The post Fordham Heights: Man Dies after Getting Hit by 4 Train at 183rd Street Subway Station first appeared on Norwood News.
The post Fordham Heights: Man Dies after Getting Hit by 4 Train at 183rd Street Subway Station appeared first on Norwood News.
]]>A male subway rider died after being struck by a 4 train at 183rd Street subway station on Thursday night, March 28.
Police said the incident occurred at 9.27 p.m. An NYPD spokeswoman told Norwood News in part, “The police responded to a 911 call for a male struck by a train at Jerome Avenue and 183rd Street subway station [in Transit District 11].”
She continued, “Upon arrival, the officer observed an unconscious, unresponsive, unidentified male that was struck by a southbound 4 train at the location. EMS responded to the scene and pronounced the victim deceased. There’s no criminality suspected at this time and the investigation remains ongoing.”
The spokesperson said the identity of the deceased is being withheld pending proper family notification. We asked if the age of the person was known and police confirmed it was not.
The MTA had announced after the incident that the 4 train had been suspended in both directions between [we believe] 161st Street and Woodlawn, and had recommended passengers take the D train until such time as the 4 was back up and running. According to the MTA app, southbound 4 trains from Bedford Park Boulevard-Lehman College were back up and running at around 11 p.m. the same evening.
Because the MTA had shared conflicting information regarding the location of the incident when publishing a notice on its app regarding expected delays on the 4 line, writing that the incident had happened at Bedford Park Boulevard-Lehman College subway station, rather than at 183rd Street subway station, Norwood News rechecked with the NYPD press office who rechecked the location of the incident once again, and confirmed it occured at the 183rd Street station.
Separately, a large police presence was observed at the 161st Street subway station at around 10.10 p.m. the same evening, possibly for a pre-shift or post-shift briefing.
When we asked the NYPD press office if there was any potential connection between the large police presence at the 161st Street station and the incident at the 183rd Street station, they said it was unlikely and suggested following up in writing for more information. We will share any updates we receive.
As reported, three people were arrested after a man was fatally killed at the 182nd-183rd Street subway station (serving the D train) last month on Feb. 23 in an apparent, random assault following a dispute among passengers. Subway riders shared their reaction with Norwood News following the incident, while the MTA did their best to reassure passengers such incidents were outliers and that the majority of passengers ride the subway safely each day.
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]]>The post UPDATE Family of Angellyh Yambo Sues Gun Manufacturer Polymer80, Inc. for Wrongful Death first appeared on Norwood News.
The post UPDATE Family of Angellyh Yambo Sues Gun Manufacturer Polymer80, Inc. for Wrongful Death appeared first on Norwood News.
]]>The family of the late, 16-year-old, Bronx teen, Angellyh Marie Yambo, filed a civil lawsuit on March 27 against Polymer80, Inc., the ghost gun manufacturer and dealer who equipped Angellyh’s 17-year-old shooter and named defendant, Jeremiah Ryan, with an untraceable firearm.
The lawsuit alleges that the loss of Angellyh’s life was made possible due to Polymer80, Inc. through the company’s network of dealers and online sellers which flooded New York City streets with unserialized and untraceable gun kits that can easily be assembled into functional handguns without background checks.
The lawsuit was filed in New York State Supreme Court in Bronx County, and the causes of action in the complaint include negligence and violations of New York General Business Law 898-e.
The survivors and the Estate of Angellyh Marie Yambo are represented by founding partner Edward A. Steinberg, and attorney Anthony M. Beneduce from Leav & Steinberg, LLP.
Attorneys for the family issued the following statement in the context of the announcement, “The family of Angellyh Marie Yambo deserves justice. No child should lose their life to senseless gun violence. The ghost gun industry continues to place profit over public safety and the lives of our children. This lawsuit will hold them accountable for putting these dangerous and untraceable weapons on the streets.”
As reported, coinciding loosely with Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 15 and the late Angellyh Yambo’s birthday, which falls on Jan. 24, the Angellyh Yambo Foundation (AYF), which launched last year on the first anniversary of the teen’s death, held its 1st Youth Gun Violence Prevention Summit on Friday, Jan. 19, in the South Bronx.
As reported at the time, Angellyh, who spent much of her childhood in Kingsbridge Heights and who was honored during a street co-naming ceremony in the neighborhood last year, was just 16 when she was fatally shot while walking home from University Prep Charter High School in Mott Haven, along with two of her friends on April 8, 2022. Her family, friends, and teacher say she was a talented artist and had her sights set on becoming a doctor. Her school friends held an anti-gun violence march in her memory during Gun Violence Awareness Month in June 2022.
As reported, Ryan was later sentenced to 15 years for the fatal shooting of Angellyh. As also reported, in July 2023, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) commemorated National Gun Violence Awareness Month by joining Angellyh’s family, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, and students from University Prep Charter High School to announce new federal legislation banning ghost guns, and expanding the perimeter of gun-free school zones.
In relation to Polymer 80, which had been sued in the State of California for allegedly not performing background checks on the purchasers of gun components it made, Norwood News asked Torres at the announcement of the bill if it would also require the performance of background checks on the purchasers of such component parts. “As I understand it, the bullet that took the life of Angellyh was manufactured by Polymer 80, which is the worst offender not only for The Bronx, but throughout the country, and so that’s precisely the manufacturer that this legislation is designed for,” he said at the time.
As reported in May 2022, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, then-NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell, and Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund had called on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to revoke Polymer80’s federal firearms license. A statement from the Mayor’s Office at the time read, “Ghost guns have been a growing contributor to gun violence in New York City and Polymer80 is, by far, the largest source of ghost guns used in crimes and recovered by law enforcement nationally.”
On May 11 that year, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statement in support of Adams’ call, saying in part, “Gun violence is a public health and public safety crisis, and all levels of government must continue working together on aggressive action to crack down on the distribution and possession of dangerous weapons.”
She continued, “To combat the rise of ghost guns, I took action in October to criminalize the sale of ghost guns and require gunsmiths to register firearms they assemble. I also established a nation-leading Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns, bringing together ten states, federal agencies, and local law enforcement agencies. The Task Force is having an immediate impact, taking hundreds of guns off the streets, and the State Police has specifically seized more than 50 ghost guns this year to date, working with local and interstate jurisdictions. I am grateful to all of the law enforcement partners who are working together on these vital efforts.”
Norwood News contacted Polymer80 for comment on the latest suit. We will update this story upon receipt of any feedback.
The post UPDATE Family of Angellyh Yambo Sues Gun Manufacturer Polymer80, Inc. for Wrongful Death first appeared on Norwood News.
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]]>The post Norwood: Police Appeal to the Public for Help Locating 13-Year-Old Girl Reported Missing first appeared on Norwood News.
The post Norwood: Police Appeal to the Public for Help Locating 13-Year-Old Girl Reported Missing appeared first on Norwood News.
]]>The NYPD is seeking the public’s help locating a 13-year-old girl from Norwood reported missing on Monday, March 18.
Police said Ashley Dilone Gomez of East 212th Street, between Bainbridge Avenue and Dekalb Avenue, was last seen leaving her home at around 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 16. She is described as female, Hispanic, has a medium complexion, and was last seen wearing gray and black pajamas.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.
All calls are strictly confidential.
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]]>The post DOT Push Road Safety after Several Incidents Cause Traffic Chaos Across The Bronx first appeared on Norwood News.
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]]>Editor’s Note: The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced the launch of a new, e-bike safety campaign on March 19. The following day, March 20, Rodriguez joined some of the families of loved ones killed or injured on New York City streets at a separate event to call for the renewal and expansion of the City’s red-light camera program. The announcements came following a week of moped/dirt bike chaos across The Bronx.
As reported, on Thursday, March 14, after police observed “a roving band” of ATV [all-terrain vehicle] / dirt bike riders traveling in a pack in the Norwood/Bedford Park area, which they said later dispersed in different directions, an ATV rider was hospitalized following a collision with a sedan the same evening.
Meanwhile, police were searching for another dirt bike / motorcycle rider who, the same evening, as reported, attempted to assault two cops in Norwood. Later that evening, in Morris Park, a motorcycle rider was killed in a collision with an ambulance and on Sunday, March 17, another “roving band” was witnessed in Norwood.
Two days before the Bedford Park accident, Norwood News witnessed a group of motorcycle / ATV riders on March 12 at around 5 p.m., breaking red lights up and down the Grand Concourse also in Bedford Park. When we spoke with a resident on the evening of March 14 after the Bedford Park accident involving an ATV, we asked if she had also seen the group of riders the previous Tuesday. She said, “I’ve seen a lot of those, yeah. They’re very reckless. I mean they’re very scary. All those motorcycles in general are terrifying.”
Earlier on the same evening as the Bedford Park collision on March 14, Norwood News had also witnessed a roving band of dirt bikes traveling on the Grand Concourse in Tremont. It’s unknown if it was the same group as was later seen in Bedford Park.
At the launch of the e-bike safety campaign on March 19, Adams said, “Our streets must be safe for everyone — pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike.” He added, “E-bikes are a great way for New Yorkers to get around, but we must ensure that people riding them can do so safely. That’s why we’re launching this campaign as a part of our broader efforts to make our streets safer and adapt to the new ways our streets are being used.”
DOT officials said the “Get Smart Before You Start” e-bike safety campaign is a new, multi-platform, marketing campaign aimed at educating New Yorkers on how to safely ride e-bikes. They said the new campaign will work in tandem with what they said are innovative street redesigns along with targeted enforcement of the law to reduce injuries and fatalities on New York City’s streets.
DOT officials said that with nearly six percent of the City’s adults reporting that they ride an e-bike or e-scooter once a week or more, the new campaign will use “compelling images” and instructive audio to inform users how to properly accelerate, brake, and operate an e-bike at an appropriate speed.
They said by targeting newer or less experienced riders, the ad campaign aims to shift the culture around biking and promote safe practices. The said the campaign will be multi-lingual, available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Bangla, and Creole, and will be targeted to zip codes with the highest number of e-bike injuries and crashes. (See the campaign in Spanish here.)
They said it includes advertising on TV, radio, print and digital news outlets, as well as on social media, on subways, and on LinkNYC kiosks. In addition to advertising, DOT officials said its Safety Education and Outreach Unit will conduct direct community education to help newer riders know what to expect when they operate an e-bike.
“With bicycle ridership reaching historic levels, we must use every tool available to give new and experienced cyclists the resources they need to bike safely, whether its building new protected bike lanes or educating New Yorkers so they gain these crucial skills on-the-ground,” said Rodriguez.
The commissioner added, “Our data-driven process shows that this new campaign is a timely and necessary response to the rise in fatalities that involve e-bike riders. E-bikes are an efficient and environmentally friendly way to get around and we hope that this campaign will encourage their safe operation.”
DOT officials said that last year, the department installed a record 31.9 miles of protected bike lanes and installed the first “double-wide” bike lanes to better accommodate the increasing number of cyclists on the City’s streets. In addition, they said last year, bike ridership reached an all-time high, and added that DOT is committed to both improving infrastructure to better accommodate e-bike users and expanding enforcement efforts against the most dangerous behaviors on the road.
They said the the new, million-dollar campaign is part of DOT’s $280 million “Vision Zero” expense budget for the next fiscal year and the agency’s $7.7 billion, 10-year, capital plan for Vision Zero-related projects.
The campaign also has the backing of the the NYPD and the New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban, who said in part, “We understand that traffic safety is public safety, and we must support and equip New Yorkers at every turn, on every street, in every borough.”
Many e-bike users are “deliveristas” or delivery workers. Norwood News reported in 2022 on the high number of delivery worker fatalities in The Bronx due to e-bike riders being hit by, or otherwise involved in collisions with, other road users. NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Vilda Vera reacted to news of the new safety campaign, writing, “As more and more of our city’s delivery workers transition to using electric micromobility devices, it’s crucial that we do all we can to support them and make sure all e-bike riders know the rules of the road.”
DOT officials said the latest campaign is the first Vision Zero campaign in history to focus solely on e-bikes. They said the “Get Smart Before You Start” campaign follows a “data-driven approach, based on comprehensive market research and guided by NYC DOT crash data.”
They said the latter shows that the majority i.e. 76 percent of cycling fatalities in 2023 involved e-bikes, even as traditional bike fatalities reached an all-time low, and protected bike lane miles reached an all-time high. They said last year also saw a record number of “single-bike” fatal crashes involving e-bikes where no other moving vehicle, pedestrian, or cyclist was involved.
DOT officials said they are also working to improve bike lane designs [to make them wider, facilitating riders traveling at different speeds] as well as charging availability to better accommodate e-bikes and promote safe behavior. DOT also recently launched a 6-month pilot program to test public, e-bike charging infrastructure among delivery workers.
DOT officials said eight of the ten safest years on New York City streets have occurred during the “Vision Zero” era. They said in 2023, DOT installed a record number of protected bike lane miles, the first time the agency surpassed 30 miles in a calendar year. They said 2023’s totals also included a record number (10 miles) of protected bike lanes in The Bronx.
Agency officials said last year, DOT also distributed nearly 22,000 bicycle helmets and nearly 9,000 bicycle lights during various citywide events, and added that a total of 20 miles of existing protected bike lanes were hardened in 2022 and 2023.
DOT officials said the e-bike safety campaign is targeted at first-time e-bike riders. A chart showing a breakdown of the different types of two-wheeled vehicles accompanies this story. A DOT spokesperson said the rules outlined in the chart apply to mopeds that are both gas-powered and electric-powered.
When asked, the NYPD press office was unable to confirm if all of the bikes involved in the above-referenced, recent incidents were e-powered or gas-powered. According to online research, ATVs can be e-powered as well as gas-powered.
As reported, the father of 4-year-old Mario “Mjay” Rosario, 4, who died following a scooter accident on Sunday night, Aug. 14, 2022, in Fordham Manor, and who was traveling with his son on the scooter at the time of the accident, was sentenced to 5 years probation following the incident. Police said his son had not been equipped with a helmet at the time of the collision and suffered traumatic head injuries.
Meanwhile, on March 20, DOT officials said the relaunch of the red-light camera program coincided with the release of its Red-Light Camera Report showing what they said was “the tremendous safety benefits of red-light cameras.” They said the report shows red light cameras located at fewer than 1% of the city’s intersections dramatically reduce red-light running and dangerous crashes.
As reported, in late August 2021, then-DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman had also called for the expansion of speed cameras in school zones during restricted periods [evenings and weekends] following two fatal crashes, one on East Fordham Road and Morris Avenue in Fordham Manor on Aug. 28, 2021, when two pedestrians were struck by a vehicle, and another in Brooklyn.
On March 20, DOT officials said new data from the report shows a steady decline in average daily violations at camera locations, from roughly 30.8 daily violations per camera in 1994, to 8.18 violations per camera in 2023, a 73 percent decrease. They said T-bone collisions causing injury were also dramatically down at camera locations, with a 65 percent decline citywide when comparing these injury collisions in 2023 to the three years before the program began in 1994. They said rear-end collisions were also down 49% in 2023 under the same statistical comparison.
“The data is clear: red-light cameras save lives,” said Rodriguez. “No family should have to bury a loved one because of a reckless driver, and we need Albany to renew and expand the red-light camera program to prevent the next tragedy from occurring.”
DOT officials said the agency has consistently advocated at the state level for the authority to expand its automated enforcement programs when it comes to red-light running. In 2022, they said DOT successfully worked with Albany legislators to expand its speed camera program to operate 24-hours a day, seven days a week, as reported at the time by Norwood News. They said the expansion led to a drop in injuries, crashes, and on average, a reduction of 30% in speeding violations during the hours when cameras were previously not allowed to operate i.e. on nights and weekends.
This legislative session, DOT officials said they are working with state lawmakers to both renew and expand its red light camera program and crack down on who they said were the “few, incredibly reckless drivers who are repeatedly caught running red lights.” They said DOT is also working with its partners at the MTA to expand bus-mounted camera enforcement to combat double parking and blocked bike lanes.
Attendees at the March 20 event called for the passage of a package of specific bills to renew and expand the red-light camera program. They said the bills would expand the camera program from fewer than 1% of the city’s intersections to 10% of intersections with a traffic signal. A companion bill would require the State Department of Motor Vehicles to revoke the vehicle registration of vehicles in receipt of five or more red-light camera violations over one year.
We reached out to DOT to clarify if it was the vehicle or the driver being targeted by the law, since if bad drivers have access to other vehicles, they can still speed. DOT replied, saying, “It’s the registration of the vehicle. Automated enforcement can provide proof of the vehicle involved in a red-light running, but not the driver.”
As reported, past calls for greater road safety have focused on the expansion of camera usage in school zones, in particular. Schools Chancellor David C. Banks wrote of the new push for camera expansion, “We have lost too many of our students and other members of our school communities to motorists failing to follow the law.”
He added, “Red-light cameras began in school zones because they work, and our students deserve that sort of safety wherever they walk in their city. We unequivocally support the expansion of the city’s red-light camera program because red-light cameras keep our students and their communities safe.”
DOT officials said the agency currently operates a 30-year-old, red-light camera program, with the authority from Albany to operate cameras at 150 intersections, or at one percent of signalized intersections in the city. They said this first-in-the-nation program is set to expire this year, right as the city experiences a deadly increase in red-light running. In 2023, they said 29 people were killed in red-light running crashes, the worst annual total ever recorded and more than double the average annual total of such deaths from the previous decade, all at intersections without red-light cameras.
They said DOT and the Adams administration are working with lawmakers to pass two bills relating to red-light cameras. They said bills S2812 and A5259, sponsored respectively by State Sen. Andrew Gounardes (S.D. 26) and Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81) would reauthorize the program until Dec. 1, 2030 and expand the number of locations where cameras can be used from 150 intersections to 1,325, or about 10 percent of signalized intersections.
“As we confront an alarming surge in fatalities resulting from drivers disobeying red lights, the evidence is clear: red-light cameras save lives. The NYC DOT‘s Red-Light Camera Report underscores these cameras’ vital role in preventing road tragedies,” said Dinowitz in part.
Meanwhile Bills S451 and A7621, sponsored respectively by State Sen. Michael Gianaris (S.D. 12) and Assemblymember William Magnarelli (A.D. 129), would authorize NYC Department of Motor Vehicles to suspend the registrations for vehicles that get five or more red-light camera violations in a 12-month period.
Adams concluded, “We’re using all the tools in our toolbox to keep New Yorkers safe, whether they’re on two feet, two wheels, or four.”
An additional DOT safe cycling campaign launched on March 22.
*David Greene contrbuted to this story.
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]]>The post Garifuna Heritage Celebrated at Bronx Borough Hall first appeared on Norwood News.
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]]>Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson joined author José Francisco Aviles and The Garifuna Coalition, USA, Inc. for an evening celebrating Garifuna culture, tradition, and music in the Rotunda of Bronx Borough Hall on Thursday, March 7. The colorful celebration included performances of traditional folk dances and songs.
The Garifuna people are the descendants of an Afro-indigenous population from the Caribbean Island of St. Vincent. Forced to flee in the 18th century, they settled along the Atlantic coast of Central America in the countries of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Belize, and Honduras where many continue to live today.
In the 20th century, many began to migrate to the United States and settle in The Bronx, home to the largest Garifuna in the United States. According to the Bronx Borough President’s office, the largest population of the Garifuna in the USA, live in The Bronx.
All victims of the historic and tragic Happyland Fire that killed 87 people in 1990, were from this community, prompting Garifuna historian, José Francisco Aviles, to chronicle their story which he said began in the mid-1600s on the Island of St. Vincent to their exile to Central America in the 18th century. He said they began their migration to the United States in the 20th century.
On Sunday, March 24, as reported, the Bronx Historical Society organized a walking tour of the Happyland Memorial Garifuna Heritage Walking Tour on Sunday, March 24, to coincide with the 33rd Anniversary of the tragedy, together with Francisco Aviles. The event was orginally due to take place on Saturday, March 23, but as advised, was postoned due to rain.
The borough president later said of the anniversary, “34 years ago, the tragic Happy Land Social Club fire claimed the lives of 87 members of our Garifuna American community. A night of fun turned into a night of pain and heartbreak. An unlicensed, illegal, social club with no fire protections and safeguards in place, our city has learned a lot since this painful day and improved building codes and fire safety measures.”
She added, “We mourn the loss of our neighbors and will forever hold them in our hearts. To every first responder, our firefighters, police officers, emergency personnel who fought to protect and save lives, we thank you. May God forever rest these Souls and we continue to pray for the families and loved ones.“
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]]>The post UPDATE Fordham Manor: No Injuries Reported after Fire Breaks Out at 2460 Grand Avenue first appeared on Norwood News.
The post UPDATE Fordham Manor: No Injuries Reported after Fire Breaks Out at 2460 Grand Avenue appeared first on Norwood News.
]]>No injuries were reported after a residential fire broke out in a 6-story occupied building in Fordham Manor on Monday evening, FDNY officials said.
Fire department officials said they received a call at 5.08 p.m. for reports of a fire at 2460 Grand Avenue, a 6-story, (100 x 100) occupied, multiple dwelling, located between West Fordham Road and West 188th Street.
They said 12 units, comprising 60 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the scene and the fire was brought under control at 5.53 p.m. and no injuries were reported.
They said the cause of the fire is under investigation by FDNY fire marshals.
Residents were seen in video footage posted to social media descending down the fire escape as firefighters made their way to a window on one of the higher floors, where smoke was seen billowing from a window.
Frederic Klein from the American Red Cross said that after the fire, the organization registered one household (four adults, four children, and one cat) for emergency assistance, including temporary lodging and financial assistance. Klein said, “Our Greater New York Disaster Action Team also provided care items, including snacks, water, clothes, shoes, toys, and blankets.”
He added, “Red Cross caseworkers will follow up with these residents to connect them with government and/or nonprofit resources to help with longer-term recovery needs. Any residents affected by this fire who have not connected with the Red Cross and who need help with their recovery should call 877-RED CROSS (877-733-2767).”
At home fire safety tips can be found at www.fdnysmart.org. The Office of the Bronx Borough President recently kicked off a new series of fire safety training sessions around the borough in conjunction with the FDNY.
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]]>The post JASA Older Adult Center Holds Memorial for Community Activists Nat Solomon & Cecilia Greene first appeared on Norwood News.
The post JASA Older Adult Center Holds Memorial for Community Activists Nat Solomon & Cecilia Greene appeared first on Norwood News.
]]>The lives of Nat Solomon and Cecilia Greene, described by those who knew them as dedicated community activists, were celebrated recently during a heartfelt memorial event held in Van Cortlandt Village after they recently passed away one day apart. The late Nat Solomon died on Monday, Jan. 22, aged 80, and as reported, the late Cecilia Greene died on Tuesday, Jan. 23, at the age of 91.
The memorial, held on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at the JASA Van Cortlandt Older Adult Center, located at 3880 Sedgwick Avenue, was billed as a celebration of the two seniors whose lives, organizers said, were devoted to community service. The ceremony was an occasion for friends from the JASA Center to deliver kind words about their two friends and for members to express their heartbreak at their sudden respective deaths.
According to those gathered, Solomon was a member and beloved neighbor of the Older Adult Center. He was described as being a major force in community activism as a member of Bronx Community Board 8’s Traffic & Transportation committee and also as a former employee with NYC Department of Transportation (DOT). They said he worked tirelessly to keep the neighborhood and local parks safe and beautiful.
Attendees went on to say that at a certain point Solomon held a belief that a local traffic island needed modification. For many years, they said he worked with DOT to get traffic lights installed on dangerous crosswalks like the one at Stevenson and Sedgwick Avenues, which lead to the senior center.
They said thanks to Solomon’s efforts, yellow, caution, flashing lights were installed at the crosswalk to warn drivers about crossing pedestrians. They said Solomon also worked closely with former Bronx DOT Commissioner Nivardo Lopez, now deputy secretary for transportation to New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul, to install new traffic islands to narrow the intersection and make it safer to navigate. They said his other efforts went above and beyond in enforcing parking rules on Goulden Avenue and banning illegal parking by trucks.
They said Solomon also advocated for the installation of speed cameras at the intersection to prevent reckless drivers and motorcyclists. They added that he also accomplished a lot when it came to improving traffic lights with a left-turn arrow like the one at Fort Independence.
Meanwhile, Greene was described, as previously reported, as a German immigrant from Dresden, Germany and a survivor of WWII and Nazi occupation. Friends said she moved to New York in 1953 and was a 30-year resident of the Amalgamated Housing Cooperative in Van Cortlandt Park South since the 1990s.
They said while living at Amalgamated Housing, Greene was an active member of the Board and fought many battles by attending rallies and protest demonstrations. They said she opposed war, advocated for social justice, and was also part of the Occupy Wall Street and other “Occupy” movements. They went on to say that Greene also protested the closure of Meg’s Garden, located on Sedgwick Avenue at DeWitt Clinton High School, which has since reopened as reported.
Members also described Greene as having lived life to the full, and always making the best of everything. They said she marched to the beat of her own drum. Meanwhile, they described Solomon as a very private and humble man, who, nonetheless, they said always seized the opportunity to tell a joke.
They said Solomon enjoyed photography and loved art exhibitions. During the event, attendees reflected on their good luck to have had both Solomon and Greene fighting in their corners for a better world. The ceremony came to an end with a musical tribute by the residents of the center singing, “Music Alone Shall Live” by Melinda Carroll. There was also a cake to celebrate the lives of Solomon and Greene, who members said have left a void in the local community.
As music from the song filled the air, the lyrics reminded attendees of the lives of the two departed souls: ”All things shall perish under the sky… never to die.”
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]]>The post Wakefield: Police Appeal for Help Locating Two Siblings Reported Missing first appeared on Norwood News.
The post Wakefield: Police Appeal for Help Locating Two Siblings Reported Missing appeared first on Norwood News.
]]>The NYPD is seeking the public’s help locating two sibling children from Wakefield reported missing on Friday, March 22.
They said China Williams, an 11-year-old girl, who lives on East 231st Street [located between White Plains Road and Carpenter Avenue] and Yasin Williams, her 14-year-old brother, who lives at the same address, were last seen on Thursday, March 21, at around 7.30 p.m. in front of their home.
Police said China is described as Black, is 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighs 130 pounds, has a dark complexion, a medium build, brown eyes and brown hair. They said she was last seen wearing a black jacket, a blue T-shirt, black sweatpants and black boots.
They said Yasin is also described as Black, is 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighs 130 pounds, also has a dark complexion, a slim build, brown eyes and brown hair. They said he was last seen wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt, black jeans, and black/orange Jordan sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding these missing people is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.
All calls are strictly confidential.
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]]>The post Vigil Held on 25th Anniversary of Death of Amadou Diallo first appeared on Norwood News.
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]]>Fervently chanting “Amadou! Amadou!” a large crowd of Bronx residents, activists, lawmakers, and clergy joined family members of both the late Amadou Balio Diallo and other young, Black men killed by police in the Soundview section of The Bronx on Saturday, Feb. 3, for a vigil marking the 25th anniversary of Diallo’s death. According to police and media reports at the time, Diallo, a Muslim Guinean, died after he was shot 19 times by police on Wheeler Avenue in Soundview shortly after midnight on Feb. 4, 1999. He was unarmed and aged 23.
Emotions were still raw during the candlelight vigil as attendees revisited the memory of that tragic night. DRUM, aka Desis Rising Up & Moving, a Queens-based community social justice organization of working-class South Asians & Indo-Caribbeans, wrote on social media ahead of the vigil, “25 years ago today, 4 NYPD officers killed Amadou Diallo, an immigrant & street vendor, in a hail of 41 bullets” [19 of which hit Diallo].
DRUM’s post continued, “DRUM was founded as a response to Amadou’s murder, to make the connections between policing, immigration, and workers. Join us today to stand with family.” The group tagged The Amadou Diallo Foundation, “a nonprofit dedicated to providing academic scholarships, justice-system accountability, racial equity, and a moral society.”
According to those gathered, this year’s vigil was not only an occasion to remember the tragedy of Diallo’s killing but also a time to protest police brutality, and a vow by organizers never to forget those unjustly killed by gun violence at the hands of police. “We here to be heard!” shouted Graham Weatherspoon, board member of the Amadou Diallo Foundation during the rally. “We here to fight and continue to fight!” he shouted.
Meanwhile, community activist and educator, Lumumba Bandele, angrily said, “This is time that the City should feel shame, especially the mayor!” She continued, “Our City’s mayor should be here with us!” Artist and poet, C. Liley, a first-generation American whose father is from Jamaica and whose mother is from Bermuda, told ABC7 of his childhood recollection of Diallo’s shooting, “I saw the fear on their (his parents’) faces, even as a child, when they saw the news story go across the screen on ABC7.”
According to a report published at the time by the New Yorker, NYPD plainclothes officers, Sean Carroll, 35, Richard Murphy, 26, Edward McMellon, 26, and Kenneth Boss, 27, were on “stop-and-frisk” patrol in the area. The stop-and-frisk program in New York City, also known as a “Terry stop” and later deemed unconstitutional, was a prevailing NYPD practice of temporarily detaining, questioning, and at times searching civilians and suspects on the street for weapons and other contraband.
According to a report by the New York Times, the court heard that Carroll alleged he mistook Diallo for a serial rape suspect as he stood in the doorway of his Soundview apartment building. According to reporting by the NY Daily News at the time, McMellon had reportedly shouted to Diallo, “Police! Show me your hands!” The officers alleged Diallo did not comply and as he started to retrieve his black wallet from his pocket, and turned back towards them with the wallet in his hand, they mistook it for a gun and shot him.
During the subsequent trial, according to reporting by the New York Times, the prosecutor, Eric Warner said it was very likely that when Diallo reached into his pocket he was either looking for money to surrender to who he perceived was a group of robbers, or for identification to show who he may have perceived were police.
According to reporting by The New York Times at the time, McMellon alleged Diallo was turning counterclockwise back torwards the officers and was reaching into his right coat pocket for what they mistakenly thought was a pistol at the time they began firing. Carrol reportedly shouted, “Gun!” According to media reports at the time of the incident, Diallo had no criminal record, and the officers involved duly acknowledged firing 41 shots in his direction. It was reported during the trial that when one of the officers fell backward during the incident on his approach, the others believed that officer had been shot.
According to court documents, the four impacted officers who were part of the NYPD’s now-defunct, street crime unit, were charged with second-degree murder following the incident. CNN reported at the time that in a pretrial hearing with State Supreme Court Justice Patricia Williams in Bronx County Courthouse, each officer was charged with reckless endangerment and second-degree murder, and faced 25 years to life in prison, if convicted. Each cop testified in their own defense and pleaded not guilty. All four were acquitted at trial in Albany by a jury of seven white men, one white woman, and four black women.
On March 4, 2004, as reported by CNN, Diallo’s mother, Kadiatou (Kadi) Diallo, and Saikou Diallo, his father, accepted a $3 million settlement, following a $61 million wrongful death lawsuit they brought against the City of New York in April 2000. The lawsuit also cited racial profiling, gross negligence and violation of Diallo’s civil rights. Meanwhile, the defense argued that Diallo had not complied with police orders, though it was reportedly not considered whether or not he had understood those orders.
The acquittal of the four officers involved in the shooting prompted outrage in the City and massive street protests ensued, a precursor to those seen following the killing of George Floyd in May 2020. Diallo’s fatal shooting brought the themes of police brutality, racial profiling, and contagious shooting into sharp focus and under the spotlight. According to experts who have studied it, contagious shooting is defined as a sociological phenomenon observed in police personnel in which one person firing on a target can induce others to begin shooting without knowing why they are doing so.
In May 2020, Diallo was one of several young men referenced during a Black Lives Matter protest organized by Norwood Neighbors for Racial Justice that year. [Click here and here to read some of the additional, related coverage of that topic at that time.]
At the vigil, while withstanding frigid temperatures, attendees huddled together at 1177 Wheeler Avenue, kitted out in handwarmers and holding free cups of hot coffee distributed by volunteers near an 18-foot mural of Diallo, painted by Hawa Diallo in 2002. Protestors marched from the site of the mural a few blocks down the street to the site of Diallo’s shooting at 1157 Wheeler Avenue, where candles were seen burning brightly. There were prayers, songs, and a minute’s silence in Diallo’s memory.
The vigil came on the back of the passage in New York City Council of the “How Many Stops Act,” a law which requires police officers to make a report following each individual stop of a member of the public, and which had previously been vetoed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former transit police officer. The mayor and others argued the law would unduly burden cops with excessive paperwork. Family members of those affected by police shootings and police brutality had written a letter on Dec. 19, 2023, in support of the bill.
The mayor, the NYPD, and some others felt officers’ time would be better spent on the job, fighting crime. The How Many Stops Act was endorsed by the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus, the Progressive Caucus, 100 citywide organizations, and 26 relatives of New Yorkers killed during encounters with the police according to the City Council.
The mayor’s veto was later overriden by three-quarters of the New York City Council, with many Black city council members, including District 12 City Council Member Kevin Riley, who represents the north center / north east Bronx, Brooklyn Council Member Chris Banks, Brooklyn Councilmember Chi Ossé, and Manhattan and Harlem Council Member Dr. Yusef Salaam, speaking publicly of their own experiences as young Black men of being stopped, seemingly for no reason, by police.
“To the world, we are Black men first before we are elected officials,’ they had written in the context of the bill’s discussion. “We know firsthand about the humiliating experiences of being stopped by police in your own community.” Many of the lawmakers in attendance at the vigil vowed to continue to fight for more rather than less police transparency.
Diallo’s mother was joined at the vigil by Amadou’s two younger siblings, Laura Diallo-Brown and younger brother, also named Amadou Diallo, as well as other mothers from across the City who have also lost children to police shootings. They included Valerie Bell, mother of Sean Bell, an unarmed Black man who, according to reporting by the NY Daily News, was shot in a hail of 50 bullets by an undercover cop in front of a club in Jamaica, Queens in 2006, and Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner, a 43-year-old, unarmed Black man, who, as reported at the time by The New York Times, was killed on July 17, 2014 on Staten Island by Daniel Pantaleo, an NYPD officer.
Pantaleo died after putting Garner in a prohibited chokehold while arresting him, according to a report by ABC News at the time. In all three cases, the NYPD police officers involved remained employed by the department. Referring to Diallo’s mother, Carr said during the vigil, “It’s so good to see all of you out in support of this great woman.” She added, “This great woman has been on the battlefield for 25 years.”
Of the 25th anniversary vigil, Diallo’s mother ended the march by speaking to the media, saying it would be the last vigil to be held at the Bronx memorial site. The Diallo family came together to take photos and meet people in the community for the occasion and his mother spoke about the next steps they are taking in preserving her son’s memory.
Turning her pain into passion and purpose, she and the family created the non-profit The Amadou Diallo Foundation and she now splits her time between New York and Washington D.C. with her advocacy work. She has also written a book about her experiences. Diallo passionately described the work with the foundation as being about preservation. Her philanthropic work is based on promoting higher education for future generations and she lectures across the United States about workforce development and police accountability, determined the death of her eldest child will not be in vain.
In honoring her son’s wishes of pursuing a college education, the foundation has partnered with other Bronx entities like Bronx Community College (CUNY) to launch the The Amadou Diallo Foundation Scholarship Program. The program advocates for racial equity and promotes education for students of African descent.
In 2014, Bronx Community College, declared Feb. 4 Annual Amadou Diallo Young Arts and Sci-Tech Day. The one-day program comprises meetings with Bronx middle and high-school students to provide career information, training programs, to achieve a college education.
Standing on the steps where Diallo spent his final moment of life, she said in part, “He had dreams and he was about to achieve his dreams. His dreams was cut short by 41 bullets. We went through a lot of… a lot of situations, including the trial, the acquittal, and then I said to myself I want to pick up Amadou, dust him off and give him back his story. This history must not be forgotten. This history is our history.”
*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.
The post Vigil Held on 25th Anniversary of Death of Amadou Diallo first appeared on Norwood News.
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]]>The post UPDATE Mayor Joins Local Elected Officials to Visit Kingsbridge Underpass first appeared on Norwood News.
The post UPDATE Mayor Joins Local Elected Officials to Visit Kingsbridge Underpass appeared first on Norwood News.
]]>Editor’s Note: The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined local Bronx elected officials on Thursday evening, March 14, for a visit to the Kingsbridge underpass, a well-known gathering point in the Fordham Manor neighborhood for undomiciled individuals and for drug use, and long-plagued by unhygienic conditions.
Located underneath the Grand Concourse and East Kingsbridge Road, the mayor was accompanied by District 15 City Councilmember Oswald Feliz and Assemblyman George Alvarez (A.D. 78).
Feliz later said of the tour, “Really appreciate @NYCMayor & Assemblyman @GALVAREZNYC for touring the Kingsbridge Underpass tonight. Quality of life issues here are escalating, affecting the entire community, & utterly unacceptable. Look forward to working together to ensure our community can live [with] dignity.”
Norwood News recently reported on the arrest of 16 people who were charged with, among other offenses, drug trafficking, at nearby Valentine Avenue in the vicinity of East 192nd Street, located on the opposite side of the Grand Concourse.
Meanwhile, on Friday, March 8, as reported, a 15-year-old male was shot at the entrance to the Kingsbridge Road subway station located on the Grand Concourse and East Kingsbridge Road.
With the permission of her mom, Norwood News spoke to a 10-year-old student from the area after the shooting on March 8. She said she felt sorry for the innocent people in her neighborhood who “have to pay for what other people do.” Asked if she got training at school on mass shootings, she said, “Not really. We just got fire drills and lockdown practice and sheltering…like to stay inside the building when there’s stuff happening around. Today, we had a lockdown practice.”
Asked how it made her feel when she has to do the lockdown training, she said, “It makes me feel, like, scared. Even if it’s a joke, sometimes I get scared. I just don’t want it [anything bad] to happen [for real].” Asked if she felt others took the drills seriously, she said, “Some people do joke about it.” She went on to say that people should be careful when going out in the area and to pay attention to their surroundings. “Keep your awareness just like on,” she said.
The mayor later referenced his visit to the same locality during a press conference on Tuesday, March 19, at City Hall. In the context of quality-of-life, mental health, and sanitation concerns across the City, the mayor said, “Since the start of this administration, our team has worked tirelessly to ensure that everyone has access to public spaces. Two years ago, yesterday, we launched an effort to make our public spaces across the city clean and welcome to all New Yorkers.”
He continued, “By bringing together agencies from across the city government to do this important work, we’ve been able to visit 10,376 locations [and] of those visited, 10,187 ended in a clean site. That’s a 98% success rate, something that I committed [to], removing encampments off our streets and off our subway systems; a promise made and a promise kept.”
Adams said, “We continue to do that every day. Sometimes it’s just as simple as just cleaning up the area. Someone could have left a bag there. Someone could have just dumped an item there, and we just zeroed in. Our police precinct personnel [are] playing a real role in it.” Gesturing to accompanying photos of the underpass, displayed on slides at the press conference, he added in part, “Last [week], I went up to The Bronx. The councilman shared that this was a real problem, and we’re going to take further steps here.”
The mayor acknowleged that there was a lot of drug use in the area, saying, “Even when we were there, a person was injecting themselves with drugs while we were on this site. We did a clean-up there but there are more things we can do to prevent this problem from reoccurring. In two years, we have connected more than 3.5 times as many New Yorkers in need of shelter as the last administration did in their final two years.”
In this regard, Adams praised the work of Deputy Mayor for Health & Human Services Ann Williams-Isom, who was present during the press conference, and her team. “Between our work on the cameras in the subways, we have connected more than 7,000 people with care and shelter. This is a promise that we made, that we were not going to abandon our neighbors and just walk past them and act like we didn’t see them there. That is why we’re going to continue to lean into this issue and come up with good results.”
At the same press conference, the mayor responded to the fact that Lorna Beach-Mathura, a resident of Florida and former resident of Brooklyn, filed a lawsuit in the State of New York the previous day, March 18, under the Adult Survivors Act against Adams, citing an alleged sexual assault in 1993, when both she and the mayor were employees with the Transit Bureau of the NYPD.
According to court-filed documents, having been passed over for promotion, Beach-Mathura, a Black, female NYPD employee, alleges she sought help with her career from Adams, both in his capacity as a police officer at the time and as a leader in the NYPD Guardians Association, an organization which advocates for the rights of Black employees.
Beach-Mathura, who holds a doctoral degree in educational leadership and who works in education according to her LinkedIn profile, alleges that instead of helping her, Adams allegedly asked her to perform oral sex on him after he allegedly drove her to a vacant lot.
Court papers show the lawsuit has also been filed against the NYPD Transit Bureau, the NYPD Guardians Association, and three other “unknown” entities, which are also defendants.
The Adult Survivors Act is New York State legislation enacted in May 2022 which amended state law to allow alleged victims of sexual offenses for which the statute of limitations had lapsed to file civil suits for a one-year period, from November 24, 2022, to November 24, 2023. During the press conference, Adams said he and the press were already aware of the commencement of legal proceedings by Beach-Mathura in relation to the lawsuit since November 2023. The mayor denies the allegation.
Norwood News previously reported that the mayor’s iphones/ipads were seized by the FBI in the context of a separate, ongoing investigation into the mayor’s 2021 campaign finances. The mayor denies any wrongdoing.
Norwood News asked City Hall, the NYPD, and the City’s law department, which is representing the mayor, if the NYPD Guardians Association and Transit Bureau also deny the allegations. We did not receive an immediate response.
Meanwhile, as reported, local residents and educators in the Fordham Manor area around Poe Park and the Kingsbridge underpass have long complained about the prevalence of open [outdoor] drug use in the area.
Many agree services are needed to assist those with addiction issues but have called for such services to be provided at a venue located away from young children who are habitually witnessing, at very close proximity, the effects of such open, outdoor drug use in plain sight.
They argue, for example, that the distribution of clean syringes by outreach workers should be handled at a venue or center situated away from schools. The matter was raised once again at a public safety forum held at P.S. 246 in Fordham Manor on Nov. 30 last year. P.S. 246 is located opposite Poe Park, a well-known site for open drug use.
Meanwhile, prior to the tour of the area, Feliz had earlier participated in a virtual community input discussion on the renovation of Poe Park playground on Feb. 28, together with local residents, including members of Friends of Mosholu Parkland, NYC Parks, and Partnership for Parks.
Some of the slides from the presentation given by NYC Parks during that discussion are attached, including an overview of a typical project timeline.
Some of the items discussed included flood hazard zones, managing storm water, heat mitigation, tree preservation, an accessible and inclusive redesign of the park, welcoming entrances, other design ideas like seating areas, green spaces, spaces for gathering/events, as well as water and other play features.
Of the mayor’s latest visit to the area, Feliz concluded, “@NYCMayor also joined us at Poe Park, and also the building I grew up in. We did lots of baseball/wiffle ball here. He promised to join us for baseball, after we’re done resolving these challenges!”
The post UPDATE Mayor Joins Local Elected Officials to Visit Kingsbridge Underpass first appeared on Norwood News.
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