12 AWP Brooklyn Paper • www.BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260-2500 June 21–27, 2019
Myrtle Ave. parties!
By Susan De Vries
Brooklyn Paper
Summer officially starts
this weekend and Myrtle Avenue
Brooklyn Partnership is
celebrating with a free party
in the plaza.
Head to the Myrtle Avenue
Plaza, located between
Steuben Street and Emerson
Place, for a night of music,
dance and art on Friday, June
21. The Benny Lopez Latin
Jazz Band will be bringing
their sound to the solstice evening
and instructors will be
on hand to get the salsa dancing
moving.
You’ll also be able to watch
art in progress as the group
Art for After Hours creates
an on-site installation celebrating
the immigrant heritage
of the community during
the party. There will be free
snacks and drinks and outdoor
games to play as well.
While the event runs from
This year’s lineup in Myrtle Avenue Plaza includes a host of free fitness events
throughout June and July.
Cuomo’s subway crackdown
Kevin P. Coughlin
DONATE YOUR CAR
Wheels For Wishes
benefiting
Make-A-Wish®
Metro New York
* 100% Tax Deductible
* Free Vehicle Pickup ANYWHERE
* We Accept Most Vehicles Running or Not
* We Also Accept Boats, Motorcycles & RVs
WheelsForWishes.org
* Car Donation Foundation d/b/a Wheels For Wishes. To learn more about our programs or
Call:(917)336-1254
By Aidan Graham
Brooklyn Paper
Gov. Andrew Cuomo
announced a major crackdown
to combat violence
and fare evasion on subways
and buses, committing
an additional 500 uniformed
officers to the city’s
transit system.
“Fare evasion is a growing,
monetarily significant
problem,” the governor said
at a June 17 press conference.
“More and more people are
evading the fare, and getting
on the trains without paying.
That’s not only a legal
violation, it’s unfair to everyone.”
Of the newly commissioned
transit-cops, 400
will be reassigned officers
who currently patrol for
the MTA and the NYPD,
and 100 will be redeployed
Bridge and Tunnel officers
— whose jobs have become
obsolete thanks to automatic
tolling on highways, according
to Cuomo.
The transit cops will focus
on patrolling 100 subway
stops and bus routes which
authorities have deemed
‘hotspots’ for fare-beaters
and bruisers.
Cuomo said the effort
would help recoup missed
revenue for the cash strapped
subway system, which lost
out on $243 million over
the last 12 months, according
to a recently released
MTA study.
The additional law enforcement
agents will also
work to combat the growing
numbers of assaults that occur
on subways and busses,
according to Cuomo, who
highlighted another report
on violence against transit
workers from 2013 to 2017.
“We’ve seen 2,300 harassments
incidents of MTA employees.
One hundred assaults
— stabbings, punchings violence
— against MTA employees,”
the governor said.
“It’s incomprehensible to me.
It’s a true problem, and it’s
getting worse.”
NYPD Police Commissioner
James O’Neill said the
additional forces were needed
to help prevent crimes against
civilian subway riders.
“Our priority is to keep
the nearly six million riders
who use the subway each day
safe, and to ensure qualityof
life on the trains and in
stations,” he said. “In 1990,
there were nearly 17,500 transit
crimes, compared to 2018,
where there were 2,500 transit
crimes, which is approximately
one crime for every
Where culture
is king
july 13
MAJAH HYPE’S
ANNUAL LABOR DAY COMEDY SHOW
1027 FLATBUSH AVENUE
BROOKLYN NY 11226
TICKETS FROM
KINGSTHEATRE.COM
july 14
August 31
million riders.”
The Transport Workers
Union Local 100 — which
represents over 40,000 MTA
workers — celebrated the
announcement as a major
victory for the livelihood
of transportation civil servants,
according to the organizations
president.
“This is a big victory,” said
Tony Utano. “We want to go
to work and do our jobs and
go home to our families unharmed.
We are sick and tired
of the abuse. We are hopeful
that these additional officers
will not only deter attacks
against our members
but also result in quick arrests
when crimes do take
place. Our voices have been
heard. This is a big step forward.”
Gov. Cuomo promising
new subway policing.
FOLLOW
US ON
TWITTER
twitter.com/
BrooklynPaper
5 to 8 p.m. it is just one of
many free programs taking
place over the summer.
Fitness classes, lunchtime
concerts and art workshops
for children are just a few of
the offerings during the 2019
Myrtle Avenue Plaza Summer
Series. For the full schedule
of events check out the calendar
at myrtleavenue.org/
summer .
Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership
/KINGSTHEATRE.COM
/www.BrooklynPaper.com
/WheelsForWishes.org
/www.BrooklynPaper.com
/twitter.com
/myrtleavenue.org