Around Brooklyn: Brooklyn man busted after riot quits job

January 29, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

The U.S. Capitol riot. AP Photo/John Minchillo

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Brooklyn man busted after riot quits job

The Brooklyn man who was arrested for storming the U.S. Capitol earlier this month has resigned from his job with the city Department of Sanitation rather than face disciplinary charges, a department spokesman confirmed Tuesday. Dominick Madden was caught on camera wearing a QAnon sweatshirt as he roamed the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 siege. At the time, he told his supervisors that he was out on sick leave. Madden was arrested last week at his Sheepshead Bay home and hit with several federal charges, including entering a restricted building without lawful authority and engaging in disruptive conduct in a restricted building, according to the Daily News.

Group awards $300K in nonprofits

This week, the Brooklyn Communities Collaborative awarded more than $300,000 in grants to Brooklyn nonprofits serving communities impacted by Covid-19. These grants are part of the BCC’s $3 million campaign to help Brooklyn recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Among the organizations that received grants were the Campaign Against Hunger, Little Essentials, New Heights Youth Inc., Willie Mae Rock Cap for Girls, the Red Hook Initiative, the Anne Kastor Brooklyn Free Clinic and GrowHouse International, according to Bklyner. Shanna Sabio of GrowHouse told Bklyner that Growhouse plans on using these funds to provide technology for youth to help them stay connected through the pandemic.

Farah Louis slams attack on Harlem mother

City Councilmember Farah Louis (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Marine Park, Flatlands, Kensington) issued the following statement after a trio of men attacked and robbed a Harlem mother near a liquor store before one of the alleged suspects brutalized her. Moments before the vicious and unprovoked assault, the victim declined their offer to purchase a bottle of wine. “No woman should ever feel threatened or victimized for saying, ‘NO!’ It is truly disgusting that rather than respecting and protecting the women of our community, there are people who would choose to degrade another human being,” she said.

Robert Cornegy starts Wellness Wednesdays

Council Member Robert Cornegy (D-Bedford Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) is launching his 2021 Wellness Wednesdays and resources giveaways. Cornegy went to the site of one of the recent shootings in the territory of the 900 gang. Today, he again brings free food, resources and positive community spirits to area. After giving out more than 10,000 boxes of food in 2020, Cornegy continues to host Wellness Wednesdays. Generous sponsors include the Campaign Against Hunger and Met Council.

Gowanus group protests outside Brad Lander’s office

More than40 community members joined Voice of Gowanus and Gowanus Lands in a protest and march that culminated in speeches and chants outside Council Member Brad Lander’s district office. The crowd’s refrain was not surprising given the scale of this rezoning, which both groups oppose. The colorful, sign-waving crowd called for safe, in-person, post-COVID public hearings during the review of the proposed Gowanus rezoning. The city’s plan to hold virtual ULURP hearings would disenfranchise many community members, particularly low-income and elderly residents who are most likely to be displaced by the rezoning plan, the groups say.

Council candidates to speak at Brooklyn Heights meeting

Among the many primary contests this year is the one for councilmember for the 33rd C.D., a post currently held by Steve Levin. All of the current eight candidates will be present at the Brooklyn Heights Association’s annual meeting on Feb. 23, which will be virtual this year. The event is free and open to all, but advance registration is required on the BHA’s website. In addition to the political part of the meeting, the BHA will honor local illustrator and designer Becky Carpenter, singer and actor Peter Kendall Clark, and the late Martin Schneider, Brooklyn historian and preservationists. The group will also honor the Arab-American Family Support Center.

Fire breaks out in Prospect Heights eatery

Dozens of firefighters responded to a fire in a restaurant in Prospect Heights on Wednesday morning. The fire broke out around 11:45 a.m. at 267 Flatbush Ave., where Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue is located, an FDNY spokesperson said. The blaze started in the ducts and quickly extended to all floors in the four-story building. Thirty-three FDNY units responded to the scene, and the fire was under control by 1:50 p.m., according to Patch. There were no injuries, according to the FDNY.

Affordable housing lottery opens in Williamsburg

An affordable housing lottery has opened for 329 Broadway, a 16-story mixed-use building in Williamsburg designed by DXA Studio in collaborate with Syndicate Architecture. The building is slated to have 63 units, and 19 apartments are available for residents whose income ranges from $76,835 to $183,300. The building features assigned parking spaces, a shared laundry room, a pool, a gym, a rooftop terrace, energy-efficient appliances, dishwashers in every unit and balconies or patios. It also has 109 enclosed parking spaces, according to New York YIMBY.

Crown Heights supermarket to close

The Associated Supermarket on Nostrand Avenue near Montgomery Street in Crown Heights was recently given a 90-day notice to vacate the building, dismaying local residents . Many say they’ll have to make longer trips for essential food items. Some fear that other local groceries could also close as lots are sold to real estate developers. While newer developments often include new supermarkets, those usually have higher prices than the lower-priced markets that preceded them, according to published reports. The supermarket site is zoned to permit a mid-rise apartment building.

Masks, hand sanitizer given out at hospitals

Kings County Hospital and SUNY Downstate employees on Jan. 27 were given free personal protective equipment donated by Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes. Two trucks filled with masks, hand sanitizer, hair bonnets and other equipment distributed it to bout 3,000 hospital employees. Among the volunteers who helped distribute the equipment were firefighters, chaplains and volunteers from Housing Works and Cut Red Tape for Heroes itself, according to published reports.

Chef talks about Middle Eastern food

Chef Ayesha Nurdjata of Shuka, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Manhattan, says she developed her love for Middle Eastern food growing up in Gravesend. Even though she is not of Middle Eastern descent, her grandmother, who lived in Cobble Hill, would often take her to nearby Middle Eastern food spots like Sahadi’s and Damascus. She also says that, because her father, a chef, was Indonesian and her mother was Italian-American, both used spices, which are important in Middle Eastern food. She attributes her success to approaching life in “the Gravesend way,” according to NY1 News

Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn’s bill passes

Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (D-Flatbush, Ditmas Park) this week saw her bill temporarily reducing the number of signatures required for designating petitions to get on the ballot pass both chambers of the state legislature. ”Yesterday, both houses of the state Legislature passed an election reform bill I introduced which will reduce the number of signatures for designating petitions by 70 percent for the upcoming election cycle. This will allow candidates to organize their campaigns, print their petitions, and collect voters’ signatures while respecting public health guidelines,” said Bichotte Hermelyn.

Major liquor firm heads to NYC

Empire State Development announced that Beam Suntory, a world leader in premium spirits, including Jim Beam, Courvoisier cognac and Suntory Whiskey, will relocate its global headquarters from Chicago to Manhattan, bringing 150 jobs to New York City. Empire State Development Acting Commissioner and President & CEO-Designate Eric Gertler said, “Beam Suntory joins a long list of iconic brands and businesses that know there is no better place to be than here in the Empire State. Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, New York is investing in its talented and diverse workforce, has the most ambitious infrastructure plan in the nation, and is creating the economy of tomorrow. Beam Suntory knows that even though we currently face many challenges due to the COVID-19 crisis, the future remains bright in New York.”

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.