Closed beaches, Summer School, Freelance

I hope this email finds you well on this Sunny Spring Tuesday. With the weather being all over the place, just over a week ago it was near freezing, I’ve lost any seasonal sense.

I hope this email finds you well on this Sunny Spring Tuesday. With the weather being all over the place, just over a week ago it was near freezing, I’ve lost any seasonal sense. I didn’t realize this coming weekend (Memorial Day Weekend) was the unofficial start of summer until I was asked to confirm that beaches would be closed . Of course, the official start of summer arrives on June 21st, just four days after our June 17th “check-in.” You can register for it here . But a lot is happening before that as we navigate “ reopening ” our city. 

Reopening safely requires proper policies and enforcement. That means funding hopefully from the Heroes Act for such things as street usage , summer school , and more. For too many now, it, unfortunately, means navigating Unemployment Insurance. Thousands are still waiting to collect. An overwhelming percentage of those still waiting are freelancers ( 84% of freelancers haven’t received any benefits ). With that in mind, I spoke with Rafael Espinal, Executive Director of the Freelancers Union today, about his organization's efforts in helping freelancers during this crisis, as well as what folks can do to help or help themselves. He recommended reaching out to them and using resources designed that are designed specifically for freelancers . 

If you scroll down, you’ll find some items of potential interest, use, and other happenings. If you don’t scroll down, I’ll take no offense and wish you the best until tomorrow when I’ll make a similar suggestion. 

This is the web archive of a newsletter originally sent by email to Brooklyn Community Board 6 subscribers on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. The email edition may contain additional event listings and links.