OUR TIME PRESS | May 16 - 22, 2019

| From the Villa ge of Brook ly n |

OUR TIME PRESS THE L OCAL PAPER WITH THE G LOBAL VIEW

| VOL. 23 NO. 20

May 16 - 22, 2019 |

Since 1996

Segregated Schools, No Test Required

The elite Brooklyn Latin High School, co-located in this building, is one of five non-specialized schools screening students using the Specialized High School Admissions Test. Mayor DeBlasio and Chancellor Carranza could desegregate them tomorrow by banning the test.

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"In each case, the child in question was academically sound with talents such as dancing, singing or playing musical instruments. It is clear that the “screening� process is social engineering designed specifically to keep qualified Black children out of high-performing school."

Of Roots and Rivers

9

Photo: Lynne Buchanan

The "not in my backyard" concept creates a false sense of security. If you think a Superfund Site is in someone else's backyard instead of yours, then you are not worried about what is being dumped into the water there, but it will affect that which you don't anticipate.

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OUR TIME PRESS May 16 - 22, 2019

VOL. 23 NO. 20

DESTINATION BED-STUY CELEBRATES THE ART OF HEALTHY LIVING Live Symposium Honored Pioneers in the Food Justice Community

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ed-Stuy Arts Stroll held its second Destination Bed-Stuy Symposium.

This time, the quarterly affair brought a range of health and wellness experts together to discuss the healing properties of art, food justice and nutrition. Panelist included former musician and artist, Bed-Stuy’s Bless Roxwell, founder of LifeBEam Energetics who discussed her transition from music into wellness and finding one’s life purpose as a key. Roxwell shared how she uses Reiki healing, meditation and coaching as a healing therapy. Pratt Institute’s Art Therapy program graduate students Rivka Polisky and Brittney Moskowitz were on hand to discuss how art and wellness are vital to one’s whole body.

In tandem, pioneer Dennis Derryck of Corbin Hill Food Project and Ena K. McPherson of Tranquility Farm both stressed the importance of food quality, healthy choices and controlling food sources and choices as related to farming and growing food in the community. Emory Moore, Jr. of EM Arts and Natasha Johnson, a yoga instructor, discussed the vital need for engaging in exercise and starting from doing just a bit to regular intensive workouts. Emory, who creates and runs movement exercise programs for DBG MEDIA Publishers of Our Time Press, Inc. 358 Classon Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11238 (718) 599-6828 Web site: www.ourtimepress.com e-mail: editors@ourtimepress.com Publisher DBG MEDIA Editor-in-Chief David Mark Greaves Copy Editor Maitefa Angaza Columnists Eddie Castro Victoria Horsford Michael Johnson Abigail McGrath Marlon Rice

Community Chef Kitchen’s Mireille Massac and Karlene Dinal children in the school system, both public and charter schools, spoke about the need to move kids outdoors, away from TV and video games to doing any type of movement to increase activity and stem obesity.

In addition to the lively discussion, Community Board 3’s District Manager Henry Butler presented community gardener McPherson and farm-to-table pioneer Derryck with special citatiosn on behalf of Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams while Jamila Pringle-Fynes presented a special citation from the Mayor to the two urban farmers. Citi Bike, New York City’s largest bike-share program, were on hand to present a safety presentation and provide passes to all attendees. The evening ended with a food demonstration from both Community Kitchen and Corbin Hill Food Project chefs on healthy green options and using simple menus to cook and eat healthy.

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OUR TIME PRESS May 16 - 22, 2019

Segregated Schools, No Test Required ■■

B

ack in March, parents, students and educational advocates shuddered as the dismal results of the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) were made public.

The test scores and admissions prospects for Black and Latino students get worse every year and the results are accompanied by handwringing and disbelief.

I graduated from Bronx High School of Science more than fifty years ago when science was the top elite high school in New York City. There were far more Black and Latino students in the specialized high schools back then.

That fact challenges the notion of the “educational progress” that Department of Education bureaucrats regularly tout. Our schools are failing and get progressively worse for our children year after year. I have written extensively about the SHSAT and the specialized high schools, pointing out contradictions and offering solutions.

On May 1 st, Chancellor Richard Carranza testified before the New York City Council about segregation in the New York City public schools and his and Mayor de Blasio’s desire to replace the SHSAT with more equitable measures of student performance.

On Friday, May 10th, New York State Senators held a speakout on “Equity, Diversity and Admissions”

in downtown Brooklyn as the State Legislature considers any changes to the SHSAT. The majority of students and parents who spoke at the meeting vigorously supported the current high school admissions process and sought to keep the SHSAT in place.

Let me be clear. Much of the debate around the SHSAT is a distraction that takes us away from the core problem. The New York State Legislature requires the SHSAT for only three high schools: Bronx Science, Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Tech. There are five other high schools that use the test, but there is no legislative requirement for them to do so. The mayor and chancellor could abolish the SHSAT as the sole admissions requirement for Staten Island Technical, High School for American Studies at Lehman College, Brooklyn Latin and Queens High School at York College tomorrow, but they do not and will not. There is an increasing pattern of segregation and racial isolation in New York City’s public schools that makes New York one of the most segregated school systems in the country. When speaking about the issue of school segregation, I would often point out that New York City’s public schools are more segregated than when I went to school and even more segregated today than when my mother went to school! Why is this so and how did this happen?

Basir Mchawi

Hidden in all of the debate and rhetoric is the existence of an “apartheid” school system that is directly under the control of Mayor de Blasio. In early March, a racist incident at Eleanor Roosevelt High School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan uncovered this “separate and unequal” system. The only Black girl in the ninth grade at Roosevelt was given a racist note tied to a tampon. Roosevelt is a small high-performing school that is a “screened” high school.

There is no test required and many factors are supposedly used to gain admission. According to the latest student demographic report for Roosevelt, it is 64% White, 17% Asian, 12% Hispanic and 3% Black. How is this possible in a city where Blacks and “Hispanics” are almost 70% of the school population? We can imagine, since it is reported that there is one Black girl in Roosevelt’s ninth grade, that the numbers are getting worse. Roosevelt is not alone. In Queens, Townshend Harris, another high-performing “screened” high school, is 5% Black. There are other high-performing high schools and middle schools that have similar numbers.

Several parents contacted me when, after filling out high school applications and having, along with their children, selected up to twelve high schools ranked one through twelve, they did not

New York City students called for school integration at a rally at City Hall in May 2017.

PHOTO: IntegratNYC4Me receive admission to any of their top choices. In each case, the child in question was academically sound with talents such as dancing, singing or playing musical instruments. It is clear that the “screening” process is social engineering designed specifically to keep qualified Black children out of high-performing schools.

There is history to all of this and in another article, I will attempt to

look at how we arrived at this very problematic destination.

Basir Mchawi is an activist, educator and communicator. He can be heard on his award-winning WBAI radio program, “Education at the Crossroads,” on Thursdays at 8 pm. As a long-standing member of The EAST family, he will be attending the 50th Anniversary celebration of The EAST this weekend.

Charter and Traditional Public School Black Parents Should Find This Troubling…

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ccording to a federal lawsuit, a Brooklyn Success Academy elementary charter school harassed and forced out a special education student utilizing multiple suspensions, “falsely” calling Child Protective Services (CPS) on his mother and even dumping him off (alone) at a police precinct.

There’s so much to unpack here (e.g., ignoring the disciplinary statutes that govern the treatment of special education students), so I’ll limit myself. First, weaponizing CPS against a civil service/police employee is an extremely unethical and mean-spirited act if school officials knew that the charges were false. A nightmarish scenario could emerge affecting that parent’s job retention and/or promotional possibilities, perhaps permanently.

But I’ll focus on: “...dropping him off at a police precinct.” Partly because the absence of a “public outcry” suggests that many may not see this as a problem.

Early in my middle school experience, I chose wrongly to violate a rule of “The (Black Parents survival) Talk.” Traveling after-school to the Brooklyn Public Library, my schoolmates and I decided to race each other

■■ down the empty-of-people long “factory side” of Vanderbilt Ave. (bet. Fulton St. & Atlantic Avenue). Fully backpacked with books from our Gifted and Talented middle school program, we thought of ourselves smarter than our parents. But to quote my mother: “Being ‘book-smart’ is one thing, you also need to use your Godsense!” Well, we didn’t, and so halfway down the block we heard sirens behind us. Fortunately, we did follow the other rules of “The Talk;” we stopped, clearly displayed “hands-up,” made no “sudden-jerky” movements and announced (loudly) when reaching for our I.D. wallets. When one of the officers saw my Police Athletic League (PAL) membership card, he declared: “Oh, you’re one of (Officer) Powell’s kids.” They released us with a warning to not run “like we did something.”

We were all traumatized by that event, but we never received the necessary counseling. You see, we agreed to not tell our parents since we clearly ignored a prohibited act of “The Talk:” “Kids running and playing while Black.” I hope that young man left at the police precinct by people calling themselves educators receives the counseling

By Michael A. Johnson

support my schoolmates and I never received.

Now, I won’t paint all police officers with the same brush. As a principal, I knew some great police officers who often ate lunch in my school. This may sound strange to those who have a certain perception of Title 1 (poor) urban public high schools. But the officers said they enjoyed eating lunch at my school for the quiet and peaceful atmosphere, and also because my very serious and studious kids gave them therapeutic hope after spending so much policing time dealing with “not-so-hopeful” situations. On several occasions, these officers helped me to keep some young person out of the criminal justice system. In one instance, calling me to come down to the precinct to pick up one of my “poor judgment” students who was released, uncharged to my supervision and correction. The same thing, one white officer commented, fortunately happened for him when he was a “Long Island teenage juvenile delinquent.”

But one must ask, what kind of school decides to just dump a Black youngster in a police station?

And what was the “Black” staff members thinking, and are any of

them parents? I’m actually afraid to hear the answers to those questions.

One problem with the faux “school reform movement” in general, and charter schools in particular, is their patronizing and condescending attitude towards Black people. Black bodies may be the commodities in charter school business outlets, but Black people (minus a few) are not the “franchise owners.” Charter operators’ disrespect for Black people is often expressed by their need to enforce “prison-prep” school discipline procedures on “in-need-of-control” Black children. I’ve visited many K-12 public schools that served a majority-white student population where I saw an empowering, uplifting and respectful school environment that spoke to how much the staff honored the humanity of their students. I’ve been in public education long enough to know that if charter schools offered an “educational advantage,” then majority-white communities/school districts would be overflowing with them!

Let’s be honest, segregated (NYC’s education topic du jur) charter schools exist only because traditional public schools show no serious interest in educating

Black children beyond failed and expensive “school improvement” schemes and “progressive-poetic” rhetoric that never speaks to the real systemic/work/labor/contractual rules and regulations that effectively stifles and destroys the academic achievement potential of Black children. The many present and “wait-listed” Black charter school parents have wisely figured this out. But all Black parents need real education options--places that respect them, and schools where the culture and humanity of their children is affirmed. At the same time, their children could receive a quality learning experience that uncovers and confirms their natural gifts and talents. Now that would be an authentically Black Successful Academy!

Michael A. Johnson has served as a public schoolteacher, principal and school district superintendent. His book on school leadership is titled: “Report to the Principal’s Office: Tools for Building Successful High School Administrative Leadership.” [http:// reporttotheprincipalsoffice.net/] TAGS: Success Academy, Charter Schools, School Reform, Black Students, Black Parents, Public Schools, “The Talk.”

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OUR TIME PRESS May 16 - 22, 2019

WHAT’S GOING ON ■■

By Victoria Horsford

BROOKLYN, USA Congrats to Farah Louis, victor of the May 14 Special Election for the coveted 45th Council District in the NYC City Council, succeeding Jumaane Williams, for whom she worked as Deputy Chief of Staff for five years. Louis won 43% of the vote from a field of seven contenders. The Brooklyn-born Haitian American ran on a campaign which underscored necessity for affordable housing, economic development and more education funding. Tomorrow she hits the ground running as the new Councilwoman. Her next challenge is the June primary and the general election in November.

Farah Louis Brooklyn’s Weeksville Heritage Center (WHC) reports the success of its $200,000 fundraising efforts via GOFUNDME coupled with its media revenues blitz which exceeded its goal, and which buys time for the Black culture heritage organization. More funds are needed for the sustainability of WHC, which celebrates Brooklyn’s Black free society

dating back to the 1830s. [Visit: weeksvillesociety.org]

THE WEEK IN REVIEW USA: President Donald Trump seems to be on a war-footing. There is the war against the legislative branch of government, which threatens the viability of the separation of powers. There is the tariff war with China which will affect the American consumer’s pocketbook. And there seems to be a brinksmanship tilt for a war with Iran, which is the last thing that the Middle East nor America needs. Area is still recovering from the last US-led military invasion of Iraq. Hope that calmer minds prevail and a US/Iran confrontation is off the White House menu.

AFRICA: Last week’s general election put South Africa’s ANC Party (Mandela’s Party of Liberation) on notice. President Cyril Ramaphosa (ANC member) keeps his job. The party won by the lowest margin in 25 years, about 57% of the vote, with a low Black turnout. This year is the 25th Anniversary of S.A.’s democracy, which was to signal change and equity for the nation’s Black majority.

Today, most Blacks still have substandard housing and education, a paucity of health facilities and rampant violence.

South Africa remains a place where Cyril Ramaphosa 10% of the population controls more than 70% of the assets.

NEW YORK: Will both chambers of the NYS Legislature vote to pull Trump’s

tax returns and forward to the US Congress?

Governor Cuomo said that he’d sign on.

NYS also has power over banks which are chartered here. POTUS 45 has no power over NYS/banks interface.

The NY City Council and the NYS Legislature wants to outlaw fur sales in New York. What would that accomplish: the loss of about 4,000 jobs and $400 million in annual revenues. Why don’t both bodies prioritize the failed public education system upstate and downstate, revisit charter school caps, pay-to-play practices observed by NYS legislative and executive branches, and legalizing marijuana for starters?

UPTOWN NEWS A fundraiser for NYS Senator Brian Benjamin will be held at Lucille’s Restaurant, located at 26 Macombs Place, Harlem, on Thursday, May 16. The fundraiser’s theme: “Continuing Harlem’s Legacy of Historic State Senators” which salutes Messrs. Bill Perkins, Basil Paterson, David Paterson and Carl McCall. Event chairs include Lloyd Williams, Matthew Trebeck, Michael Sutton, Charles Powell and Gregory Bartlett. For reservations, call 212.283.3315.

Manhattan Community Board 10 has scheduled a Special Election on Wednesday, May 22 to determine its next 1st Vice Chair.

Board members who are running for the coveted post include Dr. Keith Taylor, educator Marquis Harrison and Kerika Richardson.

BUSINESS MATTERS 101 Fortune magazine’s May issue included a cover story about the “WORLD’S 50 GREATEST LEADERS.” Bill and Melinda Gates made the cover. Most of the Black eminences covered are business and tech elites. Names and placement in the Top 50 hierarchy: Nigerian Aliko Dangote, worth $16.4 billion, of Dangote Industries, #11; African-American Tristan Walker, Cofounder of Code2040, who sold his health and beauty ethnic line to Proctor and Gamble last year, #19; Jo-Ann Jenkins, CEO of AARP, #21; Senegalese Fatima Samoura, SecretaryGeneral of FIFA, #27; William J. Barber II, pastor and activist, #29; GhanaianAmerican Joy Buolamwini, a Rhodes Scholar and MIT graduate alum, founder of Algorithmic J u s t i c e League who identified bias Joy Buolamwini in artificial intelligence, #34; and Jordan Peele, Director/ Producer. And— I forgot the royals, Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Meghan and Harry also made the list.

The 5/6 CRAIN’S NY magazine issue includes the 2019 “NOTABLE WOMEN IN TECH.” African American women in the tech elite in NYC include Gilda Barabin, Ph.D., Dean, Grove School of Engineering, CCNY; Gail Evans, Chief Digital Officer, Mercer; Ebele Kemery, Global Head of business technology optimization, JP Morgan Wealth Management; Lisa Opoku, Global Chief Operating Officer, Goldman Sachs. Same issue includes NYC TECH 25 List. Infor, an enterprise software provider company is helmed by African American Charles Phillips, ranks #2 with funding at $1.5 billion from private equity.

Last week, AMAZON is back in NY, opened a cashierless brick and mortar retail outlet located at Brookfield Mall on Vesey Street, Lower Manhattan. Amazon plans on opening fulfillment centers in Queens, a facility in Hunts Point, Bronx and one in Staten Island.

Restauranteur Melba Wilson of Melba’s, the comfort food eatery since 2005, is

VOL. 23 NO. 20

Melba Wilson expanding her brand from the flagship Frederick Douglass Boulevard venue on 114th Street to Malcolm X Boulevard at 118th Street, formerly Native. Her new bistro will specialize in seafood and a tentative August opening is planned. Wilson was elected President of the NYC Hospitality Alliance earlier this year.

If it’s Wednesday in Harlem, the Cove Lounge, located at 325 Lenox Avenue, is the place to be for the weekly HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) alum MeetUp from 6-11 pm; HBCU Meet-Up began on April 10. Millennials and Gen-Xers HBCU denizens hold the day!

Maria Granville, Harlem town house owner, has launched two businesses: ONE OF A KIND SPACE, and a much-needed fine arts gallery, under the umbrella of her flagship company, Madisyn Consulting Services, headquartered at 246 Malcolm X Boulevard, aka Lenox Avenue, between 122nd-123rd Streets. Call 212.316. 1636 for an appointment to view current exhibitions or to see and evaluate the suitability of the ONE OF A KIND SPACE for rental. Granville’s taste is exquisite. She is also a veteran IT specialist.

ARTS/CULTURE/ HISTORY The National Urban League, one of the nation’s major civil rights organizations, published its annual report, “THE STATE OF BLACK AMERICA,” a 16-page turner and treasure trove of information about Russian interference during the 2016 national US election season. Of particular interest are the myriad ways that Russian computers disseminated digital disinformation schemes targeted to African-Americans to discourage and repress their vote and disinformation targeted to whites with lies about Black Americans. What is scary is that this could be repeated in 2020.

The late Edouard Plummer, Wadleigh JHS/HS educator and administrator, founded the Wadleigh Scholars Program in 1964. The Harlem-based after-school program prepared African-American public school students for admission, with scholarships, to the nation’s elite boarding schools such as Phillips Exeter, Choate, Westminster and Hotchkiss. To date, more than 500 young scholars have attended those schools before earning undergraduate, graduate and postgrad degrees at the nation’s top universities. The graduates work as lawyers, educators, Wall Streeters and IT specialists. On Plummer’s birthday this year, NYS Senator Brian Benjamin will proclaim May 22nd as “Edouard Plummer Appreciation Day” in Harlem.

Edouard Plummer

VOL. 23 NO. 20

Thinker's Notebook

W

hen my sisters and I were young children, my parents would walk us from our house on Greene Avenue up to Lafayette Avenue to watch the runners as they raced through our neighborhood as part of the New York Marathon. We’d skirt under the caution tape and hold our hands out hoping that one of the runners would smack us five. Some would. Others wouldn’t. What we waited for more than anything was to spot a Black runner. You see, in the 80’s finding a Black runner running the New York Marathon was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You’d wade through a sea of White runners until you came across one Black runner. And, coming through a Black neighborhood like Clinton Hill (at the time), that runner would receive the biggest cheers.

According to the 2018 National Runner Survey, the biggest boom of new runners are Black men. The National Black Marathoners Association, based in Dallas, has seen their membership triple since 2010, going from 1,200 members to 3,600 members. All over the country, Black running groups like Black Girls Run, Black Men Run, and others are boasting record level memberships. Here in New York City, there are literally dozens of Black running groups that bring together Black men and women from all over the city to unify under one banner, running.

Every Black movement in America comes under a natural scrutiny, because our ingenuity is readily available to become commodified and exploited. Quite often, we give it away.

Black expression has historically made other cultures rich. Ask Rock and Roll, and Hip

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OUR TIME PRESS May 16 - 22, 2019

In the Long Run ■■

By Marlon Rice

Hop, and fashion and basic popular culture in America. This pivot in the Black community, where the data is showing that more Blacks are running organized races than ever before is actually revealing something far more important. Our generation is becoming more health conscious. So, not only are you seeing more Blacks having regular doctor visits, but you’re also seeing more Blacks taking yoga, and meditating and visiting wellness centers and educating themselves on the holistic strategy of life balance.

In 2017, the global health and wellness economy was estimated at $4.2 trillion. This includes beauty and anti-aging products, fitness products, wellness tourism, mind and body exercise, healthy eating and nutrition as well as weight loss products. That figure is a 12% rise from just two years prior, and it is expected to increase even more over the next five years. A health-conscious lifestyle is an economic boom to the wellness industry. The question is, what can we do to ensure that this rise in health conscious can be of fiscal benefit to the community?

One of the ways to connect the dots is by literally bringing together health and wellness consumers with community-based businesses that specialize in health and wellness services. This week, a company that I founded produced the Black Runners Summit. The Summit is an informative networking event bringing together various Black running groups from all over the city. With the Brooklyn Half Marathon on Saturday, the attention to running in the city is teeming, making this the right time to address this market of Black runners. However, the Summit isn’t only about celebrating the Black running

"Black runners represent the biggest increase in the running community." community. It’s also about introducing that community to businesses in our community that are able to cater to their needs as runners and health-conscious consumers. We bought in vendors from the community so that they could introduce their products and services in a way that would hopefully build bonds and create consumer retention, businesses like BK Buddha which is a traveling wellness studio that provides yoga instruction and reiki, and Lenase which is a company that markets CBD oil, the trending product in health and wellness these days. By pairing the consumer which potential community-sourced brands

that service their needs, we are looking to meet the potential economic impact of an increased awareness of health and wellness head on, by creating recognition between the consumer and the service early on. And hopefully, as the health consciousness of our community increases, so too will the opportunities of the small businesses that keep our community vibrant.

In the long run, cooperative economics is as healthy to our community as running, and connecting the two concepts might actually help us to achieve the health and wellness we have been seeking for some time.

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OUR TIME PRESS May 16 - 22, 2019

VOL. 23 NO. 20

Profile

PHOTOGRAPHER LISA FARROW SEES THE WORLD ANEW ■■

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rooklyn native and marketing innovator Lisa N. Farrow may have grown up seeing “everything” in New York, but as an adult she realized she was missing so much around the world. Her world travels eventually led her to a secondary profession: photographer.

Beginning in 1996, she started traveling to the Caribbean, Africa and Europe, places quite different than the gritty streets of the Big Apple. Trips to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Cuba, Antigua, St. Lucia,

by Cheryl L. Duncan

Mexico, South Africa, Greece, Turkey, France, England, Belize and French Polynesia expanded her horizons. She began taking photography classes locally and taking her camera with her everywhere, capturing precious memories and cultures around the world. Back home in New Jersey, reminded of old family photos, she expanded her practice to include portraits.

Farrow also started a floral series of irises. Each May, she spends hours in the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens in Upper Montclair,

Photo: Lisa N. Farrow

New Jersey, shooting the delicate flowers.

“Picking up the camera helps me see things in a different way. When I shoot irises, I lose track of time, caught up in the peaceful moment we share,” said Farrow, who often heads out at 5 a.m. to shoot. “God made the iris and it’s so rewarding to capture the unique aspects of each and to allow people to bring the calm they exude into their spaces.”

When not behind her camera, the ski enthusiast is a professional marketer specializing in customer engagement strategy. She has worked with major corporations like Sirius XM Radio, Inc., HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, AT&T, and Wyndham Worldwide.

A Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholar, Farrow continues to support the national scholarship organization that helped fund her undergraduate education. She has served on the foundation’s Northeast Scholarship Advisory Committee since 2007 and chaired it since 2011. Farrow is also on the Advisory Board of Reach the World, a 501(c)(3) which pairs travelers with classrooms, bringing cultures to students nationally in real time.

Lisa Farrow “In all I do, whether creating images, mentoring Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholars, developing marketing strategy or traveling to a new country, it’s all about seeing the uniqueness in front of me and supporting new perspectives,” said Farrow.

For more information on Farrow, visit: www.lisafarrow.com or follow her on Instagram (@Niq67), or on LinkedIn.

URBAN ECOLOGY

An e-conversation launches a summer series, “The National Ecology Report.”

Of Roots & Rivers

T

■■

his spring, photographer/essayist Lynne Buchanan and I have exchanged e-mails about America’s endangered rivers. We explored ways to get the word out to our respective publics about a challenge that may not appear to be as near to our lives as education, economics, housing, racism, and more. But, in fact, it is closer to our souls than we may know -- as

Native Americans, Africans and peoples of the indigenous worlds have always believed. We shared e-mails back and forth until I understood the message Our Time readers need to receive.

On these pages are Lisa Farrow and Lynne Buchanan’s images. Lisa, in New Jersey, and Lynne, in Florida, do not know one another. Buchanan’s mail has motivated me to become a RiverKeeper as

Bernice Elizabeth Green and Lynne Buchanan much as I am a race woman. We introduce Lisa’s beautiful photo stills of what is, right now, as well as Lynne’s images and dispatches from Florida on a sickness that ekes its way into our lives, with poisons as deadly as the isms.

This column will talk to artists and creatives around the nation against the backdrop of America’s changing scenery and landscapes as Lynne’s reports from Florida

Florida’s Changing Waters A BE AUTIFUL WOR LD IN PER IL PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT BY LYNNE BUCHANAN ESSAYS BY JASON M. EVANS AND ROBERT L. KNIGHT

are featured on a recurring basis through the end of summer’. The following introduces the series, which starts next week.

Bernice Elizabeth Green: For many, living in or near the centers of cities, preserving waterways is not an issue that rests at the top of our mind. We may think of preservation as an agency of houses, forests, cultures. It is not as though you look out of your apartment window from your Eleanor Roosevelt Housing and see a river coursing west down DeKalb Avenue en route to Brooklyn Bridge Park and New York Harbor.

Lynne Buchanan: We all get our drinking water from rivers and springs, and all people eat food, whether they eat fish, livestock or are vegetarians or vegans. Everything needs water to grow and live. If animals drink impaired water, or crops are watered with it, that affects the health of the creature and fruit or vegetable. And when we consume them, we can also become sick. I live in the mountains of western North Carolina now and my water comes from a well. It’s pretty clean, because it is filtered through the mountains for a long time. The drinking water supply for Asheville is in a pristine area of the Blue Ridge, too. We are lucky.

People in NYC are lucky too, because their drinking water comes from the Catskills and is also relatively clean. Western North Carolina’s aquifer is

comprised of separate pockets because of the mountains, so it takes a while for pollution to travel from one area to the next. However, in places like eastern North Carolina and Florida, the aquifer has no barriers and pollution from one area travels easily to the next.

Rivers and streams that feed into major rivers cover the entire country, yet there are only 78 major watersheds and 5 major drainage areas.

If you look at the Mississippi Watershed, for example, you’ll see that it covers nearly a third of the country. There are many beautiful maps and when you look at them, you see that tributaries and rivers are like arteries and indeed they provide the lifeblood for our existence wherever you live. Yet, they are all connected, which also means that pollution does not stop at the borders of neighborhoods or states or even countries. And it doesn’t just stay close to the ground either. It evaporates and with airborne pollutants, falls down on the earth again in the form of acid rain.

BG: Why are rivers of fascination to you personally? Is there someone in your life, early on, who told you stories about ecosystems? What can we do to engage our children more?

LB: My father was a philosopher and he greatly admired Heraclitus, whose famous quote was: “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the ➔➔ Continued on page 11

VOL. 23 NO. 20

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OUR TIME PRESS May 16 - 22, 2019

Brooklyn’s Black Arts Scene ■■

While Brooklyn does not have a “Museum Mile,” it does have art and cultural institutions dotting the area that feed the mind and the body. Take, for example, the beautiful ARTs East New York at 534 Livonia Ave, committed to presenting and promoting multicultural arts. Through theater, dance, film, visual art and more, founder and director Catherine Green foster entrepreneurs and cultural industries and instills pride amongst residents.

A long-standing institution is Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration. It’s main building, at 1368 Fulton St., houses the Billie Holiday Theatre on the ground floor and Skylight Gallery, a visual arts exhibition space, on the third floor. Still, other gems include Weeksville Heritage Center in northern Crown Heights, the site of four restored homes belonging to the earliest Black community in Brooklyn. It also presents a

By Akosua K. Albritton

diversity of arts performances in its auditorium and outdoors. Rob Fields, president and executive director, is leading the charge to save the institution in a time of financial challenge. The community has responded nicely, but more is needed.

Brownsville Heritage House is located one flight above the Stone Avenue Branch Public Library. The Green Earth Poets Cafe got its start there by encouraging preteens and adults to write poetry and songs. The Green Earth Poets Cafe has since tended to perform at Amarachi, a restaurant specializing in Nigerian dishes. Richard Beavers Gallery on Marcus Garvey Boulevard displays contemporary, colorful and bold paintings, quilts, installations and books. The gallery tends to stir up a party atmosphere by bringing in a DJ and serving delicious finger food. The MoCADA Museum is located in the BAM Cultural District. Amy Andrieux is the Executive Director there.

Mainstays of the cultural scene include the Brooklyn Children’s Museum and The Kumble Theater for the Performing

Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts Arts. For many years, Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival had screened its festival films in Kumble Theater on LIU’s downtown campus. The past two years, however, the locale has varied. In 2017, the location was in Harlem. In 2018, the venue was the Alamo Theater, off of the Fulton Street Mall.

Another film purveyor is Curtis Caesar John, founder of The Luminal Theater, who said, “The Luminal Theater’s mission is to provide fully curated exhibitions of diverse cinema and media of the African Diaspora.”

Curtis John endeavors to “keep Black Art alive through the cinematic arts.” He is co-founder of the Caribbean Film Series, hosts the Cinema Garden Party and distributes various resources related to the Black moving image.

Carolyn Butts, Curtis John and Curtis Harris agreed to share their individual thoughts on their respective vocations.

Carolyn Butts: Curtis John

African Voices showcases visual art, literature and film. We were founded in 1992 as a storytelling organization that provides

Curtis Harris

Carolyn Butts an outlet for arts of color to develop and share their stories with the world. African Voices Communications publishes African Voices, a literary magazine, runs Reel Sisters of the African Diaspora (Reel Sisters), an international film festival celebrating women of color and sponsors Get Your Read On! an arts literacy program. Last year, Reel Sisters became the first women-centered film festival to receive Academy-Qualifying status for narrative shorts. Attaining this status gives more women of color a chance to receive Oscar consideration. ➔➔ Continued on page 9

Celebrating Sonia Sanchez: A Revolutionary Mother’s Day Was Had By All ■■

L

ast Sunday a Mother’s Day celebration was held for Sonia Sanchez, celebrated poet, playwright, essayist and activist for justice. justice and fiercely loving, protecting and mother of the Black Arts community and of her people for many years. Part of the PEN World Voices 20219, the event, titled “Revolutionary, Art, Love and Family” was held at Roulette in downtown Brooklyn and featured Newark Mayor and poet Ras Baraka and Akila Worksongs founder and author April Silver. They, along with Sonia, were interviewed by scholar, writer and curator Rich Blint, about the mentoring role Sonia has played in their lives. The 84-year old icon, always as tender as she is tough, was moved to tears at several points by the love and admiration coming from the stage and from audience members.

See below a brief portion of the afternoon’s informative and galvanizing exchange.

April Silver “I am hyper-present about the trauma that we have as individuals. I’m hyper-sensitive about what happens to your biochemistry (intergenerationally) [with] our ancestors…

Babies being cut out of the womb of a woman as the community watched these people do these things as a way to demonstrate that, ‘This is what could happen to you.’ There’s something that goes on in your psyche, in your spirit, in your body when you’re made to watch that. So, we’re dealing with the scars of that…

By Maitefa Angaza directs you to something else, but is not in and of the world.”

Sonia Sanchez:

Photo: Maitefa Angaza

Rich Blint, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Sonia Sanchez and April Silver.

Rich Blint: “James Baldwin said, ‘Love has never been a popular movement and no one has ever wanted, really, to be free’ That’s what I think, partially, is what April is talking about.

So what does it take to reimagine yourself, to refashion yourself to be a revolutionary in a popular movement. Mayor Baraka, what do you think of that?

Mayor Ras Baraka: “Just paraphrasing, Che Guevara said too that, ‘The true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love.’ And I think ultimately, even in the present day, people have to read!

You cannot call yourself a revolutionary if

you have not studied revolution or people who have carried it out. And not just activists, also people who have to run and govern after revolution. It’s important to understand that and have a real perspective of what you’re getting yourself into. You can’t claim to be a mathematician and you don’t study math. How can you be a writer and you have not read anything? People say they are writers, but they don’t know any writers. How can possibly say you’re a Black writer and you have not read Sonia Sanchez?... It’s easier, in the present sense, to do that because everything is governed by soundbites. People say the Internet is a billboard – it’s really a one-way sign. It

“The question is about revolutionary love and how does that look today? It looks today as it did before, and part of that is about forgiveness and understanding and compassion with each other in our close family circles.

So, we struggled in our organizations for decades. And to be frank, there are people who don’t speak to each other to this day because of what they experienced. You know and I know that we cannot make progress when we allow this to happen. I had a conversation oh, 25 years ago and I was going to write about the destruction of Black organizations and the first thing that helped to destroy them was gossip. Gossip! “In the Movement, our brother, our sister, anyone who teaches, you’ve had things thrown at you. And you don’t have a chance to deny it. You don’t have a chance to say, ‘No that isn’t right. I didn’t say that. I didn’t do that. I wasn’t even there.’ “… Because with our dear brother Garvey, he could not possibly go to every person and say, ‘I did not say that, I did not do that’ forever. And people stopped supporting him. … We’re not dumb, we’re not stupid, but sometimes we move on emotion and at some point, we need to do things that will control our emotions. We need to learn how to breathe properly, not through the nose and the mouth. But when you breathe from the belly, you stop. It’s a hard rest.”

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Brooklyn’s Black Arts Scene ➔➔ Continued from page 7 For 25 years, African Voices Communi­ cations operated at 270 W. 96th Street, publishing and providing community arts programs. We have been serving Central Brooklyn and Harlem for 27 years existence and were fortunate to now find a 302-square-foot storefront at 325 Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn, where we have an office and will provide pop-up arts events, workshops and storytelling hours.

Curtis Caesar John, Founder of The Luminal Theater: The Luminal Theater is keeping Black film art accessible to audiences in Central Brooklyn. For me, cinema is one of the most connective of arts in that we wait for the lights to dim and we share in these stories together. As Black folks, we talk and comment and share energy about films in a way that certain audiences do not - it’s a physical experience, not just for entertainment, but for elucidation and kinship.

We’re also growing careers in art by leading by example.

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Curtis Harris, Head of Green Earth Poets Cafe: Green Earth Poetry Cafe has presented poetry and the performing arts for six years.

We are headquartered in Crown Heights, offering youth programming at Brownsville Heritage Center. In order to support our craft, we don’t have a home per se. Rather, we rent various venues such as Brooklyn Borough Hall, The Kumble Theater and BedfordStuyvesant Restoration. We do not have a benefactor; we have grants from City Council members Robert Cornegy, Darlene Mealy and Alicka Ampry-Samuel. Our board of directors does not have an annual contribution level to meet. However, our strategy to stay solvent is to apply for grants and request donations since we are a 501©-(3) organization. We recently collaborated with the Weeksville Heritage Center to orchestrate the 4th Annual $1,000 Poetry Slam for National Poetry Month.

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VIRI V LLC Arts. Of Org. Filed Sec. of State of NY3/22/2019. Off. Loc.: Kings Co. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail proc.: c/o Nino Khakhiashvili, 1650 West 10th Street, Apt E2 Brooklyn, NY 11223. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

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Wise Choice Property Management LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 2/19/19 Office: Kings County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

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PRONTO PRODUCTIONS LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 2/28/19 Office: Kings County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o LISA LEEKING, 668 Halsey Street, Apt. 1, Brooklyn, NY 11225.Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Eldercare Allegiance LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 2/25/19 Office: Kings County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 495 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225.Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

The State of the Knicks ■■

A

fter months of waiting, speculation and buildup, Tuesday’s NBA Draft lottery (not the actual draft) the New York Knicks will finally find out just where they will pick. The one name that was floating around from the time the college basketball season came to an end was Duke’s superstar Zion Williamson. The Knicks were tied percentage wise with the

Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls at 14% to land the number one pick. There to represent the Knicks in hopes of securing that pick was Knick legend Patrick Ewing who was selected number one overall by the Knicks back in 1984 (last time team had top pick). Unfortunately, the Knicks’ card was picked up to select the No. 3 pick in the draft which indicates they will no longer be in the running for Zion.

On the flipside, the Knicks assured themselves of one of the top three players in college basketball. It may come down to two other great players

By Eddie Castro

in Murray State’s JA Morant and Zion’s college teammate R.J. Barret. The Knicks would certainly be happy if either player lands on their lap as they continue their rebuilding process.

Another positive note for Knick fans to consider is that the team does have enough cap space to sign two max players. Superstar players such as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have been linked to perhaps joining forces at Madison Square Garden. What a sight that would be along with whomever the Knicks decide to select. This will all lead to even more of a waiting proces for Knick fans

as they hope to strike gold in capturing either Durant or Irving after swinging and missing on Williamson. From here until June anything is possible. Only then where we will find out just what the state of the Knicks will actually look like.

Sports Notes: (Baseball) The Yankees have decimated with injuries all year long.

This week they get a key bat and outfielder back in their lineup as Aaron Hicks returns from a strained back he suffered in spring training. The team also added some depth to their team late Tuesday night trading for slugger Kendrys Morales.

10

OUR TIME PRESS May 16 - 22, 2019

LEGAL NOTICES ➔➔ Continued from page 8 lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of NY, Block 8241 Lot 54. Approximate amount of judgment $582,190.75 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 506029/2014.

Jack Segal, Esq., Referee Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: April 2, 2019 62530 NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS, ELIZON MASTER PARTICIPATION TRUST I U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS OWNER AND TRUSTEE, Plaintiff, vs. ELEANOR L. BROWNE, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly filed on March 28, 2016, and an Order Granting Extension to Conduct Foreclosure Sale and Amend Caption duly filed on March 22, 2019, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, Room 224, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY on June 20, 2019 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 1458 East 87th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11236. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, Block 8083 and Lot 32. Approximate amount of judgment is $699,184.36 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 5383/2013. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Mortgagee’s attorney, or the Referee. Steven H. Richman, Esq., Referee Roach & Lin, P.C. fka Peter T. Roach & Associates, P.C., 6901 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 240, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK - COUNTY OF KINGS WELLS FARGO BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR STRUCTURED ASSET MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS II INC. GREENPOINT MTA TRUST 2005-AR3 MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2005-AR3, V. MOHAMMED A. KHAIR A/K/A MOHAMMED KHAIR; ET AL. NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated March 15, 2019, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Kings, wherein WELLS FARGO BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR STRUCTURED ASSET MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS II INC. GREENPOINT MTA TRUST 2005-AR3 MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2005-AR3 is the Plaintiff and MOHAMMED A. KHAIR A/K/A MOHAMMED KHAIR; ET AL. are the Defendants. I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the KINGS COUNTY COURTHOUSE, ROOM 224, 360 ADAMS STREET, BROOKLYN NY 11201, on June 13, 2019 at 2:30PM, premises known as 94 ELDERT LANE, BROOKLYN, NY 11208: Block 4112, Lot 88: ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON ERECTED, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN, COUNTY OF KINGS, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 21988/2013. Jonathan

Engel, Esq. - Referee. RAS Boriskin, LLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Plaintiff AGAINST Cora Smith; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated March 7, 2019 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Room 224, Brooklyn, NY 11201 on June 6, 2019 at 2:30PM, premises known as 1040 Elton Street 18DA, Brooklyn, NY 11208. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of NY, Block 4423 Lot 1522. Approximate amount of judgment $235,588.32 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 500849/2015. Jacob Gelfand, Esq., Referee Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: March 15, 2019 62182 NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT KINGS COUNTY WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, D/B/A CHRISTANA TRUST, NOT INDIVIDUALLY BUT AS TRUSTEE FOR PRETIUM MORTGAGE ACQUISITION TRUST, Plaintiff against IOLANTA TYUTIN A/K/A IOLANTA TYUTINA, ET AL, et al Defendants Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Knuckles, Komosinski & Manfro, LLP, 565 Taxter Road, Suite 590, Elmsford, NY 10523 Attorney (s) for Plaintiff (s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered August 10, 2017, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at Room 224 of Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11201 on June 13, 2019 at 2:30 PM. Premises known as 2041 Royce Street, Brooklyn, NY 11234-6220. Block 8416 Lot 19. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, City and State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $583,008.68 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 503382/2014. Cash will not be accepted at the sale. Gregory T. Cerchione, Esq., Referee 2296-002906 NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS, EMIGRANT BANK AS SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO EMIGRANT SAVINGS BANKBROOKLYN/QUEENS AS ASSIGNEE OF EMIGRANT MORTGAGE COMPANY, INC., Plaintiff, vs. GUSTAVO ALVAREZ, DORIS ALVAREZ, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly filed on September 25, 2017 and an Order Extending Time to File Conduct a Sale dated July 18, 2018, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, Room 224, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY on June 13, 2019 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 28 Schenck Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, Block 3919 and Lot 23. Approximate amount of judgment is $389,969.15 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 12679/2014. Jageshwar Sharma, Esq., Referee Borchert & LaSpina, P.C., 19-02 Whitestone Expressway, Suite 302, Whitestone, New York 11357, Attorneys for Plaintiff NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS WELLS FARGO

BANK, N.A., AS TRUSTEE, BANC OF AMERICA ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2006-9 MORTGAGE PASS THROUGH CERTIFICATES, Plaintiff AGAINST CARL L. DARRISAW, et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated March 13, 2019 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Room 224 of Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201, on May 30, 2019 at 2:30PM, premises known as 326 MALCOLM X BOULEVARD, BROOKLYN, NY 11233. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, BLOCK 1681, LOT 48. Approximate amount of judgment $919,367.87 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment for Index# 503100/2015.

PAUL B. GROMAN, ESQ., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC Attorney for Plaintiff 1775 Wehrle Drive, Suite 100 Williamsville, NY 14221 62779 SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF KINGS _ SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS INDEX NO. 522391/2017 Mortgaged Premises: 1102 PROSPECT PLACE BROOKLYN, NY 11213 Block: 1237 Lot: 31Plaintiff designates KINGS as the place of trial situs of the real property FAREVERSE LLC I/L/T/N FINANCE OF AMERICA REVERSE LLC., Plaintiff, vs. CARL BANNISTER, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF CRAIG BANNISTER; ALAN BANNISTER, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF CRAIG BANNISTER; UNKNOWN HEIRS OF THE ESTATE OF CRAIG BANNISTER; any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or general or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff; SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK; ‘’JOHN DOE #1’’ through ‘’JOHN DOE #12,’’ the last twelve names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, described in the complaint, Defendants. To the above named Defendants YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this summons, to serve a notice of appearance on the Plaintiff’s Attorney within 20 days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York) in the event the United States of America is made a party defendant, the time to answer for the said United States of America shall not expire until (60) days after service of the Summons; and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the

VOL. 23 NO. 20 relief demanded in the complaint. NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above caption action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure the sum of $750,000.00 and interest, recorded on November 21, 2011, at Instrument number CRFN 2011000406131, of the Public Records of KINGS County, New York, covering premises known as 1102 PROSPECT PLACE BROOKLYN, NY 11213. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above.

KINGS County is designated as the place of trial because the real property affected by this action is located in said county. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to the mortgage company will not stop the foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. RAS BORISKIN, LLC Attorney for Plaintiff BY: SAHAR HAMLANI, ESQ. 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310 Westbury, NY 11590 516-280-7675 NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee for SG Mortgage Securities Trust 2006-FRE2, Asset Backed Certificates, Series 2006-FRE2, Plaintiff AGAINST Juan Rosado; Juana Rosado; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated February 26, 2019 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Room 224, Brooklyn, NY 11201 on May 23, 2019 at 2:30PM, premises known as 2 Jardine Place, Brooklyn, NY 11233. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of NY, Block 1573 Lot 27. Approximate amount of judgment $624,603.63 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 512257/2014. Aaron Tyk, Esq., Referee Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: March 12, 2019 SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF KINGS Nationstar Mortgage LLC d/b/a Mr. Cooper Plaintiff,- against - Chiva Barlatier, as Administratrix and Heir to the Estate of Marie Jeannette Balatier a/k/a Marie Jeannette Barlatier a/k/a Marie Barlatier, Deana Barlatier, as Heir to the Estate of Marie Jeannette Balatier a/k/a Marie Jeannette Barlatier a/k/a Marie Barlatier if living and if any be dead, any and all persons who are spouses, widows, grantees, mortgagees, lienor, heirs, devisees, distributees, or successors in interest of such of the above as may be dead, and their spouses, heirs, devisees, distributees and successors in interest, all of whom and whose names and places of residences are unknown to Plaintiff , Hadiya Ruvia Barlatier-Johnson, as Heir to the Estate of Marie Jeannette Balatier a/k/a Marie Jeannette Barlatier a/k/a Marie Barlatier, United States of America, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, New ➔➔ Continued on page 11

VOL. 23 NO. 20

LEGAL NOTICES ➔➔ Continued from page 10 York City Environmental Control Board, New York City Parking Violations Bureau, New York City Transit Adjudication Bureau, Criminal Court of the City of New York, John Doe (Refused Name), John Doe (Refused Name), John Doe (Refused Name), Tewible Doe (Refused Last Name), Defendants.

Index No. 514574/2018 Filed: 4/17/2019 SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS Plaintiff designates Kings County as the place of trial.

Venue is based upon the County in which the Mortgage premises is situated. TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT(S): YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your Answer or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a Notice of Appearance on the attorneys for the plaintiff within twenty (20) days after service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure $300,000.00 and interest, recorded in the Office of the Clerk of the County of KINGS on November 14, 2006, in CRFN 2006000631210, covering premises known as 1241 East 103 Street, Brooklyn, NY 11236. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this Summons and Complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the Mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home.

Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the Summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your Mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. Dated: Bayshore, New York April 12, 2019 By: Linda P. Manfredi, Esq. Frenkel, Lambert, Weiss, Weisman & Gordon, LLP Attorneys for Plaintiff 53 Gibson Street Bay Shore,

OUR TIME PRESS May 16 - 22, 2019 New York 11706 (631) 969-3100 Our File No.:01-088469-F00 SUPREME COURT – COUNTY OF KINGS U.S. BANK TRUST, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR LSF9 MASTER PARTICIPATION TRUST, Plaintiff against RICHARD BUCKHEIT, ESQ. AS PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR OF KINGS COUNTY ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF GREGORY BISCOMBE, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on January 17, 2018. I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 224 of the Kings County Courthouse, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. on the 30th day of May, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. premises described as follows: All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York. Said premises known as 40 Weirfield Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11207.

(Block: 3401, Lot: 24) Approximate amount of lien $ 723,250.09 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale. Index No. 6482-08. Angelique Moreno, Esq., Referee. Stern & Eisenberg, PC Attorney(s) for Plaintiff Woodbridge Corporate Plaza 485 B Route 1 South – Suite 330 Iselin, NJ 08830 (732) 582-6344 *For sale information, please visit www.auction.com or call 800-280-2832* NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT KINGS COUNTY WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, D/B/A CHRISTINA TRUST, NOT INDIVIDUALLY BUT AS TRUSTEE FOR HILLDALE TRUST, Plaintiff against LIGAYA A. MUSA, et al Defendants Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Schiller, Knapp, Lefkowitz & Hertzel, LLP, 200 John James Audubon Parkway, Suite 202, Amherst, NY 14228 Attorney (s) for Plaintiff (s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered March 26, 2019, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at Room 224 of Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11201 on May 30, 2019 at 2:30 PM. Premises known as 3038 Brighton 7th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11235. Block 8676 Lot 58. The land referred to herein below is situated in the County of Kings, City of Brooklyn, State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $68,452.78 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 513675/2016. For sale information, please visit www.Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832. Leo Salzman, Esq., Referee 16-09672

An e-conversation launches a summer series, “The National Ecology Report.” ➔➔ Continued from page 6

person at all, he knew we don’t live outside nature and he was a firm believer in same river and he’s not the same man.” I ethics. My father taught me to learn from found this quote fascinating because it everything, to ask questions and pay attenconveyed how life is always in flux. It also tion. When I kayaked on rivers growing up made me realize that water has no separate and for this project, I was always aware of beginning, middle or end. It is all connected, the lessons they were teaching me. Rivers and people are all connected. The “not in also teach us not to give up, especially my backyard” concept creates a false sense when encountering snags (fallen trees) and of security. If you think a Superfund Site other obstacles. You usually can’t just get is in someone else’s backyard instead of out in the middle. You have to keep going, yours, then you are not worried about what think outside the box, find a way around is being dumped into the water there, but it and through your troubles, and mostly enwill affect that which you don’t anticipate. dure. Speaking of endurance, what a great (As an aside, this is also a human rights success the Maori tribe achieved recently issue, as those who are forced to live a when after 140 years of negotiation, they subsistence lifestyle due to poverty have to finally won recognition for the Whanganui fish in the worst waters because they can’t River, which means it now must be treated afford boats or fuel to travel to less-toxic as a living entity. The Maori are some of, areas to get their food off of cleaner land.) if not the greatest water projectors in the Though my father was not an outdoors world.

11

CUNY BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFERS CITY AND STATE TUITION RATES, WAIVES APPLICATION FEES FOR COLLEGE OF NEW ROCHELLE STUDENTS IMPACTED BY CLOSURE

T

he Board of Trustees of the City University of New York unanimously passed a resolution allowing College of New Rochelle students impacted by the announced closure of the 115-year-old private college this summer to seamlessly continue their studies at a CUNY college.

As part of the university’s agreement with the College of New Rochelle, students who transfer into CUNY senior colleges will pay the in-state rate of $6,730 per year while students who attend community colleges will pay the in-city rate of $4,800 per year.

The CUNY Board of Trustees will also waive admission application fees for any College of New Rochelle student who transfers to CUNY during the Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 semesters.

The City University of New York is the nation’s leading urban public university. Founded in 1847, CUNY counts

13 Nobel Prize and 24 MacArthur (“Genius”) grant winners among its alumni. CUNY students, alumni and faculty have garnered scores of other prestigious honors over the years in recognition of historic contributions to the advancement of the sciences, business, the arts and myriad other fields.

The university comprises 25 institutions: 11 senior colleges, seven community colleges, William E. Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, CUNY Graduate Center, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, CUNY School of Law, CUNY School of Professional Studies and CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy. The university serves more than 275,000 degree-seeking students. CUNY offers online baccalaureate and master’s degrees through the School of Professional Studies.

12

OUR TIME PRESS May 16 - 22, 2019

N YC ID EN TI FI CATI O N CA

VOL. 23 NO. 20

RD

Wherever you’re from.

You belong here.

Get an IDNYC. With a free NYC identification card,

you can explore the city together. Pick up your kids from school, view their immunization records online, and check out books from your public library. It’s the card that opens doors all over the city.

All NYC residents 10 and older are eligible to apply. Call 311 or visit nyc.gov/idnyc MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Saturday, May 18

th

WHEN THE CHILDREN OF OSUN SPEAK The Inkwell,

1165 Bedford Ave., doors at 7pm, show @ 8:00, $15. This second annual fundraiser for the Tribute to the Ancestors of the Middle Passage at Coney Island Beach with a full lineup of performances, including those by Gail Campbell, Ras Osagyefo, Baba Ngoma Hill, Menes De Griot and the Shanto Drummers, Alexandra Jean-Joseph, Empress Poetry and others.

HERB AND WILD FOOD WALK Prospect Park entrance

at Flatbush Ave. & Empire Blvd. (near the carousel), 10am, $10.

Join Tioma Allison on a morning nature walk through the park and learn how to recognize herbs and wild foods and all about their uses. Tioma, an herbalist and midwife, has been conducting these walks for many years.

Participants leave with bags full of wild plants that are good for health, cooking and even making wine. To register call 917-4973529.

Sunday, May 19th ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE TO THE GRAVESITE OF MALCOLM X Harlem State

Office Building, 125th St. & Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd – 9am to board bus to Ferncliff Cemetery in Westchester County, $9 for adults, $4 for children. Observe the 94th Birth Anniversary of Malcolm X with the Organization of Afro-American Unity, which he founded in 1964. Presented by the Malcolm X Commemoration Committee, Baba James Small and others.

On its return, the committee will lead the annual shutting down of 125th St. stores, ending the day at The Shabazz Center Celebration, featuring a conversation with Daughters of the Movement and performance by entertainer and activist Ayana Gregory, daughter of the late Dick Gregory.

Tuesday, May 21st

4 Annual Older Americans Month Celebration Brooklyn Borough Hall, 208 Joralemon St., 10am-3pm, FREE. Join Brooklyn Public Library and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams for a special event celebrating Brooklyn’s older adults. Featuring a resource fair, musical performances, swing dance and fashion showcases, th

Tuesday, June 4th

opioid and naloxone training, refreshments and giveaways. For more info call 718-230-2442.

FOOD FOR THE SOUL

Wednesday, May 22nd CLOSING EVENT FOR “RWANDA RETOLD:” A MULTIMEDIA ART EXHIBITION, Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, 80 Hanson Pl., 7-9pm, $8 for students w/ ID, and seniors 65+, $4, children under 12 free w/an adult.

This special pop-up exhibition covers the 25th Anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi people. It features emerging Rwandan artist from the Envision Rwanda Media Arts Collective. Once written off as “ethnic violence” by Western media, “Rwanda Retold” centers on themes of place and identity, exploring the consequences of

hate in divisive times and brings us back to our shared humanity, reminding viewers of the universal commonalities we all share.

Themes of pain, healing and hope are exemplified through a diverse range of artistic mediums. Through the artists’ eyes, we see present-day Rwanda, a modern nation looking toward a bright future. For more info call 718-230-0492.

Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St., 6:30pm, $10.

Food fuels more than our physical bodies, it feeds our identities and is an essential ingredient in cultivating community. Join us for an exploration of Black culinary culture as Michael Twitty, author of The Cooking Gene: A Journey through African-American Culinary History in the Old South and Chef Therese Nelson of Black Culinary History examine and pay homage to the collective legacy of African, African-American and African Diasporic food. Tickets at brooklynhistory.org/publicprograms.

Saturday, June 8th FREE RAIN BARREL GIVEAWAY Brower Park, Brooklyn Ave. bet. St. Marks & Park Place, 11am-1pm, FREE. Councilman Robert Cornegy brings back this conservation-friendly event that distributes 60-gallon rain barrels to homeowners. They are easy to install, connect directly to a downspout to capture water from the roof and help to lessen local sewer overflows. Use the water for lawns and gardens, washing cars and other outdoor chores, saving you money on your water bill. [RSVP at 718919-0740 by 6/5]