CHELSEA NOW, JANUARY 9, 2013

Indie music musts, p. 11

VOLUME 5, NUMBER 09

THE WEST SIDE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

JANUARY 9 - 22, 2013

Tom Duane Says Goodbye to CB4

Dream it, Draw it, Do it Our last issue featured a photo of PS11’s colorful new exterior, and had readers wondering who the gifted artist was. Now you know: The wrap-around mural is (literally) drawn from the minds of elementary school students — who contributed a short sentence beginning with “I dream of” or “I love.” Back in October, the artists (and their parents) met to turn their dreams into reality. For the finished project of this math-themed part of the mural, see page 2.

NYPD Passes on Precinct Realignment

BY SCOTT STIFFLER The blue line that runs through a thin patch of East Chelsea won’t be redrawn — despite a number of compelling arguments made over the years by residents, electeds, business owners and community organizations.

In a letter sent to City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Police

Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly specified the reasons behind his decision not to alter the 10th and 13th Precinct boundary lines to conform with those of Community Board 4 (CB4).

The blocks in question, West 14th Street to West 26th Street, from Sixth to Seventh Avenues, are cur-

BY LAKSHMI GANDHI Former State Senator Tom Duane was an unexpected guest at the first full board meeting of Community Board (CB4), which took place on January 2 at the Fulton Auditorium.

“Brad was kind enough to let me say goodbye,” said Duane, referring to his successor Brad Hoylman. First elected in 1998, Duane declined to run for re-election after seven terms in office — a move that surprised political observers in both Manhattan and Albany. Throughout his remarks, Duane credited his time on CB4 in the eighties and early nineties as being a vital part of his career.

“Board 4 was the greatest training ever,” Duane told the meeting as he reminisced about serving on the board early in his career. “The city and our neighborhoods wouldn’t be the same if you didn’t do what you do.”

He singled out 1996’s Chelsea Plan, which recommended zoning changes to preserve the neighborhood while also promoting new development. “Some of you were around for the Chelsea Plan. It was an amazing coalition of people. We gave up a lot to get that in place.”

“I love Board 4,” Duane

rently served by the 13th Precinct.

Realignment would unite the area with the rest of Chelsea, which is under the jurisdiction of the 10th Precinct.

Last August, at the same time Speaker Quinn, CB4, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and then-New York State Senator Tom

Continued on page 3 5 15 CANAL ST., U N IT 1C • MAN H ATTA N , N Y 10 013 • COPYRIG HT © 2013 N YC COM M U N ITY M ED IA , LLC

continued. “I just want you to know that despite the capital being far away, it was a pleasure that you allowed me to be the voice of Board 4 there.

And everything I learned, I learned not in kindergarten, but in Board 4. And from the bottom of my heart, thank you for representing the neighborhoods that I love.”

Duane then left to warm applause and a standing ovation from the board, pausing several times to shake board members’ hands as he departed the auditorium.

Earlier in the meeting, during the public comment session, several community members spoke out in support of a proposed park to be located on Dyer Avenue between 34th and 35th Streets. The land is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which supports the plan.

Jeff Peyser, who lives near the proposed park, told the board that the proposal would bring a needed green space to the neighborhood. “As a resident, I cannot tell you how much I hope that we are able to proceed,” he said.

Architect Meta Brunzema, who worked on the proposed design of the park, displayed a rendering during her remarks.

Continued on page 6

EDITORIAL, LETTERS PAGE 8

GET “CAUGHT” PAGE 13

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January 9 - 22, 2013

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Coalition: Put all of Chelsea under 10th Precinct Jurisdiction 10th Precinct. Improvement would also come about when CB4’s District Services Cabinet and Committees meet and discuss police matters.�

Dealing with the issues of a singular precinct, Borock said, would streamline the follow-up process of dealing with questions that arise within Committee meetings and during the public comment portion of full board sessions.

Continued from page 1 Duane submitted letters advocating for boundary realignment, the Council of Chelsea Block Associations (CCBA) sent its own written request to Commissioner Kelly — along with a petition signed by 469 individuals and statements of concern from condo and co-op boards representing 818 units, as well as letters from 31 banks, stores, museums and community organizations within the affected area.

Five months later (on December 24, 2012), after having evaluated the proposed modifications, the commissioner’s letter to Speaker Quinn concluded that altering the boundary lines “is not a feasible undertaking for the Department particularly in the absence of a pressing public safety concern.� Commissioner Kelly also cited prohibitive costs and logistics involving personnel, resources and technical reconfigurations (such as complaint tracking, emergency call taking and emergency dispatch systems). “Tasks of this magnitude,� he said, “must be reserved for instances where there is an essential necessity to maintain or enhance police services and public safety.�

IMPACT OF DISTANCE IN DISPUTE Referencing Speaker Quinn’s August 2012 request to study the matter, Commissioner Kelly wrote, “As you observed in your letter, Chelsea residents hinge their request on the distance between the current local precinct and their community.�

Compared to New York City’s 76 precincts, the commissioner pointed out, the 13th “ranks 9th, at 0.9 miles, from the stationhouse to the furthest location within its boundary lines.�

With that in mind, he asserted, “the concern regarding the proximity between the Chelsea community and 13th Precinct does not, in and of itself, support the necessity to alter precinct lines.� Besides, he reasoned, “most police services are delivered directly to particular locations within the community and not at the precinct stationhouse.�

That East Chelsea’s distance from area of service to stationhouse ranks well in comparison to the rest of the city provided little, if any, comfort to the CCBA — which has long maintained that its coalition members would

PROXIMITY MATTERS

Photo by Scott Stiffler

Dawn of an old age: This patch of Chelsea (23rd St. & 7th, looking towards 6th Ave.) will remain under the protection of the 13th Precinct.

be better served by the 10th Precinct.

On January 3, Borock sent an email to Elizabeth Zechella (who serves on CB4’s Chelsea Land Use and Transportation Planning committees). After establishing that he was writing to solicit her thoughts and reactions to Commissioner Kelly’s decision, Borock acknowledged that the NYPD’s “data about the furthest point only being 1.4 miles from the 13th Precinct may be true,� but added that this observation “does not take into account that the blocks we want to change are very close to the 10th Precinct, and that for years, complaints have been made about the no responses or long time responses to calls made to the 13th Precinct. We have been told that they had other priority areas which were more important to deal with than our blocks.� As Chelsea Now went to press, Zechella had yet to reply to Borock’s message.

DIFFERENT DECADE, SAME PROLEMS The public perception of out-of-sight, outof-mind neglect is not a new one. A July 30, 2010 Chelsea Now article on coterminality (a New York City Charter requirement to align services within the borders of community districts) included a statement from Borock noting, “People in the neighborhood say when they call

the 13th, it takes a while for them to come.

They were told, ‘We’d like to help, but we have resource problems; our main focus is the United Nations and that area, and you are on the fringe, so it’s difficult.’ �

Last week, in his email to Zechella, the advantages of coterminality were still part of Borock’s case for boundary realignment. “CB4 basically deals with the 10th Precinct and not the 13th,� he wrote, adding that “our police services would be improved if we became part of the

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In our July 2010 article, 100 West 16 Street Block Association chair Paul Groncki (who still serves in that position) also expressed his frustration. “I understand the logistics issue,� he said, after acknowledging effective action by the 13th Precinct in response to drug dealing and noise on the corner of 16th Street and Sixth Avenue. But, he added, “We are in a far, far corner of their district� away from the demands of “Peter Cooper Village and big housing projects on the east side they have to cover.�

Groncki went on to cite the scarcity of Chelsea residents at the 13th Precinct’s monthly Community Council meetings (held at its stationhouse, 230 East 21st Street, between Second and Third Avenues — a considerable walking distance compared to the 10th Precinct’s central Chelsea location, at 230 West 20th Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues). “I go to a council meeting [at their headquarters],� said Groncki, “and rarely is anybody west of Park Avenue there. The ones who are

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January 9 - 22, 2013

Thin Blue Line Not Budging Continued from page 3

interested in going are older ones, and it’s a long walk for them. We would get more attention if the precinct were closer to us, because more people would go to the meetings.”

Senator Duane’s August 2012 letter to Commissioner Kelly touched on similar concerns, noting that bringing the disputed area under 10th Precinct jurisdiction would “allow people with similar problems and similar neighborhood identities to be served by the same precinct, and would foster greater communitypolice engagement among those who have been reassigned to a precinct to which they have greater proximity and community ties.”

Reached by phone on January 7, Groncki stood by his 2010 assessment of the situation, confirming that little if anything has changed since he told Chelsea Now, “I see more 10th Precinct cops on Seventh Avenue around the corner from me. When I see a 13th Precinct police car, I stop because it’s such a rare event.

They say they do patrol. but I don’t know when because we haven’t seen them.”

Still a regular attendee of the 13th Precinct Community Council Meetings, Groncki bemoaned the fact that he is often the lone Chelsea resident in the room. “Nobody is there,” he says of his neighbors. “There’s the odd businessman from the Sixth Avenue area, but in terms of residents from west of Park Avenue, they just don’t come.” As for his previous statements about the lack of a visible 13th Precinct presence in East Chelsea, Groncki confirms that this problem remains unchanged since he last spoke to us about it in 2010. “It’s a hollow feeling you get, that you’re all alone out there,” he says. “It’s a question of sensing a police presence, as opposed to an actual lack of police presence. When you see the cops, you get a sense of, there’s somebody here if I need them. But when you never see an officer, you wonder where they are.”

Groncki does have high praise, however, for the response time and general attentiveness once a problem is brought the distant precinct’s attention. “I have to say,” he notes, “that when I call [Community Affairs Officer] Ray Dorrian, he calls me right back. I send him an email with a question, and he responds. So I know, on some level, there’s somebody there. But the other people in my block association ask, ‘Where are they?’ ”

WHAT’S SO DIFFICULT ABOUT CHANGE? “In my opinion,” says Borock, “the change we requested was not extensive and would not have been as costly, problematic and laborintensive as Kelly’s letter implied.”

Particularly frustrating to the CCBA, says Borock, is the commissioner’s refusal to redraw Chelsea’s precinct lines given the time and resources spent by the NYPD to realign parts of Brooklyn to compensate for the newly opened Barclays Center. Why, Borock and others wonder, does the changing dynamic of that neighborhood justify new boundary lines when Chelsea experienced its own influx of new residents, tourist foot traffic and accompanying

quality of life concerns years ago?

Within the package of letters Borock handdelivered to 1 Police Plaza on August 31, Edward Stein (President, 143-5 Owners Corp.) wrote on behalf of his cooperative — located on 20th Street, less than one block from the 10th Precinct.

Acknowledging that the current arrangement may have been appropriate “when East Chelsea had a small residential population and very few retailers,” Stein asserted that “as the population density has increased, the concerns raised about the adequacy of police response times for our neighborhood has grown.” If those in his building could take their concerns to the 10th Precinct, he reasoned, “the improvement in police response time and sense of community with the police officers would be drastic.”

Even though Commissioner Kelly maintains the Brooklyn realignment was “mainly undertaken because public safety demanded it,” the project was nonetheless approved even though the NYPD was aware it would have some negative consequences. “Technological reconfigurations of this scale render all previously captured data within the affected systems not comparable to future data captured,” Commissioner Kelly wrote, “thereby undermining the benefits afforded by the ability to compare past and present data.”

“It seems weak on my part,” says Groncki of the disconnect between bringing change to Brooklyn despite such consequences, yet invoking it as a contributing reason to maintain Chelsea’s status quo. “We change City Council lines,” he reasoned. “We change congressional districts. But he’s saying we can’t change precinct lines because our data won’t track?”

QUINN WEIGHS IN “While we are pleased that Commissioner Kelly reviewed our request,” said Quinn Spokeswoman Zoe Tobin in a January 8 email to Chelsea Now, “we are disappointed with the outcome. Ideally, police precincts and community district boundaries should closely align.”

Tobin continued, noting that the Speaker “supports the needs and requests of Community Board 4 in relation to this issue” — a point that was underscored in her report to CB4, which is regularly sent to coincide with their monthly full board meeting (the most recent of which was held on January 2). In that report, Speaker Quinn prefaced her remarks by declaring that, “We have among the best police precincts in the city with some of the most community minded personnel.” Yet, she added, “There are residents of Chelsea who would feel better served if the 10th Precinct, Chelsea’s neighborhood precinct, was theirs.”

Moving forward, the speaker told CB4, her office “will continue to ensure that all city services are being delivered to those in need in the most expeditious and efficient manner possible.” And although Tobin assured Chelsea Now that Speaker Quinn and her staff will “work with neighborhood leaders, residents and businesses to address any public safety issues in the community,” the fact remains that those issues — if they originate in East Chelsea — will have to be filtered through the 13th Precinct.

January 9 - 22, 2013

FIT Hosts Hoylman Swearing-In Senator Brad Hoylman has opened a new chapter representing much of the heart of Manhattan — including the neighborhoods of Chelsea, Clinton/ Hell’s Kitchen, Greenwich Village and parts of the Upper West Side, Midtown/ East Midtown, the East Village and Lower East Side. On January 9, he headed to Albany for the first day of the 2013 legislative session. On Sunday, January 13, the public is invited to attend a swearing-in ceremony. It takes place from 2-4pm, at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s David Dubinsky Student Center (Eighth Ave. & W. 27th St., 8th Fl.). Refreshments will be served at a reception immediately following the ceremony.

You can follow him on Twitter: @BradHoylman, or by visiting bradhoylman.com. His office can be reached at 212-206-0033.

Hot Stuff, Comin’ Through

Photo by Alanna Gluck

The hot new spot in Southwest Chelsea is an actual hot spot. On January 8, a press conference was held in the community garden at Hudson Guild's Fulton Senior Center — to announce free WiFi to Chelsea. In the above photo, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Senator Charles Schumer and President of Chelsea Improvement Company Dan Biederman put a modern spin on the old ribbon-cutting ceremony. With the slicing of a few wires, they christened Southwest Chelsea the first WiFi neighborhood in Manhattan. This distinction, brought to you

by Google and The Chelsea Improvement Company, will provide free Internet access to hundreds of thousands of people each year. Free WiFi is now available outdoors, roughly between Gansevoort Street and 19th Street, from Eighth Avenue to the West Side Highway — as well as the neighborhood’s public spaces (including the Chelsea Triangle, 14th Street Park and Gansevoort Plaza). Google’s New York office is located at the center of the hot spot, at 76 Ninth Avenue. For more info, visit chelseaimprovement.com.

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January 9 - 22, 2013

Miss Wheelchair New York Presses CB4 for Park Continued from page 1

“Our group’s intent was to make this a park for everybody,” said Brunzema. “We know that the Port Authority is about to do renovations on the lanes. We hope this board will vote at this opportune time.”

Several people who spoke at the meeting said they were hopeful the park would ease traffic and make the neighborhood safer for pedestrians. Danielle Sheypuk, a 34th Street resident and current Miss Wheelchair New York, said that Dyer Avenue was currently very dangerous for people in wheelchairs because drivers constantly speed down the road. “Having a park there would be very safe if it was ADA [American Disabilities Act] compliant. It would benefit the community,” she said.

Amy Gross agreed that the speeding cars were a major problem in the neighborhood. “The cars come and careen down 34th Street to go down on Dyer. It’s a very dangerous crossing,” she said. “The benefits of the park cannot be overstated.”

The board unanimously recommended the proposal to the Port Authority, but members also said the project should not proceed until there was a budget and funding in place. “The Port Authority has no money for this,” noted Transportation

Photos by Lakshmi Gandhi

At left, architect Meta Brunzema talks about the design for a proposed park, to be located on Dyer Ave. (btw. 34th & 35th Sts.).

Former State Senator Tom Duane fondly recalls his years with CB4.

Committee co-chair Jay Marcus.

Donald Bernstein, an attorney for the Chelsea Highline Hotel (180 Tenth Avenue), also spoke during the public comment session. The hotel had applied for a liquor license, and he urged CB4 to support it. He said that a few former employees of the hotel spoke at board meeting shortly after Superstorm Sandy, saying they had been discharged after

of Health spoke about the Big Apple Prescription Program. She said the program, which allows card holders to get discounts on their prescriptions and some over the counter medications, is being underutilized. Residents do not need to have health insurance or fill out forms to receive a card, which can be printed from the nyc.gov website.

the storm. “They had concerns about the hotel,” said Bernstein, who noted that the hotel has not reopened since the storm.

Bernstein said the employees and management came to a resolution and that the discharged employees will reapply for their jobs after the hotel is running again.

Miguel Acevedo, who acted as a representative for the discharged High Line Hotel employees, also addressed the board. He thanked the High Line Hotel for working with the group of discharged employees. “They were afraid of losing their jobs,” said Acevedo. “After speaking to the employees, they are now in support of the liquor license application.”

Acevedo also thanked the community members who volunteered at the Fulton Houses during Superstorm Sandy, saying many elderly Fulton residents were afraid and anxious during the storm and that support from volunteers, elected officials and the Housing Authority made a big difference.

Other issues discussed at the meeting included a noise complaint from a resident of 52nd Street, by Pier 94. She said that parties and concerts at the Pier meant that she and her neighbors were subject to “very loud house music, parties for three days straight.” She was advised to speak to the Quality of Life Committee, whose next meeting was scheduled to take place on Monday, January 7, at 6:30pm (at the CB4 offices; 330 West 42nd Street, 26th floor).

Another local resident spoke about delays on the 14D bus line and also said that there was a problem with cars illegally parking in bus stops around 14th Street, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues.

She said the cars made it very difficult for people in wheelchairs to board the buses because of the difficulty of getting off the curb. She was encouraged to take her concerns to the Transportation Committee, which is scheduled to meet on January 16, at 6:30pm (at Geffner House; 351 West 42nd Street, in the Piano Room).

Ernesta King from the City Department

LETTER TO STRINGER NIXED The most contested part of the meeting was during a discussion on a proposed letter for Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer on Good Jobs and Responsible Development. During the 40-minute discussion, many members of the board said they were uncomfortable with the scope of the proposed letter — which provided guidelines on standards for employers in the city. Although CB4 Chair Corey Johnson said eight other Manhattan community boards voted to endorse similar letters, the board voted 25-14 not to send the drafted letter.

The Board also ratified the Executive Committee’s decision to not take a stand on the proposed early voting plan.

REPORTS FROM ELECTED OFFICIALS Assemblymember Richard Gottfried also addressed the Board, welcoming the new State Senator Hoylman. He also thanked the community and members of the Hudson Guild for assisting residents of the Fulton Houses, who did not have power for days following Superstorm Sandy.

Gottfried then spoke about what was happening in Albany. He said that while gun control is in the news, “Year after year the Assembly passes gun control and then [the bills] go nowhere in the State Senate.” Regarding Hudson River Park, he noted, “There was some expectation that there might have been a special session

Continued on page 7

January 9 - 22, 2013

Electeds Report to CB4 Continued from page 6

on how to get more revenue, especially to Pier 40,” he said. “But the special session didn’t happen.” Gottfried's office can be contacted at 212-807-7900 or at assembly. state.ny.us/mem/richard-n-gottfried.

City Council Member Gale Brewer also stopped by the meeting and spoke about new legislation on housing conditions.

Brewer said that if tenants had ten complaints about leaking ceilings, the new legislation would require the roof of the building to be fixed.

Brewer's office can be reached at 212873-0282 or at council.nyc.gov.

Michaela Miller, a representative from City Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s office said the Speaker had sent a letter to Speaker of the US House of Representatives John Boehner expressing outrage about the delayed Hurricane Sandy relief bill. In the letter, dated January 2, Quinn wrote, “The human and economic impact of this storm is so severe and evident that it’s impossible to fathom why the House left Washington without taking action to assist our region.” The letter concluded with a plea that Congress pass the relief bill as soon as possible in the new session. (After the Sandy relief bill passed the House and Senate on January 4, President Obama signed the $9.7 billion bill into law on Sunday, January 6). Quinn’s office can be reached at 212-564-7757 or at council. nyc.gov/.

As a result of redistricting, part of Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen are now in State Senator Adriano Espaillat’s area of coverage. Community liaison Ben Schacter visited the meeting to introduce himself and give more information about the district office. Schacter said that while the district office is in Inwood (at 5030 Broadway), the Senator was trying to opening a satellite office Downtown.

Schacter noted that Espaillat’s staff can be contacted at 212-544-0173 or at nysenate. gov/senator/adriano-espaillat.

District Manager Robert Benfatto announced that January 28 is the annual New York Street Survey, which asks people to go out into their neighborhoods to keep track of how many homeless people are on the street during the cold weather.

Paul Sawyer, from Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal’s office, noted that the public comment period on hydrofracking will close on January 12. He said Rosenthal is requesting that the “entire process on fracking be stopped” until a new health impact report is released.

Rosenthal’s office can be reached at 212873-6368 or at assembly.state.ny.us/mem/ linda-b-rosenthal.

Representing the Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Jessica Silver encouraged members of the community to apply for the open community board positions. The applications are due on January

Photo by Lakshmi Gandhi

Assemblymember Richard Gottfried thanked members of the Hudson Guild for assisting Fulton Houses residents after Superstorm Sandy.

18. Applications can be downloaded at mbpo.org. Silver also spoke about a new report released by the Borough President’s office called Start-Up City: Growing New York City’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for All, which she described as a thorough look at the tech economy and New York City. The report, which can be found at startupcitynyc.org, covers everything from computer science curriculum in high schools to helping medium-sized businesses find office space. Stringer's office can be reached at 212-669-8300 or at mbpo.org.

Laurie Morrison, from the office of newly elected State Senator Brad Hoylman, encouraged community residents to contact their office with any concerns in the community, like problems with housing and healthcare. She said that the Senator’s email system was still not running — but noted that anyone could call Hoylman’s office at 212-633-8052 or visit bradhoylman.com. Morrison also announced that there will be a swearing-in ceremony for Hoylman on January 13, from 2-4pm, at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s David Dubinsky Student Center (Eighth Avenue and 27th Street).

CB4’s full board meeting, open to the public, takes place on the first Wed. of the month. The next meeting is Feb. 6, 6:30pm, at the Fulton Center Auditorium (119 Ninth Ave., between 17th & 18th Sts.). Call 212-736-4536, visit nyc.gov/ mcb4 or email them at info@manhattancb4.org.

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January 9 - 22, 2013

EDITORIAL Sandy Relief Betrayal Condemnation was swift last week for the House Republicans’ heartless abandonment of people devastated by Hurricane Sandy. No one put it better than Representative Peter King of Long Island. He said anybody from New York or New Jersey who donates money to help his fellow Republicans get re-elected is crazy.

We hope Wall Street heard King clearly the first time, and ignores his subsequent backpedal, which presumably was done for political survival.

The “Boehner Betrayal,” as Senator Chuck Schumer called House Speaker John Boehner’s broken promise to bring a $60 billion hurricane relief package to the floor, will likely have real and devastating consequences in Downtown Manhattan and other areas that were hit even harder by Sandy.

Many businesses close to home have still not reopened and are desperately waiting for relief to rebuild their livelihoods. Others are looking with horror at their repair bills and their loss of customers. Some Downtowners have still not been able to return home, and in other parts of the city and state and elsewhere, there are many people who can’t even recognize where they lived or worked because the storm just washed it all away.

Boehner’s decision to take up the bill in piecemeal, passing a much smaller $9.7 billion package at the end of last week, will leave many waiting for help.

Left out of the bill is some of the money needed to help homeowners and small-business owners rebuild, to repair critical transportation equipment and to replenish shorelines.

Boehner may have clinched his leadership reelection by waiting for the new session of Congress, but the decision means the Senate — a body that the Founding Fathers designed to act slowly — must pass another large ticket bill all over again.

This during a time when divisive debates are on tap in the Senate over possible new filibuster rules and the battle to confirm Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary.

It was an outrage that Boehner waited more than two months to consider Sandy relief so he could focus his attention on bad-faith, pointless negotiations with the White House on the “fiscal cliff.”

He strung the president along before deferring to the Senate to make a last minute deal.

Our man in Congress, Jerrold Nadler, said extending the hardship was “a total collapse of leadership” on Boehner’s part. He may have been too kind to use the “L” word in the same sentence with the speaker.

WRITE US E-mail letters, not longer than 250 words in length, to scott@chelseanow.com or fax to 212229-2790 or mail to Chelsea Now, Letters to the Editor, 515 Canal St., Suite 1C, NY, NY 10013.

Please include phone number for confirmation purposes. Chelsea Now reserves the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and libel. Chelsea Now does not publish anonymous letters.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR One less place to ‘Meat’

CB2 delivered — for GLWD

To The Editor: Yesterday [December 27], the Big Apple Meat Market (located on Ninth Avenue, between 41st & 42nd Streets) announced that they would be shutting their doors in two weeks.

Although the market seemed to be thriving and there has been a change in merchandise to appeal to more upscale consumers over the past six months, it is hardly unexpected given that most of the property on that block, the last vestige of seedy, old Times Square, has remained vacant for a long time.

Eventually money wins.

While the expansion of large, luxury rental buildings in Clinton continues to change the residential structure of the community has anyone given a thought to those of us who continue to live here? I live on 37th Street and 10th Avenue. With the loss of Big Apple the only full-service supermarket available to me within walking distance is The Food Emporium. I don’t know if I can afford their prices on my monthly SNAP allowance.

Is there any help for those of us on limited, fixed incomes?

Is the future of Hell’s Kitchen simply a place for the young and affluent to play?

I live in an 80/20 building and am grateful for the affordable rent. But these building do not create neighborhoods.

Eighty percent of the tenants pay high, market rate rents and tend to move on after a year or two (the terms of their leases).

Those of us with lower rents know that they will expire in about 20 years. Where will the seniors go then?

To The Editor: RE “Neighbors Say God’s Love Plan Doesn’t Deliver” (news, Nov. 28, 2012): People who claim to have God on their side have a long history of pulling off wicked exploits. So it should come as no surprise that the dubious alliance of God’s Love We Deliver and Quinlan-Tavros Development managed to get Community Board 2 to pull a shameful switcheroo at its Dec. 20 board meeting.

Although the community board’s Land Use and Business Development Committee had voted nearly unanimously on Dec. 12 to reject the questionable air-rights transfer that GLWD and QT development need for QT to pull off its expanded, 14-story, luxury condo development scheme, sometime in the following week, in a closed-door meeting, a deal was cut.

CB2’s Land Use Committee asks us to believe that they reversed their decision in exchange for concessions to the community that amount to a couple of trees planted on a landing, a handful of air conditioners and double-paned windows for the residents of 188 Sixth Ave. Such fables strain credulity. While images of smoke-filled rooms and envelopes stuffed with cash seem a bit banal, how else are we to explain such shenanigans?

Those of us who live in the South Village want answers: How do these deals that sell out our neighborhoods get cut?

Where is the public process mandated by the Open Meetings Law? And where are our elected officials in this disgraceful parody of city planning and democratic governance?

More than 50 South Village neighbors and friends have called on CB2 to re-hear this matter at the community board’s first meeting of the new year. We await their reply.

In the meantime, we wish our neighbors a holiday season filled with peace and light. Thanks to the actions of our community board, it may be the last one they enjoy with these amenities.

To The Editor: RE “Neighbors Say God’s Love Plan Doesn’t Deliver” (news, Nov. 28, 2012): The role of Community Board 2 is to reflect the views of its constituents. Anything but that occurred on Thurs., Dec. 20, when the board approved a land use modification application for QT Development and God’s Love We Deliver known as a “minor modification”— a modification to God’s Love’s 1993 deed that would allow its rooftop property to be used as open space by a private developer.

However, the application for the modification, formerly inspected by the public and voted down by the board’s Land Use and Business Development Committee a week earlier on Dec. 16, was incredibly rewritten by members of the community board along with the developer in a private session behind closed doors! Can you imagine the shock and chagrin of my neighbors and me when we arrived at the full board meeting on Dec. 20, only to be told that the application from a week earlier had been retrofitted and that the Land Use Committee had reversed its position?

The developer had added a clause in the application stating that they will plant a few more trees and install windows and air conditioners for one of the adjacent buildings. Wow! That is probably the equivalent of lunch money for their attorneys for one week and falls way short of the type of stipulations that need to be included in order for this type of “minor modification” to be approved. All this behind we the people’s backs.

Then enter Tom Duane, the original author of the 1993 deed for the GLWD property. Since a close confidante of Tom Duane had initially brought the “minor modification” to my attention and gave the neighborhood reason and encouragement to oppose it, I couldn’t imagine that Mr. Duane didn’t concur.

What happened to make Duane practically come out of retirement to come down and urge the board to support the “minor modification”? More subterfuge in a week of subterfuge. Disgusting! CB2 and Tom Duane should be ashamed of themselves in honoring developers, favors and big money ahead of the common people. Shame on you.

I appealed to the community board to consider the more than 300 rent-stabilized units directly and indirectly adjacent to the site and the huge consequences that adding another 18,000 square feet to this building would have for those people. It’s almost 30 percent more heft. But the fix was in. Our pleas fell on deaf ears.

GLWD has donors with the deepest pockets on planet Earth. This cynical line they spun that their mission is doomed unless they conspire with a major real estate developer to raise a measly few million dollars from the sale of their air rights is horrible. How dare they use people dying from AIDS and other illnesses as P.R. for their new real estate venture. I know many many people who have approached GLWD about quality-of-life issues, such as odor and trucking noise, only to be given a very cold shoulder.

Come spring, the heavy machinery will roll in and a giant development will proceed, towering above the little munchkins below, and once again “progress” in Manhattan will come at the expense of the common man. In this instance it will be most remarkable because of the huge population living directly adjacent to the site and the fact that their community representatives find it more agreeable to be “in” with the big money and developers than their own constituents.

Micki McGee

Kenny Ross

Tony Setteducate Editor’s Note: Sat., Jan. 12 is the market’s last day of business.

Demands a GLWD do-over

January 9 - 22, 2013

Community Contacts To be listed, email info to scott@chelseanow.com.

COMMUNITY BOARD 4 (CB4) CB4 serves Manhattan’s West Side neighborhoods of Chelsea and Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen. Its boundaries are 14th St. on the south, 59/60th St. on the north, the Hudson River on the west, 6th Ave. on the east (south of 26th St.) and 8th Ave. on the east (north of 26th St.). The board meeting, open to the public, is the first Wednesday of the month. The next meeting is Wed., Feb. 6, 6:30pm, at the Fulton Center Auditorium (119 Ninth Ave., btw. 17th & 18th Sts.).

Call 212-736-4536, visit nyc.gov/ mcb4 or email them at info@manhattancb4.org.

COMMUNITY BOARD 5 (CB5) CB5 represents the central business district of New York City. It includes midtown Manhattan, the Fashion, Flower, Flatiron and Diamond districts, as well as Bryant Park and Union Square Park. The district is at the center of New York’s tourism industry. The Theatre District, Times Square, Carnegie Hall, the Empire State Building and two of the region’s transportation hubs (Grand Central Station and Penn Station) fall within CB5. The board meeting, open to the public, happens on the second Thursday of the month. The next meeting is Thurs., Jan. 17, 6pm, at Xavier High School (30 W. 16th St., btw. 5th and 6th Aves., 2nd fl.). Call 212-465-0907, visit cb5.org or email them at office@cb5.org.

THE 300 WEST 23RD, 22ND & 21ST STREETS BLOCK ASSOCIATION Contact them at 300westblockassoc@prodigy.net.

THE WEST 400 BLOCK ASSOCIATION Contact them at w400ba@gmail.com.

CHELSEA GARDEN CLUB Chelsea Garden Club cares for the bike lane tree pits in Chelsea. If you want to adopt a tree pit or join the group, please contact them at cgc.nyc@gmail.com or like them on Facebook. Also visit chelseagardenclub.blogspot.com.

LOWER CHELSEA ALLIANCE (LoCal) This group is committed to protecting the residential blocks of Chelsea from overscale development. Contact them at LowerChelseaAlliance@gmail.com.

THE GREENWICH VILLAGE-CHELSEA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Call 212-337-5912 or visit villagechelsea.com.

THE MEATPACKING DISTRICT INITIATIVE Visit meatpacking-district.com or call 212-633-0185.

PENN SOUTH The Penn South Program for Seniors provides recreation, education and social services — and welcomes volunteers. For info, call 212-2433670 or visit pennsouthlive.com.

515 Canal St., Unit 1C, New York, NY 10013 Phone: (212) 229-1890 • Fax: (212) 229-2790 On-line: www.chelseanow.com E-mail: scott@chelseanow.com © 2012 NYC Community Media, LLC

THE CARTER BURDEN CENTER FOR THE AGING This organization promotes the wellbeing of individuals 60 and older through direct social services and volunteer programs oriented to individual, family and community needs. Call 212-879-7400 or visit burdencenter.org.

THE SAGE CENTER New York City’s first LGBT senior center offers hot meals, counseling and a cyber-center — as well as programs on arts and culture, fitness, nutrition, health and wellness. At 305 Seventh Avenue (15th floor, btw. 27th & 28th Sts.). Call 646-576-8669 or visit sageusa.org/thesagecenter for menus and a calendar of programs.

FULTON YOUTH OF THE FUTURE Email them at fultonyouth@gmail. com or contact Miguel Acevedo, 646-671-0310.

STATE SENATOR BRAD HOYLMAN Call 212-633-8052 or visit bradhoylman.com.

CHELSEA REFORM DEMOCRATIC CLUB The CRDC (the home club of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, State Senator Tom Duane and Assemblymember Richard N. Gottfried) meets monthly to exchange political ideas on protecting the rights and improving the lives of those residing in Chelsea. Visit crdcnyc.org or email them at info@crdcnyc.org.

At 147 W. 24th St. (btw. 6th & 7th Aves.)

THE SYLVIA RIVERA LAW PROJECT

CHELSEA COALITION ON HOUSING Tenant assistance every Thursday night at 7pm, at Hudson Guild (119 9th Ave.). Email them at chelseacoalition.cch@gmail.com.

FIERCE (Fabulous Independent Educated

THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY CENTER At 208 W. 13th St. (btw. 7th & 8th Aves.). Visit gaycenter.org or call 212620-7310.

FRIENDS OF HUDSON RIVER PARK Visit fohrp.org or call 212-757-0981.

QUEERS FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE is

GAY MEN’S HEALTH CRISIS (GMHC) At 446 W. 33rd St. btw. 9th & 10th Aves.

Visit gmhc.org. Call 212-367-1000.

Published by NYC COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC TM

CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER CHRISTINE QUINN Call 212-564-7757 or visit council.nyc. gov/d3/html/members/home.shtml.

WEST SIDE NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE Visit westsidenyc.org or call 212956-2573. Email them at wsna@ hcc-nyc.org.

THE WEST SIDE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

NEWS

HUDSON GUILD Founded in 1895, Hudson Guild is a multi-service, multi-generational community serving approximately 14,000 people annually with daycare, hot meals for senior citizens, low-cost professional counseling, community arts programs and recreational programming for teens.

Visit them at hudsonguild.org.

Email them at info@hudsonguild. org. For the John Lovejoy Elliott Center (441 W. 26th St.), call 212760-9800. For the Children’s Center (459 W. 26th St.), call 212-7609830. For the Education Center (447 W. 25th St.), call 212-7609843. For the Fulton Center for Adult Services (119 9th Ave.), call 212-924-6710.

THE BOWERY RESIDENTS’ COMMITTEE: HOMELESS HELPLINE If you know of anyone who is in need of their services, call the Homeless Helpline at 212-533-5151, and the BRC will send someone to make contact.

This number is staffed by outreach team leaders 24 hours a day. Callers may remain anonymous. For more info, visit brc.org.

Member of the New York Press Association

Gay City

9

Member of the National Newspaper Association Chelsea Now is published biweekly by NYC Community Media LLC, 515 Canal St., Unit 1C, New York, NY 10013.

(212) 229-1890. Annual subscription by mail in Manhattan and Brooklyn $75. Single copy price at office and newsstands is 50 cents. The entire contents of newspaper, including advertising, are copyrighted and no part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher - © 2010 NYC Community Media LLC, Postmaster: Send address changes to Chelsea Now, 145 Sixth Ave., First Fl., New York, N.Y. 10013.

PUBLISHER’S LIABILITY FOR ERROR The Publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue.

HUDSON RIVER PARK TRUST Visit hudsonriverpark.org or call 212627-2020.

SAVE CHELSEA Contact them at savechelseanyc@ gmail.com.

PUBLISHER Jennifer Goodstein ASSOCIATE EDITOR / ARTS EDITOR Scott Stiffler REPORTERS Lincoln Anderson Sam Spokony EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

Lakshmi Gandhi Kaitlyn Meade Rania Richardson PUBLISHER EMERITUS John W. Sutter

BUSINESS MANAGER/CONTROLLER

Vera Musa SR. V.P. OF SALES AND MARKETING Francesco Regini RETAIL AD MANAGER Colin Gregory ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Russell Chen Allison Greaker Julius Harrison Gary Lacinski Alex Morris Julio Tumbaco

works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine their gender identity and expression without facing harassment, discrimination or violence. Visit srlp.org.

Radicals for Community Empowerment) builds the leadership and power of bisexual, transgender and queer youth of color in NYC. Visit fiercenyc.org.

a progressive organization committed to promoting economic justice in a context of sexual and gender liberation. Visit q4ej.org.

THE AUDRE LORDE PROJECT is a lesbian, gay, bisexual, two spirit, trans and gender non-conforming people of color center for community organizing. Visit alp.org.

ART / PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Troy Masters SENIOR DESIGNER Michael Shirey GRAPHIC DESIGNER Arnold Rozon CIRCULATION SALES MNGR. Marvin Rock DISTRIBUTION & CIRCULATION Cheryl Williamson

CONTRIBUTORS Ryan Buxton Martin Denton Lakshmi Gandhi Terese Loeb Kreuzer Kaitlyn Meade Duncan Osborne Paul Schindler Jerry Tallmer Maxine Wally PHOTOGRAPHERS Milo Hess J. B. Nicholas Jefferson Siegel

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January 9 - 22, 2013

POLICE BLOTTER Grand Larceny: Drunk guy’s new friend filches, flees

Heeding the call of the dance floor in the first hours of 2013 cost her dearly.

On Tues., Jan. 1, a 25-year-old reveler was enjoying the New Year’s celebration at Avenue (116 10th Ave., btw. 17th & 18th Sts.). At around 2am, she placed her bag down and went dancing—then returned a short time later to find certain items missing (including $100 cash, a wallet worth $40, an iPhone 4S valued at $400, the victim’s NY state ID and some debit and credit cards). Upon discovering the theft, the Manhattan resident returned home and called 911. Another call, to her credit card company, revealed that the thief had used her card to charge a meal at KFC. The phone, which the victim had equipped with a Find My Phone app, could not be relocated (it had been turned off, rendering the app ineffective).

If you’ve going to meet somebody and take them back to your place, don’t turn your back on them…or fall soundly asleep. That’s the very expensive life lesson a resident of the west 20s learned — when the man (in his fifth decade) was escorted home by what the police report would later generously describe as “an unknown perpetrator.” The tipsy victim, who remembers nothing after arriving home other than sleeping it off, was ultimately awoken by his roommate (who, upon returning to the apartment, discovered its front door open). Upon investigating, the two roomies scoured their place to find several pricey items missing. The first victim (the sleepy one) was out $175 cash and his bank debit card (which was later cancelled after it was used without authorization). The other roommate was out $150 in cash and several electronic

items (including a MacBook Pro worth $1,400, a Nintendo 3DS worth $250 and an iPod valued at $170).

Robbery: Spurned, he steals her phones While walking southbound on Ninth Ave. at around 6:15pm on Sat., Dec. 29, a 23-year-old woman was approached, from behind, by a male who kept asking for her phone number. When his persistent requests were rebuffed, the man punched the woman on the right side of her face, took her bag off of her shoulder and fled, on foot, westbound on 33rd St. Two officers from the 10th Precinct canvassed the area, but were unable to find the perpetrator. The items of value in the woman’s bag included an iPhone 4S (valued at $300) and an iPhone 5 (valued at $300).

—Scott Stiffler

Two-Day Car Window Smash Spree • In a report filed at the 10th Precinct on Mon., Dec. 31, a 47-year-old male resident of CT noted that at 9:15pm on Wed, Dec. 12, he returned to where his car was parked (on W. 15th St. & Ninth Ave.) to discover the vehicle (a gray 2009 Toyota Corolla) had been broken into. His checkbook was taken, along with a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses (valued at $600), a cross ($50) and an icon of Saint Joseph ($25).

• Having parked her car (a gray 2002 Subaru sedan) on W. 25th St. at

Ninth Ave. on Sun., Dec. 30, a 59-year-old woman returned the following morning to find the vehicle’s rear driver’s side window shattered.

No property was removed.

• In a similar event at the same general locations, a 54-year-old male parked his car (a white 2003 Nissan Xterra) on W. 25th St. (btw. 8th & 9th Aves.) at 10:15pm on Mon., Dec. 31 — and returned to it at around 10:45pm the next morning.

The front driver’s side window had been shattered.

• A black 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee, parked in front of 333 W. 26th St. (btw. 8th & 9th Aves.) had its driver’s side window broken into. The owner, a 51-year-old from PA, discovered the burgled vehicle on the morning of Sun., Dec. 31.

Removed from the vehicle were a bag of clothes (total value, $500), a collection of DVDs ($300) and a $150 hat.

CASH FOR GUNS $100 cash will be given (no questions asked) for each handgun, assault weapon or sawed-off shotgun, up to a maximum payment of $300. Guns are accepted at any Police Precinct, PSA or Transit District.

CRIME STOPPERS If you have info regarding a crime committed or a wanted person, call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS, text “TIP577” (plus your message) to “CRIMES” (274637) or submit a tip online at nypdcrimestoppers.com.

THE 10th PRECINCT Located at 230 W. 20th St. (btw.

7th & 8th Aves.). Deputy Inspector: Elisa Cokkinos. Main number: 212741-8211. Community Affairs: 212-741-8226. Crime Prevention: 212-741-8226. Domestic Violence: 212-741-8216. Youth Officer: 212741-8211. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-741-8210. Detective Squad: 212-741-8245. The Community Council Meeting takes place at 7pm on the last Wed. of the month.

THE 13th PRECINCT Located at 230 E. 21st St. (btw. 2nd & 3rd Aves.). Deputy Inspector: Ted Bernsted. Call 212-477-7411.

Community Affairs: 212-477-7427.

Crime Prevention: 212-477-7427.

Domestic Violence: 212-477-3863.

Youth Officer: 212-477-7411.

Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-4774380. Detective Squad: 212-4777444. The Community Council Meeting takes place at 6:30pm on the third Tues. of the month.

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Grand Larceny: Dumb dancer treats thief to KFC

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January 9 - 22, 2013

11

CHELSEA: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT An Array of Musical Moods from Improvisers, Songwriters Winter season brings musical diversity to Downtown

BY SAM SPOKONY If you’re like me, the idea of actually following through on a typical New Year’s resolution has become a meaningless myth. Quit smoking? Meh. Stop eating McDonald’s or go back to the gym?

Maybe next year. Make more money?

No thanks. I’m good with my ramen and shared two-bedroom in Bed-Stuy.

On the other hand, with both the supposed apocalypse and several genuine disasters behind us, I do think that the end of 2012 has brought with it an excitingly unpredictable future for all of us. What better way to celebrate than by opening your ears and embracing new (or old) colors dashed amid an endless aural palette?

Downtown’s winter season is packed with improvisers and songwriters who represent an array of musical moods — but what’s especially great is the diversity of ethnicities and nationalities that’s about to hit the scene. We’ve got African roots, a group of Scandinavian electro-rockers and, as always, a few domestic mainstays.

As if that weren’t enough, some of these gigs feature album releases from young performers on the cutting edge — and everyone knows it’s cooler to be one of the

Photo by Michael Weintrob

Vocalist Andrea Wolper will celebrate her birthday alongside her trio, at the West Village’s Bar Next Door, on Jan. 14.

first to hear those new tunes live.

So, as I curse the arrival of subfreezing temperatures, here are my picks through March. Keep an open mind this year! And remember, people…music is always there to share the golden secrets that hide within our culture of fear and lies!

JAZZ Andrea Wolper is, I think, one of the best vocalists you’re going to hear these days — and it’s because her creativity and musicianship consistently stretch beyond generic limitations. I’m an especially big fan of her work with pianist Connie Crothers — a disciple of free jazz pioneer Lennie Tristano — as part of TranceFormation; and on Jan. 14, Wolper will perform at the Bar Next Door, 129 MacDougal St. (btw. W. Third & Fourth Sts.) in a trio with TranceFormation bassist Ken Filiano and guitarist Michael Howell, another one of her regular sidemen. They’ll play two 75-minute sets, one at 8:30pm and another at 10:30pm, and the $12 cover must be paid at the door. And on a side note, Wolper will be celebrating her birthday that night (even though it’s not really until Jan. 16). Ever the gentleman, I decided not to ask her age.

When strong musical traditions merge across continental boundaries, beautiful things happen. A perfect example is Afrobeat — which blends African rhythms, jazz harmonies and funk attitude to create a soulful, high-energy atmosphere. And it’s not hard to argue that multi-instrumentalist Femi Kuti and The Positive Force remain the top suppliers of those particular jams. The son of activist and Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, Femi will lead his ensemble at Webster Hall, 125 E. 11th St. (btw. Third & Fourth Aves.) on Jan. 26, for an 8pm set. Tickets cost $30, and can be purchased in advance by visiting ticketmaster.com and searching for the artist or venue.

Only a handful of mid-century jazz icons are still going strong in the 21st century, and Ron Carter is certainly one of them. The 75-year-old bassist has become a veritable institution, gaining fame with Miles Davis’ second “great quintet” in the early 60s and subsequently appearing on thousands of albums, including dozens as a leader. What does this mean, you ask? It means that when the guy’s playing Downtown, you take out your wallet and get your ass there! Fortunately for us, Carter and his quartet — featuring pianist

Photo by Takehiko Tokiwa

Bassist Ron Carter will join his quartet for six nights at the Blue Note, starting on Feb. 5.

Renee Rosnes, drummer Payton Crossley and percussionist Rolando Morales-Matos — are playing every night from Feb. 5-10 at the Blue Note, 131 W. Third St. (btw.

MacDougal St. & Sixth Ave.). They’ll perform two sets each night, one at 8pm and another at 10:30pm. Bar seating is $20 per person, while each table seat costs $35 — but remember, only table seats can be purchased in advance! For tickets, visit bluenotejazz.com.

I always like to include at least one player whose musical experience spans the oft-crossed gap between jazz and classical. This winter, Argentinean pianist Fernando Otero is a great choice in that regard — not just because of his worthy skills, but because his March 2 concert at 92Y Tribeca celebrates the release of his new album, “Romance,” which features 11 tunes written by Otero and performed by a nine-piece group that includes strings and vocals. The pianist’s rich compositions are characterized by a sense of tonal exploration that shifts between tender, flowing melodies and dense counterpoint.

The gig will be played at 92Y Tribeca’s Mainstage, at 200 Hudson St. (btw. Vestry

& Desbrosses Sts.) at 9pm, and tickets cost $12. To purchase in advance, visit 92y.org/tribeca.

INDIE We find another record release taking place over in the West Village, this one for lo-fi rockers Ducktails, whose new album “The Flower Lane” will be performed in its entirety. Led by singer/guitarist Matt Mondanile, Ducktails has morphed over the years from a solo project into a more adventurous, full band effort. That should be especially apparent on the new album, which features more diverse instrumentation, like synths and saxes, along with laid back tunes that are less hipster and more head nod. You can catch the release show at Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St. (btw. Sullivan & Thompson Sts.) on Jan. 23, starting at 8:30pm. Tickets cost $12 in advance and $15 at the door, and can be purchased online at lepoissonrouge.com.

Scandinavian people are just nicer than Americans! I learned this firsthand in 2011, when, while working for a different

Continued on page 12

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January 9 - 22, 2013

A Blizzard of Jazz, Indie and Record Release Gigs Continued from page 11

rag, I went to Oslo, Norway to interview a jazz-turned-electro-pop trio named Pelbo.

And now, you can have the treat of seeing Urban Cone, a group of forward-thinking Swedes — vocalist Rasmus Flyckt, keyboardist Jacob Sjöberg, guitarist Tim Formgren, bassist Emil Gustafsson and drummer Magnus Folkö (they have better names, too) — when they hit up The Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston St. (btw. Ludlow & Essex Sts.) on Jan. 24. The five-piece has a tight, electronic sound that packs an aggressive punch without ever getting cheesy, with steady rock beats holding it all together. After Ski Lodge opens the show at 6:30pm, Urban Cone will take the stage at 7:30pm.

Tickets cost $12, and can be purchased in advance at mercuryloungenyc.com.

Although you’ll generally find me in the jazz bars these days, my time as a suburban youth was mainly spent listening to the kind of post-punk/alt-rock/whatever that all the kids were digging around the turn of the millennium — and that’s the kind of throwback feeling I get while hearing Balance and Composure. So if you’re up for some distortion, edgy vocals and moody songwriting, check those guys out on Feb. 24 for their set at Bowery

Photo by Danielle Parsons

Photo courtesy of the artist

Balance and Composure, a five-piece from Doylestown, PA, will rock out at the Bowery Ballroom on Feb. 24.

Femi Kuti and The Positive Force will bring good vibes to Webster Hall on Jan. 26.

Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. (btw. Bowery & Chrystie St.). The show starts at 8pm, and also features opening acts The Jealous Sound and Daylight. Tickets cost $13 in advance and $15 at the door, and can be purchased online at boweryballroom.com.

result of Hurricane Sandy.

The storm took place over two months ago, and those in Manhattan — unlike, sadly, some other affected areas — are by this point finishing the recovery process and moving on with their lives. Let’s not forget that, as true music fans, this is a time at which we should be really, really, really focused on supporting our local sources of live entertainment. As they reemerge, we need to be there.

So whether it’s the venues I’ve listed above, or your own favorite hole in the wall, go check out a show soon. Buy a few drinks.

Tip the bartender — and imagine how awful it would be if the world’s hippest scene didn’t exist right outside your door.

In the meantime, happy listening! Stay warm! If you have any questions, suggestions or hidden secrets about sweet shows on and under the Downtown radar, drop me a line at sam@chelseanow.com.

The Canadian five-piece Stars have certainly earned their continued presence on the indie scene over the past dozen years, with a sound that ranges from up-tempo, synth-laden jams to reserved chamber pop. They also released a new album of their own, “The North,” in September — so go check out how those new tunes sound live! Stars will perform with opener Milo Greene on both Mar. 8 and 9 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, 66 N. Sixth St., Brooklyn (btw. Kent & Wythe Aves.). The show starts at 9pm, and tickets cost $25. To purchase online, visit musichallofwilliamsburg.com.

That’s that! And on a more serious note — since I haven’t been around the arts section in a while — I think it’s worth mentioning that, even though they may not have all sustained physical damage, the vast majority of Downtown arts venues did take a serious financial hit as a

Photo courtesy of the artists

Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, the five members of Urban Cone will make a stop at the Mercury Lounge on Jan. 24.

January 9 - 22, 2013

13

Just Do Art!

BY SCOTT STIFFLER

PARSONS DANCE Blink and you’ll miss him. That challenge is nothing compared to the pressure on the man tasked with performing David Parsons’ “Caught.” One wrong step, and he’ll miss his target, in this extraordinarily impressive display of timing that uses strobe lights to follow a dancer’s trajectory from planted feet to leaps and bounds to soft landings on the precise point at which a spotlight is aimed. The masterwork will be performed in both Program A and the family-friendly Program B — when Parsons Dance makes its annual January return to The Joyce Theater.

The ensemble will also premiere two new works. Set to the music of Grammy Award-winner Andrew Bird and Miami’s legendary Tiempo Libre, Parsons’ “Dawn to Dusk” celebrates the people and landscapes of Southern Florida — by merging high-def footage of dancers in the sunshine state’s Big Cypress, Biscayne, Dry Tortugas and Everglades National Parks with their onstage counterparts. In “Black Flowers,” former Parsons dancer Katarzyna Skarpetowska explores her Polish roots with choreography that guides six dancers through a mystic lamentation and a mourning ritual (set to the music of Poland’s greatest composer, Frédéric Chopin).

Jan. 15-27. Program A is performed Tues.Wed. at 7:30pm; Thurs.-Fri. at 8pm; Sat. 2pm (Jan. 19 only) & 8pm; Sun. 1pm & 5pm.

Program B, the family matinee, is performed Sat., Jan. 26, at 2pm. At The Joyce Theater (175 Eighth Ave., at 19th St.). For tickets ($10$59), call 212-242-0800 or visit joyce.org.

SUPERMAN AT 75 From the pulpy Fleischer brothers cartoons of the 1940s to the fleshy George Reeves of 1950s TV to Christopher Reeve’s chiseled 1978 big screen incarnation, the last son of Krypton has been reimagined dozens of times since his first appearance in 1938’s issue #1 of Action Comics. Throughout 2013, as Superman turns 75, you’ll be seeing much more of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s creation (including this summer’s cinematic reboot, “Man of Steel”). DC Comics will officially acknowledge his birthday in June

Image courtesy of Random House

Photo by Julieta Cervantes

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…a Superman panel discussion!

See Armitage Gone! Dance, Jan. 12, on the Dance Gotham bill.

— but the Center for Jewish History is getting the celebration started with a panel that discusses the muscled crusader’s wide appeal, hidden depth and Jewish roots.

“Superman at 75: Celebrating America’s Most Enduring Hero” features Former DC Comics publisher and president Jenette Kahn, Denny O'Neil (who spearheaded a remake of the Superman storyline in the 1970s), Jim Shooter (who sold his first Superman story as he was turning 13), Nicky Nicholson Brown (granddaughter of the founder of the company that became DC Comics) and Sam Norich (publisher of The Jewish Daily Forward). Larry Tye, author of “Superman: The High-Flying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero,” moderates the event. After the panel discussion, an exhibit will be unveiled featuring Joe Shuster’s pencil sketches of Stanley Weiss — who, in 1945, was stopped on the street

by Shuster because of his remarkable resemblance to the comic book hero. David Weiss, son of Stanley, will also be on the panel, to talk about his dad’s chance meeting with Superman’s co-creator.

Sun., Jan. 27, 1pm. At the Center for Jewish History (15 W. 16th St., btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves.). Admission is $25 (includes a copy of Larry Tye’s “Superman: The HighFlying History of American’s Most Enduring Hero”). Seating is limited, and advance reservations are required. Call 212-868-4444 or visit smarttix.com. Also visit cjh.org.

FOCUS 2013: DANCE GOTHAM Presented as part of Gotham Arts Exchange’s FOCUS 2013 event, Dance Gotham’s annual performance series at the Skirball Center expands to three nights, with an expanded roster of companies whose aesthetic ranges from post-modern athleticism to seasoned theatricality. Among the offerings: Keigwin + Company’s “12 Chairs,” Parsons Dance’s “A Stray’s Lullaby,” Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo’s “Patterns in Space,” Armitage Gone! Dance’s “Quantum” (an excerpt from “Three Theories”), Aspen Santa Fe Ballet’s “Square None” and Lucky Plush Productions’ “Cinderbox 2.0.” FOCUS

2013 events are also taking place at New York City Center and Chelsea’s The Joyce Theater (where Parsons Dance will have a stand-alone run Jan. 15-27).

Dance Gotham is presented (with varying performers on each night’s bill) Fri., Jan. 11 & Sat., Jan. 12 at 8pm and Sun., Jan. 13 at 7pm. At NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place, at Washington Square South). For tickets ($18), call 212-352-3101 or visit nyuskirball.org. For info on other FOCUS 2013 events, visit focusdance.us.

Continued on page 14

N O I N U R E P THECOO CONTINUING EDUCATION SPRING 2013

BOOK ARTS AND PRINTMAKING CALLIGRAPHY AND TYPOGRAPHY COLLAGE AND MIXED MEDIA PAINTING AND DRAWING ART HISTORY AND CONTEMPORARY ART PHOTOGRAPHY AND DIGITAL MEDIA NEW YORK CITY HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE WRITING WORKSHOPS PHYSICAL COMPUTING WITH ARDUINO BUILDING APPS FOR MOBILE DEVICES CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS GREEN BUILDING DESIGN DIGITAL REPRESENTATION AND FABRICATION TYPEFACE DESIGN

REGISTRATION BEGINS Photo by Angelo Redaelli

Eric Bourne of Parsons Dance, in stroboscopic syncopation.

JANUARY 3

INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION AT WWW.COOPER.EDU/CE OR 212.353.4195

14

January 9 - 22, 2013

Just Do Art! Continued from page 13

PS122’S COIL FESTIVAL PRESENTS “MAGICAL” In this collaboration between director Annie Dorsen and choreographer/ performer Anne Juren, the canon of historical feminist performance art is placed into the context of a magic show.

Referencing seminal 1965-1975 works

by Martha Rosler (“Semiotics of the Kitchen”), Yoko Ono (“Cut Piece”), Marina Abramovic (“Freeing the Body”) and Carolee Schneemann (“Interior Scroll” and “Meat Joy”), “Magical” uses the illusionist’s skillful employment of trickery and transformation to reveal the contradictions that exist in contemporary feminism, contemporary art by women and the contemporary female body.

Tues., Jan. 15 through Sat., Jan. 19 (Jan. 15, 17, 18 at 7:30pm and Jan. 19 at 6pm). At New York Live Arts (219 W. 19th St., btw. Seventh & Eigth Aves.). For tickets ($30), call 212-924-0077 or visit newyorklivearts.org. For info on the COIL Festival, visit ps122.org.

Image courtesy of Boo-Hooray Gallery

Photo by Christoph Lepka

Anne Juren places historical feminist performance art into the context of a magic show, in “Magical.”

A still, from “Christmas on Earth” (doubleprojected 16mm film, 1963).

BARBARA RUBIN’S “CHRISTMAS ON EARTH” Boo-Hooray Gallery extends the holiday season through the middle of the month, with an exhibit comprised of images and ephemera from 1963’s “Christmas on Earth.” Filmed at 56 Ludlow Street (which at the time was occupied by John Cale and Tony Conrad, and later home to Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison), “Christmas on Earth” was among the first sexually explicit films of America’s post-war avant-garde. All about “fantasies that freely expressed our sexual needs and dreaming beliefs” painted on the nude bodies of both gays and straights, filmmaker Barbara Rubin spent three months “chopping the hours of film up into a basket” until its contents were ultimately separated onto two different reels, with one reel projected at half size inside the other reel’s fullscreen image. In 1966, the film was projected onto the performing Velvet Underground as a part of Andy Warhol Up-Tight (an early incarnation of his Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia events). Rubin, who introduced Bob Dylan to Allen Ginsberg (and, according to John Cale, Edie Sedgwick to Andy Warhol), died in 1980 (in childbirth, in France) at the age of 35.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Boo-Hooray is publishing a limited edition book of still images from the film, which comes with an extended biographical essay and bibliography by art historian Daniel Belasco, alongside rare ephemera and correspondence.

Free. Through Tues., Jan. 15. At BooHooray Gallery (265 Canal St., 6th Fl., btw. Broadway & Lafayette). For more info, visit boo-hooray.com.

Photo by Alex Colby

Photo by Gregory Costanzo

Come Jan. 18, Velocity Chyaldd and her scantily clad cronies celebrate nine years of !BadAss! Burlesque.

“Tribes,” at the Barrow Street Theatre, closes Jan. 20.

THE !BADASS! POST-APOCALYPTIC 9TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

himself. World Famous *BOB* and Michael FORMIKA Jones host, welcoming toxic hotties and atomic insurgents including Reverend Mother Flash, Rosabelle Salavey, Velocity Chyaldd, Delysia LaChatte, Magdalena Fox, Julie Atlas Muz, Misty Meaner, Legs Malone, Fem Appeal, Danger Doll, Anna Evans, Mocha Lite, Mat Fraser, Jo Boobs, Ammo and Tigger. Stage Masters Faceboy and SuperMorgan are also on the bill, and Stage Kitten Amanda Whip will transform the simple task of cleaning up between acts into a compelling act of slinky provocation.

Fri., Jan. 18, 1-4am, at The Kraine Theater (85 E. Fourth St., btw. Bowery & Second Ave.). Admission is $15. For reservations and info, call 212-4600982. For more info: badassburlesque. com or facebook.com/BadAssBurlesque.

Velocity Chyaldd’s long-running burlesque revue ought to come with a warning for prudes, squares and minors — just like her show’s website does. Both take that standard disclaimer (“contains sexually explicit material”) and wear it, along with little else besides a thin leather strap, like a badge of honor.

An unapologetic skin show as interested in mental stimulation as physical thrills, “!BadAss! Burlesque” is bound and determined to get you off by any means necessary. This upcoming probe of humanity’s dark psyche (among other hidden recesses) uses its postapocalyptic theme to mine the erotic potential of zombies, cannibals, werewolves, cult leaders, aliens, mutants, Mayans, pagans, Shiva, Jesus and Satan

“TRIBES” CLOSES JAN. 20 The most nominated new play of the 2012 season is set to close in early 2013, after almost 400 regular performances at the Barrow Street Theatre. Directed by David Cromer (whose outstanding production of “Our Town” also had a similarly long, acclaimed run at Barrow Street) and written by Nina Raine, “Tribes” concerns the emotional awakening of Billy — who, born deaf into a hearing family, ventures beyond his parents’ politically incorrect and idiosyncratic cocoon when he meets a young woman on the brink of deafness.

Through Sun., Jan. 20. At the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow St., at Seventh Ave. South).

For tickets ($79.50), call 212-868-4444, visit smarttix.com or purchase in person at the box office, open at 1pm daily. Performance schedule: Tues.-Fri. at 7:30pm and Sat./Sun. at 2:30pm & 7:30pm. For more info: barrowstreettheatre.com and oandmco.com.

January 9 - 22, 2013

15

BY SCOTT STIFFLER

Photo by Michael Kosch

CREATIVE DANCE CLASSES

Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Center

THE LITTLE PRINCE The most read and most translated book in the French language is also one of the world’s most beloved and interpreted stories. Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s “The Little Prince” has inspired a ballet, an opera and a museum in Japan. Full of whimsy and wonderment, this Target Storybook Series version of the classic tale incorporates puppetry, multimedia projections and original music

as it follows one brave little boy’s journey through the universe — exploring the mysteries of grownups and the stars, and searching for what is most important in life. Sun., Jan. 27, at 2pm. At the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts Walt Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College (2/5 trains to Brooklyn College/Flatbush Ave.). For tickets ($7), call 718-951-4500 (Tues.-Sat., 1-6pm) or visit brooklyncenteronline.org.

Children’s dance expert Rachael Kosch kicks off her new classes in the West Village, with free open houses on Wed., Jan. 16 or Mon., Jan. 21. At 3:45pm, children ages 3-5 take a free half-hour class — and at 4:15pm, children ages 6-9 have their turn, as parents observe. Afterwards, refreshments will be served while you talk with Rachael and Michael Kosch. This will be a Modern/Ballet based class, with live music by classical composer Michael. The basics of classical ballet, musicality, the ideas of Modern Dance pioneer Martha Graham and movement derived from the imagination of the students are the main ingredients of this fun yet disciplined class. Classes

are every Mon. & Wed., 3:30-4:15pm for 3-5 year-olds, 4:15-5pm for 6-9 year-olds.

Price: $420 for Mon., $360 for Wed., $780 for twice a week, through June 26. At The Community Room at Westbeth (55 Bethune St., corner of Washington St.). To reserve a space or for info, call 212-566-3097 or email rachael.kosch@gmail.com — or just come to one of the open houses.

Would you like to see your listing in Chelsea Now? Please provide the date, time, location, price and a description of the event. Send to scott@chelseanow.com.

16

January 9 - 22, 2013

January 9 - 22, 2013

Community Activities

Photo by Scott Stiffler

You’re so last year: Dispose of that tree the eco-friendly way, at MulchFest 2013.

MULCHFEST 2013 You oohed and ahhed over it throughout the holiday season — and, perhaps, well into the new year. So why dispose of that Christmas tree by dumping it, rather unceremoniously, on the sidewalk?

Bid the old “O Tannenbaum” a dignified farewell, by joining the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the New York City Department of Sanitation and GreeNYC in recycling your Christmas trees into wood chips. Bringing your tree to a designated city park to be recycled into mulch will nourish plantings across the city — and as a reward, you can also take home your very own bag of FREE MULCH to use in your backyard or to make a winter bed for a street tree.

MulchFest 2013 happens Sat. & Sun., Jan. 12 & 13, from 10am-2pm. There are chipping locations, where you can drop off your tree and pick up a bag of mulch and drop-off only locations all over the city. To find one closest to you, visit nycgovparks.org/highlights/festival/ mulchfest. You can bring your tree to a drop-off site through Sun., Jan. 13. Leave your tree with the Parks Department, and they will recycle it!

“AFTER THE FISCAL CLIFF: WHAT NOW?” The Chelsea Reform Democratic Club welcomes author and political commentator Ari Berman (“Herding Donkeys”) as its guest speaker. Berman will forecast how Barack Obama will govern in his second term and speculate as to wheth-

er Congress will support or undermine the president’s agenda. Free admission and free exchange. Light refreshments.

Wheelchair access.

Thurs., Jan. 17, from 7-9pm, at the Hudson Guild’s Elliott Center (441 W. 26th St., btw. 9th & 10th Aves.). For info on other CRDC activities, visit crdcnyc. org or email them at info@crdcnyc.org.

HOPE 2013: THE NYC STREET SURVEY On Jan. 28, the NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) will conduct the Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE). They’ll need volunteers to canvass parks, subways and other public spaces to count the number of people living unsheltered in the city. “Just one night of your time,” they note, “will help us collect vital information that is used by outreach teams to help homeless people leave the streets for a better life.” As a volunteer, the information you gather is critical to DHS efforts — but to make the survey a success, they’ll need 3,000 volunteers who are 18 years old or older, to give just one night of their time. DHS will provide you with all the training you’ll need to conduct the survey on the night of HOPE plus a quick, convenient online orientation when you register to give you the basics.

For more info and/or to register to volunteer, go to nyc.gov/dhs or call 311.

Continued on page 19

17

18

January 9 - 22, 2013

January 9 - 22, 2013

Community Activities Continued from page 17

APPLY TO SERVE ON YOUR COMMUNITY BOARD The Office of the Manhattan Borough President is accepting applications to serve on Manhattan's 12 community boards.

Community boards are NYC's most local level of government and serve a vital role in representing the needs and interests of our diverse neighborhoods. Manhattan Community Board 4 consists of up to 50 unsalaried members, appointed by the Borough President for a two-year term.

Twenty-five members are nominated by one of the two City Council members with districts that cover portions of Community District 4. Members must be New York City residents who live in or have a business, professional or other significant interest in the district. CB4's membership includes residential tenants, homeowners, local service providers and business operators. Each member typically serves on two standing committees. To become a board member, you may apply directly to the Manhattan Borough President’s Office or you may seek a recommendation from your local council member.

To find out more about Manhattan’s community boards, learn how to apply for membership or download an application, visit mbpo.org. Applications are due by Jan. 18.

public transportation is convenient via buses and subways.

Sun., Jan. 20, from 3:30-8:30pm. At Club LQ (511 Lexington Ave., 48th St.). Purchase advance tickets ($20) by phone, at 212-7412247 or in person, at the SAGE Center (305 Seventh Ave., 15th floor) or at sageusa.org. womensdance. Tickets at the door are $25, cash only.

ELECTRONIC WASTE RECYCLING The Lower East Side Ecology Center is celebrating 10 years of electronic waste recycling with 10 “After the Holidays” E-waste Recycling events this January. Make room for your new gadgets and recycle what you're no longer using. All events are rain, snow, or shine. Tekserve in Chelsea will be hosting an electronic waste recycling drive on Sat., Jan. 19, from 10am-4pm (at Tekserve, 119 W. 23rd St., btw. Sixth & Seventh Ave.).

If you can't make it on Jan. 19, there are recycling drives happening all across the city.

Visit http://bit.ly/SagQJO for more locations. Home appliances such as microwaves or refrigerators (as well as electronics from businesses) will not be accepted. A list of acceptable materials (including computers, monitors and fax machines) can be found at http://bit.ly/VAuBCN. While at the event, visit the info table to find out about how you can receive a tax deduction for donating your computer equipment.

SAGE WOMEN’S DANCE With the good company of women of all ages and all backgrounds— and the good music of the ages — the SAGE (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders) Women’s Dance starts another year of hip-wigglin' events at Club LQ. DJ Stacy will provide the dance beat with a vast selection of music for everyone's taste, from the romantic oldies to the toe-tapping newies. The dance floor, as always, is open to couples, singles and groups. Red dots will be on hand for those seeking dance partners. Along with its ample dance floor, the club offers comfortable surrounding space for meeting old friends and making new ones. Again, the traditional Dance Raffle promises cash and other choice prizes. For those driving to the dance, nearby garages offer discount prices;

Sound off!

Write a letter to The Editor

19

20

January 9 - 22, 2013

Leading HIV Treatment Activist Dies at 44

BY PAUL SCHINDLER When news surfaced on December 18 that Spencer Cox, one of the most important HIV treatment activists going back more than two decades, had died of AIDSrelated causes at a Manhattan hospital at the age of 44, a haunting video clip of the Georgia native soon surfaced on Facebook.

In an outtake from “How to Survive a Plague,” David France’s recent widely acclaimed documentary about treatment activism in the years leading up to the introduction of protease inhibitors in the mid-1990s, Cox spoke about the dramatic shift the success of those drugs created not only in the health of people with HIV, but also in their emotional well-being.

"What I learned from that is that miracles are possible,” he said. “Miracles happen, and I wouldn't trade that for anything…. You keep evolving and you keep progressing, you keep hoping until you die.

Which is going to happen someday. You live your life as meaningful as you can make it.

You live it and don't be afraid of who is going to like you or are you being appropriate. You worry about being kind. You worry about being generous. And if it's not about that, what the hell's it about? That’s what I’ve learned.”

For Peter Staley, Cox’s fellow treatment activist at ACT UP and in launching the Treatment Action Group (TAG) in 1992, those comments were made by Spencer the

Photo by Walter Kurtz

Spencer Cox, 1968-2012.

activist, someone drawn to offering inspiration to a generation of gay men who were scarred by — but had survived — the worst

years of the AIDS epidemic.

Others have also commented on the joy that often informed Cox’s activism. Mark Harrington, TAG’s executive director who, like Cox and Staley, was there from the start, described his friend as “charming” and “witty” and said spending time with him at a screening and Q&A for France’s film reminded him that Cox “was a lot of fun to work with.”

France said, “The word that came to me about Spencer was his generosity” — a spirit, he said, indivisible from his activism.

The filmmaker recalled a discussion with Cox years ago about the politics of AIDS vaccine research. France was struck not only by Cox’s insight that an understanding of the science was necessary in assessing the political realities, but also his recognition that France didn’t yet understand that science. Cox, France said, patiently backed up and said, “Well, this is what you need to understand….”

Cox’s surviving sibling, Nick, who is four years younger than Spencer, in a email conversation with our sister publication Gay City News, also pointed to his brother’s “charm and intelligence.” Those strengths, Nick acknowledged, also had flip sides.

Cox wrestled with drug resistance, depression, and anger over the continued stigma he encountered as an HIV-positive man, even in the gay community. There were also periods in his life when he used crystal meth and times when he went off his AIDS medications — those latter decisions likely leading to three hospitalizations in recent years for AIDS-related illnesses. None of those close to Cox have a good understanding of the interplay among all those factors.

“Spencer was a difficult personality even to his friends and family,” Nick said. “He

had many sides to his personality, some of which even contradicted each other. We are still trying to process his death and put some of these pieces together but he was enormously adept at letting you see the parts he wanted you to see.”

Cox’s death, Harrington said, “just left me with a whole lot of questions.” An activist who worked so hard for treatment breakthroughs that saved millions, Staley said, was “evasive” in talking about the treatment decisions he was making for himself.

Cox, however, kept none of the underlying issues he juggled a secret, and his death became an occasion for very public speculation about what it meant. Henry Scott, the former publisher of Out magazine, wrote on his WehoVille.com blog that it pointed up the dangers that crystal meth continues to pose for gay men. Laurie Garrett, a well regarded AIDS writer, was blunter, saying online, “I am angry at Spencer for falling down the meth rabbit hole that is claiming the sanity of tens of thousands of gay men in America, making them careless about their own health and callous about the wellbeing of others.” Benjamin Heim Shepard’s stinging blog response to both of them was a reminder of how often sexual practices and drug use have become fodder for bitter divides over issues of prevention, health, and stigma in the gay community since AIDS’ earliest days.

France also expressed concerns about stigmatizing Cox’s life and those of other gay men, but shared the view of Nick Cox, Staley, and Harrington that even those closest to him did not know all the details of Spencer’s final months. None knew of any recent meth use, and France thinks it’s likely Cox had not used since recovering from grave AIDS complications in 2009 that cost him sight in one eye. Similarly, they are aware that Cox stopped his medications some weeks before his final hospitalization but don’t know when he was last on his regimen. How depression or drug resistance played into the equation is similarly unknown, though both Staley and Harrington recall him being upbeat and optimistic when they saw him recently.

“He was witty, charming, and lucid,” Harrington recalled about recently seeing Cox. “He didn’t seem like someone planning his imminent demise.” Acknowledging it was hard to understand how someone who knew the need for treatment adherence as well as Cox did would go off his meds, Harrington noted he had survived earlier such episodes and “maybe he thought he could dodge it again.”

Debates over how Cox died, of course, threaten to obscure his remarkable achievements in life and the fact that he was not just a dedicated activist but that he was a singular activist who brought very specific insight, energy, and commitment to the fight against AIDS. The New York Times obituary for Cox quoted Dr. Anthony S. Fauci saying, “Spencer pushed for data-driven

Continued on page 21

January 9 - 22, 2013

21

Spencer Cox Leaves Legacy of AIDS Activism Continued from page 20 decisions. He wanted the facts and was always very meticulous about getting good data rather than just screaming for getting something approved.”

In 1992, when TAG was launched, that idea was controversial. For four years, ACT UP had demanded that the government move faster. The disillusionment with the inadequacy — and toxicity — of the earliest treatments led activists like Cox to regroup.

He was the first to engage the statisticians among federal health officials on questions of clinical trial design, according to Harrington.

Referring to the clinical trial of ritonavir, one of the first protease inhibitors approved for use, France said, “The trial design was specific to him. He wrote that up, though it was not his exclusive thinking.” Cox had the insight to look outside the virology field and examine drugs trials for cardiovascular treatments, France said. The ritonavir approach, Harrington and Staley explained, allowed trial participants to stay on medications they were already taking and increased the percentage who would receive the trial drug itself rather than a placebo — both of which factors eased ethical concerns regarding people who were very sick.

“Spencer definitely was almost religious about his belief in good science,” Staley said.

Patrick Spencer Cox was born in Atlanta, and after his parents divorced at age five, he and his brother were raised by their mother. He came out at 15 and was engaged in acting and creative writing into college, but arrived in New York after three years at Bennington College “as an activist in search of a cause,” according to his brother, who recalled that Spencer helped found an underground newspaper in high school and forestalled punishment for that from administrators by threatening to go to the ACLU. Cox’s first job in New York was working in the press and policy department at amfAR and he later helped Dr. Joseph Sonnabend found the Community Research Initiative on AIDS. He worked at TAG from 1992 until 1999, during which time he and the other early treatment activists were “virtually inseparable,” Harrington recalled.

According to France, by 1998 Cox’s virus was breaking through despite a protease regimen. “He was constantly fighting multi-drug resistance,” France said. “His HIV was never fully under control.”

About a decade ago, friends learned of Cox’s first decision to suspend his drug regimen, and he soon landed in the hospital with AIDS-related pneumocystis pneumonia, which afflicted him again half a dozen years later. After his 2009 hospitalization, he returned to Georgia to live with his

mother for what his brother described as a period of “healing.” It was in Georgia where France filmed the interview with Cox he posted on Facebook.

In 2005, Cox launched an effort he called the Medius Institute for Gay Men’s Health, which he said would take a holistic approach to the needs of men in the community. Depression, he told Gay City News at the time, would be an early priority for Medius. “Despite the key role that depression and other mental health issues play in influencing risks of HIV and other preventable diseases, gay men’s mental health needs have gone tragically unaddressed,” Cox said. “We have this enormous, terrible thing that happened to us that we have not confronted at all.”

Harrington said he read two research papers Cox produced through Medius and found they both showed the activist’s characteristic disciplined approach toward policy recommendations. During this period, Cox also wrote an article for POZ magazine’s blog detailing both the dangers meth use poses to those who are HIV-positive and effective steps for “kicking crystal to the curb.”

Cox was unable to secure sufficient funding to keep Medius operating, and Staley said he had the impression that meth got in the way of that effort. Cox’s brother said he heard concerns about Spencer’s meth use during his 2009 hospitalization.

Those closest to Cox, however, agreed that meth was a symptom more than a cause of the challenges he faced. France said with his persistent struggles to contain his HIV illness, “Spencer was really soldiering on alone.”

Saying he sees the stigma facing HIVpositive gay men as worse than it was before the mid-‘90s treatment revolution, Staley pointed to “not just the moving on, but even the aggressive shelving” of AIDS as an issue of concerns among gay men, and said, “We all wanted to live in happier times. The veterans from that period really felt like we were coming home and there was not embrace, no recognition.”

He added, “Whether we are admitting it or not, we are all struggling with depression. We need to start dealing with these issues. A lot of us are talking about restarting Medius somehow.”

Harrington recalled that on a panel following a screening this past fall of “How to Survive a Plague” at the IFC Center, Cox credited France’s film with “showing how much fun we had. If it stops being fun, then something’s wrong.”

In addition to his brother Nick, Spencer Cox is survived by his mother, Beverly. A celebration of his life is planned for Sunday, January 20, from 3-6pm at the Cutting Room, 44 East 32nd Street.

22

January 9 - 22, 2013

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January 9 - 22, 2013

her New Year’s resolution not to go ape in the face of poor office etiquette. Frankly, my dear Justice, your problem has all the earmarks of yet another prank letter from those mischievous seniors at Penn South (who, a confidential source tells me, delight in taking a shot of NyQuil every time I take the bait). But I’ll forgive your transgression if you forgive mine. Let’s just agree we’re both in the wrong, and let the (toasted coconut) chips fall where they may.

Dear Aunt Chelsea, I need your help! I find myself in the throes of a roommate conflict. But this is not your usual roomie squabble — this is a matter of life or death. The problem is not about MY personal safety; no, it is my beloved roommate’s life that is in danger. About a month or so ago, after a successful night of drinking, my roommate and I were waiting for the subway in the wee hours of the morning, coming off of our night’s revelry. As I proceeded to wind down, he continued to jump around like a sugar-fueled child — until he fell…in the subway tracks. Thankfully, I am glad to report that he walked (well, limped) away unscathed.

A few weeks later, the subway incident was a distant memory. My roommate and I were coming back from a booze-fueled day of running errands, when lo-and-behold, he fell in the tracks. Once again, he walked away unharmed. This has since led to many nights of arguing about general subway safety. I don't want my roommate to get run over, but I am not sure what else I can do at this point (short of putting him on a leash like some unruly child).

Dear Auntie Chelsea: At work, we sometimes have donuts in the staff kitchen because someone nice brings them in for all of us. There is this one guy who is always late and I think he does not deserve any of the donuts, especially the ones he likes (toasted coconut) so I eat them all. If there was a way to deny him donuts I would do it, but I can’t as I have yet to devise such a plan. How else can I punish Mr. Tardy?

Work Food Justice Obsessed Dear Justice Obsessed: Aunt Chelsea, who has a perfect attendance record and is always at her desk ten minutes early with pencils sharpened and coffee brewed, frowns upon persistent workplace tardiness. But that’s no excuse for you to play judge, jury and donut-gobbling executioner on what I assume is company time. Has it occurred to you that every second spent turning that staff kitchen treat into a mean-spirited game of revenge is every bit as disrespectful to your co-workers as late arrival time of Mr. Tardy? And what of this “nice” person who, at their own expense, brings the donuts in “for all of us”? Might they be justified in taking your snack privileges away for the sinister deed of eating every last toasted coconut donut just to teach a lesson to a tardy co-worker who in all likelihood is unaware of why his favorite snack is always missing from the box?

Oh, my. Well, here we are with the first letter of 2013 and Aunt Chelsea has already made mincemeat out of

Any suggestions?

The Concerned Roommate Dear Concerned: Your sad tale is a lengthy one…and the word count on Aunt Chelsea’s page is almost at its limit (curse that wise yet verbose Mystico!). So I’ll keep my advice short and simple: Sober up, the both of you! Want a bonus safety tip? Stand with your back against the wall from the moment you hear a subway car approaching until a full two seconds after its occupants have exited. Follow these simple instructions and the only thing you’ll have to worry about when taking the subway is the threat posed by your fellow unruly New Yorkers (some of whom are clearly in need of a leash).

c o s r H o o pe s Aries That brief window of time between being

outside and putting on a hat will give you cold that’s difficult to shake. Unlucky firework: Sparkler.

Taurus You will meet an attractive stranger, way out of your league, who’ll spurn your advances.

Unlucky lottery numbers: 78, 24, 25, 3, 16.

Gemini An unkind remark made to a coworker today will haunt your dreams tonight. Unlucky campfire snack: S’mores.

Cancer Don’t host that party. Mystico has foreseen an outbreak of food poisoning for which you will be blamed. Unlucky bird: Pheasant.

Leo Overconfident survivors of the Mayan apocalypse will be pelted with fist-sized balls of hail. Unlucky soup: French Onion.

Virgo An accident while practicing a new skill will require expensive and painful surgery. Read a book instead! Unlucky author: Judy Blume.

Libra Put off getting that mole checked and regret it for the rest of your (brief) life. Unlucky coin: Penny.

Scorpio A private detective in your employ will confirm suspicions with photographic evidence of a hurtful betrayal. Unlucky flavor: Mango.

Sagittarius Flying monkeys will pinpoint your location, allowing an evil witch to steal your slippers. Unlucky gumdrop color: Green.

Capricorn Bad Karma from an act of drunken holiday regifting will lead to your ruin before St. Patrick’s Day. Unlucky shake: Vanilla.

Do you have a personal problem at work, the gym, the bar or the corner coffee shop? Is there a domestic dispute that needs the sage counsel of an uninvolved third party? Then Ask Aunt Chelsea! Contact her via askauntchelsea@chelseanow.com, and feel free to end your pensive missive with a clever, anonymous moniker (aka “Troubled on 23rd Street,” or “Ferklempt in the Fashion District”).

23

Aquarius A bad investment will plunge you over your own personal fiscal cliff. Unlucky mode of transport: Cable Car.

Pisces You will find that Hobbit film to be an enormous letdown. It should be better! Unlucky potion ingredient: Wolfsbane.

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January 9 - 22, 2013

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