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Fake detective pulls driver over in Mill Basin, robs him at gunpoint

Real detectives are looking for the fake officer who stopped a driver in Mill Basin last month and robbed him at gunpoint. The NYPD released on Friday photos of the phony cop involved in the caper that took place at 5:40 pm on April 8 at the corner of East 61st Street and Avenue U. Law enforcement sources said the 38-year-old male victim was stopped at a red light at the intersection when the crook approached the driver’s side of his vehicle…

Brooklyn mourns death of Caribbean-American business leader Roy Hastick

Caribbean-American business leader Roy Hastick died on Thursday, April 9. A native of Grenada, Hastick came to the United States in 1972. He worked as a social worker, community advocate, entrepreneur, newspaper publisher, and radio and television announcer. Hastick has also served as an elected delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business and as a delegate to the United Nations. In 1985, he founded the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where he helped those who wanted to start and grow their own business in Brooklyn and beyond. Several political and business leaders mourned the passing of Hastick. New York State Attorney General Letitia “Tish” …

Opinion: The latest tragic casualty of the coronavirus outbreak is democracy

A very long three weeks ago, I wrote that while social distancing is necessary right now, it will damage the communal social life essential to democracy. It appears that I gravely understated matters. Democracy, small business, and worker rights are under extreme threat right now, and we have lost most of the tools traditionally used to fix the problems. On Monday, March 30, Hungary’s parliament voted to give prime minister Viktor Orbán dictatorial powers, using the coronavirus crisis as an excuse. Hungary had been heading in that direction for a while, but now there is rule by Orbán’s decree…

Opinion: Releasing inmates during a time of crisis is a terrible idea

When all five of the city’s district attorneys, who are all fellow Democrats, say that the mayor’s initiative of releasing inmates from Rikers Island is dangerous, we should listen to them. This week, the top prosecutors in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx united to strongly condemn Mayor de Blasio on this matter. They said, “We want to make clear that the categories of those proposed for release have, in some instances, included individuals who pose a high risk to public safety.” They concluded with this zinger: “We should not have to make release decisions that we know will put communities at risk.” As the quintessential example of …

Community board rejects Vinegar Hill rezoning citing local concerns of over-development

Civic gurus shot down a developer’s proposal to build a four-story mixed-use building in Vinegar Hill, with locals fearing a rash of new, oversized building projects in the low-rise historic district.  “These new buildings could be more than twice as high as the historic brownstones and be forever totally out of character with the low-rise houses of Vinegar Hill Historic District, which we so much want to protect,â€� said Monique Denoncin, a longtime Vinegar Hill resident. “The unguided explosion of development that we experienced in Dumbo will then come our way. We do not want to be a reflection of Dumbo.â€� A lawyer representing the Spinard family, which owns a roughly 6,500 square…

Five things to do this week, Feb. 21–27

Friday, Feb. 21 Epic scales! You know what Brooklyn needs more of? Dinosaurs! Fortunately, “Jurassic World Live Tourâ€� is here all weekend, with puppeteers sending more than 20 thunder lizards stomping all over the Barclays Center stage. There is some sort of plot about evil scientists exploiting a super-smart dino, but we just want to hear that T-Rex roar! 11 am, 3 pm, and 7 pm at Barclays Center 620 Atlantic Ave. at Pacific Street in Prospect Heights, (917) 618–6100, barclayscenter.com. $15–$100. Saturday morning, Feb. 22 Rushin’ bots Watch teams of Brooklyn kids pit their metal minions against each other …

Carnival krewes! Where to celebrate Mardi Gras in Brooklyn

The Big Apple can party like the Big Easy!  Mardis Gras is next week, and Brooklyn has plenty of spots where you can gather your krewe to splurge before the long Lenten season begins. So here are four of your best opportunities to celebrate Fat Tuesday! Hold everything! The expansive event space Freehold will take on the flavor of N’awlins for its “Bourbon Streetâ€� party tonight, featuring fire eaters, stilt walkers, and cajun cuisine. Happy hour starts at 5 pm, and the tunes of New…

City shuts down Marine Park development for unsafe conditions, unapproved elevator

City regulators shut down a Marine Park development site after the builders flagrantly ignored city-approved construction blueprints — and put workers’ lives at risk in the process, according to a Department of Buildings spokeswoman. “We issued a stop work order for the site…and issued violations to the contractor for disregarding the approved plans and putting workers in jeopardy by skirting safety regulations,” said Abigail Kunitz. Neighbors filed 11 official complaints to the department since June 2018, claiming that the…

As good as Golden: More Balkan bands in Brooklyn this week

The Golden Festival has Balkanized! The annual Zlatne Uste Golden Festival has overflowed the confines of the Grand Prospect Hall, with a handful of Balkan band-related events taking place all over Brooklyn before and after the official fest. Here are some of those highlights: Soul men  Dive into slavic brass music by dancing to nine-piece band Slavic Soul Party, playing at Park Slope’s Barbes bar on Jan. 14. The American-Balkan jazz band combines klezmer music — expressive instrumental music by Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews — with funk and New …

Year in Review: All the best stories from 2019

Well that was fast! 2019 is nearly over, but it feels like just yesterday that Gov. Andrew Cuomo flexed his executive powers and threw out more than three years of planning to keep the L-train from shutting down. Of course, Cuomo’s 11th-hour ploy to avert the L-pocalypse was just three days into the year, which would sadly come to be marked by some grim milestones, including the longest ever shutdown of the federal government, the…

Opinion: Max Rose’s post office Cabrini tribute is a sham!

What do you think of our postal service? For most, the response would be pretty negative and include some choice words that can’t be printed here. However, in a cynical attempt to pander to the Italian-American community and Catholics in his district, Congressman Max Rose has proposed renaming the Dyker Heights Post Office after Mother Cabrini. A saint should be revered and not relegated to having their name slapped on an aging and architecturally bland federal building. To add insult to injury, this proposal seems to have been made for purely political purposes. For background, this all began when the She Built NYC Initiative was created in 2018 to erect public monuments or statues to honor women’s history. There was an open call for nominations…