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Sector George: The Most Dangerous Neighborhood in the Precinct

On a recent Friday afternoon, off-duty firefighter Eddie De La Cruz leisurely walks past Bainbridge Avenue along East 196th Street and stops in front of Our Lady of Refuge Church to chat with Father John Jenik, the parish’s longtime leader. They both greet people passing by, mostly parents with their kids, with pleasantries in English and Spanish. The only sense that this interaction is happening in the most dangerous neighborhoods in the 52nd Precinct, and one of the toughest in the northwest Bronx, is a handful of young men wearing hoodies and expensive sneakers milling menacingly in front of a six-story apartment building down the block. They’re on the lookout and waiting to take over these streets when darkness comes.

Bronx Biz: On The Fordham Road to Recovery

As Hurricane Sandy whipped through the tri-state area, it left 40,000 in the Bronx without power. Trees went down. They crushed cars. Storefronts were damaged, and branches were ubiquitous. Mostly, businesses were closed. For two days, the city shut down. But despite widespread damage from the storm, Fordham Road — one of the most bustling streets in the borough — began to come back to life swiftly.

Storm Relief Effort Blossoms at Kingsbridge Armory

After more than 15 years of vacancy and several failed redevelopment efforts, it took a storm of unprecedented proportions to put the Kingsbridge Armory back to extended use. It’s now the site of the largest storm relief effort in the Bronx, bringing much-needed food, supplies, cleaning materials and manpower to the region’s most ravaged communities.

Editorial: Honoring the Good Guys

The police and community need each other to combat crime and keep our streets safe. It’s a symbiotic relationship that needs nourishing. And the council breakfast helps feed that relationship. It also introduces us to some often overlooked heroism.

Armory Market Plan Boosted by Community Rally Ice Out

Brian Boggan stood nervously in the press box outlined with tape on the side of the St. Nicholas of Tolentine School gym in University Heights. Boggan had come to a rally, organized by the grassroots Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, with an opinion about plans for the long vacant Kingsbridge Armory. As a physical education teacher with a long history of ice skating, Boggan was ready to defend the Kingsbridge National Ice Centers’s bid to fill the empty armory with nine ice rinks.

Police Relations Exposed in Council, Court and Class

The police department’s most controversial crime prevention strategies are coming under increased scrutiny with politicians debating their merit and the court system ruling on their constitutionality. In the meantime, the question in the Bronx and elsewhere in New York City remains: Are tactics like stop and frisk and Operation Clean Halls “putting a distance between police and communities?”

Northwest Bronx School Progress Reports Released

Below, we have compiled the grades for each of the elementary and middle schools considered part of the Norwood News’ primary coverage area here in the northwest Bronx. Each letter grade is accompanied by its corresponding score, which might give a more accurate picture of a school’s performance. For example, PS/MS 15 dropped just four tenths of point but went from an A in 2010-2011 to a B in 2011-2012. For more detail on each school’s progress report or if your school isn’t on this list, visit schools.nyc.gov, search your school’s name and click on “statistics.”