Winner of Vol. 72, No. 32
the Pulitzer Prize
Thursday, September 16, 2021
$1.00
Lawmakers demand swift action to fix intersection n Help could come in the form of a traffic light, or at the very least, better police enforcement
‘Whether it’s something that’s gone wrong because there are more people walking, or because people are being more risky, or because the streets aren’t safer, we’ve got to get to the bottom of it.’
By MICHAEL HINMAN mhinman@riverdalepress.com
It once featured a stretch of dilapidated houses in a neighborhood known simply as Puddlers Row — “puddlers” the name given to those who worked in Spuyten Duyvil’s foundry, Johnson Ironworks. The dozen or so houses stretched along between Kappock Street and Johnson Avenue — roadways that were more neighborhood streets than thoroughfares at the time. The southern end of Kappock suddenly veers east to meet Johnson, itself on a rather steep decline as part of the hilly environment that makes views of the city wonderful, but makes traveling through there problematic. JEffREy Puddlers Row, like most DINOwITz other things, became a victim of time and the need for growth. The houses were razed in the early 1950s to make way for what is now the 25-story 555 Kappock building. And that country-like intersection joining Kappock and Johnson became one of Spuyten Duyvil’s most heavily trafficked streets not just to cars, but also for two local buses and three express buses that rumble through almost every few minutes.
What’s inside?
ALESSANDRA BIAGGI
state senator, on city’s Vision Zero plan
HIRAM ALEJANDOR DURAN
A wreath adorns the intersection of Kappock Street and Johnson Avenue where an express bus driver hit Ruth Mullen while she used the crosswalk. Lawmakers demand the city’s transportation department take swift action to ensure pedestrians like Mullen are safe when they are trying to do nothing more than just cross the street. It was one of those buses, in fact, navigating the tricky turn from Kappock to Johnson that claimed the life of Ruth Mullen on the evening of Sept. 7. Mullen, who had lived in the nearby
Winston Churchill co-op for more than 25 years, was using the crosswalk on Johnson, according to police, when the driver hit her. The 68-year-old died on the scene.
Mullen was known for her writing and her political activity, but what she really wanted was a traffic light on this intersection. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz pushed for the city to add a stop sign some years ago, but even during a news conference the state lawmaker held near the site two days later, downtown-bound buses could be observed rolling through the stop sign, and swinging through the left turn onto Johnson without even touching the brake. “I don’t know exactly what happened Tuesday,” Dinowitz said. “I’m not here to point fingers at anybody. I’m not here to blame a driver, or the DOT, or anybody because we don’t have all the SWIFT ACTION, page A4
Ruth Mullen: Political activist, and so much more n Whether it was activism, publishing or film, this nabe leader made a major impact By ETHAN STARK-MILLER estarkmiller@riverdalepress.com
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Never forget A new sign at Endor Garden and an old tradition in North Riverdale honors those we lost on Sept. 11, 2001. Page A5
Saving bank Van Cortlandt Village will not lost its only bank thanks to some swift action by CB8 and helpful subsidies. Page A3
uth Mullen was known in many circles throughout her life. But in this corner of the Bronx, she’s probably best recognized for her strong political activism. That may have been most visible when Alessandra Biaggi unseated Jeffrey Klein from the state senate three years ago. Ruth worked tirelessly on that campaign, husband Jim Bradley says, coordinating many of those efforts with the Riverdale Huddle — a local group of politically active women. But Ruth’s life was tragically cut short last week while simply trying to cross the street in front of her Johnson Avenue home. Police say a Metropolitan Transportation Authority express bus was rounding what many consider a dangerous corner with Kappock Street at around 8:30 p.m., on Sept. 7, and struck Ruth in the crosswalk. Ruth was 68. The incident was all the more devastating since Ruth advocated for traffic lights in this problematic intersection for many years. Instead, elected officials like Jeffrey Dinowitz secured a third stop sign for the intersection — one neighbor says buses and cars generally roll through anyway. When news broke early Wednesday morning about Ruth’s passing, one of the first people to call Jim was the state senator. “Alessandra told me that she wouldn’t have been elected without Ruth,” Bradley RUTH MULLEN, page A4
Courtesy of Jim Bradley
In addition to political activism, Jim Bradley says his wife Ruth Mullen devoted her life to the publishing and film industries. Ruth was struck and killed by an express bus last week while crossing Johnson Avenue near what many consider to be a dangerous intersection with Kappock Street.
Taekwondo master fears COVID knockout punch n Raj Rajput owes thousands to a landlord facing his own struggle keeping up with bills By JOSEPH DE LA CRUZ jdelacruz@riverdalepress.com
Raj Rajput is used to dealing with tough situations. But the taekwondo master faces a new challenge, and it’s not exactly of his own making. Owner of Warriors Taekwondo at 5904 Riverdale Ave., Rajput — like many others — was forced to shut down as the coronavirus pandemic ravaged the city. No students meant no income, and because of that, Rajput has fallen behind on his rent. A lot. Now, as the world slowly reopens, Rajput is trying to catch up. But his landlord — and longtime friend — Lenny Morse has had struggles of his own thanks to the pandemic. And the owner of the neighboring vacuum sales and repair store may not even be able to provide Rajput with the one weapon he needs more than anything else: time.
FACES of
EVICTION
An occasional series profiling both residents and landlords in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I did not close the business,” Rajput said. “I was forced to close by the state. And, you know, that’s the only way I earn a living.” The state classifies Rajput’s business as a gym, which was forced to close for months thanks to an executive order made by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo as a way to control the spread of COVID-19. That left dark not only his North Riverdale location, but two others in Manhattan. And one of them — found on the Marble Hill portion of Broadway — was forced to shutter permanently. “When we started, we had a wonderful business with three schools,” Rajput said. “But I closed one down because of the pandemic. I couldn’t have survived if I didn’t end it.”
HIRAM ALEJANDRO DURÁN
warriors Taekwondo owner Raj Rajput hopes with students returning to school, he’ll make enough money to start paying back some of the back rent he owes. Now Rajput’s only other location outside of North Riverdale is near West 207th Street and 10th Avenue in Inwood. Morse gets it. Vacuum World is more than 50 years old. And while his business
was allowed to remain open through much of the pandemic, Morse — like other small retailers — felt the economic pain that followed COVID-19’s domination. KNOCKOUT, page A4