Joan Gilbert, President of the Flatlands Civic Club, Inc., welcomed attendees to its virtual meeting on Thursday, May 26th, and opened with a statement that addressed the Uvalde tragedy, suggesting a call to action to end repeated gun violence that happens far too often – and in places where safety is expected.
Sharon Long, representing Assemblywoman Jaime Williams, informed of a vibrant kick-off to summer events – including Caribbean Heritage Day to be celebrated on Saturday, June 11th, at State Senator Roxanne Persaud’s District Office, 1222 East 96th Street, from 2 to 5 p.m., as well as a series of musical concerts at Marine Park with a lineup of different musical genres, each representing a specific decade.
Long said Williams had been working on a resolution to make the month of June Caribbean Heritage Month, which was brought to the floor and was passed. In attendance for the event, for which the assemblywoman received a great reception, were Counsel Generals from Trinidad, Barbados and the Dominican Republic, along with Williams’ colleagues in the Assembly and Senate.
Councilwoman Farah Louis, representing District 45, discussed several upcoming events for the summer, such as Yoga and Zumba, which will be offered at different parks across the community. Additionally, Louis shared that residents will experience a series of “movie nights” slated to be held at Glenwood/Farragut Park. She also advised the temporary closure of Sunners Park because of renovations.
Members brought up the closing of a Rite Aid located at Utica Avenue and Avenue J and voiced their future concerns about its impact to the community. Louis said that she was aware of the closing and advised that the Rite Aid located on Avenue D was also closing. Louis stated that the word from Rite Aid Corporation was that thefts, work shortages and other economic factors contributed to the closings. The councilwoman advised that her office was addressing the issue of parked tractor trailers visible along Ralph and Flatlands Avenues, as well as other sections of the neighborhood.
Kim Robinson of Councilwoman Mercedes Narcisse’s office informed of a 21-year-old man who had gone missing and said that the family was distraught and sought help from the community. She asked to keep the family in prayer for the safe return of their loved one.
A mammogram bus is scheduled to be at councilwoman’s office to offer free mammograms to the community. However, Robinson noted that in order to have the service continued and funded, getting people to participate was necessary. She said that the current participants who have signed up for the event were still quite low but was hoping that the word would go around, and constituents would be aware of this service.
Guest speaker for the evening was Sue Ann Partnow, District Manager of Community Board 18 (CB18). Partnow acknowledged all the respective community boards serving each Brooklyn district, discussed the purposed of community boards and defined their roles as they work in conjunction with neighborhood representatives, elected officials and city agencies in order to resolve and improve the social welfare of the districts they serve. She outlined various committees within CB18 and the function of each committee. The District Manager also announced that CB18 was presenting its first Community Health Fair on Sunday, June 12th at Community Board 18 Headquarters: 1097 Bergen Avenue.
The next meeting of Flatlands Civic will be held virtually on Thursday, June 23rd.