After years of discussion and hype, it seems that the Universal Hip Hop Museum will finally break ground this year in The Bronx bringing with it the country’s first museum dedicated to the genre that was born in our borough.

According to an interview at PIX11 News, the UHHM is scheduled to break ground at Bronx Point by the end of the year some time in December.

PIX11 is also reporting that funders have secured $20 million but there is still much more needed to make sure the project becomes a reality.

As you may recall, Bronx Point, will be a massive two building, 1,045 unit affordable housing along the Harlem River waterfront at 149th Street on land that was stolen from the community which was supposed to be part of Mill Pond Park’s extension.

We say stolen because that’s exactly what the city did and lied to the community that the land was never dedicated as parks but Welcome2TheBronx uncovered evidence on NYC Park’s website that said otherwise.

That being said, the development will still have an extension of Mill Pond Park but rather than the entire parcel as originally planned, it will only be a little more than half the land.

Anywho, check out the video below and let us know what you think.

As soon as The Washington Post reported that several unnamed Amazon executives said the company was reconsidering making Long Island City in Queens their second headquarters due to backlash from activists and politicians crying foul at this sweetheart deal, cities across the country began salivating at the fact that they could potentially take advantage of this development to lure the promise of 25,000 white collar jobs.

One such idea was a two state solution that would split Amazon HQ2 between The Bronx and Stamford, Connecticut suggested by Joe McGee, Vice-President of the Business Council of Fairfield County in Southwest Connecticut.

CT Post reports:

Lamont isn’t the only one mobilizing. In Stamford, Joe McGee, vice president of the Business Council of Fairfield County, worked the phones Friday — and took calls from people with the same idea — to formulate what could be a very innovative, 13th-hour bid.

“The Bronx and Fairfield County. Who would ever put that marriage together? They want to grow, and we’re all on the New Haven rail line,” McGee said. “Let’s be crazy and talk about a two-state solution.”

And crazy talk it is as Amazon already rejected our borough as well as Stamford so why would they consider them together?

Sure we’re about to be connected even more so to Connecticut than ever with four new Metro North stations to be constructed in the East Bronx but it’s abundantly clear that The Bronx doesn’t have the space they’re looking for.

But all that is besides the point. These are hi-tech jobs paying roughly $150,000 a year which maybe just a tiny fraction would go to local employees who QUALIFY (this is the key word here, folks).

Why would we in our right minds want to wish that upon The Bronx which would only destroy our borough via gentrification like we’ve never imagined would happen here despite it already gaining a foothold.

So to McGee we say thanks for thinking of us but no thanks.

We’ve seen what horrendous neighbors Amazon has been on their home city of Seattle and how they made affordable housing an even bigger crisis.

The Bronx already has the highest rates of evictions in NYC and we don’t want to contribute to that even more so.

Wishful thinking but nope. Ain’t gonna happen.

Last week, the hate-filled, homophobic, misogynistic Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr was quoted with yet another homophobic remark where he said that most the New York City Council is ‘controlled by the homosexual community’ and then went on to say that the council speaker Corey Johnson is a homosexual married to another man.

Now, Diaz Sr says he won’t apologize and that he’s the victim.

But why are lawmakers acting surprised that Diaz, yet again, made a homophobic remark? Why are we pretending that this is something shocking or new with the cowboy reverend?

This is the same individual that invited Senator Ted Cruz to The Bronx (which was almost immediately canceled after community and student uproar)so again, why are we also shocked?

The time for apologies have come and long gone. We are living in 2019 where we have no time or space for hate within out communities, let alone our so-called elected officials.

We already, as an LGBTQ community, have enough to deal with due to the current occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC who’s doing his best to erode the rights of the LGBTQ community along with everyone else who isn’t a straight, heterosexual white male.

Hate crimes continue to rise against LGBTQ identifying individuals, why do we need a leader in our own borough preaching hate?

We will NOT accept this abuse in our own backyard.

Simply put, Ruben Diaz Sr needs to resign.

And while his son, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr has called out his father’s deplorable comments, we can’t completely applaud that.

Where was Diaz Jr when his father has continuously attacked the LGBTQ community and women’s rights?

Now that Diaz Jr. will probably be running for mayor, he decided to speak up because it might hurt his campaign but we see you too, Jr. You had years to consistently denounce your father’s actions but you didn’t.

As for NYC Speaker Corey Johnson, you reap what you sow. As you may remember, Johnson (who’s demanding an apology from Diaz Sr) visited Diaz in the hospital as if they were buddies in 2016.

The visit raised plenty of eyebrows leading everyone to assume it was to discuss Corey Johnson’s eventual bid to run for Speaker and whether or not he could count on Diaz Sr.s vote and quite possibly sway the rest of The Bronx’s councilmembers to line up and vote accordingly.

Once Johnson became Speaker, he rewarded a known LGBTQ homophobic reverend and misogynist against women’s reproductive rights with his own committee to chair.

So to Speaker Corey Johnson we also say, porfa please…cry me a river.

Diaz Sr doesn’t even speak for the majority of his district as if you remember less than 50% actually voted for him with the majority voting for someone else. He just happened to get the most votes but clearly has no mandate in our district or city nor does he have a right to represent us in our beautifully diverse borough.

Our Bronx elected officials will cry foul at his remarks but many attached to the teat of the Bronx Democratic machine are responsible for his continued election into office.

You are all complicit in his behaviors because you’ll cry out in public one day but the next day you’re out campaigning alongside him.

The Bronx deserves better. Much better.

Westchester Mews, a new affordable housing development that actually has affordable units for local residents is now accepting applications for 174 of its units spread across two buildings.

Located at 2035 Newbold Avenue and 2044 Westchester Avenue, the 10 story development has studio units as low as $462 a month for qualifying residents making 40% of the area median income ranging from $18,172 to $29,240.

Three bedroom units for individuals making 40% of the AMI are renting at an incredibly low $821 month for residents making $31,406 to $48,400.

Anyone who’s searched for an apartment in The Bronx knows that $462 for a studio and $821 for a three bedroom is unheard of so if you qualify, make sure you apply.

As usual, 50% of units are set aside for residents of community board 9, 5% for municipal employees, 5% with mobility issues, and 2% for vision/hearing impaired.

You have until April 1, 2019 so head over to NYC Housing Connect to apply and check out further details here.