I love Franklin Ave.

The Times Returns: Franklin Back in the News

2012-02-01T12:20:00.002-05:00

(a study in contrasts: the photos that accompanied pieces about Crown Heights from the NYT's Sunday Real Estate Section, above, and today's Metro Section).

Until Sunday, the New York Times hadn't been out to Franklin Avenue since 2009, when they sent a reporter to cover (and help manufacture) the "Franklin Avenue Coffee Wars." As of this week, however, Crown Heights is officially on the Grey Lady's radar. On Sunday, we landed on the front page of the Real Estate section, paired with Carroll Gardens and praised for "a trove of brownstones and row houses" in an article aimed at prospective homeowners entitled "So You're Priced Out. Now What?" Today, we're in the Metro Section, where Liz Robbins paints a more complicated and thorough portrait of the neighborhood in article titled "Unease Lingers Amid a Rebirth in Crown Heights," which comes complete with its own Franklin Avenue slideshow. Robbins's reporting does a nice job of capturing the voices of different residents and business owners (love the quotes and images from the Franklin Avenue Merchants) and gets at many of the challenges and contradictions Crown Heights faces. That won't keep ILFA from nitpicking (Times articles are blogging gold, after all), but I do so in the spirit of furthering an interesting conversation, not tearing the article down.

The Crown Heights Riots loom large in this piece, which is no surprise - most New Yorkers still free-associate "Crown Heights" with "riot," and we just observed their 20th anniversary this summer. That said, I wonder a bit about Robbins's contention that gentrification on Franklin Avenue is "set on scarred earth" on account of the riots, or that "an undercurrent of unease, suspicion, and resentment from some longtime residents, a legacy of the riots." The photos in the slideshow make this claim as well, but somewhat misleadingly: the 8 photos of Crown Heights today are on Franklin, while the photo from the riots looks to me like Utica Ave, over two miles east.

From what I understand (and to be fair, I wasn't here when they happened), the epicenter of the riots was considerably east of Franklin Avenue. That doesn't mean they weren't a watershed event for residents of Franklin at the time, or that people weren't affected by them. But having spent four years writing about Crown Heights and having watched how the riots were commemorated this summer, outsiders are much more likely than locals to use the "riot" as an explanation or frame for all things Crown Heights, both past sufferings and current changes.

Franklin was indeed "scarred earth" in the 1980s and early 1990s, but that wasn't really a result of the riots (things were bad well before rioting began in August of 1991). Rather, the riots, like the drug dealing Robbins mentions, were symptoms of massive, systematic metropolitan disinvestment in neighborhoods like Crown Heights. For decades, Central Brooklyn experienced real-estate and banking redlining, urban deindustrialization, massive unemployment, the reduction of much-needed city services after the collapse of the urban welfare state amid the fiscal crises of the 1970s, and the resulting rising crime, decreasing in educational and economic opportunity, and declining living conditions. Locals fought hard against this onslaught, creating major institutions like the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation and Medgar Evers College and working through much smaller community organizations and block clubs like the Crow Hill Community Association to improve streets, schools, and safety. As Robbins notes, they redoubled their efforts after the riots, and their efforts are major reason why Crown Heights is changing today. Insofar as there is "unease, suspicion, and resentment" (and Robbins is absolutely right that these feelings exist, and she does a great job of finding these voices), it's not, in my experience, so much a legacy of the riots as a feeling that after years of fighting without the city's support to improve their neighborhood, longtime residents are now being priced out on account of these improvements (and, in some cases, the sense the city is using services selectively - impact zones, charter schools - to serve new arrivals at the expense of longtime locals). As Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries puts it while discussing his opposition to the re-branding of Crown Heights at the end of Robbins' article: “The collective efforts of the black and Jewish neighbors are what made Crown Heights the destination and the attractive neighborhood it is today.” Attempts to whitewash or ignore these efforts, or the displacement of these people who worked so hard for so long, seem to be very real and very fair sources of resentment.

One other thing I absolutely must point out, because it's a common mistake that can be completely misleading and drives me up the wall: the white population around Franklin Avenue has absolutely NOT "increased 15% in the past ten years, according to the 2010 census." A 15% increase is a relatively mild thing - adding three people to a group of 20 is a fifteen percent increase. In the four census tracts that border Franklin Avenue between Eastern Parkway and Atlantic Avenue, the percentage of the population that was white in 2010 was between 16-28%, which must be what the article is trying to say. However, as there were very few white residents in these census tracts in 2000, the increase in the white population in these four tracts from 2000 to 2010 was between 350-1,198% (you can see this plain as day on the New York Times census map). Another way to say this would be to say that the white population has quadrupled (in the tract bordered by Franklin, Classon, Park, and Eastern) or has increased twelve-fold (in the next tract over, between Franklin, Rogers, Park, and Eastern). The black population, during the same period, has experienced a nearly-uniform 30% decline, which means that almost a third of the black residents who lived in these four tracts in 2000 don't live here anymore (at least - it could be more than that due to internal turnover within the Black population over the decade, of course).

Stats mistakes aside, an interesting article. Thoughts?

Monday News and Links: Stork, Bella Greens

2012-01-31T02:36:00.003-05:00

- Stork, Franklin's soon-to-be store for little ones, hoisted its awning over the weekend, and is still aiming for an early-March opening. You can follow their progress on their site, which is acting as a construction blog/anticipation-generator at the moment.

- Right across the Avenue, Bella Greens has added soups and wraps to their menu, and as of last Thursday, they're now offering bagels from Bagels by the Park in the mornings. Their salads remain delicious, sizable, and only six dollars, so if you haven't tried one yet, swing by.

- In what might be sadder news, A Slice of Brooklyn was inexplicably closed when I went by earlier this evening. It's a tough economy out there, but I hope they're ok - the lady and I have a great affinity for the Slice because their grand opening coincided with our first day on the Avenue, and because Judy and Elwin are such nice folks. Anyone know anything more?

- Finally, Fox5 reports that 108 guns were taken off the street at Bedford Central Presbyterian Church over the weekend as part of the NYPD-clergy gun buyback program.

Crown Heights = Carroll Gardens, Part II?

2012-01-28T15:08:00.002-05:00

The New York Times ran a piece in their real estate section today comparing five pairs of New York City neighborhoods. Entitled "So You're Priced Out. Now What?," the article includes a comparison of Carroll Gardens and Crown Heights North, suggesting that those who enjoy the former's "congenial mix of the traditional and the retro-modern" can find the same in our own neighborhood "for a fraction of the cost." ILFA spoke with the reporter last week, and my count of new businesses since 2008 made it into the article, as well as a quip about our new bars bearing a resemblance to those along Smith Street. I must confess that I wish a slightly different quote of mine had made it in (though I've learned not to get to cross about these things - they pass through several editors and, unlike a blog like this one, have word count limits), namely, the point that while many brokers and real estate reporters have characterized Franklin/Crown Heights North(west) as an extension of Prospect Heights in years past, it seems as though writers and realtors are starting to understand that the neighborhood has its own unique charms, history, and character, distinct from its more ballyhooed neighbor to the west (Mike F made a similar point in response to ILFA's HuffPo article a week or so ago).

Readers, your thoughts? Is this an apt comparison? What are the implications of such a comparison (in the Grey Lady, no less)?

In other news, the Department of Buildings permits on the plywood in front of 3D's at Franklin and Sterling suggest that whatever becomes of the space, it will remain a restaurant. The owners told ILFA over a year ago that they were planning a renovation, though I wonder if that's still the case (they were in business for 30 years before this, and they do have a spot over on Washington). Anyone know anything more? Also, a chat with the owner of Bombay Masala last night revealed that they are indeed hoping to open an Indian/Bollywood-themed bar in the space currently occupied by Ebita Realty. As planned, it would serve Indian beers and wine, have a back garden connected to the current one behind the restaurant, and feature music from the subcontinent, including live performances. However, as the owner said, he's in the "hoping" stage right now, and he added, gesturing around the restaurant, that he'd "need our help" to make it happen (this may refer to getting the plan past Community Board 8, as well as patronizing the new place once it opens). Brooklynians, get your dancing shoes on!

Calling All Artists and Educators: Art To End Violence, from SOS Crown Heights

2012-01-27T12:10:00.001-05:00

The fantastic folks at SOS Crown Heights have announced their second-annual "Arts to End Violence" Contest, which offers cash prizes to artists under 20 in three mediums (2-D, video, and t-shirt design). If you work with youth in Brooklyn, share this great opportunity with them (complete guidelines are available here)! SOS has also put out a call to professional and emerging artists in the area who are interested in using art "to spread the message of nonviolence at various venues in the Crown Heights Community" at the end of May. If you're part of the Crown Heights creative community, considering getting involved, and help spread the word (complete guidelines for artist submissions can be found here).For more information about Arts to End Violence, check out the SOS Crown Heights website or read on below for their official release:

Save Our Streets (S.O.S.) Crown Heights is pleased to announce its second annual Arts to End Violence contest and art show. S.O.S. Crown Heights is a community-based effort to end gun violence in our neighborhood.

The Crown Heights community has made a commitment to end gun violence. Merchants hang signs in their windows counting up the amount of days it has been since our last shooting; clergy members organize events to discuss violence in their congregations, teenagers speak to other teenagers about alternatives to violence; S.O.S. Outreach Workers and Violence Interrupters intervene whenever a shooting occurs to make sure no retaliatory actions take place. We invite the artists of Crown Heights and beyond to participate in our efforts to transform the neighborhood to make it a safe place for all.

Last year the Arts To End Violence show brought artists together to share their own messages of peace and feelings about violence. Some of the participants were established in their field and others were new to the creative process. The results were a diverse group of powerful images and performances that invigorated the community efforts to reduce violence.

We are calling on artists of all ages to submit art for this project.

Artists 19 and younger can submit in three categories (2-dimensional art, videos and t-shirt designs) to be eligible for cash prizes.

Professional artists are invited to submit pieces to be part of the Arts To End Violence collection to be displayed in local galleries and untraditional venues such parks, Laundromats and barber shops.

Deadlines

March 15th – Early Deadline (for feedback from the Selection committee - OPTIONAL)
April 5th – Final Deadline for Submissions
May 21st-25th – Festival and Gallery Openings
June 3rd-10th - Winners announced during “Cease the Fire, Increase the Peace” Week

We encourage artists, gallery spaces, teachers, art programs and media to call us at 718-773-6886 or email mohena@crownheights.org and speak with Anthony to learn more.

How SOS Works

S.O.S. Crown Heights provides immediate intervention whenever a shooting occurs in the neighborhood, reaching out to the victim, friends, and family to ensure that a retaliatory shooting does not take place. S.O.S. Crown Heights works closely with neighborhood leaders and businesses to promote a visible and public message against gun violence. The goal is to end the spread of violence by encouraging local voices to articulate that shooting is an unacceptable behavior. At the end of 2011 shootings were down 38% in our catchment area.

More Information

Guidelines for the youth contest are available here, and the call to professional and emerging artists is here.

Support Art Not Arrests from Ground Up Designers on Kickstarter

2012-01-26T01:46:00.002-05:00

It's here! "Art Not Arrests," the fabulous installation proposed by local studio Ground Up Designers for the Crow Hill Community Garden this summer (the CHCA is supporting the project), launched their Kickstarter drive on Wednesday, and as of ILFA's modest donation, they're one-tenth of the way to their $4,500 goal. This fundraising push is for the initial materials, after which the project becomes a fundraiser for arts-based education to prevent violence and provide a positive outlet for local youth. I'm particularly in love with the creative-subversive use of those miserable plastic zip-tie handcuffs as creative, connective materials that community members can personalize as they weave them together, but there are a lot of great things about this project. For more information, watch the video or follow any of the links on the widget below, and get your donations in soon, because they're only running this campaign until February 10th!

In other, unrelated news, Zach Goelman over at Epichorus has some interesting thoughts on the sensationalist Gothamist piece about one Orthodox landlord's reaction to new arrivals, and Franklin Park, by way of the Reading Series, landed a mention in luxury-vacationing guide Conde Nast Traveler (someone's always discovering Crown Heights, though in this article, Franklin Park is lumped into Prospect Heights, which itself is the hip, young detour from a Park Slope literary tour).

Wednesday: Economic Education

2012-01-25T00:51:00.000-05:00

It was no surprise that President Obama made economic recovery the central issue of last night's State of the Union address. He rallied the base, threw some populist punches (I know he's supposed to be Mr. Competent, but could Mitt Romney have possibly picked a worse day to release his tax returns?), and articulated a vision of fair and equitable economic growth that drew heavily, both rhetorically and substantially, on FDR's New Deal and LBJ's Great Society, and which positions him in stark contrast to whomever the GOP sends his way.

One point the President returned to several times was how the fallout from the 2008 crash had landed disproportionately on the backs of middle- and working-class Americans (he could have added single-family households, women, and people of color to that list). This is certainly true in Central Brooklyn. While NYC in aggregate has bounced back well from the recession (thanks in large part to the continued rakings-in of a few at the top) foreclosures have wreaked havoc on neighborhoods like Crown Heights - in my first year of blogging, back when I really was "walking around Brooklyn with a camera and a pen," evidence of their catastrophic impact was everywhere (taking photos in East New York, I was suspected of being a foreclosure agent). Unemployment numbers in Central Brooklyn are equally brutal - 15% as a whole, which rises to 16% for Hispanics and 18% for African-Americans, as of this summer.

Thankfully, there are a number of local organizations working to provide citizens of these hardest-hit areas with the knowledge and access they need to get back on their feet. One is the Local Development Corporation of Crown Heights, which hosts a home-buying workshop tonight from 7-9pm at the First Baptist Church on Eastern Parkway (ILFA heard about this workshop from Councilwoman Letitia James, who often posts events of this kind on her blog). Another is the Pratt Area Community Council, who are hosting a workshop for small businesses on "Access to Capital," also tonight from 6-8pm (the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, who were represented at the most recent CHCA meeting, host similar events for small businesses). If you know people who would benefit from this information, pass it along - in my experience, it's not that these resources aren't out there, but that people don't know about them.

A pair of unrelated links from the behemoth blogs:

- Gothamist posted an interesting piece today about clashes between Chabad landlords and new tenants in Crown Heights (with the requisite Gothamist flair, of course).

- Brownstoner reported last week that the owners of Bombay Masala (an IFLA fave) have plans to put a "Bollywood Bar" in the space next door (currently home to a fantastic liquor and wine store that is not nearly as typical as it looks from the outside). Mike F and the Brooklynians are already practicing their dance numbers, but I'm wondering why they can't just put the new bar in the empty space next door to the liquor store to keep the lady and I from having to trek for our hard stuff. While I'm wishing for things I have no power to make happen, can we form a band called the Brooklynians that Mike F can front? Sounds very indie . . .

The State of Things, or, This Week's Politicking

2012-01-24T01:19:00.001-05:00

(a flyer advertising one of the innumerable fundraisers for Obama held in Brooklyn in 2008)

The campaign for the Republican nomination may be getting all the attention in the national media, but this happens to be a big week for political pronouncements and events right here in Central Brooklyn.

- Today (Tuesday), the Prospect Heights Democrats for Reform host a State-of-the-Union Watch Party at the Velvet Peach Cafe over on Flatbush, starting at 8pm. If you haven't heard of PDHR, they're a great group of folks committed to reforming Democratic politics in Brooklyn (and in a borough where registered Dems outnumber everyone else 7:1, Democratic politics is politics), and one of their own, Ede Fox, has launched a campaign to succeed our independent-minded (and fantastic) Council Member, Letitia James, when her term expires in 2013. Speaking of the Councilwoman, she's circulating information about a home-buying workshop on Wednesday from 7-9pm at the First Baptist Church of Crown Height on Eastern Parkway.

- On Wednesday, if reform politics sound like your cup of tea, the New Kings Democrats host their monthly meeting at a new location, The Commons on Atlantic. Closely affiliated with PDHR on a number of issues, the New Kings have made waves with their challenges to machine politics in Brooklyn since 2008, and will likely be an even more organized and influential force in this year's elections (shameless self-promotion: ILFA's also got a couple of articles about NKD linked in a new little widget of extra-curricular writings to your right).

- Finally, on Thursday, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries will deliver his "State of the District" address at 6:30 PM in the Pratt Institute's Higgins Hall, which should be a particularly interesting event as the Assemblyman gears up for a three-way race for Congress this spring.

Saturday Links: PS 316, Five Myles, & More

2012-01-21T02:45:00.002-05:00

(artworks by Robert Toyokazu Troxell and Grace Sachi Troxell, on display at Five Myles Gallery on St. Johns's Place)

Lots to do in Crown Heights today! As ILFA posted on Thursday, PS 316 principal Olga Maluf and some of her devoted parents are hosting a meet-and-greet for prospective parents at the Candy Rush at 4pm on Saturday. Everyone interested in learning more about the great things 316 (on Classon between Sterling and Park) has to offer is welcome. Afterward, head on over to Five Myles Gallery on St. John's Place for the opening of January's Space Program show, a family affair featuring works by father-daughter duo Robert Toyokazu Troxell and Grace Sachi Troxell and music from Grace's brother Cooper Troxell. The fun runs from 5-8pm. Then, from 8pm - midnight, check out Okie Weiss's record release party at LaunchPad.

Also, ILFA recently started contributing some ramblings to the Huffington Post's New York page, the first of which ran today (the short version: after years of writing about gentrification from my own admittedly limited perspective, I've come to feel the term fails to explain some key trends in Crown Heights, and that understanding the neighborhood means taking other long-term forces like (im)migration and community organizing seriously as agents of change and continuity. It's no revelation, but I do feel it's been missing from some of the more recent reports on the area.). I've written a few longer pieces of this sort in the past, and I'm hoping to have links to them posted soon. In the meantime (need I even say it), comments, critiques, and all manner of reprisals are most welcome.

SOS Crown Heights Shooting Response Today, 6pm At Albany and Park

2012-01-20T09:47:00.004-05:00

From the SOS Crown Heights team - if you're available, stand with them against gun violence in Crown Heights tonight.

We are saddened to inform you that yesterday there were TWO shootings in our catchment area in Crown Heights. We respond to every shooting that occurs in the S.O.S. target area. We respond to ensure that these tragedies and insults to the community do not pass unremarked as though they are normal and acceptable, and to create a safe space on our streets, at the site of the shooting, where neighborhood residents can raise their voices in protest.

Please join us tomorrow to respond to these shootings:

Tomorrow, Friday, January 20, 2012

6:00PM at Albany Ave and Prospect Place

AND

6:45PM at 1288 St Johns Pl between Troy & Schenectady

Each response will last only about twenty minutes so please be prompt. We will walk together from Albany Ave. and Prospect Ave., the site of the first shooting response, to St Johns Place between Troy and Schenectady, the site of the second.

Supporting Local Schools: PS 316 Prospective Parents Meet-and-Greet at The Candy Rush This Saturday (Updated)

2012-01-19T12:07:00.002-05:00

(PS 316, the Elijah Stroud School, on Classon between Sterling and Park)

At WNYC's MLK Day celebration at the Brooklyn Museum last Sunday, "In MLK's Footsteps: Education as a Civil Right," an event moderated by award-winning interviewers Brian Lehrer and Jami Floyd, a teacher from Brooklyn asked one of the toughest questions of the day. The panel, she noted, had covered much expected ground: urban schools today are often more segregated than they were before Brown v. Board in 1954, housing patterns and funding structures exacerbate this de facto segregation, and separate remains unequal. Her school, however, faces a slightly different problem. Located in a "good neighborhood" (Clinton Hill) that is both "improving" and increasingly "integrated" on account of neighborhood change, the school continues to educate a population that is 99% African-American and poor or working-class. How, she asked, could she convince the newly-arriving white, middle-class residents of Clinton Hill to send their children to her school? How could her high-performing public school overcome the stigma attached to NYC's school system and attract the attention of the parents and children she saw out and about in the neighborhood?

The panel didn't have a clear answer (though Newark Superintendent Cami Anderson, who was impressive throughout the day, suggested that "we need to have a long, hard conversation about this in the white community ... we often say one thing and do another when it comes to public schools."), but, to be fair, no one else does. We know that parent involvement is critical to school success, but the question of how to attract middle-class investment in public schools is one of the thorniest that any school district can deal with, particularly in the context of school closures and neighborhood change. Attempts to open or co-locate charter schools (which often receive the lion's share of positive press about education) in increasingly middle-class neighborhoods, ostensibly for this purpose, have ignited firestorms in Park Slope, Williamsburg, and next door in Prospect Heights, with opponents accusing the Department of Education of privileging the needs and desires of prospective middle-class students over the education of those students who are currently enrolled. Still, as the Clinton Hill teacher noted on Sunday, schools need broad-based community support to survive and thrive. Can these public schools attract investment without failing their current students or falling prey to school closure?

At P.S. 316 here in Crown Heights, principal Olga Maluf believes she can. Her school offers relatively small classes, excellent classroom-based technological equipment, and very good programs in art, music, and science (it's the rare elementary school with a science lab). While its scores are average to slightly-above-average, they're trending in the right direction. Though in-zone enrollment is down in recent years, one parent wrote to ILFA to suggest that "many neighborhood parents see the potential of the school" and "believe that PS 316 can be a jewel for the neighborhood and District 17." These parents organized last year to keep a charter from being co-located in the building, and now they're organizing to build local support for the school.

In the interest of encouraging parents to send their children to PS 316, Maluf and these parents have organized a meet and greet at The Candy Rush this Saturday, and tours of the school during the last two Fridays in January (that's tomorrow, the 20th, and the 27th). If you're a parent or a prospective parent, read on for more details (UPDATE: the organizers tell me that there will be some very young children in attendance, so even if your children have a few years to go before their first day of school, bring 'em along):

Please join us for coffee and doughnuts at The Candy Rush on Franklin Avenue at 4 PM on Saturday, January 21. Kids are most welcome; there is space indoors and out (weather permitting) for them to play. (And, of course ample opportunity to ruin their teeth.)

Principal Olga Maluf will introduce herself and speak briefly about where the school is today and where she hopes to take it in the near future, and we'll all have a chance to mingle.

Please RSVP to Kelly Bare at kellybare@gmail.com to ensure that we have plenty of snacks on Saturday, and feel free to contact her with any other questions about PS 316 as well.

Tours of PS 316 will be held twice monthly. January tours are scheduled for the 20th and 27th. Please write Brenda Jones at bjones21@schools.nyc.gov to reserve a spot.

Special thanks to Garnett Alcindor, Candy Rush owner and prospective PS 316 parent, for providing the venue.

CHCA Meeting Updates: Safe in This Place Still Seeking Participants (and much more)

2012-01-18T22:50:00.003-05:00

Great to see so many people at the Crow Hill Community Association meeting last night. If you missed it or you'd like to learn more about the CHCA, check out their website, where they keep a regular blog of neighborhood happenings. Some updates and highlights from the meeting:

Safe in This Place Still Accepting New Participants (no prior theater experience necessary): Safe in This Place, a community-based theater and dialogue project, hosts its second session tomorrow at Georgia's Place (691 Prospect, at Bedford) from 7-9:30pm, and they're still welcoming more attendees into the fold. If you'd like to get involved, check the CHCA site (they're helping to sponsor the project) or get in touch with them at safeinthisplace@gmail.com.

Help Make Franklin Bike Friendly: While they're still working together to bring an extended bike lane to Franklin, the CHCA and Transportation Alternatives are also circulating a petition to bring more bike racks to Community Board 8. Sign it here.

Arts Arts Arts: SOS Crown Heights announced their second annual Arts to End Violence Contest, which offers cash prizes to artists 19 and younger in three categories: two-dimension representation, video, and t-shirt design. The submission deadline is April 5, 2012. If you're older than 19 but still want to get involved, SOS would love to hear from you with ideas for how arts might be incorporated into their programming. In other arts new, the folks from Ground Up Designers showed off their award-winning design for the Crow Hill Community Garden (more to come on this once they launch their kickstarter campaign) and local muralist Claire from Imaginal Disc Art said hello and offered her skills as a muralist to anyone/any business in the neighborhood that would like to collaborate on a mural.

State of the 57th: A representative from Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries' office came by to invite residents to his "State of the District" address, to be held on Thursday, January 26 at 6:30 PM in the Pratt Institute's Higgins Hall.

Lunch at Bella Greens (717 Franklin)

2012-01-18T12:35:00.001-05:00

The lady and I finally tried the salads at Bella Greens on Monday, and they were delicious. At $6 for a five-topping small salad (certainly big enough for lunch) and $8 for a seven-topping large salad, prices are well below the usual Manhattan extortion, and Bella has a wide and growing array of toppings (I opted for spinach with carrots, cherry tomatoes, feta, olives, dolmades, and a balsamic vinaigrette). As of yesterday, they're also offering soups from Hale & Hearty, and they plan to add sandwiches and wraps to their menu in the near future. General manager Marc Genovese, who made our salads, is excited about the new venture from Chadon Bell (who also owns the Brooklyn Ink Spot), and is eager to hear from customers about what they'd like to see on their salads (Brooklynians, I'm looking at you). He plans to have Facebook, Twitter, and Yelp pages for the business soon (their wireless was being installed while we ate), which I'll link once they're up. Until then, you'll just have to swing by to say hello!

In other local news, Pete Zaaz on Classon has been getting a lot of great buzz, and the former 3D's Bakery space (on the corner of Sterling and Franklin) seems to be prepping for a massive renovation. Anyone heard anything about the plans for the space?

A Killing in East New York Reverberates in Crown Heights

2012-01-17T15:50:00.000-05:00

(a shrine at the Dean Deli Grocery on Franklin and Dean in memory of Duane Browne, a former resident of the area who was shot and killed by NYPD officers last Thursday)

It's always unsettling to read of someone's passing, but when articles began to appear on Thursday night with photos of Duane Browne, who had just been shot to death in East New York, I was particularly affected. The 26-year-old smiling at me from my screen, his young son in his arms, looked eerily familiar. Browne had died in East New York, a neighborhood where I worked in elementary schools from 2008-2010, and I wracked my brain for some memory - had he been at a PTA meeting? An after-school track meet? Two years on, would I really remember him if he had?

As it turned out, I recognized Duane Browne because he had lived less than a block from me for many years, and, like me, had frequented the Dean Deli Grocery. I realized this on Sunday, when, with the permission of the owners, Browne's friends erected a memorial against their wall. Inside, friends gathered occasionally to warm up and tell stories as the owners/clerks nodded sadly and kept everyone supplied with loosies. When I asked about the memorial, the young man (roughly my age, and Browne's) behind the counter shook his head and said "You remember him, right? He was always in here. They kill you in your own home . . ." He trailed off.

The circumstances surrounding Browne's death remain murky - officers responding anonymous 911 calls reporting a home invasion claim they encountered him armed and uncooperative, while his family report that he was defending his half-brother from robbers and posed no threat to the police. The NYPD argue that their use of deadly force was justified by the pistol Browne carried (particularly after the shooting death of Officer Peter Figoski last month), while East New York residents, in an interesting piece by Liz Robbins (who reportedly has a piece on Crown Heights in the pipeline) cited this as yet another instance of police violence in a neighborhood that has developed a deep distrust for the NYPD. The Department has opened an investigation, but regardless of what it reveals, Browne's son must now grow up without a father.

I'm not posting this to pass judgment. I just think it deserves notice that any life lost affects countless others across time and space, and that even as Crown Heights attracts attention for becoming safer and shinier, there are many in the neighborhood who live every day with the tragedies of gun violence.

Crow Hill Community Association Meeting, 7:30 PM @ Gospel Tabernacle Church Tuesday

2012-01-16T19:15:00.001-05:00

The Crow Hill Community Association (CHCA) was out cleaning up Franklin Avenue today in honor of Dr. King, who's birthday-holiday has become a national day of service. Volunteers gathered litter from the sidewalks and planter boxes between Eastern and Bergen, and filled the boxes with pine boughs from recycled Christmas trees, which looks and smells nice and will hopefully discourage their use as trash cans or ashtrays. Thanks to everyone who came out and volunteered, and thanks to The Candy Rush for providing coffee. Also, kudos to the storefront churches, whose sidewalks were spotless (though this may be a feature of cleaning up the morning after their services).

If you'd like to get involved, or just want to learn more about the CHCA, come out to the Gospel Tabernacle Church (725 Franklin) for the first meeting of 2012, tomorrow (Tuesday) at 7:30pm. If you can't make the meeting, check out their website and their new list of local service organizations in need of volunteers for lots of great ways to make an impact in Crown Heights.

Honoring Dr. King in Crown Heights

2012-01-13T01:34:00.001-05:00

There are several excellent ways to honor King's legacy right here in Crown Heights this weekend. I've copied the announcement from the Crow Hill Community Association about their community clean-up on Monday, which ILFA will be attending, in full below. If you've got little ones underfoot, the Brooklyn Children's Museum has events on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and if you'd like a stimulating discussion of Dr. King's legacy, check out or tune in to WNYC's annual MLK Day Event at the Brooklyn Museum, "In MLK'S Footsteps: Education as a Civil Right" (last year's event was truly fantastic, and this year's, with a timely topic and a killer lineup of panelists, should be just as good).

From CHCA:

WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN USAS WE CELEBRATE MARTIN LUTHER KING’S LEGACYWITH A CLEAN UP OF OUR COMMUNITY

Come to the Crow Hill Community Garden
(730 Franklin between Park & Sterling)
on MLK Day Observed: Monday January 16th, 10-12
Bring gloves, outdoor brooms/dustpans, garbage bags, etc.
Bring your family, friends & neighbors
and please tell any HS students who might need to do community service

Midweek Links: Safe in This Place Tomorrow (Thursday), Ideas for the Bedford-Union Armory

2012-01-11T15:01:00.000-05:00

- Safe in This Place, a community-based theater and dialogue project, hosts its first session tomorrow at Georgia's Place (691 Prospect, at Bedford) from 7-9:30pm. Check the Crow Hill Community Association site (they're helping to sponsor the project) or get in touch with them at safeinthisplace@gmail.com for more information.

- NY1 ran a report on Monday's Town Hall Meeting about possible uses for the Bedford-Union Armory (including a video walkthrough of the site), which will be retired as an active National Guard training facility later this year and handed over to the state. Proposals from local residents included a track-and-field center, an archive for local and civil rights history, an after-school center, a food pantry, and an events space/arena (this last proposed by the folks from Gotham Girls Roller Derby). Ideas are being complied by students in Urban Planning at NYU for a study to be released in the spring (the enormous space could probably accommodate several uses). If you've got an inspiration, send it along to them at bkarmoryproject@gmail.com.

- The Times reports that Hakeem Jeffries, after much preparation and speculation, will announce his bid to replace incumbent Ed Towns in New York's 10th Congressional District this Sunday.

Secondary Sound Jam Night at Breukelen Coffee House, Tonight at 9pm

2012-01-10T13:19:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the short notice on this one - thankfully, they happen every two weeks, so if you miss tonight's jam at the Breukelen Coffee House, mark your calendar for Tuesday, January 24. The basic info's on the flyer, and they're on FB and Twitter, too.

Great Franklin Park Reading Series Tonight Featuring Sam Lipsyte and Gary Lutz

2012-01-09T09:59:00.000-05:00

The first Franklin Park Reading Series of 2012 promises to be a great show, with literary luminaries Sam Lipsyte and Gary Lutz joining up-and-coming writers Catherine Lacey, Mitch Levenberg, and Christine Vines (a Crown Heightster) for the third annual short fiction night. To give you an idea of what a rare treat it is to have these writers in the neighborhood, leading literary blog The Rumpus calls Lipsyte today's "greatest comic novelist" and BOMB Magazine says "his sentences burn with the reckless and gaudy flame of homemade pyrotechnics," while writer Ben Marcus says Lutz "is a sentence writer from another planet, deploying language with unmatched invention." As usual, the drinks will be cheap and the show starts at 8pm (though given how much buzz this event has generated on blogs, events roundups, and twitter, ILFA recommends getting there early).

More from their FB page:

We're super excited about our January 9 reading, which is our third annual short fiction night! Two of contemporary fiction's most acclaimed and influential authors, SAM LIPSYTE (The Ask, Home Land) and GARY LUTZ (Divorcer, Stories in the Worst Way), will be joined by new... stars CATHERINE LACEY (Fifty-Two Stories, The Believer), MITCH LEVENBERG (Fiction, The Saint Ann's Review) and CHRISTINE VINES, the curator of the Fiction Addiction reading series.

As a sponsor of this special event, the literary magazine The Coffin Factory will be giving away copies of its latest issue to the first 50 attendees.

FREE! $4 PINTS!

SUBWAY: 2/3/4/5 to Franklin Avenue

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Franklin-Park-Reading-Series/136238993071415

Featuring:

SAM LIPSYTE (The Ask, Home Land)
GARY LUTZ (Divorcer, Stories in the Worst Way)
CATHERINE LACEY (Fifty-Two Stories, The Believer)
MITCH LEVENBERG (Fiction, The Saint Ann’s Review)
CHRISTINE VINES (Fiction Addiction)

SAM LIPSYTE is the author of the novels The Ask, The Subject Steve and Home Land, which was a New York Times Notable Book of 2005 and winner of the Believer Book Award. He is also the author of the story collection Venus Drive, named one of the 25 Best Books of 2000 by The Village Voice Literary Supplement. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, The Paris Review, Tin House, Noon, N+1, McSweeney's, Esquire, The New York Times Book Review and The Washington Post, among other places. In 2008 he received a Guggenheim Fellowship. He lives in New York and is a professor of fiction at Columbia University.

GARY LUTZ is the author of the short story collections Stories in the Worst Way, I Looked Alive, Partial List of People to Bleach and, most recently, Divorcer. His work has appeared in Noon, Conjunctions, Unsaid, Fence, StoryQuarterly, The Believer, Cimarron Review, Slate and other publications. His story “People Shouldn’t Have to be the Ones to Tell You” was featured in the anthology The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories. A recipient of a literature grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, he is currently a professor of English and composition at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.

CATHERINE LACEY has published fiction and nonfiction in Fifty-Two Stories, Cousin Corinne's Reminder, The Believer, elimae and other places. She co-owns and operates a B&B in downtown Brooklyn called 3B.

MITCH LEVENBERG has published essays and short fiction in journals such as The New Delta Review, Fiction, The Assisi Journal and The Saint Ann’s Review and is the author of a story collection, Principles of Uncertainty and Other Constants. Two of his essays about his father’s experiences in the Philippines during the Second World War were included in the anthologies Pain and Memory and Common Boundary. Currently, he is working on a book of poetry, Transformational Love, and teaches at St. Francis College and New York University. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter.

CHRISTINE VINES is a fiction writer and the curator of Fiction Addiction, a reading series in the East Village. She received a BA in English from Vassar College and lives in Crown Heights.

ILFA Gets Inked

2012-01-09T02:26:00.004-05:00

There's been a dearth of posts this weekend because the lady and I were celebrating a birthday and six months of marriage back-to-back. In honor of this modest achievement (but hey, you've gotta get to six months before you get to sixty years, right?), ILFA wants to extend long-overdue gratitude to the fine folks at the Brooklyn Ink Spot Tattoo Parlor on Franklin at St. Johns for helping us tie the knot with some Franklin Avenue flavor (Lily & Fig also provided our wedding favors).

Having plotted complimentary tattoos for us for quite some time, the lady drew the original designs, and Kevin at the Ink Spot made them permanent with ease (ten nerd points for those who caught the obscure Ovid reference in the leaf designs). The experience was quick, fun, and professional, and we left satisfied (based on the high marks Ink Spot receives from the Brooklynians and the recommendations we got from the guys at Breukelen Coffee House, that seems to be the norm there). All of which is to say that if you're thinking of getting creative with your skin, there's a great place to do it locally (plus, the owners just opened Bella Greens in their former spot down by Park Place).

Weekend Links: Art and Armories

2012-01-05T21:08:00.004-05:00

Lotsa links, in three categories:

This weekend, check out the first Target First Saturday of the year at the Brooklyn Museum, celebrating the achievements of the LGBTQ community in NYC and beyond. Monday brings a double bill, with an open house and town hall meeting on the future of the Bedford-Union Armory with Borough Prez Marty Markowitz at Medgar Evers College (see above) followed by the first Franklin Park Reading Series of 2012 (nice write-up in New York Magazine).

Thinking ahead to next weekend, WNYC's annual MLK Day Event (on Sunday, not Monday) at the Brooklyn Museum is free and looks great. This year's theme is "Education as a Civil Right." The Brooklyn Children's Museum will also have a slate of kid-friendly events going all weekend to celebrate Dr. King.

In other news, the new year brings death and rebirth - Roti 'N Dumplings on Union at Franklin closed its doors, while Bella's opened to rave reviews in the old Brooklyn Inkspot place on Franklin at Park. If you like old maps as much as ILFA does, check out the BHS "Map of the Month" for January (you can always spot our little corner of Brooklyn - it's just south of the village of Bedford). Finally, SOS Crown Heights is hiring, and a local tattoo artist is trying to become the "Ink Master" on Spike TV.

Safe in This Place Seeking Participants

2012-01-04T02:04:00.001-05:00

Safe in This Place, a theater-based workshop series exploring what it means to be safe along the Avenue, is seeking participants from the neighborhood to take part in ten Thursday night sessions starting one week from today on January 12 (complete information is copied below from the Crow Hill Community Association). ILFA caught up with the organizers - three students in CUNY's innovative Applied Theater program who live nearby - earlier today to hear more about how the project was developed and what the workshops will be like.

"Applied theater," as the organizers of Safe in This Place practice it, is built on the traditions of community-based theater and political theater in the United States and drama-in-education in the UK, and has an ongoing relationship with Theater of the Oppressed as developed in Brazil by Augusto Boal. As they put it, "we believe in engagement and reciprocal learning rather than coming into a neighborhood and telling people what the answer is to their problems." Examples of their work and the work of their colleagues include the Bar None Theater Project, which created original theater in a women's prison, and the St. Vincent's Theater Project, which addressed the closing of St. Vincent's in the Village. To develop a project like Safe in This Place, they conduct significant background research into the history and current state of the neighborhood (in this case, the space in which they live), including meeting with community groups, surveying local residents, and generally engaging with what's written and spoken about the area.

As for the project itself, the goals are to "ask questions and open up dialogue" by "trying to crack open assumptions and the narratives that we're told about safety and figure out what it means for who is in the room and for this neighborhood." There won't be a "typical" workshop or a set format, but participants can expect a lot of games, small group work, and exercises ranging from the silly to the serious, and from familiar formats like story circles and improvisational exercises to more specific and directed work on the issues at hand. (While they warn that such workshops don't translate well to video, there are some examples online from the Creative Arts Team, including this one from Project Change).

If this all sounds interesting and illuminating, considering committing to their Thursday night workshops. It's a great way to continue talking and thinking about these issues in Crown Heights.

For 10 weeks this winter, join your neighbors in using theater activities
to explore what it means to be safe in the neighborhood along Franklin Avenue.

Free. All are welcome. No theater experience necessary.

“Safe in This Place” is a theater-based workshop series that will engage residents of northern Crown Heights – specifically the neighborhood around Franklin Avenue – in exploring the question: “What does it mean to be safe in this neighborhood?” It will culminate in a public event in March that will be designed by participants to share what we’ve discovered and extend the dialogue to more people in our neighborhood.

The workshops will be facilitated by three local artists who are trained in using theater and drama to engage groups in creative reflection and dialogue. The workshops will be offered free of charge to adult residents who live, work, and/or socialize on or near Franklin Avenue between Atlantic Avenue and Eastern Parkway.

Dates: Every Thursday from January 12 through March 15, 2012 (Participants are asked to attend all 10 sessions.)
Time: 7:00-9:30pm
Location: Georgia’s Place, 691 Prospect Pl., Brooklyn, NY 11216 (corner of Prospect Pl. and Bedford Ave.)

There will be light refreshments at all the sessions.

No theater experience is necessary. Any interested adults (18 and over) are encouraged to attend. Join us!

For more information, please contact Julia at safeinthisplace@gmail.com or 708-408-2004.

Safe in This Place is a research project of the M.A. in Applied Theatre program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies.

Coming in 2012: CHCA Garden Installation from Ground Up Designers

2011-12-30T16:43:00.000-05:00

CHCA Garden Installation Project from Lana Zellner on Vimeo.

Ground Up Designers, the folks who brought you Built and Branded and designed the Franklin Avenue Merchants logo, have just unveiled their latest project, an installation for the Crow Hill Community Garden. The project will rely on community collaboration for its construction, and will serve as a fundraiser for community groups including the CHCA and SOS Crown Heights. Ground Up will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the purchasing of materials on January 16th, and presenting the project at the CHCA meeting the following day (January 17, 2012 at 7:30pm in the Gospel Tabernacle Church at 725 Franklin Ave). They'll also be seeking grants from around the city, and from architecture competitions nationwide. Watch this space, as well as their blog, for updates, and check out their video (above) and press release (below) for more information.

From their website:

Located in the Crow Hill Community Garden, Ground Up Designers’ latest community project focuses on bringing the neighborhood together to build something beautiful in memory of last summer’s Labor Day shootings. During the course of the project a canopy made of disposable color-cuffs will grow in the garden to raise awareness for organizations within Crown Heights that are working to end gun violence and hopefully inspire others to get involved. All money raised through the donations of the individual cuffs will go directly toward these organization.

Each color-cuff donated to the project will stand as a symbol of it’s donor’s support for positive community growth in Crown Heights — as more and more people donate their personal cuff to the project, a mesh will begin to grow in a lace like pattern. This mesh of cuffs, created of our neighbors’ joint community spirit, will become the canopy of the installation and a place for people of meet and organize throughout the summer. Architecturally, this canopy will be supported by a framework of fanned supporting legs that connect with hinges to a base. Just as the canopy is supported by the legs, the legs are completely dependent upon the canopy. This design was chosen to represent the relationships between the community organizations that support the community, and the individual members that support the organizations — one would not exist without the other.

Beginning in March of 2012, the color-cuffs will be available for donation at participating businesses throughout Crown Heights. If you make donation to the project, you will be given a color-cuff to personalize with a message and then leave in a collection box for pick up. Once a week, Ground Up Designers will collect the donated ties and add them to the installation. Over the course of spring and summer, the canopy will flourish overhead as the garden’s plants flower and grow underneath. Ground Up Designers hopes that the gathering space beneath the canopy will be used for outdoor community meetings, poetry readings, and other inspiring community events.

Franklin Avenue: The Year in Review

2011-12-27T18:20:00.000-05:00

It's the lazy week between Christmas and New Year's when, despite our best efforts, very little work actually gets done, unless you count plotting New Year's festivities (on the Avenue, Franklin Park and Barboncino will both be hosting revelers, and Grand Army Plaza will blast Brooklyn with fireworks nearby). In lieu of sleuthing up any new stories, ILFA looks back at the twelve months of 2011, which has been, in retrospect, a very interesting year in Crown Heights (though it'd be fair to ask if there's any other kind).

January opened with the Avenue still covered in snow from the massive blizzard (one year ago today) that put ILFA's block on the cover of the New York Times (above) and shut down the city in the last days of 2010. Nostrand Park started a year-long conversation about development in "Four Corners," the liminal zone at the junction of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Bed-Stuy and Clinton Hill, and a story I ran about MLK and libraries (told every year on MLK Day by my dad) became one of ILFA's most-read posts of the year.

In February, the Brooklyn Historical Society unveiled a restored copy of Bernard Ratzer's 1770 Plan of the City of New York, giving us a look at Crown Heights 241 years ago, while a local Wall Street Journal reporter's look at the neighborhood today introduced us all to "ProCro", six letters that nearly exploded the blogosphere, pushed Crown Heights into regional and national debates about gentrification, and even produced a bill in the New York state assembly (more on that to come). On Franklin, Posh Nails BK opened their doors.

March was a busy month on the Avenue. Local architect Manuel Avila Ochoa launched his award-winning project, Participatory Urbanism Crown Heights, while Sweet Basil and Island Thyme (the final iteration of Bristen's, which was hailed as the first of Franklin's "new" restaurants back in 2008) opened up and the Franklin Park Reading Series celebrated its second birthday with a star-studded lineup.

April was a month for politicians in Crown Heights: Mayor Mike came to Franklin for a cup of coffee with local legend Tony Fisher (who had just opened Bob & Betty's) at The Pulp and the Bean, while our State Assemblyman, Hakeem Jeffries, responded to all the talk of ProCro with a proposed ban on real-estate-agent-driven neighborhood name changes that poured gasoline on the gentrification debate and kicked off another round of message-board mayhem (while the bill is nowhere near becoming a law, it did purportedly scare Corcoran into re-defining Prospect Heights' eastern border from Bedford to Washington in its materials). The short-lived Franklin Roadhouse also opened its doors, a friendly spot that never quite found its identity on an increasingly crowded and competitive Avenue.

In May, a massive police raid on Franklin incensed many local residents and brought officers from the Impact Zone and the 77th Precinct to that month's Crow Hill Community Association meeting for a contentious exchange that included a threat from one officer to "land a helicopter in the middle of Franklin Avenue." Conversations about policing on Franklin (and beyond) continue - locally-written blog Epichorus has some of the best and most thoughtful coverage on the topic. In local political news, Assemblyman Jeffries put himself on the radar as a challenger to incumbent US Congressman Ed Towns next year. The excellent Built in Brooklyn Craft Fair also hosted its first event at LaunchPad.

Problematic policing continued in June, with a hasty, unwarranted, and unnecessarily violent arrest by overeager Impact Zone officers, but it was also a great start to a booming summer, heralded by the opening of The Candy Rush (Rosebud Vintage also opened across the street around the same time, though it might have been in July). Brooklyn's own Howard Adamsky took ILFA on a walk through the Franklin Avenue of his 1950s childhood, and Nostrand Park launched Destination Nostrand to celebrate today's Crown Heights just a few blocks away.

July brought 100-degree heat and the fourth annual Franklin Avenue Kids' Day, an event which gets bigger and better every year (look for appeals and opportunities to get involved early in 2012, as they'll be recruiting right away). The Crow Hill Community Garden bloomed big, the CHCA started a push for the continuation of the Franklin Avenue bike lane, and Owl and Thistle General Store opened up. Last but not least, ILFA got married.

August marked twenty years since the Crown Heights Riots, which generated a plethora of conversations and events that discussed the legacy of the clashes and the state of the neighborhood today (including the exhibit Crown Heights Gold). The long-anticipated Chavela's finally opened at Sterling and Franklin (and has been packed ever since), and at the end of the month, Hurricane Irene rolled into town.

The annual West Indian Day Parade brought hundreds of thousands of revelers to Crown Heights in September over Labor Day Weekend, but a rash of shootings across the city (including two incidents at the parade) marred the holiday, as did the NYPD's ridiculous arrest of Councilman Jumaane Williams. In the saddest of Franklin Avenue news, Park Place stalwart Denise Gay was struck and killed later that evening by one of 73 police bullets fired during a shootout started by a local man who walked out of his house and shot another man to death before turning his gun on the officers. While it feels trite to follow this tragedy with anything, a few other September notes: ILFA received a trio of complaints about unwarranted rooftop searches, the CHCA marked the 10th anniversary of 9/11 with its annual daffodil plantings, and Gueros Tacos opened.

In October, SOS Crown Heights hosted their second-annual Week of Peace, raising awareness about gun violence in Crown Heights and celebrating their successful reduction of violent crime in their catchment area by nearly 60% over the past year. The Panama Day Parade once again wound its way up Franklin, Occupy Brooklyn hosted a General Assembly in a Panamanian storefront church on the Avenue, Barboncino opened, and a freak snowstorm postponed the CHCA's annual Halloween parade. On the last day of the month, ILFA ran our annual neighborhood-change rundown. At last count (updated as of today), there were 37 new businesses, 5 coming soon, 21 renovations completed or underway, and 20 closures since ILFA started blogging.

November began with the news that the giant hole at Eastern Parkway and Franklin Avenue is on the market and may finally be something other than a giant hole in the foreseeable future (for those who've seen the photo in Pulp and Bean and assume that it's just always been a hole, there really was a building there at one point, and there may be one again soon). On the hottest block on the Avenue (between Sterling and Park), The Crown Inn opened its doors to an eager crowd and has been going strong since.

Finally, December witnessed the first-ever (to our knowledge) holiday lighting of Franklin Avenue - with solar-powered lights, no less - courtesy of the Franklin Avenue Merchants. Seeds in the Middle closed out a great year of service to Crown Heights kids with Soccer for Harmony, Eve and Mike's Pharmacy opened, and Safe in this Place held their first event.

Quite a year it was, and the one to come will undoubtedly be as action-packed as 2011 was. For all those who shared in the joys and sorrows of Crown Heights over the past year, may 2012 bring you health, wealth, and happiness. An extra-special thanks to all the readers who have shared their stories and thoughts with ILFA over the past year - whether you're a one-time email tipster or a message-board master like MikeF, this blog wouldn't be worth keeping without you.

Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays From ILFA

2011-12-24T16:57:00.001-05:00

Wherever you are and whoever you're with, happy holidays! In the spirit of holiday giving, I wanted to share these three appeals:

- The FDNY is collecting donations for the firefighters who were seriously injured fighting a fire in Crown Heights last week.

- SOS Crown Heights are doing great work (violent crime is down 60% in their catchment area since they launched the program), but they still had to hold a shooting response yesterday. Support their efforts to keep Crown Heights peaceful here.

- LaunchPad continues to expand their slate of programs along the Avenue, offering great free events nearly every day of the year. They've only received $4,000 in support to date, less than one month's operating expenses, but they've still cobbled together an incredible few years. Support their arts and community programming here (be sure to designate "Launchpad" as your recipient at the bottom of the page)

Finally, it wouldn't be an ILFA post without some notes about new businesses on the horizon. In 2012, Franklin will get its first baby store, Stork, and Prospect Heights Patch reports that Colala (Chinese and Japanese restaurant) will be open even before 2011 is over.

Happy holidays to all!

Another Major Residential Development Planned for St. Marks

2011-12-23T17:27:00.003-05:00

(part of the site is pictured on the right)

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported yesterday that 505 St. Marks Avenue sold for $4.5 million to a developer, which comes out to approximately $48 per buildable square foot. The CHCA had previously reported that the property would be redeveloped as a halfway house, but this sale seems to rule out that possibility. The buyer is planning a 94,000 square foot, 128-unit, all market-rate residential development on the site of the former day care center, which sits on the north side of St. Marks between Franklin and Classon (just west of the shuttle tracks and the just-finished St. Marks Gardens affordable housing development, and across the street from the Jewish Hospital residential complex).

The planned development would be a major addition to the area that Nostrand Park dubbed "Four Corners" last year as it continues shift dramatically from a light-industrial area (with some limited housing mixed in) to a residential one. 128 units is a big development - the 8-story St. Marks Gardens next door is only 38 units - and at all-market-rate, it's safe to say it's not going to attract local folks displaced by local gentrification. On the other hand, a new development on a property that wasn't residential before won't directly displace people, though it certainly precludes other uses (like a halfway house or day care center) and contributes to the overall trajectory of change along the Avenue.

At the very least, this is one site to watch (along with the giant hole) over the next few months.

Last Minute: Peace Caroling with SOS Crown Heights Today at 3:30 PM

2011-12-22T09:45:00.000-05:00

The flyer's got all the information - if you've got the afternoon off, join the SOS Crown Heights folks in spreading peace and joy throughout the neighborhood.

Cartoon Carnival at LaunchPad Thursday at 8pm

2011-12-22T01:24:00.001-05:00

The Kings County Cinema Society hosts their final event of the year tonight at LaunchPad, featuring a slate of class Christmas cartoons curated by cartoon-o-phile Tom Stathes of Cartoons on Film. To ensure holiday cheer, they'll have some tasty booze on offer (donations appreciated). Should be a highly enjoyable evening - even if you're not a cartoon nut, swing by to learn more about the was KCCS supports local filmmakers and film buffs.

From their blog:

12/22: Tom Stathes Cartoon Carnival: Holiday Edition at LaunchPad

December 6th, 2011

Description: We’re oh-so-happy to welcome back cartoon collector extraordinaire Tom Stathes, who will thrill us with some antiquated ‘toon treasures on 16mm in time for Xmas. From Tommy: “To celebrate Christmas 2011, Tom Stathes digs out vintage Christmas cartoons for your enjoyment. We’ll be screening more of an hour’s worth of rare and obscure animation from the 1920s through 1940s on actual 16mm film with a projector. By doing this, Tom is not only keeping alive a form of film presentation that is now quickly dying but also replicates the old semi-professional projected 16mm film screenings which were common in schools, clubs, private homes, and neighborhood cinemas in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Come be a part of our fun and unique holiday experience!” More about Tom’s efforts at his site Cartoons on Film

We’ll have tasty and boozy holiday beverages for a suggested donation, and Tom will have DVD transfers of some of his vast ‘toon collection for sale for all procrastinating holiday shoppers.

Details: Thursday December 22nd 8pm at LaunchPad, 721 Franklin Ave btw/ Park and Sterling. 2/3/4/5 train to Franklin Ave.

Crow Hill Community Association Meeting Tonight: Bring Items for Holiday Drives

2011-12-20T01:39:00.001-05:00

The final CHCA meeting of 2012 takes place tonight (Tuesday) at 7:30pm at the Gospel Tabernacle Church (725 Franklin Avenue). CHCA meetings are always a great way to connect with neighbors in the service of building community along the Avenue, but tonight's meeting is extra-special, in two ways.

First, CHCA members are contributing to two holiday drives to help those in need here in Crown Heights. At the meeting, they will be collecting non-perishable food, toiletries, and linens (specifically twin sheets, blankets, and towels) for Kianga House, a transitional family shelter located in Crow Hill, as well as warm men's clothing for those who stay at the Bedford-Atlantic Armory. Bring your donations to the meeting!

Secondly, for those looking for a little more neighborly holiday chatter, the Crown Inn will be generously providing $3 drinks (one apiece) to attendees once the meeting has been adjourned. If you haven't been to a CHCA meeting yet, tomorrow's the day to do it!

Get Your Holidays Started on Monday

2011-12-19T01:40:00.002-05:00

Sure, most people have to work all week, but that's no reason to stay home tonight, what with two great holiday parties on offer. Over on Washington, the Prospect Heights Democrats for Reform host a holiday party for all those in the area interested in reforming the bloated, unresponsive Democratic Machine that rules the borough of Kings (or at least those who want to drink and argue about politics for a couple of hours). Right here on Franklin, the brand-new and hugely-popular Crown Inn hosts a holiday party with a DJ to bring out your best Santa shuffle.

Eve & Mike's Pharmacy Open

2011-12-17T12:38:00.001-05:00

They're still setting up their interior, but Eve and Mike's on St. Marks and Franklin has opened their doors. A fully-stocked pharmacy (including prescription service), they've also got a surprisingly large selection of toys, games, puzzles, stuffed animals, and other gifts (including cards). They'll be open from 8am - 10pm on weekdays and 10am - 6pm on Saturdays (closed Sundays at the moment, though that may change).

Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday

2011-12-16T12:56:00.004-05:00

Lots to do this weekend and beyond!

- On Saturday, check out the final Built in Brooklyn Craft Fair of the year at LaunchPad for all your last-minute holiday shopping (rumor has it that Tea Bella Jewelry will be back at Breukelen Coffee House, too).

- On Sunday, Seeds in the Middle presents Soccer for Harmony (see the post below this one), a great event for kids and adults that will also feature some crafts and gifts from the neighborhood.

- On Monday, Prospect Heights Democrats for Reform hosts their holiday party at Way Station (over on Washington) from 7-9pm, featuring a happy hour and plenty of local political chatter.

- On Tuesday, the Crow Hill Community Association hosts their last meeting of the year at 7:30pm at the Gospel Tabernacle Church (725 Franklin).

Seeds in the Middle Presents Soccer for Harmony This Sunday

2011-12-15T10:15:00.002-05:00

A great event with something for everyone this Sunday in Crown Heights from Seeds in the Middle. If you're a restaurant/food service owner (or otherwise work in the industry), they're still looking for donations to feed the kids, and every little bit helps.

SOCCER FOR HARMONY - SUNDAY, DEC. 18 - CROWN HEIGHTS - TOURNAMENT 2-4 PM

FESTIVE DAY! FIRST TOURNAMENT INVOLVING CARIBBEAN-BORN, ORTHODOX JEWISH, AFRICAN-AMERICAN, ALL PLAYERS to benefit kids

20 Years after Crown Heights Conflict - Honors Christopher Rose, killed by teens over an iPod at 15
WHERE: Hamilton Metz Field (Albany/Lefferts Avenues, Crown Heights, Brooklyn)

WHEN: Sunday, Dec. 18 - 2:00 PM - Play-offs - four teams 3:00 PM - Finals - two teams -
Prize: Trophy, certificate to Basil Pizza and Wine Bar (a hip, local kosher eatery)

WHAT: Outdoor Tournament at Hamilton Metz Field
Indoor Kids Soccer and Healthy Food at PS 221, 791 Empire Boulevard @ Troy
(possible new flea market to promote local businesses)
Food donors wanted!

Preview: Interview lead players from Caribbean, African-American and Jewish communities; Errol Rose, Coach Josef Cabral, Kids!

Sponsors/Players Welcome - $20 to $5,000! All tax-deductible to charity!

Contact: Nancie Katz - 917-697-3745, www.seedsinthemiddle.org

BROOKLYN, DEC. 13 - Twenty years after the Crown Heights riots, local adult players hailing from the Caribbean, Orthodox Jewish, Israeli communities and beyond face off at Hamilton Metz Field for Soccer for Harmony - named by a rabbi - a festive day in honor of kids and Christopher Rose, the “iPod kid”, stabbed to death at 15 years old in 2005 by a gang of teens over an iPod.

The teams are led by Caribbean-born and Orthodox Jewish players who regularly play on the same field - but rarely with each other. The joy of soccer has brought them together to support opportunities for all kids to play organized sports and get healthy food and fitness at the heart of the obesity epidemic. The tournament supports Seeds in the Middle and the new Crown Heights Soccer Eagles league, led by former pro Portuguese player, Josef Cabral.

Other potential features: DOG LOVERS! Tyril Firth, the Caribbean-born Brooklyn dog whisperer, will show kids the dog he taught to count; a new Crown Heights Flea, photos with Georgia the Goldendoodle - Seeds mascot, raffle for iPod donated by Apple
Soccer for Harmony honors the memory of Christopher Rose and those of the many Christophers who died from violence. It supports healthy, fun youth alternatives to prevent more Christophers. Its chairs are Christopher’s dad, Errol, who has tirelessly worked with Seeds in the Middle’s programs to build community and fight gang violence and Mr. Cabral, a public school teacher, of Sporting Lisbon (Portugal), trained at the same academy as Cristiano Ronaldo, Figo and Nani.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who recently died, called Errol several times in his moment of grief in 2005 and Apple has donated iPods, Nanos and IPad2s to further Seeds in the Middle work.

Central Brooklyn has one of the city’s highest obesity and diabetes rates. Most kids struggle with poverty and low academic achievement. Seeds in the Middle was founded by former Daily News reporter Nancie Katz and Crown Heights-born former PS 91 Principal Solomon Long in 2009. Back then, kids had no organized sports at Hamilton Metz field right across from PS 91. They had limited options for organized sports nearby, or at least affordable ones. Public funding had dried up. Hard-working parents worried constantly about their children’s lack of activities and safety. Together, Ms. Katz and Mr. Long created Seeds in the Middle and Hip2B Healthy, named by P.S. 91 fourth graders - partnering with corporations, foundations, public agencies and inspiring donors to make healthy choices easy, accessible and affordable to all.

Today, PS 221 is their pilot Hip2B Healthy School - a model to be replicated in the city and beyond. It is the same school attended by Gavin Cato - the child killed in the Crown Heights riots 20 years ago. This fall, Seeds in the Middle also opened the Crown Heights Farmers Market this fall and launched the TASTES of Brooklyn, partnering chefs and farmers for kids.

Hammer Time - Changes South of EP

2011-12-14T15:25:00.001-05:00

ILFA's been faulted for being so hyper-local that I never venture below Eastern Parkway (though, in my defense, Franklin Avenue Aromatherapy remains one of the better investigative local history posts I've done). Still, there's truth to that accusation, so today, on a tip from reader Anna (keep 'em coming, folks!), I walked down to check out Three Brothers Hardware, which is looking shiny and new on Franklin just south of Eastern. I didn't manage to talk with anyone, and they don't have a website that I can find, but it looks like it will be a classic, stuffed-to-the-gills Brooklyn hardware store, and the interior, while not ready, seems to be coming along nicely.

Having a new hardware store nearby should come in hand for the Fisher brothers as they renovate the Pioneer supermarket across the street. Closed this week for the massive overhaul, the second Bob & Betty's (named for their parents, who bought the businesses in the late 1970s) is scheduled to open in June 2012, with the same hours, decor, tastings, and fresh and local food they offer at their current location across the Parkway. It should be a nice addition to the final stretch of Franklin Avenue as it makes its way down to Prospect Park.

Shopping Local For Gifts

2011-12-14T00:22:00.003-05:00

(Gift Baskets from The Candy Rush, Vinyl Cruisers from Park Deli)

So, yeah, I keep harping on this, but there are so many great places out there in Crown Heights for holiday shopping, and I'm going to keep shouting them out, especially since the Franklin Avenue Merchants put up the lights along Franklin, which were all aglow as I walked home this evening. Beyond the two photos and linked above, don't forget to check out the final installment of Built in Brooklyn this Saturday at LaunchPad from 12-6pm. If you must miss it, you can pick up many of their wares at Owl & Thistle General Store, which has been working hard to support local craftsfolk. Franklin's also got a pair of fun and funky vintage shops (Rosebud Vintage and Lasting Impressions) to check out. There's more to shopping than finding the best deal - keeping your dollars local builds relationships, strengthens local organizations, and helps create more local jobs. With great stuff on offer right here, what's not to like?

Trees! Lit for the Holidays, Friends Year-Round

2011-12-13T01:10:00.002-05:00

After some technical difficulties with the solar panels (no good deed goes unpunished), the fully-environmentally-friendly tree lights on Franklin are up and running, thanks to the efforts of the Franklin Avenue Merchants (see video above). If you see a lit tree in front of a shop, thank the folks who run the place!

In other tree-related news, ILFA received the following letter from tree-loving local Kyle, who has a number of great suggestions for ways to get and maintain trees on your block. As always, ILFA loves reader submissions - keep 'em coming!

In light of your recent post mentioning the trees on St. Mark's place, I thought I'd share that I got a tree too, right in front of my apartment building on Sterling! It's a very healthy little Bald Cypress. It will have beautiful feathery green foliage in spring and summer which will turn to a lovely burnt orange or red in the fall. Best of all, this tree is here because I asked for it! I went to milliontreesnyc.org and requested a tree like this. If you request a tree now, it will be planted during next year's planting season, between October and December.

For fun, here's a picture of me with my tree! See the smile? Trees = happy!

On to the real reason for my email... After my tree was planted I wanted to officially adopt it, of course. So I went here to do that and saw that there are lots and lots of trees in our neighborhood that really need people to help take care of them. I really hope that you can share that with the rest of your readers, and that some of them will take initiative and help a tree nearby.

Street trees do so much for us, including reducing energy costs, reducing negative effects of carbon dioxide and making our neighborhood beautiful, and they need very little in return. All it takes is a bucket and five to ten minutes a week to check in, pull any weeds, pick up any trash and water the roots. If you want to go the extra mile, you can buy a treegator (one of those green bags you see around young street trees) for about $25. If you really want to go all-out, you can plant some bulbs and have pretty tulips and daffodils in the spring!

Franklin Park Reading Series: Monster Bash Monday at 8PM

2011-12-11T21:43:00.001-05:00

ILFA is finally done with finals and will be enjoying some high-quality reading and a $4 pint tomorrow at Franklin Park. Come on out at 8 for what is sure to be a great show (they've even got monster trivia!).

This holiday season we're throwing a MONSTER BASH with LEV GROSSMAN, WILLIAM GIRALDI, NELLY REIFLER, RYAN BRITT & MONTANA RAY! Imbibe creature cocktails and cheap beer, listen to tales of Sasquatch, aliens, man-eating beasts, dragons and goblins -- along with the demons ...lurking in human hearts -- and compete in our monster trivia quiz! Prizes include books and monster merch.

Featuring:

LEV GROSSMAN (The Magicians, The Magician King)
WILLIAM GIRALDI (Busy Monsters)
NELLY REIFLER (See Through)
RYAN BRITT (Opium Magazine, Tor.com)
MONTANA RAY (guns & butter, La Petite Zine)

FREE! $4 PINTS! CREATURE COCKTAILS! MONSTROUS PRIZES!

SUBWAY: 2/3/4/5 to Franklin Avenue

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Franklin-Park-Reading-Series/136238993071415

LEV GROSSMAN is the author of the bestselling novels The Magicians, The Magician King and Codex. A well-known cultural commentator, he is the book critic for TIME magazine and has written for numerous other publications, including the New York Times, The Believer, The Wall Street Journal, The Village Voice, Salon and Wired. He is a graduate of Harvard and Yale and lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two daughters.

WILLIAM GIRALDI is the author of the debut novel Busy Monsters. His work has appeared in Harper’s, the New York Times Book Review, Georgia Review, The Believer, Kenyon Review and Poets & Writers. A senior editor at AGNI, he teaches in the Arts & Sciences Writing Program at Boston University.

NELLY REIFLER is the author of See Through, a collection of stories. Her work has been published in McSweeney's, BOMB, Jubilat and the Milan Review, among others. She is an editor for the Recommendations section of Post Road, and she teaches at Sarah Lawrence and Pratt.

RYAN BRITT writes fiction, non-fiction and plays. His writing has been published with Opium Magazine, Nerve.com, Soon Quarterly, Clarkes World Magazine, Good Magazine and elsewhere. He is the staff writer for the science fiction/fantasy blog Tor.com and teaches at The Gotham Writers’ Workshop. He lives in Brooklyn.

MONTANA RAY is a writer and mother. Her concrete gun poetry appears in Lana Turner Journal, La Petite Zine and in her chapbook (guns & butter) published by Chicago-based dancing girl press (Sept. 2011). Her translations of the early work of Spanish poet Francisca Aguirre appear in Asymptote and in The Other Music: Selected Poems from the 1970s published by Brooklyn-based Argos Books (2011).

Safe in this Place: A Franklin Avenue Theater and Dialogue Project, Monday at 7pm

2011-12-11T16:43:00.001-05:00

Those who've attended the last two CHCA meetings have already heard about this project, a collaboration between three local residents who are students in the innovative Applied Theater M.A. at CUNY. They've offered a taste of their methods at the meetings, which involve collaborations and conversations between participants and, in ILFA's extremely limited experience, generate a very good vibe and leave participants feeling good. Check them out tomorrow at 7pm.

Neighborhood Story Circle

Come meet neighbors and share stories about our neighborhood around Franklin Avenue

Monday, December 12
7:00-9:00 p.m.

Georgia's Place, 691 Prospect Place
(at the corner of Bedford Ave - enter through the side gate on Prospect)

Light refreshments will be served.

This event will also be an opportunity to learn more about
“Safe in This Place," a ten-week series of theater-based workshops that will take
place on Thursday evenings from January to March 2012,
exploring the question:
What does it mean to be safe in this neighborhood?

For more info or to RSVP, please email safeinthisplace@gmail.com
or call Julia at 708-408-2004.

“Safe in This Place” is a research project of the CUNY School of Professional Studies M.A. in Applied Theatre.

Updates for a Chilly Weekend: Tea Bella, Safe in this Place, Reading Series, and more

2011-12-11T10:42:00.001-05:00

(The Band Called FUSE - Love and War in the City)

It finally got cold, but there's still plenty happening on the Avenue, and Crown Heights is always making news. Some quick updates:

- Tea Bella Jewelry (see previous post) were such a big hit that Breukelen Coffee House asked them back today (Sunday) and next weekend too. Check them out for fun, inexpensive gifts.

- Speaking of gifts, the lady got me concert tickets to the Idle Warship show on Friday for Christmas. If you haven't heard them yet, Kweli's new group is fantastic (and great live), and at Southpaw on Friday, they had the benefit of a fantastic local opening act, The Band Called FUSE, who are always worth the price of admission (song/video above).

- The Franklin Avenue Merchants holiday lights are up, and to honor those small businesspeople who spent their money to make this happen in lean times, ILFA's posted a list of those who contributed (see updated post below). Thanks to all of you!

- I'll put up full posts about each of these events later, but the weekend does not end today. Safe in this Place, a theater-based workshop aimed at generating community conversations about safety over the next ten weeks kicks off on Monday at 7pm, and the Franklin Park Reading Series returns with Monster Bash at 8pm.

- The Times had a nice piece about a local woman who suffers from Asperger's (untreated, it's left her homeless over the past several years) and the unlikely success she's had with a comic book that she created to come to terms with her condition.

- The Voice ran an interesting look at Japanese dancehall groups in NYC, including those who competed at last night's Global Clash at the Albany Manor.

- For those who take the B44, Bed-Stuy Patch had a good article about the implementation of Select Bus Service along the route.

- A local rabbi has joined the US Army as a chaplain, which was newsworthy because the Army allowed him to keep his beard after a lawsuit (the Armed Forces have done the same for Sikh and Muslim chaplains).

UPDATED: More SUNday Fun: Tea Bella Jewelry Trunk Show at Breukelen Coffee House

2011-12-09T03:33:00.001-05:00

Lots to do this Saturday - details below.

Presenting the Tea Bella Jewelry Holiday Trunk Show at

Breukelen Coffee House Dec. 10

Brooklyn, NY- The Tea Bella Jewelry Holiday Trunk Show invites all to indulge their taste for simple adornment and elaborate flair, Saturday December 10, 2011. Jewelry reseller and collector, Pilar Torres-Gownder will display and sell unusual vintage and contemporary rings, necklaces, earrings, and broaches that create a conversation piece amongst friends, family and business associates. This is a must attend event for anyone who wishes to accommodate a desire to enhance a current wardrobe and buy holiday gifts that extends kindness to your wallet. Shoppers can also enjoy delicious pastries and organic coffee in the popular and warm atmosphere of Breukelen Coffee House.

Each of Tea Bella's pieces emits brilliant and muted tones, conveys elegant style and satisfies a wanderlust for glamour. Costume gems are a signature favorite of this experienced collector. Festive and unique designs will make a holiday party dress or suit, exquisite. Sustainable and classic, jewelry purchased promises to tell a personal story of enchanting and playful times. Pilar Torres-Gownder will be available for style and adornment advice.

About Tea Bella: A consummate business creative, Pilar Torres-Gownder combines a background in marketing and event planning to bring to Tea Bella Trunk Shows a rich visual experience. Inspired by her father who was an entrepreneur and jeweler, Pilar says "I love how the simplest piece of jewelry transforms into marvelous artwork when a client puts it on. Each client gifts me with an opportunity to throw sparkle and color that honor my passion for collecting and reselling to everyone who is just as enthusiastic as I am about adorning themselves in timeless and refined beauty."

Date: Saturday, December 10, 2011

Time: 11-3pm

Location: Breukelen Coffee House, 764 Franklin Ave., #A, Brooklyn, New York

Media Contacts: Andrea Mohammed

andreamohammed@gmail.com

917 284 5411

Pilar Torres-Gownder

teabella25@yahoo.com

UPDATED: Let There Be Light!

2011-12-08T01:03:00.001-05:00

A great, green initiative is coming to the Avenue, courtesy of the Franklin Avenue Merchants and the Crow Hill Community Association. As of today, 16 solar-powered strings of tree lights have been purchased to brighten the way for everyone, and the Crow Hill Community Garden will soon have a lit tree as well. The weather may be far from delightful, but thanks to the efforts of these local leaders, we'll still have some holiday cheer to enjoy on Franklin soon.

The participating merchants (i.e. those who spent their hard-earned money in trying times for small businesses to beautify our street) are as follows:

Bob & Betty's,

Wine(ot),

95 South,

Veggies,

Breukelen Coffee House,

Dutch Boy Burger,

Pine Tree,

Away We Go Postal (who've got a little light show of their own, too)

Had & Associates,

The Candy Rush,

Lily & Fig,

Owl & Thistle General Store,

MySpace Realty,

Posh Nails BK,

Endless Visions

Wine Bar (no name yet, coming soon next door to Rose Bud Vintage)

Big Sue LLC

From CHCA:

The Franklin Avenue Merchants kick off "Light Franklin Avenue". Today Solar Powered lights were purchased for 16 trees on Franklin Avenue, and one for the Crow Hill Community Garden, by members of the F.A.M. to celebrate the joyous holidays. Talk about merchants going green! Plaques will be placed on each lit tree thanking the participating business owners.

Vegan Book Swap at LaunchPad on Saturday

2011-12-07T00:03:00.001-05:00

Something to look forward to this weekend at LaunchPad - this event sounds like great fun, and it's been organized by a pair of fantastic local folks. Also, Owl & Thistle, whose selection gets better every time I go in, has contributed a gift basket to their raffle, so it's a local lovefest. Check them out on FB or see the original invite here (or read on below):

Vegan/ AR Book Swap 2.0

Saturday, December 10th, 2-5pm
@LaunchPad
721 Franklin Ave (btw. Sterling & Park)
Crown Heights, Brooklyn

Hello vegan & veg-curious friends!

This is a gentle reminder that the next book swap is this Saturday. We hope that you'll be able to join us-- with or without books! We need your help to raise funds for Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, a non-profit that provides shelter to cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, sheep, and goats who have been rescued from cases of abuse, neglect and abandonment. 100% of the money raised from this event will be sent directly to the sanctuary. Even better news is that a local Brooklyn guy has offered to match donations collected at the swap (up to $200). The best news is that an anonymous donor will match all sanctuary donations collected this month up to $100K!!! There's never been a better time to come hang out, make some friends, eat cupcakes, and pick up some books for yourself and your Secret Santa!

AWESOME RAFFLE PRIZES:

A gift basket of exciting vegan goodies from Owl & Thistle General Store, an urban mercantile specializing in local, green, fair and direct-trade products. Located in Crown Heights. ($20 value)
A $20 gift certificate to Chavela's Mexican Restaurant & Bar of Crown Heights.
A $20 gift certificate to Terri, an all vegetarian quick service restaurant serving delicious, organic super foods seasoned like familiar favorites. Located in Chelsea.
A vegan body care product from Raganella. Handmade in Prospect Heights with local and organic ingredients. ($18 value)

AND A MINI VEGAN BAKE SALE featuring homemade treats from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World!

Please show the swap some love! Visit our Facebook event page and RSVP. Please also share it on your Facebook profile and/or tweet about it.
http://www.facebook.com/events/220089694724950/

The vegan book swap was recently written up in Brokelyn!
"A book swap for animal lovers. (No leather-bound editions!)"
We were also mentioned on SuperVegan.

Here are answers to some FAQ:

Is this swap free and open to all, even non-vegans?
Yes!

What should I bring to the swap?
Bring your awesome self and no more than 5 items to swap.

What if I don't have any books to share?
You can buy used books for $2 donation each and thus support the critters at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary!

I have lots of extra money in my wallet, what should I do with it?
You should totally enter our raffle! We'll have awesome prizes and the money goes to Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary.

What should I wear to the swap?
Elastic-waistband pants or empire-waist dresses are a good choice because there will be yummy vegan snacks available for purchase.

Do you need volunteers?
Yes! Thanks for asking. We need five fantastic volunteers who can to take a blood oath to show up at 1:45 and leave at 5:30 the day of the event, unless otherwise noted. We'll try to work out of a good compensation/ perk for all your help. Positions are:
1. Check-in: Responsible for getting folks to sign in, giving them book credits, and directing them to the pile-o-stuff.
2. Media assistant: Responsible for sorting incoming media donations and keeping pile-o-stuff in order.
3. Photographer: Responsible for documenting the event, emailing photos to us, and posting on Facebook. (2pm to 5pm. You can totally use your iPhone!)
4. Check-out/ Cashier: Responsible for making sure folks have the right number of credits for the number of items they leave with. Responsible also for assisting with raffle sales.
5. Concession: Responsible for selling treats at the event and helping set-up/clean up snack area.

Should I RSVP?
Show off how busy you are here.

See you soon!
Olivia Lane and Jamie Hagen
Olivia doesn't want to be the only one Googling herself.
If you wanna web-spy on Jamie.

Trees Follow Development and More: Monday Links

2011-12-05T23:56:00.001-05:00

(new street trees planted up and down St. Marks Place, many of which are blooming cherry trees, which will look like this come springtime and this in the summer)

Links week (aka finals week) continues on ILFA, with a nod to the new trees on St. Marks (as mentioned in the previous batch of links, below). St. Marks between Franklin and Classon has been an interesting block to watch in the ongoing development/gentrification of Crown Heights (something IFLA covered last January - it's interesting to look back and see how much has happened in the intervening year). A relatively unlovely block by neighborhood standards, it's nonetheless attracted substantial and wide-ranging investment from public and private sources alike. The newer wing of the former Jewish Hospital of Brooklyn (which admittedly lacks some of the charm and majesty of the facades facing Prospect and Classon) was completely renovated as rentals, attracting a laundromat, a diner, and Compare Foods to the complex (two years ago, that building had almost no windows, and the current Compare Foods location was home to a pair of vociferous guard dogs). Across the street, the city's St. Marks Gardens project is almost complete, and a halfway house is moving in to the former daycare center (as reported at the CHCA meeting). The ISHI condo project, renamed Mark West, seems to be attracting some renewed interest, and crowds still gather at the Imperial Bikers Motorcycle Club on Saturday night and the Apostolic Church on Sunday morning. There's no verdict to declare yet, of course, as the area is most certainly "in transition," but the range of investments suggests the possibility, at least, of a continued coexistence.

- For a broader, longer look at change in Brooklyn, check out Kay Hymowitz's piece in City Journal.

- The NYPD are in trouble after officers took to Facebook to bash West Indian Day parade-goers back in September. The chatter came to light after it was used (no word on if it made an impact) in the acquittal of a Brooklyn man charged with gun possession at the 2010 parade.

- Over on Rodgers Avenue, police were in better form, pulling a worker to safety after the scaffolding he was standing on collapsed, leaving him dangling from a rope (scary stuff, glad he's safe!).

- Prospect Heights Patch has an interesting article about the gerrymandering of Congressional Districts, and how it could affect representation in Crown Heights.

Food for Thought: Weekend Links

2011-12-03T17:06:00.001-05:00

(the work of local craftspeople on sale at Built in Brooklyn - see previous post for more details)

Apologies for the lack of posts, it's finals time in the ILFA world (though if anyone would like to read a rough draft of a 4,000-word essay on historical approaches to emancipation, I suppose I could post that). In lieu of more thoughtful commentary (I flatter myself), I offer the lazy blogger's solution: links!

- After harassing and groping a woman on the Franklin Avenue Shuttle, a 39-year-old Queens man was caught because the woman he chose to harass snapped a photo of him and passed it on to the NYPD and the media. Having spoken to far too many women who've been sexually harassed or assaulted on the train (and, unfortunately, to a few who have tried to report these attacks to MTA employees or even transit cops and gotten nothing but shrugs in response), I'm glad to see the system actually working, and I salute the woman who had the wherewithal to photograph this creep and follow through with reporting the incident (sometimes a very long, draining process).

- There's an uproar brewing over the extradition of a local Hasidic man from Israel to NYC to stand trial for a hate crime in the assault of an African-American man. While I know nothing about the case beyond the linked article (and thus can't really speak to it) the incident took place in the context of Shomrim policing, which has long been a feature of Crown Heights but has come under fire recently in a number of contexts. In Israel, one national news network has responded with a profile of the Shomrim's work in Crown Heights, available (with video) here.

- On a more positive note, the Brooklyn Ink ran a nice profile of the folks at Seeds in the Middle, whose programming targets youth from the many sub-communities of Crown Heights.

- Gun violence continues in CH, with a livery cab driver the latest victim (though, mercifully, he seems to have survived a beating and three gunshot wounds) on Monday. Incidents like these highlight the importance of the work that SOS Crown Heights is doing in our community. Frequent contributor MikeF shared this report of their first year on Brooklynian, and it's well worth a read. Meanwhile, in another Chicago-Brooklyn exchange (SOS Crown Heights is based on Chicago's CEASEfire), a local criminologist has developed an anti-violence program with the Chicago Police Department, (link recommended earlier in the week by a reader).

- Finally, a reader wrote in to note the planting of trees up and down St. Marks between Classon and Franklin, a welcome addition to a strip that's rapidly shifting from post-institutional malaise to residential comfort (and where the city has invested in a new affordable housing development). Street trees are wonderful for many reasons - glad to see them going up!

Readers will notice that the last two tips were submitted by followers. As always, ILFA loves correspondence, so keep 'em coming!

Support Your Small Businesses and Local Artisans This Saturday

2011-11-30T23:58:00.001-05:00

I realize last weekend was the big-time shopping weekend, but I skipped that (if I wanted to get pepper-sprayed, I'd just go down to Zuccotti). However, ILFA still needs to get some gifts for friends and family, and given the handle of this blog, local gifts are the order of the day. For those in a similar boat, some suggestions:

- Check out the Built in Brooklyn Craft Fair (flyer above) from 12-6pm on Saturday at LaunchPad. They've got great items from local craftspeople, including cards and other goodies from Planet Ert, which are also available at Lily and Fig during the week (as pictured above).

- If you haven't been inside lately, Owl and Thistle General Store keeps adding great new stuff, and Time Out New York just put them on their list of "Ten Best New Gift Shops." Here's what the TONY folks had to say:

Owl and Thistle General Store
If you want to practice responsible consumption this holiday season, Keri Cavanaugh’s eco-friendly spot is the place to go. A diverse selection of environmentally sustainable and direct- or fair trade products that are perfect for your green-minded comrades fill the quaint store’s wooden shelves. Anna Built houndstooth earrings made from vintage tin cans ($28) and Webbedware reversible geometric pendant necklaces ($48) will satisfy the green-minded jewelry lover. Foodies will appreciate McClure’s Bloody Mary mix ($9), organic Taza Mexican chocolate discs ($5), or salt and pepper shakers affixed to old Matchbox cars ($14). Impress your dad with a Paradise Body Shop wooden shave set ($35), and make sure to grab a roll of Elum driftwood-patterned gift wrap ($8) to prettify all of your holiday offerings. 720 Franklin Ave between Park and Sterling Pls, Crown Heights, Brooklyn (347-469-0432, owlandthistlegeneral.com)

- Pick up some old-timey candy for stocking stuffers at The Candy Rush, just to get Dad going about the candy store in his old neighborhood where whatever you got him cost a nickel . . .

- Finally, over on Classon, Park Delicatessen never disappoints for unique local gifts. Some examples below:

Its beginning to look and smell a lot like the holiday season around here. Lights all along Washington ave, fresh cut cedar and holly in the shop this morning.

Here are some gift ideas that will inspire any kid, young or old to create something.

Valentine Paper Dolls

Each paper doll comes with 15 items of clothing that make over 20 outfits.
Add your own color and designs to totally customize.
All of the clothing is Valentine's most popular designs from previous collections.

Packaged in a sturdy reusable envelope.
Hand made and designed in house.
$18

Graffiti Train coloring book

Back for it`s 3rd year. One of our most popular items
Features 14 Pages of freight trains to do your art on.
Spiral bound on durable 110lb stock.
A Park Delicatessen exclusive
$22

Salad Bar Taking Shape

2011-11-30T00:35:00.001-05:00

It's not a great photo, but the salad bar in the former Brooklyn Inkspot space on Franklin just south of Park is taking shape quickly. Announced at the October CHCA meeting, the place will have all manner of veggie delights. Anyone have any word on when they're slated to open? A salad would be great after a weekend of heavy eating . . .

Built in Brooklyn Craft Fair Saturday

2011-11-25T00:58:00.001-05:00

If you're looking to shop this weekend, skip the manic Black Friday stampedes and spend tomorrow recovering and enjoying a martini at the new Barboncino bar. The get up on Saturday and head for the Built in Brooklyn Craft Fair at LaunchPad, where you can score fantastic goodies from local merchants from 12-6pm.

Storefront Stuff: LaunchPad, Park Deli, Barboncino

2011-11-22T12:40:00.001-05:00

(RAFT at LaunchPad, Fall Centerpieces from Park Delicatessen)

LaunchPad's been ringing in the Thanksgiving holiday with morning performances of "Observer Observed: An Abstract Occupation" from RAFT this week. They also announced last week that they're now home to a yoga worker cooperative that will be providing regular classes from Sunday - Wednesday morning, noon, and night on a sliding scale ($7-15 per class), with work-study options available as well for those with limited cash flow.

Over on Classon, Park Delicatessen has great fall centerpieces - if you're a Thanksgiving guest, skip the umpteenth bottle of wine and get some killer flowers for your hosts.

And for all those who'd rather sip than shop on Black Friday, Barboncino has just announced that their bar opens Friday.

Weekend Links

2011-11-19T01:09:00.001-05:00

(Franklin the Turkey at the Prospect Park Zoo, Sixpoint Comes to Bob & Betty's)

- Great to see so many people from the neighborhood out marching yesterday. The Avenue was well-represented out there.

- It was fun, also, to come home to free samples from Sixpoint Brewery at Bob & Betty's last night.

- The Prospect Park Zoo has a turkey named FRANKLIN! Incredible. You can see Franklin (named for Benjamin Franklin - as the Avenue, presumably, is as well - who suggested the wild turkey as our national bird) at the Zoo this weekend and next, if you're looking for some kid-friendly entertainment.

- Finally, if you're doing Thanksgiving locally and want to keep things healthy and tasty, let Juice Hugger Cafe help you out. The new natural foods spot on Rodgers has a complete meal and/or sides (all vegetarian) available for delivery on Turkey Day. See the flyer below or head to their website for more details.

Occupy Everywhere Thursday

2011-11-16T22:43:00.001-05:00

(The faces of New York City policing - Ray Kelly looking like a Bond villain while clearing Liberty Square and a "white shirt" on the rampage during Tuesday morning's purge, via the NYTimes)

To commemorate the two-month anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street Movement, and in response to the Bloomberg-ordered police raid on Liberty Square (which included the direct disobedience of a court order and has reduced a "public space" to a heavily-garrisoned police park), there is a huge slate of events planned for tomorrow around the city. Complete information can be found here for the whole city, and here for Brooklyn in particular.

There are hundreds of good reasons to take part tomorrow, but if you're sitting in Crown Heights and you need a reason to go, I offer these two:

1. We read a lot about how fast Crown Heights is changing/gentrifying/revitalizing/etc (on this blog as much as anywhere), but the fact remains that newcomers and longtime residents alike are hardly plutocrats. Walking down Franklin yesterday, I passed a woman who was saying to her friends, "I was priced out of Fort Greene, I was priced out of Clinton Hill, and pretty soon, I'll be priced out of this neighborhood." Moreover, regardless of whether you've been in Crown Heights 4 days or 40 years, you can't miss the ugly specter of massive inequality and a broken-to-nonexistent social safety net in Crown Heights, largely because Bloomberg et al have been all too happy to push poverty to the boroughs so that places like Zuccotti Park can remain spotless. It's an issue that affects all of us here, and it's one that the powers that be are only too happy to ignore unless its right under their noses, as it will be tomorrow.

2.. Police brutality (see the 2nd photo above) is an enormous problem in communities in Brooklyn, including Crown Heights. It's sad that it takes an occupation of a park near Wall Street to draw city- and nationwide attention to New York's paramilitary policing when city residents have been dealing with it on a daily basis for years, but still, it's good to have the issue on the table, as it most certainly will be tomorrow.

Local Happenings: Sixpoint at Bob & Betty's, Block Association Meeting at Sushi Tatsu, Searching for Soccer Coaches

2011-11-16T00:35:00.001-05:00

(Staropramen visits Bob & Betty's last Friday)

- The Dean Street Block Association meets tonight (Wednesday) at 7pm at Sushi Tatsu (609 Franklin Avenue). Be sure to swing by if you're in the area!

- Bob & Betty's has started hosting evening beer tastings, and on Thursday night they welcome Brooklyn's own Sixpoint Brewery to Franklin Avenue. The brews start flowing at 6pm. They'll also bet getting pies from Blue Duck Bakery in next week, just in time for the holiday season to start.

- Calling all athletically-inclined souls: Do you want to coach soccer or flag football in a local league for Crown Heights kids? Get in touch with the folks at Seeds in the Middle (more info below).

We are now looking also for soccer and flag football coaches, starting end of November.
Location: Crown Heights, Brooklyn, 3/4 trains to Kingston or Utica Avenues.

Flag Football:
Wednesdays and Fridays: 3:15 to 5:15 pm
Sundays 11-1 pm

Soccer (starting December) - especially girls
Mon/Wed: 3:15 to 6
Sundays: Assistant Coach (great community service for high schools) 10:30 to 12:30
12:00 to 2 pm: Girls only - lead female coach needed

Pay negotiable.
Can you help get the word out?
All volunteers welcome as well.

CHCA Meeting Tonight

2011-11-15T10:32:00.001-05:00

It's time, once again, for the Crow Hill Community Association Meeting. See you tonight at 7:30 at the Gospel Tabernacle Church (725 Franklin Ave). More info at the CHCA site.

Two Missing Children In Brooklyn

2011-11-14T14:31:00.001-05:00

Two readers have contacted me recently about missing children in Brooklyn. The flyer above appeared on the C Train platform at the end of last week, and the information below was forwarded to me today. If you have any information about either of these young women, please contact the relevant authorities.

My daughter's friend and our neighbor's granddaughter Allie Loftis ran away from her home in Boston and took a bus to NYC last friday. She has been missing over a week now, but was spotted by police on video on wednesday in times square, and possibly also by a store assistant in Barnes and Noble on 7th avenue in Brooklyn.

Her family are searching NYC looking for her all day and night, and I'm trying to spread the word, especially in Brooklyn as that is the neighborhood she knows best, having visited her grandparents here often, and spent time with my daughter Soledad.

Pictures and contacts are on the following:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/12/search-for-allie-loftis-missing-teen_n_1090006.html
and more info at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Find-Allie-Loftis/295853733772118

Please keep a look out for her, and if you see her try and talk to her and let her know how worried her family is, or take a photo of her and email it to FindAllieLoftis@gmail.com or call the New York City Missing Persons squad at 212-694-7781.

Readings Tonight (Monday): Electric Literature at the Franklin Park Reading Series

2011-11-13T23:55:00.001-05:00

The Franklin Park Reading Series is teaming up with Electric Literature tonight at 8pm for what's sure to be a night to remember, even by Reading Series standards. Complete info from their FB page is below.

The FRANKLIN PARK READING SERIES is teaming up with the innovative literary magazine ELECTRIC LITERATURE for a stellar night of readings, animated films, and our first-ever dance party! We'll be showcasing five ELECTRIC LITERATURE contributors: two favorite FRANKLIN PARK alumni, Colson Whitehead and Ben Greenman, as well as Jim Shepard, Steve Edwards, and Matt Sumell.

As always, the fun is FREE and we'll have a $4 pint drink special.

SUBWAY: 2/3/4/5 to Franklin Avenue

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Franklin-Park-Reading-Series/136238993071415
http://electricliterature.com/

Featuring:

JIM SHEPARD (You Think That’s Bad, Like You’d Understand Anyway)
COLSON WHITEHEAD (Zone One, Sag Harbor)
BEN GREENMAN (Celebrity Chekhov, What He’s Poised to Do)
STEVE EDWARDS (Breaking Into the Backcountry)
MATT SUMELL (Electric Literature, Noon)

JIM SHEPARD is the author of six novels and four story collections, including, most recently, You Think That’s Bad. His third collection, Like You’d Understand, Anyway, was a finalist for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize. His short fiction has appeared in Harper’s, The Paris Review, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, Esquire, Granta, and other publications, and he was a columnist on film for The Believer. Four of his stories have been chosen for the Best American Short Stories, and his story “Your Fate Hurtles Down at You,” published in Electric Literature No. 1, won a 2011 O. Henry Jury Prize. He teaches at Williams College and lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts with his family.

COLSON WHITEHEAD is the author of the new novel Zone One, as well as the novels Sag Harbor, The Intuitionist, John Henry Days, and Apex Hides the Hurt. He has also written a book of essays about his hometown, The Colossus of New York, and his reviews, essays, and fiction have appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Harper's, Granta, and other publications. A recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and a Whiting Writers Award, he has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Critics Circle Award. He lives in New York City.

BEN GREENMAN is an editor at the New Yorker and the author of several acclaimed books of fiction, including Superbad, Please Step Back, and, most recently, What He’s Poised to Do and Celebrity Chekhov. His fiction, essays, and journalism have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Paris Review, McSweeney’s, and Opium Magazine, and he has been widely anthologized. He lives in Brooklyn.

STEVE EDWARDS is the author of the memoir Breaking Into the Back Country, the story of his seven months in solitude as the caretaker of a remote mountain homestead along the Rogue River in Oregon. His fiction has most recently appeared in AGNI Online, The Silk Road Review, and Bellingham Review. He is working on a new nonfiction book about his grandfather’s appearance on the cover of LIFE magazine in 1942.

MATT SUMELL is currently finishing up his first collection of stories, tentatively titled Making Nice. His short fiction has appeared in The Brooklyn Review, Noon, Electric Literature, and elsewhere.

Occupy Brooklyn, Occupy Your Block This Weekend

2011-11-12T09:21:00.001-05:00

Occupy Brooklyn has a big weekend of events planned to highlight economic inequality in the borough, and to connect residents to the worldwide movement that started just across the bridges. More info below:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=270547796314445

Opening Night at The Crown Inn, Beer @ Bob & Betty's Tonight

2011-11-11T08:49:00.001-05:00

The Crown Inn, the latest effort from Matt and Toly (of Franklin Park fame), opened with a fantastic party last night (reviews are trickling in, perhaps as people get up, on Brooklynian). The place, which they've been working on for over a year, is gorgeous, with a warm interior (lots of brick, wood, and dark subway tiles) and a surprisingly spacious back garden. Some of my hazy photos are above, and you can see better shots in a slideshow from New York Magazine's Grub Street blog, which gave the place a nice advance write-up. While the place is certainly well-appointed, it's not only a high-end cocktail-and-oyster bar. They've got twelve beers and four wines on draft for $4-7, and a wide range of liquor, including 40 bourbons, behind the bar for $6-9. Food service from a pint-sized kitchen space at the back will start soon, with grilled cheese, chips, cheese plates, charcuterie, and yes, eventually, oysters. Still, the place retains a cozy, neighborhood-y feel that will make it, for my money, a huge hit.

One thing that warmed my heart last night was the show of support for The Crown Inn on the part of all the other local merchants. There are a lot of neighborhoods popping up new shops around Brooklyn and NYC, but the amount of camaraderie and reciprocity the Franklin Avenue Merchants show one another is seriously special.

Also, if you didn't get your beer fix last night, Bob & Betty's is having another beer tasting, with Staropramen, tonight at 5pm (Six Point will be stopping by next week, too).

Final Crown Heights Farmers Market of the Season Today

2011-11-10T10:26:00.002-05:00

From Seeds in the Middle:

First-Ever Crown Heights Farmers Market - 20 years after riots - holds last market day before winter - Jewish/minority children together beautify park until farmers return!

Central Brooklyn is one of three NYC neighborhoods with the highest rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. In response to Gov. Cuomo's Aug. 9 speech announcing Fresh Connect Farmers Markets, a team led by Seeds in the Middle opened the long-desired, first-ever Farmers Market at the corner of Albany/Lefferts Avenues. Although never funded with public monies, the market joyfully has built community among all the neighbors - once tragically torn apart during the Crown Heights riots 20 years ago. It has also spurned an unprecedented soccer program involving children of all the communities, volunteerism and a grassroots, communal movement to create healthy options for all families - affordable, easy access to nutritious food and fitness. We now seek to get lights on the field to expand sports opportunities and an expanded use of public schools for programming for all children - in an underserved neighborhood with limited options for positive, active opportunities.

Farmers Roy Hildebrant of Iona Hill Farm, New Jersey and Jamerican Farmer Rodrick Brown of Long Island have gifted the community with beautiful bounty and peace for 12 weeks, since we opened Sept. 15th. The market has allowed Seeds in the Middle to provide local youth with employment and given all access to another world - farmers - they might otherwise never encounter. The farmers have been generous in donating produce and both have come to visit and share their love of land at PS 221, Seeds in the Middle's first Hip2B Healthy School.

WHEN: Last Day of Market - Thursday, November 10, 1:30 to dark. At 4:30 pm, children plant winter garden inside Hamilton Metz Park

WHERE: Hamilton Metz Park - Lefferts Park, corner of Albany/Lefferts Avenue, Crown Heights, Brooklyn

WHAT: PS 221 classes will visit before 3 pm. At 4:30 pm, children - from young to teens who can handle shovels - will create a winter garden with decorative plants, cabbages and flowers donated by Seeds in the Middle's friends at Home Depot and the farmers themselves (who also bring rich soil from the country)! This is a reminder, that come spring, our farmers will return. And so will spring soccer! Out on the field, Seeds in the Middle lead coach Joe Cabral and our other coaches will lead boys and girls in soccer as others till the soil and install plants unfazed by winter frosts! Also - come tell our elected officials how we want to apply for grants for lights on the field!!!! And get indoor space for winter sports for all children.

WHO: Children from all communities - plus our farmers Roy Hildebrant and his family and Jamerican Farmer Rodrick Brown. They have brought beautiful gifts of health and joy and laughter to Crown Heights!
Guests invited: Special thanks to Sen. Eric Adams, Community Board 9 Chair Rabbi Jacob Goldstein, Linda Laviolette of Empire State Development, Gov. Cuomo's office, Bob Lewis and Jacqueline Follain and Jonathan Thomson of the State Ag and Markets, Denise Thomas and Maria Schumberger of the federal government, Eddie Vargas, Nancy Melissas, Alexander Mezzatesta and Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey of the NYC Parks and Recreation Dept., chef Jack Silberstein, mom Natasha (Nandi) Smith, NYPD Community Affairs Officer Vincent Martinos, former PS 91 Principal Solomon Long and PS 221 Principal Clara Kirkland. And especially our farmers Roy and Rodrick.

It took a lot of work and dedication to create the Crown Heights Farmers Market! Without them, it would not be here.

We hope to see Councilman Matthieu Eugene, Assemblyman Karim Camara, Save Our Streets, 71st Precinct Community Council, the NYPD, the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, among a few of the distinguished members of the community.

We also thank community volunteers, Charlene and Valerie Williams, Ashlee Bedford, Chana Rogatsky, teacher Savitree Williams and our youth marketers, Tavell King and Dina Borrell.

CONTACT: Nancie Katz - 917-697-3745 or Solomon Long 718-753-8932

Seeds in the Middle, named by fourth graders in central Brooklyn, is a not for profit which inspires parents, educators, students and their community to access all the opportunities New York City has to offer, beginning with improving their health, enhancing arts education and greening their environment. We are joyful, respectful, educational and engaging.

Our innovative strategy to fight obesity initiates at public and private elementary, middle and high schools. We weave together an array of proven programs into a comprehensive package to turn around ills driving down opportunity and advancement. We empower and educate all to get healthy and scale educational and social disparities. Our pilot schools are in Crown Heights, a neighborhood with one of the city’s highest obesity, diabetes, and heart disease rates.

We teach how to grow, how to market, how to access and prepare nutritious food, how to exercise, how to engage in the arts, all the elements needed to promote life-changing lifelong health. Our partners come from all walks of life: chefs, athletes, educators, artists, builders and more.

Founded by Nancie Katz, a former Daily News investigative reporter ,and retired PS 91 Principal Solomon Long, we cross cultures. We transform gray into green, destitution into inspiration.

Seeds in the Middle needs support to continue. All donations accepted at seedsinthemiddle.org.

SOS Crown Heights 101 and The Interrupters TONIGHT

2011-11-09T12:16:00.001-05:00

See below regarding tonight's event from SOS Crown Heights, whose critically important work to prevent gun violence has reduced shootings in their catchment area (central Crown Heights) by nearly 60% in the past year. Additionally, ILFA saw "The Interrupters" during SOS's "Week of Peace" a few weeks ago, and it was without a doubt one of the most powerful films I have ever watched. Absolutely incredible.

Dear S.O.S. Supporters,

Please join us on Wednesday 11/9 to learn more about S.O.S. at our "S.O.S. 101" meeting!
Learn more about the philosophy and approach and how you can get involved to stop gun violence in Crown Heights. The meeting will be at the Crown Heights Mediation Center, 256 Kingston Ave (between Lincoln and St. John's), from 5:30-7pm. RSVP by calling 718-773-6886.

Then go see "The Interrupters" at the IFC Center at 9pm! This critically acclaimed documentary profiles the Violence Interrupters of the Chicago CeaseFire project, on which S.O.S. is based. You can see a trailer of the film and buy tickets online here. You can also buy tickets in-person on the day of the show or in advance at the IFC Center (323 Sixth Avenue at West Third Street in Manhattan, open daily 10:30am–10pm). If you can't make it to the film festival, it is also showing this week at CineClub at 285 Kent Avenue in Brooklyn. More details are here.

We hope to see you soon. Thank you for all you do for our community!

- The S.O.S. Team

718-679-9410
www.soscrownheights.org

Occupy Brooklyn (College) GA Tomorrow

2011-11-08T10:48:00.001-05:00

The flyer says it all - come get involved on Wednesday evening at Brooklyn College.

Cops Still Creeping on Crown Heights Rooftops

2011-11-07T00:50:00.000-05:00

From an anonymous reader regarding continued bad behavior on the part of local police officers:

I remember a while back people were posting about the police doing random roof searches around Crown Heights. I live in Crown Heights off Franklin Ave and I've recently had the same problem. Two cops approached my roommate and me while we were eating dinner on our roof and gave us the option of choosing what fine we wanted, which was a $500 ticket for trespassing on our own roof or an open container ticket for drinking a glass of wine with our meal. This has happened to several people and I was wondering if you'd be interested in composing some sort of conversation on the blog in regards to the issue? It seems to be a growing problem in the community and people are starting to feel unsafe about the police intruding on their space without notice and harassing the tenants to get into the building. Any thoughts?

Almost exactly two months ago, ILFA ran a post featuring two reports of similarly unwarranted and illegal police behavior, which provoked a fairly extensive debate on this blog, Brooklynian, and elsewhere. In light of this incident, ILFA's editorial opinion remains the same: this sort of policing is counterproductive and must stop at once. Rather than making neighborhoods safer, such petty harassment creates a culture of mutual distrust between police and communities, making neighborhoods less safe and serious crimes harder to solve. While issuing bogus citations on rooftops is a long way from the worst abuses the NYPD has committed (these include gun running, murder, and the perpetuation, through stop-and-frisk tactics, of what many reasonable people rightly consider Jim Crow policing), these are not isolated incidents. They are small but nonetheless instructive examples of the degree to which the NYPD has come to see the people of New York City not as citizens to serve and protect, but as a subject population to be kept cowed and controlled at nearly any cost, particularly in neighborhoods like Crown Heights.

UPDATE: Zachary Goelman at Epichorus, someone who knows a thing or two about dealing with the NYPD, has posted an excellent rundown of what steps individuals (and organized communities) might take to effect a change in the NYPD's behavior. Essential reading for anyone who's concerned about these incidents.

Since we've already had one go-round of comments about this topic, let me try to anticipate some of the more common criticisms of this perspective, and to explain my position a little bit more in the process:

To the suggestion that this sort of policing is the necessary response to awful incidents (last time around, people cited the Labor Day shootout that killed Denise Gay, and I can only imagine that this time people will point to the rooftop shooting that killed Zurana Horton in Brownsville):

First, the responsive logic that leads to people calling for the elimination of activities related in some way to a shooting confuses proximity with causality. The West Indian Day Parade did not cause Denise Gay's death, nor did access to rooftops cause Zurana Horton's death. If we ban or criminalize every activity associated with some kind of crime in New York City, we'll be left with very little. Secondly, even if we do believe a heightened risk exists on account of rooftop access, and accept "vertical patrols" as a result, it doesn't follow that tickets for legal, peaceable behavior are in any way preventative. If anything, they're a waste of time and money that could be spent preventing actual crimes that actually threaten people. As several of our elected officials have noted in the context of stop-and-frisks or "zero tolerance," petty harassment is counterproductive in the long haul, making serious crime more difficult to prevent and solve (something I observed as a juror in a homicide case a year and a half ago).

To the tiresome nonsense about how either a) "you hipsters deserve this because you moved to a 'dangerous' neighborhood" or b) "you hipster whiners, there are much bigger things to be worried about, and anyway, the locals have it so much worse":

Last time around, Brownstoner linked this post with a different photo (featuring two reasonably stereotypical hipsters on a roof somewhere in Brooklyn), engendering most of these comments, and the Observer picked up Brownstoner's link and asked "Is 'Rooftop Hipsterism' Becoming Illegal in Crown Heights?" First off, these readers are anonymous - I (and thus you, dear reader) know nothing of their age, race, gender, economic status, or anything else about them except what I can infer from their stories. Even if we designate these contributors as new arrivals, I find the suggestion that these bogus citations are a reasonable price to pay for living in an affordable neighborhood to be total bullshit. The price we pay for policing is our taxes, and no one should be subject to police harassment. With respect to the second point, there are indeed bigger things to be worried about - that's why you'll find ILFA marching against police brutality and constantly supporting SOS Crown Heights, among other such activities - but if anything, one would think that experiencing police harassment such as this would make supposedly-callous new arrivals more sympathetic to the humiliations and violence of stop-and-frisk (and worse) that are a part of daily life for far too many New Yorkers. These incidents reveal that police misbehavior affects everyone, and that anyone, no matter how seemingly "nonthreatening" (however that's being racially-coded and gendered in a particular neighborhood) can be caught up in it when cops take a "control the streets," war-zone mentality out into a community.

This brings us, of course, to the very fair point that policing is a tough, thankless job and that most officers are just doing the best they can to get home to their families at the end of the day. I'm in complete agreement, and you'll almost never find me calling out an individual beat cop here (I've witnessed situations in which individual officers get completely out of hand, but those seem to be the exception, not the rule). This problem of what we might call the "culture of policing" goes straight to the top, where Ray Kelly, Mike Bloomberg, and the rest of the top brass promote it unchecked behind desks and podiums. A comment made by NYPD spokesman Paul J. Browne after the damning "NYPD Tapes" were released by the Village Voice is instructive. Responding to evidence that police commanders, despite official denials, were issuing quotas to regular officers, Browne said "It’s absurd to think that managers can’t establish goals that require minimum productivity." This seems reasonable enough until you remember that the "product" of policing is NOT stops, summonses, or arrests, but rather, safe streets. As the Voice tapes (and many other stories that followed from them) reveal, these quotas are handed down from headquarters and generate the sort of needless, unproductive harassment discussed above, which often escalates harmless incidents into serious ones. A key point here should be that such escalation makes the low-ranking officers themselves more vulnerable: it's not Paul Browne who takes the bullet when someone decides they've been humiliated in a stop-and-frisk for the last time and loses their mind, and it's not Ray Kelly who has to go looking for the shooter in a neighborhood that's become so hostile to the police that no one will talk to him. By suggesting that police "productivity" can be measured by the number of times police arrest someone, rather than by crime rates, the number of times police respond to resident needs, or the sense of safety in a community, Browne demonstrates the fundamental flaw in the way the NYPD's leadership thinks about policing. It's flaw that leads to illegal rooftop raids, stop-and-frisks, and the like in the service of producing numbers for those at the top to crow about, and it's a flaw, sometimes fatal, that affects us all.

If you've been issued a bogus summons or otherwise harassed by the police, contact the Civilian Complaint Review Board. Regardless of where you live or how often you interact with police, take a look at the NYCLU's helpful chart of what to do if you're stopped by a police officer. If you want to do something about this infuriating policing, have a look at Zachary Goelman's helpful how-to on Epichorus.

Thursday: Occupy Brooklyn GA in Flatbush, New CHCA Site, and More

2011-11-02T23:09:00.001-04:00

Video streaming by Ustream

- Occupy Brooklyn, whose march against stop-and-frisk policing in Brownsville yesterday garnered national headlines (see video above), host their next General Assembly today (Thursday) at the Flatbush Development Corporation (890 Flatbush Ave, Church Ave B-Q stop) at 7pm.

- The CHCA has a handsome new website, complete with a regularly-updated blog where they'll be posting regular updates about everything from local job and housing opportunities to their current campaigns. One issue they're working on at the moment, along with several other local groups and Councilwoman Letitia James, is the implementation of residential parking permits for local residents in advance of the opening of the Barclays Center next summer.

- Local architectural design studio Ground Up Designers has brought back "Tips For Tuesday," a free sweepstakes for anyone looking to improve the space where they work, live, or play. From their website:

The Giveaway: Every week, from Tuesday to Friday, you can post a picture of your space (or any other design issue you’re dealing with) on our facebook page – at the end of the week we’ll pick our favorite submission and do a custom made Tips-for-Tuesday blog post specifically for you the following Tuesday. Your post will feature a couple tips, sketches, and diagrams on ways to improve your space — nothing too serious but hopefully a little helpful!

The Giant Hole is on the Market!

2011-11-01T20:48:00.003-04:00

Crain's New York and The Real Deal reported today that 341 Eastern Parkway, aka the Giant Hole at the corner of Eastern and Franklin, is on the market as a shovel-ready site. From Crain's, who broke the story almost three years since the last time anyone was working on the site:

A prime corner development site in Brooklyn, less than three blocks from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and Prospect Park, is up for grabs.

The 14,000-square-foot vacant lot, located at 341 Eastern Parkway on the corner of Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights, is already approved for a 77,000-square-foot, eight–story mixed-use development with 63 residential units, according to Ofer Cohen, president of TerraCRG Commercial Realty Group, the brokerage firm retained to exclusively market the site. He added that the site was assembled by the seller many years ago.

The seller “maintained active [building] permits and, most recently, decided to take advantage of the improving conditions of the market,” said Mr. Cohen. There is no price for the site, and bids are preliminarily due Nov. 22.

The site, which is at the corner of the fledgling Franklin Avenue retail corridor, has approved plans for more than 7,500 square feet of retail space, more than 870 square feet of community space and 38 parking spots. The Franklin Avenue subway station, with access to the 2, 3, 4 and 5 trains, is also directly in front of the site. It is also near the Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Public Library.

This is a viable site for either condo or rental development, noted Mr. Cohen. Rents were projected to fetch $42 to $45 per square foot, while a condo could get in the mid-$600 per square foot range, according to Brendan Aguayo, a residential broker who worked on the original plan.

"Fledgling Franklin Avenue retail corridor," eh? Clearly Crain's has not been reading the annual ILFA development roundup. In all seriousness, though, it's remarkable how similar this article is to the one the New York Sun (RIP, neocon broadsheet, RIP) ran three-plus years ago about the original development plan. To wit (and note the author!):

A main thoroughfare in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood, an increasingly powerful magnet for recent college graduates and young professionals seeking affordable rent and access to mass transit, is undergoing a transformation. The bodegas, hair salons, and fast-food restaurants lining the section of Franklin Avenue that runs between Eastern Parkway and Atlantic Avenue, on the western boundary of Crown Heights, are slowly being replaced by organic markets, cafés, and clothing boutiques [...]

While the retail scene is rapidly changing, there is also a transformation in the residential market. A shopkeeper who owned a variety store at the corner of Eastern Parkway and Franklin Avenue for 21 years, Eli Mazon, is now developing the building into an eight floor, 62-unit rental building. The project, which is set for completion in the spring 2010, will include studios, and one and two bedrooms, in addition to commercial office space. While the rents have not yet been finalized, the development, which will also boast a garage, gym, and doorman, will range from $2,000 a month to $3,500 a month.

So what's changed in three years? I mean, 35 new businesses notwithstanding, the various speculation I've heard about this site in the intervening 37 months (whoa - that's practically one new business a month! Just realized that, folks.) has almost always centered on the need to scale down the original plan, perhaps to a single-story Duane Reade or Walgreens. There was also talk of Medgar Evers College buying the site, as well as a bank branch. Still, three years later, it seems the original plan (8 stories, 63 units, gym - was this the one Tish was talking about? - and ground floor retail) is back on the table. So, readers, while it's unlikely we'll have much say, what would your perfect bid for this site look like?

The Annual Neighborhood Change Roundup

2011-10-31T10:47:00.001-04:00

It's been a little over three years since ILFA started up (obligatory link to the first post here), and while the blog and its writer have changed quite a bit since then, there's still no shortage of things to talk about on the Avenue. One constant, of course, has been neighborhood change - by ILFA's latest count, no fewer than 35 new businesses have opened on or just off Franklin between Eastern and Atlantic since the lady and I moved in at the beginning of August in 2008, and the past year has been especially active. Thus, without further ado, it's time for the annual breakdown of commercial development on Franklin Avenue. As always, let me know if I've missed anything.

In last year's rundown, ILFA counted 21 new businesses (with 7 more coming soon), 17 renovations, and 15 closings (including two new and two renovated businesses) along Franklin since summer 2008. This year, with 6 out of those 7 projects completed and another 8 businesses open, the grand totals since 2008 look like this: 35 new businesses (with 5 more coming soon), 21 renovations (completed or in progress), and 19 closings (including three new and three renovated businesses). The complete lists look like this:

35 New Businesses (working north from Eastern - this year's additions in bold):

The Pulp and The Bean

wino(t)

JamRock Kitchen
Mazon Discount
Veggies

Barboncino

Brooklyn Inkspot (the one next to Dutch Boy)
Dutch Boy Burger
The Breukelen Coffee House
Franklin Park
Nairobi's Knapsack (now closed)

Pine Tree

Away We Go Postal

The Beauty Boutique
Chavela's

The Candy Rush

Rosebud Vintage

Lily & Fig
LaunchPad
First Impressions Dental
Alternative Healing
MySpace Realty

Owl and Thistle General Store

BNI Express Laundromat
Crow Hill Jewelry (the pawn shop)
The Pana Store

Sweet Basil

Franklin Roadhouse (might be closing?)

A Slice of Brooklyn
Oaxaca Taco (now closed)

Gueros Tacos

The Laundromat in the Jewish Hospital (on St. Marks)

Compare Foods

Posh Nails NYC

Kecia J. Weaver Law Office

5 Coming Soon:

739 Franklin (lounge)

The Crown Inn (new bar/restaurant from Franklin Park owners)

Salad Bar (in the former Inkspot Space)

Pharmacy (at St. Mark's and Franklin)

Gym (as mentioned by Tish James at the CHCA meeting)

21 Renovations and Expansions (done, planned, or in progress):

Fisher's/Bob & Betty's

Gourmet Deli Grocery (Lincoln and Franklin)

Golden Chopsticks
Franklin Express Laundry

Brooklyn Inkspot (moved up the block)

Franklin Park (the big bar)
Breukelen Coffee House (the back room)
Nam's (forever rearranging/renovating)

Christopher Deli (new awning)

Bristen's/Island Thyme (now closed)
About Time (always keeping it fresh)
J&B Deli (now closed, became Chavela's)
3D's (said they were renovating, even looked like they started, but I think they've closed)
J's Wong (used to be Happy Wok, moved, but the same guys)
Homage (now closed on account of that fire)

Lasting Impressions Salon

Franklin Express Deli
Bombay Masala (opened a garden)
Preschool (mural and some indoor work)
Franklyn Deli
Sushi Tatsu (new awning, Thai menu)

19 Closed:

Scarlet Ribbons Thrift Shop (now wino(t), moved to Fulton)

NA Candy Store (deli)

790 Franklin (I think it was an electronics place)
Diana's Desserts (now Inkspot, moved to Washington)
The Spice is Right (now half of Barboncino)

Bristen's (now Away We Go Postal)

Nairobi's Knapsack (now Pine Tree)
King Accessory (now The Beauty Boutique)

3D's (renovations seem permanently stalled)

J&B Deli (now Chavela's)
Off the Hook Communications
El Baron Grocery (soon to be The Crown Inn)
West Indian Cafe (now J's Wong)
Saje (actually closed just before I got here, now the Pana Store)
Homage (renovated, fire)
Muslim Bookshop (fire)

World Class People's Market (deli)

Insurance (now Oaxaca Taco)

Oaxaca Taco (now Gueros Tacos)

Some thoughts:

- Granted, these lists don't make for easy digestion, but the broad trends are clear enough, and looking at what I said last year (or even in the first rundown in 2009), I think most of it still holds true. There's an obvious gentrifying trend, but it's not quite as simple as bar-replaces-bodega, as several businesses that don't scream "change" have opened and are doing a brisk business (Mazon's, the Pana Store, the Pawn Shop, BNI Laundromat, Compare Foods, etc), while others that do (Nairobi's Knapsack, and now perhaps Franklin Roadhouse - they've been closed a lot recently) - have gone under. Commercial development is only part of the story (many would argue that residential development and displacement are the driving forces behind gentrification, and the most problematic, and there's nothing of that in these lists), but it's a key part, because commercial establishments function as gathering places, cultural institutions, and, of course, sources of sustenance. If a place you can't afford (and don't feel welcome) replaces an affordable place where you knew everyone (not to say that this always happens, just hypothesizing), that's a pretty de-centering and disempowering experience, both materially and symbolically.

- The Pawn Shop! Remember that? A community organization brought a diverse community together and forced the closure of a pawn shop, arguing that such businesses are a destructive force with respect to crime and debt cycles (and as I said over and over at the time, the data was and still is on their side) and, more effectively, that the shop was in violation of zoning codes, and won! And then two weeks later, it re-opened as Crow Hill Jewelry (an f-you to said community org) "buying gold and electronics" and making cash loans, but apparently, the zoning code only applies if you have the word "pawn" in your name, so they were allowed to stay. Talk about a toothless law. Anyway, after a year in operation, the pawn shop seems to generally provoke something between grudging respect (many a merchant respects their tenacity, and points out that no great harm has come of one more pawn shop in a larger area that already had several) to eye-rolling frustration (I've gotten more than one email complaining about their garish "we buy gold" banners and the general nose-thumbing attitude they take - "Crow Hill Jewelry," the banners, etc - to the residents of a block that was going to be landmarked). But there they are, after all that.

- Finally, Franklin doesn't exist in a vacuum - Washington and Classon to the west are blowing up just as fast (if you're looking for a symbol of gentrification, look no further than the Kinky Krown cocktail at the Bearded Lady - in the former Kinky Krowns salon spot - on Washington), and to the east, Nostrand has witnessed a spate of openings in the past year that range from high-end to light-industrial (NoBar, an auto body shop, and many more - Nostrand Park, I'd love to see your list for your Avenue!). In last week's openings post, some folks were discussing these issues, so to close, I'll pose some of the same questions they ask: What are your takeaways from the rapid development of northwest Crown Heights, and how does Franklin figure in the larger picture, as compared to Washington/Classon/Rodgers/Bedford/Nostrand)? How about Franklin south of Eastern Parkway (where the past year has seen the opening of a MetroPCS and Roti 'n Dumplings, a series of storefront renovations, and the promise of another Bob & Betty's?)? What do these changes mean, practically, for you and for the neighborhood at large? Finally, even though change is the only constant, it looks different neighborhood to neighborhood (the process is not the same in Williamsburg as in Fort Greene, to take two prominent and well-covered examples). How can/should we, as residents, merchants, and landlords, seek to channel this change in the service of building a healthy community that serves everyone, longtime locals and new arrivals, on Franklin Avenue? Is it possible?

Halloween Parade Postponed 'til Sunday

2011-10-28T22:53:00.000-04:00

But the Built in Brooklyn Craft Fair is still on a LaunchPad from 12-6!

119 Years Later, Recognition for a Fabulous First

2011-10-27T22:28:00.000-04:00

The City Concealed: Weeksville from Thirteen.org on Vimeo.

View Larger Map

This Friday at 11am, at Utica and Bergen Avenues, a small group will gather to dedicate a block of Utica Avenue "Moses P. Cobb Way." While it will be doubtless be a small, brief ceremony, it acknowledges a truly remarkable piece of history, the story of how a freedman from Kinston, North Carolina walked all the way to Brooklyn and became, in 1892, the City of New York's first full career African-American police officer.

Cobb was born a slave in 1856, and sometime during Reconstruction, he set out for Brooklyn's Weeksville, a community founded by free blacks and freed slaves. Google Maps suggests that such a journey would be 526 miles and take 6 days and 19 hours of walking time on today's roads, but 150 years ago, it's likely Cobb was walking for over a month. A few of Weeksville's original homes, the Hunterfly Road Houses, survive today (in the shadow of NYCHA's Kingsborough Houses), managed by the Weeksville Society for the public, but in the 19th century, it was a thriving black community, and Cobb made his home there, finding a job as a janitor at the local police station (This from Evangeline Porter, the President of the Crow Hill Community Association, which takes its name from a 19th-century moniker that may have referred to North Crown Heights/South Bed-Stuy's status as an African-American neighborhood). From there, he was eventually encouraged to take the qualifying exam and become a police officer, which he did in 1892.

The Brooklyn Rail's Kevin Plumberg did a nice story about this back in 2003, where he wrote:

"Moses P. Cobb was a tough man. He was born a slave in Kinston, North Carolina in 1856. After emancipation, he sought a new start to his life, literally step-by-step, by walking to New York City from North Carolina. After his sojourn, Cobb bought a house in Weeksville, a community in Brooklyn’s Ninth Ward formed by freed slaves. In 1892, he became his neighborhood’s first Black policeman."

Hopefully he or a similarly-inclined reporter will be out at Utica and Bergen tomorrow to acknowledge this lesser-known but remarkable piece of New York, and Brooklyn's African American History.

Built in Brooklyn Craft Fair, Crown Heights Farmer's Market, and More

2011-10-27T11:51:00.000-04:00

- This Saturday, after marching in the CHCA Garden-to-Garden Halloween Parade, stop off at LaunchPad for the 4th installment of the Built in Brooklyn Craft Fair, featuring the wares of many local artisans. With only two months until the various gift-giving holidays, these craft fairs are perfect places to pick up something that's neither too expensive nor too predictable for the folks at home, wherever home may be.

- The Seeds in the Middle Crown Heights Farmers Market is on today despite the rain at Hamilton Metz Park (Albany and Lefferts) from 1:30 - 7pm.

- Finally, the folks at Ground Up Designers (a fantastic, locally-based and community-conscious design firm - you might remember their Built + Branded project from 2010) are looking for a collaborator on a new community-dependent architecture installation for Franklin Avenue this coming summer. If you're an architect or creative engineer, get in touch with them.

New Pharmacy at St. Marks and Franklin

2011-10-27T11:30:00.001-04:00

Only a few doors up from Swan Pharmacy, though this space is significantly bigger. Wonder how they'll fare.

Occupy Brooklyn General Assembly This Thursday

2011-10-25T23:51:00.000-04:00

For those invested in bringing conversations about economic inequality to the borough of Kings, the second #OccupyBrooklyn general assembly will convene this Thursday at 918 Kent Avenue at 7pm.

Halloween Happenings on Franklin

2011-10-25T16:16:00.000-04:00

If you're looking for a way to celebrate Halloween this week and weekend, there's no need to leave the neighborhood. The fun kicks off for adults tomorrow with a Kings County Cinema Society double bill of horror flicks at LaunchPad (see below for more info). On Saturday, kids of all ages are encouraged to come out for the Crow Hill Community Association's 2nd Annual Franklin Ave Halloween Parade (click on the flyer above for more info). The CHCA folks are particularly enthusiastic about having in-costume adults out for the event, even if you're not accompanying a child. If you're a creative type, bring your drums/puppets/panpipes/masks/etc - as the organizers emphasized, they're aiming for a spectacle this year.

J-Horror Double Bill Wednesday: A twisted double feature of inspired hyper-gore and pop-culture curios from Japan: Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl (dir. Yoshihiro Nishimura & Naoyuki Tomomatsu, 2009, 84min) and 964 Pinocchio(Shozin Fukui, 1991, 97min). The former is a tragic love triangle with zero production value and cartoonish amounts of neck-blood fountain action. Description of the latter, courtesy of IMDB: “Pinocchio 964, lobotomised cyborg sex slave, is thrown out onto the street by his owners because of his inability to maintain an erection. He is befriended by a criminally insane, memory-wiped, homeless girl. Meanwhile, the corporate entity who manufactured and sold him plots to kill him because of his malfunction.” Vampire Girl trailer at our site.

Preceded by the recent short “Zombie in a Penguin Suit”

Details: Wednesday October 26 / 8pm / at LaunchPad, 721 Franklin Ave btw/ Park and Sterling. 2/3/4/5 to Franklin Ave.
FREE / BYOB / popcorn provided.

Vampire Girl at 8pm; 964 Pinocchio at 9:30. **Probably not appropriate for small children, squeamish adults, or anyone else, really**

Openings in the Neighborhood: Juice Hugger, Barboncino, and More

2011-10-24T01:17:00.000-04:00

- Juice Hugger Cafe hosts a Grand Opening Party this Tuesday, October 25, from 6-9pm in their new space on 85 Rodgers Ave (between St. Marks and Prospect). Click on the flyer for more details above - it sounds like a great time, and if you've had their stuff at other local businesses (including The Pulp & The Bean), you know the product is tasty.

- Barboncino, which seems to be nearly as full as the new Chavela's most nights, scored a very nice review from the Serious Eats folks. As they write, "the place could hold its own against some of the top-tier joints in the city." Not bad at all!

- As mentioned on Brooklynian and at the most recent CHCA meeting (full recap coming soon), the former Brooklyn Inkspot location is being converted by the current owners into a salad bar joint, with lots of veggie options.

- Across the street, the sign is up for The Crown Inn (formerly known as Franklin Avenue Beer and Grocery), the oysters-and-cocktails bar from the Franklin Park folks. Any word on when they're opening?

- Finally, and perhaps most interestingly of all, Councilwoman Letitia James mentioned at the CHCA meeting that she has been talking with a developer and local gym/fitness chain that wants to bring a gym and fitness center to Crown Heights, and specifically Franklin Avenue. She said she couldn't say more than that, but realistically, the only places south of Atlantic where such a thing would even fit would be the old Nassau Brewery, the giant hole (formerly Mazon's) at Eastern Parkway, or one of the lots that Medgar Evers College owns down on Montgomery. Development in any one of these spots would be quite a game-changer for the blocks around it. Needless to say, ILFA is curious - tips and info on this project would be most appreciated!

Crown Heights Survey from a Social Work Student

2011-10-21T12:41:00.002-04:00

(At Tuesday's CHCA meeting, social work graduate student Heather Day introduced herself and mentioned that she's conducting a study of the area as part of her degree. Being a grad student myself, I'm inclined to assist a fellow traveler, so below, you'll find the complete survey that she's been asking locals to complete (if, of course, they're so inclined). If you'd like to help her out, you can reach her with replies to these questions at hday09 {at} gmail {dot} com. Feel free, also, to share thoughts about one or more of these questions in the comment thread below, whether in the form of responses to them or ideas for questions you'd like to see asked an answered in a study of Crown Heights.)

I am a grad student at Fordham Lincoln Center for Social Work and am working on a paper now which examines the many facets of Franklin ave and the surrounding community. I will be sharing it with my professor and anyone else interested, but am not seeking any sort of publication and will respect the confidentiality of people who share their thoughts. If people would like to talk individually, I am open to emailing.

Below is a list of questions - I've tried to put the ones I'm most interested in towards the top. It would be very helpful if, in the comments section when people respond (or in email responses), they could list their gender, age, race/ethnicity, and cross streets (or at least whether or not if they live in the vicinity of Classon-Franklin-Bedford between Eastern Parkway and Atlantic).

Questions below - thank you!

What do you call this neighborhood? Have you heard it called anything else? Why the different names?
What do you see as the neighborhood's greatest strengths?
What do you see as the neighborhoods greatest struggles and areas for improvement?
Whose responsibility is it to improve the neighborhood (police, long term residents, new residents, business owners, youth, elderly, etc)
On a scale of 1-5, 5 being safe and 1 being dangerous, how comfortable do you feel walking down Franklin ave? Why? Does the time of day effect your comfort level?
Do you see the police presence as mostly helpful or mostly harmful?

How long have you lived here? Why did you move here?
Do you spend leisure time in the neighborhood? If so where? If not, why?
Do you go to Franklin Park, 95 South, or any other bars in the neighborhood? What do you prefer and why?
Where do you get food and why?
Do your children go to school locally or do you teach locally? Why/why not. Rating of school?
To what extent would you describe it as racially/culturally segregated or integrated?
Does the West Indian Day Parade have a positive or negative impact on the community?
If it could be anything, what would you like to see in the open space behind the construction barriers on the corner of Franklin and Eastern Parkway?

How long do you see yourself living here? Why?
How do you feel about new restaurants, vintage/gift shops etc? Barboncino, Chavellas, Gueros, Candy Rush, Winot, Lily & Fig, Rosebud Vintage, Owl and Thistle. Do you frequent them?
Do you spend time at the BK museum or the Botanic Gardens? Launchpad or Five Myles Gallery?
Employed/Unemployed/Searching/In School?
If you work, is it in the community or elsewhere? If you work here, do you live here or elsewhere?
How well is your building maintained?

Do you recycle?
Are there noise issues in the neighborhood? If so, explain
How do you get information about local happenings?
To what extent are drugs a problem? Guns? Homelessness?
Do you vote? Are there other ways you are involved in neighborhood development?

SOS Crown Heights Presents The Interrupters Friday at 6pm

2011-10-20T23:58:00.000-04:00

As part of their Week of Peace, SOS Crown Heights is screening the award-winning documentary The Interrupters (trailer above) tomorrow night. From the same Chicago filmmakers who created the seminal documentary Hoop Dreams in the early 1990s, The Interrupters follows three "violence interrupters" from Chicago Ceasefire, whose public health approach to gun violence has proven remarkably effective at reducing the needless death and destruction caused by shooting (and serves as an international model, replicated in our neighborhood by SOS Crown Heights).

The screening starts promptly at 6pm in the auditorium of PS 289 (900 St. Marks, at Kingston Ave), and will feature presentations from SOS Crown Heights violence interrupters after the film. More information can be found here.

Three for Thursday (Part 4): Occupy the Media

2011-10-20T13:29:00.003-04:00

That's right, there's yet another great event taking place this evening, along with the 2010 Census Redistricting Panel, an Occupy Brooklyn General Assembly on Franklin Ave, and the SOS Crown Heights Peace March. From the BFC website:

Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective presents

OCCUPY THE MEDIA

The Role of Independent Media at Occupy Wall Street

October 20th, 7:30pm
The Commons
388 Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn
$8 suggested donation (nobody turned away)

Watch the trailer: http://vimeo.com/30503793

4 FILMS • 10 FILMMAKERS • OCCUPY WALL STREET

In just under three weeks over 10,000 videos about OccupyWallStreet have been created and uploaded online. These videos - revealing police excess, marches, general assemblies and more formal documentaries covering the nature and processes of the movement - are helping to activate and proliferate the movement worldwide.

The Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective will host a discussion and screening looking at the practice and theory of covering a social movement through video. Four of the most viewed videos from #OccupyWallStreet (with over 600,500 views to date) will be presented by the Brooklyn filmmakers who created them.

Guest moderator Martin Lucas, director of the Integrated Media Arts MFA program at Hunter College and a senior fellow at the Center for Health Media Policy, will lead a discussion on the role of video in social movements, the coverage of Occupy Wall Street, and the potential challenges of the overwhelming amount of media coming out of Occupy Wall Street today.

An informal reception to follow. Oh, and cheap beers.

Films:
Nobody Can Predict The Moment Of Revolution by Iva Radivojevic and Martyna Starosta, 8 min
Right Here All Over by Alex Mallis, Lily Henderson & Ed David, 7 min
@OccupyTheHood, Occupy Wall Street by Adele Pham, 3 min
Consensus by Meerkat Media Collective, 8 min

Directions:
The Commons
388 Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11217
‪Hoyt - Schermerhorn A, C, G / Bergen F, G / Nevins St. 2, 3, 4, 5
Join our event on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=160341454058560
http://occupywallst.org
http://occupytogether.org
http://brooklynfilmmakerscollective.com

Three for Thursday: SOS Crown Heights 2nd Annual Peace March

2011-10-20T01:34:00.004-04:00

(There are three great events happening today: a 2010 Census Redistricting Panel, an Occupy Brooklyn General Assembly on Franklin Ave, and the SOS Crown Heights Peace March).

I can't say it better than the folks from SOS Crown Heights, so I'm just re-posting their announcement here. If you live along Franklin and want to participate, the CHCA has registered to march as a group and will be leaving from the Crow Hill Community Garden (Franklin between Sterling and Park) at 5:30pm sharp.

Via SOS Crown Heights:

On Thursday, October 20th at 6 PM, join hundreds of members from the community in demanding an end to the violence, supporting all the victims of violence and their families, and celebrating the positive changes the community has made to reduce gun-violence.

We will be congregating on the north side of Eastern Parkway and Utica Avenue at 6:00pm, and marching on the sidewalk along Eastern Parkway to Troy Ave, from Troy marching to Sterling Place, from Sterling Place to Kingston Ave. We will be concluding the March with a ceremony around Brower Park.

We look forward to seeing you and all our community partners there. Register your group for the S.O.S. Peace March online by clicking HERE or print the form HERE and fax it to 718-774-5349.

Last year, hundreds of people came out for our Peace March. See some footage of the March below.

Three for Thursday: Occupy Brooklyn Brings the General Assembly to Franklin Avenue

2011-10-20T01:30:00.000-04:00

(There are three great events happening today: a 2010 Census Redistricting Panel, an Occupy Brooklyn General Assembly on Franklin Ave, and the SOS Crown Heights Peace March).

Occupy Brooklyn, our home borough's branch of the nationwide phenomenon launched by Occupy Wall Street, is bringing their particular flavor of direct democracy - a General Assembly - to 613 Franklin Avenue tomorrow at 7pm. If you care about the issues this movement has come represent, most notably economic inequality, there's no better way to get involved.

From their FB invite (which already has 75 attendees):

Come one, come all to the next General Assembly of Occupy Brooklyn. We would like for these meetings to be representative of the Brooklyn community at large, so we hope that people all of backgrounds living anywhere in Brooklyn will come out.

A team appointed at the first GA has identified a location and time and has offered a proposed agenda. At the GA, all members will be able to propose further agenda items, and vote on a final agenda at the beginning of the meeting.

Invite Your Friends and Family in Brooklyn!!!

Proposed Agenda:

-Basics of the GA, why and how this is participatory
-Finalize Agenda
-Brief Announcements and Check-ins about what work is already being done in Brooklyn
-Relationship to OWS
-Should we occupy?
-Possible direct actions
-Identify working groups
-Divide into working groups

Three for Thursday: Redistricting Presentation from Dr. John Flateau

2011-10-20T01:19:00.001-04:00

(There are three great events happening today: a 2010 Census Redistricting Panel, an Occupy Brooklyn General Assembly on Franklin Ave, and the SOS Crown Heights Peace March).

Thursday, Thursday, Thursday - this is the first of three posts about the trio of great events happening today in the wider area. At 6:30pm over in Clinton Hill, Dr. John Flateau of Medgar Evers College (speaking in the video above) is presenting on "The 2010 Census, Reapportionment, and Redistricting: What Will Be the Impact on Our Community?" Sponsored by District Leader (for the 57th AD) Olanike Alabi, the event will take place at the Teen Challenge Center (444 Clinton Avenue, between Gates and Greene Avenues).

With so much happening today, ILFA's almost certainly not going to get to this event, but it struck me as interesting and important enough to post. Redistricting is one of the least-understood things political parties do, and consequently, one of the most fraught with corruption and misbehavior (there's an excellent documentary out about it called "Gerrymandering," in which our own 57th State Assembly District features prominently). If you're more of a policy wonk (and if marching and direct democracy aren't your thing), this is the Thursday event for you.

CHCA Meeting Tuesday at 7:30 pm

2011-10-17T23:04:00.001-04:00

This month's CHCA meeting takes place on Tuesday, October 18 at 7:30 PM in the Gospel Tabernacle Church (725 Franklin). Check their website, blog, other blog, or FB page for more info.

Crown Heights, Riots, Gentrification: Some Fresh Takes on the Usual Topics

2011-10-17T23:01:00.003-04:00

I thought this video from City Limits reporter Rae Gomes did a nice job of capturing some of the ever-present local issues through local artist voices. Also, for those who are still thinking about the Crown Heights Riot, Medgar Evers College and the Brooklyn Historical Society are co-hosting "Streets of Rage," this Sunday at Medgar's auditorium on Bedford from 2pm - 5pm (more info below):

October 23

20 Years Since the Crown Heights Riot of August 1991

2:00-5:00 p.m.
This event is free and takes place at Medgar Evers College, Auditorium, 1650 Bedford Avenue
Listen as historians and community members respond to oral history interviews with Crown Heights residents recorded in the 1990s and 2010. What’s changed? What’s stayed the same? The panel will include the following guests: co-curators of the Crown Heights History Project, 1993-1994 Craig Wilder, professor of American History at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of A Covenant with Color: Race and Social Power in Brooklyn, and Jill Vexler, anthropologist and curator of exhibitions about cultural identity and social history; Dexter Wimberly, curator of the Crown Heights Goldexhibition at the Skylight Gallery (July 28-Oct 31, 2011); Rabbi Eli Cohen, Executive Director of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council; and Alex Kelly, organizer of Crown Heights Oral History - Listen To This, and the student interview team from Paul Robeson High School. This program is co-sponsored by the Center for Women's Development and the President’s Office at Medgar Evers College. This event is free and open to the public.

This event is part of Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations, a public programming series and oral history project about mixed-heritage families, race, ethnicity, culture, and identity, infused with historical perspective. This project is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Endowment for the Humanities, New York Council for the Humanities, Two Trees Management, Brooklyn Brewery, Sweet ’N Low Division of Cumberland Packing, and Con Edison.

I love Franklin Ave.

The Times Returns: Franklin Back in the News

Monday News and Links: Stork, Bella Greens

Crown Heights = Carroll Gardens, Part II?

Calling All Artists and Educators: Art To End Violence, from SOS Crown Heights

Support Art Not Arrests from Ground Up Designers on Kickstarter

Wednesday: Economic Education

The State of Things, or, This Week's Politicking

Saturday Links: PS 316, Five Myles, & More

SOS Crown Heights Shooting Response Today, 6pm At Albany and Park

Supporting Local Schools: PS 316 Prospective Parents Meet-and-Greet at The Candy Rush This Saturday (Updated)

CHCA Meeting Updates: Safe in This Place Still Seeking Participants (and much more)

Lunch at Bella Greens (717 Franklin)

A Killing in East New York Reverberates in Crown Heights

Crow Hill Community Association Meeting, 7:30 PM @ Gospel Tabernacle Church Tuesday

Honoring Dr. King in Crown Heights

Midweek Links: Safe in This Place Tomorrow (Thursday), Ideas for the Bedford-Union Armory

Secondary Sound Jam Night at Breukelen Coffee House, Tonight at 9pm

Great Franklin Park Reading Series Tonight Featuring Sam Lipsyte and Gary Lutz

ILFA Gets Inked

Weekend Links: Art and Armories

Safe in This Place Seeking Participants

Coming in 2012: CHCA Garden Installation from Ground Up Designers

Franklin Avenue: The Year in Review

Happy Holidays From ILFA

Another Major Residential Development Planned for St. Marks

Last Minute: Peace Caroling with SOS Crown Heights Today at 3:30 PM

Cartoon Carnival at LaunchPad Thursday at 8pm

12/22: Tom Stathes Cartoon Carnival: Holiday Edition at LaunchPad

Crow Hill Community Association Meeting Tonight: Bring Items for Holiday Drives

Get Your Holidays Started on Monday

Eve & Mike's Pharmacy Open

Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday

Seeds in the Middle Presents Soccer for Harmony This Sunday

Hammer Time - Changes South of EP

Shopping Local For Gifts

Trees! Lit for the Holidays, Friends Year-Round

Franklin Park Reading Series: Monster Bash Monday at 8PM

Safe in this Place: A Franklin Avenue Theater and Dialogue Project, Monday at 7pm

Updates for a Chilly Weekend: Tea Bella, Safe in this Place, Reading Series, and more

UPDATED: More SUNday Fun: Tea Bella Jewelry Trunk Show at Breukelen Coffee House

UPDATED: Let There Be Light!

Vegan Book Swap at LaunchPad on Saturday

Vegan/ AR Book Swap 2.0

Saturday, December 10th, 2-5pm@LaunchPad721 Franklin Ave (btw. Sterling & Park)Crown Heights, Brooklyn

Trees Follow Development and More: Monday Links

Food for Thought: Weekend Links

Support Your Small Businesses and Local Artisans This Saturday

Salad Bar Taking Shape

Built in Brooklyn Craft Fair Saturday

Storefront Stuff: LaunchPad, Park Deli, Barboncino

Weekend Links

Occupy Everywhere Thursday

Local Happenings: Sixpoint at Bob & Betty's, Block Association Meeting at Sushi Tatsu, Searching for Soccer Coaches

CHCA Meeting Tonight

Two Missing Children In Brooklyn

Readings Tonight (Monday): Electric Literature at the Franklin Park Reading Series

Occupy Brooklyn, Occupy Your Block This Weekend

Opening Night at The Crown Inn, Beer @ Bob & Betty's Tonight

Final Crown Heights Farmers Market of the Season Today

SOS Crown Heights 101 and The Interrupters TONIGHT

Occupy Brooklyn (College) GA Tomorrow

Cops Still Creeping on Crown Heights Rooftops

Thursday: Occupy Brooklyn GA in Flatbush, New CHCA Site, and More

The Giant Hole is on the Market!

The Annual Neighborhood Change Roundup

Halloween Parade Postponed 'til Sunday

119 Years Later, Recognition for a Fabulous First

Built in Brooklyn Craft Fair, Crown Heights Farmer's Market, and More

New Pharmacy at St. Marks and Franklin

Occupy Brooklyn General Assembly This Thursday

Halloween Happenings on Franklin

Openings in the Neighborhood: Juice Hugger, Barboncino, and More

Crown Heights Survey from a Social Work Student

SOS Crown Heights Presents The Interrupters Friday at 6pm

Three for Thursday (Part 4): Occupy the Media

Three for Thursday: SOS Crown Heights 2nd Annual Peace March

Three for Thursday: Occupy Brooklyn Brings the General Assembly to Franklin Avenue

Three for Thursday: Redistricting Presentation from Dr. John Flateau

CHCA Meeting Tuesday at 7:30 pm

Saturday, December 10th, 2-5pm
@LaunchPad
721 Franklin Ave (btw. Sterling & Park)
Crown Heights, Brooklyn