Today’s Links: Things Heat Up on the Streets, Local Businesses Boycott the Army Base & More

Last summer’s transit story was the “Summer Of Hell” with trains in Manhattan, but it might be the unsafe streets of Brooklyn that dominate the headlines in the hot months this year. A reckless driver left a path of destruction down Nostrand Avenue, but locals say police wouldn’t do anything about it.

This was days before a private garbage truck plowed into multiple cars in Bensonhurst, the driver drunk behind the wheel. In a tragic Greenpoint fatality last year, documents show that the driver who killed cyclist Neftaly Ramirez should’ve seen his victim. The driver, who had his license suspended previously, was given a small fine.

Luckily, the push for more speed cameras is gaining traction, with Governor Cuomo now on board. Pressure is still up for 24/7 bus priority lanes during the L train shutdown, which riders in North Brooklyn fear will seriously impact their ability to cross the water late night.

Meanwhile, the city’s new $89 billion budget will include money for Fair Fares, which subsidizes MetroCards for New Yorker’s living at the poverty line.

A long-term investigation by the Daily News was cited by the Manhattan Attorney General in regards to a culture of lies and deception in NYCHA housing that leaves the city on the hook for $1 billion. A new NYCHA monitor will provide some oversight for the agency going forward. Turns out the lead paint scandal was only scratching the surface…

In food news, some restaurants may be boycotting deliveries to Fort Hamilton after pizza deliveryman Pablo Villavicencio was detained and handed over to ICE while making a delivery to the base.

Up north, tonight’s Taste of Bushwick brings a sampling of North Brooklyn’s finest food and drink to the people, with proceeds supporting the local Bushwick Starr theatre.

And over at Lenny’s Pizza in Bensonhurst, a familiar face made an appearance—wearing his iconic white suit!

Over the weekend, Sunset Park remembered the victims of Hurricane Maria as it celebrated its 4th annual Puerto Rican Day Parade.

And down in Coney Island, the finishing touches are going up on the New York Aquarium’s long-awaited Shark exhibit, complete with a silvery scaled building—it opens at the end of the month!

In media news, a damning look at Vice, a company “built on a bluff,” whose owner took the Brooklyn brand and ran with it—right into a wall. And finally, while it’s not Brooklyn-specific, it’s still good news: Craiglist founder Craig Newmark gave $20 million to the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism—a school that serves to train the next generation of local reporters, in Brooklyn and beyond!