Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Ruling clears the way for potentially thousands of recipients of controversial police techniques to find redress in the justice system.
Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, D-Fort Greene, reacted to a court ruling Wednesday by a Brooklyn Federal Court judge allowing for the broadening of lawsuits brought against the New York Police Department for the use of stop-and-frisk techniques. The ruling by Judge Shira Scheindlin clears the way for class action lawsuits potentially involving thousands of people on the receiving end of the controversial police stops throughout the five boroughs. "The decision by a federal judge today to grant class action status to a stop-and-frisk case clearly demonstrates yet again that the program routinely violates the Fourth Amendment rights of hundreds of thousands of innocent New Yorkers each year," Jeffries said in a statement. Jeffries has been a …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Measure covering workers at city-owned and subsidized buildings clears final legislative hurdle to become law.
The City Council voted Tuesday to override Mayor Michael Bloomberg's veto of a prevailing wage bill covering dozens of workers at city-owned and subsidized buildings. Though an exact tally was not yet available, the effort cleared the necessary two-thirds hurdle of support necessary to be passed into law in a vote earlier this afternoon. A key sponsor of the bill, Councilwoman Letitia James, D-Fort Greene, dismissed the Mayor's contention that the legislation would hurt job growth before casting her vote to override his veto. "With a growing number of New Yorkers unemployed or underemployed, I have difficulty interpreting the opposition to living wage as anything more than a divisive scare tactic," James said. "New York City’s unemployment…
The first clinic dedicated to treating non-FDNY 9/11 responders is funded by the Zadroga Act.
The first clinic dedicated to treating non-FDNY 9/11 responders living in Brooklyn who suffer from mental and physical ailments related to exposures at Ground Zero opened Monday. "For the first time the World Trade Center Health Program will have a facility in Brooklyn, New York where many of our first responders will have access to specific medical attention they need due to serving us on 9/11," said Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. Stony Brook University's Long Island Clinical Center of Excellence (LI-CCE), part of the World Trade Center Health Program, expanded Monday to a new clinical site at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. FDNY 9/11 responders are treated through the Fire Department of New York Responder Health Program also developed by …
Monday, May 14, 2012
Colin Beavan newest aspirant for 8th Congressional seat.
1. A campaign spokesperson for Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, D-Fort Greene, had this to say about 'No Impact Man' star Colin Beavan's candidacy on the Green Party line, announced last week: “We’re focused on the primary right now. We will not comment on possible general election challengers until the appropriate time.” As of early Monday, Jeffries' primary challenger, Councilman Charles Barron, did not return a call for comment on Beavan's 8th Congressional District bid. 2. Rosecrans Baldwin, editor of The Morning News and author of the novel You Lost Me There, discusses his new memoir about expatriate life, Paris, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down. Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton St. 7:30 p.m. Free. 3. Come by and feel like part of …
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Is a 2 a.m. last call too late for the 18,000-seat arena?
At what time should the Barclays Center stop serving alcohol? Last week, Community Board 6 voted to recommend an absolute cut-off time for all alcohol sales at 2 a.m. during all events at the arena. However the recommendation, which will go to the New York State Liquor Authority, came with two conditions that follow the policy already in place for the 40 NBA games: However, BrooklynSpeaks, a coalition of civic organizations surrounding the arena, has a petition that requests all alcoholic beverage sales be cut off at 10 p.m. at the absolute latest in all areas of the arena, reflecting area residents fear of drunk pedestrians and drivers flooding the streets after the 180 non-NBA events expected next year. In addition, there are four clubs…
Friday, May 11, 2012
'No Impact Man' Colin Beavan to run on Green Party line.
Environmentalist and author Colin Beavan this week announced his candidacy for Congress, joining Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, D-Fort Greene, and Councilman Charles Barron, D-East New York, in the race to replace Rep. Edolphus "Ed" Towns in Congress. Amongst his campaign issues are: "We have to face up to climate change, the end of oil, and the failure of consumption to make people happy," said Beavan in a press release announcing his candidacy. "Robust local economies help solve all these problems." Beavan, 48, was born and raised in Manhattan and has been a resident of Clinton Hill for a little more than a year, according to Ryan Harbage, Beavan’s campaign manager. On employment, affordable housing and crime, "[Beavan] believes the more …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Economic and job development on display in the heart of Old Brooklyn.
Once a prime example of urban industrial decay, the Brooklyn Navy Yard served as the venue of choice for a May general monthly meeting of Community Board 2 Wednesday night. Featuring an update on ongoing construction by Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. president Andrew Kimball, the meeting was held in a gleaming, state-of-the-art BLDG 92—a visitor and jobs center unveiled with great fanfare last fall. Here's a summary of some of the highlights at the gathering: Admiral's Row Development, Jobs and a Tour of BLDG 92 Kimball provided an update on planned construction of a mixed-use development including a supermarket at Admiral's Row. "We've got the keys," Kimball told CB2, referring to the decades-long process of transferring control of …
Late-night alcohol sales emerges as a big issue as the September scheduled opening of the 19,000-seat arena edges closer.
1. In an occasionally emotional meeting, Community Board 6 last night voted, 21-9, in favor of a resolution urging the New York State Liquor Authority to set a 2 a.m. cutoff time for alcohol sales at Barclays Center. The measure also called on Levy Restaurants, Barclays Center's food and drink supplier, to end alcohol service after the third quarter of NBA games and to institute a cutoff time an hour before any scheduled event. Brooklyn Speaks currently has an online petition calling on the state to set strict limits on alcohol sales at Barclays. 2. This American Life beams into hundreds of movie theaters as host Ira Glass curates Things You Can't Do On The Radio—featuring music, dance, comedy and other things that don't quite fit on the …
The group is calling for a 10 p.m. cutoff time for all alcohol sales at the arena during all events.
Last call! Get your last beer! In the latest development regarding Levy Restaurants' liquor license application, which will be the Barclays Center’s food and liquor vendor, BrooklynSpeaks created a petition that requests all alcoholic beverage sales be cut off at 10 p.m. at the absolute latest in all areas of the arena. "Barclays Center has applied for a license that would allow it to keep serving alcohol up to the 4 a.m. state limit in an 18,000-seat arena," the petition reads on BrooklynSpeaks' website. "Sure, the NBA has a policy that requires liquor sales to end after the third quarter. But basketball only accounts for 40 of the expected 220 events to be held at the arena each year. And Barclays’ application isn’t even limited to …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Forest City Ratner to slash parking at arena from 1,100 to just under 550 spots. But will that help or hurt area residents?
Last week the head of the Empire State Development Corporation announced that the state had halved the number of required parking spaces at the Barclay’s Center surface lot from 1,100 to just under 550. The move allows developer Forest City Ratner to throw out its plan for the loud and slow “stack-parking," which uses hydraulic lifts to load as many as four cars on vertical structures, which critics say will slow traffic to a crawl when the 18,000-seat arena opens in the fall. Neighborhood activists have been pushing for reduced parking spaces for some time, arguing that fewer parking spaces mean fewer people will drive to the arena. However others argue that fewer spots will only lead to more cars competing for street parking. In related …
Paul Leonard
10:04 am on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
A bill creating a panel to oversee banks that the city deposits money and otherwise does business with passed, 44-4. The bill allowing for the transfer of muni-meter time also passed, 48-0. more ›