Bronx News (Bxnews.net): REBELS WITH A CAUSE

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): REBELS WITH A CAUSE: Rappers claim they were evicted to make way for yuppies By David Greene  BRONX, NEW YORK, March 13- A community space serving hundreds of...

REBELS WITH A CAUSE

Rappers claim they were evicted to make way for yuppies

By David Greene 

BRONX, NEW YORK, March 13- A community space serving hundreds of teens and young adults each month and run by members of the popular rap trio, "Rebel Diaz," has been shut after being evicted from their Mott Haven loft.

According to members of the community space, known as the Rebel Diaz Arts Collective of the Bronx (RDACBX) members of the NYPD were joined by Federal marshals who raided the building on Austin Place on February 28.

According to Rodrigo Venegas, who performs under the name, RodStarz, "He (the landlord) openly said, 'I have no interest in working with the community.' He said, 'Personally, I want you out of here.'"

Venegas claims he and the landlord Austin Realty Group had a verbal agreement to start a new lease last November, when Venegas explains, "He increased it by 100 percent, he gave us a $1,000 increase out of nowhere. He even offered us money to get out of the space."

The reason behind the land grab Venegas claims, "The South Bronx is going through an abrupt process of gentrification that I think is sneaking up on a lot of us. A block away we have a 16-story condominium being built that is going to have one- bedroom apartments starting at $1,200 or $1,300. We have seen a rezoning of the West part of the Bronx by Yankee Stadium and we know that this part is next."

Venegas claimed that in more than three years since they began hosting concerts and open mic nights at the former abandoned factory, the police had never been called, not a single time for a disturbance.

Venegas concluded, "We are public enemy # 1 in these streets. Our young people are being hunted in these streets and you just closed a space that for the last three-and-a-half years was keeping young people off the streets."

The rebels admit the landlord was against some murals recently painted on the roof, visible to the nearby Bruckner Expressway, but say the hip-hop concerts; seminars and workshops have benefited the community, since they took over the space.

The group says they spent $8,000 on a new electrical system and installed a professional recording studio and a performance stage that through various programs and workshops, served between 500 and 700 teens and young adults each month.

Former member Karen Louviere, 19, recalled the invasion of the groups space, stating, "They came in with armed officers into what is suppose to be a safe space for the community. A space that has served as an alternative for young people in the area, helping develop their talents in a positive way."

Calls to the New Rochelle-based landlord were not immediately returned but in one published report, the landlord's attorney said it was, "nothing personal," for the group's ouster other than complaints from neighbors, graffiti and having not paid rent since September.

In response to the eviction, more than 150 supporters shutdown Austin Place during an illegal gathering the following evening as the group used the electric, they installed-- one last time. As a wire was run from their former space to a light and sound system where a deejay would spin records for the next several hours.

NYPD patrol cars circled the area, but never came down the street. The crowd eventually disbanded, but the group has vowed to find another location.   

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Luck of the Irish

(Photos by Gary Quintal)

BRONX, NEW YORK, March 11- East Tremont Avenue was a sea of green on Sunday as Bronxites celebrated the 15th Annual Throggs Neck St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): It’s Great to be Irish This Month

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): It’s Great to be Irish This Month: 100 PERCENT By Robert Press BRONX, NEW YORK, March 8- The month of March is Irish Heritage Month and there will be celebrations of I...

It’s Great to be Irish This Month

100 PERCENT

By Robert Press

BRONX, NEW YORK, March 8- The month of March is Irish Heritage Month and there will be celebrations of Irish Heritage throughout the month and borough. This Sunday the 15th Annual Bronx St. Patrick's Day Parade happens in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx. This year our good friend Mr. Joesph McManus (the State Committeeman of the 80th A.D.) is one of the Grand Marshals of the parade, along with Ms. Rosemary Lombard, and Father Steven Norton. The Throggs Neck St. Patrick’s Day Parade starts at noon and goes down East Tremont Avenue from Lafayette Avenue turning right at Harding Avenue where the parade ends a few blocks down by Quincy Avenue. The route change was done a few years ago to accommodate the ever growing number of marchers.

The very next day the Bronx Chamber of Commerce is having its Irish Heritage Luncheon at the F & J Pines Tavern. Congressman Joesph Crowley, Robert Walsh Small Business Commissioner for NYC, Kevin McCabe of News 12, James E. McQuade owner of Schuyler Hill, Mr. Joseph McManus State Committeeman 80th A.D., Kevin Butler Bronx Borough Commander FDNY, and Virginia Gallagher Pilot Cove Manor Housing Development Fund are listed as guests of honor. For more on this BCC luncheon and the cost to BCC members/non members to attend you can check out my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com February archive on the lower left for Join us on March 11th with the link to the Bronx Chamber of Commerce. You can e-mail Gabrielle@bronxchamber.org., call 718-828-3900 or go to the BCC website at www.bronxchamber.org for more information on this and other BCC events and how to join the BCC. I will list the many others Irish Heritage events as they happen here or on my blog.

The Department of Environmental Protection (better known as the DEP) is launching a “Water & Sewer Line Protection Program”. The introductory price is listed at $11.98 for this insurance on your water and sewer line from your house to the city connection. American Water Resources (AWR) a nationwide company was selected by the New York City Water Board as the exclusive service line protection provider of the NYCDEP. As it was explained at the meeting I attended, it was estimated that typical water line repairs can cost between $3,000 to $5,000. Sewer line repairs average between $10,000 to $15,000, and it was stressed that many water and sewer lines are up to 100 years old or older. AWP will send out a professional NYC-licensed master plumber within 4 – 12 hours in most cases. You need to know the many exceptions to this protection policy however. The fee will be added on to your water bill and collected by the NYCDEP. Yes the NYCDEP does get a fee for doing this, and how much or where the fee goes could not be explained by the DEP person doing the presentation.

The old Soundview Health center that had many problems and was closed down last year has gotten a new owner, and is open for business. The Stevenson Family Health Center operated by the Institute for Family Health opened the new health center at 731 White Plains Road in an effort to preserve the communities access to critical primary health services following the closure of the Soundview Health Care Network. You can call 718-589-8775 from 8 AM – 8 PM for more information on the new Stevenson Family Health Center.

You can check my blog for information on the Russian National Ballet performance on Sunday March 10th at the Lehman College Center for the Performing Arts. Go to the archive section on the lower left for February and scroll down to the Russian National Ballet for times and prices of the performances.

This coming week several candidates for the 15th City Council District are having fund raisers. I will try to attend them all and report back to you next week on the candidates and their events. It now looks like up to a dozen people are in the race for the 15th council district seat, with no real favorite now that Mr. Rademe Perez is not running. That could be changing very soon however.

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): Councilman King Cheers Evander on to Victory

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Councilman King Cheers Evander on to Victory: (Photo by Gary Quintal) By Gary Quintal BRONX, NEW YORK, March 7- PSAL boys playoff basketball continued this week with the second and ...

Councilman King Cheers Evander on to Victory

(Photo by Gary Quintal)

By Gary Quintal

BRONX, NEW YORK, March 7- PSAL boys playoff basketball continued this week with the second and quarter final rounds of the A division playing out this week.  

Number 2 seed Evander Childs beat visiting Number 15 seed John Bowne 71-53. The win advances Evander to a quarter-finals matchup against McKee Vocational Tech Thursday.  

Evander held a comfortable lead throughout much of the contest when an early 14-5 lead ballooned to 22-5 off of two quick three pointers and a layup in the final minutes of the first quarter.  Bowne showed fight, shaving a few points off Evander's lead, but the Tiger would answer every time, finally pulling away with a 54-34 lead with only seven minutes remaining.  

In attendance watching on his Tiger was former basketball alum and current city council member Andy King.