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Also: Pride, dog maulings, neon, trash and more!
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.
NYC Primaries | Meet the candidates for Brooklyn’s City Council District 38
BROOKLYN PAPER: As New York City’s June primary approaches, the race for City Council District 38 — Red Hook, Sunset Park, Greenwood Heights and portions of Windsor Terrace, Dyker Heights and Borough Park — is shaping up to be a closely watched contest. Incumbent Alexa Avilés, a progressive Democrat and chair of the Council’s Committee on Immigration, is seeking re-election after a first term focused on housing, education and immigrant rights. She faces a primary challenge from Democrat Ling Ye, a longtime public servant and community organizer, and a general election opponent in Republican Luis Quero, a banking executive and community advocate running on a platform of public safety and economic reform.
Zohran Mamdani’s canvassing operation
JACOBIN: The kind of mass volunteer door-knocking operation that New York City mayoral campaign for Zohran Mamdani has built is the way to fight rising authoritarianism and the erosion of democracy. … Mamdani entered the race in low single digits, a little-known and relatively new assemblyman from Queens. Out of nearly a dozen candidates who are running, it’s now essentially a two-person race between Mamdani and Cuomo, the most famous politician in New York State. … One week in late May, from Monday through Sunday, the campaign knocked on 95,321 doors, up from about 40,000 per week throughout April. As of late last week, the campaign had knocked on 644,755 doors and called 261,051 people. A single canvass in Bedford-Stuyvesant this weekend knocked on more than 9,000 doors. A joint canvass with socialist city councilor Alexa Avilés in Sunset Park knocked on more than 3,800 doors. Canvasses have also been impressive not only in politically active Brooklyn and Mamdani’s home turf of Queens, but in the Bronx and on Staten Island.
String of dog maulings leaves NYC pet owners without recourse
NBC NEW YORK: A frustrated pet owner in Sunset Park is facing an issue that many others have dealt with: her dog was badly injured by another animal. Police say they can't take action because a dog-on-dog attack is not considered a crime. Amy Butowicz is clinging to her 8-year-old cockapoo, Fritz, one week after a vicious dog mauling near their home in Sunset Park. "The dog jumped up and grabbed him from me and then I was bitten in the process," Butowicz said. The attack left Fritz with puncture wounds, severe bruising and broken ribs. Butowicz also received bite marks on her hand. She said the owner of the other dog was not holding its leash. "It definitely went on long enough to feel like a bit of a loss of hope. I didn't think he was gonna be alive," she said. The dog mauling is one of the latest reported to the Animal Care Centers of New York City. On the Upper West Side last month, a dog nearly killed a Chihuahua named Penny.
VIDEO: An 8-year-old Cockapoo named Fritz is on the mend after being attacked in Sunset Park
The crime of treating housing as a commodity
JACOBIN: The storylines in Slumlord Millionaire, the documentary about the struggle of New York City tenants and homeowners confronting predatory real estate interests’ fast-gentrifying neighborhoods that is opening in theaters in New York, are disturbing. The youngest son of the Bravo family in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, struggles with asthma, like over 300,000 other New York children, his condition deeply connected to the mold and rodent droppings that the landlord has refused to remedy. … At its most optimistic, Slumlord Millionaire highlights the power of tenant organizing. The Bravo family and other tenants play core roles in the passage of the Asthma Free Housing Act, which requires landlords to address mold and rodent infestation. And they ultimately win a ruling that required their landlord to make repairs and stop harassing them. Chinatown residents come together to resist developers’ plans for hundred-story glass skyscrapers in their neighborhood. But the film’s core theme is the enormous social cost that comes with the United States’ commitment to treating housing as a wealth-building commodity, rather than as an essential need and human right.
NYC’s iconic neon studio is relocating to Sunset Park
GOTHAMIST: Let There Be Neon, the decades-old custom neon studio that helped light up Studio 54, the Chelsea Hotel, Russ & Daughters and generations of New York City storefronts, is preparing to leave its Tribeca home this summer. After more than half a century downtown, the studio will relocate to Sunset Park, trading a now-pricey retail frontage for more space and fewer walk-ins. The move, which was first reported by Tribeca Citizen, marks the end of a chapter for one of New York’s most distinctive creative institutions and for a neighborhood whose industrial soul has long since faded. “Let There Be Neon is a New York institution,” said sign maker David Barnett, cofounder of Noble Signs and the New York Sign Museum. “They wrote the book on neon.”
New York City has a trash problem. A packaging reduction bill could help.
INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS: A proposal in the state Legislature that would require a steep drop in non-recyclable packaging faces fierce opposition from businesses that would have to meet new package and recycling demands. … The Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice has also noted that “over 75 percent of the city’s solid waste stream is processed in a handful of low-income communities of color in North Brooklyn, the South Bronx, Sunset Park, and Southeast Queens.”
Reduce wrapping, reduce waste: Speaker Carl Heastie and the Assembly must approve plastics bill
CITIBINS expands reach to combat curbside trash across Brooklyn
NEWS 12: Sunset Park-based storage company CITIBINS is looking to make trash left out on the curb a thing of the past in the borough, as it rethinks how trash is stored prior to a DSNY pickup. The CITIBINS, currently operating in seven parks and eight business improvement districts, provides an enclosed space for trash bags to sit under lock and key once they have been filled and removed from a trash can. The boxes are made from aluminum and built to weather the elements and prevent smells or leaks from trash bags left sitting out. It also cuts off access for rodents. "Prior to CITIBINS, these bags would just pile up on a corner waiting for DSNY. Now, they are going into these rodent-proof containers. It really adds to the aesthetic of the district," said COO Frank Picarazzi.
NYC Pride Guide, Week 3
NY DAILY NEWS: As the most colorful month of the year enters its third week, New York City continues to burst with opportunities to celebrate LGBTQ+ culture, creativity and resilience. Across the five boroughs, Pride celebrations invite New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds to reflect on the community’s hard-won progress, while recommitting to the ongoing fight for justice and equality. Whether you’re in the mood to slay the runway, cheer on drag or head to church, here’s your guide to navigating week three of NYC’s rainbowmania.
Saturday, June 21: Youth Pride 2025, Brooklyn
Brooklyn Youth Pride is back — and it’s better, bolder and brighter than ever. Teens and young adults are invited to a vibrant afternoon of joyful self-expression at the fourth annual Pride celebration created exclusively for LGBTQ New Yorkers and their friends, ages 11-19. Now in its new Sunset Park home, Brooklyn Youth Pride offers a drama-free, affirming space where young people can be themselves, connect with community and celebrate Pride in their own way. Enjoy free snacks in the teen lounge, dance to the beats of DJ Trini or head to the craft room to repurpose an old T-shirt with designs that reflect this year’s theme: “Rooting in Pride.” Free. Reservations required. 12-5 p.m. at 5-2-A Industry City, 33 35th St.
Foundation surprises Sunset Park teacher with $25K check for excellence award
BROOKLYN REPORTER: Special education teacher Emily Chandler of P.S. 371 in Sunset Park received a surprise $25,000 FLAG Award check on June 4, 2025, for her innovative classroom work across subjects like ELA, math, and science. The award also includes a $10,000 grant to support her arts-based initiatives that blend real-world learning into the curriculum.
What’s a neighborhood restaurant without a neighborhood?
THE NEW YORKER: Sunset Park’s Industry City recently welcomed Confidant, a full-service dinner spot aiming to become a community anchor in that evolving Brooklyn enclave. Nestled beneath the B.Q.E. overpass, the restaurant offers inventive New American fare—tuna prosciutto, prawn potpie—in a warmly designed space. Yet without a true residential neighborhood to sustain it, its magnetism feels incomplete. As lunch arrives, Confidant seeks to bridge the gap in Sunset Park.
Ninth annual Sunset Park Parade and Festival displays pride, celebration
BROOKLYN REPORTER: Sunset Park’s Ninth Annual Puerto Rican Parade and Festival on June 8 lit up Fifth Avenue with vibrant community spirit. Hosted by El Grito, the celebration featured lively Bomba y Plena music, colorful floats, vintage cars, and dancing in rain or shine. Local favorites—marchers, bands, and accordionist Paul Stein—brought cultural pride to the streets. Organized since 2015, the event highlights Sunset Park’s resilient, vibrant Boricua identity.
Brooklyn Army Terminal unveils summer series celebrating culture and community
BROOKLYN PAPER: The New York City Economic Development Corporation is rolling out a series of community-focused events at the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park this summer, aiming to celebrate the city’s cultural diversity through music, dance, film and heritage programming. The events will run from June through September. Highlights include the return of Rooftop Films, which will offer free outdoor screenings at the terminal’s Ferry Plaza. The lineup features a July 26 screening of “Selena y Los Dinos,” honoring Tejano music icon Selena Quintanilla, and an Aug. 16 showing of “How Deep Is Your Love,” a documentary exploring deep-sea marine life.
Why Sunset Park is emerging as Brooklyn's 'Next Big Thing'
BISNOW: Sunset Park is fast becoming Brooklyn’s “next big thing,” thanks to massive investment and redevelopment momentum. Industry City’s ambitious expansions, new light-industrial hubs, and revived waterfront parks are fueling both commercial and residential growth. The influx of creative tenants and upgraded infrastructure is reshaping the neighborhood’s identity—gentrification concerns aside—as local amenities and transit improvements continue to draw attention to this evolving enclave.
Green-Wood Cemetery’s living dead
THE NEW YORKER: How the “forever business” is changing at New York City’s biggest graveyard, Green-Wood Cemetery in Sunset Park. It has become more than a resting place — it’s a dynamic public space where history, nature, and art converge. Under longtime president Rich Moylan, the cemetery now hosts concerts, sculpture exhibits, and community programs while honoring its past. As it nears capacity, Green-Wood is planning sustainably for the future, maintaining its role as a cultural and spiritual anchor in the neighborhood.
Biotech pioneer Cresilon doubles headquarters space at Industry City
CONNECTCRE: Industry City, the six-million-square-foot mixed-use campus in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood, announced that pioneering biotechnology company Cresilon signed a 55,000-square-foot, 10-year expansion lease for its U.S. headquarters and lab space, more than doubling from 27,000 square feet. Additionally, therapeutic discovery company Rumi Scientific signed a five-year, 6,510-square-foot lease at Building 4 for its R&D lab, relocating from the New York Blood Center.
Re-establishing ferry service between Staten Island and Brooklyn
SI LIVE: Legislation was introduced in the City Council this week that would re-establish ferry service between Staten Island and Brooklyn. Councilmember Kamillah Hanks, a Democrat who represents the borough’s North Shore, and Councilmember Justin Brannan, a Democrat representing parts of Brooklyn, co-sponsored the legislation, which would connect St. George and Bay Ridge via ferry. … A ferry used to run between Staten Island and Brooklyn, but it was put out of service within days of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge opening in 1964.
CALENDAR
Saturday, June 21: Youth Pride 2025, Brooklyn
Through Aug. 22: Rooftop Films Summer Series
Ongoing at Green-Wood Cemetery & Industry City