Small Turnout at Bronx Vigil a Sign That Fear Reigns

A handful of community members gathered in front of Monroe College for last night’s candlelit vigil in honor of Bimal Chanda. Eight flames honored the 59-year-old Fordham resident who died two weeks ago as the result of a brutal beating at the hands of two unidentified thugs.

Bronx Anti-Smoking Events This Week

A number of local groups and elected officials will host a forum tonight at the Riverdale Y, 5625 Arlington Avenue, from 6 to 8 p.m. “Laying the Foundation for Healthy Living,” is the first in a series of forums organized by the Bronx-Smoke Free Partnership, and will focus on the health benefits of smoke-free housing policies. Panelists include the housing chair for Bronx Community Board 8, a representative from the New York Fire Department Fire Safety Education Department, and a pediatrician from Montefiore Medical Center. RSVP to Deidre Sully at dsully@healthsolutions.org or at (718) 466-8862. In other anti-smoking news, tomorrow,

Bronx’s Rivera and Other Latino Leaders Push for Community Engagement

After Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez was arrested early Wednesday morning at Zuccotti Park for participating in the Occupy Wall Street movement, Latino political and organizational leaders, including northwest Bronx State Senator Gustavo Rivera, are standing in support of Rodriguez and urging community participation during tomorrow’s National Day of Action for the 99%.

Prayer Vigil Tonight for Murder Victim Bimal Chanda

Community leaders and local elected officials will hold a prayer vigil tonight for Bimal Chanda, the Fordham resident who was fatally beaten two weeks ago in the stairwell of his apartment building on West 190th Street. The service will be held outside of Monroe College, 2501 Jerome Ave., at 6 p.m. Community Board 7 member Mohammed Ali, who was a close friend of Chanda’s, is organizing the rally to draw attention to the recent uptick in neighborhood crime, and the vulnerability of immigrants to attack. He believes Chanda, a native of India, was targeted because of his ethnicity. The outbreak in

A group of protestors from downtown Manhattan’s Occupy Wall Street encampment came to the Bronx this weekend, in a show of support for Woodlawn Cemetery workers campaigning against what they say are unfair labor practices at the landmark cemetery. About 75 Wall Street demonstrators and members from several labor unions showed up on Saturday to rally with the cemetery workers, who for the last couple of years have tried unsuccessfully to address what they said were acts of overt racism by Woodlawn supervisors. “We’re going to be there to support them, because their struggle is our struggle,” said Occupy Wall

There’s good news and there’s bad news for Norwood’s heavily-used Williamsbridge Oval Park.

Photos from U-Heights and Other Bronx Links

The Norwood News staff is hard at work preparing the latest print edition of the paper, which will be out on streets starting Wednesday. In the meantime, here are a few links to local stories to keep you up to date.

Friday News & Notes, 11/11/11, Veteran’s Day Edition

We took last week off, but we’re back today on Breaking Bronx with some freewheeling and random tidbits as we head into the weekend. — First of all, a very Happy Veteran’s Day to all of our brave men and women who have served or are currently serving overseas. — I want to take a minute to send a shout out to the vet I know best, ex-Marine Nicky Rosa, a tattoo enthusiast and beer aficionado who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan and experienced some crazy, ah, stuff. (Full disclosure: he’s my lovely wife’s cousin.) Soon after coming home

Bronx Community Leaders and Officials Brainstorm Solutions to Recent Violence (Video)

In reaction to a recent spike in violent crime, including the shooting of a 4-year-old in University Heights on Tuesday night, Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera and Council Speaker Christine Quinn held a public brainstorming session among community leaders. The goal was to solicit solutions, both immediate and long-term, for curbing the recent rise in violence.