What’s News Breaking: Wednesday, July 28, 2021
LEGAL AID SOCIETY SUES NYPD: The NYPD is being sued over its alleged refusal to grant access to its special expense budget (“SPEX budget”). The Legal Aid Society filed an Article 78 petition today in the Supreme Court of the State of New York against the New York City Police Department on the grounds that the NYPD is legally required to grant access to budget records. The Legal Aid Society submitted its initial Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request last fall to bring transparency and greater public understanding to the murky landscape of electronic surveillance technologies that the NYPD allegedly has disproportionately used against Black and brown communities.
This litigation comes after FOIL requests and later appeals were denied. The NYPD cited the sensitivity of the records and claimed that complying with the FOIL request would be unduly burdensome.
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OLYMPICS, BROOKLYN-STYLE. Brooklyn has its own Japanese-themed Olympics celebration, one that’s culinary. With the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in full swing, Industry City has launched its own array of festivities and an “Olympic Village” of food and activities at a diverse roster of restaurants and bars for visitors as they root for their favorite teams and enjoy special menu items from vendors representing every corner of the world, with deals honored through the August 8 closing ceremonies. Olympics fans can head to Gumption Coffee, featuring Australia’s Kangaroo Kooler; or WakuWaku, a traditional Japanese izakaya that serves traditional dishes like the Claypot Rice Dish and Olympics Dessert, among many delicacies.