Radio Free Bay Ridge

Our very first live episode! Join us at the Owl's Head Wine Bar with Henry Stewart as we do a book talk in front of a live "studio" audience! We'll chat about Henry's latest book, "How Bay Ridge Became Bay Ridge", which chronicles the history of the neighborhood from Nyack settlement to rural Dutch farmland to suburban neighborhood. We'll drink some wine, chat with the audience, and demolish a few...

Continuing from our last episode, we dig into the latest economic controversy in Bay Ridge: the proposed 3rd Avenue Bay Ridge BID. We already dug into what a BID actually does in our 5th Avenue BID episode in January... but how does a Business Improvement District actually happen in the first place? To find out, we invited members of the new 3rd Avenue BID steering committee to swing by the studio...

The stores are closing! The Avenues are vacant! Or are they? Today, we're talking Storefront Vacancy rates. Join us as co-host Erik interviews our other co-host Dan, who has been walking around the neighborhood since January collecting some hyper-local data about our commercial vacancy rates. We'll learn what can lead us to think that there is a vacancy "crisis", what the actual numbers are, and h...

Bay Ridge is known for excellent schools... but how do we define excellence? On today's show education correspondent Erik Shell swings by the studio to talk about school metrics, and how they can help us demand better school policy. We'll look at the data we use to rank local schools, how to redefine the narrative around education, and what we can do to demand politicians develop more progressive...

The progressive action group Fight Back Bay Ridge is one of the largest grassroots activist groups operating in the neighborhood. They've distributed yellow bags at the Summer Strolls to highlight climate change and pollution. They'be put on informational town halls. They've protested, they've educated, they've registered voters, they've cleaned up trash on the sidewalk. But today, we're going bac...

Bay Ridge art galleries? Yes, they exist, and they're growing rapidly. Today on the show we are sitting down with local gallery impresarios Jeannine Bardo and Elena Soterakis. Jeannine is the founder of the Stand4 gallery on 78th street, and together they run the BioBAT Art Space a short walk north at the Brooklyn Army Terminal. We'll explore the origins of Bay Ridge's burgeoning art gallery movem...

Half of the cyclist deaths so far this year in New York City have been in Southern Brooklyn. Bay Ridge and it's neighbors have historically lagged behind in cyclist safety improvements, while the rest of the city has seen major investment. But 2019 marks a turning point, as Bay Ridge will see it's first protected bike lane (that isn't inside a park), and a possible 53% increase in it's total bike...

2019 is a critical year for every single renter in New York State. The state’s Rent Control laws expire this June, and we have a major opportunity to overhaul and reform our housing laws. Join activists Andrea Shapiro and Genna Goldsobel as we dig into the nine bills that comprise Universal Rent Control, analyze how they will affect Bay Ridge, and look into what bills our State legislators Andrew...

Erik Shell interviews Yemeni-American organizer Rabyaah Althaibani about how the news media, past and present, has impacted Yemeni immigrants in Bay Ridge. We'll discuss how misinformation has fueled the Muslim Ban and the conflict in Yemen... and how a community is fighting to reclaim that narrative. Be sure to check out our show notes and more at: www.radiofreebayridge.org/bodega-boycott-new-yor...

Today we sit down with the women who made 2018's South Brooklyn electoral blue wave a reality. Our panel discusses the importance of a ground game in politics, tips for canvassers, and what it's like to manage teams of volunteers and staff during an election year. Be sure to check out our show notes and more at: www.radiofreebayridge.org/bay-ridge-field-organizing Subscribe on iTunes at itunes.app...

Warning: On today's show, we curse a bit and briefly discuss violent traffic crashes and fatalities. It's a serious topic; listener discretion is advised. In our last episode, we promised to bring you a bigger, badder deep-dive into street safety! One of our most requested topics, Dan and Brian will take you on a whirlwind tour of as many street design concepts as they can fit into an hour and cha...

On today's episode, our transit correspondent Brian Hedden will dig into our local politicians' recent reaffirmation of the Vision Zero program, and what we can expect from the DOT in terms of traffic safety improvements in the near future. Be sure to check out our show notes and more at: www.radiofreebayridge.org/bay-ridge-vision-zero Subscribe on iTunes at itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radio-free-...

Bay Ridge is teeming with commercial possibilities, and is home to three major shopping avenues in close proximity. Today we’ll learn what it takes to help them flourish. We sat down with Amanda Zenteno, the Executive Director of the Bay Ridge 5th Avenue BID, or Business Improvement District. We’ll cover what a BID does and how it’s organized, and what services it provides to the businesses it ser...

Welcome to 2019 and happy New Year! While we’re busy nursing our hangovers, we threw together a short episode for you. Chill out with us in our newly renovated studio as we reflect back on 2018! Plus, Rachel will reveal the results of our latest poll! What were your favorite episodes? What were ours? Find out, and get a sneak peek into the episodes we have planned for 2019! Be sure to check out ou...

Our very first audio walking tour! Pop in your earbuds and head down to Owl's Head Park, where we'll join our guide, local historian and Hey Ridge editor Henry Stewart. We'll explore the history of the park and learn more about our neighborhood, it's people, and it's past. Be sure to check out our walking tour map and historic photos of things we discuss at: https://www.radiofreebayridge.org/owls-...

Today we're bringing you interviews from Fight Back Bay Ridge's "Art of the Gerrymander" auction and art show. The show was a one-night fundraiser for the grassroots activist group. Rachel spoke throughout the night with local activists, artists, and neighbors about how arts and politics intersect, and to hear more about the issue of the day: our Gerrymandered district and how it affects our democ...

On October 3rd, sixteen-year Republican State Senate incumbent Martin Golden faced off against second-time Democratic challenger Andrew Gounardes at a debate held at the Fort Hamilton Senior Center. Today, our co-host Dan will bring you there... and by popular demand, we will provide analysis and fact-checks between questions! Who prevailed? Who made the most misstatements? Was the moderator biase...

Last year was the "Summer of Hell"... but how hellish was it? In this brand-new episode, we look Bay Ridge's transit ridership numbers with our local transit correspondent Brian Hedden. Show notes are available at www.radiofreebayridge.org/bay-ridge-transit-2017 Subscribe on iTunes at itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radio-free-bay-ridge/ or wherever you follow the plentiful populations of free-range m...

What do we do with a million dollars? That's the question we need to answer as we begin Bay Ridge's first Participatory Budgeting cycle. A people-driven grassroots process, we get to decide as a community how to allocate part of our own tax dollars. Learn what's involved in this mini-episode! Show notes are available at www.radiofreebayridge.org/participatory-budgeting-bay-ridge Subscribe on iTune...

Welcome to Bay Ridge! Moving season is over, and we want to welcome our newest neighbors with a brief overview of our little corner of Brooklyn, complete with food, drink and event recommendations from the Radio Free Bay Ridge team, and ways to get plugged into the progressive community in the neighborhood. Show notes are available at www.radiofreebayridge.org/welcome-to-bay-ridge-2018 Subscribe o...

On today's episode, we'll bring you our recording of the June 6th, 2018 march in solidarity with Pablo Villavicencio Calderon. Pablo, a deliveryman, was arrested trying to deliver pizza to the Fort Hamilton Army Base. A few days after his detainment by ICE, neighbors organized, attended, and spoke at a rally in front of the Fort Hamilton Army Base. We'll bring you a narrative of the events that da...

Today we sit down to chat with Mathylde Frontus, running for New York’s 46th State Assembly District. The district covers the southern portion of Bay Ridge. Mathylde is a nonprofit director, scholar, and organizer who grew up in Coney Island. She has focused her life and studies on Social Services, mental health, community organizing and education. She's also been a major component of the anti-vio...

Today, Rachel and Dan sit down with Andrew Gounardes to talk about his campaign to win the Democratic nomination for New York's 22nd State Assembly District, which includes Bay Ridge and a huge chunk of Southern Brooklyn. If he wins the primary, he’ll be squaring off against Republican incumbent Martin J Golden, the lone Brooklyn Republican in the State Senate who has gerrymandered the district in...

Today, Rachel and Dan are sitting down and talking with Ross Barkan, who's running for the 22nd New York State Senate District, currently occupied by Republican incumbent Martin J Golden. Ross is a former journalist and was briefly a teacher at Fort Hamilton High School. He's been a longtime political reporter, with an in-depth knowledge of Albany politics and brings a unique, insightful perspecti...

Today Radio Free Bay Ridge is sitting down with Ahmed Mansour, a budding documentary filmmaker. We'll explore the story behind his upcoming film "Brooklyn, Inshallah" which covers last years City Council run by Khader El-Yateem, and more importantly, the community that turned out to support him. We also discuss what's next for Ahmed as an artist, and how he perceives Bay Ridge from the point of vi...