INFLUENCE ON LOCAL ELECTIONS
Also: Lottery luck, taco pride, architectural renewal, a saved senior center, job growth, food festivals, and mourning for Officer Jay Pena after a tragic motorcycle crash.
There is no dedicated news coverage of Sunset Park — but Sunset Park makes news. This FREE weekly(ish) digest curates and summarizes all the headlines from all the news sources that touch our neighborhood, which is one of the most vibrant in Brooklyn.
SINCE LAST TIME: Chinese government influence has targeted local elections, including campaigns in the neighborhood, while red envelopes with cash surfaced at Mayor Adams events. But there’s good news: the United Senior Center was saved with $1 million in funding, and Liberty Brooklyn’s redevelopment brings thousands of jobs. Green-Wood Cemetery revealed its elegant new visitor center, and Industry City hosts both a Martini Expo and a Latin Food Festival. Judy’s offers $1 drinks during Curbside Dining Week. Amid it all, the neighborhood mourns the loss of Officer Jay Pena, killed in a motorcycle crash near his Sunset park home.
HOW CHINA INFLUENCES ELECTIONS IN AMERICA’S BIGGEST CITY
The Chinese Consulate in Manhattan has mobilized community groups, including in Sunset Park, to defeat candidates who don’t fall in line with the authoritarian state. … In 2021, Yan Xiong, a U.S. citizen and retired Army chaplain, decided to run as a Democrat for Congress in a district that includes heavily Chinese areas in Chinatown, Manhattan, and Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Mr. Xiong figured his background would help him win. As a student in Beijing in 1989, he had helped lead the uprising for democratic reforms in Tiananmen Square, prompting a bloody government crackdown. After criticizing the leadership on live television, Mr. Xiong landed on China’s list of 21 “most wanted” dissidents. He spent almost two years in Beijing’s notorious Qincheng Prison. More than three decades later, and across an ocean, he remained a prime target. … THE NEW YORK TIMES
Red Envelopes With Cash Are Changing Hands at Adams Campaign Rallies: New York Times reporters witnessed supporters of Mayor Eric Adams handing out cash-filled envelopes, including in Sunset Park. Sometimes, that money went to reporters from Chinese-language outlets.
SUNSET PARK COP KILLED IN HIT-AND-RUN SURVIVED EARLIER MOTORCYCLE CRASH: FRIEND
An NYPD cop killed in a fiery hit-and-run crash on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway was a “real-life hero” who barely survived another motorcycle crash years earlier, his longtime friend told the Daily News. Officer Jay Pena, 30, died after a box truck driver struck his motorcycle near the Atlantic Ave. exit in Cobble Hill Wednesday morning. Pena was thrown from his motorcycle, which kept on going down the highway, slamming into a wall and exploding into flames. “He was amazing. He was the best and he was literally a real-life hero,’” Samantha Batsikas said of her childhood friend. “It was that shiny bright personality that said, ‘I’m here and that means peace is here.'” Pena was about 10 minutes away from his Sunset Park home when he was hit. … DAILY NEWS
GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY VISITOR CENTER REVEALED
The Green-Wood Cemetery’s new visitor center is looking close to finished on the exterior and the construction fence has come down. The gleaming Weir Greenhouse is now fully visible along with the terra-cotta-clad new building that wraps around the 19th century landmarked structure. A sign for Green-Wood is already in place on one wing of the new L-shaped building at 750 5th Avenue, which was designed by Architecture Research Office. The bright green of the historic building pops against the sleek terra-cotta panels of the two-story building, and the onion dome of the greenhouse still manages to dominate the corner. … BROWNSTONER
NEW YORK IS A BIG CITY. ITS GRAFT HAS BECOME SMALL-TOWN STUFF.
The city’s corruption once had ambition to match its soaring skyscrapers. Indictments this week described cut-rate schemes with far lower returns — and there was that cash in a potato-chip bag. … Bribery charges are, of course, nothing new in New York City. In Green-Wood Cemetery in Sunset Park, a headstone marked “Tweed” stands over the resting place of the city’s notorious 19th-century political boss, William M. Tweed. Boss Tweed, who ruled the city from Tammany Hall in Union Square, a building that became shorthand for municipal graft, embezzled millions of dollars — 1800s dollars, the equivalent of billions today — in a manner that according to one biographer achieved “a grandeur of scale and an elegance of structure.” … THE NEW YORK TIMES
FOOD FESTIVALS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS IN SEPTEMBER
As autumn gradually approaches, the hot summer days will give way to the vibrant colors of fall, signaling the conclusion of the outdoor food festival season. Several beloved festivals will officially retire, making this a vital opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich cultural experiences these events have to offer. … PIX11
Latin Food Festival (Sept. 13-14): The two-day festival at Industry City in Sunset Park features 70 food stalls, performances headlined by Estrellas de la Kumbia and Mala Fe, and fun competitions, including a Bad Bunny look-alike contest and a chancla throwing contest. Day tickets start at $17.85. Kids under the age of 12 can go for free.
NYC’S FIRST-EVER OUTDOOR DINING RESTAURANT WEEK DEBUTS
Clear off those sidewalk tables: New York City is about to serve its first-ever Curbside Dining Restaurant Week. Running from September 5 to 12, the weeklong event is essentially a remix of the city’s iconic Restaurant Week—only this time, the spotlight is on the dining sheds, patios and curbside setups that became lifelines for restaurants during the pandemic. More than 30 spots across all five boroughs are on board, dangling discounts, freebies and prix fixe menus to lure you outdoors. Think 20-percent off the bill at The Mansion on the Upper East Side, $35 prix fixe plates at Sean Og’s Tavern in Queens or complimentary house-made limoncello at Osteria Radisa in Brooklyn. If you want something a little grittier, Judy’s in Sunset Park is pouring $1 beer and wine by the glass. Even the coffee set can get in on the action, with Cafe Grumpy in Park Slope and Greenpoint offering 15-percent off the entire tab. … TIME OUT
MARTINI EXPO NYC 2025: INSIDE AMERICA’S FIRST EVER MARTINI ONLY FESTIVAL
New York is set to host a historic first this September. It is America’s inaugural Martini Expo, a festival that is entirely devoted to honoring the iconic cocktail, at Industry City in Sunset Park beginning on Sept. 12. … THE FOOD XP
NEW YORK CITY, TACO TOWN
Despite considerable evidence to the contrary, conventional wisdom has long held that New York City simply isn’t a taco town. Pablito’s Taqueria, in Sunset Park; Taqueria Al Pastor, in Bushwick; the Birria-Landia truck in Jackson Heights; Taqueria Sinaloense, in the Bronx, with its shrimp-packed tacos gobernador—these places aren’t secrets. Their businesses thrive; their customers are profoundly well served. Recently, however, something has shifted: a new wave of ambitious, modern taquerias have punctured the idea that the only tacos worth talking about are in the outer reaches of the outer boroughs. … THE NEW YORKER
GROUP BEATS MAN WITH METAL PIPE IN BROOKLYN ROBBERY, POLICE SAY
A group of robbers beat a man with an iron stick in a scuffle on a Brooklyn street, police said. All six of the suspected robbers in the July 4 heist — in which a 50-year-old man was beat and robbed of approximately $800 — remain on the loose, authorities said. According to police, around 4:30 a.m. in front of 827 59th Street, a residential building on the border of Borough Park and Sunset Park, a group of six people approached a man and began beating him with an iron stick, striking him multiple times and causing pain and swelling. … PATCH
UNITED SENIOR CENTER OF SUNSET PARK SAVED, SAYS BID
The United Senior Center of Sunset Park will be reopening after fears sparked by rent increases and a lapsed lease. The Sunset Park Business Improvement District (BID) shared the news on August 15, crediting community rallies, advocacy—especially from Councilmember Alexa Avilés—and over $1 million in NYC and NYS funding secured by Avilés and Mitaynes. A GoFundMe has raised some funds for renovations, aiming to restore and improve the facility before seniors return. … BROOKLYN REPORTER
TRANSFORMED NAVAL STORAGE YARD BRINGS THOUSANDS OF JOBS TO SUNSET PARK
A former World War I naval storehouse in Sunset Park, now known as Liberty Brooklyn, is touting thousands of new jobs across retail, manufacturing and office spaces - with more coming soon. The building, once known as Storehouse 2, underwent extensive renovations in 2011 to become a modern facility. … NEWS12
WEST NILE VIRUS CASES SURPASS 1,000, MORE SPRAYING PLANNED
Cases of mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile Virus are continuing to rise, with the latest figures from the New York City Department of Health showing the total has surpassed 1,000. Despite the spike, there have only been two human cases, according to the health department. … Spraying will be conducted in the following neighborhoods: Boerum Hill, Borough Park, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Greenwood Heights, Kensington, Little Caribbean, Little Haiti, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Prospect Park South, South Slope, Sunset Park, Windsor Terrace. … PIX11
CALENDAR
Friday, Sept. 12-13: Martini Expo
Saturday, Sept. 13-14: Latin Food Festival
Ongoing at Green-Wood Cemetery & Industry City