Bronx Times Reporter: March 16, 2018
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March 16-22, 2018 Your Neighborhood — Your News® 75 cents SERVING THROGGS NECK, PELHAM BAY, COUNTRY CLUB, CITY ISLAND, WESTCHESTER SQUARE, MORRIS PARK, VAN NEST, PELHAM PARKWAY, CASTLE HILL, ALLERTON WALKOUTS TO PROTEST GUNS Students mark Parkland, FL massacre victims BY ALEX MITCHELL A dorsed the walk out. Councilman Mark Gjonaj ND PATRICK ROCCHIO A statement from the NYS watched alongside parents, ex- In showing of national unity, Assembly stated they stood in pressing support for the young- students from around the bor- solidarity with the students as sters, from the street side of the ough took part in the National they solemnly remember and schoolyard fence. School Walkout to protest gun honor memories of the students “We’re all encouraged by violence in schools. and teachers killed in the Flor- the youth for standing up to P.S. 71, the Academy of ida high school shooting, add- fi ght an issue that has polar- Mount St. Ursula and Fordham ing that silence holds power ized the nation,” said Gjonaj. “I Preparatory School in Ford- that words often fail to convey had hoped to be part of the sol- ham, and others elsewhere in and that the students deserve idarity and had hoped for this the borough participated in change. movement to encourage com- National School Walkout Day Contrary to de Blasio’s en- munity involvement.” on Wednesday, March 14. dorsement, the NYC Depart- Prior to the DOE’s decision Over 3,000 schools across ment of Education had barred on Tuesday, March 13, Gjonaj the United States took part in government offi cials, media, and other elected offi cials were the protest scheduled exactly and parents from school prop- invited to attend and speak dur- one month after the Parkland, erty at P.S. 71 during the pro- ing the walkout. FL school massacre at 10 a.m. test, and students were blocked Carla Carroll is the mother The walkouts lasted 17 min- from recording or photograph- of seventh grade P.S. 71 student utes, one minute for each vic- ing the action. Scarlett Carroll. She believes tim of the shooting. One student had a phone that the protest also touches on Mayor de Blasio and the confi scated during the walk- an issue more close to home for Irish Eyes Are Smiling New York State Assembly en- out. Continued on Page 71 The 20th annual Throggs Neck St. Patrick’s Day Parade had Bronx- ites cheering ‘Erin go braugh’ on Sunday, March 11 as they watched this year’s massive procession travel up East Tremont Avenue. Jerome Ave. rezone plan reaches Council (Above, l-r) Brian, Matt, Rocco, Brianna, Savino and Fitzsi Mur- BY ALEX MITCHELL the area. According to the mayor’s phy were dressed to the nines for this year’s parade. See two- The proposed rezoning for “This vote is a major vic- offi ce, of the area’s approxi- page spread on page 26. Photo by Laura Stone Jerome Avenue has reached tory after years of commu- mately 4,600 total housing the New York City Council. nity planning, bringing to- units, about a quarter of them This follows the NYC Depart- gether thousands of residents, (1,150) would be permanently ment of City Planning’s ap- business owners, community affordable through Manda- proval of the de Blasio admin- groups, community boards tory Inclusionary Housing. istration’s plan. 4,5 and 7 and elected offi cials The mayor’s offi ce also an- If approved it would infl u- to develop a shared vision of ticipates 40 percent of the new ence 95-blocks of housing de- the future of this neighbor- housing development will be cisions along Jerome Avenue hood, in which all residents locked in as permanently af- from McClellan Avenue to are served,” said Councilman fordable, when MIH and city East 184th Street, including Fernando Cabreara. fi nancing programs are fully several intersecting east-west The rezoning is expected implemented. commercial corridors. The to result in a net increase of Beyond housing subsidies, corridor of gritty auto repair 3,800 housing units, 160,000 the city is committing $189 shops and warehouses is ex- square feet of community fa- million for parks and other pected to slowly vanish as new cility space and 58,000 square housing opportunities engulf feet of commercial space. Continued on Page 78 A CNG Publication • Vol. 38 No. 11 www.bxtimes.com GoFor To More Our Blog Information To See Our Weekly Visit Specials!Us At VistVisit Our Our New www.bronxdentistny.comNEW Web-ite: Web-Site: www.reliablebronxdentist.com www.reliablebronxdentist.com GOT IMPLANTS DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT COME SEE US (718) 547-5280 2 BRONX TIMES REPORTER, MARCH 16-22, 2018 BTR Mott Haven angered by Mayor’s jail plan, lack of support BY ALEX MITCHELL Residents fear that the con- tion for a jail that the city needs Raucous chants of “we struction of a jail would in- to build because it plans to close will fi ght and we will win” advertently erase decades of the Rikers Island facilities. opened a town hall meeting hard work and triumph for the Jassen Cintron has lived about Mayor de Blasio’s un- Mott Haven community. close to the Beekman housing settling plan to build a jail at “We’ve done so much to his entire life. “As a community 320 Concord Avenue in Mott build up this community. we want to focus on kids and Haven. Years ago you couldn’t catch their education,” he said. “Hav- The mayor released a plan a cab around here,” said Sonia ing a jail in the community is to construct a jail on the va- Taylor, who has lived a major- not what we want kids to see or cant parcel that currently is ity of her life in the Mott Ha- grow up around,” he added. used as a NYPD police pound ven area. “A jail would dev- When Cintron spoke at the and was the former site of Lin- astate all that we’ve done for town hall he encouraged resi- coln Hospital. women and the entire commu- dents to stick together and unite The meeting’s packed nity,” she added. to defeat the issue at hand. venue, P.S. 65, sits two blocks Residents also expressed He also recounted that from where the jail would be concern over the jail’s close while growing up in the neigh- built, one of the many issues proximity to the Diego Beek- borhood there was an element that residents took exception man houses. of shame and embarrassment to. The Mott Haven commu- in telling people that you had The noticable absence of nity had been eyeing the rub- grown up in the Bronx, but he several local elected city offi - ble-strewn square block for an and his family stayed. cials, including Borough Pres- affordable housing develop- “Now we’re proud of where ident Ruben Diaz, Jr., Coun- ment, for over two years. we are from, we haven’t had a Mott Haven resident Hector Cortez holds a sign critisizing Councilwoman cilman Raphael Salamanca “I had been an active par- meeting like this in 20 years, Diana Ayala. Community News Group/ Alex Mitchell or anyone from the mayor’s ticipant in the Diego Beekman things are changing, we watch offi ce, contributed to the com- plan. I told the mayor that the out for each other, we break munity feeling slighted in community had a very robust bread with each other,” Cintron Alrine Parks, vice chair and The fate of the Mott Haven their struggle to have their meeting on what the commu- said. CEO of Diego Beekman Mutual jail is still undecided as the voices heard. nity wanted to see more of,” While residents are in agree- Housing concluded the town community continues their or- “It’s insulting to us,” said Councilwoman Diana Ayala ment with the inmate reduction hall by exclaiming “What do ganized opposition. Mott Haven lifetime resident told residents at the meeting. initiative and the permanent we have to do to get NYC to stop Hector Cortez. “We voted for Needless to say a jail was shutting of Rikers Island, they dumping in Mott Haven?” them, shouldn’t they be here not on their list. are demanding greater support Community Board 1 voted to listen to our issues?” he ex- Ayala also mentioned the from all their elected represen- down the proposed jail by an claimed. possibility of an alternate loca- tatives as well. overwhelming majority. BTR BRONX TIMES REPORTER, MARCH 16-22, 2018 3 Event coordinators were The event will take place working on fi nalizing a list of on Saturday, March 24 at 10 around the restaurants planned for the a.m. at the school, located at fi rst trial run as of press time, 915 Hutchinson River Park- town with a fuller roster expected way, near Throggs Neck’s Tar- Your Neighborhood — Your News when the tour is held again in get. May on Cinco de Mayo. There will be a $3 fee per Mail: Bronx Times For more information, call child or egg hunt participant. 3604 E. Tremont Ave., Bronx, The Bronx Times Reporter 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Carlos at (718) 824-8400. Brace- Breakfast will be addi- NY 10465 will publish your announce- The writing is geared to- lets are $10. tional $5.99 per child and To Subscribe: (718) 260-4595 ments. Send announcements ward veterans and war tales, Monsignor Scanlan $15.99 per adult. VIP packages General Phone: along with photo, to: Bronx said Jeremy Warneke, a Easter Egg Hunt are available online.