What’s Up at Borough Hall BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
Recent happenings at the People’s House
OCTOBER EVENTS
Borough President Adams commended
six local do-gooders from
around the borough for their individual
acts of bravery, selfl essness,
and sacrifi ce spanning the months of
June, July, August, and September,
during his Heroes of the Month initiative,
held October 3rd at Brooklyn Borough
Hall. In June, volunteer group
Bay Ridge Cares drew attention to the
need for senior housing after helping a
woman pack up the apartment of her
elderly mother who had passed away
and helping to make the vacant apartment
available for a new senior occupant.
Daphne Youree was recognized
as a hero for July, for getting out of her
car and using a traffi c cone to unclog
blocked sewer grates that had fl ooded
the Long Island Expressway during a
torrential rain storm. August heroes,
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
(MTA) employees Eric Boyo and
Larry Moreno, saved people on the
subway tracks from being hit by trains
in separate incidents. Community activist
Joe Gonzalez led an August water
collection drive to aid residents in
Newark, where elevated levels of lead
were detected in that city’s drinking
water. Finally, off-duty New York
City Fire Department (FDNY) Captain
Frank Stonitsch was named the September
hero for saving a person from
drowning off of Pier 6, while with his
young daughter.
Borough President Adams joined
New York Academy of Medicine
(NYAM) President Judith Salerno,
MD, MS at the St. John’s Recreation
Center in Crown Heights on Monday,
October 7th to unveil the results of a
borough-wide survey of nearly 2,000
older Brooklynites. Those results, plus
recommendations to improve seniors’
quality-of-life, were part of an “Age-
Friendly Brooklyn” initiative to ensure
that people of all ages and abilities
can enjoy and contribute to the borough.
The announcement came at the
end of Active Aging Week, a weeklong
campaign created by the International
Council on Active Aging that promotes
healthy lifestyles for seniors, and on
the heels of Brooklyn being identifi ed
as having the greatest amount of older
adult residents of any county in the
state.
When the Federation of Italian-
American Organizations (FIAO) held
its annual Italian Heritage celebration
on Wednesday, October 9th at Il Centro
in Bensonhurst, Borough President
Adams was on hand to share in the revelry.
In addition to recognizing television
news anchor Rosanna Scotto and
the event’s fi ve other special honorees,
Borough President Adams stood in solidarity
with Brooklyn’s Italian-American
community, along with Council
ONE BROOKLYN | W 26 INTER 2019–2020
The Brooklyn Borough Hall Christmas tree was lit and Santa was present to kick off the holiday season.
Borough President’s Offi ce/Erica Krodman
Member Justin Brannon, Bishop of
Brooklyn Nicholas DiMarzio, and others
in support of the wishes of 98 percent
of the respondents to the “She Built
NYC” monument initiative to have a
statue dedicated to Mother Frances
Xavier Cabrini, who was ultimately not
included in the fi rst wave of the Citysponsored
initiative’s statue roll-out.
Clergy leaders, elected offi cials,
and concerned Brooklynites attended
a candlelight vigil hosted by Borough
President Adams on Monday, October
14th in Crown Heights at the site of the
latest mass shooting that claimed four
lives and injured three others, ironically
on a street named after Michael
Griffi th, a young man who lived with
his family nearby and was murdered in
1986 in a racially motivated attack that
took place in Howard Beach, Queens.
Borough President Adams organized
the vigil to take place outside the club
where illegal gambling appeared to be
a staple. There, he repeated his consistent
denouncement of the now national
epidemic of gun violence that disproportionately
affects communities of
color. Those in attendance offered
prayers, held lit candles, and mourned
four pairs of shoes in effi gy, to pay tribute
to the four lives lost.
Borough President Adams was in a
celebratory mood as he joined Brooklyn
Raga Massive at Red Hook’s Pioneer
Works on Sunday, October 20th
for their 24-hour Raga Massive — an
artist collective dedicated to creating
cross-cultural understanding through
the lens of Indian classical and Ragainspired
music. The celebration and
refl ection, supported by a grant from
the Offi ce of the Brooklyn Borough
President and the Brooklyn Arts
Council (BAC), was held a week prior
to Diwali, the Festival of Light that is a
deeply signifi cant family occasion observed
by more than 200,000 members
of New York City’s South Asian communities,
including Hindus, Jains,
Sikhs, and some Buddhists.
Borough President Adams has acknowledged
that it’s time Diwali is
observed as a City-recognized holiday,
so that the city’s diversity is refl
ected in our offi cially observed holidays.
To that end, he served as host of
the second annual Diwali celebration
and refl ection, held at Brooklyn Borough
Hall on Tuesday, October 22nd.
This year’s observance was dedicated
to families who have been separated
due to cruel immigration policies and
practices here in the United States.
The annual Latino Heritage celebration,
hosted by Borough President Adams,
was held at Brooklyn Borough
Hall on Thursday, October 17th. Ten
honorees, representing several Latino
nations and a diverse array of accomplishments
in fi elds such as law, brand
marketing, screen printing, and the
arts were recognized, and highlights of
the evening included a keynote address
delivered by famed Spanish-American
artist Domingo Zapata, and interpretive
dance performed by the Ballet Hispanico
dance troupe. Great food and
drink were in abundance, and a good
time was had by all in attendance.
On Wednesday, October 23rd, Borough
President Adams brought greetings
to the Polish Heritage Committee
and the Polish & Slavic Center as they
hosted their members at this year’s
celebration of Polish-American culture
at Brooklyn Borough Hall. Traditional
food and drinks fl owed with
abundance, while revelers in attendance
enjoyed music and dance that
afforded them a little slice of their native
Poland, while here in Brooklyn.
NOVEMBER EVENTS
November 1st marked the 101st anniversary
of the deadliest accident
in the history of the New York City
subway system. The Malbone Street
Wreck claimed more than 90 lives, but
also served as the catalyst for important
labor and safety reforms. In honor
of this solemn anniversary, Borough
President Adams joined New York
City Transit (NYCT) President Andy
Byford, City Council Majority Leader
Cumbo, and others to unveil a commemorative
plaque at the Prospect
Park subway station. They also led
a street co-naming ceremony for the
new Malbone Centennial Way, at the
corner of Flatbush Avenue and Empire
Boulevard.
Have you considered becoming a
vegan or vegetarian for health reasons,
or simply because you want to
make a change? That’s what Borough
President Adams did three years
ago, after being diagnosed with Type
2 diabetes. However, he recognizes
that some people may fi nd the switch
daunting. To that end, on November
4th, he hosted his regular Vegan and
Veg-Curious Meetup, an initiative that
provides free vegetarian and vegan
food, refreshments, and talks for those
interested in this lifestyle option. Keep
an eye out on the community calendar
for future meetups!
Youth participation in politics is
surging across the country. Many
young people, however, are still looking
for ways to make positive change
in their communities. On November
13th, Brooklyn Borough Hall hosted a
Youth Civic Congress, which provided
participants with tools for getting involved
on the local, grassroots level.
The event builds on Borough President
Adams’ efforts to encourage political
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