NEW YORK (AP) — A couple of longtime Brooklyn residents were lounging in the heat last week, staring at a sidewalk tree pit often flooded by a leaky fire hydrant, when they came up with the idea for a makeshift aquarium.
“We started joking about: what if we added fish,” recalled Hajj-Malik Lovick, 47, a lifelong resident of the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. “Since the water is always there sitting in the puddle, why not turn this into something that’s more interesting?”
Click to Gallery
NEW YORK (AP) — A couple of longtime Brooklyn residents were lounging in the heat last week, staring at a sidewalk tree pit often flooded by a leaky fire hydrant, when they came up with the idea for a makeshift aquarium.
Fish swim in a pool of water next to a fire hydrant in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Fish swim in a pool of water next to a fire hydrant in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
A sign is posted near to a pool of water with fish swimming inside in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Fish swim in a pool of water next to a fire hydrant in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
After fortifying the edges of the tree bed with rocks and brick, they bought 100 common goldfish from a pet store for $16 and dumped them in. The appearance of peanut-sized fish swimming around the shallow basin quickly became a neighborhood curiosity, drawing visitors who dubbed it “the Hancock Street Bed-Stuy Aquarium.”
But as videos and news stories about the fish pit have circulated online, the project has drawn concern from city officials and backlash from animal rights advocates. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, two neighborhood residents, Emily Campbell and Max David, carried out a rescue mission. Using nets and plastic bags, they pulled about 30 fish from the two-inch deep waters.
They say they were rescuing the fish from inhumane conditions. But the operation has sparked a roiling debate about gentrification in the historically Black neighborhood, which has seen an influx of young white residents in recent years.
“I’m very aware of the optics of a white yuppie coming here and telling this man who’s lived in the neighborhood his whole life that he doesn’t know what he’s doing,” said Campbell, a self-described fish enthusiast who previously worked in aquaponics. “I do sympathize with that. I just don’t want to watch 40 fish suffocate in a puddle from their own waste.”
Campbell, 29, said she was working to rehome the rescued fish, keeping many of them in tanks inside her apartment. Several people had contacted her with concerns about the remaining fish inside the pit. “I’m still concerned for the fishes’ well-being, but I’m more concerned about the divisiveness in the community,” she said Friday.
Those involved in the sidewalk experiment say they have enriched the neighborhood and provided a better life for the goldfish, a small breed that is usually sold as food for larger marine species. They feed the fish three times per day and take shifts watching over them, ensuring the fire hydrant remains at a slow trickle.
“I feel like we’re helping the goldfish," Lovick said. "These people came here and just want to change things”
In recent days, supporters have come by to donate decorations, such as pearls and seashells, as well as food, according to Floyd Washington, one of the pond monitors.
“It brings conversation in the community,” he said. “People stop on the way to work and get to see something serene and meet their neighbors. Now we have these fish in common.”
He said the group planned to keep the fish in place for about two more weeks, then donate them to neighborhood children. On Friday afternoon, the visitors included local grocery workers, an actor, and a wide-eyed toddler whose nanny had learned about the tank on the news.
“It’s a really beautiful guerilla intervention,” said Josh Draper, an architect who keeps his own goldfish in his Bed-Stuy apartment. “It’s creating a city that’s alive.”
Another passerby suggested the fish would soon become “rat food.”
“Nah,” replied Washington. “That’s Eric Adams right there,” he said, pointing to one of the few black fish, apparently named after the city’s current mayor. “No one messes with him.”
Adams did not respond to a request for comment. But a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Environmental Protection said there were real safety concerns about leaking hydrants. They had sent crews to fix the hydrant multiple times, but it had been turned back on by residents.
“We love goldfish also, but we know there is a better home for them than on a sidewalk,” said an agency spokesperson, Beth DeFalco.
As of Friday afternoon, dozens of fish were still swimming in the pit.
A man touches a pool of water with fish swimming inside next to a fire hydrant in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Fish swim in a pool of water next to a fire hydrant in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Fish swim in a pool of water next to a fire hydrant in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
A sign is posted near to a pool of water with fish swimming inside in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Fish swim in a pool of water next to a fire hydrant in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. Find the AP’s top photos of the day in Today’s Photo Collection. For up-to-the-minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan in AP Newsroom.
———————————————
NEW/DEVELOPING
———————————————
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Russian military says it downed over 140 Ukrainian drones in one of the biggest attacks by Kyiv. SENT: 240 words, photos, developing.
——————————
ONLY ON AP
——————————
AP POLL-MISINFORMATION — Republicans are more likely to trust Donald Trump and his campaign over government certified election results, according to a new survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts. And while most Americans trust government-certified election results, they are heading into the November election with concerns about misinformation. By Christine Fernando and Linley Sanders. SENT: 1,280 words, photo.
——————————
TOP STORIES
——————————
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Palestinian officials say an Israeli strike on a crowded tent camp in a designated humanitarian zone known as Mawasi has killed at least 40 Palestinians and wounded 60 others. Israel said it targeted “significant” Hamas militants, allegations denied by the militant group. By Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy. SENT: 580 words, photos. With ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-AMERICAN-KILLED — Funeral held for an American activist a witness says was shot dead by Israeli troops; ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-UN-RESOLUTION — Palestinians’ UN proposal demands Israel leave Gaza and the West Bank in 6 months; UNITED-NATIONS-SECRETARY-GENERAL-INTERVIEW — The UN chief calls the death and destruction in Gaza the worst he’s seen; and MIDEAST-TENSIONS-THE-LATEST — SENT.
ELECTION 2024-DEBATE — The presidential debate will give Americans perhaps their most detailed look at a campaign that’s been dramatically reshaped. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will meet for the first time face-to-face in Philadelphia. It’s a high-pressure opportunity to showcase their starkly different visions for the country after a tumultuous summer. By Michelle L. Price and Zeke Miller. SENT: 1,010 words, photos, videos. With ELECTION 2024-DEBATE-FACT FOCUS — A look at false claims and misinformation by Trump and Harris before their first debate; and ELECTION 2024-WHERE THEY STAND — Harris and Trump offer worlds-apart contrasts on top issues in presidential race — SENT. Debate at 9 p.m. Find all debate content on the APNewsroom hub.
ELECTION-2024-TRUMP-ELECTION-PROSECUTIONS — Rhetoric by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has turned more ominous as early voting in the presidential race draws near. Over the weekend, he pledged to prosecute anyone who “cheats” in the election in the same way he believes they did in 2020, when he falsely claimed he won and attacked those who stood by their accurate vote tallies. He also told a gathering of police officers that they should “watch for the voter fraud,” an apparent attempt to enlist law enforcement that would be legally dubious. By Nicholas Riccardi. SENT: 1,240 words, photos.
GEORGIA-HIGH-SCHOOL-SHOOTING — Many students in Georgia’s Barrow County are headed back to class, six days after a shooting killed two teachers and two students at the school district’s Apalachee High School northeast of Atlanta. While no return date has been set for the 1,900 students at that high school, the 13,000 students in Barrow County’s other schools will return. By Jeff Amy. SENT: 600 words, photos.
ASIA-POPE — Tens of thousands of East Timorese streamed toward a seaside park for Pope Francis’ big Mass, held on the same field where St. John Paul II celebrated an historic liturgy during the nation’s fight for independence from Indonesia. The Tacitolu park is said to have been a site where Indonesian troops disposed of bodies killed during their rule. Now it is known as the “Park of Peace” and features a larger-than-life-sized statue of John Paul to commemorate his 1989 visit. By Niniek Karmini and Nicole Winfield. SENT: 1,020 words, photos, video. With SINGAPORE-POPE-EXPLAINER — Francis will be only the second pope to visit Singapore, one of the wealthiest nations; and POPE-FRANCIS-VISITS-EAST-TIMOR:-PHOTO-COLLECTION — SENT.
DOLPHINS-TYREEK-HILL-THE-TALK — After his traffic stop in Miami, Tyreek Hill said he has received “the talk” about what to do when pulled over by police. He knows to heed the instructions passed down in Black families for generations. His interaction with police captured in now-viral cellphone video appeared to escalate to the type of incident that often prompts protests and claims of discriminatory policing. By Aaron Morrison, Alanis Thames and Terry Tang. SENT: 1,150 words, photos. With DOLPHINS-HILL — Video shows officers dragged Tyreek Hill out of his car after he put his window back up — SENT.
——————————————————
SPOTLIGHTING VOICES
——————————————————
BELARUS-CRACKDOWN-ABROAD — More than a half-million Belarusians have fled their country since 2020 as the authoritarian government cracked down its critics. Some of them, however, are discovering they can’t escape intimidation and threats in their new lives abroad. By Yuras Karmanau. SENT: 800 words, photos.
——————————
MORE NEWS
——————————
OBIT-JAMES-EARL-JONES — James Earl Jones, acclaimed actor and voice of Darth Vader, dies at 93. SENT: 1,080 words, photos, audio.
OBIT-JAMES-EARL-JONES-REACTION — George Lucas, Mark Hamill, Debbie Allen, Bob Iger, CNN and more mourn James Earl Jones. SENT: 690 words, photos, audio.
TV-RYAN-SEACREST-WHEEL-OF-FORTUNE — Ryan Seacrest debuts as new ‘Wheel of Fortune’ host. SENT: 610 words, photo, audio.
WHITE-STRIPES-TRUMP-LAWSUIT — White Stripes sue Donald Trump over the use of ‘Seven Nation Army’ riff in social media post. SENT: 170 words, photo.
——————————————————
WASHINGTON/POLITICS
——————————————————
CONGRESS-AFGHANISTAN — House Speaker Mike Johnson is hosting a ceremony to posthumously present Congress’s highest honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, to 13 U.S. service members who were killed during the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. But the politics of a presidential election are swirling around the event. By Stephen Groves and Ellen Knickmeyer. SENT: 940 words, photo. Event at 11 a.m.
ELECTION 2024-EDUCATION-CHILD CARE — Asked recently how he would bring down the high cost of child care, former President Donald Trump said doing so would be relatively “not very expensive,” at least, not compared with revenue from tax hikes he would impose on foreign goods. Some child care policy experts and economists are skeptical tariffs would raise enough to cover Trump’s tax cuts as well as a large-scale child care program. SENT: 810 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CUOMO — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is scheduled to testify publicly before a congressional subcommittee critical of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as it began to spread through the state’s nursing homes in 2020. SENT: 490 words.
————————
NATIONAL
————————
KENTUCKY-INTERSTATE-SHOOTING — An arrest warrant says the man who opened fire on a Kentucky highway vowed to “kill a lot of people” before he shot and wounded five people. The affidavit quotes a text message that police say Couch sent to a woman 30 minutes before he opened fire Saturday on Interstate 75. The affidavit quoted a separate text in which Couch said he would kill himself after the shooting. SENT: 980 words, photos, videos, audio.
WILDFIRES — Several days of triple-digit temperatures have stoked a wildfire in Southern California that burned so hot it created its own thunderstorm-like weather systems, but firefighters are hoping to gain the upper hand as cooler weather is expected to move into the area. SENT: 870 words, photos, videos, audio.
TROPICAL-WEATHER — Tropical Storm Francine churned in the Gulf of Mexico with increasing strength and was expected to reach hurricane status before reaching landfall in Louisiana. A storm surge warning was in effect for an area stretching from just east of Houston to the mouth of the Mississippi River south of New Orleans, according to the National Hurricane Center. SENT: 750 words, photo, videos, audio.
TYRE-NICHOLS — Potential jurors in the federal trial of three former Memphis police officers charged with violating Tyre Nichols’ civil rights were asked whether heavy media coverage and publicly released video of him being beaten to death could influence their ability to be fair. SENT: 500 words, photos, video, audio.
ABORTION-FLORIDA — State police are showing up at Florida voters’ homes to question them about signing a petition to get an abortion rights amendment on the ballot in November, and a state health care agency has launched a website targeting the ballot initiative with politically charged language. SENT: 1,080 words, photos. With ELECTION 2024-ABORTION-MISSOURI — Missouri Supreme Court to decide whether an abortion-rights amendment goes before voters — SENT.
––––––––––———––––
INTERNATIONAL
––––––––––———––––
VENEZUELA-ELECTION — Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado tried to reassure supporters that her coalition still hopes to gain control of the presidency despite the departure into exile of their candidate Edmundo González Urrutia. SENT: 530 words, photos.
KOREAS-TENSIONS — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to redouble efforts to make his nuclear force fully ready for combat with the United States and its allies, state media reported, after the country disclosed a new platform likely designed to fire more powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles targeting the mainland U.S. SENT: 650 words, photos.
EAST-TIMOR-ENERGY — The small Southeast Asian nation of East Timor has made international and domestic pledges to reduce its carbon footprint through untapped solar and other renewable energy potential. But it faces a looming economic crisis as the gas fields its economy currently depends on near depletion, hampering its ability to pay for the high cost of transitioning its energy sector. SENT: 800 words, photos.
JAPAN-NUCLEAR-FUKUSHIMA — An extendable robot resumed its entry into one of three damaged reactors at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to retrieve a fragment of melted fuel debris, nearly three weeks after its earlier attempt was suspended due to a technical issue. SENT: 450 words, photos. With JAPAN-FUKUSHIMA-MELTED-FUEL-EXPLAINER — A robot begins removal of melted fuel from the Fukushima nuclear plant. It could take a century — SENT.
BRITAIN-BABY-DEATHS — A hospital in northwest England where a neonatal nurse was convicted of murdering seven babies and trying to kill seven others is facing an inquiry into how so many newborns were harmed. SENT: 970 words, photos.
————————
CLIMATE
————————
CLIMATE-BRAZIL-DROUGHT — Brazil is enduring its worst drought since nationwide measurements began over seven decades ago, with 59% of the country under stress — an area roughly half the size of the U.S. Major Amazon basin rivers are registering historic lows, and uncontrolled manmade wildfires have ravaged protected areas and spread smoke over a vast expanse, plummeting air quality. SENT: 560 words, photos, video.
——————
SPORTS
——————
JETS-49ERS — Aaron Rodgers’ long-awaited return to the field was spoiled by San Francisco as the 49ers got 147 yards rushing and a touchdown from fill-in back Jordan Mason in a 32-19 victory over the New York Jets. Rodgers threw for 167 yards and one TD and also had an interception a year after his debut with New York ended with a torn Achilles after four snaps. SENT: 780 words, photos.
——————————————
HOW TO REACH US
——————————————
At the Nerve Center, Lorian Bélanger can be reached at 800-845-8450, ext. 1600. For photos, ext. 1900. For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.
New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) runs against San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (54) during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
CORRECTS THE CITY - Fires spread through the environmental protection area of Pouso Alto, in Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, during dry season, in Colinas do Sul, Goias state, Brazil, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
People greet Pope Francis as he travels in a car on way to another venue in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
East Timorese crowd Tacitolu park for Pope Francis' Mass in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Egyptian tanks stand alert near the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
