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