BRONX NEWS: Hope for Pope's Visit

BRONX NEWS: Hope for Pope's Visit: Pope’s visit to New York Viewed as uplifting occasion  By Michael Horowitz      BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- Most Bronx resident...

Hope for Pope's Visit

Pope’s visit to New York

Viewed as uplifting occasion 

By Michael Horowitz

    

BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- Most Bronx residents seem to be looking forward to Pope Francis II’s visit to New York City next week, viewing it as an uplifting occasion in a world that is in desperate need of the spirituality that he exudes.

Sylvia Greenebaum explained, “The Pope is a wonderful man who is reaching people all over the world. He’s a wonderful man who takes an interest in the average person.”

Ted Jefferson added, “The Pope’s visit is a blessing that we need very badly. I’m a Christian, and the Pope is a great man of God, and it is inspiring that he is coming to New York. There is so much killing in our world, and there is an evil spirit that seems to be involved in everything. We all need to see someone like the Pope because we have every reason to appreciate who he is.”

Juliette Owusu, with her young children, Elijah and Elizabeth in tow, stressed, “The Pope’s visit is a great opportunity for everyone who believes in Christ. He is an icon who is having a big and positive influence on the world. He commands our respect.”

Carmen Kalmanowicz, who was raised as a Roman Catholic, emphasized, “I like the fact that the current Pope is expressing a more modern brand of religion than other popes have. A lot of people love him, and so do I. I would love to talk to him during his visit to New York City. I like the fact that he, like I, is not focused on Catholicism alone. He’s a man of the church who is reaching out to Catholics, as well as people who have religious beliefs that are different from his.” 

Susan Wilson added, “I think that it’s good that the Pope is coming to New York. It’s important that he come to see the city, and I’d love to see him if I could."

Sylvia Samuel, echoing the sentiments of other Co-op City shareholders, emphasized, “We need to see the Pope. He’s a spiritual person, and I feel his spirit in very positive ways. I feel his positive energy whenever I see him on TV.”

Expressing a minority view among Co-op City shareholders, Kimberly Brown said that the Pope’s visit to New York City means nothing to her. 

#Pope Francis #Papal Visit 

BRONX NEWS: Despite Hype Ice Rink Sits Unused

BRONX NEWS: Despite Hype Ice Rink Sits Unused: Despite Hype Ice Rink Sits Unused What to Do With An Empty Ice Rink? Riverdale Report By Robert Press BRONX, NEW YORK (BRON...

Despite Hype Ice Rink Sits Unused

Despite Hype Ice Rink Sits Unused

What to Do With An Empty Ice Rink?

Riverdale Report

By Robert Press

BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- It seems that after Mayor Bloomberg had to have an ice skating rink in Van Cortlandt Park, the space is now empty, and becoming an eyesore to the community. 

I am talking about the old unused tennis court that sits on Broadway just south of the end of the # 1 Subway line. Over 3 years ago Mayor Bloomberg had the Parks Department put out a Request For Proposal to have an Ice Skating Rink be put in the unused tennis court on Broadway. The RFP was sent out, and a contract was drawn up with the vendor and the city. It was for 15 years with an increasing scale of fees to be paid to the city after the first two free years of the contract.

Ice Rinks Inc. which has other ice skating rinks in city parks was the vendor, and for the first year of operation of the Van Cortlandt Park Ice Skating Rink everything seemed to be going well. In the second year of operation was where things seemed to fall apart. It was a rather warmer winter, and the equipment that Ice Rinks Inc. had put in seemed to be having problems. The ice was soft at times, and the rink could not be used. This led to a decline in attendance and in revenue for Ice Rinks Inc. The rink was shut down more than two weeks before its scheduled closing as the chillers were no longer effectively making the ice hard. Ice Rinks Inc. was unsure if they could return the next year as new chillers would have to be installed, and that was going to cost to much money to be profitable. It seemed that the vendor wanted to redo the contract that gave them two free years of operation, so they could continue rent free.

The result was that Ice Rink Inc. pulled out of the contract with the city, and the city and community were back to having an eyesore of an empty area that now had permanent electrical equipment, and other permanent large metal casings so tennis was no longer an option for this space in Van Cortlandt Park. That was over a year ago, and looks like it will be permanent since the Kingsbridge National Ice Center in the nearby Kingsbridge Armory will become a reality.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., State Senator Jeff Klein, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, and Councilman Andrew Cohen have come up with an idea for the unusable tennis area on Broadway. The four elected officials want to have a weekend market similar to the one that is currently in Bryant Park, which by the way Bryant park also has an ice skating rink that is very successful. You can go to my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com to see the letter that the four elected officials have sent to NYC Parks Commissioner Michael Silver requesting that this eyesore of an area in Van Cortlandt park be transformed into a marketplace such as is in Bryant Park in Manhattan.

This Sunday is the North Riverdale Block Festival sponsored by the North Riverdale Merchants Association and KRVC. Riverdale Avenue between West 258^th and West 259^th Street will be closed to traffic with the exception of a lane for emergency vehicles and regularly scheduled buses that will be running on a Sunday schedule. The event will run from 12 – 4 PM -, and will feature live music all day, clowns, face painting, many more children s activities, and also pony rides.

If you have any comments about this column or would like to have an event listed or covered in this column or on my blog you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call 718-644-4199 Mr. Robert Press.  

BRONX NEWS: New Police Capt. Leans Towards Body Cameras,

BRONX NEWS: New Police Capt. Leans Towards Body Cameras,: New Police Capt. Leans Towards Body Cameras, Backs Putting Cops Back on the Beat By Michael Horowitz BRONX, NEW YORK, (BRONX NEWS)- The ne...

New Police Capt. Leans Towards Body Cameras,

New Police Capt. Leans Towards Body Cameras,

Backs Putting Cops Back on the Beat

By Michael Horowitz

BRONX, NEW YORK, (BRONX NEWS)- The new captain of the 45th Police Precinct said that she is leaning toward supporting body cameras for the city’s police officers.

Capt. Danielle Raia said that her inclination is to support having police officers videotape their encounters with potential criminals, but that the idea needs further study before it is implemented in New York City.

The new commanding officer for the 45th Precinct stressed that she was expressing her personal views on the issue of body camera for police officers, rather than an initiative that the NYPD is currently planning to implement.

“I can see the pros and cons on this issue,” Capt. Raia stressed. “What I’m really saying is that the issue needs further study, but that body camera have considerable merit even though there could be some problems with the use of the body cameras.”

Those in the NYPD who support body cameras for police officers have contended that they would help to eliminate confusion over whether an officer may have used excessive force or acted inappropriately while doing his or her job.

Those opposed to the body cameras have argued that photographing encounters with police could lead to misinterpretations and differing views in police encounters even though the cameras are supposed to lead to factually based recordings.

Those opposed to the body cameras have also contended that they would inhibit police work by appearing to tie the hands of patrol officers.

The commanding officer of the 45th Precinct counts herself as among NYPD Commissioner William Bratton’s biggest boosters. Raia said that she especially approved of Bratton’s efforts to open up lines of communication between NYPD officers and the people who live and work in the city’s neighborhoods.

Bratton has indicated, in recent weeks that he wants to bring back something like the Neighborhood Police Teams from the 1970s. The focus of this thrust was for officers to walk beats in the communities and get to know the people in the city’s neighborhoods and the crime­ related concerns that these neighborhoods confronted.

“As I understand it, the new community ­policing thrust will not focus on police officers walking beats, but it will focus on officers interacting with people in community in an effort to develop intelligence and gain a better understanding of the issues that are important to the people in communities who we serve,” Capt. Raia noted.

The commanding officer of the 45th Precinct stressed that pilot programs emphasizing community policing are being developed in anticipation of their rollout in the not­-too-­distant future.

“We, at the 45th Precinct, will not have one of the pilot programs, but I’m very interested in seeing how they work out,” Capt. Raia noted. “The whole idea of community policing is a good one, but it needs a bit more study within the context of today’s world.”

#Police #BodyCameras #NYPD #Bronx

BRONX NEWS: Baby Faced Wanna-Be Rapist Sought by NYPD

BRONX NEWS: Baby Faced Wanna-Be Rapist Sought by NYPD: CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Baby Faced Wanna-Be Rapist Sought by NYPD By Dan Gesslein BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- Police released video of a bab...