Name Your Neighborhood

A little more than a decade ago, when the Norwood News expanded beyond Bedford Park to include another neighborhood to its south in Community Board 7, we wondered what to call it. In the 1970s, the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition called its local affiliated association the Fordham-Bedford Community Coalition, named for the southern and northern street boundaries. And the nonprofit housing company that sprung from that group called itself the Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation.

In the Norwood News, we call the community “North Fordham,” which has long irked colleagues affiliated with both aforementioned organizations. We thought it better described the community north of Fordham Road and south of Bedford Park and its namesake boulevard. We felt like Fordham-Bedford was a confusing conglomeration of the two neighborhood names of Fordham and Bedford Park.

Last week, we got this e-mail from John Reilly, the long-time executive director of Forhdam Bedford Housing Corporation, who reported with no shortage of glee that Wikipedia now has an entry for Fordham-Bedford while North Fordham has none .

Gentlemen: How interesting that Wikipedia now recognizes Fordham Bedford as a neighborhood in the Bronx. It does not seem to reference anything about North Fordham. It would seem that the march of time and popular recognition are gradually winning out and that places are ultimately named by the people who live and work there. Just as “Holy Comforter” is now Concourse House, Fordham Bedford is STILL Fordham Bedford (as it has been for 35 years!)

And, we must admit, he has a point. Even if Fordham-Bedford is a made-up name that relatively few people use, North Fordham is no less made up or infrequently used. It also has the disadvantage of being more recently made up and by people who don’t live or work in the neighborhood.

But detracting from Mr. Reilly's argument is that the Wikipedia entry says Fordham-Bedford comprises two smaller neighborhoods – Fordham and Bedford Park. Our purpose in naming the neighborhood was to give it its own distinct identity, separate from Bedford Park.

So, we put it to you dear readers : If you live between Bedford Park Boulevard and Fordham Road, and between Webster and Jerome avenues, what do you call your neighborhood? And if you don’t feel like your neighborhood has a name, and you tell people you live on the Grand Concourse or Kingsbrige Road, or East 198^th Street, what would you like it to be called?

We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

New from the Norwood News

Ah, it felt good to write that headline. After a couple of weeks flailing about in the digital world, the Norwood News is back online. So, while we've neglected to get you the news roundup in a timely fashion today, take a minute to chew on a fresh batch of new stories from the Norwood News. Here's a quick preview:

-A view of Inauguration Day from Lehman College students, staff and faculty.

-Edtiorial: What can Bronx elected officials learn from Obama?

-A North Fordham neighborhood confronts their local police precinct about crime and missing police reports.

-The brutal murder and dismemberment of a North Fordham woman remains unsolved, though her ex-boyfriend, who has a history of arrests, has been questioned about the murder and was arrested on other charges.

-A century-old nonprofit that trains and helps women find meaningful jobs is recruiting in the Bronx for the first time.

-A Fordham-area-Marine who was killed in Afghanistan was recently laid to rest.

-A $4.5 million plan to remake the green space around the Jerome Park Reservoir received mixed reveiws.

Plus, our Inquiring Photographer asked about the Bush years and check out our expanded Neighborhood Notes section and our Out & About calendar.

Confronting Crime: Sunday Meeting at Our Lady of Refuge

Very important meeting this weekend at Our Lady of Refuge, 290 E. 196th St. (Parish Center) at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. Basically, community members in the North Fordham area (or Fordham-Bedford, if you prefer), many of whom attend Our Lady of Refuge, want to talk with police about a sharp rise in violent crime in the area.

Here's our story about a recent spate of murders in the area and a police shooting there. Earlier this week, a woman was found murdered close to the church.

This is not the first time residents have asked for more help and accountability from the local police. In November 2007, Deputy Inspector James Alles and other top cops from the 52nd Precinct attended a forum about a surge in crime in the area. Alles is supposed to show up again on Sunday.

Here's a quote from the press release about the event:
>“In addition to needing more police patrol, residents have grown frustrated with slow response time to 911 calls and the lack of police intervention as crimes happen before their eyes. Many residents also report that police donot file police reports after assuring crime victims that they will. This may affect the supposed drop in crime that the NYPD has heralded. Overall, it appears that the NYPD is attempting to contain Bronx crime to the historically-troubled Fordham Beford area.”

In other words, folks are not happy and they want something done about it. Again.

'I feel very good about what I just did!'

Just by standing outside the polling station at PS 46 in North Fordham, there was no denying the positive energy surging through the crowds. Voters waiting in a line that often filed out through the main entrance, spilling onto the street, created an electric atmosphere that both onlookers and organizers said they had never seen before.

Voters lined up outside of the main entrance
into the polling station at PS 46.

By the time I made it over to the polling station this morning, the lines may have thinned—for the most part voters were able to get in and out of the voting booths in around 15 minutes— since the “before-work-rush” to the polls. But the excitement of those coming and leaving the school hadn’t wavered, probably best exemplified by one exiting voter who proudly yelled, proclaiming to no one in particular, “I feel very good about what I just did!”

According to Jose Pizarro, who identified himself as the station's coordinator, his location is “having a very good turnout,” and one that started to show its strength as early as an hour before the polls opened. “When I pulled up at 5am the line was out around the corner,” Pizarro said, adding that he expects the after-work rush to pick up around 4pm. Between the eight voting machines inside, the coordinator said there were already about 200 votes on each machine as of 11:30 this morning. Expecting a record turnout, Pizarro said this number was bolstered by “a lot of first timers, a lot of young people, and a lot of older people.”

Of the almost 1600 votes that were registered before noon, two came from the mother-daughter team of Cynthia and Camille Newell. Cynthia, who arrived at the polls at 8am, cast her ballot and was taking in the scene at the polling station when her daughter joined her an hour later. Off from work for the day and dressed in her “Vote or Die” t-shirt, the 25-year-old Camille had given her vote for President to Barack Obama. “We need a change,” said the younger Newell. “People really see that they have a choice this time.”

Cynthia Newell (left) with her daughter (middle) and a friend
outside the PS 46 polling station.

“It’s never been like this before,” said Cynthia Newell. “Some [voters] are first timers, some have been registered but normally don’t vote, but its this year’s presidential election” that is drawing crowds to the polls.

Both Newells said that the economy was an issue they expected to be addressed by whoever takes control of the White House for the next four years. “It’s not just one group of people. Everybody is hurting,” said Cynthia. "We need to help those college kids that are trying to find a job.”

By and large everything ran smoothly inside of PS 46; it was outside the building that the operations could have been run more efficiently. There are “not enough people working outside,” pointed out Camille Newell. “People don’t know about the side entrance.” That entrance, equipped with a ramp, was largely underutilized. The lack of volunteers providing direction outside the main entrance, and the lack of appropriate signage—none, if you approached from the south along Briggs Ave.—caused problems for the occasional elderly voter who had difficulty making it up the stairs and into the building. Pizarro did a good job of assisting these voters when he was on-scene, but most voters did not know about the handicapped accessible side entrance.

As a Fordham University student relatively new to Bronx politics, standing with a couple of the other onlookers assembled outside of PS 46 throughout the morning was not only a unique experience in my life, but, just as importantly, fun. Coming from out-of-state, I mailed in my absentee ballot about two weeks ago. There was no way I was going to let this election, the first Presidential election where I have had the opportunity to voice my opinion at the polls, pass without casting my vote. But by voting through the mail and in the silence of my apartment I missed out on the other side of voting, the sense of community felt as you cast your vote, not as an individual, but as part of something bigger than yourself. Today, by watching and reporting on the residents of North Fordham vote in what should be record numbers, I felt like part of that community's expression of their hopes for the future.

Canadian Radio on Foreclosures in NYC highlights Fordham Bedford

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio (think Canadian NPR) came to the Bronx last week to find out about how the financial crisis is affecting neighborhoods througout New York City. Reporter/Producer Deen Karim took a walk with me through some of the streets of Fordham Bedford to look at foreclosed homes and talk about the impact they are having on the neighborhood. Listen here at Part 2: Broken Dreams.

The Latest From the Norwood News

Check out all the latest news from Norwood, Bedford Park, North Fordham and University Heights at the Norwood News Web site. Our latest edition hit streets today.

Latest Norwood News, out on Bronx streets, online, now

Check out the latest edition of the Norwood News, which is online and on the streets now.

Here's a quick preview:

Editor-in-Chief Jordan Moss celebrates 20 years of the Norwood News and reflects on the paper's impact on the community.

A year after North Fordham-area pediatrician Dr. Leandro Lozada was brutally murdered in his Scarsdale home, the clinic he founded and ran is slowly recovering.

After 18 years, Community Board 7 now has a new district manager. His name is Fernando Tirado and he's setting his sights high.

Lehman College women's hoop star Sally Nnamani is tearing up city competition and hoping to lead the Lady Lightning to another conference championship.

The Beacon after-school program at PS 8 delivers invaluable services to youth and adults.

Crime remained remarkably flat in the 52nd Precinct in 2007. Check out how crime statistics in 2007 broke down by neighborhood in our first-ever crime-by-sector maps.

Also, find out where to go to cast your primary vote on Super Tuesday, Feb. 5.

New Norwood News Stories Online Now

Check out a fresh batch of Norwood News stories, online now.

Hard copies will be out on the streets of Norwood, Bedford Park, North Fordham and University Heights tomorrow.

Enjoy and become informed about your neighborhoods.