Bronx Crime Watch: Another Church Hit in String of Robberies

A sixth Bronx church was burglarized this weekend, the latest in a string of break-ins targeting churches in the area since the start of November.

Someone broke into an office window at the Church of the Mediator, on West 231st Street and Kingsbridge Avenue, late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, according to senior warden Frank Holsapple and the NYPD.

The thief, or thieves, made off with several recently donated laptop computers and about $800 in cash, money the church was collecting for a Christmas toy drive.

"They hit every church around here, and I guess we were the last stop," Holsapple  said, adding that the burglar or burglars wrecked the office that they broke into but were unable to access the rest of the church, as the room was securely locked.

"They went out the way they came in," he said. "It could have been a lot worse."

A police spokeswoman said that they have no description of the perpetrator so far, and the investigation is ongoing.

Other churches that have been hit since early November include Our Lady of Refuge on 194th Street and Briggs Avenue, St. Ann’s Church on Bainbridge Avenue, Kingsbridge Evangelical Lutheran Church on Bailey Avenue, St. John’s Church on Kingsbridge Avenue, and Our Lady of Angels on Claflin Avenue.

"We're still edgy," said Father Antonio Zabala of St. John's Church. "They were able to break in through the window even though it has bars on it. These robbers are really professional crooks, and are really dangerous."

Church leaders say one silver lining has been the public's response as news of the burglaries spread.

"It's been overwhelming," said Father John Jenik of Our Lady of Refuge Church, which lost two laptops, a video camera and $1,300 in cash after a break-in at the end of November.

"We've gotten four laptop computers and over $15,000 in donations," he said.

Jenik says the parish will use the money towards repairing damages from the burglary and for tuition assistance, and to invest in a new alarm system for the church.

"We know how they got in, and it was easy for them," he said. "We have certainly tightened up security around here."

Espada's Town Hall Meeting Rescheduled

[Ed. note: this post has been updated from its original version.]

The town hall-style meeting at Church of the Mediator featuring State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr., which had drawn the attention of pro-tenant housing advocates who were planning to hold a protest outside of the meeting, has been rescheduled because of safety concerns, said Diego Delgado-Miller, the head pastor of the Kingsbridge area church.

A new date has not yet been determined, Delgado-Miller said.

When asked why the church had decided to reschedule the meeting, Delgado-Miller offered a short chuckle as if he was amused by all the attention the meeting was receiving. "We wanted to make sure it was more secure, more peaceful," he said. "We wanted people to feel safe."

Activists from the Real Rent Reform campaign, which includes several pro-tenant housing groups, including the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition and Housing Here and Now, had planned to protest outside of the church because the meeting was limited to an invite-only crowd and they wanted to highlight Espada's inaction on several key pieces of pro-tenant housing legislation.

Delgado-Miller said he had invited Espada to speak at his church, "Because I wanted to people to know him and what he is doing."

Michael McKee of Housing Here and Now also wanted people to know what Espada is doing, or not doing, as Chairman of the Senate's housing committee.  "He has bottled every single one of our housing bills in his housing committee," he said.

Earlier today, Espada's chief of staff, Alex Diaz, told the Daily News that they needed to limit the town hall participants to those who had registered because of space concerns.

McKee said it was because Espada only likes to participate in events that he can "tightly control" and where he can hand-pick the audience.

Espada just sent out an angry press release about the postponement. "The meeting will be rescheduled for those who registered to attend so their questions can be answered and their concerns addressed in the civil environment that was intended," he said in the release. [Update: these quotes were technically sent out in a joint statement by Espada and Diego-Miller.]

He went on to denounce the protesters as "political rabble-rousers" -- "the same people who are paid a small stipend and a food voucher to some cheap restaurant to appear at events to disrupt, spit on people, use obscene language, intimidate and push people around."

Indeed some of the protesters, including McKee (who said he was about to get on the 1-Train before learning of the cancellation) are from outside of the community, but many were from the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, which is made up of local volunteer activists, most all of whom are from Espada's 33rd District.

McKee said it is actually Espada who buses in and pays people -- such as employees and patients of his Soundview health clinics -- to show up at his events.

Espada is running for re-election this fall. 

We'll have more on this later. Stay Tuned.

Bronx Events, Through March 11

Note: We're back with more Bronx events to keep you occupied in the Boogie Down for the next week. If we're missing anything, please alert us in the comments section or by emailing as at bxnewsandevents@gmail.com.  

Beginning Tuesday, March 2 through Saturday, April 24, ceramist Mara Gross's solo exhibit entitled "Women: At The Table, Off the Wall, Every Day," will be on display at the Hall of Fame Gallery in Bliss Hall at Bronx Community College. A reception and discussion will be held by the artist on Wednesday, March 10, from 12-2 p.m. and another on Saturday March 13, from 1-5 p.m. Bronx Community College is located at 2155 University Avenue at West 181st Street and University Avenue. For more information on the artists click here. And click here for directions to the school.

The Riverdale/Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture, is having a weekend full of events:

Saturday, March 6 at 7 p.m.: The movie "My Life As A Dog," a film by director Lasse Hallstrom will be presented. The film is based on a 12- year old boy who's summer away from home taught him lessons in his young life that he will never forget. The movie is one hour and 50 minutes long.

Sunday, March 7 at 11 a.m.: Jim White will be presenting "The Virtue of Patience" in celebration of Women's History Month. His presentation will be focusing on women's liberation from the bonds of sexist oppression.
Also on Sunday, March 7 from 1:15- 3:00 p.m.: A reception will be held for Dr. Lillian Wilhelm Masters, member of the Riverdale Art Association. She will be presenting her exhibit, "Myself as Artist: A Retrospective."The exhibit will be available throughout the month of March. The Riverdale/Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture is located at 4450 Fieldston Road, corner of Manhattan College Parkway. For further information on any of the exhibits or programs call (718) 548-4445 or visit www.rysec.org.

Saturday, March 6, from 10 a.m-3: p.m., the Bedford Mosholu Community Association will be holding its flea market at St Mary’s Church. The church is located at Bedford Park and Decatur Avenue. Donations are needed.