Parker holds back-to-school fair
State Sen. Kevin Parker (D-East Flatbush-Flatbush-Kensington-Park Slope) recently held his 13th annual HarvestFest Back-to-School Giveaway, in which he and community partners gave students and families more than 2,000 backpacks filled with school supplies, personal protective equipment and hand sanitizers. “We’re dealing with a global pandemic and a high level of uncertainty in our everyday goings,” stated Parker. “People have lost their jobs. Some are facing food insecurity, and for some, school is starting very shortly. We must continue to ensure that our students are taken care of as well.”
Virtual exhibit at Navy Yard supports artists
A new virtual exhibition and fundraiser at the Brooklyn Navy Yard is supporting dozens of artists affected by COVID-19 as well as a group of charities. The exhibit, “Small Works for Big Change,” is running through Oct. 31. All works are small in both size and price: No work is larger than 24-by-24-by-24 inches, and prices do not exceed $600. All proceeds go directly to the artists, but each artist will donate a portion of their proceeds to a charity of their choice. The artworks run the gamut from prints and illustrations to paintings to photographs to mixed-media work. “Artists and innovators are essential to our ecosystem at the Yard, said David Ehrenberg, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp.
Seven-story building planned for East NY
Permits have been filed for a seven-story residential building at 341 Shepherd Ave. in East New York. The lot, currently occupied by a two-story wooden house, is two blocks north of the A and C trains’ Shepherd Avenue station. The building is slated to have 26 residential units, most likely rentals, as well as a rear yard and five enclosed parking spaces. Einav Goldberg, under the name Shepherd Towers, is listed as the owner, and P. Georgeopoulos Architect is listed as the architect of record, according to New York YIMBY.
Greenpoint drive-in turns to live performance
Pop star Maluma recently sang to an audience at the Skyline Drive-in in Greenpoint for part of MTV’s Video Music Awards, which was shifted to several outdoor venues from its planned home, Barclays Center. The theatrical stage union crew members that put the physical stage together had to wear masks, use hand sanitizer and, in general, follow MTV’s protocols to protect against the coronavirus. A makeshift cafeteria was set up to keep workers six feet apart during breaks. Jason Cavacco, union president, said, “We showed it could be done. We’re ready to come back to work, and I think we can do it safely,” according to NY1.
Housing activists protest outside marshal’s office
Housing activists rallied outside a city marshal’s office in Boerum Hill on Tuesday morning. Marshals are semi-public officials appointed by the Mayor’s Office who carry out court-ordered evictions, then charge a fee for each eviction. Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Housing Court in Downtown Brooklyn, then marched to the offices of Howard Schain on Atlantic Avenue between Hoyt and Bond streets. In addition to evictions, marshals also enforce other court orders, such as property seizures and money judgments, according to the Brooklyn Paper.
Are we seeing another ‘blue flu?’
City Councilmember Richie Torres (D-Bronx) and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a former police captain, are asking the city Department of Investigation to determine if some NYPD officers are deliberately staging a slowdown, which in the past has been called the “blue flu,” and whether this driving the growth in violence. At a news conference, the two showed a chart claiming that NYPD response times increased 44 percent in June and about 14 percent in July and August. Adams also said that some cops called him to tell him about the slowdown, according to CBS New York.
Councilmember Louis mourns Chadwick Boseman
City Councilmember Farah Louis (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Marine Park, Flatlands, Kensington) released the following statement after Chadwick Boseman, the star of Marvel Studios’ groundbreaking film Black Panther, died on Saturday after battling stage IV colon cancer. “As the world and fans of Chadwick Boseman learned about his tragic death last Saturday, I shared their sentiments. I was heartbroken and devastated by the loss of a man with extraordinary talent who helped bridge the gap between racial justice in the entertainment industry and the African diaspora through his body of work,” she said.
Cuomo, de Blasio inhospitable, says hospitality group
Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, recently blasted Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio for keeping the lid on indoor dining in New York City, despite COVID-19 metrics being at an all-time low. “With indoor dining resuming soon in New Jersey, New York City will be surrounded by indoor dining but locked out from participating at significant economic peril. The situation is at a boiling point and our government leaders must immediately develop a plan to reopen indoor dining across the five boroughs. Otherwise, our city’s economic crisis will reach a point it cannot come back from,” he said.
MTA employee pushed onto tracks
An MTA platform conductor was pushed onto the train tracks at the A and C trains’ Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets station in an unprovoked attack, police said. The 65-year-old conductor was on the platform around 7:50 a.m. when he was pushed. The suspect fled the station, while the conductor was hit on the head and taken to a local hospital for injuries to his neck, back and head. “Nobody deserves this, certainly not one of our front-line Transport Workers Union members,” said TWU Local 100 Vice President Eric Loegel, according to PIX 11.
Brooklyn nightspots lose liquor licenses
Three Brooklyn nightspots lost their liquor licenses last week as Gov. Andrew Cuomo continues to crack down on restaurants and bars that don’t follow pandemic-related rules. The bars are House of Yes (already covered in the Eagle), Lover’s Rock on Tompkins Avenue and Nancy Restaurant on Fulton Street. Their closer brings the total number of Brooklyn spots to have their licenses pulled to 28. At Lover’s Rock, inspectors stopping by the restaurant found four people standing and drinking in front of the restaurant and eight people drinking in the backyard without food. At Nancy Restaurant, inspectors found 10 people drinking inside, violating the indoor dining ban in New York City, according to Patch. Nancy was also serving liquor despite the fact that it only had a beer and wine license.
Charter school releases guide to school planning
Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School has launched “Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools Public School Facilities Planning in the Era of COVID-19,” presenting lessons from the school’s journey to safeguard community health and offering resources for other schools to learn from its process, planning, and approach. Over the course of 16 weeks between April and August, LAB held more than 150 meetings, including a set of intensive working sessions, or charrettes, which served as safe zones to share hopes, fears, concerns, and ideas, and to encourage vulnerability. The school invited industry experts, government officials, architects, urban designers, educators, staff members, parents, scholars, and many others to attend. LAB, a public school in Downtown Brooklyn, serves students regardless of academic level, English language proficiency or ability.
Brooklyn Robot Foundry closes
Brooklyn Robot Foundry, a facility where kids could work on robots, has closed its space on Church and Duane streets, Manhattan (it started out in Brooklyn), but will continue online. The organization ran STEAM classes, parties and camps for children and adults as well. Its Brooklyn production facility also packed robot parts for kids to work with at home. The robot factory continues to offer classes and sold out all of its summer programs, according to Tribeca Citizen. Kids who take part in its program have to sign a pledge that they will build their robots without the help of an adult.
Compiled by Raanan Geberer.
