What’s News, Breaking: Thursday, February 8, 2024

February 8, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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FREE PET ADOPTIONS FOR PUPPY BOWL XX

WILLIAMSBURG — BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY (BFAS) IS OFFERING NO-COST dog and cat adoptions this week in celebration of the 20th year of the nation’s premier puppy athletic competition, Puppy Bowl XX. The animal welfare group will waive fees at its adoption centers nationwide, including at its NYC shelter, from Feb. 7 through Feb. 14 for new pet parents as part of its mission to end the killing of animals in shelters by 2025. The Puppy Bowl, held in conjunction with the Super Bowl every year since 2005 and broadcast on Animal Planet, features adoptable shelter pups playing with toys and each other for two hours.

BFAS will host a Puppy Bowl viewing party at dog-friendly coffee shop Boris + Horton in Williamsburg on game day, Feb. 11, at 1:45 p.m., with NYC Team Ruff player Sonny; tickets are available on Eventbrite for $33, with proceeds to benefit Best Friends New York.

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LUNAR NEW YEAR AT INDUSTRY CITY

SUNSET PARK — INDUSTRY CITY IS CELEBRATING THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON this month, with businesses and craftspeople offering Asian-influenced eats and arts to visitors. A traditional lion dance team will perform on Feb. 12, from noon to 2 p.m., while on Feb. 10 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., artist Kar Yee will join Court Tree Collective to host a Lunar New Year celebration kicking off their new British Invasion exhibition at their Industry City gallery space, featuring free food and music.

Works by graffiti artist Lady Aiko and sculptor Dan Lam are installed in the outdoor Courtyard 3/4 through February, along with many more exhibitions throughout the complex.

Lion dancers perform at Industry City for Lunar New Year.

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TWO BROOKLYN KIDS HIT BY CAR WHILE WALKING TO SCHOOL

SUNSET PARK — TWO CHILDREN WERE HIT BY A CAR while walking to school in Sunset Park Wednesday morning, Patch reports. A 13-year-old and 12-year-old were hit by a Nissan Minivan near Sixth Avenue and 62nd Street around 8:08 a.m., NYPD told Patch. First responders took both victims to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The driver, a 44-year-old man, remained on the scene and was issued a summons, Patch said.

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BK BP REYNOSO’S 2024 STATE OF THE BOROUGH ADDRESS COMING UP TUESDAY

DOWNTOWN — BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT ANTONIO REYNOSO WILL DELIVER his second State of the Borough address on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 6:45 p.m. (Doors open at 6 p.m.) The event will be held at the New York City College of Technology (City Tech) at 275 Jay St., and will be free and open to the public, though RSVPs are required.

The theater is ADA-accessible and ASL interpretation of the Borough President’s speech will be available on site.

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MUSLIM ADVOCACY GROUP DENOUNCES
HATE CRIME AT MARINE PARK CHURCH

MARINE PARK — ST. COLUMBA ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH HAS RECEIVED A MESSAGE OF SOLIDARITY from the national Muslim advocacy group Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) after the Jan. 27 hate crime vandalism and attempted break-in by a group of four perpetrators. CAIR’S New York Chapter Executive Director Afaf Nasher said, “We condemn this act of vandalism and encourage law enforcement to continue pursuing the matter as a hate crime. We stand in solidarity against acts of violence and destruction, especially on religious houses that are supposed to be sanctuaries for our communities.” Ms. Nasher pointed out that CAIR-NY and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging white supremacy, anti-Jewish hate, anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and all other forms of bigotry.

The NYPD is still seeking the group of four vandals who allegedly broke into the church’s side door and smashed a metal crucifix and stained-glass window before fleeing the scene.

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MAIMONIDES AGAIN GETS 5-STAR RATING
FOR NATURAL CHILDBIRTH CARE

BOROUGH PARK — MAIMONIDES MEDICAL CENTER HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A FIVE-STAR RECIPIENT for Vaginal Delivery for nine consecutive years (2015–2023), according to information released from Healthgrades, the leading resource consumers use to find a hospital or doctor. This five-star distinction reflects Maimonides’ commitment to consistently delivering the best care possible, placing the organization in the upper echelon of hospitals for ob-gyn care nationwide. This quality award is based only on the factors that matter most to consumers — patient outcomes; and, it dovetails with another set of recognitions bestowed earlier this week on Brooklyn native Dr. Scott Chudnoff, chairman of Maimonides’ Obstetrics & Gynecology Department.

The Healthgrades analysis revealed variation in care across the nation’s ob-gyn programs, making the ability to choose high-quality care more important than ever. Patients treated at five-star rated hospitals for Vaginal Delivery (or, Natural Childbirth) have, on average, a 45.1% lower risk of a complication, than if treated at a one-star rated facility.

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CITY HOSPITAL SYSTEM LAUNCHES
ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM

EAST FLATBUSH AND CITYWIDE — CREATIVE SELF-EXPRESSION AS A RESPITE FROM ILLNESS, TREATMENT AND CAREGIVING is the focus of a program that NYC Health + Hospitals, the city’s health system, has launched. The Artist-in-Residence program will be managed through its Arts in Medicine department in partnership with The Creative Center (run by the University Settlement). Five artists have been selected for yearlong residencies that will include weekly staff artmaking and regular artist exhibitions. The Brooklyn artist, working in concert with NYC H+H’s Kings County Medical Center in East Flatbush, is Livia Ihinosen Ohihoin, an NYC-based multidisciplinary artist who explores and marries various mediums including movement art, jewelry, writing, and film.

The new Artist-in-Residence program builds upon The Creative Center’s long-running Hospital Artist-In-Residence Program that was brought to NYC Health + Hospitals over two decades ago. The current program will continue to include patients and expand to include hospital staff as well.

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NEW LEFFERTS HOUSE ARTWORK TO REFLECT ITS HISTORY OF ENSLAVEMENT

PROSPECT PARK — BROOKLYN ARTIST ADAMA DELPHINE FAWUNDU HAS BEEN CHOSEN as the first Artist in Residence at Lefferts Historic House Museum, the Prospect Park Alliance announced Thursday. Fawundu will create a monumental, site-specific installation informed by research from the Alliance’s ReImagine Lefferts Initiative, which seeks to focus on the resistance and resilience of the Indigenous people of Lenapehoking whose ancestral lands the house rests upon, and the many Africans enslaved by the Lefferts family. Fawundu’s installation will include 25 textile pieces, each paying homage to the everyday heroism of 25 people known to be enslaved at the house.

The installation will debut in spring 2024.

Artist Adama Delphine Fawundu.
Photo: PPA

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SIMON SPONSORS EMPIRE WORKER PROTECTION ACT, WILL FIGHT WAGE THEFT

ALBANY — BROOKLYN ASSEMBLYMEMBER JO ANNE SIMON rallied with Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan West Side) and workers representing unions, organizations and agencies to demand the inclusion of the EMPIRE Worker Protection Act in the state’s budget. The measure fights wage theft by unscrupulous employers, and Simon is the act’s new prime sponsor. “Wage theft impacts so many hard-working New Yorkers, particularly lower wage workers, people of color, and women,” Simon said in a statement. The EMPIRE Act will empower affected workers to recover civil penalties and bring more than $100 million to the Dept. of Labor annually, enabling it to hire more enforcement and other staff.

Wage theft dwarfs other types of theft in the United States, with one estimate putting the amount owed workers at $50 billion per year, Simon’s office reported.

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NYU TANDON PROFESSOR URGES FULL DISCLOSURE
ON AI-GENERATED GOVERNMENT MESSAGING

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN AND CITYWIDE — THE AI-GENERATED VOICING THAT THE FCC HAS NOW BANNED has factored into a controversy involving an NYC elected official, with a local technology ethics professor’s warning on its use. In the wake of Mayor Eric Adams’ hiring ElevenLabs to produce foreign language robocalls, AI watchdogs have warned that use of voice cloning by public officials needs more oversight. Among these experts is Julia Stoyanovich, an Associate Professor of Computer Science at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, who focuses on the ethics of machine learning. She told NBC 4 New York and other news agencies that AI-generated government messages should include clear disclosures that they are not real human voices.

Stoyanovich said, “I don’t think we should be releasing — and politicians in particular, and elected officials like our Mayor — should be releasing machine generated content without an explicit statement that the content is machine generated.”

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FCC OUTLAWS ROBOCALLS WITH AI-GENERATED VOICING

NATIONWIDE — THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION ON THURSDAY, FEB. 8, OUTLAWED ROBOCALLS THAT CONTAIN VOICES GENERATED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, the Associated Press reports. The ruling follows last week’s proposal from FCC Jessica Rosenworcel that her agency should outlaw such calls on the grounds that they have been used to scam consumers, a move that immediately garnered praise from Brooklyn Congressmember Yvette Clarke. The unanimous ruling targets robocalls made with AI voice-cloning tools under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, a 1991 law restricting junk calls that use artificial and prerecorded voice messages. Effective immediately, the regulation empowers the FCC to fine companies that use AI voices in their calls or block the service providers that carry them. It also opens the door for call recipients to file lawsuits and gives state attorneys general a new mechanism to crack down on violators, according to the FCC.

Under the consumer protection law, telemarketers generally cannot use automated dialers or artificial or prerecorded voice messages to call cell phones, and they cannot make such calls to landlines without prior written consent from the call recipient.

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BROOKLYN WEED SHOP WORKER INDICTED FOR ASSAULTING STATE TAX MAN

DOWNTOWN — AN EMPLOYEE OF AN ILLEGAL BAY RIDGE CANNABIS SHOP has been indicted for allegedly shoving an investigator for the NYS Dept. of Taxation and Finance out of the shop and closing the door on his arm, injuring it, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Thursday. Arjante Moss, 27, of Downtown Brooklyn, was working at Big Chief Exotics Smoke Shop at 7323 Third Ave. shortly after noon on Dec. 18, 2023, when a state Finance Supervising Investigator came to shut down the store, pursuant to a closure order obtained by the Attorney General’s Office. After he was shoved out of the shop, the investigator managed to extricate his left arm from the doorframe and was treated for bruising at NYU Langone Hospital.

Moss was arraigned Wednesday before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun and was indicted for felony assault and other charges. He is out on bail and ordered to return to court on March 20.

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VISITATION ACADEMY, FOUNDED IN 1855,
TO CLOSE RELUCTANTLY AT END OF SCHOOL YEAR

BAY RIDGE — THE ANNOUNCED CLOSING OF VISITATION ACADEMY at the end of the current academic year has shocked and angered parents of the students enrolled at the all-girls (Pre-K through 8th grade) Catholic school on Ridge Blvd. in Bay Ridge. Academy Board Members, Mother Susan Marie Kasprzak and (Head of School) Jean Bernieri, who made the announcement in a letter to parents Feb. 5, explained that, with only two of the religious sisters remaining, they are no longer able to operate Visitation Monastery and the academy. The Diocese of Brooklyn also issued a statement honoring the school’s legacy and pledged to assist in the placement of the students in other Catholic schools. “There is a significant history to reflect on with great appreciation for their nearly 170-year commitment to the Catholic faith, the students, and the surrounding community. They leave a great and powerful legacy in the many young women who have been educated on their grounds, and by their many prayerful acts.”

Prominent alumnae have included Rosanna Scotto, host of Good Day New York, and Donna Cassata of The Washington Post, according to the school’s website.

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LIBRARY CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH

BROOKLYN — THE BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY IS HONORING BLACK HISTORY MONTH this February with events for all ages at branches across the borough, including storytimes, craft projects, arts and culture programming, movie nights and more. Highlights include teen soul food cooking classes with the Brooklyn CookMobile at the Saratoga Library, an African dance class for families and a storytime musical safari by multi-talented performer Akwesi Munir Asante at the Macon Library, a live concert for tots by music educator Miss Alex of Lavender Blues and a book talk with artist and author Willie Mae Brown at the Park Slope Library, grab-and-go craft kits inspired by abstract artist Alma Thomas at the Talea Beer Co. pop-up library, and a panel discussion on pan-African cultural institute The East at the Center for Brooklyn History; screenings of movies like “Black Panther” and “Soul,” and discussions of books like “Mae Among the Stars” and “Sula,” will take place throughout the month.

Information on these and many more events can be found online on the BPL’s website; attendance for the Lavender Blues concert is capped by the fire marshal, and guests must register online beforehand.

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FUNDRAISER FOR FAMILY OF WORKER KILLED IN BUILDING COLLAPSE

BOROUGH PARK — THE GRIEVING FAMILY OF Juan Ildefonso Tamay Ganzhi, killed in a partial collapse at an unsafe job site on Friday, is holding an online fundraiser to cover immediate expenses, reports Patch, and has raised $2,500 from donors so far; Ganzhi was buried by rubble when the first floor of 1266 50th Street in Borough Park collapsed into the basement on Feb. 2 and passed away from his injuries despite efforts by the FDNY to free him. Department of Buildings Commissioner James Oddo said the work had been done in violation of a partial stop work order issued in December, and that “absolutely no plans” had been approved for excavation work at the site; the owner had been previously fined for unapproved work on Jan. 4.

“Juan was not just a construction worker; he was a dedicated family man, known for his unconditional love and vibrant smile. Your support and prayers are invaluable as we go through this difficult moment. We truly appreciate your kindness and generosity during this time of profound grief as we seek justice,” Ganzhi’s wife, Maria Tamay, wrote on GoFundMe.

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BLACK FUTURE FESTIVAL AT BROOKLYN CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

CROWN HEIGHTS — THE BROOKLYN CHILDREN’S MUSEUM IS SET TO HOLD THE Black Future Festival later this month, a celebration of African heritage in honor of Black History Month presented in collaboration with local arts groups and creators. Families can learn about dance, storytelling, cultural traditions from across the African continent and diaspora, Brooklyn history and environmental knowledge; educators will help conduct workshops for kids to create craft projects like traditional masks with cowrie shells, Afrofuturistic comic art, Ghanian-inspired adinkra photo frames and winter plant snowglobes.

The Black Future Festival will take place at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum with different daily programming from Feb. 19 to Feb. 25; tickets for museum admission can be purchased online and are $15 for both children and adults, with discounts available for grandparents, some city and health workers, EBT/SNAP card holders and members of affiliated institutions.

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NITEHAWK THEATER TO UNIONIZE

PARK SLOPE — WORKERS AT THE POPULAR NITEHAWK THEATER IN PARK SLOPE, the second location of the restaurant/cinema chain, are planning to join the United Auto Workers union, reports Jacobin, following the success of similar efforts at two city Alamo Drafthouse locations last year; organizers say they want increased pay and benefits and lighter workloads, citing difficulties meeting customer and management demands during last summer’s “Barbenheimer” movie event (the release of blockbusters “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” on the same weekend in July) as a flash point for worker dissatisfaction. Nitehawk has reportedly declined to recognize the unionization; leadership says they intend to file for recognition with the National Labor Review Board on Wednesday.

The workers at City Point Alamo Drafthouse similarly cited Barbenheimer madness during their own unionization effort in August, joining the UAW Local 2179.

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FEDERAL JUDGE IN MANHATTAN: POLICE REFORM AGREEMENT CAN TAKE EFFECT

CITYWIDE — THE NY CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION AND THE LEGAL AID SOCIETY ARE PRAISING A DECISION by U.S. District Judge Hon. Colleen McMahon (Southern District federal court in Manhattan) who has greenlighted a major reform of NYPD practices at protests. Judge McMahon on Wednesday, Feb. 7, ruled as meritless the NYC Police Benevolent Association’s motion to reject the Payne v. de Blasio settlement, which was reached after a lawsuit charged the NYPD with “indiscriminate brutalizing of peaceful protestors” during the protests following the police killing of George Floyd. Last September, NY Attorney General Letitia James, The Legal Aid Society and the NYCLU announced a landmark agreement with the NYPD, holding the department to its oath to protect New Yorkers’ right to protest. Judge McMahon’s ruling allows the Payne Settlement to take effect.

The legal advocacy group pointed out that even though the PBA opposed the agreement, it did have the support of Mayor Adams and both the Sergeants Benevolent Association and the Detectives’ Endowment Association.

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LEGAL AID SOCIETY, NYCLU PRAISE JUDGE’S APPROVAL OF POLICING REFORMS AT PROTESTS

CITYWIDE — ASSERTING THAT THE “NYPD CANNOT POLICE ITSELF,” REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NY CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION AND THE LEGAL AID SOCIETY stated on Wednesday, Feb. 7, “We’re gratified that the court saw the PBA’s opposition for what it was: a baseless hail Mary that would perpetuate the abuses we saw in 2020. “We know the NYPD cannot police itself, and we won’t let the PBA destroy a commonsense settlement to address the violence and reckless over-policing New Yorkers experienced firsthand when standing up for Black lives in the summer of 2020. We look forward to seeing these reforms unfold and will hold both the city and the NYPD accountable if its officers fail to implement these new and needed practices.”

The joint statement is attributed to Deputy Legal Director at the New York Civil Liberties Union Molly Biklen and Staff Attorney with The Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Law Reform Unit Jennvine Wong.

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‘PEACEFUL PROTESTS ARE BEDROCK OF DEMOCRACY’ SAYS NY ATTORNEY GENERAL ABOUT POLICING REFORMS

STATEWIDE — NY ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES ALSO ANNOUNCED the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York’s authorization of the agreement between her office, The Legal Aid Society, NYCLU and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to reform NYPD’s policing of protests. This agreement requires the implementation of reforms, including the use of a four-tiered response system when responding to protests. The agreement also requires the NYPD to create a senior role within the department to oversee response to all public demonstrations, amend its internal discipline matrix, and improve its treatment of members of the press.

“Peaceful protests are a bedrock of our democracy and for generations have been a catalyst for change and progress,” said Attorney General James. “The policing reforms led by my office, The Legal Aid Society and NYCLU, and agreed to by the NYPD, will better protect New Yorkers’ public safety and their constitutional right to peacefully protest.”

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NEW BILLS WOULD BLOCK FEDERAL FUNDING TO CAMPUSES THAT PROMOTE ANTISEMITISM

CAPITOL HILL — BROOKLYN CONGRESSWOMAN NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS (R-Southern Brooklyn-Staten Island) ON TUESDAY, FEB. 6, INTRODUCED TWO BILLS TO COMBAT what she and others see as a rise of antisemitic hate crimes and protests on college campuses. Specifically, the “Combatting Antisemitic Messaging & Promoting Unity in School Act” (CAMPUS Act), would prohibit federal funding from going to institutions of higher education that provide funding, tuition assistance, support or a platform to an organization that engages in antisemitic behavior or fails to hold a faculty member who promotes antisemitism accountable. The bill provides for a period of investigating and redressing any reported incidents. Malliotakis also introduced the “No Visas for Antisemitic Students Act,” which would revoke student visas of foreign students in the United States who engage in antisemitic behavior.

However, Palestinians, and Arabic as a tongue, are also part of the Semitic language group (which includes Syriac and languages spoken in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Iraq, Iran and Malta). A growing number of New Yorkers assert that limiting the definition of Semitic to one ethnic or religious group is harmful.

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HOUSE EXPANDS CHILD TAX CREDIT

NATIONWIDE — NEW YORK FAMILIES STAND TO BENEFIT FROM A BIPARTISAN EXPANSION of the Child Tax Credit passed by the House of Representatives last week, reports NY1, with as many as 887,000 children statewide who are currently excluded from the credit now potentially covered under it, in what supporters describe as a major stroke in the fight against child poverty. The new bill would, for three years, offer the full benefit of the tax credit to 16 million children nationwide whose families’ incomes are too low to receive the full benefit under current law; however, some Senate Republicans have signaled opposition, citing both concerns about the $35 billion price tag and reluctance to deliver a policy win to President Biden in an election year, according to NY1.

“We continue to deliver real results,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote on X (Twitter) on behalf of the Democrats.