The post Yankee Stadium becomes COVID-19 vaccine site for Bronx residents only appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

The protest in Mott Haven was part of a widespread response to police violence prompted  by the death of George Floyd. An 11 p.m. curfew was declared on June 1 and became an 8 p.m.  curfew on June 2 . During the June 4 protest, as the new curfew approached, police blocked off the protesters’ route. This tactic, referred to as kettling, caused the group to redirect their path, leading them right into a police trap, effectively preventing them from exiting the area before curfew.  

“We became trapped,” protester Andom Ghebreghiorgis said. “A deliberate action was planned by the police to stop us prior to the curfew. There was a lot of uncertainty, folks weren’t sure what was going to happen. We thought if we were just talking to the cops, they would let us go.”

HRW reviewed 155 videos and interviewed 81 participants from the Mott Haven protest and  found evidence of at least 61 injuries caused by police.

“Based on this research we were able to document the extent to which the assault in Mott Haven was intentional and in clear violation of international human rights law,” Ida Sawyer, Crisis and Conflict Director at HRW, said. “In all of our research we found no evidence of threats or acts of violence by the protest organizers or protesters. To the contrary, the protest was peaceful until the police responded with violence.” 

 This particular police crackdown has become known as one of the most aggressive examples of their interference in Black Lives Matter marches in New York City. Protesters who experienced the incident, paint a harrowing picture of the violence. 

“We felt like we were being trampled,” Ghebreghiorgis said. “I heard refrains that I had only seen on TV from previous police murders, ‘I can’t breathe, you’re going to kill us’.” 

The police arrested at least 263 people. The arrests included 16 Legal Observers from the National Lawyers Guild and medics. Legal observers and medics were formally exempt from the curfew and the NYPD’s arrest of these groups was a direct violation of the NYPD Patrol Guide. The police have not said whether they are investigating these violations. Chief of Department Terrance Monahan did not respond to a request for comment. 

“The internal mechanisms to hold police accountable are completely obstructed from public view,” Julie Ciccolini, a researcher at HRW, said. “The system has been designed to prevent any real scrutiny. It’s the police policing themselves.”

Most protesters were charged with unlawful assembly, a Class B misdemeanor. As of January 2020, police officers  in the state of New York are not allowed to make arrests for misdemeanors. Instead, officers are supposed to issue a court appearance ticket unless the offender meets a narrow list of criminal exclusions, such as having outstanding warrants. In spite of this law, protesters were detained for hours without cause. 

“We were in our cuffs and it was an extremely hot day, [so we all had] our masks [around] our necks,” Ghebreghiorgis said. “We were in close proximity in this police van with no protection from the coronavirus. We ended up waiting in the [van] for a couple hours. It was clear that they had no plan to process all of us.”

 The Bronx District Attorney has dismissed the unlawful assembly charges from the protest, but some protesters still face charges and will appear in court on October 2. Over 100 lawsuits have been filed against the NYPD for their handling of this incident.  The costs of the arrests continue to mount. 

 “Initially there is the cost to deploy two helicopters and scores police officers and supervisors that day, including significant overtime cost,” Sawyer said. “The department spent $9 million more on overtime than they spend on an average day. The largest cost will likely come from the resulting misconduct complaints, investigation, and lawsuits. We estimate that this operation will cost New York City tax payers at least several million dollars.”

The post New findings reveal that the NYPD violated human rights laws during peaceful protest appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

“This is meat and potatoes capitalism,” said Orion Lillyreed, vice president of Pacific Gold Seafood, one of the many wholesalers that operate at the market. “Working in the middle of the night, five days a week, four days a week. The hours alone will kill you.”

Lillyreed, like all of the vendors at the nearly two centuries-old market, is currently facing a threat unlike anything he’s seen in his 10  years as a wholesaler. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic brought lockdowns in New York City and across the nation, wholesalers have faced an unprecedented loss of business. The collapse of the restaurant industry, a vital consumer of wholesale goods, has hit everyone hard.

Red snappers wait to be bought. June 8 2020. Photo by Daniel Girma

“We are doing 15-20% of the business that we would be doing prior to lockdown,” Lillyreed said. 

Incoming freight per week for Pacific Gold has fallen from between 6,000 and 7,000 lbs before the pandemic to 1,000 and 1,500 lbs. 

“It’s not that people have stopped eating, but they’ve cut down on what they choose and where they go to buy it from significantly,” he said.

Wholesalers are an important link in the long supply chain that brings fish from the sea to the plate. Working directly with fishermen, these companies sell fresh seafood to a wide array of customers.

A vendor tries to make a sale. June 8 2020. Photo by Daniel Girma

“You get it right off the boat,” said Jeremy Bernstein, manager at JMS Seasonal Seafood, another wholesaler. “We’ll get it and sell it to a retail store, a restaurant in the city, and then it goes to your stomach.”

The food industry’s demise has sent a shockwave all the way up this chain. Most restaurants buy their product from purveyors, middlemen that buy wholesale and proportion it. With no restaurants to sell to, purveyors and wholesalers are left reeling.

“As long as [the purveyors] stay in business, we’ll be ok,” said Lillyreed. “But they’re, of course, not paying us because their customers are not paying them.” 

While wholesalers cope with their losses, they also take aim at a new opportunity: the consumer market. Buyers who would otherwise buy at grocery stores are showing an increased interest in other options. More families come to the fish market, even at such late hours, to rub elbows with the traditional clientele.

“We’ve adjusted,” Bernstein said. To help buoy revenue following the 75% losses suffered during the lockdown, JMS has opted a direct-to-consumer strategy. Their unit now hosts its own retail section, selling lobster tails and claws. They have also begun an online delivery service, available across the entire continental US.

Wholesalers are trying to use the allure of fresher food at cheaper prices than what one would find at a grocery store. 

“In the supermarket it’s there for a week or two,” Bernstein said. “Going right to a fish market is obviously the best for the quality and the best for the price.” This adjustment has helped JMS Seafood retain its staff during the lockdown.

Crunching numbers the old-fashioned way. June 8 2020. Photo by Daniel Girma

While the prospect of new business is a welcome sight, it does not come without its challenges. Pacific Gold has also been able to keep its staff, but foraying into the consumer world has not been easy.

“There’s a lack of education,” Lillyreed explained. “People don’t understand our product in comparison to what they see in a grocery store.” 

Adjusting one’s business to the smaller scale of consumer goods is also a major complication. 

“Trying to recoup the value there, to sell the product for what it’s worth, is a lot harder when you’re trying to do it a pound a time instead of 100 pounds a time for a wholesale business, he said.”

The New Fulton Fish Market has also made adjustments to help its vendors weather the lockdown. It’s website allows more direct-to-consumer sales, and its business hours have been reduced to 2-7am. But work on the ground is still old-school. At the market, orders are written in pen, fish are still weighed in metal baskets, and customers are expected to know a little more about what they are buying.

“You gotta be able to handle your fish yourself if you buy your fish here,” Lillyreed said. Pacific Gold only sells whole fish, no single cuts. “ That’s a turn-off to a lot of consumers. I don’t see that part changing.”

This reluctance to change goes both ways. “All these guys, all these companies here, are just bearing down waiting for better times,” he said. “They’re not adapting to a consumer market.” 

Business still revolves around the quality and availability of their product, as opposed to the consistency desired by grocery stores and everyday consumers. 

JMS Seasonal Seafood Inc. at New Fulton Fish Market. June 8 2020. Photo by Daniel Girma

“Here you still have guys getting in boats, going out, catching fish in the natural world and bringing them to market,” Lilyreed said. The ability to even have something to sell depends on a myriad of factors, from cancelled deliveries to waters too dangerous to fish on. “Supermarket chains can’t deal with that.”

Hanging over everything is the reopening of the country, and a hope that life returns to normal. On June 3rd, most of New York State entered “Phase 2” of the New York Forward plan, the protocol for reopening the state following the March 22 lockdown. This phase allows for outdoor dining. New York City could reach Phase 2 as early as July, according to mayor Bill de Blasio.

“People are going to want to eat,” said Bernstein, noting that he already sees many more people without masks than before. “People aren’t going to be scared anymore. I think people right now are sick of it.”

Wholesalers are banking on a surge in demand as people are able to dine a little more freely.

“I think it’s going to explode,” Bernstein said.

The post Bronx fish market struggles to stay afloat during pandemic appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Troops from all around the country helped civilian staff at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, and the Lincoln Center in the Bronx for more than six weeks. The Army Reserve had dispatched task forces to each of these centers that included preventive medicine and infectious disease specialists, nurses, administrative staff and other medical specialists. 

Lieutenant Aykhan Alibayli was one of those volunteers working on administrative tasks and testing in the Lincoln Center from April 12 until May 27. 

“Initially when we were there, the hospitals were overwhelmed and didn’t have enough staff,” he said.“The nurses were working seven days a week non stop, so we were there to help them fill in their roles. But now that infections are low, they’re transitioning back to normal operation.” 

According to Alibayli, the hospitals are switching some of their floors from intensive care units (ICUs) back to medical surgical floors and clinics. 

Despite the exposure, all of the members of the 85-soldier task force in the Lincoln Center tested negative for the virus.

 “[The negative test results] probably show you that the proper hygiene and PPE usage does in fact work because we were right there in a COVID infested area.“All the patients were COVID-positive patients, so the fact that none of us got sick shows you that if you use the proper precaution you would be safe,” said Alibayli, who also tested negative for the virus. 

Major Theresa Simard who worked as a doctor in one of the ICUs in the Lincoln Center said she was sent home because the situation at the care facility is significantly better now. She attributed the decrease in cases to social distancing and the city lockdown. However, now that the cases have decreased she believes it is safe for the city to start slowly reopening. 

“If enough people can just keep it together, wear their masks, maintain social distancing and be respectful of the desease, we can go to stores, go shopping. We just can’t be on top of each other,” Simard said. 

Joining military and civilian medical workers during a pandemic was an unprecedented effort. It was a complex operation as the Army, Navy, Air Force and U.S. Public Health Corps had to all be deployed almost at once. Alibayli said that in the event of a resurgence, the military will be better prepared to confront the pandemic.

 “I think this time around the Army has a lot of lessons learned,” he said.“Because previously, we’ve never really done an exercise like that. I think the closest one was Katrina, but even then it wasn’t really a public health epidemic. But I think this time around, it was a good experience for us to really understand better in the future, how to deploy resources and utilize them in a quicker and more efficient way.”

The post Army returns home after completing COVID-19 mission in New York  appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Volunteers Fuel Ocasio-Cortez's Congressional Campaign from Pavement Pieces on Vimeo.

The post Volunteers Fuel Ocasio-Cortez’s Congressional Campaign appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

 La Morada is a restaurant that multitasks. From the kitchen, flautas, enchiladas, mole, tacos are served up. In their dining room, the tables double as a community space, where the words “No Mas Deportaciones” and “Black Lives Mattered” are painted on doors and corners, where a flyer saying “Vote” and “Resist” is plastered repeatedly on the Mott, Haven, Bronx entryway.  

Last night it served as the venue for the Bronx Museum’s second installment  of their Bronx Speaks series, a program that combines art and social justice. Neighborhood women,street vendors, chefs, activists, teamed up with art collectives to trace their journeys to Mott Haven, their home. Throughout the night speakers took turn sharing what the community of Mott Haven meant to them. For the outsiders, from the art collectives, it was an opportunity to share why they became involved.

Yajaira Saavedra, the daughter of the owner of La Morada is one of those women who needed space to express her fear and frustration at the way her neighborhood is changing.  “As an undocumented immigrant, I can’t rely on the NYPD,” Saavedra said, her voice shaking. “I felt safer when they weren’t everywhere. I feel safer when it is just my community.”

She spoke at length about the need to fight back against the gentrification in the neighborhood, that an increased police presence was a danger to a largely black and brown community, to a community of immigrants, street vendors, and working class people.

Yajaira anecdotes are reflective of the neighborhood’s statistics: Mott Haven is 72 percent hispanic, and 25 percent black. Of the 94,000 residents in the neighborhood, 36 percent have a limited proficiency in English. Mott Haven has the highest percentage of adults who have not completed high school in all of New York City and 46 percent of the district lives below the federal poverty level. The neighborhood has the highest rate for child asthma in the whole city,  nearly three times the city average.

Her sister, Carolina Saavedra, the su chef of the restaurant, learned to cook in Mexico, at the Oaxaca Culinary Institute. Carolina was first in the first speaker in the series. Upon returning to the United States, she was dismayed to realize that her Mexican cooking experience wasn’t good enough for most restaurants. She looked around and saw the food of her culture, the precious mole which once used to be considered a gift to the gods, offered up in knock off restaurants for twice the price.

The art that Carolina made was for her children, and for the children she watched grow up in the neighborhood. She recreated “The Hungry Caterpillar” for the kids, and the culture she knew. The caterpillar munched on guacamole and rice and beans, not candy or sandwiches.

As she read her story, Carolina broke down in tears. So did many others who presented their art that night. A woman named Eutiquia Herrera, who sold coco helado immigrated to the U.S. from a poor, small village in Mexico. Juana Tapia, who learned to make her mother’s perfect mole sauce because she missed her so much, but could not return to Mexico – the mole was her only connection to home. Carmela, who made her art to smell like the flowers she misses in Mexico, and that she grows in the Mott Haven community garden.

David Keef, a war veteran and program director of the Frontline Arts group, used papermaking as a way to deal with his traumas – he taught the method to the women of Mott Haven, hoping to make a connection to the community and learn more about people different from him.

“As a veteran myself, I feel somewhat responsible and I feel guilt for the systemic racism, the nationalism and colonialism that America perpetrates,” Keef said into the crowded dining room. “I feel deeply betrayed by my country. A country that strips people of innocence and culture, a country that dehumanizes an entire population”

The betrayal Keef feels, one he tied to mass incarceration, increased deportations, and the criminalization of the poor – an average Mott Haven resident might have an experience with any, or all three, scenarios – Mott Haven has one of the highest incarceration rates in the city, nearly double the average for the Bronx.

For Keef, working with communities like Mott Haven was a way to teach his form of storytelling, one through art, to other people who would benefit from telling their stories. Mott Haven, which was recently almost renamed the Piano District in an effort to gentrify the area, is suffering from rising rents and increased costs at local retailers, a way to share personal experiences in a community setting was a needed catharsis.

Each woman could not separate the importance of their home, their community in Mott Haven, from the feelings of safety and happiness felt in their lives. All feared what gentrification and over policing could do to a community connected by street vendors.

“Who’s going to know us? Who’s going to see us? Who will we talk to?” Carolina Saavedra asked, while clutching the art that featured vignettes of her life.

The post Mott Haven residents use their voice and art to tell their stories appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Homeless women walked the runway last night in a glittering fashion show that aimed to not only fight the stigma these women face, but give them a voice to define who they are.

“We’re labeled as being drug users, or whatever negative,” said Renee Brooks, a model in the show. “Sitting home all day with soap operas, no education. That’s not true for all of us.”

Brooks and all the models who participated in the show live at Susan’s Place, a 200-bed transitional residence for women who are medically frail or mentally in the Bronx.

They walked the runway at the 6th Annual Health Empowered Beauty Fashion Show and Benefit hosted by Care for the Homeless at the Prince George Ballroom in Kips Bay, Manhattan. The funds raised at the event helps Care for the Homeless support the women of Susan’s Place.

Brooks walked in a candy red evening gown with a black vintage shawl and a felt hat. She added a runway twirl for flourish. Brooks has been a resident of Susan’s Place for just over a year.  A heart condition required her to need a defibrillator, and she was forced to seek out long-term medical treatment from the shelter. She believes the fashion show was an opportunity for people to understand that not everyone’s situation is the same.

“They get to see us in another light,” said Brooks. “They lump us all into one group, one category and that’s not true.”

Brooks hopes to leave the center soon and get a place of her own.

Sylvia Garcia, also a model in the show, is a former resident of the shelter. After nine months of medical treatment and counseling, she was released and now has custody of her four grandchildren, ranging in ages 5 to 14. She also teaches her own crochet class once a week at Susan’s Place.

“I’m proud of myself,” said Garcia. “I’ve done a lot.”

The rhinestones on Zuleyka Cordera’s black, full length evening gown glittered as she crossed the stage with her head held high. Cordero, a native of the Dominican Republic and a resident of Susan’s Place for just under two years, was nervous for the show. She was also excited for the opportunity to thank the shelter for helping her overcome her anger and learn how to use patience to solve her problems.

“Things that are big for me are small for them,” she said. I feel like these people have been my support system.”

Special guest Emmy Award winning and Academy Award nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger told the attendees that his first experiences with “the issues of homelessness” came more than 20 years ago, while he was making a documentary about the lives of people on the street.

“At the time, Giuliani was cleaning up the streets and getting rid of the squeegee men,” said Berlinger. “There was all sorts of policy and debates about what should be done with the homeless, but nobody was dealing with the human issue of what it’s like to be homeless.”

Cheryl Law of the Bronx came to show her support, but she was not always a supporter. When she learned a homeless shelter was to be opened near her home, she joined many of her neighbors in protest. She quickly realized that she had jumped to conclusions about the people who would be there.

“I just assumed it was people who made the choice to live that way,” said Law.

She now volunteers at the center and attends events like the fashion show to support those who are affected by homelessness. She also wants to help others who, like her, have been blinded by the misconception that all homeless people are the same.

“I was wrong,” she said. “It’s not that easy to judge who they are.”

The post Fashion Show gives Faces to the Homeless appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

The line of vehicles was long, but patient. Cars and vans were overflowing with food and basic necessities. People worked as a human chain, shouting enthusiastically at each other to pass on boxes of supplies towards the huge container trucks parked on Southern Boulevard in the Bronx.

Today’s donation drive hosted by the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization was about the community coming together to aide victims of hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the earthquake in Mexico.

And the Bronx Latino community is large. The Bronx is a borough of more than 1.4 million people of which about 56 percent are of Hispanic descent which makes up more than a third of New York’s Hispanic community. Puerto Ricans are the majority of Bronx Latinos.

“We’re having a lot more (supplies) than we’ve expected and we possibly will need more trucks,” said Liza Galletti, a local activist.

Volunteers help to upload the containers at today’s donation drive for Mexico and Puerto Rico on SouthernB lvd & Aldus St in the Bronx. Photo Credit: Stella Levantesi

The island of Puerto Rico, nearly wiped out by Hurricane Maria, is suffering from one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the last decades. Power grids are down, roads are blocked, bridges have collapsed and there’s a shortage of food and water.

“That’s why we keep telling people ‘please donate, please donate.’ This can’t be a one time thing,” Galletti said.

Southern Boulevard was swarmed with volunteers and community members who flooded the street to show their support. Music blasted from the speakers, whistles blew and speakers rallied the crowd in Spanish.

“We’re done with another container. All six containers are full,” yelled volunteer and Queens resident Darlene Free, flashing a smile.

They were not even halfway through the relief operations.

“And we have six more coming,” she yelled, trying to raise her voice over the applauding crowd.

The community works together at today’s Donation drive for Mexico and Puerto Rico on Southern Blvd & Aldus St in the Bronx. Photo Credit: Stella Levantesi

For volunteers and donors, it was all about getting help to the victims as they struggle and work together to stay alive.

“In my family if one person can cook then all the other members go to that home so they get at least a meal once a day,” said Jadeling Chavez, an ESL middle school teacher in the Bronx. “We have a motel down in Santa Isabela and my father provides gas and a place where people can stay. At least at night people have light because the area is not safe and it’s dangerous.”

In hospitals, generators have broken down and medications are running low.

“I have an aunt who is in dehydration,” said Erica Morales, 33, of the Bronx. “She hasn’t had water in days. But she hasn’t been able to get to the hospital. Other people are stuck in their houses because of flooding. The water’s contaminated and people are getting sick.”

Stacked bottled water at today’s donation drive for Mexico and Puerto Rico on Southern Blvd & Aldus St in the Bronx. Photo Credit: Stella Levantesi

For Puerto Ricans on the mainland, communicating with their families is one of the biggest issues. Most people have to leave their towns to get an antenna signal that allows them to send even a short, quick message.

“The first days I wasn’t able to talk to my parents for a week,” said Sofia Tollinche, 20, a student at Manhattan College and a Puerto Rico native. “Now they call me if they have a signal, but I can never get through to them.”

Many of the supporters were not happy with the response of the US government.

“The government hasn’t stepped up the way they should,” said Rebecca Ramos, 43, a native of Puerto Rico. “I’m beyond angry, our president’s priority is going golfing this weekend while people are literally dying.”

Evelyn Torres of the Foxy Family Foundation waves the Puerto Rican flag at today’s donation drive for Mexico and Puerto Rico on Southern Blvd & Aldus St in the Bronx. Photo Credit: Stella Levantesi

Some community members pointed out that many Americans don’t realize that Puerto Ricans are American citizens.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo flew to Puerto Rico immediately after Hurricane Maria hit, emphasizing the need for a collective and urgent effort to face Puerto Rico’s paralysis.

The Mexico earthquake seemed to take a back seat to the dire issues of the island.

“I was born in Mexico, so what happened there for me is a great deal,” said Christian Valero, of the Bronx and a graphic designer. “But I’m here to express solidarity with anyone who’s affected. It’s not just Puerto Rico or Mexico, it’s everywhere and it’s good to see people come together to help.”

Volunteers are also headed to the island to help.

“We are seeing the very best of humanity here. I’m proud,” said Ruben Diaz Jr., president of the Bronx Borough. “We’ve felt this pain for the last nine days, but we’re channeling that in a positive way. This response is just amazing.”

The post Bronx Latinos support Puerto Rican and Mexican disaster victims appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

For the fifth year in a row, Keith Claxton, 53, of Eastchester Road in the Bronx, stood near the Willis Avenue Bridge encouraging the runners soaked in sweat to finish the race.

“I love the sport and I think it is something awesome that people run 26.2 miles,” Claxton said. “I just come to show my support for them. It is the least I can do.”

Today , 21 miles away from the finish line, Claxton, an accountant originally from the Virgin Islands, was among the thousands of spectators, waving, cheering and pushing the runners to get through the Bronx. Every year Claxton arrives at 8 a.m. and stands by himself, in a red  track jacket, grey sweatpants and Nike sneakers.

While most of the other spectators are in groups and at the bridge to support a friend or family member, Claxton is there to support everyone.

“I cheer the last person to come across so I’m going to be here until the night,” Claxton said. “It just gives me a good feeling to be here, to be able to cheer them on, because, if they can run 26.2 miles, what is it for me to just turn up here and cheer?”

Claxton has lived in the Bronx for the past 25 years. For him, having the marathon in his neighborhood is also a way to add color to an area that has often been discredited.

“It gives people an opportunity to see a little part of the Bronx,” Claxton said. “I wish they could have gone more inside the Bronx so they get a better understanding of what the Bronx is.”

Claxton also sees it as a good way to gather communities together.

“Young, old, black, white, all nationalities are here,” Claxton said. “A sport like this bring everyone together. It just supports one cause, no division, just a marathon.”

Ten years ago Claxton used to run. But with a new job and taking care of his two children, Claxton stopped. But as he watched runners run past him, Claxton was envious and felt it was time for him to run again.

“I got caught up with just life,” Claxton said. “Sometimes you tend to put your hobbies on hold just to make a living. Now my two boys are 29 and 22. I feel like it is just time for me to go back out there and do me.”

His goal for next year is to run the marathon.

“My part right now is just to cheer,” he said “Hopefully next year, I’ll be running and I’ll have someone to cheer for me so I’m excited about it.”

If Claxton was looking forward to attending the marathon, the highlight of his day was seeing marathon winner May’s Keitany’s performance.

“She was sprinting and killed the hill in a sprint,” Claxton said. “I almost didn’t even see her, nobody was nowhere close, she really dominated the field this year. This a repeat for her, the third times she wins that in a row, it’s a big deal.”

The post NYC Marathon: A Bronx Spectator appeared first on Pavement Pieces.