BY GEORGE HAVRANEK
SPENCER ESTATE CIVIC
ASSOCIATION
Rhetoric versus Reality
“More 911 and 311 calls
made means more police” is a
common declaration throughout
our community. This statement
infers that the volume of
311 and 911 calls stringently
determines the number of police
personnel assigned to an
area.
A logical-analogous view
at this common declaration
Many years ago, fi re alarm
pull boxes were on street corners.
The aforementioned
phrase suggests the frequency
a fi re alarm was engaged dictated
the number of fi refi ghters
assigned to a given location.
Simply stated, more pull
box activity brought more fi refi
ghters. This rudimentary interpretation
fails to account
for the type, scope and disposition
of alarm-generated
events.
It is reasonable to surmise
communities with high call
volumes and high numbers
of documented serious events
would require and receive
more services than high call
volume areas with signifi cant
numbers of mild or benign incidences.
The type, scope and
disposition of incidents are
Gjonaj gives back Fiserv gives $25K grant to SoBro
BY COUNCILMAN MARK GJONAJ
Thanksgiving, although
always an important holiday
and certainly one valuable to
tightening community bonds,
was especially important this
year. The pandemic has challenged
our city and our borough
of the Bronx in so many
countless ways that we needed
this opportunity to come together
(socially distanced of
course), give thanks and take
stock of our blessings. I hope
all members of the district
were able to draw out some joy
from this gathering in spite of
the pandemic.
In continuation of last
year’s efforts, my offi ce and I
have once again hosted a district
wide Thanksgiving turkey
drive/giveaway. Over the
course of several days, my offi
ce traveled throughout District
13 to senior homes and
other locations to distribute.
On the third and fi nal day of
the giveaway, we distributed
directly from our district offi
ce. In total, we placed 4,000
turkeys into the hands of our
constituency. 3,000 food boxes
were also distributed, including
halal chicken options. Constrained
critical variables in the formula
used to determine manpower
in given areas. These
consistently avoided, critical
variables must be clearly defi
ned during every community
presentation; failure to do
so entices the developments of
unrealistic public perception.
A creation of direct causeand
effect relationships between
number of calls and
number of law enforcement
personnel shifts the burden
away from the legislators and
policy makers and onto the
community. Placing this burden
squarely on the shoulders
of a community is, at worst,
devious and, at best, illusory.
The declaration, “The more
911 and 311 calls made means
more police” is a rhetorical,
misleading half-truth that
skews public perception and
is detrimental to community
unifi cation.
The sentiments of many
residents in low-density communities
strongly suggest the
belief that quality of life in
their neighborhoods is on a
rapid downward spiral. Nuisance
complaints that were
once adequately addressed
by law enforcement have
been rebranded and become
low priority 311 complaints.
These irksome “low priority”
wallets and checkbooks
should not prevent any
individual or family from enjoying
their Thanksgiving.
I would like to thank the
NYPD, Catholic Charities NY,
Crosstown Diner, countless
volunteers and other community
organizations for all their
help with the turkey drive. It
is empowering to witness a
community mobilized to help
connect those in need to the
essential ingredients of the
holidays.
It is my sincere hope that
each of the turkeys given away
this year found their way to
becoming the center of a family
Thanksgiving. It is important
that we continue to foster
the cohesion within families
and within our larger district
community as the COVID-19
pandemic draws itself along
further. I, myself, am thankful
to be the NYC Councilman
presiding over such a remarkable
and resilient district,
and I am thankful for family,
friends, neighbors and our
fi rst responders and essential
employees who risk their lives
to keep our city in the fi ght
against the virus.
issues are often placed on a
backburner to smolder out.
It is abundantly clear, in our
current state, the low-density
communities within the 45th
Precinct footprint cannot
meet the statistic driven metrics
Chaka Adams (Fiserv) and Lourdes Zapata holding the envelope with the grant, joined by Fiserv representatives.
BRONX TIMES R 48 EPORTER, DECEMBER 4-10, 2020 BTR
to warrant more police
personnel. The NYC political
machine has imposed their
wills on vulnerable communities
through unaddressed nuisance
issues, unwanted overdevelopments,
service homes
and road diets. These same authoritative
bodies force-feed
us a dichotomy of statisticdriven
drivel that polarizes
quality of life, criminal behavior
and public safety. Their
methodology clearly isolates
disrespectful nuisance behaviors
and crime; however,
common sense dictates that a
dyadic relationship exists between
these troublesome societal
agents.
The current makeup of the
City Council, permissive attitudes
of City Hall and Albany
suggests warranted commonsense
and fair legislative
change needed to offset 2016
reformations, recent bail reform
and other passion-fueled
policies is highly unlikely. As
unifi ed communities we need
to work with whatever is in
our respective toolboxes. An
increase in textbook enforcements
of current law would
be an excellent starting point.
Directives given to the NYPD
hierarchy and passed through
the rank and fi le has resulted
in a downward spiral in our
quality of life. The warning label
“decriminalization is hazardous
to your quality of life,”
should accompany the dubious
statistics showing a decrease
in area crime. To paraphrase
Theodore Roosevelt:
“Rhetoric is a poor substitute
for action” …and does not ease
the pains of reality.
It is time for the residents
of our communities to follow
another commonly declared
axiom, “See something, say
something.” Our eyes are
now open, awareness has set
in and displeasure is evident.
We watch as our quality of life
slips into the abyss. Important
local and city elections are
on the horizon. We see something
and must say something
loudly, at the voting booths in
2021 and 2022.
Community = Common
Unity
There is a continued increase
in illegal dumping,
petty thefts and vandalisms
throughout our footprint.
Video evidence on social media
shows nefarious individuals
nosing around parked
vehicles and encroaching on
private property during the
overnight hours. Do not become
a victim. Please lock car
doors and remove all valuables
upon exiting your vehicle.
Our community has traditionally
exhibited a “we are
family attitude.” Now, is the
time to let it shine through the
fog of uncertainty. Communicate;
make that phone call,
text message or email. Please
check on family, friends and
neighbors especially the elderly
and vulnerable. This virus
is indiscriminate, follow
protocols, always implement
cautious contact, cleanliness
and commonsense. Any area
homeowner or renter interested
in membership to the all
inclusive Spencer Estate Civic
Association inbox George
Havranek on Facebook or
send email to spencerestatecivic@
gmail.com, Remember:
“Inclusion brings solutions.”
CIVIC CENTER
Spencer Estate Civic
Association
Photo courtesy of SoBro
BY JASON COHEN
On Nov. 24, Fiserv presented
the South Bronx Economic
Development Corporation
(SoBro) with a grant
for $25,000 to fund the development
of a small business
incubator and enhancements
to their technology
center.
The grant is part of
Fiserv’s Back2Business initiative
to provide access to
funds, resources and technology
to small minorityowned
businesses that have
been impacted by the ongoing
pandemic.
SoBro offers training,
support and business development
resources to startup
and early stage businesses
with an onsite Entrepreneur
Assistance Center (EAC). In
addition to the grant funds,
Fiserv will also provide Clover
technology, onsite and
virtual trainings and other
consultative services to So-
Bro members.
link
link
/gmail.com