On October 30, St. Nicks Alliance celebrated their 49th year of service to North Brooklyn. The night inspired smiles and deeper feelings of what united activism can do.
St. Nicks Alliance shared successes of the past year, such as breaking ground on Phase 2 of Kingsland Commons that will bring 311 units of truly and permanently affordable housing to Kingsland Avenue at Maspeth. A new and expanded workforce development center that will be able to serve more of the community is to open in January 2025. They also conveyed their growth in elder care and youth and education.
In addition to shining a light on their work, St. Nicks Alliance always stresses community, supporters, and partnerships. Alliance is a vital part of their name. Their work with elected officials, partnering with other community organizations, and joining with neighbors and local businesses is what enables opportunity.
Dime Community Bank, Crest Hardware, and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez were honored at this celebration for their work in the community and with St. Nicks Alliance.
Dime sponsors St. Nicks Alliance’s annual 5k fundraiser, the Dime McCarren 5k. The bank has had a long history in the community building community. Evelyn Cruz, district director for U.S. Representative Nydia Velázquez, shared the memory of her grandmother taking her to the bank to start a Christmas club account and Eric Gonzalez also remembered opening what may have been his first bank account at Dime.
The audience warmly welcomed those representing Crest Hardware, a community hero and a 62-year old family business that closed at the end of August. “A customer was talking about their garden, talking about how plants have legacy. And it’s beautiful to think about, how seasons go and things may go dormant, but they rise once again. And though Crest Hardware’s doors have closed our legacy lives on, season after season, year after year, it lives in us, it lives in everyone in this room. Stay civic, stay community minded, keep shopping local, keep those doors open for other businesses every chance possible. That is the livelihood of a community. That is how we keep dollars in your community,” said honoree Joseph Franquinha, owner of Crest Hardware.
In her introduction of honoree Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, NYC Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez said, “I have the distinct pleasure of calling St. Nicks [Alliance] lifelong partners. Remember that I came at eight-and-a-half months pregnant, that’s how much I care for you. Maybe tonight’s the night, we don’t know.” As of this writing (11/19/2024) Gutiérrez has yet to deliver her second child. About Gonzalez, she said, “It’s really inspiring to have an educated Latino person of color represent our community, come back to our community, and blaze the trail of restorative justice and giving people hope.”
Debra Benders, president of the Cooper Park Residents Council, and Juan Ramos, executive director of Southside United HDFC–Los Sures, joined Gutiérrez to introduce Gonzalez because of the district attorney office’s participation in the North Brooklyn Antiviolence and Homeless Prevention Initiative, which is a collaboration of St. Nicks Alliance, RiseBoro, and The Wick Against Violence/Southside United HDFC–Los Sures.
“What I can say about our local D.A., our local bred and born D.A., is that at every moment that I challenged law enforcement in this community to do something different for youth, or show up differently for youth, I’ve always met with resistance. But whenever I came to speak to Eric Gonzalez our D.A. he’s always asked me, ‘what else can I do to help?’ he never shied away from conversation when other doors were shut in my face,” said Ramos
“Receiving recognition from this community is particularly special for me. My family is from Puerto Rico we came to Williamsburg. There was a time when it was difficult to reside in northern Brooklyn, and the history of St. Nicks [Alliance] comes out of tragedy, there was a big fire people were displaced, and it was really the beginning of community coming together to envision what this city could look like if we stood side by side … St. Nicks Alliance has been around my entire life,” said Gonzalez.
NYC Council Member Lincoln Restler stepped to the mike to speak about St. Nicks Alliance, “I have to say I love this organization. I love St. Nicks [Alliance] because [they are] there for our community whenever we are in need. Whether it is early childhood education, whether it’s afterschool, whether it’s that literacy support we just heard about, whether it is adult education, whether it’s housing, truly affordable housing for our communities, tenant organizing to keep tenants in their homes. Can I give it up for UNO? St. Nicks [Alliance] is there for our seniors, for elder care for home health aides, St. Nicks [Alliance] is there for us.” He went on to say he was excited to be introducing a video on St. Nicks Alliance Workforce Development. “Because Larry and his team do an amazing job to provide transformational workforce development services to make sure that Brooklynites get the jobs that they deserve, jobs that sustain their households and communities.” He also mentioned that the new home of St. Nicks Alliance Workforce Development Center would be opening soon at 92 Throop Avenue.
There’s a lot to look forward to and in 2025 St. Nicks Alliance turns 50.
The Greenline 