Friday, Aug 13: Promises, Census, Delta, Gowanus and more

Two years after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced $9 million for Brownsville following the 2019 mass shooting during the Old Timers festival, we looked at what has happened to the money.

We also looked at what the new census data has revealed for Brooklyn, as well as what the vaccination rates reveal as the Delta variant continues to rise rapidly in many populous parts of our borough.

Lastly, the next Mayor presumptive Eric Adams held a press conference expressing conditional support for the massive Gowanus Rezoning, contingent on significant upfront funding for long-overdue improvements to NYCHA's Gowanus Houses & Wyckoff Gardens. More on that on Monday.

Investments In Key Anti-Violence Initiative Slow to Come To Brownsville Houses

Billy Richling • 4 min read

Some of the money, directed toward community services—like the Mayor’s Crisis Management System violence disruption program and the Department of Health’s Brooklyn Neighborhood Health Action Center—has been distributed. Some of the smaller capital improvements like new lights and security cameras were installed within weeks.

But the promised $5.2 million reconstruction of the community center at NYCHA’s Brownsville Houses - a key piece of the anti-violence initiatives - has barely moved at all.

Bklyner Bulletin

🚨On Wednesday, August 11, 2021, Donald Nash, 32, of the Bronx died at Brookdale Hospital. He was one of five people shot near Brooklyn Garden in East New York last Sunday and the third to die. There are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing (75Pct).

🚨A 48-year-old man was shot this morning about a quarter to 5 am inside the lobby of 250 Wortman Avenue (Linden Wortman Houses). The victim, whose name has not yet been released suffered a gunshot to the face and died at Brookdale Hospital. There are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing (75 Pct).

📚 Small Press Flea (SPF) returns this Saturday, 10 am-4 pm, to the steps of the Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library at Grand Army Plaza bringing you end-of-summer beach reads, sweet deals, and cold treats from two dozen indie publishers.

🎨 🥁 Sunday, August 15, 1-6 pm, Newkirk Avenue between Marlborough & Rugby Roads will be transformed into a children's art party, part of the city's open streets program. Free supplies & activities, Bluegrass from The Melody Allegra Band, Double Dutch by Elite BKLYN Jumpers, music from the Unison
Steel Drum Group & the Amazing Ken Magic Show!

🛍 Discount chain store Five Below is expected to take over the space formerly occupied by New York & Company at 5308 5th Ave in Sunset Park.

🍽 Brooklyn Roots in Sunset Park is closed till further notice. Chef Thomas Perone posted on FaceBook that they will be doing delivery and pick-up Wed through Sunday next week, call 917.399.4811 to place orders.

🚙 Another autonomous vehicle is about to land in NYC and NYC DOT is plotting regulations to rein in these machines. A deep dive by Gersh Kuntzman at Streetsblog on self-driving cars.

🏁🚗 💥A young neighbor was killed and her husband hurt when a drag racer hopped curb on Utica Ave earlier this week.

🚇 One full Supreme-wrapped train will run on the L line, planned to roll out this weekend.

What Does the New Census Data Tell Us About Brooklyn?

Bklyner Staff • 5 min read

Brooklyn is as big as it ever was and is growing faster than it did in the last decade, becoming increasingly more diverse, continuing trends observed in the 2010 census. We will be looking in-depth at the changes as more data is released.

😷 COVID-19 Briefing

Infection rates citywide as well as in Brooklyn continue to go up, with the Delta variant and low vaccination rates largely responsible. Yesterday the highest rates were around 11%, now they are at 14%, mostly those that are unvaccinated, which in Brooklyn is a lot of people still.

With public schools resuming exactly one month from today, in Brooklyn, nearly 70% of Black residents between the ages of 18-44 remain unvaccinated, along with about half of white and Hispanic residents in the age group most likely to have school-age kids. Just how willing they will be to vaccinate their children remains to be seen.

Brooklyn is also home to the greatest number of unvaccinated elderly (65+), deemed to be the most vulnerable to COVID-19, with just 52% of white, and 55% of Black residents recorded as having received at least one shot of a vaccine.

In the meantime neighborhoods where vaccination efforts lag are seeing the worst of the growth in infection rates.

(The Atlantic published an excellent story explaining how the Pandemic has changed and what's likely to happen next.)

Did you know:

You can call the Brooklyn Public Library and listen to a short story? The number is 718 230-2283 and next week they will have lots of special and very musical guests reading for children and those young at heart.

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