"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."