What’s News, Breaking: Tuesday, June 13, 2023

June 13, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON NEW ABOLITIONIST PLACE PARK ON WILLOUGHBY

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN – Workers have begun building a long-delayed new park next door to City Point Mall in Downtown Brooklyn, reports New York YIMBY, with drone photography showing the organic layout of the future Abolitionist Place greenspace, slated to open sometime this fall. The park, formerly to be named Willoughby Square Park, was originally proposed in 2019, but met with community pushback over claims that plans did not adequately honor the area’s legacy of involvement in abolitionism – the site was once home to houses believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad.

The park will also feature a sculpture themed after the pursuit of freedom, designed by artist Kameelah Janan Rasheed, and inscriptions throughout the space meditating on its history.

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BROOKLYN’S OLDEST BUTCHER STARES DOWN BANKRUPTCY

COBBLE HILL – Historic butcher shop Staubitz Market, which opened its doors in 1917, is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, reports the New York Post, which says that its owner, John McFadden Jr., is attempting to fundraise $150,000 on the GoFundMe platform to save the store from shuttering. McFadden, who inherited the store when his father passed away in November after 65 years behind the counter, writes that the business is struggling to compete against larger chains and needs the cash to fund emergency repairs ordered by the city; the shop is Brooklyn’s oldest butchery and has changed hands multiple times over the years, with McFadden senior being the third owner.

“We are reaching out to our beloved community, loyal patrons, and anyone who appreciates the value of small local ‘mom and pop’ shops and specialty stores that are becoming extinct. This landmark family business will become another empty storefront without your generous support,” McFadden wrote; loyal fans have responded, donating over $27,000 so far.

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PROSPECT PARK TO HOST JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS

PROSPECT PARK – Prospect Park’s historic Lefferts House Museum will host a Juneteenth celebration this weekend featuring African and African-American cultural demonstrations in honor of the national holiday, which celebrates the end of slavery. Presented by the Prospect Park Alliance and the Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation, Saturday’s free event will feature African dancing and drumming, tap dancing, gospel music and theatrical readings, as well as cooking and historic games; while on Sunday, the One Love Little Carribean Day will spotlight local artists and DJs, along with games, kids’ activities and refreshments.

The Saturday event will take place on June 17 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Lefferts Historic House on Flatbush Avenue, and free tickets can be reserved online on EventBrite; Sunday’s festivities will be at the LeFrak Center inside the park on June 18 from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

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DOG CAFE EXPANDS TO WILLIAMSBURG

WILLIAMSBURG – A new pup-friendly eatery, the second outpost of the East Village cafe Boris & Horton, launched in Williamsburg last week, reports Time Out New York, featuring a sit-down restaurant for humans, a doggy boutique and a large space for pets to socialize and play. The cafe also offers an array of treats for dogs and people alike, with standard fare like coffee, salads and toasts joining food-themed cookies for canines, as well as more unusual offerings like dog-friendly ice cream and sweet potato fries.

The original location is known for cross-species events like its bi-monthly doggy comedy nights, which raise funds for local shelters; the Williamsburg location’s schedule can be viewed online on the cafe’s website.

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FEDERAL JUDGE AGREES TO CONSIDER RECEIVERSHIP
OF RIKERS ISLAND PRISON

LOWER MANHATTAN — A federal judge serving the Southern District of New York in Manhattan has agreed to consider a federal takeover of city jails after reviewing a set of scathing and alarming court filings, reports Gothamist. U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain, who held a three-hour emergency hearing on Tuesday, June 14, decided to allow defense attorneys and federal prosecutors to file papers in court this summer arguing for the appointment of a federal official. Known as a receiver, the official who would take control of Rikers Island and other city prisons.

Some of the documents that Judge Swain reviewed detailed incidents of escalating violence and of correction officials who conceal information about the degree of violence, including fatalities.

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CITY CONDUCTS WIRELESS EMERGENCY SYSTEM TESTS

CITYWIDE — The emergency service alerts and broadcasts need to be periodically tested, and on Wednesday, June 14, that will take place. The NYC Emergency Management Department will conduct a citywide test of the Wireless Emergency Alert System (WEA) at approximately 2 p.m. The WEA system is used to warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children, and other critical situations through alerts on cell phones.

Cell phones must have their WEA test settings enabled and powered on in order to receive the test alert, which should come through just once. Android and Apple iOS users can go online for instructions on enabling this setting.

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MOVIES WITH A VIEW MARKS 23RD YEAR
WITH ‘WE ARE FAMILY’ THEME

BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK — “We Are Family” is the theme of Brooklyn Bridge Park’s beloved outdoor summer film series, Movies With A View, which returns on July 6 for its 23rd season. The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy presents this series of films across eight consecutive Thursday evenings in July and August at Pier 1 Harbor View Lawn in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The 2023 “We Are Family” theme curates a wide range of films celebrating family and relationships in all of their diverse forms, starting E.T. Extra Terrestrial and a lineup that includes Top Gun, Despicable Me, Goodfellas and the 2022 Academy Awards Best Picture, Everything Everywhere All At Once. The lawn opens at 6 p.m. and each movie begins at sunset.

The season closer, on August 24, will be a Public Choice night, with selections for your vote including The Addams Family, Little Women, or Romeo and Juliet. Voting begins in early August.

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SUMMER LUNCHTIME JAZZ RETURNS TO BOROUGH HALL PLAZA

COLUMBUS PARK/BOROUGH HALL — The Canadian wildfire smoke may have canceled last week’s first event of the Brooklyn Borough President’s Summer Jazz Concerts, but Borough President Antonio Reynoso aims to get the series launched starting Wednesday, June 14. Gene Ghee will headline the first noontime concert at Columbus Park Plaza. The free Summer Lunchtime Jazz Concerts, running from noon to 1:30 p.m., are presented in partnership with the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and Jazz Foundation of America.

The series runs Wednesdays during June, with Bed-Stuy born and raised Chief Baba Neil Clarke Trio Plus performing African drums and percussion on June 21 and Patsy Grant and Friends closing out the series on June 28.

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MTA COMPLETES “RE-NEW-VATION” OF KINGS HIGHWAY F TRAIN STATION

GRAVESEND — The MTA announced the completion of rejuvenation projects at the Kings Highway F Train station in Gravesend on Tuesday. The “Re-NEW-vation” program utilizes weekend service outages to complete upgrades and repairs, enhanced cleaning at certain stations within a 55-hour timeframe, providing customers with overhauled stations when service interruptions end on Mondays. Over the last weekend, while work continued to modernize signals on the Culver Line from Church Av to West 8 St stations – resulting in service disruptions at Kings Highway station – transit workers removed outdated signage, stripped and repainted ceilings, walls, and columns, and replaced emergency lighting fixtures. Kings Highway is the 32nd station to be enhanced by the “Re-NEW-vation” initiative.

The Station Re-NEW-vation Program is one of the major initiatives in New York City Transit’s Faster, Cleaner and Safer plan to improve the subway customer experience. The program was initiated with a soft launch over the summer of 2022 on the bd line in the Bronx, including deep cleaning and renovating components of nine stations along that line, while stations were closed for state of good repair work underway in tunnels.

Before and after “Re-NEW-vation” at the Kings Highway F Train station. Photo: MTA.

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CONGRESSMAN DAN GOLDMAN JOINS THE DADS CAUCUS

BROOKLYN AND WASHINGTON D.C. — To commemorate Father’s Day, Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined the “Dads Caucus” whose agenda is to recognize the integral role of fatherhood in family life. The caucus is putting forth a resolution, ‘Dads Caucus Father’s Day Resolution’ which emphasizes fathers’ importance on the third Sunday in June.

“Any parent knows that raising kids is never easy, but government has the ability to uplift working families and ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “As a father of five myself, I know how vital a role dads play in ensuring that their children are set up for success. I am proud to be a member of the Dad’s Caucus as we continue to fight for policies that support our working families, uplift children out of poverty, and ensure that every child and parent have the opportunity to pursue the American Dream.”

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ONETASTE CO-FOUNDER PLEADS NOT GUILTY
TO FORCED-LABOR CHARGES

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — OneTaste co-founder and CEO Nicole Daedone, who was arrested at Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday morning, June 13, has pleaded not guilty to charges of forced labor conspiracy in connection with a years-long scheme to obtain the labor and services of a group of OneTaste members. Daedone was released on a $1 million bond, with family members and a friend acting as suretors. She is represented by lawyers Reid Weingarten and Julia Gatto and is scheduled to return to court on June 24, before Judge Gujerati.

Daedone’s co-defendant, Rachel Cherwitz, arrested in California on June 6, faces the same charges and is expected to be brought to Brooklyn at a later date.

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JANITORS RALLY FOR NEW CONTRACT, TO COMMEMORATE
PERSONAL SACRIFICES DURING PANDEMIC

BRYANT PARK, MANHATTAN — More than a thousand janitors working in buildings throughout the city — including the Brooklyn NETS’ home at Barclays Center — will march and converge at a rally for National Justice for Janitors Day that 32BJ- SEIU, considered the largest property service workers union in the nation, is sponsoring on Thursday, June 15, at Bryant Park. The janitors will be launching their campaign for a contract covering 20,000 office cleaners. They will also seek to make the public aware that, as essential workers who could not do their jobs from home during COVID-19, they made sacrifices during COVID-19 — including the risk of infecting family members — and will honor co-workers who died during the pandemic.

June 15 marks the 33rd anniversary of a similar peaceful rally in 1990 that turned violent when baton-wielding police officers beat, wounded, and arrested dozens of janitors who were trying to improve working conditions and wages in Los Angeles. The Bryant Park cohort Janitors in 33 cities nationwide are participating in commemorative events.

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SECOND FORMER ONETASTE EXEC. SURRENDERS
AT BROOKLYN FEDERAL COURT

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — The founder of a women’s sexual-wellness company surrendered to authorities at Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday, June 13, a week after her business partner was arrested in California. Nicole Daedone, founder and CEO of the now-defunct OneTaste, was scheduled to be arraigned at the federal courthouse on Cadman Plaza East on Tuesday afternoon. While OneTaste billed itself as a wellness education company with locations in Brooklyn, it gained notoriety for not only its group orgasmic meditation groups but also for exploiting its clients’ past trauma and forcing them, and OneTaste’s employees, contractors and volunteers to work for free.

Daedone’s partner, Rachel Cherwitz, was expected to be brought to Brooklyn and formally charged at a future date.

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EPA’S LACK OF COMPLIANCE AT GOWANUS CANAL CLEANUP
IS SUBJECT OF INSPECTOR GENERAL AUDIT

GOWANUS — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of the Inspector General is launching an audit of the Gowanus Canal Superfund, the advocacy group Voices of Gowanus announced on Tuesday, June 13. The inquiry was initiated after Voice of Gowanus submitted an extensive complaint to the OIG Hotline, about the EPA’s Region 2 alleged lack of compliance enforcement in Gowanus, particularly to compel the timely construction of mandated sewage retention tanks in Gowanus which has imperiled the remediation of the area’s toxic pollution and which is impeding redevelopment efforts. The OIG’s objective is to determine the status of the combined sewer overflow tank construction at the Gowanus Canal Superfund site.

The anticipated benefits of this audit include enhanced management and oversight of the cleanup efforts at the Gowanus Canal Superfund site to protect human health and the environment.

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KEECHANT SEWELL, NYPD’S FIRST WOMAN COMMISSIONER,
RESIGNS ABRUPTLY, DOESN’T PROVIDE REASON

CITYWIDE — The Brooklyn Eagle has learned that NYPD Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell has resigned, after less than 18 months in office, according to several broadcast and print reports published on Monday afternoon. However, no notice has yet been published on the NYPD’s website as of press time on Monday, June 12, and Sewell did not publicly state the reason for her departure. When Mayor Eric Adams appointed Sewell in January 2022, she became the first woman to head the United States’ largest police force.

Mayor Adams stated, “I want to thank Police Commissioner Sewell for her devotion over the last 18 months and her steadfast leadership. Her efforts played a leading role in this administration’s tireless work to make New York City safer. When we came into office, crime was trending upwards, and thanks to the brave men and women of the NYPD, most of the major crime categories are now down. The commissioner worked nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week for a year and a half, and we are all grateful for her service. New Yorkers owe her a debt of gratitude.”

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STATE LAWMAKERS APPROVE WEIGH-IN-MOTION PROGRAM FOR OVERWEIGHT TRUCKS USING BQE

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS AND BQE — A bipartisan bill to implement the first-in-the-nation Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) program for overweight trucks traveling the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway has now passed both houses of the state legislature. Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon said on Monday that their bill (S6246/A6225), which now awaits Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature, will enable the launch of the WIM program that electronically tickets illegally overweight trucks, which have caused significant damage to the BQE and particular to the triple cantilever underneath the Promenade. The bill passed the Senate with bipartisan support and passed the Assembly unanimously.

The BQE, which was constructed in sections from 1937-1964, is jointly owned by the State of New York and the City of New York, the latter being responsible for the section below Brooklyn Heights, including the cantilever, and the elevated highway in Downtown Brooklyn.

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‘SUMMER STREETS’ EXPANDS; BROOKLYN ROUTE WILL BE ALONG EASTERN PARKWAY ON 8/26

CITYWIDE — “Summer Streets” is expanding to all five boroughs and doubling to a car-free 20 miles, Mayor Eric Adams and NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced on Monday, June 12. The popular program, taking place on five Saturdays in July and August, marks the most ambitious season since Summer Streets launched in 2008. The Brooklyn Summer Streets, on August 26, will travel along Eastern Parkway, from Grand Army Plaza to Buffalo Avenue, connecting Prospect Heights and Brownsville along the same route as the Caribbean Day Parade — one of the city’s most popular annual events — and nine days later, on Labor Day.

Last summer, more than 500,000 people walked, ran, cycled, or played on Summer Streets. The five-borough Summer Streets program builds on Mayor Adams’ “Working People’s Agenda” and game-changing $375 million investment in creating vibrant, accessible public spaces across the entire city.

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NY LANDMARKS CONSERVANCY MARKS 50 YEARS OF PRESERVING ARCHITECTURAL TREASURES

BOROUGHWIDE — Erasmus Hall Academy, Green-Wood Cemetery, Center for Brooklyn History, and Weeksville Heritage Center are just a few of The New York Landmarks Conservancy’s memorable preservation successes in Brooklyn, over the past 50 years. Founded in 1973, the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s critical work has saved major public buildings, brownstone blocks, irreplaceable religious institutions, and much more through a range of financial and technical programs including its Sacred Sites grants, Historic Properties Fund, Nonprofit Technical Assistance Grant Fund and its Emergency Preservation Grant Program. Moreover, the Conservancy’s advocacy has helped promote hundreds of new landmarks and dozens of distinctive neighborhoods, supported preservation tax credits, produced innovative economic reports on preservation, and fought zoning and planning efforts that threaten historic areas.

As part of its 50th Anniversary year-long celebration, The New York Landmarks Conservancy also launched “50 at 50,” an extraordinary interactive, online exhibition featuring highlights from the Conservancy’s most iconic, memorable successes. The Conservancy also produced a lively summary of its 50 years in an online and print magazine that Architectural Historian Anthony Robins compiled.

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FIRE DEPT. WILL PROMOTE 100 PERSONNEL AT TUESDAY CEREMONY

FLATLANDS — Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh will preside over a ceremony promoting 80 Fire and EMS Officers and 20 civilian employees on Tuesday morning, June 13. During the ceremony, which the Christian Cultural Center on Flatlands Avenue is hosting, six Battalion Chiefs will be promoted to Deputy Chief; 15 Fire Captains will be promoted to Battalion Chief; 25 Fire Lieutenants will be promoted to the rank of Captain; 26 Firefighters will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Moreover; one EMS Deputy Chief will be promoted to EMS Division Commander; four EMS Captains will be promoted to Deputy Chief; and three EMS Lieutenants will be promoted to Captain. The ceremony can be viewed live on the Department’s website.

Civilian promotions include First Deputy Commissioner Joseph Pfeifer as well as employees from the FDNY’s Legal Affairs, Public Information, Fire Communications, Fire Inspectors, and Human Resources Bureaus. The newly promoted members will be assigned to units throughout New York City.

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MISSING WOMAN IN FLATBUSH

FLATBUSH — Police are searching for missing woman Xiv Ping Joang, 49, who was last seen on the night of Thursday, May 18, leaving her Linden Boulevard residence. She is described as being 5’7″ and 140 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair, and was last seen wearing a black jacket.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

Missing woman Xiv Ping Joang. All tips given to police are strictly confidential.

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GOV. LAUNCHES NEW ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM FOR COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES

A new $10 million Commercial and Industrial Accelerated Efficiency Program that Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Monday, June 12, will help large energy-intensive entities reduce their consumption of fossil fuels. The program is open to commercial building owners whose energy expenditures are at least $1 million annually and industrial companies who spend at least $500,000 on energy annually. The program will work with the companies on their energy efficiency and electrification actions and will provide up to $5 million per project that is proposed to be completed and operational by 2025.

Applications are due by 3:00 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2023. More information about the program is available on NYSERDA’s website.