Mott Haven Herald

African Muslims sink roots in Mott Haven

Posted on 04. Nov, 2009 by Sergey Kadinsky.

“This is us: we work in car washes, factories, and drive taxis,” said Degumeh Sillah, 60, an African art dealer. A Bronx resident since 1972, Sillah expressed pride at the religious transformation of the area. “The mosque on 166th Street,” he said, “that’s a former nightclub.”

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Mosque focuses on Muslim unity

Posted on 04. Nov, 2009 by Sergey Kadinsky.

In contrast to its quick early growth in the Middle East, the spread of Islam in West Africa was gradual, members of the Ebun Abass mosque point out. Merchants and traveling scholars brought the religion with them.
“They first asked people to accept that there is no god except Allah,” said Djounedou Titikpina, founder of [...]

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Mott Haven gardens reap a bountiful harvest

Posted on 20. Oct, 2009 by Stephanie Rabins.

On a warm weekday morning in September, Valeria Cantero arrives at Brook Park, on Brook Avenue between 140th and 141st streets. She opens the gate with a key and locks up behind herself. After leaving her things in the center of the garden, Cantero ducks into the back of the lot, emerging with an armful [...]

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Mott Haven immigrants tend their roots

Posted on 18. Oct, 2009 by Christina Herrera.

Casa Yurumein is a house that looks like a home. The walls of its living room are covered with friendly family pictures. But though the people in the sepia photos bear a family resemblance, they are not mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, siblings and cousins.
Instead, the people who frequent Casa Yurumein are related by [...]

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Mott Haven school building crumbles

Posted on 17. Oct, 2009 by Maria Clark.

By Maria Clark
maria.clark@motthavenherald.com
The passage of time has not been kind to the former school building nicknamed the “Castle on the Concourse.”
Entire sections of the roof have collapsed. Plastic tarps cover the holes. Rotted wooden planks shield the windows and cover gaping holes in the walls.
PS 31 was once one the top schools in [...]

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Mott Haven’s pioneer of gentrification makes no apologies

Posted on 16. Oct, 2009 by Lindsay Lazarski.

By Lindsay Lazarski
lindsay.lazarski@motthavenherald.com

When people compare Mott Haven to Williamsburg or call it “SoBro” or otherwise tab it as the next up-and coming-place to live, they almost always follow by mentioning the bars where artist and yuppies congregate. There is G-Bar on the Concourse, Alexander’s Café south of the Major Deegan Expressway, and tucked below two [...]

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New mall threatens Mott Haven businesses

Posted on 12. Oct, 2009 by Jeanmarie Evelly.

By Jeanmarie Evelly
Jeanmarie.evelly@motthavenherald.com
Third Avenue and 149th street would be the heart of many cities’ downtown. Shoppers crowd its sidewalks.
But many storeowners are worried that the Hub—as the neighborhood is known because its four streets intersect to resemble the hub of a wheel—will not remain the retail heart of the South Bronx. They’re afraid a [...]

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Mott Haven merchants are singing the blues

Posted on 12. Oct, 2009 by editor.

The recession is hurting business everywhere, but small businesses in Mott Haven have been especially hard hit.

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Vigil held for shooting victim

Posted on 04. Oct, 2009 by Joe Hirsch.

25 year-old Taisha Santiago was killed protecting her 9 year-old son as they were caught in crossfire in front of their home in Mott Haven on September 25. 25 year-old Jason Irizarry and 16 year-old Robert Vargas were arrested for firing the shots, one of which killed Santiago.
The shooting occurred at the corner of [...]

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Neighborhood voices: Urban farming NYC

Posted on 18. Sep, 2009 by Bernard L. Stein.

Check out this video about the growing movement in the South Bronx and beyond! Featured in the video are The Point CDC, Bissel Gardens, Friends of Brook Park, Part of the Solution, Brotherhood / Sister Sol, slides courtesy of the Majora Carter Group, Bascom Catering, and more!

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