SEPTEMBER
September began with
the remnants of Hurricane
Ida ravaging parts of New
York, producing the city’s
fi rst fl ash fl ood emergency
and more than a dozen fatalities.
Apartments fl ooded and
road closures from fl ooding
and abandoned vehicles disrupted
commutes. Following
the storm, climate activists
called for infrastructure improvements.
On the 20th anniversary
of 9/11, a retired Bronx NYPD
detective shared memories
with the Bronx Times of his
three months at Ground Zero
following 9/11, searching for
survivors and instead fi nding
dead bodies. “As I got there, I
saw guys with shovels and I
got in line with them,” he said.
“Everything was gray there,
there was no color.”
The Department of Education
(DOE) championed bringing
students back for in-person
learning on Sept. 13 and
set up vaccination sites at
schools for students aged 12-
17. The department decided
to vaccinate 10% of unvaccinated
students who opted-in to
be tested bi-weekly. On Sept.
27, DOE began testing weekly
instead.
Chesnut Holdings, a property
management fi rm that
manages approximately 134
buildings in New York City,
most of which are in low-income
neighborhoods in the
Bronx, repeatedly violated
lead-poisoning prevention
laws, endangering tenants,
according to the state Attorney
General’s offi ce. The company
agreed to pay $300,000
for lead poisoning prevention
programs and bring its apartments
to compliance on Sept.
23.
OCTOBER
On Oct. 1, the borough’s
fi rst Apple store opened on
the ground level of The Mall at
Bay Plaza in Baychester, making
it offi cial that each borough
has at least one store of
the tech giant.
On Oct. 13, Colin Powell,
the fi rst African American
U.S. Secretary of State,
died at the age of 84 from COVID
19 complications. Powell
was raised in the South Bronx
and alongside his many naval
honors, he earned the Presidential
Medal of Freedom
twice, the Congressional Gold
Medal and an award from the
NAACP.
Hundreds of Riverdale
residents attended a meeting,
where many made sure
the Department of Social Services
knew its proposed single
men’s shelter was not warmly
welcomed on Broadway across
from Van Cortlandt Park,
which currently houses storefronts.
It wasn’t the last time
they made their views known.
Vice President Kamala
Harris visited the Edenwalk
YMCA in the Bronx on Oct. 22
to speak about the Build Back
Better Agenda, meant to reach
climate goals, create jobs and
lower costs for working families.
She was introduced by
Gov. Kathy Hochul and joined
by U.S Rep. Alexandria Ocasio
Cortez and Mayor Bill de
Blasio.
NOVEMBER
Bronx women of color
scored big wins on election
night, with Vanessa Gibson
winning borough president,
Marjorie Velázquez, Althea
Stevens, Pierina Ana Sanchez
and Amanda Farias winning
seats on the City Council and
Yudelka Tapia winning an
uncontested special election
for the state Assembly. Democrats
soared in the polls.
On the Tuesday before
Thanksgiving, a 13-year-old
boy was shot in Wakefi eld on
his way to school; the suspect
was out on parole and bail for
separate gun charges. Even
though the shooting was not
gang-related, a local violence
prevention group said it took
place in a hotspot for shootings.
On Thanksgiving Eve, a
Brooklyn man allegedly shot
at cops in Belmont after being
asked to take his hands out of
his pockets.
As Thanksgiving approached,
and demand for turkey
giveaways was abundant,
it was no secret that food insecurity
is omnipresent in the
South Bronx, which outperformed
nationwide for the ratio
of residents experiencing
food insecurity.
On Nov. 29, a New Rochelle
man was arrested for a cold
case of a 1999 murder of a
13-year-old girl, whose body
was found behind a dumpster
near Co-op City. Her family
had last seen her when she left
to go to school but never arrived.
DECEMBER
A group of Fordham University
students formed to
protest sexual violence and
the university’s policies on
Dec. 8 after learning about
lawsuits regarding assaults
perpetrated by former students
against former students
during their time attending
the university, like Julianna
Czernyk, who told the Bronx
Times of the impact her alleged
rape had on her mental
health.
City Island residents
learned about a fl ood tracking
app, so anyone in communities
that experience fl ooding
can help researchers visualize
future impacts of sea levels
rising, which can impact public
safety and health.
The Bronx gets transportation
news, which is hopeful
for some and frustrating for
others, that the long-anticipated
four new Metro-North
stations in the East and South
Bronx are expected to be
ready in fi ve years. The MTA’s
Bronx Bus re-design was approved
by the board, putting
another ongoing discussion
into action.
COVID-19 cases surged
citywide as the omicron variant
spread. City councilmen
criticized the Department of
Education for not testing more
Year in Review
Colin Powell spent much of his early life in the Bronx, including move into
the borough at the age of 6. Photo courtesy Ruben Diaz Jr./Twitter
and Amanda Farias winning
seats on the City Council and
Yudelka Tapia winning an
uncontested special election
for the state Assembly. Democrats
soared in the polls.
On the Tuesday before
Thanksgiving, a 13-year-old
boy was shot in Wakefi eld on
his way to school; the suspect
was out on parole and bail for
separate gun charges. Even
though the shooting was not
gang-related, a local violence
prevention group said it took
place in a hotspot for shootings.
On Thanksgiving Eve, a
Brooklyn man allegedly shot
at cops in Belmont after being
asked to take his hands out of
his pockets.
As Thanksgiving approached,
and demand for turkey
giveaways was abundant,
it was no secret that food insecurity
is omnipresent in the
South Bronx, which outperformed
nationwide for the ratio
of residents experiencing
food insecurity.
On Nov. 29, a New Rochelle
man was arrested for a cold
case of a 1999 murder of a
13-year-old girl, whose body
was found behind a dumpster
near Co-op City. Her family
had last seen her when she left
to go to school but never arrived.
DECEMBER
A group of Fordham University
students formed to
protest sexual violence and
the university’s policies on
Dec. 8 after learning about
lawsuits regarding assaults
perpetrated by former students
against former students
during their time attending
the university, like Julianna
Czernyk, who told the Bronx
Times of the impact her alleged
rape had on her mental
health.
City Island residents
learned about a fl ood tracking
app, so anyone in communities
that experience fl ooding
can help researchers visualize
future impacts of sea levels
rising, which can impact public
safety and health.
The Bronx gets transportation
news, which is hopeful
for some and frustrating for
others, that the long-anticipated
four new Metro-North
stations in the East and South
Bronx are expected to be
ready in fi ve years. The MTA’s
Bronx Bus re-design was approved
by the board, putting
another ongoing discussion
into action.
COVID-19 cases surged
citywide as the omicron variant
spread. City councilmen
criticized the Department of
Education for not testing more
frequently, and long lines
for COVID testing at hospitals
and health care facilities
tested Bronxites’ patience before
the holidays.
-Aliya Schneider
The month of September kicked
off with a bang as Hurricane Ida
fl ooded Bronx walkways, parkways
and roads. Photo David Dee Delgado/
Getty Images
As case virus counts in NYC continue to skyrocket, lines for COVID-19 testing wrap around Lincoln Hospital in
the South Bronx. Photo Adrian Childress
Colin Powell spent much of his early life in the Bronx, including move into
the borough at the age of 6.
Students shouted toward campus as they marched by on Dec. 8. Photo
Aliya Schneider
Residents of the South Bronx pick
up free turkeys as part of a local
initiative to ensure that everyone
has food. Photo Adrian Childress
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, DEC.18 31, 2021-JAN. 6, 2022 BTR