15 BRONX WEEKLY November 24, 2019 www.BXTimes.com
Gjonaj’s Panic Bill could prevent another ‘Junior’ tragedy
Bronx businesses celebrate comeback victory over Nike
BY ALEX MITCHELL
AMNEWYORK REPORTER
Nike has agreed to keep eight
small Bronx businesses in the
Yankee merchandising game, according
to Councilwoman Vanessa
Gibson and the 161st Street Business
Improvement District.
The agreement comes after the
‘mom & pop’ shops were in jeopardy
of losing the rights to sell
Yankees memorabilia as part of
an arranged deal between Nike
and Major League Baseball that
would only authorize the selling of
licensed apparel at ‘premium distribution
points.’
“Constructive dialogue that
was initiated by our local council
members and partners in the business
improvement district led us to
urge Nike and Major League Baseball
to work together on a solution
that recognized the needs of those
who live in the neighborhood surrounding
Yankee Stadium,” the
bombers public relations department
said through a statement on
Friday, November 15.
Longtime standing River Avenue
Yankee retail spots, Ballpark
Sports, D & J Variety, Home Plate,
Pinstripe Collectibles, Sammy’s,
S & A Sports, Stadium Souvenirs
and Stan’s Sports World were all
at risk of closing down for good
per the exclusive deal, but thanks
to the new deal, they’re safe.
“The South Bronx is our home,
and we take pride in being a productive
member of our community,”
the Yankees statement also
noted.
After amNewYork broke this
news on Oct. 31, stakeholders
stepped up to the plate for the
small businesses, starting with
the New York Yankees front offi
ce bosses themselves.
The Yankees reached out to
the 161st Street BID for a list of
the endangered stores and even
wrote to Nike, expressing the organization’s
deep concerns with
the deal.
“The magnitude of the problem
is extreme,” Yankees COO
Lonn Trost wrote to the MLB
upon learning those stores
would be scratched from the
lineup.
Gibson was also instrumental
in leveraging a compromise
with Nike, sources say.
“Given their longevity, community
commitment, and economic
vitality, we strongly believe
these stores to be in fact,
premium distribution locations,”
Gibson previously wrote
in a letter to Nike, which also
noted that the small businesses
shell out roughly $1 million in
licensed apparel annually.
The NYC Small Business Services
and 161st Street BID director
Cary Goodman also went to
bat for the Bronx’s beloved Yankee
memorabilia shops.
While commending the Yankees,
Gibson and Goodman’s efforts,
Borough President Ruben
Diaz, Jr. also cheered on the victory
in his borough.
“If you want to do business in
the Bronx, you have to do business
with the Bronx. This agreement
helps Nike, Major League
Baseball and the New York Yankees
do just that,” he said.
BY JASON COHEN
Councilman Mark Gjonaj introduced
legislation last week
that would hopefully prevent further
tragedies like Lesando ‘Junior’
Guzman’s occurring again.
From Friday, November 13,
Gjonaj announced a pilot program,
titled ‘Junior’s Law,’ which
would reimburse small businesses
for the cost of purchasing
and installing a panic button that
would notify the police department
in case of emergency.
In June 2018, 15-year-old
Lesandro ‘Junior’ Guzman-Feliz
was brutally killed outside of a
bodega at the corner of East 183rd
Street and Bathgate Avenue. He
tried to hide in the store, but gang
members ran in and dragged him
outside.
Leandra Feliz, mother of
Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, fully
backed the councilman’s measure.
“My son’s murder was a senseless
act of violence that should
have never happened,” Feliz said.
“To me, it is important that all of
us do whatever we can to protect
innocent people. I believe that
this program will help to keep
people safe by giving storeowners
the ability to call for help during
a dangerous situation. I think
this could save lives.”
In order for a business to be
eligible for the program it must
operate seven days a week and
24 hours a day, have a store front
entry, employ less than 10 employees
and it must be located in
a pilot area.
The hope is this makes businesses
and communities feel
safer.
“First, I want to thank Leandra
for being such a tireless advocate
for victims,” the councilman
remarked. “I believe that Junior’s
Law will go a long way in helping
to keep members of the community
and business owners safe
by providing an easily accessible
way to alert the authorities that
a dangerous situation is in progress.
This is especially true for
bodegas, which tend to be cashbased
businesses that are often
open throughout the night with a
limited number of employees.”
Fernando Mateo, spokesman
for the United Bodegas of America,
said the bill would be a step
in the right direction, but more is
needed.
According to Mateo, bodegas
and small businesses should have
a button under the counter that
locks the doors automatically if
the employee feels there is a dangerous
situation and there should
be surveillance cameras outside.
He noted that small businesses
and bodegas are often overlooked
when it comes to safety. If they
were funded or treated like Facebook,
Amazon or big companies,
things would be vastly different,
he said.
“We defi nitely support it
(the bill),” Mateo told the Bronx
Times. “Small business owners
in the city, most of the time they
pay with their lives. It’s a nice
gesture from the city and the
councilman.”
Since Junior’s killing, United
Bodegas of America implemented
safe bodegas with the NYPD.
It is a multi-step program that
would equip bodegas with panic
buttons, shatterproof glass and
other measures that could prevent
an attack from continuing
and essentially save an innocent
life.E
ach installation costs between
$3,000 and $4,000.
One feature that the Safe Haven
Bodega Program offers is
that it gives the NYPD the ability
to monitor its security cameras
in real time.
CM Mark Gjonaj with Leandra Feliz, speak about “Junior’s Law,” which could help prevent
further tragedies like Junior Guzman. Photo Courtesy NYC Council
Stan The Man’s Baseball Land, closed for the season, on River Avenue. (File)
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