Brooklyn Today: ‘It’s not too late to step forward.’

September 12, 2019 Brooklyn Today

Coney Island Beach. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

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THE LEDE: Good morning! Ten anonymous survivors of childhood sexual abuse filed civil lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn Tuesday, as the first month of a yearlong window for survivors of all ages to take legal action under the Child Victims Act draws to a close.

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THE RUNDOWN

~ TENSIONS ERUPT AS RESIDENTS CONFRONT POLS OVER CITY HOUSING PROGRAM: Outrage against an embattled city-run program that seizes properties to collect on unpaid debt erupted Tuesday, as longtime Central Brooklyn property owners grilled local officials over their plans for its future.

~ LAWSUITS MOUNT AS SEX ABUSE ‘LOOKBACK WINDOW’ NEARS SECOND MONTH: The lawsuits, brought by the firm Jeff Anderson & Associates and Robins Kaplan LLP, allege abuse of minors in Brooklyn and Queens (the Brooklyn Diocese oversees all parishes in Queens) carried out over three decades, starting in 1953.

~ BOROUGH HALL HOSTS 6TH ANNUAL 9/11 MEMORIAL FOR BROOKLYN VICTIMS: More than 100 people filled the rotunda of Brooklyn Borough Hall Tuesday to remember and celebrate the 266 Brooklyn residents who died in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

~ NEW PROGRAM GIVES FREE SUITS TO FORMERLY INCARCERATED BROOKLYNITES: The Brooklyn district attorney teamed up on Tuesday with a nonprofit that provides free suits and clothing to low-income people for job interviews as part of the office’s goal to help smooth the transition back into society for formerly incarcerated Brooklynites.

The Brooklyn Eagle presents “Zoned In,” an ongoing series exploring the changing rules of New York City zoning and real estate. Over the coming months, we’ll speak with the activists who fought the battles of the ‘80s, ‘90s and ‘00s. Expert planners and historians will put today’s fights over land use in context, spotlighting important moments shaping the borough from more than 370 years of history. And we’ll talk to the people of Brooklyn whose lives are being shaped by these rezonings each and every day.

Our first installment, written by author Joseph Alexiou, looks at the reinvention of Industry City through the lens of 400 years of history.

Is there a topic you’d like us to explore in this series? Let us know here.

Have you or your family, or your business, been affected in some way — good or bad — by changes in zoning? Let us know here.

~ PHOTOVILLE OPENS THURSDAY IN BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK: Brooklyn’s free pop-up photography village, Photoville, returns to Brooklyn Bridge Park today with an impressive lineup of 85 exhibitions featuring more than 600 artists.

~ TERESA’S, THE BELOVED BROOKLYN HEIGHTS EATERY, IS UP FOR RENT: After 30 years of running a neighborhood institution, the owners of Teresa’s Restaurant at 80 Montague St. have listed the business as up for lease, and Brooklyn Heights residents are in a state of disbelief.

~ A TOUR OF THE GOWANUS BUILDINGS BEING CONSIDERING FOR LANDMARKING: If you think historic buildings that are living reminders of the Gowanus Canal’s industrial past should be preserved and honored, here’s your chance to make your voice heard.

~ NEW HOUSING EYED FOR BROOKLYN LOTS RAVAGED BY SANDY: The city Department of Housing Preservation and Development is stepping in to spend $1.67 million in federal grant funds to buy 13 properties inundated by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. The plan: to build one- or two-family homes, elevated by at least six feet to avoid future flood waters. (THE CITY)

PODCAST

~ ICONIC, YET DAMAGED: HOW THE CONEY ISLAND BOARDWALK FELL INTO DISREPAIR: The famous 2.7-mile boardwalk in Coney Island attracts seven million people a year from all over the world. It was even declared a scenic landmark in 2018, but residents have complained for more than a decade that the far edges of the walkway have seriously decayed. On this week’s episode, we explore how the legendary structure was allowed to deteriorate.

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ At $18 million, a townhouse in Brooklyn Heights is now the most expensive home for sale in Brooklyn. (Curbed)

~ “The Sopranos” actress Edie Falco wants Brooklyn Bridge Park to stop organizing “fishing clinics.” (Page Six)

~ “Williamsburg is about to get an exciting new pizzeria.” (Grub Street)

~ A second tomato plant grows in Brooklyn Bridge Park. (NYT)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: “What college admissions offices really want” (NYT)

~ DRINK: Football season has arrived. Here are the 13 best sports bars in New York City, including four in Brooklyn. (Thrillist)

~ CARTOON: President Trump wields a new weapon. (The Week)

~ EAT: New York City officials sue Chipotle for labor violations. (CNBC)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

6:00PM – 8:00PM — The Language of the City: Immigrant Voices at NYC Department of Records and Information Services. Details.

7:00PM — Opening Night: Photoville Celebrates Community at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Details.

7:00PM – 10:00PM — Art History Happy Hour: Future Fashion at the Brooklyn Museum. Details.

THE WRAP

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1953, the Eagle reported, “Sen. John F. Kennedy (D., Mass.), once one of the nation’s most eligible bachelors, takes an heiress as his bride here today. Kennedy … will wed Jacqueline Lee Bouvier of Newport at 11 a.m. in St. Mary’s Catholic Church.”

📔 IMPRINT
American actress Liv Tyler poses in pink on the October cover of Tatler.

👑 ROYAL WATCH
“‘The Crown’s’ Peter Morgan warns the royal family about the show’s plotlines” (Town & Country)

🏀 SPORTS
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are reportedly “pushing” the Nets to sign Carmelo Anthony. (The Athletic)

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Jennifer Hudson, Amy Yasbeck, Linda Gray, Ian Holm, Rachel Ward, Yao Ming, Benjamin McKenzie, Maria Muldaur, Joe Pantoliano and Emmy Rossum!