New York City is no stranger to lawsuits. But what happens when a claim involves a public space managed by a nonprofit?

Adi Talwar

Washington Square Park on the first Saturday of February in 2021.

New York City is no stranger to lawsuits. But what happens when a claim involves a public space managed by a nonprofit?

In this week’s episode of The Check In, editor Jarrett Murphy talks about his recent reporting on how some parks groups and Business Improvement Districts worry the city is trying to offload legal liability onto small organizations like theirs — groups say that are built to rally volunteers and sweep plazas, not battle lawsuits.

While the de Blasio administration says it has made no policy change when it comes to contracts with the nonprofits it works with, one source told City Limits that at some such nonprofit groups are “putting off discussions with parks in hopes of getting a more favorable relationship under a new administration.”

Read the story in full here, and hear more about the reporting behind it in the conversation below.