Welcome2TheBronx

BREAKING NEWS: Bernie Sanders Coming Back To The Bronx, This Time to Bronx Community College

Politics

Ed García Conde

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April 8, 2016

BREAKING NEWS: Bernie Sanders Coming Back To The Bronx, This Time to Bronx Community College

Welcome2TheBronx has been notified by Bronx Community College officials that Bernie Sanders will be coming to the campus.

So yes it’s short notice but Bernie Sanders is coming back to The Bronx after last week’s massively successful rally in our borough at St Mary’s Park in Mott Haven.

Sanders will be coming to Bronx Community College in University Heights at the historic Gould Memorial Library tomorrow, Saturday April 9th at 1:30PM.

Doors open at 11AM and the following is from the official Bernie Sanders page:

Join Bernie Sanders for a rally in University Heights, New York

This event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required, but RSVPs are strongly encouraged. Admission is first come, first served. Crowd entrance located via main entrance of auditorium.

For security reasons, please do not bring bags and limit what you bring to small, personal items like keys and cell phones. Weapons, sharp objects, chairs, and signs or banners on sticks will not be allowed through security. Free parking is available on-site in student parking lots, public transportation is also encouraged.

This is pretty big for a presidential candidate to not only come to The Bronx but come back so quickly after one event.

So far, Democratic candidate Senator Bernie Sanders has been the only one to have a massive turnout of support. Ted Cruz received the boot from a school after students wrote an eloquent letter on how they would perform an act of civil disobedience if Cruz was allowed to speak. Then Cruz was protested at Sabrosura 2 by Rebel Diaz.

Yesterday, Hillary Clinton rode the subway for two stops in The Bronx in a very transparent publicity stunt as was John Kasich, Republican presidential candidate and governor of Ohio who showed up to Mike’s Deli on Arthur Avenue in Little Italy.

All of these candidates are clearly pandering so hard with little to no genuine interest in the People of The Bronx.

On the contrary, Senator Bernie Sanders came to The Bronx 3 years ago to learn how Urban Health Plan so successfully provides health care to the poor AND his campaign has been very active in our borough since last year—they didn’t just show up overnight for our votes.

Are you ready for tomorrow’s rally?

Bronx Community College is located at 2155 Univeristy Avenue and get your hiking boots to clime up hills to get to the campus (did you know it was once part of NYU?) You can take Metro North to Morris Heights or University Heights station or the 4 train Burnside or 183rd stations (you can also take the B/D train to 182nd/183rd streets but expect to hike over a long walk). The following buses will also take you to BCC: 3, 12, 18, 32, 40, 42.

Check out our gallery from The Bronx’s St Mary’s Park Bernie Rally:

Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

The Bronx Obama endorsing Bernie Sanders at Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

NYS Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda of The Bronx speaks against the Bronx Democratic Machine which told him he had to endorse Hillary Clinton—which he refused to do.

Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Actress Rosario Dawson at Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Spike Lee at Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Bernie Sander’s wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders watches her husband intently at Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

The Bronx is Officially A Clown Car After Kasich Comes To Arthur Avenue—All We Need is Trump

Politics

Ed García Conde

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April 7, 2016

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The Bronx is Officially A Clown Car After Kasich Comes To Arthur Avenue—All We Need is Trump

kasicheating — Jennifer Fermino / Twitter

Hey, presidential candidates! We see (right through) you.

Just like a circus clown car, the politicians running for president won’t stop popping up in The Bronx with 3 making appearances in our borough after Bernie Sanders took our borough by storm a week ago.

This morning we had Hillary pretending to know how to ride a subway, yesterday Ted Cruz was forced to cancel a visit to a Bronx high school after two students eloquently wrote a letter on why they would walk out if Cruz showed up, and yesterday also received a not so warm welcome by The Bronx’s own Rebel Diaz.

And now John Kasich, the Republican Governor of Ohio has joined the crew who chowed down on the Italian delights of Arthur Avenue at Mike’s Deli.

The funny thing about all of this is that none of them cared about our borough until Bernie Sanders’ massive rally a week ago which drew an estimated crowd of 18,500.

Kasich was the only one that drew folks in at an estimated 200 supporters while Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton held what was described as a “private, spontaneous press event” this morning when she rode the 4 train with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

The only one that really seems genuinely interested in The Bronx is Bernie Sanders who actually came to our borough 3 years ago to learn more about a wonderful health care institution called Urban Health Plan.

Besides that, Team Bernie has been hard at work in The Bronx since 2015 and aren’t just arriving on the scene because the New York primary is less than two weeks away. Sanders also has a Bronx office on Williamsbridge Road so unlike the rest he as some roots firmly planted here in our borough.

Clinton, Cruz, Kasich? Not so much.

Now all we need is Trump to show up to complete the crew of politicians filing into The Bronx playing follow the leader after Bernie’s superstar welcome to The Bronx.

The reality of this is that none of these politicians have shown an ounce of care for our borough and now that they got their photo-ops, they’ll probably never come back or even remotely care about what happens to The Bronx.

Their visits right after last week’s huge political rally is such a stark contrast with that energy and vibrancy at the St Mary’s park event in the South Bronx is so transparent and obvious pandering that it’s beyond nauseating: It’s downright frustrating to see them use us.

Luckily, Bronxites are a lot smarter than these politicians think and they see right through these tactics.

Hillary Comes to The Bronx…To Show She Can Ride The Subway

Politics

Ed García Conde

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April 7, 2016

2

Hillary Comes to The Bronx…To Show She Can Ride The Subway

Ok, so last week for April Fool’s we joked how Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton were coming to The Bronx after Bernie Sanders huge rally last at St Mary’s Park.

Turns out we were half right.

Instead of the Donald, it was Ted Cruz who came to our borough with disastrous results as he was confronted by Rebel Diaz and asked why would he come to a borough that is a borough of immigrants considering his anti-immigration platform.

Not to mention that several students at a local high school forced administration to reconsider allowing Ted Cruz to speak at the school.

Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rode the subway with our Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr who seemed to practically drool over being with Clinton. The duo, along with secret service and others, got on the 4 train at 161st Street/Yankee Stadium.

You thought your commute was crowded? Try riding the train with Hillary Clinton:

Posted by PIX 11 on Thursday, April 7, 2016

It appears The Bronx is the new battleground for the presidency when it comes to New York. I don’t recall in recent memory so much action in our borough from so many different candidates during one election cycle.

Hillary points out Sanders’ comment on subway tokens but she can’t even swipe her Metro Card so she’s not one to talk. If she really rides the subway she would know how to work that card on the first try!

Politicians, just like us. The struggle is real for Hillary Clinton when her NYC subway card doesn’t work on the first try. Happens to all of us. cnnpolitics.com

Posted by CNN on Thursday, April 7, 2016

We’ve had candidates come through here and there but not sure if we’ve had 3 stomp grounds in The Bronx.

Bernie Sanders, without a doubt, is the obvious superstar after drawing 18,500 people to the South Bronx.

From Expressway To Boulevard of Green, The Sheridan Moves Closer to Conversion

Ed García Conde

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April 7, 2016

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From Expressway To Boulevard of Green, The Sheridan Moves Closer to Conversion

After almost 20 years of pushing for a greener, safer, and more sustainable community, The Point CDC (and the rest of the community) are celebrating the allocation of $97 million in New York State’s recently approved budget to begin converting the ugly Sheridan Expressway into a beautiful, green boulevard along The Bronx River.

The 1.29 mile connector was built in 1962 with the original intention of extending up to Co-op City, however, that never happened and its very existence has been questioned and called redundant and unnecessary in a community already choked with deadly fumes from vehicular traffic.

Already the community suffers from some of the highest rates of asthma in the nation but this conversion will hopefully ameliorate the situation.

As it stands, thousands are cut off from The Bronx River by the Sheridan but once converted, it will be akin the West Side Highway which was transformed into beautiful, greenlined boulevard from the craggy, industrial artery that it was.

Renderings of the 1,300 unit Compass Residences going up along the Sheridan Expressway

The need for conversion is even greater now after the West Farms Rezoning went into effect spurring construction of over 1,000 affordable housing units at what is being called The Compass Residences.

The $97 million is only part of the cost and original estimates placed it at upwards of $120 million 3 years ago but it’s more than likely to have risen exponentially in cost.

Originally, the community and local activists called for the removal of Transportation Sheridan completely but a study released by the city indicated that traffic would only worsen as it spilled onto local roadways if removed.

That’s where the boulevard comes in along with adding a ramp that would lead traffic straight into Hunts Point reducing travel through residential streets and would be located at Longwood Avenue.

The conversion into a boulevard will be limited to the at-grade section above Westchester Avenue since South of that it dips below-grade as it begins to rise and connect with the Bruckner.

These monies are part of $288 million budgeted for the rehabilitation of these two major thoroughfares in the South Bronx.

The victory is a sweet one and yet further illustrates the importance of advocacy and activism in our borough. It’s a reminder that often times we fight for things that won’t happen overnight but over the span of years and even decades so that we can leave The Bronx a better place than we inherited it from the previous generations.

Check out the original report from NYC’s study (warning: PDF File)

Bronx School Cancels Ted Cruz’s Visit After Students Threaten to Walk Out

News

Ed García Conde

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April 6, 2016

2

Bronx School Cancels Ted Cruz’s Visit After Students Threaten to Walk Out

Ted Cruz learned a hard lesson today in The Bronx

Ted Cruz thought he could just simply waltz into The Bronx without a peep from folks—but he was sorely mistaken.

Earlier today we told you how Rebel Diaz and other Bronxites protested the meeting at Sabrosura 2 with State Senator Ruben Diaz (you know, the one with the cowboy hat who happens to be a reverend and doesn’t know the meaning of separation of church and state).

Cruz originally had planned to visit Bronx Lighthouse College Preparatory Academy in Longwood, however, school’s CEO, Khori Whittaker, canceled the Republican candidate for the presidency’s trip due to students expressing their concerns and frustrations that he would be allowed on school grounds.

Students Malaika Mataba and Shula Shelby wrote the following letter which school officials simply couldn’t ignore:

Hello Ms. Duggins,

A group of students will be leaving during 4th period, as act of civil disobedience in regards to the arrival of Ted Cruz to BLCPA. We have all considered the consequences of our actions and are willing to accept them. We respect you and all the staff at BLCPA as well as the expected guests. But we want you to understand that as passionate students, we have ideas and principles that should be heard and respected. This walk out isn’t a reflection of our discontent with BLCPA but our opportunity to stand up for our community and future. This walk out is taking place because we as students all share a common idea.

The presence of Ted Cruz and the ideas he stands for are offensive. His views are against ours and are actively working to harm us, our community, and the people we love. He is misogynistic, homophobic, and racist. He has used vulgar language, gestures, and profanity directed at a scholar and staff members, along with harassing and posing threats to staff and scholars according to the Disciplinary Referral slip. This is not to be taken kiddingly or as a joke. We are students who feel the need and right to not be passive to such disrespect.

Regardless of your political affiliations, these students should be commended for standing up for what they believe in and ready to carry out an act of civil disobedience in the face of persecution. Our nation was founded by many acts of civil disobedience so we cannot be hypocritical in selecting which acts we think are worthy of praise.

Kudos to the students of BLCPA for standing up for what you believe in. This is what democracy looks like.

Ted Cruz Visits The Bronx Two Years After Disrespecting Us; Protesters Greet Him With a Bronx ‘Welcome’

Politics

Ed García Conde

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April 6, 2016

1

Ted Cruz Visits The Bronx Two Years After Disrespecting Us; Protesters Greet Him With a Bronx ‘Welcome’

First, Senator Bernie Sanders took his presidential campaign to The Bronx which was met with roughly 18,500 supporters and was nothing but love.

Two years after Republican presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz took an uneducated jab at our borough, he has the audacity to come to The Bronx and have lunch with none other than Senator Ruben Diaz. (We shouldn’t be surprised because Senator Diaz shares similar conservative and homophobic values unlike real New York values).

But it wasn’t all pleasantries with Bronxites as he was greeted with protests, particularly from the group, Rebel Diaz who called him a bigot.

Granted, The Bronx is made up of a beautiful tapestry of people including conservative and Republicans, however, the likes of Cruz doesn’t belong in a borough of immigrants he so much loathes.

Rebel Diaz said it right when they shouted, “…he’s a right-wing bigot that has no place in The Bronx.”

Much like Trump’s campaign, Cruz has been using hatred and xenophobic rhetoric to catapult him to the spotlight.

Need we remind you of his comments two years ago? Check out the post below from the summer of 2014:

Tea Party Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas / Image Credit: Reuters

Tea Party Republic Senator Ted Cruz from Texas, in an attempt to mock Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, bashed The Bronx as a dangerous place when he said, according to Business Insider, “Now, I understand that Manhattan is very concerned with their security with the Bronx, but it’s a little bit different on 2,000 miles of the Rio Grande.” Senator Cruz said these remarks during a meeting of the conservative Americans For Prosperity’s Defending The American Dream Summit in Dallas, Texas. Guess he doesn’t know his own state and that The Bronx is safer than its 3 largest cities.

Here’s a little lesson for you, Senator Cruz, courtesy of a little digging Welcome2TheBronx did:

The following is data compiled by the FBI via their Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics utilizing the latest dataset as well as data from the NYPD for The Bronx:

Crime Rate of The Bronx vs Dallas and Houston

As you can see from the data Dallas, which was the location of the meeting where Senator Ted Cruz made his disparaging remarks about The Bronx, has a much higher murder rate and almost double the incidents of rape. In the robbery and assault categories, The Bronx and Dallas are roughly on par with The Bronx slightly higher in those categories. Houston’s crime rate is also significantly higher across all major violent crime categories.

Crime has continued to drop in all the above cities but The Bronx is still ahead of the game with a murder rate of 5.9 and 16.7 rapes per 100,000 population according to NYPD stats for 2013. Also now that crime stats from Riker’s Island will no longer be counted with The Bronx, you can expect the numbers to drop even more drastically for our borough.

Furthermore, the popular data site, Neighborhoodscout.com (used by such sites as The Huffington Post, The New York Times, CNN, Wall Street Journal) lists the Bronx as safer than Dallas and Houston. In fact. NeighborhoodScout gives The Bronx a rating of 22 out of 100 (100 being the safest) with Dallas receiving 3 out of 100, Houston 5 out of 100, and San Antonio got a 3 out of 100 making our borough over 7 times safer than Dallas and San Antonio and over 5 times safer than Houston — all 3 which are the largest cities in Texas with a population of over 1 million.

Oh and here’s another little interesting tid-bit: Manhattan received the same rating of 22 out of 100 from NeighborhoodScout as The Bronx. And according to an article by the Huffington Post last year, Brooklyn was actually the bloodiest borough far ahead of The Bronx (interesting how media spins and age old stereotypes continue to portray The Bronx as the worst of all).

So Senator Cruz, hope you learned something: Think before you speak. You try and disparage our home and we will come for you with irrefutable evidence of how wrong you are.

Here’s what our local elected officials had to say about Ted’s fear-mongering:

Pathetic how so called “leaders” peddle lies & fear mongering to make point. #Bronx is a gem & on rise Ted. #getagrip http://t.co/VUXiypnoTX

— Melissa MarkViverito (@MMViverito) August 30, 2014

.@tedcruz clearly has no idea what the #Bronx is really about! Let him know how outdated/disgusting his ideas are! http://t.co/JBwDjC7oYP — Ruben Diaz Jr. (@rubendiazjr) August 31, 2014

Ignorant remarks by Ted Cruz tonight about the #Bronx. NYC is one city, no room for those remarks here. cc: @MMViverito @rubendiazjr

— Scott M. Stringer (@scottmstringer) August 31, 2014

Bernie Sanders Visited A Bronx Clinic in 2013

Ed García Conde

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April 4, 2016

1

Bernie Sanders Visited A Bronx Clinic in 2013

Many think that Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders’ first trip to The Bronx was last Thursday for the massive rally in St Mary’s Park that saw over 18,500 supporters during his New York State kick-off campaign.

But it wasn’t.

Three years ago in March of 2013, Senator Sanders heard about a health center in The Bronx called Urban Health Plan (6 years ago Welcome2TheBronx recognized its founder, Dr Richard Izquierdo, for being the person of the year for founding such a revolutionary clinic).

The award-winning Hunts Point-based health center was featured in The New York Daily News and caught the attention of Sanders who chairs a Senate subcommittee on primary care so he made it a point to contact Urban Health Plan to learn more about how they manage to successfully operate serving in one of the poorest neighborhoods of the poorest congressional district in the nation.

UHP is a leader in healthcare in our borough, for you see, regardless of your income and insurance or lack thereof, you are treated and in a clean, state-of-the-art setting often found in wealthier neighborhoods.

The staff is perhaps the most professional you will encounter not only in The Bronx but around the city. You are greeted not just as a client but you are seen as a friend, a family member and so much more than just a patient.

UHP seeks to treat you at all levels whether as your primary care physician, women’s health, mental health, dental, eye, you name it. They really believe in such holistic care including the fact that they also provide many preventative services including seeing a nutritionist and the availability of healthy cooking classes.

I personally know all of this having been a proud patient for the past 6 years and for the first time in my life, I felt happy with my healthcare provider and confident that my needs would be met.

Paloma Izquierdo-Hernandez, President and CEO of Urban Health Plan (and daughter of the organization’s founder, Dr. Richard Izquierdo) told Welcome2TheBronx, “We were really impressed that Senator Sanders was willing to come visit our health center to learn about the work we do in the South Bronx”

“For us, it was very fruitful because it reaffirmed our belief in his commitment in community health centers. For him, I believe it was because he got to experience an exemplary health center firsthand”, Izquierdo-Hernandez added when we asked if the visit was fruitful.

The New York Daily News wrote:

“Bernie Sanders, the very independent Brooklyn-bred U.S. Senator from Vermont, dropped by the Bronx Monday and, good for him, underscored his passion for a very neglected subject: the lack of primary care doctors serving poor urban and rural areas.

Sanders was kind enough to call from his Brattleboro, Vt. offices after reading the piece and, a week later, found himself in New York. A topic of his visit to the city was primary health care so he joined some of the folks at Urban Health Plan.”

To read that Sanders actually stepped foot in our borough long before he was considering a run for the presidency further shows his Thursday rally was anything but a publicity stunt and pandering to the hearts of The Bronx.

Urban Health Plan is no small potatoes either as they are the largest employer in the 10459 zip code which covers parts of Hunts Point and Longwood. They boast 800 staff members with 108 medical providers serving 73,261 patients with 366,006 visits in 2015.

We’ve always said that The Bronx has a lot to teach the world and we’re glad to know that Senator Bernie Sanders took the initiative to do just that.

He’s not a perfect candidate but he is our most honest of the bunch and much like The Bronx, has big dreams that can become a reality.

Of course our big question for Paloma Izquierdo-Hernandez was if she’d vote for Senator Bernie Sanders to which she said, “Yes, I would vote for Senator Sanders.”

That’s a pretty bold and admirable statement coming from such an esteemed individual from The Bronx, a trusted pillar of our community, operating a healthcare network that provides positive outcomes and health impacts for residents of The Bronx and the South Bronx (as well as Queens).

EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump Bringing Rally to The Bronx, Hillary Clinton to Follow

News

Ed García Conde

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April 1, 2016

2

EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump Bringing Rally to The Bronx, Hillary Clinton to Follow

After the massive turnout yesterday for Bernie Sanders in the South Bronx neighborhood of Mott Haven and over 18,500 attendees, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has announced that he will hold a rally of his own in our borough.

“You see, I’ve always loved the people of The Bronx,” said Trump in a statement.

Trump added, “Besides attending Fordham University and driven in a limo everyday, a lot of the people, you know, I built a world class golf course there so I’ve always had this connection to The Bronx and its people and they love me, you know.”

Rally is scheduled to take place at Trump operated Ferry Point Golf Course.

Meanwhile, Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton announced that she too will hold a rally in our borough.

“People of The Bronx, I have always loved you and been there for you. I tried to protect you from yourselves, you know, the super predators we had to bring to heel.” said Clinton.

Hillary Clinton also added that, “Thanks to the police state that is the NYPD, we were able to do just that through stop and frisk tactics that disproportionately targeted people of color.”

By the way, April Fool’s!

Bernie Sanders Takes Over The Bronx With A Rally of Love—Photo Gallery

Ed García Conde

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April 1, 2016

4

Bernie Sanders Takes Over The Bronx With A Rally of Love—Photo Gallery

Bernie Sanders launched his quest to capture the hearts of New Yorkers in The Bronx today. An estimated 18,500 people showed up to St Mary’s Park in the South Bronx to show support for the candidate they believe to have the chutzpah to be the next president of The United States—we think so too.

All throughout the day it was a rally and gathering filled with love and peace—much unlike the ugliness we’ve been subjected to of Trump rallies filled with hate, violence, and flat out racism.

By the time I arrived at 10:30AM for media pre-check in, there were about a dozen people camping out on line with a few since 5AM.

My friend Eric Trujillo, a very strong activist in the LGBT community was already there just before 10AM and was the 5th in line. When I was done with check in, the crowd had swelled to over 100 by noon.

And then it kept doubling, tripling at a very rapid rate. The line began to wrap down St Mary’s Street (143rd Street) and eventually wrapped itself up to 147th Street.

Immediatly noticeable was how diverse the supporters were at today’s rally and contrary to what the narrative the media and other candidates have been telling, people of color played a huge role in today’s turnout representing probably half or more of the 18,500 estimated to have attended.

Secret Service and the NYPD reconfigured the main waiting area and all those individuals were moved into the main area but within an hour the line was once again out back and beyond 147th Street.

4PM finally rolled by and both the press and Bernie supporters began filing in through tight security complete with metal detectors and dog sniffers.

NYS Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda, who’s district is within The Bronx and is the only candidate to officially endorse Bernie Sanders from The Bronx said that, “I was told that I had to support a certain candidate but I said why don’t we wait until there’s more information out there? I refused to be a part of the machine and that’s why I’m endorsing Bernie Sanders.”

Although he hasn’t endorsed Bernie Sanders, NYC Councilman from The Bronx, Ritchie Torress was in attendance at the rally leaving many questioning if he will give an endorsement to the Sanders camp.

By the time Sanders took the stage after actress Rosario Dawson along with Spike Lee warmed up the crowd and was introduced by Residente aka Rene from the Puerto Rican group Calle 13, the crowd had swelled to an estimated 18,500.

According to veteran NYPD officers from the 40th Precinct, they have never seen anything like this outside of Yankee Stadium.

“I’m shocked at the number of people, this is far larger than anything we’ve dealt with including Summer Stage concerts.” said one officer.

Bernie’s message touched upon a number of issues and even talked about the health disparities of our borough and also talked about our abysmal asthma rates after having been briefed by community members before making out to the stage.

From fair living wages to income parity for women, a path out of poverty and higher education without burdening students financially, the attendees went wild with each announcement.

The revolution that Bernie Sanders is leading has finally arrived in New York and there is no better place than The Bronx to begin the fight to win New York State in the primaries.

After witnessing the throngs of thousands of all ages, colors, ethinicities—simply transcending all barriers—harmoniously standing together, faith has been restored in humanity and New York seems to be within reach of going full-Bern come April 19th on primary day.

Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

The Bronx Obama endorsing Bernie Sanders at Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

NYS Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda of The Bronx speaks against the Bronx Democratic Machine which told him he had to endorse Hillary Clinton—which he refused to do.

Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Actress Rosario Dawson at Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Spike Lee at Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Bernie Sander’s wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders watches her husband intently at Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

What You Need to Know About Bernie Sanders Coming to The Bronx

Politics

Ed García Conde

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March 31, 2016

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What You Need to Know About Bernie Sanders Coming to The Bronx

With the highest asthma rates in the country, we can relate.

First of all, we’d like to make a correction that indeed this isn’t the first presidential candidate since RFK but there have been others like Reagan, Jesse Jackson, Shirley Chisholm, and even AL Gore.

So what do you need to know?

Get to St Mary’s Park as early as you can. Thousands of people have already clicked to RSVP via Welcome2TheBronx and we only represent a small fraction of that traffic.

If you get there early, you may want to bring some food with you to keep you from starving. Maybe pick up some baked goods at Capri Bakery on 149th Street between Morris and Courtlandt Avenues just 4 blocks away from the park.

Take public transportation. I cannot stress this enough. Parking in the neighborhood is already a nightmare so jump on the 2 or 5 train to 3rd Ave and 149th Street and walk 3 blocks to St Mary’s.

You can also take one of the many buses in the immediate area like the 2, 4, 4A, 15, 17, 19, 21, 33, 41, and 41SBS.

Remember the following from Bernie Sanders’ website:

“This event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required, but RSVPs are strongly encouraged. Admission is first come, first served.

For security reasons, please do not bring bags and limit what you bring to small, personal items like keys and cell phones. Weapons, sharp objects, chairs, and signs or banners on sticks will not be allowed through security. On-street parking in the surrounding area is available but limited. ”

Are you ready for this historic event? The 2016 presidential campaign comes to The Bronx!

Breaking News: The Bronx is Berning—Bernie Sanders is Coming To The Bronx

Ed García Conde

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March 29, 2016

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Breaking News: The Bronx is Berning—Bernie Sanders is Coming To The Bronx

This Thursday in St Mary’s Park in the heart of The South Bronx, Bernie Sanders is bringing his political revolution to our borough for a rally.

This is the FIRST time that a presidential candidate comes to The Bronx since the late Robert F Kennedy.

Welcome2TheBronx couldn’t be more excited as we are officially endorsing Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination for the presidency.

For decades, Bernie has been a true leader taking stands that were unpopular before they were accepted by the mainstream.

His campaign is one that brings hope for many in our borough and across the nation.

The Bronx has always been a bastion for immigrant populations and he is the one true candidate that has worked hard for these groups that enrich our daily lives. We’ll go more into detail why we’re endorsing him in a later post, however.

This Thursday’s rally will feature Residente the former vocalist of Puerto Rico’s activist music sensation that is ‘Calle 13’.

It will be a momentous occasion as the presidential battleground comes to our borough.

RSVP at Bernie Sanders’ official website!

The Bronx is Booming: A Series By NY1 Takes A Look at Our Renaissance

Ed García Conde

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March 28, 2016

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The Bronx is Booming: A Series By NY1 Takes A Look at Our Renaissance

NY1’s Erin Clark explores The Bronx’s renaissance and how it’s impacting several key areas in our borough. In the first installment which aired last night, Clark takes a look at crime drops, housing prices in some areas and other issues.

Clark reports:

“When Rudis Rodriguez became a real estate agent in the Bronx last year, he knew the market was hot, but he had no idea just how hot.

“We sold a house in less than one day on Fox Street,” Rodriguez said. “We ended up selling it for about $50,000 more than what we were asking.”

“We had a three family house on Vyse Avenue,” Rodriguez said. “While I was putting up the sign we had over three offers.”

It is a remarkable turnaround for neighborhoods that once were a national symbol of urban decay, a status cemented by arson, crime, abandonment — and a 1977 visit by President Jimmy Carter to get a first-hand look at the desolation and despair.

“There were fires almost every day, especially in the south Bronx and it was a place where it was unlivable,” said Angel Hernandez, education director of the Bronx County Historical Society. “People did not want to call the Bronx their home.”

Now, almost 40 years later, many of these neighborhoods are enjoying a renaissance.”

Watch the entire segment over at NY1