DOWNTOWN — A BROOKLYN MAN WAS SENTENCED TO 40 years to life in prison on Wednesday following his conviction for shooting a man outside the Red Hook Houses in 2020. The 27-year-old victim died three weeks later from a gunshot wound to the head. District Attorney Gonzalez said in a statement, “The life of Elvin Fernandez, a young man expecting the birth of his first child, was cruelly and senselessly cut short when the defendant shot and killed him in cold blood.” David Gorham, 32, of Red Hook, was sentenced by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Raymond L. Rodriguez.
Gonzalez said that on June 1, 2020 at approximately 5:50 p.m., outside the Red Hook Houses at 484 Columbia Street, Gorham saw Fernandez with his pregnant girlfriend, who Gorham had been feuding with. He walked over to the couple and shot Fernandez in the head.
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OSCAR-WINNING PRODUCER IN RESIDENCE AT BROOKLYN COLLEGE
MIDWOOD – BROOKLYN COLLEGE ON WEDNESDAY ANNOUNCED THAT PRODUCER BRUCE Cohen, winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture for “American Beauty” and nominated for “Milk” and “Silver Linings Playbook,” will serve as filmmaker-in-residence during the spring semester at the college’s Barry R. Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema. Cohen will lead workshops focused on effective production techniques, conduct set visits supervising student films and provide one-on-one mentoring sessions for students in his role; the position at the CUNY school is funded by a grant from the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.
Brooklyn College in a statement wrote that Cohen’s decades of experience will help the school in its mission to “mentor the next great diverse generation of cinematic storytellers.”
Cohen addresses Brooklyn College students at a recent filmmaking masterclass focused on his new movie, “Rustin.”
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SPECULATION OVER MYRIE MAYORAL RUN
CITYWIDE – RUMOR IS BUILDING OVER THE POSSIBILITY OF STATE SEN. ZELLNOR Myrie running for mayor,reports Gothamist, after the Brooklyn senator delivered a rousing speech on Sunday at an influential Harlem church known for political activism, focusing on the importance of New York’s John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act, which Myrie sponsored, and participation in democracy. Several notable figures joined Myrie in worship at Abyssinian Baptist Church, including Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg, Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and Assemblymember Landon Dais. Although Myrie has reportedly begun raising money from donors ahead of the 2025 election, he did not confirm or deny the rumors that he could be aiming to unseat embattled Mayor Adams, whose position appears unsteady as an FBI investigation into corruption allegations expanded last week.
Myrie is currently focused on organizing in support of SUNY Downstate, which unions say faces potential closure after the release of a “transformation plan” that could downsize the hospital.
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GROUP USED HAMMER TO SMASH INTO SMOKE SHOP ON ATLANTIC AVE.
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR FOUR PEOPLE who used a hammer to burgle a smoke shop on Atlantic Avenue near Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights in the early morning hours on Saturday, March 2. At about 6:36 a.m., a woman approached Love Joy Convenience shop at 109 Atlantic Ave. and struck a window and the front glass door of the location with a hammer. The woman and a man then entered the location and forcibly removed a quantity of merchandise, police said. An additional two men acted as lookouts outside the location. The individuals then fled on foot westbound on Atlantic Avenue toward Hicks Street with the stolen merchandise.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or visit Crime Stoppers online.
Photo: NYPD
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NYPD, POLICE ACROSS NATION SEEK CHURCH BURGLAR WHO’S IMPERSONATING A PRIEST
BAYSIDE AND NATIONAL — THE NYPD IS ASKING FOR THE PUBLIC’S HELP IN IDENTIFYING A MAN WHO, IMPERSONATING A PRIEST, ON SUNDAY, MARCH 3, ROBBED A BAYSIDE PARISH, which is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. According to the NYPD, a 63-year-old male at American Martyrs RC Church called the police after giving access to a man who claimed to be a priest, who took $900 in cash from the victim’s bedroom. A spokesman for the diocese told the Brooklyn Eagle via email that the same man also attempted to rob St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Flatlands on October 1st. The suspect told the sacristan there he was a visiting priest who had left behind his keys; but the alert sacristan checked with the pastor, who said there had been no visitors. The Tablet newspaper, covering the March 3 burglary, indicated that the man is also wanted in the Houston-Galveston area after robbing a church in that Archdiocese; and he is sought in California as well.
Clergy in the Diocese of Brooklyn have been alerted. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
The pictured individual, who was wearing dark clothing but not a clergy collar, fled in a dark-colored sedan. Photo: NYPD/CrimeStoppersThe pictured individual, who was wearing dark clothing but not a clergy collar, fled in a dark-colored sedan. Photo: NYPD/CrimeStoppers
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STATE LANDMARKS LIT TONIGHT TO HONOR RED CROSS MONTH
STATEWIDE — THE KOSCIUSZKO BRIDGE THAT CONNECTS BROOKLYN TO QUEENS along the BQE, and One World Trade Center will be lit in red on Wednesday night, March 6, in honor of Red Cross Month, Governor Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday afternoon. “When our state faces emergencies or crises, the American Red Cross stands ready to support New Yorkers with services and programs. As we illuminate State landmarks in red this evening, we’re recognizing the invaluable work of every volunteer and member across the entire American Red Cross organization as they continue to serve communities across New York,” said Gov. Hochul.
The two state landmarks visible from Brooklyn are among 16 being illuminated to honor the Red Cross.
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‘ROGUE’ SMOKE SHOP IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS ROBBED AGAIN
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — AN ILLEGAL WEED SHOP IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS was robbed at about 12:27 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 26, police said on Wednesday. The Exotic Smoke Shop at 64 Henry St. has been robbed several times in the past, including on April 15, 2023, at 8:50 p.m. In the latest robbery, two unidentified men entered the shop and ordered a 22-year-old male employee to move away from the register. The employee locked himself in a storage room in the rear of the store and the robbers removed approximately $670 worth of merchandise. The shop has a long history of fines and cannabis seizures by the city, but continues to operate.
The suspects were described as having dark complexions. One was wearing a white T-shirt, black pants and black mask. The other was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, black vest and sunglasses. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or visit Crime Stoppers online.
Photos: NYPDPhotos: NYPDPhotos: NYPD
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GOVERNOR’S NEW STIPEND PROGRAM AIMS TO BOLSTER THE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER CORPS.
STATEWIDE — A NEW PROGRAM THAT GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL LAUNCHED ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, AIMS TO STABILIZE AND BOLSTER NEW YORK’S VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER SERVICE. The state budget includes $10 million to offset the costs of training courses volunteer firefighters are required to complete. Stipends range from $500 to $1,250 depending on completion of various training courses, including basic exterior firefighting operations, self-contained breathing apparatus, interior firefighting operations and fire officer skills. Stipends are for first-time course completions of the listed OFPC course, or equivalency as determined by OFPC. The program’s draft regulations were accepted following a 60-day public comment period.
Volunteer fire departments serve approximately nine million New Yorkers, nearly half of the State’s population. In recent years, however, more than three-quarters of these departments have reported a decrease in the number of individuals willing to volunteer and serve.
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CITY PLANNING COMMISSION APPROVES MASSIVE ‘CITY OF YES’ PACKAGE
CITYWIDE — THE NYC PLANNING COMMISSION APPROVED THE ADAMS ADMINISTRATION’S ‘CITY OF YES’ proposals on Wednesday, sending the massive, three-part package of commercial zoning reforms to the New York City Council, the administration announced in a release. The reforms would allow retail on upper floors and above residential apartments; create new zoning for large warehouses in industrial zones; expand where science labs, indoor farms and small manufacturers can operate; allow new small retail stores in residential areas and much more, according to the Commercial Observer. Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation President Lindsay Greene called the approval “a win-win for government, sustainability, urban manufacturing across the city, and economic mobility.” Regina Myer, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, said, “These much-needed zoning changes will modernize and streamline regulations for businesses, support growing sectors and keep our streetscapes vibrant.”
A few members of the CPC shared reservations with some Community Boards about safety issues, such as fumes in residential buildings with communal air and plumbing systems, and concerns about strangers coming into residential buildings, “especially in buildings that don’t have a doorman or security system that’s robust,” Commissioner Gail Benjamin said.
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MAYOR: NYPD WILL STEP UP BAG CHECKS THROUGHOUT NYC SUBWAY SYSTEM
CITYWIDE — GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL’S FIVE POINT PLAN TO PROTECT NEW YORKERS ON THE SUBWAY FOLLOWING RECENT VIOLENT ASSAULTS ties in with Mayor Eric Adams’ directive to have the NYPD escalate bag checks in the subway system. The mayor did not disclose which stations would be pinpointed for the bag checks, but said that 94 teams to screen bags would be dispatched to 136 stations each week, according to a Daily News story, published Wednesday. Mayor Adams said during a press conference that the bag checks will be “random” and that the Police Department won’t engage in any “profiling.”
The NYPD is trying to reduce a 16% jump in assaults at city subway stops and trains since the start of 2024, with 97 assaults this year alone. According to several news reports, the most recent separate incidents both happened on Tuesday, March 5, when straphangers were hit over the head with metal objects, including an umbrella. Two days ago, teens pushed a 64-year-old man onto the tracks.
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BAG CHECKS, CONDUCTOR CABIN CAMERAS ARE PART OF GOVERNOR’S 5-POINT SAFETY PLAN
CITYWIDE — THE NATIONAL GUARD AND STATE POLICE WILL BE DEPLOYED TO THE NYC SUBWAY SYSTEM as part of a Five Point Plan that will utilize state resources to protect New Yorkers on the subways, Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday, March 6. The plan, which is a response to a recent upsurge in subway assaults, will surge State personnel to assist with NYPD bag checks, and legislation that will authorize judges to ban individuals who have been convicted of assault within the transit system from utilizing it. The plan will also add new cameras to protect conductor cabins, increase coordination between District Attorneys and law enforcement, and increase the number of Subway Co-Response Outreach (SCOUT) teams throughout the system.
A currently existing provision allows a transit ban as a term of sentencing for individuals who assault transit workers and under Governor Hochul’s plan. As part of the plan, the same provision would be extended to include assaults of anyone — including commuters — within the system.
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INDIE GUNS HIT WITH $7.8M JUDGMENT FOR SELLING GHOST-GUN COMPONENTS IN NY
NATIONWIDE — STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES HAS SECURED A $7.8 MILLION JUDGMENT AND PERMANENT INJUNCTION AGAINST GUN RETAILER INDIE GUNS, LLC for illegally selling ghost gun components in New York. The Florida-based company, which specializes in selling the parts used to make ghost guns, will also be permanently banned from selling unfinished frames and receivers in New York. The judgment is the result of a major lawsuit that Attorney General James filed against Indie Guns and nine other ghost gun retailers in June 2022 for selling tens of thousands of illegal, unfinished frames and receivers to New Yorkers that were assembled into untraceable handguns and assault-style weapons.
The judgment resolves the Office of the Attorney General’s lawsuit against Indie Guns during other ongoing litigation against the remaining nine defendants.
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LONGTIME ASSEMBLYMEMBER WEINSTEIN ANNOUNCES SHE’LL RETIRE AT END OF TERM
CANARSIE — ASSEMBLYMEMBER HELENE WEINSTEIN, WHO HAS SERVED THE 41ST ASSEMBLY DISTRICT SPANNING MIDWOOD TO FLATLANDS AND CANARSIE, was inspired to public service since her youth, and credits her parents’ civic involvement, the Brooklyn Eagle reported in a November 2015 article by Paula Katinas. When she first took office, many of her colleagues considered the Assembly position to be part-time since the state’s lower legislative house convenes only from January to June. However, Weinstein distinguished herself by devoting herself to her job year-round and setting up a full-time district office when fellow Assemblymembers didn’t even have one. Weinstein, who grew up in Canarsie and volunteered at both her father’s district and Albany offices, told the Brooklyn Eagle at the time that policy issues and constituent services drove her the most. She has worked on both sweeping legislation and local issues.
City Councilmember Kalman Yeger (D-44) has announced his intention to run for Assemblymember Weinstein’s seat and has already received an endorsement from Councilmember Farah N. Louis, according to her post on X (formerly Twitter).
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CAFETERIA CUTS DUE TO KIDS ‘EATING MORE’: OMB DIRECTOR
CITYWIDE — RECENT CUTS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL CAFETERIA MENUS THAT SAW POPULAR ITEMS ELIMINATED in favor of cheaper “heat-and-serve” meals happened because investments in school cafeterias led to more students using them, according to city Office of Management and Budget director Jacques Jiha, reports Chalkbeat. Jiha was grilled by city councilmembers on Monday over the disappearance of offerings like dumplings and cookies. No clear answers were offered other than the cafeteria space upgrades. While the mayor’s budget slashed $6 million from school lunch funds last year, Jiha testified that this sum had been replaced by federal funds and was not the cause of the lost menu items. However, Education Department officials in January reportedly told parents that the menu cuts were indeed related to the budget slashing.
“You have a lot of kids hanging out in cafeterias now and eating more and more and more and more,” Jiha told Councilmember Rita Joseph; no timeline was given for the restoration of the popular menu items.
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NIGHT MARKET TO RETURN TO INDUSTRY CITY
SUNSET PARK — THE BROOKLYN NIGHT MARKET IS SET TO RETURN TO INDUSTRY CITY for the third year this spring, reports TimeOut New York, with dozens of local food and craft vendors selling their wares every final Monday of the month between April and October. Sixty-five small businesses will be participating in this year’s version, which typically attracts crowds of thousands; while a final lineup of vendors is coming soon. Last year’s market included favorites like “Perros Locos’ fancy hot dogs to HangryDog’s late-night munchies and Jasmine Roti Factory’s Caribbean flavors,” according to organizers.
The first Brooklyn Night Market of the year will take place April 29; the monthly event will take place from 4 p.m. onwards in Industry City, between 2nd and 3rd avenues.
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FACTION AT CHABAD SELLING SHOVEL PINS IN SUPPORT OF TUNNEL
CROWN HEIGHTS – MEMBERS OF THE CHABAD LUBAVITCH SECT HAVE BEGUN SELLING shovel-shaped lapel pins at the group’s historic Eastern Parkway synagogue, reports Forward, as a way to indicate support and raise money for the internal faction that was discovered to be surreptitiously digging to expand the synagogue’s basement level in January. The expansion effort, which included spaces hollowed out behind the basement’s walls and a tunnel dug to a nearby unused building, became infamous after the discovery of the digging by Lubavitch leadership led to multiple arrests after a chaotic confrontation with repair workers and police called to secure the unpermitted construction site, which some feared could endanger the structural integrity of the building.
Some in the Lubavitch sect believe that former leader Rebbe Menachim Mendel Schneerson, who passed away in 1994, commanded the group to expand the synagogue – words interpreted very literally by the younger members who took up shovels.
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META SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS EXPERIENCE WIDESPREAD OUTAGE
WORLDWIDE — USERS OF META PLATFORMS FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, MESSENGER AND THREADS were encountering widespread login problems on Tuesday morning, according to the Associated Press and several other news reports. According to the Associated Press, Internet traffic observer Down Detector is reporting vast outages on several Meta platforms, raising concerns that the outage could be global. Those attempting to access their Facebook account on a web browser got “incorrect password” messages; while mobile Facebook users saw a pop-up message saying their session has expired and were asked to log into their account again. Meta’s head communications officer Andy Stone told the AP that this company is working on the issue.
A Brooklyn Eagle reporter who checked out the outage around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday was able to login on the first try without getting any error messages, suggesting that the problem on parts of the East Coast may have cleared up by then. And in the Southeastern U.S., a news network reported that its customers are again able to log in successfully.
SHEEPSHEAD BAY TO CANARSIE — FOLLOWING MONDAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE STATE ASSEMBLY’S LONGEST-SERVING MEMBER, HELENE WEINSTEIN of the 41st District in Brooklyn is retiring, Kings County Democratic Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn released a statement praising her colleague. “As the longest-serving woman in the NYS Assembly, Helene E. Weinstein has profoundly uplifted Brooklyn and immensely elevated New Yorkers for over four decades. The Brooklyn Democratic Party is deeply appreciative and thankful for Assemblymember Weinstein’s selfless and steadfast service.” Bichotte Hermelyn added, “Weinstein was the first woman to head the Assembly’s Judiciary Committee and then became the first female chair of the Ways & Means Committee — and her barrier-breaking legacy will continue to positively impact us and inspire women and girls everywhere.”
First elected in 1980, Weinstein served more than four decades in the state Assembly. Before that, her father, Murray, also served for two years and Helene volunteered in his offices.
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NEW YORK-PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL NETWORK UPDATES KOSHER VIRTUAL VISITATION POLICIES
CITYWIDE — ENSURING THAT VIRTUAL VISITATION IS ACCESSIBLE TO STRICTLY-OBSERVANT JEWISH PATIENTS WAS THE CORE OF AN INVESTIGATION that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services conducted with New York-Presbyterian Hospital, which has Brooklyn medical complexes as part of its network. HHS, along with the Office for Civil Rights on Tuesday, March 5, finalized its work with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to ensure virtual visitation is accessible to Jewish patients, after these federal agencies received complaints about failures to accommodate these patients with kosher electronic devices for virtual visits. As federal law prohibits Medicare- and Medicaid-funded hospitals from restricting patient visitation in a manner that discriminates on a religious basis, OCR reviewed NewYork-Presbyterian’s policies and practices and worked with the healthcare system to update its policies and procedures to ensure full compliance with federal law.
One aspect of this update was purchasing kosher tablets for Jewish patients within NewYork-Presbyterian’s hospital network, providing them opportunities for virtual visitation in situations where the patient’s religious beliefs prohibit them from using the non-kosher devices.
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UPBRAIDING FDA ON FOOD ADDITIVES, NY LEGISLATORS INTRODUCE TWO BILLS TO BAN THESE CHEMICALS
ALBANY STATE CAPITOL BUILDING — LEGISLATORS PLANNED A PRESS CONFERENCE ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON, MARCH 5, TO INTRODUCE TWO BILLS aimed at protecting New Yorkers from dangerous food additives. State Senator Brian Kavanagh — who until redistricting had represented much of Downtown Brooklyn — joined his colleagues and a pediatrician from the Mount Sinai Health Network, the Environmental Working Group’s policy director, representative from the NY State Council of Churches and others in Albany to introduce the bills. The first bill would prohibit the use of seven dangerous food additives still used in foods. The second bill would require companies to notify New York State when they introduce chemicals into food without notifying or seeking review from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The participants in Tuesday’s event believe that “the Food and Drug Administration has failed to protect New Yorkers and other Americans from seven dangerous food additives used in commonly consumed foods and drinks. The FDA also fails to adequately monitor or review newly introduced food chemicals when companies take advantage of loopholes allowing secrecy.”
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SOLIDARITY RALLY ORGANIZED FOR UNION RETIREES FIGHTING MEDICARE PLAN CHANGES
CITYWIDE — THE NYC ORGANIZATION OF PUBLIC SERVICE RETIREES, which last week publicly expressed solidarity with a retirees group related to DC37 after it was taken over last week, has scheduled a rally and press conference for Wednesday March 6, 11 a.m., at 75 Maiden Lane in Lower Manhattan. The NYC OPSR, in a statement denouncing the takeover, declared, “For years, we’ve fought tirelessly to defend traditional Medicare, only to face betrayal from those who once swore to fight for us.” The statement also charges that the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) followed through on its threat to place DC37 Retirees in receivership after its members continued donations to help its fellow retiree group.
Marianne Pizzitola, president of the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees and the FDNY EMS Retirees Association, accuses the AFSCME of hypocrisy, declaring, “AFSCME, once a champion for Medicare alongside Dr. Martin Luther King and President Johnson, now allows its largest district council to force retirees into a privatized, for-profit plan.”
SUNSET PARK — “As a resident of Marine Park, one of the great surprises I found biking around Industry City and visiting Japan Village was to discover Bush Terminal Park. I continue to be amazed at the serene hideaways that the city offers in some of the busiest places — and, still, with an iconic view.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — ‘A miracle that no one was killed …’ That’s what neighbors are saying about the collapse of the Hotel St. George marquee. Shown in this photograph are workmen beginning the removal and repair of the historic, old neon sign at the corner, referencing a relic of Brooklyn Heights’ past: the St. George Hotel.
ATLANTIC AVENUE — Exhausted shopper with cluster of bags and goods from mall at Boerum Place stops to look at huge construction site across the street. “Is that REALLY going to be a jail??” Her male companion is reassuring, “Nothing like Rikers … this is 21st Century.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — Overheard in line at one of most popular pastry outlets on Montague Street: “Hope I can get them into a camp …” A mother with two pre-schoolers in tow was showing a friend the Dodge Y flyer for Healthy Kids Day on Saturday, April 18.
