Brooklyn Today: ‘Dark, cold, destructive.’

October 16, 2019 Brooklyn Today

A Bed-Stuy block. Eagle file photo by Lore Croghan

A Bed-Stuy block. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

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THE LEDE: “Rikers Island is a dark, cold, destructive and dehumanizing place,” writes Gina Williams, a former inmate at the jail complex, in an opinion piece. “It dragged me down to one of the lowest points in my life mentally, emotionally and physically.”

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THE RUNDOWN

~ COUNCIL CUTS HEIGHTS OF PROPOSED BOROUGH-BASED JAILS BY AVERAGE OF 90 FEET: With just days to go before a full vote on an unprecedented plan to build four new borough-based jails, the City Council planned to announce on Tuesday steep reductions in the height of each proposed detention tower.

~ OPINION: BECOMING A PARENT: RIKERS ISLAND VS. MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON: “After being incarcerated on Rikers Island, I fully support closing the jail and building smaller, safer, and more humane borough-based facilities,” writes our columnist.

~ NAVY YARD DEBUTS FIRST NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDING IN 10+ YEARS: The Brooklyn Navy Yard debuted on Tuesday Dock 72, a 16-story office building and its first new-from-the-ground-up commercial development in more than a decade.

~ ‘WE NEED WBAI’: STATION’S SUPPORTERS VOW TO KEEP FIGHTING FOR LOCAL PROGRAMMING: Staff and supporters of 99.5 WBAI FM — the decades-old, listener-supported radio station recently barred from broadcasting local programming by its parent organization, the Pacifica Foundation — took to the steps of City Hall Tuesday to denounce what they have deemed “a rouge takeover.”

~ NATIONAL GRID ORDERED TO RESTORE GAS TO 1,000-PLUS CUSTOMERS: Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Friday that the state has ordered National Grid to turn the gas back on for more than 1,100 former customers who had been denied service during a moratorium that the company put in place in May, after the state denied its application to build a new pipeline.

~ ‘BROAD CITY’ CREATORS ENCOURAGE NEW YORKERS TO VOTE ON CHARTER REVISIONS: In just three weeks, New Yorkers will get to weigh in on some pretty big changes to the city’s charter — and the creators of “Broad City” want you to get out and vote.

~ OVERUSED AND UNDER-MAINTAINED: HOW CITY’S REZONING PLAN COULD AFFECT BUSHWICK’S PARKS: A new report from nonprofit New Yorkers for Parks highlights the need for more open space in Bushwick, and warns that the city’s proposed rezoning plan for the neighborhood, which is expected to bring in thousands of new residents, could strain the area’s already scarce parkland.

~ MAN CRITICALLY INJURED IN POLICE-INVOLVED SHOOTING IN GOWANUS: A Gowanus resident was critically injured in a police-involved shooting near the Gowanus Houses on Tuesday night, police confirmed. Two police officers, after hearing gunshots near the corner of Baltic and Hoyt streets around 8 p.m., shot a man who was firing a gun at another person, police said.

~ NEW YORK’S MOST DESPERATE CAUGHT UP IN ‘CRIMES OF POVERTY’: In May, Robert Ibarra was down to zero. Usually careful with the government stipend and food stamps he lives on, an unexpected expense left the 54-year-old with nothing before his next check. (THE CITY)

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ “Watch: What Happened to The Watchtower?” (TRD)

~ Smorgasburg will move to a new inside location in Williamsburg in November. (Brooklyn Paper)

~ Take a look inside the “personal museum” of a Flatbush artist. (NYT)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: “The Obamanauts: What is the defining achievement of Barack Obama?” (Dissent)

~ DINE: From ramen to Tex-Mex, here are the 25 best bars and restaurants in Bed-Stuy. (Eater)

~ CARTOON: The White House hosts a yoga class. (The New Yorker)

~ HALLOWEEN: Here are 12 farms in the New York City area where you can pick a pumpkin. (Thrillist)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

7:00PM — Climate Smart Energy: Heating, Cooling and Turning the Lights On at Central Library. Details.

7:00PM — Redlining and its Repercussions at Brooklyn Historical Society. Details.

7:30PM — Jim Moore at 92nd Street Y. Details.

THE WRAP

🔎ASK A HISTORIAN
What happened to Brooklyn’s trolleys?

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1912, the Brooklyn Eagle reported, “Various opinions were expressed today by Brooklyn surgeons and those familiar with the effect of bullet wounds regarding the strength shown by Colonel [Theodore] Roosevelt at Milwaukee after the bullet fired at him lodged in his breast.”

📔 IMPRINT
Pharrell poses in an extravagant jacket on the latest cover of GQ.

👑 ROYAL WATCH
Here’s how the royal family travels around the world. (Simple Flying)

🏀 SPORTS
“NBA’s China saga has Nets getting creative for cash” (New York Post)

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Angela Lansbury, John Mayer, Kellie Martin, Juan González, Melissa Belote, Tim Robbins, Suzanne Somers, Bob Weir, Kenneth Lonergan, Paul Kariya, Barry Corbin and David Zucker!