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HRR05182017

1MAY 12 – MAY 18, 2017 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP celebrates its annual Cinco de Mayo and Mother's Day parade and festival BY JAIME DEJESUS This is the second straight year that [email protected] the festival has been held in Sunset's Fnamesake park. "It’s a very key location or the eight year, Sunset Park because it bears the name of the played host to its annual Cinco community and it’s the home to one de Mayo Mother’s Day Festival of the largest Mexican community in on Sunday, May 14. New York. That’s the one place where Although there was a bit of rain later the whole community becomes one in the afternoon, nothing could stop regardless of race or financial status." the hundreds of attendees from showing The Sunset Park Fifth Avenue their pride, dancing, eating, shopping Business Improvement District (BID) and unifying as a community. co-sponsored the event. Fiesta VIP “I’m usually my number one critic Entertainment and the Cinco de Mayo but I’m really happy with the results,” and Mother's Day Parade and Festival said Edgar Alvarez, the event’s organizer. Committee produced it. “It was very well attended. We had lots of international talent so it was a very successful day.” The parade started at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue and made its way to the park where performances and activities took place. According to Alvarez, people coming together make this festival stand out from the rest. “It was all about unity,” he explained. “We have Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Ecuadorians that came in support of Cinco de Mayo to support our Mexican brothers and sisters. It was a celebration of that holiday as well as Mother’s Day so everyone came through. You saw Puerto Rican flags in unison with Mexican flags. It was a nice mix.” The Deputy Mayor of Passaic, New Jersey Cesar Aguirre was the grand marshal of the parade, and Pedro Rivera, father of the late singer-actress Jenni Rivera, was the Godfather. At the park, performances included Leales de Guatemala and Ximena Roca. “The festival brings talent for free for a lot of people that can’t afford to go to a concert,” he said. “I can’t point to one highlight because I think it was all the key ingredients that made it a good event. It doesn’t matter how much good music you have, if you don’t have the people from the neighborhood from three generations, toddlers to senior citizens.” The event is always made special by the fact that it’s held on Mother’s Day. “We never want to take away from Cinco de Mayo. But regardless of what country you come from, you can identify with Mother’s Day, especially in an immigrant community. Some people haven’t seen their mothers in 10, 15 years. This is just a way for them to come in and celebrate with all the families as 0Sunset one.” Photo courtesy of Salmz for Fiesta VIP Entertainment Network The festival drew a huge crowd. DOT updates residents on proposed Fourth Avenue bike lanes BY JAIME DEJESUS [email protected] On Thursday, May 11, the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) hosted a presentation at P.S. 136, 4004 Fourth Avenue, to discuss the proposal to add protected bicycle lanes to Fourth Avenue. The evening was designed to give an update on the plan along with hearing opinions from the community. According to DOT Bicycle Program Director Ted Wright, the plan, which incorporates the stretch from Barclays Center to Bay Ridge, includes taking some space off of the median and shifting it to the sides to create a parking-protected bike lane. Two travel lanes would also be slightly narrower. The plan also calls for adding pedestrian refuge islands with landscaping, removal of some parking as well as wide parking lanes with lost width possibly impacting traffic. "We have heard that people would like to see a protected bike lane like you see in other parts of city,” he said. “It’s not easy, but it is something we feel is feasible." Unchanged elements of the design include the rush-hour lane from 38th Street to Prospect Avenue. Though split on the plan, attendees found both the workshop and update to be beneficial to the community. “I think it’s awesome and I’m fully in support of the bike lane,” said Sara Greenfield, a 15-year Sunset resident. “We have a lot of bikers in this community and it’s not just gentrification bikers. It’s an important mode of transportation, especially for immigrants.” “I’m glad that the DOT is doing this throughout the areas that the bike lanes are going to go through,” said Zachary Jasie, chair of the CB 7 Transportation Committee. “I think it is important to think about pedestrians, bikers and drivers. It’s also important we think about schools and loading zones and make sure Fourth Avenue is the artery that it needs to be. I think if done correctly, it would be a benefit to all the communities.” Councilmember Carlos Menchaca applauded the DOT for reaching out to the community, but voiced a few concerns. “I didn’t see a lot of focus on small businesses," he said. "Fourth Avenue is a big corridor for small businesses. We want to make sure we get that outreach." “My concern about this gathering is that it does not represent a cross section of this community,” agreed Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director of UPROSE. “This is a homogeneous group. This community is largely Latino and Asian, and that is the community that is going to be mostly impacted and needs to be represented in the outcomes.” Chair of the Education Committee for CB 7 Cesar Zuniga discussed some of the opposition he has heard from locals. “I’ve heard that this (plan) is going to take up parking spots and is going to create more traffic because it narrows the avenue into two lanes now as opposed to three, “ he said, adding that traffic calming is another concern for some. “That creates a safer environment for cyclists and pedestrians. Really, I think we have to work together to find the best solutions.” Rendering courtesy of DOT The plan for the bike lanes.


HRR05182017
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