Author Archives: Eddie L. Bolden, Jr.
Protected: Vincent Prezioso – A Model of Communal Service – Draft
Morris Park Backgrounder
BACKGROUND
Morris Park is a neighborhood located in the Northeast section of the Bronx. The neighborhood is part of Community Board 11, which also includes the neighborhoods of Allerton, Bronx Park East, Indian Village, Morris Park, Olinville, Pelham Gardens, Pelham Parkway, Van Nest and Westchester Heights. The borough bears its name from John Albert Morris, a businessman who built the Morris Park Racecourse. It operated from 1890 until 1910. The area of Morris Park makes up 0.347 square miles.
POPULATION
There are approximately 10,277 inhabitants in Morris Park. What used to be a predominately Italian – American neighborhood, Morris Park has become a diverse area with a mix of races throughout. The number of African Americans, Hispanics, Asian, and people with two or more races have risen throughout the years. According to data obtained on City-Data.com the median household income in Morris Park in 2011 was $56,809. New York City’s average was $55, 246. (http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Morris-Park-Bronx-NY.html) The median rent paid in 2011 was $1,043. Approximately, 6.3 percent of Morris Park’s inhabitants were born outside of the United States.
EDUCATION
There are three public schools located in the Morris Park section of the Bronx. Public School 83 is located on Rhinelander Ave serves as an elementary and middle school, catering to children in kindergarten through to 8th grade. The current enrollment is 1,703. 58 percent of students met English standards and 79 percent of students met math standards. This was a point better than the average citywide. The other public school — Public School 108 — is located on Neil Ave. The brand new, Public School 357, also known as the Young Voices Academy, is located on Lydig Avenue and has a current enrollment of 95. They cater to children in kindergarten, 1st grade, and special education.
CRIME RATE
Crime in the area has decreased steadily in the past 24 years. Violent crimes such as murder and rape only occurred 17 times in the past year, 15 so far in 2014. The most frequent crime in the area is grand larceny having occurred 264 times during 2013 and 243 so far in 2014.
www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs049pct.pdf
CONFLICTS
At their monthly board meeting, members have voiced their disapproval with the new mall that opened in the Bay Plaza Shopping area. One resident said, “Everybody builds something, but they don’t make any room for the traffic.” They would like to see signs that direct drivers towards the local highways.
http://citylodge.org/tags/ne
There have also been a high number of tires and rims being removed from cars. The captain of the 49th precinct, Captain Timothy McCormack has urged residents to call 911 and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity in the neighborhood. “I truly feel victimized when someone’s been in either my car or home,” said Captain McCormack.
http://www.bxtimes.com/stories/2014/19/19-tires-2014-05-08-bx_2014_19.html
Protected: Neighborhood Profile Pitch: Patrick Dolan
2 Jobs at Sugar Factory, Vivian Lee
Vivian Lee wrote an exemplary profile on Robert Shelton, a former employee of the Domino Sugar factory located in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. The article was written as the the plant was set to close its doors permanently. Mr. Shelton returned to the site for the first time in 10 years to work as a volunteer at a temporary art show.
I enjoyed how Lee analyzed the generational change in industrial Williamsburg. Factories like Domino Sugar once stood and operated in the heart of the city providing many like Mr. Shelton with jobs and opportunities. The former site of the Domino Sugar factory has now become an attraction for the young and hip appreciators of art who have flocked to see a glimpse of Kara Walker’s, “A Sublety,” a large sphinx that symbolizes a black woman in the south. It honors the lives of the African Americans slaves that were apart of the sugar trade in the 19th century.
Lee’s tone throughout the article reflects Mr. Shelton’s nostalgic trip through his former, “Sugar House.” It detailed the longs days, nights, weekends, and holidays that he spent in the factory for twenty years. It also detailed his departure which still weighs heavy on Mr. Shelton. Change is inevitable and its effects are felt by all. There is a plan in place to build high-rise condominiums on the former site of the Domino Sugar factory, a trend that is becoming increasingly popular in changing neighborhoods. Mr. Shelton will only have his memories once the factory stands no more.
Five Questions on Morris Park
To further conduct my research on Morris Park, I have thought of the following questions:
1. How has the crime rate in Morris Park changed throughout the years? Has it increased, decreased? What is the biggest crime risk in the area?
2. What is the average income of the small local businesses in Morris Park? Have there been any trends?
3. Morris Park is well known for its Italian-American roots. Has there been a change in area population, and if so, whom makes up the racial majority?
4. How are the elementary schools in Morris Park performing? Are they overcrowded? Ethic backgrounds of current students enrolled?
5. Do upper-class or middle class citizens make up the majority of inhabitants in the Morris Park area? What is the average income of members in a household?
5. †
Morris Park in the Bronx
Whenever I get the opportunity to work on pieces that allow me to cover a specific neighborhood of my choice, only one place ever comes to mind. The Bronx has been my home since August of 1992. My family moved to the Co-Op-City section in the Baychester area of the Bronx and it has been my home ever since. I must admit that our relationship has been mostly love/hate throughout the years, often finding myself spending time in neighboring boroughs. It is not any fault of The Bronx. Unfortunately, there is a lack of resources that I have been able to take advantage of elsewhere. However, I am bothered by the negative connotations that are commonly associated with The Bronx. Crime, poverty, gang violence, and under-performing schools, etc.
There is beauty throughout the streets of The Bronx, it’s just a matter of where you decide to look. One of those worth exploring is the Morris Park section of the Bronx. Morris Park bears its name after John Albert Morris, a businessman who built the Morris Park Racecourse. The facility was a site thoroughbred horse racing and operated from 1889 until 1904. Between 1890 and until 1904, the racetrack hosted both the Belmont and Preakness Stakes.
Presently, about 25,000 people reside in Morris Park section of the Bronx. The neighborhood is predominately made up of Italian Americans, but many Albanians, Hispanics, and African Americans have began to mix in the neighborhood. I will focus the majority of my neighborhood features on the people and businesses that makeup the Morris Park section in the Bronx. There are not many large chain stores in the area so the small businesses are the heart and soul of the area. I have an interest in non-profit organizations, so it is my hope to locate one and feature the site’s director or founder. I will also pay close attention to any district meetings that focus on certain conflicts throughout the neighborhood.
A lot of people have I lot to say about the Bronx, but few know how it truly operates. It is my goal to provide an in-depth and positive look into the area of Morris Park section of the Bronx.
Tumbleweed – E.B. White
“New York seems able to reproduce almost any natural phenomenon if it’s in the mood.”
The excerpt was taken from E.B. White’s short work, “Tumbleweed,” which was published back in 1957. The work is extremely short and sweet, but its reminds readers just how magical New York City can be. More times than not, native New Yorkers lose themselves in their daily endeavors and fail to appreciate the wonders that the city has to offer its inhabitants. However, not everything is plain sight to see and may take time to understand.
In the work, a group of individuals, presumably from a small Midwest town, came across a rolling Christmas tree on a deserted street which reminded them of a bumbling Tumbleweed from their days on the plains. Although many years have passed since the last time that they felt this level of excitement, the rolling Christmas tree represents their past and true sense of self.
Here Is New York, City of Opportunity – E.B. White
In a sweltering hotel room, located in the heart of New York City, E.B. White penned his ode to the city that would take readers on a journey throughout its’ most wondrous and miraculous parts.
Here Is New York was published in 1949, but it reads as if it were written only yesterday. Although White bestows the responsibility of dating his writing to the reader, I personally find that the feverish pace of New York City has not missed a beat in the sixty-five years since White’s take on the city.
Presently, the three different New Yorks from White’s day still thrive. I exist as both a man who was born here and as the commuter. I am guilty of taking the beauty of the city for granted and not utilizing it for its’ bountiful resources. Originating from the Bronx, I often find myself jumping between neighboring boroughs and train routes. My commute does not begin and end in parts of Westchester or New Jersey, so I rarely get to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. In doing so, I take notice of the third type of New Yorker that exists, the man, woman, child, or family that appreciates the city and all of its’ offerings. In White’s words, “The settlers give it passion.”
Eerily, White foretold of New York’s growing vulnerability as it would experience change throughout the years. “The city, for the first time in its long history, is destructible.”White’s fear of rapid change would painfully become a reality in the wake of terrorist attacks on the city on September 11, 2001. This heinous act left New Yorkers devastated, but White’s essay could not have predicted our ability to come together and overcome during times of trouble.
New York City, as White described it, is a, “City of opportunity.” The true beauty of New York lies in its diversity. The city is a smelting pot that contains different walks from all across the world. Since White’s essay was published, the number of inhabitants has only increased since then. It is our duty to help New York remain the capital of the world.