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Friday, February 1, 2013

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): A broken promise

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): A broken promise: --> Wakefield Area News By Mary V. Lauro BRONX, NEW YORK, February 1- The other shoe is falling! The Mayor is continuing his assault on...

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): A broken promise

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): A broken promise: --> Wakefield Area News By Mary V. Lauro BRONX, NEW YORK, February 1- The other shoe is falling! The Mayor is continuing his assault on...

A broken promise

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Wakefield Area News
By Mary V. Lauro


BRONX, NEW YORK, February 1- The other shoe is falling! The Mayor is continuing his assault on Wakefield. 

Praxis is already building its 70-unit building to support AIDs victims and drug addicts on White Plains Road. On Bronx Boulevard, Project Renewal has begun construction on the Balfour building for 100 homeless men now Mayor Bloomberg has waved his nasty wand so construction will soon begin to turn the Muller Army Reserve Center at 555 Nereid Avenue into a shelter for 200 single homeless men.
"No! No! No!" Borough President Diaz had said about the Muller ARC over and again. He would not let that happen without taking the City to Court. He has every reason to do so. From its inception, the Mayor bent the federal guidelines for acquiring the Muller ARC. Then in an entirely illegal move he claimed that the three person group mandated to decide whether or not the Muller ARC would become a homeless shelter had voted to do so. One of the three people in the group (Local Redevelopment Authority) was Borough President Diaz. He claims there was never a meeting and there was never a vote. We are sure he would never vote for a homeless shelter that would negatively impact on two great neighborhoods: Wakefield and Woodlawn.
Even so and sadly, no matter his good intentions, the BP is muting his promise. He never told us that he would take the city to court only if he could find an attorney who would do it Pro Bono. So far, it seems there is no attorney in the community or the Bronx who is willing…
We thought that in making the promise, the BP had the resources. One would think that he has a legal department and/or the necessary finances. It would not pain the borough to do in the something for Wakefield. Neither the Bronx, nor Wakefield's elected officials have done anything for it for at least 50 years. Doing nothing now, will be far more, costly in the future.
To aggravate the situation, two weeks ago, the Chair of CB 12 (in which Wakefield is located) disseminated the idea that the residents of Wakefield should donate money to hire a lawyer! What an obnoxious and, well, stupid idea especially since he is himself an attorney. Surely, he can do this pro bono, for Wakefield and for the Borough President. How wonderful that would be. The people of Wakefield should not have to buy what their elected officials should do. The people of Wakefield already pay them.
All of this is not to be construed as a diatribe against the homeless. Being without a home can occur much more easily than at first considered. Surely shelter must be given to those who have none, but the host community should have a say on location. It is their treasure and their families that will be affected. The way it is done now is a form of taxation without representation.
There are five boroughs. One would expect them to each have an equal share of homeless. That would be 20% each. But that is not the case. The Bronx has 33%.
On Monday, January 28, 2013, the City will send out people to count those who have no shelter on our streets, subways, wherever. This is done every year. While it is not an accurate count, it is a reasonable approximation. Last year (2012) the count in the Bronx was 169. We doubt it will be more than that this year.
Why do we need room for 380 homeless individuals? Where are they coming from?


Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Remembering Fire Victims

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Remembering Fire Victims: --> Community Board 6 By Ivine Gallarza  BRONX, NEW YORK, February 1- The members and staff of Bronx Community Board #6 invite you to joi...

Remembering Fire Victims

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Community Board 6

By Ivine Gallarza 
BRONX, NEW YORK, February 1- The members and staff of Bronx Community Board #6 invite you to join us as we solemnly commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the Happy Land Social Club Fire.  
This fire, which took the lives of 87 victims, was the deadliest and most tragic fire to hit New York City in decades and was labeled the worst fire in the City’s history since the “Triangle Shirt fire” which ironically took place on the same date 100 years earlier.  It was also the worse mass murder in the nation.                      
As in years past, the tragic event will be commemorated with a memorial mass on Sunday March 24th, 2013 at 12 p.m. at Saint Thomas Aquinas Church, which is located at 1900 Crotona Parkway, Bronx New York. It is the same church where the fire victims were viewed and where the family members and an entire community gathered to mourn.  
Immediately following the mass, a vigil will be held at the site of the Happy Land Memorial Monument (located at East Tremont Avenue and Southern Boulevard) where family members and friends will place flowers and mementos and reflect on the victims’ lives.
Please note that the actual anniversary date of the fire is Monday, March 25th and therefore the Monument will also be open on Monday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Bronx Community Board #6 sincerely hopes that your schedule will allow you to join us at this important ceremony. 

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Bronx Hails Koch

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Bronx Hails Koch: -->   Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. issued the following statement on the passing of Mayor Ed Koch: BRONX, NEW YORK, Februar...

Bronx Hails Koch

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Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. issued the following statement on the passing of Mayor Ed Koch:


BRONX, NEW YORK, February 1- “Today the Bronx is mourning the death of a son and one of the city’s greatest and most charismatic public leaders. Mayor Ed Koch was a man of wit and wisdom, a leader who helped lift our city out of the brink of bankruptcy, raising our spirits along the way and securing New York’s place as the capital of the world.

“Mayor Koch was always proud of his Bronx roots. During his administration he helped rebuild the South Bronx, creating a task force that helped restore burned-out buildings while creating new, thriving communities—work that still resonates to this day. He was a man of deep devotion, who after leaving office continued to inspire New Yorkers through his activism and his commitment to a city he fiercely loved.

“While we mourn his loss we honor his legacy, commitment to civil rights and his civic leadership, which will forever live in our hearts and in the millions of lives he touched. On behalf of the 1.4 million residents of the Bronx, I would like to extend our most heartfelt condolences to his family and friends during this very difficult time,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.