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Brian Lehrer: It's The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. Good morning again, everyone. As usual, to start the eleven o'clock hour here on Fridays, it's time for our weekly, Ask the Mayor segment. My questions and yours for Mayor Bill de Blasio at 646 435 7280 or you can tweet a question. We'll see it if you use the #AsktheMayor. Good morning, Mr. Mayor. Welcome back to WNYC.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Hey, good morning, Brian. How are you doing?

Brian Lehrer: I'm doing okay thank you. You may have noticed that we got a new president this week? [chuckles]

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Oh, really Brian? Tell me about that? [laughs]

Brian Lehrer: And a new Senate majority leader who happens to be Chuck from Brooklyn. What do you expect will change most concretely most quickly for the city?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: I want to say just humanly, I think a lot of us, a lot of people listening would agree, it just feels entirely different to not have a president stoking division and hatred and undermining every form of progressive progress. It's amazing. I feel I'm breathing easier literally. On top of that, knowing as we address all these issues, COVID and everything else, we literally are going to get some support from Washington, not constant interference. On the tangible level, it's really two things. It's vaccine supply and vaccine flexibility is number one. Stimulus is number two.

I've already been talking to leaders in the Biden administration about both maximizing supply, which clearly they want to do in very different ways than the Trump administration. Also giving us a lot more freedom and flexibility, particularly, the ability to use our reserves of second doses right now to give people who need the first dose. That first opportunity to get some protection. That's on the front burner. Then stimulus which Brian, I can't tell is that a month? Is that two months? Is it more? I don't know the exact timing.

What I do know is with Chuck Schumer as majority leader, the chances for a serious stimulus; big enough to actually stimulate the economy, big enough to actually make cities and states substantially whole, is finally on the table now. I've talked to Chuck Schumer about the need for a substantial amount of direct aid to go to New York City so that we can plug the budget gaps and start to recover. I know he is tremendously devoted. I'm really hopeful on that front. Until it happens we have a lot, we got to work through.

Brian Lehrer: The country also has a new assistant transportation secretary nominee. Why do I bring up that position? She was your progressive transportation commissioner and a guest heard plenty of times on this show, Polly Trottenberg. Never mind she'll report to Pete Buttigieg. It should probably be the other way around. Transit is so key to the city's prosperity. Anything you're hoping Polly Trottenberg will bring to national policy?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Oh, absolutely. Polly Trottenberg was a great Commissioner of Transportation for this city. She was with me the entire run of this administration. She did amazing job and many accomplishments. I keep coming back to Vision Zero. She was one of the key architects of Vision Zero. I think she's going to help make that a national vision, which we need.

I think with her as the number two person at Department of Transportation, we're going to see a lot more aid to mass transit, a lot more directed locally to the things that make an impact, a lot more support for bike lanes, a lot more support for Vision Zero efforts. That's going to be funding, first and foremost, undoubtedly. I also think the policies are going to change to support these kinds of efforts. Centrally, we all agree we got to get away from the automobile more and more.

That's the central thrust here is we've got to reorient our society away from cars and more and more towards mass transit and all other forms of transit. I think Polly's is going to make a huge impact. I'm very proud of her. Also on just honorable mention absolutely note, Deanne Criswell, our Emergency Management Commissioner is going to be the head of federal FEMA.

The person who's going to respond to disasters all over the country. One of our own is going to be running FEMA. Deanne has been outstanding during this very challenging, horrible time we've been through. She's been one of the leaders of the city's response. Talk about impact for the city. I know with the FEMA administrator, being someone who just served New York City, that we're going to get the support we deserve and the consideration we deserve as we finally fight back COVID once and for all.

Brian Lehrer: Asta in Manhattan, you're in WNYC with the mayor. Hello Asta?

Asta: Hello.

Brian Lehrer: Asta.

Asta: I have a question.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Asta, can you hear me?

Asta: Hi. Yes. Can you hear me?

Brian: Yes.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Yes. How you doing?

Asta: Good. Good. My question is the armory on 168 Street, Port Washington, is set up as a vaccination site. It was my understanding that it was set up to provide for, it's the only site in Northern Manhattan, which has been very hard to hit, and that it was to provide to a community that's been very hard hit. In fact, it is only providing vaccinations for people who are patients of Columbia-Presbyterian or their system.

If you go onto their website and try to get in, and you don't have a Connect account, which is an account that patients have, it says, "Okay, if you don't have that, set up this account." You try to set up the account and it says, "I don't recognize you." It just seems unethical for Columbia-Presbyterian to only be treating their patients when this community is in such need.

Brian Lehrer: I think I might have an answer to that because I live around there. I know somebody who was not in their system, who went through what you just described, but did succeed in signing up, just joining that New York-Presbyterian Connect system without a record there. Then they were able to try to sign up for appointments. I think you can actually do it without any prior relationship. Mr. Mayor, do you have any information about that?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: I appreciate you asked this question because it gets to a bigger point. On the narrow point of this particular site Asta, please leave your information with WNYC. I want to follow up because I am concerned. If a site's being run by any individual provider, they're supposed to open the doors wide, not end up excluding people. You're absolutely right. That's an area that was hit real hard. We need more vaccination capacity in Upper Manhattan. We of course have Harlem Hospital, but we are intending to add more sites. This site's an important one. It needs to serve the maximum people.

Give your information. We're going to work to make sure that problem is fixed. I think that the bigger point is our goal is a very neighborhood-based approach to vaccination. We want vaccination sites in all sorts of facilities, schools, armories, you name it, all over neighborhoods. We want to have vaccination sites in public housing developments. The only way this works and the only way this does not turn into an elitist exclusionary exercise, is to bring vaccination to the people, particularly, in the neighborhoods hardest hit by COVID.

Now, obviously, we are nowhere near the supply. We need to do that. As a question of approach, a neighborhood-based site like this has to be inclusive of the neighborhood. If it isn't, we have to intervene and fix that. I'm going to move on that quickly.

Brian Lehrer: To that point. I was reading in the last segment, which was all about vaccines, a Twitter thread from City Council Health Committee Chair Mark Levine, that starts, "There are alarming signs that COVID vaccination in New York City is disproportionately leaving behind people of color." The first thing he calls for is, "We need to see data on the racial breakdown of vaccinations." "We need to take action now," he says, "To fix yet another egregious case of inequity in this pandemic." Are you collecting data and would you collect data at his request on the racial breakdown of vaccinations?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well, I really respect the council member and agree with him, but before his request, we already said yesterday, "We're organizing that data. I'm going to put it out through our health department." This was a question actually yesterday morning's press conference. I said, "Of course, we want to be transparent. We want to drive an equity-based approach. I want the transparency to keep everyone honest." Commissioner Chokshi said, "Health department is organizing that."

Now we'll put it out publicly, but I agree with Mark Levine, on the bigger point, "We have to understand there's a tremendous amount of hesitancy and mistrust, particularly, in communities of color about the vaccine. After the horrible history in this country and in the medical community, of experimentation on people of color and misuse of science and just general distrust of government, which who can blame anyone for feeling." We need to reach, especially deeply into the communities that were hit hardest by the Coronavirus and simultaneously have the highest levels of mistrust.

The way you do that is getting ever more local, bringing in community groups that people trust and community leaders that people know. Speaking the language of the community, sites right there in their immediate neighborhood. If this gets reduced to a small number of sites in places that are only being reached by folks who are already privileged, it's the exact opposite of what we need. This is why the call from Asta is so important. The 168 Street site is crucially located for Washington Heights, but needs to be open to all. Then we need to go even more local from there. If you're in Washington Heights, if you're in Inwood, there's places as nearby your exact home as possible. That's what's going to help us gain trust and willingness to step forward.

Brian Lehrer: Our reporter, Fred Mogul has a story on Gothamist Brownsville Hospital. I think it's Brookdale Hospital in Brownsville offers vaccinations without appointments to improve equitable access, outsiders take advantage. It's about people coming in from higher-income neighborhoods. I guess you'd say wider and higher-income neighborhoods and maybe taking a lot of the slots that are intended to go to people in Brownsville. Are you aware of that? Would there be any solution to that?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: I want to get the details on that and what they've specifically experienced. I'm worried about this phenomenon. I really am. Part of why we have started doing vaccinations in public housing developments directly, is to really encourage the people who need the help the most to get it and to make it as accessible as possible. Answer people's real questions and concerns. Again, have community leaders right there, clergy right there, folks who are trusted.

I think when we do that kind of approach where we're bringing the vaccine to people in every sense and engaging them and really making sure that folks who are in the greatest danger-- Where did people die the most? It's just such a painful reality, but let's be honest about it. People passed away disproportionately in lower-income communities of color and immigrant communities. The danger still exists in those communities. That's where we need to vaccinate the most.

Having the sites in the communities and the appointments, actually, the virtual appointments is you can really help make sure it is folks from the surrounding community who are in the greatest need and the greatest danger.

That said, of course, Brian, the next question anyone might ask, "Well, what about folks who happen to be doing better economically, for example?" I want them vaccinated too. We have sites all over. Our goal is at least 250 sites in the city, every kind of neighborhood. My deep concern is if we don't saturate the areas where there's the greatest danger that we lose lives that could have been saved.

Brian Lehrer: Judith in Park Slope, you're on WNYC with the mayor. Hi Judith.

Judith: Hi. thank you for so much for taking my call. The reason I'm calling is today's my birthday. I'm 79. I had my first Moderna on the 19th this week in Bushwick. They were lovely. They were able to schedule a second appointment for me on February 16th. That day at home I got an email confirming my appointment [inaudible 00:13:04]

Brian Lehrer: Whoops. Oh, you know what? Her line completely dropped off. I see from the notes--

Mayor Bill de Blasio: I didn't get to say happy birthday to her.

[laughter]

Brian Lehrer: Really? I think her question was going to be concern for getting the second dose on time with the shortage. Is that going to be an issue when we get to that point in the city in a few weeks?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: No. Very important question. First of all, I hope Judith is listening, has the radio on. Judith happy birthday to you. We are protecting those second dose appointments. This is a really important question, Brian. I want to make sure people understand when I say, "We need flexibility with the second doses," I want to explain how we do that while protecting the appointments. Let's use her exact example. Her second dose appointment is February 16th. Today, January 22nd, I think, obviously almost a month away.

Right now in New York City, we've got the last count I have is about 65,000 doses being held for second dose applications that couldn't happen for two or three weeks. In effect, from my point of view on artificial reserve, that they're being held in a way that unfortunately keeps them from being used for first doses of folks who need some protection right away. Anyone who 65 or over should get that first dose. In principle, we want as many people as possible get that first dose.

It provides about 50% protection just from the first dose. What Dr. Varma explained yesterday, my senior advisor during our press conferences, the medical ideal is you get your second dose exactly on the three or four-week mark, depending on which vaccine you're using. If it's a week later, for example, if it's a week later beyond the ideal date or two weeks later, it doesn't change the basic equation. You still have had protection from the first dose, in the meantime. Once you get the second dose, it is 100% effective, just as it would have been a week earlier.

It gives you everything it would have for the long haul, whether you get it in her case on February 16th or February 18th, or February 20th. What I want to make sure, and I hope you hear the egalitarianism in this point, I can't abide, I've talked to a lot of seniors are just scared to death right now, honestly, of this disease. The notion that we could be giving them a first dose right now. Then in the meantime, really I do believe the federal structure is going to come into gear and produce a lot more.

We can backfill our supply and be ready to give those second doses. We do plan to give them on schedule for everyone who's currently scheduled. I just think that's a much more decent and humanitarian approach than withholding doses from people who need them now.

Brian Lehrer

: My producer who screened her call has another detail to add from what she originally said before she got on the air. It's fairly alarming, she said she had a second dose appointment for a specific date and just got an email that it was canceled. You can imagine how that feels, when you're scheduled for that second dose that should be delivered in a timely fashion. I heard what you said about there being some wiggle room in that medically. Is that the first you've heard of an actual cancellation of a second dose?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Yes. Overwhelmingly, what I've seen is second dose appointments are made and kept. I think there may be cases where there's some movement where they say, "Hey, we had you for February 16th; we need to move it a few days." Again, same impact, you're going to get your second dose. We're absolutely adamant that anyone who gets a first dose, we're going to make sure they get a second dose on the exact day or close to it. I wish we could get her contact information to make sure that we get her that rescheduling immediately. If you're a producer knows how to reach her or anything more about her, we want to get her and work that out.

Brian Lehrer: We're going to try to find her. I want to ask you about the discipline matrix that you unveiled this week for the NYPD. Specific acts of discipline for specific acts of misconduct. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm not seeing where the commissioner or Chief of Department are subject to any specific discipline. Even though your Department of Investigation found them to have failed in a number of respects on their leadership during protests last summer. If I'm seeing this right, why are they, why are acts leadership that result in police brutality, exempt from the matrix while the rank and file gets held to account?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: I respect the question, but I couldn't disagree more with the way you're framing it. Read the DOI Report. It does not say people condoned brutality. We never would condone brutality. We are here to stop the brutality. That's the whole idea of what we've been doing for seven years. The DOI Report and anyone who cares about this topic needs to read the whole report. It's extremely instructive. It's tough. It's hard-hitting, but it's very clear about the structural changes that need to be made.

The policy changes that need to be made. It's also very clear about the extraordinarily complex ever-changing environment that happened in May and June. The ways that the police department had never confronted a situation like that before. Why they needed to do things differently for the future. The matrix is about anyone. You can see exactly every single offense in the discipline matrix. I urge folks who care about this nyc.gov/discipline matrix. It's all there in black and white. If an officer commits any of the offenses that are listed, there is, of course, due process, as everyone deserves in our society that are found guilty.

It says the exact penalties that apply. That's exactly what is going to happen from this point on. We've never had this in the history of New York City. I don't know of other parts of this country that have things like this. There may be a few, but it's certainly not the norm. This revolutionizes discipline because it's public, Brian. I just want to make sure; I know you care about transparency, the exact charge, the exact penalty, all public. Then everyone is held accountable to produce within this matrix. This is what will happen from this point on, in New York City.

Brian Lehrer: I have two ups. One, you referenced the Department of Investigation, DOI Report, which you accepted last month. One of their recommendations to avoid brutality at protest, as I understand it, was for the NYPD to stop relying on what's known as the strategic response group to police protests.

Yet on Monday, we saw close to 100 SRG officers breaking up that MLK Day protest that resulted in accusations from multiple protestors who our news department spoke to, who said they were brutalized by SRG officers, including a woman who was hospitalized and a young man who was given concussion treatment. If you accepted the DOI Report, why is the NYPD still sending officers from that unit to police small marches?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: I want to say at the outset, I really think what is so powerful about the DOI Report is it points out what everyone did, good and bad all around, individual actions and systematic problems and everything. I really think we have to look at what happens at each one of these incidents and not paint as, "Everyone did something right or everyone did something wrong." Unfortunately, we still do have instances where in an otherwise peaceful protest, some individuals choose to do violent acts and that changes things.

To your bigger question, Brian, there were protests last night. SRG, not there. There were protests the night before on Times Square, SRG, not there. Community affairs front and center, that's what is going to happen. Monday night had an aberrant reality after what happened at the Capitol, which was, I think 12 days before Monday night. After what happened at the Capitol, a group approaching city hall, there was particular sensitivity. No one anywhere in this country wants to see a repeat of what happened at the Capitol from anybody of any ideology. That did cause some special conditions.

I'm affirming again what you're going to see going forward is community affairs up front, the most limited policing possible at protests. Again, I can prove it to you because you can go look at what happened last night and the night before, that's going to be the model. That's what the DOI Report called for and I agree with that entirely.

Brian Lehrer: One more, the news organization, THE CITY reported this week that the CCRB, Civilian Complaint Review Board, has substantiated 40 instances since Eric Garner's death of officers using prohibited chokeholds and that none of those cops have been fired. Will this discipline matrix apply retroactively, and if not, what do you plan to do about those officers?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: The discipline matrix from this point on, literally today on, anyone who utilizes a chokehold, is a member of the NYPD, and it's proven because there is due process that's very clear in a matrix, the result is termination. I couldn't be clearer. It's right there in writing. The NYPD has signed an agreement with the CCRB, agreeing that that is how things are going to go. The cases before, each one through their own process, some substantiated, some not, some resulted in discipline, some are still pending.

By all normal American law, you can't do double jeopardy. You can't retry someone for the same offense, but you can going forward apply these standards. That's what we're going to do consistently.

Brian Lehrer: Was this news story the first you heard of these 40 CCRB substantiated chokehold violations. What would that say about your police commissioners, several of them, commitment to police reform that this was taking place in so many cases, seven years after Eric Garner.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: It says we have to do better. Again, the allegation is not the same. I always say, "If you believe in due process, whether you're a progressive or a conservative, if you believe in due process, due process yields individual results." Sometimes an allegation and there's a full investigation, there's due process, and there's a trial, and someone's actually found innocent. No that didn't happen or there's some extraordinarily important extenuating circumstance. I'm going to put it in the here and now and going forward.

I think it should be clear as a bell to all our officers from this point on, they're all quite aware, everyone's aware of this discipline matrix now governs New York City. If you utilize a chokehold and again, let's put aside true extenuating circumstances. Like it's the only way to save someone else's life or something like that. If you utilize a chokehold inappropriately against law, against department regulations, you're found guilty, you're going to be terminated. It's as simple as that.

Brian Lehrer: Rachel in Queens you're on WNYC with the mayor. Hello, Rachel.

Rachel: Hi.

Brian Lehrer

: Whoops. Do we have your Rachel?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Rachel.

Rachel: Hi. Hello.

Brian Lehrer: Hello.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: There we go.

Brian Lehrer: We have you now.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Hey. [laughs]

Rachel: Hi. Thank you so much for taking my call. My question is about the changes to admissions in the middle school this year, really all the schools. I'm wondering why you waited until December 18th to announce that you were canceling all audition for middle schools for the talent-based programs. When they're children who have literally been preparing for years for schools that have 30 spots that are now going to be lottery-based. How at the same time you could say that you didn't cancel the GMT Exams, because it would be unfair to four-year-olds who were preparing.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: The reality of the middle school admissions is that it relies on things that we just don't have available. That was the governor reality. There were not the same tests given by the State because of COVID. The grading situation has been thrown off. Look, I don't agree with, and I made that clear, I don't agree with the single test approach to anything. This is the last time it's going to happen with gifted and talented. It obviously doesn't require State standardized tests or grading history and all that.

It's a different venue. I don't agree with it. It's not going to happen anymore. They are two very, very different things. I think the bottom line is we need to reevaluate all of this, both because COVID has thrown off the things that we used to depend on, but also because there's more and more questioning of whether the approach historically made sense or not? Whether it really captured who kids are? Their range of abilities and potential? Also whether it was inadvertently exclusionary? This all amount needs to be reevaluated.

Brian Lehrer: Let me give Rachel a possible follow-up. Rachel, did I hear you correctly? Are you talking about specific schools where there's an audition like with a musical instrument or something?

Rachel: Yes. Exactly for dance or for acting or for musical instruments. When all of these children have been preparing for years to audition for talent programs. I'm not talking about testing.

Brian Lehrer: Right. So it's not about the GNT for academic admission to certain middle schools. You understand the different categories she's trying to raise Mr. Mayor.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: No, I appreciate, I did not understand that nuance from the original question, I apologize. Rachel, would you please give your information to WMYC. I want to follow up on this. Obviously, the main body of what we were doing in the announcement on the screen schools was responding to the lack of State testing and the lack of grades that reflected anything like a normal reality.

Of course, everyone's trying to work through the bigger issues of how to do schools going forward in an equitable fashion. The audition point I do take to heart. Let me make sure I understand exactly what accommodation we're trying to make there. How we're going to address it going forward. I do hear there's a difference there. I want to get you a good answer. If you give your information to WNYC, we'll get you a direct answer today. Brian, I'll be happy to give you an update next week.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you very much. One more, Lizzy in Little Italy, you're on WNYC with the mayor. Hello, Lizzy.

Lizzy: Hello. Good morning, Brian. Good morning Mr. Mayor. I wanted to mention that Vision Zero has made me a safer driver for sure. I want to express my appreciation for that. Can you hear me?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Yes. Lizzy, thank you. I want to hear what you want to say, but I first just want to thank you because that was really one of the core ideas to change the way we think and behave. I really appreciate you saying that.

Lizzy: I am much more cautious and I'm glad for that. I have other issues with it as my issue will be expressed. I also understand the get away from cars thing, but I live in Little Italy. Many citizen residents of that neighborhood really need their cars and cannot begin to think about paying $500 or $600 for a garage. Our wonderful restaurants have taken up a lot of street space as you know and that will increase probably during the summer unless we get this thing in hand.

I have a suggestion about parking at least, in my neighborhood that would probably also apply to some other neighborhoods, but mine is the only one I know well. Which is that there are many streets, especially Mott, Elizabeth, Mulberry, where a vestigial, no parking 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM rules except on Saturday or Sunday, are still in effect. It's no longer an industrial area. Those spaces are not needed as they once were for industrial deliveries.

I wonder if some of those stretches of blocks, there are about eight stretches of blocks, where if they were converted to alternate side parking. Again, your other gesture of making ultimate side only two days a week is also awesome. Thank you very much for that. Could they not be converted to alternate side parking instead of 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. They basically sit absolutely empty all day. We've already lost a lot to restaurants and to city bike things. What do you think?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Yes. Brian, if I could ask a follow-up of Lizzy for just a quick second. Lizzy, give your information please to WNYC. Yes. We're going to review those spots because if there is a better way to use them, I want us to do it. I'll make sure we understand exactly what you're talking about. Here's my question back to you. Thank you for recognizing what we're trying to do with Vision Zero. I do want to reduce the use of cars in the city profoundly. First and foremost, because of global warming and survival, let alone Vision Zero. Lizzy, for you, what would you need to not need a car? What changes would you need to see to not need a car?

Lizzy: I would need to not have young children, elderly parents, and a dog. I have to tending to an elder out of town who needs regular help. It would be impossible. It would be like a two and a half hour trip. If I had to take a series of public transportation options to get there. Sometimes I need it for shopping. If I do a big shopping. I need a car to hold those groceries in. I can't get onto the subway.

I can't afford to shop at Whole Foods in order to get to a grocery store where I can have like four bags full of groceries. I need to be able to transport them. I don't think that no-cars thing really works for everybody. Surely, there has been a diminishment, but not during COVID because in COVID nobody wants to get on public transportation anyway.

I used to subway all the time, but there are times when I have to have a car. I drive a 2003 car. [chuckles] At this point, the public options do not cover people in my situation. It also doesn't cover people coming from out of town who just want to go to restaurants or shop or whatever in Little Italy. That's my answer.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: That's a great answer. I'll only say quickly Brian; I didn't have a car for a long time. What motivated me to have a car was when Dante was born. We had two kids and very much like Lizzy is saying, we were dealing with kids. We were dealing with elders in our family. I'm in a position now where when I leave office I'm certainly not going to own a car.

I think there's a lot of New Yorkers who don't need a car, can do fine without one, use other options. Use Zipcar or use mass transportation, whatever it may be. Lizzy makes a good point about for some people, particularly, at certain life moments, it's really valuable. That's the balance we have to strike. Certainly, where there's parking, we can make available, we will. Lizzy I do want to correct one thing very openly, we're going to keep the open restaurants program permanently.

It has proven to be an amazing positive impact for this city on so many levels. We need to bring our city back strongly. I do want to be honest with you that's here to stay. I think it's going to be a great thing. You're making a fair point, where there are other parking options available; we should be trying to figure out that as well. I appreciate you raising this. Please, give your information to WNYC.

Brian Lehrer: Lizzy, thank you. Mr. Mayor, thank you as always. Talk to you next week.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you, Brian. Take care.

 

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