It’s that time again when the Bronx Documentary Center holds its Holiday Portrait Series where Bronx residents can get a free professional portrait!
These events are always a lot of fun and who doesn’t enjoy smiling for the camera for professional photographers?!
Details below from the BDC:
Easter Portraits
Sun. April 5, Noon-2PM
We will be offering free Easter portraits for Bronx residents as part of the BDC’s ongoing Holiday Portrait Series. Stop in from Noon-2pm and get your photo taken. Each Bronx couple or group will get a free 8×10 print, extra prints are $5 each. Non Bronx residents are $5 a print.
Big thanks to Fuji who donated supplies for this event.
The Bronx Documentary Center is located at 614 Courtlandt Avenue at the corner of 151st Street in Melrose.
Yummy deliciousness from Patricia’s / Image courtesy Chris Crowley/Thrillist
Chris Crowley always gives us great write-ups on many of our favorite Bronx eateries but in this feature we woke up to, he enters the dangerous realm of Pizza. Favorites like Patricia’s, Louie & Ernie’s, & Emilio’s came up but Pugsley’s didn’t make it. Uh oh.
Bronxites love their pizza. We love our favorite pizzerias so much that we will defend them to the point that arguments will break out over which is the best. Families will divide over this issue. Which is your favorite?
Crowley starts off by writing:
“The Bronx doesn’t get a lot of love for its pizza, which is ridiculous, because, um, it should get a lot of love for its pizza — especially when it comes to these nine pie joints that sling everything from white and Salerno-style pies, to some classic, greasy, New York slices.”
Check out his favorites at: Best Pizza In The Bronx – NYC and tell us which ones on the list you liked and which ones you think should be on it!
After more than 3 years of the community overwhelmingly disapproving of this project, of over 50 community based organizations saying no, Governor Cuomo and Bronx Borough President announced today that the deal will be canceled.
Citing recent studies showing that the South Bronx is suffering a clear burden from dirty industries leading to its residents having 8x the national rate of asthma and 21x the hospitalization rate in New York Cityfor the ailment, New York Governor Cuomo and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr said in a joint statement that they will be pulling all support and funding from FreshDirect’s Bloomberg-era sweetheart deal.
“After years of overwhelming community outcry against this project and their demand and right to a new environmental impact statement instead of relying on a 22 year old one, my office cannot support this project in good conscience any longer,” said Diaz, Jr.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr continued by saying, “Our residents are dying from asthma related issues, can’t get to work because their children can’t breathe. The parents can’t breathe. To quote former Community Board 1 member and community activist Mychal Johnson, ‘If you can’t breathe, you can’t work.” he added when asked what about the promised jobs FreshDirect would bring.
“We don’t even know if they’ll keep their promise to convert their fleet to electric since they’ve had several opportunities to do so but instead chose to purchase 10 new diesel trucks in the past few months and after superstorm Sandy destroyed over 100 FreshDirect trucks, the decided to dump them on our waterfront and purchase diesel instead of electric.” Diaz added.
$140+ Million To Be Diverted to Small Businesses and Job Training Programs
Governor Cuomo added by saying, “This is not true, progressive, economic development for our poorest county in the great State of New York, where the poorest congressional district of the country is located.”
“We need to support not only living wage jobs but also fund programs that will equip our most at-risk residents with the necessary tools to make a decent living and rise out from poverty”, added Cuomo.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, who campaigned on the promise that he would kill such sweetheart deals like FreshDirect’s said that, “I am grateful for Governor Cuomo and Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr in working with our offices to find a solution to ending this deal that provided corporate welfare to a company that is flush with capital while our small businesses, our mom and pop shops—the lifeblood of our wonderful city—are struggling to survive. The over $140 million in grants and tax subsidies can have a bigger economic positive impact by investing in our communities.”
“In the long run, reinvesting this money back into small businesses and educational programs to create a better prepared workforce for the people of The Bronx will create a bigger return on investment than the promise of 1,000 jobs which may or may not come given that Amazon Direct and Google are aggressively entering the New York City market,” continued de Blasio.
Other Concerns Cited
Some of the other reasons cited for the decision to cancel the FreshDirect deal was the fact that the proposed headquarters was to be located on tidal wetlands which are sensitive ecosystems and the building of such a facility on this site when there is a call for greater coastal resiliency is an environmental disaster waiting to happen.
The existence of a Native American burial site and former village at the Harlem River Yards was of sensitive, cultural concerns to which Cuomo issued a formal apology to the Native American people in his statement earlier today.
According to Governor Cuomo, he will direct the Department of Environmental Conservation to grant necessary funding to make the Mott Haven-Port Morris Waterfront Plan a reality, something the agency already made a priority project to consider.
“The Mott Haven-Port Morris Waterfront Plan is a true, grassroots community effort from the ground up which represents the types of community leadership we need.” said de Blasio. “It not only provides area residents with waterfront resiliency but greater access to the waterfront, something that is taken for granted in Manhattan and the other boroughs yet residents of the South Bronx are cut off from. Through the increase of pedestrian traffic heading to the waterfront it will also creating a positive impact for the many businesses located along the way.”
If You Read This Far…
…you will know that this is satire and nothing of the sort happened and was written for April Fool’s Day—but the harm and the concerns are not satire and is an all too real reality the area’s residents live under. Although it hasn’t happened, it doesn’t mean it can’t and all the concerns listed are real and verifiable.
The Bronx deserves the best not just better and this deal will provide no benefit to the residents directly impacted by the plan but will exacerbate their already precarious health issues.
Our politicians continue to tell you that this is a done deal, the media continues to tell you that it is a done deal but it isn’t. The fact that we are able to continue to navigate the legal system proves that there is more to this story than we are being told.
ReThinkNYC’s vision of a new La Guardia Airport which would get rid of about half of Port Morris (or more) and Riker’s Island in the process. / Image Via ReThinkNYC
Unfortunately most of the plan is too ambitious and would require the displacement of many businesses in Port Morris as well as residents who live there.
There’s also the issue of the old Port Morris Line which went from the neighborhood up into Melrose and beyond but it’s no longer viable as several major developments have been built on these very tracks.
Oh and more pollution from an expanded airport? Let’s not even get started on that issue when the South Bronx already has 8x the national rate of asthma and 21x the hospitalization rate in New York City for the ailment. The closer proximity of more runways in an expanded La Guardia Airport CLOSER to The Bronx would have a disastrous impact on the already precarious air quality.
In 2005, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, surveyed the air around the Hillsboro airport in that state and this is what they found:
“When the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality surveyed the airport in 2005, it found a lead cloud hovering above Hillsboro, a circular plume spanning 25 square miles. At its center—right about where the Kittlesons live—lead levels were twice as high as the National Ambient Air Quality Standard threshold set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).” – via Living near an airport could be toxic | Salon
LGA currently received over 100,000 more flights a year than Hillsboro so what would an expanded airport do the South Bronx?
What about Riker’s Island? Where are we going to place the inmates? Sure, our nation has a problem with over incarceration and the highest prison population on the globe but where will such a facility be placed?
Below are some downloadable images from their website so you can check them out here as well but make sure you check the the websites so you can get the full gist of their logic and ambitious plan.
Images via ReThink NYC 2014 PlanImages via ReThink NYC 2014 PlanImages via ReThink NYC 2014 PlanImages via ReThink NYC 2014 PlanImages via ReThink NYC 2014 PlanImages via ReThink NYC 2014 PlanImages via ReThink NYC 2014 PlanImages via ReThink NYC 2014 PlanImages via ReThink NYC 2014 Plan
Here’s an example form Texas which is not as complex as New York State: (Credit: Community Impact News)
Here’s an interesting piece on a topic close to home in The Bronx: Affordable Housing.
The article skims the surface of what is a tangled web in which affordable housing developers have to navigate which is so much deeper than Next City can even get into but it does speak briefly about the Jerome Avenue Study area and other parts of New York City.
Next City says:
One developer called the competition for tax credits from New York’s Division of Housing and Community Renewal as “extremely cutthroat and competitive.” Projects are graded by the state on access to downtown and transit, green building practices, and other community benefits. Ithaca developers also get help from federal HUD grants. The article recommends the city explore an inclusionary zoning policy, following New York City’s example.
Susan Cosentini, who created a co-housing development in Ithaca, said that true economic and social diversity in housing takes effort. “Someone with 80 percent of median income around here gets you a white graduate student,” she said. “Getting real diversity is really rocket science. That’s unfortunate because that’s where you get the vibrancy. I don’t want to create affluent ghettos. That’s no fun.”
New York Might Need Even More Intervention Policies
NYU’s Furman Center released a study yesterday that questions whether even the affordable housing policies available in New York City are going to be able to create sufficient market strength in outer-borough neighborhoods where low- and moderate-income people need housing the most.
“Creating Housing Out of Thin Air” finds that Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 10-year plan to create affordable units through the combination of upzoning and mandatory inclusionary zoning is likely to produce units in pricey, dense neighborhoods like Downtown Brooklyn, but in low-rent neighborhoods like East New York and the Jerome Avenue corridor in the Bronx, there is not enough demand for market-rate housing to “cross-subsidize” the affordable units the city is hoping to spur. That is, unless inclusionary zoning is combined with an additional city subsidy.
Additionally, the researchers add that the issue about where affordable housing in these neighborhoods is created (on-site vs. off-site vs. fee-in-lieu of payment) presents the city with even more difficult choices to make.
The report comes on the heels of the news last month that HUD officials began reviewing the city’s “community preference” policy of giving residents in neighborhoods targeted for development a leg-up on affordable units — seen as a way to keep locals from being displaced once the market heats up. HUD is examining whether this could lead to discrimination, because the population of neighborhoods like East New York skew more black and Hispanic than other neighborhoods in the city.
When Starbucks launched the campaign almost two weeks ago, Vernicia Colon, the brainchild behind the idea of the Mix Coffeehaus reached out to Welcome2TheBronx with concerns of how similar their campaign was to her project. “We were surprised to see such a large corporation like Starbucks implement what we felt was a very unique concept. It was brought to our attention by many of our followers that noticed similarities between Starbuck’s #RaceTogether campaign and The Mix Coffeehaus” said Colon.
Several times within the past year, including over the holidays straight through the end of January, Colon and her business partner Pedro Medina, held the pop-up cafe to talk about just what Starbucks executed in utter failure — with the exception that the Mix Coffehaus succeeded in their mission.
For three days last April, Bronxites flocked to the Mix Coffeehaus and people engaged in deep conversations about race. Even the barista wouldn’t ask your name but would ask, “What are you?” and if you told her what you considered yourself to be, she would ignore it and give you whatever label she saw you as.
That was particularly brilliant since oftentimes we are given labels by society that are purely superficial and people’s quest to box others into neat, little categories, but as Vernicia and the Mix Coffeehaus proved, that is rarely the reality.
Colon said that, “The Mix Coffeehaus was inspired by my experience at Sundance last January 2014, during my winter break. I immediately presented the idea to a close friend Devon Edwards, I was actually embarrassed to mention the concept out loud, because it was such a bold statement to make even for me” she said.
“I received a lot of support and feedback, that led me to finalizing it as my thesis project for Parsons. It wasn’t a quick process, many late nights of research, organizing interviews, surveys, designing the experience, and implementing user testing. The bulk of the work was spent refining, but at the end it was worth it. Though the concept was thought up by me, I had a great team that made it come to life, too many names to list. Jamie Jones, Peter Medina, Alana Smith, Serafina Colon and many more gave their time, and hard work to may my idea come to life.”
What business does a coffee shop have leading conversations about race? We think it’s a bold and ambitious idea, and that’s why we opened The Mix Coffeehaus as a series of pop-ups in April 2014 and during Holiday Season 2015. When we learned Starbucks was leading #RaceTogether conversations at stores across the country, we thought it wasn’t executed quite as successfully as what we have done. Lots of others agree, and Howard Schultz, we invite you to have a coffee with us in the South Bronx to talk about what Starbucks can do to get this right.
Our coffeehaus has been located in a rapidly gentrifying, low-income neighborhood where racial relations and access to power (with one another and the larger world) is a daily negotiation. As a mixed race woman who identifies as Black and Puerto Rican, I know firsthand the topic of race is filled with complexity; it comes in many shades, tones, and subtleties. Furthermore, as a parent of a teenage son who faces discrimination and the threat of violence, the topic of race is a daily conversation in our household. I have a personal stake in raising consciousness using the tools available to me. My partner, Peter Medina and I feel while Starbucks has made a heartfelt attempt, the conversation should have been more inclusive. As you will see on our website (themixcoffeehaus.com), honest and nuanced discussion can emerge when people of diverse backgrounds are invited to shape the conversation. Our careful design, research, and implementation of this conversation allowed for a truly open dialogue that was carried far beyond the walls of our cafe. Guests tell us it reached the dinner table at home, or made its way to classrooms and into an expanded web of personal experiences, creating shifts in perspective and an elevated awareness.
Conversation is at the heart of our business model. That’s why we created The Mix Coffeehaus as a space for communal debate, critical thinking, and engaging in new ideas. This kind of forum is greatly needed in underserved neighborhoods like ours. We built this from the ground up as an effort to bring the community together. In the future, we’re using The Mix to facilitate a number of conversations–not just on race–but on the environment, gender equality, and any topic our neighbors deem to be important. As young artists we feel it is our responsibility to use the skills we have in design and our social awareness to impact others. Our goal moving forward is to continuously keep our hand on the pulse of what is important to the communities we serve, and work in a collaborative effort in hopes of empowering people and giving a voice to the voiceless. We’d love for you to see how we’ve done it.
Despite our differences, it’s interesting to note where our paths have been similar. Like you, Howard, a fellow native New Yorker, we’ve come from humble beginnings, one or both of us have lived in housing projects, are first generation college graduates, and are passionate about creating a for-purpose company that inspires change. Join us for a cup of coffee as we launch our permanent location here in the South Bronx. We invite you to #mixtheconversation
When we asked how #RaceTogether would impact their plans to open up a permanent home, Vernicia simply stated, “Our goal for the past year has remained the same, to lay our foundation here in The Bronx. It has been a long road, but we are hopeful that we will have a permanent space soon enough. The community has been so supportive. We cannot wait to go from a pop-up to a brick and mortar.”
And they are not bothered that they may be perceived as imitators of the larger coffee giant.
“We aren’t as concerned with people assuming that we are copy cats, that just isn’t our style. We are confident that people will see our authenticity and integrity through our work and efforts. We understand that imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and all we can do is get back to work and continue to develop our brand, our company and our vision.” said Colon
One thing we can vouch for is that almost a year ago, the South Bronx held these conversations in a little pop-up shop long before Starbucks announced their plans to do the same and there is no doubt who the originator of the concept was.
Perhaps Starbucks should hire The Mix Coffehaus as consultants since they do seem to know how to properly execute the conversation.
Nancy Spielberg and her 3-year-old pup, Rambo. Photo: Robert Kalfus
A menacing coyote terrified Riverdale residents on Thursday — including Steven Spielberg’s sister, who called 911 to keep the “predator” from attacking her poodle.
Nancy Spielberg, 58, a documentary producer and the younger sister of the “Jaws” director, was spooked when she spotted the hungry beast prowling in her back yard and staring down her 3-year-old pooch, Rambo, at about 11:30 a.m.
“He was a big one. He hung out for a long time in the back yard. He was staring at my dog through the window,” Nancy Spielberg said.
“I don’t really feel safe letting my dog out at night. I feel really uneasy. I’m an animal lover. I love all sorts of animals, but this one felt like a predator, like he couldn’t be rehabilitated. He was out in the daytime watching us for a very long time.”
The old Mandee store on East Tremont in Throggs Neck right by the Cross Bronx Expressway has just sold for $5.1 million to the Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation / Image Courtesy of Ariel Property Advisors
The old Mandee store on East Tremont Avenue in the southeastern neighborhood of Throggs Neck was just sold to the Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation for $5.1 million according to Ariel Property Advisors who represented the seller in the transaction.
The property currently consists of a 15,000 square foot building which can be built up to 38,618 square feet using available 23,618 square feet in air rights.
The corporation also owns Cross Bronx Plaza on 174th Street in the West Farms section of the borough where IHOP and the Cablevision store is located, and not to mention many high-end properties across Manhattan and the country.
Throggs Neck residents, what do you think about this sale and the potential to more than double the size of the existing building?
WABC-TV news anchor Sade Baderinwa with student attendees at Monroe College’s Inspire to Aspire event / Image courtesy of Monroe College
Monroe College is but one of the many institutions of higher learning in the Borough of Colleges and Universities that is The Bronx. It is one of the most accessible to many of our residents and not only does Monroe provide quality education and training but the school helps each and every student every step of the way in preparing them for their future.
But Monroe College doesn’t just help its own, it also helps the community and our youth and one of such ways was yesterday’s Inspire to Aspire Female Empowerment for High School students which was attended by hundreds of young girls along with WABC-TV news anchor Sade Baderinwa who delivered the keynote speech.
The following is from Monroe College on this wonderful event:
Sade Baderinwa of WABC-TV delivers keynote
Sade Baderinwa of WABC-TV delivers keynote address to hundreds of high school girls / Image courtesy of Monroe College
On Thursday, March 26, Monroe College held Inspire to Aspire, its third annual female empowerment event for more than 300 high school girls in the Mintz Auditorium on the college’s Bronx campus. The girls were guided through empowering activities like sharing inspirations, setting personal and educational goals, and meeting with women from a variety of professions for intimate discussions on staying healthy, dealing with personal setbacks, the importance of education, and how to ultimately succeed in life.
The morning’s highlight was the powerful keynote address by WABC-TV news anchor Sade Baderinwa who talked about her own achievements in the face of adversity.
“Life is always going to give you roadblocks and it is how you deal with them and how you respond,” she said. “You have to be nimble and have some grit. Be daring and be bold. It’s about your spirit and your integrity. Trust the people who encourage you and help you live your dreams.”
Afterwards she took questions from the girls and generously spent time greeting them individually and taking photos with them.
Image courtesy of Monroe College
Participating high schools included Mott Hall HS, Media and Communication, the College Academy, Truman HS, Bronx Latin, New Visions Charter HS for Humanities, HS for Contemporary Arts, BCC Prep, and Brooklyn Generations.
“Our team did an amazing job in setting up and running today’s event,” said Dr. Cecil Wright, Director of Admissions. “Because of the range of interactions with role models, expressive activities, and certainly Ms. Baderinwa’s impassioned keynote, the girls left with an uplifting feeling, that they will be able to overcome anything that’s put in their way.”
Baderinwa with one of the high school students attending the event / Image courtesy of Monroe College
Ms. Baderinwa said she would donate the honorarium she received to Get Reel with your Dreams, her foundation that provides scholarships and opportunities in media, film, and the arts.
Monroe will host hundreds of high school boys in Stand… for epic impact!, the annual Male Empowerment event on April 23.
ABOUT MONROE COLLEGE
Monroe College, a national leader in urban and international education, is ranked among the top higher education schools in the country for graduating minority students. Founded in 1933, the New York-based college is a private institution of higher learning with a real world learning approach that prioritizes hands-on academic experiences, practical and relevant academic programs, flexible learning schedules, best-in-class instructional technologies, and committed and engaged faculty to ensure that students are well positioned for career success upon graduation. Monroe is among the leading higher education institutions in the country for graduating minority students.
Monroe College offers Certificate, Associate, Bachelor’s, and Master’s degree programs. It has campuses in the Bronx, New Rochelle, as well as in the Caribbean nation of St. Lucia, with programs offered through its Schools of Criminal Justice, Information Technology, Nursing, Education, Business & Accounting, Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts, and Allied Health Professions, as well as through its liberal arts and continuing education programs, and its King Graduate School. For more information and admissions criteria, please visit http://www.monroecollege.edu
Tomorrow, Friday, March 27th, from 6pm – 10pm Kicking off the 16th Annual Havana Film Festival in New York, The Bronx Museum will host a screening of Rumba Clave Blen Blen Blen, followed by a special performance by Dayramir Gonzalez & Habana enTrance. Music by DJ Asho. By paying homage to the grand masters of the genre, Rumba Clave Blen Blen Blen takes us on a historical journey that traces the history of rumba in New York.
BRONX, NY—March 26, 2015—Bronx Fashion Week, LLC announced today their 2nd event after last year’s successful and historic first Bronx Fashion Week in the borough’s history. This year the event will be held at the landmark Old Bronx Courthouse in Melrose on May 9th from 5:00PM – 9PM sharing space with No Longer Empty’s exhibition ‘When You Cut Into The Present, The Future Leaks Out’
CEO Flora Montes says “Bronx Fashion Week 2015 will bring forth a fashion celebration providing a platform for top designers and models showcasing collections from The Bronx and across the world.”
The event will feature a VIP Reception and pre-fashion cocktail party, product launches from diverse sponsors, as well as several performances.
“We are pleased to once again bring this major fashion event to The Bronx — the borough that has given so much to the industry where designers Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein were born and raised as were legendary fashion icons such as Jennifer Lopez and the late Lauren Bacal.” said Ed Garcia Conde, VP of Marketing and Public Relations for Bronx Fashion Week, LLC.
“The Bronx continues to influence the world of fashion as the birthplace of Hip-Hop and impacting the global urban wear scene.” added Garcia
The kick off event for the second year will be an unforgettable experience in another landmark setting—The Old Bronx Courthouse—which has captured the fascination and imagination of millions as it sat empty for the past 38 years.
Now, thanks to its owner, Henry Weinstein, and No Longer Empty’s exhibition, attendees of Bronx Fashion Week 2015 will also be treated to a world-class exhibition curated by NLE featuring approximately 20 artists both from The Bronx and around the world.
Bronx Fashion Week, LLC encourages sponsors to be a part of this major event as they reach out to businesses and organizations within The Bronx, across the region and internationally.
Bronx Fashion Week, LLC was founded in 2013 with a mission to bring high-end fashion events to the borough along with showcasing not only top models and designers but also sponsors and vendors as well. Bronx Fashion Week, LLC also strives to give back to the community by selecting various organizations to make charitable donations from a percentage of proceeds from the events held.
About No Longer Empty
No Longer Empty fosters access to contemporary art by engaging the public and experimental, socially conscious artists in professionally curated, site-specific exhibitions throughout New York City and beyond. Located in underutilized or alternative properties, free of the connotations of traditional art venues, No Longer Empty creates welcoming and inclusive experiences that support this access to art through educational and collaborative programming that harness and engage local resources.
The Bronx is getting closer its 1970 population peak of 1,471,701 before the great decline began now placing the population at 1,430 million as of 2014.
New data released by the Census Bureau reveals that The Bronx is among the top 50 areas and counties in the country that grew numerically in population between 2013 and 2014 with a gain of nearly 11,000. According to the data, Brooklyn (19,000), and Queens (18,000) were also among the top 50 in the nation.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to Bronx residents since so many new developments, the majority being affordable housing, continuing to open year after year bringing more and more people into the borough where once vacant, lots were the norm in the South Bronx.
Renderings of the 1,300 unit Compass Residences
With so many more developments in the pipeline such as the massive La Central in Melrose with almost 1,000 units scheduled to break ground by the end of the year, Crossroads Plaza at 149th Street in Mott Haven will bring over 400 units in 3 phases already under construction, and the mega 10 building Compass Residences in Crotona Park East, also under construction, bringing 1,300 units once complete. These developments are only a fraction of what’s planned and or being constructed in The Bronx and doesn’t include pending market rate developments.
Rendering of Crossroads Plaza on 149th Street and Southern Boulevard in Mott Haven
Between the burning years of the 70’s and 80’s, The Bronx lost over 300,000 residents by the 1980 census — or 20.6% of our population. By 1990 our population began growing by a modest 3% with the biggest increase between 1990-2000 when the 2000 census recorded a 10.7% increase in population.
What do you think about this population growth? Where do you think this will lead?
