Green-Wood Cemetery hosted its annual Battle of Brooklyn Commemoration and Family Day over the weekend, inviting visitors of all ages to explore the rich history of the Revolutionary War.
Visitors immersed themselves in hands-on activities highlighting the sacrifices and achievements of those who fought for American independence. Devout historians led experiential learning sessions, showing guests Dutch Colonial toys, games and objects often used and associated with the 18th century.
The Battle of Brooklyn is recognized as the first major confrontation after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Much of the confrontation took place on the land now part of The Green-Wood Cemetery campus.
The event was full of hands-on learning experiences. One attendee checks out a gun site with dated trinkets. Photo by Arthur de Gaeta
Event organizers consider the celebration a family day that teaches Brooklynites about the history and culture that surrounds them.
“This annual event offers a unique chance for visitors to immerse themselves in the narratives and experiences of those who lived through the American Revolution,” Rachel Walman, Green-Wood’s director of education, said in a statement. “By examining the varied viewpoints of colonists, the British, the Dutch, Indigenous people, and enslaved people from that period, we aim to provide a richer comprehension of our collective history and its lasting influence.”
A parade with drum and fife came to life on Battle Hill followed by a commemoration ceremony to honor the lives lost during the Battle of Brooklyn.
Michael Grillo dressed up as George Washington as Michael Grillo Jr. played his helper.Photo by Arthur de Gaeta
Costumed interpreters brought stories of notable figures to life, including Patriot soldier Deborah Sampson, who fought for American liberty, and members of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, one of the first military units to include a significant number of Black soldiers.
This event was open to the public and though donations were recommended, it was free to attend. Photo by Arthur de Gaeta
Other lighthearted pastimes included a scavenger hunt, flag decorating, quill-writing and tricorn hat making.
An augmented reality app called 1776AR enhanced the experience allowing users to visualize significant figures— General George Washington, his enslaved valet William Lee and Colonel Samuel Atlee — and events of the Battle of Brooklyn, including over 400 British ships poised in New York Harbor.
Green-Wood Cemetery hosts art, history and nature programs throughout the year, bringing Brooklyn onto its historic landscape. Other events include trolley tours of the grounds, rooftop movie screenings, summer picnics and holiday celebrations.
Это означает, что безопасность в Квинс -парке Флашинг-Медоуз и вокруг него будет жесткой. В среднем турнир собирает более 80 000 зрителей в день в течение […]
Some colleges and universities in New York City are starting the 2024-25 school year with new or revised policies to combat hate and protect students months after campuses were rocked in the spring with violent on-campus protests and acts of antisemitism.
Faculty and staff at major NYC-based universities including Columbia University, City University of New York schools and New York University are stepping up efforts to combat hate and bias incidents on their campuses that surged during the demonstrations and in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks in Israel.
A new Office of Institutional Equality at Columbia
Along with having a change in leadership, Columbia University has a series of new initiatives to help fight antisemitism and other forms of on-campus bigotry this year.
“There is no doubt that redoubling our commitment to addressing discrimination and harassment and the toll they take will be essential going forward,” interim school President Katrina Armstrong said in a written update to the school community.
The uptown university, which was the site of many controversial pro-Palestinian protests last semester, established a new Office of Institutional Equity. The office will be a centralized resource for addressing reports of discrimination and discriminatory harassment, including alleged violations of Title VI and Title VII, parts of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion and sex.
A cop stands guard as protesters picket outside Columbia University on April 30, 2024.Photo by Dean Moses
According to Columbia, the Office of Institutional Equality will also handle reports that involve alleged violations of Title IX and the University’s Gender-Based Misconduct Policy, as well as reported violations of the Protection of Minors Policy.
Students and staff who experience or witness discrimination, including antisemitism, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim acts, can file a report directly from the office’s website, institutionalequality.columbia.edu.
Another priority for the school is being able to effectively manage protests and demonstrations as it continues to keep active free speech and debate.
One way the school is doing this is through its Inclusive Public Safety Advisory Committee, which will be “reenergized” this year, Armstrong said.
The advisory committee, initially launched in 2022, will conduct listening sessions with the school community, though more information on how students and staff can participate is to be announced.
The Ivy League institution will also expand its Campus Climate Working group that brings together shared views from the sprawling campus’ more than two dozen schools.
Although details of the expansion are not clear yet, the purpose of the group is to focus on ways to “advance our shared understanding,” Armstrong said, through academic programming, workshops, training, community-building and skills-based programming.
CUNY’s new center to combat discrimination
CUNY, which saw City College besieged by spring protests, has a multi-pronged effort to combat hateful incidents this fall.
The school system announced a new Center for Inclusive Excellence and Belonging (CIEB) over the summer. The center aims to foster understanding between diverse communities on campus. According to CUNY officials, it will launch by Oct. 1 this year.
“The Board of Trustees of the City University of New York believes in the dignity of all human beings regardless of ethnicity, race, color, gender, national origin, religion and disabilities,” CUNY Board of Trustees Chair William C. Thompson Jr. said “This Center for Inclusive Excellence and Belonging will centralize this work so there is consistency and accountability on all campuses to make sure students, faculty and staff are protected and respected. We intend to be a national leader in this space.”
The center will oversee policies related to discrimination, harassment, bullying and hate crimes. It will also act as the administrative arm in the oversight of processing, monitoring and responding to all complaints related to the violation of the university policies on non-discrimination and harassment including Title VI related complaints.
Training for new chief diversity officers, annual orientation programs on cultural sensitivity-related issues for public safety officers are part of the center’s initiatives, too.
NYU students erected an encampment outside the college in April 2024 amid the protests over the Israel-Hamas War in Gaza.Photo by Dean Moses
Before classes start on Sept. 3, NYU community members will receive communications emphasizing the university’s rules, guidelines and expectations for conduct. Student groups will be trained on those rules.
The NDAH, which is grounded in the school’s legal obligations, states that using code words like “Zionist” does not eliminate the possibility that a person’s speech violates the policy.
In fact, anything that would violate the NDAH if targeting Jewish or Israeli people can also violate the policy if directed toward Zionists.
The policy illustrates some examples of what this means:
“…excluding Zionists from an open event, calling for the death of Zionists, applying a ‘no Zionist” litmus test for participation in any NYU activity, using or disseminating tropes, stereotypes, and conspiracies about Zionists, demanding a person who is or is perceived to be Jewish or Israeli to state a position on Israel or Zionism, minimizing or denying the Holocaust, or invoking Holocaust imagery or symbols to harass or discriminate.”
John Beckman, a spokesperson for NYU, said the school has been preparing for the fall semester throughout the summer.
“Preparing for challenges in the fall has been a focus of sustained attention over the summer for NYU’s leadership,” Beckman said.
NYU, for the first time, will hire a Title VI coordinator who will be responsible for ensuring the “fair and equal application” of the school’s policies.
“In addition, there are a number of new faculty and other hires who we believe will help in understanding and combating antisemitism,” Beckman said, adding that the school will also update existing employee trainings to cover all forms of discrimination, including antisemitism.
Over the summer, NYU also held more than 20 listening forums involving approximately 300 faculty, students and staff members. The sessions included community members who have been deeply involved with post-Oct. 7 issues.
“What we heard is that the vast majority are looking for a reset, that includes listening and productive engagement,” Beckman said.
NYU plans to share findings from those sessions between now and early in the semester. The school will also provide training to faculty and staff on conflict and difficult conversations that arrive in the classroom.
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Anthony and Diane Napoli first crossed paths in 1975 as volunteers with South Brooklyn volunteer ambulance service BRAVO. Today, the couple — married for 41 years — are at the heart of BRAVO’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Diane joined BRAVO’s youth squad at 15, driven by an accident her father had when she was a child. This early experience ignited her passion for emergency care and inspired her to become an EMT and CPR instructor, and eventually a retired public school science teacher.
“He had fallen, and it scared me so much that I was like, ‘Oh, I need to be able to take care of this.’ I didn’t like the feeling of not being in control,” she said. “It was a great inspiration for me to teach because I taught science, biology [and] health, so it was a very excellent career path for me.”
Diane Napoli, Rahma Hassan and Anthony Napoli present the new hydraulic stretcher for their ambulance.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
Anthony, too, was shaped by his past. Witnessing his uncle’s passing left him with a sense of helplessness that propelled him into a career in emergency medicine. His 30-year tenure with FDNY EMS solidified his dedication, and he credits BRAVO with launching his path in the field.
“The family felt helpless. I felt helpless,” he said. “There is no doubt in my mind and in anybody else’s mind that BRAVO launched my career to go into emergency medicine and projected me in, obviously.”
Today, Anthony serves as BRAVO’s president, and Diane sits on the organization’s board of directors. Brooklyn Paper sat down with the couple to learn more about the organization as it marks a milestone anniversary.
A vital lifeline
Volunteer ambulance services were founded out of necessity in the early 1970s because the New York City Health and Hospitals corporation, which operated NYC EMS until it merged with the FDNY in 1996, did not have enough ambulances to handle the volume of emergency calls due to underfunding. This led to wait times of 40 minutes to an hour or more.
Volunteer ambulances are not part of the 911 system and have their own phone numbers (BRAVO’s is 718-680-1111). However, New York State regulates the boundaries within which a volunteer ambulance can operate. In BRAVO’s case, it can only operate its three ambulances in Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Fort Hamilton, where they provide pre-hospital care, transportation and promote health and wellness in the community.
Everyone at BRAVO — from the EMTs, dispatchers, and administrators to the cleaning and maintenance crew, youth squad advisors and comptroller — is a volunteer.
BRAVO’s Ambulance Service Group’s dispatch. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
When BRAVO was formed 50 years ago, it had over 250 volunteers, but that number has dwindled to around 80 active volunteers today.
“Over the past years, I would say 25 years, volunteerism declined, so we do not have as many crews as we normally would,” Diane said.
Volunteers sign up for four-hour shifts on a scheduling platform and work about 10 tours a week, she said.
All volunteer EMTs are trained and certified through the New York State Department of Health. The training takes six months — usually two nights a week — and costs about $1,400. However, New York State reimburses students who are part of volunteer ambulance services.
“The state reimburses BRAVO, and then BRAVO reimburses [the students], so they get about $900 back from a $1,400 cost,” Diane explained. “In the end, it only costs about $500. It really gets people interested in taking [the class], knowing that they’re going to get some of that money back.”
“We are re-certified every three years by New York State,” Anthony added. “The second group we have are our dispatchers. The emergency medical dispatch training is done by us here.”
Shaping the future
Rahma Hassan, 18, joined BRAVO’s youth squad in eighth grade and became an EMT after New York State lowered the age requirement for training to 17. She has already logged 500 hours of volunteer work in addition to her regular job and college studies in pre-med.
“The youth squad is great for anyone interested in EMS,” Hassan said. “I did learn a lot from [Diane and Anthony Napoli]. They prepared me more than I could have ever imagined for EMT school. It’s a lot of information thrown at you at once. So it really was beneficial.”
Diane said that volunteering at BRAVO looks good on a college application, especially for those pursuing medical careers.
“It’s a very big deal, especially for people going to medical programs; having this experience on your resume is an excellent path,” she said. “Two of our female youth squad members are in medical school right now.”
BRAVO’s services are free for all patients. If a patient has health insurance, volunteer ambulance services can bill the insurance company. Even if the insurance company refuses to pay, Diane stressed that they will not go “after the patient for the money.”
Despite challenges, including a decline in volunteerism and the impact of COVID-19, BRAVO continues to thrive, driven by the unwavering dedication of its members and supporters.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
Despite the option for third-party billing, BRAVO relies on Federal Emergency Management Agency grants, donations and fundraisers to maintain operations, pay for insurance, and purchase new equipment and ambulances, which cost $250,000 each.
But BRAVO’s upcoming 50th anniversary celebration is more than just a fundraiser, Anthony said – it’s a way to say “we made it.”
“It was hard for quite a number of years,” Diane. “With lack of volunteerism, we went through a very tough time, plus COVID. COVID was such a big strain on everyone.”
Despite dwindling personal protective equipment (PPE) supply, BRAVO tackled the pandemic head-on, even as the group’s volunteer base began to shrink.
Today, the local ambulance corp is still going strong.
“The bigger part of this is, this is a celebration of 50 years, a celebration of the members, a celebration of what you can do with volunteerism in your community,” Anthony said.
BRAVO will mark 50 years of service with a gala dinner at the U.S. Army Fort Hamilton Community Center on Thursday, Sept. 12. Anyone interested in joining or donating can visit bravoambulance.org.
CONEY ISLAND — THE ICONIC, 97-YEAR-OLD CYCLONE ROLLER COASTER at Luna Park received national attention this weekend after being shut down indefinitely for emergency repairs, reported CNN on Sunday, Aug. 25. The reports came three days after an incident on Thursday when the wooden Cyclone was brought to a halt because a chain sprocket in […]
