A popular Park Slope restaurant was defaced with anti-Israel graffiti over the weekend, prompting an outpouring of support from elected officials and the community.

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force said it is investigating the incident, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday, Jan. 26, at Miriam, a Middle Eastern eatery on Fifth Ave.

Police responded to a 911 call around 3 a.m. and found red spray paint on the restaurant’s windows and exterior, with messages reading “Genocide cuisine” and “Israel steals culture.”

Surveillance footage obtained by the Brooklyn Paper shows three individuals working together near the corner of Prospect Place and Fifth Ave. One person appears to act as a lookout, while the other two vandalize the building and sidewalk with red paint.

“At this time, there are no arrests, and the investigation is being handled by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force,” a police spokesperson said Monday.

This is not the first time Miriam has been targeted. The restaurant’s Upper West Side location was similarly vandalized two years ago, and both locations have regularly received harassing phone calls and negative online reviews, owner Rafael Hasid told the Brooklyn Paper.

Hasid, who is originally from Israel, expressed disappointment but not surprise at the latest incident.

“It’s sad that people think they have a disagreement with me just because of my background,” he said. “They never even spoke to me or tried to get my opinion or my idea about anything. They just come and vandalize the property.”

Despite the attack, Hasid said he remains undeterred. “I’m not scared,” he said, noting the overwhelming support from the community. “We were so supported yesterday, and everybody was showing love. People ordered and came and made reservations. We will continue doing what we’ve been doing for the last 20 years, serving the neighborhood.”

Among those who showed support was New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who made a reservation at the restaurant and condemned the vandalism on social media. “Miriam serves and welcomes everyone, regardless of religion or politics, and doesn’t bring either into the restaurant,” Lander wrote on X. “Vandalizing their restaurant because they serve Israeli food and their owner is a Jewish Israeli New Yorker is a clear example of when anti-Zionism becomes antisemitism.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also stopped by the Park Slope location on Sunday to show his solidarity with Hasid and his staff. “I told them I stood with them, and that vandalizing a restaurant because the owner was Jewish was outright antisemitism. Period,” Schumer posted. “Hate has no place in New York.”

Mayor Eric Adams also denounced the act, calling it “evil” and vowing that the NYPD would find those responsible. State Attorney General Letitia James echoed the sentiment, stating, “We must confront intolerance in all forms, and anyone who wrongfully targets and attacks innocent New Yorkers must be held accountable.”

State Sen. Andrew Gounardes criticized the vandals, saying their actions “do nothing to advance the cause of peace and only foster the growing feeling that Jewish people are not welcome here.”

Hasid expressed gratitude for the widespread support. “It was really beautiful to see the level of support from politicians and people in the neighborhood,” he said. “Not that I thought we were alone, but it was definitely a big show of support, and we are not alone for sure.”

NEW YORKERS ARE ONE-THIRD OF THE WAY THROUGH NYC’s Jan. 21- Feb. 9 ‘Restaurant Week.’ This event occurs twice a year.

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THE OLDEST EVENT to highlight English-style sword dancing in North America is returning to the city for its 39th annual festival.

The post Sword Dancing Festival Returns to Brooklyn for a weekend of free performances appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Detectives in Brooklyn are on the hunt for the suspects who shot a man in broad daylight on Monday afternoon.

Officers from the 67th Precinct found the victim wounded at 104 Martense St. in Flatbush at about 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 27.

Police initially responded to the location after receiving a ShotSpotter activation; ShotSpotter is the NYPD’s network of sensors designed to pick up possible sounds of gunfire, and evoke a rapid response.

At the Martense Street location, cops found the victim of an unknown age, suffering from a gunshot wound to his left shoulder. EMS rushed him to Kings County Hospital in stable condition.

One local resident said the shooting was an unprecedented event for the block.

“I have been here 13 years,” the resident told amNewYork Metro. “I don’t even remember a shooting taking place here.” 

The 67th Precinct as a whole, meanwhile, had seen one shooting incident in the first 26 days of 2025, according to the most recent CompStat report.

Law enforcement sources said they are looking for several suspects who were last seen fleeing the location in a four-door black sedan seconds after the man was shot Monday. So far, no arrests have been made in the ongoing investigation. 

Anyone with information regarding the shooting can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.

A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FORUM scheduled for this Wednesday, Jan. 29 in Bay Ridge will give residents and business owners a chance to discuss.

The post NYC DOT holds Community Engagement Forum on local traffic and transit issues appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

For years, Coney Island has been left behind. As much of Brooklyn and New York City experienced a renaissance, Coney Island has remained stagnant. Part of this is because the city and state have not invested here and in doing so allowed our beloved community to fall by the wayside. But Coney Island also must look internally at some of our leaders who for too long have simply said “no” to everything. Never is this more clear than the debate over The Coney, a project that would actually bring jobs and economic development to this community. 

To start, it’s obvious why The Coney is a project that just works for Coney Island. It’s going to bring thousands of year-round jobs to a community that for too long has had seasonal employment. While we love Coney Island summers, they are just that, summers only. The rest of the year, our neighborhood is mostly empty with few people coming to our sights beyond the aquarium. In this emptiness, our gorgeous seaside Coney Island stands mostly still. There is little foot traffic, little economic activity, and little reason for hope. 

A year-round entertainment destination begins to change this. People would come from all over to Coney Island all year round. They would come to our stores, visit our sites and help our economy. The Coney would fit right in with Coney Island history as a destination that people would come to visit. The jobs that would be created would be good-paying jobs that would help Coney Island residents and help put more money in their pockets. 

Don’t just take it from me. Rich Maroko, president of the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council agrees by saying, “we’re proud to support this land use application for the Coney, a promising project that would bring thousands of high quality hospitality jobs to Brooklyn. We think it’s important for elected officials to recognize this unique chance to create jobs and boost our local economy.”

In addition, The Coney team has made some very big pledges to the community. To start, if they are granted the gaming license, they have promised to establish a $200 million community trust. Let me say that again, $200 million. The trust will get input from the community — and will include actual members of the Coney Island community on the board — to help make Coney Island a better place. It will include community grants for local organizations, boardwalk improvements, funding for workforce development and economic mobility resilience and environmental protection and public art. Furthermore, the trust would help with added safety and security to the area through things like enhanced lighting, more security guards and other things that will improve public safety. 

Finally, The Coney has also pledged a public open space on the roof. This is roughly on acre – or about the size of the main lawn at Bryant Park. It will be free and accessible to the public and you won’t even need to go through the gaming floor. For a community that desperately needs open spaces, this is going to be a big win for the community. 

Given all there is to gain, The Coney is very clearly a win for this community and that’s why many people in Coney Island support it. In fact, 10,000 people in Coney Island and the surrounding area have signed petitions backing it. 

However, there is yet again, a small group of people who just want to say no to everything. They flood community board meetings and, in some instances, are on the community board itself. They yell, they scream, they demean and they intimidate anyone who does not agree with them. But if you listen, you don’t hear any solutions from them. They don’t have actual actionable ideas. For years, even decades, they’ve just said no to everything to the detriment of Coney Island. They issue statements with vague requests and when they kill projects they offer nothing to fill the void. To put it bluntly, they are a big part of the reason why Coney Island gets left behind.

I am here to say no more to no. Coney Island deserves better than the people who just reflexively say no to every single thing. We deserve nice things. We deserve jobs. We deserve economic development. We deserve nicer parks and green space. We deserve better security. And we deserve a future with year-round possibilities. We need to make sure our young people grow up in a neighborhood with possibilities for a better future. 

For too long, the people who show up and scream have had their way and it’s the rest of us in Coney Island who have been made to suffer. No more. It’s time for Coney Island to say yes. There is a quiet majority behind The Coney and they are fed up with leaders who refuse to lead. Maybe the Community Board won’t do it, but we can not remain silent as a great opportunity comes our way. The naysayers don’t have any answers, but we do. It’s time to say yes to The Coney. 

Joseph Packer is a Coney Island resident.