New:Follow us on TWITTER BloggingHeads.tv
Click here for Inner City Press' weekday news reports, from the United Nations and elsewhere. Click here for a recent BBC piece on Inner City Press' reporting from the United Nations Search This Site Click for March 1, 2011 BloggingHeads.tv re Libya, Sri Lanka, UN Corruption by Inner City Press. Click here for Inner City Press front page
ICP has published a (double) book about
a variety of Bronx-relevant topics -- a review in
Commonweal magazine of Dec. 5, 2003, opines that
"Predatory Bender... is as vivid an account of life in
the Bronx as you are likely to read" -- click here for
sample chapters, here for
an interactive map,
here
for fast ordering
and
delivery, and here for
other ordering
information. See
also, "City
Lit: Roman a Klepto [Review of ‘Predatory Bender’],"
by Matt Pacenza, City Limits, Sept.-Oct. 2004. CBS
MarketWatch of April 23, 2004, says the
the novel has "some very funny moments," and that the
non-fiction mixes "global statistics and first-person accounts."
The Washington
Post
of March 15, 2004, calls Predatory Bender: America in
the Aughts "the first novel about predatory lending;" the
London
Times of April 15, 2004, "A Novel Approach," said it "has
a cast of colorful characters." The Pittsburgh
City Paper of Dec. 11, 2003, wrote that it "may, in fact,
be the first great American lending malfeasance novel" including
"low-level loan sharks, class-action lawyers, corporate bigwigs,
hired muscle, corrupt politicians, Iraq War veterans, Wall
Street analysts, reporters and one watchdog with a Web
site." And all in The Bronx! Click
here
for that
review; for more information, contact us.
2014: MRL on
Beacon Reader
By
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
SDNY
COURTHOUSE, April 14 – ATAX, a tax preparer at
5536 Broadway in Marble Hill, The Bronx, and
Rafael Alvarez have been sued by the
government.
On
April 14, U.S. District Court for the Southern
District of New York Judge Jed S. Rakoff held a
proceeding. Inner City Press covered it.
The US says 90% of ATAX' customers claim
refunds, using head of household fraud and other
tricks it ascribes to Alvarez.
Judge
Rakoff ordered depositions to end by August 6,
with a final pre-trial conference set for August
27.
By
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
SDNY
COURTHOUSE, April 6 – Five Brothers Auto Spa and
Lube Corporation of 3327 Connor Street in The
Bronx has been sued for not paying overtime and
minimum wage.
On
April 6, U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of New York Judge Mary Kay
Vyskocil held a proceeding. Inner City Press
covered it.
Judge
Vykocil ruled that deposition are due June 30,
and motions by July 5. After that, there may be
summary judgment motions.
By
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
NEW
YORK, SDNY & EDNY, March 31 – The difference
between retail and wholesale politics was again
on display Wednesday night, in a town hall to
The Bronx and Queens, with SDNY and EDNY
questions not yet answered.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez held a Zoom town
hall from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, at which she took
constituent questions including from an seven
year old who asked, What do you do if people
don't like you? To thine own self be true was
the answer, along with references to a desired
ramp at the Jackson Heights Post Office,
possible earmarks for City Island, and a
shout-out to the Amazon workers in Alabama.
There
was not much on international affairs (for
example Tuesday's life sentence for Honduras'
president's brother for narco-trafficking, on
which Inner City Press was interviewed on UNeTV,
here
and here
from 3:10), much less the United Nations, which
continues to ban
Bronx-based Inner City Press. Time for a
Constitutional constituent inquiry, despite
impunity?
Then there was a press gaggle, also on Zoom.
Inner City Press was told to ask its questions
there, and submitted: "On the PPP program, in
the first round(s) only 12% of NYC small
businesses got PPP loans, versus 24% in
Nebraska. And in The Bronx, the rate of PPP
lending was every lower. What is being done to
make the program and banks more
accountable? And, if you have any
thoughts on Sen Schumer's recent nominations to
head the US Attorney's Offices in SDNY and
EDNY."
By
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
SDNY
COURTHOUSE, March 26 – A multi-defendant
narcotics conspiracy prosecution centered on the
James Monroe Houses in The Bronx now features
charges dropped due to a cooperating witness not
complying with his cooperation
agreement.
The
overall case is known as US v. Spencer, et al.
and Inner City Press has reported on it at every
stage, here
and here.
Now
on March 25 the U.S. Attorney's office for the
Southern District of New York has written to
SDNY Judge Analisa Torres:
"In
light of evidence indicating that a cooperating
witness (“CW-1”) breached CW-1’s cooperation
agreement, the Government has determined that it
will not call CW-1 at trial in this case. The
Government will provide this evidence, including
notes of CW-1’s meetings with the Government, to
defense counsel by April 2, 2021.
"Given
the foregoing, the Government no longer intends
to proceed with respect to Counts Two and Three
of the 20 Cr. 78 (AT) Indictment. The Government
also no longer plans to proceed on Count Nine of
the Indictment with respect to Defendants
Nyshiem Spencer, Shalik Jenkins, Nasir Vincent,
Allan Gonzalez, and Jonell Danforth. With
respect to Defendants Malik Tunstall and Price
Tunstall, the Government intends to proceed on
Count Nine, but without seeking findings by the
jury with respect to drug weight. The Government
is evaluating whether there is sufficient
evidence to proceed at all with respect to
Defendant Shalik Jenkins."
We
aim to have more on this.
Earlier
in the case, nearly a year ago on March 30,
2020, Inner City Press reported
that Assistant US Attorney Justin Rodriguez
repeatedly cited a video of which he wrote he
would "arrange with the Court's Chambers for the
transmission of an electronic version of the
video montage, rather than a physical copy." The
video was and is as of this writing not in the
case's docket on PACER. Judge
Torres relied on this video is denying bond,
finding a danger to the community. Minutes
later, she approved a switch to CJA lawyer James
Branden for co-defendant Lafone Eley."
By
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
SDNY
COURTHOUSE, March 16 – Damon Bailey was charged
with robbery and assault on July 27, 2016, but
then the charges were dropped. He
sued.
On March 16, U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of New York Judge Mary Kay
Vyskocil held a proceeding. Inner City Press
covered it.
Bailey is having a hard time finding a (new)
lawyer. His mother was on the line. But, not a
lawyer, she cannot represent her son. Could she
be appointed guardian ad litem?
She
would still have to find a lawyer. She said she
works in the court system. It was suggested that
perhaps the claim is against the initial lawyer.
The
next conference is on April 20.
The
case is Bailey v. City of New York, et al.,
19-cv-1488 (Vyskocil)
By
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
SDNY
COURTHOUSE, March 11 – Freddie Mac is trying to
foreclose on 1056, 1060 and 1064 Findlay Avenue
in The Bronx.
On
March 11, U.S. District Court for the Southern
District of New York Judge Paul A.
Engelmayer held a proceeding. Inner City Press
covered it.
The
defendant has fired back saying the complaint is
barred by the doctrines of waiver, unclean hands
and estoppel.
Judge
Engelmayer referred it for settlement to
Magistrate Sarah Netburn.
By
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
SDNY
COURTHOUSE, March 3 – Davonte Garcia faced a
guideline sentence of 70 to 87 months on
narcotics conspiracy charges.
On
March 3, U.S. District Court for the Southern
District of New York Judge J. Paul Oetken held a
sentencing proceeding. Inner City Press covered
it.
Garcia's
lawyer said he had gotten COVID, and that he is
a good writer. Family ties were emphasized.
Judge
Oetken, showing mercy, said the five year
mandatory minimum would be enough.
By
Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
SDNY
COURTHOUSE, Feb 19 – A 27 year old man, Eugene
Castelle, reportedly related to the Luchese
family on Staten Island died while imprisoned on
Riker's Island on November 8, 2016. There are
photos which his lawyer calls bad, and there is
as Inner City Press first and exclusively
reported on February 2 a missing video.
There
was a demand for $2 million, by the plaintiff,
it emerged on February 2, but the demand may go
higher if and when the missing video is found or
produced. Discovery document on Patreon here.
Inner City Press' reporting has gleaned stories
of Eugene Castelle seeking detox but being
provided with dubious methadone and convulsing.
It is said that other prisoners dragged him down
to the guards' Bubble for help, but were
rebuffed. He died, and now the video is missing.
On February 2, U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of New York Magistrate Judge
Sarah Netburn held a discovery conference. Inner
City Press alone covered
it.
Judge
Netburn expressed skepticism that the City does
not have deposition transcripts computerized,
and urged an inquiry into the video.
Inner City Press now asks, Inquiry by whom? This
is more than a private lawsuit. So Inner City
Press filed a Freedom of Information Law request
and now, on February 9, publishes the following
the moment it hit the docket: "We represent
Lucille Tirado, as the administratrix of the
estate of Eugene Castelle, in this civil rights
case under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, regarding
Castelle’s death at Riker’s Island. We write to
clarify the record. Following one of the
numerous meet and confers with defense counsel,
I realized that I may have given the wrong
impression as to what security footage was and
was not produced in the prior litigation.
Defense counsel was concerned about a blog post
by an independent journalist regarding the
missing footage, which made me realize that I
may have misspoken. I called to explain it to
him, and in that call he requested a
clarification for the record.
"I
agreed: People housed in the dorm discovered Mr.
Castelle was non-responsive at 8:20 a.m. For
three of the available camera angles, the
footage stops at or about 8:20 a.m. One camera
angle has the footage removed starting at around
8:20 a.m., but then it skips to about an hour
later. Two angles, which are nearly identical,
do show the medical staff coming to attempt to
resuscitate Mr. Castelle, but several people
obscuring Mr. Castelle, and we cannot see his
face in several places or account for the reason
that later photographs show a substantial amount
of blood, which is not visible on this footage.
We also cannot see what the officers are doing
near the “bubble” area where Defendant Dacruz is
stationed. This footage is still missing, and
defense counsel is working to produce it."
The
clarification is appreciated, and was
immediately published in full, in this "blog
post by an independent journalist."
On
February 19 the City's law firm, with its
concerned, filed another letter, acknowledging
that "while most of the interview files are
viable and play fine, two of them,
unfortunately, cannot be played... Video #3, we
have been told, starts and stops at times, but
plays appropriately by the end." By the end.
Now
on February 22, more delay is requested:
"Plaintiff discovered that there was an
investigation by the Bronx District Attorney's
Office." We aim to have more on this.
On
February 10, this order from Judge Netburn
(while SDNY Pacer was down) - "ORDER: The
parties shall file a joint letter by Friday,
February 19, 2021, detailing the status of
discovery. A discovery conference will be held
on Monday, March 1, 2021 (Signed by Magistrate
Judge Sarah Netburn on 2/10/2021) (ras)." We'll
have more on this.
The
defense lawyer blurted out that there had been a
$2 million demand.
The
plaintiff's lawyer replied that was the demand
BEFORE he learned how bad things were. He said
he could not advise settlement until seeing the
video.
Judge Netburn offered a settlement conference in
March, or if not taken soon, in May.
Now on February 5 Judge Netburn has issued an
order that "The Court finds that the interest of
justice significantly outweighs the need for
confidentiality and ORDERS the Commission to
produce the relevant records to the parties in
this case. N.Y. Mental Hyg. Law § 33.13(c)(1)
(McKinney 2020). (Signed by Magistrate Judge
Sarah Netburn on 2/5/2021)."
As
Inner City Press also first reported, Judge
Netburn issued a separate February 5 order
directing the City to file a status letter by
February 9 "describing the progress made on
numerous discovery issues, which include
locating the missing video footage of Mr.
Castelle's death and identifying custodians for
electronically stored information."
Now Inner City Press has filed a Freedom of
Information Law request: "Department of
Correction Legal Division Laura Mello Records
Access Officer New York City 75-20 Astoria Blvd
East Elmhurst, New York 11370 Re:
FOIL Request regarding death in DOC custody of
Eugene Castelle and for related records, please
confirm receipt and provide records on an
expedited basis Dear Ms. Mello / DOC FOIL
Officer: On behalf of Inner
City Press and in my personal capacity, as a
journalist and New Yorker, this is a FOIL
request for records concerning the death in DOC
custody of Eugene Castelle while imprisoned on
Riker's Island on or about November 8,
2016. For
Inner City Press I have been reporting on a
Federal lawsuit in which the City has been
required to collect and produce information
concerning and related to this death; the judge
has explicitly said that the public interest
outweigh the various claims for withholding (see
below).
While not required, but in order to be specific
about what information is hereby requested (on
an expedited basis), Inner City Press' reporting
has gleaned stories of Eugene Castelle seeking
detox but being provided with dubious methadone
and convulsing. It is said that other prisoners
dragged him down to the guards' Bubble for help,
but were rebuffed. He died, and now the video is
missing. On February 2,
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of
New York Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn held a
discovery conference. Inner City Press alone
covered it. Judge Netburn expressed skepticism
that the City does not have deposition
transcripts computerized, and urged that an
inquiry into how the video of the time of death
was altered. This is a
request for the video(s) of that night and
incident, and all record concerning the video
and any alleged alteration(s) of
it. This is also a request for
the information already compiled regarding other
deaths in custody, produced in the case Tirado
v. City of New York et al., 19-cv-10377
(SDNY). On February 5
Judge Netburn has issued an order that "The
Court finds that the interest of justice
significantly outweighs the need for
confidentiality and ORDERS the Commission to
produce the relevant records to the parties in
this case. N.Y. Mental Hyg. Law § 33.13(c)(1)
(McKinney 2020). (Signed by Magistrate Judge
Sarah Netburn on
2/5/2021)." That applies
to your FOIL response to this request, which
should be on an expedited basis."
By
Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
SDNY
COURTHOUSE, Feb 19 – A 27 year old man, Eugene
Castelle, reportedly related to the Luchese
family on Staten Island died while imprisoned on
Riker's Island on November 8, 2016. There are
photos which his lawyer calls bad, and there is
as Inner City Press first and exclusively
reported on February 2 a missing video.
There
was a demand for $2 million, by the plaintiff,
it emerged on February 2, but the demand may go
higher if and when the missing video is found or
produced. Discovery document on Patreon here.
Inner City Press' reporting has gleaned stories
of Eugene Castelle seeking detox but being
provided with dubious methadone and convulsing.
It is said that other prisoners dragged him down
to the guards' Bubble for help, but were
rebuffed. He died, and now the video is missing.
On February 2, U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of New York Magistrate Judge
Sarah Netburn held a discovery conference. Inner
City Press alone covered
it.
Judge
Netburn expressed skepticism that the City does
not have deposition transcripts computerized,
and urged an inquiry into the video.
Inner City Press now asks, Inquiry by whom? This
is more than a private lawsuit. So Inner City
Press filed a Freedom of Information Law request
and now, on February 9, publishes the following
the moment it hit the docket: "We represent
Lucille Tirado, as the administratrix of the
estate of Eugene Castelle, in this civil rights
case under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, regarding
Castelle’s death at Riker’s Island. We write to
clarify the record. Following one of the
numerous meet and confers with defense counsel,
I realized that I may have given the wrong
impression as to what security footage was and
was not produced in the prior litigation.
Defense counsel was concerned about a blog post
by an independent journalist regarding the
missing footage, which made me realize that I
may have misspoken. I called to explain it to
him, and in that call he requested a
clarification for the record.
"I
agreed: People housed in the dorm discovered Mr.
Castelle was non-responsive at 8:20 a.m. For
three of the available camera angles, the
footage stops at or about 8:20 a.m. One camera
angle has the footage removed starting at around
8:20 a.m., but then it skips to about an hour
later. Two angles, which are nearly identical,
do show the medical staff coming to attempt to
resuscitate Mr. Castelle, but several people
obscuring Mr. Castelle, and we cannot see his
face in several places or account for the reason
that later photographs show a substantial amount
of blood, which is not visible on this footage.
We also cannot see what the officers are doing
near the “bubble” area where Defendant Dacruz is
stationed. This footage is still missing, and
defense counsel is working to produce it."
The
clarification is appreciated, and was
immediately published in full, in this "blog
post by an independent journalist."
Now
this, on February 19 the City's law firm, with
its concerned, filed another letter,
acknowledging that "while most of the interview
files are viable and play fine, two of them,
unfortunately, cannot be played... Video #3, we
have been told, starts and stops at times, but
plays appropriately by the end." By the end. We
aim to have more on this.
On
February 10, this order from Judge Netburn
(while SDNY Pacer was down) - "ORDER: The
parties shall file a joint letter by Friday,
February 19, 2021, detailing the status of
discovery. A discovery conference will be held
on Monday, March 1, 2021 (Signed by Magistrate
Judge Sarah Netburn on 2/10/2021) (ras)." We'll
have more on this.
The
defense lawyer blurted out that there had been a
$2 million demand.
The
plaintiff's lawyer replied that was the demand
BEFORE he learned how bad things were. He said
he could not advise settlement until seeing the
video.
Judge Netburn offered a settlement conference in
March, or if not taken soon, in May.
Now on February 5 Judge Netburn has issued an
order that "The Court finds that the interest of
justice significantly outweighs the need for
confidentiality and ORDERS the Commission to
produce the relevant records to the parties in
this case. N.Y. Mental Hyg. Law § 33.13(c)(1)
(McKinney 2020). (Signed by Magistrate Judge
Sarah Netburn on 2/5/2021)."
As
Inner City Press also first reported, Judge
Netburn issued a separate February 5 order
directing the City to file a status letter by
February 9 "describing the progress made on
numerous discovery issues, which include
locating the missing video footage of Mr.
Castelle's death and identifying custodians for
electronically stored information."
Now Inner City Press has filed a Freedom of
Information Law request: "Department of
Correction Legal Division Laura Mello Records
Access Officer New York City 75-20 Astoria Blvd
East Elmhurst, New York 11370 Re:
FOIL Request regarding death in DOC custody of
Eugene Castelle and for related records, please
confirm receipt and provide records on an
expedited basis Dear Ms. Mello / DOC FOIL
Officer: On behalf of Inner
City Press and in my personal capacity, as a
journalist and New Yorker, this is a FOIL
request for records concerning the death in DOC
custody of Eugene Castelle while imprisoned on
Riker's Island on or about November 8,
2016. For
Inner City Press I have been reporting on a
Federal lawsuit in which the City has been
required to collect and produce information
concerning and related to this death; the judge
has explicitly said that the public interest
outweigh the various claims for withholding (see
below).
While not required, but in order to be specific
about what information is hereby requested (on
an expedited basis), Inner City Press' reporting
has gleaned stories of Eugene Castelle seeking
detox but being provided with dubious methadone
and convulsing. It is said that other prisoners
dragged him down to the guards' Bubble for help,
but were rebuffed. He died, and now the video is
missing. On February 2,
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of
New York Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn held a
discovery conference. Inner City Press alone
covered it. Judge Netburn expressed skepticism
that the City does not have deposition
transcripts computerized, and urged that an
inquiry into how the video of the time of death
was altered. This is a
request for the video(s) of that night and
incident, and all record concerning the video
and any alleged alteration(s) of
it. This is also a request for
the information already compiled regarding other
deaths in custody, produced in the case Tirado
v. City of New York et al., 19-cv-10377
(SDNY). On February 5
Judge Netburn has issued an order that "The
Court finds that the interest of justice
significantly outweighs the need for
confidentiality and ORDERS the Commission to
produce the relevant records to the parties in
this case. N.Y. Mental Hyg. Law § 33.13(c)(1)
(McKinney 2020). (Signed by Magistrate Judge
Sarah Netburn on
2/5/2021)." That applies
to your FOIL response to this request, which
should be on an expedited basis."
By
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
SDNY
COURTHOUSE, Feb 8 – Lawrence Peebles sued
Concourse Village in the Bronx, on behalf of
himself and others similarly situated.
But
Concourse Village has resisted responding to
class discovery requests.
On
February 8, U.S. District Court for the Southern
District of New York Judge Gregory H. Woods held
a proceeding. Inner City Press covered it.
Judge Wood, in a proceeding shorter than most he
holds, informed defense counsel that extension
of time was to provide discovery on the class or
collective issues, not just the one initial
plaintiff.
By
Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive Patreon