Learning to be Communal…R.I.P Pop

 

There are a great deal of lessons to be learned in the big city, with a curriculum so vast and teachers of varying degrees, it’s a given that a lot of these lessons will not be learned at home. Ideally though, the most important lessons will be learned at home particularly when it comes to core values. This is the case with me when learning about not only thinking communal but being communal.

 

Growing up in the 80’s, there were a lot more single parent homes than in previous generations. Even in the cases of single parentage in earlier generations, it was usually supplemented by a strong extended family unit consisting of the grandmother, grandfather, uncles and aunts. But in the 80’s these type of family situations were waning and the ones that did exist no longer had the stability of previous eras ( For reasons I won’t get into here but if you were in NYC during this period you can take a guess).

 

The nuclear family unit becoming a rarity in Mayor Koch era NYC was not on the mind of a seven year old Brooklyn boy nor was being the offspring of a rare breed given a thought. This kid’s favorite pastime, like many before him, for all of the seven years he’d been on this big blue marble was to spend time with his father.

 

It was one of those clear sunny autumn days. You know the kind of day when you look out your window and it looks like it could be eighty degrees? It was one of those days except it was actually 45 or 50. Father and son are walking in tow down Dekalb Avenue headed to Fort Greene Park. It was a familiar stretch for the two, not an uncommon sight to see the pair with a ball, glove and baseball bat, basketball, tennis racket or football on their way to the park. Today it was football, for the son this was to be a special day. He was planning to show “Pop” how he perfected some of the routes plus other tips passed on in previous outings throwing around the football. It not only worked on classmates his age in school but the older kids too!

 

After some light stretching, the father crouches down in front of a dirt patch, grabs a stick and draws a line in the dirt:

 

Father: I want you to run this far and gimme a button hook

 

Son: Got it, no problem Pop!

 

Running at full speed, with the sound a speeding car going in his head (puh..YOOOOM!), he runs, cuts, and then stops at the drop of a dime, to turn around and see a crisply thrown pass coming above his head. He jumps arms extended. Got it!

 

Father: My boy! Good hands son, you’ve been practicing, huh?!

 

Son: We play at school and at the after-school program in the gym.

 

Father: Alright, this time I want you to run the same route but I’m going to throw the pass a lil different.

 

Sonny boy runs it to precision once again this time catching a spiraled bullet to the chest.

 

Father: Nice catch kid…you alright?

 

Son: Umph…Yeah Pop I’m cool.

 

The father then looks to his left to see a kid probably about 3 years older than his son staring at the two. He motions the kid over.

 

Father: Hey kid, what’s your name young man?

 

The kid’s name is Jimmy, the father then asks if he would like to run a few routes. Jimmy says he would, the father is now in front of the dirt patch giving Jimmy the same instructions previously given to his son. Jimmy runs about half of the distance the son ran then awkwardly turns around. A softly thrown lob headed his way it looked like an easy catch to the son. Got it…Nope Jimmy’s hands barely make contact with the pigskin. The father runs over to whisper some instructions to Jimmy before they do it 3 or 4 times when finally he catches the ball like he was holding a basket of laundry.

 

Father: Great job Jimbo! Way to go!

 

By this time four more kids had begun to watch, the father motioned them over as well. What began as father/son time was now instruction for any kid who came around and wanted it. In the sons mind, he now has to wait five times, sometimes more before he gets to get a pass from his father while also displaying what he’d been practicing. Strolling back up Dekalb, he silently pouts eagerly wanting to see his mommy, from daddy’s little man to mama’s boy in a matter of hours.

 

Of course at home the mother notices something wrong, gets right to the bottom of it then confronts the father. She tries to explain that the son just wanted it to be the two of them. The father will hear nothing of it.

 

Father: I can’t believe you and bk would be that selfish. He has me as a father all the time, 24-7; most of these kids don’t have that! Me, giving them time doesn’t take way from bk. He not only has me all the time but he’ll have me when he needs me most…most of these kids don’t and will NEVER have that!

 

The mother let it go but the son was dumbfounded. You mean all kids don’t have their fathers living with them? They don’t have anyone to pitch a ball around with? Since it was his job to protect mommy when his father wasn’t home, was it these kids job to protect mommy all the time?! How could he pout about sharing his father when his parents taught him to share, especially to others with less? These were the type of questions in the mind of a conflicted seven year old. Gradually the son was able to accept sharing his father, for it was a given that anytime they went out to do any sports together, other kids would come around. It was just one of the many ways the father has looked out for kids in the neighborhood. Now grown, many of the kids have never forgotten but still have to be corrected by the son when they state “Man, you had the coolest pops in the world!”  The reply by the son has remained the same over the years:

 

Son (bknesto): Yeah well you don’t have to live with him!!

 

The truth is I couldn’t imagine living without him.

 

Thanks for the jewels Pop!!

 

This was originally posted on February 9th, 2009.

11th Annual Clinton Hill Day

This saturday August 22nd will be the 11th Annual Clinton Hill Day. There will be food, music and games for the kids starting at 3pm in P.S.11 park.  Come out to mix and mingle with fellow residents. T-shirts are being sold weekdays 4-8pm Clinton ave. by the corner of  Greene ave. and will also be available on saturday. Grab a shirt then come on out saturday representing the neighborhood!

Overheard on DeKalb Avenue

Just wanted to post a brief conversation my wife and kids overheard while walking on DeKalb avenue on their way to Fort Greene Park.  It was a group of four standing in front of one of the restaurant/bars in their mid-twenties to early thirties and it went like this:

Woman: That’s children playing, why does it bother you?!

Man:   I know…I know…it just get’s on my nerves.

With obvious digust in his voice, the guy was about to go on further, but as he finished his sentence the misses turned around to make eye contact and he cut it short.  At that point my older daughter exclaimed “Mommy, did you hear what that man said?”

So here it is a beautiful Friday evening, the start to a long weekend and this man is bothered by children of all ages enjoying themselves in a playground. They’re not in his space, in his way, they’re across the street oblivious to his existence; simply adhering to the longtime tradition of kids being kids. He knows, he knows…But they get on his nerves.

 I  want to thank this man for showing my daughters, one of whom attends the school where the playground is housed, firsthand some the nasty attitudes people have towards them for no reason. They know they could’ve easily been amongst the mix of kids that bothered this man.

Here’s some pictures of Ronald Edmonds Learning Center’s (MS 113) Math Fair which took place on May 13. This is the same age group of the majority of the kids who were playing in the school’s park Friday evening:

Their just kids folks…

Wonderful Night in The Neighborhood

There they were, lined up from Washington ave. and Fulton Street, all the way around the corner on Waverly towards Atlantic ave. Oblivious to the precipitation; there they stood, as if in a soup line awaiting some nourishment. Except the mood was far from melancholy and the anticipation wasn’t for a meal, it was for some food for the soul.

 Once a year there’s a party called WONDER-Full thrown, honoring the great Steveland Morris a.k.a Stevie Wonder, usually in May, around the time of his birthday (May 14). Having attended the event in previous years when it was held in the city, not only was I surprised to hear it would be held in Brooklyn this year, I was also elated that it was going to be right here ’round the way. Knowing that, I did what ended up being a BIG mistake…not securing tickets in advance!

 The premise of the party is simple-all Stevie, all night! If it was performed, written, or produced by Mr.Wonder then it will be played, this includes select covers and artists like Minnie Ripperton.

 Walking up on Fulton at about quarter after eleven was bittersweet. On one hand, seeing all the people, diverse in age and race, hold reverence for this great artist was a beautiful sight. On the other hand, at that very moment, I said to myself “self you aint gettin’ in tonight!”

 My plan was of course was to jam to Stevie all night while getting some snapshots of the people and overall ambiance of the fairly new loft space location. After some text correspondence with a fellow blogger I decided I’d still cover the event, using the pictures I took earlier, of people standing in line with the focus being on how this mans musical legacy brings so many people out, people together, etc.

 With that I left, headed to a neighborhood regal beagle, sans Chrissy and Janet to throw back some cold ones. Then about 2:30, another voice came into my head, it said “Why don’t you go back to check now? It IS right in the neighborhood Dumb Dumb!!”(Yes, at this time of the AM, the voice sounded just like Gazoo).

 Walking up to 525 Waverly ave. to what is being called BK Studio Lofts; the scene was one of festivity and jubilation. With my camera strapped around my neck, I stepped right in like I had business there. Through the doors, up the stairs, I step through to see this massive, nicely decorated loft space. At my left there’s a theater sized screen showing clips of Stevie Wonder performing on Soul Train. The crowd has this euphoric sense of oneness, all in a zone listening to the sounds commandeered by DJ Spinna & Bobbito Garcia. Making my way to the bar so I could refuel on the libation before I got to gyrating was a nice surprise awaiting me…the familiar faces of the staff from Rustik on DeKalb ave. I thought it was cool of the organizers to use a local business to provide drinks and a food spread. Well after that it was time to do what I came for…it was time to get my two-step on to the man, the legend, and the music of Mr. Stevie Wonder.

 

Here are some pics of the night:

 

Inside BK Studio Lofts

Stevie in the background

Frantz, owner of Rustik & staff

The crew from Rustik on the job

 

 

KRS-ONE In The ‘Hood

Saturday May 9th Hip Hop Legend KRS-One came to Habana Outpost’s block party to grace the neighborhood with a performance. Running through classic after classic, the Brooklyn born, Bronx representing MC,  performed for about 45 minutes I was told. Unfortunately, I came by too late, which was a let down, having seen KRS several times over the years.  A friend sent this pic from his camera phone.

EDIT- Just found some youtube footage. The last part with the kids is what truly makes KRS-ONE special when it comes to representing what Hip Hop is really about…I LOVED it!

P.S.11…Neighborhood Darling

 

 

 

 

During the past week there has been uproar by a handful of parents about how the principal at P.S 20 runs his school. Within these arguments it was stated multiple times that P.S 11 has now changed, being much improved over the past two years.

Between my two eldest daughters, I have had a student attending P.S. 11 from September 1999 through June 2008.  Both of my kids were able to be in the LEAD program on every grade level (similar to a gifted & talented program- a term I never liked even when I was a part of it) through which their teachers guided them toward academic proficiency. I’d like to note that as of September 2009 the LEAD program is being phased out of PS 11.

Last year a report was released by the DOE giving P.S.11 a passing grade, citing a rise in standardized test scores, the tests are given to grades 3 to 5. In the category of student performance, which measures student skill levels in English Language Arts & Math, the school received a score of A, with 72.1% of its students at or above proficiency in ELA; 86.6% of its students were at or above proficiency in Math. This is for the school year 2007-2008. Not exactly eye popping great numbers but not bad either.

My last year as a parent in PS 11, the major changes I saw were the make up of the PTA, a small influx of newer resident’s kids in pre-K to K, a change in principal which brought a relaxing of the former strictly enforced rule of no parents being allowed in the school during school hours or popping up to sit in the classroom without notice. The new make up of the PTA were able to pool more resources which is always a good thing. Just last year the school couldn’t get Tish James to come receive an award presented to her, but this year Marty Markowitz, Borough President is attending the Silent Auction.

The teachers, the teaching methodology remains the same. Some cooking activities plus other extra curricular activities that have been added to the classroom and/or after-school are great. Just like having authors to come in to read their books, art workshops w/ classmates on Saturdays, trips to see the Philharmonic, read-a-thon pajama parties, Friday movie nights in the auditorium, family game nights, etc. were some of the things that were great for my kids at PS 11.

So where is the notion that PS 11 just became this “changing” acceptable neighborhood school coming from? Here’s a portion of an interesting comment some made on the NY Times FG/CH blog:

Your post reminded me of two conversations I had regarding the student body of ps 11. A parent pointed out that she liked what she has seen in the younger grades and enjoyed the families she has met but wasn’t too sure about the older grades. But, she said, as the younger kids move up, along with their parents, things should be OK. In my mind, what was underling her comment was the fact the older grades at ps 11 are much more homogenous than the younger grades -mostly black. (I guess the result of gentrification.) That, in my opinion, gave her pause. Had a similar conversation with another parent.

With teachers like Mrs.Kinsale, Ms.Tomlin, Ms.Pitts, Ms.Na Sha, Ms.Wiley, Ms.Copeland, Mrs. Frazier, Ms.Brown, Ms.Smith & Ms.Yelverton, Ms.Lyons and Mrs.Epstein, my children plus a few nieces have been able to do  what I deem most important in school, which is to learn then excel. That is the basis of why P.S. 11 has BEEN a good neighborhood school not because it has some newly changed progressive attitude or method of teaching despite now being allowed to bring brownies with youngest in tow to the classroom on any given day without notice.

 

My guess is my kids in the upper grades would be the ones, as referred to in the comment, the newer parents aren’t too sure about, but at least I am sure that this type of attitude is not held amongst the teachers. The same teachers that initiated brunches with the classmates only on weekends in the neighborhood, teachers that held sleepovers at their home for the class at the end of the year because she loved those kids & still does. Being able to see your child’s teachers from years past in passing and her asking about the well being of her former students, her maintaining a genuine interest in the well being of your children…I think that speaks volumes to the type of school family P.S. 11 has always been to us.  Till this day. With that assurance I will walk my daughter to her 1st day of school in September ‘10 with the same confidence I had 11 years earlier when I dropped off her older sister.

  

 

 

Isabella: Life Deserved

 

Here’s a post about the neighborhood by Dr.Mark Naison who is a critically lauded author and professor at Fordham University:

 

“Isabella: Life Deserved” Advertisement for A Brooklyn Condo Epitomizes The Unthinking Arrogance of America’s Economic Elites

Dr Mark Naison
Fordham University

For the last year, as I have sought to avoid traffic on Flatbush Avenue on my journeys to and from Fordham, I have spent a lot of time driving through Fort Green, Prospect Heights and Clinton Hill and have been astonished and appalled by the amount of new luxury housing being constructed in these once African American communities.

On Washington Avenue alone, I have counted over 15 new buildings that have gone up in the last two years on a mile and a half stretch between Eastern Parkway and the Brooklyn Queens expressway, ranging in size from three story glass fronted town houses, to six story apartment buildings to a 20 story tower, still under construction, that adjoins the BQE

But it is not just the speed and intrusiveness of the new construction that has grabbed my attention, it is the unthinking arrogance with which they claim their identity as luxury buildings in neighborhoods which have large concentrations of public housing and still contain many working class black residents.

The advertising slogan on “The Isabella” an eight story condominium on Washington Avenue between Atlantic Avenue and Fulton Street, which was completed only a month ago, epitomizes the arrogance and insensitivity of the economic elites whose reckless financial practices have brought the world to the brink of economic disaster

Less than a block from Black Brooklyn’s major thoroughfare, filled with bodegas, hair braiding salons, dollar stores, and small evangelical churches, less than one hundred feet from two large African American churches, and only a half block from an “A” train stop, a twenty foot sign on the second story of the building proclaims “Live Magnificently! Live Isabella.”

To hard working, struggling residents of the neighborhood who have to walk by the building each day when shopping, going to school or work, or attending church, one can only speculate what emotions that enormous sign inspires

One thing is clear, in a neighborhood where less than twenty years earlier, the crack epidemic took a terrible toll, and where economic survival, rather than “Living Magnificently” is the goal of most residents, the sign proclaims that Clinton Hill is about to be deluged with wealthy outsiders, many of them white, and that the days of Clinton Hill as a place where black working class people can feel at home are coming to the end

But that is not all. Right next to the huge “Live Magnificently” sign are two smaller signs which read “Isabella: Life Deserved”

It’s bad enough that the Isabella’s developers broadcast the message that the building they have constructed is only for those people who have enough money to “Live Magnificently”- they are also saying that the wealthy people about to descend on Clinton Hill, DESERVE their good fortune, and by implication, that the neighborhood people walking by the building deserve their life of scarcity and hardship.

To me, this message epitomizes everything that has been wrong with our economic system in the last twenty years

It is one thing to say that extreme inequality is an unfortunate by product of rapid economic growth, and to try to mitigate the consequences through social policy, it is another thing to say that people at the top of the system deserve everything they get, and that the wealt h the acquire is a sign of superior talent, even superior virtue

Tracy Chapman described this ideology brilliantly in her song “Mounains O Things”

Sweet lazy life Champagne and caviar
I hope you’ll come and find me
Cause you know who we are
Those who deserve the best in life
And know what money’s worth
And those whose sole misfortune
Was having mountains o’ nothing at birth

It was this overwhelming sense of entitlement, that impelled the leaders of failing companies to use government bailout money to give themselves .huge bonuses, and then defend those bonuses in Congressional hearings as the reward for a job20well done.

The idea that wealth and poverty are distributed logically through some form of “moral economy,” and that the accumulation of great wealth benefits everyone, can no longer be sustained, not in a time of layoffs and foreclosures, bread lines and unemployment lines,

In this time in American history, the redistribution of wealth should be the major imperative guiding social policy

As for the Isabella, where not one unit has been bought and rented, it is prime space for conversion to affordable housing,

After all, don’t the working people of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill deserve the opportunity to “Live Magnificantly/”

Mark Naison
April 10, 2009

LOX Bar…Let’s Speak On It…

 

It sounds all too familiar, a group of neighbors petitioning against the noise of a bar/lounge spot during hours of operation. Except this time as a result of the complaints, it seems the bar/lounge has become the target of every city agency within its bureaucracy. The FDNY, NYPD, DEP, DOH, DOB, NYSLA have all visited LOX Bar and Ultra Lounge since it officially opened in March 2008. I’m not saying at some point a business wouldn’t be visited by these agencies, but I think we would be hard pressed to find another in the area to be visited by all in such a short period time.  One agency even asked the owners did they make someone mad!

 

Now because I know people like to make judgments about places they have never stepped foot in I’d like to give some background information about this establishment. Located at 15 Putnam Ave. between Grand Ave. and Cambridge Place, Lox Bar and Ultra Lounge is owned by Laki and Arlene McLaurin.

 

 

 

The venue with its beautiful decor is used for a multitude of events. Everything from sweet sixteens, baby showers, open mics, live jazz to retirement parties and memorials for lost ones.  Just last weekend a going home procession was held for a member of the Gibbs-Carter family who have been residents of Clinton Hill for over 20 years. In February a speed dating event was held by a great program called Struggles Corp. (Please click on the link to see what this great program, started by young Brooklyn women, is all about) to raise heart awareness.  Below is a link to the event where you can see some nice interior pictures of LOX:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/agmnewyork/sets/72157614182826237/show/

 

In April a charity event is being held for autism awareness, a subject the owners are very informed about, for it hits close to home.  My point in writing this post is to bring to light the positives this business brings to the community on a stretch that has had much bigger issues.  Did we forget that the police had to shut down Grand for months on end a few years ago?  Did we forget how the corner of Grand was prior to the police shutting it down?  Do people not realize that if the Liquor Authority granted this business a license to operate in a residential area, then they are allowed to do so?  Yes, I am sensitive to people hearing noise but honestly, living in New York particularly near a commercial strip, there is the possibility of a restaurant or bar opening.  Welcome to life in the big city!  The funny thing is out of ALL the bars in this residential area, only a few have been the target of noise complaints by residents while also being accused of bringing a certain “element”.  I’d like to point out that LOX has never had any incidents nor has the NYPD had to visit, other than inquires about said noise complaints. The petition on LOX indicated it wanted to rid the community of this element…think they’re talking solely about noise?

 

3/23/09 Follow up- After being visited by the FDNY on thursday March 19th, the DOB and FDNY on friday March 20th, LOX was visited once again on saturday March 21st by the NYPD and FDNY. Neither visit resulted in the handing out of fines or summonses. As per Leticia James statement about urging city agencies to take action against LOX, the suspicions are confirmed that LOX is indeed being targeted. I’ve never heard of this many city agencies making one business their focal point as a result of a five people making a noise complaint. The fact of the matter is, these agencies besides the NYPD and maybe the DEP, are not coming to inquire about noise, they are coming because of  false accusations and complaints. There are various bars in the neighborhood, most of which create some noise for surrounding neighbors, but they are tolerated. When Habana Outpost is on from the spring to summer months, you can hear the buzz of people once you hit Fulton and S.Oxford, it seems to be tolerated and I’m sure if five neighbors had complaints about Habana Outpost, it wouldn’t prompt the Councilwoman to make them the target of several city agencies for reasons that don’t involve noise. Dekalb ave is buzzing with people all weekend, the neighbors, many of whom have been there for years before there was a succession of bars, seem to deal with it.  I’m of the opinion that the complaintants in this situation will only be happy with complete silence because before LOX opened up officially, Kush was the subect of their ire except it never went this far. There have been times since LOX opened up, the neighbors have come to complain to the owners, only to find out that the noise was coming next door from Kush. 

This was the scene outside on saturday:

Here is the scene inside at the same time:

CHC and CHB Karaoke Night

What’s up folks,

Come on out to have some fun and sing your favorite tunes with Clinton Hill Chill and Clinton Hill Blog on Wednesday, March 25th.  I will be celebrating my one year anniversary since starting this blog. I must admit, I was very apprehensive about starting this blog, there’s even been times when I thought about shutting it down. But what changes my mind each time is the interactions with residents new and old, who happen to bring up CHC without the knowledge that it’s my blog. Just the other day, a kid from around the way who’s now a NYU student and aspring filmmaker, told me he used CHC in researching for one of his film projects. It’s gratifying to know that it has served a purpose, whether it’s a story or history about the area from previous years, bringing light to a neighborhood issue or finding a spot to hang.

Faces in the Hood#4-Picture Edition