Winner of Vol. 71, No. 30
What’s inside?
the Pulitzer Prize
Thursday, September 3, 2020
$1.00
Neighbors call ol’ sidewalk shed an eyesore It’s supposed to protect pedestrians — instead, critics say it really only attracts vermin, trash By KIRSTYN BRENDLEN kbrendlen@riverdalepress.com
Oh, fare thee well The months of riding the bus free are now over. But will collecting fares be enough to save NYC’s transit system? Page A3
Sometimes it seems the official landmarks of New York City should not only include the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, but also the infamous sidewalk shed. Mistakenly called “scaffolding” from time to time, the city boasts more than 10,000 of the temporary structures, designed to protect pedestrians from being hit by anything from above. While most common at construction sites, more and more often, they are popping up around buildings in need of renovations. Overall, sheds cover more than 2 million linear feet of sidewalks in the city — or enough to stretch from New York City to West Virginia. One of those sheds in particular has been a thorn in the side of some Waldo Avenue residents for years, covering just over
HIRAM ALEJANDRO DURÁN
A sidewalk shed over the West 238th Street step street between Irwin and Waldo avenues has been a sore subject between neighbors for years. The shed was built in response to a reportedly unsafe façade at 3660 Waldo. 2,000 feet on the West 238th Street step street between Waldo and Irwin Avenue. Its permit was granted to the managers of 3660 Waldo Ave., an apartment building just south of Gaelic Park and the entrance to Manhattan College, some five years ago,
the same time the city’s building department issues warnings about loose façade that could fall and hurt people below. While the shed might help 3660 Waldo buy time to get necessary renovations done, for Joan Kaufman — who lives near-
by at 3800 Waldo Ave. — it’s been a nightmare. She’s lodged complaint after complaint about the building, and especially about the long-standing sidewalk shed, for years. “This is ridiculous,” she said. “There’s vermin. There’s rats running all over the place. I can see them, (and) we can’t live like this. It’s filthy, they’re not cleaning it, they should take that down.” One of her in-building neighbors, Annette Douglas, had even gone so far as to post flyers around the neighborhood, she said. They warned of the rats that had shacked up under and around the step streets, encouraging neighbors to instead call Councilman Andrew Cohen and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz in the hopes of cleaning it up. Complaints filed with the DOB date back at least five years. One, from September 2015, says the shed was constructed earlier that summer, but that construction didn’t appear to be occurring above or around it. Other complaints say the shed blocks access to handrails, and that the lights under the shed were out. “Our neighbor has an issue, a DOB issue, with Local Law 11,” said Steven Berisha, an agent and property manager for 3800 Waldo. “Basically what happens is the SIDEWALK SHED, page A4
Israeli-Palestinian conflict comes home
Is it a fair question? Or is it just hate?
Enough nurses? Even with in-person classes delayed, schools still scrambling to find in-house medical help. Page A5
By KIRSTYN BRENDLEN kbrendlen@riverdalepress.com
KIRSTYN BRENDLEN
The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America came under fire from various elected officials after reportedly asking some of the city council candidates it was looking to endorse two questions about traveling to Israel and supporting the so-called boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. DSA has defended the questions, saying the trips promote an agenda counter to Palestinian efforts in that part of the Middle East.
Teaching abroad Technology during the pandemic has shown you don’t need to be here to, well, be here. Page A8
Council candidates not interested in DSA By MICHAEL HINMAN mhinman@riverdalepress.com
Could you pledge not to visit a specific country if it meant getting help to achieve a goal, like winning public office? That was a question facing some candidates looking to become members of the city council. A local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America targeted junket trips to Israel organized by groups like the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York they say pushes an anti-Palestinian agenda on city lawmakers. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz was one of the early lawmakers to call the DSA out
on such a question, yet his son Eric — who is running for the city council — was not one of the candidates who received the questionnaire. Still, the younger Dinowitz called the question about travel to Israel, as well as whether he would support the so-called boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel “heartbreaking.” “I am a proud American and New Yorker, but I have been — and will continue to be — vocal in my criticism of leaders and policies in our country and city,” Dinowitz said. “But I do not pledge to boycott the United States or New York because of the problems I see. The same can be said of Israel. You can have
disagreements with policies and elected leaders without boycotting and condemning an entire nation.” For Jessica Haller, who also is seeking the same seat currently held by Andrew Cohen, it’s even more personal, considering her father is from Israel. The way the DSA posed its question to some potential candidates was something that just, to her, crossed the line. “I have yarmulke-wearing friends who were part of the DSA for 10 years, but they don’t go anymore,” Haller said. “They just don’t feel comfortable wearing a yarmulke around them anymore.” CANDIDATES, page A4
A vast majority of the seats in the city council are up for grabs in next year’s election, and with just over a year to go before voters head to the polls, candidates are launching campaigns, raising tens of thousands of dollars in donations, and trying to get their names out into the public while maintaining six feet of social distance from their wouldbe constituents. Of course, any election means endorsements — from other politicians, nonprofits, and even advocacy groups. It’s just a part of the process. But the requirements for one of those endorsements this year has caught the attention from not only council candidates, but dozens of elected officials all over the state. Those requirements were in the form of two questions posed by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. “Do you pledge not to travel to Israel if elected to city council in solidarity with Palestinians living under occupation?” The other, will that same candidate support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement — more commonly known as BDS — which calls for governments and individuals to pullNEXT MEA economic and social support from Israel in response to “settler colonialism, apartheid, and occupation over the PalQUESTION, page A4
Refocusing from the virus to finding your next meal By ROSE BRENNAN rbrennan@riverdalepress.com
Not having enough good, healthy food to eat isn’t a foreign concept to William Littleton. In his job as the development director at Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, Littleton sees as many as 20 families every week without reliable access to food. He makes sure they don’t go hungry by inviting them to the center’s food pantry. But as the year goes on and the coronavirus pandemic continues, more people are relying on KHCC’s wares — to the point where it’s no longer 20 families a week, but some 200 families. Per day. While the city’s positive test rate re-
mains stable, many in this part of the Bronx are still feeling the after-effects of its peak. Many city workers were furloughed, or lost their jobs altogether. And finding a steady job in the middle of an economic recession is no easy task. That uncertainty of employment therefore led to another uncertainty: Could those facing unemployment put food on the table for their families? Many community mainstays saw the growing hunger in the borough, and sought to address the issue as quickly and effectively as they could. And from that, the Northwest Bronx Food Justice Project was formed. Sponsored by RSS-Riverdale Senior NEXT MEAL, page A4
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HIRAM ALEJANDRO DURÁN
St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church is among several other community organizations that joined the Northwest Bronx Food Justice Project this year. Other Marble Hill mainstays partnering with the project are RSS-Riverdale Senior Services and the Marble Hill Community Center.