News
StreetsBlogNYC Op-Ed: Show Us the Money for School Streets, Mr. Mayor
By Cateia Rembert and Justin Krebs
Mayor de Blasio this week announced an initiative enabling public schools to take advantage of outdoor spaces — such as parks, schoolyards and streets — as part of in-person reopening plans for the upcoming school year. It’s an exciting step that some schools now can explore outdoors classrooms and schooling. Unfortunately, however, the city’s announcement is a day late and many dollars short — and will lead to many communities being left out in the cold.
Brownstoner: Protesters Rally at Park Slope Post Office on National Day of Action Against Proposed Cuts
By Ben Verde
“We love our post office, we want to protect our postal workers, we want to save our democracy and we want to say no to Trump’s attacks, DeJoy’s attacks, and Republican attacks on our post offices,” said Justin Krebs, a 42-year-old Park Slope resident who organized the rally on 9th Street between 4th and 5th avenues.
Brooklyn Paper: Brooklynites Rally at Park Slope Post Office in Opposition to Proposed USPS Cuts
By Ben Verde
More than 100 Brooklynites gathered outside the Park Slope post office on August 22 to decry the federal government’s attempts to hinder the United States Postal Service ahead of November’s presidential election.
The rally was just one of 800 events organized across the country for a national day of action, as the House of Representatives voted on a bill to block proposed changes to the service from Louis DeJoy, the ally of President Donald Trump serving as postmaster general.
Gotham Gazette Op-Ed: Prioritize Schools - New Yorkers Demand a Real Plan for Our Students and Our City
By Justin Krebs, Cateia Rembert, Megan Butler, Sara Thompson
It can't be easy to be in charge of New York City schools right now, facing a triple threat of crises: health, financial, and educational. However, our city as a whole can't function without our schools open—until that happens, parents, guardians, and caregivers can't get back to work; businesses across our city can't rely on their employees; and many children can't get the educational, social-emotional, and nutritional support they need.
Bklyner Op-Ed: Uncertainty And Lack Of Leadership Takes School Reopening From Hopeful to Terrifying
By Justin Krebs
A 9-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Small groups of kids working together consistently. Loads of outside time. Taking advantage of a city beyond school walls. A reduction in standardized testing. Enough flexibility to allow different families to work with different schedules.
Earwolf: “Colombused” As A Verb: Fake The Nation
With Negin Farsad, Justin Krebs, Elie Mystal
Check out this podcast where Elie Mystal and Justin Krebs join Negin to dive into how media companies are reacting to the Black Lives Matter movement and whether firing problematic CEOs is enough.
Brooklyn Paper: PARK SLOPE LOCALS LAUNCH POP-UP FOOD PANTRY
By Ben Verde
A group of Park Slopers have launched a pop-up food pantry to feed locals struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, and to help take some of the pressure off the neighborhood’s existing meal programs.
Gotham Gazette Op-Ed: Take It from Someone Who Connects People Socially: Now’s The Time for Social Distancing
By Justin Krebs
I help run a network of hundreds of political social events around the country that has created friendships and solidarity through face-to-face gatherings. I'm also chair of the board of The Tank, a Manhattan theater that runs 20 shows a week and supports 1,000 performers every year while welcoming tens of thousands of audience members through its doors. I'm a parent whose kids need affirming contact and need to run as free as city life allows. I once gave a speech about the importance of hugs.