NEWSPAPER HEIST! Copies of LIU’s student paper disappear; editor implicates dirty food service
Almost the entire pressrun of the LIU-Brooklyn student newspaper vanished from the Downtown campus last weekend, after the paper published a cover story about a one-day shutdown by the city Health Department of an on-campus restaurant.
The Blackbird Cafe in Conolly Hall, operated by Aramark food services in Philadelphia, was shut down on Feb. 14, then reopened on Feb. 15 with a “grade pending” rating, according to Mabel Martinez, the editor in chief of Seawanhaka, and managing editor Keeley Ibrahim. Because this was an important issue, they said, the paper decided to write a story about it. The story, by Shaelyne Moodie and Chase Melvin, was headlined, “Dirty Dining: Blackbird Cafe Closes After Failing Inspection.” The story said there had been student complaints about feeling sick, unsanitary conditions, poor preparation of food, and more.
The inspection report on the city Health Department’s website shows a history of violations, with roaches, problems with the sewage disposal system and improperly maintained plumbing mentioned for the most recent inspection.