Planning To Succeed

Friday, November 4, 2016

The Black Lady Theatre’s Restoration

In the pioneer spirit of barn-raising, The Black Lady Theatre at 750 Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn is being renovated. Leading the extensive rehabilitation are Clarence Jr. 2X and Omar Hardy, the father and son team who dedicate themselves to realizing the wishes of the deceased Supreme Court Judge John L. Phillips.

The theater encompasses much of the 5,325 s.f. lot. The 500-seat theater space is located in the basement where carpenters have recently installed a new wooden stage. The balcony and lobby are on the first floor and the conference area is on the second floor. Omar Hardy explained “the plan is to build two additional floors. The roof will hold a garden and an event space.”

This project comes together through a friends-helping-friends construction process. Mark “The Builder” Douglas is the Construction Manager. Douglas is a licensed and insured electrical contractor who secures the subcontractors. Douglas explains, “The objective is to uplift our people to be self-sufficient. Professionalism, being on time, and qualified are essential.” Douglas brought on Sheldon Douglas who is a Carpenter and CSGN Contracting’s Johnny E. Robayo, a glass and façade contractor. It is Robayo’s installation of the glass front that achieves the visual impact of the rebirth of “The Black Lady”.

Given the low level of financing, the team has relied heavily on volunteer labor. For example, Omar’s younger brothers Devon and Isaiah Howard do “soup to nuts…from site preparation to finishing.”

The marketing firm Open House New York promoted the grand re-opening weekend October 15-16, 2016 free of charge. Standing in front of the gleaming glass doors that reveal many murals in the lobby, Mark Douglas estimates the work will be completed by December 2016. To mark this milestone, the Hardys and Douglas are in preliminary discussion with the producer of “Oz Comes to Brooklyn”. Douglas gives the last Sunday in December as the tentative performance date.

“I was born for this task and my father always wanted to do business with his family,” muses Omar Hardy. He believes getting to this point where the public can see the theater is coming back to life is due to “remaining on our square and staying true to the mission.”

The complete development team includes Clarence Jr. 2X Hardy, Omar Hardy, the Administrator Christie Williams, the Construction Manager Mark Douglas, and Byron Wilson. Wilson does not state his title. Rather, Wilson explains his plan to “establish renewable energy technologies that take the premises off the grid.” Wilson estimates the cost amounting to $10,000.

Further, Wilson intends to use smart building procedures. He plans to set up solar canopies and an aquaponic greenhouse that grows food. Wilson asserts, “This will be a farm-to-table operation where we sell to local bodegas. The acquaponic greenhouse uses the waste of Tilapia fish. The fish itself will not be sold for consumption.”

Between April and October 2016, the team has accomplished clearing the theater of rubbish. “We’ve filled 20 containers with trash. We financed the carting company’s services through fundraisers. One hundred bags of rubbish were picked up by the NYC Sanitation Department, explains Hardy.

This reporter had a sit-down interview with Omar Hardy October 27, 2016. In preparation of the meeting, records within NYC Finance Department, Building Department and the Environmental Protection Department on the premises were reviewed.

Q: Has your organization contacted Brooklyn Community District Office no. 8 to request to make a presentation before the community or to just leave event notices at community board meetings?

Hardy: Information drop off would be done through Zulika Bumpus (another team member). I’m not sure whether the event notice was left at the district office or at a general meeting. I recognize that I should present to the community what is happening at The Black Lady Theatre.”

Note: Zulika Bumpus was contacted by telephone and email October 27, 2016 to inquire about outreach to local high schools, houses of worship, and Brooklyn Community District Office no. 8. Bumpus explained on the telephone that she was leaving for an event and has not answered the email.

Q: Have you contacted any local houses of worship to notify them about the rehabilitation occurring at the theater?

Hardy: We haven’t had contact with the local houses of worship. As far as having them know about the rehab, No. We’ve reached out to individuals, organizations, and anyone who I believe who should know. I’ve been thinking in terms of after the construction is completed and the place is ready for rental.

In all, the Q and A session was driven by 13 questions. It was revealed the development team’s community outreach was limited due to the decision to postpone community outreach until after the construction is complete. They have not communicated with Crown Heights North Association (CHNA). This organization has a successful track record of historic landmark district designation. Given the artistic and historic value of this theater, developing a strategic alliance with CHNA would be prudent. From April 2016 to October 2016, the work consisted of site preparation, painting, glass front installation, and floor tiling. Hardy could not say which floor would be 75% complete by December 31, 2016.

The types of trades that have been on site, at any given time include security (provided by a private company and internal surveillance), electricians, carpenters, and a plumber.

New York City agency research uncovered two critical conditions: 750 Nostrand Avenue block 1240 lot 38 was part of an assignment of a tax lien, document date April 30, 2016, where Party 1 is Bank of New York Mellon and Party 2 Bank of New York Mellon. A Tax Lien Sale Certificate was entered into record August 10, 2016. Mr. Hardy acknowledges “the tax issue needs to be handled. It is part of the reason for his focus on completing key rehabilitation areas.

“Opening the doors to the community is critical [because] it permits us offering programs to the community that generate revenue,” may be a guiding mantra that Omar Hardy keeps in the forefront of his mind. In view of the in rem action, it behooves this committed team to direct its legal counsel to respond to the property vesting action.

Labels: Brooklyn, community, Crown Heights, culture, development team, historic landmark, history, live performance, Nostrand Avenue, rehabilitation, restoration, The Black Lady Theatre, theater, treasure

Monday, June 17, 2013

Achieving Civil Rights in the Face of Stop & Frisk Abuses

There are pundits who place the US Civil Rights era between the years 1955 and 1968. This placement suggests the struggle for civil rights for African-Americans and other hyphenated Americans was just a 13-year ordeal. Is this actually the case? Can national ancestors such as Mississippi NAACP leader Medgar Evers rest easy, assured that their bloodshed brought franchise, fair deals and justice?

“Much has changed for the better since Mr. Evers’s brutal death 50 years ago—but there is also much we can still learn and put in use from the brave life he lived”, reflects St. Senator Eric Adams (D, WF) 20 SD. “Certainly, if he were alive today, he would be at the front lines against the abuse of Stop and Frisk…Yes, this City would do well to consider his courage and continue the fight against inequality and injustice that still exist today.”

The Senator speaks with authority regarding the flaws of the NYC Police Department’s procedure officially named Stop, Question and Frisk. Prior to gaining the NYS Senate seat, he was a NYPD Captain in central Brooklyn. He distinguished his police career by co-founding 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care with several other peace officers. Since taking his NYS Senate office in 2006, Adams has kept an eye on NYPD activity. A visit to his State Senate website reveals his dedicated attention to local police matters. There is a downloadable 23-slide presentation entitled Stop, Question and Frisk Procedure in the ‘Report’ section. This slide show gives the objectives of Stop, Question and Frisk; the procedure for carrying it out; and the four scenarios when a police officer can conduct Stop, Question and Frisk. Using 2009 Center for Constitutional Rights’ findings and statistics, the State Senator makes a strong case that the procedure “has unmerited focus on African-American and Latino youth; the required reporting is not being followed; and the negative impact it has on youths of color’s psyche and criminal record.” The slide show purports “Of the four scenarios when a police officer should execute the practice, the overwhelming scenario is to fulfill quotas or gather names for the NYPD database”.

It appears that Stop, Question and Frisk flies in the face of civil rights. When queried about the realities of Stop Question and Frisk the State Senator posits, “Protecting New Yorkers and protecting their civil rights do not have to be competing interests. We must give our law enforcement the tools they need to keep us safe. The abuse of Stop and Frisk is not useful in preventing crime. In fact, it sours communities against working with police and that means crucial information isn’t shared to stop violence before it can occur. The practice must be reformed to better meet the necessary standard of reasonable suspicion, to remove discrimination, and to ensure more criminals and fewer innocents are targeted for Stop and Frisk.” His study and assessment of Stop, Question and Frisk is comparable to Medgar Evers’s work and concerns. Evers was shot in his back the early morning of June 12, 1963.

Currently the front runner in the race for the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office, Adams stands to win the election in September. Should he win he will not only be New York City’s first African American in the seat and but be the first police officer in several decades. How will he make his mark as the BP serving all of Brooklyn? Adam says, “This is a pivotal moment for Brooklyn. We have become very popular in recent years but that hasn’t meant a better quality of life for everyone. I want to turn our popularity into prosperity for all. The BP must have a unifying vision for the borough that brings all Brooklynites together to make Brooklyn the best it can be.”

Labels: African Americans, black interest, civil rights movement, community, discrimination, NYC, NYC politics, NYS Senate, Stop and Frisk, urban

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

New York Swelter

It's the fourth or fifth heatwave for NYC and counting. These heatwaves will not let up. In fact, humidity and high temperatures in the 90s will become common summer weather here. Beyond carbon emissions, global warming is a natural occurrence. Other planets in our solar system are warming up as well. These planets don't have throwaway paper-,plastic- and petroleum-dependent humans to contend with. Humans are just making it more unbearable. Living in a city intensifies the situation because the asphalt roads and cement sidewalks, curbs, and parking lots make the urban design seem orderly but it covers vegetation. Trees, bushes, and grass regulate the temperature, provide shade, absorb carbon dioxide, emit oxygen, and calm nerves. I frequently walk through streets and wish I had a jack hammer to break up the cement to free the Earth. It's just a daydream and won't act on it but the grass and weeds do their best find cracks and spaces in the cement and asphalt from where to sprout out. So knowing how great trees and bushes serve humanity, why not serve them? Get a pail of water and pour it in a tree tub near your house or apartment. The Department of Sanitation isn't watering the trees nor is the Department of Parks and Recreation, so New Yorkers have to do it. Put yourself in the place of a tree, your higher roots are cramped in the tree tub; your lower roots are slowly extending deeper into the Earth seeking moisture. The trees somehow. How long could humans live without water? Hey,share your Fiji water.

Labels: climate change, community, environment, lifestyle, New York City, the Earth

Monday, April 13, 2009

Central Brooklyn Ensures Due Process for Homeless Intake Center

Central Brooklyn elected, Brooklyn Community Board 8, Crow Hill Association, Crown Heights North Association and other community groups put their collective foot down, Sunday March 8, to ensure the City Department of Homeless Services complies with land use/fair share analysis, environmental reviews, and responding substantively to community concerns regarding converting the Bedford-Atlantic Shelter into the City’s homeless men’s intake center by retaining the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

The law firm’s retention was officially announced at a press conference on the steps of City Hall. In attendance included Council member Letitia James who made the announcement and introduced succeeding speakers; NYS Assembly member Hakeem Jeffries, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Council member David Weprin and Jim Waldon, partner, and Randy Manstro of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. At issue is the logic of redirecting some 14,000 men to Brooklyn for intake assessment and shelter when 60% of NYC’s homeless men subsist in Manhattan. Many at the press conference believe the move to Brooklyn will put more homeless on the streets of Manhattan. Bedford-Atlantic Shelter’s notorious reputation as the worst DHS facility coupled with the recent closing of St. Mary’s Hospital and insufficient mental health services for the thousands of men requiring it appears to doom the move for failure. The current Manhattan-based men’s intake center is adjacent to the Bellevue Hospital Complex.

While Randy Manstro explained it is “premature to initiate litigation”, Assembly member Jeffries views the retaining as “the means to keep the Bloomberg administration within the law.” Borough President Markowitz quipped, “The move is not right for the homeless; not right for Brooklyn; and not right for Manhattan’s homeless.” Markowitz explained, “Manhattan’s male homeless population is larger than the combined numbers of the other four boroughs.”
Picture the Homeless Deborah Dickerson asked, “When are we going to give the homeless permanent housing? “ Dickerson believes it’s time to make feasible plans for permanent housing. Providing permanent housing rather than more temporary shelter that requires supportive services would bode well with Crown Heights Revitalization Movement Rachel Pratt’s observation that “northern Crown Heights has six times the median in social services in Brooklyn.”

Faye Moore, president of Social Service Employees Union, Local 371 brought attention to the plight of the some 200 employees at the Manhattan intake center who are scheduled to be laid off July 1, 2009. Rather than be laid off, these people are needed to continue managing and maintaining a homeless shelter. Moore stated, “The homeless don’t need to be wandering Brooklyn looking for help, it needs to be near them.”

Is the move part of a bigger plan? Could elitism be at play? The neighborhood wherein Bellevue shelter is located changed its socio-demographics in the last two decades. Rose Hill is now a more affluent community that had one developer want to build a hotel. Peter Katonah from St. Senator Eric Adams’ office questions whether “this is an attempt by the elite of Manhattan to rid itself of the homeless.”

Local 371 president concurs. Moore points to “80% of the City’s budget cuts are in social services.” Moore opines the cuts mean to destabilize the working families to a point where it’s not feasible for a middle-income to reside in NYC and two distinct classes will remain: the rich and the poor.

Labels: Brooklyn, community, homelessness, Letitia James

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Brooklyn Nonprofits That Shovel in the Digital Divide

The search for Brooklyn nonprofits that are closing the digital divide through broadband installation uncovered a few things. One, dead zones—areas where either cable TV or broadband technology is not supplied—exist in Brooklyn. They exist because the major cable companies don’t believe it is profitable to invest the wiring. Another, nonprofits need to connect with one another. When posed the question, “Do you know of nonprofits wiring buildings or installing Wi Fi in Brooklyn, Mirielle Massac, Child Development Support Corporation’s (http://www.cdscnyc.org/) PR Director, thoughtfully turned the wheels in her mind and came up blank. Massac suggested that this columnist set up an operation. You can imagine that I was honored.

The investigation hit pay dirt. Keep in mind that it takes many wheelbarrows full before you strike gold or oil. It included contacting eleven major Brooklyn nonprofits—nine are located in central Brooklyn. Most didn’t return the call. Two were ardent telephone tagging. One VP of Information Technology said, “…their website is not a priority…” Reaching the Nonprofit Help Desk (http://www.nphd.org/) was the “Eureka!” moment. Nonprofit Help Desk’s Executive Director Chaya Abelsky interrupted her out-of-town vacation to talk about the nonprofit and arrange interviews with three staff members.

Nonprofit Help Desk’s mission is to increase the capacities of New York City's small to mid-size nonprofit organizations through technology and operations management services, education and advocacy. It is one of four arms of the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island (JCC). It is recognized to be the first nonprofit to provide technology services to other nonprofits. Nonprofit Help Desk was born from JCC Executive Director’s, Rabbi Weiner, early adoption of the Internet. By 1992, Weiner recognized that the Internet and computers could be powerful social cause and nonprofit management tools. It was a matter of sharing the message to other nonprofits and then getting them computerized and web-enabled. Evidently, he sold his case for technology to the, then, Commissioner of Community Development Agency (now Department of Youth and Community Development), Gladys Carrion. Commissioner Carrion granted funds for the future Nonprofit Help Desk, without a Request For Proposal. Today, Nonprofit Help Desk gives training in computerized bookkeeping, Intenet basics, sets up computer networks and security systems and connects nonprofits to broadband communication technolgy. June 2007, ushered in the online social network for nonprofits called Puzzle http://www.puzzlenyc.org/. Leah Vincent, Director of Development, oversees Puzzle and explained that, though Puzzle is in Beta version, it’s the online space for nonprofits “to gain emotional support, find resources, discuss issues and [just] connect.”

Nonprofit Help Desk’s Technical Services Department arranges the wiring and does the network installation. Yossef Heskiel directs the four-member department. Heskiel is a certified Microsoft Systems Engineer and was an Electronics Technician for the US Navy. He sums up the process in four steps: assessement, recommendation, infrastructure planning & design and implemetation. Three examples of this process are St. John’s Place Family Center (www.stjohns.org), Caribbean Women’s Health Association (www.cwha.org) and Dwa Fanm (www.dwafanm.org). St. John’s Place Family Center is located in a dead zone in the western end of Crown Heights (1604 St. John’s Place). It has an employment center, afterschool center and day care at one end of the block and the administrative office and social services are at the other end. The group had fifteen AOL dial-up accounts which amounted to $700 - $800 in charges a month. Nonprofit Help Desk visited the offices in 2002 and recommended the installation of fractional T1 lines. Fractional T1 is a business class data transfer that is half the throughput of T1 data lines. Though more expensive than dial up, St. John’s Place Family Center experienced a savings of about $10,000 annually. The nonprofit’s Executive Director, Louis Rodriguez is pleased with the installation. Rodriguez says, “The fractional T1 line enabled us to cut internet-related costs. We now have better email service at much less cost…We had SharePoint—an intranet program—installed as part of the T1 installation. This improves our capacity to share information among staff.” Nonprofit Help Desk literally ran 300 meters of wires through 2 feet and 5 feet thick walls in the basement to connect the two ends of St John’s Place.

For Caribbean Women Health Association is was the case of not needing or using the previous communication system which was a frame relay broadband system. It’s fine for frequent international communication but too much for local needs. The solution for this nonprofit was disconnecting the broadband and installing synchronous DSL. The nonprofit had been paying about $1,050 a month in Internet fees for 256 kbs; the new system gives 1.5 megabyte throughput for $329 a month. Dwa Fanm operated using dial up Internet services and didn’t have computer network. Their solution involved signing with Roadrunner and configuring a network. Nonprofit Help Desk monitors and maintains hundreds of nonprofits’ computer systems with their remote technology monitoring system. This software is installed on the network servers and any glitches are emailed to the Technical Services staff’s Pocekt PCs. How’s that for being wired for success?

Labels: broadband, community, digital divide, Internet, nonprofits

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Don't Snitch Policy: Who Penned It?

Did anyone catch the segment on CBS' 60 Minutes (April 21, 2007) where mega rap stars, Busta Rhymes and Cam'ron had the mike to wax intellectually? These men fell down on the job. The issue is the current theme of "no snitching to cops" under any circumstances. True, for several months different rappers are penning and rhyming threats to those in the 'hood who want to call the police.

It doesn't matter whether a shooting, a robbery or drug sale is the reason for the call. Rappers are now teaching that calling the police is bad. In essence, crime does pay. Our teens are listening to this. Once they start dancing to it, it's a done deal. That message is saved in deep memory. For those unaware of the power of dance: it is a form of communication. We send and receive messages from watching and doing the dance. People who love gangsta rap are singing and dancing to the breakdown of the social fabric.

The impetus to 60 Minutes looking at this music trend is most likely Harlem Children's Zone's Geoffrey Canada. The murder of a young man well-known to him occurred and no one has come forward to give information on the murder, though he was in the company of others, namely Busta Rhymes. Canada asked whether "anyone held the young man in their arms" as his life ebbed away or was it cold avoidance.

Busta Rhymes took part in the segment and stayed clear of any direct language regarding the murder. Rather, a video tribute to the slain man is what Busta Rhymes gives to a life that ended so ear

ly. Canada is very concerned about this turn in rap music. Rappers are teaching fans to avoid the police and let crimes be resolved within the community. Cam'ron displayed bullet wounds in his upper arms. He stated that if he knew a mass murderer lived next door to him, he wouldn't call the police. He would move. That's fine for Cam'ron. He has money that's too hot for his pockets. What about the average working person. Can we quickly put together two or three months of rent to move to another apartment. If you're in New York, that's $2,700 or $3,000. Cam'ron would have people spend thousands of dollars when all they need do is dial 9-1-1. Cam'ron would have folk spend thousands of dollars to move away from domesticate violence when possibly, shouting "Hey, quiet down or I'll call the cops," may do some good?

These two men had an opportunity to represent to the world what it means to be a man, a

celebrity and a role model. They follow the script of "no snitching." Who told them to stick to the policy? Cam'ron points the finger to the record company. Cam'ron says he wouldn't be able to sell records without it. He's not saying the rap audience wouldn't buy it because that crew buys different genres within rap. The rap world appears to be directed to write certain lyrics or the music won't be heard; to dress a certain way or they won't be seen and do certain things or they won't get paid.

Lil' Kim followed the party line of no snitching and had a mini-series to document her preparation for imprisonment. Do you think she would've gotten a mini-series to star in for community service efforts? Probably not. Are we witnessing a plan to convert the US inner cities into havens of lawlessness and fear? Where people resolutely turn their heads to beatings, car jacks, crack sells and open prostitution? Remember, it's in the beat. You get someone to sing something, to dance to something and it's locked in memory.

Labels: CBS, community, gangsta rap, lawlessness, media