Bronx Arts & Culture Groups Unite to Form Latinx / POC Arts Legacy Consortium

By Síle Moloney

Spurred by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, eight esteemed arts organizations with deep roots in local communities of color have announced the formation of the Latinx / POC Arts Legacy Consortium. Partners seek to pool experiences, resources, and shared history in order to better prepare diverse populations for reopening, as well as to ideate new ways of overcoming historic undercapitalization well past the pandemic. The organizations are Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance, Bronx Documentary Center, Caribbean Cultural Center and African Diaspora Institute, El Museo del Barrio, Pregones / Puerto Rican Traveling Theater,

By Chelsea Andrews

Montefiore Health System’s Project Bravo Food Pantry, a community-based, hospital-driven initiative designed to combat food insecurity for high-risk individuals and families, serves thousands of Bronx residents nutritious meals each week. During these unprecedented times, many in our community have faced additional challenges accessing nutritious meals due to school closures. Food insecurity has grown for so many and Project Bravo has seen a wave of new clients. To ensure everyone still has access to food in as safe an environment as possible, we have adapted the food pantry to the new normal by implementing social distancing rules. With the

By Síle Moloney

Award-winning New York City musicians Norah Jones and Suzanne Vega will perform on Jun. 22 as part of “Music for the Soul of NYC Health + Hospital Heroes,” a series created by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, NYC Health + Hospitals and AFM Local 802. The event will be streamed live on NYC Health + Hospital’s Facebook page on Jun. 22, 2020 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. ET. The “Music for the Soul” series was created to inspire our heroic medical community, especially the 43,000-member staff of NYC’s public hospital system, connect isolated patients to the

By Síle Moloney

On Monday, Jun. 15, 2020 at approximately 10:30 p.m., police responded to a 911 call of a motor vehicle collision in the vicinity of 30 East 208th Street within the confines of the 52nd precinct. Upon arrival at the location, officers observed a 2017 BMW Suburban which had overturned. Further investigation revealed that a 36-year-old male passenger of the vehicle grabbed hold of the steering wheel after a verbal argument took place with the 35-year-old female driver. The female refused medical attention at the scene. Victor Quiros, 36, the male passenger, 1735 Madison Avenue, New York

By Síle Moloney

The housing lottery is open for 494 affordable units in Buildings A & B of La Central in The Bronx. The Hudson Companies, BRP Companies, Kretchmer Companies, ELH-TKC LLC, Comunilife, and Breaking Ground together with the City’s departments of housing preservation & development, housing development corporation and local leaders made the announcement on Monday, Jun. 15, 2020. Located at 556 and 600 Bergen Avenue, the two buildings will bring 494 units of affordable housing to the Melrose section of the borough, all of which are available for lease through this lottery. Apartments at La Central range from studios to

By Síle Moloney

Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage’s “SummerStage Anywhere” digital series will honor the 155th Anniversary of Juneteenth, the national commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, with a free digital day of dance on Friday, June 19. Tribute performances will be presented on SummerStage’s Instagram channel throughout the day starting at 12:00 p.m. EST, including an excerpt from RudduR Dance’s ballet, “WITNESS”. The day will culminate on SummerStage’s YouTube channel at 7:00 p.m. EST with a panel discussion, Reflecting the Times, led by Hope Boykin of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, followed by a tribute performance of “HANGING TREE”, featuring Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet Dance

By Síle Moloney

New York Police Commissioner Dermot Shea released the following statement on Jun. 15, 2020. “Today I have an update on a troubling incident involving a member of the department that occurred during recent demonstration activity. We are sharing an update as part of our efforts at greater transparency. On June 1, 2020 in Manhattan, an officer discharged mace at a group of bystanders. IAB [Internal Affairs Bureau] conducted an investigation and this Probationary Police Officer has been suspended without pay. This case has been referred to the Department Advocate for disciplinary action. There are other matters

By Síle Moloney

On Friday, June 12, 2020, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. launched a virtual tribute to remember and celebrate the lives of Bronxites lost during the coronavirus pandemic. The virtual memorial went live on the Bronx Borough President’s website bronxboropres.nyc.gov/covidmemorial and honors borough residents who lost loved ones to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those wishing to submit the name of a Bronxite to be included on the page can do so at bit.ly/bxcovidmemorial. “The COVID-19 pandemic hit our borough very hard, affecting us all as a community,” said Diaz Jr. “This virtual memorial allows us the opportunity to mourn

By Síle Moloney

An informal discussion on the recent package of policing reforms, including the repeal of Civil Rights Law Section 50-a (which was used to block the disclosure of disciplinary records), as well as the next steps to be taken going forward with regard to this topic will be held on Thursday, Jun. 18, 2020 from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and State Sen. Jamaal T. Bailey, Chair of the State Senate Codes Committee, author of the CRL 50-a Repeal Bill, and leading advocate in the legislature on policing and criminal justice reforms will be available to answer questions from