bill de blasio
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Family of Layleen Polanco Reaches History-Making $5.9 Million Settlement Over Solitary Confinement Death
The family of Layleen Polanco, a trans-Afro-Latina who died while in solitary confinement at Rikers Island jail last year, will receive a historic $5.9 million settlement—the largest New York City has ever paid out for a death in one of its city jails. In a statement to The City, family attorney David Shanies said the…
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NYPD Uses Unmarked Van to Grab Protester Off the Street: ‘It Was Like a Kidnapping’ [UPDATED]
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had to answer for the NYPD again on Wednesday morning, after a viral video showed officers in an unmarked van, some of whom were in plainclothes, grabbing a young protester off a Manhattan street on Tuesday evening. The video instantly recalled reports coming from Portland, Ore., where federal…
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Spurred by the 2019 Death of Layleen Polanco, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Moves to End Solitary Confinement in City Jails
A year after trans Afro-Latina Layleen Xtravaganza Polanco died while imprisoned in solitary confinement at Rikers Island, New York City Bill de Blasio has vowed to end the practice “once and for all.” The mayor made the announcement during his Monday briefing, invoking Polanco’s name as well as that of Kalief Browder, the young Black…
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Hundreds of Ex- and Current Staffers Turn Out to Protest New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio
Ify Ike is in pain. So much so that she was unable to hold her composure enough to stick to the written speech that she prepared for the protest Monday aimed at her former boss, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, for what she says is his failure to protect the black and brown…
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![Exclusive: A Coalition of Women of Color Pens Letter Accusing NYC Mayor's Administration of Racism [Updated]](https://assets-server.theroot.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/29112202/ehwdo5d0eib3kdiybaat-300x200.jpg)
Exclusive: A Coalition of Women of Color Pens Letter Accusing NYC Mayor's Administration of Racism [Updated]
A small coalition of former and current female staffers of color for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio wrote a letter condemning the former presidential candidate for overseeing years-long marginalization of their voices, which led to many of them feeling ignored as they tried to help the mayor avoid pitfalls in reaction to the…
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NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Says Police Will No Longer Enforce Mask-Wearing Order
Surely there is a reasonable medium between brutalizing black people for not properly adhering to COVID-19 related measures and courteously handing out masks to white people who are decidedly not observing social distancing rules? The NYPD hasn’t seemed to find that medium yet, but New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is now suggesting that…