Above the Rim is a 1994 film co-written and directed by Jeff Pollack in his directorial debut. The Harlem/basketball movie featured Duane Martin, Tupac Shakur, Leon Robinson, and Marlon Wayans. The screenplay was based on a story by Benny Medina and focuses on city basketball and the fraught life choices presented to a young Harlem man.

While a number of (pivotal) scenes were shot at Rucker’s, other locations in Harlem featured prominently. In the image (above) note the “Drugs” sign to the left of Tupac:

This is now Lenox Terrace Drugs, with the same neon sign:

The film’s plot focuses on Kyle Watson (played by Duane Martin) and his opportunity to get a college basketball scholarship and earn a possible future in the NBA. In one pivotal scene, Kyle is shown in Howard Bennett Playground, on 135th Street.

Riverton apartments and the John Russworm school is are the background.

Below is a similar view, today, 28 years later.

The soundtrack to “Above the Rim” included a number of hits and unsurprisingly featured Tupac Shakur.

For more on the film, see the 10 facts link, below:

10 Rare Facts Of The Film Above The Rim

Pastoral Corruption

Patch.com’s Nick Garber has another great piece of reporting on the $2,000,000 in handouts that were given and accepted by Harlem clergy who sold out their parishioners and community for personal gain.

https://patch.com/new-york/harlem/harlem-clergy-took-secret-cash-they-sold-churches-developer-ag

The clergy members worked with an unscrupulous (and likely criminal) developer to buy vulnerable church properties. A number of Harem houses of worship were (and are) profoundly impacted by the grift and sleaze documented in Nick Garber’s amazing piece.

25th Precinct Community Council Meeting – Wednesday

Kioka Jackson writes:

Good Day Everyone,

Happy October! In October we are observing so many things: Domestic Violence, Breast Cancer, Pregnancy and Infant loss, Hispanic and African Heritage. We honor each entity and ask that in your way that you honor as well.

Please see the flyers attached for all the upcoming events. We would really love for you all to come out and join us on Saturday evening for the Wave of Light event which will be held in front of the Precinct. Also, the 25th Precinct is hosting our first Trunk or Treat

event.

Our October meeting is scheduled for Wednesday the 19th at 6PM. Please be advised that there is a location change. We will be meeting at the Rehoboth Christian Church located on 118th Street between 3rd and Lexington Avenues. This meeting may go over a little bit so please prepare a 6PM – 7:30PM meeting. Please see the flyer below. We have several speakers and presentations. There are several big topics that need to be covered so we ask that CBOs and Elected Officials with announcements bring flyers to hand out.

I hope to see you all, matter of fact I look forward to seeing you all. Together we can do great things!

Have an amazing weekend and we will see you soon!

(The risk of crime being indicated by red on the map below)

The map of white-collar crime is a telling one. Most of the criminals commit their crime in midtown or the financial district.

Harlem has a relatively low crime rate by this measure.

To explore where you are most at risk for this form of crime, see:

https://whitecollar.thenewinquiry.com/

Hurricane Season is Upon Us

As the 2021 hurricane season unfolds we should all know what our evacuation ‘zone’ is, so we’re ready to evacuate if necessary. Enter your address below to learn more about your zone and to see if your building is on flood-prone land:

http://maps.nyc.gov/hurricane/

Then make sure to note the location of your local shelters (in the side bar of the map) because we know that electricity, cell phone coverage, and the internet may go down before you have a chance to look these up: