The Transportation Committee of Community Board 7 will tonight discuss a proposal from residents of 20th Street in Greenwood Heights to make the road one-way west of Seventh Avenue.

The meeting will begin at 6:30pm on the evening of Monday, January 25th at the Board Office, 4201 Fourth Avenue (enter on 43rd Street).

Are you headed to the meeting tonight? Help report! Send in your notes on what went down to Sunset Park Chronicled (sunsetparkchron@gmail.com)

Some things to consider: who are the stakeholders? Why make 20th Street one way? Any objections? Let the neighborhood know.

Haitian civilians receive assistance in a camp set up by the Brazilian Army in Port-au-Prince in the aftermath of the 2010 Earthquate. Image courtesy of the Agência Brasil.

Last week a devastating earthquake hit Haiti, demolishing the capital, Port-au-Prince, and crippling areas throughout the troubled country. Thousands died. One week later, a 6.1 aftershock made a tragic situation worse. In the midst of looting, hunger and torn families, NPR found one story with a bright spot–an employee and a guest trapped in pitch-dark elevator shafts side by side. They kept one another company, offered hope and survived. In that same spirit…

The Tabula Rasa gallery is asking Sunset Park and those throughout the city to reach out to strangers, in the dark miles away, and help at a fundraiser this Saturday, January 23 from 1-4:30 pm. All the money raised will go to charity.

Local artists are donating work to be auctioned from the gallery at Saturday’s event. The back room presentation space will be used to hang the work in a display which will be constantly “turning over” as donations are made and new art replaces work being taken.

Anyone writing a check of $75.00 DIRECTLY to one of the designated charities can select an artwork 11″ x 14″ or smaller. Anyone donating $150.00 can select from these or a larger works. Any and all contributions are welcome. For those who can’t give, the gallery is also looking for volunteers for the event.

Tabula Rasa Gallery, 224 48th Street between Second and Third Avenues in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

Legal Services Examines Structure of Legal Aid Organizations in Brooklyn, and Considers Changes

*Community leaders, representatives and non-profit executives have voiced opposition to a potential restructuring of Brooklyn’s legal services that would merge offices around the borough into a single entity, the Courier-Life reported. Continue Reading

Sunset Park-based non-profit the Center for Family Life has a new initiative called The Cosmetology School Project. Targeted at low-income individuals, the program hopes to provide a path to full-time employment for New Yorkers currently un- or underemployed.

Training will begin at one of two four-week training sessions, the first in February and another in April. Participants then enroll in an eight month cosmetology program. Applicants must be 17 or older, and hold a high school diploma, GED or demonstrate math and reading skills at an 8th grade level.

The program is completely free of charge. To find out more, you may visit the website or call 718-633-4823.

Warrior Politics (2008). Used motor oil mixed media on paper

By coincidence, the Sunset Park-themed events this weekend all have a green bent. Given that it is apparently emerging as the “newest, biggest, fastest-changing neighborhood” according to the Brooklyn Eagle, that it is avant garde should be no surprise. You can take or leave the Eagle’s claim, but certainly take the neighborhood up on these free events.

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Santa Claus (Officer Erik Larsen) entertains at Children of the City on December 19th.

Captain Cedric Raymond of the 72nd Precinct stood before a room of children when he got a call over his police radio on Saturday—a jolly fat fellow with a red suit and a big white beard was on the loose.

Raymond turned to the kids assembled at Children of the City’s annual Christmas party for help. Kids, do you know who that could be? Continue Reading

For those of you pondering the provenience of those sweet tunes floating over Fifth Avenue this month, the The Daily News provided an answer. The Sunset Park BID has since Black Friday piped holiday tunes sung by 300 local children over the busy corridor. The Sunset Park Business Improvement District collected the 50 multi-lingual songs at seven local schools over the course of two months, the Daily News reported. “Any holiday music would be festive but hearing your own children sing is even better,” Renee Giordano, BID executive director, told the Daily News.

In other musical news:

The Brooklyn Paper reported that it helped Greta Gertler, a musician based in Sunset Park, raise $15,000 to produce her upcoming record. Some journalists have like Gertler taken to “crowd sourcing” on sites such as Kickstarter. Gertler used the site to drum up funds for her upcoming album “The Universal Thump.” Her biggest contributor will get custom-composed song in exchange for the $2,000 donation. You can find more on Greta Gertler at her website.

Sunset Park turned out in droves Saturday at the Rec Center a gift and chance for a Polaroid with Santa at Health Plus’s annual Holiday Celebration. The line snaked out the door for the lucky who had made the cut around 3:30pm when the event began to wind down. Continue Reading

Community Board 7’s Public Safety Committee voted Wednesday to recommend denying the liquor license for Peyton’s Playpen, a gentleman’s club on Second Avenue and 39th Street.

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Luis Montalvan with Tuesday, his service dog. Image courtesy of Caitlin Brown.

Combat disabled Iraq war veteran alleges two men he believes McDonald’s employees beat him as he prepared to file a complaint against the Sunset Park franchise.

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