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Co-op City Times / February 1, 2014
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17th Annual Black Film Festival begins today
The African-American Association’s 17th Annual Black History Month Black Film Festival will begin today, Saturday, February 1st at 12 p.m. in Room 31 of the Bartow Center. The selected films are “Mandela and de Klerk” starring Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine, and a documentary by Tariq Nasheed, featuring Co-op City’s own Kaba Hiawatha Kamene, as well as Frances Cress Welsing, and others. During intermission, there will be a tribute to Brother Amiri Baraka, whose loss was mourned earlier this month. Admission is free and refreshments will be served. Please attend.
FREE Civil Legal Services
JASA has announced that a New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) Mobile van will be stationed by the library on Asch Loop on Thursday, February 13 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., to provide free legal assistance on issues related to housing, public benefits, disability benefits, immigration, domestic violence, divorce, custody, employment and advance planning. For more information and to make an appointment, please contact JASA at 718-320-2066.
Free tax help for seniors
AARP Tax-Aide, sponsored by the AARP Foundation and JASA, will be providing free tax preparation and free e-File in Room 35 at 135 Einstein Loop from February 4 – April 9, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, please call (718) 320-2066.
JASA offers free SNAP application help
JASA’s Co-op City Senior Services is sponsoring free SNAP (Food Stamp) Application Assistance by the Council of Senior Centers and Services (CSCS) on Friday, February 14, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., at 2049 Bartow Avenue, Bronx, N.Y. 10475. CSCS’s highly trained SNAP Outreach Specialists will help you with your SNAP applications. Additional dates are: Fri., Feb. 28, and Fri., Mar. 14 & Mar. 28. For further information, and to find out what documents you will need to bring, please contact JASA at (718) 320-2066.
FRONT PA G E
Truman Media students visit News 12 The Bronx
Six students from Dave Roush’s Media Communications Program at Truman High School in Education Park visited News 12 The Bronx on January 28th. The trip, which has become an annual tradition for the program, is designed to inspire and motivate first-year members of the program to explore the various careers within the news business. “News 12 The Bronx has been such a great partner for Truman going all the way back to my start here six years ago,” says Roush, who used to be a fulltime reporter at the station. “They’re always welcoming of my students, and they’re by far the most supportive television news agency as far as getting our good Truman stories out to the people
of the Bronx. It’s an amazing partnership.” Cold weather kept this year’s tour group relatively small, however, groups as large as 25 have visited in past years. During the visit, students saw all of the different areas of the newsroom, including production, graphics, master control, weather, the assignment desk and the main studio. They spoke to assignment editors, an Media students listen to a presentation by Meteorologist executive producer, graph- Mike Favetta, who explained how he uses various comic artist, anchor and a puter models to predict the weather. meteorologist during the visit. their hand at anchoring, or delivering Some of the students even got to try the weather forecast.
NYPD warns Co-op City residents about Green Dot MoneyPak scam
The 45th Precinct’s Crime Prevention and Community Affairs Units are warning Co-op City residents, and especially seniors, to be vigilant and not become victims of scammers using Green Dot MoneyPak cards. According to the officers, while Green Dot MoneyPak cards are legitimate products, scammers are using them to steal money from their intended victims. The scammers utilize a variety of schemes with some of the most common being the utility company and government agencies scams. In addition, with tax time fast approaching, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) scam is expected to become increasingly prevalent. The Green Dot MoneyPak scam is a phone scam where the victim is called by someone claiming to work at a utility company or a government agency and they are collecting money that is past due. The caller then informs the victim that they can avoid service interruption, arrest or deportation, if they immediately bring their account up to date by paying the past due amount using a Green Dot MoneyPak card that can be purchased at a local store. The caller instructs the victim to purchase a Green Dot MoneyPak card in a specified amount and call a phone number that the caller gives to the victim once this has been done. The victim proceeds to purchase the Green Dot card at a local store and then calls the number they were given by the caller to satisfy the debt. The victim is then instructed to scratch off and read the MoneyPak card serial number to the perpetrator. The perpetrator then drains the funds from the Green Dot MoneyPak card. The NYPD notes that while many schemes still involve victims being asked to wire money to the scammers, MoneyPaks have the added benefit of BY ROZAAN BOONE
the scammer not having to show up at an office or bank to claim the funds loaded onto the card. The cards can only be purchased using cash and consumers never have to disclose their personal or financial information to a retail cashier or to make a payment. Anyone with the 14-digit number located on the back of the MoneyPak card can drain the funds. In the IRS scam, the victim is contacted and told that they owe back taxes, fees or fines to the IRS and that if they do not make immediate payment using a Green Dot MoneyPak card, they will be arrested or deported. The scam is perpetrated in the same manner as the utility scam with the results also being the same – the victim’s money is stolen.
The NYPD offers the following tips to avoid becoming a victim of this scam: • Be suspicious of caller who demand immediate payment for any reason. • Remember that anyone who has the number on a Green Dot MoneyPak card has access to the funds on the card. • Never give out personal or financial information to anyone who emails or calls you unsolicited. • Never wire money, provide debit or credit card numbers or Green Dot MoneyPak card numbers to someone you do not know, and • Above all else, utility companies and government agencies will not contact you demanding immediate payment by MoneyPak.
Domestic Violence seminar to be held in Bartow on Tuesday, Feb. 4
The 45th Precinct and the Co-op City Public Safety Department are collaborating to present a Domestic Violence Awareness Seminar on Tuesday, February 4 at 7 p.m. in Room 31 of the Bartow Community Center. There will be a host of guest speakers with valuable information to impart to attendees. Among those scheduled to speak are Officer Cruz of the 45th Precinct Domestic Violence Unit; Officer Rabbitt of the Precinct’s Crime Prevention Unit; Tony Illis, Chair of the Pubic Safety Committee; representatives from Bronx Solutions and the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development; Evelyn Turner, a licensed Clinical Social Worker; Pastor Deborah Jenkins of Faith @ Work Christian Church and NYPD Clergy Liaison; Eleanor G. Bailey, Chair of the Community Relations Committee and Ebony Rae
of a Rae of Sunshine Organization. In addition, a Crime Prevention table will be available where 45th Precinct officers will conduct Operation Identification for those who wish to register their electronic devices. Operation ID is a free New York City Police Department (NYPD) program whereby valuable portable electronics, such as iPads and iPhones, are engraved with an identifiable serial number and the owner’s name and address is registered with the NYPD in the event the items are lost or stolen, and they are recovered, they can be readily identified and reunited with their rightful owner. Items registered with the NYPD’s Operation ID are also more difficult for thieves to sell. For further information about the Domestic Violence Awareness Seminar, please contact Officer Rabbit at (718) 822-5487.