New York City Status

The Status of New York City

New York City is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment. As host of the United Nations headquarters, it is also an important center for international affairs. On November 8th, 2006, a 10-kiloton nuclear explosion tore an unprecedented swath of destruction through the midtown area of the island of Manhattan — New York City's most populace borough — instantly killing 150,000 people and critically injuring another 150,000 more. Nearly half of the injured died from radiation sickness from the fallout of the explosion within six months.

Since the bomb and the myriad of political and social upheavals since, such as the revelation of the Evolved's existence, New York City has continuously gone through crisis after crisis, a situation reflected by much of the world at large. This page covers the current situation of New York City, including major geographical changes and simple information that any citizen of NYC would know at any given time. Mind you that the information here is presented in an In-Character manner as to what the general populace of NYC would know — some of it may not be the actual facts but generally perceived 'truths'.

Major Physical Changes

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• Much of Midtown West, Times Square, and Garment District were uninhabitable for months after the explosion; even the salvageable regions are still shunned by most due to the tremendous damage done and the (unwarranted) fear of radiation exposure. The southern half of Central Park, the lower part of Upper West Side, and parts of Midtown East, Murray Hill, Gramercy, Chelsea, and Greenwich Village were similarly abandoned for the first few weeks and months after the bomb. People have returned to them since, but none of these neighborhoods are quite what they used to be.

• The Lincoln Tunnel was closed for months; its entire eastern end had to be rebuilt. The major roads within the blast area, including Broadway, have been recreated. Buildings that were not destroyed have been repaired, and some rebuilt - but many others were not. Times Square, Rockefeller Plaza - these icons of the Big Apple, among many others, simply no longer exist. Perhaps someday they will be rebuilt, but for now, the heart of the city is a crater, a scar on the landscape surrounded by piles of debris and the twisted skeletons of broken buildings.

• Staten Island was abandoned after the explosion, due to the path of the fallout cloud that swept southwest from Manhattan into Jersey City. A mass exodus of families, businesses and government workers from the island left it desolate and uninhabited long enough for looting and vandalism to begin. When everything that wasn't bolted down was stolen by opportunists, New York City's criminal element saw what was ripe for the taking. With the NYPD spread thin in the wake of the bomb and the island not declared safe to inhabit, gangs and undesirables of all sorts — as well as desperate homeless — fled to the island from Brooklyn (over the Verrazano-Narrows) and Jersey City (across the Arthur Kills river). Once the refugee element of Staten Island had situated itself, private ferry transfers to and from the island from those willing to make extra money began.

To date, Staten Island remains a criminal haven. However, a series of aerial concrete-bombings on the island paved the way for a planned government recapture of Staten Island.

• On January 28th, 2009, the Consolidated Edison Power Plant in Queens was destroyed by a terrorist attack. The resulting strain that the loss of the power plant put on the New York City power grid resulted in rolling blackouts for months. Two organizations — an international anti-evolved paramilitatry organization known as Vanguard and a local pro-evolved militant group known as Phoenix were blamed for the attack. Details of Homeland Security's findings at Consolidated Edison were never released to the public.

• Also on January 28th, 2009, the abandoned Eagle Electric factory in Queens was destroyed by what authorities believe was a fuel-air bomb. Federal Agent Felix Ivanov was on scene at the explosion, and according to statements made by the FBI and NYPD, single-handedly fended off an entourage of Vanguard terrorists and was later awarded a medal for his actions.

• Finally on January 28th, 2009 a terrorist attack on the Verrazano-Narrows bridge that connects Brooklyn to Staten Island resulted in a massive explosion that destroyed the middle span of the bridge, sending hundreds of feet of concrete and twisted steel into the river below. Since that time, there has only been one land route onto Staten Island over the Arthur Kills Bridge that heads into Jersey City on its west coast.

• On March 6, 2009, the Manhattan Municipal Building was destroyed in a terrorist attack made by pro-evolved extremists, hundreds died in the building's collapse, and many of the offices that were once housed in the 44-story building were moved to the Linderman Building, temporarily.

Additional Laws

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• On November 21st 2006, the region of Midtown Manhattan surrounding the crated of the nuclear explosion and a several block radius surrounding it was cordoned off to civilian traffic. Any roads leading in to the ruins of Midtown were blocked off by fifteen foot high concrete barricades, and government patrolled checkpoints were created at remaining entrances. Coverage is not comprehensive, however, and many ways to sneak into the ruins are still accessible. But law-enforcement has the right to question and detain anyone found wandering the ruins of Midtown.

• On June 15th, 2007 the Linderman Act was put into effect, creating the Registry of the Evolved.

• On January 29th, 2009 the New York City Curfew was put into effect following the terrorist attacks on New York City. The curfew was originally set to 9:00pm and remained so for several months before being shifted back to 11:00pm. Anyone that is not a government employee or given special dispensation by the government of New York City that is caught out on the streets after curfew may be detained and questioned by police. All public transportation systems shut down 20 minutes prior to curfew.

Miscelaneous

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• In August of 2009, a drug called Refrain went on the open market in New York City. It is sold as a recreational drug that has euphoric effects on the Evolved. The NYPD is struggling to keep a handle on it, as Refrain is becoming a large problem in the city.

The Current Status of NYC

The following list details the current status of New York City in game.

Important NPCs
Mayor
	Mayor Harry Bianco, currently serving his last term.
Police Commissioner
	Karen Lau, current police commissioner of NYC.
Laws and Regulations
Curfew	11:00pm following winter 2009 terrorist attacks.
Infrastructure Changes
Crisis	Intermittent blackouts in the Financial District due to the collapse of the Manhattan Municipal Building.

Current Political Events

Currently NYC is undergoing the elections for the next Mayor of New York City. Three candidates have reached the front running, and are detailed below. More information through debates, public appearances and the like will be available as time progresses.

NYC Mayoral Candidates
Name	Description	Staff Contact
	Democrat. Registered-Evolved. Pro-Registration. Hard on Crime.	Manhattan
	Republican. Pro-Registration. Wishes to impose hard limitations on Evolved.	Manhattan
	Republican. Registered-Evolved. Wishes to reform registration as it stands.	Manhattan