FDNY Reviewing Why 2-Year-Old Was Not Found During Fire: Sources
BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — The FDNY is reviewing why firefighters failed to discover a 2-year-old girl who died inside a burning Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment.
The girl's body wasn't found until the child's mother asked where she was hours after the blaze was extinguished, law enforcement sources said.
Firefighters were called to 755 Monroe St., near Patchen Avenue, around 6:49 a.m. on Feb. 23 for a fire on the top floor of the building. They brought it under control just before 7:30 a.m., according to the FDNY.
Responding firefighters conducted searches of the building for potentially trapped occupants, the FDNY said, adding that there was no report of anyone inside the burning apartment during the initial call or by anyone on the scene when firefighters arrived.
About two hours after the blaze was extinguished, Leila Aquino, 20, returned to the home and told officers that her daughter was inside the building at the time of the fire, police said.
Firefighters returned to the scene around 9:30 a.m. and discovered the “charred remains” of 2-year-old Kaleenah Muldrow, according to police and court documents.
The FDNY said it reviews its operations after every fatal fire and sources said the department is looking into why the child was not initially found.
An FDNY spokesman said the review was not a formal investigation of why firefighters didn't initially find Kaleenah.
Aquino, who neighbors said arrived at the home yelling for her daughter, told police that she left Muldrow alone at the apartment around midnight Tuesday.
She was arrested on charges of endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment, NYPD officials said. She is being held on $10,000 bail.
Her criminal history includes arrests for stolen property and robbery, with the most recent in 2015 for weapon possession, sources said.
Aquino's lawyer was not immediately available for comment.
The mother was already being investigated by the Administration for Children’s Services, which opened a case on Aquino on Feb. 15 after a babysitter reported that she was leaving the toddler unattended while she went to work as a stripper at the CityScapes Gentlemen’s Club in Queens, sources said.
An ACS spokesman said privacy laws prevent the agency from discussing any specific cases, but that they were investigating the circumstances surrounding Muldrow’s death.
The child’s father, Kason Muldrow, previously said that he did not live with the mother and daughter and that he was “crushed” by Tuesday’s incident.
Sources said the fire was started by a hot plate that had been left on in the apartment.
The Medical Examiner is investigating the cause and manner of the toddler’s death, officials said.
Bed-Stuy Gang Member Sentenced to 30 Years to Life for 2011 Shooting: DA
BROOKLYN — A Bed-Stuy gang member was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for fatally shooting a 79-year-old bystander on Marcus Garvey Boulevard in 2011, the Brooklyn District Attorney announced Friday.
Breeze King, 22, shot at two rivals on in broad daylight and ended up striking Andrew Burke in the neck while he was standing in front of a barbershop at 465 Lexington Ave. He was convicted of second-degree murder on Jan. 28.
“This defendant opened fire in the middle of a busy street in broad daylight, killing an innocent elderly man,” Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said in a statement.
“We will not allow gang members to settle their scores by shooting guns in our streets and the long sentence this defendant deservedly received shows our commitment to vigorously prosecute anyone who does.”
A witness came forward about a year after the shooting and identified King. Another witness who was jailed with King in Rikers Island also testified that King admitting his role in the shooting.
Monthly Book Club and Reading Series To Launch in Bed-Stuy This Spring
BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Literature fans in Bed-Stuy will have a new place to share their love of the written word with the launch of a new book club and reading series this April.
A local writer known as IfeMichelle said she looked to start the group to help writers in the community.
Through the reading series, participants will be able to workshop their own pieces and get feedback from attendees.
“I really want people that are emerging writers to be exposed and encouraged to pursue getting their work published,” IfeMichelle said.
Her participation in past writers’ workshops allowed her to meet others with similar interests, she added, saying that she hopes the Bed-Stuy series will help in building connections.
“I find a lot of people are sitting on their poetry and their stories, and everybody’s voice should be heard," she said.
The book club will meet on the first Saturday of each month and those interested in the reading series will gather on the third Saturday each month at Calabar Imports on Tompkins Avenue near Madison Street.
Book club choices will include new and emerging authors, as well as classic works and Bed-Stuy and Brooklyn-based writers, IfeMichelle said.
The group also looks to collaborate with other book clubs throughout the city.
“It’s just another way for the community to come together in a creative way and expose their talent,” the organizer said.
The free Bed-Stuy Reading Series and Bed-Stuy Book Club will hold its first event on April 2 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Calabar Imports, 351 Tompkins Ave.
For more information, visit the event page here.
Panel To Address Deed Theft and Property Fraud in Bed-Stuy
BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Neighborhood homeowners are coming together this March to raise awareness about deed theft and property fraud in the community.
The Brownstoners of Bedford-Stuyvesant, a civic group aimed at revitalizing the neighborhood, is hosting the event “We Are Our Neighbor’s Keeper” to help educate locals on an issue many say is rampant in the area.
“This is happening way too often and way too easily,” said Brownstoners’ president Lynette Lewis-Rogers.
“It’s frustrating, but we’re hearing from different sources that it is very, very widespread, particularly throughout Bed-Stuy."
“We know they’re in demand, our beautiful brownstones. They’re very desirable, and if you’re not willing to sell, the next thing is for people to be under-handed about it.”
Many affected residents lose their homes after reaching out for assistance, Lewis-Rogers added.
Those facing foreclosure or looking to refinance their property sometimes come across scammers and later find out they signed over the deed to their homes, according to experts.
The March 19 panel was created out of a concern to help residents pass down their properties through generations, Lewis-Rogers said.
It follows a January event from the Brownstoners of Bedford-Stuyvesant in which they discussed the same topic with elected officials and representatives from the State Attorney General, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office and the Bedford-Stuyvesant Real Estate Board.
Councilmember Robert Cornegy, who has been working with community partners to implement safeguards at a local level, said he hoped conversations bringing the topic to light “mean that families and neighbors will be vigilant against manipulative thieves making self-interested offers of fake assistance.”
“A single hard-earned home lost to fraud is a tragedy for the family involved and it makes the entire community feel vulnerable,” Cornegy said, adding that residents can sign up for automatic notification of activity concerning their deed from the Department of Finance.
Organizations like Bridge Street Development Corporation offer free workshops and assistance to homeowners who feel that they may be targets of deed theft and property fraud.
Through a series called “Keeping It In the Family,” the group brings lawyers and experts to help residents with more information, according to Masanna Johnson, homeownership program manager at Bridge Street.
“In the past year it's been a lot of conversations with this, with clients calling in,” she said.
“Our focus is on trying to educate constituents: be careful what you’re signing, if you don’t understand, don’t sign it at all…We’re trying to combat it before it becomes a bigger issue.”
The Brownstoners of Bedford-Stuyvesant’s “We Are Our Neighbor’s Keeper” event will take place at 10 a.m. on March 19 in the community room of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, 1368 Fulton St.
For more information, visit their website here.
City Votes To Shutter Three Brooklyn Schools
BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Three struggling Brooklyn schools will be closed by the end of the academic year.
In unanimous decisions from the Department of Education’s Panel for Educational Policy, members voted Wednesday to shutter middle schools Peace Academy and the School for the Urban Environment, along with high school Foundations Academy.
The move to close traditional schools is a first for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, with two of the sites designated as Renewal Schools that the DOE had aimed to turn around.
M.S. 596 Peace Academy middle school on Willoughby and Kent avenues, The School for the Urban Environment, and Foundations Academy high school — both on Tompkins Avenue near Stockton Street — will close their doors come summertime.
The city cited persistently low enrollment, low performance and lack of demand by students and families in the closure proposals.
At Peace Academy, challenges included loss of funding, high staff turnover and fewer extracurricular and athletic opportunities, according to the DOE.
In the current academic year, the renewal school serves less than 50 students, which represents a nearly 75 percent decline in enrollment over the past five years, the agency said.
Only two percent of students were proficient in the English Language Arts exam in the 2014-2015 school year, and only seven percent met standards in math.
Urban Environment, which shares a building with Foundations Academy, had the lowest enrollment of any middle school in the city in 2014-2015, officials said.
With less than 80 students this year, Foundations Academy saw a 55 percent decline in enrollment over five years, according to the DOE. The renewal school also had the lowest four-year graduation rate in the city at 22 percent in 2013-2104.
Neil Monheit, principal of Foundations Academy, acknowledged the school’s shortcomings Wednesday but pointed out progress he said the school has made in recent months.
“I understand that we’re here tonight to consider the closing of Foundations because we’re very, very small and we’re unsustainable at our current size,” Monheit said, adding that students have limited opportunities for “good social interactions.”
He told PEP members that, despite the challenges, he’s seen a “significant rise” in attendance, students have met college readiness goals for the year and he is anticipating an “uptick” in the graduation rate.
“And I think that comes down to they’re students with grit, students that have pushed through this and they recognize that they’ve had some adversity but they’re in a place that’s been nurturing for them.”
Celia Green, second vice president for School District 13’s President Council, worried that it would be difficult for high school students to find a new school.
“I know the educators will get other jobs, but I do feel strongly that the students and the parents really are at a disservice at this point,” Green said.
“But hopefully they will find other matches for other schools and they will do well.”
Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña emphasized that the DOE would work closely with students to place them in new sites and provide recommendations to ensure a “smooth transition.”
“Closing a school is very hard,” Farina said.
However, decisions needed to be made in schools that were unable to provide the necessary resources and staff for kids to learn, the chancellor added.
“It is not fair to put students in a school where they’re not getting full services,” she said.
The decision to close the three traditional schools comes as the city moves to shutter three charters in Bed-Stuy, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens and Staten Island.
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