December 8, 2019 Your Neighborhood — Your News®
Month xx–xx, 2019
LOCAL
CLASSIFIEDS
PAG E 11
Mayhem Downtown
Motorist plows through scaffolding, kills woman during rush hour
BY ALEX MITCHELL
A speeding driver fatally
struck a woman before smashing
through a construction site
in Downtown Brooklyn during
the morning rush Wednesday,
witnesses and emergency offi -
cials said.
The 81-year-old motorist behind
the wheel of a black Ford
Expedition struck the victim —
Department of Education employee
Tracy Belgrave — as he
sped north along Pearl Street,
before plunging into a construction
area and plowing through
some scaffolding near the Marriott
Hotel just before 9:30 am,
witnesses say.
The crash sent construction
debris fl ying through the
air, nearly striking individuals
crossing through the busy commercial
area. A fi re hydrant was
also launched across the bustling
pedestrian walkway that
connects Jay Street and Adams
Street near the hotel.
First responders rushed Belgrave
to Brooklyn Hospital,
where doctors pronounced her
dead shortly after 10 am, according
to police.
Meanwhile, the elderly male
driver was pinned in his car
and had to be extricated by rescue
workers, according to fi refi
ghters. Medics ferried him to
Brooklyn Hospital for treatment
as well.
New York City Schools Chancellor
Richard Carranza released
a statement following
news the Education Department
employee’s passing.
“Tracy was beloved by all of
her colleagues, and I’m devastated
by this tragic loss for the
DOE community,” he said. “I
share my deepest condolences
with her family, friends and colleagues.
We will have grief counselors
available to staff for as
long as it is needed, and encourage
anyone to reach out for assistance
at any time.”
PTA
fundraising
fosters
inequality
in Coney
BY ROSE ADAMS
A recent study unveiled the
massive funding discrepancies
between Coney Island schools
fueled by Parent Teacher Association
fundraising efforts, which
one lawmaker said perpetuates
racial and socio-economic inequities
throughout the People’s
Playground.
“It’s very concerning to me
— the depths of inequalities in
our school district,” said Councilman
Mark Treyger (D-Coney
Island), who sponsored legislation
requiring education officials
to release PTA funding
data. “This report clearly shows
that your zip code does impact
the amount of opportunities for
your children and your school
system.”
While some Coney Island
schools rake in hundreds of thousands
of dollars through parentled
fundraisers, others receive
exactly nothing. The PTA at
Mark Twain IS 239 for the Gifted
and Talented, located on Neptune
Avenue by W. 25th Street,
raised over $330,000 last year —
towering over the other PTAs in
the neighborhood, which generally
raised $40,000 or less annually.
The parent org at PS 329 Surfside
— located only fi ve blocks
away from Mark Twain — raised
$202 in 2018, which equals out
to $0.52 per student. The PTAs
at Brighton Beach’s PS 253 and
Gravesend’s John Dewey High
School raised no money last
year.
Continued on page 8
A driver plowed through construction scaffolding at Pearl Street during the morning rush Wednesday, fatally stiking woman. Photo by Alex Mitchell
Vol. 8 No. 49 UPDATED EVERY DAY AT BROOKLYNPAPER.COM
/BROOKLYNPAPER.COM
