NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Bensonhurst

Bensonhurst is a working class neighborhood located in the south-central part of New York City, USA's borough of Brooklyn. Bensonhurst runs from about 11th Avenue to 25th Avenue and from Gravesend Bay to 63rd Street, encompassing Bath Beach and part of Dyker Heights and bordered by the Bath Beach, Bay Ridge, Gravesend, and Borough Park sections. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 181 KB) Summary Bensounhurst feautres a beautiful embrakement Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 181 KB) Summary Bensounhurst feautres a beautiful embrakement Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 183 KB) Summary A spectacular view of Verezano-Narrows Bridge is available from the Embrakement in Bensonhurst Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 183 KB) Summary A spectacular view of Verezano-Narrows Bridge is available from the Embrakement in Bensonhurst Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of... Brooklyn College of The City University of New York Brooklyn College of The City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 314 KB) Summary 15th Avenue is a typical street of Bensonhurst. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 314 KB) Summary 15th Avenue is a typical street of Bensonhurst. ... Nickname: The Big Apple Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... Main article: New York City A map of New York City, highlighting Brooklyn. ... Bath Beach is a community of Brooklyn, New York City, located at the southwestern edge of the mainland of the Borough on Gravesend Bay. ... Bay Ridge is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, USA. Bay Ridge is located in the southwest corner of Brooklyn, New York. ... Gravesend was one of the original towns in the Dutch colony of Nieuw Amsterdam and became one of the original towns of Kings County in colonial New York. ... Borough Park street covered with snow. ...

History

In the early 1900s, many Jews and Italians moved into the neighborhood and prior to World War II, the neighborhood was about equally Jewish and Italian. In the 1950s, there was an influx of immigrants from southern Italy and most of the Jewish population left the neighborhood and the neighborhood remained predominately Italian until the 1980s when many Chinese and Russian immigrants began to arrive. Today, the Italian-American community numbers about 50,000 or one-third of the population. Despite increasing diversity, Bensonhurst still remains the most authentic "Little Italy" in New York, as its Italian-speaking community remains about 20,000 strong, according to 2000 census figures. Its main thoroughfare, 86th Street between roughly 14th Avenue and Stillwell Avenue, is lined with predominantly small, family-owned businesses, many of which have remained in the same family for several generations, and is topped by an elevated subway line. Logo of Sons of Italy, which is the largest Italian American fraternal organization in the United States. ... Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated (or formerly populated) primarily by Italians. ... Metro is: a general term, synonymous with rapid transit, subway or underground, for an urban underground rail public transit system (see list of rapid transit systems); any of several specific public transport systems, including: Bi-State Development Agency in Missouri and Illinois, d/b/a Metro since 2003 Buffalo Metro...

80's Racial Tension

On August 23, 1989, the neighborhood made national headlines when Yusef Hawkins, a 16-year-old African American, went there with three of his friends to inquire about a used car which was for sale, only to be set upon by an angry mob of youths from the neighborhood, one of whom, armed with a handgun, shot and killed Hawkins. Spike Lee's film Jungle Fever is dedicated in memory of Hawkins, and his photograph appears at the beginning of the film. August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black), is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Spike Lee Shelton Jackson Lee (born March 20, 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia), better known as Spike Lee, is a groundbreaking and controversial film director, producer, writer, and actor noted for his many films dealing with social and political issues. ... Jungle Fever is a 1991 film directed by Spike Lee, starring Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra. ...

The incident uncorked a torrent of racial tension in and around New York City in the ensuing days and weeks, culminating in a protest march through the neighborhood led by the Reverend Al Sharpton, which almost precipitated a full-scale riot. The episode underscored the strained relations between Italian Americans and African Americans that have existed in many Northeastern and Rust Belt cities for decades. This further perpetuated the negative stereotype of Italian Americans as invariably racist. Many in Bensonhurst, the larger Italian American community, argue that this is a false stereotype, citing the fact that Italian-American religious, political and community leaders in Bensonhurst, as well as the vast majority of community residents, condemned the murder and desired to see the perpetrators jailed for their crime. The man who fired the shots that killed Hawkins, Joseph Fama, received a sentence of 32 years to life in prison for murder and unlawful possession of a weapon following his trial and conviction; several other defendants received lesser sentences on charges that included riot in the first degree, a felony. Nickname: The Big Apple Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... The Reverend Alfred Charles Al Sharpton Jr. ... An Italian-American is an American of Italian descent either born in America or someone who has immigrated. ... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... The Rust Belt, highlighted in red The Rust Belt, formerly known as the Manufacturing Belt, is an area in the northeastern and upper midwestern United States, roughly between Chicago and New York City, whose economy was formerly based largely on heavy industry, manufacturing, and associated industries. ...

Two years later, Al Sharpton was stabbed on Jan. 12, 1991, as he prepared to lead a march one block from where Yusuf Hawkins had been shot. The attempted assassin, Michael Riccardi, was a resident of Bensonhurst who felt he would be considered heroic by his community at the height of the racial tension. The Reverend Alfred Charles Al Sharpton Jr. ... Michael Riccardi attempted to assassinate Civil Rights Activist Reverend Al Sharpton on January 12, 1991. ...

Brooklyn's "Little Italy"

Bensonhurst was stereotyped as a haven for Mafia members (Gus Farace, a reputed mob associate suspected of murdering a federal drug-enforcement agent, was found shot to death in a parked car there on November 17, 1989, and two years later the neighborhood provided the setting for the mob-themed film Out for Justice starring Steven Seagal), many of whom are believed to maintain residences in Dyker Heights, a neighborhood adjacent to Bensonhurst. Despite this old stereotype, the reality is that the overwhelming majority of Bensonhurst residents (like the overwhelming majority of all Italian-Americans) have nothing to do with organized crime. The Mafia, also referred to in Italian as Cosa Nostra, which is generally translated our thing in the Italian language, is an organized criminal secret society which evolved in mid-19th century Sicily. ... Costabile Farace (Costabile Farace Jr. ... 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Steven Seagal (born April 10, 1951 in Lansing, MI) is an action movie actor, musician, holy man, 7th-dan black belt in aikido, film producer, and founder of Steven Seagal Enterprises. ... Dyker Heights is a neighborhood in southwestern Brooklyn, New York, USA. It is sandwiched between Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst on Gravesend Bay(Lower New York Bay). ...

Currently the neighborhood is undergoing a transformation; many of the original houses dating back over 90 years ago are being torn down and replaced by three-story brick apartment buildings and multi-family dwellings. Many of the original Italian-American families are leaving Brooklyn, and selling their homes to developers. A great number of them have moved to Long Island or Staten Island for a more suburban life. This is especially attractive to its more elderly residents. As a result, Bensonhurst is becoming a more integrated neighborhood as many Middle-Eastern as well as Eastern European, Russian, and Asian families have moved in.

Visitors from throughout the New York City metropolitan area flock to the neighborhood each year in late August or early September to take part in the colorful Santa Rosalia Festival, held on 18th Avenue from Bay Ridge Parkway (75 Street) to 69 Street. St. Rosalia is the patron saint of the city of Palermo and is sometimes venerated as the patron for the entire island of Sicily (a portion of Bensonhurst's Italian American residents are of Sicilian heritage). Nickname: The Big Apple Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... Santa Rosalia is the patron saint of Palermo, Sicily. ... Nickname: Palermu Motto: Official website: http://www. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ... An Italian-American is an American of Italian descent either born in America or someone who has immigrated. ...

Trivia

Cover of a book about the Honeymooners. ... Jackie Gleason and Audrey Meadows in a staged publicity shot for The Honeymooners. ...

Famous People

Danny DeVito as Louie in Taxi. ... Leah Remini (born June 15, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York, USA) is an American actress. ... Elliott Gould (born August 29, 1938), born Elliott Goldstein, was one of the most prominent American film actors in the early 70s, best known for playing Trapper John in the satirical 1970 film M*A*S*H. Time magazine put him on its cover in 1970, when he was at... Harvey Forbes Fierstein (born June 6, 1954 in Brooklyn, New York) is a Jewish, gay, American actor, author, and singer. ... Rafael Suarez, Jr. ... Rhea Perlman (born March 31, 1948 in Brooklyn, New York City) is a Jewish-American actress, best known for her role as Carla Tortelli on the popular sitcom Cheers. ... Abe Burrows (1910- 1985) noted author and director for the stage, particularly Broadway. ... Larry King hosts a nightly television program onCNN. Larry King, (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger on November 19, 1933) is an award-winning broadcaster. ... Lafayette High School, Buffalo, New York Lafayette High School is the oldest public school in Buffalo that remains in its original building; a stone, brick and terra-cotta structure in the French Renaissance Revival style, by architects August Esenwein and James A. Johnson. ... The Three Stooges were an American comedy act in the 20th century. ...

External links

Category: Brooklyn neighborhoods New York City Seal, image made by Dov Gutterman, and posted at http://fotw. ... Main article: New York City A map of New York City, highlighting Brooklyn. ... Nickname: The Big Apple Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... These are the neighborhoods of Brooklyn, one of five boroughs of New York City. ... Barren Island, originally an island off the southern end of Brooklyn NY, in Jamaica Bay just opposite Rockaway Peninsula in Queens NY. Today, owing to landfill, it is now connected to the Brooklyn mainland. ... Bath Beach is a community of Brooklyn, New York City, located at the southwestern edge of the mainland of the Borough on Gravesend Bay. ... Bay Ridge is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of Brooklyn, New York, USA. It is bounded by 65th Street on the north, Interstate 278 on the east, and the Belt Parkway-Shore Road on the west. ... Bedford Stuyvesant (aka Bed-Stuy) is a neighborhood in central Brooklyn, New York City. ... Boerum Hill is a small segment of Brooklyn roughly bounded by State Street to the north, 3rd Avenue to the east, Court Street to the west, and Warren Street to the south. ... Borough Park street covered with snow. ... Brighton Beach is a community on Coney Island in the borough of Brooklyn, New York City. ... View of Brooklyn Heights from Manhattan Brooklyn Heights is a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. ... The New York Naval Shipyard (NYNSY), also known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the New York Navy Yard and United States Navy Yard, New York, is located 1. ... Bushwick is a neighborhood in the borough of Brooklyn, New York, USA. Founded in 1661 by Governor Peter Stuyvesant as Boswijck, it is the site of some of the earliest settlements in Brooklyn that date to the middle of the 17th century. ... Canarsie is a neighborhood in the eastern portion of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City, USA. Its name is Algonquin for fenced land or fort. ... Carroll Gardens is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, USA named for Charles Carroll, a revolutionary war veteran who was also the only Roman Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. ... Clinton Hill is a small neighborhood in north-central Brooklyn, New York. ... Cobble Hill is a Brooklyn neighborhood in New York City. ... Image of Coney Island (middle left of picture) taken by NASA. The peninsula at right is Rockaway, Queens. ... Crown Heights is a neighborhood in Brooklyn in New York City. ... Skyline of Downtown Brooklyn seen from the East River Metro Tech is a business center in Downtown Brooklyn Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest central business district in New York City (following Midtown Manhattan and Downtown Manhattan), and is located in the northwestern section of the borough of Brooklyn. ... Dumbo is the fourth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon. ... Dyker Heights is a neighborhood in southwestern Brooklyn, New York, USA. It is sandwiched between Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst on Gravesend Bay(Lower New York Bay). ... East Flatbush is a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. ... Flatbush is a neighborhood of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City. ... Fort Greene is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. ... Fort Hamilton is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. ... Gowanus is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, USA, situated roughly between Red Hook and Carroll Gardens on the west and Park Slope on the east. ... Views from Greenpoints East River waterfront of Manhattan Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. ... Manhattan Beach is a beach on the Atlantic Ocean situated on the eastern end of Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. ... General Information Marine Park . ... Midwood has a substantial population of Haredi Jews and Modern Orthodox Jews, many of whom live and worship in the side streets around Kings Highway Midwood is a neighborhood located in the south central part of the Borough of Brooklyn, New York, USA, roughly halfway between Prospect Park and Coney... Mill Basin is a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York in Southeastern Brooklyn just east of Flatbush Avenue and around Avenue U. Most famous for the Kings Plaza shopping mall located at that intersection. ... New Utrecht was a neighborhood in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. ... Ocean Hill is a neighborhood on the Northeastern section of Brooklyn in New York City. ... A typical Park Slope block in spring. ... Prospect Heights is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, USA, bounded by Flatbush Avenue, Atlantic Avenue, Eastern Parkway and Bedford Avenue. ... Red Hook is a neighborhood of the Borough of Brooklyn, New York, USA. Before annexation into Brooklyn, Red Hook was a separate village. ... Body of water Sheepshead Bay is a bay separating the mainland of Brooklyn, New York City from the eastern portion of Coney Island, the latter originally a barrier island but now effectively an extension of the mainland with peninsulas both east and west. ... In 2003, Starrett City changed its name to the Spring Creek Towers. ... Sunset Park is a diverse, working-class neighborhood in the South Brooklyn section of Brooklyn, New York, USA. The neighborhood is located south of Park Slope and Windsor Terrace, separated by Green-Wood Cemetery and the Prospect Expressway/NY-27, while 65th Street and the Gowanus Expressway/I-278 mark... The Williamsburg Bridge connects the Brooklyn neighborhood to Manhattan Williamsburg is a neighborhood in northern Brooklyn, New York City. ... Windsor Terrace is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, USA. It is bounded by Prospect Park to the east and Green-Wood Cemetery to the west. ...

Contents

80's Racial Tension

Brooklyn's "Little Italy"

Trivia

Famous People

External links