Nigel Roberts

Business

A Brooklyn Cleaning Service Helps the City Bounce Back from the Pandemic 

A Prospect Cleaning Service staff member disinfects an office. Courtesy of Prospect Cleaning ServiceA largely unnoticed, and perhaps underappreciated, group of workers are among the heroes who are enabling New York City to emerge from lockdown. They are on the frontlines sanitizing the mass transit system, hospitals and offices from

Central Brooklyn

Delivering Food To Seniors Is Only Half The Battle, The Need For Help Is Overwhelming

Photo by Annie Spratt on UnsplashReceiving phone calls from elderly clients who just want to talk is not unusual for community-based organizations like JASA. But the calls these days are more frequent and anxious. Tania Collazo, Director of JASA’s Home-Delivered Meals Program in Queens, recalled recently getting a phone

affordable housing

Proposed Urban Village Development To Bring Over 2,000 Affordable Units To East New York

rendering of Urban Village is courtesy of Christian Cultural Center and Gotham Organization.EAST NEW YORK — Yesterday, at a NYC City Planning Department public hearing, the Rev. A.R. Bernard described the area surrounding his East New York megachurch, Christian Cultural Center (CCC), when it first opened its doors in

affordable housing

Congressman Jeffries Weighs in on Gentrification, Affordable Housing in State of District Speech

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries at the 2020 State of the District. Nigel Roberts/BklynerDOWNTOWN BROOKLYN – Standing before a lively crowd, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, a rising star in the Democratic Party, took aim at gentrification and skyrocketing housing costs in Brooklyn during his annual State of the District speech on February 24.

Business

Black-Owned Brooklyn – There’s A Hunger For Information About Local Businesses

Tayo Giwa and Cynthia Gordy Giwa. Photo by Curt Saunders/ Courtesy of Giwas.What started two years ago as a project to spotlight overlooked Black-owned businesses has blossomed into one of the hottest digital publications about our borough. Bklyner first met Black-Owned Brooklyn, operated by husband and wife team Tayo

Central Brooklyn

Police Explanation for Stop-And-Frisk Increase Doesn’t Sit Well with Civil Liberties Groups

NYPD, East Flatbush. Liena Zagare/BklynerWhat’s behind the increase of NYPD stop-and-frisks in 2019? While law enforcement officials downplay the rise, alarm bells are going off among some civil liberties groups. Cops used the controversial policing tactic 22% more last year compared to 2018, according to statistics NYPD reported

Central Brooklyn

Supporters of a Shuttered Black Cultural Institution Refuse to Simply Walk Away

The Black Lady Theatre. Nigel Roberts/Bklyner.CROWN HEIGHTS – Since 1984, The Black Lady Theatre, located on Nostrand Avenue near Park Place, has served as an arts venue for Afro-centric shows and a “safe place” to discuss and explore issues that impact the Black community. It’s now shuttered. A

Borough Park

What are the Long-Term Solutions to Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes?

High School students marched down Eastern Parkway to the Jewish Children’s Museum in January chanting Love, Not Hate. Liena Zagare/BklynerIt’s been more than three weeks since Mayor Bill de Blasio announced measures to counter the wave of anti-Semitic hate crimes across the city. While the crimes have

Central Brooklyn

Increased Police Presence in the Wake of Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes Raises Concerns for Some

NYPD on Eastern Parkway, Crown Heights. Liena Zagare/BklynerCROWN HEIGHTS – There’s unease among some people of color in Brooklyn neighborhoods slated to receive more cops under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s response to the wave of anti-Semitic hate crimes. “The rise in anti-Semitic hate crimes is horrible and unacceptable,

community

Brooklyn’s Religious Leaders Lead the Fight Against Anti-Semitism

New York State Attorney General Tish James welcomed Congregation Beth Elohim Rabbi Rachel Timoner to African-American Clergy & Elected Officials breakfast on January 3, where she helped deliver the unity prayer with Rev. Waterman. Photo courtesy of Councilmember Brad Lander.BEDFORD-STUYVESANT – Brooklyn has become one of the epicenters of anti-Semitic

Central Brooklyn

Here’s What’s Behind a Missed Piece of Brooklyn History

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS—Something was clearly missing from the exterior wall of the TD Bank branch at the corner of Montague and Court Street. Peter Duffy told Bklyner that it was “pretty obvious something had been there and was removed,” as he walked past the building in bustling downtown Brooklyn days

Announcements

Kwanzaa Crawl: Party with a Purpose

The Kwanzaa Crawl on December 26, 2016. Photo by Deneka Penistin, courtesy of Kwanzaa Crawl.Several of Brooklyn’s Black-owned nightspots are preparing for crowds of partiers on the day after Christmas. The revelers will be crawling from bar to bar for drinks and to show off the latest dance

News

Brooklyn Church Evicts Its Former First Lady Before Christmas and Defends the Action

On December 5, a locksmith, court Marshall and an appraiser arrived to evict Paula Scarlett-Brown from her home. Image courtesy of Paula Scarlett-Brown.DITMAS PARK – A dispute that centered in part on how Black churches should treat their pastor’s wife came to a legal resolution. The courts ordered the

affordable housing

Empowerment in Action: Bushwick Residents Launch New Political Club

Bushwick Political and Civic Club flyer. Courtesy of BPCC.BUSHWICK— Many longtime Bushwick residents are disturbed by the upheaval they see in their community due to rezoning and recognize the need for political empowerment. To that end, about 35 residents braved the freezing rain on Monday night, December 16, to

Arts & Culture

Role of Art in Navigating Bushwick’s Gentrification Minefield

Bushwick Mural by Puerto Rican artist Don Rimx. Nigel Roberts/Bklyner.BUSHWICK — It was in the summer of 2017 at the New Ohio Theatre when Noel Allain, The Bushwick Starr’s theater co-founder and artistic director, first encountered the African American playwright and actor Jeremy O. Harris. At that time,

Bushwick

Brooklyn’s New Social Space: Ethel’s Club Unapologetically Celebrates People of Color

Credit: Amandla Baraka/ Courtesy of Ethel’s ClubBUSHWICK — One of Brooklyn’s newest social, wellness and co-working spaces has been getting a lot of buzz. Ethel’s Club in Bushwick provides a haven for people of color—the only one of its kind, as a giant wave of co-working spaces

affordable housing

Projected $6.1 Billion State Budget Deficit Signals Crisis for Brooklyn’s Poor Families

New HRA center in Bushwick. Irina Groushevaia/Bklyner.BROOKLYN — One out of every four Brooklynites lives in poverty and depends on SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program). Survival could soon become more difficult for them, as lawmakers wrestle with the projected $6.1

Business

‘Open Desk: Small Business Popup’ Serves as a Bridge to the Community at BKLYN Commons

BKLYN Commons Open Desk. Andrew Rowley/BKLYN CommonsPROSPECT LEFFERTS GARDEN—From the start, Johanne Brierre, head of growth for the coworking space BKLYN Commons, had a unique vision for the company. “I wanted to build the WeWork of Brooklyn,” she told Bklyner, but without the corporate culture that’s common

Central Brooklyn

Youth Violence On The Rise In Brooklyn: High School Students On Their Fears

A bunch of thugs stabbed and robbed a student’s older brother of his jewelry, the teenager recalled, seemingly reliving the trauma he experienced in his own neighborhood. “It gets me very emotional,” he told state lawmakers, pausing to regain his composure, before adding, “I’m worried about the safety

brownsville

Van Dyke Housing Residents Discuss How to Spend $30,000 on Community Improvements

Nigel Roberts/BklynerBROWNSVILLE – Folks passing by could easily have mistaken the gathering Wednesday night (Nov. 6) at NYCHA’s Van Dyke Houses in Brownsville for a party. R&B music from inside the tent, assembled on the grounds of the apartment complex, could be heard half-way down the block.

Arts & Culture

Artist Explores Biblical Themes Through West African Storytelling

Genesis Tramaine. Photo by Keenon Perry.BEDFORD-STUYVESANT – It’s hard not to notice the synergy between artist Genesis Tramaine and gallery owner Richard Beavers. They share a spiritual faith that God’s hand is guiding their individual life journeys, which led their paths to cross. Their unusual first meeting nine

Crown Heights

Ex-Felons Have Voting Rights: Activists, Politicians Spread the Message at Brooklyn Forum

Members of the nonprofit organization Gangstas Making Astronomical Community Changes Inc. (G.-M.A.C.C.) Nigel Roberts/Bklyner.CROWN HEIGHTS — With another Election Day on the horizon, one of the founding members of the East Coast Bloods gang is on a mission to educate ex-felons, like himself, that they

brownsville

‘My Brother Was Not an Out-of-Control Individual’: Family, Brownsville Community Hold Vigil for Man Killed in Police-Involved Shooting

Kwesi Ashun’s sister Ama Bartley, wearing a red coat, sheds tears as she speaks about her brother’s death. Nigel Roberts/BklynerBROWNSVILLE – Dozens of Brownsville community activists, friends and neighbors held a vigil on Monday, Oct. 28, to remember Kwesi Ashun. Police Officer Lesly Lafontant fatally shot Ashun, 33,

Arts & Culture

Can There Be Forgiveness for Racially Insensitive Halloween Display?

Clinton Hill Halloween by Love Jones via FacebookBEDFORD-STUYVESANT – Once again, longtime black residents of a gentrifying Central Brooklyn neighborhood were asked to accept the apology of a new resident over racial insensitivity. The woman at the center of the controversy claimed ignorance about how black folks would react to her

Business

Black-Led Coop Wants to End Food Inequality in Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights

CBFC member-leader Ashleigh Eubanks doing recruitment and outreach. Courtesy of Central Brooklyn Food CoopBEDFORD-STUYVESANT – While high-priced grocery chains and specialty food stores are popping up across Brooklyn, many residents still lack access to affordable quality food in their community. Food inequality has long plagued low-income neighborhoods and has defied effective