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Breathing Techniques 101

London Little
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By London Little

1.
(Breathe)
Why is it that my heart is so heavy.
Why is it that I spend so much time (gasp) twisting my mind (gasp), my thoughts (gasp), my heart.
(Gasp)
Breathe.
Breathing is hard,
The air consuming my lungs
And I know you’re probably thinking, “London, that’s what’s supposed to happen.”
Well, my mind must not be able to comprehend that logic because I take it as a threat.
An attack on my life.
A will to take me out, anyway it can.
I’m sure it’s not a foreign thought.
I’m sure when we are shot and killed our people feel the air.
Blood.
Right, they feel the blood rushing, draining.
The only air that is filling their lungs is the type they can’t grasp onto.

London
Little

2.
Breathe. (breath)
Since we are on the topic let’s talk on the constant discrimination of our people.
Nah, bigger than that, let’s go over names:
Daunte Wright
Andre Hill
Manuel Ellis
George Floyd
Breonna Tayler
Atatiana Jefferson
Aura Rosser
Stephon Clark
Botham Jean
Philando Castile
The list goes on.

So many of our people suffering from the dehumanizing treatment by those who are supposed to be here to protect us.
Those same acts draw back decades even though they might look a little different.
Those same acts are the reason families are torn apart.
Leaving another mother without a daughter or son.
Leaving another young Black boy not growing past the age of 21.
I’ve heard what happens to kids that look like me.
You thought this was just adults?
Nah, they target our kids too.
Taking us out left and right, making sure we can’t put up a fight.
My sources say they track killings all the way back to 2013, there’s more than that.
It makes me want to scream
(Scream)

175 fatalities of people younger than 18.
You know what that means.
Another story on 12 o’clock news.
Another protest.
Another family without their child.
When is it going to be enough.
How long will they keep breaking our families, our communities, our minds.
(Breathe)

3.
They try and steal our power, our thunder.
They want to be like us so bad but would never want to be us.
My ancestors who live through me, they inform me of how they were treated.
I’ve heard of gunshots that fire through little Black kids’ bodies.
I’ve heard how their bodies drop down on the concrete, I can see it now.
They use our blood to paint over their sins
They dissect and pick apart our brain stripping away pieces, hiding them in a locked box.
They say our lives are insignificant and not to be given a second thought,
That when we are murdered in the street, it is justified by the twisted sense of — “I thought he had a weapon” “He was reaching” “I was scared for my life.”
Phrases used to justify their actions.

My heart aches for every person they strip life from.
When I breathe, I will think of them.
Of their lost breath.
Of their lost time.
Let us breathe.

1..
2..
3…………….
Oh, wait.
I forgot.
I can’t breathe.

(London Little, 15)

June Swoon

Eddie Castro
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June Swoon

By Eddie Castro
For the most part, this season, baseball in New York has been on top. Both the Yankees and the Mets came out of the gates as hot as the weekly heatwave, with both teams being atop their respective divisions. The Yankees are looking to return to the Fall Classic (World Series) for a second consecutive year, while the Mets look to take one more step towards the World Series. What the past two weeks have taught us all is that it is a long season, and all teams will hit a wall throughout the course of the 162-game campaign.


For the Mets, it’s been a combination of terrible pitching and inconsistent at-bats. As we go to press, the Mets have lost nine of their last 10 games. In those 10 games, they have scored a total of just 19 runs. Before this 10-game stretch, the Mets were not only atop the National League East division by 5 ½ games, but were the top team in all of the National League. In a recent interview Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza was asked about the team’s struggles, he said “We are relying so much on our top guys.

Once you get past the fourth of fifth batter, we’re having a hard time creating opportunities, creating chances for us and it’s hard to score like that”. The numbers of late, backup Mendoza’s statement. In 12 of the last 13 games, the Mets have scored 5 runs or less. During that stretch, hitters five through nine have hit for a combined average of .183, which is the worst in the majors.


It’s pretty much the same issue the Bronx Bombers have been going through lately. The team recently snapped a six-game losing streak in which they went 29 innings without scoring a run. Slugger Aaron Judge has also been in a bit of a hitting slump with his batting average dropping from .390 before the recent Red Sox series to the mid-350s, which is still really incredible. The Achilles heel with Judge’s performance is that when he doesn’t hit, neither does the rest of the lineup. Another factor is the team’s pitching.

Decimated by injuries all year long, the team continues to search for pitching depth to replace significant losses such as Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil. The Yankees still sit at first place in the American League East by two games; however, division teams such as the Rays, Red Sox, and Orioles have gained some ground within the last 2 weeks. It is still early for both New York teams to turn it around, as both clubs are expected to not only make a few calls come the trade deadline, but are also expected to get a few key players back from injury.

We are still a month away from the halfway point of the season with a lot of good baseball ahead for both New York teams. Hopefully, this June Slump turns into a sizzling July for both the Yanks and Mets.


Sports Notes: (Basketball) The NBA draft resumes tonight with day No.2. With powerhouse teams like Milwaukee, Boston, and Indiana due to miss top players for the upcoming season, how will the Knicks and Nets capitalize on building a championship contender in the East?

Developer Missed Atlantic Yards Affordable Housing Deadline, EDC Established New Timeline

Mary Alice Miller
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Developer Missed Atlantic Yards Affordable Housing Deadline, EDC Established New Timeline

By Mary Alice Miller
Norman Oder’s skepticism long foreshadowed the possibility that the deadline for more than 800 affordable housing units and the platform on which the apartment buildings would be built would not be met. Oder’s watchdog blog, AtlanticYardsReport, has painstakingly chronicled the entire saga from the beginning when the project was announced in 2003.


Back in 2019, Oder blogged that “May 31, 2025 is the deadline for the required 2,250 affordable housing units, with potentially onerous $2,000/month fines per missing unit facing developer Greenland Forest City Partners. Two towers starting this year and likely next year should include 25% to 30% affordable apartments, leaving a gap of some 900 units to be built.”


And later that year, Oder wrote “The year 2022 is a key year in the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park timetable, as I wrote last month, because 6/15/22–the last date to start a building under the current Affordable New York tax-incentive program–could be a deadline to start any building contemplated to meet the 5/31/25 deadline for the project’s affordable housing.”


That 2022 deadline was amended due to the settlement of a 2014 lawsuit brought by BrooklynSpeaks, a coalition led by the Fifth Avenue Committee and the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Council (PHNDC). BrooklynSpeaks stepped into the void left by the demise of Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB).


(DDDB disbanded when its leader, Daniel Goldstein, settled with New York State for $3 million to vacate his apartment in a timely manner to allow the sale of the Brooklyn Nets to Russian Oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov. Goldstein was the last holdout who filed numerous lawsuits against Atlantic Yards and the eminent domain taking of his property.)


The Brooklyn Speaks settlement included a “new 2025 deadline for the project’s 2,250 units of affordable housing, with $2,000/month penalties for each unit not delivered,” according to a 2020 blog from Oder. The new deadline to start the platform over Vanderbilt Yard, MTA’s working railyard, was May 12, 2025.


Oder wrote in 2010, “When the project’s Development Agreement first surfaced, the section regarding the project’s platform stated that the developer must begin construction of the platform over the railyard no later than the 15th anniversary of the Effective Date.”


He explained, “That deadline was one of several that indicated that the project likely would not, as often projected, be completed in ten years but rather could take 25 years, until 2035.”
Other factors that impacted the development of affordable housing at Atlantic Yards (rebranded Pacific Park Brooklyn in 2014) included COVID, uncertainty regarding state tax abatements, and Shanghai-based Greenland Holdings that bought out the majority share from Forest City Ratner, then faced debt default woes, both in China and in the United States.


At issue is 876/7 affordable housing units yet to be built on Atlantic Avenue east of Barclays arena. Despite the transfer of ownership to Greenland, the affordable housing commitment remained.


According to a statement from BrooklynSpeaks, “When the Atlantic Yards project was announced in December 2003, its 2,250 promised affordable apartments were seen as a solution to a burgeoning housing crisis in Brooklyn. By building platforms over rail yards along Atlantic Avenue, the project would remove blight and connect neighborhoods by creating new open space and high rise apartment towers.

Twenty years later, the platforms haven’t been started, and neither have the remaining 877 affordable apartments. The $2,000 per month charge for each unfinished apartment agreed upon in the 2014 settlement means ESD must collect $1,754,000 each month from developer Greenland USA beginning in June. The funds are to be used by the City of New York to create and preserve affordable housing in the neighborhoods surrounding the project.


Empire State Development Corporation is reviewing a new developer application. ESDC is hesitant to impose millions of dollars in penalties that they say would make it harder to build housing at Atlantic Yards.


ESD has established a new project timeline. The current owners of the Atlantic Yards location have until August to transfer the development rights to a new company. Apparently, a new real estate firm is involved, and the state said that it is reviewing the application for a new developer.


Under this new timeline, they have until August to transfer the development rights. A new community planning process is scheduled to commence by December.
“ESD has allowed the Atlantic Yards developers to delay the costliest parts of the project – deeply affordable apartments and platforms over the rail yards – until the last possible moment,” said Michelle de la Uz, Executive Director of the Fifth Avenue Committee.

“In the meantime, rising housing costs have pushed out thousands of low-income households from the surrounding neighborhoods. The Governor has a responsibility to ensure her agency fulfills its commitment to address the housing crisis in Brooklyn.”


“The 2014 settlement we reached with ESD does not allow the agency to rewrite its terms without our agreement,” said Danae Oratowski, Chair of the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council. “How can the public possibly have any confidence in a new plan if Governor Hochul continues to let Atlantic Yards slide on its commitments?”


Most of the already built housing at Atlantic Yards serves middle-income people making 80-120% of the Area Median Income, people making six figures. Affordable housing advocates want even deeper affordability so that truly low-income or lower-middle-income people can afford to live there.

Democrat Decision Day on June 24th

Editor, Our Time Press
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Democrat Decision Day on June 24th

By Nayaba Arinde
Editor-At-Large
Tuesday, June 24th is Democrat Decision Day. The main mayoral primary contenders are pulling out all the stops to try and get the first and second place rank choice vote:
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Senator Zellnor Myrie, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, former Assemblyman Michael Blake, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, Comptroller Brad Lander, and former NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer.


Over 66,000 people took advantage of early voting in three days from Saturday, 14th, 2025, and over 23,000 of those had Brooklyn leading the boroughs this past weekend. The contender-heavy mayoral race may inspire voters, but there are also Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough President, and City Council contests.


It is not over after Primary Day; it merely streamlines the run-up to the November 4th General Election. There, current Mayor Eric Adams will see the results of his choice to run as an independent after accusations of a quid pro quo deal with President Donald Trump, who had his federal corruption charges dropped, allegedly in exchange for support for his controversial immigration policy.


Recent polls have Mamdani leading or running a close second to Cuomo.
The governor who resigned mid-investigation in 2021 has been slammed for his past record.
Using the slogans ‘No Cuomo,’ and ‘Don’t Rank Cuomo,’ ads have repeated that taxpayers have paid millions for his legal woes, as he fought charges that his decision to return COVID positive seniors from hospitals to nursing homes led to thousands of deaths, and the 11 women who accused the then governor of sexual harassment.
Trying to double his chances, perhaps Cuomo, like incumbent Mayor Adams, announced that he, too, is running on the independent line.


Endorsed by former Governor David Paterson and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Cuomo said that he alone can tackle ongoing presidential shenanigans, saying, “I know how to deal with Donald Trump because I’ve dealt with him before…He has to know that he’s up against an adversary who can actually beat him.”


On Sunday, Blake and Mamdani announced that they are cross-endorsing each other.
“I am honored to receive the support of Michael Blake as we both seek to turn the page on the broken politics of the past and the corrupt leadership of Andrew Cuomo,” said Mamdani.

“Michael Blake is someone who leads with his values, has relentlessly exposed Andrew Cuomo’s true record of deceit and incompetence, and I am proud to rank him on my ballot. In an election that can only be won with unity, our partnership with Michael Blake is critical to the fight for a city every New Yorker can afford.”


Blake said, “To provide bold solutions to the affordability crisis amidst the continued attacks from D.C., we need change and a new generation of leadership. As a fellow Son of Immigrants, I am proud to be endorsed by Zohran Mamdani and Rank Zohran as my number 2, because together we’re both fighting for an affordable New York that we deserve.”


It is going to be an energetic political week, and then an intense five months thereafter.
“Voting is about the future, and I encourage everyone to get out and make their voices heard.”
President Antonio Reynoso told Our Time Press. “Over the last four years, I have worked tirelessly to make Brooklyn a safer, more affordable borough for all, and if I have the honor of being reelected, I look forward to doing even more.”


The Coalition for the Homeless said that this March 2025, “110,642 people slept each night in NYC shelters. Thousands more slept unsheltered in public spaces, and more than 200,000 people slept temporarily doubled-up in the homes of others. Thus, it can be estimated that more than 350,000 people were without homes in NYC in March 2025.”


Myrie’s campaign pointed out, “For many years, our city has not built enough housing…City leadership has accepted a city where families must spend more than half their paychecks on rent; where seniors carry groceries up five flights because their elevator never works; where New Yorkers hold onto their crumbling apartments, fearful that one more rent hike will mean moving to another state.”


His solution, “I propose we rebuild New York City. Rebuild NYC is a plan for building and preserving one million homes.”
“The most important issue in this race is affordability,” Speaker Adams told reporter Chantee Lans on Eyewitness News. “People are leaving the city in droves because they can’t afford to live here. That’s why I am running for mayor to keep them here.”


A late April 2025 entry into the race, not ruffled by poll numbers, endorsed by AG Letitia James, and with $2 million in recent matching funds, Speaker Adams said that she wants to become the City’s first female mayor, “I am the most experienced candidate in this race,” with “No drama, no scandal, just competence and integrity.”


She told Our Time Press, “I have actually stepped up into leadership positions as the Speaker in so many places where our mayor has kind of fallen short… I don’t need a handbook or a manual–I’ve been doing this work already.”


Brownsville City Council candidate Lawman Lynch told Our Time Press, “As we head into the final week, I can feel the heartbeat of District 41. There is a sense of hopefulness and restlessness; it is evident that the people are ready for change. Folks are casting votes for visions for safer streets, stronger families, and a city council representative who’ll stand with them, not above them – that’s the sentiment. The community is excited to build programs that give our kids safe spaces to grow, learn, and dream. Our seniors are enthusiastic about services that honor their legacy and keep them connected.”


Brooklyn Borough President candidate Khari Edwards told Our Time Press that he plans “to build a more just, sustainable, and vibrant future for all who call this borough home. We are doubling down on our commitment to proactive leadership, community engagement, and real solutions that close economic and health gaps, invest in safer schools and affordable housing, and ensure every voice is heard.”

Rank Choice Voting confidence or confusion
“This is the second time people in New York are using Rank Choice Voting in all the municipal elections. I think it will go smoothly, but I think more education is necessary for this voting system. I think it is still confusing for the average voter,” said Pamela Perkins, a former Board of Election Administrative Manager. With the idea that it might take up to seven days to calculate the actual accurate result, the wife of the late City Councilman and State Senator Bill Perkins told the paper, “I’d rather they took a week to get it right, than get it done in 24 hours, or two days–and get it wrong.”


Perkins concluded that voters “can go to Vote.NYC, to find your poll site and to take a look at your ballot.”

Cheryl Lee: NYC Department for the Aging Advises on Signs and Rights for Elder Abuse Victims

Editor, Our Time Press
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Cheryl Lee: NYC Department for the Aging Advises on Signs and Rights for Elder Abuse Victims

Fern Gillespie
Not all older adults are able to age gracefully with their families. In New York State, it’s estimated that 300,000 older New Yorkers over age 60 are experiencing elder abuse each year. Most times from family members. In recognition of June’s World Elder Abuse Awareness Month, Our Time Press reached out to a leading expert in elder abuse Cheryl Lee (MSW), Elder Abuse Coordinator at the NYC Department for the Aging (DFTA) in the Elderly Crime Victims Resource Center, for insights.

OTP: In dealing with elder abuse, what are the signs that people should look out for?
CL: In cases of elder abuse, a lot of times it’s the family members who are actually the abusers. So, the majority of the referrals we get are actually from a third party, a neighbor, a friend, or relatives who are reporting that they believe their family member is being abused by another family member. By their child, their grandchild, and like that.

There are signs and symptoms of physical abuse that would be the most obvious. You would see bruises, maybe broken glasses. They’re acting differently. There’s psychological abuse. The person may be getting yelled and screamed at every day. Now, the person now may appear to someone else as being more quiet, more subdued around the person because they’re afraid to speak.

OTP: What are the major forms of elder abuse?
CL: Physical, psychological, neglect, financial and sexual. The sexual was actually our lowest form as far as prevalence. The most prevalent is financial right now. But, even if you’re financially exploited, that’s going to have a psychological impact. You want to address the cycle.

OTP: How are older adults experiencing financial abuse?
CL: In deed fraud cases, where you own your home all of these years, now of a sudden your child or siblings or someone else asks you to put their name on the deed or your bank account. Now they’ve either taken out a mortgage on the home or they’ve withdrawn the money out of the account.

Because people don’t realize once you put someone’s name on your account, despite you putting all the money in, they now have access to it. So, they can rightfully go to the bank and take it all out.

There’s smaller cases where if the only thing you have is your EBT card. But, now someone’s taking your EBT card and they’ve gone out and bought food that you can’t eat because you’re diabetic. They bought a bunch of sweets. Now, what are you going to eat because they they’re using your card?

OTP: How is the problem handled if the abuser gives the older adult a financial crisis?
CL: A lot of times people say, ohh, I just want my money back, but I don’t want the other person to go to jail. Or I don’t want the person to be arrested, I just want my money back. But unfortunately, it’s hard to do that. A lot of times the funds are just lost if you don’t want to pursue criminal charges against someone.

So you have to work with them and just try to make them safe in the home, still with the abuser, but try to put things in a place that make them a little more safer. Like maybe put a lock on the bedroom door. Maybe put give them an alarm button that they could push if they feel threatened and it’ll alert the police.

Maybe arranging for NYPD to come by for wellness checks. But in the case of deed fraud, we have some providers who have legal services. They will help them get the deed back in their name. If you’re having financial exploitation by a power of attorney, they could help the person get the power of attorney revoked so the other person no longer has access to their funds. They could help set up a more reliable power of attorney.

OTP: What impact does the psychological abuse have on older adults?
CL: Imagine if you’re getting emotionally abused every day. You’re getting screamed at every day and being belittled. It has a huge psychological impact so that’s why we offer in conjunction a program where you could go for 10 weeks of counseling regarding depression.

We offer mental health services and a social worker is working with intervention. You have to work with them and just try to make them safe in the home, still with the abuser.

OTP: The New York Police Department (NYPD) has a special program for older adults. How does this operate?
CL: In every precinct they have what we call an older adult liaison. They’re part of the Community Affairs Group Division and NYPD. The older adult may have walked into a precinct. It doesn’t just have to be about abuse. It could be about anything. You know, they’re complaining about the neighbor or they want to know something about what’s going on in the community.

They have a specific officer in each precinct or public service area to assist. They also go out into the community and they provide trainings on scams to look out for. The elder abuse cases are actually handled by the domestic violence officers in the precinct. Once they see an older adult, they will make the referrals to the community provider for them to provide follow-up services. Maybe they need counseling or Meals on Wheels or some other additional services just to address the needs of the older adult.

OTP: What was it like being a speaker at the New York City announcement on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day held at Gracie Mansion?
CL: It was a wonderful event. It was very rewarding to see the providers being honored because this is it’s a tough job to go out and investigate cases of elder abuse. It was also more rewarding to see the actual clients who came for the event. They were willing to stand up and say, yes, this is going on with me.

And, I’m doing something about it. So that was just marvelous, because the more people that speak out about it, the more people that won’t be ashamed to come forward because of the elder abuse. There’s a lot of shame and guilt involved. You’re thinking of a family member who’s doing it.

Little wanting to admit their son, daughter or their grandchild is abusing them. But, the more people that speak out, the more it’s likely to destigmatize it.

OTP: If an older adult feels that they are being exploited with elder abuse, what can they do?
CL: Call us at Aging Connect. Here at NYC Department for the Aging, we actually have providers in the community who go out and investigate the cases and do the legwork. First, they do an assessment to find out what’s going on.

How long it’s been going on and what other services may be needed for the person to help alleviate or diminish what’s going on.

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