Brooklyn Today: ‘I can’t sit back and do nothing.’

October 8, 2019 Brooklyn Today

Marvelous mansions line Doctor's Row, aka President Street in Crown Heights South. Eagle photos by Lore Croghan

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THE LEDE: Good morning! In Brooklyn, more than half the deaths of civilians at the hands of police since the death of Eric Garner have not been investigated by the Civilian Complaint Review Board, the Eagle has learned. Of the last 19 cases in Brooklyn in which people were killed by police, just four resulted in a complaint filed with the CCRB, according to the agency.

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THE RUNDOWN

~ ICONIC BROOKLYN BROADCASTER WBAI SHUTTERS LOCAL PROGRAMMING: Local programming at 99.5 WBAI FM — the decades-old, listener-supported radio station with a studio in Boerum Hill — is no more, officials announced Monday.

~ FAMILIES OF THOSE KILLED BY POLICE CAN REQUEST AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION. IN BROOKLYN, MOST HAVE NOT.: Among the cases the Civilian Complaint Review Board is not investigating are high-profile incidents like the deaths of Saheed Vassell and Dwayne Jeune.

~ SETTLEMENT TALKS COLLAPSE IN LAWSUIT TO PROTECT BOTANIC GARDEN, DEVELOPER PUSHES FOR DISMISSAL: Activist Alicia Boyd was in court on Monday, fighting to sustain her legal challenge to the Franklin Avenue Rezoning after settlement talks collapsed.

~ NEW BILL WILL SEAL RECORDS FOR MINOR CRIMES: Individuals convicted of a minor crime — such as low-level marijuana possession or a traffic infraction — will now have their records automatically sealed, following the passage of a new criminal justice bill.

~ PHOTOS: BROOKLYN PET BLESSINGS 2019: Worshipers from across Brooklyn brought dogs, cats and at least one turtle to church last weekend. To promote good health and the general well-being of their pets, parishioners joined in prayers and blessings led by their ministries.

~ ESCAPED PRISONER IN DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN SETS OFF POLICE HUNT: A man arrested in southern Brooklyn escaped from police custody on Monday, setting off a police search for him in Downtown Brooklyn.

~ 10-YEAR-OLD CYCLIST KILLED BY MAN DRIVING WITHOUT LICENSE: POLICE: A 10-year-old boy riding his bike in Kensington was struck and killed by a man driving a car without a license Saturday, according to police.

~ COPS SEARCH FOR SUSPECTED GUNMAN WHO SHOT TWO WOMEN IN FLATBUSH: Authorities have released images of the man they believe opened fire on the streets of Flatbush two weeks ago, striking two female bystanders.

~ NYCHA’S $250 MILLION NO-BID — AND SOMETIMES NO WORK — REPAIR JOBS: Low-level city Housing Authority managers have doled out thousands of no-bid repair contracts totaling more than $250 million to a select few vendors in recent years — ignoring corruption warnings, an investigation by THE CITY found. (THE CITY)

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ Here’s a look inside Rhodora, Fort Greene’s newest natural wine bar. (Cool Hunting)

~ “For churches, a temptation to sell” (NYT)

~ A tanker truck recently spilled thousands of gallons of oil in Gowanus. (Brooklyn Paper)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: “Pecan pralines to ‘dots’ as currency: how the prison economy works” (The Guardian)

~ EAT: From a sushi bar with 28 different rolls to a pizza station, here are all of the dining options at Wegmans, which will open later this month at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. (Eater)

~ CARTOON: Donald Trump applies for a new job. (The New Yorker)

~ SPORTS: The Miami Dolphins are tanking this year, but does that controversial strategy work in the NFL? It’s complicated. (Sports Illustrated)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

6:00PM – 9:00PM — Concerts in the Catacombs at Green-Wood Cemetery. Details.

7:00PM — Other Men Need Help at Caveat. Details.

7:00PM — Off The Menu: Tastes of Ice & Vice at Time Out Market New York. Details.

THE WRAP

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1942, the Brooklyn Eagle reported, “Brooklyn went scrap-happy today as the red-hot enthusiasm of the borough’s treasure hunters, reported in cold statistics hour by hour, passed the scheduled quota in the first four hours and speeded on, at an ever-increasing tempo which promised to bring in at least 100,000,000 pounds of vital war materials before the day was done.”

📔 IMPRINT
Reese Witherspoon “faces her fears” on the November cover of Harper’s Bazaar.

👑 ROYAL WATCH
“The heartwarming reason why Americans still love the Queen and the royal family” (Daily Express)

🏒 SPORTS
Nets owner Joe Tsai speaks out about the Hong Kong protesters. (Bleacher Report)

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Sigourney Weaver, Bruno Mars, Matt Damon, Jesse Jackson, Faith Ringgold, Sadiq Khan, Sarah Purcell, Bella Thorne, R.L. Stine, Chevy Chase, Paul Hogan and Bill Elliott!