Brad Lander - Bklyner

March to #FundExcludedWorkers Shut Down Brooklyn, Manhattan Bridges

This morning local politicians, community leaders, and what appeared to be hundreds of supporters marched over and blocked the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges to protest the lack of federal and state support given to undocumented workers during the pandemic. Marchers played drums and held aloft signs saying things like “Fondos

Announcements

23 Progressive Women Endorse Brad Lander For Comptroller

Brad Lander. (Photo: Zainab Iqbal/Bklyner)BROOKLYN – A group of 23 progressive women from across the city just endorsed Council Member Brad Lander for comptroller. Women include those in all parts of government and in the non-profit sector such as Council Members Margaret Chin and Debi Rose, former Manhattan Borough

Announcements

Q&A With Brandon West On His Run For City Council District 39

Brandon West. (Photo via West’s office)Twelve of Brooklyn’s 16 councilmembers are term-limited, and the number of individuals running for office is massive. One of those term-limited is Council Member Brad Lander who represents District 39— which encompasses Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Columbia Waterfront, Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor

Announcements

One Fourth Avenue Family Homeless Shelter Is Open; Other To Open In The Fall

535 4th Avenue & 555 4th Avenue (Photo: Pamela Wong/Bklyner)PARK SLOPE – After much delay and controversy, one of the two large family homeless shelters announced for 4th Avenue, the Shirley Chisholm Family Residence at 535 4th Avenue, officially opened its doors last month. The other is expected to

Business

New Loans Available for Small Businesses in Lander, Carroll’s Districts Only

George’s Diner on Coney Island Avenue. Liena Zagare/Bklyner. George’s has reopened for takeout and delivery. Councilmember Brad Lander, Assemblymember Robert Carroll, the Hebrew Free Loan Society, and The Change Reaction have joined forces to provide a new option for interest-free loans to small businesses. Hoping to

Announcements

Avenue C Iftar Goes Virtual During Pandemic, Keeps Community Close

Photo: Zainab Iqbal/BklynerBROOKLYN – Ramadan is a time where neighbors get together and break bread when the sun sets; the meal is called iftar and comes after a day of fasting. Usually, people host a big iftar in the park or in restaurants and invite the entire community, regardless of

Arts & Culture

Gowanus Artists Forced To Look For New Space During Pandemic

On March 30th, a group of 28 artists based in Gowanus received news that their contract at their studio space, managed through Spaceworks, would be ending. The management company was closing its doors, but informed tenants that the current landlord, PDS Development Corporation, may be willing to negotiate a similar

Announcements

Masbia Food Pantry & Soup Kitchen is Giving 14 Day Supplies to Help, Needs Volunteers

Masbia of Flatbush in 2018. (Photo: Zainab Iqbal/Bklyner)FLATBUSH – Many people and organizations have been stepping up to help others during the coronavirus pandemic. Take Masbia, a food pantry, and soup kitchen network, for example. Masbia recently announced that it was increasing the amount of grocery food clients could

Announcements

Here is what your Council Members are doing during this Pandemic

Elected officials out in Southern Brooklyn discussing expanding H+H Coney Island capacity to serve the area. In particular – converting the parking lot into makeshift hospital. Via Councilmember Mark Treyger’s office.During this pandemic, there are some local elected officials working day and night to figure out how to

Announcements

Don’t Panic: Politicians and Community Urge Locals Not to Give into Fear of Coronavirus

BENSONHURST — NYC Council Member Mark Treyger, other elected officials, a representative from the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, and numerous Chinese community leaders convened a press conference on February 6, to condemn recent reports of xenophobia and racism against Asian Americans in the face of fears about coronavirus.The

Announcements

‘An Attack Against All Jews Is an Attack Against all New Yorkers’ — Thousands March in Solidarity in NYC

Solidarity march on Brooklyn bridge. Madeleine Kornfeld/Bklyner.Thousands of people marched in solidarity on Sunday, January 5, to protest anti-Semitism and demonstrate support for Jewish neighbors affected by recent incidents of anti-Semitic violence. A sea of winter hats, hoods, and yarmulkes flooded Foley Square around 11 a.m. in

Announcements

The Saddest Walking Tour Of Kensington Highlights Fatal Crashes

Photo: Zainab Iqbal/BklynerKENSINGTON – Over a dozen neighbors gathered at the corner of Church Avenue and East 4th Street to begin a walking tour commemorating six people who had died in six years just a few blocks away from each other. Council Member Brad Lander called it the most depressing

Announcements

Seven Years Since Hurricane Sandy And Southern Brooklyn Is Not Prepared

Hurricane Sandy.Hurricane Sandy slammed into Brooklyn in 2012. It caused 43 deaths and $19 billion in widespread devastation. Seven years later, the effects of the storm still linger. Though much work was done and promises were made, some weren’t kept and some weren’t enough. In September, we

Announcements

Shahana Hanif Is Running To Represent District 39 In City Council

Shahana Hanif. (Photo: Zainab Iqbal/Bklyner)KENSINGTON/PARK SLOPE – Shahana Hanif was meant to survive. When she was diagnosed with lupus, her doctor told her she wasn’t going to die, but she wasn’t going to be OK. Eleven years later, Hanif stands as strong as ever. She stands

Gowanus

Why Exactly Is The New 3rd Avenue Shelter Half As Expensive As Those On 4th?

GOWANUS – Officials at a lightly attended Wednesday night meeting about the new homeless shelter at 399 3rd Avenue cited a city rule preventing them from discussing ongoing procurement negotiations in order to dismiss questions about the cost disparity between the 3rd Ave shelter, operated by Praxis Housing Initiatives, and the

Announcements

Homeless in Brooklyn

Gary. (Photo: Zainab Iqbal/Bklyner)KENSINGTON – The Kensington Plaza is a small, triangular space created by Church Avenue and Beverly Road meeting at an odd angle. A stretch of concrete sidewalk was turned into a Plaza in 2012 to serve as a green space for neighbors to hang out and

Central Brooklyn

DHS To Clean Up Kensington Plaza Tomorrow

Kensington Plaza in 2016 after the beautification effort. (Photo: Michael M Kadish with permission)KENSINGTON – Neighbors’ complaints of trash at the Kensington plaza (just off Church and McDonald) have finally been heard and the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) will be conducting a clean-up in the plaza tomorrow, August 28.

affordable housing

Briefly Noted: More de Blasio Real Estate Woes And Other News

Mayor Bill de Blasio holds a press conference at City Hall after an NYPD judge recommend firing Officer Daniel Pantaleo on Friday, August 2, 2019 . Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography OfficeMayor Bill de Blasio is yet again facing scrutiny for his real estate dealings, but this time it’s about his

Central Brooklyn

Brooklyn Pols Call for Pantaleo to be Fired

Jasmine Robinson speaks into a microphone with a protester holding a sign that reads “Justice for Eric Garner Now! Your Silence is Violence” (Image by Sam Raskin/ Bklyner)After a police judge recommended the firing of Daniel Pantaelo, the NYPD officer who during an arrest killed Eric Garner five years

Big Story

Em Samolewicz Was A Gentle Spirit, Killed While Bicycling

Photo: Zainab Iqbal/BklynerSUNSET PARK – Em Samolewicz, 30, was an artist and a yogi. Her friends and colleagues describe her as a gentle, kind soul; a “magical creature.” Two days ago, she was killed riding her bike and was the 18th cyclist this year in NYC killed by a vehicle.

Animals

Work Finally Begins On New Dog Run For Prospect Park Parade Ground

PROSPECT PARK – Approximately 20,000 dogs live in the Kensington, Ditmas Park, Flatbush, Midwood, and Windsor Terrace neighborhoods, the Prospect Park Alliance says. To accommodate these pooches and their pet parents, a new $405,000 dog run will be built at the park’s Parade Ground along Coney Island Avenue.

affordable housing

Lander Leads Fundraising In 2021 Comptroller Run With $360,532

Brad Lander. (Photo: Zainab Iqbal/Bklyner)PARK SLOPE—Council Member Brad Lander, who is running for comptroller, brought in $360,532 over the last six months, out-raising all of the other candidates running for the citywide position. The latest campaign finance filings, submitted Monday, show he has raised the cash

Announcements

15 Cyclists Have Died In 2019, ‘Mayor de Blasio, Do Your Job!’

Photo: Zainab Iqbal/BklynerWASHINGTON SQUARE PARK – About a thousand cyclists lay down on the ground next to their bikes and loved ones Tuesday evening for a die-in to protest the 15 preventable bicycling deaths in NYC just this year. “Some people say that there are too many people on bikes

Boerum Hill

Local Pols Blast MTA’s Express F Subway Plan

Brad Lander at Gowanus Draft Zoning Proposal Open House (Photo: Nathan Haselby)PARK SLOPE— The MTA’s plans to run four F express trains per day drew the ire of a Council member who represents neighborhoods served by the line. On Tuesday, the MTA announced in September it would begin

Central Brooklyn

School Year Ends In NYC With Demands For Integration, Calls For Carranza’s Ouster, And Lingering Questions Over Pay Parity For Pre-K Teachers

By Zipporah Osei and Christina Veiga, Chalkbeat The school year ended in New York City for most students and their families on Wednesday, but debates that have dogged the system — about integration, the prestigious specialized high schools, and pay parity for pre-K teachers — remained conspicuously unresolved. Dueling afternoon protests erupted