'We Wuz Robbed'
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INSIDE Last-minute Including The Downtown News, Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Paper and Fort Greene-Clinton Hill Paper BROOKLYN ’S WEEKLY gift ideas NEWSPAPER Published weekly by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 26 Court St., Brooklyn 11242 Phone 718-834-9350 AD fax 718-834-1713 • N EWS fax 718-834-9278 © 2002 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 14 pages including GO BROOKLYN • Vol. 25, No. 49 BWN, DTG, PSG, MID • December 16, 2002 ‘We wuz• FREE robbed’ Council moans after mayor duped it on FDNY closings By Patrick Gallahue Let there be lights The Brooklyn Papers Borough Hall gets into the spirit of the holidays with never-before hung wreaths. The wreaths, as well as the Borough Hall Chri City Council members this week accused do it, we are going to set up a blue-ribbon panel to lit Monday night during a ceremony headed by Borough President Marty Markowitz. the mayor of duping them after a top City figure out exactly which ones to do to make sure Hall aide suggested that a lynchpin in their we do the right thing here,” Deputy Mayor Marc budget negotiations with the mayor, a blue- Shaw said Saturday at a budget conference spon- The Brooklyn Papers sored by the Citizens Budget Commission. / Tom Callan ribbon panel to decide on Fire Department “But the truth is that it was also a political punt,” cuts — which forestalled the closing of eight Shaw said, suggesting the firehouse closings were stmas tree, were city firehouses, five in Brooklyn — would never really taken off the chopping block. still wind up closing the firehouses. Two weeks ago, council members, including “While we all agree we’re still going to have to David Yassky, of Brooklyn Heights and Downtown Seeks justice for dead husband Brooklyn, and Bill DeBlasio, of Park Slope and Carroll Gardens, agreed to a budget modification plan that included an 18.5-percent property tax hike and Sunday parking meter rules on many city Shot in back streets in exchange for Mayor Michael Bloom- whose husband, Egbert Dew- berg’s promise that the firehouses would be kept gard, 31, was shot and killed last by DEA agent police cars, then jumped the curb open while the commission studied ways in which May by Special Agent Jude the Fire Department could cut $2.5 million from its Tanella, is preparing to take the and took off, narrowly missing a By Patrick Gallahue pedestrian and a child. against Tanella for first-degree budget. Feds to court. manslaughter in Dewgard’s death. The Brooklyn Papers After abandoning his vehicle at “I feel misled,” Sunset Park Councilwoman Sara “It’s really hard,” said Wagn- The indictment alleged that She has two daughters from New York Avenue and Farragut another marriage and was mar- Gonzalez, who also voted for the budget modifica- An Atlantic Avenue mer- er, 30, who owns a children’s the agent chased down Dewgard tion, said on the steps of City Hall Monday. “I think shoe store on Atlantic Avenue Road, a statement from the DEA ried to Dewgard for seven years. when he expected the civil suit chant whose husband was said, Dewgard went for Tanella’s with the intent to cause him seri- to begin or how much the family that we were misled as a legislative body.” near Boerum Place, of losing her ous physical injury. Hynes’ of- The Cochran firm is now con- shot and killed by a special gun and a struggle ensued. Dew- ducting its own investigation would seek. DeBlasio, Yassky and Gonzalez were joined by husband. “Very very hard.” fice declined to discuss the in- fellow council members Simcha Felder, of Mid- agent from the U.S. Drug gard was shot once and later died into Dewgard’s death, said In the meantime, Tanella is Dewgard was shot in the back dictment in detail. wood and Borough Park, and Yvette Clarke, of Enforcement Administration at Kings County Hospital. Derek Sells, the attorney for facing manslaughter charges on May 1 while he was under sur- If found guilty, Tanella faces Kensington and Flatbush, inside City Hall to deride has retained O.J. Simpson veillance in East Flatbush as a sus- Three kilograms of cocaine Dewgard’s family. and, last month, defense attorney 25 years in prison. Lawrence Berger requested that the administration’s indication that the idea of the attorney Johnnie Cochran’s pect in a narcotics investigation. were found in a bag Dewgard “We fully expect that based had been carrying, according to “I’m very happy,” Wagner the case be transferred to federal panel was merely a stall tactic to get the budget law firm to take on the fed- According to the DEA, Dew- upon our investigation there will the DEA. said when asked about the in- court indicating that his client modification passed. eral government. gard fled after agents and detec- dictment. “Hopefully something be a claim for civil rights violation, District Attorney Charles would not get a fair and impar- “I was never told why these eight, what’s the im- tives from the NYPD flashed good comes out of it.” wrongful death, as well negligent pact on response time, what are other alternatives in Along with the family of her Hynes’ office collected testimony supervision, hiring and training tial trial in Brooklyn. The case slain spouse, Michelle Wagner, their sirens and tried to take him Wagner met her future hus- the department to save money?” Yassky said, ex- into custody. The agency claims from witnesses and law enforce- [by the DEA],” Sells said. remains in state court and under ment over the next two months. band when they were children in Hynes’ prosecutorial jurisdic- plaining why he called for the panel in the first Dewgard used his vehicle to ram Belize. Their families were next- Sells added that the suit place. On Oct. 31, a Brooklyn grand would also name “the particular tion, for the time being. jury returned an indictment door neighbors and they rekin- The U.S. Department of Jus- “That was what led me to say, ‘Listen this is not dled their friendship after she officer who was involved in the being done in a substantive, rational way.’ If we shooting.” tice agreed to pay Tanella’s legal moved to New York. fees and the agent remains free need to save money here, and I recognize we do, The suit has not been filed let’s do it in a better way. It’s not about politics.” and Sells would not speculate on but has been placed on “limited duty,” the DEA said in its state- “If the mayor had said, ‘Hey, this is just going to East River be a nice fig leaf, come along in this with us,’ we ment. simply would not have voted for the budget,” added DeBlasio. See bridge tolls DUPED on page 5 Hero lives on talk returns Heights firehouse carries on Cherry By Patrick Gallahue The Brooklyn Papers spoken opponents shouted By Patrick Gallahue The Brooklyn Papers ’ The Brooklyn Heights from the audience. a sign as exists that we live s ‘Song’ Association convened a Dr. Floyd Lapp, of the con- On Aug. 7, 2001, on after death in the hearts meeting of the minds on sulting firm the Sam Schwartz three firefighters from and minds of those we Dec. 4, to discuss the quar- Company, which is owned and Engine 205 and Ladder touched, the surviving relsome issue of bridge operated by Sam “Gridlock member of the trio, Fire- Sam” Schwartz, a former traf- 118 on Middagh Street tolls over the East River. in Brooklyn Heights, fighter John Sorrentino, fic director for the New York brought five of his fellow While the discussion didn’t City Planning Department sang a touching jingle to exactly yield a consensus on firefighters from the Lad- whose traffic columns run in a 7-year-old girl named the matter, proponents of der 118 and Engine 205 the Daily News, argued for tolling on the bridges did spin Crystal Ann Perez, who firehouse near Henry Street “booth-less tolls,” as used in some fancy possibilities and was suffering from to sing a “Song of Love” to Toronto and Hong Kong, perhaps opened a few people leukemia. another sick child. among other international up to the discussion. Perez’s leukemia would Songs of Love is a non- cities and which may soon be go into remission, but a With a $6 billion deficit ap- coming to London. Giving props profit organization that com- proaching in the next fiscal This Air Force jet, on display on the 61st anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on month after they sang to poses personalized record- / Greg Mango year, the idea for bridge tolls “Technology eliminates toll her, firefighters Vernon ings for young adults and booths,” Lapp said. Pearl Harbor, is being fully restored inside Hanger B at Floyd BennettThe Brooklyn Field. Papers has found itself back on the / Greg Mango Cherry and Leon Smith children suffering from life- drawing board but it has re- The booth-less transponder perishing trying to save tolls could photograph license threatening illnesses. Since mained a divisive issue be- other lives at the World plates or EZ Pass identification 1996, Songs of Love has tween those who believe tolls Trade Center. without slowing down traffic, composed 3,600 songs for would constitute an unfair tax Lapp said. In addition, he as- On Thursday, in as sure sick children. Montefiore Hospital patient on Brooklynites and back up The Brooklyn Papers serted that “congestion pric- See Ernestine Contreras reads traffic into the neighborhoods LADDER ing,” hiking the fares during Mike’s strike remedy: Put 4 in everyon page 5 lyrics to firemen car at the base of the bridges, and ’s song.