Brooklyn Today: Rats, roaches and Airbnb: Brooklyn tenants sue landlord

April 18, 2019 Brooklyn Eagle

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THE LEDE: Good morning! Ketamine isn’t exactly a celebrity of the narcotic world. It doesn’t have the widespread acceptance of marijuana, the pop culture cachet of cocaine or the terror-inducing headlines of the opioid epidemic. It’s a familiar sight, however, at warehouse parties in Bushwick, within the cabinets of veterinarian’s offices and in most hospitals around the world. We took a deep dive into the substance to explore its many uses, including as an animal tranquilizer, antidepressant and club drug.

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THE RUNDOWN

~ RATS, ROACHES AND AIRBNB: PROSPECT-LEFFERTS GARDENS TENANTS SUE LANDLORD: A group of 10 tenants from three addresses filed a suit alleging that their landlord, the Shasho family, routinely harasses them, cuts off their heat and hot water and refuses to make repairs — all because their units are rent-regulated.

~ SOFTER PAROLE POLICY PUSHED BY BROOKLYN DA: The new Parole Unit will recommend release for defendants who pleaded guilty to crimes and served the minimum of their sentences.

~ FROM BUSHWICK WAREHOUSES TO THE VET’S OFFICE: WHAT IS KETAMINE?: The stigma surrounding ketamine as both a club drug and animal tranquilizer has created a negative image for a substance that has had a tremendous positive impact in the medical community, according to psychiatrist Dr. Steven Levine.

~ SEE 10 ICONIC BUSHWICK LANDMARKS: From a catholic church with gorgeous bell towers to the Brooklyn Public Library’s DeKalb Branch, we went on a tour of Bushwick and photographed 10 of the neighborhood’s landmarks.

~ FORMER NBA PLAYER RISKS REARREST FOR SHOUTING DOWN WITNESS: Former NBA phenom Sebastian Telfair is standing trial for his June 2017 arrest in Brooklyn, when cops found three loaded guns, a sub-machine gun and a bulletproof vest in his car.

~ DIMINUTIVE DUMBO LIBRARY, FIRST NEW BROOKLYN BRANCH IN 36 YEARS, IN THE WORKS: Dubbed the Adams Street Library, the branch was negotiated by Councilmember Stephen Levin as one of several sweeteners in the deal to sell the Brooklyn Heights branch for development. It’s slated to open in 2020.

~ HEALTH CARE, IMMIGRATION REFORM AND INFRASTRUCTURE: JEFFRIES SPOTLIGHTS CONGRESS PRIORITIES: The high cost of prescription drugs and “kitchen table-pocketbook concerns” will be at the forefront of the national conversation among House Democrats in the coming months, according to U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

~ DOUBLE DUTY: HOW AN OVERSEER OF NYC FERRY BECAME AN INVESTOR: In early 2018, the company that runs the city’s ferry system scored a major investment from a deep-pocketed firm. Onboard that deal was Mark Patricof, a member of the board of directors that governs the New York City Economic Development Corp. (THE CITY)

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ DOT says it’s committed to the Promenade temporary highway plan for the BQE rehab. (Brooklyn Heights Blog)

~ A fire broke out at Brooklyn Hospital Center in Fort Greene. (Patch)

~ NYCHA will test for lead paint at 135,000 apartments. (Curbed)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: “She was forced to marry in Bangladesh. In Brooklyn, she made her escape.” (NYT)

~ EAT: Here are the 10 best Easter brunch spots in New York City, including three restaurants in Brooklyn. (Thrillist)

~ LAUGH: The Statue of Liberty mourns Notre Dame. (The Week)

~ HONOR: Time announces its annual list of the 100 most influential peoplefor 2019. (Time)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

6:00PM — Facing the Abyss: American Literature and Culture in the 1940s at Columbia University. Details.

7:00PM — TimesTalks: Bret Easton Ellis at The TimesCenter. Details.

9:00PM — Penis C.K. and Friends: A Night of Mocking Sex Offenders for a Good Cause at Union Hall. Details.

THE WRAP

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1912, the Eagle reported, “All day long a man sat in the Eagle news rooms with a harness over his head holding two receivers, similar to telephone receivers, to his ears. From time to time he would write on a pad of paper. He was a wireless operator and what he wrote were the messages he heard in the air.”

IMPRINT
Singer Taylor Swift graces the cover of Time’s 100 Most Influential People issue.

ROYAL WATCH
Here are some of the royal family’s travel secrets. (Latin Times)

SPORTS
Isles sweep their way back to Brooklyn.

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Tony Brown, Jeremy Clarkson, Ellen Goodman, Joel Grey, Tricia Helfer, Bill Irwin, Marcus Johns, Ethel Kennedy, Louise Lasser, Stephanie Pratt, Peter Riegert and Bret William Saberhagen!

Brooklyn Today’s editor is Scott Enman. Contact him at scott@brooklyneagle.com.