Norwood Neighbors for Racial Justice Pen Open Letter to City Officials Calling to Defund NYPD

By Síle Moloney

Following a historic week of legislative reform aimed at addressing racial injustice and inequality at both City and State level, a group of about 50 local residents gathered peacefully at Williamsbridge Oval Park in Norwood on Friday Jun. 19 for a kid-friendly Juneteenth celebration in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Norwood Neighbors for Racial Justice and allies is an unofficial, local group recently formed and spearheaded by four local, multiracial women, Miriam Neptune, Jatnna Ramirez, Carissa Smith and Pam Sporn. In addition to organizing the Juneteenth event, the first of its kind in Norwood, the group

By Síle Moloney

Following the conclusion of an internal investigation, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Jun. 26 that 17 uniformed Department of Correction staff will be charged for their conduct surrounding the death of 27-year-old trans woman, Layleen Polanco, at Rikers Island in June 2019. As reported recently by Norwood News, Polanco, according to earlier reports, was arrested for allegedly assaulting a cab driver and for possession of a controlled substance, and was being held at Rikers Island on a $500 bail. She died on Jun. 7, 2019 following an epileptic seizure, according to a medical examiner. She had been

By Síle Moloney

Monday, Jun. 8 marked Phase One of the City’s reopening plan, part of the New York Forward initiative, as a bit more life was seen in and around Bainbridge Avenue in the Norwood area of the Bronx. Some people were returning to work for the first time since early March when the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard, and a statewide PAUSE order was implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus. People were seen standing in line, in the morning sunshine, at Chase bank on BainBridge Avenue, adhering to social distancing guidelines, and almost everyone was wearing a mask, an

By Síle Moloney & David Greene

On Tuesday, June 2, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was joined by a number of other Bronx elected officials, community groups and clergy who gathered in the cold light of day at East Fordham Road and Grand Concourse to witness first-hand the trail of destruction left in the wake of Monday night’s looting and riots. It was reported by NYPD that the riots and looting were orchestrated by organized gangs, and not by protestors who have been rallying for police reform in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed African-American man, at the hands

By Síle Moloney & David Greene

Participants who joined in a peaceful protest against police brutality in the Mott Haven area of the Bronx on Jun. 4 were surrounded and corralled by police at the end of the march route at East 136th Street and Brook Avenue ahead of the 8:00 p.m. nightly curfew, an action protestors said escalated tensions between them and police, and ultimately led to violence. In one video tweet, posted by the group Anonymous, some but not all police are seen dressed in riot gear, and protestors are seen being pushed forward by police. Some appear to trip and fall

By David Greene

A estimated crowd of 200 people gathered and marched peacefully through the streets of the Bronx on Saturday, May 30 to protest the mistreatment of Black citizens by police, as other weekend protests in Manhattan and Brooklyn took a different turn and resulted in injuries to both protestors and police officers. The Bronx protest was one of many which took place in more than twenty major cities across the nation this week after a viral video, recorded by a bystander on May 25 in Minneapolis, captured African-American, George Floyd, apparently suffocating during an arrest by police. The

Eleven Bronx elected officials have urged Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson to halt plans to construct a new prison facility in the South Bronx amid a budget crunch caused by the coronavirus, and to reallocate the funds instead to critical programs for vulnerable populations. Congressman José E. Serrano, who is due to retire later this year, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., and nine other Bronx based state senators and assembly members, wrote to de Blasio and Johnson asking them to reconsider construction plans for a new jail facility in the Bronx’s Mott Haven neighborhood,

By Síle Moloney

Mayor Bill de Blasio signed seven pieces of legislation into law on May 27 providing relief for tenants, commercial establishments, and restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new laws support struggling small businesses by imposing limits on third-party food delivery services, extending the suspension of sidewalk cafe fee collection, and protecting commercial tenants from harassment and personal liability. Together, the bills offer sweeping protections for New Yorkers in a time of unprecedented financial insecurity. “New Yorkers have been fighting every day to flatten the curve and get through this pandemic together. Now, it’s time for us to

By Síle Moloney

On May 5, Mayor Bill de Blasio warned New Yorkers on Twitter that if their children were experiencing persistent fever, rash, abdominal pain or vomiting, to call a doctor right away. The previous day, City health officials had issued a bulletin to New York City health care providers instructing them to immediately report any patients under 21 who displayed these symptoms. In the bulletin, the officials also wrote that 15 patients aged between two and 15 years of age had been hospitalized in the City between Apr. 17 and May 1 with an illness possibly linked to COVID-19. “We

Norwood News

Serving Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights

Mayor Bill de Blasio

Norwood Neighbors for Racial Justice Pen Open Letter to City Officials Calling to Defund NYPD

17 Officers Charged, Four Suspended without Pay following Investigation into Layleen Polanco’s Death

Fordham Road Businesses Vow to Rebuild as Officials Assess Damage and Plan for the Future

Mott Haven: Corralling and Beatings by Police At Protest, 260 Arrested, Including Bystanders, NYPD Changes

Bronxites Demonstrate Peacefully as Violence Erupts across the City and Nation

Eleven Bronx Elected Officials Call to Halt Plans for New Mott Haven Prison

New Law Provides Relief for Tenants, Businesses, and Restaurants During COVID-19 Pandemic

Three Children Die in NYS With Suspected Pediatric Syndrome Potentially Associated with COVID-19