Sam Levin

Adam Clayton Powell IV and Charlie Rangel on 125th Street today.

That's how Adam Clayton Powell IV brushed aside questions today about why he is endorsing longtime Congressman Charlie Rangel for re-election -- after running against him (and thus frequently and harshly criticizing him) in a crowded race two years ago.

In one of the most watched local congressional races, Rangel, the incumbent who has held his Harlem seat for 40 years, is facing tough opposition in the primary as he fights to be re-elected to Congress to represent a newly-drawn district that now includes parts of the Bronx and has a larger Latino population.

Yep, you read that right. Whistles.

Here's what's up: Robberies have swelled by 41 percent in the 48th Precinct, the Daily News notes. This includes West Farms and other Community Board 6 neighborhoods.

Sam Levin

The new "apple green" Boro Taxi, unveiled at City Hall this morning.

The mayor's office emphasized this specific shade of green at a press conference at City Hall this morning by having a basket of green apples on site and one prop apple at the podium that speakers could hold on to and toss in the air if they wanted, to emphasize that this new taxi is in fact "apple" green -- a topic of much debate among reporters in attendance.

In front of the steps of City Hall, the mayor's office took the cover off a model of the new taxi, which looks a lot like the yellow taxis, only it's (apple) green.

via nolongerempty.org

Actors in Theatre of the Oppressed's upcoming production in the Bronx.

This is how artist Melanie Crean remembers a workshop with around ten teenage girls in the Bronx, who were then in the early stages of creating a play that they will perform in front of a live audience this coming week.

"[Violence] is a very real part of their lives that is not necessarily getting discussed and analyzed in schools or elsewhere," Crean told the Voice. "We're starting to...get people talking about problems, so we can start to think about solutions."

This is part of the unique process of Theatre of the Oppressed NYC, a nonprofit group on the rise that collaborates with organizations throughout the city to create original productions with communities that face some kind of oppression or discrimination.

Sam Levin

Sasha Warner-Berry, Parent Action Committee organizer, points out the schools in need of improvement to a guidance counselor passing by.

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The mother of three, whose two sons attend struggling schools in one of the city's lowest performing school districts, was waiting for dismissal -- but she wasn't there to pick up her children.

For the first time, Gonzalez, with her three-year-old daughter by her side, was participating in the newest campaign of the the New Settlement Apartments Parent Action Committee, a Bronx-based advocacy group that focuses on increasing parent involvement in local public schools.

"I'm just going to talk to them from my point of view as a parent," she told the Voice as she waited for parents to arrive to pick up their children.

Courtesy of Sharon De La Cruz

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Last month, we reported on the formation of a coalition called Communities United for Police Reform, or CPR, which has brought together dozens of groups under a unified campaign to push for increased police accountability (and to make stop-and-frisk and police reform important topics in the upcoming mayoral election).

The group has a broad agenda that includes hosting training sessions for New Yorkers and pushing legislation designed to improve police-community relations and increase the accountability around stop-and-frisk incidents.

Runnin' Scared chatted with one of the coalition's organizers this morning about the group's latest effort -- a colorful mural in the Bronx aimed at teaching passersby their rights.

New York Civil Liberties Union

Protests of the city's surveillance of Muslims and the NYPD's controversial stop-and-frisk policies have reached new heights in recent weeks.

And today, activists are rallying around another policing policy that they say is unfairly targeting minorities and outer borough residents: arresting students in public schools.

Last month, the New York Civil Liberties Union spoke out about new data from the city's Department of Education that reveals that school discipline practices are disproportionately impacting students of color and students in the Bronx.

During Armory Arts Week, Casa De Costa gallery in the Financial District is kicking off Bronx based photographer Kevin Amato's show "F*ck the Golden Years" with an opening reception this evening. We caught up with Amato last month, a friend and sometime collaborator on stories we've reported together, at his gallery for a preview of the show. Watch the above video to hear us chat with Amato about a few of his works, the unlikely source for the title phrase of his show, and his take on portraiture, photography, and life shooting in the city.

@steven_thrasher | sthrasher@villagevoice.com