While plenty of city politicians have recommended Vito Lopez stop his campaign for City Council, most recent among them being Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one City Councilmember has decided it’s time to take action.

Queens Councilman Peter Vallone is calling for city and state lawmakers to cut funding to the Lopez-controlled Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, “unless Vito’s cronies step away from that organization and we get a pledge from Vito not to run.”

Lopez recently resigned from the Assembly in disgrace, after the ethics committee produced a 68-page report detailing sexual harassment allegations made against him by his female staffers. They ranged from staffers contracting pink-eye after being instructed to apply eye drops to Lopez’s infected eyes, to a female staffer being scratched “by one of Lopez’s jagged fingernails” when he tried to push his hand up her inner thigh.

“A lot of people are saying that Lopez should not run, but no one is discussing the power base that he has in that district that allows him to run and be a viable candidate,” Vallone explained.

In the most recent campaign finance filing period, $1,700 of Lopez’s contributions came from employees of the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council.

Vallone also noted that the housing division of the organization is run by Lopez’s girlfriend, and it has consistently been peppered with his hand-picked friends and political allies.

A New York Times report last year noted that the Council’s offices close every Election Day so that employees can vote for Lopez and his chosen candidates.

“This Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council has for a long time been controlled by Vito and his cronies, and they need to go,” Vallone said. “Once they’re gone, once there’s a pledge for Vito not to run, then I think people can discuss whether to fund that group or not.” 

“But until then, nobody in government should do anything to help him run and abuse other women.”

Councilmember Erik Dilan, who had several member items for RBSCC in last year’s budget, declined to comment for this story.

Another steady supporter of RBSCC with member items for the organization in last year’s budget, Councilmember Domenic Recchia, did not respond to a request for comment.

Councilmember Stephen Levin, who once worked for Lopez and also had several member items for the organization in last year’s budget, put out a statement this weekend saying he believes Lopez should “voluntarily step down.”

But Levin said today that he would not support a plan to cut or withhold funding from RBSCC to put pressure on Lopez to drop out of the race.

“The truth is they provide good services,” Levin said, noting the work the organization does with youth programs, homelessness prevention, and seniors. “And so I don’t think that it’s appropriate to allow politics to dictate what programs get funded in that way.”

Vallone conceded that “the organization apparently does some good work.” 

“But so did some other organizations that were controlled by slimy elected officials,” Vallone said. “As with most villains, you have to go after the power source.”

Vallone wants to show voters that Lopez would be impotent on the Council, only harming his districts as legislators refuse to work with him.

“[RBSCC] unfortunately makes him a viable candidate,” Vallone said. “I’ve been wondering for a while why this organization, why Vito’s power base, has been unmentioned and untouched.”

Lopez’s competitor in the City Council race, Antonio Reynoso, noted to Politicker that while Lopez’s political allies outside of Ridgewood Bushwick may be falling away, he still maintains influence in that neighborhood.

Even after the ethics report outlining the abuse allegations female staffers made against Lopez, community members are apparently still standing behind him.

“Who knows if it was just someone making up lies?” one resident told Politicker.

“I don’t believe that’s true,” said another Ridgewood Bushwick resident of the sexual abuse allegations. “I don’t care what anyone says.”

The ethics report details, among others, an incident with a female staffer who Lopez coerced into massaging his hand. When the staffer began to cry, Lopez responded by saying, “I like that you’re holding my hand.” The young woman cried harder. The whole exchange occurred immediately after the staffer told Lopez she was raped in college and he responded by asking her if she “felt guilty.” He got her to massage his hand after telling her he “really believe[d] in her work” but wanted her to show more “intensity” and be more “adventurous.”

Ultimately, Vallone said he does not want a colleague who could potentially do with female staffers in the Council what the report said Lopez did with women who worked for him in the Assembly.

“He clearly does not understand that what he did was wrong, and he’ll do it again if you give him power,” Vallone warned.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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Cops are searching for a man who sexually assaulted a 21-year-old woman aboard a Brooklyn 4 train last week.

The victim was riding a southbound 4 train at about 3 a.m. on May 15 when the suspect exposed himself to her, police said. The man tried to engage in a conversation with the woman while exposing himself. When the woman refused, the suspect grabbed her and forced her against the train door.

When the doors opened at the Saratoga Avenue station, the victim escaped and ran towards the train conductor. The train conductor opened the doors so the victim could get on the train and then closed the doors before the suspect could follow her.

The suspect fled the station onto Livonia Avenue. He is being described as black, in his late 20s, approximately 200-220 lbs. and 6 feet tall. He was last seen wearing a green and blue waist-length windbreaker and dark blue jeans.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call Crime stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577.

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A Daily News investigation of a Brooklyn narcotics officer and his team has spotlighted a troubling pattern of behavior that has cost the city more than $1.5 million in settlements even while the officer in question was promoted.

NYPD lieutenant Daniel Sbarra and members of his team have been hit with nearly 60 lawsuits, nine of which are still pending. At least fifteen of the cases involve Sbarra specifically, with charges ranging from racial profiling and slurs to the unprovoked brutal beating of a man whose 11-year-old son was watching.

The city Law Department issued a statement pointing to the intense nature of Sbarra’s job.

“Being named in a lawsuit or settlement is not an accurate barometer for evaluating an officer’s conduct,” it said. “For example, an officer who works in high-impact roles, such as narcotics or emergency services, is more likely to be sued in his or her line of duty than an officer in a less confrontational role.”

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It is possible that James Franco has out-Franco-ed himself. Adding “street artist” to his absurdly lengthy resume (ever heard of a vacation, bro? Just reading about all the things you do makes me sleepy), Franco has now painted a mural on a Brooklyn building. Gakwer acquired some photos of Franco tagging a Williamsburg wall with the likenesses of himself and his “This Is the End” co-stars Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson on Saturday. Stay tuned for subsequent photos of the mural being graffiti-ed by disgruntled hipsters. We’re not pawns in your game of capitalistic self-promotion masked in art, man. Also, go take a nap.

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A man was struck and killed by a livery cab while riding his bike near the Brooklyn Museum early Sunday morning, police said.

The cyclist had been traveling eastbound on Eastern Parkway when he was hit by the taxi going the same direction at about 1:15 a.m. He was taken to Methodist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Daily News reports that the man was wearing a helmet but was not carrying any identification.

The driver of the livery cab remained on the scene, police said. An investigation is ongoing.

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The phrase ‘chamber pop’ is often thrown around in indie rock circles, but Brooklyn-based six-piece Friend Roulette have the resume to show that they’re worthy of the title.

The core of the group met years ago as freshmen at New School’s jazz conservatory. “It was summer camp… we all moved to New York and we played with a lot of groups. My philosophy was to do everything,” reminisced lead vocalist and violinist Julia Tepper.

She met co-founder Matthew Meade (guitar/vocals) at the conservatory, who eventually ‘started hating jazz,’ but still holds true to his classical roots. He excitedly mentioned that he spent the previous night at Carnegie Hall to hear a rendition of renowned modernist composer Charles Ives’ pieces.

Friend Roulette blossomed in the summer of 2010 and they do fit into Brooklyn’s alt. rock landscape regardless of their background. “We’re not pimping rock and roll…,” Meade begins. “But, we feel like were still a part of it,” Tepper says.

Their debut album, “I’m Sorry You Hit Your Head,” which comes out on Goodnight Records on May 28, does follow a decidedly pop structure. Expansive tracks reveal intricate melodies and rhythms, and this underscores the production of the album. Most of the tracks are layered with violins, bass clarinet, electronic wind instrument (EWI) and drums. “Our recordings are an ornate, decorative, dynamic take [on our songs],” Tepper explains.

Their live performance displays their loud side, as their NYC shows often have two drummers and two electronic bassists backing them up.  “The orchestration on the record is made up for by our intensity live,” says EWI/bass clarinetist John Stanesco.

“We like both [live and recorded settings] a lot. We can take the opportunity to showcase ourselves as a group in both settings,” Tepper says. At the same time, they have to adjust to the logistics of pop music. “We were all trained to be jazz musicians [and gig often]. This whole play two shows a month thing is really a bummer,” Stanesco says.

Catch Friend Roulette’s intensity live at their album release show on May 23 at Mercury Lounge.

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Lee Field and the Expressions are a soul-lover’s complete package. A tight band, velvet crooning, and great songs are the best way to start out a weekend of partying in the park.

MAKU Sound System, from Queens, blends Colombian rhythms with a spectrum of U.S. party music creating a young, global sound for fans of ska, punk, and cumbia alike.

Jovanotti is Italy’s hip-hop icon with a string of hits in the 90s and a recent rebirth at Bonnaroo where he won over U.S. fans. Now he lives in Gotham and he’s the only artist playing Googa both days, joining an Eataly pop-up Sunday.

Pearl and the Beard is a personal favorite, a trio that plays Americana laced with soulful harmonies and marching drums.

Red Baraat brings traditional Indian drums, vocals and clarinet to the New Orleans second line, an idea that keeps the crowd moving with an eastern twist.

Last year’s Hall & Oates are a tough act to follow but Kool & the explitive-ing Gang are sure to bring it. Disco classics include easy-listening ballads like “Cherish” and show stoppers like “Celebration” and “Ladies Night.” Kool & the Gang have all the makings of Great Googa-ism.

Credit: Googa Mooga

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Police have arrested a 20-year-old man in connection with the murder of a teen girl whose body was found on Gerritsen Beach in January.

Christian Ferdinand allegedly killed Shaniesha Forbes, 14, cops said. The two were in a relationship, and Ferdinand told cops he killed Forbes because he thought she was pregnant, the New York Post reports.

Forbes was not in fact pregnant. Ferdinand allegedly suffocated the Brooklyn teen inside his apartment. He then stuffed her body into a suitcase a few days later, brought it to the beach and set it on fire, the Post reports.

Cops arrested Ferdinand in Maine, where he had fled after the killing.

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A measles outbreak has hit one Brooklyn community and may be spreading, health officials say.

There have been 21 cases of measles reported in Borough Park and one case in Williamsburg this year, according to the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Those infected are between 10 months and 32 years old, DNAinfo.com reports.

The first case was imported from London, according to the health department. Measles is a highly contagious disease and can be deadly. Symptoms include rash, fever, cough, runny nose and sore throat.

The disease can be prevented with a vaccine. The new outbreak may have spread between families who refused vaccinations, according to DNAinfo.com.

This is the fourth time since 2008 that a measles outbreak has hit the ultra-Orthodox community in Borough Park, DNAinfo.com also reported.

All of those who were infected this year have recovered, but officials say there may be more cases because of the large number of people exposed to the disease in the community.

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Thanks to a Brooklyn lawyer, a scam in the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn has been exposed.

The victims were the Herzog family, the largest kosher winemakers in the world, according to the New York Daily News.

The family was distributing checks to people collecting donations for yeshivas and charities. The checks would be deposited in the U.S., and then the cash would be taken to Israel.

A senior law enforcement official reportedly told the Daily News that if an organization is not a legitimate charity or if other people are receiving any part of the donation, it’s illegal.

The Herzogs closed their account about a year about when they were tipped off that some of the solicitors may have been illegitimate. This resulted in bounced checks, which had those attempting to cash those checks asking questions.

The Herzog family hired a Satmar Hasid in Williamsburg, Elimelech Horowitz, to look into the issue. He was given cash to settle some of the donation claims.

On May 3, Horowitz claimed he was kidnapped then released by masked men demanding $35,000. Soon after, the Herzogs received a threatening phone message urging them to pay the $35,000.

A male voice in the recording reportedly said, “I know where you live; I know where you work; I know where your family lives.”

A private investigator hired by the family set them up with armed security and referred them to George Farkas, a lawyer with experience in the Orthodox Jewish community, including the case of Nechemya Weberman, convicted of sex abuse last year.

Farkas reportedly could immediately tell the abduction story was fraudulent.

The first indication was the caller mispronouncing “Shabbat,” the Jewish day of rest. The recipients of the Herzog money were Jewish, so it was unlikely they would mispronounce a Jewish holy day.

Farkas called Horowitz to his office, and told the Daily News that Horowitz confessed within 20 minutes: There had been no kidnapping, and Horowitz had been pocketing the money he’d been given to settle claims.

“He hired some schmuck on the corner to make the threats,” Farkas told the News.

The Herzog family gave a statement expressing sadness “that we were victimized for no other reason than our charitable generosity.”

But the Herzogs are reportedly not pressing charges because Horowitz promised to pay back the money he extorted.

Another source reportedly told the Daily News there may be other victims scammed by solicitors from Israel who hire drivers to use false sad stories to solicit money from wealthy Jewish families. The checks are subsequently cashed by a yeshiva or charity, the driver gets a cut and the rest is sent back to Israel, according to the Daily News report.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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After the release of David Ranta, wrongfully convicted of the murder of a Hasidic rabbi 23 years ago, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office has decided to review 50 murder convictions facilitated by retired NYPD Detective Louis Scarcella.

In a recent exposé, the New York Times dug into Scarcella’s conviction history and discovered that, among other questionable moves, he used the same crack addict as a witness in six separate homicide investigations.

Scarcella is also accused of letting prisoners out of jail to smoke crack cocaine in exchange for testimony fingering Ranta for the murder of Rabbi Chaskell Werzberger, an Auschwitz survivor.

Werzberger was shot by a panicked jewel thief in a robbery gone wrong.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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Governor Andrew Cuomo wrote a letter this week to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, asking her to help save four Brooklyn hospitals.

In his letter, Cuomo asked for permission to use $10 billion of the $17.5 billion that the state anticipates from Medicaid reorganization, according to the Daily News.

In the last few months threats of merger and bankruptcy have faced the four hospitals, which Cuomo aides told the Daily News are Long Island College Hospital, SUNY Downstate Brooklyn, Interfaith Medical Center and Brookdale Medical Center.

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Two brothers possessing drugs and 130 tubes of testosterone gel shot a man in the leg in Bay Ridge, the New York Daily News reported Wednesday.

The victim, 34, walked into an eatery at 7:45 p.m. on April 24 when the Daily News said the younger brother, Taylor Noonan, 18, shoved him.

The ensuing argument brought Taylor’s brother Patrick, 21, into the fray with his gun, according to the newspaper.

Police told the Daily News they chased the boys to their apartment and arrested them for assault, narcotics and weapons charges.

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UPDATE: Sabrina Malone, who was reported missing by her mother when she did not show up to work Sunday, has been found in Washington, D.C., and is safe, police report.

Over the course of their investigation into her apparent disappearance, police had tried calling Malone’s cell phone but it went directly to voicemail. There was no activity detected on her credit cards until this afternoon, when a charge was made in Union Station in D.C.

It is not yet clear why Malone disappeared, cops said.

UPDATE: Sabrina Malone’s credit card was Friday at Union Station in Washington, D.C., according to a law enforcement source.

Malone was last seen Saturday night around 8:30 p.m. when she left her parents’ home in Cobble Hill to return to her apartment in Crown Heights. Her last know contact was a text message to her roommate around 10:30 p.m. that night, her roommate told investigators in an interview.

Metro’s original story is below.

Police are looking for Sabrina Malone, 27, who was last seen May 4 around 8:30 p.m leaving her parents’ house at 115 Columbia St. in Brooklyn. 

Investigators reportedly told NY1 that she slept at her parents’ house in Cobble Hill on Friday night and returned there after work on Saturday, before taking a bus home to her apartment in Crown Heights.

Malone is approximately 5-foot-3 and 115 pounds with brown eyes, long curly black hair and a tattoo on her hand. When she left her mother’s to return to her own apartment, she was wearing blue sneakers, a gray sweatshirt and gray jeans.

A law enforcement source said Malone’s disappearance is “a mystery”: Malone has never gone missing before and has no history of mental or physical issues. Her mother told police that Malone never made it back to her apartment at 1700 Bedford Avenue and did not show up to work at Ikea on Beard Street in Red Hook on Sunday. Malone has worked at that Ikea for three years, according to NBC.

Her last known contact was a text message to her roommate. Cops say that when they interviewed him, he told them that he received a text message from her around 10:30 p.m. Saturday night, approximately two hours after she reportedly left her mother’s.

Malone texted him to let him know she needed him to let her into the apartment because they only have one set of keys, cops said. Investigators reportedly told NY1 that she texted him from the bus.

Cops said that when they called her cell phone number, the call went directly to voicemail.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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Police are searching for a 21-year-old man wanted in the rape and robbery of a woman at gunpoint in a Brooklyn park last year. 

The attack occurred almost a year ago on May 29, 2012. Police were recently able to identify Damien Hollis as a suspect thanks to a positive DNA hit.

Cops say Hollis approached a 26-year-old woman early on the morning of May 29, 2012, at a bus stop located at East New York and Ralph avenues. He brandished a firearm and ordered her to walk to Lincoln Terrace Park, where he raped her. He then took the victim’s cell phone and fled.

Hollis is described as about 6 feet tall and 160 lbs. with short black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577.

Danielle Tcholakian contributed reporting to this article.

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Every summer New Yorkers look forward to the mostly free Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival.

The concert series held annually in Prospect Park’s bandshell highlights a variety of artists to please the taste of all music lovers.

This year, Celebrate Brooklyn! is bringing some of us back to high school by showcasing the Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds Five and Guster on July 30. This is one of the shows that will require a ticket.

For those nostalgic of the early 2000s, Shaggy, of “It Wasn’t Me” fame, will perform on August 9.

Other performances to look forward to include Belle and Sebastian on July 11, Beck on Aug 4 and the live score of to Oscar-nominated Beasts of the Southern Wild by Dan Romer, Benh Zeitlin, & The Wordless Music Orchestra on August 8.

They Might Be Giants will bring Celebrate Brooklyn! to an end on August 10.

For the full summer lineup click here.

See you all in Brooklyn this summer.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

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The parents of a teenager shot and killed by police earlier this year are expected to file a notice of claim Wednesday, informing the city that they intend to file a wrongful-death lawsuit that alleges cops used excessive force in the shooting that killed their son, The Daily News reports.

Family lawyer Kenneth Montgomery says he can prove that police officers left 16-year-old Kimani Gray to die in East Flatbush on March 9.

Gray was left on the pavement and received no medical attention for 15 minutes, Montgomery told The News.

Two plainclothes police officers shot Gray after the teen pointed a .38-caliber handgun at them, according to police. He was hit by seven bullets. Gray’s death set off a series of riots and protests in the neighborhood in the days following the shooting.

The city’s Law Department declined to comment because it has not seen the notice of claim.

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Local politicians are speaking out against anti-Muslim graffiti found spray-painted on a sidewalk in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.

“This revolting act of prejudice was meant to intimidate New Yorkers on their streets and in their homes, but because of our unity and our strength, it’s not going to work,” Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn issued a joint statement with City Council Member Michael Nelson, who represents the area where the graffiti was found. “The vulgar anti-Muslim graffiti found in Sheepshead Bay does not represent the views of the residents of Brooklyn and our city. We join with millions of other New Yorkers in condemning such hateful acts.”

The graffiti reportedly read “dumb Muslims die” and was found outside a home on Avenue Z. Police are investigating the situation, according to NY1.

The Anti-Defamation League’s acting New York regional director Etzion Neuer also released a statement, saying, “We deplore this disturbing act of bigotry, which is an affront to the entire Muslim community and the community at large.”

He continued, “An act of hate like this sends shock waves through an entire community and makes residents feel unsafe, and it is critical that we reaffirm our commitment to remaining united in speaking out against hate.”

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A New York state senator from Brooklyn was charged Monday with stealing proceeds from sales of foreclosed properties to finance a failed run for district attorney, prosecutors said, making him the state’s latest politician to face federal criminal charges.

John Sampson, 47, a Democrat who has represented southeastern Brooklyn since 1997, was charged with nine counts including embezzlement, obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal investigators, according to an indictment unsealed Monday.

Sampson, a practicing attorney for more than two decades, turned himself in and was arraigned in Brooklyn federal court Monday afternoon. He pleaded not guilty, and was released on a $250,000 bond.

In April, U.S. attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan charged state Sen. Malcolm Smith with attempting to buy a spot on New York City’s mayoral ballot. Several days later, Assemblyman Eric Stevenson was charged in an alleged bribery scheme.

Loretta Lynch, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said at a press conference that Sampson abused the public trust to further his own political ambitions “in one of the most extreme examples of political hubris we’ve yet seen.”

According to the indictment, Sampson served as a court-appointed referee in foreclosure proceedings in Brooklyn state court beginning in the late 1990s. In that position, he helped oversee sales of foreclosed properties and controlled escrow accounts containing proceeds from those sales.

Lynch alleged that Sampson embezzled $440,000 from escrow accounts in at least four properties in Brooklyn between 1998 and 2008. Prosecutors said he used the money to help pay expenses for his unsuccessful 2005 bid to unseat incumbent Brooklyn district attorney Charles Hynes in the Democratic primary.

Hynes narrowly edged out Sampson that year to win a fifth term.

Sampson later borrowed money from an unnamed associate in the real-estate industry to help repay some of the stolen money, prosecutors said. They said that when that associate was charged with a mortgage fraud scheme in 2011, Sampson tried to keep him from cooperating with authorities, and later solicited an unnamed administrative employee in the Brooklyn federal prosecutor’s office to give him information about that case.

If convicted, Sampson faces up to 10 years on each of the two embezzlement counts, 10 years on one count of obstruction of justice, 20 years on four separate obstruction-of-justice charges and up to five years on two counts of lying to federal agents.

Prosecutors said that they have proposed a plea deal that would recommend Sampson receive a sentence of between 37 and 46 months in prison, in exchange for Sampson pleading guilty to one count of embezzlement and one count of obstruction of justice.

Sampson’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 18.

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P.J. Carlesimo has been an assistant coach for a Game 7 twice in a nearly two-decade NBA coaching career. He has never been a head coach.

That changes Saturday night when Carlesimo and the Nets attempt to become the ninth team to win a series after trailing three games to one.

Carlesimo goes into the game feeling good about the opportunity presented in front of him and for the franchise’s first year in Brooklyn. He goes into the game with a good feeling despite the word “gutless” being thrown around twice at halftime on television broadcasts.

“I’ve got a ton of confidence in these guys,” Carlesimo said on Friday’s conference call. “They’ve been resilient all year. We stepped up many, many times when people didn’t think we could step up and we’ve played well on the road. We’ve beaten a lot of the better teams in the league and I’m confident. The reward for the way we played in the regular season is that Game 7 in the first round is in our building. I’m just very confident our guys are going to take advantage of the opportunity and continue to do what they’ve done.”

Confidence aside, Carlesimo is aware of how difficult it can be, especially after the Nets stayed alive by gutting out a 95-92 win in which Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez combined for 3-of-17 shooting and five turnovers after halftime.

“Our mantra has been kind of been the last couple of games to win and move on and get it back it to Brooklyn for Game 7,” Carlesimo said. “We certainly can’t think that we’ve done the hard part already. What’s left is going to be more difficult than the last two games and I think that’s going to be a challenge tomorrow. I think our guys can handle it but that’s a major challenge.”

Saturday will mark the first time Carlesimo has been in a Game 7 since May 22, 2006 as an assistant for San Antonio’s head coach Gregg Popovich. That night, the Spurs were unable to complete their comeback from three games to one and fell 119-111 to the Mavericks in the conference semifinals.

A year before that, Carlesimo had a front-row seat as a Popovich assistant as Tim Duncan took over the third quarter of an 81-74 victory that gave him the second of three NBA championships while coaching the Spurs.

“Hopefully I’ll respond well,” Carlesimo said. “But fortunately I don’t have to play. I think the guys that are playing are going to handle it well and I think that’s the important thing. We’ll be fine. I think Game 7s are different yes, but I don’t think the Game 7 experience is going to be the defining reason for tomorrow’s game.”

Winning this game may also mean more of an assurance Carlesimo returns as head coach after taking over the team 29 games into this season.

Carlesimo has never let that thought pop in mind, at least not publicly.

“It would mean we got to pack Sunday morning and get on a plane and do a quick turnaround and get ready for a really, really good opponent,” Carlesimo said. “Again it’s not something you have any control over. I think when you get away from it, you get to the summer, you get far away you can kind of look back.

“This has been pretty much a blur the entire year. That’s the way seasons are.”

Carlesimo will be coaching the third Game 7 played in the borough of Brooklyn and the first one since October 1956. He and the Nets are there because they won two elimination games following a crushing triple-overtime loss at the United Center a week ago.

“We want to win and we believe in our abilities and I think these guys, we have an identity now as the Brooklyn franchise and I think we think as the Brooklyn Nets and I think they want the Brooklyn Nets to advance and get into the next round,” Carlesimo said. “So let’s see what we can do. I don’t think it’s all those other factors. I just think it’s those 15 guys wanting to win for themselves and for this franchise.”

The Nets are the 210th team to fall behind 3-1 in a best-of-seven and the Nets are the 29th team to force Game 7, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Now the Nets have a chance to overcome that deficit and even with players having individual experience in seventh games, winning it would be very significant for Carlesimo.

“So I’m glad we’ve got some guys who have been there,” he said. “That may help them. For all of us, I think it’s a significant step to play a Game 7 to learn how to deal with it and take it as a positive experience going forward.”

Follow Nets beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.

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The post Jane’s Walks appeared first on Metro.us.

“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”

Those were the words of Jane Jacobs, the visionary urban planning activist who once wrote a treatise declaring “Downtown is for People.”

Jacobs went to bat against former Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, chairing a committee to stop Moses’ plan to build an expressway through Washington Square Park and the West Village.

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  Jane’s Walks

Jacobs’ legacy continues to resonate with New Yorkers today: in the comments section of a new YouTube video by anti-Spectra-Pipeline group Occupy the Pipeline, one commenter notes that the intended West Village gas pipeline will run alongside a toddler playground in Hudson River Park and laments, “What would Jane Jacobs do?”

This Saturday would have been Jacobs’ 97th birthday, and New Yorkers are invited to take to her beloved city streets for the Municipal Arts Society’s annual Jane’s Walks.

MAS is offering 100 free walks and bike rides that will allow community residents to explore their neighborhoods and examine and discuss what does and doesn’t “work” from every angle: from housing issues to immigrant rights to LGBT experience and more.

After half a lifetime of civic activism in New York City, Jacobs moved her draft-age sons to Toronto in 1968. She continued to be active in civic life there, and the first Jane’s Walk happened in Toronto in 2007, a year after her death in 2006. A group of Jacobs’ friends were looking for a way to memorialize her, and while ideas of a namesake park or street were floated, it was ultimately decided that the most fitting tribute to Jacobs would be “something that involved a lot of people and was active, and particularly that gave people a chance to get out and experience their neighborhood,” explained one of those friends, Mary Rowe.

Rowe, Managing Director at the Municipal Arts Society, noted that while Jacobs split her life between two major cities with a lot in common — New York and Toronto are both major waterfront cities with large immigrant communities, vibrant neighborhoods, and significant financial centers — and loved them both, all of her books are set in New York.

“Even when she was living in Toronto, she still set her books in New York,” Rowe said, noting that the books contained “lots and lots of lively conversation between characters.”

“She said she had to set those in New York because Canadians were too polite,” Rowe quipped.

Rowe marveled at the range of walks planned for this year, and explained an important aspect of the walks is that there is no real “leader”: they’re “hosted” by community residents. Rowe has hosted walks in three different cities, Toronto, New York, and New Orleans, and said that “invariably there are people in the group that point something out that nobody’s heard of.”

On one walk in Toronto, she recalled, they had stopped to discuss a seemingly out of place tree in the neighborhood, only to be approached by a woman nearby who explained that was “her tree”: she had been caring for it for 25 years.

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Parents and teachers at schools in Dyker Heights are apparently fearful for their children’s safety around local motorists, according to a report from Brooklyn Daily.

Vincent D. Grippo Elementary School principal Jayne Marie Capatenakis recounted an incident several years ago that resulted in a student losing a foot after being struck by a car at 65th Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway.

And Grippo at least has a crossing guard at Ninth Avenue: as a middle school, nearby Christa Mcauliffe  Intermediate School on 65th Street between 10th and 11th avenues is ineligible for crossing guards.

Christa Mcauliffe assistant principal Bill Nicoll said that cars have struck two students in the past year and a half alone, though both survived.

“You’ll have people who can tell we’re having a fire drill, and they’re beeping the horn at us, yelling, ‘Hey, get out of the way’,” Nicoll said.

Fire drills are also problematic for Grippo, according to Capatenakis, where people often try to pull sudden U-turns.

Since they can’t get crossing guards, Nicoll reportedly asked the Department of Transportation for “No U-Turn” signs, speedbumps, flashing lights, and a four-way stop near the school to try to slow reckless drivers.

“What we get is they’re ‘doing studies,’” Nicoll said. “A study does me no good.”

“I know we don’t want to disrupt the flow of traffic, but I think that’s a small price to pay for saving a kid’s life someday,” he added.

A Department of Transportation spokesperson reportedly told Brooklyn Daily that the DOT is looking into options like repainting the lanes and creating left turn bays along the roadway between Ninth and 13th avenues.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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A shootout erupted in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn Monday night when a suspect opened fire on police officers, the New York Post reports.

Cops were investigating the shooting of two teens when the suspect shot at them at approximately 10 p.m. The police officers fired back, but no one was hit.

The suspect then ran through Lincoln Terrace Park near Brownsville, leading to a chase that involved a police helicopter and mobile command unit, the Post reports.

The gunman was wearing baggy black pants and a black hoodie. It was not clear if the suspect was caught as of Tuesday morning.

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A Boston University student from Brooklyn, N.Y. was killed and two other students were injured when the Allston home they were in erupted in flames Sunday morning, sending at least one person jumping from the roof of a porch to escape the fierce flames.

Binland Lee, 22, was a senior studying marine science and was scheduled to graduate in September, according to BU Today. She graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 2009.

In a letter to the school community Sunday night, President Robert Brown called the incident a tragedy.

“Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of the individual who has died and all the victims of the fire,” Brown said in his letter, which was posted on the school’s website.

A fire department spokesman said Lee was found in the attic.

The three-alarm fire broke out at 87 Linden St., at about 6:30 a.m. In total 15 people were injured, including six Boston firefighters. The fire and smoke were so intense and caused so much damage inside that fire crews were pulled out of the building during their effort.

Investigators are still determining the cause of the fire. City inspectors have also been called in because it appeared that 19 people were living in the three-story home. It was not immediately clear how many people were legally allowed to live there. BU officials said at least nine students lived in the home.

Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.

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Sorry to break it to you, but nobody wants to date you if you live off the G train.

According to a report from DNAinfo, New Yorkers around the city are refusing to date their neighbors living off the dreaded G train, citing the train’s poor service as doom for relationships.

“I had to make a rule that was, literally, if you live off the G, you’re not for me,” Bedford-Stuyvesant resident Mutale Nkonde said. “To get to the G is such a monumental hike, it’s two buses plus a long walk.”

Nkonde, who lives off the A and C trains, complained that taking the G always required several transfers and often resulted in getting lost.

The short length of the train is also problematic, especially for women dressed up for a night out.

“The thing about the G is it comes in the middle of platform, so if you’re dressed in high heels you have to run what feels like 7 miles to catch the train,” Nkonde explained.

She also described the Myrtle-Willoughby station as “‘Law and Order’-ish.”

“It looks like a crime scene,” she said.

Christie Walsh recalled her relationship with a man in Greenpoint.

“I always refused to go there,” she said. “After a couple of punishing rides on the G train, I decided I wouldn’t do it.”

Walsh’s beau eventually moved to California.

“The funny thing is, I’d date someone in California, because I’d like to go to California,” Walsh said. “I’d never like to ride the G train.”

An MTA spokesperson reportedly declined to comment.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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A Brooklyn teacher was arrested for having sex with a 15-year-old student, according to the office of Special Commissioner of Investigation Richard J. Condon.

Evelyn Rogers, 33, of the High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media in Canarsie, has been charged with rape in the third degree after investigators discovered that she engaged in a sexual relationship with a male student that began when he was 15 years old. The student is now 16 years old.

Rogers also faces charges of criminal sexual acts and sexual abuse, the New York Post reports.

The Department of Education is seeking to fire Rogers, a special-education teacher whose salary is $54,000, according to the Post.

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A deal could be in the works to save parts of Long Island College Hospital from shutting down, the Daily News reports.

State officials are negotiating a deal with unions and doctors that would make a complete closure of the hospital “less likely,” a source told the News.

If an agreement is reached, SUNY Downstate Medical Center would withdraw its plans to close the hospital with the Department of Health. Officials would then work on a financial restructuring plan that includes the fate of Long Island College Hospital. Downstate is required to consider the input of labor unions and community representatives in creating the plan.

The unions and doctors would then drop the lawsuit against SUNY that has halted the closure plans.

The SUNY trustees first voted to close the hospital in February because of financial troubles. Opponents of the plan say the closure would be devastating for local residents who need emergency care.

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Cops are searching for four men wanted in connection with an assault and robbery in Bushwick last week.

The suspects approached a male victim in front of 379 Grove St. at approximately 3:30 a.m. on April 20, police said. They physically assaulted him and removed his property. The men fled eastbound on Grove Street and southbound on Wyckoff Street.

The four suspects are being described as Hispanic males. Police released images of the men taken from a surveillance video.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call Crime stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

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This week marks National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office held their yearly VOICE OUT event to honor victims of violence. This year’s specific theme, gun violence, is especially timely given the defeat of several gun control measures in the U.S. Senate last week, as well as the mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut shortly before Christmas.

District Attorney Charles J. Hynes, who regards his job as “an advocate for victims,” slammed the Senate for what he called “a total lack of courage.”

“The Senate shamefully failed us,” he said. “Not to pass legislation that would prevent guns from being in the hands of seriously mentally ill people or convicted felons, how in the name of God do they justify not voting for that legislation?”

Hynes said guns are responsible for an overwhelming majority of the homicides his office prosecutes.

“It’s always been 75 percent,” he explained. “When we were losing 760 people a year it was 75 percent; last year we went under 150 murders for the first time since 1960, but it’s still 75 percent.”

And according to Hynes, the vast majority of guns used in these crimes come from out of state, making federal legislation actually very relevant to the safety of New Yorkers.

“Now it’s really up to the public,” Hynes said. “I would hope that the people wherever these folks are from, wherever they represent, will stand up and say, ‘We need someone else to represent us.’”

The event’s three speakers had an intimate understanding of the ramifications of guns on New York City streets.

Robin Lyde lost her son Benny—a model oldest brother, she said—when he was 21 years old.

The night he was shot, she heard the gunfire from her bedroom.

“When I heard it, I was petrified because I had children downstairs,” she said. She ran into the living room to check on her young twins and their friends. “I looked at everyone and said thank you God, everyone is OK.”

But she was compelled to look outside, as the gunshot had been so close, and there she saw her eldest son in a pool of blood on the street.

Lyde said part of what keeps her going is the work she is doing to try to stop gun violence.

“I am out there begging our young people, our old people, not to pick up a gun, not to take lives,” she said.

Yvette Bell, with her daughter Nyree Stevens-Credle in a wheelchair besides her, spoke of the night Nyree was shot in the neck. The bullet lodged in Nyree’s spine and she was paralyzed from the neck down.

Nyree was in Brooklyn and her mother was in the Bronx when Bell got a 4 a.m. phone call from someone who said, “I don’t know who you are, but your daughter is lying in the street, she’s been shot.”

It was Christmas night and, unable to find a taxi, Bell took the longest train and bus trip of her life, she said, desperate to get to her daughter, worried she would die alone.

And Diana Carnival, whose husband was shot in an armed robbery at his car dealership, addressed women who may be going through what she went through.

“I’m sure you feel so lost right now,” she said, cautioning that the journey they faced would not be easy, that it will be a day-by-day process to get to “the light at the end of the tunnel.”

“Courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I will do it again tomorrow,” she said.

Her children wanted to come to the event with her, they told her, because there would be other families like them there, and maybe other children too.

“It took this day for my children to realize that we are not alone in this situation, that there are other people like us,” Carnival said.

Ultimately, the event is meant to provide catharsis to those whose lives have been shaken by gun violence.

And it seems to work, as the women who spoke of their loss left the event smiling, touching one another’s shoulders, and calling out hellos to the DA staff who helped them through what many describe as an incomprehensible experience.

“Anytime you need me to speak anywhere,” Yvette Bell said, hugging District Attorney Hynes goodbye.

“You’re terrific,” he replied, holding her hand in both of his. “You’re very courageous.”

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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