County Executive Steve Bellone (D) said he is looking forward to getting a haircut tomorrow, as the county moves into Phase Two of its reopening.
“I have not seen so many people excited about the prospect of getting a haircut or going to the salon gas I have seen over the last week or so,” Bellone said on his daily call with reporters.
In addition to hair salons, car sales, outdoor dining and retail services can restart as the county’s COVID-19 numbers continue to move in the right direction, despite the possibility of an increase in infections amid the approximately 100 protests over the past week and a half in response to the killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd by a police officer.
Bellone was grateful for the peaceful way protestors have expressed their constitutionally guaranteed First Amendment right to express themselves. He also praised the Suffolk County Police Department, including Commissioner Geraldine Hart and Chief Stuart Cameron as well as the men and women of the police force for what he called “improving relations” with the community which have enabled them to keep the peace despite hostile events in many urban areas.
The protests have started a national dialogue which has included a discussion about defunding the police, effectively remodeling the police department so that it focuses on crime while creating other bureaus to handle mentally ill people or face drug addicts. Bellone said he does not support such an initiative, which “doesn’t make any sense.”
He appreciated the work police officers do to fight crime and to investigate various levels of assault and murder.
As the protests continue, Bellone remained confident that the testing and contact tracing in place would enable the county, which has been at the epicenter of the pandemic, would allow the county to respond to any future outbreaks.
Viral Numbers
Over the last day, an additional 49 people have tested positive for COVID-19, which raises the total to 40,426. The number of people who have tested positive for the antibody stands at 15,856.
As of last week, the rate of transmission for the virus on Long Island was between 0.6 and 0.9. A figure above 1 raises the possibility of the spread of the virus.
Hospitalizations declined by three for the day ending on June 7 to 155 people. The number of people in Intensive Care Unit beds also declined by three to 47.
Residents battling COVID-19 constitute 63 percent of hospital beds overall in the county and 53 percent in the ICU.
Over the last day, an additional 10 people have been discharged from county hospitals.
An additional four people died from complications related to COVID-19 over the last day. The death toll stands at 1,939.
Starting today, Bellone announced a Suffolk Cares program, which will provide food to those in need. Residents can call 311 from Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eligible residents will receive a box of nonperishable food within 24 to 30 hours. Residents who call on Friday will receive food on Monday.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced a new executive order June 8 that New York State would be extending the deadline for mailed in absentee ballots for school budget and board of education votes to Tuesday, June 16.
Many districts are still collecting ballots via drop off to district offices on June 9 by the end of the business day at 5 p.m. Absentee ballots can still be mailed to districts and will be accepted until June 16 at 5 p.m.
This also comes with the announcement the state would allow school districts to conduct graduations ceremonies, though they must be outside, adhere to social distance guidelines and must contain 150 people or less. Some school districts said those figures may be too restrictive.
“The recent approval for small gatherings for graduation, while welcome news, requires seniors to be separated into multiple different ceremonies,” said Shoreham-Wading River Superintendent Gerard Poole in a public letter. He asked residents to encourage local and state leaders to revisit the matter.
Nursing homes have become a hotbed of discussion over the large percentage of their residents who have died from COVID-19 while in New York facilities. Stock photo
As hospitalizations continue to decline, Suffolk County is poised to enter Phase Two of a four phase economic reopening on Wednesday, which would include outdoor dining.
The number of people hospitalized due to COVID-19 fell by 21 to 158 in the day ending on June 6. The number of residents in Intensive Care Unit beds stayed the same, at 50.
Hospital bed occupancy, meanwhile, was at 63 percent overall and at 56 percent in the ICU.
The number of people who have left the hospital in the last day was 26.
An additional four people died over the last day, raising that grim total to 1,935. The number of people who tested positive for the virus increased by 48, bringing the total to 40,377. the number of people who have tested positive for the antibody stood at 15,757.
Amid generally peaceful protesting, Bellone said there was a report of an incident in Smithtown that is currently under investigation.
The allegation in the Smithtown incident, which occurred last night, was “serious” and involved additional resources, including a hate crimes unit, a fourth precinct detective squad, and a plainclothes unit, as the Suffolk County Police Department is giving it “the highest priority,” said Chief Stuart Cameron.
Separately, County Executive Steve Bellone (D) said he appreciated Governor Andrew Cuomo’s (D) recent decision to allow outdoor high school graduations. The policy, however, only allows 150 people, which will be “difficult on Long Island,” Bellone said on his daily conference call with reporters. He has requested additional flexibility from the state to address the larger communities throughout Suffolk County.
NAACP chapter President Tracey Edwards has criticized the county for not communicating well enough about the new police reform task force. File photo by Kyle Barr
Hundreds of people from a multitude of races and ethnicities participated at the June 7 rally in Hauppauge. Photo by Kyle Barr
Hundreds of people from a multitude of races and ethnicities participated at the June 7 rally in Hauppauge. Photo by Kyle Barr
Hundreds of people from a multitude of races and ethnicities participated at the June 7 rally in Hauppauge. Photo by Kyle Barr
Hundreds of people from a multitude of races and ethnicities participated at the June 7 rally in Hauppauge. Photo by Kyle Barr
Hundreds of people from a multitude of races and ethnicities participated at the June 7 rally in Hauppauge. Photo by Kyle Barr
Hundreds of people from a multitude of races and ethnicities participated at the June 7 rally in Hauppauge. Photo by Kyle Barr
Hundreds of people from a multitude of races and ethnicities participated at the June 7 rally in Hauppauge. Photo by Kyle Barr
Hundreds of people from a multitude of races and ethnicities participated at the June 7 rally in Hauppauge. Photo by Kyle Barr
County Executive Steve Bellone speaks at the June 7 rally in Hauppauge. Photo by Kyle Barr
Cars streamed into the parking lot of the H. Lee Dennison Building June 7 to protest racial injustice. Photo by Kyle Barr
Hundreds of cars huddled in the right lane going east along Veterans Memorial Highway Sunday, June 7. Streaming off Northern State Parkway, the caravan of cars came from Nassau County’s seat of power to Suffolk, all to promote black lives and black efficacy after the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd.
In a day which saw other protests along the North Shore including in Stony Brook and Smithtown, the rally that took place at the Suffolk County executive seat in Hauppauge drew crowds from as far east as the north and south forks and as west as the far edges of Nassau County as part of the NAACP Caravan for Change. Protesters called for an equality of access to housing, loans for businesses and a general end to prejudice. In addition to banning police use of chokeholds and stricter repercussions for officers who commit unwarranted violence, they also prompted bills in Albany to end what’s known as 50-a, a provision in the state’s civil rights code that heavily restricts people from accessing police service records.
Tracey Edwards, the Long Island Regional Director of the NAACP, said one can be for police, but also be against police misconduct. Between speakers at the podium, she added it was also time to recognize the numerous young activists who are helping to lead many protests of the past several days.
“One of the main things we need to do as a community is to identify the young leaders, and pass the baton to them,” Edwards said. “It’s critical that we let young people lead.”
Three young members of the Huntington community have led some of the first protest marches in Huntington and spoke at the June 7 rally about their efforts and examples of racism they experienced while marching. Owner of the Italian restaurant Tutto Pazzo, Luigi Petrone, called protesters animals and savages and said he wanted to throw watermelons at those marching.
“We were angry naturally, but instead of going about it in an irrational way, we decided to reorganize and mobilize again, but this time take the protest directly to his restaurant,” Kenny Charles, one of the three young protest organizers said. He added they received massive support from the community for their protest in front of Pazzo, with people even dropping off watermelons to protesters in response to Petrone’s comments.
The owner of Pazzo has since shared apologies for his comments in a video posted online.
They said the point of their protests is to show the solidarity of the community, and express the worth of their money, which would not go to support business owners who would discriminate against them. Instead, it should go to supporting and promoting black-owned businesses.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone also spoke at the rally. He cited the county replacing Tom Spota as county district attorney who was “systematically targeting black males,” he said, also citing adding more diversity to the county’s Department of Human Resources, Personnel and Civil Service
A few members of the assembled crowd yelled back at him saying “what are you planning?”
“When we talk about systemic change in law enforcement, that is needed, but that is not enough.” Bellone said. “We need systemic structural change in housing, in education and representation in all forms of our government.
In what Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) called a “bit of a milestone,” the number of people who have been hospitalized with COVID-19 has fallen below 200.2
In the day ending June 6, 21 residents left the hospital, bringing the total to 179.
At its peak, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in April was 1,658, which means that the numbers have fallen by 89 percent amid the worst strain of the pandemic.
“That is great news for us,” Bellone said on his daily conference call with reporters. “We’re looking to see that number continue to decline as we move through the month of June.”
The number of people in Intensive Care Unit beds with COVID-19 also declined by 3 to 50.
Hospital bed use, meanwhile, is below the targeted 70 percent for coronavirus patients. Overall, the residents with the virus represent 64 percent of the total beds, while they account for 58 percent of the ICU beds.
In the last day, the number of people discharged from the hospital was 30, which is above the approximate 10 percent of the total for the last month.
The number of people who have tested positive for the virus was 51, with the total now at 40,329. The number of people who have tested positive from the antibody stands at 15,441.
With beach weather arriving today, Smithpoint and Cupsogue beaches both closed early in the afternoon. The county closed both beaches and provided signs leading up to the beach, while alerting people on social media that the facilities reached their maximum of 50 percent capacity.
While the number of deaths per day slowed over the last few days, with one person dying in the day ending on Thursday, two on Friday and five yesterday, the number of families and friends mourning losses climbed by eight to 1931.
A person reading a name per second for each victim would need over 32 minutes to go through the names of people whose lives the virus extinguished during the last few months.
Bellone offered his thoughts and prayers to the families who have suffered a loss, while he reiterated his hope that the number would of deaths from the virus would fall to zero soon.
First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown. Photo by Tom Caruso
Churches, mosques and synagogues can reopen as Suffolk County enters Phase Two of its reopening this Wednesday, albeit with only 25 percent capacity.
Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) announced that these houses of worship could admit community members and that religious leaders were responsible for ensuring compliance with the public health guidelines designed to limit the spread of COVID-19.
“It’s an important time for our faith-based communities to be opened back up,” County Executive Steve Bellone (D) said on his daily conference call with reporters. “Our faith-based communities are ready to this. They understand what needs to be done.”
Separately, as protests continue on Long Island and throughout the world after the killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd at the hands of a former police officer, who has been charged with his murder, public officials are engaging in ongoing conversations with community leaders bout ways to create greater equity and opportunity for everyone.
“There are areas for us to make progress,” Bellone said. “There is more work to be done.”
Bellone suggested the police department can look to make itself more diverse so that it “reflects in terms of its diversity the communities it serves across the county. That’s a priority for us.”
Bellone said conversations about equal opportunities occurred before the killing of Floyd and are moving into a “new phase” amid the protests and demonstrations.
Viral Numbers
The number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 rose by 39 to 40,239 over the last day.
The number of residents in the hospital due to the pandemic declined by 13 to 200, while the number of people in Intensive Care Unit beds declined by one to 53 through June 4th.
An additional 24 people left the hospital over the last day.
The number of people who died due to complications related to COVID-19 in the last day was five, bringing the total to 1,923.
Suffolk County legislature's online meeting May 19.
“Hello?” “Can you hear me?” “Would that person please mute their mic?” “We can hear your dog barking/child yelling/lawn mower going …” and on and on.
These are comments well known to anybody who’s been paying attention to government meetings, of municipalities large and small, in this time of pandemic. When Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed an executive order which temporarily nixed the requirements for local governments to hold in-person meetings, many organizations quickly had to come up with some sort of workaround to still hold their legally required meetings, though staying as socially distanced as possible while still remaining open for public view.
The Town of Brookhaven during its most recent online meeting.
Zoom meetings, YouTube Live video, these are the new tools for conducting government business, but not all are equal in just how “open” these meetings are.
New York Coalition for Open Government, a small nonprofit organization, known until recently as Buffalo Niagara Coalition for Open Government, came out with a report May 12 grading different levels of government on their transparency, with all meetings being held online. The New York State Committee on Open Government, which is run from Albany under the Department of State, has opined that governments would still have to host visible livestreamed meetings to conform to both the governor’s executive order and the current Open Meetings Law. Some governing bodies have interpreted the governor’s order to mean a body could meet without allowing public access. The coalition organization instead points to opinions by the committee and people from the governor’s office that says agencies and all local governments should allow access to livestreamed meetings.
Kristin O’Neill, assistant director for the state Committee on Open Government, said in a phone interview that local governing bodies “must afford remote access to the meeting while the meeting is going on.” This does not have to be a video livestream, but it must allow the public the ability to listen to that meeting. She said it is not enough to post a transcript or video after for the public to listen to or read.
The nonprofit’s report found only four of 21 governments surveyed from all of New York state had met all their criteria, including having all meetings livestreamed, having videos/audio posted online after the meeting and having all meeting documents posted online prior to the meeting.
The coalition included another metric though it’s not required by the Open Meetings Law, specifically asking whether a government was soliciting public comments that are heard and/or seen during the meeting.
The open government coalition president, Paul Wolf, an attorney in upstate New York, said he feels it’s important for local governments to be judged on their willingness to listen to the public, despite it not being required by law.
“All right, there’s a pandemic going on, but you” can still hear from the public and hear their concerns,” he said. “[We had] some pushback and controversy on grades, but you have to somehow rank people and and have some calculation who’s doing good.”
Suffolk County and the Town of Brookhaven were given “B” rankings by the committee, noting both were not addressing public comments in their meetings. As of their last meetings in May and early June, both town and the county board meetings still were not enabling public comment.
“It’s good to push for this stuff, and that seems to be one of few ways to get elected officials’ attention that seems to prompt some change,” Wolf said.
That’s not to say it hasn’t been difficult for local government to make the adjustment to online meetings. Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer Rob Calarco (D-Patchogue) said the governing body had to figure things out on the fly. The last time all legislators were together for in-person meetings was March 17. He added it took time to get proper guidance from the state regarding hosting meetings. So far during the pandemic, the legislature has only allowed comment during public hearings.
Town of Smithtown’s online meeting May 21.
Calarco said some legislators have made comments that current meetings have not been sufficiently open.
“I get that, and it is important for us to be transparent, but we have been trying to do it as effectively as we can,” he said. “For local government [having public comment] is an integral part of how our meetings operate — for residents to have ability to speak to us in public fashion.”
The next general meeting, June 9, will be the first time in two months the legislature will have a timeslot for public comment. People can visit the legislature’s website at scnylegislature.us and scroll down to the link for submitting public comment.
Brookhaven, on the other hand, is looking more toward a time when they can host in person meetings again, according to town spokesperson Kevin Molloy. He said Brookhaven has had to work through technical difficulties, but is complying with the law and the parameters of the governor’s executive order, adding there were no current plans to createa a public portion during online meetings.
The town allows for comment on public hearings, which can be submitted either in writing or with the person joining the town’s online meeting in video form. Molloy said the town has tried to push back non-time sensitive public hearings until later dates.
“We’re certainly trying to improve it, that means improvements in technology and the board is always trying to improve access to public,” Molloy said.
Despite this, different levels of government, including school districts, have found varying levels of success keeping their meetings open and responsive to the public.
TBR News Media has run through all school districts, villages and towns in our coverage area to check if its meeting four simple criteria. The point is not to degrade some and promote others, but to offer a means of comparison and give examples for how they can improve their openness to the public. Because of this, we have eschewed a letter grading system for our local governing bodies.
Port Jefferson Village is allowing for public comment via chat on YouTube but, as it has done in the past, has only hosted public portions every other week. Though this may have worked until now, the circumstances of the pandemic mean it may be time to change that policy.
School districts were perhaps the most consistent among municipalities for providing documentation and at least some communication of meetings and inquiries from residents. The Comsewogue school district has hosted a bevy of online options for students and district residents, including a website dedicated to offering stress relief for students, multiple Zoom meetings directly with students and a video of the budget hearing. However, the district has not posted any of its online board meetings after the fact to its website.
Grading Criteria (according to New York Coalition for Open Government)
Are meetings being live streamed?
Are meeting videos/audio posted online after the meeting?
Are all meeting documents being posted online prior to the meeting?
While not required by the Open Meetings Law, are local governments soliciting public comments that are heard/seen during the meeting?
Suffolk County 3/4 (As of June 9, this changed to allow a public comment period)
Meetings are being livestreamed through county website
Meetings video/audio/documents available after meeting
Meeting documents available before meeting
Public are allowed public comment only during public hearings
Town of Brookhaven 3/4
Meetings are being livestreamed and can be accessed by cable Channel 18
Meetings video/audio/documents available after meeting
Meeting documents available before meeting
Public are allowed public comment only during public hearings
Town of Smithtown 3/4
Meetings are being livestreamed
Meeting video/audio/documents available after meeting
Meeting agenda available before meeting
People are allowed public comment only during public hearings
Town of Huntington 3/4
Meetings are being livestreamed
Video and documents are available after meeting
Meeting agenda available before meeting
Public are allowed public comment only during public hearings
Village of Shoreham 2/4
Meetings are held by Zoom with notifications sent to residents
Video/audio of meetings not available after meeting
Some documents are available before meetings, but agendas are not
Public can make comments during meetings
Village of Belle Terre 3/4
Meetings are held via Zoom with notifications sent to residents
Meetings video/audio is not readily available post meeting
Meeting documents are posted before meetings are held
Public is available to make comments during regular meetings
Village of Port Jefferson 4/4
Meetings are being livestreamed
Meetings videos/audio/agendas posted online
Meeting documents posted before meeting
Comments being posted through YouTube then addressed by board, but only every other meeting
Village of Old Field 3/4
Meetings are being livestreamed with links sent to residents via Zoom
Meetings audio/video not posted online though minutes are
Meeting documents not posted before meetings
Trustee meetings regularly allow two public comment periods
Village of Poquott 3/4
Meetings can be accessed via dial-in code
Meeting video/audio of latest meetings not available
Documents are posted prior to meetings
Public is able to make comments during meetings
Village of Head of the Harbor 3/4
Residents can access meetings via links through notices
Meeting video/audio not available online
Documents are posted prior to meetings
Public is allowed comment during meeting
Village of Lake Grove 2/4
Meetings are being livestreamed via Zoom
Meetings audio/video not posted online
Documents are posted prior to meetings
Could not determine if public can comment during meetings
Village of Nissequogue 3/4
Meetings are being livestreamed
Meeting video is available after meeting
Documents are not posted before meeting
People are allowed public comment during meeting
Village of the Branch 3/4
Meetings are being livestreamed via Zoom
Meetings video/audio is not posted to the website after the meeting
Documents are posted to the website prior to meetings
People are allowed to comment during public portions of the meeting
Village of Asharoken 4/4
Meetings are being livestreamed via Zoom
Meeting minutes/agendas available after meeting
Meeting agendas are available after meeting but not video
Agenda available before meeting
Residents can ask questions prior to or during meeting
Village of Lloyd Harbor 4/4
Residents can listen in to meetings
Notices are present prior to meeting
Meeting agendas are available after meeting
Residents have been told they can comment during meeting
Village of Northport 4/4
Meetings are being held over teleconference call
Meeting audio not posted online after meeting
Agendas posted to website prior to meeting
Website says residents can ask questions of board via the web page
Shoreham-Wading River School District 4/4
Meetings are held publicly online via Zoom
Video of meeting posted after date held
Agendas are posted before meeting
Residents can comment during meetings
Rocky Point School District 2/4
Up until budget hearing, has not been having public board meetings online
Audio of meetings available on website
Board agendas posted prior to meeting
Public not able to comment on meetings up until budget hearing
Miller Place School District 3/4
Meetings held via Zoom
Video/audio of meetings not posted after meeting
Agendas posted prior to meetings
People may comment during meetings via chat
Mount Sinai School District 4/4
Meetings livestreamed via Zoom and on Facebook
Video of meeting posted afterward
Agendas posted prior to meetings
Questions from audience addressed during meeting
Port Jefferson School District 3/4
Meetings are being livestreamed
Meetings audio/visual/documentation available post meeting
Meeting agenda available before meeting
Public is not able to make comments during meetings
Comsewogue School District 2/4
Public has access to meetings via livestream
Meeting audio/video not available post meeting
Documents are available prior to meeting via BoardDocs
Questions are not being addressed at meetings
Middle Country School District 3/4
Meetings livestreamed from Google Meet
Meeting video is available post meeting
Documents are available prior to meeting via BoardDocs
The district has dispensed with public input
Three Village School District 3/4
Meetings are not being livestreamed
Meeting video available after meeting
Documents are available prior to meeting
Questions are not being addressed at meeting
Smithtown School District 4/4
All meetings are streamed live via Facebook
Videos available after meeting
Documents available before meeting via BoardDocs
Public can submit comments prior to meetings
Hauppauge School District 4/4
Videos streamed via Facebook Live
Videos available after meetings
Documents available on website
Residents can ask questions via Google Docs attached linked to the agenda
Commack School District 4/4
Meetings are publicly streamed through the district website
Meeting videos are available after meeting
Meetings documents are available prior to meeting via BoardDocs
Members of the district can ask questions via email,
Kings Park School District 4/4
Meetings are publicly available via Zoom
Meeting videos are available after meeting
Documents are available via BoardDocs
District allows for comments on call during prearranged comment period
Elwood School District 4/4
Meeting videos streamed live to YouTube
Meeting agendas available via BoardDocs
Videos are available after meetings
Questions are answered during latter section of meeting
Huntington School District 4/4
Meeting videos streamed live via Zoom call
Meeting video is available on the district website
Meeting agendas are available via BoardDocs
Residents can ask questions during Zoom meetings
Harborfields School District 4/4
The district livestreamed meetings via Vimeo
Agenda is available prior to meeting on district website
Video is available after the meeting dates
Residents can ask questions via email, and questions are answered at a determined time in the meeting
Northport-East Northport School District 4/4
Meetings are being livestreamed via IPCamLive
Videos are available after meetings
Agendas are available beforehand via BoardDocs
Questions can be sent via email and addressed during meeting
Cold Spring Harbor School District 4/4
Meetings are being livestreamed via Zoom
Videos of the boards hearings are available at the district’s YouTube page
Board agendas and documents are available at its meeting portal page
The board advises sending questions via email, which are addressed during the meeting
This article has been amended June 16 to update information about the Suffolk County legislature.
People in Port Jefferson line up to eat at Prohibition Kitchen, doing their best to stay six feet apart. Photo by Kyle Barr
After two months of shutdown, area businesses were given the go-ahead to restart operations when Suffolk County reached Phase One of the state’s reopening process. It is the first of four phases as state officials slowly lift restrictions meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
For many storefronts, it is the first step on the path to recovery. Here’s how things are going for a few retailers in Port Jefferson.
Renee Goldfarb, owner of Origin of Era boutique in Port Jefferson, said it’s been a delicate balance of making sure they are operating safely and trying to make some revenue again. For select retailers like hers, they are limited as of now to only curbside pickup.
“We’ve encouraged our customers to check out our online store and if they like a certain item they can email, and we’ll have it ready for them at the door,” she said. “It’s been difficult because we are very hands on, we want the customer to be able to try on a piece but we’re limited on what we can do.”
Goldfarb hopes owners can eventually make up for some of their losses. But she also took issue with how the state handled big retailers remaining open.
“Do I think it was implemented the right way? I don’t think so,” she said. “I understand Walmart and Target sell essential products, but people were also able to buy nonessential items. That completely puts mom-and-pop shops at a disadvantage. They should have closed that area off [to customers during the shutdown].”
Abby Buller, who runs the Village Boutique in Port Jefferson, said sales have been slow the first few days open. On Memorial Day weekend, a time when the businesses thrive with the influx of people, Buller said she only saw about six people walking the streets.
“There was no one on the streets, why should they come to a town where they can’t go shopping. This is a shopping and eating town,” she said. “The bars are closed; the restaurants are only allowing pickup. Right now, there is no reason for the Connecticut people to come and take the ferry — there’s nothing to do once you get here.”
With eight weeks of no income coming in, the boutique owner is glad she can start bringing in some sales. She was also frustrated with how the state handled the initial shutdown restrictions and agreed with Goldfarb..
“What they’ve done to small businesses is ridiculous,” she said. “From the beginning they allowed Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s to sell nonessential products,” Buller said. “The fact that they were allowed to stay open during this time and make more money is disgusting, small businesses have been suffering.”
Brookhaven officials have spoken out on the issue.
“I am very concerned about the prospects for the future of our small businesses,” said Supervisor Ed Romaine (R), at a recent press conference. “We need to be safe and we need to be smart, but we don’t need rules that work against mom-and-pop businesses when there’s no reason to do that. I ask the governor and county executive to take action now and help our small businesses and downtowns fully reopen again.”
The comments came after recommendations from the town’s post-COVID-19 task force looking at economic recovery. Members of the committee said the state’s plan has favored big box stores.
Brookhaven Councilwoman Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station) had similar sentiments.
“We are asking the state to take a different approach when reopening businesses and use a more objective standard, such as the square footage recommendation made by the town a few weeks ago,” she said. “This will place our small businesses on more equal footing with the other larger and big box businesses.”
With Phase Two close by, owners will have to continue to obey social distancing guidelines. Retailers will be required to limit capacity. Patrons and workers are also required to wear masks.
Mary Joy Pipe, the president of the Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and owner of East End Shirt Company is trying to make the best of their current situation as they look towards phase two.
“Sales have been near zero, though we’ve had some customers,” she said. “But it’s important right now to be open, present and let people know we’re here.”
Going into phase two, Pipe will be changing the interior of the store to meet social distancing guidelines. Masks and the use of hand sanitizers will be required.
“I think many of us look forward to starting a on a new page, looking back is painful,” she said. “We’re grateful to the community, they’ve had us in their minds and we feel that.”
In addition, once Phase Two begins, Goldfarb may implement an appointment-only model where up to six people can be in the store at a given time. She is also considering private shopping experiences.
“My store is 700 square feet, we’re in a confined space. I’ll be requiring customers to wear masks until I feel it is comfortable to stop,” Goldfarb said. “I may lose customers but it’s our responsibility to be safe.”
Port Jefferson Village Hall. File photo by Heidi Sutton
Port Jefferson village continues to plan for a number of ongoing projects. Here’s some notes from the June 1 meeting.
• The village has voted to waive all dining table application fees and outdoor dining public hearings, and permits would be effective for the full 2020 season. One example officials gave was Tiger Lily Cafe, which has one outdoor table setting but could expand to host more of its services outside. The village is still working out details with some restaurants, such as Ruvo East and Old Fields, to use residential parking lots as outdoor dining space for shops looking to participate.
• As the Port Jefferson Fire Department will not be making a decision on the annual July 4 parade until mid-June, the board voted to push back the fireworks show, normally held at East Beach, until potentially later in the summer. Mayor Margot Garant suggested the dates of Aug. 1 or 2 to coincide with potential graduation plans with the Port Jefferson School Districtm although no dates have officially been set as of yet. Fireworks by Grucci, which normally hosts the village’s fireworks displays, notified officials they would see no problem in providing the displays at a later date.
• Bike racks have already been installed at the small park by the village center, and now there are new bike racks next to the basketball courts near Rocketship Park.
• A new electric vehicle charger has been installed at the parking lot in front of Rocketship Park. So far there have been 31 charging sessions with each session averaging a total of 1 hour and 21 minutes. The village plans to install another charging station at the Barnum Avenue parking lot once the lot is finally constructed.
Since Sunday, protesters in Huntington rallied against racism and police violence after the killing of Minneapolis man George Floyd. Another protest took place June 4 with more the following day. Photo by David Luces
Despite officials saying practically all protests in Suffolk County have been peaceful to this point, unfounded rumors of potential violence are still being spread through social media, causing concern while protesters continue to call for an end to racial injustice and police violence.
Throughout the week, a flyer promoting a protest in Smithtown made its way through social media. The flyer depicts marchers holding up their fists in the classic black power symbol, though it also depicts fires from Minneapolis. It includes the words “Bring your spirit in all its inferno.” The location of the protests lists the Stop & Shop at 291 West Main St. just east of the bull statue and was set for June 7.
Residents online, in both Smithtown and neighboring townships, have taken that image and dialogue surrounding the protest to mean it would somehow involve violence. The main person promoting the protest, who on Twitter and Instagram goes by the name @plasticbagnomad, commented that it is planned to be “a peaceful demonstration. We are not advocating for violence at all.”
Her real name is Caitlin Matos-Rodriguez, of Central Islip, and she said there has been much misinformation on social media about her and the planned protest. Because of the misinformation and rumors, she has received multiple violent threats to her and other protesters from residents.
“I have never condoned violence on this protest,” she said. “My goal of this protest is to bring our voices into segregated towns of Long Island. Our roots on Long Island rival next to Jim Crow [laws] of the south — you can see that by the geography of Long Island alone.”
Referencing the general segregated nature of Long Island’s townships (Smithtown is over 90 percent white, according to census data), she added the point of the protest is to help open up more job opportunities, real estate opportunities and credit building opportunities for marginalized people of color.
The Town of Smithtown released a statement Wednesday about some of the undue anxiety from the community at large, not just about the mentioned protest, but about “a number of rumors, hoaxes, photos of fake advertisements for paid anarchists, and false posts of looting, night time demonstrations and other fictitious posts [that] have flooded social media, inflaming unbecoming verbal response and panic amidst a pandemic.”
The town said it is working with police and local fire districts to “ensure that any and all demonstrations in our community are done in a peaceful, lawful manner, ensuring the safety of all involved.”
Smithtown spokesperson Nicole Garguilo said residents were subjected to “a storm of false information,” including that bricks were being placed around the county to be used by protesters or even rumors that the Macy’s clothing store was being looted.
The Sunday protest and its organizer was a victim of that misinformation, which resulted in violent threats to her and any other protesters. Though now with the town and police having communicated with Matos-Rodriguez and other protest leaders, Garguilo said all will work to make sure the protest will be peaceful.
“This is a young woman who is motivated to express her first amendment right to assemble,” Garguilo said. “We’re are going to all be there in what we hope to disarm any community angst that’s out there with Caitlin. We want to make sure her message gets out clear.”
More people in surrounding communities have worked to clarify that it would remain peaceful. Julio Taku Jr., a Huntington resident and journalism student at Stony Brook University, said he and other community activists saw the reaction to the Smithtown protest and have sought to clarify what’s happening.
In a written statement he shared with TBR News Media, it said Matos-Rodriguez is in contact with town officials and Suffolk County Police to ensure a safe and peaceful demonstration.
“Local law enforcement from the 4th precinct will also be on hand to ensure the safety of all the demonstrators seeking to respectfully express their First Amendment right under the United States Constitution,” her statement read. “We stand in solidarity with the black community and wish to honor and support them in the best way possible. Black Lives Matter.”
The destination and route for the march is still to be determined before Sunday. A new poster for the protest sets the time at 2 p.m., but Garguilo said the time was being moved to 4 p.m.
In community Facebook pages, mentions of protests have been responded to with posts that suggest residents will resort to violence to stave off violent protests in their communities. So far all protests on the North Shore of Long Island have been reported as peaceful. While there have been nearly daily rallies in the Huntington area for the past several days, for eastern Suffolk in the TBR News Media coverage area, the closest rallies have taken place in Setauket, Port Jefferson Station and Riverhead, some involving hundreds of people peacefully protesting alongside a police presence.
On Wednesday, June 3, police posted to its Facebook page that there were rumors circulating around social media about piles of bricks being left at specific locations, as if to incite violence, and of bricks being thrown at cars below overpasses, but the department has not received any credible information towards those reports.
In Suffolk so far the only arrests of protesters were two people in Shirley June 1. Police said they responded to about 70 protesters who were marching down toward the 7th precinct along William Floyd Parkway, shutting the road from north of Sunrise Highway to the Seventh Precinct. Road closures stretched from Sunrise Highway to the Long Island Expressway. Police said the two people didn’t listen to police about staying in a designated area.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said in a video posted to the police Facebook she thanked the protesters while citing department initiatives with diversity training and other practices to reduce police violence.
“I want to recognize the protesters who have got their message out in a peaceful manner — we are listening,” she said.
This post will be updated with additional information regarding the protest or from Town of Smithtown.
This post was updated June 6 to relay updated times of the Smithtown protest.
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