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Brooklyn Today August 4: Crisis On the Canal?

August 4, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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THE LEDE: Happy Friday, Brooklyn! It’s going down on the Gowanus Canal.Downtown Brooklyn’s experiencing a rental glut. Eric Gonzalez and Eric Schneiderman tell ICE to stay clear of courthouses, and an elephant does a handstand underwater. Plus, Neymar sets a world record, human embryos are being genetically modified, and we recommend 16 of the city’s best pools to cool off in this summer. Finally, wish a happy birthday to former PresidentBarack Obama!
 
IMPRINT: A grieving mother asks “why my son?” on the August cover ofThe California Sunday Magazine. (See Staff Picks below for full story)


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The Rundown
 

~CRISIS ON THE CANAL?: As if the Gowanus Canal did not already have enough junk in its waters, just last week a bulkhead collapsed, sending concrete, wood and other debris into the toxic waterway. The incident occurred on July 26 on private property on Smith Street just south of the Hamilton Bridge. The crumbling was the second to occur since the end of May. “It’s really concerning,” Riverkeeper Staff Attorney Sean Dixon told the Brooklyn Eagle. “One part of me wants to know why these are happening in quick succession. These are bulkheads that have been around for a very long time. They are a historic part of the Gowanus Canal waterfront. What is going on now?” (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
 
~BROOKLYN’S FALLING APART: Those bulkheads weren’t the only things to collapse. It looks like South Brooklyn isn’t all summer strolls and mermaid parades. The seafaring section of the borough is in need of some repairs, as 69 potholes and sinkholes litter the streets of Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights. Meanwhile, councilmember Vincent Gentile is assuring work will begin on the collapsed Shore Road Park ramp at 97th Street. Repairs were scheduled to begin last fall, but new estimates show the end of August might be a more realistic goal. And about four blocks away in an apartment complex, a pesky elevator that exclusively served the bottom half of the building has been broken since July. A Brooklyn resident shared his grief saying, “Brooklyn is becoming a third world country.” (via Brooklyn Reporter and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
 
~IS THERE A RENTAL GLUT IN BROOKLYN?: As more and more residential high rises pop up across the city, the possibility of rental apartments ending up empty may be increasing. The vacancy rate for the city’s apartments could spike from 3.8 percent to more than 11 percent by the end of 2018. “It seems inevitable that you are going to see some pain in the market,” Tex-X chief economist Peter Muoio said. Another real estate company said the increase of empty space might not come on so drastic. The cause for vacancy? A city-wide increase in new construction. But for 33 Bond St., empty apartments doesn’t seem to be a problem. In no time flat, TF Cornerstone has leased 120 apartments at its new Downtown Brooklyn development. “It’s going very well,” Zoe Elghanayan, a company principal and vice president said. (via The Real Deal and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle) 
 
~DA AND AG CALL FOR ICE TO STOP COURTHOUSE RAIDS: William Siguencia Hurtado testified in two Brooklyn homicide cases, resulting in five convictions. In June, federal law enforcement ripped him away from his wife and two kids for living undocumented in the U.S. Acting Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez and New York AG Eric Schneiderman demanded yesterday thatICE stay out of New York courts and stop arresting immigrants like Hurtado. “The federal authorities claim they are making America safe again, but the truth is that their immigration enforcement policies are making all of us less safe,” Gonzalez said. There have been about 60 arrests or attempted arrests in New York courts this year, with at least eight arrests in Brooklyn, according to a survey by the Immigrant Defense Project. There were 11 court arrests statewide in all of 2016. Gonzalez and Schneiderman said these raids instill fear in immigrants to not come forward as witnesses and victims of crimes. (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
 
~GREENWAY COULD DOUBLE AS FLOOD BARRIER IN RED HOOK: Aninnovative plan to use a scenic greenway as part of a flood protection system for Red Hook, hard hit during Superstorm Sandy, is inching closer to reality. A preliminary design study recently released by the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative and the city envisions the Brooklyn Greenway as integrating flood barriers — such as raised sections and green berms — and providing storm water detention, an emergency route for the community during a flood and public amenity spaces in Red Hook. However, these measures still won’t protect against The Big One — the 100-year flood. Just the more frequent storms that happen every 10 to 25 years or so. (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)


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Staff Picks:    
 

LONG READ: “She Was Convicted of Killing Her Mother. Prosecutors Withheld the Evidence That Would Have Freed Her.” (via NYT) 
 
IMPRINT: “After the Shooting:” A year in the life of a black mother who lost her son to police brutality.
 
SCIENCE: Believe it or not, U.S. scientists can now genetically modify human embryos. Take a look. (via Motherboard)  
 
STAYCATION: You look hot! Cool off at one of these 16 gorgeous hotel pools.(via Curbed New York)

 
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NATIONAL BULLETIN: President Donald Trump might be getting his wallafter all…An elephant does a handstand underwater in Oregon…And 3,000-year-old footprints were found in Arizona. (via The Texas Tribune, WaPo andThe Atlantic)
 
FOREIGN FLASH: A new world record was set yesterday after Paris St-Germain signed Neymar from Barcelona for $263 million…Roman ruins wererecently found in southeastern France…And here’s how Nicolas Madurowent from bus driver to president of Venezuela. (via BBC, NYT and WaPo)
 

 ROYAL WATCH: Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle recently celebrated their 1-year anniversary, and tonight they’ll be toasting to Markle’s36th birthday. To keep up, here’s a timeline of their love affair. (via Hello! and Hollywood Life)


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BROOKLYN TONIGHT  
 

9:00AM – 7:00PM — Digital Profiling at Made In NY Media Center. Details.
 
2:00PM — 2017 Summer Leadership Institute at ShapeShifter Lab. Details.
 
2:00PM — Jonathan Demme: Heart of Gold at BAM Rose Cinemas. Details.
 
3:00PM – 6:00PM — Old Stone House: Witness to War at The Old Stone House. Details.

6:00PM – 10:30PM — Summer Stroll on 3rd at 3rd Avenue between 80th and 90th streets. Details.
 
6:30PM — Harlem’s Hell Fighters: They Made Music, Art and War at New-York Historical Society. Details.
 
6:40PM — Brooklyn Cyclones v. Tri-City Valley Cats at MCU Park. Details.
 
7:30PM – 10:30PM — Lola Star’s Dreamland Roller Disco at Dreamland Roller Disco at Lakeside. Details.  
 
7:00PM — Hip Hop Dance Aerobics at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Details.
 
8:00PM — Bargemusic Masterworks: Julian Schwarz & Marika Bournaki at Fulton Ferry Landing. Details.
 
9:00PM — First Fridays at The Frick Collection. Details.
 

SATURDAY

10:00AM – 3:00PM — Kayaking at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Details.
 
1:00PM – 6:00PM — 5th Annual Stoops Arts Crawl at Bed-Stuy. Details.
 
5:00PM – 4:30AM — The Cityfox Experience: Mano Le Tough, Martin Buttrich, Barem, Tim Green at The Brooklyn Mirage. Details.

 
SUNDAY
 
6:00AM — Birding in Peace at Green-Wood Cemetery. Details.
 
9:30AM — Rooftop Yoga at Northern Territory. Details.  
 
11:00AM – 6:00PM — FAD Market Summer at The Invisible Dog Art Center.Details.

 


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  EAGLE SPORTS: The Mets’ first-round pick in last month’s Major League Draft David Peterson will finally make his much-anticipated professional debut when the Brooklyn Cyclones host the Tri-City ValleyCats at MCU Parktonight. Peterson, who has already risen to No. 3 on the Mets’ organization list of top prospects, is expected to start for Brooklyn, but pitch just one inning as the hulking 6-foot-6 left-hander gets back to serious competition for the first time since going seven frames for the University of Oregon against UCLA onMay 25. Since being selected with the 20th overall pick by New York back in June, Peterson has been chomping at the bit to get to the business of baseball after a dominant third and final season with the Ducks. (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)


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MILESTONES
 
Happy birthday to Richard Belzer, Crystal Bowersox, Roger Clemens, Crystal Chappel, Tina Cole, Michael DeLuise, Michael Gelman, Greta Gerwig, Alberto Gonzales, Jeff Gordon, Kym Karath, Daniel Dae Kim, Dennis Lehane,Meghan Markle, Barack Obama, Tom Parker, John Riggins, Jessica Sanchez, Mary Decker Slaney, Abigail Spencer, Dylan and Cole Sprouse, Kristoffer Tabori, Billy Bob Thornton and Lauren Tom!


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