Arun Venugopal

New York

Race and Justice Reporter at WNYC (New York, NY)

WNYC Race & Justice Reporter, guest hosted NPR's Fresh Air, wrote in the Atlantic, NYT, Guardian and so on.

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Articles

Next to the U.N., a proposed Museum of Democracy … with a casino thrown in?

2 weeks ago | gothamist.com | Arun Venugopal

Michael Hershman is the CEO of the Soloviev Group, a company hoping to build a casino and park where many wouldn’t expect: next to the United Nations.
On Coney Island, sword swallower and kitsch square off against casino developer

4 weeks ago | gothamist.com | Arun Venugopal

Inside a Coney Island theater devoted to circus sideshows, a crowd watched as longtime sword swallower and strongman Adam Rinn presided over a mock funeral, complete with weeping mourners and an open casket carried by pallbearers. The deceased, Rinn told onlookers on the cold February afternoon, was not an actual human but rather “our beloved Mermaid Parade,” should a proposed casino and entertainment complex known as The Coney be built on site.
Coney Island casino bid sparks sharp debate in NYC planning panel hearing

1 month ago | gothamist.com | Arun Venugopal

A public hearing Wednesday on plans to build a sprawling casino and entertainment complex on Coney Island exposed deep divisions among community members. The hearing, held by the city planning commission, drew many supporters of the project, who said the area would benefit from the promised jobs, but also opponents, who expressed fears over increased traffic and disruption.
Middle-income New Yorkers are the new face of eviction in the city, report finds

1 month ago | gothamist.com | Arun Venugopal

Moderate-income New Yorkers are increasingly becoming the face of eviction in the city, according to a new report by the Community Service Society of New York. The report titled “Preventing Eviction in New York State: What Works and What Doesn’t,” released on Wednesday, concludes that a middle-income family of three earning $50,000 to $110,000 – two to five times above a poverty-level income – is almost as likely to face eviction in the city as a family living in poverty.
How delivery workers in New York City banded together during the COVID pandemic

1 month ago | npr.org | Arun Venugopal

How delivery workers in New York City banded together during the COVID pandemicWhen the COVID pandemic erupted five years ago, the streets of New York City were desolate. Delivery workers feared they'd be robbed or attacked, and so they banded together for the first time.
5 ways to make NYC more affordable for families (without mentioning eggs)

1 month ago | gothamist.com | Arun Venugopal

New York City needs to dramatically increase its stock of affordable three-bedroom apartments if it wants to halt the “exodus” of young families, according to a new report from the Center for an Urban Future. The report, “5 Ideas for Retaining NYC’s Young Families,” addresses affordability challenges related to housing, schooling, child care and summer camp, mostly with modest government interventions.
Metropolitan Park casino project in Queens wins City Council zoning approval

1 month ago | gothamist.com | Arun Venugopal

The New York City Council overwhelmingly approved a series of zoning changes for Metropolitan Park, a proposed $8 billion casino and entertainment complex near Citi Field in Queens. The 41-2 vote constituted the final step in the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure process for the project. The proposal still faces hurdles in the state Legislature as part of a protracted casino license review process running through 2025.
Muslim women sue the NYPD, allege excessive force at anti-war protest

1 month ago | gothamist.com | Arun Venugopal

The NYPD assaulted two Muslim women and forcibly removed their hijabs during an August protest calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday against the city alleging excessive force and civil rights violations. The lawsuit, brought by Zarmeen Azam, Shajnin Howlader and the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, claims the incidents were part of a larger pattern of wrongful behavior by the NYPD.
5 years since the COVID pandemic struck NYC: 5 ways it changed how we live and work

1 month ago | gothamist.com | Arun Venugopal |Caroline Lewis |David Brand |Jessica Gould

When the first cases of the mysterious coronavirus were recorded in New York City five years ago, it was impossible to predict all the ways the pandemic would reshape city life. Streets, subways and office buildings emptied. Commuters started working from home. Legions of delivery workers dropped groceries and takeout at the front door. All this happened within weeks of New York state's first reported infection of a woman in Manhattan on March 1, 2020.
DOGE budget cuts translate into service, job cuts in NYC and NJ communities

1 month ago | gothamist.com | Arun Venugopal

Federal funding cuts implemented by the Trump administration have begun to transform organizations that work with refugees and immigrants in New York and New Jersey, through hundreds of layoffs and furloughs, along with cuts to longstanding programs that support the resettlement of refugees, expedite citizenship and bolster employment.