Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Pistol Packing Teens Caught on Subway

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Pistol Packing Teens Caught on Subway: BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 14- A group of teenage fare beaters were arrested when cops found a handgun on one of them. At around 3:19 p.m. o...

Pistol Packing Teens Caught on Subway

BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 14- A group of teenage fare beaters were arrested when cops found a handgun on one of them.

At around 3:19 p.m. on June 13, cops assigned to the Transit Bureau, observed four teens skipping out on paying the fare at the Grand Concourse and Fordham Road station of the D line. When cops stopped the teens they found a .22 caliber handgun in the waistband of the 15-year-old suspect. Cops arrested the group for fare beating and charged the 15 year old with gun possession.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): What's Taking So Long?

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): What's Taking So Long?: Riverdale Report By Robert Press BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 13- There were several giant inflatable rides, activities for children, games to ...

What's Taking So Long?

Riverdale Report

By Robert Press

BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 13- There were several giant inflatable rides, activities for children, games to play, and a giant barbecue last week in the street next to PS 24 that was called Springfest. 

West 235th Street was closed from Independence Avenue along Seton Park so that about 1,000 children and their parents could enjoy the festivities. The PS 24 Parents Association sponsored this event, and the parent volunteers worked the other sides of the tables to help provide needed funding for the school. You can go to my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com to see photos of this event including the “Dunk Tank” where Interim Acting Assistant Principal Manny Verdi tried to stay dry, but keep getting dunked thanks to the help of PA Executive Board member Cliff Stanton who was giving advice on how to hit the target to dunk Mr. Verdi. 

The only problem that I saw was that there were several cars parked opposite the school were ticketed by the 50th Precinct midway through Springfest. The reason could have been that the local residents were not given enough time to move their cars as I was told the signs went up the night before. This should be a topic at the next 50th Precinct Council meeting.

Last Thursday was the now quarterly meeting of the Croton Facility Monitoring Committee. Mr. Steve Desnayer representing the Parks Department spoke of the projects that the 200 or 240 million in mitigation funds (money promised by Mayor Bloomberg in 2003 to Bronx parks in order so the elected officials of the Bronx would vote to alienate part of Van Cortlandt Park to build the Croton Water Filtration Plant). Mr. Desnayer noted two projects currently in design one at 233rd Street, and the other for enhancing the area around White Plains Road northbound by Pelham Parkway which was being done in conjunction with the DDC rehabilitation of Pelham Parkway. He then mentioned some more projects adding that to date 151 million dollars has been registered. Gary Axelbank (an opponent of the filtration plant since the early 1990's when it was proposed to be built in the Jerome Park Reservoir) stated "according to MOU signed in late 2003 or early 2004 all park projects were to be done within five years or 2009 at the latest, and here we are in 2013 and they are not yet completed".

That was only the beginning of a tough night for Mr. Desnayer as the next item focused on why the Parks Department contractor doing work on Sedwick Avenue took away 30 parking spaces over the Memorial Day weekend when no work was being done. It was said that three different projects were being done at the same time. The removal of trees on the berm (to protect the integrity of the wall of the reservoir), installation of the partial jogging path, and the replacement of part of the sidewalk around the reservoir. Mr. Desnayer could only apologize for the loss of parking, and said that the department would try to have their contractors think of the community and take away less parking spaces.

There was more to the meeting including how the DEP could not answer why they were waiting for clearance to remove asbestos from the Demo plant (next to the reservoir) built after 1990 when asbestos use was banned in NYC in 1978. Go to my blog to read more.

Monday was the official ground breaking for the West 230^th street Shopping Center expected to be two stories with 133,000 square feet of retail space along the Broadway Corridor in Kingsbridge and Marble Hill. 130 covered parking spaces will be on site, and it is expected to create 250 permanent and 500 construction jobs. Check my blog for more on this.

Also on the blog is the latest listing of events going on at Wave Hill, and comments from Councilman Koppell on the recent court decision on the “Taxi of the Future”. While Koppell was pushing for a 100 percent handicap accessible taxi fleet, he said “The increase in wheel-chair accessible taxis brings us closer to my goal of requiring that all taxis be accessible to disabled individuals”.

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 (Bxnews.net): Father's Day Fiasco

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Father's Day Fiasco: Mom gets kid back after each arrest Photo by David Greene By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 13- His tour of duty in th...

Father's Day Fiasco

Mom gets kid back after each arrest

Photo by David Greene

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 13- His tour of duty in the Navy, battling the forces of former Libyan dictator Moammar Khahadafi, was a cakewalk compared to the eight-year battle he has endured in the family court system.

According to Tremont resident James Sterling, his custody battle for his eight-year-old son Justin began when the child was still an infant and has outlasted four judges and two buildings-- but for Sterling there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The single father was expecting to finally get his day in Brooklyn Family Court on June 6.

Sterling, 49, offers proof in the form of three separate police reports where the mother was arrested for violating an order of protection on three occasions. In the most serious incident, Sterling claims the mother attacked him as he drove the mother and child in the family car.

In that incident the mother was charged by police with assault in the third degree, attempted assault, menacing, reckless endangerment, criminal contempt, harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. The mother was released and has since had custody of the boy.

Ironically, the judge who oversaw the criminal cases and passed them off to family court limbo, but Justice Suzanne Mondo recently criticized another judge, when she wrote in a court decision, that the other judge caused, "hundreds of adjournments that waste hundreds of hours of court resources."

The father, who has had a handful of court-appointed visits with his son over the years, but has missed key moments of his young son's life, like his first words and first steps, asks, "If a man did this, would he have the child for another second?"

Sterling continued, "Every time she gets arrested, she gets out and she's right back with our son."

Despite his maturity and military experience, Sterling says, "Yet I could not navigate the family court system. The family court system should be family-friendly."

Sterling adds, "If I'm 49 and it's driving me crazy, what would it do to a nice, young college man? It would tear him up at the beginning of his life."

According to attorney Joseph Cordell, co-founder of the law firm Cordell and Cordell, a firm that specializes in defending men in such cases, says of the double-standard, "It's not a theme that anyone has been willing to give much attention too, but it is a Civil rights issue."

Cordell explained, "There has been significant progress in the last 20 years that I have been doing this, but it's by no means a level playing field." The attorney continued, "I think it (the problem) is widespread. I think it exists in every state, just not in every courtroom."

"There's no momentum," Cordell says, "legislatively or judicially to tackle this phenomenon."

Cordell, who has made defending men in such cases his, "mission," since he began practicing law in 1990, is one of three attorneys at his firm currently putting together an article on the subject that will discuss the many problems and possible solutions to this complex issue. They expect the paper to be ready in about another month and will submit it to the many different law journals.

Fellow Bronxite, Roberto Figueroa, 42, whose own bitter custody battle for his two children in the Bronx, lasted 5-years, says of Sterling's case, "If the roles were reversed, they would have settled it in criminal court ... like they did with me."

"I'm the one that walked away," Figueroa explains that he withdrew his petition in 2008, adding, “Every time I visited my kids there was another ACS case. I walked away because of what it was doing to my kids. I can't even talk about it because it's so sad."

Cordell, whose firm has offices in 25-plus cities, said of Sterling's 8-years in legal-limbo, "It's a travesty at 2 to 3 years and 8-years is beyond discussion."

Calls to Sterling's ex went unanswered. Calls to the Brooklyn District Attorney's office to learn why the criminal cases were moved to family court, were not returned.

Sterling was asked if he is granted an afternoon to be with his son, what would they do, he replied, "I'd like to take him horseback riding or roller skating and just get to know him better."  

Forty-eight hours before he was due in court, Sterling received a call telling him that the case had once again been postponed until October or November, the reason this time is because a court ordered visit between father and son, had not been granted.

Sterling said after learning the news, "They had marked this case, "Final," on about seven occasions and I just want it to go to trial.

So the battle in legal limbo continues.   

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Community Fighter Remembered

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Community Fighter Remembered: By Dan Gesslein  BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 12 - One of the strongest voices defending Bronx communities has been silenced. Community leaders...