Fire & Disaster Drill in Downtown Brooklyn Monday (Aug. 1)

Don't be alarmed. Photo by MK Metz

There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for those fires and scattered bodies you'll be seeing next to Cadman Plaza Park in Brooklyn starting 6:30 p.m. Monday: They're part of a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training class (and the bodies are actually practice dummies).

The disaster drill will take place at Cadman Plaza East and Red Cross Place. FDNY and NYPD personnel will be action.

CERT members will practice aiding the injured, controlling traffic, calming the panicky, and putting out fires.

According to OEM, CERT members undergo "an intensive 10-week training program that raises awareness about emergencies and disasters and provides basic response skills needed for fire safety, light search and rescue, disaster medical operations, and traffic control." 

To learn more about CERT, visit http://www.NYC.gov/CERThttp://www.NYC.gov/CERT.


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Thousands Rally for Charter Schools in Cadman Plaza Park, Brooklyn

Photos by MK Metz

That amplified music and cheering you might have heard in Cadman Plaza Park, Downtown Brooklyn Wednesday morning was the sound of 15,000 bused-in charter school kids and parents holding a pro-charter rally.

Most of the participants were from the Success Academy charter chain, run by former Councilmember Eva Moskowitz, who is trying to get more territory for her schools in NYC.

The kids got the morning off from school, and these nifty red T-shirts.

Star Jennifer Hudson put on a show, as did other musical entertainers.

After the rally, some of the kids went home, others were bused back to school and some went to City Hall to hold another smaller rally.

More photos and information here.


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Looking for Ghosts in Prospect Park; P.S. 8 Zoning and More Brooklyn Briefs

-  DOE to present final P.S. 8 / 307 rezoning in Brooklyn tonight. [BHB] Photo: MK Metz

 - The  Brooklyn Paranormal Society is heading to Prospect Park to explore the scene of four murders . . . while tipsy.  [DNAinfo]

- Downtown Brooklyn’s higher-education institutions drew 60,000 students and generated $2.8 billion in economic activity in 2013. [WSJ]

- (Video) Cops looking for a man who assaulted a women walking her dog in Greenpoint. [CBS]

- Trial set for NYPD officer charged in Brooklyn stairwell shooting of Akai Gurley. [Pix11]

- Music superstar Alicia Keys surprised students at Edward R. Murrow High School with a visit and money for a music program. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale, (“Boardwalk Empire”) and “Damages” actress Rose Byrne paid $2.15 million for a townhouse in Boerum Hill. [Variety]

- Chelsea Clinton has been looking at townhouses in Brooklyn near mother Hillary’s campaign headquarters. [NY Post]

- What all those thousands of people were doing in Cadman Plaza Park on Saturday. [Brooklyn Eagle]


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'Frozen' Showing Tonight in Cadman Plaza Park, Brooklyn - Free (Monday)

Photo: MK Metz

Bring your beach towel and some popcorn: The film "Frozen" is being shown tonight for free at Cadman Plaza Park in Downtown Brooklyn / Brooklyn Heights, starting after sunset. Seating starts at 7 p.m.

The film is presented by Gristedes,  the Cadman Park Conservancy and other sponsors.

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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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Avon Breast Cancer Walk Brings Pink Lunchers to Cadman Plaza Park

Photos by MK Metz

Hundreds of pink-clad ladies (and a few red-blooded guys) flooded Cadman Plaza Park in Downtown Brooklyn on Saturday for a lunch break during the first day of the Avon Breast Cancer Walk.

These fit folks walked almost 40 miles over Saturday and Sunday to raise money for the cause! (They slept in pink tents Saturday night on Randall's Island.)

Kudos to them all.

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Brooklyn CB2 Meeting Tonight to Discuss Food Vendor in Cadman Plaza Park and Other Topics

Photo by Amanderson2, Creative Commons

At a CB2 committee meeting on Monday night (tonight), Eitan Adler, a project manager in the revenue division of the Department of Parks and Recreation, will brief the committee and obtain feedback on a pending request for proposals for a food vendor in Cadman Plaza Park. 

(That will be so nice for the rats.)


Also, Tucker Reed, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, will present on the local development corporation's plans for "BAM Park," and a string of "open spaces" between Borough Hall and Brooklyn Bridge Park.

September 15, 6 p.m., in the Dining Room A (off of the cafeteria), The Brooklyn Hospital Center, 121 DeKalb Avenue at St. Felix Street, in Fort Greene.


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Arab-American Heritage Music in Cadman Plaza Park Sunday

Photos by MK Metz

The music of Arabia echoed over Brooklyn Heights on Sunday, as the Arab-American Heritage Music Festival was celebrated in Cadman Plaza Park in Downtown Brooklyn.

Performers hailed from many different countries, including Syria, Turkey and Egypt, and the music ranged from upbeat to transcendent.

Singer Naela Saman

This is the ninth annual festival. It's usually held in Prospect Park, but moved to Downtown Brooklyn this year due to space and scheduling considerations (including the timing of Ramadan), and the fact that there are more Arabs living near Cadman Plaza.

The Arab-American Family Support Center organized the event, and Maimonides Hospital sponsored it. AAFSC provides services to immigrants, health services, youth programs, adult literacy programs and more.

Photos by MK Metz

There were also art and crafts like hennaing. Vendors sold felafel's, sweet pastries, corn grilled, meat and more.

#373children #GazaNames pic.twitter.com/lSfULTqMLu
— AAFSC (@AAFSC) August 10, 2014

During the festival, participants tweeted photos of themselves holding boards with the names of some of the 373 children killed in Gaza during the latest offensive.

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Dance Party Picnic in Cadman Plaza Park on Saturday, August 9

Photo by MK Metz

 An electronic dance music picnic was held in Cadman Plaza Park in Downtown Brooklyn / Brooklyn Heights on Saturday, August 9.

FROLIC was produced by the Electronic Music Umbrella (EMU) and any proceeds raised at the event are headed to the Education Through Music organization.

A few years back, this event was called Festivus and took place in Central Park. It was a much smaller crowd in Cadman.

There were several 84th Precinct cops hanging around, probably to check on the sound levels after all of the complaints about last week's incredibly loud Summer Affair.

On Saturday, the music stayed pretty mellow.

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Dragons, Dancing and Cute Chinese Kids in Cadman Plaza Park on Sunday

Photos by MK Metz, McBrooklyn.com

Because what's more fun than dragons, lion dancers and heartbreakingly adorable Chinese kids?

They were all available in Cadman Plaza Park on Sunday for the annual Chinese-American Planning Council's (CPC) Walk-a-Thon and Family Day.

A glimpse beneath the mask of a lion dancer.

The CPC funds social services agencies, like the group above, pays for English learner summer camp, funds senior programs and does other good work.

Big crowd!

Adorable Chinese kids did a traditional dance routine.

More photos of the CPC Walk-a-Thon here.

The 2012 Walk-a-Thon here.

The 2010 Chinese-American Planning Council's annual walk-a-thon.

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La Guelaguetza Festival New York in Brooklyn's Cadman Plaza Park

Photos by MK Metz, McBrooklyn

 Music from the Oaxaca region of Mexico rang out over Cadman Plaza Park in Downtown Brooklyn on Sunday, for La Guelaguetza Festival New York sponsored by the Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Nueva York (BFMNY).

Dancers thrilled the crowd with performances reflecting the traditions of the different Oaxacan states.

The music was uplifting, the clothing gorgeous and the mood generous. Love, sharing, and pride in the crafts of the area were themes.

Photos by MK Metz, McBrooklyn

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Velazquez Rolls Over Kurzon; Brooklyn College Turns Down Bucks; and More Brooklyn Briefs

N. Velazquez, by MK Metz

- Velazquez clobbers Kurzon in District 7 Congressional race. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Did you know NYC has a deputy mayor? Did you know he lives in New Rochelle? (And didja know he plans to move to Brooklyn one day?) [Crain's]

- Some people upset that Brooklyn College turned down millions from hateful conservative Koch brothers. [JWF]

- Shooting: Nostrand Ave. and Avenue D, 2 a.m. Wednesday morning. [Spotcrime]

- Bikers will race on a steep, tiny velodrome, custom constructed to give competitors a treacherous challenge. [Bike Blog]

- "Do the Right Thing" block party this weekend in Bed-Stuy. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Brooklyn's tallest tower, 388 Bridge, quietly launches sales. [Curbed]

- Lunchtime juggling group pops up in Cadman Plaza, Downtown Brooklyn. [DoBro]

- Brooklyn women's museum to take on name of Trenton civil rights activist Edith Savage-Jennings. [NJ]


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SantaCon 2013 Visits Brooklyn Heights, Weirds Out Park Plaza Diner

Photos by MK Metz

After hitting dozens of bars in the East Village, the drunken Santas, gingerbread cookies and reindeer of SantaCon 2013 streamed into Cadman Plaza Park in Downtown Brooklyn today, where a DJ blasting holiday music was set up in a tent.

Other than some sloppiness, bad dancing and mock fighting, the crowds were fairly well behaved and played "reindeer games.". The 84th Precinct had a half a dozen officers stationed around the park, but didn't have to do much other than laugh at the participants.

There's a Rudolph dance-off & reindeer games at Camden Plaza Park East in Brooklyn! #NYCSantacon http://t.co/odeVhLEvPT
— santacon (@santacon) December 14, 2013

Hundreds of Santas quickly overwhelmed the Park Plaza diner, where those in charge didn't seem to understand the exact nature of the event and kept offering consumables other than beer. Others streamed towards Montague Street and DUMBO.

This Santa was strikingly dedicated to holiday hair colors.

This year's event started at Tompkins Square Park in the East Village, and wound up with afterparties on Atlantic Ave. near Classon Ave.

Friendly reminder: Don't fuck with KIDS, COPS, BAR STAFF or NYC. Dont Be a Jerk! It's #TheSantaCode. #NYCSantacon
— santacon (@santacon) December 14, 2013

SantaCon 2012
SantaCon 2011
About SantaCon 2010

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Spring at Cadman Plaza Park, Brooklyn

Check out the garden at the north end of Cadman Plaza Park in Downtown Brooklyn, along the pathway leading to the Brooklyn Bridge. Every spring this little flower-filled garden presents a lovely greeting for residents and tourists heading for the Brooklyn Bridge. The Parks Department -- or is it the Cadman Park Conservancy? -- does a great job on this patch.

Magnolias in bloom on Cadman Plaza East just north of the park.

Daffodils and hyacinths at the north end.

Photos by MK Metz


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'Keep the Promise' Rally in Downtown Brooklyn . . . Rev. Al Leads March Over Brooklyn Bridge

A stage was set up in Cadman Plaza Park. Photo: MK Metz

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation threw a big "Keep the Promise on AIDs" concert/ rally in Cadman Plaza Park on Saturday, with a full lineup of entertainment, speeches by AIDs advocates and pols, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, and a march over the Brooklyn Bridge.

The advocates called for funding to fight AIDs in New York City, which has been hit with budget cuts for HIV testing.

Steve Levin. Photo: MK Metz

Council Member Stephen Levin said that more people in NYC are getting their HIV diagnosed late, leading to an increased likelihood of dying from AIDs. State Senator Velmanette Montgomery spoke in favor of the "No Condoms As Evidence" bill, which would prohibit police for arresting people for carrying condoms. (Prosecutors have been claiming this shows intent to commit prostitution.)

'Stroke 'Em Condom Style'

Cassidy. Photo MK Metz

Rapper Cassidy ("I'm A Hustla") had the crowd dancing with "Stroke 'Em Condom Style." (A memorable 'Gangnam Style' take off: "Stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke, Stroke 'em condom style.")

Other entertainment included Grammy Award-winners Bridget Kelly and Miri Ben-Ari, Sway Calloway, DJ Lina, and The Rude Mechanical Orchestra.

Malina Fisher, Sway Calloway, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Michael Weinstein (AIDS Healthcare Foundation) Photo: MK Metz

Marching up the steps of the Brooklyn Bridge. Photo: MK Metz

The Rude Mechanical Orchestra. Photo: MK Metz

More at the Brooklyn Eagle and NY1.

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Thousands Rally Against Gun Violence in Cadman Plaza Park

Photo: MK Metz

Thousands of Seventh-Day Adventist youth gathered in Cadman Plaza Park on Saturday for a rally against gun violence and for compassion, part of an annual "compassion" event in New York City.

After speeches and prayers, the crowd, accompanied by several drum troupes, marched over the Brooklyn Bridge to various sites in Manhattan.

MK Metz

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the participants came from ten states to pray for the city and carry out compassionate works, like donating blood.

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Shipping Container Emergency Housing Complex to Rise in Downtown Brooklyn by OEM

Similar to this, by João Sequeira

This summer, a “post-disaster housing complex” made of shipping containers will be set up across the street from the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) in Downtown Brooklyn.

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the container units
 – complete with furniture and spaces for cooking, bathing, living, and sleeping -- will be tested for a year, and will be occupied by residents for at least six months.

More here

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Update: Racket in Cadman Plaza Park, Brooklyn, Annoys Brooklyn Heights All Afternoon

No one showed up the first four hours.  Photo: MK Metz

Lesbian, gay and straight alike agree on one thing today in Brooklyn Heights: the music blasting from Cadman Plaza Park all afternoon was incredibly loud and horribly tasteless.

What sounded like a three-hour rendition of "I Will Not Dance to Your War Drum" -- interspersed with  Elton John tunes mixed to a Latin beat -- deafened the north end of the Heights starting at 1 p.m.

The event was supposed to be the GLBT Summer Affair. For the first four hours of the noise, there were no more than 20 people, and most of them appeared to be somehow connected with setting up the "event."

There were two tables set up. One was manned by an earnest Obama supporter handing out campaign literature to virtually no one. The other had something to do with health, again with no takers.

Some people showed up around 6 p.m.  Photo: MK Metz

UPDATE: At around 6 p.m. a small crowd -- maybe 40 people -- were in attendance. At 7 p.m. the event ended and thank all that is holy the noise stopped.

Music Cadman Plaza Park Brooklyn
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Chinese-Americans Rouse Brooklyn Heights on Sunday With a Dragon Dance

Did you hear cheering, music and drums Sunday morning? Thousands of Asian-Americans and supporters marched over the Brooklyn Bridge to Cadman Plaza Park in Brooklyn Heights / Downtown Brooklyn for the Chinese-American Planning Council's (CPC) annual Walk-A-Thon and Family Day celebration.

The dragon dance team made quite the dramatic entrance into the park and entertained the crowd.

The CPC provides community services to Chinese kids, seniors and recent immigrants. Borough President Marty Markowitz and Councilwoman Leticia James spoke about the great work CPC does and the importance of Sunset Park's growing Chinese-American community.

People of all ages marched together. After the celebration in Cadman Park, participants headed back to Columbus Park in Manhattan for more festivities.

Dragon-grandmas were out in force!

Photos by MK Metz

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