Carmelo Anthony Delivers Supplies to Brooklyn Public-Housing Victims of Hurricane Sandy

by Zach Stoloff on Thu, Nov 8, 2012 at 11:53PM

Having personally spent about five months covering New York City Housing Authority projects in Brooklyn, they’re not a fun place to be. Beyond the kind of day-to-day crime and gang activity you might expect, they’re often the first places forgotten during times of crisis.

Well, Carmelo Anthony may not have actually grown up in a housing development, but he did live about a block away from one in Red Hook, Brooklyn, one of the areas hardest hit in New York City by Hurricane Sandy. Residents there are still complaining of being ignored, left without power and water more than a week after the storm.

Anthony decided to take some personal action to help out his old neighborhood, delivering about 500 boxes of food and cleaning supplies to Red Hook, according to ESPN.

“I wanted to step up to the forefront,” said Anthony. “We all know what Sandy did to our city, especially to Brooklyn, and to Red Hook, with us being right here on the water. It hit us pretty bad, so I feel like I’m the face of Red Hook and I wanted to come back and give back to the place I grew up.”

During the time I covered the Gowanus Houses in Gowanus, Brooklyn, I had the opportunity to see just how vulnerable residents of public housing are. Beyond crisis events such as Sandy, programs for children and the elderly are routinely cut, leaving kids more susceptible to gangs and leaving the elderly with frankly nothing to occupy their time.

Although rappers frequently return to their roots (Nas holds an annual event at the Queensbridge Houses, and Jay-Z often gives back to the Marcy Houses) it’s the first time in recent memory a prominent athlete has paid attention to public-housing residents.

It should happen more often.

Photo of the Night

Gillette Stadium looks primed for its first-ever sanctioned snowball fight.

Photo via Instagram/Patriots

Quote of the Night

“I don’t give a [expletive] how it was interpreted. It doesn’t really matter to me. I’m too old to deal with that stuff. I really am. I’ve been [Lakers coach Mike Brown's] biggest supporter. So, I’m really too old to be dealing with childish things. God, people are bored.”
–Kobe Bryant responding to questions about his “death stare” (see the video below)

Tweet of the Night

As a California native, I feel you, Pete.

Given the weather back home of late, I’m lobbying the Globe to be their Palm Springs bureau chief. It’s not working so far.

— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) November 8, 2012