Brooklyn Today: ‘We are fighting to stay and remain.’

November 14, 2019 Brooklyn Today

Here’s the World Trade Center as seen from the terrace of The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights, with former Watchtower buildings in the foreground. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan

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THE LEDE: Good morning! Homeowners united with housing advocates and local officials on the steps of Brooklyn Supreme Court this week to unveil a set of principles aimed at preserving affordable homeownership, including a measure that would tax any investor looking to make a quick buck on the borough’s booming real estate market.

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THE RUNDOWN

~ SHOULD THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S ROLE INVESTIGATING POLICE BE EXPANDED? IT’S NOT CLEAR SHE WANTS THAT ANYMORE.: When Kwesi Ashun was shot and killed by a police officer in Brownsville in October, his death triggered the same question that arises every time a New York cop uses lethal force: Who will investigate the killing?

~ WITH ‘FLIP TAX,’ A PUSH TO SAVE AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP: “The Homeowner Bill of Rights” was unveiled on Tuesday by the Coalition for Affordable Homes. It calls for state passage of legislation including the Small Home Anti-Speculation Tax — which imposes a 15 to 20 percent tax on property that is transferred to a new owner within two years of ownership.

~ UNDERSERVED BROOKLYN NEIGHBORHOODS TO GET CITI BIKE STATIONS IN $100M EXPANSION: Eighty-five new docks are coming by 2023 to currently underserved neighborhoods like Bushwick, Ocean Hill-Brownsville, Cypress Hills and East New York as part of a $100 million expansion.

~ LITTLE-KNOWN RENT REFORM LAW IS BIG NEWS FOR CROWN HEIGHTS TENANTS: “Because of the tenant association, I became empowered,” Flossie Bonaparte said. “Because all I did was go to work, pay my rent. I didn’t know that within my apartment I had rights.”

~ BROOKLYNITES DEMAND RETURN OF LONG-SHUTTERED CROWN HEIGHTS-RED HOOK BUS ROUTE: As MTA employees in the basement of the Park Slope Library prepared for an open house on the Brooklyn bus network redesign Tuesday night, local residents rallied outside to continue a demand they’ve been shouting for years: Bring back the B71.

~ UNDERSTANDING PRESIDENTIAL IMPEACHMENT: A READING LIST: Having trouble following impeachment proceedings? You’re not alone. One Brooklyn librarian has compiled a comprehensive guide to understanding impeachment, complete with everything you might want to know about the process but were too afraid to ask.

~ TAKE A STROLL ON HAMILTON AVENUE AND COLUMBIA STREET IN RED HOOK: Sometimes you need an urban adventure. How about a stroll beneath a highway? If it leads you through Red Hook, it’s totally worthwhile.

~ BROOKLYN’S BEST DINERS, ACCORDING TO OUR READERS: We recently rounded up our eight favorite Brooklyn diners, and we wanted to know which greasy spoons our readers frequent. You told us.

~ TO STOP POLICE SHOOTINGS OF PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH DISABILITIES, I ASKED THEM WHAT COPS — AND EVERYONE — COULD DO TO HELP: After Shukri Ali Said left her house in Georgia during a mental health crisis on April 23, 2018, her sister called 911 for help. Police found Said standing at an intersection holding a knife. Officers shot her five times in the neck and chest, killing her. (The Conversation)

~ BROOKLYN BISHOP WHO INVESTIGATED SEX ABUSE ACCUSED OF SEX ABUSE: A Roman Catholic bishop named by Pope Francis to investigate the church’s response to clergy sexual abuse in Buffalo, New York, has himself been accused of sexual abuse of a child, an attorney for the alleged victim notified the church this week. (AP)

PODCAST

~ WHY SO MANY STREET VENDORS DON’T HAVE PERMITS: Last weekend, a video was released of a churro vendor without a permit being detained at a subway station. She, like many others, are experiencing a problem: The number of permits offered to vendors by the city has not increased since the 1980s. On this week’s episode, we go inside the state of vending and a pair of bills aimed at helping them.

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ A mobile home community is growing underneath the Gowanus Expressway. (Brooklyn Paper)

~ “‘She Build’: Creating an all-women real estate development team” (NYT)

~ Food critic Robert Sistema compares Wegmans to a “boozy suburban vacation.” (Eater)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: “This Tom Hanks story will help you feel less bad” (NYT)

~ EAT: It’s finally cold out there. Here are the 17 best bowls of ramen in the city, including three in Brooklyn. (Thrillist)

~ CARTOON: There’s a monster inside your closet. (The New Yorker)

~ VISIT: A BYOB Mexican cantina in Bushwick is fittingly located inside one of the last tortilla factories in Brooklyn. (Atlas Obscura)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

6:00PM – 9:30PM — Salsa Party at the Brooklyn Museum. Details.

7:00PM – 9:00PM — Seed Ethics Town Hall at the Museum of Food and Drink. Details.

7:00PM – 9:00PM — Lucien Samaha in Conversation with Walid Raad at Pioneer Works. Details.

THE WRAP

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1913, the Brooklyn Eagle reported, “The Public Service Commission at its meeting today decided to amend the plans for the Montague Street station of the new tunnel to Brooklyn, running from Court to Clinton Street, so as to provide for an entrance with elevators at the Clinton Street end of the station.”

📔 IMPRINT
Victoria Beckham graces the December cover of Vogue Poland.

👑 ROYAL WATCH
“Harry and Meghan revive feud rumors by staying away from the royal family’s Christmas” (The Daily Beast)

🏀 SPORTS
Here’s why David Levy stepped down as the CEO of the Nets after just eight weeks. (The Athletic)

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Joseph Simmons, Condoleezza Rice, Charles George, Laura San Giacomo, Chip Gaines, Josh Duhamel, Yanni and D. B. Sweeney!