Radio Free Bay Ridge

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-violence initiatives going on in Coney Island. We'll also dig into what is driving Mathylde’s candidacy: a desire to systematically reform government. This includes improving community feedback (by creating new mechanisms such as a community think-tank), encouraging residents to become more aware of their government (by creating new civic workshops to help people run for office), and by pushing for more transparency in the Albany budget process to uncover corruption and improve accountability. We also discuss specific issues, such as education and mental health services.

Show notes are available at www.radiofreebayridge.org/

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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 his favor. We’ll talk with Andrew about his life in public service, as well as Mr. Golden’s inability to solve perennial problems in the neighborhood. We also discuss reforming New York State’s archaic voting laws, how to get engaged in civic life, improving neighborhood transportation options and street safety. We also chat about property taxes and housing reform, including giving the city control over rent laws and making it easier to own a home. Andrew also discusses his proposal for a major South Brooklyn waterfront park, connecting and expanding the green spaces along the Narrows and Gravesend Bay!

Show notes are available at www.radiofreebayridge.org/

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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 perspective on how to fix a corrupt and often unresponsive political system. We'll go over exactly what a State Senator does and how Albany dysfunction affects Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. We'll also get into the weeds on specific transportation, education and climate-change policy proposals for the neighborhood, like an exciting new commuter rail line running through the heart of the district, reducing student debt burdens, and tidal protections for the next superstorm.

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 view of being a simultaneous outsider and insider.

Show notes are available at http://www.radiofreebayridge.org/2018/05/07/brooklyn-inshallah/

Subscribe on iTunes at itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radio-free-bay-ridge/ or wherever fine local podcasts are sold.

Get ready for our biggest episode yet! Five local activists cram into our tiny study to fill in the gaps of our NY11 Congressional Democratic Primary coverage. We heard from the candidates, now it's your turn! We'll cover transit, the environment, women's health issues and family leave, campaign finance, the primary fundraising process, and much more! We also check in on local news and events for the coming week.

Show notes are available at http://www.radiofreebayridge.org/2018/04/24/congressional-contenders-finale/

Subscribe on iTunes at itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radio-free-bay-ridge/ or wherever fine local podcasts are sold.

The #MarchForOurLives movement isn't just some nebulous national event. Right here in our neighborhood, local students are organizing and demanding answers from us and our elected officials. Today, we sit down with John Papanier, who helped organize the recent Staten Island Town Hall For Our Lives. We spoke about what it is like to be a part of the #MarchForOurLives movement and what barriers are in place in our own community that are stifling the conversation. This movement is just getting warmed up.

Show notes are available at http://www.RadioFreeBayRidge.org/2018/04/12/john-papanier-staten-island-town-hall-for-our-lives/

Subscribe on iTunes at itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radio-free-bay-ridge/ or wherever fine local podcasts are sold.

Bay Ridge is a neighborhood of immigrants. Even when Bay Ridge was not much more than farmland on the Narrows, we have been a landing spot for numerous waves cultures and ethnicities. Bay Ridge doesn't exist in a bubble, so today we are breaking our hyper-local-only format to discuss the international affairs that affect our neighbors. Today, were going to learn about the longstanding Yemeni community in Bay Ridge. With our guest Rabyaah Althaibani, we'll get some background on what is happening to Yemenis across the world and how it affects their loved ones here in our community.

Show notes are available at www.RadioFreeBayRidge.org

Subscribe on iTunes at itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radio-free-bay-ridge/ or wherever fine local podcasts are sold.

On our final Congressional Contenders interview, we are happy to talk with Radhakrishna Mohan, a civic leader and Executive Board member of the New York State Public Employees Federation. Mohan discussed his lifelong Union background, both in India and Staten Island, and his experience organizing on a state-wide level. We talked about the role Unions play in being a watchdog for dangerous federal policies, and how a Unionist congressman can bring together Unions to fight for more organizing power. We also discussed how investing in high-tech jobs and infrastructure can help balance our ballooning public debt and federal trade imbalances, how to combat the Opioid crisis on Staten Island, and how we can position Staten Island and Brooklyn to reinvent itself with new cultural institutions and tourism. Check out of full show notes and subscribe at www.radiofreebayridge.org

Today we are pleased to welcome Omar Vaid to our seventh Congressional Contenders episode. Omar spoke with us about the centrality of Unions to his campaign, as well as his core message of protectionism for American industry. We also spent time discussing how unions intersect with healthcare, social security, congestion pricing and education. Finally, we touch on the similarities between Omar's use of social media and how he intends to use his Congressional seat to call out lobbyists and advocate for change. Check out of full show notes and subscribe at www.radiofreebayridge.org

Swinging by the studio today is Max Rose on our sixth Congressional Contenders episode. Max spoke with us about the centrality of public safety to a holistic social-services overhaul that threads through healthcare, Opioid addiction, gun violence, policing, infrastructure, and more. We also got into the weeds on criminal justice reform, especially the Conviction Review Unit that Max observed first-hand while working for the late Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson. Check out of full show notes and subscribe at www.radiofreebayridge.org