NEXT MEETING:
date: Sunday, February 8, 2009
location: 309 Halsey St., top floor
[btwn. Throop & Marcus Garvey Aves.]
time: 3:00 - 5:00 pm
agenda: The revitalization of the association/community.
Hello friends and Happy MLK Day!
We find ourselves in legendary times, living legendary hopes and encountering legendary problems. As we celebrate the first African-American president of the United States, living in one of America’s first free-Black regions, our community now faces an increased crime rate, housing foreclosures, minimal business ownership, increased unemployment and an even higher rate of failing schools. We need you to renew your efforts to help reverse this awful trend. Without you, in 10 years we may not recognize the block, community, city or world future generations will inherit.
As President Obama asks us all to strengthen our efforts to create the country we all hope to bring into existence, we are working to present a clear vision of what we can do for the betterment of us all.
A word from Michelle Obama about the National Day of Service and an ongoing commitment to the betterment of our communities throughout the country.
A few motivational words from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
- "An individual has not started living until he [she] can rise above the narrow confines of his [her] individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."
- "Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality."
- "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"
A T T E N T I O N:
There has been a person posing
as a water meter reader who has robbed an elder on our block. We are currently considering options to proactively address this issue. Below is a listing of things that can help you be prepared. Please let us know about any additional information you may have.
* REMEMBER - NEVER GIVE ANYONE MONEY TO PAY WATER, ELECTRIC OR GAS.
7 Tips to a Safer Lifestyle
-- Take the phone with you when the doorbell unexpectedly rings.
-- Have "9-1-1" on speed dial or be prepared to dial.
-- Keep a flashlight next to the door.
-- Create a way in advance to get a good look at an ID and the person's face without opening the door.
-- Always talk thru the door while it is closed and locked.
-- Never leave someone unattended in your house.
-- If possible, have someone in the neighborhood that you can call to help you deal with service calls.
* CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT BEGINS 1% MILK INITIATIVE IN CENTRAL BROOKLYN, SOUTH BRONX AND HARLEM BODEGAS
A DOHMH survey on the availability of healthier food in central Brooklyn – the results of which are similar for the South Bronx and Harlem – found that bodegas represent more than 80% of food sources for the community, but that healthy food choices are not typically available. Only 1 in 3 bodegas in Central Brooklyn sell reduced-fat milk and other healthier foods like fresh fruits.
DOHMH worked with the Bodega Association of the United States to form partnerships with several bodega owners to pilot the project and examine sales trends over the next several months. If the program is successful, DOHMH may expand the program to include more bodegas and other healthier products.
DOHMH Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, said “Bodegas are essential food providers in our communities, but healthy options are often unavailable. Other than people with rare medical problems, everyone over age 2 should drink low-fat milk - 1% or skim. 1% milk has less fat and calories, but all the essential nutrients. Cutting down on unnecessary calories and saturated fat can prevent diabetes, heart disease, and other serious health problems. Most people want to be healthier, and even small lifestyle changes - like switching to 1% milk, eating more fruits and vegetables and increasing physical activity - can make a big difference over the long-term.”
“In many neighborhoods, New Yorkers shop for food at bodegas, rather than at larger supermarkets,” said Lynn Silver, Assistant Commissioner for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control. “Milk is a product that bodegas already sell and switching to 1% is a small and easy step New Yorkers can take to be healthier. This initiative is particularly important for kids as w hole milk accounts for almost half of children's saturated fat intake.”
A QUICK NOTE
- For those who are Online, please talk to you neighbors about this. We can reach more people by using outreach strategies that use the Internet as well as grassroots community development. You can also get people's information and then email it to us on their behalf.
Here's a few easy tips we can use to keep our neigborhood[s] clean and healthy;
- If you see someone throwing garbage on the ground in front of your house [or someone else's], ask them to pick it up and put it in a trash can.
- Clean leaves and snow from your sidewalk. It'll help keep the community looking good and stop you from getting sued because someone slipped and fell on snow or ice under the leaves.
- If people are shouting or playing loud music outside your home, especially after 10pm, kindly ask them to respect the neighborhood and lower their voice and/or music.
- Say hello to each other more. Elders should say hello to the young people in the community and the youthful among us should respectfully say, "good morning," "good afternoon," or "good evening" to elders. One of the best ways to close the generation gap is with words flowing between the years and the ears.
- If you see past dated food or improperly stored food, be sure to tell the store and tell us. We can create a paper trail that will be important in getting the problem dealt with.
- Make sure that anything you do is understood that it's done out of love. The people you will be talking to are used to being challenged. Some unfortunately thrive on it. This makes it even more important to say something like, "Excuse me [brother or sister], could you be a bit more quiet? It's late and I'd like to rest after long day." This might work much better than saying, "Shut the hell up, I'm trying to sleep!
Whether you rent or own, we all affect how each other lives…for good or for bad. We all need to understand that there were 16 murders, 32 rapes, 443 robberies and 319 burglaries, all within the 79th Precinct community, in 2006, and what that means to us. Even though the primary problem areas are blocks away from here, these numbers remain unacceptable for our larger community.
We can't afford to wait until it's [y]our home, family or friend to feel the need to act. We need your help now. Our goal is to deal with problems internally before involving the police. The people in this community must be able to receive the proper respect from all who reside here, which should mean that we would be allowed a basic sense of safety and comfort. Let's make it happen.
Please make sure that your roof hatches are secure and your accessible windows and doors are securely locked.
- If you notice anyone sneaking around in someone's backyard, lurking around someone's house or on the roof, try to write down a description, call the police and then call us.
- If you see someone carrying items crossing the roof or going over a fence, try to write down a description and call the police and then notify us. 79th Precinct - 718.636.6611 Halsey BA - 917.723.7281
We are hoping to hear from many of you in the near future
Feel free to give us a call or send an email
H a l s e y [300] B l o c k A s s o c i a t i o n
[phone] 917.723.7281 [email] halseyba@gmail.com
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