Occupy Wall Street's 1st Brooklyn General Assembly - Franklin Ave

Occupy Wall Street – which began on Oct. 17, 2011,  is a self – pro-claimed -

“leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions”.

Agree with their stance or not, the movement has been picking up international steam, sparking similar movements across the globe.

And tonight, Oct. 20, 2011 @ 7PM @ 613 Franklin Ave., in Crown Heights, Brooklyn - OWS is having their first ever:

Occupy Brooklyn General Assembly

“Come one, come all to the next General Assembly of Occupy Brooklyn.

We would like for these meetings to be representative of the Brooklyn community at large, so we hope that people all of backgrounds living anywhere in Brooklyn will come out.

A team appointed at the first GA has identified a location and time and has offered a proposed agenda.

At the GA, all members will be able to propose further agenda items, and vote on a final agenda at the beginning of the meeting.”

Proposed Agenda:

1. -Basics of the GA, why and how this is participatory
2. -Finalize Agenda
3. -Brief Announcements and Check-ins about what work is already being done in Brooklyn
4. -Relationship to OWS
5. -Should we occupy?
6. -Possible direct actions
7. -Identify working groups
8. -Divide into working groups

If you all haven’t had a chance to check out the fabulous Vodou Bar on Nostrand yet, here is a great reason and opportunity:

Come support the Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger – a nonprofit food pantry working vigorously to end hunger. The BSCAH provides the only Brooklyn based community focused urban garden,emergency food, social services including Food Stamp screenings and much more.  The pantry is in dire need of funds, as their government funding has been severely reduced, while the need for supplies has more than doubled.

For more information about the BSCAH, please visit http://www.bedstuyagainsthunger.org/.

$20 suggested donation for entry.

100% of the proceeds from the door donations will benefit the Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger. A portion of the bar proceeds from the event will be donated to BSCAH.

Last year students from Brooklyn’s exceptional youth journalism workshop produced this video about Nostrand Park’s first Nostrand Ave cleanup. Well now FIRST TAKE is gearing up for a new year and is looking for high school students to participate in this dynamic experience.

The “FIRST TAKE” program meets each Saturday in the Fall at LIU downtown. First Take mentors teens who are interested in media careers and helps provide them with the tools necessary to accomplish their goals.

The application deadline is Fri Sep 23. Students can apply at:

http://firsttakenyc.com/apply

Local freelance journalist and videographer made this exceptional video montage of the recent Franklin Avenue Kids Day.

Franklin Kids Day 2011 from Aulistar Mark on Vimeo.

ZUMBA!
with Mariko Masaoka-Drew

WEDNESDAYS, AUGUST 3 – 31
6:30 – 7:30PM
@ Force and Flow (www.forceandflow.com), 1102 Dean St. #4 between Franklin & Bedford Ave’s

RSVP REQUIRED: info@forceandflow.com

First class is FREE for Nostrand Park Readers

Mariko Masaoko-Drew
Let Mariko and the spirit of Zumba lead you to a fit and fun lifestyle! Zumba combines Latin and International music with a fun and effective workout system. Whether you are an exercise fanatic or just looking for some summer fun, Zumba is designed to encompass all levels of dance and fitness experience. The routines feature interval training sessions where fast and slow rhythms and resistance training are combined to tone and sculpt your body while burning fat, and most importantly, having fun! Mariko brings 20 years of formal dance training in ballet, modern, hip hop and Latin to her unique and vibrant Zumba classes. Let’s get it started!

Nostrand Park – in collaboration with VAMOS Architects, Masai Marketing, NYC Dept of Small Business Services, and desigNYC – is excited to announce the launch of its new pilot program, Destination Nostrand, intended to beautify, promote, enliven, and enhance Nostrand Avenue:

If you are interested in participating, showing off your artwork, opening up your commercial space, have a business idea that you would like to test out, or if you just want to help make sure that Nostrand looks great on the day of, just let us know: http://nostrandpark.com/destination-nostrand/

Special thank you to DANIEL GERGLEY, NICOLE MACIAS, JENNIFER MACCHIARELLI, and GroundUp Designers for their tremendous marketing and promotional assistance!

To view some of the design concepts for DN, check out our gallery below. Since the project is in its pilot phase, we will only be launching 3 of the concepts, but feel free to let us know which ones you like best:

All those with the urge to start a food business – here’s your chance!

As some of you may have read a few months ago if you are on our e-blast list, or if you follow the I Love Franklin Ave blog, NYC Economic Development Corporation is looking to have a food incubator hosted in Crown Heights.

Well, a local group called CREATE – a collaborative effort between a local Brooklyn attorney, architect, and marketing company all with ties to Prospect Heights and Crown Heights – is looking to “bring quality shared work and event space to the neighborhood. ”

They’ve sent us a short survey for folks to fill out: <a href=”http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QZ25CNT“>Click here to take survey.</a>  Pass it along if you know of anyone who might be interested.  The pictures are renderings of their vision of what the space would/could/should look like.  Nice!

Even as the recession’s grip on the city seems to be loosening, it stills seems that there are just not nearly enough jobs to go around. Luckily, it seems that some people are trying to do something about it.

We recently received the following notice from the office of State Senator Eric Adams:

YOUTH AMERICA, INC., IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NYS SENATOR ERIC ADAMS, WILL HOST A JOB FAIR IN BROOKLYN TO PROVIDE HOPE OF EMPLOYMENT TO LOCAL RESIDENTS.

Youth America, Inc., in partnership with NYS Senator Eric Adams, will host a job fair in the 20th senatorial district to provide employment opportunities for local residents.

The economic collapse that occurred three years ago still affects thousands of New Yorkers, and the high unemployment rate generates distress for individuals and families at every level. Over 40 employers are scheduled to participate in this job fair, which will provide a host of employment opportunities for many jobless New Yorkers. At last year’s job fair, numerous individuals were hired on the spot and many received opportunities for second interviews that led to meaningful employment.

Senator Adams’ statement: “Unemployment is one of the most pressing issues facing New Yorkers. Therefore, it must be among the most urgent matters confronting New York legislators. It is important for me as an elected official that the needs of my constituents are met during this job fair. I commend the employers who have signed on and trust that many of my constituents will garner meaningful employment.”

Date/Time: Thursday, June 9th 2011 from 11:00am to 3:00pm

Location: P.S. 375, 46 McKeever Place
(Between Sullivan Place and Montgomery Street)
Brooklyn, NY 11225

Presiding: Youth America Inc.
NYS Senator Eric Adams

Members of the Lincoln Civic Block Association recently held a rally to protest damage done to their streets, homes and overall quality of life as a result of the unending construction work along New York Avenue and the Lincoln Place corridor.  As buses and trucks rumble along residents have become outraged about having to constantly worry that their homes might collapse or suffer significant structural damage because of the shaking caused by these large vehicles and the never ending stream of construction projects on the street.

Neighborhood Street Rally from Malik on Vimeo.

The presence of District Leader Jesse Hamilton and State Senator Eric Adams at this rally helped the Block Association garner significant media coverage in hopes of getting city officials to listen to the complaints being offered by residents.  Per Hamilton’s prompting, the Block Association will not only deliver verbal complaints to the city, but the association, which produced a petition in the run-up to this rally, is also in the process of organizing a survey that clearly details residents’ concerns.

Local journalist Malik Singleton was on-hand at the rally and documented the day’s events.  The footage below was shot by Singleton in hopes further buoying the Block Association’s efforts to get their voices heard.