The Day: Weekend Violence, a Musical Neighbor and a Studio Stroll

Good morning, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

The first two days of June have already felt like summer in the nabe. We’ve seen that some of you spent the weekend scorcher enjoying the outdoors.  

But the heat wave has also brought a weekend of violence to the city, with 25 people shot citywide between Saturday and Sunday, The New York Daily News reported. In Clinton Hill, gun violence took the life of 23-year-old Antonio Wilson, who was hit by stray gunfire following a fight on Myrtle Avenue near Pratt Institute, DNAinfo reported. Wilson, who was not involved in the fight, suffered a gunshot wound to his armpit and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Brooklyn Hospital Center, the website reported.

• Some locals are tired of listening to the music playing inside one Washington Park home, sometimes going into the wee hours of the morning. Their musical neighbor is Bill Lee, Spike Lee’s 84-year-old father, a veteran section bassist and pianist, The New York Times reported. As of May 23, neighbors have filed 17 noise complaints the Lee residence. One neighbor said that she repeatedly called 311, requesting that Lee stop playing music at 10 p.m., but her efforts have been ineffective. Since 1969, Lee has regularly rehearsed at home with other musicians, “whenever inspiration struck,” according to The Times.
• One upcoming event this week will use food to bring the neighborhood together. Farm to Neighborhood, sponsored by the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project, will launch on Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Maggie Brown – 455 Myrtle Avenue. The event is aimed at connecting local merchants and chefs with regional producers. You’ll have the opportunity to eat house-made ricotta on salted toasts made with milk from Milk Not Jails and Brooklyn Republic Vodka cocktail, among other bites and beverages. You’ll also get to meet Lauren Melodia, founder of Milk not Jails, who will speak about mobilizing people with the idea that you can change the prison system by eating more ice cream. Two more Farm to Neighborhood Events will be held on June 11 and June 18.
• Get a taste of the neighborhood’s arts and culture scene this weekend at the 14th annual SONYA Studio Stroll, a free self-guided tour of art studios and galleries within Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Wallabout and Bedford-Stuyvesant. Almost seventy local artists are participating in this year’s stroll, happening rain or shine between noon and 6 p.m. on June 8 and 9. Download the map on SONYA’s website.