By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper
Tear down that wall, Mr. Cunningham — or is it Mr. Moore?
That was the refrain from a chorus of residents who came to last Monday’s Community Board 10 meeting to support a man who claims he is being terrorized by his mysterious next-door neighbor.
The unneighborly spat goes back more than five years, but this cold war recently went nuclear after Robert and Cheryl Cunningham began building a 60-foot-high cinderblock wall at their home at 123 87th St. The wall is only inches from their neighbors at 127 87th St., Matthew and Jean Gershon.
Needless to say, the wall didn’t go over well with the Gershons.
“It is blocking our windows and we can’t get light or air,” said Matthew Gershon. “We are asking for someone to help us stop him.”
More than 40 people showed their support at the meeting, at which Gershon spoke at length about the situation on his block.
“In May 2006, workers removed wooden plants from our yard and broke our kitchen window,” he said. “The Cunninghams have aggressive dogs, which defecate on our property, and are rude at every chance they get.”
The Department of Buildings’ Web site lists 44 complaints against the Cunninghams’ property. One 2002 violation for working without a permit remains open.
A spokeswoman for the department said that the wall appears to be legal, given the existing zoning. But the spokeswoman, Kate Lindquist, added that “in light of the community’s concerns, we will audit the permit application again.”
That wasn’t enough for Gershon. “This guy has all of these violations, and we are being brushed off,” he said. “When is enough, enough?”
Enough may already be enough, according to the man who lives at 123 87th St., who told The Stoop that his name was not Cunningham, but “John Moore.” He invited this reporter into the house and talked about the situation, saying that he was the one being terrorized by an “insane” neighbor.
Department of Finance records show that “Moore’s” property is indeed owned by the Cunninghams. There is no mention of a John Moore in city records.
Still, “Moore” said he doesn’t understand why everyone is upset with him, and that the wall is simply the beginning of a house being built on a lot he claims not to own. City records, though, show that there is no lot between his and the Gershons’.
“I don’t know why people think I am the owner of this property,” the man said, while giving orders to the men building the structure on the property. “I am just the victim of one man’s craziness.”
Moore pointed to video cameras and high-powered spotlights that he says Gershon had directed at his property.
“That crazy man shines those lights at my bedroom window so we can’t sleep,” Moore said. “He also likes to videotape what is going on inside of my house.”
But if the CB10 meeting was any indication, residents along the quiet tree-lined block between Ridge and Colonial avenues shared one unanimous opinion: that the man living at 123 87th St. was bad news — regardless of what he called himself.
“He has been known to use aliases,” said neighbor Angelo Biondo who lives three houses down. “Everybody knows this man compromises the integrity of our neighborhood.”
Another neighbor, Charles Miller, said he expected the large turnout at the board meeting, “because our neighborhood has seen enough.”
Still, there must be a chance for a diplomatic resolution to this stand-off? No, not really.
“I have had enough of this crap,” Moore said. “I am looking to move away soon.”
Moore didn’t say where he would go, but it would certainly come as a relief to Gershon, so long as Moore makes sure to take his wall with him.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Gershon said.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Bad reviews for Alpine
By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper
Last year’s sale of the Alpine Cinema was heralded as a four-star rescue, but reviewers rank it somewhere between “Howard the Duck” and “Battlefield Earth.”
That’s because the promise made by owner Nicolas Nicolaou to modernize the run-down Bay Ridge landmark remains unfulfilled — more than 12 months after he bought the historic cinema, critics say.
“He pledged all of these renovations, but it looks the same as it did before,” said moviegoer Tom Brice, who said the news stories of Nicolaou’s purchase of the theater last year led him to believe that big changes were coming.
“Families used to go to the movie theater to get away from life, but who wants to go to that dingy looking Bingo hall?” he asked.
Nicolaou told The Brooklyn Paper that he understands the community’s concerns, but blamed the usual suspects — the city bureaucracy — for the delays.
The city threw the blame back at Nicolaou, who only applied in March for a permit to replace his 50-year-old air conditioning and heating system. That permit has been granted, yet the work has not begun.
Nicolaou promised to make fast work of renovations, which will include a new lobby ceiling, a new lobby carpet, and an entirely new electrical infrastructure for the 86-year-old theater. He also vows to partition off some interior space to create two additional theaters — though the Department of Buildings has not yet given him a permit for that work.
Nicolaou said the repairs and renovations would cost $1 million. At this point, his contractors will work only at night and in the morning, so as not to require him to close during the critical summer season. Movie theaters typically take in 40 percent of their year’s box office in the three months between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
“This summer we have committed to having all the big films coming out,” said Nicolaou. “We will have ‘Pirates of the Caribbean,’ ‘Transformers,’ ‘Die Hard,’ ‘Harry Potter’ and more.”
But everyone’s a critic: Residents believe they have waited long enough — especially given that the Alpine is the only show in town.
“It is a year and he has done nothing with the theater,” said another moviegoer who gave only the first name Matthew (and who is not this reporter). “The place is not a theater. It’s a s—t shack.”
Community expectations were heightened at the announcement last May that Nicolaou had bought the beloved theater for $6 million. The announcement was such big news that two local lawmakers — Councilman Vince Gentile (D–Bay Ridge) and state Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) — held bizarre back-to-back press conferences to crow about their role in finding a buyer for the last moviehouse in a neighborhood that once had a half-dozen.
Now, despite the delays, Nicolaou reiterated his commitment to making his million-dollar baby a real contender.
“We are here for the long run and we will give the people the theater they deserve,” Nicolaou said, promising “a grand reopening” this fall.
In other words, roll ’em!
The Brooklyn Paper
Last year’s sale of the Alpine Cinema was heralded as a four-star rescue, but reviewers rank it somewhere between “Howard the Duck” and “Battlefield Earth.”
That’s because the promise made by owner Nicolas Nicolaou to modernize the run-down Bay Ridge landmark remains unfulfilled — more than 12 months after he bought the historic cinema, critics say.
“He pledged all of these renovations, but it looks the same as it did before,” said moviegoer Tom Brice, who said the news stories of Nicolaou’s purchase of the theater last year led him to believe that big changes were coming.
“Families used to go to the movie theater to get away from life, but who wants to go to that dingy looking Bingo hall?” he asked.
Nicolaou told The Brooklyn Paper that he understands the community’s concerns, but blamed the usual suspects — the city bureaucracy — for the delays.
The city threw the blame back at Nicolaou, who only applied in March for a permit to replace his 50-year-old air conditioning and heating system. That permit has been granted, yet the work has not begun.
Nicolaou promised to make fast work of renovations, which will include a new lobby ceiling, a new lobby carpet, and an entirely new electrical infrastructure for the 86-year-old theater. He also vows to partition off some interior space to create two additional theaters — though the Department of Buildings has not yet given him a permit for that work.
Nicolaou said the repairs and renovations would cost $1 million. At this point, his contractors will work only at night and in the morning, so as not to require him to close during the critical summer season. Movie theaters typically take in 40 percent of their year’s box office in the three months between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
“This summer we have committed to having all the big films coming out,” said Nicolaou. “We will have ‘Pirates of the Caribbean,’ ‘Transformers,’ ‘Die Hard,’ ‘Harry Potter’ and more.”
But everyone’s a critic: Residents believe they have waited long enough — especially given that the Alpine is the only show in town.
“It is a year and he has done nothing with the theater,” said another moviegoer who gave only the first name Matthew (and who is not this reporter). “The place is not a theater. It’s a s—t shack.”
Community expectations were heightened at the announcement last May that Nicolaou had bought the beloved theater for $6 million. The announcement was such big news that two local lawmakers — Councilman Vince Gentile (D–Bay Ridge) and state Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) — held bizarre back-to-back press conferences to crow about their role in finding a buyer for the last moviehouse in a neighborhood that once had a half-dozen.
Now, despite the delays, Nicolaou reiterated his commitment to making his million-dollar baby a real contender.
“We are here for the long run and we will give the people the theater they deserve,” Nicolaou said, promising “a grand reopening” this fall.
In other words, roll ’em!
Ridge to get own Jack Bauers
By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper
An elite anti-terror response team focused on chemical, biological, and radiological attacks will soon be stationed at Fort Hamilton — as long as some final hurdles are cleared.
The so-called “Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team” would be a 22-member elite terror response unit comprised of Army and Air National Guard personnel that could be deployed at a moment’s notice in the event of a suspected chemical, biological, or radiological attack.
The squad would rush to the scene of an attack and assist emergency personnel in determining the exact nature of the problem.
Pols say that while we haven’t faced the ticking-clock scenario just yet, post 9-11 New York needs to be ready for everything.
“We must always be prepared,” said Rep. Vito Fossella (R–Bay Ridge). “A civil support team would ensure that New York has the manpower, resources, and training it needs to respond to a terrorist attack involving weapons of mass destruction.”
The only other such response team in the state is surrounded by grass-chewing cows not al Qaeda-targeted skyscrapers. It’s located at Stratton Air National Guard Base in upstate Scotia, just outside of Albany.
That unit was up and running on 9-11, but its team didn’t arrive in Manhattan until hours after the first plane hit the World Trade Center.
At Fort Hamilton, the unit would be equipped with a vehicle that Jack Bauer, the fictional star of the television drama “24,” could only dream of: a state-of-the-art mobile analytical laboratory that can identify toxic chemical, biological or radiological contaminants, all while navigating the busy drive-through at Nathan’s on Seventh Avenue and 86th Street.
But having the search for WMD expanded to Brooklyn isn’t a done deal yet.
“The team is in the forming stages and is actively hiring,” Fossella aide Britta Vander Linden told Community Board 10 last Monday. “We are extremely optimistic that it is going to happen.”
Fossella and Rep. Peter King (R–Long Island), both pushed for the local tactical team, but said there are a few remaining hurdles, including inserting language into federal legislation to increase the number of authorized toxic units nationwide from 55 to 57, and securing additional funding. The language passed the House last week.
King said the funding would be a piece of cake, too.
“New York is such a target by would-be terrorists,” said King. “[Everyone will see that] it is vital for it to have an additional civil support team located downstate.”
The Brooklyn Paper
An elite anti-terror response team focused on chemical, biological, and radiological attacks will soon be stationed at Fort Hamilton — as long as some final hurdles are cleared.
The so-called “Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team” would be a 22-member elite terror response unit comprised of Army and Air National Guard personnel that could be deployed at a moment’s notice in the event of a suspected chemical, biological, or radiological attack.
The squad would rush to the scene of an attack and assist emergency personnel in determining the exact nature of the problem.
Pols say that while we haven’t faced the ticking-clock scenario just yet, post 9-11 New York needs to be ready for everything.
“We must always be prepared,” said Rep. Vito Fossella (R–Bay Ridge). “A civil support team would ensure that New York has the manpower, resources, and training it needs to respond to a terrorist attack involving weapons of mass destruction.”
The only other such response team in the state is surrounded by grass-chewing cows not al Qaeda-targeted skyscrapers. It’s located at Stratton Air National Guard Base in upstate Scotia, just outside of Albany.
That unit was up and running on 9-11, but its team didn’t arrive in Manhattan until hours after the first plane hit the World Trade Center.
At Fort Hamilton, the unit would be equipped with a vehicle that Jack Bauer, the fictional star of the television drama “24,” could only dream of: a state-of-the-art mobile analytical laboratory that can identify toxic chemical, biological or radiological contaminants, all while navigating the busy drive-through at Nathan’s on Seventh Avenue and 86th Street.
But having the search for WMD expanded to Brooklyn isn’t a done deal yet.
“The team is in the forming stages and is actively hiring,” Fossella aide Britta Vander Linden told Community Board 10 last Monday. “We are extremely optimistic that it is going to happen.”
Fossella and Rep. Peter King (R–Long Island), both pushed for the local tactical team, but said there are a few remaining hurdles, including inserting language into federal legislation to increase the number of authorized toxic units nationwide from 55 to 57, and securing additional funding. The language passed the House last week.
King said the funding would be a piece of cake, too.
“New York is such a target by would-be terrorists,” said King. “[Everyone will see that] it is vital for it to have an additional civil support team located downstate.”
Friday, May 18, 2007
Spark-filled memories
By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper
Sir, sir, please back away slowly from the sparkler. Haven’t you heard about the kid who burned his eye out with one of those things?
True story — I heard it from a man who knew a guy growing up who saw it happen — and now he is on a mission to spread the truth about the evil of sparklers to every man, woman and child in Brooklyn.
I first confronted the fire evangelist about a year ago as I was searching Bay Ridge for a few sparklers to give to the neighborhood kids (I’m that kind of guy, what can I say?). The fire evangelist overheard me asking the counter-girl at Associated Supermarket on Third Avenue, and he dutifully leapt into action.
“Why the hell are you looking for firecrackers?” the old man said. “You looking to get someone killed?”
I thought he must have misheard me, and I calmly explained that I wasn’t looking for any sticks of dynamite, only some kiddie sparklers.
“That is what I said, firecrackers,” the old man growled. “Are you looking to burn your child’s eye out?”
Burn my child’s eye out, with a sparkler? This guy is a freak.
Freak, perhaps, but on the right side of the law. Every store I went into, I was told the same thing: sparklers are illegal and dangerous. I began to think that maybe I was the freak. I mean, how could nine counter-girls and one cranky old man all be wrong?
But what exactly is so bad about sparklers? Everything, say our local cops.
“Sparklers are harmful and illegal,” said Officer Steve Agosta of the 62nd Precinct. “Sparklers are very dangerous. They burn hands and start major fires, so we advise that you don’t go near them.”
It isn’t even June, but Officer Agosta wants to get the word out early that she and her comrades are going to war against fireworks — and that means “zero tolerance” (even for sparklers).
This means heavy fines, or even possibly jail time, for possession of any fireworks.
At a recent 62nd Precinct Community Council meeting, a couple of officers said that if the public doesn’t get its appetite for destruction under control, the cops plan on inviting themselves to our barbeques and cuffing people who violate the prohibition.
“If you store fireworks in a private house, a small spark could ignite the flames and the whole house could go up,” said Agosta.
Exploding houses in Brooklyn? Am I being put on here?
Yes, says Bill Weimer, vice president of Phantom Fireworks, one of the largest retail sellers of incendiary devices in America. He believes the city’s laws are outdated.
“Truth is, these aren’t your father’s fireworks,” said Weimer. “Today’s fireworks are tested in 20 different ways and are safer than they ever were.”
Weimer says the vast majority of injuries come from “drunken Uncle Charlie showing off in the backyard,” but says that when used responsibly, “Fireworks are all about good-old-fashioned family fun.”
It isn’t just family fun, it is a tradition, and one that Yellow Hooker doesn’t plan on giving up any time soon. Heck, I don’t even have an Uncle Charlie!
A source pointed me in the direction of at least one guy in Bay Ridge who still sells the fiery freedom sticks, and sure enough, I found him. No, there was no shiny display case, but the goods were stashed in the back.
Of course, I protect my sources — of information and of fireworks — so I’m not going to reveal the location.
And don’t try to stop me. The risk of jail is well worth taking for a few pleasurable hours making sparkler circles in the back yard as it get dark. But for those less-adventurous souls out there still looking to celebrate Independence Day with a little boom, there remains one government-sanctioned firework alternative left in Brooklyn, according to Agosta.
You know those little white snappers that you throw at the ground and they make that pop?
“All fireworks are illegal,” Agosta repeated. “But if you are only using little snappers, that might be all right.”
Snappers “might” be all right? Have you heard of the kid who lost a toe when he stepped on two snappers at the same time? It’s true. I heard it from a guy who knew a guy …
The Kitchen Sink
Leif Ericson Day School at 1037 72nd St., where Juan Amendano died last Friday, is raising funds to aid Amendano’s family. Just stop by the school or call (718) 748-9023 for more information. …
The much ballyhooed Viking ship that was scheduled to land at Owls Head Park for this year’s Viking Festival on May 19 has, unfortunately, been lost at sea. Sources tell The Stoop that the mighty vessel’s captain was in a car accident and won’t be able to make the trip to Bay Ridge. …
Bay Ridge Cheesesteak Factory at 8407 Third Ave. is offering a 20-percent discount to union employees. …
Stop the Asian Longhorned Beetle! The scourge of the northern parts of Brooklyn may be spreading to our area. All residents are now required to call 311 to arrange a pick up time when discarding any woody debris. In this great effort to save the trees, the Parks Department has mailed out thick paper instructions. …
Spring may have just sprung, but the crowded basketball courts in Shore Road Park at 79th Street and Shore Road have been heated for some time — too bad the same can’t be said for Alex’s jump shot. Yeah, you know who I’m talkin’ about! …
Overheard last week while in line in Bagel Boy at 8002 Third Ave.: “Park Slope is full of hypocrites,” a woman said. “They pretend like they are so tolerant and evolved, but the minute some Muslims wanted to build a school there, they act like their hair is on fire.”
The Brooklyn Paper
Sir, sir, please back away slowly from the sparkler. Haven’t you heard about the kid who burned his eye out with one of those things?
True story — I heard it from a man who knew a guy growing up who saw it happen — and now he is on a mission to spread the truth about the evil of sparklers to every man, woman and child in Brooklyn.
I first confronted the fire evangelist about a year ago as I was searching Bay Ridge for a few sparklers to give to the neighborhood kids (I’m that kind of guy, what can I say?). The fire evangelist overheard me asking the counter-girl at Associated Supermarket on Third Avenue, and he dutifully leapt into action.
“Why the hell are you looking for firecrackers?” the old man said. “You looking to get someone killed?”
I thought he must have misheard me, and I calmly explained that I wasn’t looking for any sticks of dynamite, only some kiddie sparklers.
“That is what I said, firecrackers,” the old man growled. “Are you looking to burn your child’s eye out?”
Burn my child’s eye out, with a sparkler? This guy is a freak.
Freak, perhaps, but on the right side of the law. Every store I went into, I was told the same thing: sparklers are illegal and dangerous. I began to think that maybe I was the freak. I mean, how could nine counter-girls and one cranky old man all be wrong?
But what exactly is so bad about sparklers? Everything, say our local cops.
“Sparklers are harmful and illegal,” said Officer Steve Agosta of the 62nd Precinct. “Sparklers are very dangerous. They burn hands and start major fires, so we advise that you don’t go near them.”
It isn’t even June, but Officer Agosta wants to get the word out early that she and her comrades are going to war against fireworks — and that means “zero tolerance” (even for sparklers).
This means heavy fines, or even possibly jail time, for possession of any fireworks.
At a recent 62nd Precinct Community Council meeting, a couple of officers said that if the public doesn’t get its appetite for destruction under control, the cops plan on inviting themselves to our barbeques and cuffing people who violate the prohibition.
“If you store fireworks in a private house, a small spark could ignite the flames and the whole house could go up,” said Agosta.
Exploding houses in Brooklyn? Am I being put on here?
Yes, says Bill Weimer, vice president of Phantom Fireworks, one of the largest retail sellers of incendiary devices in America. He believes the city’s laws are outdated.
“Truth is, these aren’t your father’s fireworks,” said Weimer. “Today’s fireworks are tested in 20 different ways and are safer than they ever were.”
Weimer says the vast majority of injuries come from “drunken Uncle Charlie showing off in the backyard,” but says that when used responsibly, “Fireworks are all about good-old-fashioned family fun.”
It isn’t just family fun, it is a tradition, and one that Yellow Hooker doesn’t plan on giving up any time soon. Heck, I don’t even have an Uncle Charlie!
A source pointed me in the direction of at least one guy in Bay Ridge who still sells the fiery freedom sticks, and sure enough, I found him. No, there was no shiny display case, but the goods were stashed in the back.
Of course, I protect my sources — of information and of fireworks — so I’m not going to reveal the location.
And don’t try to stop me. The risk of jail is well worth taking for a few pleasurable hours making sparkler circles in the back yard as it get dark. But for those less-adventurous souls out there still looking to celebrate Independence Day with a little boom, there remains one government-sanctioned firework alternative left in Brooklyn, according to Agosta.
You know those little white snappers that you throw at the ground and they make that pop?
“All fireworks are illegal,” Agosta repeated. “But if you are only using little snappers, that might be all right.”
Snappers “might” be all right? Have you heard of the kid who lost a toe when he stepped on two snappers at the same time? It’s true. I heard it from a guy who knew a guy …
The Kitchen Sink
Leif Ericson Day School at 1037 72nd St., where Juan Amendano died last Friday, is raising funds to aid Amendano’s family. Just stop by the school or call (718) 748-9023 for more information. …
The much ballyhooed Viking ship that was scheduled to land at Owls Head Park for this year’s Viking Festival on May 19 has, unfortunately, been lost at sea. Sources tell The Stoop that the mighty vessel’s captain was in a car accident and won’t be able to make the trip to Bay Ridge. …
Bay Ridge Cheesesteak Factory at 8407 Third Ave. is offering a 20-percent discount to union employees. …
Stop the Asian Longhorned Beetle! The scourge of the northern parts of Brooklyn may be spreading to our area. All residents are now required to call 311 to arrange a pick up time when discarding any woody debris. In this great effort to save the trees, the Parks Department has mailed out thick paper instructions. …
Spring may have just sprung, but the crowded basketball courts in Shore Road Park at 79th Street and Shore Road have been heated for some time — too bad the same can’t be said for Alex’s jump shot. Yeah, you know who I’m talkin’ about! …
Overheard last week while in line in Bagel Boy at 8002 Third Ave.: “Park Slope is full of hypocrites,” a woman said. “They pretend like they are so tolerant and evolved, but the minute some Muslims wanted to build a school there, they act like their hair is on fire.”
Ridge heavyweight wants to be big loser
By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper
A larger-than-life local figure is about to lower his profile — by a few hundred pounds, hopefully.
Bay Ridge resident Will Millender, 26, is embarking on a 10-week, 550-mile walk from Boston to Washington as part of a new reality show in which 12 super-sized contestants lose weight to win cash.
“I can’t tell you much about it now, but I am hoping the next time you see me, that you will be seeing a lot less,” Millender said last Thursday, the day before he left to begin filming of ABC’s six-episode series, “Fat March,” which is based on the British reality show, “Too Fat to Walk.”
It is the latest variation among TV weight-loss shows, but unlike “The Biggest Loser” and “Celebrity Fit Club” — where contestants battle each other — the goal of the “Fat March” is to become one big band of brothers.
If they stay together by the end of the walk, they share the $1.2-million pot — but every time someone drops out, or is voted out for slowing the others down, the pot is reduced by $100,000.
But the rippling Ridge resident is looking for more than big money and his 15-minutes of fame; Millender (pictured) is looking to change his life.
“I know I need to do something about my weight,” said Millender, who tips the scales at, well, he wouldn’t say. “You just don’t see a lot of older people my size walking around, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why.”
The show, which will be broadcast in August, has already taken a toll on Millender. During a pre-show taping, he fainted and was sent to the hospital. After seriously considering dropping out, Millender, a Kingsborough Community College student, was convinced to keep going by the show’s physical trainers, who are also the hosts. (Turns out, it was just a low-blood-sugar thing. After Millender was checked out, he was cleared to continue.)
Surviving “Fat March” isn’t the first step to changing his life, only the latest, according to Millender’s girlfriend of two years Erin O’Keefe.
“Over the past two years he’s gone from working retail with no ambition to going to college, making the Dean’s List,” said O’Keefe. “It has been a tremendous life-changing few years for him.”
Trial, tribulations, and even a slice of celebrity are nothing new for Millender, who has battled his weight for several years, and whose image can still be found on storefront posters across Ridge for his first place showing at the Fifth Avenue pizza-eating contest last June at Rocco’s Pizzeria (Millender was cheered to victory by a huge crowd that included a once-legendary, now slimmed-down, eater, Borough President Markowitz).
He ate 10 slices in the regulation 12 minutes. The performance made him a legend.
“We had about 2,000 people cheering him on,” said contest host Joseph Loccisano. “If he can walk as well as he eats pizza, he should win that contest, too.”
O’Keefe says that Millender’s march is bigger than any one man, and could set a healthy example for millions.
“This is a once in a lifetime experience — he is going to get healthy and win cash,” said O’Keefe.
The dead speak at Ridge’s doomed ‘Green Church’
By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper
Another voice has jumped into the debate over the so-called “Green Church” — this one from the grave.
When the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church building was built almost 100 years ago, it was consecrated with a ceremony for the dead who were reinterred from the original church — the very same dead who will now be dug up when the Green Church is torn down for condos.
It’s almost certainly not how those former congregants would have wanted to be treated, says local historian David Elligers.
He recently unearthed a news article from 1901 that made it clear that those early Methodist congregants felt that the church ground was sacred.
“The present generation did not desire the bones of their ancestors scattered to the four winds of heaven,” the article reported.
The relocation of the congregants’ remains became necessary in 1900, when the city purchased the site of Grace’s Methodist Church — including its cemetery — in order to expand roads around what is now Sixth Avenue and 67th Street.
At that time, community members were invited to watch as workers sifted the dirt “to make sure that not a single bone was left behind,” said the church’s then-Pastor W.L. Davidson.
The bones were dug up and moved to their current resting place in front of the Green Church at the corner of Fourth and Ovington avenues in 1901 (see photo).
“It is clear that this was very important to the community of that day,” said Elligers. “It looks like they really wanted to ensure a proper resting place for these people.”
The engraving says that “211 bodies were transferred July, 1901 from the old cemetery of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of the town of New Utrecht at Cowenhoven Lane and Sixth Avenue. Ninety of the persons were unidentified. The names of the others were on church records.”
The newspaper article also reported that some remains were of communal and historical importance, including church elder Adrian Bogart. “His body was held in high regards by all Methodists,” the article said.
Today’s congregation does not feel the same obligation to allow the community to observe the re-interment — and it isn’t afraid to say it.
“It is none of your business, or anyone else’s” said Pastor Robert Emerick. “We are a competent religious organization and we know how to handle human remains.”
Community members looking for information on the current fate of the remains have run into a stone wall sturdier than the Pennsylvania limestone that gives Bay Ridge United Methodist its green hue. But this contentious relationship wasn’t created in six nights and seven days.
The trouble began shortly after reports of the sale of the Methodist cathedral, when Councilman Vince Gentile (D–Bay Ridge) hosted a community meeting in hopes of opening up a dialogue with the sale-minded congregants. But the congregants fought back, claiming that the councilman was trying to infringe on the separation of church and state.
Emerick was later quoted as referring to the remains as “only dust,” much to the chagrin of community activists hoping to preserve a piece of Bay Ridge past. Afterwards the pastor decided it would be best to tune-out the media entirely.
“I have decided that I am not going to dignify this process with a response any longer,” Emerick said. “I am not happy with how the media has handled this, so I am not going to answer any more questions.”
More steroid news
By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper
One week after drug enforcement authorities raided Lowen’s, the popular mom-and-pop pharmacy at the corner of Third Avenue and 69th Street, new details emerged about the store’s alleged steroid sales.
The Daily News reported this week that the drugstore was using its pharmacy to mix stanozolol, a powerful anabolic steroid — and that the store received 100 requests for steroids and human growth hormone from all over the country while the agents were conducting their May 9 raid.
More than $100,000 in steroids and growth hormones were seized in the raid.
This week, it was business as usual at Lowen’s. A manager refused to comment.
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