What’s News, Breaking: Wednesday, September 27, 2023

POLICE SEEK AMAZON PACKAGE THIEF IN BUSHWICK

BUSHWICK — POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR A MAN SUSPECTED IN A STRING OF THEFTS from Amazon delivery vehicles across Bushwick over the summer. On Aug. 8, he allegedly entered an Amazon vehicle in front of 86 George Street and removed multiple packages before fleeing. He struck again in the same manner on Aug. 9 at 18 Jefferson St.; on Aug. 13 at 123 Melrose St.; and on Aug. 19 at 143 Jefferson St. In addition, the same individual is suspected of entering a parking garage at 594 Bushwick Ave. on July 13 and taking a scooter.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), or submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at www.crimestoppers.com.

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AMAZON LAWSUIT INCLUDES ALLEGATIONS ON COERCING FULFILLMENT CENTER USE 

NEW YORK AND NATIONWIDE — A LAWSUIT AGAINST AMAZON THAT THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION and 17 state attorneys general have initiated alleges not only that the online retail giant is violating federal and state antitrust laws but is also forcing sellers to use its logistics service, Fulfillment by Amazon, in order to make their products eligible for Amazon Prime. Among the complaints stipulated is that a majority of third-party merchants who use the company’s fulfillment service to store inventory and ship orders have seen Amazon raise its fees for those who depend on the program. Last quarter, Amazon reported $32.3 billion in revenue from third-party services.

Amazon maintains several fulfillment and distribution (last mile delivery) locations within Brooklyn, including an Amazon Fresh Warehouse on Bay St. on the Red Hook waterfront, a Warehouse Fulfillment Center on 38th Street in Borough Park; a fulfillment center at 850 Third Avenue (Industry City), one on Flatlands Avenue in East New York and a warehouse on Linden Boulevard in East New York, among others.

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ANTI-DRAG QUEEN BOMB THREAT IN BROOKLYN IS JUST ONE OF SEVERAL ACROSS U.S. OVER WEEKEND

DITMAS PARK — A FALSE BOMB THREAT FORCED FAMILIES TO ABANDON a kid-friendly Drag Story Hour NYC event at the Cortelyou Library branch in Ditmas Park this past Saturday, according to reports in Gothamist and the New York Post. NYPD later confirmed that an email threat was sent to the branch by an unknown individual in Buffalo. Local Councilmember Rita Joseph said that city councilmembers planned to discuss potential legislative remedies. According to The Advocate, the Brooklyn bomb threat was just one of several threats to LGBTQ+ community members across the U.S. this past weekend.

“The orchestrated attempts to induce fear and disrupt peaceful groups reflect a grim reality in a political environment that has seen Republican lawmakers and pundits create culture wars against vulnerable groups, including the LGBTQ+ community,” The Advocate said. 

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NY TIMES SPOTLIGHTS WORK OF BROOKLYN CAT CAFÉ OWNER

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — BROOKLYN HEIGHTS RESIDENT AND CAT CAFÉ FOUNDER ANNE LEVIN WAS THE SUBJECT of a New York Times feature last Saturday, Sept. 23, focusing on how the animal rescue hero spends her Sundays. Levin is executive director of the Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition — which provides animal rescuers with veterinary, foster and adoptive support — and a co-founder of its affiliated cat café. In fact, the Brooklyn Cat Café is the only one in NYC that is owned and operated by a local, non-profit, 501c3 animal rescue organization with a focus on supporting animal rescuers and owners. The NY Times feature followed Anne Levin through a sample Sunday, which is anything but typical because she often prioritizes emergencies for the safety and well-being of the cats.

The Brooklyn Cat Café has expanded to include an adoptable menagerie of gerbils and even rats, including an orphaned baby subway rat, whom she raised and named after an American founding father, Alexander Hamilton.

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FALLEN TREE DISRUPTS N TRAIN SERVICE BUT MTA CLEARS DEBRIS WITHIN 2 HOURS 

SUNSET PARK — MTA FRONTLINE CREWS TOOK ONLY TWO HOURS TO CLEAR AWAY A TREE AND the debris from its branches that fell onto the southbound N train tracks near 8th Avenue and Fort Hamilton Parkway on Monday, Sept. 25. The tree, which fell around 11:29 a.m. on Monday, was a casualty of strong winds and heavy rains from Tropical Storm Ophelia’s trek through the Northeast and the New York metropolitan area. Crews by 1:30 p.m. had cleared the track of all tree debris, enabling service to be restored before the evening rush hour. (See story, page ____)

D trains were also being diverted. MTA kept riders updated via its website, apps, email and digital signage.

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PATRICK BORGEN WILL LEAD MAIMONIDES HEALTH’S 15TH ANNUAL RIDE 2 LIVE EVENT

BOROUGH PARK — WHEN A GROUP OF BIKERS TAKE TO THE ROAD THIS SUNDAY, they will ride to raise awareness for the Maimonides Breast Center and research on a deadly form of cancer. Maimonides hosts its 15th Annual Ride 2 Live Motorcycle Tour to support breast cancer care. Leading the ride will be Dr. Patrick Borgen, chair of the Department of Surgery and director of the Maimonides Breast Center. Registration for the October 1 event starts at 10 a.m; at the Maimonides Breast Center (745 64th St.). Kickstands go up at noon sharp.

The Maimonides Breast Center, which has received several prestigious awards, offers comprehensive and holistic treatment plans that include mental health care in response to the psychological and emotional aspects of being a patient.

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COMING UP THIS WEEKEND: 2023 DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN ARTS FESTIVAL

DOWNTOWN — THE 2023 DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN ARTS FESTIVAL is taking place this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 29-30 on The Plaza at 300 Ashland Pl. The free annual festival, presented by Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and sponsored by Two Trees Management and Orange Barrel Media, is a celebration of Downtown Brooklyn’s cultural community and creative spirit. The event brings performances, interactive experiences and family activities with acclaimed arts organizations including LayeRhythm, Chop and Quench, the Knights Orchestra, BRIC Arts Media, Theatre for a New Audience, UrbanGlass, Mark Morris and more.

The full schedule of festival events can be found at dbartsfestival.org.

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NYC RESIDENTS CAN NOW USE CITY RENTAL ASSISTANCE VOUCHERS ANYWHERE IN THE STATE

STATEWIDE — NYC RESIDENTS USING CITY-FUNDED RENTAL ASSISTANCE VOUCHERS can now choose to live not only in the city, but anywhere in the state, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday. The mayor said the decision was made in the face of a serious housing shortage, with a record-high shelter population totaling more than 113,000 individuals. “These reforms will give longtime New Yorkers the ability to move out of our city’s shelter system to other parts of the state with more affordable housing options, while simultaneously opening up space in our city’s shelter system … We hope our partners across the state will greet these longtime New Yorkers with open arms and good job opportunities,” Adams said in a statement.

The CityFHEPS voucher program currently supports 30,000 households, with 10,000 additional voucher-holders still in homeless shelters due to lack of affordable housing, the city said. The Brooklyn Eagle has reached out to City Hall for more information regarding how moving out of the city will affect voucher-users’ residency status.

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WITH 13-YEAR-OLDS GETTING HIV, NYC SCHOOLS LAUNCH NEW LESSONS 

CITYWIDE — ALL NYC KIDS STARTING IN KINDERGARTEN will learn about HIV with a newly updated curriculum, Schools Chancellor David C. Banks announced on Tuesday. The new curriculum, Growing Up and Staying Safe: New York City K-12 HIV Education Curriculum, is “skills-based, student-centered, and culturally responsive, and reflects advances in HIV prevention and treatment guidelines that have changed substantially in the past decade,” the city said in a release.  The school system hopes to provide “potentially life-saving skills” for kids in NYC, where 37% of people newly diagnosed with HIV in 2021 were 13-29 years old.

Officials said the lessons are “age-appropriate,” and were developed in partnership with HIV and medical experts, educators and community members, and include lesson overviews for parents and caregivers. Teachers will receive a “30-minute self-guided Introduction to HIV Education course.”

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‘INCROYABLE!’ NYC PARIS BAGUETTE WORKERS WIN $2.7M SETTLEMENT

CITYWIDE — WORKERS AT PARIS BAGUETTE CAFES ACROSS NYC HAVE WON a settlement with the company over numerous violations of the city’s Fair Workweek Law, which gives fast food and retail workers the right to a predictable schedule, among other rights. The settlement, announced by the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs, covers the period from November 2017 to October 2020, and requires Paris Baguette to pay $2.7 million in restitution to more than 1,500 workers, $270,000 in civil penalties and other costs, and comply with the law.

In Brooklyn, Paris Baguette cafes are located at 97 Court St. in Brooklyn Heights and 5810 Eighth Ave. in Sunset Park.

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‘BKLYN ROCKS’ HIP-HOP FESTIVAL AT BEDFORD STUYVESANT RESTORATION 

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — BEDFORD STUYVESANT RESTORATION CORP. is hosting “BKLYN Rocks,” a celebration of hip-hop’s 50th Anniversary, in the heart of Bed-Stuy, this Friday, Sept. 29, and Saturday, Sept. 30. All festivities will take place on Restoration Plaza, 1368 Fulton St. BKLYN Rocks aims to showcase the borough’s rich artistic tapestry, ethnic diversity and community-driven initiatives.

While Friday’s Hip-Hop Symposium is sold out, Saturday features a free music festival and block party with multiple DJs, roller skating, double dutch, community graffiti mural, Brooklyn Nets dance demo, and hip-hop pioneer April Walker’s fashion showcase, all taking place from noon to 6 p.m.

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SEN. GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCES $20M FOR URBAN FORESTRY PROJECTS

CITYWIDE — NEW YORK CITY IS GETTING $20 MILLION FOR ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY PROJECTS, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced during a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at the Central Park Arsenal. The funding will underwrite two projects of the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation: the first establishes a green job training and employment program, for forest restoration careers for underserved communities. The second project includes growing the urban forest through planting trees and preserving existing trees, promotes community engagement through outreach, education, and empowerment and offers paid training and employment opportunities for youth and adults, focusing on workforce development and green jobs. Senator Gillibrand helped secure this funding in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which included $1.5 billion over the next decade for the U.S. Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry program.

Also receiving a portion of the funds will be a project named The Bronx is Blooming, which engages K-12 students in environmental education and tree stewardship and provides green jobs and forestry training for local youth.

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FTC, ATTORNEYS GENERAL ACROSS U.S. SUE AMAZON FOR ‘MONOPOLISTIC’ POLICIES 

NATIONWIDE — A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE ONLINE RETAIL COMPANY AMAZON HAS BEEN FILED, with NY Attorney General Letitia James leading a bipartisan coalition of her counterparts in 17 states from New England to Oregon, and the Federal Trade Commission as the plaintiffs. The FTC and coalition allege that the online retail and technology company is a monopolist that uses a set of interlocking anticompetitive and unfair strategies to illegally maintain its monopoly power. According to the Office of Attorney General James, the complaint alleges that Amazon violates the law not because it is big, but because it engages in a course of exclusionary conduct that prevents current competitors from growing and new competitors from emerging. By stifling competition on price, product selection, and quality, and by preventing its current or future rivals from attracting a critical mass of shoppers and sellers, Amazon is accused of ensuring that no current or future rival can threaten its dominance.

Amazon is also accused of degrading the customer experience by replacing relevant, organic search results with paid advertisements — and deliberately increasing junk ads.

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NEW YORK LANDMARKS CONSERVANCY MARKS 50TH YEAR WITH ‘I AM PRESERVATION’ VIDEO SERIES

CITYWIDE — THE NEW YORK LANDMARKS CONSERVANCY IS CELEBRATING ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY by creating a video series and New Yorkers are encouraged to participate. The video series, titled “I am Preservation,” exhibits the widespread love of landmarks throughout the city and demonstrates the importance of historic preservation to many people. Some of the short video clips already submitted are of people representing the New York Building Congress, Coney Island Museum and Roosevelt Island Tramway. Interested readers can visit www.nylandmarks.org for specific details and tips on how to make one’s own “I am Preservation” video. Participants should briefly comment on what they love about New York City landmarks or a specific historic building, place, or structure. Completed videos or downloadable clips should be emailed to [email protected].

Founded in 1973, the New York Landmarks Conservancy advocates for sensible development, and offers technical expertise and financial support, having loaned and granted more than $60 million in more than 1,300 restoration projects throughout the state.