Home Blog Page 904

The Right Choice For Brooklyn DA

David Mark Greaves
-
0

By Councilwoman Letitia James

Earlier this year, I supported the reelection of Brooklyn District Attorney Charles “Joe” Hynes, who I have known for many years. On September 10th, the voters of Brooklyn spoke loud and clear: they decided that it was time for change and by a decisive margin elected Ken Thompson to be the Democratic nominee.  Ken’s outstanding qualifications as an attorney, his compelling personal story and campaign message of bringing a fresh approach to the job resonated with voters across the borough.

After the primary, Joe Hynes promised the people of Brooklyn to begin a smooth transition, and although his name was on the ballot as the Republican candidate, he vowed to exit in a “classy way”, saying he would respect the will of the Democratic voters and not run an active campaign in November. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. Shortly after stating those words, Joe Hynes reversed himself and to the great dismay and disappointment of many Democrats, including those who had supported him like myself, he announced that he would indeed run on the Republican and Conservative lines.

Not just as Democrats, but as New Yorkers, we are united by common values of fairness, justice and compassion for working people. Joe Hynes is now turning his back on those values and standing shoulder to shoulder with some of the most reactionary forces in our state: opponents of marriage equality, a woman’s right to choose, Governor Cuomo’s common-sense gun control laws – even the minimum wage.

The people of Brooklyn are looking for a tough and experienced prosecutor, but also one who shares their values. That is why I am proud to support Ken Thompson as the best choice, and only progressive choice, for Brooklyn District Attorney in November.

Ken has stood up for justice his entire career. The son of one of the first women to patrol our streets as an officer for the NYPD, Ken learned early on the values of public service and protecting others. From his role as a federal prosecutor convicting Abner Louima’s attackers to the part he played convincing the U.S. Justice Department to re-open the 1955 murder of Emmett Till, Thompson has shown he understands that government can both protect the civil rights of residents while also making sure their communities are kept safe.

As a lawyer in private practice, Ken has stood up for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and employment discrimination to ensure that their voices were not drowned out by the wealth or political connections of their abusers. He understands that we need to think creatively to get guns off our streets because he’s done it.

It’s sad that Joe Hynes, with such a long career in public service, is so determined to cling to power that he has agreed to undermine the progressive values of the people of Brooklyn and the party that supported him throughout his tenure.

But we can send a strong message about keeping one’s word and supporting our beliefs. Join me in bringing change to the criminal justice system by voting for Ken Thompson on November 5th. He represents the new leadership and change we need and the values we respect.

Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit After woman Dies In Brooklyn Holding Cell

Stephen Witt
-
0

Witnesses say cops did nothing while woman convulsed for hours before dying

By Stephen Witt

The family of a Brooklyn woman who died in a Brooklyn holding cell after cops reportedly refused to help the convulsing victim despite the pleas of other inmates for help filed an $11 million federal wrongful death lawsuit this week.

The incident occurred in the early morning hours of July 21 after cops arrested Kyam Livingston, 37, for arguing with her 78-year-old grandmother at their Prospect Park South home.  Livingston reportedly drank a bottle of vodka and turned violent against her grandmother, who had an order of protection against her.

According to fellow inmates of Livingston, she became increasingly ill with stomach pains, diarrhea and eventually convulsions over the course of seven hours while awaiting arraignment. These witnesses said on-duty NYPD officers ignored Livingston while other inmates pleaded for someone to come to her aid.  One witness, who is a registered nurse, indicated Livingston had been dead for 20 minutes before Emergency Medical Services finally arrived on the scene.

“Ms. Livingston’s death was avoidable,” said Elliot Taub, one of the family’s lawyers.  “The bitter irony is that in order to bring the lawsuit our clients were forced to answer questions about Kyam and themselves while the city still won’t answer our inquiries about why steps were not taken to avoid Kyam’s suffering and this unspeakable tragedy.”

Livingston’s family and supporters, including Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and City Councilman Brad Lander, also demanded the names of the NYPD officers involved and the video of the filthy jail cell where she was held during the final painful hours of her life.  They also called for changes to the conditions in Brooklyn Central Booking.

“Kyam Livingston senselessly died in police custody after being subjected to inhumane conditions in central booking,” said Jeffries. “She should be alive today, and this lawsuit will help the family get clarity as to how this tragedy came to occur.”

Jay Schwitzman, president of the Kings County Criminal Bar Association, likened the city’s holding cells to medieval dungeons.

“Low-level offenders are placed with violent felons in small cells that have no bed, one open toilet, rodents, roaches and extremely unsanitary conditions.  They are also denied medication and proper medical attention,” he said.

The lawsuit comes as the city medical examiner ruled that Livingston’s death was of “natural causes” due to an alcoholic seizure.

Kyam Livingston’s cause of death was disclosed Monday as family members filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Brooklyn Federal Court alleging the woman’s pleas for medical assistance were ignored by cops at the central booking jail.

A spokeswoman for the Brooklyn DA’s Office said prosecutors are reviewing the medical examiner’s findings. The status of the NYPD internal investigation of the incident was unclear at press time.

The central booking holding cell is located on Schermerhorn Street in downtown Brooklyn. Those arrested for anything from misdemeanor offenses to serious felonies are often taken from the precinct in which they were arrested to the holding cell until arraigned before a judge either the next morning or on the Monday following a weekend.

Witnesses at the scene of the incident reportedly said cops told them to stop complaining about Livingston’s condition or their paperwork to go before the judge could get lost, forcing the witnesses to stay in the holding cell for a longer period of time.

Freeing Marissa Alexander

Editor, Our Time Press
-
0

Truthout.com

Three years ago, a single warning shot sent Marissa Alexander to prison. Last month, an appeals court overturned her conviction, ruling that the jury received flawed instructions on self-defense. Supporters are calling for the prosecutor to drop all charges rather than subject Alexander to a new trial.

As reported earlier in Truthout, Marissa Alexander, a mother of three and a survivor of abuse, had given birth to a baby girl in July 2010. The previous year, she had obtained a restraining order against her ex-husband Rico Gray. When she learned that she was pregnant, she amended it to remove the ban on contact while maintaining the rest of the restraining order.

On August 1, 2010, she and Gray were at home when Gray attacked her. “He assaulted me, shoving, strangling and holding me against my will, preventing me from fleeing all while I begged for him to leave,” Alexander recounted in an open letter to supporters.  This was not the first time that he had assaulted her.

Alexander escaped into the garage but realized she had forgotten the keys to her truck and that the garage’s door opener was not working. She retrieved her gun, which was legally registered, and re-entered her home to escape or grab her phone to call for help. “He came into the kitchen … and realized I was unable to leave … he yelled, ‘Bitch, I will kill you!’ and charged toward me. In fear and desperate attempt, I lifted my weapon up, turned away and discharged a single shot in the wall up in the ceiling,” she recounted. Gray called the police and reported that Alexander had shot at him and his sons. Alexander was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Alexander attempted to invoke Stand Your Ground, but a pretrial judge ruled that she could have escaped her attacker through the front or back doors of her home. In a 66-page deposition, Gray admitted to abusing all five of the women with whom he had children, including Alexander. Several witnesses, including Alexander’s daughter, younger sister, mother and ex-husband testified that they had seen injuries that Gray had inflicted on her.

The judge instructed the jury that, when considering Alexander’s self-defense plea, that she had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Gray was committing aggravated battery when she fired. The jury deliberated for 12 minutes and returned with a guilty verdict. Prosecutor Angela Corey added Florida’s 10-20-LIFE sentencing enhancement, mandating a 20-year minimum sentence when a firearm is discharged.

On September 26, 2013, an appeals court found that the judge’s instructions regarding self-defense shifted the burden of proof from the prosecutor to Alexander. “At trial, the only real issue was whether she had acted in self-defense when she fired the gun. Because the jury instructions on self-defense were fundamental error, we reverse,” the court stated, remanding her case for a new trial. Marissa Alexander, however, remains in prison.

The campaign to free Marissa attracted increased national attention after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. News pundits and organizers compared her case – complete with the denial of a Stand Your Ground defense – with Zimmerman’s. “The Zimmerman verdict spiked attention to Marissa Alexander overnight,” Fire said. “In one week, we had thousands of new followers on our Facebook page and hits on our tumblr. There was outrage that, in the same state, Zimmerman killed a person [and got off] while Marissa fired a warning shot and got 20 years.”

“I believe that Marissa’s case got national attention because of the timing,” Bierria agrees. But, she adds, “we have to do everything we can to keep her name out there.” She points to the 2001 INCITE! and Critical Resistance statement on the divide between the movements addressing mass incarceration and domestic and sexual violence. “There’s been a depoliticization of work to end domestic violence and sexual assault. It’s been integrated into the state’s increase in criminalization and incarceration.” A decade later, she notes, “Black women are less likely to be the symbol used to provoke organizing against mass incarceration and police brutality. Also, instead of being supported, Black women survivors of domestic violence tend to be punished by the media, their communities and institutions. We have the opportunity to highlight the connection between domestic violence and mass incarceration. We can see it clearly with Marissa, but she’s not the only survivor in prison. This is an opportunity to bring attention to all the other survivors whose names we don’t know.”

For Marissa Alexander’s 33rd birthday, on September 14, 2013, supporters across the country held events to commemorate the day and draw attention to her case. “We had birthday parties, rallies and parades,” Fire said. In addition, supporters sent Alexander cards. “Marissa received 200 cards in one day,” she recalled. “Part of our peaceful protest is to get as many people to connect with her, to let her know that she’s not forgotten.”

Copyright, Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.

October Is Bedford- Stuyvesant Month

Editor, Our Time Press
-
5

October 24

5:30p-7:30p: Opening Reception for Koho Yamamoto: Works of the Master, an exhibition of the works of the famous artist-educator, who at 91, is still teaching and painting. Dr. Myrah Brown Green is curator. Aaron Davis Hall, Convent Avenue & 135th St. www.adhatccny.org (Ongoing thru November 22) RSVP required. E-mail: cccarts@ccny.cuny.edu or call: 212/650-5361.

6p-10p: Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA’s Brooklyn Honors – Celebrating Our Best fundraising event for its Strong Kids Campaign. Stage 6 at Steiner Studios, Brooklyn Navy Yard. The Strong Kids Campaign ensures that no child or family is turned away from life-enhancing YMCA programs because of the inability to pay. Each year, the YMCA provides financial assistance to thousands of local youth and families in need. •Chef Roblè Ali – Chef Roblè & Co/ Bravo Network •Andrew Kimball – Director of Innovation Economy Initiatives, Jamestown Properties, and CEO, Industry City •Reverend Clinton Miller – Brown Memorial Baptist Church •Danny Simmons – co-Founder and Chairman of Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation •Brandon Stanton – Founder/Photographer of Humans of New York  *Gale Stevens Haynes – Long Island University Vice President and Chief Operating Officer *Kay Wilson Stallings – Senior Vice President of Production and Development for Nickelodeon Preschool Television. • Special Tribute to Councilman Albert Vann. www.ymcanyc.org/bedstuy (718) 622-9422

 

October 25

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA VISITS PATHWAYS in TECHNOLOGY EARLY COLLEGE H.S.

TO DISCUSS PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

 

October 26

11:00am – 1:00pm: Pratt to host Tree Giveaway at Mt. Sinai Baptist Church (Parking Lot), 241-45 Gates Ave., BK.

 

October 27

3:00p:  BEPAA’s Master Class series:  “GENTRIFICATION AND HISTORY OF HARLEM” – An Afternoon with A. Peter Bailey. John Henrik Clarke House, 286 Convent Avenue, Harlem, NY. Admission is Free. Call 347-907-0629 to RSVP

 

October 29

9:30a-11a: Emily Dorcely and the Bridge Street Development Corporation with Building on Faith, a faith-based affordable housing seminar for clergy. Provided:  a comprehensive overview of affordable housing development strategies of faith-based institutions; learning about the benefits of development and how to create a successful project from predevelopment and financing to construction and occupancy. David Goldstein of Goldstein Hall LLC, Attorneys at Law, and architect Michael McCaw and Pierre Downing of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a national affordable housing lender, are co-sponsors. The 90-minute seminar includes breakfast and a question-and-answer session. Location: Quincy Senior Residences, 625 Quincy Street. RSVP by October 22 by calling 718-636-7596 x214 or e-mailing info@bsdcorp.org.

7:00p- Conversation: History, Memory and the Creative Process of Making Dance Work – National Black Theatre. -$10 suggested donation

 

October 30

9am-1pm: The Restoration Plaza Community Market, a farmers’ market, will allow residents to purchase fresh local produce at Marcy Plaza. The market is operated by the Brooklyn Rescue Mission, in partnership with the NYC Food and Fitness Partnership and the Partnership for a Healthier Brooklyn at the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation. Brooklyn Rescue Mission is a community-based organization in Bedford-Stuyvesant focusing on emergency food provisions, food justice issues and community-grown food. The organization owns and operates an urban farm in Bedford-Stuyvesant and works with youth, adults and seniors. For more information on the Brooklyn Rescue Mission please visit www.brooklynrescuemission.org.

 

November 1 and November 2

9a-3p: Project Safe Surrender: The Court and Defense Attorneys Will Be Available to Resolve Any Outstanding Summonses and Warrants including: Consumption of Alcohol in Public; Riding a Bicycle on the Sidewalk; Failure to Have a Dog License; Unlawful Possession of Marijuana; Failure to Comply with a Posted Sign in the Park. Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, 212 Tompkins Ave., BK. Information: 718-250-3888, 718-388-3900, www.projectsafesurrender.org.

 

November 2

6:00p-9:00p: Opening reception for HOUSE OF ART Gallery’s much-anticipated The Games We Played exhibition. HOA owner and exhibition curator Richard Beavers will highlight the inspiration behind this exhibition.  RSVP mandatory!

 

November 3

3:00p-5:00p: HOUSE of ART GALLERY: The Games We Played  Artists + Curator Talk. This event will be curated by the gallery’s director, Richard Beavers, as he provides an opportunity for the community to connect with the exhibition’s artists. All are welcomed to join the discussion.  Exhibition artists (attendance not confirmed) include: Guy Stanley Philoche, Jamel Shabazz, Dan Ericson, Charlotta Janssen, Leroy Campbell.  RSVP mandatory. To request an individual showing please contact Kai Lawson at kai@hoagallery.com. 347 663-8195

 

November 5 – GENERAL ELECTION DAY!!!

 

November 7

Save-the-Date for The 2013 Stars of New York Dance Honoring Danny Simmons!

November 8-10

2013 Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners Conference

“Power and Sovereignty”, Boys & Girls High School, 1700 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY.  The Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners Conference connects growers, eaters and organizations across the country to nurture the health and well-being of Black America and the environment as a whole. Attendees explore issues of race, class, health and food through panel discussions, workshops, films and conversations.  Resources are exchanged. Keynoters are:  Monica White, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Environmental Justice in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison & President of the Board of Directors of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network; and Ben Burkett, President, National Family Farm Coalition. www.blackfarmersconf.org/

 

November 3

2:00p: Pre-Black Solidarity Day  Celebration: Speakers Michael Hooper,  Inez Barron, Bob Law, Salim Adofo, Cultural Presentations, Martial Arts  & Performances by Capoeira Angola,  Harlem Poet Laureate, George Edward Tait, The Afrikan Community Drummers, Children of the International Sankofa Academy, Empress Idama, Brother Wakili, Afrikan Vendors Market. Ft. Greene Senior Citizens Center, 966 Fulton St. For information contact Michael Hooper 718-773-0246. Free

 

November 17

BEPAA Presents a Master Class: An Afternoon with Tom Burrell, author of “Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority”, John Henrik Clarke House, 286 Convent Avenue, New York, NY. Admission is Free. Call 347-907-0629

 

December 7

7:30p: Camille A. Brown’s Mr. TOLERANCE, Kumble Theatre. DeKalb Ave. and Flatbush.  $15 Students, Seniors.

 

Ongoing:

Thru November 24

Woodie King Jr’s New Federal Theatre kicks off its 44th season with the first play of “The Ed Bullins Project” – – In The Wine Time, directed by Mansoor Najee-ullah on Oct. 25th at Castillo Theater (543 West 42nd Street), continuing through November 24th. In The Wine Time will feature Richard Brundage, Angelique Chapman, Khadim Diop, Matthew Faroul, Lindsay Finnie, Harrison Lee, Catherine Peoples, Shirlene Victoria Quigley, Sandra Reaves-Phillips Kim Sullivan, Eddie Wardel, and Eboni Witcher. Tickets: www.newfederaltheatre.com or call 212-353-1176.

Thru December 15: Housewarming: Notions of Home from the Center of the Universe at  BRIC Arts | Media House. This inaugural exhibition will act as a celebratory “housewarming” of BRIC’s new 40,000-square-foot multidisciplinary arts and media complex located at 647 Fulton Street in the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District. The exhibition explores the concept of “home” from a number of broad vantage points. Eight of the 12 artists featured in the exhibition will present works commissioned by BRIC. Njideka Akunyili, Esperanza Mayobre, Keisha Scarville and Rafael Vargas Suarez are among the featured artists in the exhibition curated by Elizabeth Ferrer, curator and BRIC’s Director of Contemporary Art. Call for hours. Admission to BRIC’s gallery is free.  Call for hours (718) 855-7882.

Thru January 11 (opening night: Nov. 2): The Games We Played, a nostalgic revisit through art to the street and board games played by young people and families back in the day,  is an art exhibition at House of Art. While some games occupied the entire sidewalk, other games took up the whole street. There were also classic games played indoors when households still had family game night. This exhibition will showcase a diverse group of emerging-to-established artists with a multitude of genres featuring Guy Stanley Philoche, Jamel Shabazz, Dan Ericson, Charlotta Janssen, Leroy Campbell and others. 408 Marcus Garvey Blvd.

Thru January 14: Schomburg Collects WPA Artists 1935 – 1943. The exhibition highlights the work of visual, literary and performing black artists. It presents founder Arturo Schomburg’s commitment to establish and preserve a black art collection as well as the artists’ responses to America’s racial climate.  Schomburg Collects will feature works by Hale Woodruff, Augusta Savage, Beauford Delaney, James Van Der Zee, Richard Wright, Bob Blackburn, Addison Scurlock, Zora Neale Hurston. Call for hours. 515 Malcolm X. Blvd. @ 135th St. (212) 491-2200

Thru March 9, 2014: Wangechi Mutu: A Fantastic Journey, Brooklyn Museum’s first museum survey of more than fifty works of the internationally renowned Nairobi-born, Brooklyn-based artist. Her first-ever animated video is shown as part of the artwork of collages, sketchbook samples, sculpture, a site-specific wall piece and immersive installations. 200 Eastern Parkway, call for hours and entry fees: 718-638-5000.

 

 

PS 256 Parents Building School's Rugby Team

Bernice Elizabeth Green
-
51

Supporting Innovator’s Rugby
Team and Idea

To make a good idea work, it takes a good man with a good idea and the will to work to make it happen.

Such was the case with Tony Fonville, a parent at P.S. 256-The Benjamin Banneker School, in above photo on far left, whose dream to form a school Rugby team came true last spring.

Supported by funds he sought on his own, Mr. Fonville purchased uniforms, designed the workouts and drills, and managed and coached P.S. 256 students into a strong, competing team. They achieved their goal, becoming semi-finalists at the June 2013 Rugby tournament on Randall’s Island.

Now 256’s Parents Association and Administrators are cheerleading Mr. Fonville’s efforts to take a new team to the championship games in June 2014.

To this end, donations from the November 5 Election Day Bake-and-Book Sale fundraiser will be collected.

“Many schools have basketball, baseball, football and other traditional sports,” one parent told us. “Not only has Mr. Fonville brought a non-traditional sport to the neighborhood.  Rugby may translate to scholarships later on for some of these students.”

The game also offers participating students opportunities for vigorous physical activity and wellness.

Good luck, Mr. Fonville!

For more information on this initiative, contact Ms. S. Hemphill, principal, or Ms. B. Roberts, assistant principal: 718-857-9820.

1...903904905...1,292Page 904 of 1,292