Eon Huntley wants public housing to be like clothes from The Row

Hey all,

It’s another jam packed edition of Bed-Stuy Stoop, in this seemingly never-ending week of sports and fun. Some (my sleep schedule) might even say too packed but between the historic Knicks win, World Cup, Juneteenth and an election next week, it can’t be helped.

In this edition, Jabari Brisport and Eon Huntley talk about taxing the rich and winning Bed-Stuy, hear from the creators of the Bed-Stuy Makers Market, all the details for Juneteenth celebrations, and climbing a pole to celebrate the Knicks.

The Good Life: the DSA vision Jabari and Eon are selling Bed-Stuy voters

Next Tuesday is Primary Election Day in New York City. Early voting has already started. Find your local polling station here.

There are two big races happening in Bed-Stuy: state senator for the 25th district and state assembly representative for the 56th district — and the race has, like most across the country, turned into a battle of traditional Democrats versus younger progressives from the Democratic Socialists of America wing.

Jabari Brisport and Eon Huntley are running under the DSA ticket, endorsed by Working Families Party, and have essentially merged into one campaign.

Jabari is running for re-election for state senate, first getting elected in 2020 after a career as a maths teacher. Eon (pronounced Ian! The name is an inherited spelling mistake from when his father’s birth was registered in Guyana) is challenging incumbent Stefani Zinerman again, after losing by around 500 votes in 2024.

On Tuesday the pair were canvassing voters and talking to residents outside the Fulton Park housing development, which Jabari has been dealing with since shortly after he was elected in 2020. Previously a Mitchell-Lama development, it was sold to a private developer and largely neglected, a new management company took over and it will be supposedly be the center of a mega-development, but right now it’s still in shambles.

“I did a walk through a couple weeks ago: you could smell the mold, people complaining about leaks, the locks weren’t working on the doors,” said Jabari. He’d turned back up to check if new locks had been installed out the front (some had, but were being propped open for construction workers to access).

The pair’s pitch for Brooklyn is “The Good Life’“ – affordable and quality housing, universal childcare, worker protections, better infrastructure and taxing the rich to pay for it.

Jabari spoke about how taxing the rich helps fund the state’s crumbling infrastructure, pointing out that the Nostrand A, Myrtle J and Classon G are all finally getting elevators (the state senator thought the Classon one had been in for a year, and Bed-Stuy Stoop clarified that constriction was currently underway).

“I get embarrassed by how long stuff takes in government,” Jabari said

Eon often gets mentioned as a retail worker, union organizer, fashion designer and former PTA president — but the specifics of his current job may surprise some.

He is a sales associate at Bergdorf Goodman working specifically for The Row, the ultimate quiet luxury brand. Run by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson, the brand focuses on impeccably made classics that run into the thousands of dollars, perhaps not exactly what you’d expect for someone running on a “tax the rich” line.

But as Eon notes, investing in things that are created properly and beautifully is the whole point, whether it’s a handbag or public services.

“When we think about public housing,” he said, “We have an opportunity to build the kind of things that’s accessible and affordable and green, and where you can age in place, but then also look just as beautiful as the brownstones and the community that it is being built in.”

Bed-Stuy Makers Market returns for its second ever this weekend

Two weeks ago Bed-Stuy Stoop stumbled across signs on Tompkins Ave for the first ever Bed-Stuy Makers Market and wandered down to Sew Green Arts Studio, founded by Black Girls Sew, on Gates Ave.

An artist was doing live portraits out the front, next to a skincare brand. Inside a tattoo artist was offering flash tattoos and Bed-Stuy Stoop bought homemade sour candy (the chocolate orange flavor was our fave) from another vendor.

The Bed-Stuy Makers Market is created by Chauntelle Perry, a 36-year-old Black visual designer who has spent her adult life in the neighborhood and Yenifer Jimenez, a 42-year-old Afro-Latina teaching artist who grew up in Bed-Stuy.

“The idea came from recognizing the need for an affordable and welcoming space where vendors could showcase their work without the overwhelming costs that often come with larger markets and events,” the women told Bed-Stuy Stoop. “We wanted to create a place where people could explore, discover, connect, and simply enjoy good community energy.”

The next market is happening this Saturday June 20, between 11am-6pm at Sew Green Arts Studio, 452 Gates Ave.

“Our goal is to build more than just a marketplace. We’re building a village. We want to encourage collaboration, networking, and community engagement while providing opportunities for small businesses to grow,” the founders said. “One of our goals is to maintain a thoughtful mix of vendors so that visitors can discover something new each time they attend.”

Things to do this week

The big one is obviously Juneteenth celebrations. There are a bunch of different ones and they all look amazing — and if someone can attend the double dutch competition please text photos to the Bed-Stuy Stoopline, devastated to miss it.

• An enormous and historical Juneteenth festival hosted by Co-operative Culture Collective and Sistas’ Place — on June 19, Nostrand Ave between Putnam and Jefferson. Running from 12-6 pm.

• At Herbert Von King Park, from 12-10pm on June 19, a series of events will run including soul music, DJ sets, massage therapy and free food. Don’t miss the 3-4pm Bed-Stuy Double Dutch Club Competition.

• Dick and Jane’s Bar Room on Malcolm X will be having a big Juneteenth party starting on Friday afternoon, in collaboration with the magazine Trading Places, focusing on Black music.

• Glady’s Book Bar has a whole Juneteenth weekend planned: a cookout on Friday afternoon, an artisan market on Saturday and a Sunday soul session from 2-8pm.

• A Juneteenth listening session, meaning a bunch of vinyl music being played to honor Juneteenth at 370 Tompkins Ave on Friday eve.

• Just nearby in Crown Heights, June Balloon will return after decades of absense to Brower Park on June 20. “Once a summer staple of the neighborhood in the 80s and 90s, June Balloon featured games, performances and fun for the whole family. We are proud to reimagine the festival for a new generation with bouncy houses, tug of war, footraces, basketball tournaments, scavenger hunts, face painting, chess, and performances. We will also feature a series of community conversations on topics such as deed theft and block power, and tabling for local grassroots organizations.”

• Celebrate Father’s Day with some cute pics. Raymond Bush Playground on Marcus Garvey and Monroe is hosting an event called “Pictures with Dad” on Sunday between 11am-12:30pm.

We will climb a pole regardless of whether we can watch the game there

Lastly, the police may have shut down the Knicks viewing party outside Speedy Romeo on Saturday night but everyone still knew it was a place to congregate post win.

Maybe it will continue to serve as a public space in the months ahead? Great spot for outdoor film screenings….

And just a reminder that Bed-Stuy Stoop only launched two weeks ago (check out our interview with Pulitizer Prize-winning Nikole Hannah-Jones if you missed it and last week’s interview with the owner of Cosmo. Thrilled to have you here. If you like what we’re doing so far, we encourage you to upgrade to a paid subscription — currently $50 annually or $5 per month.

Expect that a combination of subscriber only content and free content will be available in the future — and the price will never be as low as it is now, so you might want to lock it in.

Every month, 5% of all proceeds from subscriptions will go to a different local organization or charity. June will be Bed-Stuy Strong, the neighborhood’s mutual aid group.

And do you have a tip or story idea? Email or text the Bed-Stuy Stoopline (929) 274-1779 — already readers are sending in tips and we are looking into them.

Enjoy the parade today!