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Community Corner

🌱 NYPD Officer Dies + Fund Seeks To Save Black Churches + Food Rescue

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Brooklyn.

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Hi all. It's me, Carlie Houser, your host of the Brooklyn Patch newsletter — here to explain everything you need to know about what's happening in town these days. In this issue, you'll find news about:

  • NYPD officer dies after off-duty botched robbery and shooting, suspect arrested
  • New grant aims to save dilapidated Black church across the country, but will it be enough for a struggling Bed-Stuy building?
  • City Harvest is making big moves in Sunset Park

But first, today's weather: 🌧 A touch of afternoon rain. High: 52 Low: 48.

📢 I'm looking for business owners and marketers in Brooklyn who want to build awareness, connect with customers and increase sales.

I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. If that's you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

Here are the top stories in Brooklyn today:

1. A 26-year-old NYPD officer, who has been fighting for his life after being shot off-duty, has died. Adeed Fayaz, a father of two, died on Tuesday after a bring shot during a botched robbery in Brooklyn over the weekend. According to investigators, Fayaz had arranged to buy a used car he found on Facebook Marketplace; when he showed up to the McDonalds on Ruby Street on Saturday with his brother-in-law, a man greeted them, asked if either had a gun, and put Fayaz in a headlock, demanding $24,000. Fayaz managed to free himself from his attacker, but gunshots were fired, and Fayaz was struck. The suspect, 38-year-old Randy Jones, was arrested on Monday. Fayaz, who had been put on life support, died the next day.

NBC New York

2. Black churches across the country are crumbling, but a new grant hopes to repair these historic sites, some of which are in Brooklyn and Harlem. In 2020, Varick AME Zion Church in Bed-Stuy, the oldest continuously operating Black church in Brooklyn, shuttered its doors due to COVID-19. The church has since reopened but is falling apart — bricks are crumbling from the building facade, all four roofs are leaking, missing tiles have left gaping holes in the ceilings, and water damage is omnipresent. The same thing is happening to Black churches across the country, threatening a deep-seeded history of community, faith, and culture. In an attempt to save some of these historic buildings and keep them serving their communities, the African American Cultural Fund (AACF) is issuing $4 million in grants to be shared among 35 churches nationwide, from Alaska to Alabama, California to New York. "We want to support them in the rescue and recovery of this historic asset," said Brent Leggs of AACF. Varick AME Zion Church is one of the grant recipients, NBC New York reports that the Bed-Stuy building alone will need something closer to $2 million to cover the cost of all repairs. AACF's grant will get them started, but there is work yet to be done, support yet to be garnered.

NBC New York

3. New York City's largest food rescue organization is moving to Brooklyn. For the first time in its 40-year history, City Harvest is bringing all of its operations together under one roof in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The organization has more on its plate than it has in a while — according to staff, food pantries and soup kitchens are seeing a 70 percent increase in visits compared to before the pandemic — and the new Brooklyn space will allow them to distribute twice as much food around the city. City Harvest hopes to recover and deliver over 75 million pounds of food in 2023.

Brooklyn News 12

Today in Brooklyn:

  • Brooklyn Writers Exchange, Brooklyn Public Library Brooklyn Heights, Today @ 6 p.m. | Details
  • Salsa Party / Professionally-Led Dance Class, Brooklyn Museum, Today @ 6 p.m. | Details
  • Nets v. Bulls, Barclays Center, Today @ 7:30 p.m. | Details
  • LAf DAnce Saloon All-Star Comedy Showcase, Basik, Today @ 8 - 10 p.m. | Details
  • Late Night Laughs Open Mic, EastVille Comedy Club, Today @ 11:30 p.m. | Details

🐝 Brooklyn Buzz:

  • 💌 Are you ready for Valentine's Day? If you're still in search for the perfect gift for that special someone, choose local and pick up a swoon-worthy gift from some of Brooklyn's finest: "Join us this Sunday, Feb. 12 from 1-7 p.m. as we celebrate our love of all things local at Greenpointers' sweetest Valentine's Market ever. Nuzzle up with your favorite person under the wooden beams of the historic Greenpoint Loft (67 West St. 5th Fl) and spend the day amongst 70+ of Brooklyn's finest indie crafters." (greenpointers.com)
  • 🥯 Brooklyn's Bagel Ambassador launches 5-borough tour: "Crispy on the outside, soft, doughy and chewy on the inside. This constitutes the perfect bagel, according to Brooklyn's resident bagel connoisseur, Sam Silverman [...] Silverman runs near-daily walking tours through Manhattan and Brooklyn but is now joining forces with the team behind EverythingIsEverythingNYC — an interactive catalog of over 200 NYC bagel reviews — for a series of unique bagel tours across all five boroughs." Learn more at the link. (Brooklyn Paper)

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You're all caught up for today! I'll be in your inbox tomorrow with your next update.

— Carlie Houser

About me: I'm a recent grad based in Brooklyn, NY. I love to write, run, read, and find new restaurants and venues around the city.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Brooklyn Patch newsletter? Contact me at brooklyn@patch.com

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

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