Climbing Brooklyn Bridge: Then and Now

#NYPD ESU Specialized Training School students conduct Rope Rescue Training on the #Brooklyn Bridge, part of their 8 month training program. pic.twitter.com/kxv1WgiLQa

— NYPD Special Ops (@NYPDSpecialops) August 25, 2017

On Friday the NYPD's Emergency Services Unit conducted rope rescue training on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Interesting contrast to the scene on the bridge in 1914, when painters apparently thought nothing of climbing the cables and just hanging out on them.

Painters hang from suspended wires on the Brooklyn Bridge October 7, 1914 / 31 years after it first opened pic.twitter.com/8iQbMVxZHB

— History to Learn (@TheWorIdhistory) August 25, 2017

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Today: Last Day to Sign Up for ObamaCare; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- History: The wine cellars hidden under the Brooklyn Bridge. [NPR]

- Warning about phone scammers asking, "Can you hear me?" Don't answer! [abc7ny]

- ICYMI:Brooklyn judge defies a president. [Brooklyn Eagle] 

- ICYMI: Trump fired acting Attorney General Sally Q. Yates, after she refused to defend the president’s executive order on immigration. [NYT]  He replaced her with Dana Boente. [Washington Post]

- Melania and Barron run errands in Manhattan despite city protests over Trump immigration ban. [Daily Mail]

- It took Donald Trump's refugee ban to give Lyft a win over Uber. [Slate]

- Today is the last day to sign up for Obamacare! [Affordable Care]

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Stupid Tourists Climb Brooklyn Bridge; BPL Intellectual Rave Party; Lunar New Year; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Photo by MK Metz

- 12-hour French ‘intellectual rave party’ at Brooklyn Public Library this weekend. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Tourists arrested for climbing Brooklyn Bridge to take selfies. [DNAinfo]

- South Asian residents in Kensington are forming a grassroots network to respond to Trump's threats against vulnerable members of the community. [The Nation]

- Brooklyn gun broker secretly recorded conversations with corrupt NYPD cops. [Daily News]

- A townhouse in Brooklyn Heights with one of the highest price tags in the borough has just gone into contract. [Forbes]

- Brooklyn artist arrested after allegedly wanting to show how easy it is carry around a bomb. [Daily News]

- It turns out Jared Kushner and Sean Spicer are also registered to vote in two states. [Washington Post]

- A guide to the best Lunar New Year events in Brooklyn. [Brooklyn Paper]

WANTED: Male, 6'3" for robbing a 79y/o man near Dekalb Ave & E. 213 St, Brooklyn. Call #800577TIPS with info pic.twitter.com/RHbGlTXR6u

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) January 26, 2017

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Replacing Ken Thompson; Brooklyn Bridge Climb; and More Brooklyn Briefs

We inaugurated @prospect_park's gorgeous new Dog Beach this a.m. Some pretty happy dogs. And Olmsted & Vaux would love how good it looks. pic.twitter.com/WzxX5EeBin

— Brad Lander (@bradlander) October 15, 2016

- Brooklyn community fears DA Ken Thompson’s replacement won’t continue his mission to overturn wrongful convictions. [Daily News]

- Hundreds of mourners gathered at the Christian Cultural Center in East New York on Saturday to remember the legacy of Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson. [Gothamist]

- Brooklyn bars give the finger to pharma schmuck Martin Shkreli. [BHB]

- Why roughly 40 people climbed to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday. [Gothamist]

- The Japanese ramen chain Ichiran, famous for serving only one kind of soup (pork-bone-broth tonkotsu) is opening in Williamsburg. [Grub Street]

- The Northeast is having a mass earthquake drill on Oct. 20. [Shakeout]

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Brooklyn Judge's Political Payback; Eating in Bay Ridge; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Brooklyn: @NYPDSpecialops Harbor units operating near the Williamsburg bridge for an EDP in the water. pic.twitter.com/Dg9fBlsKvY

— New York City Alerts (@NYCityAlerts) August 31, 2016

- A longtime state judge in Brooklyn is being essentially forced off the bench, and she says in a lawsuit it’s political payback for refusing to do the bidding of the Brooklyn Democratic party. [NY1]

- Terrible news: They have built so many new apartments in Brooklyn that rents might not go up as fast as they usually do. Damn. Crap. [Deadspin]

- Brooklyn gun runner who used Chinatown buses to bring 112 firearms to New York sentenced to 17 years. [NY Daily News]

- Here are ten things you need to eat in Bay Ridge. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Water main break under Brooklyn Bridge on Manhattan side laves hundreds without water. [DNAinfo]

- New development proposed for Brooklyn's Broadway Triangle. [Gothamist]

- A naked man attempted to rape a woman on a Brooklyn street late Monday night. [Pix11]

- When your laptop breaks: How to pull off a full workday on the BK Public Library’s free computers. [Brokelyn]


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Interview with Brooklyn Bridge Climber, Sewer Spelunker; Rally for Bushwick Inlet Park; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Photo of mural ad by MK Metz

-  Four things that were actually quite good in 'Suicide Squad.' [Hollywood Reporter]

- A Talk With Steve Duncan: Brooklyn’s urban explorer, daredevil and sewer man. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Rally at City Hall to save Bushwick Inlet Park on Mon., 8/8. [Greenpointer]

- Moped-riding 80-year-old man fatally struck by car in Brooklyn. [Daily News]

- Brooklyn prosecutor busted for drunken driving after running red light. [Daily News]

- Goodbye Jehovah's Witnesses in Brooklyn Heights. [Brooklyn Eagle|

- Game-changing asthma drug comes out. [Tech Times]


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Brooklyn Bridge Jumper 'Survives'; BQE Repair Project; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Film shoot on Montague Turnway in Brooklyn Bridge Park, with $142,000 BMW i8. Photo by MK Metz

- Brooklyn Bridge jumper survives, but no word how well. [BHB and NY Post]

- After April's snafu, how did the NYC Board of Elections do during Tuesday’s primary? [Brooklyn Eagle]

- City officials kick off public engagement on BQE project: 'It won't be easy.' [Patch]

- Brooklyn “sex-folk” duo Tammy share debut single “Hated It (With You)." [COS]

- Driver charged with manslaughter after running down 3, killing 1 on Brooklyn sidewalk. [Pix11]

- Oakland really is the new Brooklyn. [Curbed]


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Brooklyn Is the Most Unaffordable Place in U.S., Goats at BBP, and More Brooklyn Briefs

These goats are eating weeds on the berm in Brooklyn Bridge Park. (Link to story below.)  Photo: MKMetz

- Report: Brooklyn is the most unaffordable place to live in the U.S. [Market Watch]

- A herd of four Nubian goats has taken up residence on the steep berm near Pier 3 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Brooklyn BP Eric Adams met with tainted lobbyist Capalino 29 times to talk about Airbnb. [DNAinfo]

- The principal of the troubled Boys and Girls High School said on Thursday that he is leaving the post. [WSJ]

- A limo stopped on the Brooklyn Bridge to retrieve tiny dog under car. [GoodNewsNetwork]

- The Brooklyn Public Library has been awarded a grant for nearly $400,000 to place inmate video calling services in a dozen libraries. [The Verge]


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Boy Detective of Carroll Gardens; Cobble Hill's Problems with LICH; and More Brooklyn Briefs

#Brooklyn will celebrate Biggie's birthday w/ @barclayscenter concert featuring @iamdiddy https://t.co/49cuLaQL8d pic.twitter.com/o8Sr986yjr

— Brooklyn Daily Eagle (@BklynEagle) March 30, 2016

- Meet the boy detective of Carroll Gardens. [DNAinfo]

- Cobble Hill still awaiting answers from Fortis and NYU about LICH development plans. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- The city on Tuesday bought a seven-acre lot along the Williamsburg-Greenpoint waterfront for $53 million, to be used for the expansion of the long-promised Bushwick Inlet Park. [Brownstoner]

- A Brooklyn realtor has been arrested for allegedly pocketing deposits on apartments. [Gothamist]

- New York City bridge climbers may soon be faced with up to a year in the slammer. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Karate championship hopes dashed after Bushwick fire destroys dojo. [DNAinfo]

- Meet the guitar repair king of Greenpoint. [Brooklyn Magazine] 

- Join the Prospect Park Alliance for Opening Weekend in Prospect Park on April 2 + 3, with food, festivities and family fun. [Sheepshead Bites]

- New York native's brilliant performance on "Wheel of Fortune" is going viral. [abc7]

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Cop Caught in Friendly Fire in Bushwick; Transgender Bathroom Access; 36-Hour Party and More Brooklyn Briefs

- A New York City police detective was shot on Tuesday, apparently in a crossfire with a sergeant, as they sought to make a drug arrest in Bushwick. [NY Times]

-  Troubling allegations about Bay Ridge's new top cop. [Bensonhurst Bean]

- New York City sheriffs have seized control of a troubled Bay Ridge hotel — and the hotel may get shut down after the owner failed to pay more than $100,000 in fines. [Daily News]

- De Blasio orders transgender bathroom access in NYC. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Brooklyn pol Brad Lander wants you to have to pay for your plastic bags at the store by Earth Day. [Patch]

- Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Brooklyn properties see price surge. [Post]

- Police search for missing 13-year-old Brooklyn girl, Dijenay Nelson. [Brooklyn12]

- The Brooklyn Eagle sent a reporter to Cuba, and he brought back photos of amazingly preserved American cars from the 40s and 50s. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Calling all techno fiends: Unter and the Bunker are throwing a 36-hour party in Brooklyn. [Thump/Vice]

- House Of Cards doesn't know where the Brooklyn Bridge goes. [Gothamist]


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STVN Says Survey Shows Brooklyn's Pierhouse Cuts Into Protected View Plane

Photo: MK Metz

 OFF WITH ITS HEAD: The group Save The View Now (STVN) says a land survey has discovered that a 20-foot section of the penthouse apartment atop the Pierhouse project in Brooklyn Bridge Park juts into a protected view plane, according to the Brooklyn Eagle.

STVN is the group working to protect the scenic view from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade -- a view now partially obscured by the massive hotel/residential project.

The report has been delivered to the Commissioner of the city's Dept. of Buildings.


Advocacy group says survey shows Pierhouse project juts into protected view plane [Brooklyn Eagle]


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Report: People Walking in Traffic Lane on Brooklyn Bridge

Cops are searching for two people reported to be walking in the Brooklyn-bound traffic lanes on the very crowded Brooklyn Bridge.

The initial call came in at 12:15 a.m. Saturday morning.

Another call came in at roughly 12:45 a.m.  Police cars can be seen on the bridge.



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Jon Stewart to Host WWE's 'Summerslam' at Barclays Center; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Pop-Up Pool, beach, at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Photo: MK Metz

 - Jon Stewart, the former host of ‘The Daily Show’ has been announced by the WWE as the guest host for this year’s Summerslam, live from a sold-out Barclays Center. [Sportskeeda]

- A Tennessee tourist who took a selfie of himself on a beam of the Brooklyn Bridge was arrested for the stunt Monday in his home state. [NY Post]

- Man knocks out 52-year-old woman's teeth, threatens to shoot before raping her in Bed-Stuy. [Daily News]

- The captain of the Brooklyn Bombshells roller derby team tells all to the Wall Street Journal.

- Brooklyn’s widely loved Mulvaney family — a family of artists, musicians and performers — lost a mother and daughter in a horrific four-car crash on Saturday afternoon. [Patch]

- Brooklyn cats reveal their deepest secrets in ‘Felines of New York.’ [Observer]

- There's an ancient whistling language called Whistling Turkish, currently still used by about 10,000 people, which can be heard as far as five kilometers away. [9News]


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Brooklyn DA Thompson Called 'Rude' to the Ladies; Another Trader Joe's; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Report: Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson is so rude to his female staffers that they’re leaving his office in droves. [NY Post]

- Brooklyn judge rules that 7 very old seniors at Prospect Park Residence can have their day in court. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Williamsburg to get Brooklyn's second Trader Joe's. [Patch]

- The Brooklyn Bridge deserves  a scenic view district of its own. [Curbed]

- Williamsburg is so trendy Brooklyn Brewery is scouting cheaper neighborhoods. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- 13 people have been arrested in a drug sweep and charged with allegedly selling narcotics near schools in Brooklyn. [Daily Star]

- Brooklyn Law School has put a Promenade-fronting property that it's housed students and faculty in for the last 30 years on the market. [Curbed]


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What That Music Was in Cadman Plaza Park Saturday: Chinese Christian Herald Crusades

The sweet-sounding songs emanating from Cadman Plaza Park in Downtown Brooklyn on Saturday was by musicians from the Chinese Christian Herald Crusades.

Photos: MK Metz

Church members walked from Columbus Park in Manhattan over the Brooklyn Bridge, to raise funds for the involved churches.


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Brooklyn PTA President Steals $14K; Brooklyn's Lost Trolley Glory; and More Brooklyn Briefs

[TW] Copwatchers are looking for info on this anonymous video of NYPD tasering a man in the back. Please share. https://t.co/Lg65BgS9tv

— Keegan Stephan (@KeeganNYC) June 9, 2015

- Bratton: Recruiting black cops is hard because so many have criminal histories. [Time]

- Brooklyn PTA president busted for stealing $14,000 from school account. [Daily News]

- Photos: BP Eric Adams congratulates the refined members of the 75-year-old Brooklyn Heights Garden Club, as they announce their window box contest winners. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- 1930s trolley map shows how cleanly and efficiently connected Brooklyn used to be, but is no more. [Gothamist]

- Brooklyn Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte came under intense criticism from a segment of the Jewish community after she voiced her fierce opposition for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed education tax credit. [Haitian Times]

- Brooklyn-born rapper Pumpkinhead, an underground hip-hop king, died Tuesday morning in NJ at 39. He attended Park Slope’s PS 282. [Daily News]

- A 31-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the shooting that killed a 29-year-old Russian Jewish man in the Midwood section of Brooklyn three months ago. [JP Updates]

- Photos: A Brooklynite's pilgrimage to the top of the World Trade Center. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Gotham Gazette sums up the main issues on the agenda in the NYS legislature's last 7 days. These include the 421-A tax break for developers, and Mayoral control of public schools. 


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Cops Catch Man Climbing Up Cable of Brooklyn Bridge Late Wednesday Night. UPDATE: And a Man Wearing only Underwear

A report came in to the 84th Precinct at roughly 11:45 p.m. Wednesday night that a man was climbing up one of the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge.

He was described as a male Hispaanic, wearing light blue jeans, a white T-shirt and a black bandanna. He was reported as being located mid span between the two towers.

At 11:50 p.m., NYPD called for aviation.

11:54: No visual has yet been made by NYPD.

11:55 p.m. Cops report: "We got him, on the Brooklyn side."

11:58 p.m.: Cops report the Borough Lieutenant has him on the footpath on the Brooklyn side.

12:05 a.m.: Cops ALSO picked up a possible emotionally disturbed person (EDP) wearing only his socks and underwear. Cops said they were on the Brooklyn Bridge walkway, walking towards the Brooklyn side. They caalled for an ambulance.

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Demonstrators Shut Down Brooklyn Bridge, in March to Protest Police Violence

Photos by MK Metz

Hundreds of demonstrators marched over the Brooklyn Bridge during Tuesday's rush hour to protest the recent wave of police shootings of unarmed civilianss.

Dozens climbed onto the the Manhattan-bound roadway, leading cops to shut it down and make arrests.

According to reports,  two police officers were assaulted by protesters.

"Violence or threats of violence against the police are unacceptable and will absolutely not be tolerated," Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement late Tuesday, adding that the incidents are being investigated and perps will be prosecuted.

Photos by MK Metz

The woman shown above is one of dozens led off the Brooklyn Bridge roadway in handcuffs. NYPD opened the bridge again around 6 p.m., but demonstrations continued as the marchers headed along Flatbush towards Barclays Center.

A major sponsor was the Stop Mass Incarceration network.

UPDATE: The group says dozens of key organizers in NYC have been arrested, and are being held at:
NYPD 78 Precinct: 65 Sixth Avenue, Brooklyn.  718-636-4611
NYPD 7th Precinct: 19 1/2 Pitt Street, Manhattan. (212) 477-7311


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Is This Gowanus Canal Cleanup Plan Half-Assed? And More Brooklyn Briefs

The #ConsultantsCorner graded the rollout of Hillary Clinton's #Brooklyn campaign headquarters: http://t.co/tyU6Ww8tyz
— Inside City Hall (@InsideCityHall) April 7, 2015

Hillary's decision to locate her campaign HQ in Brooklyn Heights: Good? Bad? See above.

- New York conservation officials are inviting public comments on proposed plans to continue cleaning up contamination along the Gowanus Canal. [Brooklyn Eagle] ..... But ... Is DEC's plan half-assed? [PMFA]

- Rich people's problems: One Brooklyn Bridge Park couple can't find each other in sprawling 11,000-foot condo, made by putting together 9 smaller condos. [Gothamist]

- An Edward Snowden bust was briefly erected in Fort Greene Park by gorilla artists, then carted away by city. [AnimalNY] .... "Personally, I think it's pretty cool," said a parks source. [NY Daily News]

- Smorgasburg food porn from this past weekend's opening at Brooklyn Bridge Park. [Brooklyn Eagle]  

- The NYC Department of Transportation announced it has been throwing away all those “love locks” that couples attach to the Brooklyn Bridge. [CBSlocal]

- The Parks Department has agreed that the best site for a contentious set of boardwalk bathrooms is at the Coney Island Avenue entrance, not in front of a posh condo. [Sheepshead Bites]

- Texas, California, Florida, Virginia, and Massachusetts are all poaching New York's major medical researchers -- along with their funding, staffs, and projects. [Gotham Gazette]


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Hospital Money Still Up for Grabs in Budget; Attempted Rape in Williamsburg; New Art in Brooklyn Bridge Park; etc.

- Williamsburg woman was punched and nearly raped in her apartment building early Thursday -- but was saved by her 16-year-old son. [Daily News]

- Brooklyn pols fight to restore millions in budget for teetering hospitals, inckuding Interfaith. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Danish artist Jeppe Hein will playfully animate Brooklyn Bridge Park in a new exhibition, “Please Touch the Art.” [NYT]

- Over the next decade, Greenpoint is slated to add some 8,000 new apartment. [NY Post] 

- What to do in Brooklyn this spring: from a zine fest to the Basquiat exhibition to the 17th of May parade. [amNY]

- 2015 All-Brooklyn Team: Girls High School Basketball All-Stars. [Brooklyn Eagle

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