Brooklyn Boro

Around Brooklyn: Salazar seeks to end ‘predatory’ court fees

September 30, 2020 Editorial Staff
Here’s the busy Belt Parkway in southern Brooklyn. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle
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Salazar seeks to end “predatory” court fees

State Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Bushwick-Cypress Hills-Williamsburg) joined other legislators and advocates to announce the introduction of the End Predatory Court Fees Act. The legislation would eliminate court fees, mandatory minimum fines, incarceration solely on the basis of unpaid fines and fees, and garnishment of commissary accounts in prison. The press conference also served as the launch for the No Price on Justice Campaign.

Subway stations to be named for Medgar Evers College

Two Brooklyn subway stations will officially be named for Medgar Evers College later this week. Assemblymember Diana Richardson and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie will gather with Brooklynites to unveil the new names for the President Street and Franklin Avenue stations. The name change was done not only to honor Medgar Evers College in Crown Heights but to honor Medgar Evers himself. Richardson, an alumni of the college, introduced the bill in the Assembly. As for Evers himself, he was a Black NAACP activist in Mississippi who organized protests against segregation, according to NY1. He was gunned down in 1963.

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Catering hall survives despite lack of work

Weylin, a catering and events business, occupies the historic, domed Williamsburg Savings Bank building, which is easily seen by anyone crossing the Williamsburg Bridge. Carlos Perez San Martin, one of the creators of Weylin, says he has not been able to operate the business since the coronavirus pandemic began, but is still committed to retaining its staff. Wyelin has been making an effort to reschedule events into 2021 and beyond. The venue is listed by Harper’s Bazaar as one of the city’s most prestigious wedding venues and also has attracted film and TV productions such as “the Irishman,” “Saturday Night Live,” “The Blacklist” and “Billboard,” according to amNewYork.

Colton demands more action on preventing COVID-19

Assemblymember William Colton (D-Gravesend-Bensonhurst-Bath Beach) demanded recently that preventive and enforcement measures must be taken by the city administration due to COVID-19 spikes, especially in several neighborhoods of Brooklyn. “Mayor de Blasio and City Department of Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver must work together and take protective measures by posting warning signs at the parks, promenades, and all public places where excessive gatherings take place to be followed by strict enforcement of the rules. People should be reminded that they have to avoid large get-togethers, exercise safety by wash hands frequently, practicing social distancing, and most of all wear masks in public areas,” he said.

Runaway deer prances through southern Brooklyn

A wild white-tailed deer who was part of a herd in Staten Island ran throughout southern Brooklyn for more than two hours before police were able to sedate it and move it back to its Richmond County home. The deer was first spotted around noon on Tuesday on Avenue S near Ocean Parkway and East 5th Street in Gravesend. Cops kept following the deer and were finally able to pen it in a mounted transport truck around 2:30 p.m. It’s unclear how the animal traveled from Staten Island to Brooklyn, the New York Post said. Tags hanging from the buck’s ears identified it as a Staten Island deer.

Man said to hit ex-girlfriend with car

A man is being sought by police after allegedly striking his former girlfriend with his car and then running over her 9-year-old son’s foot, police said. The 41-year-old woman told police that she and her son were walking in front of 496 Williams Ave. around 1 p.m. on Tuesday when she ran into her former boyfriend, who police have identified as John Santiago. She alleged that Santiago hit her with his silver Honda Accord and then ran over her son’s foot. The woman and her son were taken to Brookdale Hospital. The child’s foot was bruised but not broken, police said.

Brooklyn Hospital has $1B modernization plan

The Brooklyn Hospital Center announced last week that it has filed a preliminary application with the city for a $1 billion plan to modernize and renovate its campus. The plan would create a new cancer center, ambulatory center and outpatient diagnostic center. “Our hospital, Brooklyn’s oldest and one of the largest independent hospitals in New York City, was confronted with a stark reality before the crisis: we were managing the loss of significant dollars while we continued to operate in outdated facilities,” President and Chief Executive Officer of the Brooklyn Hospital Center Gary G. Terrinoni said. The hospital has been around since 1845.

Girl found safe in Brooklyn

A 7-year-old Pennsylvania girl who was allegedly abducted on Friday afternoon has been found safe in Brooklyn. Pennsylvania State Police say 41-year-old Juan Pablo Torres allegedly abducted 7-year-old Giselle Torres in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, then traveled to New York City. The girl was found safe and uninjured around 8:45 p.m. The suspect is in custody and awaiting charges, according to NBC News.

Three Brooklyn schools named as ‘blue ribbon’

Three Brooklyn schools have earned spots on the U.S. Department of Education’s new list of National Blue Ribbon Schools. The schools are P.S. 134 in Kensington, P.S. 101 Verrazzano Elementary School in Gravesend and Williamsburg High School for Art and Design. In the city as a whole, only six schools made the list. Now in its 38th year, the award program “affirms the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging content,” according to Patch.

Condo building tops out on Warren Street

Renderings have been released for the newly topped-out 450 Warren St., a five-story condo development in Gowanus. The 18-unit building is being developed by Tankhouse and was designed by the architecture firm SO-IL. According to the architects, 450 Warren will have a green-and-white masonry construction. The building is two blocks from the Bergen Street subway station, which is serviced by the F and G trains, according to New York YIMBY.

Two killed, several injured in shootings

Two men were killed and several other people were injured in separate Brooklyn shootings late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. In the first shooting, gunfire broke out during a dispute outside a house in Cypress Hills around 10:15 p.m. Police said Roderick Smith, 36, was shot in the head and shoulder outside the home on Highland Boulevard near Vermont Street. Smith was taken to Brookdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Several hours later, several people were shot, including one fatally, on West 16th Street in Coney Island. Police said a 25-year-old man was shot in the chest, a 37-year-old man was shot in the buttocks and the right ankle, and a 26-year-old man was shot in the right forearm. The 25-year-old man was declared dead at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, while the other two men were taken to Coney Island in stable condition, according to 1010 WINS.

Four-story building planned for Bushwick

Permits have been filed for a four-story apartment building at 856 Bushwick Ave. in Bushwick. The site, which is currently occupied by a wood-frame house, is located at the intersection of Kossuth Place and Bushwick Avenue, a block from the J train’s Kosciuszko Street subway station. The building is slated to have 10 residences, most likely rentals, and a penthouse. Leslie Xia is listed as the owner, and Robert Bianchini of ARC Architecture Design Studio is listed as the architect.

Theater to explore relationship between police, civilians

Irondale Ensemble Company in Brooklyn is putting on a play called “To Protect, Serve and Understand,” in which seven officers and seven civilians come together for several hours of improvisation. Real-life cops will take on the role of civilians, and real-life civilians will take on the role of cops. The play, which is being seen on Zoom, consists of a series of monologues, according to CBS News.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.


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