Within a week, vehicles tore into the future home of Noir Yoga at Fulton Street and Marcus Garvey Boulevard, and days later, a vehicle crashed into Ginjan Café at Nostrand Avenue and Quincy Street. Thankfully, no one was killed, but fate easily could have gone the other way. Our hardworking small business owners should not be cleaning up broken glass and damaged storefronts. Bed-Stuy must look out for one another, so my office is here to support the small businesses on those corners, and every member of our community shaken by these back-to-back incidents.

Noir Yoga hadn’t even opened its doors, and that same building had already been struck once before. Keeping our streets safe has been a fight our office has carried for years. It’s why I fought to protect the Bedford Avenue bike lane. It’s why I secured traffic studies inside the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan. It’s why I championed daylighting, so a driver can actually see someone stepping off the curb. Every one of those fights was about moments like these.

This is an opportunity for agencies like the Department of Transportation and other stakeholders to take a closer look at how to better protect Bed-Stuy residents. We need protective barriers, speed reducers, daylighting, and effective redesigns at these intersections. No neighborhood should absorb this much harm in this little time.

If you were impacted, or you want to help us fight for a safer Bed-Stuy, call our office at 718-919-0740 or email district36@council.nyc.gov. We are always here for you.

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