EMERGENCY PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY!

The latest neighborhood shooting (at Putnam and Grand) seems to have sparked a call to action. (thank god) This just in from SCH:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 20, 2008

CLINTON HILL CONSTITUENTS, COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND COUNCIL MEMBER LETITIA JAMES HOLD EMERGENCY PRESS EVENT TO DISCUSS SOLUTIONS FOR UPSURGE OF CRIME IN BROOKLYN

Council Member Letitia James, along with Clinton Hill constituents are holding an emergency press event, Wednesday, May 21, at 4 PM to bring attention to the increase of gun violence and crime in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.

The group plans to discuss short term strategic solutions, which include more police presence in the area, as well long term solutions that involve improving economic development on Fulton Street, and the creation of a website for constituents to collect and track crime data.

What: Emergency Press Conference to Address Criminal Activity in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn

When: Wednesday, May 21st at 4:00 PM

Where: Corner of Grand Avenue and Putnam Avenue (if rain - the event will move to the Fort Greene Senior Center located at 966 Fulton Street). Subway: C train to Clinton-Washington stop * exit Washington Avenue onto Fulton Street * walk towards Grand Avenue on Fulton

Contact: Amyre Loomis at (718) 260-9191

4pm, when most people can't go.  At least the politicos are acknowledging the problem, but what will be done in terms of action?

FG/CH Food Co-Op Meeting TONIGHT!

From the co-op committee: We're having a General Meeting of interested potential members tonight, May 20th, at Cadman Memorial Church, 350 Clinton Ave (corner of Lafayette Ave), from 7 to 9 p.m.
Here's an outline of the main agenda for the meeting:

• The Coop Web site

• Guiding Principles Statement

• Punch list (i.e., to-do items)

• Branding of the Coop

This will also be a time for new people to get some more information on coop and join any of the working committees, which will also present brief updates. This is a great time to have your voice heard and be a part of this community effort, hope to see you there!

Also: The Finance Committee is looking for a lawyer who knows securities law and co-op law -- one with experience working with or starting a food co-op would be ideal. Please email Nick Lombardi at lombardicus@gmail.com if you can help.

Do check out the newly revamped co-op website as well!

Save the G Train Rally!

Hakeem Jeffries steps in to help out the G train.  He seems to be pretty involved in area affairs, which is a good thing.

Comedy Series at Jelani Lounge

(Hi, all -- I'm in Portland, OR this week for a last-minute post grad vaca, but will be back soon!  Apologies for posts going up at random times this week...) A new comedy event just kicked off at Jelani Lounge on Waverly Ave between Fulton and Atlantic:

Tasty cocktails and good laughs sounds like a good combo to me. Plus, we need to patronize our local businesses on and near Fulton more than ever! Will the construction ever be finished?!

LATE Notice: PEP Opening TONIGHT

(I was graduating today - sorry!  This is an excellent artist!) Megan Canning

Inside There is Everything

May 16 – June 21, 2008

Opening Reception: Friday, May 16th, 7-9 pm

CH in the News

(I'm going to try to compile CH-related new stories in print and online, weekly.)

• Man Wanted in Clinton Hill Flushing Ave. Shooting [NY Post]
• Heights and Hills Community Council (serving the elderly) Expands [Brooklyn Eagle]
• The Huxtables in Fort Greene [Clinton Hill Chill]
• Pratt Named Top Interior Design School [Brooklyn Paper]
• Grand Theft Auto IV Protag Lives in Clinton Hill [MTV Multiplayer]
• Will the Real World Come to Fort Greene? [NY Post] (dear god, please no!)

S.O.N.Y.A. Stroll THIS WEEKEND!

The SONYA (South of the Navy Yard Artists) Stroll is by far one of my favorite events in the neighborhood. It's held annually every May, and is a free, self-guided tour of several art studios and exhibits by artists in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Bed-Stuy. The range of art is pretty astounding, from sculpture to paintings to photography to jewelry.

(I bought both the sculpture and the chihuahua painting at past SONYA Strolls.)

One of my favorite aspects is finding out that buildings you never before noticed are home to a large artist collective. Be sure to check out 35 Claver Place, an affordable live-work space for artists, and 122 Washington Ave near Park, which is interesting both inside and out and is always filled with cool treasures.

During the stroll, check out the photography exhibit put on by the Fort Greene Photography Organization, which will be up until May 31:

For more info and a downloadable map, visit the SONYA homepage.

This is one of the coolest ways to explore the neighborhood and is not to be missed!

Friday Photo

(Waverly Ave)

Clinton-Washington Neighborhood Patrol

I've seen it twice now -- a white car with yellow lights on top bearing a sign that says Clinton-Washington Neighborhood Patrol.

The car is operated by Command Security Corporation, which is the private security company for the Clinton Hill Co-Ops. I'm told they will be patrolling near the co-ops, as well as a few other complexes in the area. They'll be driving around as well as checking up on guards.

I hope the route includes Waverly after dark to fend off car break-ins, and after school hours.

SCH Annual Meeting: Thursday, May 15

Society for Clinton Hill ANNUAL MEETING

Thursday, MAY 15, 2008, 7:00 P.M.

St. Luke's Church, Community Room, 259 Washington Ave. (DeKalb/Willoughby)

AGENDA

7:00 pm Appetizers by Autour du Monde, Fulton/Clinton. Wine by Olivino.

7:30 pm

1. Announcements – Jim Barnes, President

2. Annual Meeting Elections – Linda Scher, Nominating Committee Chair & Jim Barnes

See next page for detail on recommended By-Law change and slate for the 2008-2009 Board of Directors.

3. Garden Tour in 3-D – Roslyn Huebner, Patti Hagan

Greg Dinkins, founder and President of the Stereoscopic Society of NY, will take us through a remarkable life-like tour of last year's Brooklyn Brownstone Garden Tour. You will think you can pick the flowers. Patti Hagan will tell you about the 2008 garden tour. Tickets available: $15 advance, $20 day of tour.

4. Crime Committee update – Dave Haberer, Sunny Argan

5. Membership Development – Steffon Isaac, Brett Truitt

6. Clinton Hill Historic District Expansion – Sharon Barnes

The proposal for an expanded historic district was presented to CB2, Land Use Committee on April 16, 2008. The Committee voted to support the proposal to ask NYC Landmarks Commission (LPC) to review the proposal expeditiously. CB2 will hold a public hearing when LPC has calendared the proposal. The Fort Greene/Clinton Hill Courier reported on the front page of its 4-25-08 edition that LPC said they were reviewing the proposal. That is progress! We are enclosing another copy of the map of the proposed additions for you. It will be distributed to all those in the areas proposed for historic district designation.

Please note items for sale at meeting:

* Original or new Landmark reports - $15 each. (original report available from City for $58)

* Brooklyn Was Mine, book on Brooklyn by Brooklyn authors - $15 each. Great gift!

*Garden Tour tickets: $15 advance sale. Society for Clinton Hill (SCH) Annual Meeting

It is a very busy time in Clinton Hill with so many new residents, new commercial activity including restaurants, shops, the flea market and more, the pressures of over-development and the displacement, traffic problems, and pressure on infrastructure that result, and more and more wonderful activities and events happening.

SCH is a group of people dedicated to Clinton Hill and the attractive, inviting, and stimulating environment that exists here. We work to protect and improve for everyone what is here and we welcome and encourage everyone to participate.

Over time the work of the Society for Clinton Hill (SCH) changes, depending on the needs and interests of the members and community at any given time. SCH is currently working to increase the membership and to involve the members more extensively in the work and activities of SCH. A larger, more representative organization will have more impact in getting changes we all want.

We were successful last year in getting a zoning change that limits height and bulk in our Clinton Hill blocks, and we are now working to extend our historic district to protect more of our amazing historic buildings. We are working to save Admiral's Row so that it can have an adaptive reuse and include a grocery store, laundry and other amenities, but still retain the historic character. We host a huge Halloween Walk for children and parents to keep the holiday safe, exciting and fun. We are addressing issues of crime and illegal truck traffic. We hosted a Breast Cancer Awareness and Examination Van. We co-sponsor many events with other organizations and our elected officials. We hold one major fundraising event every other year, a huge house and garden tour, to fund our activities. We hope you will join us in working to make this great neighborhood even better.

At our annual meeting this year, the board will be recommending some minor changes to the By-Laws in order to make it easier for everyone to participate and vote. We will also present a slate of officers and members-at-large who will lead the organization. This slate was presented at the last meeting. Nominations can be made by any paid up member who has attended three prior meetings. Nominees must also be paid up members, and must have attended three prior meetings. Names should be sent to the Nominating Committee Chairperson, Linda Scher. Please contact her at Wash308@aol.com if you are interested in a board position. Include a resume and a letter explaining your interests and personal information.

Jim Barnes, President

AIDS Walk Benefit at Masonic Temple

Looks like there will be a pretty rockin' event this Friday evening at the Masonic Temple, benefiting AIDS Walk!  The event is put on by a group called Supersnack, who appear to be a group of cool people who volunteer to benefit various NYC-based charities and organizations. Supersnack's Big Third Ball - A benefit for AIDS Walk NY Featuring: The Mountain Goats, John Oliver, Rock Plaza Central, Gotham Girls Roller Derby, Dave Hill, and more.

Friday, May 16 - 8pm (18+)

Brooklyn Masonic Temple - 317 Clermont Ave, Fort Greene (Lafayette & Clermont) Train: G to Clinton-Washington, C to Lafayette, or B/D/N/Q/R/2/3/4/5 to Atlantic Center Venue phone: (718) 638-1256

Tickets: $25, available via Supersnack.org, 100% of proceeds go to AIDS Walk NY

Arrive early because from 8pm-9pm drinks will be buy 2 get 1 free. Extra bonus: 85% of every delicious beer you buy is going directly to AIDS Walk NY & GMHC. Big thanks to Red Hook Ale Brewery & Goose Island Brewery for hooking that up. Everyone is required to get crunk – it's for charity, guys!

The Flea: Diversifying!

I swung by the BK Flea two Sundays ago. It was my first trip back since opening day and I'm happy to say that stuff seemed nicely diversified. In terms of vendors anyway. I saw a lot more random bric-a-brac this time around and some second-hand furniture with $20 price tags! I picked up a cool print of an old subway map for just $4, as well as a new wallet on sale for 25 bucks from Aissatou at Tessan Boutique (who was at the flea for the first time).

Anyone else have any feedback?

Back from Kentucky!

More Photos of Gibb Mansion

Here are some better photos of Gibb Mansion, renovated by the PACC and used as a group home. I didn't have enough time to snap these before I posted about the photography event, but it's definitely one of the most stunning buildings in the area.

The UN AND the Composting Toilet!

Last year, I reported on the cutting-edge composting toilet being installed at the Hollenback Garden on Washington Ave.  Saturday is the inaugural flush!On Saturday, May 10^th, Hollenback Community Garden in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn will play host to a delegation from the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. Adding to the excitement, the garden will unveil a new composting toilet, adding to the significant “green” activities already underway at the Clinton Hill oasis. Standing on the sight of the old Hollenback Family Mansion, the Hollenback Community Garden has been a green oasis in the city for more than 25 years. Currently, 40 active garden members work the land, growing vegetables, recycling tons (literally) of community food and garden waste into compost, harvesting rain-water from the rooftop next door, working with P.S.11 students to teach them about growing food, and being an active part of the Clinton Hill and urban gardening communities.

Last year, the garden installed a composting toilet, the first of its kind in a community garden in Brooklyn. Won via eBay auction from the Battery Park Conservancy, it took an almost insurmountable effort by garden volunteers to then get it delivered, installed, and ready to turn the community’s collective poop into brown gold! This year, the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UN CSD) is taking delegates around the state to visit urban gardens, farms, and other green spaces being used to sustain and build local community.

On Saturday, May 10^th, to mark the occasion, and to share our experience as an urban garden with some of our international friends, Hollenback is hosting one part of a larger tour sponsored by WHY (World Hunger Year) for the attendees of the conference held by the UN CSD. 60 international visitors will be touring the garden from 10:30-11:30 a.m. to see our space and talk about our efforts to be not only a good neighbor, but to actively improve the community in which we live. That same day at 3p.m., we will be hosting the Ceremonial First Flush of the composting toilet followed by a free community barbeque.

Please join us as we mark not only a notable visit from international guests seeking to engage communities in questions of green urbanism, environmental remediation, and ongoing sustainability, but also the equally momentous opening of the first composting toilet in a community garden in Brooklyn. Contact Mike Dimpfl at 718 288 3509 for more details or with questions.

Friday Photo (early)

I'm off to Kentucky for a long weekend. See you on Monday.

(Clinton Ave)

Plant-Related News

This just in from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden: I just wanted to give you a heads up that BBG's annual benefit Plant Sale, the largest in the Northeast (with over 20,000 plants!) opens to the public tomorrow and continues through Thursday morning.  (BBG members have access to the preview sale tonight, from 4:30 to 8.) The Plant Sale takes place on Cherry Esplanade, where right now hundreds of flowering cherry trees are dropping their petals like pink snow to form a breathtaking petal carpet. Considering the multitude and diversity of the colorful plants for sale, the beauty of the setting, the BBG hort experts on hand to answer questions and the little red wagons we provide for shoppers for their "plantsportation,"  the sale is a really dynamic experience all around. If any of your readers are thinking about their backyards or windowsills, there's no better place to shop for their plants.

They're also offering a bunch of free classes.  Check out their website for more info!

And speaking of plants, Root Stock & Quade is slated to open today on Myrtle Avenue!

Antique Refurbishment and Basic Reno

I noticed this occupied storefront on Myrtle between Washington and Hall recently:

I might dismiss a random storefront like this, but there was something about the pile of books in the window that I really liked.

No official signage, but they did have a xerox taped to the door that lists a website.

Looks like they're offering a plethora of services, including light moving, tile work and painting, in addition to refinishing and custom cabinetry.

After painting my own bedroom recently (and having it take three exhausting days), you can bet I'm giving them a call when my living room needs a fresh coat.

They earn a minus for the fact that their website kept freezing up my computer (and for the bad music).

33woodwork.com

Nostalgic Essay

A reader who grew up in the 'nabe emailed me this rambling and lovely essay about growing up in Clinton Hill: (posted verbatim)Sure there's a group of us from those days that wax nostalgia which is so odd, because we still think we're kind of hip and young. I guess it's all relative. There are so many stories to tell, I guess I could start at 10 years old and work my way up to when everyone started moving away when I was about 18 ish.

Our playground was initially the Clinton Hill Apartments which many of us lived in. The courtyards (with the Guards booth from outer space being our focal point) some of those guards back then were really quite funny and they would literally chase us through these tunnels beneath the buildings --- which to a kid seemed like a coal mine. I n any case, my best friend back then was Arthur Maturo, who's mother was the producer of the "To Tell the Truth" television show. Her name was Mimi O"Brian and they were the only ones in the Clinton Hill apts that had a maid!

We were really like the kids in Stand By Me....Clinton Hill style. My Aunt Milly was a politician in the area back then too she and her family the Marchiano's, lived on Adelphi. There were actually a lot of Italians in that neighborhood. While most landed in Bensonhurst, a crew must have got lost and landed in Ft. Green and Clinton Hill. My grandparents were Italian immigrants and lived on Classon Ave. The Pratt students at the time used to use her (my Aunt's) billboards as art pieces and probably dart boards. I could never get a grip on why that was. I think she may have been pretty tacky and arts students thought she was a joke. (that's all another story).

My friend Laura Yaccarino whom I still know, would be my oldest friend (were both 50), and grew up on Clinton Avenue between Dekalb and Lafayette in a brownstone. Her father was Joe from Joe's Place restaurant on Waverly (very hip hangout back then) and her mother Nancy may still live there. Nancy and Joe were like my adopted parents back then. I just loved hanging out with them as they had this kind of gay sensibility. I'm a gay man and back when I was 16 she would always get references I would make to lines in All About Eve or things like that. Their late son John was a good friend as well. They would toss these really fabulous Christmas parties with all these artsy types, and "the kids" were allowed to join the party. The older people there (they were probably only 30ish), seemed really fascinated by our little androgynous group of hippy kids. They would usually gravitate over and ask us strange questions like, I dunno, um "What do you think of the new Mahavishnu Orchestra LP?" (insert blank stare)..

More to come....

I will get to the coven of witches that worked at the Woodward School and the Warlock who sold drugs from the Good Humor Truck in a later email. Then there's Spike Lee. Who is probably my age now. and The Ft Green Waltons (a family of beautiful blonde men that lived on Cumberland).

Dropping the Ball

I totally planned on going to the Ft. Greene House Tour yesterday.  Really, I did.  But I got bogged down scrambling to finish a final paper for school.  And so the day slipped away. Did YOU go?  What did you think?  Anyone who'd like to do a guest post and share his/her photos from the tour would be warmly welcomed!  Email me at clintonhillblog-at-gmail-dot-com if interested.