Parkchester Times, Parkchester - The Alternate Voice of Parkchester

Posted on September 17, 2018

Stabbing leaves 1 dead in Parkchester

by EDWIN SOTO

A 34-year-old man is dead and another injured after a violent stabbing on Westchester Avenue early Sunday.
The other man is currently recovering at Jacobi Hospital. Police say a group of individuals got into an argument that turned deadly.

The 34-year-old man was stabbed multiple times and died at Jacobi Hospital. The other man was stabbed in the torso he’s in stable condition. The investigation is still ongoing. Two men were stabbed, one fatally, on a Bronx street early Sunday, cops said. The two victims were attacked by a pair of men on Westchester Ave. near Pugsley Ave. in Parkchester about 4:20 a.m.

A 34-year-old man was stabbed multiple times in the torso and a 35-year-old man was knifed once in the midsection.
EMTs took both victims to Jacobi Medical center, where the younger man died.

The 34-year-old man was stabbed several times as he brawled with at least six other men and two women on Westchester Avenue near Pugsley Avenue in Parkchester at about 4:20 a.m., cops said. The victim, whose identity was being withheld pending family notification, was rushed to Jacobi Hospital and pronounced dead.

Another 35-year-old man was also stabbed in the melee, but he is expected to survive, police said.
No arrests were made, and the investigation is ongoing.

Posted on September 17, 2018 September 17, 2018

Hello and welcome to the Health and Wellness section of the Parkchester Times!

By: Sylvia Williams-Simmons,

Here is where you will find information pertaining to health and wellness! We will spotlight relevant information and news from in and around your community as well as feature interviews, healthy recipes, suggestions and personal triumphant stories all written by members of our locally founded organization Survival Instinct – The Network, Inc.

So, who am I? My name is Sylvia -Williams Simmons; I am a proud resident of the Bronx NY and co-founder /President of Survival Instinct The Network (SITNET.) SITNET is a 501c3 organization that promotes cancer awareness, early detection, prevention and healthy living. Some of our activities include …cancer walks, support groups for men, women and children. In addition, through our Community Health & Awareness Days (CHAD), we invite medical professionals into the community to speak on a variety of topics and interests in the health and wellness field. In our 13-year existence, SITNET has made quite an impact in the lives we serve by disseminating the information needed for all to make healthier choices.

Our success story includes the 2010 decision by Congressman Joseph Crowley and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr to name September 12^th, and September 13^th as Survival Instinct The Network Day here in the Bronx! We invite you and your family to celebrate this day with us next year (details to follow.) Also, to honor my late husband, the co-founder of SITNET, and to commend the services performed though our organization, New York City’s Mayor Bill De’ Blasio signed into law a street thoroughfare which co names Newbold Ave to Jahi Williams-Simmons Way …his legacy continues.

So, with all of that said…. our overall goal is to build a healthier Bronx and beyond.

Important to note: any article written by SITNET members is to be used for informational purposes only. We encourage you to speak to your medical and/or health provider and/or wellness team before making any changes to your current regiment.

To become a volunteer or attend one of our events or if you have a health related story to share, give us a call at 917-531-4288.

On behalf of Survival Instinct – The Network, Inc., it’s founders and Board of Directors “Thank you Parkchester Times” for your existence and allowing us to bring news and information needed to build a “cancer intelligent” community and health and wellness alignment to the Bronx and beyond!

Sylvia Williams-Simmons,

Co/Founder & President

Survival Instinct – The Network, Inc.

“A Network Of Hope And New Beginnings”

Posted on September 11, 2018

The murdering of a Minister in his home has reached its zenith

Washington DC – The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) a faith-based coalition of 34,000 churches comprised of 15 denominations and 15.7 million African Americans, is morally outraged and frightened for its members, that this police officer, Amber Guyger, was not immediately arrested and charged with first-degree murder. She is being handled like she is a hero, not a murderer. We do not accept the fact that this is an accident.

She knew that it was not her apartment. We demand a complete toxicology report and we want her training record released to the public. We also demand that they give us the full and complete truth of the first shooting in 2017 that she was involved in.

Rev. Anthony Evans, President of the National Black Church Initiative says, “As a responsible religious leader I issue this warning to all African American residents of Dallas and surrounding areas with a broken heart. We can no longer trust the police to protect us from harm because they themselves are the reason why we are harmed.”

The Texas Rangers who are in charge of investigating this case have already demonstrated their bias to paint this as an accidental shooting. As Church leaders, we have no other alternative but to alert our congregants, in Dallas and surrounding areas, that the police are not there to serve and protect our being. We simply cannot trust them. The reason why we say that we cannot trust them is because they refuse to apply the law without bias. We cannot trust them because they expect us, and they will shoot us without cause and call it an accident. We cannot trust them, because we truly believe that they hate Black people.

We have been shot without cause while we were walking. We have been shot without cause in our cars. We have been shot without cause out in the public. And, we have been shot to death without cause in our homes. The only reason why we are being shot is because we are Black.

Posted on September 11, 2018

World Trade Center Memories and Mission

Leading up to the 9/11 memorial, my feelings have begun to drastically change similar to the mix feelings I always have in past years when I reflect on what took place in our city on that unforgettable day.

As remarkable as 9/11 National Memorial Museum is, it is one place I truly dread going in because of the strong feelings that consistently converged in me. The feeling of guilt, anger, confusion, sorry and a vivid cognizant of the utter disregard to the lives violently taken from us on that regrettable day that has forever left in our hearts incurable wounds.

My only refuge during this terrible moment is Islamic Leadership School, the first full time Muslim school that opened its doors for the first time on the same fateful day of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The opening of this first Islamic school in the Bronx on 9/11 was a divine message, the message of fighting evil religious extremism with education. Instead of the school becoming the center of radicalization and extreme religious views, it became a conduit of wisdom, tolerance, pluralism, progressively moderate and vital peaceful pillar of New York and beyond.

Islamic Leadership School has become one of the most effective counter extremism endeavors in the nation. Promoting a peaceful coexistence among all people is unwavering mission of its leadership. “While we can’t change what had happened to the World Trade Center, we can certainly use our school’s peaceful coexistence platform to prevent such cowardice act from ever happening again. This is a small step towards healing.” Said Sheikh Musa Drammeh, Islamic Leadership School co-founder.

Because of the success of ILS in its promotion of peaceful coexistence, the founders are piloting a new public school curriculum next year called STEMDUP to broaden its mission. STEMDUP stand for science, technology, engineering, mathematics, diversity, unity and peace. #911memorial #worldtradecenter #ils #stemdup

Posted on September 10, 2018

St. Helena’s Oldest Parishioner Passes

Helen Urban was the last of the “founding members” of St. Helena’s Parish in Parkchester, and she recently passed away at the age of 103 3/4 years of age. Her youngest son John was at her side Her Funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Helena’s on Saturday, September 8, the feast of the Birth of Our Blessed Mother. Helen was a long-time resident of Parkchester and was one of the original members of St. Helena’s when it was founded by Msgr. Arthur Scanlan in 1940, at the beginning of the Second World War. She was very active at St. Helena’s, and she often organized parish bus trips to various places. Her daughter, Marilyn, was the very first baby born in Parkchester, and she attended St. Helena School. Helen’s husband, Joseph, bought the very first car in Parkchester. She was a mother, grandmother, and twice a great-grandmother. Her eldest granddaughter Dorothy Dugandzic spoke at her funeral. Our condolences are extended to the entire Urban Family.

Posted on September 10, 2018

Book Bags for Students

A very special thanks to St. Helena alumnus Andrew Curiel ’10 and his business partner Francisco Neeko Zeno for successfully organizing The Be You Stay True Program’s #AssistProject where they supplied 50+ St. Helena Elementary School students with brand new book-bags and school supplies.

Andrew has been selected as a Victory Scholar with the Sport Changes Life program for the 2018 – 2019 year. For the next year, he is now living in Limerick, Ireland earning his Masters in Business Marketing, playing for the Limerick Lions, and most importantly coaching/mentoring the youth of Ireland through the game of basketball.

Posted on September 9, 2018 September 9, 2018

Africa Fund Summit.

‘Never again’ and ‘We shall overcome’, a tale of two behaviors.

By Spencer Chiimbwe

In this article to the Parkchester Times, I have a few thoughts to share on this day, the day when the African Union was founded, September 9, 1999. Much of what I have to share is how the possibility of the Africa Fund Summit, if the AU decided to have one, should look like and what the summit may take into consideration. This is just an idea, a reflection, a projection, my hope is that it gets the institutional support needed to be operationalized. Let the work for Africa continue, this behavior of fighting for idea ownership, or embracing the idea only if it emerges from the Anglophone, Francophone, Lusophone or Arab League, is creating a leadership void for Africa and as a result, Africa is arguably surrendering its leadership autonomy to China. Africa is moving from colonialism to colonialism. After celebrating 50 years of independence from the British, Africa turns the other way to go to China and ask for further colonization. Africa is not in short supply of funds to take care of its destiny, it is in short supply of the leadership needed to seize today’s opportunities and make things happen for the great continent of Africa.

For example, the current 2019 approved budget for the African Union is $ 681.5 million. Well, if Africa is creative enough, with sophisticated and tactical negotiators to raise the money in question, a $681.5 million budget should not even be an issue. I am not talking about getting the money from the gold, diamond or oil rivers of Africa, this latter narrative has made Africa’s growth stunted for so long, i.e the fallacy of digging gold to make Africa work. That is not what this article is about, that narrative is entangled in the cobweb of illusions, selfishness and conflict and in no way does this article assume a lifeless, non-starter assumptive nuance that the people of Africa shall soon get together and discuss gold as the starting point to developing a fund for Africa. The variables preventing the sustenance of the natural resource problematic narrative are complicated and that is not a good place to start a conversation about the Africa Fund Summit. This article submits the following possibilities:

As of March 2018, the Black Panther, that showcases a utopia for people of African descent, made around $1.195 billion worldwide (Mendelson, 2018). Yet, Africans have not come up with a plan to engage the stakeholders in the Black Panther about the challenges of the continent that this film has made billions from. No one from African Union has assumed that thought, but guess what, China has. So, Africans would rather have Black Panther contribute to China than the African Union. Here is a question, what percentage of $1.195 billion is $ 681.5 million? Maybe that is too much of a percentage to ask the Stakeholders of Black Panther. What about the Lion King, it has made billions and billions of dollars in the last two decades. ‘Over The Last 20 Years, Broadway’s ‘Lion King’ Has Made More Money For Disney Than ‘Star Wars’ (Seymour, 2018). With the right leadership, coupled with creativity, Africa can engage these entities and have them become partners in the development of the continent. These entities use the imagery and history of the continent to make money and yet, they have never been asked or invited to participate in the development of the continent.

If the effort to engage the Black Panther or Lion King fails, a handful of African players playing in Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League can fund the needs of the entire continent, but they too have never been officially approached to have a stake in the continent’s endeavors. The problem is that Africa is still looking down for gold and thereby missing the opportunities that are in looking upwards. This article is calling for the Africa Fund Summit where all franchises that use Africa’s name to make money, and all people of African descent performing in the Diaspora may get together and develop a fund for Africa. If the African Union does not embrace this idea, China will and very soon, African players in the UEFA will start contributing billions of dollars to the Chinese treasury. Really?

Works cited

Financial reforms at the African Union lead to massive cuts of the Union’s Budget. (2018, July 6). Retrieved September 9, 2018, from https://au.int/en/pressreleases/20180706/financial-reforms-african-union-lead-massive-cuts-union’s-budget

Mendelson, S. (2018, March 21). Box Office: ‘Black Panther’ Tops $1.2B, With A Little Help From China. Retrieved September 9, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/03/21/box-office-black-panther-tops-1-2b-with-a-little-help-from-china/#5595b709164c

Seymour, L. (2018, December 18). Over The Last 20 Years, Broadway’s ‘Lion King’ Has Made More Money For Disney Than ‘Star Wars’. Retrieved September 9, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/leeseymour/2017/12/18/the-lion-king-is-making-more-money-for-disney-than-star-wars/#42634b681ff0

Spencer Chiimbwe is the Doctoral Candidate in the Law and Policy program at the Northeastern University College of Professional Studies. He can be reached at schiimbwe26@gmail.com

Posted on September 8, 2018 September 8, 2018

COUNCIL MEMBER VAN BRAMER CELEBRATES ACTIVATION OF TRAFFIC SIGNAL OUTSIDE PS 343

YESTERDAY, September 6^th, New York City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer joined the NYC Department of Transportation, PS 343 Principal Brooke Barr and PS 343 parents, student and faculty to celebrate the activation of a new traffic signal at the intersection of 42^nd Street and 47^th Avenue in front of the elementary school in Sunnyside.

Since PS 343 opened in 2014, Council Member Van Bramer has advocated for the installation of a traffic signal to calm traffic at the dangerous intersection and make it safer for children and families to cross the street to and from the school. At yesterday’s event, parents expressed gratitude and relief.

“For over four years, I have advocated with teachers, students and families for the installation of a traffic signal outside of PS 343. There is nothing more important than the safety of our children and it’s about time that these lights were activated to make this school zone safer,” said Council Member Van Bramer. “The new traffic signal will undeniably ease the fears of everyone who crosses that busy intersection to and from PS 343, Noonan Playground and the multiple apartment buildings in its vicinity. I am thankful to the Department of Transportation for finally heeding our pleas.”

“On behalf of the children, families and staff of PS 343Q The Children’s Lab School, I want to express our appreciation for the installation of the new traffic signals located at 42nd Street and 47th Avenue in Sunnyside,” said PS 343 Principal Brooke Barr. “This intersection is closest to our school and connects us to our local park and library. Adding this signal will greatly increase safety for everyone traveling to and from our building. We thank the Department of Transportation for conducting multiple traffic surveys leading up to the installation and Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer for his tireless advocacy on this issue and for our community.”

“I could not have asked for a better start to a new school year, knowing that my families will be safe coming and going to school. Thank you to all my families, the students, and Jimmy Van Bramer and his staff for not giving up until we got our street light,” said PS 343 Parent Coordinator Clara Oza.

The Department of Transportation installed the traffic signal last week and activated it on Wednesday, August 29^th.

Posted on September 6, 2018

League of Arab States and International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation announce cooperation towards intra-Arab trade

CAIRO, Egypt, September 6, 2018/ — The League of Arab States (Economic Affairs Sector) and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), a member of the Islamic Development Bank Group, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) towards accelerating cooperation in the development of intra-Arab trade.

Signed during the Ministerial meeting of the Economic and Social Council of the League of Arab States (LAS) and ITFC in Cairo, Egypt, the MoU outlines clear objectives aimed at enhancing trade capacities and improving structures and mechanisms of trade cooperation among Arab countries.

As part of the agreement, LAS and ITFC have solidified their commitment to jointly coordinate the design, financing and implementation of technical assistance and capacity building programs as well as tackling issues related to the development of intra-Arab trade. The MoU will also enable both parties to achieve their objectives of enhancing trade capacities among Arab countries as outlined in the ten-year work program adopted by the Islamic Summit Held in Makkah, as well as the Arab summit (the Jerusalem summit – Dhahran).

“The signing of this MoU is an important step towards enabling cooperation between the League of Arab States and ITFC. With our shared goals of achieving Arab economic integration and enhancing trade and capacity building activities within the region, we are very optimistic about the opportunities that will arise from this collaboration. This is an important step towards accelerating the process of trade development of Arab nations and their participation in the regional and global market,” said Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, ITFC Chief Executive Officer.

Ambassador Kamal Hassan Ali, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs at the League of Arab States commented by saying: “The signing of this MoU will establish a legal basis for the cooperation between the League of Arab States and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation. It will open up new prospects of collaboration which will certainly be reflected on the completion of the requirements of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area and therefore the Arab Customs Union. Particularly, a decision has been communicated to the Economic and Social Council, at its current session, to further develop the Greater Arab Free Trade Area and conform with the World Trade Organization, as well as to similar regional agreements, which will positively affect the positioning of the intra-Arab trade.

Initial programs agreed under the memorandum of understanding, such as the Arab Africa Trade Bridges Program and the second phase of the Aid for Trade Initiative for Arab States (AfTIAS) Program have been earmarked for rollout in a bid to meet set objectives towards strengthening cooperation between the two parties. The MoU will support the Greater Arab Free Trade Area through hosting regional training courses, conferences and workshops covering trade development area.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC).