Police revealed the identity of the 22-year-old man killed in yesterday’s shootout near P.S. 194 in Gerritsen Beach: George D’Amato Jr., the son of a retired court officer.
His father, George D’Amato Sr., told the New York Post:
His devastated dad, George D’Amato Sr., said his son — who “had minor scrapes with the law, nothing serious” — worked at a Duane Reade, but yesterday told him “he wanted a day off.”
“I told him to go to work,” said the father, a former court officer.
“I am retired law-enforcement myself. I know what it’s like. I can’t blame the officer. He did what he had to do,” the dad said.
Over at GerritsenBeach.net they’ve dug up D’Amato’s police record, which appears to be a history of minor property damage and fights. All told, the residents of the community who frequent the site – some of who knew D’Amato – appear to agree the police officer did what he had to do. But always eager to find something to rabidly bicker about, commenters turned to discussing whether the kid “got what he deserved.” Your thoughts?
From the NYPD Deputy Commission of Public Information’s office:
On Monday March 8, 2010 at approximately 1510 hours, in the rear of 3117 Avenue W (P.S. 194), in the confines of the 61 Precinct, police received a 911 call of a man with a gun. Upon arrival, a uniformed police officer encountered a M/W/22 who pointed what appeared to be a silver handgun at the officer. The officer discharged three (3) rounds, striking the suspect. EMS transported the suspect to Coney Island Hospital where he is pronounced dead at 1611 hours. The Investigation is ongoing.
The statement came via GerritsenBeach.net, which also says the person with the toy gun was a Gerritsen Beach kid that lived on Ebony Court. We can’t confirm that.
Related Stories:
BREAKING: Police Shooting Near P.S. 194
(Courtesy of nolastname)
UPDATE #2: As readers of our Twitter account may know, when we hit the scene we heard a few new things circling amongst reporters. Police fired three shots at around 3:10 p.m. at a 22-year-old white male wielding what appeared to be a gun. The object turned out to be a toy gun. The 22-year-old was pronounced dead at Coney Island Hospital. (6:40 p.m.)
Original story
There was a police shooting around 4 p.m. today near P.S. 194, on Avenue W and Knapp Street.
From News 12:
NYPD officials say one person has been shot by officers near P.S. 194. The person was taken to Coney Island Hospital, authorities say. Officials at P.S. 194 say no students were harmed in the incident.
UPDATE: Knapp Street between Avenue W and Avenue V has been closed off by police, and news vans are on the scene. (4:33 p.m.)
Photo courtesy of MDanalakis via Flickr
Coney Island Hospital has partnered with Takes All Types, a non-profit that uses social networking to encourage the internet generation to join the ranks of blood donors.
Takes All Types takes the concept of viral marketing and grassroots campaigning and transforms it into a system for alerting local blood donors when they are needed most. Their Facebook App hooks you into their system. You fill in all your information, including blood type (if you know it) and if supplies of that type run low in your area you’ll be contacted with a request to come donate. If you don’t use Facebook you can also register at their dedicated website or other social networking sites like MySpace and Fanbox. They’ve even got a cellphone network running (text ‘BLOOD’ to 69866).
If, for some reason, you’re precluded or prevented from donating blood you can still join Takes all Types and promote it to your friends.
Coney Island Hospital is paving the way to the future and is the first hospital in New York City to try this approach. Hopefully it will start a deluge of participants as New York City uses 2000 units of blood per day, with Coney Island Hospital using 3000 units last year alone. If you would like to donate blood you have to be eligible first. Which means you’ve got to be between 17 and 75, and at least 110 Lbs. You’re only allowed to donate once every 56 days and should be feeling well the day of your donation! In the meantime don’t forget to join TAT in their quest to keep the blood flowing.
If you want more info you can read the full press release here.
(Victoria Lapin, photographer, inspired by husband Shaw Lapin’s delectable fare.)
When most think of Brooklyn’s cultural communities, Williamsburg and DUMBO come to mind, those trendy, hipsterfied ‘hoods where talent is eventually engulfed in superficial chic. But as rents rise and hype surpasses creativity, artists move. In New York City, migration is southward bound. From uptown to midtown. From midtown to Greenwich and the Lower East Side. Across the bridges to DUMBO and Williamsburg and then… where?
The Brooklyn Streetcar Artists’ Group (BSAG) hopes Southern Brooklyn may be the next focal point for a new generation of artists. Branching out of the Brooklyn City Streetcar Company’s attempt to publicize its mission to bring green transportation to Brooklyn using historic trolleys in the borough, BSAG aims to create opportunities for artists and art lovers of all ages.
“The concept is to attract artists from all over, but we really want to represent the art world in the southern part of Brooklyn,” said Arthur Melnick, BSAG’s executive director.
The group opened its first ongoing show at Coney Island Hospital (2601 Ocean Parkway) last Wednesday, featuring 49 installments from 22 local artists. The gallery – the second floor hallway of the hospital – is open to the public until November 27. Continue Reading »
Councilman Lew Fidler is offering free health screenings Monday, September 14. The tests, which include blood pressure and pulse exams, will take place at his office at 1402 East 64th Street (corner of Avenue N) from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by Coney Island Hospital and no appointment is necessary. For more information, call the Councilman’s office at (718) 241-9330.
Date: Monday, September 14
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Where: Office of Councilman Lew Fidler
1402 East 64th Street (Corner of Avenue N)
(718) 241-9330
Free of charge, and no appointment necessary
According to a Jerusalem Post article, directors from Coney Island Hospital spoke at an event hosted by the Jerusalem Intercultural Center about cultural competency.
Like New York, Jerusalem is incredibly diverse with a multitude of languages. Unlike in New York, hospitals there are not effective at meeting the linguistic and cultural demands of its population. According to the article, a significant portion of patients receive sub-standard care or poor post-treatment care because of the language barrier. Simply put, patients can’t understand instructions, and doctors can’t understand medical complaints. Most of those who suffer because of this are Arabic speaking Palestinians, but it also includes the Yiddish-speaking haredi community, and people from a variety of other backgrounds who speak languages like Amharic, Russian, French and Spanish. To help publicize the issue, the Jerusalem Intercultural Center and the Jerusalem Foundation have launched an initiative to encourage cultural competency, including bringing over doctors from our local hospital:
Recently, the Jerusalem Intercultural Center hosted senior directors from the Coney Island Hospital in New York City, introduced to us through our collaborative work with Rabbi Bob Kaplan of CAUSE-NY, an organization committed to the availability of health services in New York. In compliance with the law, signs at the hospital appear in five languages, and anyone entering the hospital is entitled to receive hospital services in his or her own language. Sometimes a translator is present in the room and other times (with more obscure languages) translation is provided through a phone service, called tele-interpretation.
The hospital has a synagogue, a Christian church, a mosque and a Hindu temple – in accordance with the needs of the communities that it serves. Kosher food is provided for Jews and halal food for Muslims. In the case of Indians and Pakistanis, the food is prepared and spiced in a way that is suitable for their palate.
No matter what you think of the quality of care at Coney Island Hospital (and opinions certainly do vary), it’s model of multi-culturalism is laudable.
Whoever said that Sheepshead Bay party boats are dispensable probably never had their boat overturned in the windy waters.
Early Sunday morning on May 10, 2009, a 25-foot boat carrying six anglers was overturned when the winds and waves forced them into the chilly waters of Jamaica Bay.
Thankfully, a dance cruise boat carrying high schoolers celebrating their graduation was nearby. The captain and crew of the Capt. Dave II rushed to the mayday call — originating through the Coast Guard radio — and were able to rescue the entire crew of the capsized boat.
The rescued fisherpeople were rushed to nearby Coney Island Hospital and Maimonides Hospital in Borough Park, with all being released with a clear bill of health a little while later — free to check out their boat now docked at Sheepshead Bay.
Check the NY Daily News full story and see some pictures of the Capt. Dave II and its heroes, Capt. Dave Paris,Daniel Paris, and Larry Patrin. There’s no picture of rescuer Salvatore “Capt. Cody” Catapano, but we’re sure everyone whose life was saved will never forget his face.
(Sheepshead Bay Primary Care Center fence and “No Trespassing” signs)
Today is April Fool’s Day, but this is no joke.
Last week, NY 1 reported that the City was planning on cutting 400 jobs in the public health system by shutting down various health-based programs and clinics around the city.
I couldn’t believe it when I heard that the Coney Island Hospital Multi-Specialty Medical Center at Sheepshead Bay, located at 3121 Ocean Ave (between Shore Parkway and Voorhies Ave) was going to be closing down. Hoping to hear some good news that the center had been added to the shut-down list by mistake, I held off mentioning it.
This week, it is being reported by the NY Daily News that the facility is definitely on the list. So, it’s no mistake.
The Sheepshead Bay Primary Care Center — as it’s otherwise known — will shut it doors for good in June, stranding many local residents who prefer to be treated in the more efficient satellite center, instead of the bureaucratic hospital clinic.
Last year, when there were reports about homeless people and vagrants setting up home in the parking lot, hospital management put an end to the problem by installing a fence around the entire lot, including a secure fence at the entryway so that no one could enter in after hours.
Numerous bold “No Trespassing” signs were placed around the outside of the building to keep unwanted visitors out. Come this summer, those signs will keep everyone, including those who hold a clinic card OUT and looking for a new medical “home” where they can get treatment.
