Brooklyn Today: ‘There’s been a widespread cover-up.’

October 18, 2019 Brooklyn Today

The intersection of Coney Island and Church avenues in Kensington. Eagle photo by Paul Frangipane

A memorial for María del Carmen Porras Hernández, who was fatally struck by a car in July 2019, proceeds across the intersection of Coney Island and Church avenues in Kensington. Photo: Paul Frangipane

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THE LEDE: Happy Friday! The mothers of black men who died at the hands of police officers gave emotional testimony at a State Senate hearing on Thursday, as some legislators push to repeal a law that advocates say masks officer misconduct.

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THE RUNDOWN

~ COUNCIL APPROVES BOROUGH-BASED JAIL PLAN, CLEARING PATH TO CLOSE RIKERS: The New York City Council approved a sweeping land use measure on Thursday that will allow the city to build four new borough-based jails, overcoming what appears to be the most significant obstacle in the effort to close the Rikers Island detention complex.

~ TENSIONS FLARE AT HEARING OVER THE LAW THAT SHIELDS POLICE RECORDS FROM PUBLIC VIEW: New York Civil Rights Law Section 50-a, passed in the 1970s, allows personal records of police, firefighters and correctional officers to be shielded from public view.

~ BEERS AND BOWLING: 10 THINGS TO DO IN BROOKLYN THIS WEEKEND: From open studios in Sunset Park to axe throwing in Gowanus to a ragas festival in Red Hook, this weekend’s events are about as cool and diverse as Brooklyn itself.

~ BROOKLYN MARATHON WILL CLOSE THESE STREETS ON SATURDAY: The Brooklyn Marathon is taking place on Saturday. Runners will begin at Eastern Parkway and Washington Avenue. These are the streets that will be closed for the duration of the event, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

~ MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER IN BROWNSVILLE MASS SHOOTING: Police have arrested a suspect in connection with July’s mass shooting at a Brownsville block party that killed one man and injured 11 other people.

~ POLICE SAY BROWNSVILLE TIPSTERS PLAYED BIG ROLE IN ARREST OF MASS SHOOTING SUSPECT: Tips from neighbors played a critical role in tracking down a gunman involved in the mass shooting at a Brownsville block party, in which 38-year-old Jason Pagan was killed and 11 others injured, authorities said Thursday.

~ FORMER WILLIAMSBURG NIGHTCLUB TO BECOME IZAKAYA AND EVENT SPACE: A new izakaya and events venue is being planned for 74 Wythe Ave. in the former building of iconic Williamsburg nightclub Output, which closed earlier this year after roughly six years.

~ VISIT DOZENS OF ARTIST STUDIOS THIS WEEKEND AT THE BROOKLYN ARMY TERMINAL: For this weekend only, residents will have the unique opportunity of exploring the Brooklyn Army Terminal, visiting the complex’s art center and viewing the work of 96 different artists at Chashama’s Open Studios.

~ THREE TENANTS ARRESTED IN LUNA PARK HOUSING BRIBERY SCHEME: Three tenants involved in a housing scheme at an affordable housing complex in Coney Island were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly forging their way into obtaining coveted real estate, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office announced.

~ OPINION: THE BROOKLYN JAIL IS FALLING APART, WITH MY PEOPLE INSIDE: “Among the most decrepit facilities is the Brooklyn Detention Complex. Many of my constituents have experienced the inside of that place – whether they were detained or visiting loved ones inside,” writes Councilmember Robert Cornegy.

~ RISING SCHOOL BUS WOES PLAGUE SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS: Over the first 24 days of this school year, 12,060 yellow buses transporting special needs kids were delayed on the way to or from school — an average of about 500 per day, according to an analysis of Office of Pupil Transportation data conducted by THE CITY. (THE CITY)

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ “Does NYC’s affordable housing program go far enough?” (Curbed)

~ First there was pizza rat. Now, there’s car rat. “I saw [it] crawling around on my dashboard. I snapped a picture and literally started crying,” said Julianne Irene, who discovered the creature inside her Toyota 4Runner in Downtown Brooklyn. (Gothamist)

~ See inside NBA player JJ Redick’s DUMBO duplex penthouse. (Architectural Digest)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: “A photographer at the ends of the earth” (The New Yorker)

~ DRINK: Here are the 29 best sports bars in New York City, including seven spots in Brooklyn. (Eater)

~ CARTOON: President Trump reenacts “Saturday Night Fever.” (The Week)

~ LIVE: A new anti-bullying campaign from Monica Lewinsky puts viewers in the shoes of children who have been harassed. (CNN)

BULLETIN BOARD

Start your weekend with cool jazz with Gil Defay Quartet tonight, Saturday is Antony Wonsey Jazz Quartet and Sunday is Bobby Sanabria at the Made in New York Jazz Cafe & Bar. SPONSORED

WHAT’S HAPPENING

5:00PM — U.S. Premiere: “The Second Woman” at Brooklyn Academy of Music. Details.

6:00PM — Michael Eric Dyson and Heather McGhee: Reckoning with Racism at Brooklyn Historical Society. Details.

6:30PM — Panel: “Breaking Ground: Architecture by Women” at Cooper Union. Details.

THE WRAP

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1949, the Brooklyn Eagle reported, “Hong Kong (U.P.) — Communist sources said today that Britain was offering recognition to the Peiping regime in return for guarantees that British rights in Hong Kong would be respected.”

📔 IMPRINT
Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet embrace on the October cover of Entertainment Weekly.

👑 ROYAL WATCH
“Elton John reveals his strangest and sweetest memories of Princess Diana and the royal family” (Time)

🏀 SPORTS
The New York Liberty are moving to Barclays Center. (WaPo)

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Terry McMillan, Freida Pinto, Wynton Marsalis, Joe Morton, Ne-Yo, Vincent Spano, Martina Navratilova, Zac Efron, Mike Ditka, Lindsey Vonn and Jean-Claude Van Damme!