Brooklyn Today: NYPD complaints spiked in 2019

September 19, 2019 Brooklyn Today

The National Packing Box Factory is a not a designation candidate, but preservationists think it is landmark-worthy. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan

The National Packing Box Factory. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan

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THE LEDE: Good morning! Complaints against New York City police officers spiked in 2019, rising nearly 20 percent from last year — and new statistics released by the city suggest that cops and civilians cooperating to resolve those cases are having more trouble doing so.

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THE RUNDOWN

~ MENCHACA GIVES INDUSTRY CITY TIGHT DEADLINE TO REVISE EXPANSION PLAN: Councilmember Carlos Menchaca sent a letter Tuesday evening to Industry City CEO Andrew Kimball, formally asking him to commit in writing — by Sept. 19 — to abandon his current rezoning application and revise it with the modifications outlined at Monday’s contentious meeting.

~ BOTANIC GARDEN DEVELOPMENT OPPONENTS TO BEGIN SETTLEMENT TALKS: A Brooklyn judge called for settlement talks in a lawsuit challenging the planned construction of Crown Heights towers that activists say would cast damaging shadows on the famous Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

~ COMPLAINTS AGAINST NYPD SPIKED IN 2019: The number of total complaints filed with the Civilian Complaint Review Board — which handles allegations of discourtesy, offensive language, excessive use of force and abuse of authority by uniformed police officers — rose by nearly 1,000 in fiscal year 2019, from 4,392 complaints last year to 5,236 this year.

~ RAFAEL ESPINAL ANNOUNCES RUN FOR BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT: Councilmember Rafael Espinal, who represents Bushwick, Brownsville, Cypress Hills and East New York, announced his candidacy for the 2021 Brooklyn Borough President race on Wednesday afternoon in a fundraising email to supporters.

~ NATIONAL GRID’S GAS MORATORIUM: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW: A standoff between a gas company and state government has caused a moratorium on new gas hookups in Brooklyn.

~ PACIFIC PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL SITE SPARKS PEDESTRIAN SAFETY CONCERNS: Pacific Park’s new middle school will have more students than initially planned, adding to Prospect Heights residents’ worries about their kids safety as they go to and from school.

~ CO-FOUNDER OF BUSHWICK’S MAYDAY SPACE SETS EYES ON ASSEMBLY SEAT: A Bushwick-based community organizer is planning to challenge Assemblyman Erik Martin Dilan in 2020, as the primary field in Brooklyn’s 54th Assembly District continues to grow.

~ TENANTS PRESSURED TO PAY CASH UP FRONT DESPITE NEW RENT LAW’S LIMITS: New York’s new rent law, signed in June, bars landlords from collecting more than one month’s security deposit from prospective tenants. But that hasn’t stopped brokers and property owners from demanding larger sums from apartment-hunters — a “good faith” deposit that can cost applicants dearly if they have second thoughts. (THE CITY)

PODCAST

~ LISTEN: REACTIONS FROM THE HEATED INDUSTRY CITY REZONING MEETING: When Councilmember Carlos Menchaca called a meeting Monday to discuss his thoughts on Industry City’s rezoning plan, the gathering was interrupted by chants and curses by protestors. Disruptions were severe enough that the local politician ended the meeting early. On this week’s episode, we go inside that contentious event.

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ Coney Island is experiencing a miniature development boom. (Commercial Observer)

~ “Brooklyn man rescues sick dog, finds himself in ‘pretentious Park Slope BS'” (New York Post)

~ LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy is opening a cafe and bar today in Williamsburg. (Grub Street)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: “The strange saga of Jeffrey Epstein’s link to a child star turned cryptocurrency mogul” (The Hollywood Reporter)

~ EAT: Here are the 32 best bars in Williamsburg. (The Infatuation)

~ CARTOON: Justice Kavanaugh reaches for his robe. (The Week)

~ TRAVEL: Here are the six best duffel bags for your next trip. (Outside)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

6:30PM – 8:30PM — City of Women Map 2.0 at New York Transit Museum. Details.

7:00PM – 9:00PM — Dining at Downton: A Culinary History at the Museum of Food and Drink. Details.

7:30PM — Tom Campanella Presents “Brooklyn: The Once and Future City” in Conversation with Phillip Lopate at Greenlight Bookstore. Details.

THE WRAP

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1901, the Eagle reported, “Canton [Ohio] —William McKinley is at rest. The last tribute of loving friends and a mourning nation was appropriately paid to the martyred President in this the city which he had so long honored and which had so long reverenced him.”

📔 IMPRINT
Caitriona Balfe poses in red on the latest cover of Glass Magazine.

👑 ROYAL WATCH
“What do the royals really eat?” (Daily Express)

🏒 SPORTS
Isles rally for second straight preseason win

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to N.K. Jemisin, Joe Morgan, Soledad O’Brien, Columbus Short, Twiggy, Jimmy Fallon, Trisha Yearwood, Joan Lunden and Alison Sweeney!