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haidee chu

@haidee.bsky.social

1.6K followers 97 following 37 posts

data nerd @thecityreporter.nyc. i also cover social & family services and write features about local things that fascinate me. also: ceramicist + 7 train loyalist. spill your sweet, weird, infuriating neighborhood tea at hchu@thecityreporter.nyc

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Reposted by haidee chu

Andrew Giambrone @andrewgiambrone.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

“They’re cutting off access to lawyers for these children, but they need lawyers now more than ever”: 20K unaccompanied migrant kids nationwide could lose access to legal help today when a US contract ends (via @gwynnefitz.bsky.social for @thecityreporter.nyc) www.thecityreporter.nyc/2026/07/31/u...

thecityreporter.nyc

Inside the NYC Courtroom Where Detained Children Face Deportation Without Attorneys

Around 20,000 unaccompanied minors nationwide are set to lose legal services when the federal government ends a contract Friday. One NYC immigration court shows us what that will look like.

Reposted by haidee chu

Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

“Clown is kind of hot and popular right now.” for the Pride edition of our summer newsletter, @haidee.bsky.social spent time with the queer clowning community of Brooklyn:

thecityreporter.nyc

For Queer New Yorkers, Clowning Makes Space to 'Tell the Truth'

The LGBTQ+ clown community in Brooklyn is growing, matching a trend for the art in other cities.

Reposted by haidee chu

The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 10/06/2026

When Erica Hill heard New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns speak about how he felt his late mother’s presence during the NBA Finals, it really resonated. So much so it inspired her to host a watch party at her mortuary in Greenpoint. www.thecityreporter.nyc/2026/06/10/k...

thecityreporter.nyc

How Karl-Anthony Towns’ Grief is Helping Knicks Fans

“KAT knows the ones we love never really leave. So do we,” said a Brooklyn memorial space hosting New Yorkers on game day.

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Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

NEW PIGEON WHO DIS besties, THE CITY is now The City Reporter extra extra read all about it!

thecityreporter.nyc

THE CITY Is Now The City Reporter

New name, new pigeon, same award-winning journalism for all New Yorkers.

Reposted by haidee chu

Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

our summer newsletter is so good this weeeek! @haidee.bsky.social interviewed a rat-and-trash tour guide, and we've got a very thorough beachcast sign up to get it! (it comes out every Thursday afternoon)

Sign up for Summer & THE CITY! Our seasonal newsletter.

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The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 27/05/2026

Our team spent months tracking hundreds of street arrests by ICE across the New York region through federal court records. Here’s what we found: 🧵 projects.thecity.nyc/ice-street-a...

projects.thecity.nyc

We Found 430 ICE Street Arrests in the NYC Area. More Than 93% Targeted Latinos.

An investigation by THE CITY, based on a database of more than 1,200 lawsuits, shows that ICE agents in the field have seized Latinos in numbers that far exceed their share of the undocumented populat...

Reposted by haidee chu

Gwynne Hogan @gwynnefitz.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

My colleagues @rosalindadams.bsky.social @haidee.bsky.social and I at @thecity.nyc spent the past several months tracking hundreds of ICE street arrests across the region through federal court records..🧵🧵 projects.thecity.nyc/ice-street-a....

haidee chu @haidee.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

ICYMI: I made an interactive map for yall to explore all the cherry blossom, magnolia and crabapple hotspots across NYC! 🌸 with @lillysabs.bsky.social! bonus: there's also a tool in here to search how your neighborhood ranks in terms of flowering tree density www.thecity.nyc/2026/04/08/s...

Reposted by haidee chu

Samantha Maldonado @smaldo.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

The Mamdani administration wants to know what NYC renters deal with. A tenant hotline gets an earful from hundreds of callers each week. “People call us, and we’re sort of the first line of defense.” www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/26/r...

What’s to Come at ‘Rental Ripoff’ Hearings? Tenant Hotline Staff Hear It All

Longtime workers at a tenants’ rights hotline say stories from callers have only gotten more extreme in recent years.

Reposted by haidee chu

The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 25/02/2026

Bellevue Hospital’s south lobby is one of the city’s official warming centers, a temporary place for anyone in need to wait out the cold. But many people there who spoke with THE CITY said they’d been living in the lobby for weeks, with no end in sight. www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/25/b...

Bellevue Hospital a De Facto Homeless Shelter, as Winter Storms Test City Outreach

Dozens of unhoused people have been staying in a warming center at the public hospital for weeks on end and haven’t had any contact with homeless services.

Reposted by haidee chu

Samantha Maldonado @smaldo.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Everyone in NYC is talking about property taxes! Hardly anyone understands the system, but there's widespread agreement the outcomes are inequitable. We've got a guide to help you make sense of it all, and learn why you should care, even if you don't own property. www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/25/p...

Property Taxes in NYC are a Mess. Here’s Why Even Renters Should Care.

They’re the engine of the city’s budget, but unequal and outdated. Here’s your guide on how property taxes work — and how they affect everyone, not just owners.

haidee chu @haidee.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

it's gonna get reeeeeally cold outside again this weekend, and i'm thinking again about the four unsheltered new yorkers who so generously shared with me what it's been like to navigate this cold spell. so ICYMI: www.thecity.nyc/2026/01/30/c...

How Unsheltered New Yorkers Face Down the Cold: ‘It’s Survive or Die’

Some unsheltered New Yorkers say they prefer the freedom of the streets. Others say they have not been asked in.

Reposted by haidee chu

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 31/12/2025

A hopeful story about the diligent horticulturists at the NYC parks dept's Plant Ecology Center and Nursery on Staten Island. Always read @haidee.bsky.social for thoughtful, humane reflections on life in NYC! From @thecity.nyc

Meet the Parks Seed Seekers Who Cultivate Spring in the Cold

At a Staten Island plant nursery, Parks Department horticulturalists nurture the nubs of future plants and trees through hard winter, rebooting life’s cycle.

Reposted by haidee chu

The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 18/12/2025

NEW: The request to ‘pretermit’ is an effort to toss a person’s asylum claim, leaving them defenseless against deportation to a country they are not from and may have never even entered before: Honduras, Ecuador and Uganda. www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/18/a...

Trump Administration Moves to Send Asylum Seekers to Uganda, Honduras and Ecuador

Citing agreements with the three countries, Department of Homeland Security attorneys at 26 Federal Plaza are now asserting that immigrants have no right to apply for asylum in the United States.

Reposted by haidee chu

The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 10/12/2025

An investigation by THE CITY has found more than 14,200 housing code violations in RAD developments since January 2021. www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/10/n...

Private Management Promised to Fix Public Housing, Yet Hundreds of Violations Linger

Get THE CITY SCOOP, our free morning newsletter.

haidee chu @haidee.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

people arrested in nyc under the current trump admin are also far more likely to be deported than those arrested during the biden admin more data findings here: www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/05/i...

Stacked line chart shows the Trump administration has deported most immigrants arrested in New York City under its watch, while most people arrested during the Biden era remain in the U.S.

Reposted by haidee chu

Gwynne Hogan @gwynnefitz.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

“I considered myself a strong person, a resilient person, but I’ve never gone through something like this... Leave your family out of nowhere, the uncertainty of what’s going to happen to you." www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/26/i...

Sidewalk Arrests Seize New Yorkers in ICE’s Latest Surge

Activists and legal advocates are tracking seemingly random detentions of immigrants on the streets in what they say is a campaign of ethnic profiling.

Reposted by haidee chu

The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 20/11/2025

"I was trying to help my mom,” said 13-year-old Jayleane, shaking, as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I saw they were pulling her hair. They had the gun in front of me. I was scared.”

On Camera, Fed Agents Point Guns at Mother and Four Kids in Queens

The agents came looking for a relative who no longer lived in the apartment, the shellshocked mother told THE CITY. Days later, her children are terrified to leave their parents' sides.

Reposted by haidee chu

The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 05/11/2025

At just 34 years old, Zohran Mamdani culminated a meteoric political rise Tuesday by scoring a decisive victory in a polarizing mayoral election. He will become the youngest mayor in over a century, the first Muslim to lead New York City. buff.ly/7kOwKhb

Mamdani Makes History With Victory in Mayor’s Race

More than 2 million New Yorkers cast a ballot in a high-stakes election that smashed recent turnout levels.

Reposted by haidee chu

Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

you've got to click around on this map, and the graphics here ... it's astounding. @haidee.bsky.social did such a great job with this:

Explore How Different New Yorkers Voted for Mayor

See how voters turned out for Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa in every neighborhood in the city — and by income, housing and transit preference.

Reposted by haidee chu

Gwynne Hogan @gwynnefitz.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

First pass at the chaotic scene that just happened in Lower Manhattan. Military-Style Sweep Hits NYC as Masked Federal Agents Arrest Canal Street Vendors www.thecity.nyc/2025/10/21/i...

Military-Style Sweep Hits NYC as Masked Federal Agents Arrest Canal Street Vendors

Spontaneous protestors were met with an armored military vehicle and assault rifles in a crackdown that escalated the Trump administration’s focus on NYC.

Reposted by haidee chu

Richard Kim @richardkimnyc.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Dear friends, especially those in journalism & fellow New Yorkers, while I appreciate the comic gesture, going forward please desist from sending me bags of Sour Cream & Onion potato chips. I done already done had Herr's. In lieu of chips, you can donate here: donorbox.org/nycdonate

Donate to THE CITY | The CITY (Powered by Donorbox)

Local problems don’t get solved without local journalism. We cover New York's uncovered neighborhoods, hold the powerful to account, and make sense of the greatest city in the world. Your support toda...

haidee chu @haidee.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

brb, gonna start asking all my aunties now why my chinese new year red pockets never came in a bag of chips www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/20/w...

Eric Adams Advisor Winnie Greco Handed a CITY Reporter Cash Stuffed in a Bag of Potato Chips

THE CITY reported the incident to law enforcement and was promptly contacted by the Brooklyn U.S. attorney’s office.

Reposted by haidee chu

Hasani Gittens @hgitty.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

‘They’ve Gone Off the Map’: Fear Drives Immigrants Away From Clinics www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/12/i...

‘They’ve Gone Off the Map’: Fear Drives Immigrants Away From Clinics

NYC Care enrollment declines for the first time, as doctors warn that New Yorkers worried about their immigration status are avoiding care out of deportation fears.

Reposted by haidee chu

Gwynne Hogan @gwynnefitz.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

While other cities like LA are being put through outdoor ICE raids, NYC is the nation's capital of ICE immigration courthouse arrests, new data analysis shows. www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/11/2...

Reposted by haidee chu

Alyssa Katz @alykatzz.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

Numbers run by @haidee.bsky.social & @gwynnefitz.bsky.social reflect remarkable contrast between ICE in LA (immigration raid spectacles on the streets) and NY (arrests at court or office check-ins). Sparing NYC's mayor a mess as he runs for reelection.

NYC Is the Nation’s Capital of Immigration Courthouse Arrests, New Data Analysis Shows

Half of all immigration courthouse arrests earlier this summer were in Manhattan, as the Trump administration has mostly kept ICE enforcement off of the streets, in stark contrast to Los Angeles and o...

Reposted by haidee chu

Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

helloooooo, new Summer & THE CITY drops this afternoon! this week's edition is a great one from @katiehonan.bsky.social about the long-running municipal softball league for government workers trivia: which agency plays as "the Greenbacks"? subscribe!

Sign up for Summer & THE CITY! Our seasonal newsletter.

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The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 18/07/2025

Family Reunions for Mexican Immigrants Persist in the Shadow of Immigration Enforcement W/ Documentedny.org

Mexican Relatives Kept Apart for Years Meet Again in NYC, Despite ICE Crackdowns

The reunions, held away from view and not publicly advertised, bring together undocumented immigrants with family they haven’t seen in decades.

Reposted by haidee chu

Arya Sundaram @aryasundaram.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

NEW: Immigrants complain of inhumane conditions at ICE holding cells in NYC. No showers or changing clothes. Sometimes only one meal per day. Over 100 people in small rooms. Sleeping on benches, the floor, or sitting up, due to lack of space. gothamist.com/news/theyre-...

‘They’re killing us’: Immigrants complain of inhumane conditions inside NYC holding site

Immigrants complain of cramped conditions, inadequate food and bathing facilities and sleeping on concrete floors.

Reposted by haidee chu

The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 25/06/2025

“Today, eight months after launching this campaign with the vision of a city that every New Yorker could afford, we have won,” said Zohran Mamdani during his speech to supporters. Our full coverage here: www.thecity.nyc/2025/06/24/m... Photos: Alex Krales

Reposted by haidee chu

Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

currently making me laugh: all the people from way outside of NYC being like "why the hell do I care so much about the mayoral race" A THREAD 🧵

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Liam Quigley @elkue.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Always obsessed with how the family living in the Commandant's House in the Navy Yard can turn their whole district one color, this time just one of them voted for Brad Lander in the primary

Reposted by haidee chu

Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

LOOKING FOR HOW HE DID IT? we covered it!

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The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 25/06/2025

For a REAL detailed map of how NYC voted, check our map out 😎 www.thecity.nyc/2025/06/24/m...

Reposted by haidee chu

Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

we have a weekly summer newsletter that includes advice from readers on exactly this sign up ... or melt. your choice

Sign up for Summer & THE CITY! Our seasonal newsletter.

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Gwynne Hogan @gwynnefitz.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

Hour by hour, outside the ICE check in office today, for @thecity.nyc www.thecity.nyc/2025/06/04/i...

Families in Tears and Panic Outside Immigration Office as ICE Accelerates Round-Ups

Over the course of Wednesday, THE CITY witnessed at least 15 people arrested at routine, mandatory check-ins with the agency as the Trump administration escalates its crackdown.

Reposted by haidee chu

Yoav Gonen @yoavgonen.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

Almost every NYPD cop charged with excessive force during the George Floyd protests escaped serious discipline, a review by THE CITY found

Reposted by haidee chu

Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

“Three women who also received the message and came to the office on Tuesday told THE CITY they were instructed to return on Wednesday — but this time to bring their children with them.” harrowing new reporting from @gwynnefitz.bsky.social:

ICE Turns Required Check-Ins Into Arrest Dragnet in Lower Manhattan

Reporters for THE CITY witnessed vehicles hauling away 16 people in handcuffs from an office where immigrants in deportation cases were summoned to sudden appointments.

Reposted by haidee chu

fractenberg @fractenberg.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

“This was my home that I built, and it was this incredible gathering space. So many people were in and out of there, and there were so many wonderful experiences.” Great reporting by @haidee.bsky.social on struggling Brooklyn homeowners facing lien sales. www.thecity.nyc/2025/06/03/l...

First Lien Sale in Years Has Struggling Homeowners Fearing the Worst

Dogged by unpaid taxes and water bills, indebted Brooklynites describe their struggles — and say new exemptions don’t help them

Reposted by haidee chu

Alyssa Katz @alykatzz.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

There is no one post or piece that can capture the force that was @tommyrobb.bsky.social, but my colleagues and I at @thecity.nyc did our best. Thank you, Tom, for your relentless focus on leaving the world better than you found it, knowing It’s not only possible to change things, but imperative.

Remembering Tom Robbins, Journalist Who Crusaded for New Yorkers in Need

A stint on THE CITY’s investigations team capped a career exposing the corrupt and the criminal on behalf of tenants, workers and incarcerated people.

Reposted by haidee chu

Gwynne Hogan @gwynnefitz.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

Dispatch from 26 Federal plaza where plain clothes federal agents detained at least 7 people leaving immigration court, plus a priest attempting to observe the arrests. www.thecity.nyc/2025/05/28/i...

Migrants, and a Pastor, Arrested Inside Manhattan Immigration Courthouse

Dozens of masked agents in plainclothes searched for targets exiting the elevators.

Reposted by haidee chu

katie honan @katiehonan.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

I spent some time at lifeguard training classes this year, where prospective guards are ready to hit the city's beaches and pools -- but first have to make it through 16 weeks of laps, rescue exercises, and CPR. With great photos from @fractenberg.bsky.social www.thecity.nyc/2025/05/22/l...

Beach Season in NYC is Just Beginning. For New Lifeguards, It Began Months Ago.

The Parks Department now has training centers in high schools across the city, and is hoping to change the culture of the beach watchers.

Reposted by haidee chu

Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

😎 OUR SUMMER NEWSLETTER IS COMING BACK TOMORROW 😎 and for the first edition, we want to here your best summertime tips, hot spots and coping mechanisms: HELP YOUR FELLOW NEW YORKERS OUT ⬇️

docs.google.com

Summer & THE CITY is back! 🌊⛱️☀️

We're bringing back our Summer & THE CITY weekly newsletter! And we want to hear from you: What are your best tips for surviving summer, and thriving in the season? If we like your tip, we'll featur...

Reposted by haidee chu

The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 14/05/2025

Where do the mayoral candidates stand on issues such as housing, public safety, schools and the federal government? Take our Meet Your Mayor quiz, in partnership with @Gothamist.com, to see which candidate you best match with. projects.thecity.nyc/meet-your-ma...

Reposted by haidee chu

Richard Kim @richardkimnyc.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

We built this for you, the NYC voter. Because elections are about your views and your opportunity to express them. Who should you rank on your ballot to be the next mayor of New York City? Take the same quiz the candidates did and find your closest match. projects.thecity.nyc/meet-your-ma...

projects.thecity.nyc

Take the Quiz: Meet Your Mayor 2025

Candidates for NYC mayor told us where they stand on issues. Which is the top match for you? Find out before heading to the polls.

Reposted by haidee chu

Jose Martinez @jmartineznyc.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Dante Garcia, 28, was waiting to be called up to a counter with a birth certificate in hand — albeit one with jagged edges resembling bite marks. “My dog ate it,” said Garcia, referring to Mochi, his 4-year-old Shiba Inu. Good stuff on Real ID @haidee.bsky.social. www.thecity.nyc/2025/05/07/r...

The Dog Ate My Birth Certificate and Other Tales From the Real ID Rush

Requests for vital records soared ahead of today’s deadline for passengers to upgrade identification in order to board domestic flights.

Reposted by haidee chu

katie honan @katiehonan.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

The longtime director of the WTC Health Program, Dr. John Howard, was not brought back as the administrator & the program has stopped providing treatment & stopped enrolling new responders and survivors, per advocates - www.renew911health.org/press-statem... www.thecity.nyc/2025/04/21/9...

Anxiety Is Side Effect of Staffing Cuts at Sept. 11 Health Program

Mayor Eric Adams has been slow to criticize the moves of the Trump administration, which have 9/11 survivors and first-responders on edge.

Reposted by haidee chu

Samantha Maldonado @smaldo.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

"An increasing number of migrant children are making immigration court appearances without the assistance of attorneys, which they say will lead to more children getting deported." gothamist.com/news/4-year-...

4-year-old migrant girl, other kids go to court in NYC with no lawyer: 'The cruelty is apparent'

The Trump administration cut funding for lawyers aiding unaccompanied minors in court.