Brooklyn Today December 19: Sen. Kevin Parker Tweets ‘Kill Yourself’ at GOP Staffer

The Lede

Happy Wednesday! The Winterfest fiasco continues, Bushwick anti-gentrification messages appear in Brooklyn Heights, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez targets Hakeem Jeffries. Plus, a teenager faces up to 10 years in prison, Kevin Parker loses his cool, and we explore the links between Jews and Chinese food on Christmas. Finally, diseased raccoons are wandering out of Prospect Park, a speakeasy cocktail bar is coming to Downtown Brooklyn, and we recommend the best restaurants for large parties.

Imprint

Actors John Krasinski and Emily Blunt hold each other on the December cover of The Hollywood Reporter.

The Rundown

WINTERFEST FIASCO: ORGANIZERS IGNORE REFUND REQUESTS FROM CUSTOMERS

The hosts of Winterfest will likely be receiving coal in their stockings this year. What was advertised as a 40,000-square-foot “world of holiday joy and wonder” behind the Brooklyn Museum has turned out to be anything but merry, according to peeved patrons and vendors, who likened the failed holiday attraction to a scam. Melanie Montalto is the latest customer to voice her concerns, saying the organizers of the event have repeatedly ignored her refund requests. “I’m concerned that they don’t have any money,” Montalto said. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

HUGE BUSHWICK ANTI-GENTRIFICATION MESSAGE PROJECTED ON MONTAGUE STREET

“The Bushwick ‘Community Plan’ is a sham!” and “De Blasio, stop selling us out!” were two of the messages projected in giant white letters on the facade of TD Bank on Montague Street Monday night. The illuminated slogans were meant to be seen by staffers at the NYC Department of City Planning, with offices across the street from TD Bank on the seventh floor of the Montague-Court Building. G-REBLS and Mi Casa No Es Su Casa, two activist groups from Bushwick, are “fighting for our neighborhood,” said Ariella, a spokesperson for G-REBLS. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

REPORT: OCASIO-CORTEZ TARGETS JEFFRIES FOR 2020 PRIMARY CHALLENGE

U.S. Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who rocked New York’s political establishment when she toppled longtime incumbent U.S. Rep.Joe Crowley in June’s Democratic primary, is now said to be setting her sights on another major figure in New York politics: U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. Politico reported Tuesday that Ocasio-Cortez and a group of progressives called Justice Democrats are gunning for Jeffries’ seat. The organization, with Ocasio-Cortez’s blessing, has reportedly already recruited a candidate, an African-American woman, to run against Jeffries two years from now. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

TEENAGER FACES UP TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOR ASSAULTING COP

A Brooklyn judge is expected to sentence a teenager next month for causing permanent injuries to an NYPD officer. Justin Murrell was 15 years old when he used a stolen Honda Civic on June 3, 2017 to drag NYPD Officer Dalsh Veve behind the vehicle for more than two blocks in East Flatbush. Murrell, now 17, was acquitted by a jury of attempted murder of a police officer charges, but convicted of first-degree assault charges. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

SEN. KEVIN PARKER TWEETS ‘KILL YOURSELF’ AT GOP STAFFER

State Sen. Kevin Parker told a Republican Senate staffer on Twitter to kill herself, then almost immediately deleted the tweet and later apologized. The incident began when Republican communications director Candice Giove found that a placard assigned to Parker was in a car blocking a bike lane. Giove complained via Twitter to Parker, pointing out that the license plate on the placard did not match the vehicle. Parker tweeted back, “Kill Yourself!”(Daily News via Brooklyn Eagle)

EVENT EXPLORES CHRISTMAS LINK BETWEEN JEWS AND CHINESE RESTAURANTS

“Chow x Judaism,” a culinary event that explores why many Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas, will take place on Friday at the Museum of Food and Drink in Williamsburg. On the Lower East Side in the late 19th century, Jewish immigrants lived in close proximity to Chinese immigrants in Chinatown and began to patronize Chinese restaurants because they were among the few to remain open on Christmas. In addition, Chinese food doesn’t use dairy, so many immigrants saw it as “closer to kosher” than other cuisines that often mix meat with cheese. (Brooklyn Daily via Brooklyn Eagle)

DISEASED RACCOONS WANDER OUT OF PROSPECT PARK, UPSETTING RESIDENTS

Visibly sick raccoons that may be suffering from distemper are wandering out of Prospect Park and into nearby neighborhoods, unnerving local residents. One Kensington resident, Phyllis Klein, said a large raccoon fell either from a nearby building or from a tree, landed a few feet from her head and then limped off in a daze. Humans are immune to distemper, but the disease can prove deadly to dogs. As of Tuesday, the Parks Department had collected 87 Prospect Park raccoons, both dead and alive, and seven tested positive for the virus. (Brooklyn Paper via Brooklyn Eagle)

A SPEAKEASY COCKTAIL BAR IS COMING TO DEKALB MARKET HALL

A new cocktail bar and events space is coming to DeKalb Market Hall in Downtown Brooklyn. The venue, comprising 7,500 square feet, will be called DeKalb Stage. It will come to the food hall early next year and will specialize in hosting arts and culinary events. The cocktail bar, dubbed Understudy, will debut around the same time. Eater described it as a “speakeasy-style” bar designed by New York-based Home Studios and other Brooklyn artists. (Eater via Brooklyn Eagle)