176th Step Street/ADP and NYPD Explorers

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Last week, Bronx Community Solutions ADP program combined with The NYPD Explorers from the 46 Precinct, Sanitation District 5, and Community Board #5, worked together to improve the conditions of one of the LARGEST step streets in the Bronx located at 176 and Popham Avenue. This project was also attended by the Crew Supervisor, Raul Hernandez, from our sister project across the bridge, Newark Community Solutions, who spent two days with us. Here is what he had to say:
“My time at BCS was a trip of many things but if i can describe it in one word it would be 'Powerful" because BCS works diligently towards changing lives in the Bronx. Also, they work on rising up future generation to be more responsible and respectful toward their community and themselves.”We had some good feedback from some of the community residents including Pastor Smith, who’s also a resident. We also had 3 kids from the community volunteer to help. But the best news of day by far, was when one of our BCS ADP kid asked for an application to enroll in the NYPD’s Explores program.


Written by: Moises Reyes, Coordinator of Communtiy Service, BCS

Harmony Day

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On Tuesday, July 24th BCS participated in the annual NYPD Bronx Harmony Day Picnic, an event aimed at strengthening relationships between police and the community.  This year's Harmony Day at Van Cortland Park was hot and harmonious.  The different sponsors and precincts joined together to make it a fun-filled event. Adrian and I took in the sights and enjoyed the day. The clients were enthusiastic in  performing their service to the community, and were given little treats to take home to their children. There were well over a dozen different summer camps and programs that participated without incident and made the day truly a "Harmony Day".Matthew Usher, BCS Crew Supervisor

Community Court in Washington D.C. Shown to be Effective

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Some great news for community courts!  A recent Westat Inc. research study showed that a community court in east Washington D.C. was effective in reducing rates of reoffending by their misdemeanor defendants. 

Across the country, court officials and community members often report that they believe community courts have made a difference in reducing recidivism among their defendants.  Empirical data of those findings, however, has been less available.  This study marks an important step in providing evidence for the efficacy of community courts, and has already prompted concrete change: after preliminary results from the study were circulated among D.C. court officials last year, the court made the decision to expand the community court model to encompass all of the city's police districts as of next January 1.

While Bronx Community Solutions has not yet gathered empirical evidence to specifically support a reduction in recidivism, we track our success through other means.  In 2011, there were over 11,000 cases mandated to BCS in the Bronx, 79% of which were successfully completed.  In contrast, the compliance rate that existed in the Bronx before the inception of BCS was under 50%, showing a 30% increase.  In that time BCS has also worked to reducing the total number of jail days served by non-violent offenders, bringing the number of jail sentences down from 15% to 9%.  Use of alternative sanctions in the Bronx has also increased from 9% in 2004 to 25% in 2008.More information about the study and the East of the River Community Court project in Washington, D.C. can be found here: Study Shows D.C. Community Court Program Lowered Reoffending Rates

National Night Out Against Crime

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Yesterday, August 7, Bronx Community Solutions participated in an annual event called National Night Out Against Crime.  National Night Out (NNO) is aimed at heightening awareness of crime and drug prevention, generating support for local anticrime programs, strengthening community/police relationships and establishing a visible presence to show that neighborhoods are united and organized in fighting crime.  In last year's event, over 37 million people participated across the U.S.  The Bronx took part in many police precincts borough-wide, hosting block parties and other events for community members, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials. 
This year, NNO in the Bronx was hosted by the 40th Precinct.  BCS stationed an information table at the event and had a small community service crew on site to assist in helping the event run smoothly.  And in the 46th Precinct, BCS Crew Supervisor Moises Reyes led a crew of ADP participants in helping to set up and clean the area.  This was a great way to involve the youth in a community service project that was directly engaged with the community.  MANA, a community program that engages local youths in arts-related projects had a particularly powerful presence, displaying poetry and prints of photographs created by its young members. 
Some pictures from the event can be found below.

Community members gathering at the 46th Precinct NNO event



BCS staff, a local pastor and one of the young artists in front of photographs by local youth members of MANA



BCS Community Service Crew, comprised of ADP clients, setting up for the event in the 40th Precinct

The event in the 40th Precinct was highly attended by community members, local organizations and law enforcement personnel

Many youths from the 40th Precinct area were present and enjoyed taking part in the activities

 More information about NNO can be found here: National Night Out Against Crime
For more information about MANA (Marion Ave Neighborhood Association), click here: MANA

Boston's Homeless Court

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The Boston judicial system has begun to address homelessness in an innovative way, establishing a Homeless Court.  Launched in 2010, the Boston Homeless Court aims to serve the needs of homeless defendants and to stop the pattern of individuals cycling through the justice system for nonviolent offenses.  One way that homeless individuals end up in the system repeatedly is by being held in contempt for failing to respond to a summons, which they did not receive due to living on the streets.  The court connects defendants with the services they need, provided they agree to a yearlong commitment with the Court.  Services offered include mental health and substance abuse counseling, hospital referrals where necessary, shelter beds, tutoring and GED prep.  All defendants are required to work on their job skills or learn new ones.  In exchange for this commitment, defendants who complete the program may have their fines forgiven, minor records wiped clean and their cases dismissed - hopefully encouraging their likelihood of success with improving their lives.  It is a small program, completing 19 defendants since early 2011, and with 33 pending cases currently in the system.  It will be interesting to follow the progress of this court, and its unique approach to addressing homelessness in the busy city of Boston.

BCS handles cases for many defendants who are homeless.  We offer them immediate clinical consultation and referrals to a shelter and/or drop-in center as needed.

You can read more about the Boston Homeless Court in the full article here:  Boston Globe

CCI Youth Courts Honor Young Leaders

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A colleague at the Brownsville Community Justice Center in Brooklyn wrote up a description of a youth appreciation event that was held in Central Park last Wednesday.  What a great way to honor youths making a difference in their communities!

Yesterday, 70 members from six of CCI Youth Courts got together for a day of fun in the sun at Central Park! The day was packed with exciting field day activities such as Capture the Flag, Tank Commander, Obstacle courses, Tug of War and a ball-toss game. This event was for the youth who work selflessly to make their communities a safer and healthier environment for everybody. 
  
Below are pictures from the day!

Department of Probation Creates NeON Initiative

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Mayor Bloomberg was present to cut the ribbon

The Bronx Probation Department held a ribbon-cutting ceremony earlier today to mark the opening of their new initiative, the Neighborhood Opportunity Network (NeON).  NeON is a collective of local businesses, community organizations, government agencies and local residents who will work together to engage probationers with the help they need.  Through NeON, probation clients will have access to services such as employment assistance, literary programs, academic support and mentoring, health education and community benefit events. 
This marks a new direction in the culture of Probation, now emphasizing the importance of having a client-friendly physical environment and enabling clients to feel empowered to seek help and utilize resources, even within the criminal justice system. This approach is well in line with the goals of Bronx Community Solutions!  We are excited that Probation is taking this approach, and look forward to following the success of the program as it moves into operation.  We are pleased to have been invited to this event, and appreciate our ongoing partnership with the Bronx Department of Probation.

BCS Crew Helps Out at Recycling Event

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Yesterday, Bronx Community Solutions partnered with our sister project the Midtown Community Court to assist Grow NYC for a Komen Race to support Cancer survivors. This event was held at Central Park. BCS and MCC were briefly trained on how to recycle so we could encourage others to do by showing them how to do it. A BCS community service crew was on hand to help run the training, teaching people how to recycle in New York City and welcoming them to the event.  
We were all very touched that so many people from different boroughs were there to support this cause. Matthew U. and myself want to thank supervisor Fernan Polanco and Steve Joyner from MCC. We did great work together.  
- Moises Reyes, BCS Crew Supervisor

BCS Staff Conduct Prostitution Outreach

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On August 24th, TK, Robin and I conducted a prostitution outreach shift in conjunction with the 47th precinct.  Accompanied by a helpful police lieutenant from the precinct, we were driven around in the middle of the night to areas known to be hotspots of prostitution activity, introducing ourselves to individuals engaged in prostitution and attempting to connect with them in a non-punitive context.  The shift was a success as we connected with seven individuals. 

One of our contacts is an existing client of Bronx Community Solutions.  She felt comforted in seeing a familiar face and she said it was "a sign" that we came across her that night.  That's one of the great things about outreach, we are able to maintain a place, a presence within the community.  Bronx Community Solutions is a known organization, and this consistency stands as a strong platform for dialogue and sharing of helpful information. 

When we connected with one particular woman, let's call her "Mary," we became in a sense connected to multiple individuals.  In meeting Mary we were able to share information about BCS, our services, programs, harm reduction techniques, and our contact information; in turn she offered to share all of this newly acquired knowledge with other women who are working. At the time we were out, those "other" women not there; and she detailed their involvement with pimps in that neighborhood.  Mary will pass along the newly learned BCS information to those women who we couldn't reach in person that night, and hopefully BCS can stand as a life-line for girls and women in immediate need.

Two of the women reached out to me in the days following our outreach, including the BCS client mentioned above.  Both are hoping to enter a drug treatment program in the near future. 

- Melissa Novock, BCS Case Manager

Community Partner Spotlight: Sidney Flores

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Last week Moises and I met with Sidney Flores, a community activist in the Bronx with whom we work on numerous community service projects. Mr. Flores was kind enough to let us interview him about his work with Bronx Community Solutions, and post it here.  We are grateful to have partners like him!


Sidney Flores, Community Activist

I work at Bronx Lebanon hospital doing painting and other work, but my real title is Community Activist. I volunteer with quality of life, focusing on the areas covered by community boards 4 and 5, Yankee Stadium to Fordham Road. I drive around in my own vehicle, take notice quality of life issues and report them to 311 and the community boards. I notice instances of illegal dumping and bring them to the attention of sanitation. I also put up signs telling people that the area is being watched, and that illegal dumping or tagging is a crime. I think it’s really helped; some of those areas look a lot better.I came to know Bronx Community Solutions through Moises, who was introduced to me through someone at the local precinct. He and I have a great relationship. I see places that are in need of being cleaned up and I call Moises. He then brings the crew and helps with graffiti and picking up garbage in the areas that I’ve identified. I’ll also show up and help out, I give the crew bottles of water and supplies when I’m able.  I drive around as a lookout and check out the areas that we’ve painted or cleaned, to see how they’re doing. A lot of the areas look so much better. If they’ve gotten messed up again, I call Bronx Community Solutions and let them know. I’m their eyes out in the community!  Bronx Community Solutions always responds, and they’re able to get things done faster than anyone else out there.I’m very happy Bronx Community Solutions is here. They make a big difference in the community. I notice the graffiti situation is much better. When I drive around and do the lookout after we’ve painted, I see that a lot of the areas we’ve worked on are still looking clean and that makes me happy.I live near a tunnel on Selwyn Ave, and it was just a mess. There were rats and garbage everywhere, and prostitution and drug activity were constant problems. Bronx Community Solutions brought their crew along with some help from the local precinct, they put up a mural in the playground and cleaned the whole place up. Now, the area is just transformed. No one was representing the area the way it should have been, I’m so glad you guys came along.I couldn’t do it without Bronx Community Solutions. I feel that if we all just got off our butts and did more work out there in the community, our neighborhoods could actually be beautiful.  You guys are making it happen, and I’m so glad you’re helping to make changes in my community.* * *The New York Times ran a great article about Sidney Flores last year, check it out here: Bronx Neighborhood Has Unofficial Mayor

2012 NCAA FBS Top 25 for Week 2

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As I have done before, I will be ranking the top 25 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision teams for each week during the NCAA season.  Now that I have the data and each of the 124 football bowl subdivision teams have played at least one game, I can now run the complex invasion NCAA FBS production model to rank the teams.

Here is the top 25 ranking ending Sept. 8th 2012.

Rank	Team
1	Florida State
2	Texas Tech
3	Mississippi State
4	Arizona State
5	TCU
6	Kansas State
7	Oklahoma
8	LSU
9	Tennessee
10	Alabama
11	BYU
12	Ohio
13	Georgia Tech
14	South Florida
15	Ohio State
16	USC
17	UCLA
18	Louisville
19	Oklahoma State
20	Mississippi
21	Minnesota
22	Notre Dame
23	Utah State
24	South Carolina
25	North Carolina

NCAA Automatic Qualifier Conclusions

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At the end of last month I blogged about the NCAA's criteria for a 7th automatic qualifying conference.  Using the NCAA's criteria (which I state here), I then calculated each conference rank for those three criteria.  For a conference to automatically qualify for a BCS bowl game, they would have to finish in the top 6 of the first two criteria and be within 50% of the top conference for the third criteria.  Here are the blogs about criteria #1 (with the final conference ranking), criteria #2 (with the final conference ranking) and criteria #3 (with the final conference ranking and values).

Let's see how the Mountain West Conference fared:  For the first criteria the Mountain West finished #4, but finished #7 for the second criteria and finished above 50% of the first conference (SEC) for the third criteria.  So, the Mountain West finished one spot short to become an automatic qualifier.

The NCAA also allowed a conference to petition an exception to the Presidential Oversight Committee if a conference finished in the top 7 in the first two criteria and the top 5 in the other of the first two criteria (which the Mountain West Conference achieved) and was within 33.3% of the SEC in the third criteria, which the Mountain West Conference achieved.  The Mountain West Conference petitioned for an exemption to the Presidential Oversight Committee and was refused.

But here's the rub:  while the Mountain West Conference does not meet the criteria for a seventh automatic qualifying conference, NEITHER does the ACC or the Big East which both are automatic qualifiers.

For the Big East conference, according to my calculations, they do not meet criteria #1 or #3, nor do they meet the criteria for the exemption that the Mountain West Conference DOES meet!

For the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), they fail to meet criteria #3, but do meet the exemption criteria.

So the ACC and Big East remain BCS automatic qualifiers, but are no better (ACC) or worse (Big East) than the Mountain West Conference.

NHL and Competitive Balance

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With the National Hockey League (NHL) a little over 24 hours from locking out their employees for the next season, and given that the NHL commissioner has stated that "[w]e've had seven years of incredible competitive balance", I thought that I would look at this statement.  Since the cancelled 2004-05 NHL season, here is the Noll-Scully measure of competitive balance using the binomial and trinomial distribution for both a sample and the population.

Binomial Distribution
Season	Sample		Population
2005-06	1.637		1.610
2006-07	1.600		1.573
2007-08	1.037		1.020
2008-09	1.369		1.346
2009-10	1.274		1.253
2010-11	1.308		1.286
2011-12	1.154		1.135
Trinomial Distribution
Season	Sample		Population
2005-06	1.993		1.959
2006-07	1.947		1.915
2007-08	1.258		1.237
2008-09	1.667		1.639
2009-10	1.562		1.536
2010-11	1.601		1.574
2011-12	1.415		1.391

Recently the NHL has been more competitive, thus supporting the NHL commissioner's statement.

2012 NCAA FBS Top 25 for Week 3

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Here is the ranking of the top 25 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams as of the end of week #3 (September 15, 2012).

Rank	Team
1	Florida State
2	Texas Tech
3	Oklahoma State
4	Alabama
5	LSU
6	Kansas State
7	Georgia Tech
8	Texas
9	Fresno State
10	West Virginia
11	Mississippi State
12	TCU
13	Arizona
14	South Carolina
15	Arizona State
16	Oregon
17	Georgia
18	Iowa State
19	UCLA
20	Notre Dame
21	Clemson
22	Stanford
23	Oklahoma
24	Baylor
25	Ohio State

2012 NCAA FBS Top 25 for Week #2

2012 NCAA FBS FBS Week 4

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Florida State remains the top ranked team, with Alabama and LSU moving up to #2 and #3 respectively.

Rank	Team
1	Florida State
2	Alabama
3	LSU
4	Georgia
5	Arizona State
6	South Carolina
7	Oregon
8	Texas Tech
9	Kansas State
10	Nebraska
11	Mississippi State
12	Ohio State
13	Georgia Tech
14	TCU
15	Notre Dame
16	Ohio
17	UCLA
18	West Virginia
19	Florida
20	Fresno State
21	North Carolina
22	Oklahoma State
23	Minnesota
24	Tulsa
25	Texas A&M

2012 NCAA FBS Top 25 for Week #3
2012 NCAA FBS Top 25 for Week #2

pittsburgh

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Kurt and I recently took a weekend trip to his childhood home in Ohio to meet up with Claudio and Manuela as part of their US tour. Before heading to Ohio, we took a quick stop in Pittsburgh for a short, rainy tour of the downtown.



Our first stop was lunch. Whenever I am exploring a new city, I always consult Design Sponge's city guides for insider tips. They're always super helpful and DS has a collection of tons of cities. Such a good resource! The first thing that caught my eye on the Pittsburgh guide was Church Brew Works, a church turned brew pub.
I'll admit I felt a few pangs of Catholic guilt seeing brewing tanks in place of the altar, but they quickly subsided once Kurt and I realized how awesome the place was. I've never seen anything like it!

We settled into a table and ordered a few beers from their house brewed menu. I tried the Celestial Gold while Kurt tested out the Pious Monk Dunkel. All their beers had similarly "holy" names. Check out the list here. (You better believe that glass legitimately got added to Kurt's collection.)
When in Pittsburgh, you must get some pierogies. 
Kurt and I also split a wild boar wrap. We're suckers for quirky menu items :) It was really good!
Nearby the church, we saw a sign for Iron City Brewing Co. and thought we would check it out. Turns out the office is only used for marketing and design, but the nice guy that was working there chatted with us for a minutes and then offered us free samples! He was extra proud of this new/old beer they were beginning to produce because he designed the can. He gave us a couple cans and koozies and we were on our way. Such a funny interaction!
Thanks, Iron City!
Walk along the water to admire the "City of Bridges".
We were such hobos that we took our beers down to the river to enjoy them :) They were going to get warm!
Steelers Stadium across the river

We decided to try out the subway for kicks. Several stops around downtown are free!




We did some wandering around the Strip District and got coffee at 21st Street Coffee and Tea.

Eventually we had to be on our way to Ohio, but I enjoyed our short time in PA. Pittsburgh was nice but was kind of exhausting to walk around. Its got some good potential, but things are still a little spread about. Despite the hills, I think we should explore on bikes next time to cover more ground. 
Next up: O-H-I-O :)

o-h-i-o

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A few weekends ago, Kurt and I traveled back to the Buckeye State, where of course they sell Ohio State coolers at the drug store, and of course we had to purchase one. Kurt hadn't been home in a year, so we did lots of visiting with friends and family and enjoying what the Midwest has to offer.


After getting in town from Pittsburgh, we stopped to meet one of Kurt's old friends at BB Rooners' outside deck. I had my first Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, a light, refreshing beer that tastes like lemonade. Good summer drink.
Kurt's friend that lives in Salem is redoing a bathroom in his house, so we had to stop by and deliver our two cents on the design. I would have tried to dissuade him from the urinal, but it's apparently been his dream forever and he already purchased it...so I think it's going to look great! Other than that one questionable, bachelor pad chic fixture choice, I would say he had a great start on tiles and finishes. I can't wait to see the progress! 
In case you hadn't heard, BIG things are happening in Ohio's beer world. Everyone is over the moon about the arrival of Yuengling. 
I mean ecstatic.
Kurt's parents have an older chocolate lab, Oxford, and a young, yellow lab pup, Opal. The entire time we were at the house, Opal wanted nothing other than to have you throw a stick or frisbee for her to catch. She was relentless! I don't know where she gets the energy, but I can assure you she slept a lot better those few days we were visiting. She has gotten to be an awesome catch though! {action shot thanks to Kurt!}
Kurt's parents were gracious enough to host a small cookout with some friends once Claudio and Manuela arrived. We ate tons of great food, including lots of delicious veggies from their garden.

No cookout is complete without an Eagle Scout approved campfire, something we never get to have in Brooklyn! I am the first person to say I love summer and dutifully endure its hot, sweaty days, but I will say I sometimes enjoy a bit of chill in the evening air when you can throw on a sweatshirt and hang out by the fire. I'm trying to embrace it more since fall is surely on its way!

four years later

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{image via 5 and 10 vintage's Etsy shop}
My four year anniversary of living in New York City was yesterday. Can you believe it?! Sometimes I still have to pinch myself. There are certainly ups and downs, but thankfully the good (public transportation! fun events all the time! interesting things and people around every corner!) is currently outweighing the bad (noise! crowds! teeny tiny spaces! astronomical prices!). I'm having an absolute blast and honestly can't see myself anywhere else right now. I'm looking forward to the next year and beyond! Come visit! Please!

martig farms

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While visiting Ohio, we got to stop by a couple of the Martig family farms. 


Of course I made quick friends with one of the barn dogs. Getting outside the city always gives me puppy envy.


The larger of the two farms is a big dairy production. It was interesting to go behind the scenes and see how they harvest the milk and get it shipped out.



Making more friends in the barns.



We got to see where they keep the baby cows in individual pens.
4-H cows getting ready to compete at the upcoming fair.
We also stopped by Kurt's parents' garden. They sent us back to NYC with an absurd number of ears of corn.
Next, we're off to Cleveland!