Around Brooklyn: Anti-Trump protesters rally at Barclays Center

January 11, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Barclays Center. AP Photo by John Minchillo

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Anti-Trump protesters rally at Barclays Center

Anti-Trump protesters rallied at the Barclays Center for a second consecutive night Thursday. They were calling for the removal of President Donald Trump in response to the riots at the Capitol on Wednesday. New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams also attended. He’s among those calling for the president to be removed via impeachment or the 25th amendment. What started as a couple dozen people at the Barclays Center turned into hundreds and eventually marched down Flatbush Avenue, according to PIX 11.

New graphic novel hero: The Red Hook

Carroll Gardens artist and writer Dean Haspiel has written two graphic novel series; Billy Dogma and the Red Hook. The latter series’ main character, Sam Brosia aka the Red Hook, is a super-thief who is transformed into a hero against his will. During the series, Brooklyn secedes from the rest of the country and is renamed New Brooklyn, according to Pardon Me for Asking.

Brooklyn Bridge Park sets board meeting

A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021 at approximately 10 a.m. by videoconference. This meeting is open to the public and will be live streamed over YouTube . If you would like to make a public comment please request access instructions by email to [email protected] or by telephone at 718-222-9939. The anticipated meeting agenda will be posted on BBP’s webpage the day of the meeting.

Colton slams plans to change middle school admissions

Assemblyman William Colton (D–Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights) recently urged parents to come together and demand that the mayor and chancellor reverse their decision on terminating screening and auditions for middle schools’ admission. “The Department of Education announced that they will not allow any screening or auditioning for its screened middle schools, such as Mark Twain, for the coming school year. The Mayor and DOE Chancellor intentionally ignored the great public concern and had made their decision to eliminate screening and auditions in middle schools,” Colton stated.

Son of Brooklyn judge was among D.C. rioters

Aaron Motofsky, the son of Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Sholmo Motofsky and the brother of Republican-Conservative district leader Nachman Motofsky, was among the rioters who swarmed the halls of Congress, according to Gothamist. He is seen in several photos holding a wooden stick and a police riot shield. His brother, Nachman Motofsky, said, “You find me one [Black Lives Matter] riot or one Antifa riot from over the summer that didn’t have way more damage.” Judge Motofsky is also the former president of the National Council of Young Israel, an umbrella organization of Modern Orthodox synagogues.

Brooklyn Heights home sells for $25.5M

A five-story mansion at 8 Montague Terrace owned by Vincent Viola, owner of the Florida Panthers hockey team, sold for $25.5 million just before Christmas. The Heights home dates to the early 1870s, and it was converted to apartments in the early 1930s. When Viola and his wife Theresa purchased the home, they converted it back into a single-family home. The new owner is a limited partnership called M8T, according to published report.

Designer wanted for special BPL card

The Brooklyn Public Library is looking for an artist to design a new library card celebrating Black heritage and culture, and plans to award $250 to the winner. New Yorkers 13 and older have until Jan. 31 to submit a design a card, using a template, that has a connection to the Black American experience. Designs can be created in any medium or materials (photography, paint, found objects) so long as they are submitted digitally based on the template. Each design must be submitted with an artist statement about the creator and the work, as well as the creator’s connection to both Brooklyn and the Black American experience.

Adams, Cumbo demand probe of D.C. rioters

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams on Thursday joined City Councilmember Laurie Cumbo (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Downtown Brooklyn) outside the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District to demand the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigate the response by Capitol Police after a mob supporting President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol building, leaving several injured and one dead. Adams and others also called for everyone involved in the apparent coup attempt to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Hakeem Jeffries slams rioting in Washington

U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn, Queens), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, on Thursday issued this statement on the disturbances outside the nation’s capital and the Capital Building, which houses Congress. “Our democracy experienced a day of unprecedented insurrection, sedition and treason. All who have provided aid and comfort to this assault on our Capitol must be held accountable. We will never allow violent attacks on our democracy to deter us from our constitutional responsibilities and that includes the certification of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the next president and vice president of the United States of America.”

Chinese Lunar New Year celebration to take place virtually

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company announces the “Year of the Golden Ox,” a family-friendly production on the arrival of the Chinese Lunar New Year from Feb. 11 to 13. “Year of the Golden Ox” is an all-day virtual celebration that is suitable for children ages 6 to 15. The audience will also be able to engage the artists live to discuss the music and dance they saw onstage. The program is free, with recommended donations beginning at $10. For more information, visit www.nainichen.org.

The Bird is no longer the word in Park Slope

Bird, one of the clothing boutiques that established the Brooklyn look in the early 200s, has closed its Park Slope store, although it plans to reopen several other stores, also in Brooklyn, that are currently closed. “This is devastating and catastrophic and there’s no end in sight to what the real economic impact is going to be on all of us,” owner Jen Mankins said on Instagram. The chain is still active online, according to The Business of Fashion, a trade website.

Brooklyn school administrator to be superintendent

Kelly McGuire, a deputy school superintendent at Brooklyn’s District 15, is expected to be named superintendent of District 2 in Manhattan. The current District 2 superintendent, Donalda Chumney, left for a position in Connecticut. District 15, centered in Park Slope, recently abolished all screening at its middle schools and reserved spots for low-income children through a lottery-based admissions system. McGuire, who began as a teacher in Oakland, joined the New York City Department of Education in 2004 as an assistant principal, according to the New York Post.

Police seek suspect in robbery, carjacking

Police are seeking the identity of a man wanted in connection with a robbery/carjacking that occurred on a Brooklyn street last month. At around 6:25 a.m. on Dec. 19, 2020, a 27-year-old man was sitting inside of his vehicle parked in front of 3214 3rd Avenue in Sunset Park when an unidentified man approached the car, displayed a gun and demanded he get out of the car, police said. The victim complied and the suspect fled northbound in the vehicle on 3rd Avenue, according to 1010 WINS.

Cops seek missing Brooklyn man

Cops are seeking the public’s help to find a 58-year-old man who has been missing for weeks in Brooklyn. Anthony Wright was last seen at 6 a.m. on Dec. 14 in his apartment on East New York Ave., a permanent supportive housing complex run by Volunteers of America, according to police and the VOA website. Wright is described as standing 5’7″ tall, weighing 140 pounds and has brown eyes and black hair. He was last seen wearing a black jacket and blue jeans, according to 1010 WINS.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.