Brooklyn
By Geoffrey Croft
A Brooklyn City Council member who lives in the building where criminal Christopher Wallace, aka the Notorious B.I.G. grew up is proposing to name baskeball courts in a nearby playground in his honor.
Councilman Robert Cornegy (D–Bedford-Stuyvesant) proposed the tribute-naming at Crispus Attucks Playground in Clinton Hill at a community board meeting June 23.
Wallace was arrested seven times from 1989 to 1996 for weapons possession, cocaine dealing, assault and violating probation.
The 24-year-old rap personality was shot four times and killed in a drive-by shooting in L.A. on March 9, 1997. His murder officially remains unsolved.
Critics are trying to block the court naming.
“He’s an inappropriate role model for kids,” local Lucy Koteen, 68, told the NY Post.
“Somebody who was regularly arrested for selling drugs and carrying illegal guns and rapped about being misogynistic to women, shouldn’t be celebrated.”
Koteen handed out printed profanity-laced lyrics of the rap artist’s 1994 hit tune “Juicy” at the board meeting to make a point. “I said ‘Who will read this out loud?’” Koteen, 68, recounted.
“And of course there were no takers.”
“I don’t like what he represents,” said Barnett. “He spreads stupid ideas like gang violence and drugs. Name it after Michael Jordan, or someone good who everyone likes.” Christopher Wallace, aka the Notorious B.I.G., grew up just a few blocks away from the basketball courts — on St. James Place in the same apartment building as Cornegy.
“Part of this is very personal,” Robert Cornegy told the paper.
“I made his mom a promise that I would do everything I could in my power to help honor his legacy.
“It’s not about the lyrics,” said Cornegy. “It’s about his legacy … commitment and artistic contributions to the hip-hop music genre and the industry itself.”
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the rap icon’s death.
The proposal was passed by Community Board 2’s Executive Committee Monday and now faces a City Council vote.
“I expect it to be passed with no problems,” said Cornegy.
"I said, 'why can't we co name the park after a positive model for young people like Shirley Chisham or one of the great female basketball players. Lucy Koteen told A Walk In The Park who says she got some applause for that.
"Why do we have to keep coming back to someone who was a thug, sold drugs and was a misogynist. We need to consider what models we are holding up to our young people," she said.
"I said, 'why can't we co name the park after a positive model for young people like Shirley Chisham or one of the great female basketball players. Lucy Koteen told A Walk In The Park who says she got some applause for that.
"Why do we have to keep coming back to someone who was a thug, sold drugs and was a misogynist. We need to consider what models we are holding up to our young people," she said.
Read More:
New York Post - July 1, 2017 - By Melkorka Licea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Chisholm
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