Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. We have about 10 minutes in the show, left in the show, and here's what we're going to do. A quick call in on the news from your neighborhoods. All this big stuff going on in the world, Ukraine, Roe v. Wade, COVID, inflation. It can take your eye off the ball from what's going on, on your block, in your building, in your neighborhood. We're going to do one of our occasional call-ins. Some of you have heard us do this before, the hyperlocal news. News from your building, news from your block, news from your neighborhood. What's the headline? What's the controversy? What's the story?
That's hyperlocal to wherever you live that other people might not hear about. Who's got one? 212-433-WNYC. Frame a controversy. Frame something that's a conflict. Frame something that's a trend or an interesting development that's really, really local that's going on in your building, on your block, in your neighborhood, and let everybody else hear about it. You don't have to go really, really deeply into it or solve it. Let people know what's going on. What's the news? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433- 9692. Here are a few headlines from around neighborhoods in this area that might serve as a template. If you need it.
The building development One45, a pair of 363-foot towers on the corner of West 145th street and Lenox, received pushback from neighborhood residents who were concerned about gentrification. Among these is Reverend Al Sharpton. The developer compromised by agreeing to provide affordable housing, that's one. Here's another one. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act was passed in 2019 to achieve a carbon-neutral economy by 2050 in New York State. The most vulnerable communities in the city will receive about a third of the funding, but some New Yorkers don't agree with the areas that made the list like Hollis, of course, from Jamaica Avenue in Queens, one those sites.
Residents can fill out a complaint form listed on the website of the city. Another Queens one, Jacob Riis Park. There are three crumbling buildings. A former hospital which LGBTQ+ beachgoers have used to shield themselves from the rest of the beach. The backspace has long served as a safe area for people of color, trans and queer New Yorkers as it's being reported. The buildings will be torn down to make room for a new park. LGBTQ New Yorkers from that area are worried this will ruin the area that they've come to know as a safe space to be on the beach. Those are just three examples of some hyperlocal news. Who's got one? 212-433-WNYC. We'll take them right after this.
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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. All right. Now, to your hyperlocal news stories. What's the news from your building, your block, your neighborhood that other people might not know about? We'll start with Matt in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Hi, Matt, you're on WNYC. Thanks for calling in.
Matt: Hello. I feel like a jerk for this news, but it really struck to me. On the corner of Lincoln and Parkside near Prospect Park, there's a guy who is currently experiencing homelessness and for the past couple of years, he's been hanging out on this corner asking for people for change. The last two or three weekends ago, a family came and put up a lemonade stand there, which is great, teach your kids how to do whatever, but they basically chased this guy off. They left their lemonade stand there, and it's changed to a wall now so that guy can't be there anymore.
I just think it's not a great thing for somebody who's wealthy enough to build this little wooden platform and bring their kids out to-- which again I'm not-- great, teach your kids to do that but read the room, find a better place, go somewhere else. That guy has a lot less options than you do so teach your kids that somewhere else. Don't buy from that lemonade stand.
Brian Lehrer: Were you able to see if the homeless guy was able to relocate to another spot nearby?
Matt: I found him around a corner a little while ago a couple days later, but he's not always all there. I could tell that being out of his comfort zone, it was harder to talk to him than it is normally to converse with him and see how he is doing. [unintelligible 00:05:07].
Brian Lehrer: Thank you for that story, Matt. There's a hyperlocal story if there ever was one, right? Lemonade stand, homeless guy who had been used to occupying that spot. The news from Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Judith in Manhattan you're on WNYC. Oh, upper west side of Manhattan if we're going neighborhoods here. Hi, Judith.
Judith: Hi. I'm upset about an attempt being made to take away the antique status of the West Park Church on 86th street which we won antique status and saved it a bunch of years ago, but now there's an attempt being made to tear it down, and it's awful. The main thing I'm calling also is to sing praises to Gale Brewer who keeps us abreast of everything going on every day. I wish you would bring her back on the air. She's absolutely fabulous.
Brian Lehrer: Sure and we certainly will, and we're going city council by a district by city council district this year anyway. She will get her turn. Marisol in the Bronx. You're on WNYC. Hi, Marisol, you have some hyperlocal news for us?
Marisol: Yes. Good afternoon, Brian. I wanted to talk about our grassroots group. We're the Crotona Park community dog run. Since the fall, we formed this group because many residents here who utilizes Crotona Park had been trying to get a dog run. We're talking maybe since 2015, and it was interesting that you had Ms. Stevens speak earlier because what's unique to us is that it's the park falls in Mr. Salamanca's district but many of Ms. Stevens' constituents use Crotona Park. We've made progress. We have a Twitter, we are on Facebook and Instagram and we did show our walk-through with Mr. Salamanca's office and parts.
We are making progress, but we're hoping to, down the line, convince Ms. Stevens to collaborate because this is something that many of her constituents want and we are working. We're trying to make this come to the community because we do want to address quality of life issues. This is something that all of us have come together and advocate for the community.
Brian Lehrer: Marisol, thank you so much. Call us again, the news from Crotona Park. Maxine in Jamaica. You're on WNYC. Hi, Maxine.
Maxine: Good morning, Brian. I live in the neighborhood where the accident happened the mom, Mother's Day morning, who died yesterday. Did you hear about that incident?
Brian Lehrer: Was that the one where the truck crashed into her car?
Maxine: Yes. I didn't see the incident, but I can look from my gate straight down. I walked down there just to look yesterday, so I live in the neighborhood right next door.
Brian Lehrer: You're just acknowledging that that happened, and it's a shock to see it. Basically, that you're in there.
Maxine: Acknowledging what happened and-- yes. I didn't realize it happened until later at two o'clock on Sunday.
Brian Lehrer: Maxine, thank you very much. All right, one more. Michael in Inwood, you're on WNYC. Hi, Michael, we've got 20 seconds for you.
Michael: Oh, hey, hi. I'll be real quick. I'm complaining about the lack of parking enforcement up here in Inwood. The cars are parking by fire hydrants. They don't have license plates. They are ignored by the police for days on end and it's just destroying the quality of life in the city and making a lack of respect by the citizens.
Brian Lehrer: The illegally parked cars and drag racing on the streets. That could be the hyperlocal news from just about any neighborhood in New York right now. Thank you for your calls. A little smattering of hyperlocal news from around the city. Thanks for calling.
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