Lawsuit Filed Against City of New York over Police Brutality during BLM Protests

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Monday, Oct. 26, The New York Civil Liberties Union and The Legal Aid Society filed a lawsuit against Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, Chief of Department Terence Monahan, the City of New York, and several individual police officers for their roles in what was described as the indiscriminate brutalizing of peaceful protestors during the Black Lives Matter protests which followed the police killing of George Floyd in May 2020. The suit addresses the first month of protests between May 28 and June 28, where “swarming officers used batons, pepper spray, and other aggressive techniques to

By Síle Moloney

The New York City Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Guillermo Chavez, 64, of 2604 Bainbridge Avenue, The Bronx. Chavez was reported missing on Monday in the 52nd precinct. He was last seen on Monday, Oct. 26, at around 8:45 a.m. inside his residence. He is described as being approximately 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighs 140 pounds, is of medium build, and has brown eyes and brown hair. Chavez was last seen wearing a baseball hat, brown work boots, and a gray sweatshirt. Anyone with information with regard to this missing person is asked

By DAVID GREENE

With some Bedford Park residents in quarantine amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a few only learned of the horrific, senseless killing of Kevin Smith, 62, in the days that followed his death. Smith was stabbed twice in the chest, apparently after a brief exchange of words with his assailant on Thursday, Oct. 22. The NYPD reported that Smith was attacked at 6:59 p.m. outside of 380 East Bedford Park Boulevard on the evening in question. They said he died a short time later at St. Barnabas Hospital. One friend said he was sure that Smith died on the sidewalk,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx District Attorney, Darcel D. Clark, announced on Monday, Oct. 19, the appointment of 61 new assistant district attorneys (ADAs) to her office. “This diverse group of assistant district attorneys will undergo intensive training to help them serve the Bronx community in keeping with my ‘Safer Bronx Through Fair Justice’ policy, which dovetails with the criminal justice reforms,” Clark said. “These new Assistant DAs, along with our experienced, dedicated staff, will provide fairness to defendants while ensuring public safety.” Out of the 61 new assistant DAs, 31 are people of color. The class is made up of 32

By Síle Moloney

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Monday, Oct. 26, that 136 guns – mostly revolvers and semi-automatic pistols – were turned in at the Bronx Gun Buyback event held on Saturday October 24, 2020 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in the Wakefield section of the Bronx. Seventy-four participants in the buy back received an iPad, courtesy of the Bronx DA’s Office and the New York Yankees, as well as a cash card, in exchange for the arms recovered. Speaking on the success of the event, Clark said, “I am pleased that there are 136 less firearms

By Eliot Schiaparelli & 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 three looks at health. Health and healthcare were always going to be pivotal to the 2020 presidential election, even before the COVID-19 pandemic catapulted them to the top of the political agenda. According to a recent Pew research poll, 68 percent of voters said healthcare was a “very important” issue to them, second only to the economy. People are rightfully

By Síle Moloney

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea released the following statement on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020 regarding new recruits within the NYPD. “Next week, the NYPD will send out offers to the 2020 November Academy class. Before the new class starts, the NYPD uniform headcount will be approximately 34,200,” he said. “The new class will be 900 recruits, bringing the uniform head count closer to the level expected in the adopted [city] budget. Due to budget cuts, as well as attrition, this is lower than the approximately 36,900 uniform members of service at this point last year. With the new class, the

By DAVID GREENE

Ahead of Election Day 2020 on Nov. 3., long lines of patient voters, some with kids in toe and pushing baby strollers, were seen at a number of voting centers across the Bronx during the first few days of early voting in New York State, which kicked off on Saturday, Oct. 24. On Sunday morning, Oct. 25, the wait time to vote at a temporary Parkchester polling center, a former Boltons store, located at 1380 Parkchester Road, was about two and a half hours, while the outside temperature was in the low fifties. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined about

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The 19th Annual Fall Festival took place in Norwood on a beautiful, bright, sunny day on Saturday, Oct. 17, hosted by the Jerome Gun Hill BID team, Mosholu Preservation Corporation, Montefiore Medical Center, the Bronx Board of Elections and Walgreens. The fair, which took place between noon and 3 p.m. was located by Mosholu 4 subway station, on the corner of Jerome Avenue and East Mosholu Parkway, catching the attention of passing commuters, park goers and locals. Residents were treated to a selection of goodies, including free masks and hand sanitizers, tote bags, candy, pumpkins, patties and empanadas from