INSIDE: PAGES AND PAGES OF COUPONS TO SAVE YOU CASH! Yo u r Neighborhood — Yo u r News® BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260–2500 • Brooklyn, NY • ©2014 Serving Brownstone Brooklyn and Williamsburg AWP/18 pages • Vol. 37, No. 28 • July 11–17, 2014 • FREE IRE AT LICH DEAL Hospital activists: State maneuvering racist By Matthew Perlman The Brooklyn Paper The deal to sell the Long Island Col- lege Hospital campus is almost done, but accusations of racism are dogging the final steps of the process. The State University of New York signed a contract last week with the real-estate devel- oper Fortis Prop- erty Group to sell the complex that formerly housed Long Island Col- lege Hospital for $240 million. Ac- HOSPITALS IN tivist litigation to save the hospital CRISIS has fallen dor- mant, but previ- Photo by Steven Schnibbe ously silent pols and activists are now Former Councilman Charles Barron, at music stand, said the state is wading into the fray, claiming the hos- racist for sinking negotiations with two minority-owned development Photo by Stefano Giovannini pital closure and the state’s torpedo- companies to buy the Long Island College Hospital medical campus. This year’s show included fireworks shot from the Brooklyn Bridge, marking the first time the iconic ing of talks with two minority devel- span had been used as a launching pad in nearly two decades. opers amount to a racist affront to the time political figure said the closure “I’m on my way to Albany, and minority residents of Cobble Hill and of the hospital at the hands of the Gov. when I get there I’m going to make a the surrounding communities. One Af- Cuomo–controlled university system citizen’s arrest of the governor,” said HAVING A BLAST rican-American firebrand and long- calls for drastic measures. See LICH on page 15 Brooklyn celebrates the 4th the old-fashioned way Mind your head By Matthew Perlman centerpiece — the Brooklyn Bridge lyn Bridge has been a part of the show, The Brooklyn Paper itself — but the pyrotechnic barges which Macy’s first staged for the na- It came back with a bang. were moved from between it and the tion’s bicentennial in 1976. It’s raining granite under B’Bridge Brooklynites reclaimed their front- Manhattan Bridge to the harbor-side A special musical score created row seats for the Fourth of July fire- of the city’s most famous span due for the 25-minute show celebrated By Matthew Perlman prise when they were hit with a hail of works show last Friday night, lining the to concerns about a rip current, po- the 200th anniversary of “The Star- The Brooklyn Paper granite bricks from a bridge-support waterfront and packing rooftops across lice said. Spangled Banner.” Brooklyn Bridge is falling down. wall whose facade crumbled during the the borough for a glimpse of bombs More than 40,000 elegant explosives It included a rendition of the na- A group of people who, according to rainstorm, according to fire officials. bursting in air over the East River for were shot off for the occasion, from tional anthem recorded by Idina Men- Photo by Stefano Giovannini reports, huddled under the bridge seek- The collapse at Prospect and Wash- the first time in five years . the barges and the bridge. It was the zel, best known for singing the “Fro- An ornamental wall lining this ing shelter from a torrential downpour ington streets injured three kids and This year’s show included a special first time in 19 years that the Brook- See 4TH on page 3 concrete support collapsed. last Wednesday night got a rude sur- See CRUMBLE on page 14 Toddler found dead in P’Park Lake A 911 caller reported Kurbon- she drowned, an office repre- 5-hour search culminates in tragic discovery ova missing around 1:10 pm, sentative said. shortly after her cousin was Kurbonova’s inconsolable By Noah Hurowitz body of Ruhshona Kurbonova, headed toward the water, where a found, police said. Officers mother — an immigrant from The Brooklyn Paper 2, in a wooded area of Prospect family strolling in the park found fanned out across the green- Uzbekistan — according to A family picnic in Prospect Park Lake on Saturday evening, Kurbonova’s 3-year-old cousin, sward on foot and bicycle, and news reports, had to be carried Park turned tragic on Saturday ending a five-hour search, ac- cops stated. The older child was a police scuba-diving team began off on a stretcher following the when a toddler drowned in the cording to an NYPD spokes- unharmed, but wet and covered searching the lake. Divers found discovery. lake after disappearing with a woman. in the green algae found on the the toddler’s body at about 6:05 Kurbonova was the youngest Photo by Paul Martinka cousin. The two children apparently edge of the lake near the boat- pm, police said, and the medi- of four, and the family’s only girl, The 2-year-old’s family members mourn. Police scuba divers found the strayed from the gathering and house, police said. cal examiner’s office determined a relative told reporters. Lovers: Payback time! Restitution vs. retribution in Rebar owner case By Matthew Perlman closed the venue after they had that if he has any money, he is The Brooklyn Paper booked their weddings there, and hiding it, and that the only true Paper doesn’t carry the same who aren’t happy with the latest justice would be if he was pros- weight as prison. details of a deal cut by the attor- ecuted for bilking them and ru- So say some of the couples ney general’s office mandating ining their wedding plans. CNG/ Matthew Perlman who lost around $1.8 million that he pay them back and ban- “It’s one big slap in the face to Stephanie Kutch and Chris- when Jason Stevens, owner of ning him from owning restau- us,” said Christian Pascarella, who tian Pascarella are organiz- the Dumbo gastropub Rebar, rants. The spurned lovebirds say See REBAR on page 14 ing burned couples. ‘Jaws’ of wife Chestnut gets engaged ahead Treuhaft Josh Foodies feasted on salvaged dishes in the repurposed construction dumpster that still of latest Coney hot dog victory looks very much like a dumpster. By Nathan Tempey The Brooklyn Paper HUNGRY ZOMBIES Will you marry meat? Garbage gourmet That was the question popped by GET OWN CONTEST hot-dog-eating legend Joey “Jaws” SEE PAGE 5 Chestnut last Friday when he pro- Do-gooder foodies dine in W’burg dumpster posed to girlfriend and fellow com- Stonie after breaking away in the By Danielle Furfaro The six-course meal in Wil- about the amount of perfectly petitive eater Neslie Ricasa less final minute of a neck-and-neck than an hour before scarfing down The Brooklyn Paper liamsburg was organized on edible food that gets tossed ev- 61 wieners and buns in 10 minutes competition. Chestnut said the con- Industrial decoration and out- June 28 and 29 by a graduate ery day, its organizer said. to win his eighth straight Nathan’s test would never have been close door seating are all the rage in the student who charged eager gour- “This was an interesting, Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in had it not been for the rain. restaurant world, so it was only mands $50 a head for the privi- boots-on-the-ground way to in- Coney Island. Ricasa said “yes” and “I could never find my rhythm, Photo by Paul Martinka a matter of time before someone lege, as the website Pixable first spire people and engage them Chestnut beat out upstart and fel- so it was just a dogfight the whole Joey Chestnut and Neslie Ricasa celebrate the begin- decided to host a gourmet din- reported . The dumpster dinner in a conversation about wast- low Californian Matt “Megatoad” See HOT DOG on page 5 ning of their next great adventure. ner inside a dumpster. was meant to raise awareness See DUMP on page 16 ‘Nothing’ doing Love on the move ‘Seinfeld’ night at the ballpark Fad spreads to less lovely bridges By Max Jaeger the show, said MCU Park spokes- By Matthew Perlman The Brooklyn Paper man Billy Harner. To mark the The Brooklyn Paper Nice game, pretty boys! occasion, the park — renamed Spread love, it’s the Brooklyn The Cyclones may have got- Vandalay Industries Park for the Bridge way. ten destroyed by the Aberdeen evening — pulled out all the stops, The Brooklyn Bridge is still the Ironbirds on Saturday, losing he said. Early-arriving fans were global destination for lovebirds to 18–2, but fans still managed to handed Keith Hernandez bobble leave so-called “love locks” as a win big with a “Salute to Sein- head toys, batters warmed up in memento of their visit, but a hand- feld Night,” coming from far and puffy pirate shirts, Frosted Flakes ful of lost, adventurous, or otherwise wide to celebrate the Mini-Mets fanatics gorged on Jerry’s go-to ahead-of-the-curve romantics have and the 25th birthday of the “show snack during a cereal-eating con- brought the custom to the utilitar- about nothing.” test, and the Soup Nazi himself ian Manhattan and Williamsburg “It was the greatest thing ever,” threw out one of 13 ceremonial bridges. The Department of Trans- Photo by Steve Solomonson Photo by Steve Solomonson said Jamie Sclafane, who trav- first pitches. portation has declared war on the fas- Photo by Hannah Frishberg First-baseman Jeffrey Diehl and eled from New Jersey and won an “I loved the marble rye fishing Jamie Sclafane, center, took first place in teners lining the more iconic of the two A handful of couples have left teammates headed to batting “Elaine Dancing Contest.” contest,” said Andi D’Angelo, who the Elaine Dancing contest.