Top photos from around LI, NYC from August 2019

Matthew Robisch and his daughter, Esme, 18 months, both of Astoria, Queens, play together while riding the ferry from Ocean Beach to Bay Shore late Aug. 31.

Participants march in the Go Topless Day Parade in Manhattan on Aug. 25. The parade falls before Women's Equality Day, which recognizes Aug. 26, 1920, when women were given the right to vote in the United States.

Matthew Lotz, 4, of Sayville, center, with his dad, Tom Lotz, reel in a snapper they caught from the dock at Sailors Haven on the Fire Island National Seashore on Aug. 24, during the Seashore Snapper Derby.

Carlos Santana performs at the Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh on Aug. 25.

Sandra Proto does some back-to-school shopping with her daughter, Nicole, 11, at Garage at the Roosevelt Field mall in Garden City  on Aug. 20.

Vehicles drive toward Brooklyn on the newly opened second span of the Kosciuszko Bridge in Queens on Aug. 20. The Brooklyn-bound span will expand the bridge from six to nine lanes and include a pedestrian pathway and two bike lanes.

Homeless New Yorkers and their advocates demand action from New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to curb the city's homeless crisis during a rally on the steps of City Hall in Manhattan on Aug. 20. The rally attendees want the mayor to commit to building 24,000 new apartments and "preserving the affordability of 6,000 more" for homeless New Yorkers by 2026.

Teala Davies, left, is joined by her attorney, Gloria Allred as she speaks to reporters outside a federal courthouse in Manhattan on Aug. 27 after she spoke during a formal proceeding about her experience with Jeffrey Epstein who she said sexually abused her. Epstein committed suicide while remanded in federal custody before his trial.

Four-year-old Maceon Harris, of Westhampton, was one of the younger participants in this weekend's Shinnecock Nation Powwow in Southampton on Aug. 31. Maceon's father, Scott Harris, is a member of the Shinnecocks. Dozens of participants dressed in tribal garb to take part in ceremonial dances set to American Indian drum music and singing.

Eileen Echeverria becomes emotional in her West Islip home on Aug. 15 as she talks about the suicide death of her NYPD brother Robert Echeverria, who killed himself the day before.

Evan Castellan, center, of Selden, entertains friends inside his "party shed" in the backyard of his home on Aug. 10.

Suffolk County police officers rescue a kitten after it was stuck in engine of a parked vehicle outside the Walmart in Middle Island on Aug. 25. Carol Paollo,of Shirley, heard the kitten crying from the engine of a parked vehicle and called the police around 8:45 a.m. Paollo said she will adopt the kitten and she named the feline "Lucky." Four Suffolk County police officers helped rescue the kitten.

Police Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch, center, holds a news conference on Aug. 19 after New York City Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill, at a news conference, fired Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo in connection with 2014 the death of Eric Garner.

John Ruggiero, 50, is led out of the Sixth Precinct in Central Islip for arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip on Aug. 15. Ruggiero is charged with assaulting a 69-year-old man while working as a security guard at The Ranches at Mount Sinai.

People exit a train at the Westbury LIRR train station on Aug. 29.

The North Patchogue fire department staff and family members greet Thomas Spiotta, 19, of East Patchogue, alongside his parents Eugene and Jane Spiotta, as he leaves Stony Brook University Hospital on Aug. 28, after spending six weeks in the hospital for treatment of a rare condition, portal venous thrombosis. He is in the Explorer program at the North Patchogue fire department where his father is an assistant chief.

Riley Green performs at the Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater on the evening of Aug. 30.

Getting in some reading on the beach on Aug. 31.

Stephen Ruth, an opponent of red-light cameras, cheers after legislators made a discharge motion during a vote at the Suffolk County Legislature on Hauppauge on Aug. 29. The next date to have a vote on the future of a Red Light Program was slated for Sept. 4. Ruth was joined by fellow supporters who oppose red-light cameras.

A member of the NYPD bomb squad makes sure a possible suspicious device, what appears to be a rice cooker (seen on the ground), is harmless at the corner of W. 16th and 7th Avenue on Aug. 16. Once inspected, it was deemed not to be a threat.

Nassau Police Officer Jim Marsh with Nassau County Police Benevolent Association president James McDermott hands a backpack to Natalie Pineda with her mom, Blanca, of Westbury, as the Nassau PBA and and Nassau County Legis. Siela Bynoe hand out backpacks to children at Martin "Bunky" Reid Park on Aug. 24, in Westbury.

A car crosses one of two dual historic bridges leading to the American Venice section of Copiague on Aug. 27. After two years of construction, the bridges have been replaced with wider and stronger bridges, giving emergency vehicles access to the area.

Emilio Rodriguez, 5, of Hempstead, picks out a backpack with his sister Jimena, 8, and father, Louis, thanks to the Nassau Police Foundation. Backpacks, school supplies, Frisbees and items were provided to Hempstead residents in preparation of the beginning of school at Kennedy Memorial Park in Hempstead on Aug. 28.

Jahnya Price, 11, back to camera, greets an excited schoolmate Juliet Powers, 11, while on a tour at Garden City Middle School where students, parents, teachers and others gather for visiting day Aug. 30, in advance of class openings next week.

Kayakers and canoeists return to the launch site at Nissequogue River State Park in Kings Park after a day of paddling up the Nissequogue River on Aug. 15.

Chris Roller escorts his daughter Jennifer, 11, who is attending his alma mater, and son Jack, 7, on a tour at Garden City Middle School where students, parents, teachers and others gather for visiting day Aug. 30, in advance of class openings next week.

Nicole Farley and Edmond Crane are named queen and king of the senior prom at Emerge Nursing and Rehabilitation at Glen Cove on Aug. 30.

Harvey Weinstein leaves New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, after being arraigned for the third time, on Aug. 26. The former movie mogul's trial, which was scheduled to begin in two weeks, has been delayed until January.

The new bridge at the Covert Avenue crossing in New Hyde Park on Aug. 25.

Shelby Murphy, outside her Bay Shore home on Sept. 1. Murphy is concerned about her parents, Frank and Troim Handler, who are both in their 90s. Murphy said they can't evacuate from their condo in West Palm Beach due to a medical condition.

Petrice Grimaldi dances with her 7 month-old son, James Peppers, as they joined a group of moms during a flash mob dance at Jones Beach on Aug. 2. The moms joined other mothers worldwide to participate in the annual "Big Latch On" event to promote and support breastfeeding.

Khalil Depuy, of Freeport, gets kisses from his newly adopted German shepard mix he named Spunky at the Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoption Center in Huntington on Aug. 18. Volunteer Carlo Sclafani, looks on.

The folks on Merriwood Court in Centerport call themselves "The Cul De Sac Crew." Here, parents, Trish and Vj Hannemann, watch as daughters, Brook, 10, left, and River, 6, ride their bikes in the cul-de-sac near their home on Aug. 22.

Madison Snuffer, center, unloads her car with the help of members of the Hofstra men's basketball team during Hofstra University Move In Day on Aug. 29 in Hempstead.

School supplies are organized on tables so volunteers can stuff backpacks on Aug. 16 at Operation Backpack headquarters. The organization provides backpacks and school supplies to New York City children who live in homeless shelters.

Luis Castillo holds his daughter Alexandra, 2, and cuts the ribbon to their new home in Bay Shore while standing with his other daughter Jennifer, 6, sons Bryan, 9, and Louis 11, and wife, Mariluz, alongside Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, and Town of Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter on Aug. 29. Sixteen years after coming to New York from Peru and now a naturalized U.S. citizen, Castillo and his family are proud owners of a turnkey home in Bay Shore -- a subsidized house they qualified for through a program from the Town of Islip Community Development Agency.

Annie Farmer, second form left, and Virginia Roberts Giuffrie, right, alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein, walk away from a federal courthouse in Manhattan after a formal proceeding where Giuffrie and others spoke about their experience with Epstein, Aug. 27. Epstein committed suicided while remanded in federal custody before his trial.

The Roslyn School District has finished restoring a 100-year-old horse statue, which is one of two modeled after the Marly horses that now stand in Louvre in Paris. Members of North Shore Architectural Stone put the restored horse up on Aug. 29 in Roslyn.

People compete in Airsoft games at StrikeForce Sports, an indoor Airsoft gaming facility located in Deer Park. Airsoft, similar to paintball, is a competitive team shooting sport in which teams face off against each other to complete objectives, Airsoft guns are replica air weapons that shoot small plastic pellets.

Four-year-old Kalei Racine, second from right, visits with Louisa Bikowski, left, a princess with Pixie Dust, a party entertainment service based in Bay Shore, during Bay Shore's Alive by the Bay event on the evening of Aug. 20.

Brad Paisley performs at the Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater on the evening of Aug. 30.

Bobby Digital, of the band Devin and Digital, greets 1-year-old Logan Cole of Bay Shore during Bay Shore's Alive by the Bay festival on Aug. 20.

Victoria Bartholomew, 7, of Bay Shore, blows bubbles during the Town of Islip's Family Fun Day at Brentwood's Roberto Clemente Park. The event was thrown on Aug. 29 to celebrate the 335th birthday of the Town of Islip.

People march during the 39th annual Indian Day Parade in Manhattan on Aug. 18. The parade celebrates 73 years of Indian independence.

The Doobie Brothers perform at the Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh on Aug. 25.

Brad Paisley performs at the Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh on Aug. 30.

Carlos Santana performs at the Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh on Aug. 25.

The old Huntington Town Hall at 227 Main St. in Huntington on Aug. 27. In a move to promote tourism in downtown Huntington while taking steps to relieve parking congestion, the Town Board approved a 2-year license agreement for the limited use of 20 spaces in the Town Hall parking lot by the future Huntington Hotel.

Morgan, 7, and Asher Zito, in red 9 Locust Valley, practice their jousting skills during the Scottish Games at Old Westbury Gardens on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019 in Old Westbury....

Jack Flood practices the high jump while training for the 2020 Summer Olympic Decathlon at the Bayport-Blue Point high school track, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019.

As thousands crowded the streets of Riverhead's Polish Town neighborhood fifer the annual Polish Festival on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019, friends Eric Pilch, left, Bill Bontempo, both of Levittown, wait in line to order pirogues, a popular Polish dish. The pair wore hats paying homage to Poland and the Polish community in Riverhead.

As thousands crowded the streets of Riverhead's Polish Town neighborhood for the annual Polish Festival on Aug. 17, couples dance to a live polka band at the Polish Hall.

Walter Diaz, 6, from Shenandoah, Va., left, Stephen Gutierrez, 13, from Blue Point, Genesis Castro, 10, from Boston, Mass., Samantha Diaz, 10, from Shenandoah, Va. and Jaden Castro, 6, from Boston, at Blue Point Beach in Blue Point on Aug. 19.

Edward Weckerle of Centereach kayaks the waters of Stony Brook Harbor as Heather Cirelli of St. James walks along the shore with her eight-year-old golden retriever, Libby, on the afternoon of Aug. 11.

Police Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch, center, holds a news conference  at One Police Plaza in Manhattan on Aug. 19 after New York City Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill fired Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo in connection with the death of Eric Garner. 

Gwen Garner, mother of Eric Garner,  after NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill's announcement that Officer Daniel Pantaleo has been fired in the chokehold death of her son five years ago. Gwen Garner and her supporters are seeking further punishment of the terminated officer and punishment of other officers who were at the scene the day he died. She is joined in this photo by the Rev. Kirsten John Foy of Arc of Justice, left, and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.

Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner, after the decision by NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill to fire Officer Daniel Pantaleo for the chokehold death of her son five years ago. "We're not finished," Carr said. "We have other officers that we have to go after . . . We know the wrongdoing that they have done," she said Monday in lower Manhattan at a rally outside NYPD headquarters.

Attorney Stuart London, left, and Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch, arrive for a news conference after NYPD Commissioner James P. O'Neill fired Officer Daniel Pantaleo for the death of Eric Garner during a press conference at One Police Plaza, Manhattan, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019.

The Rev. Al Sharpton was joined by Emerald Garner and Eric Garner Jr. and their attorneys in applauding the decision the Police Commissioner James O'Neill to fire Officer Daniel Pantaleo for the chokehold death of Eric Garner five years ago. Here, Sharpton still says a Congressional hearing should be held.

Dr. Shari Camhi, Baldwin schools superintendent, takes a moment to welcome 4-year-old Alani Pierre Philipp into the Baldwin school district after she registered for kindergarten  Aug. 12. Camhi has represented a state superintendents' group in a project designed to "redefine" what it means to graduate from high school ready for college or the job market.

An overturned box truck on the Manhattan-bound Gowanus Expressway blocked traffic during the evening rush hour and then turned into a hazardous materials situation when fuel and oil were pouring onto the roadway at Fort Hamilton Parkway. Traffic was backed up to New Jersey, police said.

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America led other anti-gun groups in Foley Square on Aug. 18 demanding gun law reforms. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, pictured, was on hand to call for change.

Khalil Depuy of Freeport, with volunteer Carlo Sclafani, gets kisses from his newly adopted German shepherd mix he named Spunky at the Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoption Center in Huntington on Aug. 18. 

State Sen. Phil Boyle brought his dog Olivia to the new dog park art Gardiner County Park in Bay Shore on Aug. 15. Boyle, whose district includes Bay Shore, helped secure funding for the facility which includes separate sections for small and large dogs as well as a dog agility course.

Sherina and Matt Wiese at home, inside their bathroom, with their three children Aug. 19 in Levittown.

Segundo Orellana of Patchogue, top, paints as artists attend Painting the Great South Bay Plein Air Event in Patchogue on Aug. 17.

The 29th Annual Sand Sculpting Competition at Coney Island Beach was in full swing on Aug. 17 as sand sculptors show their skills.

Bellerose resident John Matula, with his daughter, Kylie, 8 months, while son, Joseph, enjoys the sprinkler pool at Eisenhower Memorial Park in East Meadow on Aug. 17.

Scott Phillips and his son, Maxwell, 7, of Bay Shore, prepare to draw water for their dog Coco at the new dog park art Gardiner County Park in Bay Shore on Aug. 15. The facility includes separate sections for small and large dogs as well as a dog agility course.

As thousands crowded the streets of Riverhead's Polish Town neighborhood after the annual Polish Festival on Aug. 17, friends Eric Pilch, left, Bill Bontempo, both of Levittown, wait to order pierogies, a popular Polish dish. The pair wore hats paying homage to Poland and the Polish community in Riverhead.

Suffolk County Deputy Sheriff Patrice Silvestri shows 6-year-old Matthew Cordano of Holbrook a department ATV during the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office National Night Out event in Ridge on Aug. 6.

Participants dance along Sixth Avenue during the annual Dominican Day Parade in Manhattan on Aug. 11.

Assemb. Yuh-Line Niou, left, Sen. Alessandra Biaggi and Assemb. Rodneyse Bichotte watch a video featuring survivors of childhood sexual abuse in Times Square on Aug. 13. The video educates adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse about their rights under New York State's newly enacted Child Victims Act.

Participants dance along Sixth Avenue during the annual Dominican Day Parade in Manhattan on Aug. 11.

Participants dance along Sixth Avenue during the annual Dominican Day Parade in Manhattan on Aug. 11.

A member of the NYPD high-fives spectators along Sixth Avenue during the annual Dominican Day Parade in Manhattan on Aug. 11.

Bryce Reed, 7, of Greenport, who wants to be a police officer when he grows up, gets some tips from Southold Town Police Officer Greg Simmons during Southold Police Kids Funfest at Mitchell Park in Greenport on Aug. 14. 

Families who are victims of gun violence, along with activists and state and city elected officials at a news conference and rally in Manhattan's Foley Square, directly across from the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, where they called on the federal government to stop the trafficking of illegal guns and to repeal federal laws that restrict the investigation of gun crimes and bar the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from studying firearm violence, on Aug. 12.

Ella Zack of East Moriches strolls through the sunflower field at the Kanas Farms on Montauk Highway in East Moriches on Aug. 14.

Dana Beard; her three boys Xavier Beard, Amiri Campbell-Beard and youngest son Blake Campbell Beard; her daughter Deanna Richardson; and her mother Dana Beard on Aug. 11 in their South Huntington home at 14 Bradbury Ave., where they share a single bathroom.

Under the guidance of Suffolk County correctional officers, campers engage in a tug of war at My Brother's Keeper summer camp program at Charles A. Mulligan Elementary School in Central Islip on Aug. 14. The correctional officers, who are a part of the Sheriff's Emergency Response Team, competed in a series of physical activities with the campers and demonstrated some of their emergency response tactics.

Looking at the sky for the meteor shower are Jack Carbone, left, with his mother, Laura, and John Voss, all of Valley Stream, at Jones Beach on Aug. 12.

Attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr. representing the plaintiffs of vaccine opponents, with hundreds of families outside the state Supreme Court in Albany on Aug. 13.

Myleanna Siedlecky, 9, and her mom, Jessica Bixby, test out Myleanna's prosthetic blade at her final fitting at A Step Ahead Prosthetics in Hicksville on Aug. 2.

Children at the Splish Splash Water Park in Calverton on June 21.

Chloe Robert-Demolaize, 6, of Mattituck, and her sister, Lilly, 2, run through the 17-acre maze of sunflowers at the North Fork Sunflower Maze in Mattituck on Aug. 12.

Iccha Thakur, 9, of Hicksville, plays at Tobay Beach Spray Park, on Aug. 10.

Jack Flood practices the high jump while training for the 2020 Summer Olympic Decathlon at the Bayport-Blue Point High School track on Aug. 10.

Heather Cirelli of St. James kisses her 8-year-old golden retriever Libby as they walk by the waters of Stony Brook Harbor on the afternoon of Aug. 11.

The water tower on the corner of Larkfield and Daly roads in Commack on Aug. 12.

Families opposed to mandatory vaccination stick their candlelights on a fence in front of Capitol Hill in Albany on Aug. 13, to protest a new law ending religious exemptions to New York school vaccination requirements.

Jack Flood practices the high jump while training for the 2020 Summer Olympic Decathlon at the Bayport-Blue Point High School track, on Aug. 10.

A woman tosses a fishing net into the water while the sun is sets at Jones Beach Fishing Pier at Field 10 in Bellmore on Aug. 11.

Therapy dog Fiona will make history Wednesday when the American Kennel Club announces her as the one millionth dog to be certified in its Canine Good Citizen program.

Maya Vega, 10, of Far Rockaway, looks and touches a crab as patients from NYC's Hospital for Special Surgery visit the WaterFront Center in Oyster Bay on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019.

A young kid enjoys a frozen treat at The Lemon Ice King of Corona.

After catching a blowfish in a net, Mike Ceriello, of Holbrook, shows his son Christian, 3, the blowfish for the first time at the Blue Point fishing dock on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019. They released the blowfish back to the water afterward.

Suffolk County Deputy Sheriff Patrice Silvestri shows Matthew Cordano, 6, of Holbrook, a Suffolk Sheriff's Department ATV during the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office National Night Out event in Ridge on Aug. 6, 2019

Sheila Friedman exits a federal courthouse in Brooklyn after she plead guilty to mailing anonymous threatening letters containing black powder, rat feces and metal shavings to individuals who had sued the defendant to recover rental deposits she had stolen for a property in West Hampton Dunes, Long Island, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019.

Bakul Matalia and his wife, Nutan, recite Namokar mantras at Jain Temple of New York in New Hyde Park, Friday, Aug. 9, 2019. They commute all the way from their Sayville home to worship at the temple.