Brooklyn art exhibit honors victim of gun violence

webadmin on November 2, 2022

By Billy Wood

news@queensledger.com

The Melquain Jatelle Anderson Foundation (MJAF) held the “Disrupting the Hate” art exhibit at the Central Brooklyn Library from Oct. 21-25.

The event is held on those days because Anderson was born on Oct. 21 and was murdered on Oct. 25 outside Faragut Houses at 26-years-old.

“I wanted to do an art exhibit to show people disrupting the hate through artistry because you can actually heal through art, whether you are the observer or the artist,” said Michelle Barnes- Anderson, his mother, founder, and chief executive officer of MJAF.

The MJAF is a community service organization in Brooklyn where they provide both support and comfort to victims of gun violence along with their loved ones.

Black Boy Magic by Monae Benet

There is also a scholarship and fund in support of undergraduate students at John Jay College of Criminal Studies in the memory of Anderson. He was a Brooklyn Knight and John Jay Student.

The foundation did a one day art exhibit in 2019 at the Brooklyn Museum. This year’s event had about 33 different forms of art from painting, drawings, poems, and lyrics. They received artwork from daycare children all the way to more established artists.

While all of the art resonates with her because it reminds her of her son from his early ages of drawing in grade school to him becoming a fashion designer, there was one exhibit that she felt was important and that was done by the daycare called “My King and I.”

It shows pictures of the fathers with their children surrounded by their young ones’ paintings.

“It’s really about the fathers. And I wanted to uplift our black young fathers in the neighborhood,” Barnes-Anderson said. “That was so important to me to make sure we have the daycare because they need to know that their love, they’re needed in the community.”

This year’s exhibit took place at the Central Brooklyn Library and throughout the five day event there have been over 400 people that have attended.

“I wanted the experience for people being in the art exhibit and also utilizing other things that the library has because it’s a wealth of information,” said Barnes-Anderson. “We need to exploit that with the library so people can know this is not something that you just come to for research.”

The library hosts a full slate of different exhibitions, marquee and signature programs; however, this one was unique.

“We really feel like it’s important to give back to the community,” said Cora Fisher, the curator of visual arts program at the Central Brooklyn Library.

“There’s a lot going on in the world relating to these issues, which feels very timely,” Fisher said. “I mean it’s been really a special, a special experience.”

She is always advocating that visual arts is a form of material knowledge and this exhibit is an example of that. She is excited by the whole spectrum of this showcase as it is multi-generational.

“To see babies and toddlers all the way up to elders making work in a responsive way I think is very powerful,” Fisher said.

Barnes-Anderson said she honored and blessed for the library to have hosted the event for her this year. She is hopeful that she will be able to do it again there next year if there is space available.

The MJAF will be hosting an event on Oct. 30 to celebrate their fifth annual scholarship recipients, NYPD and honorees award ceremony.

For more information on that event and the MJAF organization please visit their website at https://mjascholarship.org.

“Untitled Self Portraits” — artwork from Fort Greene Preparatory Academy

Pol Position: Zeldin is making the race close

webadmin on November 2, 2022

While New York is traditionally seen as a blue state, Long Island Representative Lee Zeldin seems to be making a real push for the governor’s race against Democratic incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Zeldin came out strong in the first half of last Tuesday’s NY1 debate against Governor Kathy Hochul – sticking to his usual stump of “saving the state” by repealing bail reform and instituting tax cuts.

For the first twenty or so minutes, Hochul seemed asleep at the wheel, playing the defensive while Zeldin acted like he shotgunned a can of Monster.

The debate focused on major issues like crime (which multiple polls ahve shown is the top concern on New York’s mind), abortion, affordable housing, gun control and more.

While Zeldin came out strong in the first half, Hochul was able to bounce back putting Zeldin in a bind over whether he supported Donald Trump (his answer waffled on working with Donald Trump on issues) and attacking Zeldin on his abortin record (which is smart politics for Hochul, trying not to hemorrhage support of liberal women concerned about crime.)

Overall Zeldin stayed on the offensive all night and it worked for him – clearly winning the debate.In recent years, there have been questions about the effectiveness of polls and if they have any real bearing on swinging undecided voters. While Zeldin can make clips out of them to post to social media, it’s not clear whether it will help move the needle for him.

Regardless of the debate’s effect, polling has shown that the race is tighter than most would have imagined over the last two months. While the polls differ in voting spreads, they all show a tightening race.

Emerson College had Hochul leading by 15 percent in September, while their October poll had her only up by 7 percent. Sienna College had Hochul leading by 17 percent in September but their October poll has Hochul leading by 11 percent. And Quinnipiac’s sole October poll has Hochul only leading by 4 percent.

Even though the polls differ they all show that Zeldin is making a closer play than republicans have in recent years, where they fell behind 20 plus percent in the statewide vote.

Guest Op-Ed: Lessons never learned; Protect our children

webadmin on November 2, 2022

By John J. Ciafone, Esq.

Almost weekly, we hear about gun violence in our schools.

The massacres that have occurred in our schools whether it be Uvalde, New Mexico or Sandy Hook, Connecticut – not to mention college incidents, have not raised the eyebrows of our elected officials to move forward toward action.

Gun control legislation is not enough. We need metal detectors in all our schools.

Whether you go to a sports game, a concert or any major event, you are expected to go through metal detectors as a matter of course.

Yet, why don’t we have metal detectors in our schools? Metal detectors are relatively inexpensive and extremely effective in catching guns and knives.

Gangs that prey on our children bring these weapons into our schools to further initiate and recruit naive children.

A middle school in my neighborhood, IS 126 in Long Island City, housed a cache of confiscated guns and knives in the principal’s office, under lock and key, all in an effort to keep it secret. How many more children have to be slaughtered and sacrificed by our leaders who fail to protect our most precious assets – our children and the future generation.

I proudly served on Community School Board 30 as a member, treasurer and president.

During my time, we fought for more school safety officers, security cameras and police presence outside troubled schools.

Through the devastation of the Sept. 11 attacks, we have learned the importance of metal detectors and screening within our airports that have resulted in a huge success in thwarting hijacking and terrorist attacks on our planes.

The same efforts must be employed in our schools to prevent guns and knives from threatening the lives of our children, staff and teachers.

What’s more alarming is that some City Councilmembers, who have police protection and metal detectors in City Hall, want to remove school safety officers in our schools.

I am shocked that the Teacher’s Union, which is perhaps the strongest lobbyist in New York, has no interest in protecting our children or their own members.

We have a major upcoming election ahead of us and yet no candidate is speaking about protecting our children and our schools.

At a minimum, our elected officials have an obligation and duty for the position that they were elected for and that is to protect our children, who are our future.

Elected officials need to wake up and do their jobs to be proactive and prevent any future tragedies.

Guest Op-Ed: Polls are now open! Vote today in this critical election

webadmin on November 2, 2022

By Mayor Eric Adams

Tuesday, Nov. 8 is Election Day in New York City – your last chance to join millions of New Yorkers in making your voices heard and casting your ballots in these critical elections.

The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

If you can’t vote on Tuesday, you can also vote early in-person. Early voting polls will be open through Sunday, Nov. 6.

Your poll site may have changed, so it’s important to check your poll site location and its hours before you vote at nycvotes.org.

This year, voting is more important than ever. The outcome of these elections will affect you and your family’s future, our economy, education, healthcare and more. And in every single race, your vote matters – from the Governor and Attorney General, to your Congresspeople and State Representatives.

We’re deciding who will lead our state into the future, and what kind of future we want for our state.

Also, four ballot proposals are on the back of your ballot, so remember to flip yours over.

I’ve made my plan to vote – and it’s critical that you do, too.

And not just yourself; bring your friends and family along, too. All U.S. citizens aged 18 and older who have registered are eligible to vote.

I hope that you will join me and millions of your fellow New Yorkers in going to the polls and getting the change you want to see done.

For more information on where and how to vote, as well as who and what issues are on the ballot, check out nycvotes.org.

If you are not currently registered to vote, you can register for next year’s election on that website as well.

All New Yorkers have the right to vote in their language.

You may bring an interpreter to the voting booth – it can be a friend, a family member or a poll worker, but it can’t be your employer or union representative.

The Civic Engagement Commission will be providing interpretation services in select languages and poll sites on Saturday, Nov. 5, Sunday, Nov. 6 and on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8.

For more information on interpretive services, please visit participate.nyc.gov. And if you run into any problems when you try to vote, call 311.

Our democracy relies on individuals with different opinions coming together to find solutions.

Voting is one crucial way we do this, and having discussions with each other is another.

Recently, my Administration held a summit on criminal justice. We brought experienced defense lawyers, judges, district attorneys, advocates and law enforcement officials together in search of solutions to a goal we all share: keeping New Yorkers safe and ensuring justice for all.

There is a lot that this group disagrees on, and each individual group will keep pursuing their individual goals. But there is also much we agree on.

Both public safety and justice are prerequisites to prosperity, and we need to do a better job on both.

No one should be afraid of crime on the subway, and no one accused of committing a crime should have to wait for months to get a hearing.

Our discussion helped us find common ground on important improvements to our system, and over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be continuing our conversations and turning them into actionable solutions that will make New York a safer city. And I will never stop fighting for the steps we need to keep us safe.

Working toward a more perfect city and country is never easy.

It takes all of us engaging in good faith conversation, expressing our views, and casting our ballots.

See you at the polls on Tuesday.

Why you should vote ‘Yes’ on Environmental Bond Measure

webadmin on November 2, 2022

Voters across the state will have a question on their upcoming Nov. 8 ballot about whether the state should pass the Environmental Bond Measure. And we implore you to vote yes.

The Environmental Bond Measure would help unlock $4.2 billion for critical environmental spending by taking on debt, for issues including: at least $1.1 billion for flood risk and restoration, up to $1.5 billion for climate change mitigation, up to $650 million for land conservation and at least $650 million for water quality improvement.

It’s a hefty cost, but a necessary one.

According to a 2020 report from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, New York has the second highest debt burden behind California.

But the costs of doing nothing could reach a projected $10 billion per year (in 2010 dollars) by 2050, according to state reports.

We need to invest every dollar we can into fighting climate change.

It is an existential threat that requires long-term thinking and inaction will only make the situation worse.

With the surmounting costs of climate change, it would be better for the federal government to step in.

The Inflation Reduction Act brought some advancements in terms of federal dollars to help states battle climate change like tax credits for heat pumps and solar panels.

But due to the sniveling coward of a Senator Joe Manchin is, it was a compromise deal.

We have very few options with how to deal with this issue. Inaction cannot be one of them.

So while adding more debt can be concerning to voters, the bigger costs are too big to ignore or delay.

Pol Position: How the mighty have fallen

Brooklyn Star on October 28, 2022

The three-term scandal-scarred former governor Andrew Cuomo, who ruled Albany with an iron fist is now … a podcaster.

Cuomo first announced the podcast last month along with a political action committee (groups that raise money to help elect candidates) and plans to launch a gun-safety initiative.

The first episode of “As A Matter of Fact…” was released on October 20, 2022, as part of his recent return to public life. It featured guests like the 11 day tenure Trump White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, former Clinton pollster turned Trump defender Mark Penn and Elaine Kamarack – a senior fellow of the center-left public policy group The Brookings Institution.

The podcast is mostly a snooze fest: lamenting political polarization, highlighting his own accomplishments and challenging the state of “democratic and republican facts.”

“It’s just spin. Its just deception,” said Cuomo regarding the state of facts, which is rich coming from the man who the Attorney Generals office said underreported COVID-19 nursing homes deaths by upwards of 50 percent.

The new podcast is likely nothing more than a soft launch for his political comeback, as he still has a 10.6 million dollar war chest, according to campaign finance records released in July.

Irregardless, its a long fall from the Executive Mansion to be sitting in front of a microphone, doing … a podcast of all things.

$54 million expansion into green jobs program

Matthew Fischetti on October 28, 2022

Targets those at risk for gun violence

By Matthew Fischetti

mfischetti@queensledger.com

Green jobs are getting the green.

The city is investing $54 million into a program called the precision employment initiative, which helps connect at-risk individuals for gun violence get jobs in the green business sector, Mayor Adams announced at a press conference in Bed-Stuy on Thursday Oct. 20.

The new dollars are an expansion of the de Blasio era program which targeted nabes seeing 50% of the citywide crime rate, which included Brownsville, Mott Haven, and South Jamaica. The new financial investment doubles the size of the program, which can now help provide an additional 1500 jobs, and expands the territory’s scope to East New York, Flatbush and East Flatbush in Brooklyn, as well as Far Rockaway in Queens.

The initiative works with Brooklyn-based Bloc Power, a venture-capital backed company that electrifies buildings. Through its Civilian Climate Corps program, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, the CCC helps provides paid job training opportunities.

“The real challenge is by using real on the ground information. This is a great program for those who are involved in the criminal justice system,” Hizzoner said. “If you’ve got to tell someone to move away from doing something wrong, you got to give them something to do good.”

Participants in the program are enrolled in job training in fields such as HVAC, heat pump installations, solar power and other green related fields. According to the mayor nearly 30 percent have been placed in full time jobs. Members of the program will also have case managers to assist them throughout the process.

In Brownsville and Motthaven, shootings declined by 21 percent and 35 percent respectively, the mayor said.

“We are creating jobs, bringing down gun violence and bringing new labor into the green sector. Public safety is not just a police job, it is about giving people a job,” Adams said.

W’burg yeshiva owes $8 million in total for fraud

Matthew Fischetti on October 28, 2022

By Brooklyn Star Staff

news@queensledger.com

A Williamsburg Yeshiva will have to pay $8 million after admitting to fraudulent fund for needy schoolchildren, federal prosecutors announced.

The Central United Talmudic Academy, which serves more than 5,000 Satmar students ranging from preschool to secondary school, was involved in multiple frauds according to the Monday Oct. 24 announcement.

$3 million has already been paid in restitution and an additional $5 million will have to be paid as part of a deferred prosecution agreement.

The yeshiva received more than $3.2 million in reimbursements, which was almost entirely fictitious according to federal prosecutors. The money was diverted to subsidize parties for adults and the school fabricated records to cover their tracks.

Investigators also discovered that the school engaged in various fraudulent payroll practices that enable school employees to commit tax fraud, the school provided no-show jobs and obtained technology funding for uses unrelated to educational

“The misconduct at CUTA was systemic and wide ranging, including stealing over $3 million allocated for schoolchildren in need of meals,” United States Attorney Peace said in a statement. “Today’s resolution accounts for CUTA’s involvement in those crimes and provides a path forward to repay and repair the damage done to the community, while also allowing CUTA to continue to provide education for children in the community.”

The school has instituted changes in its executive management team as well as instituting an oversight committee in the wake of the fraud.Beyond the fines and restitution, the school will be under the supervision of an independent monitor for a three-year period.

W’burg detective remembered with street co-naming

Matthew Fischetti on October 28, 2022

By Matthew Fischetti

mfischetti@queensledger.com

NYPD Detective Barbara Taylor-Burnette was many things: a mean point guard on the basketball court, a proud product of the Williamsburg Houses and a tireless advocate for 9/11 first responders.

Dozens of people piled onto the corner of Humboldt and Scholes Street, now known as “Detective Barbara Taylor-Burnette Place,” to celebrate the legacy of the 18-year veteran of the force this past Saturday. Fifty-eight-year-old Taylor-Burnette passed away on Dec. 30, 2021 after battling interstitial lung disease, inoperable lung cancer and other illnesses she contracted due to her first responder work in the weeks following 9/11.

She began her career working in the 73rd Precinct in 1988 when shootings in Brownsville were as high as 250 per year.

“When she left 10 years later, there were 80. Make no mistake about it, a reduction in violence like that does not happen by accident,” said Intelligence Operations and Analysis Section Inspector Joseph Seminara.

After her stint in the 73rd Precinct, she moved on to the Narcotics Division and worked as an undercover.

“I can tell you from personal experience that is the most dangerous and unpredictable assignment that you can imagine,” said Jeffrey Ward, treasurer of the Detective Endowments Association. “But she had the guts and the fortitude to do that. And as a result of that, she earned her detective shield. Earned.”

She later moved on to the Intelligence Division, now known as the Intelligence Bureau – a high-profile unit that is in charge of trying to prevent terrorist attacks.

In the weeks following 9/11, Taylor-Burnette selflessly spent time at the piles helping clear debris. And in the years following the attacks, she testified in front of Congress twice, advocating for the funding of the 9/11 Compensation Fund.

“Mom was a helper. If somehow, somewhere, someone she knew needed help – and it made it through the grapevine to her ears – she would move heaven and Earth to make sure that she was able to help,” her daughter, Yasmeen Burnett said. “When the towers fell, there was no second thought, there was a call to action. When asked to testify before Congress for the extension of health care benefits and compensation twice, there was no second thought.

Nicholas Papain, a personal injury lawyer who worked with Taylor-Burnette to fight for the Zadroga Act, described her as a “hero who would never call herself a hero.”

“For her, it was an opportunity to serve,” Papain, 69, said in an interview about her work in Washington D.C. “She was rather invigorated by the opportunity to go down there and once again serve her fellow first responders.”

Besides her work with the NYPD, current and former residents of the Williamsburg Houses, whose tight knit community refers to each other as family, fondly remembered the second floor resident of 185 Scholes Street for the love she gave people and her basketball prowess.

Aaron Jones, 58, first met Taylor-Burnette on the court. He remembers her as a disciplined person in everything she did, a talented ball player who used to beat up on all the guys and a smack talker that pushed him to be a better player.

“It’s kind of surreal to see one of your own be forever enshrined in the community that you grew up in. We have many great people here. But it takes someone to fall in the line of duty in order to bestow this honor,” Jones said. “And that’s the sad part of it. But you know, we’re happy that one of our own will always be remembered.”

Seventy-four-year-old Alvin Mack lived right above Taylor-Burnette. And while he said that it was good to see her memory honored with the street co-naming, he said that he wished more people from the Williamsburg Houses were able to speak at the ceremony.

“They should have allowed more of the people in the community who grew up with her, who loved her, who was poor with her because you would have got a real aspect of who she really was,” Mack said.

“She’s lovable. She was raised to love. She was raised to care. She was raised to be who she was,” he continued. “There’s not a bad thing you could say about her.”

Williamsburg detective remembered with street co-naming

Matthew Fischetti on October 28, 2022

By Matthew Fischetti

mfischetti@queensledger.com

NYPD Detective Barbara Taylor-Burnette was many things: a mean point guard on the basketball court, a proud product of the Williamsburg Houses and a tireless advocate for 9/11 first responders.

Dozens of people piled into the corner of Humboldt and Scholes Street, now known as “Detective Barbara Taylor-Burnette Place,” to celebrate the legacy of the 18-year veteran of the force this past Saturday. Fifty-eight-year-old Taylor-Burnette passed away on Dec. 30, 2021 after battling interstitial lung disease, inoperable lung cancer and other illnesses she contracted due to her first responder work in the weeks following 9/11.

She began her career working in the 73rd Precinct in 1988 when shootings in Brownsville were as high as 250 per year.

After her stint in the 73rd Precinct, she moved on to the Narcotics Division and worked as an undercover.

She later moved on to the Intelligence Division, now known as the Intelligence Bureau – a high-profile unit that is in charge of trying to prevent terrorist attacks.

Nicholas Papain, a personal injury lawyer who worked with Taylor-Burnette to fight for the Zadroga Act, described her as a “hero who would never call herself a hero.”

“She’s lovable. She was raised to love. She was raised to care. She was raised to be who she was,” he continued. “There’s not a bad thing you could say about her.”

Targets those at risk for gun violence

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