTogether and we must continue to #StayHome and follow all safety precautions. #FocusOnThePositive

All the best during a difficult time, 

The CRDC Board