Day: July 30, 2025

Braata Productions, an OBIE Award-winning, New York-based nonprofit organization committed to giving Caribbean and Caribbean-American artistes a platform through which to showcase their work and talents, will, next Saturday, Aug. 9, host Bankra Caribbean Culture Festival at St. Albans Park (Archie Spigner Park) in Queens.

Presented in association with Sen. Leroy Comrie and Council Member Nantasha Williams, the festival, which will be held from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., promises “a vibrant celebration of Caribbean heritage through music, dance, culinary delights, and cultural expression,” the group said.  

“The Bankra Caribbean Culture Festival is a free, full-day event dedicated to celebrating and preserving the rich traditions of Caribbean folk culture,” it added.

Named after the iconic bankra basket – used across the islands to carry and display colorful goods – Braata Productions said the festival offers “a full sensory experience with over seven interactive art forms.

“Guests can enjoy free basket weaving classes, traditional Caribbean games, and dynamic performances from drummers, dancers, storytellers, stilt walkers, and life-sized folklore puppets,” it said.

“With more than 20 exhibitors offering food, crafts, and cultural items, the festival invites people of all ages to explore, learn, and engage,” Braata Productions added. “The day concludes with a vibrant concert featuring Caribbean musical artists.”

Performers include Shuga (headliner); The Braata Singers (performer); Andrew Clarke (performer); Endless Vibrationz (performer, Trinidadian Folklore Group); and Genesis Pan Groove Steel Orchestra.

Braata Productions said the Grand Cultural Concert begins at 6 p.m.

Founded in May 2009 by Jamaican-born actor and singer Andrew Clarke, Braata– named for the Jamaican colloquial term meaning “more”– said it “strives to give audiences an unforgettable, ‘extra’ experience with each production. 

In its brief history, Braata Productions said its projects and programs have served over 350 artists, directors, designers, technicians, and young entrepreneurial artists, and has enjoyed many successes, including the creation of The Braata Singers, Braata Education & Outreach titled Project BE, Braata Theatre Workshop, and The “Braata” Award.

Most notably, Braata Productions said The Braata Singers have solidified their role as the leading authority in Caribbean Folk performance outside of the Caribbean region.

“Braata aims to authentically represent the culture of the Caribbean islands, and to prioritize cultivating and re-telling Caribbean stories and legends for generations to come,” Braata Productions said.

For more information, visit braataproductions.org.

PERMITS WERE FILED on Saturday for a 14-story mixed-use building at 67 Fourth Avenue in Park Slope, near the Atlantic Avenue/Barclays Center

The post New 14-story mixed-use building planned for Park Slope appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

THE GOVERNMENT OF GUYANA is hosting an Emancipation Day celebration on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Medgar Evers College

The post Guyana Emancipation Day celebration in Brooklyn Thursday appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

GREENPOINT SMALL BUSINESSES, led by The WonderMart’s Perri Salka, launched the “Look Local First” campaign to attract customers during MTA’s G train

The post Greenpoint businesses ask folks to shop local amid G Train weekend closures appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani returned to the United States on Wednesday from a week-and-a-half-long trip to his home country of Uganda and was allowed through Customs without any incident, his campaign confirmed to amNewYork.

Mamdani’s decision to leave the U.S. on July 20 to celebrate his marriage to Rama Duwaji with his family in Uganda raised concerns that President Trump’s administration, which has openly flirted with revoking his citizenship, might try to block his re-entry. The democratic socialist’s campaign even prepared for that possibility by keeping regular contact with the offices of Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James in case Mamdani ran into any issues, New York Magazine reported.

Yet Mamdani was able to re-enter the country without being stopped or detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, his campaign confirmed.

Now that Mamdani, a Queens Assembly member, has returned to the Big Apple, he is wasting no time in getting back on the campaign trail nearly a month after winning the Democratic primary by a wide margin.

The Assembly member will hold a 2 p.m. event at the headquarters of 32BJ SEIU, one of the union’s that has endorsed him, to honor the four victims killed by a mass shooter in a Midtown office building earlier this week, his campaign announced. The union’s president, Manny Pastriech, will be there as one of the victims, security guard Aland Etienne, was a 32BJ member. 

Mamdani will also be joined by Shamsul Haque, the founder of the Bangladeshi American Police Association, to honor slain Bangladeshi NYPD officer Didarul Islam.

The New York Times reported that soon after arriving back in the city on Wednesday, he met with Islam’s family at their home in the Bronx for roughly an hour, though his campaign has yet to confirm the meeting.

The event comes after Mamdani faced fierce criticism from his opponents, Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, during the past day over his previous support for the “defund the police “ movement. He has since distanced himself from the movement but has floated shifting the NYPD’s responsibilities for responding to those in mental health crises to a new proposed city agency staffed by non-police personnel.

Mamdani has also taken heat over his proposal to eliminate the NYPD unit that responded to the Tuesday shooting incident, known as the Strategic Response Group. In the past, the unit has been heavily criticized for using excessive force on protesters.

Adams slammed Mamdani’s idea to eliminate the unit, which he vowed to do in a December 2024 social media post, during a Wednesday morning CNBC interview.

“When you start dismantling the pieces of the law enforcement apparatus that are specifically designed to carry out functions, that is extremely dangerous,” said Adams, who is running for reelection as an independent. “A lack of knowledge and understanding of these roles really could harm law enforcement.”

Cuomo — who is also running an independent campaign after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani — told Politico on Tuesday that Mamdani’s public safety policies are “abhorrent and wholly disconnected from any responsible government approach.”

The former governor also criticized Mamdani’s absence during the shooting, even though the candidate is not the elected mayor.

A fast-moving storm that tore through Marine Park on July 25 did more than just knock down trees — it sparked growing fears among residents that aging, damaged street trees could pose a serious threat to their safety and property.

A tree on Coleman Street between Quentin Road and Avenue R snapped in half during the storm, triggering a domino effect that brought down a second street tree, which then toppled onto a tree on a resident’s property.

While most of the debris has since been cleared — though the snapped tree still stands, leaning slightly — homeowners on the quiet, tree-lined block worry that other trees, including one showing signs of termite damage, could topple and cause property damage or, worse, injure or kill someone during the next severe storm.

Homeowners who spoke with Brooklyn Paper said the New York City Parks Department has been unresponsive to their concerns about the health and condition of the street trees, despite filing numerous service requests over the years.

John Lonie, who has lived on the block for 30 years, said he’s worried the mature tree in front of his house — which is leaning toward his property — is going to topple.

“Every time there’s a gust of wind, I’m afraid [the tree] is just going to fall,” Lonie said.

The tree’s branches have formed a canopy over the roofs of his home and his neighbor’s. Lonie told Brooklyn Paper that in June, a large branch fell onto the electrical wires between the two houses while his neighbor’s daughter was playing soccer in the driveway.

“The fire department had to come. They took the branch down and did what they had to do,” Lonie said. “It’s just an issue of trying to get in touch with somebody [at NYC Parks]. It just seems like it’s gonna take a death, God forbid, or something really bad to happen before they just come and prune some of these trees or even cut some of them down.”

Michael Young, a Coleman Street resident for 35 years, pointed to a 480,000-volt line that was touching the tree branches.

“All the trees have grown over the [volt lines]. And that particular tree that you’re looking at, if you see the bend on it, that line is supporting that tree from falling, because it’s got tension on it. So, it’s dangerous,” Young said.

Young showed Brooklyn Paper a neighbor’s house where tree limbs were covering the chimney and boiler exhaust, posing a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Another tree, he said, was struck by lightning about 10 years ago and sounded hollow. It also showed signs of termite damage.

“If the city is supposed to maintain [the trees], they need to do a better job at it, and they have the funds,” Young said. “They pick and choose the jobs they want to do, and they say, ‘Well, we only have five trucks servicing an entire city.'”

Randi and Philip Green, who live a few houses up the block, are facing the same issue with tree branches hanging over their roof. The couple told Brooklyn Paper they would cut the branches themselves but couldn’t, since only authorized NYC Parks personnel or individuals with a valid Tree Work Permit are allowed to prune city trees.

“God forbid if it breaks my roof, who is paying for it?” Philip Green said.

“I’ve been calling since we moved in here, and nothing. There is never a response,” Randi Green added.

NYC Parks told Brooklyn Paper the agency had received a complaint regarding a tree at 1747 Coleman St. and would dispatch an inspector “as available.”

The department also said it inspected a tree at 1371 Coleman St. in February 2025 and created a work order for pruning. The order was prioritized based on the level of risk presented by the tree’s condition.

A spokesperson explained that tree work is prioritized using a technical risk assessment process, in line with industry standards set by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Inspectors consider three factors when determining a tree’s risk level: the likelihood of failure, including defects such as broken or hanging branches, cracks, or dead limbs; the likelihood of impact, or the chance of the tree or its parts falling on people or property — especially in high-traffic areas; and the consequences of impact, which assess the potential harm based on the tree’s size, the characteristics of the location, and other factors.

The agency added that, in addition to its tree maintenance program, New Yorkers may hire a qualified arborist to perform work. Anyone performing work on or within 50 feet of a city tree must obtain a Tree Work Permit from Parks before beginning.

In the meantime, Lonie is turning to local elected officials for help. He recently contacted the office of Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, whose district includes Marine Park. Her office said it has followed up with both Con Edison and NYC Parks multiple times.

“Our office is staying on it and pressing the relevant agencies for immediate action,” a spokesperson for Narcisse said.

Con Edison did not respond to Brooklyn Paper’s request for comment.

NYC DEPARTMENT FOR THE AGING launched its fourth annual Farmers Market Nutrition Program on Friday, with hundreds of local organizations

The post Farmers market coupon booklets for seniors, courtesy NYC appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Police in Brooklyn are questioning a man after a fight at a subway station led to a straphanger being struck and killed by a train Wednesday morning.

According to police sources, officers from the 71st Precinct and Transit District 32 rushed to the Prospect Park station at around 2:26 a.m. on July 30 after a report of an assault in progress.

However, when they arrived, they found an unidentified man with severe head trauma. Responding EMS units pronounced the man dead; police have not yet released his identity.

Sources familiar with the incident report that two men got into a verbal argument on the platform that escalated into a fight.

Based on a preliminary investigation, police determined that the victim was struck and fell down on the platform, lying there with his head hanging over the edge.

Seconds later, sources familiar with the case said, an arriving Q train clipped the man before he could get out of the way. The victim never fell into the track.

During the investigation, police took the person of interest, a 23-year-old man who remained at the scene, into custody for further questioning. Charges against him are pending the results of the ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information regarding this incident can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.