Community Corner
🌱 Rehabilitating Rikers + Tricky Taxes + Housing Horrors
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Brooklyn.
Hello, neighbors! It's Tuesday in Brooklyn and I'm back in your inbox to get you caught up on all the most important things happening in town. Today's issue includes news about...
- Brooklyn officials respond to 17th death at Rikers this year
- Tax laws threaten historic Bed-Stuy organization headquarters
- A new grocery store extends the reach of a family's longtime business
But first, today's weather:
🌧 A brief shower or two. High: 70 Low: 62.
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Here are the top stories today in Brooklyn:
1. "Unless there are swift and dramatic changes, more people are going to die," implored a handful of New York politicians fighting for justice at Rikers Island. Brooklyn officials made an unannounced visit to the George R. Vierno facility yesterday after the 17th death at Rikers this year— already more than the 16 who died in 2021. The detention center has a notorious reputation in the federal government, repeatedly having to go on lockdowns that isolate prisoners in solitary confinement for sometimes up to 25 hours. Officials are calling out the DOC for human rights violations and urgently pushing for better, safer conditions.
2. After six decades, a Williamsburg housing development has become practically unlivable. Their requests ignored time and time again, residents in over 100 units at the Bushwick/Hylan Houses have been living amidst severe water damage, molding, vermin, and broken sinks without a word from their building managers. Jennifer Gutiérrez, the local city councilwoman, led a letter to New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) demanding repairs to the units as well as conducted a sweep of the building to assess damages. NYCHA responded to the letter saying that their staff work 24/7 to address resident concerns, and that they meet regularly with Gutiérrez: the councilwoman scoffed at the first claim and denied the second.
Subscription / New York Daily News
3. Tangled in a tax trap, a historic Bed-Stuy building and aide organization headquarters is threatened. For decades the United Order of Tents has been an integral part of the Black community in Bed-Stuy, providing mutual aid to the residents of the Brooklyn area. In an effort to preserve the organization Brooklyn headquarters, a legal group, the Legal Aid Society, is calling for the Department of Finance to grant Tents exemption from real estate tax, following a report in Curbed that details the group's confusing real estate tax status. At present, confusing tax laws prevent repairs to be made on the building, causing it to deteriorate. Exemption from these laws would allow Tents to preserve their headquarters, and by proxy preserve an integral part Black history and cultural welfare in Brooklyn.
4. Brooklyn brothers band together to open a new grocery store in Prospect Heights. Food Universe, co-founded by Rowh Said and he younger brother Ennis, will replace the Key Foods Flatbush Avenue and Sterling Place — already a hotspot for shoppers. Rowh jumped at the opportunity when the landlord called him to say the rent had been lowered, a retail spot he'd been eyeing ever since he and his brother opened their first store in South Brooklyn. The Said family has a long history in the grocery store business, having operated a handful of Key Foods around the city. The grocery replaces Jo, Brian and Joseph's Key Food Market, which suffered a debilitating blaze in 2019. And while the brothers' new store is technically still a Key Foods operation, Food Universe is a much more modern establishment.
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Today in Brooklyn:
- 📚"The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything!" reading, Mill Basin Library, Today @ 4 p.m. | Details
- Tequila Tuesdays, Breuklyn Tequila & Taco Bar, Today @ 4 p.m. | Details
- 🪅 Carnival Tuesdays, Round 2 Cafe, Today @ 6 p.m. | Details
- NME X Brooklyn Brewery: Brooklyn Sound, The Bell House, Today @ 7 p.m. | Details
- 🎨 Creative Graffiti Workshop, 282 Meserole Ave., Today @ 7 p.m.—Oct. 31 | Details
🐝 Brooklyn Buzz:
- 💚 Story time: A Brooklyn author and playwright reflects on her origins in the borough and how she got to where she is today. Read about the life of Edith Tarbescu at the link (BookTrib)
- Treat yourself to some brand-new boots: Brooklyn Magazine's got the hottest rain boot drops this year. Get you some boots that'll make days like today a little easier, and a little more fun. (Brooklyn Magazine)
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Events:
- The People's Money Idea Generation Information Session (October 26)
- JUST LISTED!! "Welcome Home" Magnificent 6 Bedroom Colonial in Forest Hills Gardens (October 26)
- Greene Hill School Lower School Tour (October 27)
- Kids Superhero Yoga Party for Halloween (October 27)
- Parenting Young Children in the New Normal (October 27)
- The OMNI Ensemble Begins Its 40th Season (October 29)
- Oumou Sangaré Makes Her Apollo Debut Saturday, Oct. 29! (October 29)
- Regina Opera's 'Gotta Sing' Concert (October 30)
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You're all caught up for today! I'll see you soon.
— 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 Daily? Contact me at brooklyn@patch.com
