News, developments: Tuesday, July 11, 2023

SHIRLEY CHISHOLM MONUMENT VIEWING SESSION

PROSPECT PARK — Assemblyman Brian Cunningham and Councilwoman Rita Joseph are hosting a discussion session for the community to provide their input on the future memorial to pioneering US Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress, who represented Bed-Stuy from 1969 to 1983 and died in 2005. The design of the monument was presented in 2019, and features a 40-foot image of Chisholm’s face blended with an image of the United States Capitol on an interactive steel structure placed at the Parkside entrance to Prospect Park; it was originally planned to be completed in 2020 but construction and planning were delayed due to the pandemic.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 11, at Cunningham’s office at 249 Empire Boulevard, from 6 to 7 p.m.; the designers of the monument are the guest speakers on the evening.

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FIRST GIGLIO LIFT OF THE FAMOUS WILLIAMSBURG PARTY

WILLIAMSBURG — A 136-year-old tradition continued Sunday, July 9, in Williamsburg, with the famous Giglio Ball and Boat Parade, a highlight of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Nolani immigrants from Italy began the tradition in 1887, consisting of the Giglio (the Italian word for “lily,” flowers given to a saint returning from captivity), a seven-story tower decorated with Giglio ( lilies) and the image of Saint Paulí. A platform at the base of the tower supports a twelve-piece brass band and singer. A body of 112 dancing and marching men, the lifters, lifted the entire assembly (tower, band and pastor) through the streets of Williamsburg.

A separate boat, complete with rigged mast, sail and rigging, represents the ship that brought Saint Paul back from captivity. Like the Giglio, it has a band and a singer and is also carried and danced in the streets.

Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, pastor of the church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, climbs the Giglio, fully trusting in the unity of the lifters who carry him. Photo: John Quaglione/DeSales Media.

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DISASTER SIMULATION TRAINING SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY AT CADMAN PLAZA EAST

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN – People in the vicinity of Cadman Plaza East on Wednesday evening, July 12, should be alerted that a disaster drill will be conducted as part of an emergency response team training class communities (CERT). The drill, scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. near Cadman Plaza East and Red Cross Place, will also involve FDNY and NYPD personnel in action. Readers can go on line to learn more about the CERT program or to volunteer.

Graduates are dedicated volunteers who undergo a training program that provides the basic response skills needed for fire safety, light search and rescue, community disaster support, disaster medical operations, and traffic control A one-year commitment is required.

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TURN OFF THE POWER TO THE METRO

KENSINGTON – Police are looking for a man who approached a 25-year-old woman on the northbound F train platform at the Church Avenue subway station on Saturday afternoon, July 8, and grabbed her rear., before fleeing the station. The suspect is described as 5’4″ and approximately 150 pounds with short black hair. He was last seen wearing a blue t-shirt, blue jeans and blue sneakers.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57- TRACK (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org.

The man suspected of grabbing a woman’s behind at the Church Ave station. F. All tips given to the police are strictly confidential.

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SCOOTER SHOOTER LINKED TO SIXTH INCIDENT

JAMAICA — Police announced Sunday that the suspected gunman who shot four people, killing onefrom the back of a scooter on Saturday in a series of drive-by incidents in Brooklyn and Queens has been linked to a sixth shooting, which fortunately left the target uninjured. Thomas Abreu, 25, of Cypress Hills, was quickly caught and arrested in connection with those crimes and charged with murder, attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon after he shot two men in the shoulder , one in the face, and fatally shoot Hamod. Saeidi, 86, of Queens, in the back; it is unknown what might have prompted the violent stampede, which appears to have been random.

So far, Abreu has only been charged in three of the six shootings, but the police investigation continues; A firearm was recovered from Abreu at the time of his arrest.

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CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS THANK FDNY FOR PROTEST ACTIONS

MANHATTAN – New York AG Letitia James, Council President Adrienne Adams and FDNY Lt. James McCarthy of the Uniformed Firefighters Association will join five Alabama civil rights leaders on Monday to thank the FDNY for condemn the city of Birmingham for using his fire department to attack children during a historic march. The march, known as the “Children’s Crusade”, attracted national media attention when on May 2, 1963, Birmingham firefighters ordered high-pressure fire hoses and police dogs to set fire to nearly 1,000 elementary school students, including the five leaders, who were participating in a nonviolent protest, the water hitting them hard enough to tear their clothes; the FDNY union voted to make a proclamation against the use of fire resources to suppress protests, according to the New York Post.

The press conference will take place on Monday, July 10 at 2:00 pm at FDNY Engine Co. 1, Ladder 24 in Manhattan.

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NYC PUBLIC HOSPITAL SYSTEM OFFERS CLINICAL LEADERSHIP FELLOWSHIPS

IN THE CITY — The application The period for the NYC Health + Hospitals Clinical Leadership Fellowship is now open, a one-year opportunity for post-residency graduates interested in administrative roles within the nation’s largest public hospital system. Now in its fifth year, the fellowship assigns selected participants to teams in the offices of quality, population health, ambulatory care, managed care and patient growth, or medical and professional affairs at New York hospitals to acquire practical work experience. As part of their participation, fellows will design and lead a quality improvement or population health project at their sponsoring facility.

Fellows will also provide clinical care to some of the city’s most vulnerable patients. The application deadline for next year’s scholarship is September 29, and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.

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LIBRARY CULTURE STEP CELEBRATES ITS 5TH ANNIVERSARY

IN THE CITY — Three public library systems are celebrating the first five years of the Culture Pass program that allows access to more than 80 museums, gardens, historic sites and shows in the city. Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library and Queens Public Library participate in Culture Pass, which began in July 2018 with just 30 members, is an extension of the core mission of the city’s public libraries provide free access to a wide variety of learning resources for all New Yorkers, including the city’s world-class arts and entertainment venues. In total, more than 80 cultural organizations generously participate in the program, and about 60% of bookings have been made by New Yorkers living in low-income or mixed-income neighborhoods across the five boroughs.

Even after a pause for pandemic-related closures, demand for season tickets has rebounded and remains strong: In April 2023, 7,200 New Yorkers booked a season ticket, the most in a single month since of the launch of the program.

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CITY SUES TO STOP ILLEGAL SALES OF ELECTRONIC CIGS

IN THE CITY — New York City is filing a federal lawsuit against four major distributors of flavored disposable e-cigarettes. Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix made the announcement Monday, July 10. These exotic-flavored e-cigarettes, which are popular vaping devices among middle and high school kids, come from four defendant companies. including Star Vape, based in Brooklyn, another based in Queens, and the other two based in Buffalo. The defendants are alleged to have distributed and continue to distribute exotic flavored disposable e-cigarettes to retail vaping and smoking shops, convenience stores, and directly to consumers in New York City through online sales, in violation of nearly all applicable federal and new regulations. York State and City Law governing the sale of these products.

The July 5 lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, seeks to block the four defendants from further sales of these illegal items and seeks both monetary damages and fines.

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HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS DOE AFTER TEN MONTHS

IN THE CITY — A top Education Department official, Chief Communications Officer Michael Vaughn, has been asked to leave after less than a year on the job, reports the New York Post, with sources citing several PR blunders as a motivating factor. The DOE was widely criticized for failing to consult parents in its decision to temporarily house asylum seekers in school gyms earlier this summer, a decision. came back quickly after days of parent protests, as well as incidents where parents were told of a critical data breach days after the media and where school schedules were released before the conclusion of teacher union negotiations .

Vaughn denied the allegation that he was asked to leave and told the Post that he resigned from the job.

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MONDAIRE JONES RETURNS TO WESTCHESTER FOR A NEW HOME

WESTCHESTER – Former U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones has left upstate Carroll Gardens in an attempt to win back the House seat he lost last year in a redistricting fight. Gothamist reports. Jones was elected as a freshman representative in 2020 in his hometown District 10, which includes Rockland, Putnam and parts of Westchester counties, but after redistricting forced him to square off with the Dem leader Patrick Maloney, threw his hat into the primary ring with now-Rep. Dan Goldman (who Jones described in an interview with Eagle as “a conservative Democrat [buying] his way to Congress”) and Rep. Yuh-Line Niou over Brooklyn/Lower Manhattan’s 17th District, with which Jones had few ties, ultimately finishing third in the primary, according to the Daily News.

Maloney ultimately lost the race in District 10 to Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who Jones hopes to unseat in the 2024 election from his new base in Sleepy Hollow.

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