It’s not a festival, but a “film challenge that brings communities closer together by inviting filmmakers of all levels to create short narrative or documentary videos of their block using only their block’s residents as cast and crew.”
November 28, 2012 Boroughing, Classic, NewAs the local political dust of 2009 settles, Brooklynites will begin to see their city council choices at work (or not) in the new year.
Former councilman Bill deBlasio ascended to the role of public advocate this month, and stood with some of the council’s newest members to announce his intentions of reform for the office. “You have to engage the grass roots, and my office will be the leading edge of that,” he told the New York Times, of his desire to train city residents as community organizers. Now, residents of our fine borough will see the representation of three new incumbents whose rise to local leader began in the very same place.
At a local meeting on crime, the message was clear: citizens, engage your community and get involved or these tough times will only get worse.
October 21, 2009 Boroughing, City Politics, Classic, State Politics, The People
What are the cops in your neighborhood up to? In the past 30 days, there have been 21 homicides in New York City – 29 less than the same period last year. Twelve of the homicides in the past 30 days took place in Brooklyn. Specifically Brownsville, East New York, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Clinton Hill – and it’s clear that more officers are on the streets of Crown Heights these days after a summer punctuated by the sound of gunshots.
September 28, 2009 Boroughing, City Politics, Classic, The Locals, The People
Residents, elected officials and family members gathered at the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church in Fort Greene this week to remember Shem Walker’s life – an innocent Clinton Hill resident fatally shot by an undercover police officer – and discuss the implications, policy and the prevention of tragedies like this one.
September 24, 2009 Boroughing, City Politics, Classic, State PoliticsDr. Karen Gould, the brand new and first female president of Brooklyn College, joined Borough President Marty Markowitz at Borough Hall yesterday to kick off a new partnership with the White House Project that will culminate in a day long conference called Go Lead next January. The program aims to inspire and engage woman across Kings County to run for political office.
September 23, 2009 Classic, Culture, The Locals, The People
In light of the increasing number of newly painted bike lanes, and the cars who like to defile them, we’ve created a list of new road rules for everyone to help prevent catastrophic crashes between bikes and cars.
September 15, 2009 Classic, Culture, Environment, The Locals, The People
‘Tis the season for city elections, so in advance of the September 15 primary, Brooklyn The Borough has compiled a list of incumbents and challengers in this year’s contested City Council elections for Brooklyn. There are many challengers this year, and open seats in the 33rd and 39th districts have made for heated races. Issues surrounding sustainable development have driven many candidates out of the woodwork. The pro-development Brooklyn political machine is still alive but questions remain about whether candidates supported by the county’s party boss, Assemblyman Vito Lopez, will sustain themselves despite criticism for their ties to a machine that makes the money flow from Brooklyn based business interests. The term limits extension has also sparked a renewed political engagement in the borough. Many candidates who had planned on running for seats that would have been open before term limits were extended have chosen to challenge incumbents that voted for the extension. We’ve compiled detailed information on each race as well as fundraising totals as the candidates head into the final weekend of the campaign.
September 10, 2009 City Politics, The Locals
The Red Hook Community Justice Center is housed in an old parochial school at 88 Visitation Place and at its core, is a courthouse with Judge Alex Calabrese presiding over cases involving civil, criminal and family law issues. It offers a holistic approach to criminal justice by attempting to redress the underlying cause of the crime and prevent recidivism through social services such as education workshops and mental health counseling. After ten years, why are the Justice Center’s successes still unique in the Borough?
August 18, 2009 Boroughing, City Politics, Classic, Culture, State Politics, The Locals, The People
In fiscal year 2009, 311 records indicate Brooklyn had 4,042 complaints of bed bugs and 1,729 violations. These numbers place Brooklyn first among all boroughs in number of complaints, with over 50% more complaints than the next closest borough, Manhattan. Dr. Louis Sorkin, a bed bug expert and entomologist at the American Museum of Natural History, thinks the City should offer its residents more education on preventing the spread of these tiny terrors. Here’s the scoop on what to do if you find yourself with these unwanted house guests.
August 9, 2009 Boroughing, City Politics, Culture, Real Estate, The Locals, The People
Dollar Van Demos, a YouTube upstart founded by Brooklynite Joe Revitte, seeks out and promotes local singers by filming them in the most local form of transportation: the dollar van. Brooklyn’s next generation of talent could be belting it out next to you on your way to work.
August 9, 2009 Boroughing, Brooklyn Beats, Classic, Multi/Media, Music Profiles, VideoIn spite of the menial attention garnered by Brooklyn’s violent and pervasive drug trade in the local news media, borough residents are making sure you’ve heard about their loved one, or even strangers, senselessly gunned down – but they’re not snitching.
July 13, 2009 City Politics, Classic, Culture, The Locals, The PeopleOne of the noticeable differences in Brooklyn since Democrats took over the state senate from Republicans last year, is the increase in discretionary funding doled out by each senator in their district.
The majority party – in control of everything down to the office supplies in each district office – carries more weight than just backroom dealings with the governor.
June 12, 2009 State Politics, The Locals
There was an elephant in the basement of Berean Baptist Church in Crown Heights on Monday, when Police Commissioner Ray Kelly spent an hour addressing the questions of residents concerned with violence, drugs and quality of life issues on the streets of the 77th precinct in Brooklyn.
That elephant came in the form of allegations that officers from the 77th assaulted two lesbian women outside of a local nightclub while spewing anti-gay remarks. The question never came up during the meeting and the commissioner gave a terse “no comment” when confronted with it on his way out the door.
June 9, 2009 City Politics, Classic, Queer News
Would you pay $2,700 per month to eat off granite counter tops on East New York Avenue? Mayor Bloomberg is.
June 8, 2009 City Politics, Classic, Real Estate, The LocalsAccording to a report, two lesbians were allegedly beaten in front of a nightclub on Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights. Jeannette Grey and Tiffany Jimenez are alleging that NYPD officers used excessive force and hateful speech when they encountered the women outside of Ife Lounge on May 16.
June 8, 2009 City Politics, Queer NewsChanequa Campbell, 21, grew up in Bedford Stuyvesant. The now-infamous Harvard senior, linked to a drug-related homicide on campus, is back in Brooklyn, awaiting the arrival of her possessions.
Whether Ms. Campbell’s involvement in the murder was criminal or not – the main story line in the coverage of this tragic event and subsequent charges of racism on Harvard’s part – is somewhat beside the point.
June 5, 2009 Classic, Culture, The Locals, The People
Don’t call Theophilus London a rapper. He’s a pop artist.
May 13, 2009 Brooklyn Beats, Classic, Music Profiles“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Reverend Timothy Wright, the Grammy-nominated ‘Godfather of Gospel’ who was equally known and beloved in Crown Heights and throughout Brooklyn as the spiritual leader of the Grace Tabernacle Christian Center Church of God in Christ. The same terrible accident that claimed the lives of Reverend Wright’s wife Betty and grandson D.J. last summer, has now silenced another of our bright, shining lights. All of Brooklyn, the Grace Tabernacle Christian Center family and the gospel community mourn Reverend Wright—now of blessed memory—and our prayers are with his loved ones as they carry on his spiritual work and legacy.” – Marty Markowitz
April 24, 2009 Culture, The Locals, The PeopleAround lunch time last Friday, 18-year-old Chad Wilkens was standing in China City, on the corner of Nostrand Avenue and Dean Street in Crown Heights, when he was shot. An ambulance arrived and took Mr. Wilkens to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The media was nowhere to be found.
April 22, 2009 City Politics, Classic, Culture, The Locals, The PeopleApparently it’s quite controversial to discuss the experience of living in Brooklyn when it comes to the topic of race. A few weeks back, I dared to talk about it and received a lot of flack. But in my hood, Prospect Heights, and anywhere really, race, class and gentrification are heavy topics, and I’m not going to shy away from them.
February 7, 2008 Boroughing, City Politics, Culture, Real Estate, State Politics, The Locals, The People
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