I decided to walk past The Eltona (a 63 unit, 5 story building) today and take a few pictures and was pleasantly greeted by the building’s super who graciously gave me a tour of 3 model apartments – 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units as well as some of the onsite amenities.  Previously unbeknownst to me, a ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow and a few hours later I received a personal invitation directly from The City of New York’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development.  How about that? The Mayor of Melrose rubbing elbows with Mayor Bloomberg as well as the Honorable Ruben Diaz, Jr., The Bronx’ Borough President.

In yet another humbling moment, I was interviewed by The Bronx Times and Welcome to Melrose is on the FRONT PAGE!  How great is that?  Check out the article by Dan Beekman!
A big Melrose THANK YOU to each and EVERY one of you who have made such recognition possible!

If you haven’t checked out the South Bronx Food Co-op (SBxFC for short) maybe these pictures will entice you to walk in through their doors.  Farm fresh organic produce is delivered straight from the farm to SBxFC every Wednesday.  Remember…you DON’T have to be a member to shop there so come on in (although being a member does have its benefit such as discounts on all purchases)!  Also, if you work for a school or any institution or restaurant you should contact them for bulk ordering.  SBxFC does team up with local organizations and businesses to bulk order which passes on the savings to you because they are a non-profit organization. For those who are currently on public assistance and receiving food stamp benefits, SBxFC DOES accept Food Stamps and EBT so no one should have to go without healthy food!

We know it all too well:


Courtesy
Professionalism
Respect


or CPR as the acronym stands out in BOLD RED LETTERS along all police vehicles.  

This past Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at approximately 3:00PM I was witness to what can only be called police brutality and New York’s Not so Finest in action in front of 3103 Third Avenue between East 158th and East 159th Street in front of the entrance to the residential building. I was inside the South Bronx Food Co-op (SBxFC) when I heard a commotion and yelling and when I looked out the door I saw 4 police officers holding a man with his hands cuffed behind his back and then they proceeded to thrown him down on the floor, face down and as if that was not enough then they bashed his face against the pavement.  

But it doesn’t end there.  One of the police officers then proceeded to kick the male suspect on his back and looked up and glanced around as if to see if there was anyone watching and proceeded to deliver yet another blow to the suspect’s back.  At that point I had already mentioned to fellow SBxFC worker, Lily Acunzo, what was happening and I walked out and began
taking pictures of the cops and the suspect with his bloody face.  That was when some of the cops directed their anger towards me.  As Lily who had the door open and was witnessing what was going on said, “I remember him (the police officer) coming up into your face (and a woman cop too) and they said and yelled at you “Do you have a problem? Do you have a problem? We will take away your phone! Get out of here!” “He came too close for it to be just a cop warning to stay away. It was a challenge, especially because he was taller than you and so close.”

Said police officer literally charged towards me angrily and I have never felt so intimidated and afraid of a police officer – mind you I am always thanking police officers for putting their lives on the line for our safety and I also have family members who are officers of the law as well and have always had great respect and admiration for New York’s “Finest” but as with all groups there is bound to be a bad apple or two and it is these who sully the name for the rest who truly do not get “high” on the power and adrenalin rush that they feel.

So what exactly prompted the cops to react the way that they did towards the suspect and myself?  The officer who charged angrily towards me was apparently attacked by the suspect who tried to grab the officer by the neck.  The officer also claimed that the suspect tried to take his gun.  I cannot verify this as fact because I did not see any of that but the officer did appear to be shaken up and I could see some marks on his neck. Now me being rational and always playing devil’s advocate said to myself ok so the officer was apparently attacked but the other police officers were able to subdue the suspect, cuff him and from what I saw at that point he was no longer a threat.  The suspect did not thrash about or anything but now that I knew that part of the story now I saw why the cops proceeded to beat this man – vengeance.  There is no other word that I can use to justify the actions of the officers involved.

After the 7 of the 9 police vehicles on the scene left along with the 2 ambulances (7 regular patrol cars, 1 van and 1 truck) a woman walked out of the building crying hysterically, “What happened, what happened, where is my boyfriend, is he ok??”  I approached the woman and asked her what had exactly happened.  She said that she had called 911 because her boyfriend, who apparently suffers from a history of mental illness, had “gone crazy” on her and was threatening her with a knife.  She said he ran out of the apartment with the knife but it was unclear to her or myself if the suspect had threatened the officer with the knife or if he even had it when he left the building.  I personally did not hear a clang of a knife falling down or did I see a knife on the ground upon closer inspection of the scene.

The fact remains that given the circumstances of the suspect’s alleged history of mental illness and that he allegedly attempted to grab a police officer by the neck and grab his gun, once he was handcuffed and subdued there was no need for violence and the vicious bashing of the suspect’s face on the pavement by the officer as well as the other officer who proceeded to kick him on his back.  At one point when the officer sat the suspect down an officer whacked twice on the back of his head and pulled his hair.


I encourage each and every one of the readers here to visit Flex Your Rights and subscribe to their mailing list for access to their HIGHLY informative website about your rights – OUR RIGHTS when confronted by police officers.  George Brunner, a Facebook friend and associate who is currently attending George Washington University in DC as a Political Science Major provided this link to all on his wall on Facebook and his timing could not have been more perfect. 


Here is a little more information on Flex Your Rights courtesy of their website:

Flex Your Rights (FYR), a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit, was launched in 2002. Our mission is to educate the public about how basic Bill of Rights protections apply during encounters with law enforcement. To accomplish this, we create and distribute the most compelling, comprehensive and trustworthy know-your-rights media available.

The founder, Steven Silverman, was previously a campus organizer for the campaign to repeal the Higher Education Act’s aid-elimination penalty. The law blocks financial aid to low-income students reporting drug convictions. As part of his work, Silverman prompted students to describe the details of the police stops and searches leading to their minor drug arrests.

A disturbing pattern emerged, and various legal and law enforcement experts confirmed his conclusion: The vast majority of people are mystified by the basic rules of search and seizure and due process of law. Consequentially, they’re likely to be tricked or intimidated by police into waiving their constitutional rights, resulting in a greater likelihood of regrettable outcomes.

The sum of these outcomes flow into all major criminal justice problems — including racial and class disparities in search, arrest, sentencing and incarceration rates.

After my encounter on Sunday, I am glad that this resource is available to me, my friends, family and loved ones so make sure to pass this information along to all your loved ones so that they too may be armed with our basic Bill of Rights and be educated on them. 

Today I was a witness to an ugly incident between 5-6 of New York’s Finest against one man who had already been cuffed and was on the ground.  Pictures and more to come as I write about this most disturbing incident.

So where does one begin to describe such an experience as Coqui Mexicano?  Yes, that’s right, an experience for Coqui Mexicano is not just a restaurant but it is an experience to be had by all.  This past Friday, October 9th, I had the privilege to be invited over to Coqui Mexicano by owner Daniela to enjoy all that the restaurant has to offer as her husband and other half of Coqui Mexicano, Alfredo, celebrated his birthday.

When I first saw Coqui Mexicano on one of my many walks around the neighborhood it quickly caught my attention as I knew right away it had to be a fusion of Puerto Rican and Mexican cuisine but i quickly said to myself, “Great…just what the neighborhood needs…another Puerto Rican or Mexican restaurant.” (which we probably have the highest number of Mexican restaurants in all of The Bronx!)  After Friday’s visit boy am I just banging my head against a brick wall for not stopping by sooner!  Coqui Mexicano is the product of husband and wife team Daniela, who is from Puerto Rico and husband Alfredo Diego who is from Mexico and has been in the United States for 20 years.  

According to Daniela, since she was not allowed to play outside in the streets while growing up she spent her formative years, “always in somebody’s kitchen asking a million and questions or trying to help…if it wasn’t mommy’s kitchen, it was abuela’s…if it wasn’t abuela’s it was tia’s.”  As a result she always enjoyed cooking and experimenting.  

As for Alfredo, it was always his ultimate dream to own his own business so after working in and learning every facet of the industry (food prep, bus boy, runner, delivery, bartender, waiter, caterer) for 20 years since he stepped foot into the United States, “…the next logical step with all his experience would be towards applying it to owning his own place,” said his wife and business partner Daniela.

I moseyed up Third Avenue towards 161st where Third meets Brook Avenue which is where the they are located and I knew I was getting closer when I could see the Old Bronx Courthouse.  As soon as I entered Coqui Mexicano I immediately felt as if I entered some restaurant back in Puerto Rico.  The colors, the non-pretentious decor and open kitchen where you can see everything as it is prepared in front of you really makes great use of this space.  Alfredo’s reception was very warm considering he didn’t know who I was at the moment so that made me feel great and very welcomed as a family owned restaurant should be.

After a brief chat, he told me that he was just finishing up his fresh, homemade mole (pronounced moh-leh and is a thick sauce popular in Mexican cooking.  The sauce itself is made up of various Mexican spices and chocolate…yes chocolate. I’m not sure what exactly his ingredients were for I dared not to ask what most likely is a well guarded secret).  I told him not to worry as I was in no hurry and that I was there to sample as much as humanly possible.  I was especially interested in trying the Ensalada de Pulpo, or Octopus Salad as well as the Latin Style Couscous so with that said, Alfredo just provided me with some plates and just as I was about to serve myself some of the couscous, he came right over with a plate of chicken with mole sauce, some white rice and black beans. 

Heaven.  That is how I can descibe the chicken with mole sauce.  The chicken was so tender that it just fell apart as you dug your fork in and the mole sauce was perfect.  With enough fire to give it a kick but not too much as to drown out the other spices.  The white rice was nice and fluffy and the black beans were by far the best black beans I’ve ever had in any restaurant.  Definitely
not what I expected.  As I was eating this fine dish, Police Officer Ralphie Diaz came in and joined me in this feast.  Ever since they opened in August of 2008, he has been coming in religiously as he is also hooked on their food.   We spoke a great deal about all the change that has occurred over the past 5 years (he’s been on the force for 16 years and all of those years he has worked in the neighborhood and is now working as part of the 42nd Precinct’s Community Relations division). 

So after we were done with the mole, we both moved on to the Ensalada de Pulpo (Octopus Salad) which was a pleasantly cool salad that does’t overwhelm the palate with a fishy aftertaste due to the delicate balance of spices, onions, vinegar and what appeared to be fresh lime as well.  The Latin Style Couscous Salad was also a winner and is a MUST for all who visit…who would have thought that couscous could be “Ricanized”??!!

The entire experience at Coqui Mexicano left me feeling very happy for I felt as if I walked into a relative’s home because it was so welcoming.  Everyone was chatting and Alfredo was very attentive to make sure that everything was ok and if I needed anything else.  I also had the pleasure of running into local South Bronx Food Co-op employee Lily Acunzo who is a self-proclaimed fan of the restaurant and spoke warmly about Daniela and Alfredo.  Lily says when she can’t make it over from the co-op she calls and has her lunch delivered as she loves it that much!

Don’t wait like I did and head on over to 871 Brook Avenue @ 161st and 3rd Avenue in Melrose and support our local small business owners!!  Coqui Mexicano is open Mon-Fri from 7AM – 7PM, Saturdays from 9AM – 7PM and is closed on Sundays.  They can be reached at 718-350-3477 or coquimexicano@ymail.com.  Oh and did I mention that they are right next to Boricua Village????  The residents of the 700+ units are in for a real treat once Boricua Village is completed and they move in…not to mention the 2000 students that will be attending Boricua College right on the premises. So let’s give a big Melrose THANK YOU to Alfredo and Daniela for pursuing the American Dream and creating such a great, TRUE family atmosphere and welcoming us into their dining room and kitchen.  

The delicious and not to be missed Latin Style Couscous Salad

Coqui Mexicano is an official BookCrossing location where you can pick up a free book and take it with you or drop off books that you no longer want.  Then you can track and see where your book ends up in the world!

Guava Cheese Muffins

Sweet Cornbread Pudding

Cuban Sandwich

Piña Colada Pie (yes there is a heaven!)

Yuca rolls made to order!

Conconetes – Soft and Chewy Puerto Rican Style Coconut Cookies

Passion Fruit Mousse topped with grated coconut and grated coconut.

(made upon request with advance notice)

Chayote Salad 

(first domesticated in Mexico, chayotebelongs to the gourd family 

along with melons, cucumber and squash.)

WOW how time flies!  I can’t believe that I completely FORGOT that Saturday marked our 1 month anniversary since our launch!  So how does that translate into statistics?  Well in that first month we went in the first to weeks from just under a hundred hits daily to over 200 hits daily and just last week we hit over 400 hits daily!  We couldn’t do it without YOU our readers for this is a blog for you and about you by one of you!
Thanks again!