BRONX TIMES REPORTER, D 48 ECEMBER 7-13, 2018 BTR
DENOUNCING RACISM IN THE BRONX
On Monday, November 19, Councilman Rafael Salamanca was joined
by Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, Urban Health Plan’s Paloma Hernandez,
Community Board 2, United Hispanic Construction Workers,
the Southern Boulevard Business Improvement District and
residents to protest a construction company whose workers allegedly
made racist and hateful remarks toward the community.
(Above, front, l-r) Salamanca, Paloma Hernandez and Crespo
joined others in denouncing racism.
Photo courtesy of Councilman Rafael Salamanca’s Offi ce
BY GEORGE HAVRANEK
Recap: October 22nd Public
Safety Meeting
The October public safety
meeting, on the campus of
Einstein Hospital, exposed
stark perceptual differences
between members of the
Bronx community and those
in authority. An esteemed
panel consisting of Assemblywoman,
Nathalia Fernandez;
Bronx District Attorney, Darcel
Clarke; Supreme Court
Judge Bronx County, Robert
E. Torres; 45th Precinct Commanding
Offi cer, Captain
Carlos Ghonz; and 49th Precinct
Commanding Offi cer,
Deputy Inspector Thomas
Alps listened to observations,
complaints and fi elded an array
of questions from Bronx
business and civic representatives.
Community concerns
and questions focused on the
negative affects of decriminalization
on quality of life
within many Bronx communities.
A majority of individuals
addressing the panel cited
recidivism as an overt relationship
to other factors leading
to neighborhood degradations.
Police Department responses
strongly suggested
that legislative change has
hindered law enforcement.
Deputy Inspector Alps, discussed
the Jamie Martinez
case, displayed the need for
law enforcement to utilize
complex strategies to resolve
previously simple issues.
(Martinez had been arrested
and released over 60 times).
DA Clarke exhibited a
strong desire to properly prosecute
every case. However, the
DA adequately demonstrated
how legislative obstacles are
causal to an overwhelming
number of plea deals and ultimately
a revolving door criminal
justice system.
Judge Torres blamed an
undermanned judiciary for
case overloads and plea-bargains
that foster a bevy of lenient
outcomes. Judge Torres
believes political pressure
from organized citizen groups
could help offset outcomes unfavorable
to the community.
Fernandez agreed that legislative
reforms are required
to enable all of the aforementioned
to perform services
tailored toward quality of life
improvements in the Bronx
community. Fernandez assured
those in attendance
that potential legislative reforms
needed to restore an acceptable
quality of life to the
Bronx community would be
adequately addressed.
The explanations and excuses
from the well-intentioned
panel did not satisfy
the solution seeking audience.
A blanket of frustration
replaced any hopes for problem
solving measures from
this knowledgeable panel of
public servants. Although
cued by numerous commentaries
from those in attendance,
the panel’s reluctance
to point their fi ngers directly
at City Hall and Albany are
indictments of those powerful
political machines that unwittingly
have put honorable,
law abiding citizens under
undue stresses and strains.
The late Spanish revolutionary
Jose Garcia Oliver
stated, “Justice is so subtle a
thing, to interpret it one only
has need of a heart.” This begs
the question: Does compassion
for the criminal need to
be detrimental to the quality
of life within a community?
That is a question for our legislators
to ponder.
Community footnote: At
the time of this writing it has
come to our attention that
the Country Club Market located
on Ampere Avenue (between
Library and Bayview
avenues) is going out of business.
We will vigilantly monitor
the situation and provide
additional details as they become
available.
Let your voice be heard.
Please join us at our next
meeting, Wednesday, December
19, 7:15 p.m. at the Knights
of Columbus, 3243 Ampere Avenue.
For additional information,
e-mail with the header
Spencer Estate to gghh55@
aol.com
BY CHRYS NAPOLITANO
I love this time of year.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t
decorate and I certainly don’t
shop on Black Friday. But I
love that there are abundant
opportunities to spend time
with my family and friends.
And when there is celebration,
there is food. And when
there is food, I am in the
kitchen.
But after running the
Farmers Market for a season
and the CSA for eight
years, I realized that not everyone
has the time to create
the healthy meals that they
would like to serve their families.
It’s not enough to bring
a CSA and a Farmers Market
to the community, sometimes
the answer is not simple. Not
everyone has the time or the
patience or the skills to accomplish
this. That why we
formed a non-profi t organization,
the Northeast Bronx
Community Farmers Market
Project.
My partners, Lourdes
Gamez and Sherrill Cropper,
made education our mission
because we realized this
pretty early on.
Later on this week, we’ll
be meeting to regroup after
our fi rst season of the market.
We’ll discuss our failures
and our accomplishments
and work on a strategy
to do more in 2019.
We have already begun
planning a series of Winter
Markets from January
through May (one Tuesday
evening and one Saturday
morning per month). Many
of our Farmers Market vendors
will be attending plus
some new vendors.
I will write about these
events next time, because I
really want to tell you about
the Holiday Craft and Food
Fair at Confetti Party Place,
3190 Westchester Avenue in
Pelham Bay on Saturday,
December 8 from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m. and on Tuesday, December
11 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30
p.m.
Preston High School decided
to not host their yearly
Christmas Fair, so we decided
to host our own. Lourdes
Gamez is also the owner of
Confetti Party Place, so we’re
using her site to create a series
of small markets to keep
our farmers market vendors
busy and engaged with their
customers between seasons.
Plus, we have been able to
connect with some new vendors
with the hopes that they
will join us for the market
this summer.
On Saturday, December 8
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. you can
stop by and shop with the following
vendors:
Isabella’s CoQuito is our
featured vendor with traditional
treats and beverages.
Bennett’s Deli makes artisanal
food including delicious
granola. Miss Myrtle’s Chocolate
Chip Cookies will satisfy
your sweet tooth.
We’ll have Sangria from
Jackie Villanueva and handmade
jewelry from Gail Stufano.
Our farmers market
vendors CLR Trust (Organic
skincare), Knobby Broom
(Organic Soaps and Gifts),
Dates with Destiny (Vegan
Baked Goods including
those insanely good Avocado
Brownies) and Morris Perk
Coffee will all be with us too.
Young Living Oils will also
have a table set up. Barb Roman
is a local stained glass
artist and she will be there
with Christmas Ornaments
and other beautiful stained
glass objects.
A side note, I had Barb
create four glass panels for
a light fi xture my dad made
and she did an amazing job.
Each panel depicts a season
and she fi t them beautifully
into the fi xture. It is one of
my favorite things.
My company, Two Wrasslin’
Dogs Farms, will be
there with lots of prepared
foods. We’re a bit low in stock
from the Lewis Waite Farm
network, but we have a delivery
arriving on December
15th, so I will be taking orders
from anyone who wants
veggie burgers or any of their
terrifi c products.
We’ve been busy at the
farm since the market closed
making stock and soup and
tortes to freeze and sell.
Soups and tortes are great for
this time of year when we’re
all so busy and stressed. Just
take them out of the freezer
and within an hour, you have
dinner ready.
On Tuesday evening, December
11 from 6:30 p.m. to
8:30 p.m., you can stop by and
shop with Lynn Artesona
who will have an assortment
of handmade Christmas Ornaments
and Decorative Pillows.
House of Jubbs makes
handmade knitted hats and
scarves and accessories.
Sweet Polly Creations features
handmade personalized
baby items.
Chrissy’s Creations will
have personalized items for
all occasions and ages.
CLR Trust, Morris Perk,
Dates with Destiny, Two
Wrasslin’ Dogs Farms and
Barb Roman will be with us
again.
Plus, our farmers, DIG
Farm will join us with pickles,
microgreens, carrot ginger
dressing and freshly
made Lemon Curd.
And lastly, glam up for the
holidays with Color Street
Nails.
We are still looking for
vendors for the Winter Markets,
so if you are a food or
craft vendor and would like
to join us, email us at bronxfarmersmarket@
gmail.com.
Hope to see you on the 8th
or the 11th! In the meantime,
be the change you want to see
in the world.
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