Thursday, August 2, 2012
Audition for Arts On Third Festival on August 10, 2012 - Mt. Vernon, NY
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Remembering Jocko
Gregory ‘Jocko’ Jackson (1951 – 2012);
Gregory ‘Jocko’ Jackson (1951 – 2012);
Photo by Malcolm Pinckney
On the afternoon of Tuesday, May 1, the Parks Department family was devastated by the sudden passing of Brownsville Recreation Center (BRC) Manager Gregory Jackson, a 26-year Parks veteran, lovingly known as Jocko.
Greg was considered by many as the unofficial mayor of Brownsville, having grown up and devoted his career to the community’s improvement. He joined Parks as a Recreation Specialist in 1986 and was promoted to BRC Center Manager in 1997. Upon his passing, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, “Greg never forgot his Brooklyn roots – he grew up playing in the Brownsville Recreation Center and vowed to one day lead it. And he did just that.” Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe added, “He was a native of Brownsville, Brooklyn who chose to devote his career to the betterment of his community where he was truly a pillar… Through sports and education, Greg transformed the BRC into a true community resource and an oasis of peace.”
Under Greg’s leadership, the BRC played host to world-renowned events and served as inspiration for the young men and women who passed through its doors. Greg’s work lives on in the hearts of those he deeply touched. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz reflected, “Jocko was so much a part of Brownsville—and Brownsville so much a part of him—that it was hard to separate the two.” Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey pointed out, “Jocko always encouraged the challenge of boundaries- both real and perceived. In doing so he often managed to do with apparent ease that which most would consider impossible.” Former Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Julius Spiegel added, “Many people pay lip service to ‘giving back.’ Not Greg Jackson. He devoted every ounce of his energy to the Brownsville community that he loved.”
Greg’s dedication to the community reached beyond his work to his personal life and free time. He chaired the Reeves Drakeford Brownsville Jets. This youth basketball team, started in the summer of 1965, provides leadership for young men and women. Each year, Greg and the Jets organized the Brownsville Oldtimers Week, which includes sporting events, a reunion night, and live entertainment. Oldtimers Week unites the community through fun, games and music, and regularly draws over 35,000 people.
Greg touched the lives of Parks employees across the agency who had the pleasure to work with him. Deputy Commissioner Robert Garafola said, “Jocko was a man of peace and honor who respected all and only wanted to make Brownsville a great place to live and bring up your kids. Of course the Brownsville Recreation Center was the hub, the nucleus where you came to have good time, renew friendships and be a part of Jocko’s dream of a better place. I think it was Greg’s version of heaven on earth.” Assistant Commissioner Annika Holder remembered Greg as “a leader, mentor, coach, supporter, advocate and a friend who dedicated his life's work to Brownsville. He inspired the young and young at heart to become stewards of their community. Stars are born in Brownsville and Jacko took pride in showcasing the neighborhood's best and brightest.” Assistant Commissioner Nancy Barthold recalled, “Greg was a gentle giant who filled every corner of the Brownsville Recreation Center with a mix of traditional and unique offerings (a planetarium and 2 recording studios among them). He embraced the needs of individuals, frequently fulfilling dreams of young members (a new bicycle, recording their first single) and often provided a gathering place for the community during time of crisis.” Assistant Commissioner Mike Dockett added, “Greg fostered a culture at the BRC where everyone who entered through their doors were treated as trusted members of a family. Greg and the staff he developed went out of their way daily to provide a welcoming and warm center where every member of the Brownsville community could thrive and be treated with dignity and respect.” Brooklyn Director of Public Services Edwin Vargas called Greg, “a genuine RECREATOR who strived to make every day a great day in his beloved Brownville Brooklyn.”
Jocko’s passing is deeply mourned among the members of Brooklyn’s Recreation team. Brooklyn Chief of Recreation Leroy Temple said, “Greg ‘Jocko’ Jackson made me believe that yes, ONE person can make a difference. He never saw obstacles in what he was trying to achieve, he always found a solution. He would say to me all the time -- ain't no sense in complaining, we have kids and a community to help, so let's get to work.” Deputy Chief of Recreation Jackie Brown added, “I cannot count the times Greg told me about how his grandmother asked him daily,"who are you going to HELP today?" And that is exactly what Greg did everyday - he extended himself daily and used all the resources he had to help others.” Von King Center Manager Gene Fowler recalled, “I have known Jocko since I was a Deputy Manager at St. John's in the early 90's. We had a Table Tennis rivalry between centers as well as each other. His center's members would always beat mine, but I would always beat him. I will miss him dearly as well as his "yeah-man" phrase.” Von King Recreation Supervisor Lemuel Mial called Jocko, “one of the most focused and dedicated individuals I've known who loved people, especially youth, always pursued his cause to make their lives better, never forgetting his beginning, community or home.” In a poem that she wrote in memory of Greg, Sunset Park Deputy Center Manager Dawn Whitfield wrote, “With a desire to make a difference/Determination, hard work, and care/He lifted all around him/And on his shoulders, burdens of others he would bear.”
Greg’s tireless efforts have earned him over 100 awards for his service. In 2010, he was honored with the W. Allison & Elizabeth Stubbs Davis Service Award, which was founded by former Parks Commissioner Gordon J. Davis to recognize Parks employees who show extraordinary dedication to the communities they serve. Recently, Greg also became the Director of Brownsville Common Ground, an organization that seeks to limit homelessness.
DC 37 Local 299 President Jackie Rowe-Adams remarked on Greg’s legacy, “We have taken a great loss. Greg was a hero in his community and helped so many people – so many young people – that have made it. He was a great asset and we will continue to celebrate his memory and spirit.”
Prior to his services for the City, Greg was a star basketball player at Guilford College in North Carolina. He was drafted by the New York Knicks in the 1974-75 season, and finished the season with the Phoenix Suns playing as a guard.
Another former NBA player who is now with Parks is Geoffrey Huston, the Center Manager of the Al Smith Recreation Center. Geoffrey reflected, “Greg "Jocko" Jackson was my friend, mentor, and one of the greatest basketball players to come out of Brownsville. He will be missed and never forgotten.” And while Greg played for the Knicks, he also earned the admiration of the Nets organization. Brooklyn Nets CEO Brett Yormark said, “The Brooklyn Nets express their deep sorrow about the passing of Greg “Jocko” Jackson, one of Brooklyn’s basketball legends. Greg inspired countless young people in Brooklyn through his dedication to the Brownsville Recreation Center. He made Brooklyn a better place and he will be missed.”
The Parks Department will always remember Gregory ‘Jocko’ Jackson and we send our deepest condolences to his wife, Carmen, his children and his entire family on this tragic loss.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Timber! Buzz saws busy at ex-Met Mo Vaughn’s Brownsville apt. complex
Brownsville Rec. Center closing pool for badly-needed repairs
Pool closing because of mold and mildew, falling paint chips and rusty light fixtures
Brownsville Recreation Center swimmers are up in arms over the six-month closing of the facility’s pool to make badly-needed repairs -starting in August.
Parks Department officials put up a sign on the door of the Linden Blvd. center earlier this week that repairs will start in the fall, but that the pool would be closed starting Aug. 4 at the height of swimming season.
"The whole pool needs to be fixed, but (that) just give us three more weeks,” said Joan Revan, 75, who has been swimming at the pool for more than 25 years. “At least give us ‘til the end of summer.”
Mold and mildew have formed on the walls around the pool since the ventilation system broke years ago. The only source of ventilation the pool currently has is a rusty fan.
Light fixtures and doors are rusted and tiles are missing from the floor. It is not uncommon for paint chips and pieces of plaster to fall from the ceiling onto the heads of swimmers, they said.
The Parks Dept. sign suggested swimmers to use the pool at the St. John’s Recreation Center - which is more than two miles away.
Swimmers were in disbelief about the closing of the Brownsville pool while kids were still out of school.
"They should wait until September for kids to go back to school," said Marge Flemmings, who has been swimming at the pool every day for more than a year.
"Kids need this in the summer. Where else are they going to go?
"The city doesn't care about this neighborhood,” Flemmings said. “If they hadn't neglected the pool for so long, it wouldn't need to shut down for so long to renovate.”
The pool fell into disrepair since its last major reconstruction in 1996.
A supervisor at the center said city officials had promised repairs would begin earlier in the year after making inspections, but did not follow up at the time.
"That pool is a disaster," said swimmer Louis Wilkinson, 73. "It definitely needs an overhaul, without a doubt.”
Parks Department officials have budgeted $1.49 million to put a new ventilation system in the pool area, said an agency spokesperson, who refused to say why the pool was closing a month before repairs begin and in the summer.
Some swimmers were still skeptical they'll see the improvements they've been promised for the pool.
"I'll believe it when I see it," said Wilkinson.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/brownsville-rec-center-closing-pool-badly-needed-repairs-middle-summer-article-1.1121909#ixzz21ghIHdSb
The Brownsville Rec. Center— Where the Legends Return, and the Youngsters Learn
Shaquan and his two friends stand over six feet tall, so it’s little surprise they boast about being the dunk masters of the Brownsville Recreation Center (BRC) where they practice their high-flying basketball skills every day. Like most players, these three have nicknames—the 18-year-olds Shaquan and Aaron have anointed themselves “Carmelo” and “Lebron,” and the 21-year-old Mike goes by “Air Jamaica.” It’s a Saturday morning in March, which means the courts—with their prized fiberglass backboards—are reserved for a basketball clinic for elementary and junior high kids, followed by a junior high tournament.
Group
of boys playing basketball at Carnegie Playground, 5th Ave., New York
City, August 1911. Photo Courtesy George Grantham Bain Collection,
Library of Congress.Brownsville-natives Jocko and Fly are two reasons why Shaquan has been a regular at BRC since he was 7 years old. In the early 1970s, the now 52-year-old Jocko played for the New York Knicks and then the Phoenix Suns, while the now 50-year-old Fly dazzled the ABA. (Fly is currently part of Nike’s “street legend” campaign, featured in a commercial with Lebron James.) “I take all their game, what they learned in the NBA, and put it into my own game,” says Shaquan. The BRC is “the place to show your talent,” he says. And if you don’t have the talent, “You get it. You learn the game.”
Shaquan and his friends prefer coming to BRC than other Brooklyn courts like Hoopland in East Flatbush, where people pay $10 in order to get through the doors. Although the latter has “mad courts,” BRC, says Shaquan, “is about community.” It’s clear that one of BRC’s mottoes on the courts—“You get what you give”—is also taken seriously when the shot clock stops. An extended family-oriented spirit indeed seeps into every nook and cranny of the center, helping both anchor as well as regenerate the Brownsville community.
BRC is free, which is one of the “benefits” of being in a poverty zone and considered a community development center. Big-ticket items like exercise equipment are provided by federal grants, but Jocko says the “ambience”—the large illuminated fish tanks that greet members when they walk through the doors (instead of metal detectors), the planetarium painted in one of the hallways, the portraits of rap stars, the Play Stations in the game room, the T-shirts for basketball tournaments—comes from donations by the BRC community. Many coaches in the basketball leagues are volunteers.
If they weren’t hanging out at BRC, Shaquan says, he and the rest of the players probably would be “out on the streets.” The center keeps them busy, away from trouble. Shaquan mentions his peers that are in jail. He and his friend Melissa say that growing up, they learned that it was not cool to rob or do drugs. And all the little kids playing around in the gym will now “learn from us,” says Shaquan.
Some of these boys and girls in the Saturday morning clinic—ranging in age from 5 to 13—have never passed or dribbled before, while others have been at it for years. Daryl Glenn, BRC’s recreation supervisor who conducts the Saturday basketball clinic, and who looks like a shorter version of David “the Admiral” Robinson, stands in front of the enraptured audience of almost 100 kids sitting cross-legged around the perimeter of the blue and orange floor. The 42-year-old Glenn looks around the gym and says, “Every staff person in this building is going to take care of you like you’re their own.”
Glenn stresses that the kids will be learning from each other, saying, “Each one teach one.” He emphasizes the importance of being drug free: “You take care of your body, your body takes care of you.” And he shouts, “Keep that dream alive. Keep that book and your mind open!” Playing basketball is just one part of the education that he says will help the kids learn the teamwork and leadership skills they need to become whatever they choose: lawyers, doctors, teachers, police officers, and so on.
Glenn’s positive message is one that kids growing up in or around Brownsville may sometimes forget. Brownsville notoriously has some bleak census statistics—43 percent of local residents live in poverty and over 20 percent are unemployed. Although there has been a dip in crime in Brownsville (part of a citywide trend), the neighborhood still has one of the highest homicide rates in the city, and locals still live in fear of violence. In a song titled “Life” produced in one of BRC’s two state-of-the-art recording studios, a 10-year-old girl writes, “Do I always have to look over my shoulder day and night? Why can’t my life be just right?…I want life to be easy, not hard. I don’t want to be surrounded by guards.”
BRC, though, is considered a safe haven. The austere, boxy orange brick building faces the whizzing traffic on Linden Boulevard, bookended by a conflagration of housing projects and rickety auto body storefronts. But there are also new two-story attached homes nearby, transforming long-time empty lots and abandoned buildings into symbols of regeneration. (A less hopeful sign among the other recent construction, however, is a youth detention center.)
Brownsville had its “downslide,” says Jocko, and now things are turning around. One place people point to in spawning the area’s rebirth is the BRC, which underwent a $10 million renovation in the early 1990s. Jocko, though, says that Brownsville has always been great, producing such illustrious athletes as boxing champs Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Tarrick Bowe, and Mike Tyson. Other basketball legends include World B. Free, who played in the NBA for 13 seasons, and playground legend Earl “the Goat” Manigault. Although the mythic quality of BRC’s sports past certainly helps form a sense of community, Jocko knows that it takes more than just big names. It also takes imagination—a quality all of BRC’s staff have in abundance. Who else would think of putting a baby grand piano in the corner of an exercise room?
“I have so many talented kids,” says Jocko. “How many of them have a piano in their homes?” Soon, while people are sweating on one of the center’s 17 new treadmills in the exercise room—which is set to open on April 10, and christened the Dorothy L. Rice Fitness Center, in honor of Jocko’s mother—they can hear the start of a young piano player’s career. They can also watch one of the donated televisions suspended from the ceiling. Jocko is able to get people to help out because he’s clearly respected at BRC, and many credit him for keeping it going. He’s been there since 1985, and has been manager since 1997.
Sherman Hemsley, TV's George Jefferson, dies at 74
Hemsley played Jefferson,
a wisecracking owner of a dry cleaning business, on "All In the Family"
from 1973 until 1975, when the spinoff "The Jeffersons" began an
11-season run on CBS.
Police in El Paso, Texas,
where Hemsley lived, said there was no evidence of foul play. The cause
of death will be determined through an autopsy, according to a news
release.
For the first few years
on "All in the Family," George Jefferson was not seen, only referred to
by his wife, Louise, played by the late Isabel Sanford.
'Jeffersons' star Sheman Hemsley dies
He told Archive of
American Television in 2003 that he was told by the show's producers
that Jefferson should be "pompous and feisty."
Jefferson was every bit
as big a bigot as his neighbor, Archie Bunker, played by Carroll
O'Connor. Jefferson often referred to white people as "honkies."
He was also mean and
condescending to his neighbors, his son Lionel and, when he moved to a
ritzy apartment on Manhattan's East Side, to his maid. But his character
was still wildly popular with TV audiences.
"By me loving Louise and
Archie loving (his wife) Edith, you got away with being goofy and
stupid," he said in 2003. "Because people said at least he loved
something."
It made Jefferson human, he said.
One of his former co-stars said she was shocked to hear he had died.
"I thought Sherman was
doing very well," said Marla Gibbs, who played feisty maid Florence
Johnston on the "The Jeffersons." "I am saddened to hear that Sherman
has made his transition. We were trying to come up with a new show that
we could participate in, but of course, that cannot happen now.
"Sherman was one of the
most generous co-stars I have ever worked with. He happily set me up so
that I could slam him, and I did the same for him. I shall miss him
deeply."
Hemsley said he drew on
his experiences as a young man to develop Jefferson's celebrated strut,
which he did during filming as a joke.
"The way we walked in South Philly, you think you bad," he said. "You gotta be important.
"We had done about seven
or eight takes (on the 'Jeffersons' set) ... and then we started
clowning around," he said of the walk. "That's the one they kept."
Hemsley also played Deacon Ernest Frye in the sitcom "Amen."
"With the passing of
Sherman Hemsley, the world loses one of its most unique comedic talents,
and a lovely man," Norman Lear, the creator of "All in the Family,"
said in a statement.
In 2001, Lear told Larry King that he discovered Hemsley doing the Broadway play "Purlie."
He remembered him "singing and dancing, and (Hemsley) was one of the most unique actors on the stage."
In 1990, he released an album, "Ain't That a Kick in the Head," and two years later another, entitled "Dance."
"I had the pleasure of
working with him on 'House of Payne,' " said producer and director Tyler
Perry. "He brought laughter and joy to millions. My childhood would
have been a lot sadder without him. Thanks for the joy, thanks for your
talent and thanks for your life. I celebrate it in all of its beauty.
God bless you, Mr. Hemsley."
Hemsley was nominated for an Emmy in 1985 but lost to Bill Cosby.
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