4 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP • APRIL 29 - MAY 5, 2016 Kudos to 68th Precinct cops, auxiliaries BY ANNA SPIVAK [email protected] While Coney Island’s historic Riegelmann Boardwalk has everything from food to amusements to entertainment, the almost 95-yearold fi xture is missing one critical thing: landmark status. In an effort to raise community awareness about designating the almost 2.5-mile stretch of boardwalk a landmark, Councilmember Mark Treyger – who introduced a resolution to City Council this past February – will head down to City Hall on Wednesday, May 4, and is asking Southern Brooklynites to join him. “Not only is the Boardwalk one of Southern Brooklyn’s most signifi - cant destinations; it is a New York icon, too,” said Treyger. “New Yorkers and visitors from across the globe have been making memories along the Boardwalk’s 2.7 miles of wooden planks for nearly a century, and we must ensure that people can continue to create more memories on those same wooden planks going forward.” The City Council’s Land Use Committee will be hearing testimony on the councilmember’s resolution – backed by a whopping 49 New York City councilmembers – at the Wednesday meeting. Treyger is urging “anyone who believes that the Boardwalk should receive landmark status” to attend the public hearing and offer testimony in front of the committee. “The landmarking process in this city needs to be an equitable process, because the history and tradition of all of our city’s neighborhoods must be preserved,” added Treyger. “Too much has been lost already. The Boardwalk is a quintessential part of Southern Brooklyn’s history, and I am encouraging all residents of Southern Brooklyn, as well as any New Yorker that remembers walking down the Boardwalk, feeling the cool ocean breeze embracing them, to join me on May 4th at City Hall.” According to Treyger, designating the boardwalk a scenic landmark would grant it offi cial recognition as a historic site in Southern Brooklyn. The designation would also add a layer of protection and an opportunity for residents to weigh in on the future of the Boardwalk. Currently, the City can make changes to the Boardwalk without approval from the community. One of the more recent changes include replacing portions of the boardwalk with concrete; a makeover that residents felt altered the boardwalk’s character. “The Riegelmann Boardwalk is an icon of Southern Brooklyn since its opening in 1923. Tourists from all over the world travel to our neighborhood to visit Coney Island and its famous Boardwalk,” said Councilmember Chaim Deutsch, who, along with Treyger and Coney Island historian Charles Denson, fi led an application and met with LPC offi cials last year in the hopes of moving the process along. “The Landmarks Preservation Commission needs to recognize the cultural signifi cance of the Boardwalk and preserve its character for future generations. In addition to granting the Boardwalk the historical distinction that it has earned, designating it as a landmark will also prevent any further altering of its nature.” The May 4 meeting will take place at City Hall at 11 a.m. in the Council Committee Room. In the meantime, Treyger is encouraging people to take to social media to support landmarking the Boardwalk, asking community members and visitors alike to post their favorite Boardwalk memories and photographs using the hashtag #LandmarkTheBoardwalk. For more information, call Treyger’s legislative offi ce at 212-788- 7045. POL SEEKS SUPPORT FOR LANDMARKING BOARDWALK Photo courtesy of NYC & Company/Julienne Schaer Coney Island’s historic Riegelmann Boardwalk. BY HELEN KLEIN [email protected] Two 68th Precinct police offi cers and the precinct auxiliaries were feted at the most recent meeting of the precinct’s community council. At the April 19 meeting, held in the station house, 333 65th Street, a spotlight was shone on Police Offi cer Brendan Bradley, who, said Captain Joseph Hayward, the precinct’s commanding offi cer, recently arrested the perpetrator in a domestic violence incident who was armed with a gun. Responding to the scene, Hayward said, “Bradley observed the man pointing a black semi-automatic at the victim, and screaming, ‘No one is going to enter the apartment,’” before threatening to shoot anyone who did try to do so. In fact, said Hayward, the suspect did attempt to discharge his weapon in the direction of the home’s front door, but it misfi red, and no one was injured. Two guns were recovered at the home, Hayward added. Also honored was Sergeant Derek Epstein who, Hayward said, in company with the officers in his team, arrested three individuals in connection with a rash of car break-ins – as many as 17 in one month in a single sector of the precinct. As for the auxiliaries, as unpaid volunteers, they were singled out for their dedication to the precinct and the neighborhood. “It’s an honor and a privilege for me to lead such fi ne young men and women,” noted Police Offi cer Yaser Shohatee, whose responsibilities include oversight of the auxiliaries assigned to the precinct. “I couldn’t ask for a better assignment. They are always there, they love it, they want to do more of it. God bless them for putting on this uniform to volunteer.” P.O. Yaser Shohatee and Captain Joseph Hayward with the precinct’s auxiliary of cers. BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photo by Helen Klein
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