Good Morning, Brooklyn: Monday, February 14, 2022

February 14, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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DIFFUSING TENSIONS THROUGH THEATRE: Irondale, Brooklyn’s leading theatrical think-tank theater ensemble, has partnered with the NYPD for a 10-week workshop rooted in social change, activism and humanity. Starting with a dinner and discussion, followed by group theater games and actor-training techniques, the workshop teaches a diverse and inclusive cast of participants a unique approach to problem-solving and offers real-life communication skills in a creative non-judgmental atmosphere.

Following the 40-hour workshop series, which is part of the “To Protect, Serve, and Understand” project that was realized following the death of Eric Garner in 2014, the combined group of seven officers and seven community members will present an original performance March 25-26, telling their own stories, as well as the stories of others, through improvisations and monologues.

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GREEN CART VENDOR APPLICATIONS OPEN: New Yorkers have the opportunity to apply for permits to operate Green Carts and seasonal food carts or trucks, offering fruits and vegetables, the city Health Department has announced. Almost 1,000 permits are available – about 750 for Green Carts and about 250 for seasonal vending units, creating an opportunity for hundreds of New Yorkers to become small-business owners.

Green Carts vendors, who have long-offered whole, uncut fruits and vegetables, can now also expand their offerings to include prepackaged sliced and cut fruits and vegetables, bottled water, and unsweetened or unsalted nuts. For more information visit nyc.gov/greencarts.

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FIREFIGHTERS UNION DISCUSSSES VACCINE MANDATE AND FIRINGS: New York City Firefighters were set to participate in a press conference to discuss the firing of FDNY Firefighters due to the City’s COVID-19 Vaccine mandate deadline. Officials will offer details regarding the number of FDNY Firefighters who will lose their jobs as a result of the vaccine mandate in the press conference.

Hundreds of New York City firefighters have reportedly applied for religious or medical exemptions and others expected to be fired from the department as of close of business last Friday, Feb. 11.

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NO MAIL FOR THIS ADDRESS: Many longtime Brooklyn Heights locals knows about 58 Joralemon St, which is actually an MTA vent for the subway system. But now it has gotten the attention of gaming, thanks to Heights resident Ben Tupper, reports Gothamist. Tupper recently created 58 Joralemon: The Game, set at the mysterious address with no residents.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority has owned the building for more than a century. One of the agency’s predecessors, the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, purchased 58 Joralemon in 1908.

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LEFT AND RIGHT TOGETHER ON RADIO: Former New York City Council Member and United States Congressmember, Anthony Weiner, will soon start co-hosting a new weekend political opinion program “The Left vs. The Right” with Guardian Angels Founder and former-Republican Candidate for Mayor of New York City, Curtis Sliwa. Red Apple Media, parent company of 77 WABC Radio, announced the program, which will feature opinions from Weiner and Sliwa on current events, local, and national political topics, will air on Saturdays, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on 77 WABC Radio and stream on www.WABCRadio.com.

Weiner represented New York’s 9th Congressional District from 1999 through 2011, serving seven terms in the United States House of Representatives. Weiner also served six years on the New York City Council. Both Weiner — a Democrat from Brooklyn — and Sliwa ran unsuccessful mayoral campaigns.

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First graders create Valentine greetings for veterans around New York City
Photo courtesy of St. Gregory the Great Catholic Academy.

A kindergarten student concentrates on making a Valentine card for veterans.
Photo courtesy of St. Gregory the Great Catholic Academy.

YOUNGSTERS SEND LOVE TO VETERANS: Veterans around New York City will soon receive Valentine cards from children at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Academy in Bellerose, Queens. For the eighth consecutive year, the students have participated in a schoolwide campaign, “Valentine’s for Veterans”, in which special notes and handmade cards are sent to different Veteran Administration medical centers.

This year, the students of St. Gregory the Great Catholic Academy made nearly 200 cards.

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COVID TESTING KIT GIVEAWAY AT LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS: At-Home COVID-19 test kits will now be available at 14 landmark City cultural sites and 27 branches of the city’s public library systems, including the Brooklyn Public Library. In Brooklyn, the BPL participating branches include the Brownsville Library; Central Library/Civic Commons, Mon. and Wed. 1 to 7 p.m. and Friday 1 to 5 p.m.; Crown Heights Library; Flatbush Library; Mill Basin Library; New Utrecht Library and Red Hook Library; as well as the Brooklyn Children’s Museum; Monday – Saturday, 12 to 4 p.m. Brooklyn Museum, Wednesday – Friday, 12 to 4 p.m.; and the Weeksville Heritage Center, Tuesday – Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The tests, which are free, will be made available starting today via Test & Trace, where they will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis, one per person.

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IPS NEWS: CANDIDATES FORUM FOR 43^RD ASSEMBLY DISTRICT: The Kings County Democratic County Committee, holds its first 2022 candidate forum for the Special Election in the 43^rd Assembly District. The forum, taking place tonight, Monday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. ET, features five Democratic candidates vying to fill the now-vacant seat covering Crown Heights, parts of Flatbush, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens.

The event will be live-streamed on the Kings County Democratic County Committee Facebook and YouTube pages.

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KEY ENDORSEMENTS FOR MAX ROSE: The New York State Court Officers Association (NYSCOA) has endorsed former U.S. Rep Max Rose for Congress as he campaigns to regain his 11^th District seat. “I am here today endorsing Max Rose for Congress because he has always been there, without fail or question, for my members,” stated NYSCOA President Dennis Quirk. “Whether it was getting PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to help open up the courts during the early days of COVID or supporting our members, he was always a phone call away.”

On Friday, Max Rose also received the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, a Democrat serving California’s 45^th Congressional District, with whom he had co-chaired the End Corruption Caucus.

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IPS NEWS: NICK PERRY INTRODUCED TO SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: United States Senate Majority Leader Charles “Chuck” Schumer earlier this week introduced Jamaican-born and Brooklyn Assemblymember Nick Perry to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee as nominee for U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica. Nick Perry, who currently represents the 58th Assembly District in Brooklyn, would be the first-ever Jamaican-born person to serve as its American Ambassador.

Commending his nominee, Schumer said, “He has a knack for doing politics the old-fashioned way: shaking hands, showing up at every event, and just listening to people from everyday life. Nick is an immigrant, he is a veteran, and a lifelong public servant, and he represents the best of what America is all about.

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IPS NEWS: SENATE PASSES KEY BILL FOR SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AND HARASSMENT: U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Thursday announced the Senate passage of the bipartisan bill ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, legislation that will bar perpetrators from being able to push survivors of sexual harassment and sexual assault into the secretive, biased process of forced arbitration. The legislation would invalidate existing forced arbitration clauses that prevent sexual assault and sexual harassment survivors from seeking justice and public accountability under the laws meant to protect them.

Senator Gillibrand first introduced the bill in 2017 and reintroduced it last year alongside her Senate co-lead, Senator Lindsey Graham.

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NEW BILL WOULD HELP SURVIVORS IN CIVIL COURT TRIALS: On a more local level, State Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-22^nd District) introduced a new bill to combat sexual harassment by making it easier for survivors to share their experiences in civil court cases. The “Don’t Silence Survivors” Act would allow survivors bringing cases of sexual harassment to offer into evidence any reporting of the alleged incidents made soon after it occurred, putting criminal and civil trials on the same level, thus granting survivors the full opportunity to pursue justice and recompense.

In criminal trials, survivors of assault who have disclosed their experiences to loved ones, treatment providers, colleagues, or other parties can use these disclosures as evidence. However, disclosures of this kind when it comes to sexual harassment are not admissible in a civil trial.