Red Hook Star-Revue, August 2017

The

Red Hook StarRevue

AUGUST 2017

SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

FREE

Major Motion Picture opens August 11

Glass Castle author’s time as local community journalist

by Sarah Matusek

REPORTERS NOTEBOOK

SHOW ME A HERO

by Sarah Matusek

I

’m hungry, but I dutifully wait for lunch. Because lunch today is at Defonte’s!

I spend the morning writing at the Star-Revue’s warehouse office, pretending coffee is enough. The hours slouch by. When I can’t take any more typing, I bolt out the door and head down Van Brunt Street. Armed with a notebook and cash, I try my best to walk—don’t run, Sarah—toward the famed sandwiches.

The sun is brutal. Beads of sweat shine from the balding scalps of passing men. I alternate the sides of the street to find moments of shade. My shinlength black capris don’t help; I’d decided against shorts this morning, like I usually do when planning to walk around Red Hook, because the length of my pants determines how many unwelcome shout-outs I get from men. But today’s discomfort makes the walk feel more like a pilgrimage.

Special treat

This is my first-ever trip to Defonte’s Sandwich Shop, the family-run legend that has served up hearty heroes since 1922. I’ve heard its praises sung all over—from New York Times food critic Sam Sifton’s love letter to Defonte’s fried eggplant sandwich, to my editor, claiming that the only reason why the shop survived decades of crimeridden Red Hook was because no one wanted to lose such a great place for lunch. (With no research to confirm, I’ll let this lore linger for now.)

“I’d never been happier in my life.

I worked ninety-hour weeks, my telephone rang constantly, I was always hurrying off to interviews and checking the ten-dollar Rolex I’d bought on the street to make sure I wasn’t running late, rushing back to file my copy, and staying up until four a.m. to set type when the typesetter quit. And I was bringing home $125 a week. If the check cleared.”

-- Jeannette Walls in The Glass Castle, remembering her job at The Phoenix newspaper

J

eannette Walls’ best-selling memoir from 2005, The Glass Castle, documents her vibrant, chaotic childhood through pageturning adventures. As her family wanders from Arizona to Appalachia, it’s clear that Walls’ eccentric parents are more concerned with self-fulfillment than child-rearing.

With little oversight, Walls and her three siblings are left to their own creative devices and practically raise themselves.

Jeannette E. Walls’ first Phoenix cover story. (courtesy Phoenix Newspaper Archives at Brooklyn College Library)

A film adaptation of The Glass Castle hits theaters August 11 with a starstudded cast: Brie Larson plays Walls, along with Naomi Watts and Woody Harrelson as her parents.

downtown Brooklyn, including Red Hook and Carroll Gardens. She left such an impression that she is still fondly remembered by her former Phoenix colleagues — including the founder of the paper you’re currently reading.

It just so happens that Walls’ first serious writing job began in 1978 in Brooklyn. She was a high school intern, and later reporter, at the Brooklyn Phoenix, a weekly community newspaper that covered

The Star-Revue caught up with a few of Walls’ Phoenix acquaintances who remembered the tall, confident redhead who blazed her way through Brooklyn, on her way to becoming a best selling author, with her memoir

soon to be up on the silver screen.

City-As-School intern

After following her older sister out of West Virginia to New York City, Walls was barely 18 years old when she started at The Phoenix. She was placed at the paper through an alternative public school, City-AsSchool, that offers students education through internships instead of traditional classrooms.

“In those years I don’t think we (continued on page 6)

As my 20s march on, I’ve gained a “to hell with it” attitude about food and have become an omnivore foodie. If a fellow diner gapes at a portion and says, “That’s too big,” I’m often the one who takes up her fork and goes, “Challenge accepted.” So I’m ready for my meaty hero.

After a sweaty mile, I turn right onto Delavan Street. My eyes settle on De(continued on page 3)

Table of Contents Happenings ............................................2 School News.........................................16 Religious News....................................4,5 Summer in the City ............................11 Formula E ..............................................8 Marlene Pantin ....................................17 Red Hook Star-Revue

www.star-revue.com

Second Sundays page 22

Chef V pages 18-19 August 2017, Page 1

The

Red Hook StarRevue

481 Van Brunt Street, 8A Brooklyn, NY 11231

August Happenings

(718) 624-5568

email happenings@ redhookstar.com to list your event.

For more listings, check out our online community calendar at www.star-revue.com/calendar

www.star-revue.com

George Fiala

E/R: Sarah Matusek R: Nathan Weiser Michael Cobb S B C: Halley Bondy, Arts Laura Eng, Religion Emily Kluver, Matt Caprioli Mary Ann Pietanza

1

Red Hook’s 23rd Annual Na�onal Night Out Against Crime. A night to celebrate safety and crime preven�on. Includes free food, pony rides, Tue. music, face-pain�ng, cra�s, community resource fair & more. Coffey Park. 4-7 pm.

Napoleon Dynamite. Free movie at Valen�no Pier. 8:30 pm.

Gowanus Community Advisory Group mee�ng. St. Mary’s Residence, 41 First Street. 6:30-9 pm.

2

26

3 5

29

Hot Wood Arts First. Join the folks at Hot Wood Arts for their monthly First Wednesday’s figure drawing session. $10. 481 Van Brunt Street, 9B. Wed. 7-10 pm.

Thur.

Kimberly Gail Price, Publisher 2012-2017

FOR EDITORIAL, ADVERTISING OR EMPLOYMENT INQUIRIES, email info@redhookstar.com.

The Red Hook Star-Revue is published monthly.

Founded June 2010.

Community Telephone Numbers:

Red Hook Councilman Carlos Menchaca (718) 439-9012 Red Hook Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (718) 492-6334 State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery (718) 643-6140

Adult Art Therapy. Red Hook Library, 7 Wolco� St. 5:30-7:30 pm.

Press Play Fair. Involves 60 small presses and music labels, a zine exchange, collabora�ve archives, live performances, and more. Pioneer Sat. Works, 159 Pioneer St. 2-11 pm.

8

Where My Feet Rest: Stories of Migra�on Storytelling Workshop. Learn storytelling techniques and learn about the diverse TUE. communi�es who live and work in Red Hook.

Presented in collabora�on with Pioneer Works.

Red Hook Library, 7 Wolco� St. 6-7:45 pm.

Women in Sound Roundtable: the Engineer. Recording Engineer Sascha von Oertzen discusses life as a studio and installa�on ar�st sound engineer working in a maledominated field. Pioneer Works, 159 Pioneer St. 7-9 pm.

Ghost Dog. Free movie at Valen�no Pier. 8:30 pm.

13

Free Diabetic A1C testing at Old Timers Day. Coffey Park.

15

Donnie Darko. Free movie at Valen�no Pier.

8:30 pm.

Sun.

Old Timer’s Day, Coffey Park noon - 7

Tue.

Adult Art Therapy. Red Hook Library, 7 Wolco� St. 5:307:30 pm.

Park Slope Councilman Steve Levin (718) 875-5200

Minions. Free movie at Valen�no Pier. 8:30 pm.

76th Police Precinct, 191 Union Street Main phone (718) 834-3211 Community Affairs (718) 834-3207 Traffic Safety (718) 834-3226 Eileen Dugan Senior Center, 380 Court Street (718) 596-1956 Miccio Center, 110 East 9th Street (718) 243-1528

Training and Food Label information. Red Hook Library, 7 Wolco� St. 1-3 pm.

Sat.

District 38 City Candidates Debate. Pioneer Works, 159 Pioneer St. 7-9 pm.

Tue.

Armageddon. Free movie at Valen�no Pier.

Gowanus Councilman Brad Lander (718) 499-1090

CB6 District Manager Craig Hammerman (718) 643-3027

25

Know Your Neighbor Day BBQ. Red Hook Resilience Corps member Marissa Williams, won a grant of $1,000 from the City’s Mayors Fri. Office to Prevent Gun Violence to implement an event she created to address safety. Her event �tled “Know Your Neighbor Day BBQ” aims to help community members learn more about each other, security, infrastructure, housing mee�ngs and increase community engagement. Come for games, food, and announcements. Coffey Park, 85 Richards St. 3-6 pm.

23

Health Coach check in and presenta�on from Mannkind Corpora�on. Red Hook Wed. Library, 7 Wolco� St. 4-6 pm.

24

Summer Reading: Joe the Magic Man.For all ages. Animals including rabbits and doves Thur. involved in each of his shows. Bring in finished Summer Reading game board and enter the raffle for a chance to win a collec�on of books. Red Hook Library, 7 Wolco� St. 4 pm.

Red Hook East Dev. Office, 62 Mill St (718) 852-6771

8:30 pm.

Party Lab Archive. Pioneer Books will host a collec�on of over 300 casse�e tapes that document nearly every performance at DIY space Silent Barn from 2009-2011. Free and open to the public.

August 5 through September 10, Pioneer Books, 289 Van Brunt Street.

ONGOING

P:

Free Cooking Demonstrations at the Red Hook Community Farm. Each week a different fruit or vegetable is chosen and prepared. By a�ending a 25-minute workshop, you receive a sample, a copy of the featured recipe and $2 in HealthBucks that can be spent at the farm stand (or any farmers market). Workshops are throughout the day, from 10am-3pm, every Saturday through November 18 (except September 2). Red Hook Community Farm, 3-49 Halleck St.

FAD Market Art Showing. FAD Market partners with ar�st Evan Paul English for the unveiling of his latest piece en�tled Spill. The 90” x 90” acrylic on canvas pain�ng was created especially for the event, and will be on view alongside a lineup of over 50 NYC-based independent makers. On view the weekend of August 12-13 and August 26-27. The Invisible Dog Art Center, 51 Bergen St.

BONNIE COLLURA Patchwork

September 9 - October 7, 2017 Patchwork, a solo exhibi�on by Bonnie Collura, is a collec�on of new sculptural and tex�le based works that reflect over a decade of material experimenta�on.

Paralleling her unique method of combining cas�ng materials with variegated fabric sec�ons used in quilt making, Collura builds new figura�ve-based agglomera�ons from bits, shards and found textures mashed to fluctuate somewhere between synthesis and fracture.

Kustera Projects, 57 Wolcott Street, 718-522-3811, info@kusteraprojects.com

Red Hook West Dev. Office, 55 Dwight St. (718) 522-3880 NYCHA Satellite Police Precinct, 80 Dwight St. Main Phone (718) 265-7300 Community Affairs (718) 265-7313 Domestic Violence (718) 265-7310 Youth Officer (718) 265-7314 Auxiliary/Law Enforcement Coordinator (718) 265-7378 Detective Squad (718) 265-7327

Page 2 Red Hook Star-Revue

www.star-revue.com

August 2017

Having a religious experience outside of church (continued from page 1) fonte’s at exactly noon, which feels like something out of a movie. The red, white, and green of the thin building’s façade calls back to the Mediterranean motherland. Bold block letters above the doorway spell out the eatery’s name.

Welcome air conditioning awaits me on the other side of the glass door, along with a shop full of men. Or mostly men—whether this has to do with the shop’s old-school vibe, its history of serving workers of male-dominated sectors like longshoring and law enforcement, or the social notion that meaty meals are inherently masculine, my expectations are confirmed.

I see one woman behind the counter and only a couple women ordering during today’s busy lunch hour.

The vibe is bright and bustling. Every other person walking through the door knows someone who’s already inside. I don’t know exactly where to order and am sure my hesitation outs me as a noob. A bunch of us customers bump up against the counter, eyeing the drool-inducing metal bins of plump olives and cheese slices on the other side of the glass.

A small army of red caps and collared shirts swarms in sandwich-making mode. I finally grab someone’s attention, unsure whether I’m in line.

“Can I have one of the specials—the corned beef one, please?” Having the voice of a shy eight-year-old, I make an effort to speak up above the din.

The shop’s layout is longer than it is wide, which accentuates the deli counter. The floor plan is made for momentum—no chairs in sight. I stand in a throng of hungry customers, shifting weight from leg to leg. I know I’m supposed to be talking to people, but shoving a notebook under someone’s nose moments before they pay for lunch seems rude and inconvenient. Feeling intimidated, I procrastinate and admire framed photos of beaming customers on the wall. The Sopranos’ James Gandolfini stares back.

When my sandwich is ready, the guy who took my order catches my attention by thrusting the brown paper bag in the air, like an Olympic torch at the opening ceremony.

I tell him that I am a reporter for the Red Hook Star-Revue and am writing up a little scene study on…and realize the time spent speaking this sentence has been longer than it took him to engineer my hero.

When’s your busiest time, do you think? I ask while paying. Uh, now, he says kindly, obviously wanting to help the next customer. He hands me the grease-smudged brown paper bag; it feels like there’s a brick inside.

I clutch my sandwich and Snapple in one hand with my notebook in the other. I can feel my backpack taking up precious customer space as the floor fills up. I plod over to the back near the kitchen and interrupt a threeway conversation as meekly as I can.

Red Hook Star-Revue

It’s clear I’m not going to get much out of this trio, but I do learn that the man in the middle is named Larry (later I realize he’s Larry Demonte, who’s worked at the shop since his teens).

“Every day is different,” says Larry with a wide smile, responding to my dull question about business hours.

His bright white teeth blaze next to his deep tan. The men flanking him smirk and try to figure me out.

Everyone from cops to sanitation workers comes in, adds Larry. “Sometimes the line’s out the door,” says the man to Larry’s right, eating. “I got turned away!” says the man to Larry’s left.

Next I sidle up to a duo who are eating over a small slice of counter space.

The more talkative one, a Bay Ridge native named Julio, makes the trips to Defonte’s with his old childhood friend, Vincent, about twice a week.

“We come all the way out here to have lunch,” says Julio. Vincent nods.

“We get a lot of truck drivers coming out,” Julio adds, graciously giving me notes to write down.

Vincent gives Julio a one-armed hug and calls him his first gay lover. They banter in between bites. When I turn to leave, Vincent tells me he’s just kidding, that he’s not gay. I smile, start to laugh, then stop, confused. They continue lunch.

I notice that most of the men in the shop are in pairs. I come up to another dyad of dudes waiting for their food at the register. “Could I ask you a few questions for the local paper?”

my black capris and the edges of unused notebook paper.

Thankfully, my magenta shirt has a stain that pre-dates this meal. I feel like a monster. I’m glad this isn’t a date.

The meal (photo by Sarah Matusek) The notes I’ve taken in bejob today, he stopped in for a roast tween holding my sandwich are near beef, egg, and parm’ hero. illegible, my script more like small “There hasn’t been a moment that cave paintings than actual words.

I never enjoyed my sandwich,” says Eventually I give up my pen. I power Nelson, his white sandwich wrapper through half my sandwich until I need crumbled up like a map of conquered a halftime break (just a break, I assure territory. myself, unwilling to accept defeat).

Nelson just inducted what seems My eyes wander back to the table like his young coworker, Charlie, to where the two men quietly eat. the Defonte’s experience. “I think it’s They’ve been watching me, too, probamazing,” says Charlie, a first-timer ably wondering why I was eating like me. “I got the Red Hook spealone, feverishly writing in some sort cial.” (That’s chicken cutlet, American of diary in between bites, and being cheese, turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomagross about not having a napkin. But to, gravy mayo.) when they crumple up their sandwich “I’d say it’s better than John’s Deli,” wrappers, I approach.

Charlie continues. “That’s the one I One is Nelson, a middle-aged man used to brag about.” who hails from Staten Island but was raised and born in Sunset Park. Nel- Nelson interjects: “He says he won’t son says he’s patronized Defonte’s go to Subway no more!” since the 80s, eating here any chance We say good-bye as they clean up he gets. In the area on a contracting (continued on page 10)

“Oh no, I’m okay!” a man gently waves me off. His friend doesn’t engage with me either, just stares. That’s okay. I want to eat my hero.

The meal

I step outside into the sloppy heat and find a row of shaded picnic tables. I sit nearest the street. Two tables over, a pair of men sit mid-meal, eating in a silence. I’m too shy to interrupt what must be a religious experience. So I give myself a break and finally unwrap my sandwich.

Out tumbles thin pink slabs of corned beef, glassy with grease. Is it possible for meat to melt in your mouth? Because it just did. So succulent, the beef tricks the tongue with a flavor like butter. One bite could send a vegetarian spiraling into self-doubt.

On the hero’s first floor is a thin slice of Swiss, then slaw, then the meat (more than I’d eaten in a week), then mustard, all between the doughy parentheses of sesame-freckled Italian bread whose first crunch of crust reveals softer texture beneath. The mustard is an interesting surprise; the slight tang counters all the salt.

Whenever the miracle meat tumbles out, I shovel the scraps into my mouth with my fingers, like a cave woman.

Not having a napkin handy when devouring a Defonte’s hero is like locking yourself out of the house—you’re in trouble. Sans napkin, I employ the substitution method, alternating between

www.star-revue.com

August 2017, Page 3

RELIGIOUS NEWS

SHARED BROOKLYN

BY LAURA ENG laura.eng59@aol.com.

Amoris Laetitia: Divorce Coworking for Red Hook and the Catholic Church

I

t has long been the position of the Catholic Church that divorced Catholics who had remarried were considered guilty of adultery and were therefore prohibited from receiving Communion. While many Christian denominations frown upon divorce but nonetheless accept it, the Catholic Church’s stance has remained steadfast.

DESK AND OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE IN OUR DESIGN CENTRIC COMMUNITY OF CREATIVE INDUSTRY PROS Address:

185 Van Dyke Street Suite 205 Brooklyn, NY 11231

Contact: 347-927-8141 sharedbrooklyn@gmail.com www.sharedbrooklyn.com

RELIGIOUS SERVICES Christian River Of God Christian Center

110 Wolcott Street, 646-226-6135, Secretary, Sister Roslyn Chatman. Sunday- Family Worship 11 - 1 pm Scripture, read in English and Spanish Wednesday- At The Gate 12 noon, Prayer 7 - 7:30 pm, Bible Studies 7 - 8 pm, Thursday Prayer 7:30- 8:30 pm, Friday Youth ABLAZED Ministries 6 7:30pm, Senior Pastor, Donald Gray

Visitation Church

98 Richards Street , (718) 624-1572. Office open Mon-Thursday 9 am- 3 pm. Saturday Mass at 5 pm English; Sunday 10 am Spanish, 12:30 pm English. Community Prayer on ​Tuesday and Thursday at 8 pm. Baptisms are held every other month. Please call to arrange for Baptisms, First Communion, Confirmation and Weddings.

New Brown Memorial Baptist Church

609 Clinton Street, 718 624 4780 Pastor A.R Jamal. Sunday School at 9:30 am. Sunday Worship at 11 am. Bible Study-Wednesday at 7:30pm. Communion every first Sunday

Stretching Far and Wide Global Ministry, Inc.

382 Hamilton Avenue, Studio B 1-800-948-9042 Archbishop Dr. Barbara Jackman, Overseer Rev. Dr. Dwayne Barnes, Pastor Services are held every Sunday @ 10 am Communion every First Sunday stretchingfar.webs.com stretchingfar@aol.com

St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish

467 Court Street, (718) 625-2270 Rectory Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 am- 11:30 am, 1 pm-4 pm, Friday 9 am- 12 noon. Masses: Saturday 4 pm, Sunday 10 am, Monday- Thursday, 9:30 am.

Saint Paul and Saint Agnes Parish

Church Office 433 Sackett St (718) 625-1717 Hours: M-F 2 PM-5 PM. E mail: stpaulandstagnes@ gmail.com. Saint Paul, 190 Court Street- church open daily for prayer and meditation 7 am- 8 PM. Saturday Vigil Mass 5:30 PM (English), Sunday 7:45 am (English), 11 am (Spanish). St. Agnes, 433 Sackett Street Saturday Vigil Mass 4 PM (English), Sunday 9:15 am (English), 11 am (French), 12:30 PM (Spanish). M-T-TH-F-S 8:30 am St Paul’s Chapel 234 Congress St.; Wednesday 8:30 AM St Agnes.

Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary- Saint Stephen Roman Catholic Church

125 Summit Street at Hicks Street, (718) 596-7750, info@sacredhearts-ststephen.com Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 am- 5 am, Friday 9 am- 3 pm, Saturday 9 am- 1 pm Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:30 pm, Sunday Masses at 8 am, 10 am, and noon (Italian/English) Weekday Masses during winter months at 8:30 am and 12 noon Confessions: Saturday at 4:45 pm and by appointment. Baptisms every third Sunday at 1 pm.

St. Paul’s Carroll Street

199 Carroll Street Parish Office: 718-625-4126 Sunday Mass at 10 am Weekday Morning PrayerMon.-Thurs. at 7:30 am Weekday masses as announced Holy Days as announced \Church open for prayer Tues. 6-8pm & Sat. 2-4pm http://stpaulscarrollst.weebly.com/

Jewish Kane Street Synagogue

236 Kane Street, 718 875-1550 http://kanestreet.org/ Friday night services, 6 PM Shabbat services, 9:15 AM Sunday Services 9 AM

Congregation B’nai Avraham/Chabad of Brooklyn Heights

117 Remsen St., 718 596 4840 x18 www.bnaiavraham.com, www.heightschabad.com Morning Services: Sunday: 8:45am Monday- Friday: 7:45am Holidays (during the week): 8:45am Saturday: 9:45am Evening Services: Sunday: Shabbat candle lighting time Monday- Thursday: 9 pm Friday: Winter: 5 minutes before Shabbat candle lighting time Summer:

Congregation Mount Sinai

250 Cadman Plaza West, (718) 875-9124, Rabbi Seth Wax Friday services at 6:30 pm; Saturday Prayer and Mysticism Class at 9 am, services at 10 am followed by kiddish lunch. All are welcome.

Page 4 Red Hook Star-Revue

That view was brought to closer examination when in 2014 and 2015, Pope Francis called for two synods (or assemblies of bishops) on the family.

Following the synods, the Holy Father published an apostolic exhortation entitled “Amoris Laetitia (or the “Joy of Love”) on Love in the Family” in April 2016. In the comprehensive letter, the Pope stressed discernment, dialogue, and his trademark message of mercy.

Concerning divorced Catholics, Pope Francis wrote: “The divorced who have entered a new union should be made to feel part of the Church.” He goes on to say: “It can no longer simply be said that all those living in any ‘irregular situation’ are living in a state of mortal sin.” The Pope has also encouraged pastors to perform acts of “pastoral charity” that “moves us to reach out to those who have drifted away, and once we have met them, to begin a path of welcoming, accompaniment, discernment and integration into the ecclesial community.”

In chapter eight of “Amoris Laetitia,” which specifically deals with the marriage bond, divorce, and remarriage, Pope Francis cited instances where individuals have made “every effort to save their first marriage but were unjustly abandoned,” have “consistently failed in their obligations to the family,” and have “entered into a second union for the sake of their children’s upbringing.” The Pope advises pastors to carefully approach all these situations with discernment.

There is no doubt that “Amoris Laetitia” has prompted significant controversy. Indeed, four cardinals issued “dubia” (or doubts) and asked for clarification of five points, while a group of Catholic scholars sent a letter to Pope Francis asking him to repudiate a number of statements included in “Amoris Laetitia” that they felt were in contradiction to church doctrine.

The Pope chose to respond to neither the cardinals nor the scholars.

In contrast to his lack of response to the cardinals and scholars, the Pope sent a letter to the bishops of Argentina, his homeland, praising them for a letter that they had issued in which they allowed the “help of sacraments” in some cases to Catholics living in “irregular family situations.” While

www.star-revue.com

Pope Francis

the Argentine bishops did not make a blanket endorsement allowing all divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion, they did say that “a ‘journey of discernment’ in some exceptional cases could result in such individuals to receive the sacraments.” The Pope commended them for their “pastoral charity.”

The answer to the question of whether the Church has formally changed its position is “no.” But the Pope’s position in “Amoris Laetitia” certainly encourages less rigidity and more “person to person pastoral ministry.”

Under the leadership of Pope Francis, the Church is taking steps to increase marriage counseling and to ease the process of annulments, with some dioceses even eliminating the cost of such annulments. Despite the openmindedness of Pope Francis, the plight of divorced Catholics who have not had their marriages annulled remains largely unchanged. Some divorced Catholics may continue to attend Mass and not receive Communion while others may choose to defy doctrine that prohibits them from receiving Communion. And there are those who simply drift away from or actively leave the Church. The last group seems to be the those who the Pope is attempting to reach.

What does the Pope’s message mean?

Is he saying that Communion is not just for the happily or unhappily married or for those who choose to remain unmarried after divorce? While the interpretation of the “Amoris Laetitia” may be ambiguous, the Pope’s tendency toward mercy and inclusion is clear. Pope Francis is providing sure signs that the dialogue will remain ongoing, which should provide a sense of hopefulness to divorced Catholics around the globe.

Upcoming Events

Ending the Death Penalty - The Catholic Mobilizing Network invites all people of faith and goodwill to sign the National Catholic Pledge to End the Death Penalty. Go to catholicsmobilizing.org to find out more. (continued on next page)

August 2017

Religion

Healing Mass on August 9 at 7 pm in Spanish and on August 25 at 7 pm in English.

Congregation Mount Sinai 150 Cadman Plaza West

Sister Máire Close’s new CD “In the Current” has been released! Cost is $15 proceeds of which will support the Music Ministry. Call 718-624-1572 to purchase your copy.

(continued from previous page)

Under the Bridge@Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 1, Bridge View Lawn (by Barge Music) on Friday, August 4 at 6:30 pm. Community Shabbat celebration with live music. Challah and juice will be provided, BYO picnic.

Youth/Crew - A group of young leaders committed to social action, learning and fun! For teenagers ages 13 to 18, email rabbi@hanniel.org.

Sacred Hearts/St. Stephen Summit & Hicks Street

Family Movie Night featuring “The Shack” on Saturday, August 5 at 8 pm.

Admission free.

Feast of the Assumption, Tuesday, August 15 - Masses at 8:30 am, 12 noon and outdoors at 7 pm with ice cream reception to follow.

St. Agnes Church Sackett & Hoyt Streets

Annual BBQ/monthly fundraising luncheon (see listing below under St. Paul’s Church).

Mobile Soup Kitchen on Tuesdays from 1-2:30 pm and Fridays from 10 am - 12 noon, except for first Fridays.

C

M

The Star-Revue is looking for people to sell ads and write stories.

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

These are paid positions, and it helps if you love community.

To apply please email George@redhookstar.com

St. Mary Star of the Sea 467 Court Street

Religious Education Registration (Grades 1-4) has begun. PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL SEPTEMBER TO REGISTER YOUR CHILD! Classes will begin on Sunday, September 17.

Forms are available in church, at the rectory and online at stmarystarbrooklyn.com.

Welcome Back Wine & Cheese Social after the 4 pm Mass on Saturday, September 9.

St. Paul’s Catholic Church 234 Congress Street

Fundraising Trip to Bally’s Casino in Atlantic City, Saturday, August 5.

Tickets are $40 with $15 casino rebate.

Bus picks up 9 am in St. Paul. Please call the rectory at 718-625-1717 to SAVE A SEAT! St. Paul & St. Agnes Annual BBQ on Saturday, August 19, noon. This year’s annual BBQ is being moved to St. Paul’s and will be combined with our monthly luncheon. Mass will be celebrated in the courtyard at 4:45 pm and other evening Masses will be cancelled.

St. Paul’s Church is open from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm EVERY DAY. Please stop in for a visit with the Lord, say the Rosary, pray the Stations of the Cross on your own, sit and relax with Him for a moment, etc.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 199 Carroll Street

Jazz @Mass returns on August 13 and September 24 from 10 am to 12 noon.

It’s a Carroll Gardens and St. Paul’s tradition when world class jazz musician Willie Martinez injects classic jazz and swinging arrangements of common church hymns into the Mass setting for a refreshing spiritual experience during our summer schedule.

Join us for both events this year!

Visitation BVM Church 98 Richards Street

Religious Education registration Monday - Thursday from 9 am to 2:30 pm during the summer.

Red Hook Star-Revue

www.star-revue.com

August 2017, Page 5

Glass Castle author Jeannette Walls’ Salad Days

(continued from page 1)

other. “An outsider, though not entirely shunned, is automatically out of place,” writes the New York newcomer.

ever hired anybody with journalism training,” said Mike Armstrong, who founded The Phoenix in 1972. He and his wife, Dnynia Armstrong, caught up with the Star-Revue over breakfast at Junior’s in July.

She also takes a stab at sports. For a write-up of a college baseball game, her focus rests more on the players, not the logistics of the game. Walls’ comedic voice shines through most on experiential pieces, where she entices readers with vivid first person accounts.

Interns were put to work on the events calendar, the police blotter, and covering meetings that the more senior reporters turned down. After her internship ended, she was hired as a full fledged reporter.

Walls pulled long hours, but “everybody had to,” said Mrs. Armstrong, Mike’s wife and former co-owner of The Phoenix.

“She didn’t think she was attractive, even though she was extremely attractive,” remembered Mrs. Armstrong.“I would use the word ‘gracious.’”

“She was tall…I don’t even think she knew she was tall. I conned her into doing a photoshoot once, a fashion shoot, down in the Navy Yard…She couldn’t imagine why we picked her.”

George Fiala was the general manager of the Villager, also owned by Armstrong, and would come to Brooklyn once a week on production day, where he met Walls.

“I lived in the East Village back then, and my roommate managed an ice cream store on Montague Street,” recalled Fiala. “One day he’s telling me that he hired a young kid who shared his passion for poker, but whose real passion was to become a cop. Turns out he hired Jeannette’s brother, Brian.”

Irene Van Slyke was a community activist before she served as The Phoenix’s Community Forum editor. Van Slyke still has bold impressions of the scrappy reporter.

“We were all sort of amazed at her because she was so young and she was all by herself, and then we learned that she was taking care of her brother, too,” Van Slyke said over a phone call.

“I really thought it was amazing to come out of [her childhood] and be basically normal, because you know you read sometimes about people’s childhoods and how it messes up their minds, but it didn’t mess up her mind at all,” said Van Slyke with admiration. “It made her better. She became self-reliant.”

Jeannete Walls (r) carrying the Brooklyn Phoenix banner in the 1978 Atlantic Antic. (photos courtesy Phoenix Newspaper Archives at Brooklyn College Library)

She kept in touch with Walls for a while, hearing snippets about Walls’ jobs as a gossip columnist at New York Magazine and MSNBC. Eventually, the two fell out of touch. “Maybe because she was writing her book,” reasoned Van Slyke.

Van Slyke only remembered one competitive reporter during her time at the paper, but says “that was not the culture at The Phoenix.” Walls was drama-free, according to Van Slyke, and the type of reporter who easily saw potential in stories that others would turn down.

Blast from the past, preserved in paper

The Phoenix was published every week from 1972 - 1998. The archives are now preserved at the Brooklyn College library.

The original papers, over a foot tall, are now brittle and beiged with age.

The name Jeannette E. Walls first appears in the April 6, 1978 issue, listed as an editorial assistant in the masthead. At that time The Phoenix was housed at 155 Atlantic Ave. Now it’s Brado’s Thin Crust Pizza.

Walls’ first clip from that April issue features a Brooklyn artist, Carol Hamman, returning home to start a studio in Brooklyn after a more glamorous job in television. The article marks what might be the future gossip columnist’s first professional experience

profiling someone for print.

Later that month, Walls writes a lighthearted service journalism piece, “Spring: Fashion, fitness, gardening… and kites!” about where to buy a kite, how to make one, and biking the borough. It made the front page of the paper’s Downtown section, which highlighted the borough’s cultural happenings.

Even though Walls’ early pieces for The Phoenix read a bit rambling, her writing gets to the human heart of each story. Reading chronologically through months of her coverage, Walls’ sentences become more precise as she develops a clearer, more confident voice.

Her subjects are eclectic; Walls writes about dollhouse and miniatures merchants, a local dance theater troupe, neighborhood celebrations, art exhibit roundups, churches, Brooklyn’s brownstone movement, and beyond. She also pens some service journalism pieces, from how to make that kite to last minute stocking stuffers a week before Christmas. No assignment seems too obscure for the journalist who is avidly training on the job.

In a May 1978 article called “A Sunny Saturday Stroll Through Carroll Gardens,” she subtly divulges her outsider status: Having been brought up in what is commonly known as an “all American town” I can never quite get used to some of Brooklyn’s features. One of them is the strong ethnic influences.

Every time I see a kid speaking a language other than English I remember my three years of torture in Spanish class and think of the kid as some kind of prodigy or something. Some neighborhoods are still experiences in ethnic exchange for me. One such area neighborhood is Carroll Gardens.

Jeannette Walls today (photo courtesy Simon & Schuster)

Page 6 Red Hook Star-Revue

Walls continues to observe Carroll Gardens’ tightly knit community where most people know each

www.star-revue.com

In “One Fish Story You Can Believe” from July 1978, the State Parks and Recreation Department has just stocked Prospect Park Lake with 1,500 fish and Walls is assigned to “check out” the fishing. First she has to get a fishing license, which proves fairly easy. (“The procedure was disappointingly bureaucratic.”) The humorous article reads as a series of awkward attempts to fit in as a casual angler: “I must admit that I felt rather foolish riding the subway with a fishing pole and an umbrella.”

In another article from that same summer, Walls chronicles a threehour voyage aboard the Pioneer, a

“The first day impressed me enough to make me feel that maybe I wasn’t a freak of nature; it was 8 p.m. and everyone was still typing, running around, or on the phone like they had no intention of going home for a couple of hours at least.”

large 19th century sailing ship. She received the unique invitation along with other members of the press.

And what a crew we must have made.

Everyone adjusting cameras, smoothing hair in the blowing wind, and one trying to stay balanced on her high heels and keep her fur coat from getting wet by the spray that shot up from the waves as they broke against the ship’s hull. But the majority of the passengers had come prepared and blended in nicely with the crew.

There’s that eye for human detail again.

For her poignant piece “The School Prom is a Celebration of Graduation - and Maturity,” the reporter astutely observes subjects of her own age: Some of the boys, nature having played a practical joke by making them mature after girls, don’t really seem to know what to make of the situation. Most of them know how (continued on next page)

August 2017

Walls

(continued from previous page)

to dress - they’ve seen their brothers doing it enough - but the majority of them look a little ill at ease. It was a formal event - no jeans, though the guys agreed they wouldn’t have worn them anyway.

Then a daily newspaper strike jolts New York City. The August 15, 1978 issue marks a business experiment for the community paper - The Phoenix starts publishing more frequently . (In a bold expansion of coverage, a foreign news section called “world briefs” is added.) Perhaps holding the paper’s ambition in check, the cover for August 22’s edition reads “Now, twice a week!”

The August 29, 1978 issue marks the first time Walls is listed as a reporter, alongside Peter Haley.

Haley, the resident politics reporter, remembered the office as a “very loose” place to work. “There wasn’t any office hierarchy,” said Haley over a phone interview.

Walls remembers the office culture on scrappier terms in her memoir.

“We never had copy paper and instead wrote on discarded press releases we dug out of the trash. At least once a month, someone’s paycheck bounced,” she writes. “Reporters were always quitting in disgust.”

Haley was around 28 years old at the time Walls joined the paper. Haley remembers the teenage intern-turnedjournalist as sweet, without any “hard edges” to her.

Balanced

“She came across very poised, especially for someone 18,” recalled Haley, who now lives in Bay Ridge. “She seemed to be a very balanced person - if anything I’d think she’d had a great home life.”

They didn’t collaborate on stories, but he remembers reading an article Walls did on Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats; the political journalist complimented her “pretty credible job” for someone of her age.

Walls covered politics, news, arts and wrote features for the Brooklyn Phoenix.

nabes from the real Bay Ridge trendsetters who predated the on-screen idol. Walls zeroed in on the Brooklyn disco-goers by dividing them into two tribes of opposite sexes, exploring their primal chemistry enhanced by dance. Shamelessly, she describes bulging pants. She also notes one disco dude’s “simian” hair.

“Who says ‘simian?’” Fiala wondered aloud, reading the article at the Brooklyn College Library. (Simian means monkey-like.) “She really knows how to use words.”

Whether she was trying to show off her book smarts or boost sales through sensation, Walls could pound out some eye-catching copy.

For a write-up of an autumnal celebration on Atlantic Avenue, she opens with: “Yes, it was gigantic! It was also corybantic, consonantic, frantic and even elephantic. But mostly it was delightfully frantic.”

Remember, these were the days before www.thesaurus.com.

A young journalist reflects, Haley and Walls kept in touch some then looks ahead during her time at New York Magazine, and they’d occasionally bump into each other in Connecticut over Thanksgivings. He hasn’t read Walls’ memoir yet, but plans to see her story on the big screen.

Walls hits her stride with disco Mr. Armstrong and Van Slyke both remembered Walls’ article “Ritual in Motion on the Bay Ridge Disco Scene.”

It was Walls’ first page one story.

“Saturday Night Fever had been out for a year at that point -- and we were talking about someone going and she said I’ll do it,” said Mr. Armstrong.

“You know, she had the look and she had the attitude that she could go anywhere. She had the age profile for fitting in the environment.”

Walls’ scene study of rhythm, fashion, and flirtation is a juicy read. She cunningly separates John Travolta-wan-

Red Hook Star-Revue

For the 1978 year-end issue, Mr. Armstrong let the reporters address their readers directly in a year-end reflection. It’s no surprise that Walls’ piece, titled “Getting a Vicarious Taste of All Worlds,” is a mature appraisal of her growth at The Phoenix with a glance to her literary future.

“That I’m a writer seems strange enough, but that I’m actually doing it for a living - now that’s downright unreal,” writes the 18-year-old future best-seller.

“And when I say ‘for a living,’ I don’t mean that lightly. Life has become a series of deadlines; I have nightmares about typos; and I can’t watch a movie without mentally ‘writing it up.’ How did this all happen anyway?”

Walls goes on to chronicle the earliest days of her newswriting - late nights editing a high school newspaper - and her first days in the Big Apple. Walls

says she started at a few local papers in Manhattan, but quit them in frustration. Her next job was at a Burger King in the Village, a gig that she quips will “make a heart-wrenching chapter in my biography.”

I just couldn’t imagine giving my life to any one of them,” she writes. Walls realizes that a reporter gets to experience a slice of life from everything she covers, becoming a subject’s expert one story at a time.

Her most illuminating piece of selfknowledge comes as she answers the question: why journalism? Walls sees the profession as a sum of her passions.

Walls describes landing at The Phoenix through her internship as something like a revelation. “I found an entire office full of my own species: workaholics,” she writes.

“...I never quite chose a career, seeing that I had equal passions for art, science, sports, theater and politics.

“The first day impressed me enough (continued on page 8)

From the Brooklyn Phoenix, February, 1978

“Black Show” Is Too Colorful And Wanders From Its Theme

BY JEANNETTE WALLS

Black. In the world of pigments it’s the combination of all colors; in the area of light it is the total absence of color. In literature black symbolizes all that is evil and foreboding. And though it offsets most any color very strikingly, the bulk of art teachers will restrict the use of any black in most artwork.

But, perhaps just as a means to exercise dormant artistic imaginations, Atlantic Avenue’s Work of Art Gallery hosted an entire show of black art.

The reversal of a three-year-old brainchild to hold a White show, Linda Smith, co-director of the Gallery, says that upon hearing about the white show, some of the black members of the co-op gallery said “why not?”

Exhibiting the work of the sixteen members of the gallery, the black show somewhat missed a purpose that the white show had achieved: creating solid-colored artwork. Though some of the artists explored the use of one color, most of the artists used the theme to interpret their concept of black, thus fulfilling a different purpose.

Upon entering the gallery, only the most astute observer could detect the common factor among the paintings.

The massive black paintings that face the entrance do project the blackness quite well, and to set it off are a few ab-

www.star-revue.com

stract sculptures by Scott Oskow. The right wall hangs heavy with foreboding blackness, but the left wall is a mixture of many colors, set off by the use of black.

All in all, the show just doesn’t look black. Perhaps because so many mediums are black, i.e. ink, charcoal, etc., its color isn’t surprising. It is, however, and interesting reflection of the different uses of black. Many of the otherwise bright and optimistic members of the gallery show “come out” with their darker sides.

Artists such as Vincent Caferelli indulged in the opportunity to use black, doing several works of black on black: shiny ink on a dull background. The effects, beautifully executed though not presented very well, are striking and dramatic. Other artists, such as Gilbert Fletcher, did works that study the qualities of black by combining in with other colors in a sequence that emphasized the change in mood from one color to another.

Works like the pastel set by Susan Fishgold, are works done in the usual style of the artist, with black as an emphasis.

Many others are done in common mediums, and just happened to be black. A newspaper collage of disturbed-looking figures by Shelly(continued Goldberg on is such page an 10)

August 2017, Page 7

O

Formula E Electrifies Red Hook Story and Photo by Nathan Weiser

n Sunday July 16 at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, about 15,000 car race enthusiasts got to see Sam Bird defend his first place finish from the day before with a round 10 title.

David said. “I have not really been following Formula E, but now that I am here, I will start to follow it. I just heard about it and know it is pretty new.”

Sunday’s conditions could not have been better for the second day of FIA Formula E, in their inaugural NY race.

Fans got to enjoy many activities and see the electric cars go faster than 120 mph on the 1.2 mile track that had many turns.

“I love that it is in Brooklyn,” David said. “I think it is amazing. I think they should do more events like this in Brooklyn.”

The backdrop was picturesque as the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor, and Lower Manhattan were in the background.

“I woke up this morning thinking if we were quick again another top five, another top four would be great after a win — that’s me being pessimistic again I suppose,” Bird said. “But why not? If you’ve won two in a row, why not three in a row? Why not four in a row?”

The day started with a practice session for the Formula E drivers from 7:00 am to 7:45 am and then from 7:55 until 8:40 am there was a public pit lane walk.

Then, in six-minute intervals from 9:00 until 9:36 am the racetrack had qualifying sessions for Group 1, Group 2, Group 3 and Group 4.

From 10:45 until 11:00 am there was an eRace in the Visa Gaming Zone.

Formula E fans who participated in the eRace simulator were able to win a chance to race against their heroes.

If they set the fastest time in the simulator they were able to test their skills against a Formula E champion.

As the temperature was rising, the drivers went into the Allianz eVillage Visa Lounge area at 11 am to do an autograph session for eager fans.

They had workers from race sponsor Qatar Airways protecting them from the sun. Countries that the drivers represented included England, Germany, Sweden, France, Brazil, Italy, and Belgium.

Behind the autograph area, kids had an opportunity to play in the gaming fan boost area and try Formula E video games. Before the main race, there was a RoboRace where cars raced around the track without drivers.

At about 12:30 pm, there was a driver parade, ceremony, and national anthem. The drivers drove by in one car for the fans.

For the actual race, which started at 1 pm, fans with tickets headed to the grandstands. There were a few bridges that provided views and a way to get over the course during the action.

Also, there was a VIP seating area for the corporate sponsors near the Emotion Club and Media Center.

David, who came to Red Hook from Queens, really enjoyed the day.

“I have enjoyed the whole experience.

David, who didn’t give his last name, said. “I enjoy motor sports and racing, so I wanted to come by and check it out.”

“I am actually a Formula One fan,”

Page 8 Red Hook Star-Revue

The Queens resident was very happy that this race has invaded Red Hook.

He drove over from Queens and took a free shuttle from the Barclay Center.

After the race he said he might spend some time around the Cruise Terminal in Red Hook.

These cars are much quieter than Formula One cars and they had to slow down during each of the many turns.

The race consisted of 49 laps around the stunning course and afterwards there was the podium ceremony.

About half an hour after Bird was crowned champion, the Federation of Drone Racing staged a race of their own. A drone that hit a top speed of about 110 mph, raced a car along the course before crashing near the stands.

There were many activities for fans of all ages to partake in while in the Allianz eVillage near the Pioneer Street entrance. Those tickets were free and given out at the library the week before the race.

In the explorer zone was the gyroscope area where fans could experience GForces that Formula E drivers do. They got to experience what it is like to go 140 mph while making quick turns.

An interactive tent swas et up by the Enel Green Power company, which focuses on solar energy.

They kept track of all of the energy that was going on at the event. They are a sponsor of Formula E and teach different ways to save energy, keep track of energy, and educate about alternative energy.

Another popular activity in the eVillage was called PaveGen. This was an activity where kids could jump on floor tiles to see how to generate electricity to power the cars on the screen.

Close to PaveGen was a Visa Checkout virtual reality booth where users were placed in cities with Formula E races and could see a futuristic way of paying with credit cards.

Many of the weekend guests hailed from outside of Brooklyn. Mark San Diego came with his family from New Jersey. They enjoyed the environment and excitement of Formula E. “It is really nice with good action,” San Diego said. “We had some great seats but it was kind of hot, that’s about it.

We looked at the ROBO Race. This is my first time in Red Hook, it is pretty nice.”

His draw into Formula E was that he is a Formula One fan.

“Formula One is really what we watch, but Formula One races don’t really come to New York, so we tried the Formula E race” San Diego said.

“Some of the drivers in Formulae E used to be Formula One drivers, so it is pretty nice.”

Mark’s wife most enjoyed the excitement of seeing the cars go by. She said her kids enjoyed the day as well except for the heat in the stands.

Jack Burgos and his wife Angela live in Long Island now but are Brooklyn natives who lived in the borough for more than 20 years and think this is great for the area.

“I am a longtime Brooklyn resident and seeing Red Hook and Brooklyn decline during the 80s, it is a great comeback,” Jack Burgos said. “It is a great success for Brooklyn and puts Brooklyn on a higher pedestal.”

Jack, who grew up in East Flatbush, is a big fan of Formula One and that was his reason for attending.

“I am an avid fan of Formula One,” Jack Burgos said. “I have been abroad for Formula One races, and this is just a continuation of that.”

Jack liked being able to witness history since this was the first motor race in the five boroughs. Angela also enjoyed watching the actual race and thought

Walls

(continued from page 7)

to make me feel that maybe I wasn’t a freak of nature; it was 8 p.m. and everyone was still typing, running around, or on the phone like they had no intention of going home for a couple of hours at least.”

Walls concluded her time at The Phoenix in June 1979. She spent those winter through summer months developing her news writing voice through succinct, informative articles on issues covering land use, community boards, and more.

it was great that something like this came to the area for the local fans.

“I think it is about time they bring something like this to New York anyway,” Angela said. “We have a lot of fans from New York that love Formula One, and this is just something I think is great for New York City.”

Angela loved everything about the race and hoped it stays for 10 years like has been announced. She thought it was an added bonus that Bird won two days in a row.

“I think it is great because it will bring more people into New York and more tourism to Red Hook,” Angela said.

Jack was encouraged to see local involvement with the race events since he saw a FIA official leading a young marching band group with drums who appeared to be local. Burgos enjoyed observing boy scouts near the national anthem singer.

“The community is engaged in the process and will benefit,” Burgos added.

In that reflective piece from late December 1978, Walls contemplates the responsibility of unbiased journalism without losing an emotional connection to the human lives being reported. She takes this duty seriously, but says she’s found it most enjoyable when practiced at the community paper, where she finally feels “in my own environment.” For someone with such a peripatetic childhood, The Phoenix must have felt something like a home.

After leaving the paper and attending Barnard College, her career blossomed as a gossip columnist, and then best selling author. In addition to The Glass Castle, published in 2005, Walls has written three other books - Half Broken Horses in 2009 and The Silver Star in 2013, plus an earlier book about her gossip column days.

www.star-revue.com

August 2017

The family of George Kornienko would like to express our sincere and heartfelt thanks and gratitude for the outpouring of love, stories, kind words and compassion we received from George’s “Red Hook Family” during this very difficult time.

There are no words to sufficiently describe how overwhelmed and uplifted we were by all of you. We take great comfort in knowing that George’s loving spirit will be forever in your hearts.

George was a giver, which continues even after his death.

He was an organ donor, and through the generosity of his friends, over $12,000 has been donated in his name to help cover the healthcare costs of Donald Sutcliffe, a dear family friend, husband and father of 2 small children, who suffered a devastating stroke over 5 months ago.

Thank you and cheers to George!

Sincerely, George Kornienko Sr. and Lee Ann, Richard, Jillian and Elizabeth Carmody

Red Hook Star-Revue

www.star-revue.com

August 2017, Page 9

Defontes

OUR TIKI TERRACE IS NOW OPEN!!

A PRIVATE ESCAPE FOR THOSE 21+

(continued from page 3)

NOW SERVING

BEER, WINE, & FOOD

and lumber toward the street. Charlie squints in the ruthless sun and lights a cigarette. I immediately want one, too, maybe even a cigar–even though I don’t smoke.

Larry walks by. “You enjoying your food?” He’s still grinning at me, amused. I say something forgettable in return; my mind is warped by the stellar sandwich. Another pair of men turn me down for a quick interview, but I don’t care. I eat the whole damn hero and text a friend about it.

I feel manly, like I need to spit sideways to fit in here. I wish more women had gotten lunch that day—maybe

The Black Show (continued from page 8) example. Though a well done piece, it doesn’t speak of black. In fact, many of the artists simply displayed pieces they’d had on hand, and as a result, the pieces stray from the theme and weaken the show.

621 Court Street 2nd Fl RED HOOK, BROOKLYN 718-852-4653 www.shipwreckednyc.com

“Some of the artists really leapt into the idea of a black art show,” Smith explained at the artists reception on January 28, pointing out an all-black abstract painting

by M.L.J. Johnson. “Others had trouble getting into the feel of it,” she admits. One piece has virtually no black used on it. It is, instead, the modern interpretation of the word “black” – a portrait of a young black girl.

they would’ve been easier to chat up?

I immediately miss my eaten sandwich and can’t bring myself to take any more notes—a process so against the sensual pleasure of feeling carbs and protein spread through my stomach. I’ll have to come back for the potato and eggs.

If my walk to Defonte’s was hastened by appetite, I walk back in a state of sluggish satisfaction. My mind drifts to the office couch…do I deserve a nap now? Back in the office, co-workers ask: Which sandwich did you get? as if the hearty heroes are celebrities themselves. That said, I’ve just digested a new theory: perhaps the real heroes are the aces behind the counter, the ones who shape the famous sammies with hard-working hands.

Whether or not each artist fully utilized the potentials behind the concept of the show, it’s apparent that they all enjoyed the work – or at least the reception, for which all guests were asked to wear black clothes as they dined on such delicacies as black olives and licorice. (Not what Yule Gibbons might have called a balanced meal, but it was handy for the sloppy eaters because the black spillings camouflaged onto the daters’ clothing.)

The Black Show will continue at the Work of Art Gallery, 87 Atlantic Avenue, through February 11. The gallery will be open 2 to 6 p.m. through Friday and noon to 6 p.n. during the weekend. For more information, call the gallery at 834-9677.

New Development in Red Hook COFFEY STREET NEAR RICHARDS

-

TWO BEDROOM RENTALS

WASHER/DRYER HOOK UP, NEW STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES, SPLIT AC UNITS, DISHWASHER , BALCONY, OUTDOOR YARD SPACE, ELEVATOR LIFT FOR THE DISABLED, PARKING

HL DYNASTY REAL ESTATE Humberto Lopes, President

Page 10 Red Hook Star-Revue

197 COLUMBIA STREET BROOKLYN, NY 11231 718 834-8675 WWW.HLDYNASTYRE.COM www.star-revue.com

August 2017

Summer in the City

by Sara Matusek

Whether you’re a global warming dreader or denier, let’s agree: it’s been hot.

The best way to weather a heat wave, which can hazard your health, is to plan ahead. Besides chugging H2O and dreaming of the Arctic, here are some community services that can support your quest for cool comfort.

Plunge in at Red Hook Pool

The Hook’s huge outdoor pool is open from 11:00 am. through 7:00 pm. (closed from 3-4 p.m. for pool cleaning). Early risers can enjoy lap swims from 7-8:30am at the Olympic-sized pool while others can enjoy dedicated lap lanes from 7-8:15pm, all Mondays through Fridays. Before you go, make sure you pack a combination lock and a white shirt to wear. Once you arrive, don’t forget to lather on free SPF 50 sunscreen available poolside.

WOOD FIRED BRICK OVEN PIZZA 20 DRAFT BEERS - 8 TAP WINES (NEW) Happy Hour Monday - Friday 5 - 8pm

The Red Hook pool is located at Bay and Henry Streets. Call them up at (718) 722-3211.

Summer Hours: Opening at 5 pm Mon-Fri & 12 noon on Sat & Sun

Take refuge at a Cooling Center

The city opens cooling centers when the heat index (an estimate combining air temperature and humidity) reaches dangerous levels. Libraries, community and senior centers, and NYC Housing Association facilities serve as air-conditioned shelters.

We Deliver: or simply call us!

When hot temperatures spike above average, New Yorkers can seek out cooling centers by calling 311.

Have FDNY install a hydrant spray cap

Did you know spray caps can be installed on a fire hydrant by the FDNY? Cool off with your neighbors by turning a local hydrant into a summertime street sprinkler (the FDNY will shut it off at the end of the day for safety and water conservation, but can reactivate it again). 18 year olds and older with a valid ID can request a spray cap by visiting their local firehouse in person and filling out a form.

215 COLUMBIA ST. 347-689-4209

FDNY Engine 202/Ladder 101/Gat. 32 at 31 Richards St. FDNY Engine 279/Ladder 131 at 252 Lorraine St.

Red Hook Star-Revue

www.star-revue.com

August 2017, Page 11

LOCAL VACATIONS,

by Sofia Baluyut

Editors Note: We sent Sofia out to see where Red Hook residents like to ‘staycation.’ The answers varied, although most of the people she asked assured her of how much they loved Red Hook. One man got distracted by a barge passing by, pointing it out as a reason why he loved our little neighborhood. When she asked another person what she liked to do outside of Red Hook, she said, “You mean when we’re forced to leave?”

She did make two field trips, which we proudly present here. And our philosophically-minded reporter Sarah contributed one of her own favorites - Socrates Park in Astoria...

A LITTLE BIT OF RUSSIA

I

entered Brighton Beach from the nearest Q subway station and it was like descending into a different world. The elevated tracks above encircle the crowded streets. Every so often, trains would rumble by, sending a cacophony of sound into the shops below.

I was struck by how the shops along Brighton Beach Avenue are an interesting mix of chains and stores that seem like they’ve been there forever.

We began with a trip towards the sea for the boardwalk. The spot was lined with half-clothed sunbathers on the side benches making the best of the midday rays. Dripping beach-goers also used the benches, conversing loudly in three different languages.

I made a quick stop at Cafe Restaurant Volna, recommended by my Red Hook guide as having “authentic Russian food.”

I sat outdoors and enjoyed an endless blue stretch of sky and sea. That view was accompanied by a top 50 playlist - with a TV in the back rotating through fun facts about the respective artists.

Volna’s menu seemed to specialize in seafood. As a vegetarian who had already eaten lunch, I went straight to a dessert of Russian pancakes with jam and sour cream.

A

Green-Wood Cemetery

s I walked under the scaffolding and dodged the skateboarders on my way from the subway, the gates and castle-like entryway of Green-Wood cemetery rose in front of me. Something about that view would set my vibe for the visit; the entrance was quieting in its grandeur, and yet somehow intimidating.

It was gorgeous. And I was especially grateful for the cool air that greeted me as I stepped through the first gate.

At the entrance, my companion and I were met by an enthusiastic attendant who weighed us down with maps and handouts. My first stop, as recommended, was the highest natural point in Brooklyn. A large monument marks this point, which was where part of the Revolutionary War’s Battle of Brooklyn took place.

Beyond the history, though, I found myself grateful for the opportunity for a seat. Despite the cool breeze, the sun was still cooking me.

This spot doesn’t disappoint for views--and for a few shady benches.

The Green-Wood Chapel, built by the same architects who designed Grand Central Terminal, was my next destination. The building is marked by signs that are green with age, and inform visitors that the chapel is “OPEN DAILY FOR REST, MEDITATION AND PRAYER.” I was surprised by how spiritual the place made me feel. The door shut behind us with an ominous thunk, completely shutting out all outside noise. Once we made sure that the door would reopen, I began to enjoy the quiet. My every breath echoed off the walls, and I was glad to sit on the velvety pews and gaze at the colorful stained glass before going on my way again. (The AC didn’t hurt either.)

Green-Wood Cemetery’s paths were mostly devoid of visitors on the day I went, so I was grateful to see more life flourishing at the Sylvan Water lake. As I sat on a bench embraced by the hanging branches of a tree, I searched for the source of bullfrog croaks and watched the bobbing heads of turtles in the water. Robin redbreasts and starlings also fluttered by, often alighting on headstones before taking off again.

Besides the nature, a main draw to the cemetery are the famous people buried here - Leonard Bernstein, Boss Tweed, and Louis Comfort Tiffany to name a few. We followed the map and saw some of the graves.

But the real adventure began as I let myself get lost in the 478-acre cemetery.

I had the most fun climbing up the relatively unkempt roads, where tree roots were beginning to take over and cobblestones tumbled over each other.

These steep, slim roads also led me to unassuming gravestones I never would have thought to look at otherwise. It was fascinating to try to piece together the story of a life from three lines of text.

Wandering the boardwalk is the best thing I did for the people-watching that was recommended to me. I heard people speaking in Spanish and Russian, and dodged families and kids running to the nearby Brighton Playground.

Couples held hands while walking dogs, people wrung out their beach towels and teenagers waited on line at the classic ice cream trucks. The boardwalk was a lovely place to sit, smell the salt air, and watch the world go by.

After a while we made our way back to Brighton Beach Avenue.

If you need to satiate a shopping fix but don’t want to break the bank, Brighton Beach seems to be the place to do it. Signs proclaimed “SALE” on the racks of nearly every clothing store, although they never specified what exactly the sale was for or how long it would last. Bathing suits, jeans, jackets with shoulder pads, prom dresses and more weighed down the racks of one store I went to.

Jewelry stores and bakeries also line the streets, the latter usually set up with tables and sweet breads heating in the sunlight that streamed through the cracks of the subway tracks.

My absolute favorite stop on this day trip, though, was St-Petersburg. I loved browsing their shelves of Russian novels and children’s books. As a non-Russian speaker, trying to piece together what I could from pictures. The store also has a vast toy selection if you’re doing shopping for kiddos. They’ve got every interest covered, from off-brand Barbies to model garbage trucks to water balloons.

PHILOSOPHY PARK Story and photo by Sarah Matusek

For a half-day trip to Brooklyn’s northerly neighbor, check out Socrates Park in Long Island City, Queens. One walk through this lush city park will make you disbelieve its former use as a landfill and illegal dumpsite.

B

ordering the East River waterfront, Socrates Park offers a stunning view of the Manhattan skyline. This grassy “outdoor museum” also features temporary installations by a curated group of artists in residence. For concert evenings ranging from jazz to opera, guests spread out on blankets in the grass and can enjoy a picnic with their Puccini.

Film screenings, free exercise classes, performance festivals, and beyond round out the park’s near daily cultural programming during summer months.

The park’s namesake Greek philosopher tips you off to the bountiful Hellenic cuisine found in nearby Astoria. You won’t regret a pit stop at Cafe Boulis (3015 31st Ave) for Greek “freddo” coffee and homemade loukoumades (honey-dripping donuts). For bigger appetites, get in line for a fries-topped gyro at the popular King Souvlaki food truck across the street from the cafe.

Socrates Sculpture Park, located at 32-01 Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City, is open year-round from 9 am until sunset. For a full calendar of events, head to www.socratessculpturepark.org.

St-Petersburg holds some more traditional Russian goods as well, often helpfully accompanied with tiny pieces of paper with the origins of the object. I loved exploring through the selection of handmade matryoshka dolls, including ones resembling celebrities, and beautiful gzhel (blue and white porcelain) pottery.

Brighton Beach is special not only as a beach getaway, but also as a cultural center. If you’re looking for rides and tourist spots, you can stop by neighboring Coney Island. But if you’re in the market for Russian food and a more out-of-the-way experience, mark Brighton Beach as a destination for your calendar.

Brighton Beach is accessible by the F, Q, and B trains. If you’d like to go swimming, lifeguards are on duty from 10 am to 6 pm during beach season.

Many stones are marked simply with a touching “Mother” and “Father” or “Husband” and “Wife,” while others reveal more. One man, Lars C. H. Abbey, was born in North Carolina in 1870, and died at age 29 in Shanghai, China. I wondered what took this Carolina boy to China.

I also found some graves interesting to look at, even if they offered no life story other than names and dates. Obelisks were a popular choice, while others featured guard dogs and huge family plots.

The more I wandered, the more there was to find. (Don’t get too lost, though; on weekdays, only two entrances are open, so make sure you can find your way back!) If you’re looking for a peaceful, nature-filled getaway just a bus ride and a few subway stops away, this is it.

The cemetery is open to the public from 7:45 am-7 pm. Schedules will change after September 30. If wandering isn’t your thing, GreenWood has events and tours like birdwatching or riding their historic trolley to help you get started. Visit green-wood.com for more.

Page 12 Red Hook Star-Revue

www.star-revue.com

August 2017

Red Hook Star-Revue

www.star-revue.com

August 2017, Page 13

LETTERS:

Mike Drop:

Another untimely death

TRUMP IS RIGHT - REPEAL THE FILIBUSTER TOMORROW

by Michael Racioppo

2017 has felt like a collaboration between movie makers David Lynch, the Coen Brothers, and now, after McCain’s dramatic “no”— Frank Capra.

Not too long after this vote the United States Antagonist-in-Chief, I mean President Trump, unleashed a series of tweets about the filibuster and how Senate rules should be changed to only require a simple majority, as opposed to the current 60 required to pass most legislation.

Of course the healthcare repeal vote (as will tax “reform”) was taken under budget reconciliation rules which only requires 50 votes and it still failed. Never mind that, because the big breaking news in this column is that I AGREE WITH DONALD TRUMP - END THE FILIBUSTER!!!.

To be clear, we agree for very different reasons, so let me explain. In the romanticized accounts of our nation’s founders, the Senate acts as the “cooling saucer,” where passions are tempered. However more often it takes a good thing everyone likes (hot tea) and lets it become something you dump down the drain (old, room temperature tea).

A longer range view was to take hold through staggered and longer terms (six years in the Senate as opposed to two years in the House) with the hope that Senators would have institutuonal memory, and be insulated from immediate political interests. The idea was the Senate would be the grown ups. The grafting on of the filibuster is, however, not a constitutional check on power but a Senate rule that is used to empower individual senators and not to protect the nation from a fit of madness.

Repealing Obamacare is neither good for the country nor popular. The Republican party is now largely based on lies and scapegoats such as the “liberal media” or, somehow still blaming Hillary and Obama for something or other.

It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to one of our teaching artists, Kashif Bobby Cox. Kashif passed away this June after a long battle with cancer. We miss him dearly and send our condolences to his family and close friends.

Kashif was a multi-talented artist and a gifted educator. He played a big role in helping build our In Transition: Media program from 2015-2016. He had the best smile, a deeply thoughtful, gentle but rigorous approach with his students. Many of the students worked with him for multiple sessions of the In Transition: Media program and continuously asked about him when he became too ill to continue teaching. I know he would be proud that many of his students have become really excellent young filmmakers and are using the media they create to challenge the injustices they see in their communities and beyond.

I remember Kashif as a person who did a lot of listening, and when he spoke, it was deep and from the heart.

I think he really understood the challenges young people in our programs deal with every day and I know they felt that. You can feel their affection and concern for Kashif in this short video get well card they made for him.

The filibuster allows legislators to hide behind a false lack of power. As the healthcare debate has shown, when people organize and make their voices heard, a master tactician and legislator such as Senator Mitch McConnell can be stopped with the bonus that 49 senators are forced to be on the record with a vote in favor of taking away healthcare from millions.

I don’t write political ads but I’d say working off that has a good ring for 2018 midterms.

I wish we had had longer to get to know this beautiful, and gifted man.

We know you will continue on in the many lives you touched and changed.

If the repeal bill had required 60 vote, with today’s number it would have never come to a vote, and the repealers would not have had to go on record. I say we should have a Senate that requires only 50 votes because if votes like this keep coming we will soon have a Majority Leader from Brooklyn.

The shock of losing Rocky Sullivan’s George

Michael Racioppo is the Executive Director of the Gowanus Canal CDC and the Vice Chairman of Community Board 6

Littleford

Can’t believe it. Just saw him a couple of weeks ago. My favorite bartender ever, and a lovely man. I will really miss him. – Linda Cronin-Gross God rest his soul. A very, very good man and friend. I will miss seeing your smile – Jim Sullivan

Parks closed for a while

I played on every one of those fields as a child. I swam in the pool across the street every summer day. And let us not forget the Red Hook park on Clinton St. Next to the projects. Nobody had a better childhood. Philip Van Cott

Samora Coles

Mo so very proud of you. Dream ! As big as the universe. – Judy William Sharps

Williamsburg, here?

We have more & more apartments and less services to take care of the area. We have no hospital, less firehouses, schools running out if space.

This neighborhood is turning into an over crowded wasteland. – Maureen

Racing fan invasion?

Thanks for the good news

Martha Bowers, Executive Director, Dance Theater Etcetera

Formula E is one of the best things coming to our community - long over due. It’s about time RED HOOK got some recognition. It’s great for the entire community. However they will be a lot of traffic.

Georgie–very few people could make me laugh while impressing me with such humble intelligence and gracious candor. You will be sorely missed by the thousands of people that had the pleasure of knowing you.

And yes, another Baileys on the rocks please. Let’s go Rangers! – Donald Dacey

George had the most beautiful quality of uniting people, forming community… his loss in Earth is huge; this man made an impact and we are all forever blessed for our time with him. – Karen Madonna r deis De raibh an anam.- McKenzie Can’t believe he is gone. I knew him back in the day and he was always the life of the party and such a good person. People/friends always loved him, he just had this thing about him that people connected to. I will miss you; seeing you during your college days at Cortland or at the local bars.

God Bless you. Hope we meet again in Heaven some day. Great person!! – Annmarie Depalo Christy He always made me feel welcome at Rocky’s. He was very kind and will be missed dearly. – Mary

Page 14 Red Hook Star-Revue

George was a grand host and a valued member of our local musical community. I knew him from the Monday nite jams and was always grateful for his generosity of spirit and faithfulness to the cause of community music and musicians. Rest in peace, buddy.

– Mike McCabe

Rest in Peace, Kashif.​

You will never be forgotten George!

R.I.P from all of us at Musician’s General Store! - Mingo Tull

Ted has been an illustrator and cartoonist for the Baltimore Sun. See more of his work at www.tedlittleford.com.

George always made me feel welcomed and would reach his hand over the bar to shake my hand. My deepest sympathies to his family and friends.

So very sad. – Mike McCabe

Tremendous individual…..

George ! – G. McCabe

www.star-revue.com

RIP,

BUT RED HOOKERS can deal with it.

We survived HURRICANE SANDY ,we sure can handle traffic jam. ITS A ONE WAY IN AND NO WAY OUT. We also survived “1976” traffic’s mess.

- Mr. E. Sullivan

Nydia urges better access

In a letter to Polly Trottenberg, Commissioner at the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez urged NYCDOT to consider adding more entrances to Brooklyn Bridge Park.

According to Velázquez, a petition with more than 1,000 backers was submitted in support of an entrance near Montague Street. “It is my understanding that [the] influx of visitors [to the park], coupled with a lack of park entrances, has proven challenging for residents living near current access points,” she writes in her letter. “An entrance on Montague Street would both disperse the park visitors and create more foot-traffic for businesses located along that corridor.”

Velázquez secured funding for a Brooklyn Bridge Park study more than ten years ago, and cites the the 2008 findings of that study as alternative entry point options. - Sofia Baluyut

August 2017

COMMENTARY

The community was united on Saturday

by Nathan Weiser

On politics and more

by George Fiala

Sad News

July started off horribly with the sudden death of one of Red Hook’s icons, George Kornienko, who most us knew as the heart of soul of Red Hook’s local bar - Rocky Sullivan’s.

It turned out that George was well loved all over the city. His wake and funeral in Gerritson Beach, where he grew up, was attended by almost 1,000 people, all who called him a dear friend. I was planning to write a longer eulogy, but that will have to wait until next month, as we’ve run out of space this issue.

This newspaper owed George a heavy debt, as does many in the neighborhood. Our best wishes to his family and loved one.

Good news for the ILA

For the past few months we’ve been filling the pages with news of the imminent demise of the Red Hook Container Terminal. The lure of the now desirable waterfront property led us and others to believe that the Port Authority would not renew their lease when it expires next year.

So it was with some surprise that a Crain’s article announced that the Port Authority would issue an RFP for a new operator, with another five year term.

While this paper, and most of the local politicians, as well as the longshoreman’s union lobbied heavily for a new lease, in the end it seems that it was the current MTA troubles that guided the governor to kick the ball down the road once more, and avoid making a controversial decision that could further jeopardize his polling. More on this next month as well.

Voting season

Finally, we are heading into primary season. The Democratic primary is scheduled for September 12 and the two big local races are for the District Attorney and the City Council.

Incumbent Carlos Menchaca has not avoided controversy in his first term, and he will be facing as many as five Democratic challengers. The winner of the primary will then face both a Green party, and Conservative candidate in the November election.

On the basketball court, close to the entrance on Clinton Street, there was a youth game with enthusiastic commentary from an announcer, then a basketball contest for late teens and early twenty year olds, a performance from a step dance group and finally a basketball game for teenagers. The event lasted until about 8 pm.

Janet Andrews, a community organizer who spearheads this event was pleased.

“I am just so happy to see everybody come out,” she said. “This is really huge. The reason why we are doing this is because we are trying to unite the community with the officers and try to build a better relationship.

Andrews went on to talk about how Red Hook is different than other places and how she wants relations to be between cops and the community.

“We all know what is going on in this world with the police officers and the black men,” Andrews said. “But out

According to Andrews, this event is about the children, and the event will happen again next year.

There were soccer games led by Street Soccer officials. These games included policeman and the teenagers and youth of Red Hook playing together.

All of these games except for the youngest included police and nonpolice playing on the same team. Everyone wore Unity in the Community t-shirts.

In addition to soccer and basketball, police and youth threw a football around, and there was a booth to register to vote. Plenty of food was provided by area businesses. Politics showed up as well, as representatives from Delvis Valdes and Green Party candidate Carmen V. Hulbert worked the crowds.

About 30 police from the 76th Precinct officers and PSA1 took part in the games.

Andrews thanked Hometown BarB Q, CTOWN Supermarket, Rendition Church, Red Hook Community Justice Center, Red Hook Initiative, parents in the community, AmeriCorps, Street Soccer, Carmen Hulbert and Mr. Valdes for their support.

The Star-Revue will be hosting a local debate, details are right below.

The Council has many tasks, including approval of the city budget and supervision of the many agencies, but most important to us here in Red Hook is the power of land use that the local council member has. Again, much more on this next month.

City Council Debate

The Battle to represent Red Hook TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 7-9 pm at

Pioneer Works 159 Pioneer Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231

CARLOS MENCHACA CHRIS MIAO FELIX W. ORTIZ DELVIS VALDES SARA GONZALEZ JAVIER NIEVES CARMEN HULBERT

Red Hook StarRevue This debate will be free and open to the public - onlY 80 seats available Please RSVP George@Redhookstar.com

Red Hook Star-Revue

The second annual Unity in the Community event in Red Hook took place on July 29. The games, meant to bridge the gap between police and the community, took place in Bush Clinton Park in beautiful conditions.

here in Red Hook, we are doing something different. That means that we are all going to get to know each other and respect each other. We are going to respect these officers and these police officers are going to respect us.”

New school to be built downtown The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced the sale of 420 Albee Square to JEMB Realty Corporation. This development was recently unveiled as One Willoughby Square, which will bring over 380,000 square feet of commercial space, including ground floor retail, and over 300 school seats to Downtown Brooklyn.

One Willoughby is expected to create over 1,100 permanent jobs and over 1,000 construction jobs. The School Construction Authority (SCA) and NYCEDC worked with JEMB to establish a public school with more than 300 seats within the first six floors of the new development and a dedicated entrance on Albee Square West.

“This is a big win,” NYCEDC President and CEO James Patchett said. “We’re bringing long-awaited office space and a school to Downtown Brooklyn, complementing the swell of City investment and new development the neighborhood is seeing.”

“We are excited to be a part of this unique development and bring need-

www.star-revue.com

ed school seats to the Downtown Brooklyn community,” said Lorraine Grillo, President and CEO of the New York City School Construction Authority The Borough President is also very much in favor of this development project.

“My administration has long advocated for additional office space and school seats in Downtown Brooklyn, recognizing the critical importance of supporting the neighborhood’s development with a comparable level of infrastructure to sustainably support a growing 24-hour community,” said Borough President Eric L. Adams.

“420 Albee Square is a positive response to that call and to the recommendations of a report I released last year emphasizing the need for investment in these areas.”

Downtown Brooklyn currently has over 23 million square feet of office space and has a dozen different subway lines. This project will add to the amount of office space.

The area is expected to see more than two million new square feet of office space added or reactivated through 2018.

August 2017, Page 15

OUR LOCAL SCHOOLS SUMMER STUFF:

PAVE will be hosting back-to-school nights for their families throughout August. Dates are as follows: Wednesday, August 23rd, Middle school backto-school night 5:30-6:30; Thursday, August 24th, elementary school backto-school night 5:30-6:30 PS 58 parents should also make note that registration for Carroll Kids aftercare and after school enrichment programs will begin August 1. Register at ps58.org.

Brooklyn Acting Lab houses some of its summer programs in PS 58. K-4th graders can participate in the weekly Young PLAYers series, which has the theme “light” throughout this summer. August weeks include focuses in camping, Shel Silverstein, and Broadway. Rising 4th-9th graders can also take part in weekly workshops in auditions, Shakespeare, and improv.

Each week is $475. Register at brooklynactinglab.org Brooklyn New School will be holding a New Families Picnic to welcome families with children at BNS into their school community. Returning families can also attend. Principal Anna Allanbrook describes it as an “informal potluck experience.”

Wednesday, August 30, 5-7 pm.

BASIS Independent Brooklyn will be holding informational tours for pro-

Page 16 Red Hook Star-Revue

spective parents on August 3, 11, and 18 at 10 am. Sign up at brooklyn.basisindependent.com. Applications for a spot in Basis Independent Brooklyn for the 2018-2019 school year will open August 1.

FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL

Basis Independent Brooklyn - September 5.

Hannah Senesh Community Day School - September 5 PAVE - August 28, first day for K and 5th graders; August 29, first day for 1-4th and 6-8th graders NYC Public Schools - September 7

BY SOFIA BALUYUT

In a video on the Pearl Jam website, Muñez is shown at his school receiving the news that he was selected.

He hugs his mother and grandmother, who were also present, and later speaks with someone who made the announcement. “I was telling all my teachers how I wanted to be like a first alumni from this school, somebody to do something big,” Muñez said.

Welsh acknowledged previous problems of the PTA. “Up to this point, I think the PTA has really relied on the strength of a few individuals to make everything happen,” she said.

Under her leadership, Welsh hopes to recruit more parents and turn the president’s role into more of a director, rather than someone who always does hands-on work.

Muñez, along with his fellow Curtis Scholars, will be returning from their 10-day trip to South Africa on August 6. Scholars from other states will also be traveling to New York in September.

Fundraising is always at the forefront of the agenda. She hopes to grow strong enough to fund bigger projects.

Welsh understands the need to reach out to parents. “The primary goal of the PTA is to be a a place for parents to voice their needs in the school. So I really want it to be clear that by virtue of being at that school, you’re a member of our PTA, you’re a member of the community, and you should feel that you have a place to say what your child needs at PS 15,” she said.

New PTA President Curtis Scholarship

Jonathan Muñez, a student at South Brooklyn Community High School, was selected to be one of the 2017 Curtis Scholars.

The Curtis Scholarship program was created and funded by Kelly Curtis, Pearl Jam manager, through the band’s Vitalogy Foundation. The program’s goal is to reach out to underrepresented communities and foster young leaders through travel and year-long mentorship.

Applicants between the ages of 16 and 20 were asked to submit short videos or essays, as well as a recommendation letter. Only six students were selected from a pool of over 400 candidates.

This June 14th, Miranda Welsh was elected as the PS 15 PTA president through an expedited election.

Welsh has a child going into first grade, and had been actively participating in the PTA for two years when she decided to run.

She previously headed a nomination committee to try to recruit others to run for the board, but she realized that her own passion could help the PTA. “It can be a tough sell because it’s quite a time commitment,” she said, “but then I realized that if I feel that people should be making this commitment, then I need to put my money where my mouth is…and hopefully show people that it’s something they can take on in the future.”

www.star-revue.com

Welsh also wants community members to know they can still help PS 15 even if they aren’t a parent there. She points to the group Friends of 15 and their yearly gala fundraiser. She said, “If anyone is out there saying, ‘Oh, PTA sounds like they’re really trying to do something great but there’s no reason for me to be involved with that,’ - they are wrong. Friends of 15 is an amazing organization.”

The PTA’s first meeting of the school year will be on Wednesday, September 20.

August 2017

need a lot of money and the city doesn’t put much in,” she notes. “The thing is, you have to get involved. [Other parks] didn’t get started and that was it. People came in and volunteered.”

NEIGHBORHOOD PORTRAIT:

MARLENE PANTIN

Marlene is always looking for new ways to get people and businesses involved with their local parks.

She has tried to secure as many grants as she can and puts in effort to increase the involvement of local businesses through programs like “Adopt a Tree,” which currently helps fund the maintenance of trees along Van Brunt Street.

by Emily Kluver

THE FACE BEHIND RED HOOK’S PARKS

O

when she was a teenager. “I used to come to Red Hook to hang out with people,” she recollects, briefly touching on the changes in the neighborhood over time.

n a particularly hot Saturday in July, braving the 95 degree heat, Marlene Pantin walks up to a group of volunteers with a smile on her face and a cooler of water in hand.

But Marlene seems determined not to dwell on the past. It is not surprising, seeing as she has so little time to spare between emails and volunteer efforts, battles with the city, and pushes for the involvement of local politicians.

It’s a scene you could expect to find most Saturdays during the warmer months of the year.

This all started six years ago, when Marlene became a member with the RHRC and noticed a problem.

As she enters the scene, Marlene’s volunteers weed a patch of garden that lines the edge of Bush-Clinton Park, or T Park, as it is referred to by many locals. Other days you might see a similar group planting bulbs or watering flowers -- anything to improve Red Hook’s parks.

Every day, the women at the gym were only allowed in the weight room for a few hours. During the remaining hours, the space was closed off to the ladies as a men’s locker room. The people at the front desk explained to her that they needed screens to block off the men’s locker space, but despite frequent requests, no screen had been provided.

Marlene’s words are encouraging and instructive as she gets a sense of the progress of the 10 or so volunteers before her. She draws attention to their successes and points out the work that’s still to be done -- vines still need to be cut away from the bushes and pulled out from among the roses.

“That’s amazing!” Marlene exclaims, encouraging the workers who by now have sweat dripping down their faces.

She adds, “Now we can see the roses.”

Her words are met with smiles all around.

Marlene is the president and founder of the Red Hook Conservancy (RHC), formerly known as Friends of Red Hook Recreation Center, an organization that “engages in stewardship of Red Hook park spaces and advocacy for the Red Hook Recreation Center (RHRC).” Essentially, the organization helps with the upkeep of 15 parks in Red Hook, Admiral Park just on the other side of the BQE, and the Red Hook Recreation Center.

The organization’s work varies widely depending on the present needs.

From making sure fitness equipment is serviced to fighting the constant battle against weeds and trash that threaten park spaces, Marlene is constantly kept on her feet, volunteering about 40-60 hours of her time each week, often late into the night and over the weekend. Why? She’s just that sort of person.

Marlene didn’t take this sitting down.

She quickly set into action and wrote a letter to Adrian Benepe, the NYC Commissioner of Parks at the time, that detailed the request and admonished the neglect as an act of gender bias against the women using the gym.

Benepe soon responded and, she recalls, “[the screens] came a few weeks later.”

In light of this success, RHRC called on Marlene to help with another problem -- getting the Parks Department to maintain the gym equipment.

She was more than willing, and before long, requests came flooding in.

What began as an individual act of service soon morphed into the Red Hook Conservancy.

Today, the organization has six core members and depends on hundreds of additional volunteers each year to keep the parks in decent shape. However, RHC always needs more hands. “[Current involvement is] better than nothing, but never sufficient,” Marlene says. “We need more people from Red Hook.”

She looks out at her garden volunteers and explains that most people involved with RHC are not from the neighborhood. “Most of these people are from New York Cares,” she points out, referring to an organization that connects New Yorkers to volunteer opportunities throughout the city.

“I didn’t plan to [get into this line of work],” Marlene grins.

People in the neighborhood sometimes complain about the state of Red Hook’s parks, but to these people, Marlene has a lot to say.

She moved to Carroll Gardens back

“Other parks get private funds. Parks

RED HOOK CONSERVANCY

Red Hook Star-Revue

In a push to get community input, RHC is now going through a process they call “Visioning.” By holding surveys and games for children, the organization hopes to gain insight from the community into ways the parks can be improved for local residents.

They are planning meetings and hoping to get the people to come out and offer feedback.

WILDFLOWER GARDEN

Behind a small garden nestled between Bush-Clinton Park and the Red Hook Houses, there are poles sticking

entire education program,”she mentions enthusiastically. “We plan to get kids involved with design and maintenance…”

Marlene’s voice suggests a lighthearted amusement in the hopelessness of the situation. Despite the clear frustrations present in the job, she appears unfazed and ever-ready to perform whatever tasks come her way.

Members of the organization Friends of Carroll Park have teased Marlene about working outside of her own neighborhood, but Marlene sees the expanse of park space in Red Hook and the lack of attention they get, and she knows that her efforts are in the right place.

Marlene, in the midst of the chaos, looks down at her project with unwavering confidence. Where others find discouragement, she pushes forward, ready to face any challenge head-on.

She shrugs it all off, like it’s easy.

“I like gardening, I like being outside, I like doing and seeing what the results are,” Marlene explains. “If people contribute their time, everything gets better.”

Red Hook Conservancy is always looking for volunteers. For more information you can check their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/redhookconservancy or email Marlene Pantin at redhookconservancy@gmail.com.

Let There Be Light: Van Brunt/ Pioneer Intersection Will Gain Traffic Signal

out of the ground where a fence used to be. Just beyond that perimeter, there are bright green and blue dumpsters lined up in a row. Cardboard boxes sit in a huge pile just off to the side. The little garden feels dwarfed by surrounding threats.

Marlene points it all out, noting the particulars of her struggle with NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) to keep the area clean and prevent dump trucks from destroying the fence. Everything, it seems, is a battle.

Turning toward the wildflower garden, Marlene draws attention to the flourishing rosemary and fennel plants RHC added in among the flowers to keep the caterpillars off the blooms. She smiles widely as she describes birds sitting along the old fence and diving down into the plants after the little bugs.

Though small, the garden requires significant care, she explains. In sandy soil, it’s difficult to keep the little garden thriving. “We need volunteers to water the flowers every day,” explains Marlene.

Even with volunteers, the task of watering is surprisingly complicated. The group struggles to reach their hose all the way out to the thirsty plants and equipment put up for a soccer organization using the space in the center of the track has made it almost impossible to reach. She looks down at poles that same soccer organization has carelessly stored in the garden, and almost despairs. Almost.

Despite the many impossibilities, the complaints, the challenges, Marlene has big plans for this garden space. ”We want to use this garden to develop an

www.star-revue.com

At long last, the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) has approved a traffic signal at the accident-prone intersection of Van Brunt and Pioneer Street. “[Councilman] Menchaca, CB6 and the community have asked for a traffic signal at this location for some time now. It was recently found feasible after a study a few weeks ago,” said a DOT spokesperson.

“Residents and local businesses operators have long flagged this location as prone to collisions and a threat to pedestrian safety,” Menchaca said.

The busy Van Brunt and Pioneer Streets intersection is known for both vehicular and pedestrian collisions. This May, a three-year-old and her mother were struck by a car while crossing.

The traffic signal will be installed by October 2017, according to DOT. - S.M.

Local Creatives Get Storefront Residency

A pop-up shop featuring Red Hook artisans will open its doors at 416 Van Brunt St. this August.

“Our plan is to showcase local makers who have studios here but may not have a place to showcase their work,” says Amber Lasciak, organizer of the pop-up shop. 20 local creatives— ranging from jewelry makers to photographers—have already signed up.

Lasciak is the founder of Redu NYC, a local recycling and design company based in Red Hook that transforms material scraps into 99% “upcyled” furniture and commercial interiors.

The pop-up store will run Tuesdays through Sundays from 1 to 7 pm through the fall.

Makers interested in participating can contact Lila at 917-640-7917 or email redu.queries@gmail.com. - S.M.

August 2017, Page 17

Chef V Preps for a Street Food Revolution

A

burnt out bulb. A busted car. A broken knee. Future biographers might note a theme laced through Vander Carter’s culinary career: things keep breaking.

But Carter — a Carroll Gardens entrepreneur behind the food startup JestGreen — only sees crisis as a chance for growth. Carter’s relentless optimism and tireless drive have carried him from living on the streets to pioneering a startup that plans to revolutionize the streets, all by making healthy food fun and accessible across class divides.

It all started with an Easy Bake Oven.

“Once the light bulb broke, I couldn’t use it anymore,” laughs Carter, remembering his beloved kid-sized oven that baked desserts during his childhood in Jersey City. Now in his early 30s, Carter’s winsome grin reveals a youthful spirit.

He still remembers becoming his grandmother’s sous chef, standing on a stool to reach the counter. “The first dish that I ever really mastered was pancakes,” says Carter. “I was like a super perfectionist. They would all have to be the same color and the same size or they would go in the trash.”

His grandmother, Clara Carter, championed his early experiments in the kitchen. Carter recognized his grandmother’s signature style as “cooking with the heart.” “Which I find is that extra seasoning and flavor in food that makes it spectacular,” he adds smiling.

The two were close. Clara taught her grandson cooking from scratch, Southern-style cuisine, and the art of cake baking; Carter quickly became the head cake decorator, writing the lucky recipients’ names in icing. Clara would buy kitchen appliances from cooking shows on TV to support her eager apprentice, who would often cook breakfast for the whole family.

“I kind of fell in love with the idea of cooking and the way it made the family feel and how I could see them happy and smiling -- enjoying good food from someone they knew made it,” says Carter.

After culinary school at Johnson & Wales University in Florida, Carter gained experience in different Asian cuisines by cooking for street carts and corporate kitchens. The more he learned fusion food (one job in Miami involved prepping Cuban-Thai meals) the more his culinary horizon broadened. Carter’s knowledge of global flavors would later influence his playful menus for JestGreen.

He eventually burned out in Miami. The daily drudgery for little pay grated on

by Sarah Matusek him. “I was ready to be free,” Carter says solemnly. He packed up his car, learned to read a map, and planned a crosscountry solo trip.

But the day of his departure, his car broke down. Crushed, Carter burned through his travel budget on getting the car towed and fixed.

He headed home to New Jersey, but was disappointed by the lack of acceptance and support. Carter’s self-starter spirit chafed against the apathy he observed.

Vander Carter, also known as Chef V, dishes up some original eats. Photo by PrinceAnthony Hall.

“I want to do more,” dor. I had no idea before that that he was him by asking, “Oh, you’re doing research he realized. And so he moved on. such an amazing chef. When I learned for the business plan competition?”

“I came here to New York really not about his passion for food and watched What competition? Carter asked. knowing what to do,” Carter admits. Af- as he coordinated the culinary plans for ter nearly freezing while living out of his the masses at more and more events, I The librarian told him about the annual car, he spent six to eight months bounc- began encouraging him to go the start- PowerUP! Business Plan Competition hosted at the library. The sign-up deading around homeless shelters. up route and pursue a small food venline was that very day.

“That was a life-altering experience. I ue.” learned a lot about myself in that time As a serial entrepreneur himself, would Carter seized the moment. He altered his and I learned a lot about other people De’Shazer offer any words for wisdom business plan and signed up for the competition. When he didn’t end up placing, through observations.” Carter recogniz- for Carter’s first startup? he felt defeated — but not for long. es that his homelessness was a choice, “I don’t think I would need to,” writes though a difficult one. Relentlessly opStepping back, Carter realized he would De’Shazer. “What really sets Vander timistic, he considered his living condiscale back next time. “I literally exapart is his ability to adapt for consumer tions a mere “pit stop in my life.” plained everything,” admitted the perdemands.” fectionist. Determined to win, he spent When he finally secured a single room One day Carter was surprised with a the next year streamlining his plan with occupancy, or SRO, it still wasn’t ideal. promotion. “I’d never told him about a consultant.

It felt “like prison” with lock-ins and when I was homeless…I just came to curfews. For a foodie like Carter, subAfter wowing judges with an expert work everyday on time and dressed and sisting on frozen waffles and sausages presentation that included food tastready to go and with that promotion was especially crushing. Driven to beting, Carter took home first place and came money,” he says. “I’d come back $15,000 at PowerUP on his second try. ter his circumstance, he says he spent to the shelter and be like, Pizza for evhours at a career services office for days erybody! No waffles!” Carter cracks up “It was the inception of everything... on end. One day his diligence paid off.

That money was the escape from my at the memory. working at work and trying to save to “The woman in charge [of career servicEncouraged by De’Shazer, Carter began further myself...work to me was this es] noticed and was like, ‘You’re always developing a food cart idea for the High slave system of ‘just enough.’” here. Why don’t we give you a stipend Line. Though his project didn’t materiand you work?’ And I was like, Yes! I can Sum in hand, Carter still had to work for alize, his preparation paid off. get a metrocard and go to interviews others for a bit longer before he could Just like the SRO’s career services office, now—and I can get some food!” begin working for himself. He had a disCarter maximized other free resources heartening work experience at a busy In 2012 he landed at a tech startup in like the Brooklyn Public Library to purBrooklyn restaurant following 140 VenManhattan’s Garment District, 140 sue his business ideas. One day when Ventures. He remembers the beautiful requesting a book, a librarian surprised (continued on next page) high-rise office space with awe. “I never thought I’d work in a place like this.”

Mike De’Shazer, 140 Ventures’ founder, remembers Carter as a go-getter.

“Vander brought great energy and passion to his role,” writes De’Shazer to the Star-Revue.

“At one of our events of the tech community in NYC, Vander volunteered to cater when we were looking for a ven-

Carter recognized his grandmother’s signature style as “cooking with the heart.” “Which I find is that extra seasoning and flavor in food that makes it spectacular,” he adds smiling.

JestGreen meals taste as good as they look. Photo by Vander Carter.

Page 18 Red Hook Star-Revue

www.star-revue.com

August 2017

tures. Though he eventually quit the food prep job, Carter rationalizes the experience as more fodder for the type of boss he one day wants to be.

“I want to make sure I stay humble and treat others the way I would like to be treated, too, and look back to my experiences,” says Carter.

Next he worked at Provenance Meals at Carroll Gardens, an organic meal delivery business. Here Carter learned how to prepare vegan, gluten-free, and paleo food, which he calls “research” for his JestGreen entrees. Provenance Meals also taught him about seasonal menus and portioning.

After Provenance Meals, Carter dove head first into incubating JestGreen. He even gave himself a new business name, Chef V. The entrepreneur sees food as a healthsupporting tool for personal empowerment, productivity, and communal connection. Carter envisions community members engaging with each other as they gather around JestGreen’s mobile vending unit during meal times, much like his family gathered around plates of his perfect pancakes in New Jersey.

Ever original, Carter plans to design a custom mobile unit to vend JestGreen meals on the street. This “part human, part machine” vending experience is slated to hit the streets by spring 2018, if all goes according to Chef V’s plans.

Carter has designed JestGreen’s extensive menus to support healthy, productive lifestyles. Not only does he want JestGreen’s customers (which he calls “users” in a move away from traditional transactions) to experience joy in order fresh food, but he wants the meals prepared joyfully by his own staff, unlike the robotic preparation he’s experienced working on past food trucks.

From business plan development and social media to menu testing and food photography, JestGreen has been so far a solo venture. “I’m a jack of all trades,” says Carter proudly. “I even built my tent from scratch.”

Carter caters to the Star-Revue

When he stops by for his interview, the Star-Revue office is treated to a taste of Carter’s culinary talent.

Served in both wrap and taco form, Star-Revue staff crunch down on savory chunks of eggplant, peach salsa, carrot, and corn, all enveloped in a glossy collard green instead of a starchy bun.

Though vegan, the eggplant offers nutty, protein-like bites thanks to its skillful preparation.

Carter — slightly nervous awaiting our reactions — says that he was inspired by Lebanese dishes, which often involve eggplant and spices like cumin and cinnamon.

“It’s interesting,” says fellow reporter

Nathan Weiser. The plant-packed wrap grows on him. For George Fiala, the collard green was a first. “I was hoping it wasn’t seaweed,” says Fiala appreciatively, mid-chew.

Carter’s dishes reflect his experiences learning different cultures’ cuisines, like a novelist might use the memory of a place visited to set the stage for a chapter.

After eating, he wants to know to know how to improve. “What’d you think? Do you feel it needs a dipping sauce?” It doesn’t, this reporter assures him, finishing every bite.

Turns out the healthy lunch is also good for wallets -- Chef V spent a total of $10 on all the ingredients, fresh from Borough Market Hall.

#FarmtoStreet

JestGreen’s frequent social media hashtag and slogan, #FarmtoStreet, is part of a larger social media trend that supports the bounty of local farms serving urban eaters. The phrase might ring of “farm to table,” which refers to a similar food chain and often evokes high priced and high brow meals in posh organic-only restaurants.

In the simplest sense, though, since the street is between the farm and the table, the street is more inclusive to more of a community. JestGreen’s emphasizes a kitchen for the street where there’s no barrier of dress code or paycheck to enjoy wholesome food; Carter sees this as a fairly unchartered market.

Seriously, though: how does Carter plan to keep prices tenable for quality fresh produce?

“I plan to use everything and not throw away too much of anything,” he replies.

For instance: “When I peel the carrots, I save the peels, I use them for stock.”

The chef maximizes vegetable like in his life experiences — by repurposing every part. He also likes buying in bulk and finding products with good shelf lives.

Most people write off fresh produce as too expensive, says Carter, when it’s really items like dairy products, which have already involved human preparation, that rack up the bill.

Hence his startup’s name, the JestGreen founder also wants to debunk health buzzwords as enjoyable eats.

“Those words like vegan, gluten free, and vegetarian — I produce all of those things, but I find that they are turn offs for some people like,” says Carter. ” I want to give people a transparent product that is just what I say it is — just good food. That’s all it is… I’m just cooking from the heart, and cooking in a basic way, and being mindful of really trying to create a product that everyone can enjoy that’s healthy, and not a selected part of society. Everyone needs to have access to healthier food.”

The first time Carter walked into Whole Foods, he cried.

“That’s the first time I felt class,” he says. Growing up, Carter’s local supermarkets were “like bodegas.” The ripe, unblemished fruits and vege-

Red Hook Star-Revue

tables on display at Whole Foods were premium products unavailable to him growing up, a barrier that boils down to money.

Carter strongly believes that access to healthy food shouldn’t be an issue of class.

“We were given a lot of the untouchables, the things people didn’t really to cook with and the leftover to cook with, and innately those items aren’t that good for you, and you need to fatten them up, and they don’t taste well, fat adds flavor, so down the line, eventually health issues start to arise,” says Carter, remembering his early years. “And I noticed in my family that diabetes is a problem, hypertension is a problem. I watched my grandmother waste away.”

A cook’s community

JestGreen’s mission also involves giving back to the urban community through hiring out of “inner city culinary programs and inner city youth who have an interest in food.”

Carter has been Carroll Gardens Association (CGA) tenant ever since a couple days before the calamitous Hurricane Sandy (thankfully, Carter was unscathed).

“I never expected to live in New York City, and once I got to Brooklyn, I kind of fell in love with my area,” says Carter.

“I didn’t know I’d be Brooklyn-based, but I’m happy to be Brooklyn-based.

Brooklyn is a place of innovation right now... And in my area, I feel an ultimate sense of community.”

Carter often barbecues for CGA events and has participated in the annual Southwest Brooklyn Fall Festival as a community vendor. Committed to locally owned businesses, the nonprofit has tried to connect Carter to financial and business resources within network, says Ben Fuller-Googins, CGA’s programming and planning director.

the business, and continuing events that promote his venture while perfecting his products. Through the end of 2017, Carter will continue repping JestGreen at street fairs, markets, and at events that he produces himself. On the quest for more investors, Carter will launch a kickstarter for JestGreen this fall.

Though currently an army of one, Carter knows his self-sufficiency will only stretch so far. He also plans to hire, potentially as planned interns, sous chefs, prep cooks, and social media marketing consultants. He eventually wants collaborators to help him build mobile apps.

How many hours a week does he dedicate to JestGreen?

“My life,” he laughs with a hint of exhaustion. “It’s like a baby. It wakes up in the middle of the night crying. I have to rock it back to sleep. I’m always really always working.”

Thankfully, now his family have his back. Since his first-place win at the library, Carter’s parents have “been on board ever since.” Just as he goes by #ChefV, his mom proudly uses the hashtag #JestMom. Though his grandmother is no longer with us, she’d surely get one, too.

Devoted to playful innovation, what would Carter tell parents who scold kids for playing with their food?

“Oh wow,” says Carter, pausing. “You should definitely let your kids play with their food. And give them opportunities to be unique and make mistakes, because that is the essence of nothing’s perfect, no one’s perfect.”

If your kid is anti-veggies, says Carter, bring a sense of fun to the table. “Surprise them. Do some vegetables in a different way. Maybe make a dessert with a vegetable…just like we are limitless, there are limitless options of things you can do with a carrot.”

Carter and CGA both support a food coop for Carroll Gardens that would offer the community fresh, affordable food.

At the end of the day, Chef V brings it back to his brand of entrepreneurial spirit: boundless ingenuity and a full heart.

“We do believe this model is worth exploring as a way to leverage the community’s collective buying power to ensure access to fresh and affordable food,” says Fuller-Googins. “There are several existing models that we can draw from, including the Central Brooklyn Food Co-Op.” The Central Brooklyn Food CoOp, which is owned entirely by working members in a lower income community.

Follow Carter’s startup at www.jestgreen.com.

Where to from here?

In fall 2016, he broke his knee during a heated argument with a friend. The injury slowed his momentum, but he’s learning to take his time on his road to recovery. “But, everything happens for a reason,” says Carter, “and I try to take anything as a powerful moment.”

Carter still sees himself as in “phase one” of the startup, still learning the city,

www.star-revue.com

August 2017, Page 19

Justice Center celebrates at Borough Hall

by Sarah Matusek

The Justice Center’s Bridging the Gap program, which held its one year anniversary on July 18 at Brooklyn’s Borough Hall, brings police and youth together in the spirit of mutual understanding. Five sessions after the initiative launched in 2016, Bridging the Gap remains committed to providing safe spaces for young people to get to know—and question—their local law enforcement.

But in the city that invented stop-andfrisk, any attempt to unify police with the policed is ambitious.

The Justice Center is known for innovative approaches to police-community relations, such as training officers as “Peacemakers.”

Perhaps face-to-face meet-ups in a friendly environment.

The program’s first event in summer 2016 involved only five officers and 30 civilians. Since that modest beginning, a couple hundred youth have participated, according Justice Center Deputy Director Viviana Gordon.

“At the core of our mission at the Justice Center is our desire to build public trust in the justice system and make our neighborhoods safer,” Project Director Amanda Brennan told the Star-Revue.

“Bridging the Gap embodies that mission by bringing together youth, community, and police, and creating a safe space that encourages meaningful dialogue and positive interactions.

These conversations are not always

easy to have, but the success of this series is a testament to the commitment from all sides to work together to make our communities safer and stronger.”

Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Diana Reyna offered a warm welcome, inviting guests to call Borough Hall “your house.”

“I know firsthand…what builds a community is when everybody is involved,” said Reyna, adding that her husband is a NYPD lieutenant.

She emphasized that a well-meaning project like Bridging the Gap is a process that takes time. To build trust, a community first needs to build relationships.

Some Bridging the Gap participants have had perfect attendance at all five sessions. One of them is soon-to-be high school senior Marcus, who was honored on Tuesday as a speaker.

“At first I thought it wasn’t gonna work,” Marcus addressed the crowd from a podium. “What I’ve realized is that not all police are bad. Yes, they make mistakes. But they’re human, too.”

Recent high school grad Karime also turned up to every Bridging the Gap event this year. Bridging the Gap taught her not to judge all police by the behavior of a single cop, she said.

A beaming PSA1 Officer Terence Williams took the stage next. “I’m a little nervous, so I’m gonna need some smiles I see right now.” The audience

was already smiling back.

Officer Terence was one of the first five police officers to join Bridging the Gap. For Williams’ five and a half years on the force, he calls his role as a n e i g h b o r- Officer Williams beams as he’s watching a film retrospective of the first year of Bridging the Gap. (photo by Fiala) hood coready talked to Chief Harrison about ordination officer (NCO) his “most prideful posi- bringing a program like Bridging the Gap to the 28th precinct. “We don’t tion.” have this. It would be nice if we could Started by Police Commissioner James bring what we’re doing here, uptown.”

O’Neill in 2015, the neighborhood policing initiative seeks to make NCOs After refreshments were served, the accessible liaisons between the de- youth and police headed back into the partment and the community. Chief courtroom for break-out discussions.

Harrison has been the operational Each group of two to three police officommander of the program, currently cers and half a dozen youth received a implemented in 47 precincts and nine sheet of questions to prompt dialogue.

The officers seemed to relish the ophousing commands. portunity to dish some on-the-job New York state Assemblymember Fe- insight while the young participants lix Ortiz joined the list of speakers, re- listened rapt attention. calling his brother who rose the ranks of law enforcement and became an For more information on the Bridging the Gap or any other RHCJC youth FBI agent despite a language barrier. programs, visit www.courtinnovation.

One badge-toting attendee, Harlem- org/project/red-hook-community-jusbased NCO Tammie Garcia, has al- tice-center.

Verona Street has an indoor batting cage

R

ed Hook now has an indoor batting cage to go along with indoor miniature golf.

Brooklyn Sluggers is the brainchild of a former Beacon social worker, John Torres. The cages are located on Verona, across from Visitation Church.

After scouting for a year and a half for the Verona Street location, it took another six months to build.

“One of the guys who trains with us Tito Navarro - helped build this whole place,” Torres said. “I came in and we helped put up the walls, sanded and painted. I had my son and brother in law help paint and my wife got involved. We spent many, many nights here until two or three in the morning,” explained Torres.

He has found that some local adults have come to the facility because they are in the area looking for something to do.

“I get Red Hookers because it is a nobrainer,” Torres said. “People who go to local bars or hang out will stop in and use the cages.”

Torres’ clientele also spreads to the

Page 20 Red Hook Star-Revue

by Nathan Weiser

rest of Brooklyn and even to Manhattan. He has had kids from Park Slope, Bay Ridge, Sunset Park and has even been getting kids from further away Bergen Beach, Mill Basin, and Sheepshead Bay.

erything from the cakes, the cups, and the tablecloths, all major league themed.”

Torres likes the communal family environment that the parties create.

“The parties are very big. We like the parties because it just brings a lot of people in. It also creates a family environment. I like when families integrate and engage with each other. It is exciting!”

“I played baseball for a long time so I have a lot of friends who are supportive and like what I’m doing,” Brooklyn Sluggers offers batting Torres said. “Since they The painted sign is the only hint of cages within. (photo by instruction. A batting cage with an George Fiala) like what I am doing, they can’t afford the training.” instructor can be booked for $100 an spread the word for me. They have re- At Beacon, Torres transitioned kids cently been bringing their teams and involved in gang violence out of the hour. The instructors offer one-onone training, teaching the theory bekids to train here, which is great.” streets into indoor programming. He hind hitting and then repetition trainTorres has a lot of experience work- wants to make Brooklyn Sluggers a ing to hone the aspiring hitter’s skill. ing camps and leagues in the past and safe environment. wants to work with the Red Hook Lit- Birthday parties have been popu- “If someone has a loop in their swing, tle League as well. He has been talk- lar and have brought a lot of kids or they are dropping their hands, or ing to their director about providing to Brooklyn Sluggers in the last few they just want to learn how to hit, we teach basic mechanics of hitting,” instruction and a training facility for months.

Torres said. those kids.

“I have pictures on the website of “A lot of those kids are in low-income some of the cakes,” Torres said. “We Monthly memberships are available, families, so I am going to try and work design the cakes according to the offering discounts on the batting tosomething out to make it affordable,” kids’ favorite team. So far it has been kens plus other amenities.

Torres said. “I am looking into some grants and possibly some government assistance to help me fund kids that

Mets and Yankees, but we have had San Francisco Giants and the Cleveland Indians. We have designed ev-

www.star-revue.com

Brooklyn Sluggers, 80A Verona Street, (315) 895- 1465. www.brooklynbaseballcoach.com

August 2017

NCO cops meet with community at Miccio

by Nathan Weiser

O

n July 12, the Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCOs) for PSA 1, the public housing force that oversees the Red Hook Houses, held their quarterly Neighborhood Safety Meeting in the basement of the Miccio Center. Eight NCOs were present to formally introduce themselves and their roles, as well as to hear from the community.

Someone at the meeting brought up that they were robbed at gunpoint and the NCOs were able to work together to find and arrest the guilty individual. A story was also shared at the meeting about a cop who is not usually in Red Hook harassing someone on July 4 in Coffey Park. Another resident said that she wanted more lights and cameras installed, and the NCOs said they were working on the issue.

Most of the people at the meeting live in or near Red Hook but someone who recently started a church in Red Hook and lives in Brownsville also attended.

Two NCOs present at the meeting who are specifically assigned to Red Hook were Terence Williams and

Wilbert Louis. Two other NCOs that were at the meeting were Francesco Ingoglia and Krunal Patel. Ingoglia and Patel are specifically assigned to the Gowanus Houses but are often in Red Hook.

According to Patel, who has been an NCO four months as of mid July, NCOs look for positive ways that they can make the community better.

Patel described how NCOs differ from ordinary police officers.

“NCOs are different because we are not on the radio, and we are not answering jobs for every 911 call that comes in,” Patel said. “We are off the radio unless an emergency comes over. This means we have more time to spend in the community.”

“The best thing about this is while we are riding around in our car kids are actually running up to us and saying, ‘hey officer Patel, I met you at this event, I met you at this basketball game,’” Patel said. “They are getting to know us. We are building that link, and as they get older they are learning.”

Patel thinks that the kids are learn-

NCO Officers face off against the citizens they protect. (photo by Fiala)

ing to respect the cops and the cops are learning to respect the kids. The NCOs are helping the kids out with any resources, jobs, or anything else that they might need. They can also often be seen in the Miccio Community Center.

“All these kids, they know us,” Patel said. “So, when they see us outside in the Red Hook Houses, they will wave to us, they will say what’s up.”

The NCOs get called on their cell

phones and they will come assist with any noise complaints or other issues. Patel said that if he is home and not working he will reach out to someone else and let them know.

“I will say, can you go to this apartment and they are having this issue,” Patel said. “They will go address it further.”

“It is a good program,” he continued.

Most of the residents who attended the meeting seemed to agree.

Summertime is time for Old Timer’s Weekend

by Nathan Weiser ed Hookers from all over the country will visit the old neighborhood for the 32nd annual Old Timer’s Day. Held the second weekend of August, this year will include festivities at Wine Park and the main event on Sunday at Coffey Park.

Old Timer’s events are held at many NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments. The Red Hook Houses, originally built in 1938, is the largest public housing development in This year’s events will again take place in Coffey Park Brooklyn.

The Red Hook Old Timer’s Committee Hall said. “We will play music and oversees the activities. Ray Hall has hang out. We used to do a boat ride headed the committee for the past but then we wouldn’t get back until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning and peothree years.

On Friday, August 11, from 11 am to ple would be too tired [to enjoy Sun1 pm, there will be a senior event in day].”

Wine Park, which is next to the Mic- Sunday’s main event with food and cio Center. It will be followed by a kids music will take place at Coffey Park. jam. Later in the afternoon will be the Everything will start at noon and will go until about 7 pm. There will be a meet and greet.

“During the kids jam we do fitness band for the people attending the and conditioning drills with the kids,” event to enjoy.

Hall said. “We will run a tournament. “This is when we will have the Latin band and some regular music playThese are kids 10 and under.”

“We will do fun activities and games ing,” Hall said. with them, and will give them prizes “I will bring a powerful sound system, just to give the kids something to do an earthquake sound system. The Latthat weekend,” Hall said. “When I in band will bring their guitars, their took over I wanted to do things for drums and their congas and they will perform. It was great last year.” kids, too.”

Hall said the Saturday activity will also Hall plans on inviting Affinity Health happen at Wine Park. There will be an and those types of groups as well as evening party from 6 pm until 10 pm organizations from the neighborsince so many people are going to be hood. According to Hall, organizations will bring food to try to sell durin town looking for something to do.

“Everybody will dress up in white,” ing the event at Coffey Park.

R

Red Hook Star-Revue

www.star-revue.com

August 2017, Page 21

lusciousness” quality.

PIONEER WORKS

Second Sundays: One of Many Great Programs at PioneerWorks

by Matt Caprioli

P

ioneer Works continues to attract national attention as a model for artistic and scientific collaboration. The 27,000 square foot space churned out railroad tracks in the 19th century.

But since the nonprofit’s founding in 2010, the former plant has grown to be a magazine publisher, music venue, educational facility, contemporary art museum, and residency for countless artists pushing the borders of what it means to be human.

On the second Sunday of each month, Pioneer Works has an active open house where resident artists debut new work or just show the community what they’re up to. Here’s what happened last month and what to expect in August.

Taste of July

July 9 was a sunny day and people of all ages and baby-carrying methods strolled through Pioneer Works’ garden and multi-leveled exhibits. From 4 to 9 pm, families and couples taught themselves how to silk-screen, tried on bizarre costumes, and gazed up at the stars.

Second Sundays has a very welcome

Jean Shu’s exhibit on the third floor, “MetaCloud,” was also well-trafficked.

Hundreds of 35mm cards dangled from the ceiling. These records were formerly kept by the Metropolitan Museum of Art as the foundation of their archives. In the digital age, these photographic records are now obsolete. Shin amassed them here to explore institutional memory.

party vibe that mixes performance art, music of all stripes, and hands-on activities to engage just about anyone.

Morocho, Pintail Coffee, and PW Bar also provide food and drinks (some free, some not).

For July, Pioneer Works’ enormous atrium was home to “Grand Ole Opera,” an installation by Tennesseeborn artists Willie Stewart and Brent Stewart. The work was a widespread collage of Southern culture, replete with a reclining taxidermied deer, red halogen lights, disused record players, and an old truck and trailer placed at disjointing angles.

The second floor hosted Mollie McKinley’s first institutional show.

“Salt Priestess” showcased salt sculptures carved through high-pressure water channels.

Melding their interest in sound and sculpture, Angel Nevarez and Valerie Tevere, multidisciplinary collaborators who love to question how we deal with music (e.g. protest karaoke and interventions on the Staten Island Ferry), installed a 1970 Schwinn exercise bike tied to a customized turntable. Everyone was welcome to give it a spin (nearly every kid at Pioneer Works took them up on the offer). The vinyl record played at the speed of the person peddling.

“The slower you go the more sense the record makes,” Nevarez said in a live recording on Second Sundays. “It’s counterintuitive. It’s also an absurdity we wanted to play up a little bit.”

To the duo, artistic practice requires a certain athleticism, and they were curious how commands from instructional tapes -- “breathe,” “rightleft, right-left” -- were applicable to a whole range of activities: work, relaxation, music, and, of course, exercise.

The Bizarre Bazaar

The costume-driven performance art group, SKOTE, hosted a popular costume giveaway on the shipping and storage site of Pioneer Works. Comprised of Jill Pangallo & Alex P. White, the two are best known for their colorful and surprising performances.

of costumes from their club-kid days in Atlanta. “We wanted to extend [the costumes’] life but we were done with them,” Pangallo said. White added that “part of our mission at Pioneer Works is to deal with our past together and in a sense let it go, move on, and start new work. So it seemed like a symbolic gesture and a fun thing to do at the same time.”

To their surprise, everyone was “extremely game” to try on costumes and walk out of Pioneer Works with them still on. First graders modeled turquoise hats and older ladies donned feather boas. One man over six feet tall sported a leopard print onesie.

The Pioneer Works crowd began to look like Tim Burton extras.

UPCOMING IN AUGUST The next Second Sundays is August 13. Tech resident Katherine Behar will show a work in progress she’s developing for the Vizcaya Museum in Miami, “Qui a Dit?” (Who has Spoken?). Behar said in an email that the work “involves running hydrophone recordings of the ocean through a speech recognition program in order to give ‘voice’ to water as an actor at the site.”

SKOTE will debut their final work as artists-in-residence. “Tick” will be filmed live; expect detailed, twinned costumes, and killer choreography.

“We have a library of movements we’ve built over the years that interact with the environment on site,” White said. “The process is punk rock in the sense it’s raw and fast.

We are responding to the environment and each other in the moment. We don’t exactly know what will happen next.”

These beautiful sculptures were complemented by a series of photographs Over their decade-long collaboration, McKinley took while traveling through the duo have accumulated quite a bit the US. Walking through, you’d see pictures shot in the Mojave Desert, a rock quarry on a sparsely populated island in Maine, and right in the center, an empty parking lot in the Hamptons. One featured photo was a self-portrait of McKinley holding up a pineapple in Joshua Tree Park.

McKinley used a 4*5 wooden camA scene from the recent SKOTE video called destiNation: TANG. (photo courtesy SKOTE) era for a “creamy,

The

Red Hook StarRevue

The Star-Revue is looking for people to sell ads and write stories.

EVERGREEN LIQUOR STORE INC. 718 643-0739 196 Columbia Street, between Sackett & Degraw

These are paid positions, but it helps if you love your community.

For more information please email George@redhookstar.com

evergreenliquor@yahoo.com

Mon. - Thurs. 11 am - 10:30 pm; Fri & Sat. 11 am - 11:30 pm; Sun. 1 pm - 9 pm

Page 22 Red Hook Star-Revue

www.star-revue.com

Tanner Photo

August 2017

New theater company brings Polish culture to Jalopy

by Sofia Baluyut

T

he unique nature of “The Story of Two Poets” was clear even before Jalopy Theatre’s lights went down. The musical is entirely in Polish with English supertitles. Polish and English versions of the playbill were passed out, and Polish sweets called dro�d�ówki z serem (sweet cheese pastries) were set out on a table for audience members.

The show is an adaptation of the book “Listy na wyczerpanym papierze” (The Letters on Depleted Paper), a collection of love letters between two 20th century Polish poets who shared a secret romance in the mid 1960’s - Agnieszka Osiecka and Sir Jeremi Przybora.

Both Osiecka and Przybora are famous artists in their native Warsaw.

Their correspondence was first published in 2010. Their relationship was unknown to the public before then.

Though these poets are renowned in Polish culture, they are completely unfamiliar to most Brooklynites.

Anna Rak, who played Osiecka, said that unfamiliarity was one of the things that inspired her to adapt the play with Maks Kubis, who played Przybora, and director Ewa Szewczyk.

“It all started with a casual conversation about Sung Poetry and how little people know about Polish literature,” Rak wrote in an email.

“The whole script is really just their words, their love letters. Our goal was to share the story of these unique

artists in a way that would allow the audience to resonate with it and find something to identify with.” The show is presented by Rak’s Eastern Bridge Theatre Troupe, whose mission is to bring Polish art to new audiences.

This is the Troupe’s first show - Rak is an actress from Krakow, Poland. She lived in London from 2011 - 2015 and came to New York to attend the Stella Adler Studio for Acting. She has performed Off-Broadway and now in her own company.

Onstage, this translation and sharing of culture was done with varying success. Information was initially difficult to grasp for a non-Polish speaker, and there were times where either the translation (songs done by Jaroslaw Rybski) or my lack of cultural knowledge failed me. The endless metaphors in the script eventually felt overdone; though the show was adapted from original poetry, more characterization and structure still could be used to clarify the plot.

A song about Agnieszka wishing for Jeremi to hit rock bottom feels out of character, and many of the conflicts arise and resolve without much clarity. It is difficult to know how much of this is the fault of translation. I did appreciate the challenge of seeing a show in two languages.

That said, Rak and Kubis were both entrancing, and I wished to understand Polish if only to never have to tear my eyes away from them. Their characters are adorably earnest and convincingly mad for each other, and their

chemistr y is undeniable even in letters.

Jeremi says that dancing with Agnieszka stops the randomness of all his previous dance partners, and the actors certainly make the pair seem fated. The 11 songs in the show flow beautifully as a part of the narrative, expressing the shifting thoughts of the characters in the moment.

The show was aided with a charming and cozy set that took advantage of the small Jalopy stage. A table and a coat stand were flanked by two stools, one for each poet, with books scattered on the floor between them.

Scene transitions were aided by the live piano music played by Erica Umhoefer.

I loved this show for its dramatic, sweeping love story played by wonderful actors. With translation, however, some details slipped through the cracks.

Photograph by Anna Kuzmina

No job too big or too small

Toilets, Boilers, Heating, Faucets, Hot Water Heaters, Pool Heaters.

B & D HEATING 218 29th Street 718 625-1396

NYPG NY PRINTING & GRAPHICS 481 Van Brunt Street 8A 718•858•6777 - nypg@nyc.rr.com

Celebrating 15 years in business 12 years in Red Hook!

Thank you

for your loyalty and support over the years

Full Service Print Shop • Offset - Letterhead, Envelopes, Business Cards, • Digital - Postcards, Flyers, Product Labels • Screenprinting - T Shirts, totebags • Letterpress - Invitations, Announcements • Booklets - perfect binding, saddlestitching, coil and closed loop

an s u S

• Large Format - Banners, Vinyl Lettering, Canvas • Custom Diecutting - Packaging, Boxes • Finishing - Round Corner, Scoring, Perforation, Holepunch, Numbering, Laminating, Shrinkwrapping, Folding, Collating • Fulfillment/Mailing Services - Pick and Pack

ALL THINGS PRINT AND FINISHING Red Hook Star-Revue

www.star-revue.com

August 2017, Page 23

Page 24 Red Hook Star-Revue

www.star-revue.com

August 2017