diversity & inclusion

Let’s Stop The Bleed Together!

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The tragic killing on Aug. 5 of 14-year-old local resident Ángel Miguel Mendoza Hernández in the Williamsbridge Oval park in Norwood, allegedly by an armed gang, shocked the community and lead to numerous calls for the installation of better lighting and security cameras in the Oval, and while every measure taken to date to address safety for all is, of course, valued, necessary, and appreciated, it won’t, unfortunately, bring Ángel back.

An Overview of Puerto Rico’s Political Status and Future

By GENE ROMAN
Puerto Rico’s political future is never far from the minds of its citizens and in recent months, its political status has, once again, been the subject of debate. Puerto Rico (the “Island”) is a territory of the United States. The U.S. acquired the Island from Spain in 1898, and it has belonged to the United States ever since. In 1917, Puerto Ricans became U.S. citizens. Everyone born in Puerto Rico is a citizen of the United States, but Puerto Rico is not a state; it continues to be a territory.

Halloween Festivals held in Kingsbridge Heights, Longwood

By DAVID GREENE
Youngsters in Kingsbridge Heights and in Longwood celebrated Halloween early as a large crowd turned out for Theory 9’s Annual “Trick or Streets” Halloween Festival, held on a dead-end (no pun intended) at West 231st Street and Sedgwick Avenue on Saturday, Oct. 25.

Op-Ed: Creative Arts Therapy, A Lifeline for New Yorkers in Crisis

By MARIA PATUHAS
As a social worker working on an acute psychiatric unit in The Bronx, I see every day how creative arts therapists make a profound difference in the lives of some of our city’s most vulnerable residents. It’s time for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to make creative arts therapy accessible outside of the hospital, too, by signing S1001/A3391 into law [https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S1001].

UPDATE City Council Votes “Yes” on Latest Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment “The Kingsbridge Center”

By SÍLE MOLONEY
In the most hopeful sign yet for residents of Kingsbridge Heights, who have long awaited real momentum behind the redevelopment of the long-vacant, City-owned Kingsbridge Armory, the New York City Council voted “yes” on the latest redevelopment project, “The Kingsbridge Center (El Centro Kingsbridge),” on Wednesday, Oct. 29. The happy news follows dozens of envisioning meetings, surveys, outreach, workshops,, various hearings, set-backs, drama and more drama along the way.

Member of Norwood-based Running Group “Bronx Nomads” Detained by ICE

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Sebastian Flores, a member of Norwood-based running group, Bronx Nomads, who frequently meet and start their runs at the Williamsbridge Oval park, was unexpectedly detained by border patrol at an airport on Oct. 13 while traveling for work from New York to El Paso, Texas, and is now being held in ICE custody, according to his cousins. A gofundme page has since been set-up to help with his legal expenses as he fights his case and has been shared by Bronx Sole, an affiliate group of Bronx Nomads.