Brooklyn Neighborhood Policing Itself "Brownsville In Violence Out" In Brownsville, community members are coming together to try out a new approach to public safety. Brownsville In Violence Out (BIVO) is an anti-gun violence initiative in which Brownsville residents respond to low level street crimes themselves, rather than having the NYPD make arrests. The idea is to try to reduce the number of people entangled in the criminal justice system by substituting traditional policing with programs th...
Nov 09, 2023•27 min
2023 Election Results Analysis The results are in! Journalist and host of the “Max Politics” podcast, Ben Max, joins MetroFocus to breakdown the results of the 2023 Election. Preserving "The Boss": How The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center For American Music Came To Be If you know anything about music icon Bruce Springsteen you know that he’s a Jersey guy, the Jersey Shore to be precise. So, it might not be a surprise to learn that the Bruce Springsteen Archives found a home there at Monmo...
Nov 08, 2023•27 min
New York Voters Speak Out On Issues That Matter To Them Most More than 8 New York state voters say the recent influx of migrants to New York is a “serious problem” for the state, according to a new Siena poll released Oct. 24. And 58% agree with Mayor Adams’ statement made last month that the migrant issue could “destroy New York City.” Siena pollster Steven Greenberg tells MetroFocus “seldom do we see issues where we have 4 out of 5 Democrats, Republicans, Independents, upstaters, downstaters, ...
Nov 06, 2023•27 min
Religion vs. Tradition We take you to United Palace in Washington Heights, where patrons preach with an open heart; bridging the divide between religion and tradition with frank, honest, and raw conversations. City of Gods Queens is known as the birthplace of religious freedom in America. Do you know why? The answer may surprise you. Find out why and which neighborhood in the borough is the most diverse in the nation. Losing Their Religion Is it possible for today’s young people to put down thei...
Nov 03, 2023•27 min
Exploring Hate: Colleges Struggle With Their Response To The Israeli-Hamas War In just the latest incident of antisemitism on a college campus, a 21-year-old Cornell student was arrested this week for allegedly threatening to kill Jewish classmates. Governor Kathy Hochul has directed State Police to increase security at colleges and universities across New York, but many Jewish students still feel their schools are not doing enough to protect them. Since the Israel-Hamas war began there have bee...
Nov 02, 2023•27 min
NYPD's New Head of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Over the summer, NYPD Police Commissioner Edward Caban appointed Rebecca Weiner as the agency’s Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism – the largest counterterrorism and intelligence gathering operation in American policing. Weiner joined the NYPD in 2006, and has a long track record of investigating right-wing extremism, the Islamic State terrorist group Al Qaeda and other forms of terrorism, including cyberterrorism. Tonigh...
Oct 31, 2023•27 min
The End of AirBNB in NYC? Since its inception, Airbnb has become an increasingly popular option for tourists visiting New York City. In 2022, short-term rental listings across the city, like Airbnb and VRBO, generated $85 million in revenue. While visitors have enjoyed the lower prices and larger spaces that short-term rentals can offer, some residents have blamed these spaces for issues like noise, cleanliness, and even skyrocketing rents. In response, the city recently passed a new law that se...
Oct 30, 2023•27 min
Tonight, we revisit our Exploring Hate initiative conversation looking at the surge in anti-Jewish hate and why antisemitism is shifting from fringe to mainstream. Join us for this eye opening discussion are contributing writer at The Atlantic, Yair Rosenberg; author and historian professor Pamela Nadell; and Senior Fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, Eric Ward.
Oct 27, 2023•27 min
Joan Lunden & Sheryl Crow Share Their Personal Journeys Of Surviving Breast Cancer Joan Lunden and Sheryl Crow share their personal stories of struggle, survival, and triumph, on their mission to educate everyone on breast cancer and teach us the keys to saving lives. Dangerous Shortage of Cancer Drugs National shortages of vital chemotherapy medications are forcing physicians to develop workarounds and the Biden administration to mount an all-out government response. The shortage of chemo d...
Oct 25, 2023•27 min
How should we understand the increasing demonization and criminalization of homelessness across America? Is shelter alone enough for meeting the call of this moment, or merely an essential starting place? What can leaders in this field teach us about invoking empathy and critical analysis in responding to this complex set of issues? And finally, how can unbiased journalism punch through the myths about the causes and consequences of unaffordable housing? Tonight, we wrap out our two-night conver...
Oct 24, 2023•27 min
New York City is getting ready to implement congestion pricing starting next spring. MTA Chair Janno Lieber recently announced that the transit authority is on track to begin tolling drivers coming into Manhattan below 61th Street in May 2024. What's still not clear is how much the toll will cost, but it’s estimated it could be anywhere from $9 to $23 per trip. Also not clear is who would be exempt from paying the toll and by how much. Tonight, we discuss the future of congestion pricing and add...
Oct 19, 2023•27 min
Future of Policing: Crime-Fighting Robots? In September, Mayor Eric Adams and the NYPD unveiled a new subway-patrolling robot called K5, which patrols the Times Square subway station from 12AM to 6AM during a two-month trial. The new surveillance tool is one of a growing fleet of NYPD robots which have been criticized, due to their cost and the potential to infringe on people’s privacy. New York State Senator Jabari Brisport joins MetroFocus with his thoughts on these new police robotic technolo...
Oct 18, 2023•27 min
Last week, Governor Kathy Hochul endorsed Mayor Eric Adams’ legal challenge to suspend the decades-old right to shelter rule. Many homeless advocates claim if the mayor is successful, New York City could see more homeless and a major uptick in tent encampments. Tonight, we revisit an interview with activist Shams DaBaron who is all too familiar with the struggles by New Yorkers who experience homelessness, having personally navigated the city’s shelter system throughout his life. As part of our ...
Oct 17, 2023•27 min
Inside The Protests A reporter who was in the heart of Friday’s pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protests in Times Square joins MetroFocus to share what he saw that day. "Right To Shelter" Architect Slams Adams' Challenge of Landmark Housing Guarantee Just over 40 years ago, 26-year-old attorney Robert Hayes took on a pro bono case that turned into the biggest legal victory in history for homeless New Yorkers. That victory, the right to shelter, is once again being challenged, this time by Mayor ...
Oct 16, 2023•27 min
An Exploring Hate special report on the conflict in the Middle East. The events in Israel and Gaza are being deeply felt in the Tri-State area. Tonight, we talk with the mother of an 18-year-old who narrowly escaped the bombing with her life, but made it out of Israel and is now traveling halfway around the world to reunite with her family. Also, we’ll hear from a former WPIX-11 New York reporter for whom Mayor Eric Adams made a public plea for her safe return. Then, to give us some context arou...
Oct 12, 2023•27 min
Latinos constitute one of the most rapidly expanding voting blocs in American elections. A recent analysis by the Brookings Institution underscores the profound impact of this demographic. Latinos not only possess the highest ratio of first-time voters among any voting bloc in the country, but this growth is largely fueled by voters under the age of 30. According to an analysis by Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Gabriel Sanchez, this surge in Latino could prove decisive in 2024 - particularl...
Oct 11, 2023•27 min
As economic inequality continues to intensify in the United States, we consider at how we got to this point. In the new book “Hell to Pay: How the Suppression of Wages is Destroying America,” author Michael Lind argues that our biggest problems, from political polarization to the growing culture wars, are rooted in the actions that big businesses have intentionally taken to ensure that the power of organized labor decreases, and their own power and wealth increases.
Oct 10, 2023•27 min
Tonight, our special report on the migrant crisis in New York City continues. We give you an inside look at the conditions of one of the temporary shelters being used to house migrants and consider why so many migrants are choosing New York, out of all cities, even after our mayor and governor have so publicly discouraged their arrival. While some New Yorkers are protesting the new shelters and blaming the migrants for city wide issues like crime and cleanliness, others are working to support th...
Oct 05, 2023•27 min
Mayor Eric Adams, Governor Kathy Hochul, and President Joe Biden have recently been at odds over the handling of the New York migrant crisis. This as Mayor Adams is heading on a 4-day trip to Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia to “learn more” about the root causes of the situation. In night one of a two-night special report, we discuss the impact that the arrival of over 100,000 migrants has had on the city’s resources and neighborhoods, and how much will this end up costing taxpayers. Joining MetroFo...
Oct 04, 2023•27 min
Housing Works, the first recreational marijuana dispensary to open in New York, recently reported that in their first six months of operation they sold $12 million dollars’ worth of marijuana products, doubling their initial sales projections. Though this particular dispensary has been successful, the rest of the state has lagged behind. Housing Works’ sales represent over one third of the $33.4 million dollars that the entire New York State legal recreational marijuana industry generated in tha...
Oct 03, 2023•27 min
METROFOCUS & NJ PBS / NJ SPOTLIGHT NEWS SPECIAL REPORT: SEN. BOB MENENDEZ PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO BRIBERY CHARGES U.S. Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey and his wife, Nadine, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to bribery charges. Federal prosecutors allege the Senator took bribes of cash and bars of gold in exchange for his political influence to aid Egypt’s government and do favors for local business people. Mr. Menendez is refusing to resign, although the number of Democratic Senators callin...
Sep 28, 2023•27 min
All this week, MetroFocus will bring you stories on mental health from a variety of perspectives. We'll hear families, students, and doctors discuss this urgent issue and explore emerging solutions. Tonight, the deaths of former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst and musician Ian Alexander Jr., the son of actress Regina King, have put a spotlight on the rise in suicide rates in the Black community. The disturbing trends show that Black children and teens are being impacted more than ever: from 1991 to 2019,...
Sep 27, 2023•27 min
All this week, MetroFocus will bring you stories on mental health from a variety of perspectives. We'll hear families, students, and doctors discuss this urgent issue and explore emerging solutions. Tonight, mental health among children has become a pressing concern. The challenges brought on by the pandemic - from remote learning to social isolation - many children and teens have faced increased stress, anxiety, and depression. As students head back to school this fall, PBS LearningMedia is pro...
Sep 26, 2023•27 min
More than one in three high school students reports feeling persistent hopelessness - a 40% increase since 2009, and suicide has become the second leading cause of death for teens aged 15 to 19. While today’s students are facing unprecedented challenges in the realm of mental health, there are resources available to help families, students, and educators confront this crisis. Here at The WNET Group, we are committed to being part of the solution for our community. That’s why we are pleased to an...
Sep 25, 2023•27 min
PERIL & PROMISE: CLIMATE JOURNALISM IN THE AGE OF CLIMATE EMERGENCY It’s Climate Week in New York City. As the world faces an increasingly dire climate emergency, MetroFocus welcomes three winners of this year’s Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards, awarded for excellence in reporting on the climate crisis and its solutions. With us tonight are Mark Albert, winner of the Short-Form Video award for his seven-part series for Hearst Television Forecasting Our Future, a massive undertaking tha...
Sep 20, 2023•27 min
For over a decade it was the Long Island cold case that couldn't be cracked. Nearly a dozen people killed, their bodies left near Gilgo Beach on the island’s South Shore. A major break in the case finally came this summer when a special task force arrested a 59-year-old architect from Long Island and charged him with murdering several of the victims. Rex Heuermann, who has pleaded not guilty, is currently behind bars. Joining us to discuss how a possible serial murderer could have been living am...
Sep 19, 2023•27 min
MAYOR ADAMS SAYS MIGRANT CRISIS “WILL DESTROY NEW YORK CITY” AND COULD COST TAYPAYERS $12 BILLION OVER NEXT 3 YEARS Over one hundred thousand migrants have come to New York over the past year. With little help from Washington, DC and a price tag that could cost taxpayers $12 billion dollars over the next three years, city officials are concerned about their ability to house and pay for the influx of migrants. Tonight, we take a look at the crisis Mayor Eric Adams has said “will destroy New York ...
Sep 18, 2023•30 min
METROFOCUS 2-NIGHT EVENT: NIGHT 1 - NYC’S SHOPLIFTING EPIDEMIC There is a reason why you have been seeing everyday products, even inexpensive ones, locked behind plastic at your pharmacy or when you go shopping at one of the big-name retail stores in New York City. It’s because retail theft is skyrocketing, and not just here, where the NYPD have reported a sixty six percent increase in retail theft related complaints since 2019, but all across America. According to the National Retail Federation...
Sep 13, 2023•27 min
Currently, women comprise only 12% of sworn officers and 3% of police leadership nationwide. An initiative aims to increase the percentage of female police officers in the U.S. to 30 percent by 2030. The 30X30 Initiative, supported by over 200 police agencies including the New York Police Department, states the effort will produce a major shift in police culture. Joining MetroFocus to discuss the program and its goals are two of the co-founders: Ivonne Roman, a former Newark Police Chief; and Ma...
Sep 12, 2023•27 min
IN PICTURES: THE TRANSFORMATION OF LOWER MANHATTAN - THE 80’S, 9/11, AND BEYOND For nearly 300 years, the waterfront area of Lower Manhattan was the busiest seaport in the world, the epicenter of New York’s trade and commerce. Yet the neighborhood was never glamorous. For generations, the waterfront offered jobs to dock workers: unloaders, lumpers, seamen, journeymen, fishmongers. That all began to change in the 1980s, as Mayor Ed Koch and a young Rudy Giuliani began working to get rid of the cr...
Sep 11, 2023•27 min
