Brooklyn Avenue Block Association - Meeting Notes

      Morning Party on Brooklyn Avenue

Two people, very involved in campaigning in the recent election, were Helen Chernikoff and Dan Kirschbaum.  Like many others, they realized that Pennsylvania was a crucial swing state that Harris would have to hold in order to win.  So they decided to go to Pennsylvania to help the Harris campaign there.  They several times went down to Allentown to canvas and then later to act as poll watchers.  They were naturally very disappointed when Harris lost, and especially that she lost Pennsylvania.  Like many others they looked to the future with unease and trepidation.  To reassure themselves that they live in a community where they like their neighbors, most of whom feel the same way they do, they decided to host a get-together for 11am on a Sunday, which is when the Brooklyn Avenue Block Association (BABA) normally meets.  We sent out the invitation to everyone on the BABA mailing list and also to various people whom we have come to regard as friends of the block association.  The invitation stated that snacks would be served and welcomed any food and drink attendees might bring with them.

Photo of Helen

Helen is justly famous for baking.  Several times she has brought brownies or cookies to BABA  events and she made both for this occasion.  My wife and I brought little spinach pies, small water bottles, and daffodil bulbs we had gotten during a planting at Brower Park.  Rosalind Jamieson brought wonderful deviled eggs.  There were other treats as well.  About twenty people assembled, ate the snacks and chatted about all kinds of things about the neighborhood.  One person who came was Shelly Fank, who brought her daughter.  She told everyone about an event a week later, conducted by Crown Heights Mutual Aid the next Sunday, in which they would serve food and collect items for a distribution to take place in December.  There were other children present.  Stella and Sam brought their beautiful baby, and Tina and Nate came with their two lovely girls.  Sarah and Jens from down the street on Lincoln place came along with their older daughter, who gathered all the children together to play a game on the floor.  Each child had a word attached to their foreheads and tried to figure out what their words were.  My friend Jenn Peck came and would have gotten the best dressed award if there had been one.  She had flowers in her hair, beautifully done nails and a gorgeous dress.  Marcus Foushee came as well and was his usual ebullient self, laughing, eating heartily and telling jokes.

The gathering was great fun.  I was delighted to talk more with Sam and Stella whom I did not know very well.  I traded jokes with Tina and admired a picture that Dan had assembled from old newspapers that he had found being used as insulation in the walls of his house when it had been fixed up.  A close examination showed stories from long ago about actresses, reviews of shows, fires and crimes.  I talked to Rosalind about her sister who has had medical problems and totally agreed with her when she said we should serve food at block association meetings in the future.

When the event came to an end, I felt it had served its purpose well.  I think everyone there must have felt reassured to know that they live in a neighborhood with people they like and respect and that together we can work on various projects on our blocks, like taking care of rain gardens, stocking our little library with free books, creating boxes to put plants in, picking up litter, and coming together to socialize and enjoy one another.

Thank you Dan and Helen for putting on an event with a serious intent which also turned out to be so enjoyable.

– John DeWind

Making Links – St. Marks and Brooklyn Avenue Block Association

As a member of a relatively new block association (we just recently celebrated our first year of existence), I have been eager to create links to other block associations as well as other community groups.  So it was that I was glad that Brooklyn Avenue Block Association (BABA) could work on something substantive with the St. Marks Independent Block Association (SMIBA) and also share useful information and make other connections.  On Saturday, November 16th, I went over to the Brooklyn Children's Museum for the monthly meeting.  There were about ten people sitting at a table in the auditorium between the displays to the left and right back through two doors.

I was given an agenda and, under the guidance of Shirley Mondesir, the meeting worked its way through it.  Amy Perry reported that SMIBA has about $3,000 in the bank.  There was talk about what to do about the loud noise that comes from rooftop events at the Children's Museum  A welcome was given to Manuela Mozo who will be acting as one of two secretaries.  A warning was issued about the dangers of fires now that weather has been so dry and windy.  Shirley asked for volunteers to hang up Christmas decorations, something the association has done every year for many years.

Photo of Shirley Mondesir

Then there was discussion about what to do about garbage that accumulates on St. Marks Avenue between Brooklyn and Kingston Avenues.  At first Shirley asked that people call 311 to complain about the lack of service from the Sanitation Department, which has taken away the garbage can at St. Marks and Kingston.  Cleaning up litter is something I do regularly in the three blocks that BABA serves.  We have a group of men who do this three days a week, and on Saturdays all three of the team members come.  On that day we get the work done in less than an hour, so we usually do something extra on another block.  So I offered to add the St. Marks block to our schedule.  At this point Derrick Hilbertz said he would like to make this a permanent arrangement, and he offered to finance this work at $15 per worker for a total of $45 per Saturday.  He added he would do this for November and December and then the Association could decide whether to take on this arrangement itself.  Everyone agreed this would make sense, and I knew that my workers would welcome making more money – this would effectively double their pay.  So Derrick and I exchanged contact information and this new system would begin on November 23rd and run throught December 28th.

This was a gratifying link to make, just the kind of thing I had wanted from the beginning of BABA.  A few other connections were made as well.  I was sitting next to Manuela Mozo.  She was interested to hear about BABA and asked to be invited to our next block meeting.  She gave me her contact information and I promised to send her a notice when the time came.  So visiting was now going to be a two-way street.

Photo of Manuela Mozo

The meeting went on and during a section for “Sharing” at the end someone brought up the fate of the homeless man who used to live under the eave of the library.  He kept a cart there filled with various items and he slept there too, covering himself up completely.  Recently he moved to the front of Museum, and there was discussion about what might be done about him.  It turned out a member of the association is part of BRC which runs programs for the homeless.  His name is Taofeek.  He said he could get an outreach worker to approach the man, bring him into a shelter for evaluation and then some kind of home could be found for him.  I was very interested to hear this, as I know that Jimmy and Irina, who run the outdoor grilling business at the corner of St. Johns Place and Kingston are homeless.  Currently Jimmy sleeps in his car, and Irina stays at a friends house.  I thought surely two hardworking people with a well regarded business would be able to find a home through BRC.  So I got Taofeek's information too, with the hope that something could be done for Jimmy and Irina.

And finally another person at the meeting gave me her phone number as she lives on  Brooklyn Avenue.  She is not quite in our area, but she would not be the first outside our three blocks to come to our meetings and participate.

So I found this a very productive meeting not just for SMIBA but also for BABA, and I was pleased to see that there might be a number of ways we could cooperate.  I hope that can become a model in Crown Heights.

– John DeWind

Announcement:

The January block meeting will be on January 12 and take place in the basement at 251 Brooklyn Avenue. Among other items to consider will be a proposal to have Matthew Gilbertonson take the position of Vice-President. Other officers should consider whether they want to continue.

Also there is a need to consider the issue of dues. Currently they are $20 a piece and they are voluntary.

Another issue is the grant proposal to Citizens Committee NYC being written by Helen Chernikoff. She will give a report. The proposal is due to be submitted by February 7th.

The article on the party 257 Brooklyn Avenue is included as is the article about a meeting with the Saint Marks Independents Block Associaiton at which the BABA litter pick up team was hired to clean up St. Marks Avenue on Saturday until the next SIMBA meeting.