Brownsville Mourns Passing of M. Morton Hall
A number of elected officials, civic leaders and community members today celebrated the life and mourned the passing of legendary music promotor and longtime Brownsville resident M. Morton Hall.
Hall, who passed away at 75, was originally from Trinidad and Tobago, and immigrated to New York City and Harlem in the 1940s. In the 1950s the family settled into Brownsville, where after a stint in the army, Morton remained the rest of his life.
Morton made a major mark as an innovative and pioneer music promoter, who brought to New York concert venues such musical stars and legends as Miles Davis, Stephanie Mills, Phyllis Hyman, Chaka Khan, Earth, Wind & Fire and many others. Additionally, he was a loving father and mentored many people in Brownsville and Central Brooklyn.
Among those paying their respects to Hall at the Harmony Funeral Home, 2200 Clarendon Road today were Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, City Council members Darlene Mealy and Inez Barron, Assembly members Charles Barron and Latrice Walker, Van Dyke Houses Residents Association President Lisa Kenner, District Leader Candidate Shemene Monique Minter, and civic leader Ernest Skinner. Others who were very close to Hall were Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and his senior advisor, Ingrid Lewis-Martin.
Interment will be at Evergreens Cemetery in Bushwick.
Adams Kicks Off J’Ouvert Promoting Peace
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and WBLS radio personality Dahved Levy, a legendary local Caribbean DJ, will bring together popular reggae and soca artists at Grand Army Plaza tomorrow to kick off the J’Ouvert parade, to promote peace during the Labor Day weekend celebrations.
The concert will also promote the #WeAreJOuvert campaign, a initiative in partnership with City Hall, the NYPD, local clergy, and community stakeholders to combat violence that has been connected to this popular cultural celebration.
The kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m., tomorrow in Grand Army Plaza.
Golden Announces x28 Weekend Bus Service Starts Sunday
Southwest Brooklyn State Senator Martin J. Golden, a member of the Metropolitan Transit Authority Capital Review Board, today announced that weekend express bus service on the X 28 that covers Dyker Heights, Bath Beach and Bensonhurst will officially resume weekend service on Sunday.
“For those who have been without express bus service on the weekends in sections of Southwest Brooklyn, this Sunday will not be like any given Sunday. I am excited to announce the wait is over and weekend express bus service is back on the X 28,” said Golden.
“The return of this bus service will be great for those who work on Saturdays and Sundays, or who wish to travel to Manhattan on weekends to shop, dine or see a show. This service will also remove the barrier that has prevented seniors and the disabled from going to Manhattan on the weekends,” the lawmaker added.
Golden has held countless meetings on these important transportation needs of the community, and organized a petition calling for the restoration of weekend express bus service on the X 28. The express bus
service being reinstated on Sunday will operate as it did when it was reduced in June 2010.
The service will travel on Saturday and Sundays from West 37th Street/Surf Avenue in Brooklyn to East 57th Street/Madison Avenue in Manhattan, from 6 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. towards Manhattan, and from 7:30
a.m. to 10 p.m. to Brooklyn.
Sunday Service will operate from 7 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. toward Manhattan, and from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. to Brooklyn. The frequency will remain as was in 2010, operating every 30 to 40 minutes Saturday, and every 30 to 60 minutes Sunday.
