August 9, 2020 Your Neighborhood — Your News®
Month xx–xx, 2019
LOCAL
CLASSIFIEDS
PAGE 7
Someone spray painted over two parts of two Black Lives Matter mural in
Gowanus with the phrase “All Lives Matter.” Photos by Ben Verde
VANDALS
STRIKE IN BK
Black Lives Matter murals
vandalized in Gowanus
BY BEN VERDE
Vandals defaced a pair of
adjoining Black Lives Matter
murals in Gowanus by spray
painting the common refrain
“All Lives Matter” over the
block-long works of art.
The canvases, which live
on a construction fence near
Union Street and Fourth Avenue,
depict a young signholding
Black girl, along with
a block-text signage of the
“Black Lives Matter” slogan
— but the scoff laws used red
paint to scribble the word “All”
in several places over the word
“Black.”
The construction site is
owned by developer Avery
Hall, who lamented the vandalism
and promised to reach out
to the local artists who painted
the murals to discuss restoring
the art.
“We are very proud of the
work that local artists have
done at our site to support
the Black Lives Matter movement,
and do not condone this
act,” said Avery Hall rep Brian
Ezra.
It isn’t the first time the
murals have been disrupted,
as an Avery Hall contractor
mistakenly painted over the
original murals — which Ezra
described as a “gargantuan
misunderstanding.”
Other large murals depicting
Black Lives Matter signage
across the city have also been
frequent targets of defacing —
such as the city-sponsored mural
in front of Trump Tower in
Manhattan, which has been
vandalized at least five times.
In one instance, a lawbreaker
covered the yellow text in red
paint, and on another occasion,
two conservative provocateurs
injured a policeman while being
arrested for sprawling
black over the painting.
The new harbor seal pup. Julie Larsen Maher/WCS
Making
no census
Brooklyn’s census
response rate lags
BY BEN VERDE
With just 100 days until the
deadline, nearly half of all Brooklynites
have failed to respond to
the 2020 census, leaving the borough
at risk of losing representation
in congress and missing out
on much-needed federal funds.
“From potholes to education,
to children’s health insurance, to
SNAP, to Section 8 vouchers, to titles
won for our public schools —
all will be decided by the census
count,” said northern Brooklyn
Rep. Nydia Velazquez.
Data from the United States
Census Bureau shows that just 51.6
percent of all Kings County residents
have responded to the survey
— which is substantially lower
than New York State’s total of 58.5
percent, and the national response
rate of 62.9 percent.
Brooklyn also lags behind the
other four boroughs in New York
City, where Staten Island boasts
the highest response rate at 59.4
percent, followed by the Bronx at
55.9 percent, then Manhattan at
56.3 percent, and Queens with 54.8
percent.
Fill out the census online at
my2020census.gov.
NY Aquarium welcomes new harbor seal pup
BY BEN VERDE
This seals the deal!
Coney Island welcomed
its furriest new resident on
July 28, when Murphy the
harbor seal pup was born at
the New York Aquarium to
parents Pickles and Coral.
“The pup is doing well
and getting used to her surroundings,”
said Jon Forrest
Dohlin, director of the aquarium.
“The latest member of
our harbor sea family is a
reminder that life goes on at
the aquarium regardless of
our temporary closure.”
The harbor seal, a common
species often spotted
along the East and West
coasts of North America,
isn’t the only aquatic
Brooklynite the aquarium
has welcomed since its temporary
closure. The southern
Brooklyn fi shtank also
welcomed Erie, a California
sea lion pup born in October,
to the Sea Cliffs habitat
in April.
While zoos and botanical
gardens have been given
the go-ahead to reopen under
New York’s fourth phase of
reopening, indoor attractions
like aquariums and museums
have remained shuttered due
to the increased risk of contracting
coronavirus in enclosed
spaces. During its closure,
the essential staff at the
aquarium have continued to
clock in every day to care for
its fi nned residents.
Vol. 9 No. 32 UPDATED EVERY DAY AT BROOKLYNPAPER.COM
/my2020census.gov
/BROOKLYNPAPER.COM