Community Corner

In Bed-Stuy News This Past Week

"Boulevard Empire" filming in Bed-Stuy, P.S. 308 protests a charter co-location and Mubarak finally steps down

Here's a chance to catch up on all the news highlights you may have missed throughout the week. To follow is a quick recap of what made the headlines on Bed-Stuy Patch. Even if you recognize some of the stories, feel free to review and share your feedback.

1. The cast and crewmembers of the HBO series, “Boardwalk Empire,” were in Bed-Stuy this week, filming the third episode of the show’s second season at the John Wesley United Methodist Church, located on Nostrand Avenue between Quincy and Gates Avenues. “Boardwalk Empire,” starring Steve Buscemi, is an HBO series that debuted September 2010 by Terence Winter, Emmy Award-winning writer of “The Sopranos,” and Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese. Click to see the pictures we took right on the set.


2. Last summer, 14-year-old Bed-Stuy resident Brian Bradley wrote, "Stop Looking at My Mom," under the name The Astronomical Kid. The video he made to accompany the song had racked up so many Youtube visits, it caught the attention of news media everywhere, from New York to London. Patch has decided to check in with the Internet sensation known as The Astronomical Kid to see how he's handling his new-found fame and to hear about his upcoming projects. Click for the interview.

3. Bed-Stuy resident Mark Ingram was tired of his landlord ignoring his complaints about his apartment. So Ingram enlisted the help of the Cooperative Action Network (CAP). The group is brand new. And they refer to themselves as anarchists who will fight for you against “slumlords” and create action to improve your living conditions. It all sounded good to Ingram. CAP members are not lawyers, nor are they affiliated with a city agency. They simply are a group of residents who have agreed to come together and support one another against unfair bosses or landlords. As explained on the group's website, if you are having multiple repair issues with your landlord or are facing an unjust eviction, or a boss who is withholding wages, contact them. The group will then set up a sit-down meeting with the complainant to get the full story and then develop a plan of action for your specific case. Read to learn more.

Find out what's happening in Bed-Stuywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

4. “No sympathy! No Room! No Sympathy! No Room!” About 100 or so parents, children, school administrators, United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and charter school representatives gathered Tuesday night at PS 308 for a hearing to debate whether a Teaching Firms of America Charter School should move into PS 308, beginning September 2011. According to them, the school already is overburdened with too many students. However, a DOE site evaluation gives a very different account of the school’s capacity: According to the report, PS 308 has been identified as an under-utilized building and has at least 300 seats available. Who is right? Read and you decide.

5. After 18 days of mass protests against his rule, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak has stepped down, and the country’s vice president has appointed a military council to run the country's affairs, according to an AP report today. However, not everyone is so optimistic about the recent coup. Economists, professors and Egyptian journalists all weigh in: Unless the power structure of the current regime is completely deconstructed – which is unlikely in the short-term – Egyptians will wake up and find that little change has taken place at all. “We have to continue to monitor the changes: We need a new constitution; we need new parliamentary elections; and, the most important thing, the youth need to have a political voice,” said Bed-Stuy resident Fady Heikal excitedly. “Basically, we will have to act like a watchdog. Read for the full story.


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