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Emma Whitford

@eawhitford.bsky.social
1.2K followers 114 following 40 posts

Now: senior reporter at MLex covering AI regulation. Proud member @newsguild.org. Then: deputy editor @citylimitsnews.bsky.social covering housing and homelessness.

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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
@michael-thomas.bsky.social hey there! Emma here with MLex. I'd love to ask you a few questions about your behind-the-meter report. Let me know if there's a good way to connect!
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Late to this @patrickspauster.com @citylimitsnews.bsky.social story, but it's excellent and maddening. Seems like NYC should just fix this with some new law! "At Bruckner House, residents say the divider between the rich and poor is not a doorperson, but a key fob."
citylimits.org
The New 'Poor Door': Amenity Fees Are Too High for Affordable Housing Tenants - City Limits
Tenants who get affordable housing through the city’s lottery or a rental assistance voucher often can’t afford amenity fees in new mixed-income luxury buildings, creating what one described as a "two...
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@AdamEisgrau @adameisgrau.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
@OpenAI.com owes Magistrate Judge Ona Wang an answer tomorrow re why it shouldn't be required to produce not a mere 20 million user output logs, as previously negotiated with/ @NYTimes.com, but up to *78* million such records that plaintiffs claim it has long known of but withheld, says @MLex.com:
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Samuel Rubenfeld (he/him) @srubenfeld.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
A discovery dispute between OpenAI and news outlets over the production of 20 million anonymized ChatGPT conversations in a copyright infringement case hit a new snag after a magistrate judge revealed that OpenAI may have disclosed related confidential conversations. with @eawhitford.bsky.social
A discovery dispute between OpenAI and news outlets over the production of 20 million anonymized ChatGPT conversations in a copyright infringement case hit a new snag on Wednesday after US Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang revealed that OpenAI may have disclosed related confidential communications.
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Samuel Rubenfeld (he/him) @srubenfeld.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
support our effort to secure a fair retirement! #youpaywestay
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MLex Guild @mlexguild.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Today we’re telling management #YouPayWeStay— come through on retirement so we can build actual careers doing work we care about! www.instagram.com/reel/DQWyPHV...
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MLex Guild @mlexguild.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Hello everyone! We're the union for MLex and we're expanding our fight for a fair contract to Bluesky! Today we delivered this letter to management demanding they stop misclassifying members of our unit, with 100% of our membership signing.
Dear Teresa, Richard and Tony,
Two weeks ago at our last bargaining session, we offered to create a standing date for
bargaining because scheduling has been chaotic and slow. We’re still waiting for new dates to
be proposed, and our offer to create a standing time remains.
Meanwhile, we’ve decided to put in writing our response to the company’s wage proposals and
inappropriate title proposals that shunt our members into salary bands that do not correspond
with their experience levels.
We intend to bargain and win higher salaries for our lowest-paid coworkers. They are reporters.
They do the work of reporters, and MLex has been benefiting from underpaying them for their
work for too long.
MLex’s value proposition to our readers is “reliable legal news and predictive analysis.” This
promise is increasingly critical in a world of ever-expanding, complex and interconnected laws
and regulations.
It is deeply disappointing that the company is willing to entrust us with providing unbiased,
timely insights into complex economic and legal disputes, but at the same time rejects our
evidence-based, firsthand accounts of the work we do every day.
The best way for MLex to show its commitment to editorial excellence and employee satisfaction
is to put the company’s money where its mouth is.
Instead, management has dangled raises over new and younger employees’ heads as an
enticement to join our ranks, only to later deny doing so.
Management has also failed to adequately train reporters to build their skills, while MLex Guild
members have stepped up to do so in their absence.
It’s become clear that management never intended to give us the salaries we deserve, matching
our Law360 colleagues’ fair standards.
MLex, FTCWatch and Law360 know we’re stronger together. In order to ensure a successful
integration, and salaries reflective of our skills and potential, we will continue to fight with our
collective might for the contract we deserve.
Sincerely,
Members of the MLex Guild and Law…
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
This is fantastic news for Patrick and NYC. Some of my favorite stories at City Limits were our collabs. This beat needs stars and Patrick is one!!
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
"We look forward to the opportunity to present to the jury... how OpenAI and Microsoft are profiting wildly and exorbitantly from stealing the original content of newspapers across the country." On today's order preserving copyright infringement claims: content.mlex.com#/content/164...
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
This week, I got a crash course in FERC and the power grid. So much to unpack here! content.mlex.com#/content/163... "It comes down to who profits from new data centers and who pays for the energy and infrastructure costs for data centers."
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Mark Welch @markwelch.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
propublica.org
DOGE Gains Access to Confidential Records on Housing Discrimination, Medical Details — Even Domestic Violence
While some agencies have resisted efforts by Elon Musk’s team to access confidential records, HUD has opened the door. The potential harm to privacy could be significant.
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Andrea Riquier @riquier.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
I wrote about what potential #HUD budget cuts and layoffs will mean for #housing programs around the country. With thanks to Mayor @melaniekebler.bsky.social, @mollygoodman.bsky.social , and others. #HousingCrisis
usatoday.com
HUD cuts, layoffs will "devastate" communities, worsen housing crisis, observers say
HUD staff and budget are already stretched too thin, and more will exacerbate a national housing crisis, observers say
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
"That sounded more like a politician than a science guy, but OK." Coverage from Michael Kratsios' confirmation hearing to head Trump's Office of Science and Technology Policy: content.mlex.com#/content/163...
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@AdamEisgrau @adameisgrau.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Much to mull in the Judge's nearly 70-page decision, but @mlexclusive.com's @eawhitford.bsky.social broke down the import of the Judge's key finding down nicely:
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
From my colleague @realchoonsik.bsky.social, who spoke with the director of South Korea's AI Safety Institute. Per their convo, US AISI did have a rep at the Paris action summit, though it wasn't widely advertised: content.mlex.com#/content/163...
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
From @frankhersey.bsky.social, on what he saw in Paris: "US Vice President JD Vance summed it up in his speech: 'I'm not here this morning to talk about AI safety, which was the title of the conference a couple of years ago. I'm here to talk about AI opportunity.'"
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
@markey.senate.gov at State of the Net, talking about tech's "walled garden": "Big Tech threatens to become Big AI" and "AI should stand for All Included. That's not going to be the goal of these Big Tech CEOs." He also gives a shoutout to Bluesky, gives props to decentralized platforms
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
MLex is keeping up with the DOGE-related data privacy lawsuits flooding in. Here's a new one:
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
"The use of AI inside the Department of Education... shows how Musk’s group, which includes former employees from his tech empire, is tapping the favorite tool of Silicon Valley as part of its mission to drastically slash the size and functions of the federal government."
washingtonpost.com
Elon Musk’s DOGE is feeding sensitive federal data into AI to target cuts
Department of Government Efficiency workers embedded in the Education Department have been processing sensitive agency data using artificial intelligence.
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Lauren Kaori Gurley @laurenkaorigurley.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
🚨NEWS: A temporary order has been issued blocking the Labor Dept. from sharing any data with DOGE, after a group of unions, including AFGE, sued DOGE and held a major protest outside DOL yesterday. Here's the union's email:
6743791043
Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
From my colleagues @alexwilts.bsky.social & @amyailaw.bsky.social, covering Musk's suit against OpenAI: US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said it was “a stretch to claim irreparable harm in this case,” characterizing the matter before her as “billionaires versus billionaires.”
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
Us in one place:
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Samuel Rubenfeld (he/him) @srubenfeld.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
The release of DeepSeek's AI product has the US government eager to guard both the computing and intellectual property behind its technology, but there are limitations to how it can be done using export controls. With @emmawhitford.bsky.social: www.mlex.com/mlex/artific...
The release of an impressive artificial intelligence product by Chinese firm DeepSeek last month has the US government eager to guard both the computing and intellectual property behind its most advanced AI technology, but there are certain limitations to how that can be done using federal export controls.

DeepSeek’s R1 chatbot, which the Hangzhou, China-based company said was trained at a much lower cost and requires far less energy than competing US models, has sparked a furious US response effort.

House lawmakers are urging the Trump administration to expand chip controls. And at his Senate confirmation hearing last week, Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Commerce, said the US will be “rigorous in our pursuit of restrictions... to keep us in the lead.”

Should he be confirmed, Lutnick will face challenges both familiar and novel in doing so.

or several years, the US has used its export control authorities to limit China’s access to advanced AI chips — the hardware necessary to process data at a high volume and speed, and effectively the oil that fuels the AI industry. But these controls aren’t very nimble.

For example, the Biden administration announced chip controls in October 2023 and updated them a year later. But in the interim, certain imports kept flowing.

That’s not to say these tools are entirely ineffective. Chip controls likely forced DeepSeek to be creative in ways that paid off for them, said Brookings Institute fellow Valerie Wirtschafter. But they would still be in a more competitive position without those chip constraints imposed by the US.

At the same time, the US government has old-fashioned capacity constraints. Observers say the Bureau of Industry and Security, an office in Commerce dedicated to enforcing export controls, saw its responsibilities expand under President Joe Biden, in part thanks to new controls targeting Russia in response to the war with Ukraine.
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New York Metro Weather @nymetrowx.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
NYC (Central Park) recorded 1.8" of snow overnight and this morning. This is NYC's first measurable snowfall in December since 2021.
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Erik Uebelacker @uebey.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
This looks to be the story Penny's team referenced. It's an AI-written article by "The Pinnacle Gazette," a site run by a popular Turkish science company. The jury is anonymous, but "Martin Beck" is not one of their names, according to Penny's lawyers. AI in journalism, folks.
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Tricia Lockwood @tricialockwood.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
TRICKI WOO
pekingese named tricki woo with no eyes or legs or face
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
First fried turkey
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Capital Weather @capitalweather.com · 19/11/2024
First flakes of snow in DC area Friday morning? Possible. But they won't accumulate with temps well above freezing. But if you go to the mountains 150 miles to the west, some peaks could see more than a foot. Read more: www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024...
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Hell Gate *subscribe today!* @hellgatenyc.com · 15/11/2024
The legal crux of Daniel Penny's trial is whether he caused Jordan Neely's death, and if he knew or should have known that he risked doing so. Video of his interview with detectives that afternoon sheds light on a different subject: How he regarded Neely.
hellgatenyc.com
‘Just a Crackhead’: Daniel Penny’s NYPD Interview Shown at His Manslaughter Trial
As the prosecution prepares to rest its case against Penny, a glimpse into his thinking that day.
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 28/04/2024
New hobby:
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City Limits News @citylimitsnews.bsky.social · 20/04/2024
A budget housing deal will temporarily extend new eviction defenses to certain renters, depending on factors like location, age, ownership and cost. It also allows larger rent increases for stabilized landlords following renovations. via @eawhitford.bsky.social: bit.ly/4d2MzsT
bit.ly
NY’s Housing Deal Is Here. What Does It Mean for Tenant Stability?
From “good cause” carve outs to adjusted IAI caps, City Limits breaks down how major planks of the state budget deal will impact tenants’ eviction protections—and rents.
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Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 10/04/2024
Rent stabilization has allowed these grandmothers to affordably live in their Crown Heights building for decades as the neighborhood gentrifies around them Now, they face eviction by demolition. But by standing their ground, they're delaying their landlord's application to knock the building down.
whatimreading.net
Staring down the wrecking ball, these Brooklyn grandmothers won’t be moved
A Crown Heights building in limbo could inspire more landlords to deregulate through demolition—or more tenants to fight to stay in their homes.
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Eileen Clancy 🧿 @clancyny.bsky.social · 10/04/2024
Very happy to see Emma Whitford's always fabulous reporting for City Limits getting attention Follow Emma everywhere: Bsky: @eawhitford.bsky.social Twitter: @emma_a_whitford Follow and give $ to brill nonprofit newsroom City Limits Bsky: @citylimitsnews.bsky.social Twitter: @CityLimitsNews
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City Limits News @citylimitsnews.bsky.social · 09/04/2024
Meet the last tenants standing at the Lillianette, who've lived there for decades as Crown Heights gentrified—and could now face eviction via demolition, one of the few legal pathways to remove an entire building from rent regulation. via @eawhitford.bsky.social: bit.ly/49sY7mb
bit.ly
Staring Down the Wrecking Ball, These Brooklyn Grandmothers Won’t Be Moved
A Crown Heights building in limbo could inspire more landlords to deregulate through demolition—or more tenants to fight to stay in their homes.
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 20/03/2024
ICYM: The Callahan settlement is about more than just shelter limits. There are also eligibility screenings upon entry, and allowances for the city to place folks in hotel rooms outside NYC & even NY One source described it as "organized abandonment" citylimits.org/2024/03/19/r...
citylimits.org
Right to Shelter Settlement Enforces Unequal System, Critics Say
While defenders see the preservation of shelter rights in the long term, opponents are raising implementation concerns. They say the settlement agreement enforces a recent trend of unequal treatment b...
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 10/03/2024
When your era is ETPA
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City Limits News @citylimitsnews.bsky.social · 05/03/2024
“We can certainly be pleased with them meeting their deadlines and also simultaneously concerned that more people are being denied and that they’re not maintaining a phone system that’s accessible,” one public benefits attorney said. via @eawhitford.bsky.social: bit.ly/49FexJ6
bit.ly
City Hall Announces Near-Elimination of Benefits Case Backlog As Challenges Persist
While advocates who specialize in public benefits have called for these backlogs to be cut, they say New Yorkers who rely on cash and food support are not yet out of the woods.
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 29/02/2024
“Whoever is funding this work... you need the unionized workforce to accomplish that. By withholding our labor, we force the issue.” New @citylimitsnews.bsky.social from the @mfjunion.bsky.social picket line: citylimits.org/2024/02/29/l...
citylimits.org
Legal Organization Workers On Strike Say NYC Tenants Deserve More
While Mobilization for Justice's staff union has particular grievances—they say their employer has failed to stay competitive with its peers—many members are experiencing a strain familiar to tenant l...
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Anodyne @anodynesix.bsky.social · 29/02/2024
"Akchin warned that tenants should know that just because they find overcharges in their rent history documents, that doesn’t automatically mean they’ll see cash in their pocket, or a new lease with a lower rent. Often, ... landlords are obstinate about giving tenants what they are legally owed."
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City Limits News @citylimitsnews.bsky.social · 20/02/2024
The Supreme Court said it will not take up two lingering challenges to rent stabilization from NYC landlords. But in a brief accompanying statement, Justice Clarence Thomas hinted at an interest in future challenges. The latest, & reactions to the news, via @eawhitford.bsky.social: bit.ly/3T4I0q5
bit.ly
Supreme Court Tosses Lingering Challenges to Rent Stabilization in NY
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will not take up two lingering challenges to rent stabilization from New York City landlords, ending months of uncertainty after a broad challenge to the regi...
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City Limits News @citylimitsnews.bsky.social · 14/02/2024
A lawsuit on behalf of tenants at risk of eviction highlights a population in the crosshairs of a policy fight between the City Council and Mayor Eric Adams. @eawhitford.bsky.social: bit.ly/42BG0bM
bit.ly
These NYC Voucher Holders Are Fighting To Stay Put
A lawsuit on behalf of voucher holders at risk of eviction highlights a population in the crosshairs of a policy fight between the City Council and Mayor Eric Adams.
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David MacLeod @davidmacleod.bsky.social · 06/01/2024
citylimits.org/2024/01/05/a... From @citylimitsnews.bsky.social @eawhitford.bsky.social
citylimits.org
Adams Admin Confirms Inaction on Council’s Rental Voucher Expansion
Despite a veto override, a December letter from Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Park says certain CityFHEPs voucher legislation passed by the City Council “cannot be implemented at ...
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City Limits News @citylimitsnews.bsky.social · 12/12/2023
While NYC must propose a balanced budget in January for the coming fiscal year, some say Adams’ approach to closing the gap—multiple rounds of budget cuts across most agencies—is a blunt instrument, and not the only option. via @eawhitford.bsky.social: bit.ly/3RBO5JS
bit.ly
‘His One Move is to Cut’: Adams Admin in Hot Seat Over Budget Strategy
While New York City must propose a balanced budget in January for the coming fiscal year, some say Adams’ approach to closing the gap is a blunt instrument, and not the only option.
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City Limits News @citylimitsnews.bsky.social · 29/11/2023
“Every time you try to look at a piece of what’s being said here, it opens up a Pandora's box of questions,” said Beth Haroules, director of disability justice litigation at the New York Civil Liberties Union. via @eawhitford.bsky.social: bit.ly/3N5BUCo
bit.ly
Initial Data on Forced Removals of People Deemed Mentally Ill Spurs Demand for Details
Speaking from the City Hall rotunda, Mayor Eric Adams celebrated that 54 people on a city-managed short list are now off of the streets—a share of whom experienced involuntary hospitalization—one ...
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City Limits News @citylimitsnews.bsky.social · 17/11/2023
The Adams administration doesn't plan to fully implement a package of bills, passed by the City Council this spring, to expand the city's main rental assistance program to more New Yorkers—despite the Council overriding the mayor's veto. via @eawhitford.bsky.social: bit.ly/46gtoaw
bit.ly
Full Package of Rental Voucher Laws Not on Mayor’s Agenda, Despite Veto Override
With under two months left on the clock, the administration is not taking steps to fully implement a package of bills that would expand rental voucher eligibility among New Yorkers facing eviction.
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City Limits News @citylimitsnews.bsky.social · 13/11/2023
Political calculus around a City Council race in the East Bronx has slowed the approval process for a plan to house seriously ill people leaving jail, and could cue up a test: whether the Council is willing to override opposition from one of their own.  New by @eawhitford.bsky.social bit.ly/3MFErD6
bit.ly
How a Bronx Election Swerved the Course for Plan to House Formerly-Incarcerated
Political calculus around a City Council race in the East Bronx has slowed the approval process for "Just Home," a plan to house seriously ill people leaving jail, and could cue up a test: whether the...
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 13/11/2023
A public hearing on a contentious plan for housing sick and formerly incarcerated New Yorkers in the Bronx was delayed this month to avoid a heated negotiations during Election season. What happens now? New @citylimitsnews.bsky.social: citylimits.org/2023/11/13/h...
citylimits.org
How a Bronx Election Swerved the Course for Plan to House Formerly-Incarcerated
Political calculus around a City Council race in the East Bronx has slowed the approval process for "Just Home," a plan to house seriously ill people leaving jail, and could cue up a test: whether the...
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City Limits News @citylimitsnews.bsky.social · 02/11/2023
“They are trying to persuade people to get out of New York” A recently-opened “reticketing” facility has sown confusion, emerging as one of the only options—along with new “waiting areas”—for recently-arrived immigrants forced to leave their shelter placements as the cold sets in. bit.ly/3QIf45Y
bit.ly
Uncertain Waits or Tickets Away: Immigrants Face New Reality as Shelter Stays Expire
A recently-opened facility dedicated to “reticketing” has sown confusion, emerging as one of the only options—along with new “waiting areas”—for recently-arrived immigrants forced to leave...
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Emma Whitford @eawhitford.bsky.social · 02/11/2023
“He… says to me, ‘Friend, calm down.’ No friend, first [tell me]—is there shelter or no shelter?” citylimits.org/2023/11/02/u...
citylimits.org
Uncertain Waits or Tickets Away: Immigrants Face New Reality as Shelter Stays Expire
A recently-opened facility dedicated to “reticketing” has sown confusion, emerging as one of the only options—along with new “waiting areas”—for recently-arrived immigrants forced to leave...
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Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 02/11/2023
truly infuriating piece from @eawhitford.bsky.social:
citylimits.org
NYC Promised More Apartments to Break a ‘Vicious Cycle.’ Where Are They?
A 2019 plan to expand the Justice Involved Supportive Housing program would satisfy a commitment in former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2019 Points of Agreement to close the city’s notorious jail on Rik...
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