"Department of Education layoffs hit poor areas hardest" by Juan Gonzalez

Education in New York City is a tough topic to argue or converse on. Juan Gonzalez of the New York Daily News speaks on how the Department of Education will layoff nearly 800 nonteaching professionals in New York City in low income areas. Brownsville is one of the low income areas that is being targeted. Check out the article!

(Galasso/North Jersey Media Group - FILE PHOTO)

The city's plan to lay off nearly 800 nonteaching public school employees this fall will hit the poorest districts the hardest - and spare the more affluent ones.

The disparate nature of the cuts - the biggest layoffs at any agency in the Bloomberg era - became apparent yesterday, when officials gave Local 372, which represents nonprofessional school employees, a detailed hit list.

Under the plan, District 5 in Harlem and District 6 in Washington Heights will lose almost 8% of their school aides, parent coordinators and community workers - 77 out of a total of 998.

Damage Caused in Brooklyn from Hurricane Irene

Check out this video filmed by Todd Maisel and produced by Rebecca Davis of the New York Daily News showing the damage that Hurricane Irene caused in Brooklyn!

Damage Caused in Brooklyn from Hurricane Irene

Brownsville Transfer by Jeffrey Wisotsky

As Community Planning Partners, the Vision Plan an idea that we have to implement to the Brownsville community. Karrie Scarboro, Jackie Kennedy and Randy Millard along with Nupur Chaudhury have been  Kaffeeklatsches and other programs/activities just keep Brownsville aware of what can/could/should be done in the community.

We would like for you to watch this mini-film by Jeffrey Wisotsky. The mini-film is called "Brownsville Transfer". Sit back and watch how the residents of Brownsville Houses create and devise their own Vision Plan.

Pack and plan ahead for Hurricane Irene; Go Bags, emergency kits and plans to keep your family safe by Karen Duffy

PEOPLE...HURRICANE IRENE IS COMING!!! LET'S BE PREPARED!!!

Karen Duffy of the New York Daily News has devised a plan for us to go by so we can survive Hurricane Irene. Read it and pass it along!!!

Plan ahead and you'll be ready for Hurricane Irene -- or any storm that comes your way.

(Courtesy of Seth Wenig/AP)

 

I'm a proud daughter of the Empire State and daughter of a cop. My appreciation for our NYC emergency services is so great, it inspired me to take the Office of Emergency Management Community Emergency Response Team training.

I have been a CERT Team member with Community Board 2 for four years.  I even hosted the Ready New York video on emergency preparedness.

The Office of Emergency Management breaks it down into three simple steps: Create a kit, make a plan and be informed.

Here's everything you need to keep safe during Hurricane Irene or any disaster. 

Brownsville Oldtimers Week 2011 Photos

(Mr. Greg "Jocko" Jackson at the BRC during Brownsville Oldtimers Week)

Let's give Jesse Newmann a round of applause!!! Jesse Newman is a Reporter for The Brooklyn Ink. Her mission is to cover Brownsville. Jesse is doing a great job! Check out the photos she took for Brownsville Oldtimers Week. Keep up the good work Jesse!!!



“Jocko” Keeps a Hoops Tradition Going in Brownsville

If you was to ask Mr. Greg "Jocko" Jackson where was the game of Basketball invented at, he would tell you, "it was made right here in Brownsville." The game of Basketball saves a lot of lives in the community. There is an extensive list of Basketball players from Brownsville who have played professionally, on the collegiate level and also in the playground. Check out this article by Jesse Newman of The Brooklyn Ink. Brownsville has some of the best Basketball players in the World!

Local boys play basketball on the court at the Brownsville Recreation Center in Brooklyn in July. (Photo: Jesse Newman/The Brooklyn Ink)

Greg Jackson sat in the bleachers of the Brownsville Recreation Center on a Saturday in July, bouncing a grandson on one knee and squinting his eyes at the basketball game in progress before him. One by one, players rushed past, darting through the soft columns of afternoon light that flooded the Brooklyn gym, bathing the court in an ethereal glow and turning young men into silhouettes.

Smiling at the high-pitched shriek of sneakers and the shrill cry of the referee’s whistle, Jackson, a Brownsville native and manager of the rec center, pointed to the freshly painted court and bright gold uniforms flashing by. “You see,” he said. “Hope is back.”

Jackson, known simply as “Jocko” throughout Brownsville, was in 11th grade at Samuel J. Tilden High School when his guidance counselor suggested that he quit school and get a factory job. “You’re not gonna amount to much,” he remembers being told. That was over 40 years ago, before he graduated from college, played basketball for the NBA, married, raised nine children and helped rescue the rec center from near-ruin, turning it into a safe haven for young people in a neighborhood beset by violent crime.

In a city flush with pro basketball stars and legendary street ball courts, every neighborhood has its success story, and Brooklyn perhaps more than its fair share. Brownsville alone spawned a handful of famous players, including James “Fly” Williams, the mercurial darling of the American Basketball Association; World B. Free, known for his 44-inch vertical leaps and 360-degree dunks in the NBA; and Phil “The Thrill” Sellers, the six-foot-five-inch forward who led Rutgers University in its only undefeated regular season in 1976 and brought the Scarlet Knights to the Final Four that year.

National Night Out 2011

Here is another post by our Summer Youth Intern Morgan Smith. Morgan attended the annual National Night Out event in Brownsville which was held at Dr. Richard Green Playground on Mother Gaston Blvd and Sutter Ave.

"On Tuesday, August 2nd, it was National Night Out at P.S./ I.S. 284 Park. It was really fun. The event had the Cotton Candy Machines, Ice Cream, Hamburgers, Hot Dogs and etc. There was a lot of people from Brownsville in attendance as well as people from outside of the neighborhood. Some kids played basketball. "

"It looked as if everyone had fun. The event staffers gave away bags with school supplies and other gifts. They also had face painting. My little sister went. When we got home, I asked her if she had fun? She responded with "it was one of the best things they have ever done in Brownsville."- Morgan

"Just Say No To Drugs" by Morgan Smith

We all know how drugs plays a significant role in the Brownsville community. Morgan Smith, our Brownsville Partnership Guest Blogger for the Summer, talks about. Even though Morgan's blog post has so little words, the meaning is powerful.

"A lot of teens in the community use drugs. Some teens in the community use drugs to rebel towards their parents, while some teens use drugs to make them feel as if they're "grown". Maybe teens think that by them using drugs, it will make them "feel good" or have more more fun at a party. However, the truth is that, there are much better ways to do all of these things."- Morgan Smith

Morgan & Malika's Views: What We Know About Brownsville

Morgan Smith and Malika Spruill will be contributing to the Brownsville Partnership Blog this summer. Every Tuesday, Morgan and Malika will team up together up creating blog post about their experience working in Brownsville.

Malika Spruill is a resident of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. She is 20 Years Old. This is her first time working in the Brownsville. She knows little to none about Brownsville. Malika's views about Brownsville may change.

Morgan Smith is a resident of Brownsville, Brooklyn. As a 15 Year Old young man growing up in Brownsville, he lets it be known that it is not easy living in Brownsville. Growing up in this "tough" environment is going to hopefully make him a better person.

"Brownsville is a big community filled with much positivity and negativity. There are ways to change the negatives into positives. One of the positive things about Brownsville is the Brownsville Partnership. Brownsville Partnership helps the Brownsville residents seek employment and get the youth off of the street. The Youth Market is one of things we do in the community. We sell fresh produce in the community to give people healthier ways of eating. Also we do programs and activities all over the community." - Morgan Smith

"There are many social problems in Brownsville. The problems are mainly associated with drugs and crime. Brownsville has a higher rate of dropouts and incidents of violence in their schools than any other neighborhood I know of. Another problem is low test scores and high truancy rates. This is what I know of about Brownsville because I really don't know much."- Malika Spurill

Ron Darling, Keith Hernandez, Mets alums to help Habitat for Humanity build housing later in July

Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez, sitting in the Mets broadcast booth with Gary Cohen (c.), are joining with Habitat for Humanity to do their part in the local community.

(Courtesy of Howard Simmons of the NY Daily News)

Georgette Lee was nervous as she walked into the SNY booth at Citi Field Sunday to meet Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez. She knew who they were, of course, but Lee is not much of a baseball fan.

Lee had come to Citi Field to say thank you to two of the men who will help build her home.


Darling and Hernandez, along with some of their 1986 world champion teammates, will hammer and paint to help build the residences at St. John's Place in the Ocean Hill-Brownsville section of Brooklyn on July 15 with Habitat for Humanity. Lee will own one of those homes in 2012.


It is the third straight year that the Mets Alumni Association Presented by Citi, as part of the Mets and Citi's "Teammates in the Community" initiative, have helped Habitat for Humanity build affordable housing in the city.

Michael Rapaport moves behind the camera to chronicle hip-hop favorites A Tribe Called Quest

If you was to ask Michael Rapaport where he was from, he would simply reply and might say "I am from Brownsville, Brooklyn." Read this article written by Jacob E. Osterhout as he talks about Michael Rapaport's role in his new documentary talking the break up of his favorite Hip Hop group, A Tribe Called Quest.



Michael Rapaport's 'Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest' just opened.

(Courtesy of Jacob E. Osterhout of the NY Daily News)

In a perfect world, Michael Rapaport would bike to Astoria every day to eat an overstuffed sandwich from Sal, Kris & Charlie's Deli.



But the world isn't perfect.


In fact, on this particularly sunny New York day, the 41-year-old actor — his films include and Woody Allen's "Mighty Aphrodite" and "Small Time Crooks" — has such a bad stomachache, he doesn't even bother to unwrap his sandwich.


Instead, he downs two ginger ales and stares longingly at his order — a sandwich full of five meats, three cheeses, four veggies, dressing, mustard and mayo, aptly named "The Bomb."


"I'm not hungry right now, but I promise you that by the end of the day that sandwich will be eaten," he says with a thick New York accent. "It's perfection. It would be criminal to let the best sandwich in this city go to waste."


Just as it would have been criminal to keep Rapaport's directorial debut, "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest," from being released on the big screen, which almost happened.


The film, which opened Friday, chronicles the 1998 breakup of one of Rapaport's favorite hip-hop groups, Queens-based A Tribe Called Quest. Despite the director's adoration of his subject, the leader of A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip, refused to approve the film before its debut because of creative differences.

Tomorrow Brownsville Your Attendance Is Needed!!!

For more information, contact Randy Millard at rmillard@commonground.com

Follow Brownsville Partnership on Twitter @bvillepartner

Thousands more NYC students need to take summer school to advance

School in the Summer...

Read this article by Rachel Monahan who writes for New York Daily News.

A lot more kids need summer school this year, officials said yesterday.


This summer, 12,000 more city public school students than last year should hit the books harder, according to a Department of Education analysis.

In all, 34,069 students in third through eighth grades likely will be held back if they don't attend summer school.

"Before promoting any of these students to the next grade, we need to make sure they have mastered the skills needed to succeed," said city Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott.

To be promoted, the city requires students to score a basic "Level 2" on state English and math exams.

Because the state exams are given in May, the city does not have the official results, but instead has projected which students have not met their standards.

City officials said they did not expect more students to fail the exam but had made a more accurate judgment of the need this year.

Last year, the city recommended 22,802 students for summer school, when in fact 31,000 bombed the standardized tests.

The summer term will cost the city almost $51 million - $4 million more than last year.

"It's good that more students will have the opportunity to improve. I think it's scary how many kids need to improve," said Advocates for Children Executive Director Kim Sweet.

Pitkin Ave BID Job Opening!!!

IMMEDIATE JOB OPENING


The Pitkin Avenue BID is seeking a part time temporary employee to help with the planning of its Summer Plaza events. This is a terrific opportunity for a community resident who is seeking supplemental income.

For three Sundays in July, a section of Pitkin Avenue will be closed to car traffic for the Pitkin Summer Plazas. The BID needs a summer employee to assist in programming the space with events, arts and crafts, and recreational activities.

The position will be 20 hours per week Monday through Friday, beginning June 20, 2011 In July, the week will be Tuesday to Saturday because assistance at the Summer Plazas is required. Please note that this does not include July 4th Weekend! The position pays $12/hr.

With the Director’s supervision, job duties will include the following:

• Meet with event partners to discuss programming

• Work with merchants to develop event programming and sponsorship

• Develop promotional materials

• Promote the summer plazas online using Facebook, Blogger and email

• Assist in developing press materials

• Supervise volunteers and block captains during the event

• Assist in setting up for the event, including lifting tables and chairs

• Assist in breaking down the event, including clean up

• Assist the director as needed

Requirements:

Excellent communication skills

Computer skills, including MS Word, Excel, GoogleDocs, and Picasa.

Students interested in urban planning and economic development are strongly encouraged to apply. Send cover letter and resume to Dan Murphy at execdirector@pitkinbid.org

Are Healthy School Lunches Too Expensive For The American Economy?

Obesity amongst our youth across the nation, is a tough topic to debate about. We want our kids to be healthy, but the cost maybe too expensive...

Read this article from The Associated Press

Let's enlighten each other

Washington, DC (June 1, 2011) -- House Republicans are pushing back against Obama administration efforts to promote healthier lunches, saying the Agriculture Department should rewrite rules it issued in January meant to make school meals healthier. They say the new rules are too costly.

The bill, approved by the House Appropriations Committee late Tuesday, also questions a government proposal to curb marketing of unhealthy foods to children and urges the Food and Drug Administration to limit rules requiring calorie counts be posted on menus.

Bobkatz BikeRoll

Last Saturday, May 28th, 2011, Brownsville Partnership and the Brownsville Bobkatz put their bicycles in motion as they trekked around the Brownsville community for the Bobkatz BikeRoll. 30 kids from the Brownsville Bobkatz and other teams in the community, Brownsville Partnership, Brownsville Recreation Center Staff along with volunteers from local community organizations rode throughout the neighborhood. After the Bike ride, the kids had the chance to indulge in some healthy barbecue food.


Here are some pictures:

(The Bikers getting ready to ride throughout the Brownsville streets)

(Grilled Turkey Hot Dogs)

(Brownsville Partnership Staff: L to R- Alicka Ampry-Samuel, Brian Goldblatt (GrowNYC), Nupur Chaudhury & Greg "Jocko" Jackson)

For more photos from the Bobkatz BikeRoll check out the slideshow!

Terror in Brownsville: Survey finds Brooklyn neighborhood grappling with "serious issues" like guns

 (Courtesy of NY Daily News)

Brownsville resident James Kinard, 50, worries about crime in his neighborhood.

 

 Brownsville is a neighborhood filled with unique individuals. Our qualities and our characteristics genetically bonds us to become a rare breed in society. Center for Court Innovation volunteers last fall, conducted a survey about what are the "serious issues" in Brownsville. Jake Pearson and Al Barbarino complied the results into a great article. This is a must read!!!!

Guns. Gangs. Drug use. Drug selling. Assaults.

A whopping 80% of Brownsville residents say these are the biggest problems plaguing their community, according to a new survey.

Volunteers from the Center for Court Innovation spent weeks last fall asking more than 800 Brownsville residents questions about their neighborhood - and this month released the troubling results.

"This survey paints a portrait of a neighborhood with some serious problems," said Greg Berman, director of the Center for Court Innovation. "There are social problems and public safety problems...and it's a neighborhood grappling with some serious issues."

Brooklyn Salons get training, medical devices to help clients stay well

Read this article written by Jake Pearson for the New York Daily News. Jake Pearson goes into a Beauty Salon... but he comes out with something better than gossip!

Check this out!

(Courtesy of Robert Mecca)

Samantha Brown (c.), owner of Women's Hair Care Center in Crown Heights, works on hair of Raicine Terry as stylist Modestina Bell looks on.

For women, the hair salon has long been an intimate place for private conversations, gossip and advice between stylists and clients.



From neighborhood news to Arnold Schwarzenegger's secret family, no topic is off-limits - and in some Brooklyn neighborhoods, obesity, diabetes are now on the list of sacred topics.


Trained by public health experts last month, 16 salon owners in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights and East Flatbush have begun slipping health advice into conversation with their customers - suggesting healthy meals, exercise routines and doctor visits.


"No I don't need the scale, I've never used it," said city worker Alison Fulford, 43, after Crown Heights salon owner Samantha Brown mentioned there was a scale in the bathroom as Fulford got her hair pressed and dried last week.


The scale, a blood pressure machine, and DVDs with exercise routines, healthy food options and weight-loss tips have also been supplied to the salons.

Photo exhibit at Brooklyn's Atlantic Terminal fosters hope for 50 beautiful kids looking for homes

(Courtesy of Mark Bonifacio of the New York Daily News)

Photographer Rayon Richards with foster child William, at 'Heart Gallery' exhibit now on at Atlantic Terminal.

Photographer Rayon Richards has a good heart! He help facilitate a photo shoot, along with HeartShare Human Services, for Foster Child who are looking to be placed in a home. The "Heart Gallery" is at Alantic Terminal in Downtown Brooklyn. Read this article written by Erin Durkin of the New York Daily News.

Check this out!

For the next month, commuters passing through downtown Brooklyn's busy Atlantic Terminal will be greeted by the smiling faces of 50 foster kids searching for permanent homes.



Life-sized portraits of the kids taken by renowned photographers were unveiled yesterday as part of a "Heart Gallery" on display in hopes of enticing potential parents.


Malik, 14, moved into his latest foster home in Canarsie a week ago - his sixth since he was taken away from his parents at age 6 after they left him home alone for weeks, he said.


"I never found the right place," said Malik, an eighth-grader who has had to change schools four times while being shifted among foster homes all over the city. "I don't feel like a normal teenager.

Brooklyn's dad fighting back after losing his son to gun violence

The gun violence in the Brownsville community is effecting the residents terribly. Some of our residents are scared to come outside in fear being accidental hit by a stray bullet. Read this article wriiten by Erin Durkin of the New York Daily News. Mike Tucker of Bedford Stuyvesant lost his Stephonne Crawford in 2005. He wants to share his story with the world now.

Check this out!

(Courtesy of New York Daily News)

Mike Tucker holds a photo of his son, Stephonne Crawford, who was shot in 2005

Bedford-Stuyvesant dad Mike Tucker's son was fatally shot by police nearly six years ago - and now he's dedicating his life to fighting Brooklyn's plague of gun violence.

Tucker's son, Stephonne Crawford, 21, was accidentally shot in East New York in a 2005 scuffle with cops who were trying to question him about a separate shooting. He was killed instantly when a detective's gun discharged, police said at the time.


"The gun accidentally went off and shot him in the back of the head," said Tucker, 45, adding that Stephonne, who had a 1-year-old son, had fallen in with the wrong crowd but was trying to turn his life around. "I was really shocked and devastated."

Teachers' Union Sues to Stop School Closings

P.S. 332, Charles H. Houston in our neighborhood of Brownsville, Brooklyn is one of the schools in New York City that is on the verge of being closed down. Check out this article on the New York Times website written by Fernanda Santos. Let's Save Our Schools!!!

(Courtesy of George M. Gutierrez for the New York Times)

John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx, one of the schools that a lawsuit filed Wednesday hopes to keep open.

The United Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in an effort to halt two tools the city’s Education Department uses to change the school system: closing schools for poor performance and giving charter schools space in buildings occupied by traditional public schools. 

The litigation, filed in State Supreme Court, escalates the tensions in the fraying relationship between the city and the teachers’ union, whose members have worked without a contract for more than a year and now face the likelihood of 4,100 layoffs, which Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg proposed as a way to balance the budget.

It also threatens to upend the coming school year for the thousands of students who have secured a spot in charter schools whose locations are being challenged and in new high schools that are set to replace closing schools.

Six Miles Wasn't Enough!

On Sunday, May 15th, 2011, Brownsville Partnership Staff, Kyle Mushkin, Michelle Strong, Randy Millard, Shawn Brooks and his lovely Mrs. Brooks and lastly Kristen Woods participated in the 26th Annual AIDS Walk in Central Park.

The atmosphere was great! Brownsville Partnership Staff completed the Six Mile Walk! Despite the mud, the hard rain and bugs, the tough terrain in Central Park did not slow them down at all! 

Check out some of the pictures!

Good Job Guys!

With correction-officer mom by his side, Bed-Stuy's Jaiquwan Jarrett gets ready for the NFL Draft

Mo' Better Jaguars Football league in Brownsville are doing some big things if you didn't know! This Football program has put many of kids in College through the game of Football. Read this article about Jaiquwan Jarrett written by Mitch Abramson talking about his transition from Fort Hamilton High School to Temple University to becoming a Professional Football Player in the NFL coming from Bed-Stuy!

PHILADELPHIA - The big hit took place in South Philadelphia.

In a game against UConn on Sept. 18, Temple's Jaiquawn Jarrett, a 6-foot, 200-pounder, ran toward the sideline and crashed into Husky running back Jordan Todman, lowering his shoulder and blasting Todman several feet backward. It was the type of collision that leaves both players spinning, but Jarrett, a safety from the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, rose to his feet quickly and nodded his head in approval, fully enjoying the results of his work. Sitting in the stands at Lincoln Financial Field that day was Jarrett's mother, Audrey Young.

"That's my son!" she likes to belt out to anyone within earshot, in case the No. 5 jersey bearing the words "Jarrett's Mother" on her back doesn't convey the message.

She has always been there for her son, raising him, along with his three siblings, as a single mother, playing the role of caretaker, breadwinner, cheerleader, and when she had to be, law enforcer, keeping her kids in line. That last attribute - the disciplinarian - may have been the easiest role for her to adapt.

Community Planning Partner Survey #2

Our Community Planning Partners, Karrie Scarboro and Randy Millard along with Jacqueline Kennedy have created Community Planning Partner Survey #2. Our Community Planning Partners are in Phase II of their Community Planning Process for the Brownsville Partnership. Phase II entails that our Community Planning Partners will engage the community in a discussion on more specific views. The Brownsville residents will be asked what parks, buildings, streets and commercial areas they like and dislike, and why.

Here are the questions:

1. Where are areas in the community that are considered unsafe and undesirable?
2. Name locations in the community that are very important to the community but are underutilized and poorly maintained.
3. What do you like/dislike about the local shopping/commercial areas in Brownsville? (i.e. Pitkin Ave, Belmont Ave., Rockaway Ave and Livonia Ave)
4. What are some intersections and streets that can be enhanced or better guarded for pedestrians and children? And How? (i.e. Speed bumps, bike lanes)
5. What parks in Brownsville do you think need the most work?
6. How can we put usage to vacant spaces and abandoned structures in Brownsville?

You can contact Karrie Scarboro via phone (347) 654-0519 (Cell) or E-mail  kscarboro@commonground.org or Randy Millard via phone (347) 314-0306 or E-mail rmillard@commonground.org

#HOPEISINSIDE

New Book: School Resegregation Is Detrimental To Black Students

Another interesting article from BlackNews.com...

Nationwide (March 14, 2011) -- A new book, Schooling Poor Minority Children: New Segregation in the Post-Brown Era, authored by Martha R. Bireda, Ph.D., chronicles the process of desegregation to a return to post-Brown resegregated schools. The author describes this "new" segregation as a "redesign of pre-Brown segregation" and details the devastating impact upon poor minority students.

The return to segregated neighborhood schools, most often populated by poor black and brown students, unequally funded, and labeled "low performing" or "failing" should be taken very by seriously by the black community. The "new" segregation that has evolved in the post-Brown era is even more insidious than that of pre-Brown segregation. The deeply rooted problems that plagued pre-Brown segregated schools persist; while a new set of problems inherent in the "new" segregation have emerged. The "new" post-Brown segregation is creating a class of chronically undereducated students who will be left with only underclass options.

The author examines two crucial school-related factors characteristic of post-Brown segregated, low performing schools serving predominately poor minority populations: first, a school culture that is characterized by low expectations for students and the lack of a collective responsibility for student learning; and secondly, a stigmatizing school climate that focuses on control of students rather than creating rigorous and challenging learning environments. The combination of these factors results in the failure of these students to develop an academic identity, a lack of achievement motivation, the development of low self-expectations, disengagement from the learning process, academic failure, and in far too many instances non-completion.

Reboundsville: New home construction gives Brooklyn's Brownsville a facelift

Check out this article written by Lynne Miller of NY Daily News as she explains and explores the new home construction in our Brownsville Community. The photos are courtesy of Jeff Bachner. To read the article on the NY Daily News website, here is the link Reboundsville: New home construction gives Brooklyn's Brownsville a facelift

Walk around gritty Brownsville, in northeastern Brooklyn, and you see new apartment buildings and other multifamily homes mixed in with older row houses, including some that are nearly 100 years old. The New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) helped cause this mini-building boom. Since 2003, HPD, working with developers, has financed the construction or rehabilitation of 3,871 units of affordable housing.

Under Mayor Bloomberg’s New Housing Marketplace Plan, more than 110,000 affordable housing units, financed by HPD, have pumped new life into city neighborhoods, including more than 27,000 in Brooklyn.
“You could call us an urban renewal agency,” says Jack Hammer, director of Brooklyn planning for the HPD.

One of the HPD’s newest projects, the $15.2 million River Rock development on Riverdale Ave. in Brownsville, features 54 rental apartments for low-income families, with 11 apartments for formerly homeless people. On the ground floor, 12,000 square feet have been set aside for retail with space for a local agency that provides social services to residents. On the second floor, there’s a laundry, a community room and terrace. There’s also underground parking.

Fillmore’s Lisa James inside a new two-family home on Tapscott St. (Jeff Bachner)

Greg Donaldson's book 'Zebratown' traces transformation of ex-Brownsville thug Kevin Davis

Read this article about Kevin Davis who was featured in a book title "Zebratown" written by Greg Donaldson who also wrote "The Ville". The article is written by Jake Pearson of NY Daily News.
Check it out!!!

Here is the link for the article Greg Donaldson's book "Zebratown" traces transformation of ex-Brownsville thug Kevin Davis

Author Greg Donaldson inadvertently sent a then-wanted Kevin Davis to prison after a photo of the young criminal appeared on the cover of his highly successful 1994 book, "The Ville."


Since then, the former thug from Brownsville and the John Jay College professor have formed an unlikely, decade-long friendship.

The result is "Zebratown," Donaldson's newest book, which chronicles Davis' struggle to stay clear of street life after nearly 10 years in prison.

"Now I look at Greg like family," said Davis, 42, who spent almost a decade in prison for gun, drug and assault convictions. "One thing about this book is it's all real - you just watch a person's life unfold."

For Donaldson, the book was as much about Davis' life as it was for the thousands of Brooklyn men who have crossed paths with the criminal justice system.

Motorcycle, SUV enthusiats help Flatbush, Brooklyn fire victims

Check out the great work done by the all-women Auto Club Outer Order and other SUV and Auto Clubs for the fire victims of Flatbush, Brooklyn. The event was done at the Brownsville Recreation Center yesterday afternoon. The article is written by Simone Weichselbaum of NY Daily News.

(Dozens were left homeless following deadly fire in Flatbush, Brooklyn.)

Dozens of motorcycle and SUV enthusiasts donated a mountain of clothes, toys, books and food Sunday to the homeless families left with nothing after surviving the Flatbush apartment building blaze.

Mounds of secondhand wardrobes were piled up to the ceiling on a stage inside the Brownsville Recreation Center on Linden Blvd. Center doors will stay open all week for the displaced E. 29th St. residents, organizers said.

"Abortion Is Black Genocide" by Rev. Dr. Clenard H. Childress, Jr.

Nationwide (February 24, 2011) -- Writing in "Right to Life News", a beautiful document about our right to life, the Rev. Jesse Jackson asked an amazingly salient question which shouts across the decades:




"What happens to the mind of a person, and the moral fabric of a nation, that accepts the aborting of the life of a baby without a pang of conscience? What kind of a person, and what kind of a society will we have 20 years hence if life can be taken so casually?"



"It is that question, the question of our attitude, our value system, and our mind-set with regard to the nature and worth of life itself that is the central question confronting mankind. Failure to answer that question affirmatively may leave us with a hell right here on earth."

That was January 1977. It is now 34 years later and we emphatically need to examine the profoundness of Jackson's comment, for this is one of the most incredible insights given to America four years after the launch of the systemic eugenics plan--Roe vs. Wade-- in the words of sitting Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, mimicking Planned Parenthood founder, Margaret Sanger, when she said, "Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don't want to have too many of." Concern about population growth...? Too many of whom...?

Yes, by design, Abortion was to be seductively proposed to the African-American community to reduce their numbers by ripping children apart within the womb. This plot would not only decimate the African-American community, it would also expedite the depletion of our national conscience. What most America thought then to be radical rhetoric coming from Black America's most popular spokesperson, has in this day become a sociological fact which can be empirically proven. After years of futility, much like Egypt's frustration with Israel in the book of Genesis--the more they afflicted them the more they increased--Abortion has become the "silver bullet" for the imbedded eugenic influence in our nation and the world. Nationally 1,786 African-Americans are killed each day by Abortion, and in New York City, for every 1,000 precious African-Americans born, sadly 1,525 are mutilated to death within the womb.

This Is A Must Read: "Brooklyn teens face reproductive rights challenges" by Mary Alice Miller

This Is A Must Read article written by Mary Alice Miller of the Our Time Press. Please pass this along to our young kids in the community!

Teens living in Brooklyn are giving birth and terminating pregnancies at numbers higher than almost any borough in the city. According to the recently released N.Y.C. Summary of Vital Statistics 2009, 40 Brooklyn teens under age 15 gave birth, the most in the city; 672 teens, ages 15-17, gave birth – second only to the Bronx; 1,808 teens, ages 18-19 gave birth – the highest teen birth numbers in the city. Brooklyn communities with the highest births to teens are Brownsville, East New York and Bushwick.


Brooklyn teens experienced the most spontaneous terminations (miscarriages) in the city. The highest numbers of induced terminations among teens took place in Brooklyn.

One-hundred thirty-three adolescents under age 15 terminated their pregnancies; there were 1,663 induced terminations among 15-17-year-olds; and 2,586 among 18-19-year-olds. In New York City, the proportion of pregnancies ending in an induced termination is highest among younger women, peaking at about 28 percent at age 30. For women under the age of 25, more pregnancies end in induced termination than in a live birth or spontaneous termination. Of all induced terminations in NYC, the vast majority (88 percent) take place in the first 12 weeks.

According to the NYC Department of Health, induced terminations of pregnancies among all age groups in NYC have gone down since 2000. Since that same year, the birth rate among teens has declined by 27 percent. Teen births accounted for 6.2 percent of all births in 2009.



To read the entire article click this link: Brooklyn Teens Face Reproductive Rights Challenges

Thelma Hamilton Campus Defeats Satellite Academy for Alternative "A" Title

Thelma Hamilton Campus defeats Arturo A. Schomburg Satellite Academy for the 2010-2011 Boys PSAL Alternative High School "A" City Championship. The article is written by Joseph Staszewski who covers High School Sports for New York Post.

Confidence is something Kevin Charles never lacks.

“I felt confidence, a lot of confidence in my jump shot -- every time we play I have confidence in my jump shot,” the Thelma Hamilton senior guard said.

Charles connected on four first-quarter 3-pointers. He then went quiet for nearly three periods, but his conviction never wavered. The Jets had defending champion Satellite Academy on the ropes when Charles delivered a dagger trey that helped his team build an eight-point lead with a little more than three minutes left to play.

“I knew I was going to knock it down,” Charles said. “When I have the ball in my hands I don’t feel like I’m going to miss.”

Black History Month Timeline

Black History Month is a month that has more value than the days the month of February contains. Black History Month is a month where the African-American struggle and sacrifice is put into the spotlight. As I was searching through the World Wide Web, I came across some interesting Black History Facts. Let's enlighten ourselves. Here are some:

Timeline of Events in

African American History

1619

August 20. Twenty Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, aboard a Dutch ship. They were the first blacks to be forcibly settled as involuntary laborers in the North American British Colonies.

1641

Massachusetts was the first colony to legalize slavery by statute.

1663

September 13. The first documented attempt at a rebellion by slaves took place in Gloucester County, Virginia.

1664

Maryland was the first state to try to discourage by law the marriage of white women to black men.

JRIP (Juvenile Robbery Intervention Program) Featured on NYDailyNews.com

( Lt. David Glassberg along with Det. Sasha Spivey; Juvenile Robbery Intervention Program (JRIP) )

 Courtesy of NYDailyNews.com

Read this article that features Lt. David Glassberg, Det. Sasha Spivey and Officer Tramaine Oxley along with the Officers of the Juvenile Robbery Invention Program talking about their work in the Brownsville community. The article is written by Rocco Parascandola, the Daily News Police Bureau Cheif 

Troubled Brooklyn teens are getting some tough love from cops hoping to steer juvenile offenders onto the right path.

Ten officers are assigned to the Juvenile Robbery Intervention Program (JRIP) in Brownsville, which helps housing project teens busted for robbery get job training, social services and educational opportunities.

"We want to help these kids," said Lt. David Glassberg, who runs the JRIP program. "We do what we can to keep them from getting in trouble again."

To read the article in its full entirity click this link: Brownsville teens being monitored by cops also offered guidance following robbery arrests

The Weekend In Revue with Our Community Planning Partners

Brownsville Partnership staff and volunteers was put to work this past weekend. This past was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Weekend in Brownsville and all over the country. In his honor, we went in the community and done several activities with our Brownsville residents.

Greg "Jocko" Jackson and his staff at the Brownsville Recreation Center hosted a theatrical production by NIA Production titled "She's All Into Herself" on Friday night and the 1st Annual Brooklyn's "We Got Talent" Talent Show on Saturday afternoon. Both events were packed with people of all ages.

"The Design Difference: In Brownsville, Enormous Urban Challenges, and Hope" by Alissa Walker

Check out this article written by Alissa Walker who writes for GOOD. GOOD is a online publication that covers and reports on topics such as Action, Health, Politics and Technology. The article Alissa Walker wrote "The Design Difference: In Brownsville, Enormous Urban Challenges, and Hope" speaks about the solutions Brownsville needs in the community! 

It is a 3 part series!

Read this excerpt right here:

GOOD was asked to attend The Design Difference, a charrette held by the Japan Society, Common Ground, and the Designers Accord. In this series, we're examining design solutions to social problems and ways for designers to contribute pro bono work for the proposed solutions.

Brownsville Partnership Weekly "Koffee Klatsch"

On Wednesday January 12th, 2011, Karrie Scarboro, one of our Community Planning Partners, held a "Koffee Klutch" at her residence. "Koffee Klutch" is a weekly event sponsored by Brownsville Partnership. You can deem this a discussion group because we talk about the issues and concerns our residents of Brownsville have. For more information about the weekly "Koffee Klutch" you can contact Karrie Scarboro at kscarboro@commonground.org or Randy Millard at rmillard@commonground.org

Follow us on Twitter @bvillepartner

Unlimited Potential:Saquan Thompson by Randy Millard

Randy Millard, one of our Community Planning Partners, is also a Freelance Journalist for different media outlets in the city such as NYHoops.com and Bounce Magazine. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of his blog The Brownsville Journal, which is located on Wordpress.com (The Brownsville Journal).

This is one of his pieces of work that was featured on NYHoops.com. This is about Saquan Thompson who was a great kid and a talented basketball player. Saquan was from Brownsville.

Read this people!

Unilimited Potential: Saquan Thompson  by Randy Millard

The game of Basketball builds friendships, bonds, brotherhoods, and lastly lifetime memories. In New York City, we New Yorkers cherish this game. Basketball dominates New York City. We love The World’s Most Famous Area that is better known as Madison Square Garden. We love the wars on the cracked asphalt in the parks. We love the friendly neighborhood dogfights when someone makes a “bad” call in a heated game. We love New York City High School Basketball. Saquan Thompson played New York City High School Basketball.

Brownsville Partnership You Tube Page

Karrie Scarboro and Randy Millard along with Erica Mateo have created a You Tube page for Brownsville Partnership. Our Community Planning Partners have been in the community doing excellent work thus far. As they came were conducting the Community Planning Partner Survey # 1, they came up with the idea to conduct surveys in different ways such as: