City, Neighborhood On Edge After Boston Marathon Explosions

By on April 16, 2013  Featured story, News
Apr 162013
 
Soldiers and Airmen of the Massachusetts National Guard muster on the Boston Common to receive orders for a coordinated response in support of civilian authorities in the wake of the marathon bombings here, April 15 2013 (Image source: National Guard).

Soldiers and Airmen of the Massachusetts National Guard muster on the Boston Common to receive orders for a coordinated response in support of civilian authorities in the wake of the marathon bombings in Boston, April 15 2013 (Image source: National Guard via Flickr).

New York City law enforcement and national security officials are on high alert after a series of apparently coordinated explosions ripped through crowds of spectators and participants near the finish line of yesterday’s Boston Marathon. Continue to read about Southwest Brooklyn’s vital role in anti-terror efforts

City Plans To Narrow Fourth Avenue As Golden, PBA Lobby Against Gentile-Backed Speed Camera Program

By on March 26, 2013  Featured story, Traffic & Transit
Mar 262013
 
A flier from the Fourth Ave safety workshop. (Image source: NYCDOT).

A flier from the Fourth Ave safety workshop. (Image source: NYCDOT).

As the NYC Department of Transportation unveils a series of traffic-calming measures for Fourth Avenue to mixed reactions, State Senator Marty Golden (R) and the police union are lobbying Albany lawmakers to nix a speed camera demonstration program previously approved by the New York State Assembly and supported by City Councilman Vincent Gentile (D).

At a March 21, meeting where city planners showcased the proposals, Bay Ridgites on both sides of the issue voiced strong opinions about the possible changes – which include narrowing a 13-block stretch of the busy thoroughfare from Ovington Avenue to 84th Street, as reported by Will Bredderman for Brooklyn Paper. Continue reading »

Following National Trend, NYC Murder Rate Drops To All-Time Low

By on January 25, 2013  Featured story, News
Jan 252013
 

 68 Precinct Stats

Murder, which is widely believed to be the most difficult crime statistic to fake, has once again fallen to an all-time low in New York City, with homicides at a 52 year low for Brooklyn, writes Denise Romano for Home Reporter.

Bay Ridge’s 68th Precinct had one murder last year – the high profile slaying of local clothing store owner Mohammed Gebeli.

According to CompStat, the NYPD system for tracking and analyzing crime rates, that means last year the 6-8 saw a 75% reduction in homicides compared to 1993, and a whopping 90% less murders than 1990. Continue reading »

Golden NYPD Letter Contradicts Statement On Mosque Spying

By on October 24, 2012  Featured story, Politics
Oct 242012
 

The dome of a Bay Ridge mosque peaks into the middleground, with church in background [Image source: Wikipedia Commons].

At a recent candidate forum, State Senate hopeful Andrew Gounardes pointed out some contradictory statements made by his opponent Marty Golden about the New York Police Department’s mosque surveillance program.

At the forum, which was hosted by the Arab American Association of New York, State Senator Marty Golden claimed to be against the NYPD Demographics Unit’s controversial infiltration of Muslim groups – An initiative that has once again come under criticism after a former NYPD informant told the Associated Press that he was paid to “create and capture” terrorist suspects by “baiting” fellow Muslims to discuss waging attacks. Continue reading »

Sarsour: Screening of Islamophobic Film To Police Officers Part Of A “Larger Pattern Of Religious and Ethnic Bias”

By on January 27, 2012  News
Jan 272012
 

bks_thirdjihad-300x187The director of a Bay Ridge-based Arab-American organization has called on Police Commissioner Ray Kelly to step down over his role in appearing in an anti-Muslim film, having it screened during mandatory counter-terrorism training sessions, and for the program of surveillance aimed at Arab and Muslim communities in New York.

When initially challenged by the Village Voice a year ago, the NYPD first denied that any officer had seen The Third Jihad, a film produced by The Clarion Fund (itself an offshoot of Aish Hatorah, described by Atlantic Monthly columnist Jeffrey Goldberg as “just about the most fundamentalist movement in Judaism today”). The Department eventually admitted that “some” officers had seen it, but it wasn’t until a Freedom Of Information Act request by The Brennan Center For Justice came to fruition did the full impact become known – the film was screened on “continuous loop” to 68 lieutenants, 159 sergeants, 31 detectives and 1,231 patrol officers. Continue reading »