2010 Project Green – Arbor Day in Herbert Von King Park

Arbor Day crabapple tree planting is watered by neighborhood youth

Hip Hop dancer Lavell Franklin (see back page) – featured hundreds of stars – 650+schoolchildren from area schools – celebrating nature, “green,” the environment, ecology, spring and good health. 

The event was sponsored by Con Edison, Super Foodtown, Flowerworks, Legacy Ventures and Earth New York.  The event was co-hosted by Carl Luciano, Councilman Al Vann’s Community Liaison and included New York City Parks and Recreation commissioners Liam Kavanaugh and Tom Ching; New York State Assemblywoman Annette Robinson, keeper of Brooklyn’s historical “green” memory as a friend to and supporter of the late Hattie Carthan; representatives of the Magnolia Tree Earth Center of Bedford Stuyvesant, founded by Mrs. Carthan; students and educators from PS 256, Bedford Village School, PS 140, Brighter Choice, Young Scholars and other schools.  And the Brooklyn Job Corps Green Team led by Kai Smith came and helped with the complex logistics and crowd control.

Youngsters line up for healthy treats donated by Super Foodtown at Restoration.

On stage with Mr. Banks, Ms. Harris and Mr. Franklin, delivering “green” messages, were: food activist

Ajamu Brown, Bed-Stuy Eco-Mapping

Ajamu Brown of the Bed-Stuy Eco-Mapping Project; Medicine Wheel Workshop founder, Talks With Wolves (Stephen Wilson); Von King Park manager Lemuel Mial and more. There were stellar green performances and presentations by every school present, and a show-stopping presentation of a speech by Michelle Obama  by orator Ebony Leah Williams of PS 256.
Inside the Cultural Arts Center in the Eubie Blake Theater,  Durett led the community’s green leaders in an information-sharing workshop, which included a PowerPoint presentation by PS 3/Bedford Village Arts Education Liaison Stephen Mohney.

Von King gardener Marechal Brown and Park Manager Lemuel Mial.

In Von King Park’s northeast section along Lafayette, new gardener Marechal Brown, led the tree planting, and the children helped.  Next year, says Ms. Brown, the planting will be a tree ceremony in the park’s largest field, and Talks With Wolves will lead a huge Circle dance.  “And there will be a blessing of the ground.”
If anyone asks where’s Bedford Stuyvesant’s “green” movment, the answer is: it’s here.  The positioning is solid;  the center is not a brownfield nor a tarnished waterfront, it’s the schools (see story by Mohney on PS 3, page  4) where the community’s leaders of tomorrow – the message on the park’s welcoming sign – are being taught, trained, empowered and developed. 
Nationally known as a “ground zero” for myriad afflictions, Bedford Stuyvesant, as revealed by Arbor Day 2010 at Von King Park, is now leading the way on the environment and ecology leadership-building front.  And the builders of that sustainable future are caring, compassionate and committed instructors talking about health, nature, sustenance and changing lightbulbs. And our children picking up on it.
Of note: one young student, inspired by the morning activities, left the snack line, and jumped on a stanchion.  “I want to make a speech,” he told us, stretching his arms to the sky.  He talked about the importance of “not littering” and  recycling to his peers as they eagerly accepted apples, raisins and water donated by Super Foodtown at Restoration.  By the way, not one school child — in the hundreds served — turned down the healthy food snack.

Lorrie Ayers, Parent Coordinator, PS305/Dr. Peter Ray School. Photo: Hiroki Kobayashi

Something’s growing in Bedford Stuyvesant; something strong, sturdy and sustainable.  We’re glad to be a part of it. Photos on the cover, centerfold and this page tell the story of this Third Annual Project Green initiative.  You also can view images on Facebook.com and at www.ourtimepress.com.  Bernice Elizabeth Green

Linda R. Montas, Board Member, NHS of Bedford Stuyvesant.

Sherri Hobson-Green LivingLive (green) TM Betta Broad, Deputy Director of Earth Day NY.

Cheryl Browne, Family-Friendly Environmental Education.

Hon. Annette Robinson, NYS Assemblywoman.

Altovise Fleary, President, Jefferson Avenue, Block Assoc., (bet. Tompkins & Throop)

Liam Kavanaugh, First Deputy Commissioner of NYC Parks and Recreation.

The Brooklyn That Can’t be Bought…

Mike Bloomberg’s first thoughts the morning after Mayoral election night might have wavered seamlessly between “ I won!” and “I almost lost!”  A bittersweet victory/defeat for the richest man in New York City, who lives in a world where powerful egos have no patience with almost losing.  He won 557,059 expensive votes to Democrat Bill Thompson’s low-cost 506,717.

That morning, our friend Robert Taylor woke up to a world that eludes the city agencies.  He was at peace padding his way from Brevoort Place to Clinton Hill’s Grand Avenue, as he does every morning.  “If it snows, I pick up a shovel and clean the streets for a few dollars. I just keep moving, but I keep coming back.”  Virtually homeless after losing his apartment on the avenue just after 9/11 due to escalated rents; Robert is accustomed to “street guy” references.  But he also knows how to train horses; he does not bet on them.  He sometimes entertains small crowds, outdoors, with his phenomenal classic music playing, when a used piano is dropped off at his friend Eddie Hibbert’s Antique warehouse down the street.

Mr. Taylor informed us that the Mayor shelled out about $200.00 per vote  for each of the more than half million votes he received, compared to his Democrat opponent Bill Thompson’s $14 each for almost the same amount of votes.  “But, remember, it’s not always about the money; it’s about what you want that money to do. When the stakes are high, you cast high bets to win at any cost.  He now has a lot of work to do to make true on those promises he paid for.”

On the north easternmost edge of Brooklyn, Mr. B., a block association president and former corrections officer agrees, but he still thinks arrogance, not money interfered with Mr. Thompson’s sure shot.  At his election site, the lever for DeBlasio was stuck, and the pollworker told him gruffly,  “Don’t worry ‘bout that, it’ll count.”  After putting his strength on that lever to bring it to its place, he informed everyone present what was going on.  “This ‘kiss-my-ass’ attitude – on the part of a lot of folks connected with the political process, including local elected officials, only succeeds in keeping voters away.  And it may have pushed votes away from Thompson.  People are turned off, they don’t want to participate. 

“At the community board meeting this week, a guy stands up and asks about construction jobs that are going to other ethnic groups who don’t live in the neighborhood; a weatherization official announces that it doesn’t make sense for owners of 2-family homes to apply for special funding, ‘especially,’ he said, ‘since you don’t use that much hot water anyway’, plus we learn about 75% of the program’s $10 million is available to owners of multi-family dwellings, well – that’s not us; then there’s these rezoning issues and whether or not certain areas of Bedford –Stuyvesant will be rezoned in accordance with the special interests of other ethnic groups in other areas.  Point is … if local politicians are servants of the public, they should come out of their comfort zones and get into the neighborhood and go to the people. Explain to them what’s going on.”

The 45-year-old block association president was recently stopped by police in Herbert Von King Park and asked to show ID because he was walking through the park at night, three nights before the election.  Officers apologized profusely after they discovered he was a retired Corrections Officer. “This is the way it is.  But attitudes across the board must change if they are to get the support from all of the people.

“Some of the young Turks seeking election against incumbents could have gotten a lot of mileage out of putting their weight solidly and visibly behind Mr. Thompson. There are so many lessons to be learned.”

It’s still no excuse for such a low turnout, says New York City Parks worker Earl Williams.  “When I went to P.S. 305 at 4pm to vote, there was no one there except the poll workers.”

It was chilly and dry the day after the election, and everyone had something to say abouthow Thompson should have won. Except, of course, the mainstream press, stunned that their polls didn’t get it right, and perhaps numbed by the same thinking as Taylor, Mr. B., Mr. Williams and Mr. Bloomberg: if Black people had turned out, in force, Thompson, who earned 50.9% of Brooklyn votes to Mr. Bloomberg’s 45.3%, would have enjoyed the landslide of the century.  For pennies on the dollar.  Lessons to be learned, indeed.