35: The Trump Tower Climber and a Subway Hero

A Great Big City — New York City News, History, and Events

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• The goats brought in to clean up Riverside Park are taking a summer vacation! The original flock brought to the park in May was narrowed down from 24 to 18 after they cleaned out the weeds too quickly, and now the group will be meeting back up at their farm in Rhinebeck, NY while the weeds are allowed to regrow a bit on the steep slopes of Riverside Park that they were maintaining. As part of their going-away party, the Riverside Park Conservancy honored Massey the goat with an award for receiving the most votes in an online contest. The 166-pound, 10-year-old goat is the oldest of the bunch and received a bouquet of edible flowers as a prize. Watch for the goats to return later in the summer when they will be back for a second round of snacking on the invasive plants that will further weaken them and ensure they don't have the energy left to regrow again.

• In July, one day before the anniversary of Eric Garner's death, the Department of Justice, now overseen by Trump-appointed Attorney General William Barr, announced that they will not pursue civil rights charges against officer Pantaleo, who was seen in video putting Garner in a chokehold. Immediately after, the NYPD was quick to point out that their own internal disciplinary case against Pantaleo was still underway, and on August 2nd, an NYPD judge ruled that the officer should be fired due to his use of a chokehold when attempting to arrest Eric Garner, a tactic that is prohibited by NYPD policy and was listed by the city medical examiner as a contributing factor in Garner's death. Although the ruling is preliminary, Pantaleo was suspended effective immediately, after being kept employed in administrative duty during the five years since Eric Garner's death. The announcement came days after de Blasio was heckled by protesters demanding he fire Pantaleo during the second Democratic Presidential primary debates in Detroit. In response, he continued to claim that justice would be served in the next 30 days. Fellow Democratic candidate Kirsten Gillibrand had a more decisive answer. \n\n De Blasio has been polling between 0% and 1% among likely voters. \n\n The NYPD judge's decision will now make its way to NYPD Commissioner O'Neill, who will decide whether to fire Pantaleo in the upcoming weeks. City Council Speaker Corey Johnson released a statement saying:

  This decision is long overdue. It should not have taken five years to determine what the public clearly understood in five minutes: Officer Pantaleo used an illegal chokehold on Eric Garner, which ultimately led to his death. \n\n Now Police Commissioner O’Neill must act. Pantaleo must be fired immediately. Nothing will bring back Mr. Garner, but I hope this decision gives the Garner family some peace

• 15 years ago on August 3, 2004 — The pedestal of the Statue of Liberty reopens for the first time since the September 11th attacks

• You may not think of the city as harboring invasive insects, but arborists from the national Department of Agriculture have been inspecting trees in Brooklyn and Queens for Asian longhorn beetles. The beetles are thought to have originally traveled to the United States in 1996 in wooden shipping pallets, and now they threaten trees across the city. Inspectors search for the telltale signs of round holes in the wood of a tree, where the adult beetles emerge in late July. \n\n Keep an eye out for the signs of beetle infestation on your local trees: They create deep round holes big enough for a pencil to fit in and leave a collection of sawdust below the holes. The beetles themselves are about one and a half inches long, mostly black with white specks, and have distinctive blue stripes on their legs and long striped antennae. If you find a tree or piece of wood that may be infested, call the Asian longhorned beetle tip line at 1-866-702-9938 or email [e-mail].

• 9 years ago on August 9, 2010 — Upon landing at JFK, a JetBlue flight attendant announces that he is quitting his job and exits the jet via the emergency evacuation slide, taking two beers with him

• 42 years ago on August 10, 1977 — David Berkowitz is taken into custody

• 3 years ago on August 10, 2016 — A man partially climbs Trump Tower

• And finally, thanks go out to Eric Boyo, an MTA subway operator for 27 years who stopped his train to help a woman on the tracks this week. As he approached Fulton Street on the G Train line, he noticed people on the platform waving their arms. Seeing that something must be wrong, he slowed his train early and then spotted a woman on the tracks. He stopped the train and opened the door at the front of the train to speak with the woman, and ended up helping her back onto the platform. Whether the woman intended to be struck by the train or had just fallen was unclear, but onlookers praised Eric for remaining calm and showing compassion during the rescue. According to the MTA, the recommended way to flag down an oncoming train during an emergency situation is to light your cellphone's flashlight and wave it side to side while facing the train.

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Park of the day

• Half-Nelson Playground — 1631 NELSON AvNUE, the Bronx — Named for being halfway down Nelson Avenue, this park features playground equipment built to resemble optical illusions!

Parks Events

• The Department of Transportation's Summer Streets will close streets in Manhattan from 7am to 1pm from 72nd Street down Park Avenue and to the Brooklyn Bridge. The streets will be emptied out and made available to bicycles and pedestrians, with events and activities all along the route. At Foley Square downtown, a large group will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for simultaneous people doing a handstand, which currently stands at 399 people, at 51st Street, the Asia Society will be offering free temporary tattoos, and along Centre Street downtown, you can take a ride on a 30-foot-tall zipline!

Concert Calendar

• Barbra Streisand is playing Madison Square Garden on Saturday, August 3rd.
• Rebelution is playing The Rooftop at Pier 17 on Saturday, August 3rd.
• Soccer Cousins, Hurry, and Mount Sharp are playing Trans-Pecos on Saturday, August 3rd.
• Steve Gunn and Hand Habits are playing Industry City Courtyard on Saturday, August 3rd.
• MONSTA X WORLD TOUR 'WE ARE HERE' and MONSTA X are playing Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, August 3rd.
• Bad Religion and The Explosion are playing Brooklyn Steel on Saturday, August 3rd.
• Jenny Kern at Rockwood Music Hall and Jenny Kern are playing Rockwood Music Hall on Saturday, August 3rd.
• Krish Live At The Knitting Factory Brooklyn, Lucid, Corteez, Jovian, Kash, Siik Miind, and VENNESSY are playing Knitting Factory Brooklyn on Sunday, August 4th.
• Barry Manilow is playing Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in Midtown on Sunday, August 4th at 7pm.
• The Rolling Stones and Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real are playing MetLife Stadium on Monday, August 5th.
• Tyler Childers is playing Webster Hall on Monday, August 5th.
• The Rolling Stones with Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real (Rescheduled from 6/17) is playing MetLife Stadium on Monday, August 5th at 8pm.
• BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, Ex Hex, and Mac DeMarco are playing Prospect Park Bandshell on Tuesday, August 6th.
• Keane is playing The Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday, August 6th.
• Hibou and Dolly Spartans are playing Mercury Lounge on Tuesday, August 6th.
• Barry Manilow is playing Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in Midtown on Tuesday, August 6th at 7pm.
• Mac DeMarco is playing Prospect Park Bandshell in South Slope on Tuesday, August 6th at 7pm.
• Queen with Adam Lambert is playing Madison Square Garden in Midtown West / Chelsea / Hudson Yards on Tuesday, August 6th at 8pm.
• Queen + Adam Lambert: The Rhapsody Tour, Queen, and Adam Lambert are playing Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, August 7th.
• Barry Manilow is playing Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in Midtown on Wednesday, August 7th at 7pm.
• Queen with Adam Lambert is playing Madison Square Garden in Midtown West / Chelsea / Hudson Yards on Wednesday, August 7th at 8pm.
• Guster with Rubblebucket is playing Rumsey Playfield, Central Park in Midtown East on Thursday, August 8th at 6pm.
• The Marked Men, Bugg, Career Suicide, Criaturas, and Savageheads are playing Brooklyn Bazaar on Friday, August 9th.
• Thunderpussy and Hollis Brown, Thunderpussy, and Hollis Brown are playing Brooklyn Bowl on Friday, August 9th.
• David Cook is playing Sony Hall on Friday, August 9th.
• Peter Murphy - Cascade: The Peter Murphy Residency at LPR and Peter Murphy are playing (le) Poisson Rouge on Friday, August 9th.
• Bryan Ferry is playing United Palace Theatre on Friday, August 9th.
• DRAB MAJESTY, Body of Light, and Hide are playing Music Hall of Williamsburg on Friday, August 9th.
• Suicideboys with Trash Talk and Night Lovell and Turnstile are playing Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk in Seagate on Friday, August 9th at 6pm.
• Bryan Ferry is playing United Palace Theatre in Hudson Heights on Friday, August 9th at 8pm.
• Barry Manilow is playing Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in Midtown on Friday, August 9th at 8pm.
• False and Vile Creature are playing Saint Vitus Bar on Saturday, August 10th.
• Spirit Family Reunion is playing Union Pool on Saturday, August 10th.
• One Africa Music Fest with Kranium, Burna Boy, Wyclef Jean are playing Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk in Seagate on Saturday, August 10th at 6pm.
• My Morning Jacket with Warpaint is playing Forest Hills Stadium in Forest Hills on Saturday, August 10th at 7pm.
• Shawn Mendes is playing Prudential Center on Saturday, August 10th at 7pm.
• Hootie & The Blowfish with Barenaked Ladies is playing Madison Square Garden in Midtown West / Chelsea / Hudson Yards on Saturday, August 10th at 7pm.

Find more fun things to do at agreatbigcity.com/events.

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Learn about New York

Here's something you may not have known about New York:

• The striped bass was declared the New York state marine or saltwater fish in 2006, in reference to their seasonal presence in the tidal portion of the Hudson River and coastal waters around Long Island

Weather

The extreme highs and lows for this week in weather history:
Record High: 104°F on August 7, 1918
Record Low: 54°F on August 8, 1903

Weather for the week ahead:
Light rain tomorrow through Thursday, with high temperatures rising to 89°F next Friday.

Intro and outro music: 'Start the Day' by Lee Rosevere — Concert Calendar music from Jukedeck.com