Brooklyn Today February 13: Brooklyn Today February 13: After Months, El Chapo Jury Finally Headed Home

The Lede

THE LEDE: Happy Wednesday! No-cash shopping policies spark protest, the El Chapo jury finally heads home, and Brooklyn has some of the highest car insurance rates in the country. Plus, equestrian glory returns to Prospect Park, homeless shelter officers are not interacting with ICE agents, and advocates for the homeless push for more funds. Finally, Russ & Daughters opens a massive space in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Nets hit a rough patch, and a public advocate forum takes place tonight in Bath Beach.

Imprint

IMPRINT: Actor Mahershala Ali graces the latest cover of Esquire U.K. 

The Rundown

AFTER MONTHS, EL CHAPO JURY FINALLY HEADED HOME

As the trial of notorious drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman unfolded in a Brooklyn courtroom, the whole world was watching — but none, perhaps, more closely than the 12 people from Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island who sat on the jury. Their three-and-a-half-month journey ended on Tuesday, when they announced that they had found El Chapo guilty on all 10 counts of drug trafficking at the federal court in Downtown Brooklyn. The judge ruled that the jury was to be kept anonymous and partly sequestered for the trial’s duration.(via Brooklyn Eagle)

NO-CASH SHOPPING POLICIES SPARK PROTEST, PROPOSED BAN

The day before City Council is scheduled to discuss a bill that would prohibit cashless retail in New York City, a group of unbanked parents and their children plan to flood an Amazon bookstore, which does not accept cash. As businesses in gentrifying areas around the city go cashless, including throughout parts of Brooklyn, Councilmember Ritchie Torres introduced a bill in November to prohibit cashless retail and restaurant transactions. Torres argues the cash-free policy is discriminatory toward low-income New Yorkers and those without documentation. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

BROOKLYN CAR INSURANCE RATES AMONG THE HIGHEST IN THE NATION

With new studies revealing that car insurance rates are at an all-time high in the U.S., Brooklynites have extra reason to complain — their rates are the highest in New York state, where auto insurance rates have gone up, over the last year, 62.7 percent more than the national average. According to the website ValuePenguin, Brooklyn is the most expensive borough for car insurance. Drivers here pay an average of $3,501 annually for insurance — 18 percent more than the city’s average and 141 percent higher than the state mean. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

EQUESTRIAN GLORY RETURNS TO PROSPECT PARK, ONE STEP AT A TIME

Prospect Park was designed for people — and horses. The park’s grounds included carriage drives and bridle paths, and were the site of horse shows and parades. In the early 1900s, hundreds of horses were stabled there. Today, the park’s equestrian facilities are a step closer to their former grandeur, thanks toJohn Quadrozzi Jr., a Brooklyn industrialist and horse fancier. Quadrozzi has championed repairs to the park’s unkempt bridal paths, has upgraded the bridle path’s riding circle, is setting up an equestrian program for disadvantaged kids, and intends to bring back the historic stable and turn it into a state-of-the-art horse facility. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

HOMELESS SHELTER SECURITY NOT INTERACTING WITH ICE AGENTS, OFFICIALS CONFIRM

The Department of Citywide Administrative Services said its special officers, who provide security at homeless shelters, have had no interactions with ICE agents. The agency responded to a Freedom of Information Law request seeking records of interactions since 2013 between New York City’s DCAS and ICE, the federal agency tasked with apprehending and deporting undocumented immigrants. There are no conclusive statistics, but a significant number of undocumented immigrants are homeless and reside in shelters, the Progressive reported last year. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

ADVOCATES FOR THE HOMELESS TO PUSH FOR MORE FUNDING

Advocates for homeless New Yorkers are asking Gov. Andrew Cuomo and top lawmakers to set aside more money to address a growing crisis across the state. An organization calling itself the Upstate Downstate Housing Alliance was planning to host a rally on Tuesday morning at the state Capitol to demand greater investments in affordable housing and transitional housing programs. The group says too many New Yorkers are languishing in shelters or on the street because of a lack of services, creating a homelessness problem greater than any seen since the Great Depression. (AP via Brooklyn Eagle)