Around Brooklyn: Cumbo’s arts bill passes City Council

December 17, 2020 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Domino Park. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

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Brooklyn, Hollywood style, falls short
A restaurant in Hollywood known as Brooklyn Water Bagel was ordered short after a complaint, according to local official records. Roaches were found in both the customer and the food preparation areas, the ceiling vents and tiles were caked with food debris and grease, and in one area, 10 dead roaches were found. A sign on the window said the restaurant was closed “for maintenance issues,” according to Local 10, a Los Angeles news station. The name “Brooklyn Water Bagel” may be a reference to the old legend that what makes Brooklyn bagels great is New York water.

Colton praises small biz aid program
Assemblymember William Colton (D-Gravesend-Bensonhurst-Bath Beach-Dyker Heights) praised the New York Forward Small Business Lease Assistance Partnership program, recently started by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The program will provide small businesses and landlords with pro bono legal assistance to renegotiate lease terms in the wake of COVID-19. “I appreciate that Governor Cuomo is initiating this program which will provide small businesses and their landlords with informational resources and pro bono assistance to help both parties reach equal and favorable lease agreements. Small businesses and the economy have been impacted greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is very damaging,” Colton said.

Carroll hosts panel on COVID learning

Assemblymember Robert Carroll (D-Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Ditmas Park) on Tuesday night hosted a special virtual panel with leading reading experts from the Haskins Global Literacy Campaign to learn about free resources to help support children’s learning during COVID-19. The Haskins Global Literacy Hub is an international and interdisciplinary collaboration of researchers, educators, and education technology specialists, working to improve the reading development of children and youth across cultures, languages, and continents.

Cumbo’s arts bill passes City Council

City Councilmember Laurie Cumbo (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights) last week saw her legislation, Int. No. 2034-A, requiring the creation of a website that would provide information on open spaces designated by the city for art and cultural programming, pass the City Council. The website would also allow users to search for information about outdoor programs offered by art and cultural institutions that are coordinated by the Mayor’s Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management (CECM) and provide information about other events either hosted by art and cultural institutions or outdoor events held on private property. “Prior to COVID-19, the cultural sector in NYC was one of the largest industries in NYC, employing nearly 400,000 workers, paying them $31 billion in wages, and generating $110 billion in economic activity,” she said.

Anti-pollution rally at Borough Hall

On Sunday, 350Brooklyn’s Families Committee held an anti-pollution rally at Borough Hall. They urged Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature to pass the Climate and Community Investment Act. The organization placed a large banner, created by children, at Borough Hall, reading, “Make Polluters Pay, Pass the CCIA.” Among the officials who were present were Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon and Assemblymember Robert Carroll.

Lentol praises DOT for improvements to bicycle infrastructure

Assemblymember Joseph Lentol (D-North Brooklyn) has announced that the Brooklyn Borough Department of Transportation has made some important additions to the cycling infrastructure of North Brooklyn. A new bike lane has been added to North 14th Street between Kent Avenue and Berry Street. The lane is painted green and protected with a floating parking lane. These improvements are in addition to the one million dollars invested by Lentol in 2019 for roadway safety infrastructure improvements for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists in North Brooklyn. “This change will protect cyclists from vehicular traffic and creates another safe option in the ever-expanding network of bike lanes in North Brooklyn,” Assemblymember Lentol said. Also receiving a brand-new coat of green paint is the West Street section of the Brooklyn Greenway from Quay Street to Eagle Street.

Immigrants rights’ group hails new law

Javier H. Valdes, co-executive director at Make the road New York, recently praised Gov. Andrew Cuomo for signing into law the Protect Our Courts Act. “Today marks a critical win for immigrant New Yorkers. Now that the Protect Our Courts Act has become law, it puts an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence and its abusive tactics that instilled fear and hindered immigrants from full equal access to our courts. Over the past years, as ICE presence at our courthouses soared, community advocates and immigrants fought against unlawful arrests that threatened vulnerable individuals and compromised the safety of all New Yorkers,” he said.

Course on ‘how to form a non-profit’

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts will soon be giving an online “Non-profit Incorporation and Tax Exemption Workshop,” with 2.5 CLE credits for attorneys. Courses will take place on three afternoons: Wednesday, Jan. 13; Wednesday, Feb. 21 and Monday, March 8. The class is designed for artists of all disciplines, attorneys, and others who would like to start a non-profit arts organization. VLA requires all applicants seeking non-profit incorporation and tax-exempt status services to attend one of these workshops before a volunteer attorney can be assigned to them.

Short-lived 1950s magazine covered Black Brooklyn

Gothamist recently spotlighted a short-lived, pocket-sized magazine called “Tick: Brooklyn Community News,” which published in the mid-1950s. Two copies of this magazine can be found at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Maira Liriano, associate chief librarian of the center, said, that the magazine was probably influenced by the popularity of Jet magazine, which came out in 1951. The issue had sections such as “People Here and There,” “Guest Pastor,” “Trends in Style and Fashion,” “Teen Topics,” “Sports” and “Chitter Chatter.”

Cops probe Cypress Hills shooting

Police are investigating a deadline shooting that took place late Tuesday night in Cypress Hills. They say the homicide took place around 11:30 p.m., when a 39-year-old man was fatally shot in front of his home on Cleveland Street near Fulton Street. Officers from the 75th Precinct, responding to a 911 call, found the victim unconscious and unresponsive. EMS crews rushed him to Brookdale University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. As of press time, there were no suspects or possible motive, according to published reports.

Missing Williamsburg musician found dead

Sam Jayne, the missing Williamsburg musician who fronted the rock band Love as Laughter, has been found dead. Jayne, 46, had gone missing on Dec. 6, and friends started a social media campaign to find the singer. Jayne was found in his car, and a preliminary investigation showed “no signs of criminality,” according to police. Zeke Howard, Jayne’s bandmate in the group, confirmed the news on Instagram. Jayne was also a member of another band, Modest Mouse, in the ’90s and was a bartender at Clem’s in Williamsburg, according to the New York Post.

Brooklyn gets its own New Year’s Eve ball

Brooklyn Rising, a local organization, says that Brooklyn’s first New Year’s Eve ball will come to life on Thursday in a lighting ceremony. The group’s founder, James “Jay” Hill, said, “the shimmering ball will light up downtown Brooklyn like fireworks and bring some much-needed joy to residents.” Hill said the group has been working for nearly 10 years to make this event happen. However, he said, unlike the Times Square ball, which drops down on New Year’s Eve, this ball will continue to shine. “2020 has been a tumultuous year for Brooklyn residents, so a grand occasion of bright lights and warm smiles is needed,” he said.

Council bills slammed by Brooklyn Chamber

Two City Council bills that seek to regulate how fast-food restaurants can fire employees were slammed by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, as well as other business groups citywide, as a blow to the restaurant industry. The bills, which the Committee on Civil Service and Labor approved on Tuesday, would bar fast-food establishments from firing workers without just cause and require new staff to be laid off before longer-tenured workers. The full Council is set to vote on the measure on Thursday.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.