The Bronx is the only borough without a bookstore thanks to Barnes and Noble’s departure, leaving our almost 1.5 million residents thirsting for parchment but thanks to a generous new organization called Boogie Down Books and an army of over than 30 volunteers, our local youth will have access to 200 books across six titles for free.

After getting their hands on these titles, the kids can then join a free book club that will be led volunteer educators to discuss the books.

More information regarding this wonderful program is as follows:

Boogie Down Books™ presents Fall Into Reading

Month-Long Celebration of Youth and Community Literacy in the South Bronx

Free Pop-Up Bookshop and Book Clubs for South Bronx Kids and Teens

Overview: South Bronx-based startup Boogie Down Books™ is presenting Fall Into Reading, a month-long celebration of youth and community literacy. On Saturday, October 28,  two hundred free books across six titles will be distributed at a free pop-up bookshop for young people ages 11-18 and their caregivers. Free book clubs on those six titles will then be facilitated by volunteer educators on November 4 and 18. The book clubs will be open to the young people and caregivers who received free books on October 28 as well as readers of all ages from the New York City area who would like to discuss these books as a community. Select authors will appear at book club meetings to participate in discussions of their books. Fall Into Reading is funded by the Citizens Committee for New York City.

What: Free Pop-Up Bookshop and Book Clubs for South Bronx Youth Ages 11-18

Why: Approximately 25% of the Bronx’s 1.4 million residents are under the age of eighteen, and yet the borough currently has zero specialty booksellers for children and young adult readers (or any general-interest bookstores, for that matter). In an effort to help address that, Boogie Down Books™ was recently launched to empower South Bronx kids, teens, caregivers, and educators through transformative reading experiences and inspiring community events. Two of the most important factors in promoting a lifelong love of reading in young people are the ability to choose what they read and the opportunity to discuss what they read with others. Fall Into Reading provides young people with both choice and community-based discussions.

Who: Boogie Down Books™; more than 30 volunteers from throughout the community; anyone who wants to read and build community in conversation with fellow readers of all ages; House of SpeakEasy Foundation.

When and Where:
Saturday, October 28, 2017
10am-3pm
M.S. 224 / M.S. 343
345 Brook Ave., Bronx
Cafeteria

Saturday, November 4 & 18, 2017
10:30am-4:15pm
New York Public Library, Mott Haven Branch
321 E. 140 St., Bronx
3rd Floor

Zumper.com issued its latest asking rent prices in New York City, the nation’s second most expensive rental market, and the Bronx neighborhoods of Mott Haven and Port Morris showed the highest jump as other parts of the city were modest or even saw dips in rents. 

Port Morris saw the highest jump with 11.9% increase to a median of $1,790 followed by Mott Haven at $1,700 representing an increase of 9%.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn neighborhoods of Borough Hall and Ocean Park saw the largest drop at 12% in both areas since the last quarter.

It should be noted that this data doesn’t present a complete picture of the actual market as only rents available on Zumper.com are utilized but nevertheless it is indicative of what’s going on in the South Bronx as gentrification continues full speed ahead despite many naysayers who deny it’s happening.

When you look at the median income of these neighborhoods which is barely $20k a year, these rents are well beyond the grasp of the majority of local residents. 

While many advocate that mixed income neighborhoods will “improve” an area for residents, we’ve already seen that this is not the case as existing residents are continuously displaced with escalating rents.

You can argue against this point all you want but just take a stroll down Lenox Avenue in Harlem, 8th Avenue in Chelsea or through Hell’s Kitchen, and of course the beacon of gentrification that is Williamsburg over on Brooklyn. 

The longtime residents didn’t really last long enough to reap the alleged benefits that gentrification is supposed to bestow upon a neighborhood. 

Let’s hope that our borough doesn’t end up like the rest.

Since the faster Select Bus Service began its New York City launch in 2008 in The Bronx with the creation of the Bx12 SBS, ridership along the now 15 routes across the city have seen 10-30% faster bus speeds, 10% increase in ridership, more reliable service, customer satisfaction of 95%, and safer streets and reduction in crashes.

Now, according to a report issued by NYC Department of Transportation in partnership with the MTA, 21 new SBS routes will be added across the city with 6 of them in The Bronx.

The six routes currently under study in The Bronx are:

• Broadway to Central Bronx (Bx9)
• Gun Hill Road (Bx28)
• University Avenue (Bx3)
• Tremont Avenue (Bx40)
• Harlem to Southern Boulevard (Bx19)
• Soundview to Washington Heights (Bx36)

According to the report, “…the existing SBS network has over 309,000 daily riders, 12% of city bus ridership. With the addition of the new proposed SBS routes, over 800,000 bus riders would be on routes with fast and reliable service, over 32% of city bus ridership.”

One thing we can agree on is that crosstown mass transit service in The Bronx is absolutely abysmal and with the Bx12 SBS and now the Bx6 SBS things are slightly better so it’s a good thing to see that these proposed routes are more focused on getting folks across our borough as fast and as efficient as possible.

The report states that implementation of the lines will begin from 2018-2019 for the first phase. No indication as to which will be the first lines to be upgraded but once we find out, we’ll keep you posted.

What are your thoughts on this? While it’s not the perfect subway system that we envisioned for The Bronx where we could go crosstown without having to take a bus, it’s something, no?

After years of advocacy by local Bronx residents, and myself included, attending dozens of meetings to advocate for increased Metro North rail service at Melrose and Tremont Stations in The Bronx, the MTA has approved a major increase in service at these stations thanks to a successful year-long pilot program.

Last October, the MTA increased service at these stations to hourly up from every two hours along with an increase in the service day for the pilot.

During this time, ridership at both stations increased by a whopping total of 81% (67% increase for weekday ridership and 101% increase in weekend ridership).

Back in August, a public hearing was held to discuss the pilot and finally, thanks to the success of the pilot program, service is now permanently increased at these stations.

These increases are critical because The Bronx has the highest percentage of residents who reverse commute than any other county in the nation as more Bronxites head north into Westchester and Connecticut for employment.

Between 1990 and 2012 there was an increase of 150% of reverse commuters and in 2011 of 8.1 million rides taking to and from The Bronx, two-thirds were Bronxites heading away from the city and heading north.

According to the MTA the permanent service will be as follows:

Details of increased service at Melrose and Tremont stations are below:

• Weekday inbound service is now available from 5:51 a.m. to 12:47 a.m.
• Weekday outbound service is now available from 5:38 a.m. to 1:20 a.m.
• Weekend inbound service is now available from 6:44 a.m. to 12:44 a.m.
• Weekend outbound service is now available from 6:25 a.m. to 1:20 a.m.

Let us know what you think! This is a perfect example of community residents and activists banding together for the community.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Puerto Rican Pulitzer Prize, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony winning composer and playwright behind the hit plays Hamilton and In The Heights, has written a benefit song for Puerto Rico relief efforts due to the devastation left behind by Hurricane Maria.

‘Almost Like Praying’ features Bronx artists like Rita Moreno, Fat Joe, and Jennifer Lopez aka J Lo alongside other Puerto Rican and Latin American recording artists who got together to record this beautiful song that not only pays tribute to the island but each of the 78 municipios (municipalities or counties if you will) that make up the Puerto Rican archipelago.

You can buy it on iTunes, Apple Music, Google Play, and Amazon. All proceeds will go to the Hispanic Federation’s Hurricane Relief Fund.

Watch:

This past Monday’s edition of BronxTalk focused on the new Diabetes Relief Center coming to the South Bronx―the first of its kind in the northeast.

Dr Jack Lewin, MD, Chief Medical and Science Advisor at Diabetes Relief Center speaks on how this new way to fight diabetes has shown in 90% of patients in research they’ve done so far to eliminate 90% of neuropathy along with other comorbidities.

Please watch this video to learn more about the new center which will open its doors by November 1st of this year. You can also come next week to the center for a preview informational session but space is limited so place RSVP here at this link.

Watch the video:

We first broke the news last year of the first new construction market-rate luxury condominium coming to the South Bronx at 221 E 138th Street and now they have finally put out the welcome mat announcing the development as “The Joinery Condominiums” and that they’re “Making The Bronx Great Again.”

What?!

Newsflash: The Bronx is already great and we don’t need gentrifying developers approval or interest in our borough for us to know that.

Adding more insult to injury, the website touts, “Over the past several years, the neighborhood residents have witnessed the beginning of the gentrification of this area.” as if this is a selling point they should be proud of. They actually legit used the word gentrification.

Story continues below the break

According to the sales office, they have already released 5 of the units to the market of which 3 are already in contract. These units were sold to individuals who had been calling for months since construction began so they created a waiting list and began working from there.

Two units currently available are 1 bedroom units. The first is #201, a 579 square foot unit for $373,455 and the second is #507, a 655 square foot unit for $432,850.

This averages out to $650 a square foot for these units which the developer’s office said the first 5 units all averaged out to including the 3 currently in contract.

For the next phase of sales they are planning to offer them at $750 a square foot and both offerings are significantly lower than the average list price of $1,100 for condos in neighboring East Harlem which is literally just blocks away over the Madison Avenue Bridge (and Third and Willis Avenue Bridges for that matter).

This would place some of the remaining units like a 1,300 square foot 2 bedroom apartment on the top 7th floor at a whopping $975,000.

Other than Bronx Bricks which was a condo loft conversion, this is the first time that luxury market-rate condos are being constructed and sold in The South Bronx.

People will argue that this isn’t gentrification because there was “nothing” on this site before and it isn’t displacing people but that’s not the full story of what gentrification is. When luxury housing is built, it has a ripple effect in the neighborhood and landlords begin raising their rents both commercial and residential forcing long time resident out.

Residents who rebuilt this neighborhood and stabilized it when no one wanted it.

This is yet another nail on the coffin that will swallow up The Bronx.

Tomorrow at Brook Park, thanks to the amazing folks at Green Worker Cooperatives, you have an excellent chance to participate in community building in The Bronx’s own version of the famous Stone Soup folktale.

From Green Worker Cooperatives:

The Sancochazo is organized by Green Worker Cooperatives, and our goal is to provide an opportunity for the community to come together, learn and get involved in the cooperative movement in NYC. We’ll have interactive games and activities for all ages, for you and the whole family.

The story of Stone Soup, which most of us read as children, captures the essence of the impact of community effort, that by working together, with everyone contributing what they can, a greater good can be achieved. Similar to that story, the Stone Soup Event will challenge community partners –cooperatives, social justice organizations, restaurants, and the community‐ to come together and get energized.

So join us, bring an ingredient for the soup, share a skill with the community but more than anything, have fun!!! Bring a team of your friends, family, neighbors to play together! You will want to take advantage of the beautiful day and have sancocho and other delights on the grass under a tree.

There’s much more to be announced, and we’re looking for volunteers to make this event a success! Please email ileia@greenworker.coop to share a performance, a dish, or lead an activity.

Hope to see you there tomorrow and check out this link to find out what you can contribute!

In the mid 80s, over the course of about 5 years, the City of New York sent out photographers to literally photograph every single property in the five boroughs resulting in over 800,000 images.

While I was perusing the interactive map, I was pleasantly surprised with seeing an old style carnival aka “las machinas” on Third Avenue and 156th Street which is where Aldi, Rite Aid, Foreman Mills, and others now stand.

These images were to be used by the Department of Finance to determine market value of properties for tax purposes but inadvertently created a time capsule or even a time machine of sorts if you will and now thanks to 80s.nyc can readily access the maps and just see what’s available.

What’s really jolting is seeing so many buildings abandoned in the South Bronx block after block without end sometimes and shuttered storefronts but then you’d get to an area like The Hub at Third Avenue and 149th Street and bright colored storefronts and droves of people all over the place further illustrating that life went on despite the hardships we went through during those decades.

Check out the website for yourself but be prepared to lose a lot of time going down memory lane…literally! Oh and thanks to Bronxite Javier Medrano for this awesome tip!

Called Bronx Point, L&M Development Partners won the bid to build a development on stolen public land known as Pier 5 which was designated as part of Mill Pond Park expansion at 149th Street right at the foot of the 145th Street Bridge.

The development calls for 1,045 units of (un)affordable housing which we all know will be luxury on the waterfront not made available to the actual residents who live in the neighborhood.

Bronx Point is slated to also include a multiplex and yet another food and beverage hall that will be run by curated by Brooklyn outsider Anna Castellani who curated the popular Brooklyn food hall Dekalb Market.

Besides the clear theft of land which the city denies is happening because they claim that it was never designated for parks despite that even the friggin’ map at Mill Pond Park shows it as part of the expansion as well as NYC Parks website had it as well along with the acreage of the site until they removed it, it is absolutely disgusting that the city has its hand so visibly in the gentrification process of the South Bronx.

This is absolutely unforgivable and we as Bronx residents will remember the sell-outs during election day.

“You can disguise luxury real estate by claiming that the “Universal Hip-Hop Museum” will be part of the development. But will it really? And is massive gentrification an adequate trade-off to finally aggregate our regional historical culture?” said Edwin Pagán, Program Manager, Bronx Culture Collective (BxCC).

Is our neighborhood worth that little to our community leaders that they will settle for crumbs just to have us displaced?

Today, Governor Cuomo came to The Bronx Museum to announce that The Bronx will be the recipient of a $10 million award to, “develop  a downtown strategic investment plan and implement key catalytic projects that advance the community’s vision for revitalization.”

Under Cuomo’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, the purpose is to transform, “…downtown neighborhoods into vibrant communities where the next generation of New Yorkers will want to live, work and raise families.”

The area in question ranges from 165th Street down to the East River, West to the Harlem River and East to St Ann’s and 3rd Avenue capturing Melrose, Mott Haven, parts of Port Morris and the Lower Concourse which, in my opinion, is too large of an area for a “downtown” and it is incorporating neighborhoods and areas too far from the actual legitimate downtown neighborhood of Melrose where you have the concentration of courthouses located and other government offices. 

“Working collaboratively to revitalize our downtowns is the cornerstone of forward thinking economic development policy. The Governor’s initiative, combined with the work of local Bronx officials and South Bronx community based organizations, like the Third Avenue Business Improvement District, strengthens the economic fabric of our neighborhoods and provides an entry point for small businesses to thrive.” said Michael Brady, Executive Director of the Third Avenue Business Improvement District which sits at the busiest intersection outside of Times Square with over 200,000 pedestrians traveling through each day. 

Brady added, “The Third Avenue District is the heart of the South Bronx commercial corridor and is delighted to have the opportunity to work hand in hand with State and Bronx leaders to transform the Bronx’s oldest commercial district. The Bronx deserves equity in resources and investment.”

According to Governor Cuomo, over 100 applications were received by the state for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative so instead of selecting just one finalist, 10 were chosen to each receive $10 million. (you can view The Bronx’s PDF application here). 
“How do we work to continue to make sure that The Hub continues to be the Times Square of The Bronx?” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. 

“This award will help us do that.” he added. 

While this is a good thing for our community to receive such funds to chart our future, the question becomes why now? Why didn’t we get something like this earlier when we really needed it? 

We know the answer to that and the face of The Bronx is slowly changing as developers are pushing gentrification upon us. 

Money ultimately talks. 

Now we need to make sure that these monies are put to good use so that our residents are the ones who benefit and not some hypothetical future gentrifier. 

PS. The Bronx never went anywhere so I don’t know why they say The Bronx is back. 

The ultimate bad boy turned boxing legend born in The Bronx, Jake LaMotta has passed away at 95 in a nursing home in Miami from dysphagia pneumonia.

Born in The Bronx on July 10, 1922, Jake entered the world of boxing through unfortunate circumstances with his father forcing him to fight neighborhood kids where folks would throw money at them. 

His father would later collect the money to help pay the rent. 

LaMotta went on to have a career that lasted over a decade until he retired in the mid 1950s after sustaining an injury during a fight. 

Known as the Raging Bull, which was the name of his memoir and the 1980 biopic movie starring Robert DeNiro who won am academy award for his role as LaMotta won 83 fights during his career. 

Another Bronx legend had gone to rest.