Celebrating Community
Terence Williams grew up in East New York, Brooklyn. Five years ago, Williams joined the New York Police Department, and on December 8 Officer Williams will graduate from the Red Hook Justice Center’s Peacemaking program. The Peacemaking program adapts Native American conflict resolution strategies to New York City court cases within the Justice Center’s catchment area – police precincts 72, […]
Red Hook’s streets were quiet Wednesday morning, with the few pedestrians walking their dogs or waiting for the bus looking despondent. “It’s unsettling and confusing and I’m not really sure what’s going to happen next,” noted a man on King Street. “I think it’s embarrassing,” said a woman near Wolcott. “This is what happens when people don’t go vote. I’ve […]
On October 5, 2014, Howard “Tony” Sterling was murdered in Red Hook, Brooklyn. For the last two years, Bobby Boomer and Omar Gray were held in pretrial detention, only to be released this past August and September respectively. It was a Sunday morning when Sterling was fatally shot in his home. The murder of Sterling, who was known to some […]
Hurricane Sandy badly affected the Red Hook Houses, worsening the already uncomfortable living conditions for Red Hook’s 6,217 New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents. Sandy and its associated floods destroyed boilers, damaged roofs beyond repair, and compromised playgrounds, lighting, underground conduits, fencing, and sidewalks. Four years after the storm, a process is underway not only to repair the […]
Ben Schneider (owner, with his wife Sohui, of Good Fork) was the lead last year in Carlo Vogel’s production of Up For Anything (UFA) by Marc Spitz. They sat down at Barry O’Meara’s (who also appeared in UFA) Bait and Tackle Bar to discuss Schneider’s new restaurant and Vogel’s new production – both slated to open this fall. Ben Schneider: […]
Much of Red Hook first learned of a plan to locate a large, for-profit nursing home facility behind Van Brunt Street, adjacent to Pioneerworks, at the monthly Red Hook Civic Association meeting on June 24. The property, which was purchased by the nursing home operator back in 2003, has been rented out on a month-to-month basis to an ironworker and […]
Red Hook is undergoing a renaissance. At least according to a recent The Real Deal article that sees the accelerated growth in market rate housing and commercial construction as “livening up this remote Brooklyn community.” Such “livening up,” however, is often accompanied by diminished affordability and displacement, disproportionately affecting working class families and people of color. Already, 48% of Red […]
Speaking truth to power can involve a personal sacrifice. Getting into a position where power will listen is a big achievement. It takes courage to risk that position if the truth is not what the powers that be desire. Carlos Menchaca, our City Councilman, did just that the other week. He used the power vested in his position to refuse […]
In our current issue we wrote about a meeting last week that took place at the offices of the Triangle roofing company. For almost two years, Triangle has been burning hot tar in their building at 36 Coffey Street. The tar is used for roofing jobs, and the heating takes place in two special trucks. The putrid smell has been […]