CAN RESIDENTS GET TRUCKS REROUTED?

20th Street Truck Route Network Study

Tuesday, March 3rd, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Trucks create safety hazards, congestion, noise, and air pollution on McDonald Avenue, Terrace Place, Caton Avenue, and Church Avenue. These problems are felt by pedestrians, cyclists, drivers of other vehicles, and residents.

Traffic safety comes up often in conversations among residents of Kensington and Windsor Terrace, particularly after a neighbor gets injured or killed. Construction of a new elementary/middle school on Caton Avenue has been another impetus. We talk about our concerns and push our goals at meetings of community boards, the recently-formed grassroots organizations KWT Safe Streets and Windsor Terrace Safe Streets, and in online forums.

Let's see what we can learn from another neighborhood about the process of getting trucks rerouted at Wednesday's meeting in the Windsor Terrace Library. The Department of Transportation (DOT) will present its updated study on alternatives to the 20th Street truck route at a joint meeting with the Transportation committees of Community Board 7 and Community Board 14.

Truck traffic on 20th Street, from 3rd Avenue to 7th Avenue, has been a source of trouble for its residents for years. More than 200 residents signed a petition in 2010 citing property damage and congestion that two-way truck traffic had caused on the narrow street. Then, in February 2010, CB 7 requested that DOT study the truck route to see if the street could be made one-way.

DOT agreed to conduct a traffic study to develop truck route alternatives. The department formulated a plan (20th Street Network Review) that they published in January 2012. Some residents were dissatisfied with it and posted a petition opposing it. The community board then voted against the plan and asked the department to continue studying the problem.

DOT's revised 20th Street Truck Route Study is the latest product of this years-long struggle by residents. It analyzes alternatives for the local-truck route and through-truck route network in the neighborhood, with the goal of improving traffic safety and ameliorating congestion and pollution. Let's see what DOT has come up with.

Meeting location:
Windsor Terrace Library  
160 E. 5th Street, at the corner of Fort Hamilton Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11218   
(718) 686-9707  
http://www.bklynlibrary.org/locations/windsor-terrace

IT'S EASY TO ORDER PRESCRIPTIONS ON PARKWAY PHARMACY'S WEBSITE

On Parkway Pharmacy's new website, you can register to

• send a new prescription (Bring the doctor's prescription to the pharmacy when you pick up the medication.),
• request refills of prescriptions that you can either pick up or have delivered by foot, FedEx, UPS, and USPS,
• transfer your prescriptions from another pharmacy, and
• review your active and non-active prescriptions.

Parkway also supports RefillRx Mobile for iPhone and Android.

Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover are all accepted at Parkway.

To view the website in Spanish, click on "Ver en Espanol" in the upper-right corner of your screen.

Parkway has been serving the neighborhood since 1980. Its pharmacists are knowledgeable, interested in the well-being of their customers, and dedicated to providing excellent service.

Open hours:
Monday: 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday: 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: Closed 

Parkway Pharmacy
531 Church Avenue, at the northwest corner of Ocean Parkway
Kensington, Brooklyn
phone: (718) 436-5501
fax: (718) 437-9490
online e-mail: https://parkwaypharmacyny.com/contact.php
website: https://parkwaypharmacyny.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Parkway-Pharmacy/263454267196685

SUPPORT LOCAL INDEPENDENT SMALL BUSINESSES.

LIVEN UP YOUR HOME WITH FREE HOUSEPLANTS (GROWN FROM CUTTINGS)

Growing Houseplants from Cuttings

Saturday, March 7th, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Houseplants make a home homier. Learn how to start vigorous new houseplants expertly from cuttings in this interactive free workshop led by local resident Susan Braverman.

Susan, a Horticultural Therapist Master and founder of Urban Oasis, will show you how to start--or increase--your plant collection at no cost. You'll be given two free potted plants and a how-to guide to take home.

Register by phone at (718) 686-9707 or online at http://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/growing-houseplants-cutti-windsor-terrace-library-030715.

Windsor Terrace Library  
160 E. 5th Street, at the corner of Fort Hamilton Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11218   
(718) 686-9707  
http://www.bklynlibrary.org/locations/windsor-terrace

ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING SUSPENDED FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH

The New York City Department of Transportation and the New York City Department of Sanitation have announced that

Alternate side of the street parking regulations, normally in effect for street cleaning, will be suspended on Friday, February 27th, because of cold weather conditions.

All other parking regulations, including those for parking meters, will be in effect.

STABBING IN DENNY'S BAR IN KENSINGTON

An argument between two men in Denny's Pub (Beverley Road at Church and McDonald avenues) at 3:00 yesterday morning led to one of them slicing the other one's neck.

The New York Post reports in its Daily Blotter that the victim was playing pool when the alleged perpetrator, Frank Candiano, attacked him, leaving him with serious injuries that aren't life-threatening. The two men knew each other. Multiple charges have been filed against the perpetrator.

Additional information is in the Post article.

JAZZ GREAT BERTHA HOPE'S INSPIRED PERFORMANCE IN KENSINGTON

left to right: tenor saxophonist Kit McClure, pianist and leader Bertha Hope,

P.S. 130 Principal Maria Nunziata, and bassist Jennifer Vincent

The incredible pianist Bertha Hope conquered an audience of over 300 kindergarten through 5th grade students yesterday at P.S. 130 in a performance in honor of Black History Month. Ms. Hope brought along Jennifer Vincent on bass and Kit McClure on tenor saxophone.

Playing traditional jazz standards written by several towering figures in jazz--Horace Silver, Duke Ellington, and Thelonious Monk--the trio tailored its performance to the audience of students by incorporating an interactive educational component.

Not only did the children hear an amazing luminary of this country’s greatest gift to the world--jazz--they also learned some music theory as they became familiar with some of the repertoire, including Horace Silver's "Song For My Father," Monk's "Well You Needn't," and the Billy Strayhorn favorite made popular by Duke Ellington, "Take The 'A' Train." Since the school's 2nd graders are currently working on a New York City subway system curriculum, the Strayhorn song fit in perfectly!

The children were engaged and couldn't have been happier.

We are forever indebted to The Jazz Foundation of America for making this event possible.

-- Text and photos courtesy of Kim Smith,

president of Kim Smith Public Relations

NYC EDUCATION AND NYC TRANSIT ARE GETTING CHEATED IN THE STATE BUDGET

Press Release NEWS Assemblymember Jim Brennan 44th Assembly District OFFICES:           416 Seventh Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215, 718-788-7221                                     1414 Cortelyou Road,  Brooklyn, NY 11226, 718-940-0641                                          422 LOB, Albany, NY 12248, 518-455-5377 CONTACT:          Melanie Hirsch 718 788-7221

 

   Assemblymember Brennan to Hold Town Hall Meeting on

State Budget to Discuss Education and Mass Transit

Education
New York State Assemblymember Jim Brennan (D-Wf) is concerned that Governor Cuomo’s education budget links any increased State funding for public schools to proposals that will damage our public schools, not help them.

According to Brennan, increasing the use of test scores to fire teachers and principals and close schools will not work to improve our public schools; it will just result in greater demoralization of staff and rejection by students and parents.

Adding 100 more charter schools, along with current charter expansion, will divert tens of thousands of students and hundreds of millions of dollars and much needed resources away from our public schools, undermining and destabilizing them.

Assemblymember Brennan is strongly encouraging Governor Cuomo to “work with the legislature on a healthy increase in State aid of $2.2 billion and restore progress toward compliance with the Campaign for Fiscal Equity court decision, which directed the State to assure adequate funding for the public schools.”

Transit
In vetoing the MTA Capital budget, Governor Cuomo is leaving a $14 billion shortfall in scheduled replacement of trains, buses, track, signals and other investments. According to Brennan, “a fully funded statewide transit system will better each and every corner of New York State.”

Assemblyman Brennan is mobilizing his constituents and asking, “How Should Progressives Respond to These Proposals?” The Town Hall Budget Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 4th, 2015, 6:30 PM-8:30 PM at PS 139, 330 Rugby Road between Beverley and Cortelyou Roads, Entrance on Rugby Road.

Assemblyman Brennan encourages all to have their voices heard in making a difference and urge them to join the effort by signing and sharing these two on line petitions that he has developed. Please sign the petitions by following the links:

Education petition
https://www.change.org/p/andrew-cuomo-we-reject-your-holding-state-aid-hostage-to-your-damaging-education-budget
 
Transit petition
https://www.change.org/p/andrew-cuomo-keep-new-york-state-moving-forward-prioritize-funds-for-public-transportation

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ADOPT A FURRY FRIEND AT NEW VET'S OFFICE IN WINDSOR TERRACE

Adoption Event

Saturday, February 28th, noon to 5:00 p.m.

The dog or cat (or maybe the dog and cat) of your dreams will be waiting for you at Alison Animal Hospital this Saturday, so head over there to pick them up and take them home. They'll love you for it.

Alison's vets, Dr. Alex Klein and Dr. Susan Ryan, are hosting this adoption event for Sean Casey Animal Rescue, the no-kill shelter in Windsor Terrace that's filled with wonderful creatures who are waiting for a home.

Alison Animal Hospital
224 Prospect Park West, between 16th Street and Windsor Place
Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn
(718) 473-0081
sayhi @ alisonanimal.com
http://alisonanimal.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alison-Animal-Hospital/1493783764186763

MAKE HAMENTASCHEN ON SATURDAY, GO TO THE PURIM CARNIVAL THE FOLLOWING SATURDAY

Hands on Hamantaschen
Saturday, February 28th, 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Learn how to make hamantaschen. Fee: $10 per person; $20 maximum per family. RSVP by Thursday, February 26th, by e-mail to templebeth83 @ aol.com or call (718) 282-1596.

Bring your own rolling pin!

Purim Carnival

Saturday, March 7th, 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Celebrate Purim at Temple Beth Emeth's Purim Carnival. It'll be fun and games in the banquet hall, featuring a costume parade, mask making, hamantashen, face painting, basketball, bowling, and more--with prizes for all. Go in costume and win a prize!

The admission fee is $10.00 per person for everything, including a pizza lunch. Children under two years old will be admitted free. The maximum charge per family is $25.

Purim begins at sunset on Wednesday, March 4th, and lasts until sunset the following day.

Temple Beth Emeth is a Reform congregation. 

Temple Beth Emeth v'Ohr Progressive Shaari Zedek
83 Marlborough Road at Church Avenue

Ditmas Park, Brooklyn
phone: (718) 282-1596

fax: (718) 282-1537

templebeth83 @ aol.com 
http://www2.bethemeth.net
https://www.facebook.com/TBEOPSZ 

The synagogue is located near the Church Avenue station on the B and Q subway lines.

BLACK HISTORY TROLLEY TOUR AT GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY

Black History Trolley Tour

Saturday, February 28th, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

A special trolley tour of Green-Wood Cemetery with historian Jeff Richman will recognize the significance of Black History Month in Brooklyn and the deep impact that black New Yorkers have had on New York City culture since its inception.

Slavery was abolished in New York State in 1827. Founded eleven years later in 1838, Green-wood Cemetery, has always been integrated.

Stops will be made on the tour to honor the life and accomplishments of many prominent black New Yorkers as well as several abolitionists who worked for freedom in America.

• Susan Smith McKinney Stewart, the first black female doctor in the state,
• Jean-Michel Basquiat, innovative artist of the 1970s and 1980s,
• Jeremiah Hamilton, New York’s first black millionaire,
• civil war heroes and survivors, and
• freed slaves working as abolitionists.

Cost: $15 for members of Green-Wood Cemetery or Brooklyn Historical Society. $20 for non-members. 

The trolley tours are fully accessible and are ADA-compliant.

Register here.

Green-wood Cemetery is a National Historic Landmark.

Green-wood Cemetery

500 25th Street

(718) 210-3080

info @ greenwoodcemetery.org

http://www.green-wood.com

https://www.facebook.com/historicgreenwood

https://twitter.com/greenwoodhf

https://instagram.com/historicgreenwood

NO ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH

The New York City Department of Transportation and the New York City Department of Sanitation made this announcement a few minutes ago.

Alternate side of the street parking regulations, normally in effect for street cleaning, will be suspended on Thursday, February 26th, because of cold weather conditions.

All other parking regulations, including those for parking meters, will be in effect.

THE KESTREL IS HALF EMPTY. OR IS IT HALF FULL?

Brownstoner reports that half of the apartments in Kestrel, a luxury rental building, have been rented as of yesterday. Leasing began in September 2014.

The eight-story building, located in "idyllic Windsor Terrace," has 126 apartments, including studios (starting at $1,662) and one-bedroom (starting at $2,162), two-bedroom (starting at $3,102), and three-bedroom apartments (starting at $4,809).

A lot of amenities are offered, including a fitness center, pet spa, children's playroom, bike storage, and attended on-site parking.

Kestrel is at 33 Caton Place, between E. 8th Street and Ocean Parkway.

NO ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING REQUIRED TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH

Alternate side of the street parking regulations, normally in effect for street cleaning, will be suspended on Tuesday, February 24th, to facilitate snow removal.

All other parking regulations, including those for parking meters, will be in effect.

TALMUD CLASS STARTS THIS WEEK AT FLATBUSH JEWISH CENTER

An Introducation to Talmud; a Journey into Traditional Text Study Tuesdays, beginning February 24th, at 7:30 p.m. An introductory Talmud class with Rabbi Sara Zacharia will provide novices as well as those familiar with Talmud study with an opportunity to explore rabbinic text and tradition and its relevance today. Through hevruta study (partnership study), pairs of students will read, discuss, and explore the text together, followed by a teacher-led text review and discussion. This is a co-ed class. Location: Flatbush Jewish Center 327 E. 5th Street, corner of Church Avenue Kensington phone: (718) 871-5200 fax: (718) 871-5204 e-mail: news @ flatbushjewishcenter.org http://www.flatbushjewishcenter.org https://www.facebook.com/FlatbushJewishCenter Enter the synagogue via the ramp on E. 5th Street. Take the stairs or the elevator down to the Hanid Room on the lower level.  About Rabbi Sara Zacharia Rabbi Zacharia was brought up in the ultra-Orthodox community of Brooklyn. Her rabbinic ordination was by a Conservative school of rabbinic studies. She has developed and teaches Jewish mindfulness through study, meditation, prayer, and eating practices.

NO ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD

Alternate side of the street parking regulations, normally in effect for street cleaning, will be suspended on Monday, February 23rd, to facilitate snow removal.

All other parking regulations, including those for parking meters, will be in effect.

A POSSIBLE DOG RUN IN KENSINGTON

Kensington Dog Run Association Meeting

Monday, February 23rd, 7:30 p.m.

Kensington Dog Run Association has been working on getting a dog run established in the Parade Ground near Caton Avenue and Coney Island Avenue. Everyone interested in a place in Kensington where dogs can run free (in a closed-in dog run) is invited to the group's next meeting. Two of the topics at the meeting of this community group will be finding funding and building a website.

The meeting will take place in the Recreation Room of the apartment building at 346 Coney Island Avenue, between Caton Place and Kermit Place. 

For more information, contact Lynn at lpradov @ mindspring.com.

https://www.facebook.com/KensingtonDogRun
https://twitter.com/KensingtonDog

PRE-PURIM PARTY AT EZRAGUITAR

Pre-Purim Party

Sunday, March 1st, 11:00 a.m.

Chabad of Ditmas Park is having a pre-Purim party at EzraGuitar. Wear a costume, enjoy a musical Purim performance by Leilah and Maoz Ezra (guitar and voice), decorate your own hamantaschen, make masks and groggers, and dance.

Light refreshments will be served. The party is open to people of all ages. The admission fee is $10 per family at the door.

Make reservations by sending an e-mail to info @ ezraguitar.com or calling (718) 434-2103. Space is limited.

EzraGuitar

785 Coney Island Avenue

between Cortelyou and Dorchester roads

Brooklyn

EzraGuitar.com

https://www.facebook.com/EzraGuitars

ANOTHER PARKING RULES SUSPENSION FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH, AND SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST

Alternate side of the street parking regulations, normally in effect for street cleaning, will be suspended on Friday, February 20th, and Saturday, February 21st, to facilitate snow removal.

All other parking regulations, including those for parking meters, will be in effect.

EXPRESS F TRAIN IN BROOKLYN THIS WEEKEND

Coney Island-bound F trains will run express from Smith-9 Sts to Avenue X from Friday, February 20th, at 11:45 p.m. until Sunday, February 22nd, at 8:00 p.m. 

Coney Island-bound F trains won't be stopping at 4th Av-9th St, 15th St-Prospect Park, Fort Hamilton Pkwy, Ditmas Av, Avenue I, Bay Pkwy, Avenue N, Avenue P, or Avenue U.

The travel alternatives are

• For 4th Av-9th St, 15th St-Prospect Park, and Fort Hamilton Pkwy, take the G train instead. Transfer between trains at Smith-9th Sts, 7th Avenue, or Church Avenue.
• For service to Ditmas Av, Avenue I, Bay Pkwy, Avenue N, Avenue P, and Avenue U, take the F train to 18th Av, Kings Hwy, or Avenue X and transfer to a Jamaica-bound F train.
• For service from these stations, take the F train to Kings Hwy, 18th Avenue, or Church Avenue and transfer to a Coney Island-bound F train.
  

  
  

"THE HOUSE WE LIVE IN": FINAL EPISODE OF "RACE: THE POWER OF AN ILLUSION": FREE SCREENING

Movie: "The House We Live In"

Sunday, February 22nd, 8:00 p.m.

Occupy Kensington will show the third and final episode of the PBS documentary "Race: The power of an illusion" (http://www.pbs.org/race/000_General/000_00-Home.htm). This episode deals with institutional racism and white privilege.

If race doesn't exist biologically, what is it? And why should it matter? Our final episode, "The House We Live In," is the first film about race to focus not on individual attitudes and behavior but on the ways our institutions and policies advantage some groups at the expense of others.

Its subject is the "unmarked" race: white people. We see how benefits quietly and often invisibly accrue to white people, not necessarily because of merit or hard work, but because of the racialized nature of our laws, courts, customs, and, perhaps most pertinently, housing.

The film begins by looking at the massive immigration from eastern and southern Europe early in the 20th century. Italians, Hebrews, Greeks, and other ethnics were considered by many to be separate races. Their "whiteness" had to be won. But who was white?

The 1790 Naturalization Act had limited naturalized citizenship to "free, white persons." Many new arrivals petitioned the courts to be legally designated white in order to gain citizenship. Armenians, known as "Asiatic Turks," succeeded with the help of anthropologist Franz Boas, who testified on their behalf as an expert scientific witness.

In 1922, Takao Ozawa, a Japanese immigrant who had attended the University of California, also appealed the rejection of his citizenship application. He argued that his skin was physically white and that race shouldn't matter for citizenship. The Supreme Court, however, decided that the Japanese were not legally white based on science, which classified them as Mongoloid rather than Caucasian.

Less than a year later, in the case of United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind, the court contradicted itself by concluding that Asian Indians were not legally white, even though science classified them as Caucasian. Refuting its own reasoning in Ozawa, the justices declared that whiteness should be based not on science, but on "the common understanding of the white man."

Next we see how Italians, Jews and other European ethnics fared better, especially after World War II, when segregated suburbs like Levittown popped up around the country, built with the help of new federal policies and funding.

Real estate practices and federal government regulations directed government-guaranteed loans to white homeowners and kept non-whites out, allowing those once previously considered "not quite white" to blend together and reap the advantages of whiteness, including the accumulation of equity and wealth as their homes increased in value. Those on the other side of the color line were denied the same opportunities for asset accumulation and upward mobility.

Today, the net worth of the average Black family is about 1/8 that of the average white family. Much of that difference derives from the value of the family's residence.

Houses in predominantly white areas sell for much more than those in Black, Hispanic or integrated neighborhoods, and so power, wealth, and advantage - or the lack of it - are passed down from parent to child. Wealth isn't just luxury or profit; it's the starting point for the next generation.

How does the wealth gap translate into performance differences? New studies reveal that when the "family wealth gap" between African Americans and whites is taken into account, there is no difference in test scores, graduation rates, welfare usage and other measures.

It's a lack of opportunities, not natural differences, that's responsible for continuing inequality. Wealth, more than any other measure, shows the accumulated impact of past discrimination, and shapes your life chances.

"Colorblind" policies which ignore race only perpetuate these inequities. As Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun wrote, "To get beyond racism we must first take account of race. There is no other way."

As "The House We Live In" shows us, until we address the legacy of past discrimination and confront the historical meanings of race, the dream of equality will remain out of reach.

----------------------------------

The movie will be shown at 347 East 5th Street, between Church Avenue and Beverly Road, in Kensington, in a private home. Admission is free.

MORE ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING SUSPENSIONS: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH, AND THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19TH

Alternate side of the street parking regulations, normally in effect for street cleaning, will be suspended on Wednesday, February 18th, for Ash Wednesday and Thursday, February 19th, for Asian Lunar New Year.

All other parking regulations, including those for parking meters, will be in effect.

66TH PRECINCT COMMUNITY COUNCIL WILL MEET THIS WEEK (FREE)

66th Precinct Community Council Meeting 

Thursday, February 19th, 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Deputy Inspector Michael Deddo, the Commanding Officer of the 66th Precinct, will give an update at the next meeting of the 66th Precinct Community Council on the latest crimes within the precinct's boundaries and what the precinct is doing about crime. 

This is an opportunity to ask the inspector questions and bring crime issues to the precinct's attention. You can also learn about the many programs available through the NYPD. 

The meeting is open to the public.

The 66th Precinct Community Council serves Borough Park, part of Kensington, and part of Midwood. It meets from September through June on the third Thursday of the month from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Meeting place:
Community Board 12 office
5910 13th Avenue

between 59th and 60th streets
Borough Park, Brooklyn
(718) 851-5601 (66th Precinct Community Affairs)

To get there, take the B16 bus to 13th Avenue and 57th Street and then walk two blocks to the building. To get home, catch the bus on 14th Avenue.