A NJ man is accused of impersonating a cop and threatening hookers with jail time if they wouldn't give him free sex. Warren D. Taylor, 32, was caught after police tracked down a cell phone number he had given to one of the women he allegedly attacked; Taylor was allegedly taking a page from real cops, and trying to become her pimp. more ›

The clock is ticking for everyone's favorite purveyor of Ham Bowls to open up shop in NYC: Crain's notes that after Walmart wined and dined us last summer, it's now acting all "Oh we'll call you next week." In two years, the company will likely have to deal with an anti-Walmart mayor (although Christine Quinn has flirted with the store), and polling may not be so generous, so it's crucial that they don't squander the goodwill. “Walmart doesn't know how to be a good winner," a "political insider" says. Will they finally bust out the Wet kiwi strawberry intimacy gel and consummate this thing? more ›

The pastor of a church that has housed Occupy Wall Street protesters is giving them two weeks to leave after a portion of a baptismal font went missing. "It was like pissing on the 99 percent," the Post quotes Rev. Bob Brashear of West Park Presbyterian Church as sermonizing. Around 60 protesters sleep between the pews every night, and Brashear discovered that the basin and its lid were missing before Sunday services, and demanded that they be returned later that day. Recalling the era of the crack epidemic, Brashear said that the drug addicts the church took in didn't steal the basin. "Not even the crackheads messed with that." more ›

Yesterday the New York Post ran a story claiming that December's Occupy Foreclosure event was a misguided sham. The paper quoted the former owner of the vacant home in East New York as being "pissed" that he'd been frozen out of the reoccupation process, and insinuated that the home was being inhabited by protesters, not the family for whom it was intended. VOCAL-NY, the organization that coordinated Occupy Foreclosure, has given us a statement that attempts to blunt some of the Post's accusations. more ›

The New York Post alleges that Occupy Wall Street shunned the homeowner of the foreclosed home in East New York that the movement reclaimed for a homeless family last month. "They’re trying to take a house and say the bank is robbing the people because the mortgage is too high—so contact the owner!" Wise Ahadzi told the paper. Ahadzi, a single father of a 3-year old and a 10-year-old, has been confirmed to be in foreclosure proceedings since 2009. more ›

A Brooklyn father was fatally shot by police yesterday while investigating a possible break-in at his home. Dwayne Browne, 27, was shot once in the chest by police around 10:40 p.m. in East New York last night. "The officers told me they had to shoot him,'' his girlfriend Juanita told the Daily News. "They kept calling him the shooter. The officer said, 'I'm sorry. It was one of us. But he wouldn't put the gun down.'" more ›

A Jehovah's Witness jumped to his death from a Brooklyn rooftop yesterday. According to police, Dwayne Fagan, 48, jumped from the top of his apartment building in the Linden Houses in East New York just before 1 p.m. Wednesday afternoon as bystanders looked on. “I thought someone had thrown an air conditioner off the roof. I screamed and screamed for a minute straight,” said witness Antoinette George, who also lives in the building. more ›

More information has emerged about the mysterious, scared-looking wolf discovered wandering the streets of Brooklyn last night: for starters, she's actually a wolf-dog hybrid (as many of our commenters already guessed), and her future is uncertain at the moment. more ›

In case you had forgotten that NYPD Officer Peter Figoski gave his life fighting crime in Brooklyn, the NYPD today slips a story to the Post about the police partially stopping a similar drug dealer robbery in which the alleged crooks were reportedly ready to kill cops if necessary. "It’s similar to the Figoski case," a source tells the tabloid. more ›

On Tuesday, a group of housing activists and Occupy Wall Street protesters marched the streets of East New York to put a spotlight on the vast foreclosure rates affecting the Brooklyn neighborhood. The demonstration came to a head at 702 Vermont Street, where a homeless family comprised of Alfredo Carasquillo, Tasha Glasgow, and their two children, intend to occupy a house foreclosed upon by Bank of America. And while Glasgow and her children are still squatting in a dilapidated home in Far Rockaway, with the help of an OWS team, Carasquillo is hard at work making the Vermont Street space a safe and livable one for his family. more ›

Jocelyne Voltaire of Queens Village is the face of the housing crisis in America: she's facing foreclosure—again—on the home she has owned for over 20 years. A victim of predatory lending, Voltaire, 50, made headlines in 2008 when it was first reported that she might lose her home. A grassroots effort initiated by Code PINK and the generosity of strangers staved off foreclosure then, but just three years later Voltaire finds herself with even higher monthly payments. more ›

Yesterday, with the help of housing activists and Occupy Wall Street protesters, a homeless New York family with two children took possession of a Bank of America-owned property at 702 Vermont Street in East New York. According to community residents, the home, which had been foreclosed upon and remained vacant for over three years, was maintained by a neighbor and served as a place for other homeless New Yorkers to seek shelter from the elements. A march through the community intending to shine a spotlight on the staggering foreclosure rates in East New York—nearly five times the statewide average—culminated on Vermont Street with housewarming party held in honor of the family. more ›

Though Occupy Wall Street has spent much of their time amidst the canyons of the Financial District's "heroes," tomorrow's efforts are focused in East New York, as part of a nationwide day of action to call attention to the housing crisis that continues to plague much of the country. Occupy Our Homes will meet at the Pennsylvania Avenue subway stop in Brownsville at 1 p.m. for a tour of foreclosed homes, ending with a housewarming party for the families who are "taking these homes back for the community," despite impending foreclosure, and according to a release, volunteers from the many organizations involved will begin fixing up abandoned property. more ›

An NYPD cruiser and an unmarked sedan collided yesterday afternoon in their haste to respond to a robbery in East New York. Six officers sustained minor injuries, and we imagine there was a lot of hot coffee spilled all over the interior of both cars. NBC New York obtained excellent surveillance video of the crash, which they have lovingly edited into several sequences, so you can watch the cops collide repeatedly! Get your popcorn-flavored donuts: more ›

An off-duty cop was caught in the crossfire during a shootout near a McDonald's in East New York yesterday afternoon, and Councilmember Charles Barron says enough is enough. "The governor and the mayor need to declare this a state of emergency," Barron said yesterday near the scene of the shooting, which happened around 4 p.m. in the McDonald's parking lot on Pennsylvania Avenue near Linden Boulevard. (We called that McDonald's yesterday afternoon and employees said they hadn't heard any shots fired.) more ›

Following reports of a "turf war" between residents and roving bands of teenagers in Brower Park and the Park Slope Playground, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes is seeking to assuage fears that his office is out of touch with the issue. "We are definitely aware of the increase in gang activity in parks and playgrounds," Hynes's spokesperson Jerry Schmetterer told the Daily News. According to Schmetterer, the DA's Gang's Bureau is "monitoring their activity. And we are in touch with the community about it." more ›

If you think Wal-Mart would just plop down a store or two in East New York and call it a day, you don't know Wal-Mart. In order for the big box chain to gain 21% grocery market share, which is what they enjoy in the rest of the country, they would need to build 159 stores in New York City. That's 159 more places to get these fabulous hamster beds. more ›

In case a pair of polls showing a majority of New Yorkers supporting Wal-Mart's presence in the city don't make a believer out of you, the big box retailer has released data today showing that spending by New Yorkers in area Wal-Marts has risen 10% to $215 million. The largest increase came from Manhattanites, who spent 26%, or $65.1 million more at Wal-Mart than they did last year. But what these figures belie is the fact that there is no where else to shop in the 'burbs but Wal-Mart. more ›

The USDA defines a "food desert" as an area where residents must travel a mile to reach an adequate grocery store, and even has a "Food Desert Locator" on their website. According to the agency, East New York doesn't qualify, but city officials beg to differ. While the USDA claims that only 26K New Yorkers are living in food deserts in Staten Island and Queens, the city's own figures bring that number up to 3 million spread over all five boroughs. "We think their map needs work," the city's food policy coordinator tells the Daily News, echoing the city's dismissal of the Fed's census count. more ›

In the grand tradition of corporate chivalry, Wal-Mart is buying a meal for a local community before it takes it back to its crib, dims the lights, and shows it the real meaning of the phrase "Rollback." The big-box chain that specializes in everything from fine cuisine to terrific labor practices, is taking out a few dozen members of the community surrounding the Gateway II shopping center in East Brooklyn for breakfast at the Lindenwood Diner. "We wanted to talk to the community and share information," a company spokesman told the Daily News, presumably before telling the community that Wal-Mart really just wants to settle down, and how much it loves their eyes when they laugh. more ›

Armed with two loaded pistols, 45-year-old Carl Lastorino of Brooklyn stormed into Peter’s Tire and Rim Shop in East New York yesterday just before 5 p.m. and screamed, "Peter, this is for you!" before opening fire, police say. The alleged recipient of Lastorino's largess was presumably the shop's owner, 49-year-old Peter Argentina, who was shot once in the right shoulder and once in the right hand. Fortunately, he's in stable condition at Brookdale University Hospital. Lastorino, on the other hand, is dead. more ›

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly spoke about yesterday's Brooklyn shooting that spilled out from a East New York house party. Police said that the fight was instigated when two men bumped into each other during a "Freaky Friday" party at 325 Wyona Street. Now, the cops say the men may have been in gangs; Kelly said, "We believe there's gang involvement here -- one group called the 'Very Crispy Gangsters' who may have some involvement." more ›

Around 3 a.m. this morning, a shooting broke out on an East New York street outside of a house party, killing a 20-year-old and injuring eight others. According to WCBS 2, "A semi-automatic handgun was just one of the weapons police believe was involved"—and the party had been publicized as "Freaky Friday" on Facebook with a $5 cover. more ›