The
Red Hook StarªRevue
AUGUST 2016
J
SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
FREE
Death ends life on the mend
aheim Smallwood, a 23-yearold resident of Red Hook, was fatally shot Tuesday, July 19 outside his home at 75 Bush Street. Smallwood was raised in the Red Hook Houses. He is survived by his mother, brother, and young son Jalyn, who was holding his father’s hand when the shooting occurred. Smallwood was attacked shortly after 8 pm after returning home from the Miccio Center, where he had made an appointment with career coaches and signed up for a GED program. Smallwood returned to Red Hook two months ago after five years of incarceration. “He was a kid from around here just like all the other kids,” remembers Trequan Bekka, who works at the Miccio Center and Good Shephard Services. “He was taking the first steps to get himself going… he took the initiative, taking steps to be there for his son.” Detective Nasser at the NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information’s office says that the shooting was definitely intentional, possibly relating to some kind of dispute. Witnesses’ description of the shoot-
By Noah Phillips
er was vague, according to Nasser. As of Friday July 29, no arrests had been made.
“He was a kid from around here just like all the other kids,” says Bekka. “He was taking the first steps to get himself going… he took the initiative, taking steps to be there for his son.” Lillie Marshall, President of the Red Hook West Tenants Association, was with him that evening at the Miccio Center. “When I left, he was signing up for the GED program,” says Marshall. “His life was snuffed out two hours later.” Ms. Marshall had known Smallwood since his birth, having lived in the same court as his mother. “I watched him grow up,” says Marshall. “He paid his dues, he did his time, and to come back and go out like that, that was rough.”
A vigil marking the spot where Smallwood was attacked, at 75 Bush Street. (photo by Noah Phillips)
Bekka, who is a few years older than Smallwood, remembers the victim as lively and confident. He says that this shooting is a symptom of a larger problem of gun violence in the community, and of the elevation of that violence in Black and Hispanic music and television since the drug epidemic of the 80s and 90s. “We’re still seeing some of that
backlash,” says Bekka. “We’re in a bad space, and we glorify it.” But Bekka hopes that Smallwood’s death will inspire change. “You start to see the hurtfulness of it, the pain of it… it’s going to show our young people, you know, look at what we’re doing,” says Bekka. “We’re still a young culture - it’s just going to take time.”
New Red Hook ferry to dock at Atlantic Basin by Noah Phillips
T
he NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) ended nearly a year of speculation July 20 when it announced that the Red Hook Commuter Ferry will dock at the Atlantic Basin. The South Brooklyn ferry route, scheduled to launch in 2017, is projected to serve at least 6,000 Red Hook residents, according to a press release by the EDC. The Atlantic Basin was the first choice of the Red Hook community as expressed by those who attended public hearings throughout this past year. “Atlantic Basin has the potential to become a vibrant community asset that highlights cultural resources like Portside and Pioneer Works while serving as an inter-modal transit hub,” wrote Councilman Carlos Menchaca. “I congratulate the Red Hook residents and business operators who dedicated their time and expertise analyzing
Red Hook Star-Revue
various EDC-proposed ferry landing locations. The City started looking at expanding ferry service in New York under Bloomberg, in 2013, as a way to unlock private development in Red Hook. However, Red Hook community leaders were taken aback in August 2015 when EDC announced their two proposed locations for the Red Hook Ferry landing on property owned by the O’Connell Organization at the Beard Street Pier, or Valentino Pier. Meeting attendees suggested the Atlantic Basin, and Community Board 6 adopted a resolution urging EDC to consider the that location instead. The fracas continued at a September 2015 public hearing in Borough Hall. Speakers emphasized the Atlantic Basin’s proximity to Van Brunt Street businesses, the Red Hook Houses, (continued on page 3)
Local businessman Jim Tampakas was front and center in the campaign to convince EDC that they needed to consider the Atlantic Basin as the best location for a local commuter ferrry that most of the community could get to easily. (photo by Fiala)
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August 2016, Page 1