Bronx Connections: 2020 Election Local Lens (Part 2 of 5) Crime & Criminal Justice

By NORA THOMAS & SÍLE MOLONEY

Norwood News, in partnership with WFUV radio and BronxNet Television, presents a five-part series on national issues affecting voters in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, seen through the local lens of Bronx neighborhood communities. Part 2 looks at crime and criminal justice. New York State and City officials have drawn a lot of criticism from President Donald Trump this election cycle. In a Sept. 2 memo to the Department of Justice, drafted to review federal funding for certain state and local governments, Trump said New York City officials were “permitting anarchy, violence, and destruction,” in

By KEITH LOPEZ

As a father of three, a husband, and the son of a mother who raised me on her own, I know what it means to care for people. Day in and day out, I care for the students and staff at my job as a porter at St. John’s University, work to put food on the table at my humble West Farms, Bronx apartment, and to make sure my kids have a safe bed to sleep in at night. Because I care so much, the thought of having, for four more years, a president who clearly doesn’t care

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Traffic in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx was held up for more than half an hour at the start of the rally on Friday, Sept. 25. Horns blared as invited speakers addressed a crowd of more than 50 people who had gathered at the busy intersection of Bainbridge Avenue and Bedford Park Boulevard. There was no need to call the cops, however; they were already lined up for the Community March Against Gun Violence. Thomas J. Alps, deputy inspector of the 52nd precinct, told Norwood News before the rally the event had been organized to bring together

By AURÉOLE RIBES

On Sept. 17, the “2020 Virtual Healthy New York Summit,” took place. The aim of the summit was to examine the ways in which COVID-19 has and will affect New York State’s health care policies, innovation, and future. During the three-hour summit, health care decision-makers, politicians, and policy experts examined obstacles encountered to date in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, while also discussing solutions and suggested improvements to health care policy. Jon Lentz, editor-in-chief of City & State New York, opened the annual summit, emphasizing how the topic of health care policy is ever present, before introducing

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

Opponents of abortion arrived early on Saturday, Sept. 26, to Bronx Abortion GYN Services at 2070 Eastchester Road in the Indian Village section of the Bronx, but what was expected to be a single-issue protest quickly evolved into an all-out debate on a whole range of political topics and the upcoming presidential election. A handful of anti-abortion demonstrators quietly held signs across the street from the location while a separate group of nuns prayed a short distance away outside the clinic. A third group of pro-abortion activists stood in front of the clinic’s entrance, and provided safe passage to

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The first thing that strikes you about Dan Padernacht, the first candidate to jump in the race for the 11th City Council District seat, is the speed at which he speaks – and not in a nervous way. Padernacht leaves you with the impression that if he could have squeezed additional information into each answer, he would have done so. Is he prepared? It would seem so, and that is precisely the platform on which he is running. Asked what differentiates him from his peers, the lifelong Bronxite cites his experience. “I was an economics major, so that was

By DAVID GREENE

A full week after New York City public schools opened for class for the first time in six months, on Tuesday, Sept. 29, “the new normal” included temperature checks before entering a building, smaller classrooms, and teachers rather than students moving from classroom to classroom. After the first week of her children’s school reopening, Norwood resident and mother, Heather Guerino, said, “Now the schools are taking more precautionary measures within [them], but they should have done that before the coronavirus.” She added, “The coronavirus has forced a lot of people to have a new way of life, a new

King Casts Himself the Victim Post-Suspension, Appears to Back Theory of a Larger Plot

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York City Council expelled Councilman Andy King (D-Bronx) on Monday, Oct. 5, over charges he harassed and discriminated against a female employee, took a kickback from another staffer and failed to pay a fine for previous misconduct. The news was widely reported in a number of media outlets though no official press release was issued by the council regarding the decision. The New York Daily News reported that during a council meeting that was held online, Council Speaker Corey Johnson said, “All reasonable alternatives have been exhausted and drastic action is now our only option.” He added, “King’s

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

With one month to go before the 2020 presidential election, possibly the most hotly debated contest of modern times, news that President Donald J. Trump tested positive for the coronavirus was announced by the White House on Thursday evening, October 1 according to The Hill. Given the president’s apparent, past reluctance to support the science in terms of how best to contain the coronavirus, some Bronxites appear to have little sympathy for him following his diagnosis, while other Bronxites are quite demonstrative in their support for him. Belmont resident Rosa Velasquez said she believed the president would use