Joe Liberatore, Longtime Arthur Avenue Vendor, Has Died

A plaque on display at the Arthur Avenue Market calls Liberatore "Little Italy's Mayor."
(File photo by Fausto Giovanny Pinto)

Joe Liberatore, one of the original vendors at the Arthur Avenue Retail Market in Belmont, passed away Monday night at the age of 93, according to a post yesterday on the "Arthur Avenue, the Real Italy of New York" Facebook page.

Liberatore had been a staple at the Italian indoor bazaar since its opening in 1940, and more recently had been peddling plants and seedlings (like basil, olives and bay leaves) at his Liberatore Joe's Garden of Plenty.

Residents are sharing their condolences and memories of Liberatore on Facebook, here.

Bronx 'Renaissance Man’ and Activist Ozzie Brown Remembered

Ozzie Brown (left) and Paul Foster share a laugh at last month's Community Board 7 meeting. (Photo courtesy CB7)

By Alex Kratz

Ozzie Brown, a colorful, loquacious and dedicated member of Community Board 7 who was also active in the civil rights movement and an advocate for diabetes awareness, died last week after a battle with cancer. He was 67 years old.

Locally, Brown was best known for the active role he took as a member of the community board. But Brown was much more than that, a “true Renaissance Man,” said former Bronx Borough President Adolf Carrion, one of Brown’s best friends.

“Ozzie was a worldly person,” Carrion said. “He brought a mix of experiences that many people would be surprised to hear about. He was a musician, a promoter of music, a philosopher, a lover of the arts.”