Image credit: Center for Constitutional Rights - http://stopandfrisk.org/about-this-project/
The propaganda machine is working overtime.
Ever since a judge declared a key component of stop and frisk unconstitutional and ordered the NYPD to cease and desist the controversial program, the NY Post and city officials have been working around the clock to instill fears in our hearts.
All this fear mongering that NYC will return to the horrible days of criminal activity is just baseless. How quickly we forget and immediately start believing garbage journalism such as what the NY Post churns out.
Fact: Long before stop and frisk became an official and overused tool, crime was dropping at a phenomenal rate with each year becoming safer than the last. Merely the presence of beat cops walking around their assigned neighborhoods is just as effective of a deterrent.
The very foundation of our country’s judicial system has been based on innocent until proven guilty by a jury of one’s peers. Stop and frisk assumed guilt only to come up overwhelmingly empty-handed in almost all recorded stops.
A police officer’s time should be directed towards community building and engaging our citizens in a positive.
This is purely speculation of course but have you ever wondered how many crimes perhaps were committed because of stop and frisk? Why do I ask this?
Well it’s quite simple.
Say there are 2 or 3 cops walking a beat and they stop someone because he “looks” suspicious. Now you have these officers essentially offline as they are questioning this innocent suspect when instead they can be walking their districts.
A couple of blocks away, an actual crime is being committed; vandalism, a mugging, breaking into a car, or worse yet – a shooting. All of which had a greater potential of being prevented had these officers been walking their beat.
Again, that is all merely speculation but remains food for thought. After all, stop and frisk is based on speculation and racial profiling.
Can we all agree to stop the panicking and listening to fear mongering journalism like the NY Post?
The collective of 6 Nuyorican photographers known as Seis del Sur have graciously donated several prints for a fundraiser tonight at 6PM at La Casa Azul in El Barrio on 103rd and Lexington Avenue for the award winning documentary, El Barrio Tours.
The documentary is a labor of love by Andrew J Padilla and chronicles the impact gentrification is having on Spanish Harlem, aka El Barrio and he is taking it across the country to open up a national dialogue on gentrification.
As you recall, Seis del Sur exhibition opened to standing room only opening night at the Bronx Documentary Center back on January 19th of this year. For the following 6 weeks, the exhibition continued to remain standing room only for the weekly screenings and panel discussions that followed.
Tonight’s events at La Casa Azul include bomba dancing by renowned Milteri Tucker with live drumming by local Bronxite Elena “Mamarrazzi” Marrero and others.
There will be a benediction by Jesus-Papoleto Melendez who is a phenomenal poet and also provided an amazing benediction for the Seis del Sur exhibition that left the crowd in standing ovation.
Please join us tonight at 6PM for this wonderful cultural event.
A couple of weeks ago a debate began on my Facebook page regarding the old CSX lines in the Bronx which are no longer in use and many individuals indicated that they’d like to see them put to use for a triboro train to connect the outer boroughs without Manhattan.
This idea has been floated for decades but either the money hasn’t been there or enough brass at the MTA with vision to push for such a project.
Look at what the 7 train extension to the Jacob Javitz Convention Center is already doing to the neighborhood, adding millions of square feet in mixed development.
Not that any development in that scale will happen in the outer boroughs but development nevertheless.
Such a transit line will open new employment opportunities for millions as commuting times will be cut drastically. As it is now, folks working and living at either end of such a line waste over an hour in just one direction.
The MTA is worried about ridership but I guess they haven’t heard of the old adage, “If you build it, they will come.”
Immediately there was an uproar to save not just the idea of the post office but the actual grand lobby along with its historical treasure of murals by the late and famous muralist Ben Shahn and his wife, Bernarda Bryson Shahn.
Many edifices throughout New York City receive landmark status but generally only applies to the exterior, leaving the inside, oftentimes equally beautiful, architecturally significant, and historically significant, unprotected and vulnerable to a developer’s whims as they try and squeeze out every dollar per square foot possible.
As someone who grew up just behind the post office and fondly remembers the opulence of it all amid the charred ruins of the South Bronx in the 70s and 80s, I am glad that preservation is that much closer.
While it might seem as an impedance to a developer considering purchasing the building, a visionary prospective owner will only see the grandeur that such a lobby can lend to any development that takes place within the cavernous building.
They only need be reminded that the building’s overwhelmingly vast 180,000 square feet or so is ripe for developing with just the lobby off limits.
For the better part of the year, Crunch Fitness has been in negotiations with the Opera House Hotel in Melrose and have officially signed a lease for 18,000 Square Foot space in the landmark building.
According to the Opera House, Crunch is already paying rent and is expected to be up and running in the beginning of next year. No exact date in 2014 has been set.
Melrose, once home to mom and pop fitness centers and Lucille Roberts, received its first major gym when Planet Fitness – the popular no-frills national chain –opened in December 2011. Apparently this was the watershed moment for the fitness industry and 6 months later in June 2012, Blink Fitness opened up in St Ann’s Terrace on 156th Street.
The new locations proved so popular that Blink Fitness opened yet another location in the Melrose area on the opposite side of the neighborhood in Concourse Plaza to better serve that neighborhood.
18,000 square foot space which will be occupied by Crunch Fitness at the Opera House Hotel.
Now with Crunch coming to the neighborhood, Bronxites will have the option of higher tier of gyms as memberships typically run from $69 – $99 a month, however there is an unconfirmed rumor that this location may be offering a much more affordable membership competitive with those of Planet Fitness and Blink.
So, Bronxites, what do you think about this? For years, locals have been asking gyms like New York Sports Club to open up in our neighborhood since many of us would have to schlep to Manhattan for a good, full service gym – only to be told that the market could not sustain them.
Now, everyone seems to want a piece of the action as we continue to prove them wrong.
As Melrose and the surrounding areas continue to become more attractive to outsiders, will longtime residents be displaced or will we continue to make this neighborhood a successful story of a neighborhood with mixed incomes and socioeconomic backgrounds?
Stay tuned as we get more info! Oh and remember, you FIRST heard it from Welcome2TheBronx!
Smack dab in the heart of the South Bronx on one of its main streets and adjacent to one of the busiest subway stations in the city, The Opera House Hotel is open for business in Melrose on 149th Street between Brook and Bergen.
A work in progress for about 4 years now, the luxury hotel opened this past Sunday in the former Bronx Opera House and guests were already streaming in from across the country and even overseas.
According to the hotel’s management, on opening day they had 16 of the 60 luxury rooms booked and have been pleasantly surprised by bookings for the month of August – a notoriously slow month in the industry.
The Empire Hotel Group which owns and runs the Opera House Hotel is no stranger to the business as they own and operate 7 other hotels along Manhattan’s West Side stretching from the West 30s and we’ll into the Upper West Side in the West 80s.
The Opera House is their first venture outside of Manhattan and has the distinct honor of being the borough’s FIRST luxury boutique hotel. The rooms are all quite spacious and beautifully appointed with tall windows making them very bright and sunny.
Since it is a boutique hotel, the amenities are somewhat limited, however, guests who tend to lodge at such establishments are not typically noted to have a need for them. Nevertheless, the hotel features a conference room, complimentary continental breakfast for guests. A small fitness center and business center are being set up as well. The hotel's conference room which will be available for rent to non-guests as well.
Perfectly situated and located at 436 East 149th Street, the Opera House Hotel is just steps away from the 3rd Avenue / 149th Street subway, providing guests easy and quick access to Manhattan and Bronx attractions.
The subway station sits along the 2 and 5 express trains into Manhattan and you can reach the great museums such as the Guggenheim, El Museo del Barrio, The Metropolitan Museum of Art all along Museum Mile on 5th Avenue in the Upper East Side under 12 minutes.
Central Park and Upper West Side attractions are also accessible within the same time frame.
Even midtown Manhattan, again both East and West sides are within easy reach and under 20 minutes since the trains run express.
In the Bronx, adventurous tourists can walk to Yankee Stadium or along the architecturally important Grand Concourse both which are world renowned and the latter housing the largest collection of Art Deco buildings in the world.
Guests can also soak up the local and vibrant culture at one of our many great restaurants in Melrose or Mott Haven.
They can visit one of many art spaces such as Pregones, Longwood Gallery of the Arts, the BronxArtSpace or the Bronx Documentary Center which in a short time has become the premier destination for photographers, documentary journalists and filmmakers outside of Manhattan and attracting those in the industry from around the globe.
Better yet, guests can contact MCNY Tours which offers excellent historical tours of the Bronx and is a run by Bronx resident Alexandra Maruri.
In a community which has been on the rise for over a decade now and home of dozens of award winning developments such as Via Verde and the Eltona, a hotel – and one of such caliber as the Opera House – is one of the many types of businesses desperately needed in the neighborhood to provide a balance between our diverse residents. Hotel guests are greeted by the logo which is derived from elements of the Old Bronx Opera House.
Rates are moderately priced and are seasonal as well as according to major events such as the World Series. Rooms currently begin in the $120s to $180s per night and are subject to change.
Personally, I’m glad to have the hotel as a neighbor and welcome them with open arms and look forward to a long and prosperous relationship for them and the community at large.
They took a leap of faith in our neighborhood where others have told us no. Although we’ve had a steady stream of businesses coming in such as Planet Fitness and 2 Blink Fitness locations in the neighborhood, this type of establishment will indeed provide the confidence other retailers need to come in and provide desperately needed and wanted services.
It’s the video everyone’s talking about and it’s no wonder.
Broadway actress and impressionist, Christina Bianco is dazzling millions with her talent of singing well known songs in the voices of famous divas like Barbara Streisand, Adel, and Shakira to name a few.
Not only does she have a phenomenal voice but her stage presence is infectious as you can see in the video below to and her interview on PIX11 NEWS (link below).
This is the video which has gone viral with almost 2 million views.
But this video had me in TEARS with her impersonations – and not all of them are of singers!
She’s just one of many talented individuals from the Bronx!
Please come-out and join this community forum on the death of 14-yr. old Shaaliver Douse. Join us as we grapple with the realities of how we are failing our children. This death highlights: we adults are not caring for our children adequately, guns from out-of state are plaguing our community and our Police Officers do not practice any restrain when they interact with our community. If you believe it takes a village to raise a child, then join us tonight for this important community forum.
Date: Thursday, August 16, 2013
Location: Bronx Documentary Center 614 Courtlandt Ave., Bronx, NY 10451
Time: 7pm
Maria del Carmen Arroyo, left with her mother, Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo
We have just learned that Maria del Carmen Arroyo has been denied public Funds for this election cycle.
For every dollar donated from NYC residents, the campaign finance board donates $6, however, this will not happen for Arroyo this time.
If you’ve been following the corrupt trail that the Arroyo clan has left then you shouldn’t be surprised to this latest development as she recently submitted over 3,000 fraudulent petition signatures for the upcoming primary in which 3,200 were thrown out leaving her with a little over 600 signatures.
Stay tuned for more as this is a developing story!
TONIGHT: 5:30-8:30pm. Bronx Documentary Center Founder Michael Kamber’s never-before exhibited documentation of his earlier years in the Bronx, and his compelling portraits from citizens in conflict zones.
Army football team, which already has played at the new Yankee Stadium is working on returning to the Bronx and play one game a year beginning in 2014.
In 2014, Army will play Connecticut followed by Rutgers in 2015 and are currently working on bringing Notre Dame in 2016.
Meanwhile, the National Hockey League is getting ready to bring outdoor hockey – a first ever – to Yankee Stadium in January.
The Rangers will play against the Devils on January 26, 2014 during a day game and then they’ll play against the Islanders during an evening game on January 29th, 2014.
The new stadium is really becoming a venue with year round events like boxing, soccer and concerts. The big question is how can we tap into the money generated during these games to benefit our community?
We need to create more reasons for folks to stick around and one of the best ways to do so is great restaurants.
Bronxite David Floyd, the named plaintiff against the NYPD’S practice of Stop & Frisk (Photo credit: A. P.)
A question first and only asked here 5 months ago has been answered.
On March 19th I asked our readership, “Will a Bronxite Bring Down Stop & Frisk?” and this morning judge Shira A. Scheindlin ruled, in a 195 page decision, that the controversial policy violated the Fourth Amendment as well as 14th Amendment.
“…emphasized what she called the “human toll of unconstitutional stops,” noting that some of the plaintiffs testified that their encounters with the police left them feeling that they did not belong in certain areas of the cities. She characterized each stop as “a demeaning and humiliating experience.
”“No one should live in fear of being stopped whenever he leaves his home to go about the activities of daily life,” the judge wrote.”
The ruling also calls for a Federal monitor to oversee the NYPD’S practice and even goes as far to order that police officers are to participate in a pilot program where they will be required to wear cameras which will record their stops.
How do you feel about this ruling? Do you feel justice has been served and our rights are now protected? How do you think this will impact crime in the city? Will it increase, decrease or stay the same?
