Around Brooklyn: Greenpoint Italian restaurants sell pasta kits

June 12, 2020 Editorial Staff

Swans are a-swimming by Emmons Avenue in Sheepshead Bay. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

Swans flocked for food near Emmons Avenue in Sheepshead Bay. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

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Greenpoint Italian restaurants sell pasta kits

Chef Missy Robins’ popular Italian restaurants Misi, at 329 Kent Ave., and Lilia, at 567 Union Ave., still have not reopened for takeout and delivery like other eateries. However, the restaurants will sell pasta kits along with specialty Italian provisions so that shoppers can cook similar-tasting meals at home. All profits from this initiative earned in June will be donated to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, according to Greenpointers.

De Blasio’s woes feed real estate uncertainty

Mayor Bill de Blasio was criticized earlier this month both by Black Lives Matter protesters, for the conduct of officers during George Floyd demonstrations, and by police unions, for supporting police reform measures. De Blasio’s apparent loss of popularity may be bad news for real estate. “Developers are nervous,” said George Arzt, a publicist who represents Extell Development. Some are refraining from taking projects through the rezoning process, he said, “Because they’re unsure of the politics in this city,” according to The Real Deal.

Two-bedroom apartment in former chapel rents for $4.1K

An unusual apartment in Fort Greene that includes vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows, skylights and a spiral staircase is renting for $4,100.The building at 264 Cumberland St., originally the Church of the Blessed Hope, was probably built in the 1880s, according to local historians. It later became the Church of the Incarnation. It was converted to condos in 2008 and renamed The Sanctuary. The condo for rent is on the top floor, which explains its dramatic appearance, according to Brownstoner.

Worker paints over Black Lives Matter murals

A developer said it was a big mistake when one of his workers, who doesn’t speak much English, painted over a series of Black Lives Matter murals on a construction fence on Fourth Avenue in Gowanus. Brian Ezra of Avery Hall Investments said that the worker is an independent contractor who usually cleans up his construction sites, often painting over graffiti. Before the worker painted over the mural, “We reached out to the artist and expressed how much we appreciated the work he was doing,” Ezra said. The company has since asked the artists to restore the murals, according to the Brooklyn Paper.

Riders return to a different subway system

Returning subway riders this week were pleasantly surprised by a system devoid (for the most part) of plastic bags, soda cans, candy wrappers and so on. They were also surprised by the fact that the platforms and the trains themselves were still virtually empty, despite the fact that some people are going to work. In Brooklyn, a nurse from South Dakota who is helping out in the coronavirus epidemic commented, “Taking the subway is the easiest part of my day,” according to The New York Times.

Mask-making contest winners announced

Organizers of the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island on Monday announced the winners of their first online face mask design contest, which attracted mask-makers from across the country. The ceremony, called the “Maskies,” announced the winners of every category, including best overall mask, best Coney Island mask, best sea creature mask and more. The prize for best mask went to Melissa Lawson from Queens for an elaborate flowered hat-and-face covering, according to the Brooklyn Paper.

Barclays Center becomes unofficial town square

Although Barclays Center was not designed as such, it’s become one of the city’s “pedestrian-oriented public spaces,” Jarrett Moore, executive director of the city’s Public Design Commission, said in 2016. For more than a week since May 29, crowds protesting the deaths of George Floyd and other unarmed Black men at the hands of police have converged there, turning it into a center of activism. One reason for this might be Barclays Center’s location at the junction of several subway and railroad lines, according to Bklyner.

Council hearing eyes misconduct

On Tuesday, a City Council hearing to discuss several police reform bills on the docket turned into a 10-hour hearing on the state of policing in New York City. While Mayor Bill de Blasio wasn’t there, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said that “increasing the PD’s budget, year after year, was wrong without making those investments in communities in a meaningful way.” The specific legislation being considered by the Council was a measure codifying the right to film the police, a bill to require police to display their shield numbers, and a bill that would make it a misdemeanor to choke someone while making an arrest. Deputy NYPD Commissioner Benjamin Tucker said he could only support the last bill if it exempted officers who might have choked someone accidentally, according to Gothamist.

Relatives of inmate who died at MDC want answers

Relatives of an inmate who died in a hospital while in custody at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park say they were unaware of his condition. “We were told nothing. We didn’t even know he was in the hospital,” said a family member of Kenneth Houck, who died on May 10. Houck was in the federal jail on charges of possession of child pornography and had already served time for similar offenses. Houck was also the victim of a prison assault in Philadelphia in 2001, according to the Daily News.

Four-story apartment house planned for East Flatbush

Permits have been filed for a four-story apartment building at 9101 Kings Highway in East Flatbush. The site, currently occupied by a two-family house, is a 10-minute walk to the 3 train’s Saratoga Avenue subway station. The building is slated to have 10 residences, most likely rentals. Chaim Sobel is listed as the owner on the applications, and Jose Lockhart of Tecnico Engineering is listed as the architect of record, according to New York YIMBY. Demolition permits have not yet been filed for the two-family house.

Mill Basin residents seek private security

Mill Basin residents, citing an increase in crime, are supporting the idea of a private security patrol for their southern Brooklyn neighborhood. They say that they report break-ins and other crimes to the police, but by the time the cops get there, the perpetrators are gone. “The program is needed because over the past five or six years, there has been a dramatic uptick in vehicle break-ins and drug dealings on many, many blocks,” Bradley Reisman, organizer of My Mill Basin, told the Brooklyn Paper.

Diamond dealer shot in Mill Basin

A diamond dealer was shot on Thursday night after a dispute outside of his Brooklyn “mini-mansion,” according to police. The victim was shot and seriously wounded while standing in the driveway of his home at 50 Whitman Drive, Mill Basin. Police said two men were arguing with him in the driveway when one of them shot him. The two then fled in a light-colored Toyota going south. EMS workers rushed the victim to Kings County Hospital, and he is expected to survive, according to amNewYork. Security video is being reviewed by police.

Rep. Rose wants to improve small biz relief programs

U.S. Rep. Max Rose (D-Southwest Brooklyn-Staten Island) is continuing his pressure on the Small Business Administration to make much-needed improvements to small business relief programs.” Specifically, he said the SBA needs to properly administer the Economic Injury Disaster Loans program. “Every single day, I’m hearing from more and more small businesses across Staten Island and South Brooklyn who have been doing everything we’ve asked of them and more,” Rose said. “But unfortunately, the administration has been letting far too many small businesses fall through the cracks.”

Sen. Parker hosts grocery distribution

State Sen. Kevin Parker (D-Flatbush-East Flatbush-Midwood-Kensington-Park Slope) last week held a food distribution event at NYCHA’s Glenwood Houses. The event was held in coordination with the Glenwood Houses Residents Association and was sponsored by Fresh Direct. “Communities that make it through tough times do so because they are willing to come together,” said Parker.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.