Join us this Saturday as representatives of Sustainable Communities • Bronx Metro North Study provide an interactive tour of the Melrose Metro North Station
and its pedestrian access points.

This is a very important way we, as a community, can band together and give feedback and be part of the process for the future of our neighborhood. Melrose has the best transportation access in the entire Bronx with subway access, bus routes and a Metro North station. Statistics show that 25,000 Bronxites make the reverse commute to work to Westchester and Connecticut making the Melrose Station a critical component for area residents in our transportation network.

Read more below straight from the source and don’t forget to take the community survey!!

The Department of City Planning of the City of New York (DCP) is studying areas surrounding select Metro North Stations in the Bronx. With support from the HUD Sustainable Communities program as part of a regional consortium of cities, counties and planning organizations, DCP is working with communities to plan for the Metro North corridor in the Bronx. The goals of the study are as follows:

· Connect Bronx residents to job centers in the region (25,000+ Bronxites make the reverse commute to jobs in Westchester and CT)

· Capitalize on the Metro North corridors by identifying opportunities for transit-oriented development

· Spur investment in lively, sustainable, mixed-use neighborhoods, by permitting new mixed-income housing around stations where growth is appropriate

· Improve station visibility, pedestrian access and intermodal connections around Bronx metro North stations

In order to successfully achieve these goals we need the full support of all community stakeholders. The DCP is moving forward with some important outreach initiatives described below.

Community Tours

In an effort to understand the community needs, pedestrian environment and transportation options surrounding the Melrose and University Heights Metro North Stations, DCP will be conducting interactive tours of key pedestrian access routes. While DCP staff will be onsite to guide the tours we need your help to make them a success! Please join us on Saturday, January 28 th in an effort to strengthen Bronx Communities. Bring your friends, co-workers, and neighbors. See details below and attached flyer:

Melrose Station

When: Saturday January 28th, 2012 10:00 AM—12:00 PM

Where: Meet at the Melrose Metro North Station Platform (Entrance on Park Avenue at 162nd Street )

University Heights Station:

When: Saturday January 28th, 2012 2:00 PM—4:00 PM

Where: Meet at the University Heights Metro North Station Platform (Entrance at W. Fordham Road and University Heights Bridge)

Please let us know if you will be attending or if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you there!

Community Survey

Your input is an important part of our successful planning effort. As part of our outreach program, DCP has developed a community survey which includes questions to help us understand community needs, land use, the pedestrian environment, and transportation facilities. Below is a link to take survey online and attached is an electronic copy of the survey available in both English and Spanish. Please complete the survey by the March 30 th deadline online, via email, mail, or fax to:

Online:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SCBronx

Or to:

Shawn Brede

One Fordham Plaza, 5 th Floor

Bronx, NY 10458

(718) 220 8505

F (718) 584-8628

sc_bronx_dl@planning.nyc.gov

A walk through the Bronx sometimes reveals interesting nooks and crannies. Anyone care to guess where this is?

Today, I had the pleasure of participating in US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s Listening Session for the 2012 Food and Farm Bill at Hostos Community College right here in the Bronx.  Senator Gillibrand is the first US Senator from New York to sit on the Senate Agriculture Committee in over 40 years.  This gives New Yorkers a strong voice in the next bill which is set to replace the current Farm Bill that expires this year.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand opened up the talks and spoke about the need to increase food stamp benefits and SNAP benefits which she and her colleagues would like to increase it by 30%.  She says that this would be a great step towards assisting families in need especially those in food deserts to be able to spend more money on healthier foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables and produce.

The Senator further went on to speak about the disconnect that exists between Hunts Point Market and the Bronx.  Here we have the world’s largest food distribution center right in the Bronx yet there is a disconnect with the neighborhood where it is located.  She spoke about how the area is intimidating and generally inaccessible to Bronxites due to its truck stop-like appearance. The floor was soon opened up to those attending and the first one to come up and speak was none other than Karen Washington, our very own urban farmer from the Bronx.

Karen spoke about how the Bronx is on top when it comes to hunger.  She pointed out how we need to have more funding for food than to keep people incarcerated and that more is spent on incarcerating people than spending on keeping our people healthy.  Karen voiced her dismay at being able to look across to Hunts Point but not being able to access it. All of these issues are issues that disproportionately affect people of color in our borough.

Senator Gillibrand responded enthusiastically to Karen’s speech saying how she looked forward in working together on some of the key issues such as expanding community gardens and connecting with local schools.  Karen is a strong advocate of teaching kids starting at kindergarten on up about agriculture and growing food and why it is good for you to eat such foods versus the processed foods that are so readily available.

There were other speakers, one in particular who mentioned that the Bronx was burning in the past but now the Bronx is growing in reference to the hundreds of community gardens out here. Then there was Steve Ritz, a NYC Educator who has successfully worked with high school students installing and maintaining green roofs and walls, who challenged Senator Gillibrand to work on enforcing the ban of selling soda and junk food / candy in our schools.

The one thing that was very discouraging to me and several other Bronxites was that this is a “listening session” to hear the voice of the Bronx yet there were barely people of color or Bronxites in attendance.  Thus why I decided on the title, “Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Visits The South Bronx But No One’s Home”. To have such an important meeting to “listen” to the voice of the people at 11AM when people are working is a disservice to the community and constituents which you serve.  I mean no disrespect or to belittle her hard work and I actually applaud that she eventually made it to the Bronx but we need to have this listening session after business hours so that BRONXITES can attend, BRONXITES can voice their concerns, BRONXITES can be part of the process and not just the usual suspects who are always in attendance at these meetings because it is what they do.  A true listening session in the Bronx would have been made up of a vastly different crowd than was in attendance today at Hostos Community College.

Are you interested in attending such a listening session that will affect policy in the United States for the next 5 years?  SOUND OFF in the comments below!

VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE SHARE FAR AND WIDE!

Tomorrow, Wednesday, January 4th, US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will be coming to the Bronx at Hostos Community College as part of her listening sessions for the upcoming ” Food and Farm Bill ”. This is an extremely important event for Bronxites in particular since we have the dubious distinction of being the poorest and unhealthiest and atrocious access to healthy and nutritious produce and vegetables that other areas in the state take for granted.

Please do share and if you can’t make it, send a friend, neighbor or relative in your place. I cannot begin to stress the importance of being there. I do have my reservation with the poor selection of time of day that the event will be held, which is 11am thus limiting the number of Bronxites who can attend. Maybe we can convince Senator Gillibrand to hold another session in the evening when it is more convenient for the working families in the Bronx?

**Spread the word!**

US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will be coming to the Bronx on January 4th to hear community members’ concerns about the food system and seek input on how she can improve access to healthy, affordable through changes in the “Food and Farm Bill”.

We can have a say in how to make affordable healthy food more accessible in grocery stores, farmers markets, CSAs, and new market opportunities. Come out and let your voice be heard this Wednesday! See below for more detailed information.

United States Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand (NY) cordially extends this invitation to attend her upcoming Farm Bill Listening Session in New York City.

As Congress begins debating the next Farm Bill, Senator Gillibrand will continue her statewide agricultural listening sessions to gather input from local farmers and advocates.

As the first New Yorker to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in nearly 40 years, Senator Gillibrand plans to focus on a broad range of food policy and agricultural issues that are important to New York in the next Farm Bill, including nutrition, access to affordable healthy food, farmers markets, CSAs, organics, new market opportunities, assistance for dairy farms and specialty crops, and investments in renewable energy.

EVENT: Farm Bill Listening Session DATE: January 4, 2012 TIME: 11am PLACE: Hostos Community College, D Building 149th Street and Walton Avenue, Bronx Savoy Multipurpose Room on the 2nd Floor

Please RSVP to FarmBillNYC@Gillibrand.Senate.Gov

**Save The Date – Bronx Food and Sustainability Coalition meeting – February 2012 **

Mike Kamber, renowned photojournalist and Melrose resident, is currently on assignment in Iraq reporting on the close of the Iraqi War. His latest entry in the New York Times is a bittersweet chronology of emotions during that time spent covering the seemingly endless battles, deaths and all the ills that go along with war.

Kamber has put his life on the line one too many times during these past 8 years simply to ensure that the world sees firsthand, through his eyes, or lense if you will, the atrocities of armed conflict. >

Just this morning, a little over an hour ago he reported that, “63 dead in baghdad today, coordinated bombings across the city. nearly impossible to work. if cameras were bombs, this place would be completely safe. can’t even shoot from the hip” on his facebook page.

Read his account in the link below:

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/bearing-witness-in-iraq/?emc=eta1#/1/

Image: Bronx Documentary Center in Melrose on Courtlandt Avenue, founded by Mike Kamber

In an expected move by many, the United States Supreme Court decided not to listen to a case that has been rolling around for well over a decade according to the Daily News.

Bronx Household of Faith v Board of Education of the City of New York tackles the ever so delicate balance of separation of church and state. The case is about the use of New York City public schools by religious groups as a space for Sunday worship.

The Bronx is often referred to as God’s Country due to the plethora houses of worship scattered throughout the borough.

Our founding fathers intended and fought for the separation of church from our government but how far do we have to go to protect that? Bronx Household of Faith and other religious leaders argue that the buildings are not in use on Sundays and wouldn’t interfere with the schools’ main function.

How do you feel about this?

Supreme Court nixes use of NYC public schools for services http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/supreme-court-nixes-nyc-public-schools-fo-services-60-churches-homeless-feb-12-article-1.987052?localLinksEnabled=false

In what is the ever changing face of the Bronx, a synagogue, Temple Emanuel, has closed after almost 80 years of service to the Jewish community and beyond of Parkchester.

Hard to believe but at one point, the Bronx boasted the largest Jewish population of the 5 boroughs. A drive, walk or a ride on the El will surely take you past a dozen or so of former synagogues now mostly serving various Christian denominations. Now, the great borough to the north is home to a predominantly Latino population.

Our sincerest sympathies are with the congregation of Temple Emanuel of Parkchester on the closing of their house of worship in what must be a sad and difficult day for the community.

Check out Dan Beekman’s article on the closure of Temple Emanuel of Parkchester.

Parkchester’s last synagogue shuttered http://www.nydailynews.com/news/temple-emanuel-parkchester-s-synagogue-closes-years-serving-dwindling-congregation-article-1.970138?localLinksEnabled=false

The borough’s latest cultural center will officially open this weekend with an exhibit dedicated to fallen photo documentarian, Tim Hetherington, at the Bronx Documentary Center in Melrose.

Tim Hetherington was killed while doing what he loved: documenting the realities of war and disseminating the truth to the world and this weekend’s exhibition will focus on just that. >

Check out the post below by Mike Lambert of the New York Times and owner of the Bronx Documentary Center.

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/a-show-of-respect-for-a-fallen-friend/#/2/

The Bronx Documentary Center is located at 614 Courtlandt Avenue at the corner of East 151st Street in the Melrose section of the Bronx. The Center is easily accessible by public transportation such as the 2 and 5 express trains to 3rd Avenue / 149th Street, more than half a dozen bus lines and major highways.

Although you may not have heard much about Occupy Wall Street in mainstream media, except that it’s a “loosely organized band of hippies without direction”, this movement is close to Bronxites’ hearts whether or not they know it.   If you are unemployed, this is for you. If you ARE employed but barely surviving, this is for you. If you have children in public schools, this is for you. If you are a homeowner who is suffering from unscrupulous tactics by mortgage bankers and brokers, this is for you. If you are hungry, this is for you.
You see where I’m going with this?
As the borough that is home to the poorest congressional district in the nation, what our fellow citizens in Wall Street are protesting against is about us.  But you see, it goes beyond the Bronx, beyond the city, state and region. This is a movement that is for everyone regardless of your race, creed or color. Whether you are as left leaning as a hippy dancing in the mud during Woodstock or ultra conservative Tea Party patriot waving our flag proudly, this is for you.
For decades, Wall Street has run this nation of hours through big corporations spending millions of dollars a year on “purchasing” politicians. Why else would we spend trillions on bailing out banks and Wall Street and not our schools? When will it end?
How is this a fair and just society when a teacher pays more taxes than General Electric? The people have grown tired and are slowly awakening to the realities of how this country has been run for profit not for its people.
You are the 99% who is ruled by the elite 1% who owns the wealth in this nation.  It is time that we, the majority, take control of our future, our country and tell Wall Street and our government that the buck stops here.

Support the moment, educate yourself on the issues and be wary of what you see and read in big media for they are censoring this movement. Censorship only occurs when the powers that be become afraid of those they enslave.

For more information, go to: http://www.occupywallstreet.org

A great alternative to shopping at your local supermarkets for fruits and veggies is your local farmers market.
What better way to learn more about your favorite greens and fruits than from those who grow them for you?
I’ve found that farmers LOVE to talk about their produce and answer questions you may have.

For a list of a green market near you check out GrowNYC. You can shop at these markets 6 days a week in the Bronx!

… of Yankee Stadium, local young men make use of an outdoor gym flexing their muscles as a peacock shows off its plumes. “Look at me! I’m strong!” says the pose of one young man while the other says, “I’m dope; all the mamis will be all over this.”

The Bronx is full of beautiful people.

24 hours after the “Great” East Coast Earthquake of 2011 we are left with the “what if” questions. What if it was in New York? What would I do or should do? Am I prepared for an emergency? The answer to that last question would probably be a resounding NO for most newyorkers.

Immediately following the 20 to 30 second rumble, our cell phone network failed due to overloaded circuits. In this modern era that is simply unacceptable. We need a reliable cellphone network that will keep on chugging during an actual disaster so that help can get to those in need and peace of mind can be had by loved ones.  We also have to remember that construction codes in New York do not call for any sort of earthquake proofing, etc.

Then there is the question of what to do in case of an earthquake. We’re not Californians – it’s not second nature for us. Do most of you know that if you find yourself indoors during an earthquake you’re safer staying indoors than running out and risking getting hit by falling debris?

If you haven’t done so already, please take the time and look over the following tips from FEMA and be in the know.

Take care, my fellow newyorkers and be safe! >