Northattan

At the heart of Spanish Harlem, artists and activists recently repainted a 12-year-old portrait of Che Guevara and Don Pedro Albizu Campos, the father of Puerto Rico’s independence movement.

A police emergency services unit responds to a double shooting in East Harlem. Photo by David Karp/AP Photo

A teenager was killed Thursday afternoon in an East Harlem shooting that also left another man wounded.

Police arrested a 36-year-old in connection with the shooting but have not yet charged him or released his name.

Bronx resident Jaquan Wilson, 18, was found with multiple gunshot wounds when officers arrived at 2383 2nd Avenue, near 122nd Street, around 12:30 p.m., police said. Wilson was taken to Harlem Hospital where he was pronounced dead, said police.

The other victim was a 26-year-old, who was shot in the buttocks and was in stable condition at Harlem Hospital.

A report on dnainfo.com quoted a source saying that the suspect told investigators he was being robbed by the two men that he eventually shot. The report said he was “able to wrestle the gun away from one of the men before turning it on both of them.” Police did not confirm any of that information.

A gun was found at the scene, police said.

This is the second killing in East Harlem this week. On Tuesday, 73-year-old Julia Hernandez was killed in her Wagner Houses apartment. Gregory Velez, 35, was arrested Thursday and charged with murder and robbery.

Gregory Velez, 35, was arrested in the murder of East Harlem resident Julia Hernandez, 73. Photo courtesy of the New York Police Department.

Police on Thursday arrested Gregory Velez, 35, in connection with the homicide of an East Harlem resident, Julia Hernandez, 73. Police say Velez was charged with murder and robbery.

Hernandez was found unconscious and unresponsive Tuesday night by her daughter Jeanette, according to police.  The Associated Press reported that Hernandez had a bag around her head and that her feet were bound with a scarf.

The police department released a photo of Velez Wednesday morning, asking for the public’s help in finding him. According to the police description, Velez is 6 feet tall and weighs 180 pounds.

According to reports, Velez fathered a child with the victim’s granddaughter, Jasminda Otero Hernandez. WABC reported today that police believe Velez may have killed Hernandez for her flat-screen television. It was not immediately clear if the apartment, at 445 E. 120^th St., had been broken into, but WABC also reports that the victim’s TV, cash and some jewelry were missing.

“Everyone knew her. Everyone loved her,” said her granddaughter, Jasminda Otero, to reporters. “Why would they do this awful thing to her? I hope you enjoy your flat-screen TV. I really do. I hope you enjoy it.”

This article was updated on Thursday, Oct. 27, to reflect the arrest of Velez.

Johnny Depp spoke as part of a panel on his new film "The Rum Diary." Photo by E.D. Cauchi/Columbia Journalism

“I like that the characters that he chooses are very quirky, and have a lot of depth,” said Columbia journalism student Zoe Read of Johnny Depp, while waiting in line for Depp’s appearance Monday night at Columbia. “Roles like ‘Benny and Joon,’ for example – not many people could have been able to play them.”

“I agree with everything,” said Marie-Sophie Schwarzer, another student. “Also, ‘Edward Scissorhands.’”

“Also, he’s hot,” added Dalal Mawad.

Sentiments like these were widely expressed among the students who began lining up 90 minutes early at Columbia’s Miller Theatre last night to hear Depp speak about Hunter S. Thompson. In an event timed to coincide with the release of “The Rum Diary,” Depp’s new film based on an early Thompson novel, Depp participated in a panel discussing Thompson’s journalistic legacy.

For a panel assembled for the edification of journalism students, the tenor in the room was unusual: As the journalism dean, Nicholas Lemann, took the stage to emcee the proceedings, he was met with anticipatory hoots, cheers and catcalls. More cheering greeted Depp as he finally took the stage, joined by guests including documentarian Alex Gibney and the film’s director, Bruce Robinson, for whom applause was polite, though decisively less pronounced.

Based loosely on Thompson’s experiences as a young writer in Puerto Rico, “The Rum Diary” follows a very Thompson-like writer as his ethics are questioned at a crumbling community newspaper in the tropics. Thompson’s first novel, “The Rum Diary” remained unpublished until long after his later first-person, wildly subjective books and articles (including “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Hell’s Angels”) changed the medium. Why Depp, the star of “Pirates of the Caribbean” and a former People Magazine “Sexiest Man Alive,” was at a journalism school event about a movie in which excessive drinking plays a major role is a tale unto itself.

The process began last March, when Assistant Dean Irena Choi Stern, who had friends at the Film District, which is distributing the movie, learned that the company was looking for ways to market the film to college students, and hoped to arrange a screening at either Columbia or New York University, and Stern convinced Film District that Columbia’s journalism program gave it a natural advantage. What followed was a long negotiation, resolved only just over a month ago, involving much wrangling on where the appearance would fit into Depp’s promotional schedule.

While Columbia has played host to guests ranging from Henry Kissinger to Noam Chomsky to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a celebrity of Depp’s variety raises its own particular challenges. In recent years, only George Clooney’s 2005 appearance to discuss his journalism-themed film “Good Night and Good Luck” has been comparable, and appearances by paparazzi at that event informed preparations for Depp’s visit.

“I would say security detail is a big one,” said Stern. “He has his own security group that works with him, and we are working very closely with campus security. It’s not like having even a movie star of a different generation come, where it’s a little more sedate. This is teenage girls kicking it up a few notches.” As it turns out, teenage girls and paparazzi were conspicuously absent from the event, security remained cautious – those who attempted to grab a quick cellphone picture of Depp were quickly and audibly reprimanded by the theater’s staff.

Despite his fame, Depp’s appearance was approved for Columbia only because its focus was entirely centered on Thompson, “I think we have to strike this balance between fame and insight,” said Sree Sreenivasan, dean of student affairs, who says that Columbia generally declines offers for advanced promo screenings for films. “We have to be careful about these celebrity-type things because, just because someone’s famous doesn’t mean they have a lot of insight, or that they’ll be helpful to our students.”

After weeks of buildup, Depp’s appearance filled the 688-seat Miller Theatre to near capacity.  The one-hour talk was rigorously focused on Thompson, and Depp spoke no more or less than any other panelist, but each time he met with thunderous applause. Some students were seen filing out as “The Rum Diary” began; Depp himself did not stay for the screening.

When asked about why the former Sexiest Man Alive is a bigger draw than, for example, Noam Chomsky, Stern was realistic. “Because every person who goes to the movies or watches television knows Johnny Depp. Does Noam Chomsky have that kind of exposure? No. If you’ve been in his class or have his books, maybe, but there’s nothing quite like film to get your face and name out there.”

Protestors have taken over Wall Street. Photo by Mayeta Clark/Northattan.

For three weeks now, protesters have filled the area around Wall Street, voicing their anger at the state of the U.S. economy. One theater troupe from Inwood and Washington Heights traveled to Wall Street to add their voices to the mix. But protest wasn’t the only thing on their minds: Their aim was to add some drama to proceedings. Nadine Natour reports

George Carlin grew up in Morningside Heights. Photo by Jeff Robbins/AP Photo

Community Council 9 in Morningside Heights will vote on whether to name a block of 121st Street between Amsterdam and Broadway after the late comedian George Carlin—who grew up there.

Erinn Cawthon reports.

UPDATE: Carlin Street Campaign Sparks Controversy by Erinn Cawthon, 11/11/11.

Northattan’s multimedia team traveled to the heart of the protests at Wall Street to gauge the mood after three weeks on the street.

Photos and Video by Mayeta Clark/Northattan

Police officers stop and frisk a man in Harlem. Photo by Khadijah Carter/Northattan.

New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly recently issued a memo to department commanding officers to stop arresting New Yorkers for possessing small amounts of marijuana. Kelly’s actions came after years of criticism of the police policy Stop and Frisk, which is closely related to the high rates of marijuana arrests. Reactions to the memo was mixed.

Khadijah Carter reports.

An interactive map by WNYC displays marijuana arrest rates as well as stop and frisk cases.

Mourners line up outside Harlem's renowned Abyssinian Baptist Church to commemorate Nick Ashford. Photograph by Morgan Radford/Northattan.

Motown legend Nick Ashford died this summer after losing his fight with throat cancer. At a Harlem memorial service in August, hundreds came to pay tribute to the songwriter.
Ashford, with his wife Valerie Simpson, penned classics like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “You’re All I Need to Get By.” But one man who crossed paths with him says Ashford’s legacy extends far beyond the simple love songs that made him famous.

Morgan Radford reports.