Owen F. Dolen Park

The Daily Plant : Monday, March 5, 2012

Easing On Down The Road To Owen Dolen

Photo by Malcolm Pinckney

The Owen Dolen Recreation Center celebrated Black History Month on February 24. The evening began with everyone standing on their feet singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” later known as the Negro National Anthem, led by our guest performers Dr. George Faison and his group R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Our motivational speaker, Dr. George Faison, Tony Award Winning Choreographer for The Wiz, gave a motivational speech and showed a video of his accomplishments and his choreographical works. He spoke about building the Firehouse Theatre in Manhattan and being a mentor to so many young children. He was the first African American pioneer on Broadway who opened the doors for many other inspiring artists.

The Owen Dolen Afterschool children danced to The Wiz which was choreographed by Milteri Tucker from the Bronx Council On The Arts and assisted by Brigitte Lozada, Afterschool Coordinator. This program was a joint venture with the Bronx Council On the Arts. Miss Tucker teaches a dance workshop every Friday. She holds a degree in dance, biology and aspires to have a degree in sports medicine. All of the children were very excited as they shared their knowledge of how African Americans received their freedom through respect and perseverance. The parents were proud of their childrens’ performances.

This event drew over 150 guests and received publicity from the Bronx Times, Daily News and filmed by News 12 Bronx. Our guests included Larry Scott Blackmon, Deputy Commissioner for Community Outreach, who spoke on behalf of Parks; Nancy Barthold, Assistant Commissioner for Recreation and Programming; Robert Wright, Chief of Recreation; Neil Harmon, Deputy Chief of Recreation; Kathleen Walker Pinckney, Center Manager; Anthony Bromell, PRM; Deidre Scott, Executive Director of the Bronx Council On The Arts; and Phil Cardone, Information Manager for the Bronx Council On the Arts.

Submitted by Brigitte Lozada

P.E.P. BLOTTER

While on patrol of Battery Park on Tuesday, February 7, PEP Officer Thomas Pomposello was approached by a Parks concession food vendor inside the park to inform him that he was robbed a few minutes ago of cash from his food cart. Officer Pomposello took down all the information including a description of the perpetrator, He then notified Central Communications and NYPD was dispatched to file a report. This was the second such report our staff had received within one week of such thefts.

On Thursday, February 9, Friday February 10, and Saturday February 11, Captain Zelma Cruz, with the approval of Inspector Robert Reeves, put together a plainclothes undercover operation detail in the park to see if we could identify and apprehend those responsible for these thefts.

At approximately 2 p.m., PEP got the break we were looking for. The food vendor that was robbed on the 7th spotted our officers and pointed out a male in the park that he stated was the one responsible for the theft from his cart.

PEP Officers Thomas Pomposello and William Guzman quickly sprung into action. They approached the male perpetrator and identified themselves. A struggle ensued and the perp tried to flee the scene. After some resistance, the male was placed under arrest and transported to the First Precinct. The vendor was also transported to the precinct as the complainant. The perpetrator was charged with Petit Larceny, Assault in the 3rd Degree, Resisting Arrest, and Harassment.

Submitted by Robert Reeves

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“Oh, I should have stayed back at the library.”

Cowardly Lion
The Wiz