INSIDE Including The Bensonhurst Paper Aged diner gets glam facelift Published weekly by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 26 Court St., Brooklyn 11242 Phone 718-834-9350 AD fax 718-834-1713 • NEWS fax 718-834-9278 © 2003 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 12 pages including 4 pages GO BROOKLYN • Vol. 26, No. 4 BRG • January, 27, 2003 • FREE Abortion rally at Ridge Manor NOW protests Marty Golden’s stance By Deborah Kolben dent of the Brooklyn chapter of the I really wouldn’t vote him.” The Brooklyn Papers National Organization for Women Protestor Maritza Shelley, who car- (NOW), the key organizer of the ried a sign reading, “Golden, anti- Sporting signs with pictures of event. abortion? Don’t have one!” said she wire hangers and the words, “We Under layers of hats and scarves in remembered her best friend having an won’t go back,” a small group of the sub-zero wind, protesters marched abortion on her kitchen table when demonstrators gathered outside the back and forth in front of the catering they were still illegal. Bay Ridge Manor Wednesday hall owned by Golden, a former city “Hangers are not just a symbol,” afternoon to protest what they are councilman who defeated Vincent Shelley said. “They were actual tools. calling state Sen. Marty Golden’s Gentile in the race for the newly We have fought too hard for this to “War on Women.” drawn Bay Ridge-Bensonhurst-Dyker just let it go.” / Greg Mango / Greg Commemorating the 30th anniver- Heights district in November. Golden Reached for comment after the sary of Roe. v. Wade, the landmark has been using office space at the protest, Golden said it was much ado Supreme Court decision that legalized catering hall until his district office is about nothing. “Roe v. Wade is not abortion nationwide, protestors came ready. going anywhere, it’s a part of New out against Golden, who is making “I had no idea he was pro-life,” York State’s fabric,” said Golden, his anti-abortion views known. said Janice Groff, a Bay Ridge social who nevertheless told The Bay Ridge The Brooklyn Papers The Brooklyn “Marty Golden would want New worker passing by the protest on 76th Paper that he was against abortion in Protesters from the Brooklyn chapter of the National Organization for Women, including President Shirley Ranz (center), march outside the York State to restrict abortion out of Street between Fourth and Fifth av- all cases, including rape. Bay Ridge Manor Wednesday to voice their disproval of state Sen. Marty Golden’s staunch anti-abortion stance. existence,” said Shirley Ranz, presi- enues. “I didn’t vote for him, but now See ABORTION on page 2 Hit-run victim Not bouncer’s day to die By Deborah Kolben ed the barrel of his gun at Pawlak’s The Brooklyn Papers head and pulled the trigger. When the gun did not fire, three off-duty police A bouncer at a Bay Ridge bar officers from the 60th Precinct who came about as close to death as were in the restaurant tackled Braga. killed on b-day you can without dying early He tried to fire at them as well, but Sunday morning after a man he again, the gun misfired. ejected from the bar returned By Deborah Kolben the car. Voci was mowed Inspector Mathew Pontillo, Braga then pistol-whipped one of with a loaded .45-caliber gun, the officers about the head and es- The Brooklyn Papers down by a light blue or green commanding officer of the caped out the front door. 68th Precinct. put the gun to his head and A Bay Ridge man cele- minivan heading north on pulled the trigger. The off-duty officers called 911 Fourth Avenue. “I was shocked,” said and gave chase as Braga ran down brating his 78th birthday He was taken to Victory neighbor Esther Friedman, The incident began at 3 am on Jan. 19 when bouncer Jason Pawlak, 27, Third Avenue and ducked into The on Sunday was killed by a Memorial Hospital, where he who described Voci as a car- hit-and-run driver on the with the help of another bouncer and a Loft, a bar at 91st Street. was pronounced dead. ing man who fed all of the an- After the bar turned their lights on corner of Fourth Avenue bartender, threw Wayne Braga, 32, out No arrests have been made imals in the neighborhood. of Lily’s Public House, a restaurant and and killed the music, officers from and 92nd Street. and police are asking anybody “The birds would come at 2 bar on Third Avenue between 88th and the 68th Precinct located Braga, once Frank Voci was crossing the who may have witnessed the o’clock because they knew 89th streets, after employees found Bra- again, in the women’s bathroom. street at 8:35 pm to buy a lot- incident to contact them. “We Frank was there,” Freidman ga in the women’s bathroom. Police found five live rounds in tery ticket while his only son, need everybody’s assistance said. “And our squirrels were After a scuffle with employees out- Braga’s gun. Christopher Voci, 39, parked and cooperation,” said Deputy See HIT-RUN on page 2 side, Braga returned to the bar, point- Lily’s Public House on Third Avenue at 88th Street. The Brooklyn Papers / Greg Mango See BOUNCER on page 2 Yemeni Ridgite’s Miss NY Shuffle By Deborah Kolben freshman class president, was an It was strange at first, Behette The Brooklyn Papers active member of the Mayor’s says of wearing an evening launderer Volunteer Action Center (now the gown, “It was like playing dress- boards Bay Ridgites who have Mayor’s Volunteer Center of New up.” But she adapted quickly and long prided themselves on York City), and also volunteered found that it “gives you a chance the beauty of their neighbor- with Inner-City Games, a founda- to show your feminine side,” Ridge district confesses hood now have a new beauty tion providing city children with something she says she wasn’t to of which to boast. the opportunity to participate in able to do while working in cor- Associated Press But while Ridge native Nadia sports, cultural events and commu- porate America. to include S.I. A group of Yemeni shopkeepers in Brook- Behette will be representing the nity activities. Behette took the state crown lyn who were arrested during an investigation Empire State in the Miss USA But after she graduated and wearing a light-blue V-neck dress By Deborah Kolben into secret funding for terrorist organizations beauty pageant on March 24, was “just working,” Behette said, from a boutique in Long Island The Brooklyn Papers have agreed to plead guilty to non-terrorism which for the first time will be she needed something else to get and is now having one made by a Brooklyn parents made their voices charges of money smuggling. broadcast live on NBC, she is involved in. That’s when she got designer in Rhode Island (al- heard Thursday at a public hearing held The lead defendant, Mohamed Ali Alriany, quick to tell you that the contest the idea to try out for a beauty though she wouldn’t reveal any by a special state task force charged admitted transmitting up to $7 million with- is not just about looks. pageant. specific details). out a license Tuesday during his plea in fed- “A lot of people have miscon- She says she opted for the Miss “My family is used to me do- with deciding what will replace New eral court in Brooklyn, prosecutors said. ceptions about pageants,” said USA pageant over Miss America ing crazy things like this,” says York City’s 32 school boards. Under a plea deal, Alriany could receive Behette, who was born in Bay since the former does not have a Behette, who is busy trying to “We have always relied upon our district less than four years in prison at a May 2 sen- Ridge to a Lebanese mother and talent component. But she is quick drum up sponsorship from local office and community school board to be our tencing if his 14 co-defendants also agree to Syrian father. “It’s not just about to add that applicants must be, “in- Bay Ridge businesses to help eyes and ears where children and community change their pleas to guilty. To date, six have beauty. It’s about confidence, telligent, poised and articulate.” raise the $15,000 she says it will were concerned,” Fern Rossi, a District 21 done so. time management and seeing Her first stab at the contest cost to bring her family and parent, told the members of the Assembly Alriany, 56, a naturalized U.S. citizen with something through to the end.” landed her second runner-up and friends down with her for the and state Senate, eliciting cheers from the no prior criminal record, and the other men Crowned as Miss New York at gave her the drive to go for it Miss USA competition in San packed Dibner Auditorium at Polytechnic were rounded up earlier this year for alleged- the statewide competition in De- again. Antonio, Texas. “And let me tell University on Jan. 16. ly smuggling money to Yemen through his cember, Behette beat out more So the next year Behette went you,” Behette said, “that support The locally elected school boards are slat- gift shop. The men, who initially pleaded in- is critical.” ed for elimination in June in a final shift of nocent, claimed the money was going to their than 100 other women competing through the application process for the title.