What’s News, Breaking: Monday, March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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WSJ HOLDS SWIM IN HONOR OF JOURNALIST JAILED IN RUSSIA

BRIGHTON BEACH — REPORTERS FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ON MONDAY gathered on the Brighton Beach boardwalk to hold a swim in support of their colleague Evan Gershkovich, a New Jersey native and Journal reporter, to commemorate the upcoming one-year anniversary of his detention in Russia on espionage charges. The swim, joined by the Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers club, is one of several being held in solidarity around the world, including events in California, the U.K., Australia, South Africa, Canada and New Zealand, in what the Journal says is a nod to Gershkovich’s love for Brighton Beach and England’s Brighton seaside resort.

The U.S. State Department has declared Gershkovich’s detention to be unlawful; the Journal has called repeatedly for his release, and says it is working with the government and his family to press for his return.

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FERRY SERVICE EXPANDS WITH NEW SPRING SCHEDULE

CITYWIDE — THE NYC FERRY IS OFFERING EXPANDED SERVICE STARTING THIS SATURDAY with its new spring schedule: the South Brooklyn route from Red Hook’s Pier 11 and Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6 to Governor’s Island on weekdays and weekends is back on the menu just in time for warmer temperatures, while cruise passengers can catch early-morning shuttles between Pier 11 and the Red Hook ferry stop on dates in April and May when ships are docked at the Red Hook Terminal. Additionally, some departure times on the South Brooklyn and Astoria routes have been moved in order to provide more consistent service during peak times, according to NYC Ferry.

The new spring schedules can be viewed online on the ferry service’s website, or through the NYC Ferry app.

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BISHOP BRENNAN USHERS IN HOLY WEEK
WITH PALM SUNDAY NEIGHBORHOOD PROCESSION

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — BROOKLYN DIOCESAN BISHOP BRENNAN ON PALM SUNDAY LED MORE THAN 250 PEOPLE IN A PUBLIC WITNESS OF FAITH with their blessed palms down Vanderbilt Avenue to the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph on Pacific Street. After an opening prayer and blessing, Bishop Brennan thanked the NYPD for its logistical and safety measures, and said, “In this procession, we walk with Jesus remembering that Jesus always walks with us. Today we gave public witness to our Catholic faith on the streets of Brooklyn, showing the greatness of God to those who walked, drove, biked, and jogged by us as we walked.” Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, as chronicled in all four Gospels.

Following the procession, Bishop Brennan celebrated the Spanish Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph. The Diocese observes Holy Week with several special Masses and observances including, on March 25, Reconciliation Monday.

Bishop Brennan, in red liturgical vestments, sprinkles holy water over the faithful carrying palm branches, before they processed from Grand Army Plaza northbound through Prospect Heights to the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph.
Photos courtesy John Quaglione/DeSales Media

Bishop Robert Brennan (wearing mitre and carrying crozier) leads the Palm Sunday procession in Prospect Heights.
Photo courtesy John Quaglione/DeSales Media

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CHINESE NATIONALS CHARGED WITH LENGTHY HACKING SCHEME THAT TARGETED U.S. GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — SEVEN NATIONALS FROM THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA WERE CHARGED IN FEDERAL COURT IN BROOKLYN on Monday, March 25, with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charges involved the defendants’ involvement in a PRC-based hacking group that spent approximately 14 years targeting U.S. and foreign critics, businesses and political officials in furtherance of PRC’s economic espionage and foreign intelligence objectives. According to court filings, the defendants conducted global campaigns of computer hacking targeting political dissidents and perceived supporters located inside and outside of China, government and political officials, candidates and campaign personnel in the United States and elsewhere, and American companies. The defendants and others in the APT31 Group successfully compromised the targets’ networks, email accounts, cloud storage accounts, and telephone call records. Some surveillance of compromised email accounts lasted for years.

The targeted U.S. government officials included White House staff, and employees of the Departments of Justice, Commerce, Treasury and State, and U.S. Senators and Representatives of both political parties.

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BROOKLYN ACTIVIST LEADS ‘SEX STRIKE’ CAMPAIGN
TO PROTECT RIGHTS OF ABANDONED WIVES

FLATBUSH AND KIRYAS JOEL/ORANGE COUNTY — AN ORTHODOX JEWISH WOMAN IN BROOKLYN IS LEADING A ‘SEX STRIKE’ TO END THE PRACTICE OF ORTHODOX HUSBANDS REFUSING to grant a divorce (or get) to the wives they have abandoned, reports Gothamist. Men in many cases can and have withheld the religious and ceremonious divorce document, called a get, that a rabbinic court must first approve. Without the document, women are not free to remarry, and many have become destitute as their erstwhile husbands exploit the traditional get to exert power over them, asserts Brooklyn Orthodox activist Adina Sash, who has launched the sex boycott on behalf of Malky Berkowitz, an Orange County woman whose life has been on hold for years. Jewish law mandates that women ritually cleanse themselves at a mikvah, following their menstrual periods, before their husbands can resume intimacy with them. By boycotting the mikvah, women are essentially withholding sex.

Not all Orthodox women support the “Free Malky” campaign, complaining that the public mikvah boycott threatens to dissolve the sanctity of the Jewish household.

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FDA’S VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING WILL FOCUS
ON NEW WAYS TO ENSURE FOOD SAFETY

NATIONWIDE —THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) INVITES THE PUBLIC TO REGISTER FOR A VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING aimed at facilitating data and technology to advance food safety. The daylong virtual meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is titled “Data and Technology in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety,” covering an eponymous initiative that the FDA launched in 2019. The New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint has four core elements: Tech-enabled Traceability, Smarter Tools and Approaches for Prevention and Outbreak Response, New Business Models and Retail Modernization and Food Safety Culture. The MTA aims to coordinate these elements to create a safer and more digital, traceable food system.

The morning session will consist of FDA presentations on the agency’s current thinking on the potential for new, innovative or different data and technology activities to create a safer food system. Public comments and stakeholder feedback will be heard during the afternoon session.

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MTA WILL EXEMPT MUNICIPAL FLEET,
SCHOOL AND COMMUTER BUSES
FROM CONGESTION PRICING

CITYWIDE — A LARGE PART OF THE CITY’S MUNICIPAL VEHICLE FLEET, SCHOOL BUSES AND SOME COMMERCIAL BUSES WILL BE EXEMPT FROM THE MTA’s CONGESTION PRICING PLAN, the Daily News reported on Monday, March 25. While city-operated vehicles such as fire engines and garbage trucks were already exempted, the policy now expands to include city-owned vehicles conducting government business, and yellow school buses that have contracts with the city’s Department of Education, including those transporting children to some charter and private schools. Likewise, long-distance commuter buses that are publicly accessible and have regular schedules — including the Hampton Jitney — will be exempt whether the city or a private company operates them.

However, the exemptions will not be extended to employee shuttles, buses without regular schedules, or private vehicles belonging to public employees.

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ELECTROMAGNETIC STORM DISRUPTS
GPS AND SOME POWER GRID SYSTEMS

NEIGHBORHOOD — A SEVERE ELECTROMAGNETIC STORM REPORTEDLY DISRUPTED GPS NAVIGATION AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS over much of the northern United States, including New York, on Sunday afternoon, March 24, according to an advisory that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sent yesterday around 5 p.m. The NOAA alert, defining this kind of storm as “a major disturbance of the earth’s magnetic field,” indicated that it could cause “possible widespread voltage control problems and some protective systems may mistakenly trip out key assets from the power grid. Satellite navigation (GPS) could be degraded or inoperable for hours.”

The storm and its disruption to GPS systems were expected to end overnight. As of 10 a.m., on Monday, March 25, 2024, advisories on this issue had been removed from NOAA’s website.

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COUNCILMEMBER RESTLER SPONSORS
ELECTRONICS RECYCLING DRIVE

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS/DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN —RESIDENTS OF CITY COUNCILMEMBER LINCOLN RESTLER’S DISTRICT WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO DROP OFF AND RECYCLE their old electronics at an e-Waste Day he is sponsoring at the Borough Hall Greenmarket on Saturday, April 6. No registration is needed, and residents can drop off computers, printers and other peripherals from 9 a.m. to noon that day.

However, the following items will not be accepted: air conditioners, appliances, batteries and lightbulbs.

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SAM’S CLUB SALAD PRODUCT CLEARED FROM RECALL

NATIONWIDE — A CONSUMER RECALL FOR A SOUTHWEST SALAD KIT SOLD AT SAM’S CLUB locations around the U.S. has ended, according to a local store manager interviewed on Saturday, March 23. Member’s Mark Southwest Salad was recalled as a precaution in early February as part of a widespread recall of similar products and bottled dressing, because the cotija cheese and queso fresco listed as ingredients were determined to be infected with Listeria monocytogenes. While several store brands, including Trader Joe’s, were believed to be part of the infected cheese batch, the Sam’s Club product was not listed in the FDA’s advisory. A store manager told the Brooklyn Eagle on March 23 that the product had been pulled preemptively and was now back in stock.

The Listeria had been traced to cheese products of Rizo-Lopez Foods and had caused illnesses and at least two deaths. The recall is still in effect for some of these products.

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PURIM JOY: MASBIA HOSTS DINNER FOR NEEDY FAMILIES

BOROUGH PARK — MARILYN F., AGE 9, SPENT PURIM WITH HER FRIENDS ON SUNDAY — volunteering for less fortunate families. The youths, who through school do volunteer work with Masbia of Boro Park, on New Utrecht Avenue, assembled care packages that were delivered to families with widowed and divorced mothers. Marilyn’s mother, Sylvia, is a private chef who also teaches Jewish cultural cooking to people of all ages. Meanwhile, Chef Ruben Diaz created a grand Purim feast at the Masbia Soup Kitchen’s dining room, complete with all the traditional Jewish foods and a giant apricot Hamantaschen, for needy families in Brooklyn.

Purim (this year March 23-24) which celebrates the courageous heroism of the Persian king’s Jewish wife, and the survival of the Jewish people as chronicled in the Book of Esther, is the most significant charity-giving day in the Hebrew calendar. Delivering food baskets in one’s community is a time-honored Jewish tradition.

The youth Marilyn F. (pictured wearing a floral lei) stands with her mother Sylvia (at left) and Masbia volunteers next to a giant apricot Hamantaschen, a traditional fruit-filled pastry eaten on Purim. The Hamantaschen was served at the community Purim dinner.
Photo courtesy of Masbia Soup Kitchen

Marilyn and other youth and adult volunteers distribute juice and other foods at Masbia South Kitchen.
Photo courtesy of Masbia Soup Kitchen

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ONE QUEENS-BOUND BQE LANE CLOSED OVERNIGHT UNTIL APRIL 12

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — THE NYC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WILL CONTINUE TO CLOSE one lane of the Queens-bound Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, from Atlantic Avenue to Clark Street, during overnight/early morning hours (midnight to 5 a.m.) until April 12. During the right lane closure, the Atlantic Avenue entrance ramp to the Queens-bound BQE will also be closed. These closures are required for saw cutting and concrete removal of pavement for interim repairs, and are dependent on weather and field conditions, DOT Liaison Anita Navalurkar said via email.

Also, an alert about the upcoming full closure: The Queens-bound BQE will be fully closed from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street from 2 a.m. Saturday, April 13, until or before 4 a.m. Monday, April 15, Navalurkar adds.

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MAMDANI, VELAZQUEZ: USE CONGESTION PRICING TO FUND MORE FREE BUS ROUTES

WILLIAMSBURG — BACKING A BILL TO EXPAND NYC’S FREE-FARE BUS LINES from 5 to 15, Rep. Nydia Velázquez (Downtown Brooklyn, Long Island City) braved Saturday’s downpour to join Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani (Astoria) on the B60 bus, which runs from Williamsburg to Canarsie. Mamdani introduced the legislation that created the fare-free bus pilot. His “Get Congestion Pricing Right” proposal includes millions to expand the pilot and increase bus frequency and reliability. “These fare-free routes … ensure we deliver on the promise of congestion pricing on the first day of the toll,” Mamdani said in a statement.

Velazquez said the free-fare program “is helping to bring equity to our public transportation system and ensure that New Yorkers can commute to school, work, or wherever they need to travel regardless of their income level.”

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REPORT: WESTERN BK RESIDENTS ‘HAPPIEST’WITH NEIGHBORHOODS, IN A LESS-HAPPY CITY

WESTERN BROOKLYN — RESIDENTS OF A SWATH OF BROOKLYN FROM DUMBO TO RED HOOK gave their neighborhoods the city’s highest scores, according to research conducted by the Citizens Budget Commission — with 83.4% of CB6 (Cobble Hill, Red Hook, Park Slope) residents rating their neighborhoods excellent or good, followed closely by residents of CB2 neighborhoods (Brooklyn Heights, Downtown, Fort Greene), where 82.2% of residents gave their neighborhood the highest scores. CBC’s 2023 Resident Survey, released March 19, shows sharp drops in overall citywide satisfaction ratings from the pre-pandemic days of 2017, however.

CB6 District Manager Mike Racioppo on Friday noted the importance of the distribution of resources. “Resources such as access to schools, parks, and, most importantly, housing can all be made more accessible with better policy choices,” Racioppo wrote in CB6’s newsletter.

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POLICE SEEK 7 BURGLARS WHO HIT COMMERCIAL SITE NEAR BROOKLYN COSTCO

SUNSET PARK — POLICE HAVE RELEASED SURVEILLANCE PHOTOS OF SEVEN BURGLARS who broke into a commercial building in Sunset Park, swiping $8,000 in cash and $2,250 worth of electronic merchandise before fleeing. On Wednesday, Feb. 28, around 8 p.m., the group of young men and women forcibly entered the building, located at 4100 1st Ave. just a couple blocks from Costco on 2nd Ave. Media released by police shows the individuals traipsing in a carefree manner through the site.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or visit the CrimeStoppers website.

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‘STAY CURIOUS’ ART EXHIBITION AT THE WATERMARK

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — ‘STAY CURIOUS,’ AN ART EXHIBITION CURATED BY THE IVY BROWN GALLERY, is open through July 15 at The Watermark, 21 Clark St., in Brooklyn Heights. The exhibition includes works by artists Agnes Baillon & Eric de Dormael, Angelica Bergamini, Eileen Braun, Terri Fraser, Samuelle Green, Scott Harbison, Valerie Huhn, Elizabeth Jordan, Megan Klim, Robert Lach, David Mellen, Federica Patera & Andrea Sbra Perego, Judy Rushin-Knopf and Ann Vollum.

‘Stay Curious’ is open to the public by appointment. Visit ivybrowngallery.org, email [email protected] or call 212-925-1111.

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POLICE SEEK BURGLAR CAUGHT IN THE ACT IN SOUTH WILLIAMSBURG

SOUTH WILLIAMSBURG — POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR A MAN WHO ENTERED a private house located in the vicinity of Heyward Street and Bedford Avenue by breaking a vestibule door with a crowbar. Once inside, the burglar was confronted by a resident and fled on foot without removing any property. No injuries were reported. The incident took place on Thursday, March 7, at about 8:10 p.m. The man is described as last seen wearing a fur-lined winter hat and carrying a black/gray backpack.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or by visiting the Crime Stoppers website.

Video freeze-frame of surprised burglar.
Photo: NYPD

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EARLY VOTING FOR PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES TAKES PLACE MARCH 23 – 30

CITYWIDE — PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES TAKE PLACE APRIL 2, but New Yorkers can vote early from March 23 – 30. (March 23 is the final date to register online.) According to nycvotes.org, Democrats will see Joe Biden, Dean Phillips and Marianne Williams on the ballot, even though Phillips dropped out and has endorsed Biden. Williams suspended her campaign on Feb. 7 but “unsuspended” it again Feb. 28. On the Republican ballot are Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy and Donald Trump. However, all of the Republicans other than Trump have dropped out.

A number of New York Democratic lawmakers wanted to bar Trump from the ballot on the grounds that he violated the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which bars someone who has engaged in insurrection from holding office. But Republican state election officials said removing Trump from the ballot was beyond their authority, Gothamist reported.

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GOLDMAN: BIDEN IMPEACHMENT ‘DEAD,’ AFTER CONGRESS WASTES 15 MONTHS & MILLION OF DOLLARS

WASHINGTON, D.C. — AFTER 15 FRUITLESS MONTHS, THE “POLITICALLY-MOTIVATED” IMPEACHMENT of President Joe Biden is “dead” and state Republicans should try to do something for their constituents instead, said Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-10). On Thursday, Goldman joined the Congressional Integrity Project to call on New York’s House Republicans to drop the floundering impeachment. “Republicans have had 15 months to build a case, and after dozens of witness interviews, hundreds of thousands of documents reviewed, and millions of taxpayers’ dollars, there isn’t a shred of credible evidence linking President Biden to any wrongdoing, much less a high crime and misdemeanor,” he said in a statement.

Skepticism has only grown since an FBI informant and other Republican witnesses have been discovered to either be lying to Congress, associated with Russian agents, or actually testifying from federal prison — like Republican star witness Jason Galanis, who is serving a nearly 16-year federal prison sentence for multiple fraud schemes, the Washington Post reports.

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BROOKLYN DINING CLUB CELEBRATES ITALIAN CUISINE, HISTORY BEHIND BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK’S CREATION

CARROLL GARDENS — COMBINE ITALIAN CUISINE WITH THE STORY OF ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST-CELEBRATED PUBLIC PARKS, and you have the essence of the Brooklyn Dining Club, which on March 21 was treated to a conversation between esteemed journalist and author Laura Trevelyan and Michael Van Valkenburgh, the designer and architect of Brooklyn Bridge Park. Brooklyn Eagle food columnist and GOODFOOD newsletter co-author, Andrew Cotto, hosted the dinner at Sociale at 320 Court St. in Carroll Gardens. After the main course, Trevelyan, a former BBC anchor and correspondent, spoke at length with Van Valkenburgh about the 23-year journey of transforming the once-industrial Brooklyn waterfront into Brooklyn Bridge Park — one of the nation’s most celebrated spaces in America — which welcomed more than five million people last year.

The evening began with Cotto discussing the regional Italian-meets-Brooklyn approach to the cuisine of Sociale and the special four-course menu for the evening that co-owner Francesco Nucitelli and his wife Meghan presented.

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BILL WOULD REQUIRE MTA TO NOTIFY PUBLIC ABOUT BED BUG INFESTATIONS ON TRAINS, BUSES

ALBANY — THE METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY WOULD BE REQUIRED TO MAKE BEDBUG INFESTATION NOTIFICATIONS under a bill that State Assemblymember William Colton (D-47) is sponsoring. The legislation, whose State Senate version is currently in committee, would require the MTA to post detailed notifications of bedbug infestations on subways, trains and buses, on its website or via email or text message within 24 hours of the infestation being discovered. Infestations of bedbugs, parasite insects of the genus Cimex, can result in a variety of different health issues such as rashes and allergic reactions. People unknowingly carry the bedbugs with them from infested locations in handbags, suitcases and other items, and only discover that they have brought the infestation with them after it has been proliferated.

According to the New York State Senate’s website, the bill is currently in that chamber’s committee, having already passed the Assembly, as of March 13. Assemblymember Latrice Walker (D-55/Brownsville) is also listed as a co-sponsor.

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CITING MIGRANT CRISIS, BROOKLYN REP. MALLIOTAKIS VOTES ‘NAY’ ON SPENDING BILL

CAPITOL HILL — HARDLINERS IN THE GOP-LED HOUSE STAGED A REVOLT ON FRIDAY, MARCH 22, AFTER CONGRESS passed a $1.2 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September to prevent a partial shutdown at the end of the week, thus threatening Speaker Mike Johnson’s hold on his leadership of the chamber. Among those voting against the funding bill was Brooklyn Congressmember Nicole Malliotakis (R-11/southwestern Brooklyn). The only Republican in the Brooklyn Congressional delegation, Malliotakis issued a statement on Friday afternoon explaining her vote against the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act: “Today I voted against the second appropriations package because it funds the continuation of President Biden’s border policies that are unsustainable, unsafe and unfair to New Yorkers and all Americans.”

Malliotakis in her statement cited “stabbings, robberies, assaults and attacks on our police officers and over 1,200 arrests at existing shelters in New York City,” blaming many of these incidents on migrants who have entered the city.

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PRATT INSTITUTE’S FINE ARTS THESIS EXHIBITIONS OPEN

FORT GREENE/CLINTON HILL — PRATT INSTITUTE OPENS ITS EXHIBITION OF BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS THESIS PROJECTS on Monday, March 25. The exhibit is part of the school’s 2024 Pratt Shows, where the graduating class will present the culmination of experimental jewelry research, exploration and creative production. Each artist’s work expresses self-empowerment, identity, culture and a love for the craft, with the materials themselves conveying attention to sustainability, innovation and tradition. In past years, celebrity style icons like Rihanna and Lady Gaga have popularized and worn the innovative creations of Pratt Jewelry program alumni.

Pratt Shows are public exhibitions and presentations by Pratt Institute’s graduating students in 30+ different fields, now through May. Also debuting on March 25 are the Thesis Exhibitions in Fine Arts Drawing, Painting and Photography.

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FILM CREW WILL RECREATE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT SCENE ALONG STREETS IN BENSONHURST, GRAVESEND

BENSONHURST AND GRAVESEND — POLICE, TENT CAMPS AND DRUG USE. These “reality scenes” will be part of a movie shoot in Bensonhurst starting Monday, March 25, according to an advisory from Community Board 11. The city’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting has issued a permit for the filming of “Long Bright River” along New Utrecht Avenue between 78th and 79th streets in Bensonhurst, and along Highlawn Avenue near West 6th St. in Gravesend this week. Residents and local merchants can expect to see actors in police uniforms, 50 un-homed actors, tent encampment set dressing, trash debris set dressing, and depictions of drug use. Set dressing will depict homeless encampments with garbage, debris, tents, shopping carts, drug dealing, and broken-down appliances on the sidewalk and curb lanes.

Parking for the film crew vehicles will be reserved along New Utrecht Avenue for the above-mentioned block-long stretch. Parking will also be blocked off along Highlawn Ave. between West 5th and West 10th streets in Gravesend and the related portions of West 6th St., W. 8th St. and Kings Highway.