Recent Articles Tagged WithNostrand Avenue

Brooklyn Bodegas Thrive on Soon-To-Be Slashed Food Assistance

By Nicole Brydson

Signs advertising government food subsidy programs dot the awnings and windows of the small and decrepit mini-grocers that line poverty stricken streets throughout Brooklyn, where rotting produce and goods packed with corn syrup collect dust. With a new federal cut to food stamp subsidies signed into law this week, how can Brooklyn retailers provide better food to it’s most vulnerable citizens rather than just continue to cut corners?

Crown Heights

By Jessica Dailey

This vibrant and diverse community has just about anything you could want on a summer stroll. From great – and cheap! – food to spacious gardens, the city’s second largest museum, an abundance of specialty stores catering to Jewish and Caribbean residents, and vibrant nightlife, Crown Heights makes for a great day trip on the fly.

Itziar Barrio: Basque Wildcat Marks Her Territory in Bed-Stuy

By Nicole Brydson

How and why did Basque artist Itziar Barrio end up creating a public billboard art installation on the corner of Nostrand Avenue and Fulton Street in Bed-Stuy? Barrio spoke with us about the concept of her irreverently engaging piece, and why the ideas surrounding art and community are more universal than local.

Another Shooting Stirs Crown Heights Residents

By Nicole Brydson

A shot was fired on Dean Street between Bedford and Nostrand Avenues in Crown Heights last night around 9pm, striking a victim in the chest. According to officers at the precinct reached by phone today, the victim survived and was taken to Kings County Hospital. The motive was unclear and an investigation is pending.

Commissioner Dodges Question on Funding, Hands Out Awards

By Nicole Brydson

The morning after residents of Crown Heights took the Police Commissioner to task for drug dealing, prostitution and quality of life issues in the neighborhood, Ray Kelly was awarding the Deputy Inspector of their local 77th precinct a unit citation at Medal Day ceremonies.

The same precinct where, according to department statistics, crime has plummeted 18%.

“If you look at statistics at this precinct, they are very, very impressive,” Commissioner Kelly had told the crowded basement of Berean Baptist Church. “If you’re the victim of a crime, you don’t want to hear about statistics, I understand that, one crime is one crime too many – but the numbers here are really an indication of the work that’s being done.”

With all the talk about statistics, it sounded like the crowd was watching The Wire.

Police Commish Mum On Anti-Gay Allegations Against Cops

By Nicole Brydson

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.

The Under Report: Lesbians Beaten Up By Cops in Crown Heights

By Nicole Brydson

According 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.