Op-Ed: Why the Vernon C. Bain Center Should Close

By EDWIN SANTANA

The Vernon C. Bain Center, also known as “The Boat,” is perhaps the only floating jail in the country. Advocates have equated it to a slave ship. It’s an extension of Rikers Island. I know both The Boat and Rikers Island well, since I’ve been detained at both places, and I know they both deserve to be a chapter in the history books and not part of anyone’s present. The Boat opened in 1992 to make room for the ballooning population held pre-trial at the height of mass incarceration. Thirty years later, it’s still in use, even with the

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers what message it sends to kids about sportsmanship and fair play when professional, “elite,” athletes and performers are given an exemption from COVID-19 vaccination rules, while employees like ticket sellers etc. at such venues are required to be vaccinated. “The mandate should be equal across the board for the players as well as the community. That’s how I feel about it right now. Other than that, it’s crazy! You don’t know what’s going on from one day to the next. Things are changing too rapidly, and we’re not getting clear answers as to what’s

By JULIAN NAZAR

As elected officials continue to crunch the numbers in efforts to finalize next year’s New York State budget, home care workers took center stage during a recent “Faith for Fair Pay” rally in Co-Op City, organized by Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Assembly Members, Nathalia Fernández (A.D. 81) and Chantel Jackson (A.D. 79), and over a dozen Bronx faith leaders and 1199SEIU union members. The rally, held Feb. 25, was scheduled to announce support for the “Fair Pay for Home Care Act,” a draft State law which advocates said is also backed by the NAACP,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Local People Reported Missing in Recent Weeks A 12-year-old girl was reported missing in the Allerton section of The Bronx. Click here for more details. A 21-year-old woman was reported missing in the Norwood section of The Bronx. Click here for more details. A 17-year-old boy was reported missing in the Jerome Park section of The Bronx. Click here for more details. A 48-year-old man was reported missing in the Williamsbridge section of The Bronx. Click here for more details. A 52-year-old woman was reported missing in the Van Cortlandt Village section of The Bronx. Click here for more details.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is seeking the public’s help locating a 48-year-old man, reported missing from the Williamsbridge section of The Bronx. Timothy Clark, 48, of 3514 Holland Avenue in Williamsbridge was last seen on Wednesday, March 30, at approximately 6.30 p.m., in front of his home. He is described as male, is about 5 feet tall, Black, weighs around 100 pounds and has fading black hair. Clark was last seen wearing a black jacket, gray sweatpants, brown boots and a green hat. Anyone with information regarding this missing person is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bearing witness to the plight of the Ukrainian people amid the ongoing invasion by Russia of Ukraine, supporters around the world are stepping up to help in all sorts of ways, including Montefiore anesthesiologist, Dr. Tracey Straker, and three Albert Einstein College of Medicine medical students, Cory Ransom, Breckin Horton, and Diana Dominguez-Garcia. In collaboration with The AFYA Foundation, the group of Montefiore Einstein women are helping to address the needs of Ukrainian women by preparing personal care kits to be shipped out to Ukraine, which include needed, feminine hygiene products. On Thursday, March 31, the group handed over

By DAVID GREENE

As reported on March 22, the NYPD is asking for the public’s help locating Vanessa Morris, 52, who disappeared from the home she shares with her mother in Jerome Park, one week ago. According to the attached flyer, the police, and a family member, Morris was last seen in her apartment, located at 80 Van Cortlandt Park South, at 11:30 p.m. on Monday, March 20. The flyer describes Morris as an African American woman who is 5 feet, 4 inches tall, and weighs 160 pounds. A clothing description of what Morris was wearing the night she disappeared was

By AKEEM BROWDER

The death of my brother, Kalief Browder, sparked an international outcry, not just because of the terrible injustices he faced, but because he defied the odds, refused to plead guilty to a crime he did not commit, and demanded fairness. In honor of his fight, I have been demanding fairness, too, through The Kalief Browder Foundation. Now is a moment when we must all rise up to stop a new plan by Gov. Kathy Hochul that could lead to countless more tragedies like the one my family suffered. You may be familiar with the story: As a child of 16,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance locating a 52-year-old woman reported missing from the Van Cortlandt Village neighborhood. It was reported to police that Vanessa Morris, 52, of 80 Van Cortlandt Park South, Apt. D63, was last seen on Sunday, March 20, at approximately 11.30 p.m. at her home. She is described as female, Black, is around 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighs approximately 160 pounds, and has red, braided hair in a bun. Her clothing description at the time of her disappearance was unknown. Anyone with information regarding this missing person is