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Around Brooklyn: Virus cases in NY declined despite protests

July 6, 2020 Editorial Staff
This is beautiful Shell Bank Canal. Do you know what neighborhood it’s in? Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle
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Virus cases in NY declined despite protests

Many experts predicted an increase in coronavirus cases in New York City after the George Floyd protests, but it didn’t happen. On May 27, just before the protests, 754 cases were diagnosed. At the end of the first week of protests, the city was recording about 500 cases a day, and the number of cases went down into the low 400s after the second week of protests. Some experts say that the number of cases was already on the decline when the protests began. It’s possible that cases have increased in certain neighborhoods or clusters, but not enough data is available to support such a conclusion, according to The New York Times.

Subway to add face mask vending machines

The MTA will be deploying a dozen vending machines at 10 subway stations so that straphangers can buy face masks, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. Eight of the machines will be stocked by Canteen, while four others will be stocked by Swyft. The machine owners are renting space in subway stations for a percentage of their gross sales. This is a pilot program, and if it succeeds, more machines will be placed in subway stations. The stations where they will be first installed are all in Manhattan except for Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center in Brooklyn and Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, according to Gothamist.

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Anti-cop activists protest outside Johnson’s boyfriend’s home

Anti-police demonstrators have protested outside City Council Speaker Corey Johnson’s boyfriend’s home in Williamsburg over NYPD funding. “The vandalizing of where my significant other lives, the ringing of his buzzer at all hours in the middle of the night, he’s not a public figure, that’s not right,” Johnson said. The speaker is dating fashion photographer Ernest Martin, and the two have often posted photos of each other on their social media pages, according to the New York Post.

Cuomo extends eviction reprieve

Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week signed the Tenant Safe Harbor Act, which will keep tenants from getting kicked out of their homes for missed rent payments during the COVID-19 crisis. The legislation, sponsored by State Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz, doesn’t cancel rent payments, as some activists have demanded. “Tenants will never be kicked out of their homes for owing rent during the COVID-19 period if they’ve been economically hurt by the pandemic,” Hoylman said, according to the New York Post.

Bay Ridge apt. seeks $2,400/month

A three-bedroom apartment in a two-family house at 617 Bay Ridge Parkway is renting for $2,400 a month. The house itself is one of a row of two-family homes built in the early 20th century. The living room and kitchen are at the rear, and the largest bedroom, with a bay window, is at the front of the house. The living room, kitchen and dining room are connected to each other. The middle bedroom has a skylight and might be used for a home office, according to Brownstoner.

Man charged with setting off fireworks that burned down home

A Brooklyn man has been arrested and charged with setting off fireworks that burned down a house in East Flatbush. On June 24, firefighters responded to the home after they received reports of a fire on the first floor. It took 60 firefighters to bring the flames under control. Video footage of the incident allegedly shows Damien Bend setting off fireworks in the driveway of the home when a burst from one of them enters an open window. Even afterward, Bend continued to set off the remaining fireworks, police said. In a nine-day period, fire marshals have arrested 17 people and confiscated nearly $36,700 worth of fireworks, according to ABC7.

Feds consider replacing Donoghue with Barr ally

The Justice Department is considering replacing Richard Donoghue, the U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn, with a department official who shares more views with Attorney General William Barr, officials said. On Thursday, Donoghue reportedly told his staff he’d be stepping down to take another post withing the Justice Department in Washington. Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Seth DuCharme is now being considered for the top role in the Brooklyn office, where he once worked as a prosecutor, according to CNN.

Down in the alley

Bowlers and former staffers of a now-closed Brooklyn bowling alley say they are owed thousands of dollars. A group of bowlers say they reached out to the owners of Shell Lanes many times, trying to get information about retrieving their equipment that’s stored inside the establishment as well as the money they’re owed. After numerous attempts, the bowlers say they still haven’t heard back. Recently, they hired a lawyer, who told them that an injunction was placed on the property back in May, according to Brooklyn News 12.

Flatbush groups preach nonviolence

Members of the East Flatbush Village, the Act of Justice and the God Squad came together at the corner of Utica and Church avenues on July 3. In the wake of the recent increase in shootings, they preached to residents about nonviolence and handed out masks. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams joined the group, calling for a cease-fire and saying gang members should put away their guns. He added that police presence is not enough, but the community needs jobs and housing, according to amNewYork.

Wyckoff-Bennett House for sale

Brooklyn’s Wyckoff Bennett Homestead in the Kings Highway area, one of the few colonial-era houses that are still privately owned, is on sale for $3.2 million. The home, at 1669 E. 22nd St., has four bedrooms and four bathrooms. Although the wooden house was built in the 17th century, additions have been made over the years. Only three families have owned it — the Wyckoff family, then the Bennett family, and finally Stuart and Annette Mont since 1983. When the Monts bought the house, they inherited period items such as a spinning wheel and a horse-drawn sleigh, according to the New York Post.

Man kills neighbor in fight over woman

A man stabbed his neighbor to death in a fight over a woman, police said. Michael Brabham is facing charges of murder and weapons possession for allegedly killing Raymond Bermudez in the hallway of the building where both lived on Bradford Street near Belmont Avenue in Brownsville. Bermudez was found lifeless on the hallway floor with multiple stab wounds on Wednesday night, according to the Daily News. Brabham was ordered held without bail after it was found that he previously had run-ins with the law in Pennsylvania.

Adams says Black-owned businesses are being targeted

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams says Black and Hispanic-owned businesses are being targeted by the city, and he’s calling on city and state officials to investigate it. Owners of Black- and Brown-owned restaurants and bars gathered at police headquarters on Friday. Kendell Stewart, owner of Café Omar in Brooklyn, said he was unjustly hit with heavy fines and shut down. Sharon Kishun, manager of the Mazi Nightclub in Queens, said her club was shut down 11 months ago after violations that she termed excessive. “I was deeply disturbed by the intentional daily interaction and harassment of legal legitimate businesses that employ people from the inner city,” Adams said, according to PIX11.

Seven-story building planned in Manhattan Beach

Permits have been filed for a seven-story mixed-use building at 59 West End Ave. in Manhattan Beach. The site, located between Ocean Court and Hampton Avenue, is currently occupied by an outdoor parking lot and is closest to the B and Q trains’ subway station. The development would have 19 residential units, most likely rentals, as well as community facility space and 38 enclosed parking spaces. Mesivta and Yeshiva Gedula are listed as the owners, and Architectural Concept Inc. is listed as the architect of record, according to New York YIMBY.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.


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