BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J BTR ULY 12-18, 2019 57
BY GEORGE HAVRANEK
The messages delivered
from the infl uential power brokers
of New York City are loud,
clear, and received. The NYC
political machine has continually
snubbed our neighbors. It
is evident that based upon recent
overrides of community
wishes in the Morris Park and
Westchester Square communities
their power and infl uence
can usurp the will of a community.
Let us place this in
proper context; ‘will’ defi ned
as ‘the wishes’ can be momentarily
staggered however,
‘will’ defi ned as “the faculty
upon which one initiates action,
resoluteness, or desire”
can be tested but never totally
extinguished.
This is a wakeup call. Now,
more than ever, community
involvements are needed to ensure
and maintain the quality
of life and characteristic of a
neighborhood. Recent events
have provoked a call to action
across many municipalities.
The collusive efforts of investors
and politicians under the
guise of helping the less fortunate
are paving roads leading
to pots of gold. Residents
of Spencer Estate and other
low-density communities take
a moment to refl ect upon how
recent legislations and other
modifi cations have affected
the long-term emotional and
fi nancial commitments you
have placed in your stable
neighborhoods.
Recent changes to our political
climate create a need for
unity among low-density communities.
With the intention of
forging new relationships and
strong alliances, invitations to
the Wednesday, July 17 meeting
have been sent to various
leaders of civic associations in
low-density communities.
A Look Back
December 9, 2018 – Man is
brutally beaten and robbed
near Bruckner Boulevard and
Waterbury Avenue. Detailed
account released to the mainstream
public on January 10,
2019.
January 4, 2019- A man allegedly
posing as a member
of law enforcement lures a
12-year-old girl to the Hutchinson
Motel where is sexually assaulted.
In 1992 at this same dubious
business an 18-year-old male
in an alleged sexual tryst/robbery
encounter that went awry
stabbed a prominent Park Avenue
attorney to death. It is
diffi cult to believe that this establishment
was absent of nefarious
behaviors over a ¼ of
a century.
March 2, 2019 – A homicide
occurs in front of 4160 Hutchinson
River Parkway.
March 10, 2019- A hit and
run fatality at McDonough
Place and Bruckner Boulevard.
The victim was allegedly
fl eeing the scene of a previous
accident.
April 10, 2019 - A weapon
brandishing man robbed a
13-year-old area resident in
the vicinity of Stadium Avenue
and Spencer Drive.
April 10, 2019 – Two older adolescent
children were stabbed
in the vicinity of Wilkinson
and Westchester Avenues.
April 27,2019 - A man is
slashed across the face at
Tony’s Pier in City Island.
May 2, 2019 – A brazen daylight
robbery of a private home
near Throgmorton and Layton
avenues.
May 10, 2019 - Multiple
young adults break into a
Buhre Avenue apartment
building and steal bicycles and
other items from the buildings
storage area.
May 19, 2019 - A man is
slashed in the face outside a
neighborhood bar. Information
released to the mainstream
public on or about June 6.
May 28,2019 - A man is
stabbed in a dispute inside a
private home near Huntington
and Schley avenues in Throggs
Neck.
May 31, 2019 - A dedicated
employee thwarts an attempted
gunpoint robbery at
the Crosstown Diner.
June 8, 2019 - A woman after
being approached for directions
is slashed in the parking
lot of a local Target store near
Brush Avenue.
June 22, 2019 - A group of animalistic
behaving teenagers
leaving the St. Theresa feast
wolf packed the surrounding
areas causing extensive damage
to multiple vehicles and
violated the civil rights of
multiple areas residents. This
egregious behavior tarnished
a long-standing community
tradition, created a community
divide and should be thoroughly
investigated by a committee
of elected offi cials, local
advisory boards, feast organizers,
local civic association,
law enforcement and area residents.
A full and transparent
investigation done to the
satisfaction of the community
should be completed to determine
the fate of this neighborhood
tradition.
Nuisance Behavior
Nuisance behaviors appear
to be on the rise. Perhaps they
are the result of well-intended
legislative reforms that while
raising the bar for defi ning
criminal behaviors restrict
the capabilities of our law enforcement.
Analyzing and assessing
the root cause for the virulent
disturbances that anger
and frustrate many community
residents is worthy of a
lengthy thesis. The following
is a partial laundry list of
circumstances that affect the
quality of life in our area.
Noise: Music blasting from
late night into the early morning
hours is affecting multiple
neighborhoods in and around
the CB 10 footprint. The source
of these irritating attacks on
our right to happiness are
party type boats in the waters
of Eastchester Bay and a
‘nuisance music mob’ that often
congregates in the industrial
area near Seabury and
Westchester avenues.
Panhandling: The incidences
of aggressive panhandling
in multiple areas along
commercial corridors of our
community have markedly increased.
Most area banks are
located in the regions of Pelham
Bay, Crosby Avenue and
East Tremont Avenue. It appears
you cannot exit a bank
or any area business without
being aggressively ‘asked’
for money. Numerous elderly
residents have confi ded that
they feel intimidated by these
‘law abiding’ panhandlers.
The elderly in our community
should never feel threatened
or uncomfortable when strolling
and shopping in their respective
neighborhoods.
Dog Poop and Trash: Selfexplanatory;
however, a growing
problem that severely tarnishes
a neighborhood.
Illegal Food Stands: Too
many exist throughout the CB
10 footprint. These unlicensed
and uninspected rouge operations
are potential community
health hazards and threaten
the livelihoods of lawful, properly
certifi ed area businesses.
Vagrancy: As the warm
weather arrives the scope of
the homelessness problem becomes
more overt. The areas
around Pelham Bay Station
and Pelham Bay Park attract
many of the areas homeless
population. This ever-growing
issue requires creative multi
discipline attention as it nears
untenable proportions.
Car Vandalism: Unfortunately,
for decades many of
our neighborhoods such as
Spencer Estate, Country Club,
Pelham Bay, and Throggs
Neck have been targets for
petty car thieves. A majority
of car vandalism is due to opportunistic
petty thieves fi nding
unlocked car doors. The
best way to proactively battle
this never-ending problem is
to secure your car and take
all valuables.
Parking: More over development
equates to more people
and more cars in already over
crowded, parking depleted areas.
A multiple community effort
is required to attempt to
down zone certain areas and
maintain low-density zoning
in others. Our communities
need to band together to fi ght
this important battle that profoundly
affects our quality of
life.
The next meeting of the
Spencer Estate Civic Association
is Wednesday, July 17, 7:30
p.m. at Knights of Columbus.
Any area homeowner or
renter interested in membership
to the all inclusive Spencer
Estate Civic Association in
box George Havranek on Facebook
or send-email with subject
matter Spencer Estate to
gghh55@aol.com. If we want to
‘keep and reap the blessings’ of
our fi ne quality of life ‘we must
undergo the fatigue of supporting
it. Inclusion brings solutions.
Message from Councilman Mark Gjonaj
COUNCILMAN MARK GJONAJ
Two weeks ago, along with hundreds
of small businesses and elected
offi cials, we gathered on the steps of
City Hall to rally for common sense
small business legislation and to reiterate
the critical importance of small
businesses to our neighborhoods and
the economy. There is clear data that
small businesses have nationally created
8 million new jobs, as opposed
to the 4 million created by large businesses.
In New York State and small
businesses have employed over 4 million
people—over half of the workforce.
However, times are changing and
small businesses are hurting, big-box
stores and online shopping are growing
daily. Property tax rates are also
sky rocketing– there was an increase
of $1.9 billion this year alone. Rent
and maintenance costs are continuously
increasing. There are approximately
6,000 government mandates
that are costly and unfunded. To put it
simply, this is decimating small businesses.
More so, we are losing the fabric of
our communities – the local mom-andpop
shops that create jobs and give
charm and character to our neighborhoods.
The very identity of New York
City, a city built on small businesses,
is at risk.
These facts have not dissuaded me
and throughout my term in the NYC
Council, I have been fi ghting for small
businesses through common sense legislation,
such as Int. 1000 and Int. 1467.
Intro 1000 will defi ne ‘micro-business’
as a business with ten or fewer employees
and would allow mom-andpop
shops to be regulated differently
than big-box stores. The latter will require
the NYC Department of Small
Business Services to compile all of the
rules and mandates that apply to small
businesses in plain language. This
would help educate the thousands of
micro-business owners and decrease
violations that small business owners
cannot afford to pay.
I encourage all small business owners
to be involved, make your voices
heard; whether by attending your
civic associations or merchants meetings,
attend NYC Council Hearing and
rallies, we need to ensure that you are
being heard. I am incredibly hopeful
for a future in which small business
owners will be active, powerful citizens
and decision makers.
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