Oct. 21–27, 2016 Including Brooklyn Courier, Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Courier, Brooklyn Heights Courier, & Williamsburg Courier FREE ALSO SERVING PROSPECT HEIGHTS, WINDSOR TERRACE, KENSINGTON, AND GOWANUS City is blasted over planned block closure Leslie Lewis Photo by Tom Callan Rep. Montgomery, DeBlasio rep lash out at DOT Police pal BY LAUREN GILL tirade against the agency at can have more fl ower pots or to traffi c and expand the plaza The city’s Department of a Community Board 2 meet- whatever,” Montgomery said. known as Temple Square, Transportation rode rough- ing on Thursday, claiming “Traffi c fl ow will be terribly which is right where the de- Leslie Lewis shod over residents by hatch- the change will back up traf- interrupted.” veloper intends to build a new ing a plan with a luxury- fi c through the neighborhood Montgomery says she has tower. housing developer to turn a just so the builder can have a already informed Dumbo Alloy reps appeared before dies at 90 block near the border of Park fancy front yard. builder Alloy Development the board last month to inform Slope and Boerum Hill into a “Between the DOT and de- that she opposes its plan to locals that the transportation BY LAUREN GILL pedestrian plaza , state Sen. veloper, they’d like to have the shut the block of Schermer- department was allowing it to Longtime 84th Precinct Com- Velmanette Montgomery (D– street closed so they’ll have horn Street between Third do a one-day test closure of the munity Council president Boerum Hill) said in a lengthy an expanded plaza so they Avenue and Flatbush Avenue Continued on page 12 and Boerum Hill leader Les- lie Lewis died last Thursday morning, according to local leaders. He was 90. Lewis — who has served FILTHY GOWANUS CANAL SCUTTLES ‘FLOTILLA’ as president of the police ad- visory council since 1993 — passed away at Methodist Hos- pital, according to friends, although none knew exactly how he died as of publishing. Hope Born and raised in the Bronx, Lewis fi rst moved to Boerum Hill in 1982 and bought a home with his sec- ond wife Miriam between the sinks! Gowanus Houses and Wyck- off Gardens public housing estates, and got involved with BY LAUREN GILL the community council af- The Gowanus Canal was introduced ter becoming concerned with to its own, disgusting version of heavy crime in the area, ac- Louis XIV’s famous Versailles wa- cording to a Brooklyn Eagle ter festivals on Saturday when a report . fl eet of handmade vessels navigated As president of the coun- its noxious waters under the light of cil, Lewis moderated monthly the full moon during the inaugural meetings in which residents of “Tides of October” fl otilla in Brook- the 84th Precinct — Brooklyn lyn’s Nautical Purgatory — and ev- Heights, Boerum Hill, Down- ery boat that took a dip paid the ul- town, Dumbo, and Vingar Hill timate price. — have the fl oor to ask cops Vessels that “fl oated” along the about issues in their commu- sludge-fi lled thoroughfare emerged nity, and he had a real talent covered in a fi lm of the waterway’s for bringing together offi cers famous fi lth, and, much like the Ti- and civilians, according to tanic, will never sail again. one community leader. INTO THE DEEP: Lisa Durusell launched her colorful boat on the Gowanus Canal’s disgusting “They got pretty dirty and we “He was a character and waters during the Gowanus Flotilla. Photo by Jordan Rathkopf Continued on page 16 Continued on page 6 A CNG Publication Vol. 36 No. 43 UPDATED EVERY DAY AT BROOKLYNDAILY.COM INSIDE NNN%9IFFBCPE;8@CP%:FD GL9C@J?<;9P:E>(D<KIFK<:?:<EK<IEFIK?('K?=CFFI9IFFBCPE#EP(()'( BREAST DEFENSE Thousands walk in Prospect Park in cancer benefi t The original dog from hell: Deputy Inspector Frank DiGiacomo and other officers of the 78th Precinct have transformed the station’s BY COLIN MIXSON basement into a haunted house filled with body parts and a certain three-headed dog from Hades. Photo by Stefano Giovannini More Brooklynites than ever Badge of horror strapped on their sneakers Police turn station house into haunted house! By Lauren Gill houses and ours was better.” of horrors will be completely different from For those whose knees quake at the alk about being scared straight! Officers have spent the past month and — but just as scary as — its previous incar- thought of spooks and spectres, the police will and donned pink for Making A Prospect Heights police station a half adding terrifying touches to the Sixth nations. also host a kid-friendly Disney Halloween Twill become a bone-chilling haunted Avenue precinct’s lower level, creating a “If you came last year, you’re not seeing party upstairs, featuring the usual suspects house in the days leading up to Halloween. series of spooky spaces that include an exe- the same thing again this year,” he said. of pumpkins, costumes, and candy. From Oct. 26–30, the basement of the 78th cution chamber with an electric chair, a guil- The haunted house at the 78th Precinct And no matter how brave they might be, Precinct will be a spookier, ookier house lotine, and — worst of all — a clown room, is the only one hosted by the New York City those who descend the stairs into the 78th of horrors than any other spot in the city, among other horrors. And watch your back! Police Department. DiGiacomo said it is a Precinct’s makeshift dungeon should pre- Strides in Brooklyn on Oct. according to the precinct’s commanding Police officers and community volunteers in great way to reach out to kids who only see pare to run for the Prospect Park hills, said officer — and all the frights are free! bone-chilling costumes will lurch through the precinct as a place for punishment. DiGiacomo. “A lot of these haunted houses are the fog-filled rooms to surprise guests. “We do it mostly for the kids, because “Even the biggest, strongest guy who expensive and I think ours is a lot better DiGiacomo, a self-professed Halloween we get a lot of kids in the neighborhood comes will be running upstairs,” he said. and a better price,” said Deputy Inspector fan, revived the precinct’s haunted house who only go to the precinct for negative Haunted House at 78th Precinct (65 Frank DiGiacomo. “We had parents last tradition from its five-year slumber in 2015. things, and this brings them in for positive Sixth Ave. at Carroll Street in Prospect year who said they went a lot of haunted And he promises that this October’s house things,” he said. Heights). Oct. 26–30, 3–9 pm. Free. 16, when the American Can- cer Society celebrated its fi nal Your entertainment breast-cancer walk in Pros- guide Page 31 pect Park before the charity event heads south to Coney Is- land. Police Blotter ..........................8 Brooklyn’s pink-clad walk- Standing O .............................18 ers tipped the scales at 50,000 Letters ....................................26 participants this year, dwarf- Rhymes with Crazy ............28 ing last year’s fi gure of 40,000, according to Making Strides Sports .....................................39 Community Manager in Brooklyn. “Next year we’ll be opening our 15th year in Coney Island, and that’s a big reason why there was a jump in numbers,” said Christina Hall. “We made sure people knew it was going to be the last time in this community.” HOW TO REACH US The event fea- tured pro-bono Mail: performers Courier Life and speakers Publications, Inc., following the 1 Metrotech Center North charity walk 10th Floor, Brooklyn, through the Nethermead, along N.Y. 11201 with an area dubbed “Survi- General Phone: vor’s Village,” where women (718) 260-2500 who had fought the disease News Fax: and won were entitled to all (718) 260-2592 sorts of freebees, according to Hall. News E-Mail: “It’s where survivors can PINK POWER: (Clockwise from top) From left, Ispat [email protected] congregate to get goodies and Jahan, Nazmun Nahar, Jannat Begum, Roshan Ak- Display Ad Phone: feel the love that day,” she ther, and Nabila Jahan donned pink hijabs for the (718) 260-8302 said. walk. Kianna Morris and son Adam sport matching Display Ad E-Mail: The American Cancer Soci- bandanas. From left, Shyann Soto, Belinda Soriano, [email protected] ety is still working to tally the and Maria Guadango are ready to wipe out breast funds raised from the walk in cancer. Photos by Jolene Siana Display Ad Fax: Brooklyn, and money keeps (718) 260-2579 pouring in from donors and Classified Phone: post-walk events, but organiz- oughs, and last year raised vices and treatments. Boardwalk towards Luna (718) 260-2555 ers expect that Brooklyn alone $5.27 million from events The event is heading to Co- Park, Hall said. Classified Fax: will have been responsible for across the city. ney Island in 2017 in order to For those who couldn’t (718) 260-2549 raising some $2 million this The yearly charity walk represent Southern Brooklyn make it out for the walk on year, compared to the $1.2 mil- helps fund breast cancer re- communities. Walkers will Sunday, but want to contribute Classified E-Mail: lion in 2015. search, in addition to provid- head east along Surf Avenue to the cause, donations can be [email protected] Making Strides makes an ing women suffering from the towards Brighton Beach, be- made at makingstrideswalk. appearance in all fi ve bor- disease with much-needed ser- fore heading back along the org/brooklyn.