JANUARY 30, 2014, THE VILLAGER by Schneps Media

The Paper of Record for Greenwich Village, East Village, Lower East Side, Soho, Union Square, Chinatown and Noho, Since 1933

January 30, 2014 • $1.00 Volume 83 • Number 35

St. Luke’s project rekindles debate on drop-in center BY SAM SPOKONY

PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY

Pete Seeger, the iconoclastic conscience of America, who co-wrote “If I Had a Hammer,” — above, performing at Cooper Union a year ago — died Monday at age 94. See Page 6.

He had a hammer

earing the same rise in crime that began in the ’90s around an L.G.B.T. youth drop-in center on Christopher St., some Villagers are opposing a local church’s plan to construct a new mission building that could be used as a similar dropin center.

BY HEATHER DUBIN

aying they want to “extend an olive branch” and finally “end this war” with N.Y.U., the plaintiffs in a historic community lawsuit against the university’s superblocks megadevelopment plan gathered at a victory press conference last Thursday. The setting was the E. 11th St. head-

quarters of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, which was one of the plaintiffs in the suit. Joining them in a unified front were a phalanx of local politicians — including Assemblymember Deborah Glick, who was a party to the suit — and actor and Village resident John Leguizamo. Also, during his own press conference the same day, Mayor de Blasio, when asked about the N.Y.U. ruling, said he wants to work closely with the

community moving forward to reach a resolution. Specifically, de Blasio was asked if the whole N.Y.U. plan should be “reset” now and the cityʼs review of it start all over again. De Blasio responded that he felt the university’s earlier version of the plan was “too expansive,” and that as the then public advocate, he called for it to be scaled back, which is what happened. He said all lawsuits have larger

ST. LUKE'S, continued on p. 4

Local Ukrainians roll out awareness campaign on revolt

‘End this war’: N.Y.U. antis D BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

The proposal by the Church of St. Luke in the Fields to build the new mission center — which would be located at the corner of Christopher and Hudson Sts. — is still in an extremely early stage, and does not yet even have a set timeline for construction. That’s

ozens of protesters waving blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flags packed a double-decker bus parked in Union Square earlier this month to bring attention to civil unrest in the Ukraine. New York Activists, a group started in Novem-

ber which fundraises for people in Ukraine and raises awareness about the current revolt there, chartered a bus that drove from Battery Park throughout the city. Many Ukrainian locals have been following the developments overseas with great concern — Mykola Azarov resigned UKRAINE, continued on p. 23

N.Y.U. LAWSUIT, continued on p. 12

Park ‘Hot Dog-gate’ still on low boil................page 13 Bank gives out fake 50, then filibusters..........page 23 www.TheVillager.com

LaChapelle’s Land Scape...page 3

Explore. Imagine. Create.

PHOTO BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

From left, Richard Ridge with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen at The New School’s new University Center this week.

University Center in starring role BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

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January 30, 2014

he New School’s new University Center, on Fifth Ave. between 13th and 14th Sts., represents a major step up for the Village school — make that a whole lot of steps up. The 16-story building’s bottom half — its academic portion — is an airy, window- and light-filled space interconnected by a winding network of wide, gray stairways. For the renowned, left-leaning Village university, the just-opened $353 million building represents its first true campus, albeit a vertical one. The most prominent feature of the building’s academic portion is an auditorium with 600 raked seats that can be expanded to 800 by removing walls at its rear. This Tuesday afternoon, the auditorium was jam-packed for a conversation with legendary English actors Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen moderated by BroadwayWorld.com’s Richard Ridge. The two thespians recalled their first New York City theater productions back in the day — Stewart’s had been the more successful. “How things change,” drolly quipped McKellen — currently enjoying worldwide fame as Gandalf in the latest “Hobbit” movie — as the audience laughed warmly. At the event’s outset, New School President David Van Zandt said of the auditorium, “This is a public venue. We’re going to have many programs here. We want it to be open, not only to the Greenwich Village community, but the whole New York City community.” It’s one of Downtown’s largest such spaces, he noted. The theater’s paneling was sustainably built with bamboo. In fact, the entire project is one of the most energy-efficient academic buildings of its type in the nation. Only 35 percent of its exterior is covered by glass windows, helping retain heat. In the classrooms, white panels set beneath rows of narrow horizontal windows reflect light up onto the ceilings, maximizing natural illumination. The library, formerly in the basement in the New School’s previous building on the site, is now on the seventh floor, where it enjoys windows — and is ringed by a green roof of

rainwater- and heat-absorbing sedum. Much of the library’s collection is now electronic. On the second floor, at “High Line level,” so to speak, is a 200-person student cafeteria overlooking Fifth Ave. There is also a separate faculty and staff lounge. At several points, the stairways give onto “sky quads,” or open spaces where students can study or congregate. These were already being heavily used Tuesday, only the second day the building had been officially open. At the top of one stairway is a “social justice hub,” featuring two glass-paneled rooms for student groups’ organizing, plus an open “sky quad.” The building will feature pieces from The New School’s impressive art collection. On Tuesday, Sylvia Rocciolo and Eric Stark, the co-curators for the building, were strolling about the stairways and spaces considering what might go where. They’ll also be enlisting the help of students in the effort. In art of another sort, in a nod to the “hands-on” nature of The New School’s programs in fashion and other disciplines, orange and blue spray-painted construction markings have been prominently left on the raw concrete in some spots. Sitting atop the building’s base is a 600-bed student dorm, which is not all freshmen, but a mix. In general, the area in front of the building and the lobby were full of an exhilirating bustle of activity, with students and faculty going in and out of the building’s multiple doors. Many were catching cigarette breaks in front of the building, and dressed in black. The building design first proposed was a 500,000-square-foot monolithic slab. But, in the face of community pressure, the project — designed by Roger Duffy of SOM architects —was cut back to 375,000 square feet, with setbacks added in the formerly sheer walls. While he often clashed with the school’s progressive student body and faculty during a tumultuous tenure as president, Bob Kerrey, Van Zandt’s predecessor, was a phenomenal fundraiser, and New School officials admit the new building wouldn’t have been built without him.

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the community lawsuit. Andrew Berman, executive director of G.V.S.H.P., confirmed to us that Mendez was invited, but she didn’t show up. … For her part, as The Villager has previously reported, Chin has issued statements that, on the surface, seemed to praise Judge Mills’s ruling. But nothing in Chin’s statements has indicated any lessening of her support for the N.Y.U. plan in its entirety.

front. In addition, Schrager’s attorney also told the committee they won’t buy any air rights from the park. Then again, they probably want to start their project A.S.A.P., and don’t want to wait the two or three years that it could take to hash out the complicated regulations for the air rights transfers.

FLESHING OUT THE STORY: Thomas Wolfe, the operator of Mystique, the new topless club that will be opening at Clarkson and West Sts., called us last week to dispute a previous report of ours a while back when we wrote that a new 12-story residential project planned by Ian Schrager will eventually knock the strip club out of its spot. Wolfe told us that Schrager’s new building is actually slated for “the next block over.” However, Tobi Bergman, chairperson of Community Board 2’s Land Use Committee, said Wolfe is wrong, and that the Schrager project includes the site of the soon-to-open jiggle joint. When Mystique actually will start doing business is still a ways off, Wolfe admitted. Work is going “at a snail’s pace,” he said. The lone stripper pole, however, is installed, and he even invited us to come take a look for ourselves. We believe him, we told him. In addition, he said that, in accordance with the community’s wishes, the place will have very minimal exterior signage and, in fact, won’t even say “gentlemen’s club.” As for gentlemen, some would say Schrager was one for pledging to give the Hudson River Park $5 million. The developer’s lawyer stated this publicly back in October before Bergman’s committee. At the time, Berman, of G.V.S.H.P., protested that the cash contribution to the park shouldn’t sway the committee’s vote on whether to recommend that the Board of Standards and Appeals grant a variance for residential use for Schrager’s project, which is on a manufacturingzoned site. The board’s resolution, however, does specifically mention that Pier 40 is nearby and that Hudson River Park, in general, has appreciated real estate values along the water-

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READ, ROSIE, READ! We’ve been trying to get Rosie Mendez’s reaction to Judge Donna Mills’s stunning Jan. 7 ruling in favor of the community lawsuit against N.Y.U.’s 2031 South Village development plan. Of course, Mendez, along with everyone else in the Council, save for Charles Barron, voted in lockstep for N.Y.U. 2031 back in July 2012. The week prior to the Council’s final vote, speaking before she gave her “aye” on the plan in the Council’s Land Use Committee, Mendez acknowledged that many people in her district would be happy if she voted “no” on N.Y.U.’s scheme, and noted it would be the “easy thing to do.” But Mendez deferred to Councilmember Margaret Chin — in whose district the project site is located — calling her “my sister.” This week we tracked the East Village councilmember down, or more exactly, she finally got back to us and left us this voice mail: “The reality is, I have not read the details of what the judge has decided because I’ve been sick and I’ve been busy. I really want to read the details of what the judge wrote out in the decision before commenting.” O.K., we’ll give her a little while more to recover, and hopefully her workload eases up a bit — but we’re going to check back soon, and hopefully Mendez — who is an attorney — will have read the legal decision by then. It’s not that long! The relevant section is only about 10 pages — it was roughly around Page 30 to Page 40, as we recall. And there will be a quiz afterward! Just kidding… . But we do want to know where Mendez stands on this important issue. P.S., speaking of where Mendez stands, she wasn’t standing at the headquarters of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation last Friday for the victorious press conference for

GALLERY SEEN: Fine-art photographer David LaChapelle, left, and former MOCA director Jeffrey Deitch were enjoying the moment on Fri., Jan. 17, at LaChapelle’s “Land Scape” show at Paul Kasmin Gallery, at 293 Tenth Ave.

FOR RAY’S EYES ONLY: Congratulations to Ray, who turned 81 on Jan. 1. Friends threw the Avenue A beignet and cheese fries king a big party this Monday evening, complete with what has now become an annual tradition — a full lineup of strippers dancing on his countertop. This year’s photos, courtesy of Shawn Chittle, are a little tame compared to years past, but — hey! — just use your imagination! Last week, Ray told us his current lease runs through July and he has an option to renew. MEATY SUBJECT: Interested in learning more about the planned Meatpacking District business improvement district? Neighbors are invited to two community meetings that are being held to provide information and answer questions about the proposed BID. The first one will be held Thurs., Jan. 30, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Fulton Center Auditorium, 119 Ninth Ave. The second is scheduled for Mon., Feb. 3, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Our Lady of Pompeii Church, 25 Carmine St.

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January 30, 2014

St. Luke’s mission plan rekindles drop-in center debate ST. LUKE'S, continued from p. 1

because funding for the project will rely on the church getting approval to build a 15-story residential tower on the corner of Greenwich and Barrow Sts., which still has to get the green light from the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission before it can move forward. But regardless of the timing, some residents’ negative comments about the idea for a new 24/7 L.G.B.T. youth center — even though church representatives maintain that will not be the only use of the new building — began when the overall development was first presented to Community Board 2’s Landmarks Committee on Jan. 14. Several attendees that night spoke about their past problems with The Neutral Zone, the aformentioned Christopher St. drop-in center which was open from 1991 to 1995. And committee co-chairperson Sean Sweeney later told this newspaper that he “found an irony” in the church’s suggestions that its plans would help the Village community, partially because of its mission center proposal. One of the most vocal opponents of the

possibility for a new L.G.B.T. drop-in facility is David Poster, who in 1990 helped found, and still runs, the Christopher Street Patrol, a neighborhood watch group. “We’ve learned from history that this is something that would hurt the community,” said Poster. “I’m sure the church has good intentions, but the fact is that we need to learn from our mistakes. We want to move forwards, not backwards.” He was referring to the many instances of assault, drug dealing and prostitution that he said took place in the West Village after The Neutral Zone opened its doors — a problem from which Poster and his supporters believe the neighborhood has only just now recovered. Poster further stated that numerous residents of his Christopher St. building, as well as others in the community, have approached him in hopes of starting a petition against any new drop-in center in the area. Reverend Caroline Stacey, rector of St. Luke’s, called those concerns “premature and alarmist,” stating that there are a number of different uses currently being considered for the church’s proposed mission center, including services like providing meals for the elderly or creating a more

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When asked for his thoughts on the possibility for a new drop-in center in the neighborhood, City Councilmember Corey Johnson — who now leads the Council’s Health Committee — seemed to be supportive of the idea, though his language was measured. “The St. Luke’s ministry is in line with our community’s long tradition of caring for and helping others regardless of who they are,” said Johnson in an e-mailed statement. In the same e-mail, the councilmember also responded to community fears about the possible drop-in center, while alluding to his disapproval of the St Luke’s project’s main component — its revenue-boosting, 15-story residential tower. “St. Luke’s is an active member of the Greenwich Village community,” Johnson said. “It is important that when a service provider wants to reach out and help others, we do all we can to be a partner, not a divider, in their efforts to help others. I am far more concerned about the pressures of development than I am over a place [the possible drop-in center] that will offer guidance, help and a future to so many in our city.”

Thou shalt not build 15 stories; C.B. 2 rejects St. Luke’s tower BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

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general health-related clinic. “Plans for uses of the center are still in the exploratory phase,” she said, “and one of the objectives of our process right now is to take stock of community needs before deciding on that.” But in a previous interview with The Villager — as reported in the newspaper’s Jan. 16 issue — Stacey had seemed relatively intent on making an L.G.B.T. dropin center the first choice for the building’s use, even while stressing that it could be “repurposed” for those other uses in the future. Stacey also said this week that she believes fears about security around any new L.G.B.T. center might be quelled if critics were to take a look at the services already offered by St. Luke’s. The church currently has a Saturday night feeding program for L.G.B.T. youth and H.I.V.-positive people that takes place in its private school building and accommodates up to 80 individuals. “We’re managing it quite successfully right now,” said Stacey. “And whatever programs we do have [in the new mission center], safety and security will be paramount.”

ast Thursday, Community Board 2 voted to recommend denial of the application for the Barrow St. tower part of the St. Luke’s project. There were 30 no votes and two recusals, the latter by board members who are parishioners. There was no discussion among board members before the vote — which C.B. 2 member Coral Dawson later chalked up to the five hours of discussion about the proposal at the board’s Landmarks Committee meeting a few weeks prior. The board’s main objection — as stated in the committee’s resolution — was that a 15-story tower is just too tall for the Greenwich Village Historic District. St. Luke’s argued that the site is on the district’s edge, so a high-rise there would be less obtrusive. But C.B. 2 said a tall tower at the spot could set off a “domino effect” of new high-rises being constructed in the historic district. The board, however, approved the application by St. Luke’s School to add two stories on top of its current building, but with “reservations” about the use of yellow brick for the addition.

At least two speakers during the meeting’s public session said 15 stories would represent the second-tallest building constructed in the historic district since its creation in the 1960s, and that most new buildings in the district are barely half as tall. Speaking for the project were a number of parishioners. They praised the proposed building’s design and said the parking lot now at the site is underused, and that the tower would enliven the corner. They also noted St. Luke’s, in designing the plan, has made every effort to preserve its gardens, which are open to the public. Dawson said she’d be shocked if the Landmarks Preservation Commission now O.K.’s the tower. But David Gruber, C.B. 2 chairperson, said it’s tough to know how L.P.C. will decide. After the vote, Mother Stacey, St. Luke’s pastor, said she wasn’t surprised at the overwhelming rejection. “Not particularly,” she said. “Understandably, people in our neighborhood tend to hate change automatically. It’s a struggle to think about continuity and change,” she said, “to preserve the most important things” but also to add to what exists.

TheVillager.com

Beating the deep freeze with lots of layers and coffee BY HEATHER DUBIN

PHOTO BY HEATHER DUBIN

ady Liberty is handling this frigid cold spell just fine. Dressed in seven layers, Donald Dushain was wearing a Statue of Liberty costume over top, and carried a sign for Liberty Tax Service at the intersection of E. Houston St. and Avenue B, close to their office. “It’s one of the best outfits in the world,” Dushain said. He had been working since 9 a.m. and was done at 2 p.m. “I keep moving to keep warm, and I’m drinking lots of coffee,” he said. People on the street laughed and danced with him, enjoying his upbeat questions. “Did you do your taxes today?” he asked, or “How you doing?” The intrepid Dushain planned to add an extra layer for the next day. “It feels like Siberia,” said Meret Koehler, who works in the East Village. She has been helping a friend with renovations recently, which has left her little time to suffer in the deep freeze outdoors. “How do the birds survive?” she wondered. To better insulate herself against the cold, Koehler recently went on a shopping spree.

“I bought myself some $40 gloves and really warm boots,” she said. “Also, I walk fast — and that’s it.” At Native Bean coffee shop on Avenue A, Steve Fagan was inside bundled up with a scarf. “I’ve had it. I’m ready to move to a warmer climate,” he said. But Fagan noted the temperature here is better than where his mother lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where, as he checked his phone, it was 1 degree. “The last few winters were abnormally warm,” he observed. “This winter, which is abnormally cold, has come as a shock to the system.” Mike Costello, a construction worker at a site near First Ave. had on four pairs of pants, including Carhartt overalls, designed to withstand the chill. He also wore a facemask, a hoodie, a hard hat and Hot Packs — heated hand warmers — in his gloves. “I’m prepared for this,” he said. Outside from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Costello was pretty content temperature-wise, and did not need to move around to stay warm. Last week, when it was 9 degrees, Costello pulled a 12-hour workday, and was very grateful when a worker from Boulton & Watt, a restaurant on Avenue A and E. First St., brought him a nice hot cup of tea.

Donald Dushain wasn’t feeling too taxed by the bitter cold. Moving around and drinking coffee helped him stay warm.

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“It made the last few hours of my day,” he said. “I went back to thank them later, but they weren’t there. Thank you!” Over at Mud Park, a coffee booth by the Second Ave. F subway stop, Roxy Dallas and Alyssa Eble were positive about their work environment, which includes a large, open window with easy access for delivering coffee and baked goods. “We have space heaters stashed all around our kiosk here,” Dallas said. “It’s cold, but it’s really beautiful outside,” Eble said. “We have a gaping window to a view of the Lower East Side in its sunny glory.” According to Dallas, Mud Coffee on E. Ninth St., which also operates the park kiosk, does not close its doors very often — Hurricane Sandy last year and the current frigid cold were no exception. “The L.E.S. needs its coffee!” she added. On that 9-degree day last week, Dallas was wearing four shawls, and doling out coffee to the construction workers nearby. “I don’t see an end in sight,” Eble said. “I check the weather in the Midwest as a pre-emptive mark to see what’s ahead.” The two discussed relative regional temperature differences in the States. “We’re not prepared for this — Milwaukee is prepared for this,” Dallas concluded.

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January 30, 2014

Pete Seeger, folk singer, activist icon, dies at 94 OBITUARY BY ALBERT AMATEAU

January 30, 2014

PHOTO BY JEFFERSON SIEGEL

ete Seeger, a pioneer in the revival of American folk music whose performances and recordings were integral to his lifelong dedication to the civil rights, peace and environmental movements, died Monday. His death at the age of 94 at New York Presbyterian Hospital was confirmed to The New York Times by one of his grandsons, Kitama Cahill Jackson. His wife of 70 years, Toshi Ohta Seeger, who organized many of Pete’s concerts, died in July at the age of 91 at the Seegers’ home in Beacon, N.Y. Pete Seeger’s seven-decades-long career included singing for migrant workers in California with Woody Guthrie in 1940; reaching the top of the charts as one of the Weavers singing “Goodnight Irene” in 1950; a conviction (later overturned) in 1961, after several blacklist years, of contempt of Congress for refusing to testify about his previous Communist Party membership; many antiwar concerts, and singing with Bruce Springsteen at President Obama’s inauguration in 2009. While celebrated for his commitment to social change (“We Shall Overcome,” which he co-wrote, became an anthem of the struggle against racial segregation), Pete Seeger will also be linked forever with the restoration of the Hudson River. In 1966 he and his wife organized the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, to build a replica of the sloops that carried freight along the river in the 19th century, in order to promote Seeger’s campaign to clean up the badly polluted river. The 106-foot-long sloop, built in Maine, was launched in 1969 and a couple of years later was plying the Hudson. Public awareness of the pollution led to General Electric’s commitment in 2009 to cleaning up the toxic PCBs the company had been dumping for years near Schenectady. Pamela Wolff, a member of the Chelsea Waterside Park Association, which charters the Clearwater for an annual sail on the Hudson, recalled that Seeger would often visit the sloop in Manhattan in the early 1990s. Wolff, who volunteers as a Clearwater crew member for a week each year, also recalled a ferry trip about 10 years ago to Sandy Hook, N.J., the site one year of the annual Great Hudson River Revival concert, which Seeger and his wife organized. “I got on the ferry in Midtown and found Pete and his grandson Tao Rodriguez onboard,” Wolff said. “There were hardly any other passengers and we spent the trip talking. “I knew Pete before. I first met him when I was about 6 years old — he must have been around 20,” Wolff recalled. “My father, who was editor of the Nashville Tennessean, was giving a seminar one summer at the Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, Tenn. It

Pete Seeger in fall 1968 performing at a rally for U.S. Senate candidate Paul O’Dwyer at Madison Square Garden.

was a school that trained labor union organizers. There is a photo of me somewhere sitting on Zilphia Horton’s knee and Pete singing in the background.” It was at the Highlander school that “We Shall Overcome” was created, according to The New York Times. Horton, Highlander’s music director, had heard a version of an old gospel song, “I’ll Overcome,” from a striking tobacco worker. Horton taught a version, “We Will Overcome,” to Seeger, who changed it to “We Shall Overcome” and added verses. Seeger taught it to the singers Frank Hamilton and Guy Carawan, who later became Highlander’s music director. Carawan taught the song to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee at its founding convention, according to the Times. Pete Seeger’s environmental commitment was recalled this week by Cy Adler, founder of Shorewalkers, a hiking and environmental organization. “Pete was a great shorewalker and a friend,” Adler said in an e-mail. “We started walking, talking and writing to each other in the 1960s. We explored areas of the Hudson together along the shore north of Peekskill and south of Poughkeepsie. Several times we walked legs of the Great Saunter [an annual 26-mile Shorewalkers hike around the perimeter of Manhattan] together. “He liked to take the train down to Spuyten Duyvil and join us at Inwood Hill Park,” Adler said. “Last year we wrote a song together against gun violence. To raise money for the N.Y.C. Friends of Clearwater, Pete

once sang in my apartment at a party of about 50 people — many musicians crowded in to perform. We have a recording of the event. Pete slept on my couch that night. “I never saw him in a suit,” Adler noted. “He told me he had trouble finding an old tuxedo when he was given a national award by President Clinton. Since he did not use a computer, we communicated mostly by phone and the U.S. mail. I have three thick folders of correspondence. Lots of postcards with his clear script and songs. Pete was a good, generous, creative, walking man. We will miss him,” Adler said. Pete Seeger was born May 3, 1919, in Chelsea’s French Hospital, on W. 30th St. between Eighth and Ninth Aves. His father, Charles, was a musicologist and his mother, Constance de Clyver Edson, was a concert violinist. Pete began playing the ukulele while attending Avon Old Farms, a boarding school in Connecticut. By that time, his parents had divorced and Pete’s father and stepmother, the composer Ruth Crawford Seeger, were collecting folk songs with the likes of John and Alan Lomax. Pete first heard the five-string banjo, which later became his instrument of choice along with the 12-string guitar, when his father took him to a North Carolina country dance festival. Pete attended Harvard where he founded a radical newspaper and joined the Young Communist League. But he dropped out after two years, and came to New York. Alan Lomax helped Pete get a job at the Library

of Congress in Washington transcribing folk music at the Archive of American Folk Song. Seeger returned to New York around 1940, then traveled west with Woody Guthrie, performing at union rallies and concerts, hitchhiking and hopping freight trains. He founded the Almanac Singers with Millard Lampell and Lee Hays, along with Guthrie, who joined later. Seeger was drafted into the Army in 1942 and married Toshi Ohta while in basic training in 1943. After the war he founded People’s Songs, which published political songs and organized concerts. Pete also began performing in clubs like the Village Vanguard, and in 1948 toured with the actor and singer Paul Robeson in Henry Wallace’s Progressive Party campaign for president. In 1949, Pete, Toshi, their son, Daniel, and two daughters, Mika and Tinya, moved to their 17-acre plot in Beacon, living in a tent while they built their log-cabin house. Around the same time, Pete, Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman began singing together as the Weavers. The group made hits in 1950-51 with songs like “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine” and Guthrie’s “So Long, It’s Been Good to Know You” selling about 4 million singles and albums, according to the Times. But around the same time, the anti-Communist publication Red Channels named Seeger as being suspected of Communist Party membership. Investigations by the U.S. Senate and House subcommittees followed. Although the Weavers broke up, Seeger continued to give concerts, tour campuses and record for Folkways, an independent label. In 1959 he was among the founders of the Newport Folk Festival, and in 1961 he was signed to Columbia Records. Nevertheless, he was barred from network television until 1967 when he performed an antiwar song for a recording for the “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” The song was dropped before the program was aired, but Seeger returned the following year to perform it for broadcast. Seeger was elected in 1972 to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In the 1980s and ’90s he toured with Arlo Guthrie, Woody’s son. Pete Seeger won a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1993, and the following year President Bill Clinton awarded him the National Medal of Arts. Seeger was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. The previous year he won a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album, and in 2011 he won a Grammy in the Children’s Music category. On his 90th birthday in 2009, Seeger, along with Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez and dozens of other artists, performed at a Madison Square Garden concert to benefit the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. That August, Pete sang at the 50th anniversary of the Newport Folk Festival. In addition to his son, two daughters and his grandsons, Tao and Kitama, six other grandchildren, two half-sisters and four great-grandchildren also survive. Mike Seeger, a half-brother who founded the New Lost City Ramblers, died in 2009.

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POLICE BLOTTER

A police photo of Avenue C burglary suspect.

Sneaky burglar on C Police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying an individual wanted for a burglary on Fri., Jan. 10, inside an apartment on Avenue C. The suspect reportedly followed the victim into her apartment and removed a laptop computer, cell phone and credit cards. The suspect has long black hair and a moustache. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted by logging on to the Crime Stoppers Web site, WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS. COM, or by texting to 274637 (CRIMES) and entering TIP577.

Not fast enough A fleet-footed police officer got his man

on the afternoon of Jan. 24, after chasing down a thief who tried to flee across W. 11th St. A woman, 54, told cops that a man snatched her cell phone and wallet out of her hands as she was walking past the corner of W. 11th St. and Sixth Ave. around 2:15 p.m. The man then reportedly took off running westbound along the street, but the officer spotted him in flight and took up the chase. Once he realized the officer was gaining on him, the suspect threw the stolen items on the ground, police said. But he was apprehended moments later by the speedy officer. John Daise, 22, was charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, and he was later also charged with criminal mischief, because he damaged the woman’s cell phone by tossing it to the ground.

Stop and frisk and fake Police arrested Gabriel Williams, 33, after he allegedly pretended to be a police officer and apparently attempted to stop and frisk two men on Jan. 18. The victims, ages 52 and 58, told police they were on Bleecker St., between Thompson St. and LaGuardia Place, around 2:45 a.m. when Williams approached, stated he was a cop and flashed a bogus badge and handcuffs. Williams then reportedly told the two

men get up against a wall, and when one of them stepped forward in defiance, he claimed to have a gun — which was not true — and pulled out his cell phone to “call for backup.” The two startled men quickly called real police officers to report the incident, and Williams was arrested near the scene. He was charged with criminal impersonation.

Meatpacking swipe David Robles, 29, was arrested early on Jan. 17 after stealing a woman’s cell phone and credit cards at a Meatpacking District nightclub, police said. Initially, the officers who walked into Catch, at 21 Ninth Ave., around 3 a.m. were responding to reports of a brawl. But moments later, the woman, 25, told them that Robles had just grabbed her purse and removed the items. Nightclub staff quickly corroborated her story, telling cops that they’d spotted Robles with the bag in hand. The officers caught the alleged thief before he could leave the club. Robles was charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. At the time of the arrest, he was also awaiting sentencing for an earlier grand larceny conviction after pleading guilty on Dec. 23, according to court records. In addition, Robles is currently on trial for aggravated harassment and stalking. Both charges date back to a November 2012 incident, according to court records.

Weapon busts Police arrested Stanley Rawls, 54, after they spotted him wielding a dangerous lead pipe while panhandling on a subway train on Jan. 16. Officers said they saw Rawls on the southbound F train around 1:15 p.m., after they got on at the 14th St. station. He was shaking a cup and asking for change, but of more concern to cops was that fact that he was also carrying the pipe, to which he had attached a large metal chain. After he was approached by the officers, Rawls reportedly told them he used the contraption “for protection.” He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon. Earlier that day, police had also arrested Jose Santiago, 28, for allegedly carrying an illegal knife on a South Village sidewalk. Cops said they initially stopped Santiago after spotting him urinating in public on Sullivan St. between Bleecker and W. Third Sts. When they searched him, the officers reportedly found the gravity knife in his pocket. Santiago was charged with criminal possession of a weapon.

Sam Spokony

N.Y.U. student takes fatal plunge off dormitory roof BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

19-year-old N.Y.U. student reportedly jumped to his death from the roof of the university’s Third North Residence Hall early on the morning of Mon., Jan. 27. It was the day before the start of spring semester classes. The unidentified freshman fell 15 stories from the top of 75 Third Ave., at E. 11th St. He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital where he was pronounced dead. A fire alarm reportedly went off around the same time the man plunged off the roof. The building was evacuated around 3:15 a.m. New York University has been plagued by a number of high-profile student suicides during the past decade. Three students dove to their deaths in the atrium of the university’s Philip Johnson-designed

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Bobst Library — two in 2003 and one in 2009. In 2012, to prevent further tragedies, N.Y.U. completely sealed off Bobst’s atrium with an artistic, gold, scrim-like barrier. In the wake of Monday’s fatality, N.Y.U. issued the following statement: “It is with great sorrow that we report that a freshman was found in an interior courtyard in the residence hall where he lived. It appears…his death occurred as a result of a fall; police and the university are looking into events preceding the discovery of the body in order to determine the cause and nature of his death. “The university expresses its deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of this young man; they are in our hearts and our prayers this morning.” The statement added that, following the student’s death, the university has had crisis counselors at the residence to

provide support for students and staff. N.Y.U. also has a 24/7 mental health and crisis intervention program — the Wellness Exchange — the statement noted,

ESTABLISHED SINCE 1880

Famous Dylan Thomas Watering Hole

White horse Tavern 567 Hudson St. NYC * 243-9260

adding it’s one of the best such programs at any university. N.Y.U. noted that it doesn’t release the names of students in these sort of cases.

Will it rain on Denver or will it be a mile high for Seattle? WATCH THE SUPER BOWL, SUNDAY, FEB. 2 January 30, 2014

Named best weekly newspaper in New York State in 2001, 2004 and 2005 by New York Press Association PUBLISHER JENNIFER GOODSTEIN

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January 30, 2014

SCENE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Pier 40 has been really “Suped”-up with a giant white tent and a mini football gridiron on its roof for Super Bowl superparties and broadcasting. Most of the action there will be happening Saturday.

Saving the special To The Editor: Re “St. Luke in Fields wants to add tower on the block” (news article, Jan. 16): I moved to New York City 27 years ago from Northampton, Mass., to teach at the Little Red Schoolhouse. I immediately fell in love with the West Village. It was an ongoing, long-distance love affair (from the Lower East Side) that finally culminated seven years ago with me becoming a Barrow St. resident. When I tell people where I live, inevitably there is a pause, and eyes go wide as they say, “Ooh, I love the West Village.” We all do. We love the West Village for its intimate scale, its charm, its connection with a rich history. As a resident I am sometimes bemused at the endless walking tours that can clog the sidewalks. Sometimes, though, I’ll slow down and listen; listen to the

stories, the historical details, the architectural facts, and I’ll see in the eyes of the visitors to the neighborhood the delight in this jewel in which we get to live. As I walk the streets I can feel works of literature come to life — novels and short stories

by Edith Wharton, Caleb Carr, E.L. Doctorow, Jack Finney, Mark Helprin’s “A Winter’s Tale,” and on and on. This neighborhood is special and unique, like none other in the city. And it is special because of its character, its human scale,

its connection to the past. We are extremely fortunate to get to live here where the city is quieter, older, more intimate and humane. But along with our great fortune, we carry the responsibility LETTERS, continued on p. 10

EVAN FORSCH

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Saving Jerry’s newsstand: The story behind the story TALKING POINT BY MARTIN TESSLER

PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY

tanding in the checkout line at Trader Joe’s on E. 14th St. this past September, a few weeks after primary day, I looked over at the neighboring line and saw an old friend from the “neighborhood wars” of battling the N.Y.U. 2031 Anschluss of the Village and other land-use issues — Ray Cline. Little did I realize that from our Trader Joe’s queue to this point in time how the steadfast devotion by a number of people from the community would play out in this adventure. “Ray — just the guy I want to talk to talk to.” “What’s up that I’m on your Wanted poster?” he asked. I proceed to tell him how we have been mired in the “no man’s land” of a city bureaucracy involving the Department of Consumer Affairs and Jerry Delakas’s newsstand, where Jerry was given a summons (two days after primary day) to appear before a D.C.A. hearing for operating his newsstand without a license. This was after three court decisions. In the first trial, Supreme Court Judge Cynthia Kern in March 2011 ruled in favor of D.C.A. in denying Jerry a license. She ruled that it was within D.C.A.’s discretion to deny because Jerry had been operating illegally for 24 years and had an “under-the-table arrangement” with the stand’s actual licensee. That decision was upheld by the Appellate Division in a 3-to-2 decision, though there was a strong dissent by two of the justices, who felt D.C.A. was acting in an overly narrow interpretation of the statute that permitted awarding the license if it was the applicant’s sole means of livelihood. The evidence pointed to the fact that Jerry’s job at the newsstand was the sole means of support for himself and two brothers. But the Appellate court did not agree with this interpretation, and its decision was next appealed to the Court of Appeals — the state’s highest court — which upheld the lower courts in October 2012. I explained how I had reached out to City Councilperson Rosie Mendez, who arranged a meeting with Councilmember Dan Garodnick, chairperson of Council’s Consumer Affairs Committee, in December 2012. After a meeting with D.C.A., there was a verbal understanding that the matter of Jerry’s license would be left for the next mayor’s administra-

Celebrating the news on Jan. 13 that the city had agreed to give Jerry Delakas a license to operate the Astor Palce newsstand, from left: Kelly King, Marty Tessler, Delakas and Arthur Schwartz.

tion to handle. I told Jerry he was O.K. until the next election. Thus, we were stunned when, following the mayoral primary, the summons from DCA for operating without a license suddenly was issued and Jerry’s newsstand was padlocked. It was totally incomprehensible considering the previous report of Councilmember Garodnick to Mendez. After giving Ray my brief digest of the case, I told him that we had reached the end of the rope in the legal area and needed a legal counsel who knew the way around and through the political world. Ray told me to call Arthur Schwartz, with whom I had served on Community Board 2 for 13 years. Arthur was known to me as the chairperson of the C.B. 2 Waterfront Committee and as a top legal counsel for the Transport Workers Union, among his other legal endeavors. There was a D.C.A. hearing before an administrative judge in early October 2013, also attended by Rosie, at which Jerry had to answer the summons of operating without a license. It was then that D.C.A. came out with their “deal” offering to allow Jerry to apply for a license in his own name. But this deal was contingent upon his payment of a $37,000 fine, for the 370 days that passed between the hearing date and the prior Court of Appeals decision, at $100 per day — plus, he would not get the Astor Place newsstand location. We immediately turned D.C.A. down.

DirecTV scores Pier 40 for Super Bowl BY PASHA FARMANARA

ith New York hosting the Super Bowl for the first time, one of the biggest events will be held at Pier 40. The massive W. Houston St. pier has gone through major changes for this year’s Super Bowl, including the addition of a large, temporary white tent that will be hosting the eighth annual DirecTV Celebrity Beach Bowl, and the DirecTV Saturday Night Super Bowl Party. Unlike many other exclusive or expensive Super Bowl-related activities, Saturday’s Beach Bowl is free to attend and open to the public. There has been a lack of space in previous

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years, so organizers recommend fans arrive early for the best chance of getting into the game and concert. Doors open at 10 a.m. The Beach Bowl will feature a number of celebrities, including actor/comedian Tracy Morgan, food celebrity Guy Fieri and former NFL players, including quarterback Joe Montana and defensive back Deion Sanders. The game will be followed by a performance by rock band Paramore, and will be broadcast live on DirecTV’s Audience Network. Later that evening, Pier 40 will be the venue for the DirecTV Saturday Night Super Bowl Party, which will feature Giants Quarterback Eli Manning as co-host and Jay-Z as the headlining performer, with rumors that Beyoncé may make a surprise

appearance. Tickets to the DirecTV Saturday Night Super Bowl Party range from about $1,200 to $1,400, according to StubHub, basically, in the same range as tickets to the actual Super Bowl. The white courtyard tent is not the only recent addition to the pier. Since Monday, Jan. 27, NFL commentator Dan Patrick has been hosting his Super Bowl preview shows from Pier 40’s rooftop, and will be hosting special guests, including pro players Adrian Peterson and Nick Foles and former Alabama Q.B. A.J. McCarron. The set for Patrick’s show is set up adjacent to a small football gridiron, which sports a miniature field goal post. The Hudson River Park Trust is reportedly being paid $1 million for the Super Bowl-related uses of the pier.

Arthur immediately made use of his contacts, reaching out to Bill de Blasio’s staff to alert them to what was likely to be coming across their desk in the ensuing mayoral election he was favored to win. This contact with de Blasio’s staff helped immensely following the November election when we were still in limbo with Jerry’s license. It was at de Blasio’s “public’s open house” following his inauguration that Kelly King — one of the stalwart community volunteers who drew up the signs supporting Jerry that were papered on the closed newsstand — encountered the new mayor in his receiving line after a four-hour wait with Jerry as her line companion. De Blasio recognized King from her previous volunteer work on his campaign, and after lingering hugs and pecks on the cheek, she quickly briefed the mayor on Jerry’s case. The new mayor indicated he was aware of the situation and called over to his aides to “get on the case.” It was several days later that word came down from City Hall to D.C.A. to cut the fine from the punitive $37,000 to $9,000 and to proceed with licensing Jerry, and for the same Astor Place location. As Jerry and I proceeded to Arthur’s office to sign papers the following Monday for Jerry’s license application, and to deliver a $1,000 initial payment of the fine to the Corporation Counsel’s office, we were walking along Park Row outside City Hall Park when I noticed a group on foot heading toward us. As my gaze raised upward to the height of the tall guy between two burly flankers, the tall man looked in our direction and in a loud voice said, “How ya doin’?” My brain did not immediately assimilate what had transpired, and after a few more seconds, I turned to Jerry and said, “Jerry that was de Blasio and he recognized you from the open house.” Here was the mayor who turned the letter of D.C.A.’s licensing law into the spirit of what licensing is all about — serving the public for 27 years without incident and not mired in trite legalisms — coming to the rescue. There have been many people from the community that have reached out — and many who have shown up daily — to support Jerry in his fight to obtain the license. Here’s a special salute to Ray Cline and Trader Joe’s long lines; Arthur Schwartz freeing himself up from all his other probono work to take on Jerry’s case; and Kelly King for volunteering to help Jerry and having the idea to take him to the mayor’s open house. And we welcome the refreshing change coming out of City Hall of bringing the city back to its community roots. The city is the people, the people are the neighborhood, and the neighborhood is all of us. Above all, we are a city of neighborhoods — something that has been forgotten for the past 12 years. January 30, 2014

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Continued from p. 8

of preserving the unique nature of this neighborhood for future generations to experience and enjoy. Reckless development and design that does not fit in with the scale and esthetic of the West Village will little by little erode what is great about our neighborhood. It is too easy to destroy something enduring, and impossible to bring it back. Lauren Bergman

So glad Tallmer’s back To The Editor: Re “Pitching horseshoes and column ideas with Billy Rose” (notebook, by Jerry Tallmer, Jan. 23): I’m totally delighted to see Jerry Tallmer’s writing in your pages again! I’ve missed him, was worried something had happened to him. As far as I’m concerned, he can write rings around any of your other contributors, and seeing him occa-

sionally is worth the whole subscription to me. Katy Morgan

W.W.J.D.? To The Editor: Re “St. Luke in Fields wants to add tower on the block” (news article, Jan. 16): What would Jesus develop? Matt Apfel

Even Gale Brewer… To The Editor: I was disgusted and appalled by Gale Brewer's comment in “N.Y.U. now says it will appeal judge’s superblocks ruling” (news article, Jan. 16) in which she admitted that, even though she was not in favor of it, she voted for N.Y.U.’s 2031 project because she was “doing it for Margaret Chin.” Will our public officials never learn that

Section 8 vouches may be cut if feds don’t give enough funds BY SAM SPOKONY

f the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development does not receive at least $400 million in new funding as a result of the recent federal budget deal, the agency may have to revoke some of its current Section 8 housing vouchers, according to an H.P.D. spokesperson. The spokesperson said on Jan. 22 that, while rescinding vouchers would be a last resort, that baseline level of new funding will be required for H.P.D. to maintain the current status quo for its Section 8 program, which has already been significantly scaled back due to budget cuts. H.P.D’s Section 8 program provides vital housing subsidies to around 30,000 low-income residents in New York City, including nearly 1,200 who live in the East Village or Lower East Side. If vouchers are rescinded this year, some of those people — who, on average, make around $15,000 per year — will probably lose their homes. The deal recently approved by the U.S. Congress has made $17.4 billion in new funding available for the renewal of Section 8 vouchers nationwide. The decision of how to distribute that money to local

January 30, 2014

agencies will be made by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which has until midMarch to announce its allocations. After taking a $35 million budget cut due the federal sequester, H.P.D. scaled down Section 8 last July by forcing voucher holders either to pay a greater share of their rent or move to smaller apartment. Although the move was — and continues to be — criticized by housing advocates and elected officials because it places a heavy burden on many struggling families, it kept the agency from having to rescind any vouchers. Basically, $35 million equals roughly 2,900 Section 8 vouchers — nearly 10 percent of its citywide total, according to H.P.D. If the agency had never scaled down the program last year, it would likely have had to rescind that many vouchers. And since H.P.D. did alter the program by forcing some people to pay more, it never had to take that step — that “last resort” — which probably would have caused even greater anger among housing advocates. But H.P.D. may not be able to hold on any longer if it doesn’t receive the additional $400 million for this year, in which case cutting down the number of voucher holders could be the only option.

we elect them expecting they will listen to their constituents, and vote along the lines of what we want, rather than ignoring us and voting for unpopular projects simply to pander to a fellow official? That is collusion, and it is against the law. Community boards, preservation organizations, professors, students, everyday New Yorkers — all spoke out long and loud against the plan. But our concerns and fears were not even acknowledged, simply because the development-aboveall councilmember whose district this hellish expansion is in had to be pandered to. I have given up on Rosie Mendez, but had hoped for better from Ms. Brewer. Shame on her, on the unlamented, and thankfully gone Christine Quinn and on the rest of the Sleazy Council — whoops — City Council, save for Charles Barron, the only one brave enough to vote his beliefs on N.Y.U. 2031, rather than knuckle under just to perpetuate the corrupt, unethical practice of “go along to get along.” Lisa Ramaci

Paul taught me well To The Editor: Re “ ‘Mayor of Chinatown,’ Paul Lee, dies at 63, An outspoken leader” (obituary, Jan. 23): I have been searching for a way to honor Paul Lee’s legacy and would like to thank Josh Rogers and The Villager for writing this thoughtful tribute. I was blessed to receive Paul Lee’s mentorship during the last year of his life. He taught me to never be afraid to stand up for what is right. He gave me my Chinese name. He helped me learn the most important struggles in the community. I will never forget when he took me to visit a family business on Mott St., and the entire family came out, from the grandfather to the grandchildren, all smiling and hopeful for a better future for their small business. I will never forget Paul bounding down Mott St. in the afternoons, excited about making positive change in the city, and armed with jokes to enliven the day. “You did good, kid,” he told me. To honor his legacy, we must aspire to fight the tough fights for our community just as bravely as Paul, and with just as much energy and good humor. Jenifer Rajkumar

Lee was there for us To The Editor: Re “ ‘Mayor of Chinatown,’ Paul Lee, dies at 63, An outspoken leader” (obituary, Jan. 23): I will never forget Paul in his signature porkpie hat at our peaceful protest of the Citi Bike takeover of Petrosino Square’s art installation space this past June. In late November, he treated me to tea down on Mott St. and we talked politics, his favorite subject. A few days before he passed away, I called him about our continued efforts to liberate our art installation space: All we want is for the Department of Transportation to relocate the Citi Bike station a few feet away into the roadbed, and to give us our park back. Of course Paul understood our position implicitly; it reminded him of his struggles over James Madison Plaza and Park Row. “I’ll be there for you,” he said. In spirit, I know he will. Georgette Fleischer

Legalize it, Cuomo! To The Editor: C’mon Cuomo, stop all the pandering B.S. and legalize marijuana. You are the only one who can increase the tax revenue of New York State. You are the only one who can take the sale of weed out of the hands of hardened criminals and put it in the hands of the open market where it belongs. You are the only one who can lessen the burden on the prison system. And you are the only one who can prevent the tragedies, like the one that happened to Ramarley Graham. So, I say again, stop the B.S., do the right thing, and legalize it already! Jerry The Peddler

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Space-starved high school looks upward, to the roof BY HEATHER DUBIN

hings are looking up at the NYC iSchool in Hudson Square — that is, to the building’s rooftop. The school recently held a meeting to spark fundraising efforts for a plan for a newly designed roof. The high-tech high school is co-located with Chelsea Technical and Career High School in a 100-year-old school building at Sixth Ave. and Broome St. Speaking after the Jan. 15 meeting, Isora Bailey, principal of NYC iSchool, said that for the past five years, the students have been involved with plans to better utilize the roof. The school lacks a gym, and the auditorium, which is outdated and slopes, is mostly used by Chelsea Tech, while the cafeteria cannot accommodate the full student body at one time. At the meeting, students who worked on the design led the presentation for a group that included the parent association; Gale Brewer, the Manhattan Bor-

ough President; and Renee Schoonbeek, the vice president for planning and capital projects at the Hudson Square Connection business improvement district. “It started as a class,” Bailey explained, “that developed into an after-school project, where kids spend time learning about [building] code, how to fundraise, and worked closely with architects.” Students from all grades have worked on each phase of the project, and a former graduate returned to the school for the presentation. There is an e-mail list with project updates circulated to alumni students. The current design calls for an indoor classroom space, outdoor meeting spaces and a rooftop greenhouse. “The stairs actually access the roof,” Bailey said. “The students have done research on this. But the roof was originally built as a playground. There’s access up there — it needs to be updated so that we can use it.” The architects are pro bono, but fundraising is needed to continue the project. “If we can connect enough people,” she said, “we’ll get it done.”

Gale Brewer speaking at a Jan. 15 meeting about the NYC iSchool’s new rooftop project.

Sure Shot…not; Beastie Square nixed BY HEATHER DUBIN

ommunity Board 3 on Tuesday voted to quash LeRoy McCarthy’s quest to co-name a Lower East Side intersection for the Beastie Boys — and the hip-hop fan is calling it “sabotage.” The group’s “Paul’s Boutique” album cover sports a photo of the Ludlow and Rivington Sts. intersection. At the board’s Jan. 14 Transportation Subcommittee’s meeting, McCarthy presented the co-naming plan. After a lengthy discussion on

criteria — honorees must be deceased and have been involved with the community for 15 years — McCarthy was told to collect more signatures. One of the Beastie Boys is deceased — two are living. However, the full board voted down the subcommittee’s motion. A substitute resolution was passed stating C.B. 3 disapproves the conaming because it doesn’t meet its guidelines. “I was told to find additional signatures and proof of civic activity in C.B. 3,” he said. “I got over 200 signatures, and I also got some charity work they did for Food Bank for New York, Habitat for Humanity and Students for a Free Tibet. … This was sabotage from the beginning.”

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January 30, 2014

Politicians call for N.Y.U. to come back to table N.Y.U. LAWSUIT, continued from p. 1

January 30, 2014

PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY

ramifications for the city, and so he is withholding legal judgment until he hears more from his Law Department on this decision. But the mayor expressed support for the community. “I think a lot of the community concerns were valid, and we’re going to work with the community going forward,” he said. Jim Walden, who along with his partner Randy Mastro from Gibson Dunn, argued the winning case in court, was the emcee of the press conference at G.V.S.H.P. He called it “one of the most worthy land-use cases in quite a long time.” Dozens of community groups and residents joined the suit, along with members of a new ad hoc group, N.Y.U. Faculty Against the Sexton Plan. Many N.Y.U. faculty and their families reside on the superblocks. Not wanting to live in a 20-year construction zone, much less have four new buildings squeezed into the currently tranquil blocks, the faculty members were a driving force behind the lawsuit. On Jan. 7, State Supreme Court Justice Donna Mills ruled that three of four openspace strips along the two superblocks’ eastern and western edges, although currently under Department of Transportation jurisdiction, are de facto parks and thus cannot be used — such as for construction staging areas — for New York University’s ambitious 2031 expansion plan for the blocks. Mills ruled that the state Legislature would have to first “alienate” these strips — removing them as public parkland — before N.Y.U. could drive construction vehicles over them or otherwise negatively impact them. In bypassing this requirement, she said, the city had violated the “common law public trust doctrine” that safeguards public parkland. “Justice Donna Mills has spoken,” Walden declared. “There are three parks in the superblocks. It must remain open and accessible to the community. Period.” However, Mills ruled that one open-space strip, in front of Coles Gym on Mercer St. — which contains the Mercer-Houston Dog Run — is not parkland, mainly because it lacks official Parks Department signage and because N.Y.U. has maintained the dog run (though not other parts of the strip, which it has failed to keep up). Walden called on N.Y.U. now to come to the table, negotiate and bury the hatchet — because the plaintiffs aren’t done yet. “Absent a settlement of this litigation, we will continue to fight in the courts,” he warned. In other words, they will dispute parts of the decision they aren’t satisfied with, he assured. N.Y.U., however, says that Mills’s decision doesn’t stop them from starting on the Zipper Building, a 1-million-square-foot project that would replace Coles and sit on part of the open-space strip where the dog run is now. Walden and Mastro see it differently, and say the entire plan — which calls for a total of

nearly 2 million square feet of space — must now go back to square one and go through city ULURP (uniform land use review procedure) all over again. “This is a plan that is, from our perspective, legally dead,” Walden stated firmly. Celine Mizrahi, district director for Congressmember Jerrold Nadler, read a statement on his behalf. “I stand with the community and ask that, in light of this decision, N.Y.U. reconsider the whole plan,” Nadler said. Glick added that, from the very start, N.Y.U. had said every aspect of the plan was crucial, that all the plan’s parts were “interlocking elements.” Referring to the open-space strips, Glick said, “These key elements have been removed from the plan. It seems only logical that N.Y.U. should go back to square one.” New Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said, “I am pleased that Judge Mills ruled in favor of protecting open space. Preserving open space has always been a priority of mine.” “Let’s be clear,” said state Senator Daniel Squadron, “the decision confirms that the process failed to include half of the open parkland available to the community. Now we need a reassessment of the plan that accounts for all the open space.” Now a state senator, Brad Hoylman was chairperson of Community Board 2 when the board voted an “absolute No” against the entire N.Y.U. plan. “All of us in this community were up against some very powerful forces,” he noted. “Public land is sacrosanct — we need to preserve it.

Actor John Leguizamo, center, urged N.Y.U. to end the “ice age” and thaw relations with the community by rethinking its N.Y.U. 2031 expansion plan. Corey Johnson, left, called N.Y.U.’s process “completely disrespectful” of the community. Attorney Jim Walden, right, declared N.Y.U.’s whole plan “legally dead.”

to push through the N.Y.U. plan in the City Council in July 2012. The Bloomberg administration was a strong supporter of the university’s superblocks scheme. Last Thursday, Johnson gave one of the most impassioned speeches against the development scheme. “We’ve seen too much over the past 12 years of needless overdevelopment,” he said. On the other hand, community consultation has been lacking. Referring to Mills’s decision, Johnson said, “I’m not an attorney, but I believe this does call into question the whole project. There was a final environmental impact statement — a key part of it was struck down [by Mills’s ruling]. …” Johnson praised the community’s activism in fighting the unwanted development project, and drew a comparison to another fierce struggle going on statewide to protect clean drinking water. “The only reason hydrofracking has not happened in New York State is because of activism,” he said. “I stand with community activism.” David Gruber, the current C.B. 2 chairperson, headed the task force on N.Y.U. that put together the board’s extensive resolution recommending denial of the required zoning changes for the project. “We worked really hard on this for years,” Gruber said. “We held some 25 public meetings — thousands of people showed up. N.Y.U. was completely tone deaf to us, they didn’t listen. One of the legs that support this table is off — N.Y.U. needs to sit down and re-engage with us.” Adding some Hollywood pizzazz to the press conference, actor Leguizamo said, “I’m here as a community member. All I want to

‘Somewhere, Jane Jacobs is looking down at us now and smiling.’ Brad Hoylman

“N.Y.U. is in crisis — there’s no question about it,” Hoylman declared. “As they say, ‘A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.’ Meet us at the table,” Hoylman urged the university. “Help us protect what is important about Greenwich Village — our historic buildings, our playgrounds and our open space. Placing the victory in the context of Village activist lore, he added, “And somewhere, Jane Jacobs is looking down at us now and smiling.” Corey Johnson succeeded former Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who did her best

say is, we want to work with N.Y.U. as a community — but, please, go back to the drawing board.” Andrew Berman, G.V.S.H.P. executive director, said, “We have no objection to N.Y.U. growing, but how does it impact the Village?” In short, the university should look to other neighborhoods and boroughs outside the Village to site its expansion projects, he stressed. “Justice Mills’s ruling is a wonderful opportunity for a do-over,” Berman said, “and to do it right — to really listen to the community. We invite N.Y.U. to work with us to move forward together.” Attorney Walden next introduced N.Y.U. media studies professor Mark Crispin Miller, praising him as “the sole of the plaintiffs group.” Miller noted that there were five faculty votes of no confidence against university President John Sexton over the development plan. “It is quite clear that it is not an academic plan, but a real estate deal,” Miller said of N.Y.U. 2031. “N.Y.U. now has an opportunity to mend fences, not only with the community, but with its own professorship.” During the Q&A, The Villager asked Walden about the position of City Councilmember Margaret Chin, whose statements on Mills’s ruling — while praising certain aspects of it — clearly seem to indicate she still supports the full N.Y.U. plan. Is Chin’s position — even though the superblocks are in her district — basically moot at this point in the face of such overwhelming political support for Mills’s decision, as witnessed by the many elected officials at the press conference? “The olive branch we extend also extends to Chin,” he said. “She was on the wrong side of this issue from the beginning. She has not N.Y.U. LAWSUIT, continued on p.14

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Hot dogs will return to park, but questions simmer dors recognize how important these staples are for New Yorkers and visitors alike. We would also urge that these reviews be done by the Parks Department without influence from the conservancy.” The letter was signed by Congressmember Jerrold Nadler (who this reporter has at least once observed eating hot dogs in the park after a press conference), Borough President Gale Brewer, state Senator Brad Hoylman, Assemblymember Deborah Glick and Councilmembers Margaret Chin and Corey Johnson.

BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

o the joy of frankfurter fans everywhere, the Parks Department recently reversed itself and decided wieners will, in fact, return to Washington Square Park. Nevertheless, many are still digesting so-called “Hot Dog-gate” and all its ramifications — even as the Washington Square Park Conservancy’s founders are set to return this week to Community Board 2 to give an update on their doings. Earlier this month, it was reported that Parks had decided to bring the dirty-water dogs back to the landmark Greenwich Village park. However, just a month prior, thanks to blogger Cathryn Swan, the lid had been blown off the “hot dog purge,” in which Parks announced it would let the contracts of the park’s two sausage slingers expire by the end of 2013, with no plans of renewing them. Meanwhile, a new, more upscale vendor — Melt $4 ice cream sandwiches — would be brought in, Parks said. Veronica Bulgari, the new conservancy’s president, was quoted at the time saying that neighbors had complained to the conservancy that the hot dog carts were “unsightly.” In addition, in a taste of possible anti-hot dog attitude, blogger Swan unearthed an email from March 13, 2013, between the conservancy members and Sarah Neilson, the new group’s executive director — who also doubles as the park’s salaried administrator — in which they asked her to “follow up on progress of moving the hot dog guy away from the Arch view corridor.” Through a FOIL (Freedom of Information Law) request, Swan, who maintains the Washington Square Park Blog, obtained a slew of revealing e-mails between conservancy members, Neilson and Parks officials. She also tracked down the conservancy’s 501c3 filing for nonprofit status, which sheds light on what the group — at least, initially — was claiming its primary goals would be.

GOT FRANK FEEDBACK Returning to the hot dog reversal, Phil Abramson, a Parks spokesperson, said the response to the carts’ removal had prompted the decision. “We evaluated the feedback that was received, and alerted Community Board 2 of our intent to put out a new request for bids later this winter,” he told The Villager. “Our hope is to have two hot dog vendors in place by late spring.” Just the month before, Abramson had told the newspaper that the then-planned hot dog eviction was “part of a broader initiative that has been in place since 2008 at parks throughout New York City, to move beyond the standard hot dog carts,

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SO THERE WAS A BUDGET!

Obtained by blogger Cathryn Swan, an e-mail from Sarah Neilson, executive director of the Washington Square Park Conservancy, cites tips from Tobi Bergman, a former C.B. 2 Parks Committee chairperson, to help the conservancy win approval from C.B. 2 last June. (The bracket marks and underlining are by Swan.)

and bring a more diverse selection of food choices to New Yorkers.”

DOESN’T RELISH MICROMANAGING David Gruber, chairperson of Community Board 2, said Parks’ 180-degree sausage swivel was kosher by him, but he’s staying neutral on the whole affair. It’s not a C.B. 2 issue as far as he’s concerned. “I’m fine with it,” he said. “It’s completely handled by the Parks Department. If the Parks Department wants to have hot dogs in the park, it’s O.K. with me.” Asked if he felt the frankfurter about-face stemmed from the media coverage alleging that the conservancy had influenced the initial decision, Gruber said no. “I don’t see it that way,” he said. “I don’t think there was an order to eliminate all hot dog vendors in the park.” C.B. 2 shouldn’t “micromanage” the park anyway, he said, but should “focus on bigger issues.”

POLS BITE INTO THE ISSUE However, the area’s local elected officials aren’t taking such a laissez-faire attitude toward what went on with the links. In fact, the frankfurter flip-flop seems to have left a bad taste in the mouths of six of them, who wrote a joint letter to Veronica White, the Parks commissioner, expressing their concern. “The Washington Square Park Conservancy was created with the express commitment that the conservancy would not have direct influence over the policies and decisions of the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation,” they said. “We write now to remind the Parks Department of that commitment. … While we understand and support the idea of more food options for park users, we also believe it is important to preserve and maintain the iconic fare, at affordable price points, that people have come to love and expect in Washington Square Park. Therefore, we ask that any future requests for proposals [R.F.P.’s] for ven-

Beyond the hot dog hoopla, Swan also uncovered revealing information by obtaining the conservancy’s application for 501c3 nonprofit status. For example, an “Attachment A” to the application outlines the conservancy’s projected revenue and expenses in roughly annual installments through June 30, 2016, at which point the projected total “gifts, grants and contributions received” is listed as $771, 250. The expenses are itemized for “Compensation of officers, directors and trustees”— $10,000 to $15,000 per year — and “Professional fees,” plus “Horticulture, Programming, Furniture for the Park” ($18,000 per year), “General Park Operations Expenses” ($50,000 per year) and “General Office Expenses” (about $35,000 annually). The application is dated May 21, 2013. Yet, according to Swan and others, the conservancy’s steering committee, during two Community Board 2 meetings in June — the Parks Committee and the full-board meeting — maintained they didn’t have a budget they could share publicly. Also in this attachment is a subparagraph headlined “Strategic Planning and Programming.” “In particular, WSPC [the conservancy] is working to establish a program to bring theater and performing arts events to the Park,” a part of this section reads. “WSPC hopes to use the Park’s historic setting as a venue for film festivals, theatrical productions, art exhibits, and other programs for the cultural benefit of Park patrons.” The Villager reached out to Betsey Ely, the conservancy’s chairperson, for an explanation about this programming and a definition of “Park patrons” — namely, whether this is meant to refer to general park users or the conservancy’s benefactors. Ely said the conservancy is now referring media questions to their executive director, Neilson. “ ‘Park patrons’ was meant to describe all park users, regardless of their relationship with the conservancy,” Neilson responded. “WSPC is committed to its mission of supporting the park and keeping it clean, safe and beautiful for all users. At this time,” she added, “the conservancy has no plans to engage in such programming in the park.” CONSERVANCY, continued on p. 14

January 30, 2014

N.Y.U. ‘confident’ judge’s ruling will be overturned N.Y.U. LAWSUIT, continued from p. 12

taken a clear position now. We invite her into the tent. We invited her here today,” he noted. “She didn’t come.” Berman later told The Villager that Councilmember Rosie Mendez was also invited to the press conference. Mendez did not attend or send a representative. Asked by The Villager about the status of the Zipper Building now, as far as he’s concerned, Walden responded, “To be clear, in our view, the Zipper Building is as dead as the rest of the plan. It was a one-shot approval” for the entire 2031 project, he said, and so Mills’s ruling has sunk the whole thing. Talking afterward, Berman drew a connection between the historic victories by Jane Jacobs and her Village allies two generations ago in the 1950s and ’60s against redevelopment

projects and highway plans by powerful planning czar Robert Moses. It was very “apropos,” Berman noted, that the superblock open-space strips are leftover remnants from when Moses widened Mercer St. and LaGuardia Place for a crosstown highway plan that was ultimately defeated by the community. Ellen Horan, a leader of the LaGuardia Corner Gardens, located on the open-space strip along LaGuardia Place south of Bleecker St., was relieved the garden is now protected as a result of Mills’s ruling. N.Y.U. had planned to bulldoze a pathway through the garden to access one of its planned construction projects, slated for the current supermarket site. The flourishing, decades-old garden also would have been roofed over with a protective construction shed, blocking out natural light. But N.Y.U. had a solution for that. “They suggested grow lights for three years,” Horan said.

In a statement in response to the plaintiffs’ Jan. 24 press conference, N.Y.U. spokesperson John Beckman said, “The recent judge’s ruling upheld the university’s ULURP approvals and it clearly permits us to move forward on the Coles Gym site, the first of the proposed projects. The litigants are simply wrong in fact and law. “The reality is that this is a good plan,” Beckman said. “It allows N.Y.U. to put needed academic facilities on blocks long dominated by large towers, on property N.Y.U. has owned for decades, and in ways that create beautiful new green spaces for the public; it creates thousands of new jobs; and it helps N.Y.U. maintain its edge as a top university. “Finally,” Beckman stated, “we are confident that Justice Mills’s application of the notion of ‘implied parkland’ will be overturned on appeal.”

Hot dogs will return to park, but questions simmer CONSERVANCY, continued from p. 13

FOCUS ON FURNITURE? Under another section of the attachment, “Operations, Horticulture and Maintenance,” it states that the conservancy “has already begun exploring options for installing benches, tables and other outdoor furniture in the Park and increasing the presence of security personnel to enhance public enjoyment of the park.” Asked if C.B. 2 or anyone else would get a chance to review any of this new furniture, Neilson responded that this issue is also moot — at least for now. “WSPC is not currently pursuing the possibility of creating additional seating,” she said. “If the Parks Department in the future would like to increase seating in the park, WSPC would work closely with the Parks Department and follow all channels for review and approval for such a project, and any other project that helps the park remain clean, safe and beautiful for all users.” As for the additional security, Neilson said the conservancy would provide funds for Parks to hire additional Park Enforcement Patrol (PEP) officers. Neilson added that the conservancy’s board of directors also includes a representative from Community Board 2 (Maria PassannanteDerr) and one from Councilmember Margaret Chin’s Office, “who will be aware of current and future plans.” In an interview with The Villager this past October, the conservancy’s founding members said they were mainly interested in keeping up the recently renovated park in a “supplemental” way, specifically through plantings, garbage pickups and funding a summer playground associate.

‘NO HOT DOG LINKAGE’ As for the hot dog flare-up, Neilson said there is no linkage the conservancy has to Parks’ initial decision to boot the links from the park. In other words, it wasn’t done at the conservancy’s bidding. “The Department of Parks and Recreation manages all aspects of concession activities in

January 30, 2014

Washington Square Park, including vendor selection, location, revenue collection and renewals,” Neilson stated. “WSPC has never advocated against renewal of the hot dog vendors.” The attachment to the nonprofit application also states that the conservancy may in the future pay its executive director a stipend “not expected to exceed approximately $25,000.”

NO DO-OVER, BUT AN ‘UPDATE’ So, in light of everything that has come to light — from the lingering hard feelings over the hot dogs, to the conservancy’s claims not to have had a budget — should C.B. 2 revisit the whole issue of the conservancy and, essentially, do a “do-over” on whether to recommend approval of it? No, Gruber said, the board will not do that. However, following a meeting with Gruber and the leaders of the board’s Parks Committee, at which some of these issues were discussed, the conservancy members agreed to return to C.B. 2 to “give an update” on the conservancy’s doings. The meeting is set for Wed., Feb 5, starting at 6:30, location to be determined. (Check the Community Board 2 Web site for details.)

BLASTS ‘AFFLUENT GROUP’ Swan, for her part, continues to maintain that the conservancy orchestrated the hot dog purge. “The city Parks Department’s decision, in response to public pressure, to enable the hot dog food cart vendors to return to Washington Square Park is good news, but it should never have gotten to the point where a private and affluent conservancy group was able to influence decisions at the park,” she said. “The Washington Square Park Conservancy began operating and making decisions months before it was approved by Community Board 2, a conditional ‘approval’ that stated this private group would not be influencing any decisions at Washington Square Park; an approval that

was also based on a manipulated process in which information was intentionally withheld from the public and the board. “All decisions going forward at this city park need to be transparent and accountable to the public, not private entities or individuals,” Swan stressed. “The relocation and booting of the hot dog vendors has brought to light one of the key problems with this conservancy: that the private group’s privileged insider status, where it shares a publicly paid employee [Neilson], gives them access to making and influencing decisions at Washington Square Park, and, in most cases, the public will never know. “The hidden documents brought to light via my blog and at The Villager give the community board a starting-off point in which to now rescind its approval of this private body and take a strong stand to keep our city parks transparent and accountable to the public.”

cally, simply and to the point. In response, Bergman told The Villager, “I don’t think I’ve seen any e-mails about any suggestions I may have made, and I don’t specifically remember it, but it is certainly possible I encouraged the Washington Square Park group to reach out to people on the committee who had expressed opposition.” Bergman confirmed he is a supporter of conservancies, in general. “Based on experiences I had as a Parks Department employee in Central Park years ago, I have for many years openly supported creation of an effective fundraising organization for Washington Square Park, whatever it would be called,” he said. “It’s a good thing that the Washington Square Park Conservancy be discouraged from efforts to unduly influence the use of the park, but we should also be careful not to stir the pot in ways that undermine their ability to raise needed funding for the park.”

HOT DOGS FOR THE PEOPLE!

MUCKRAKER TURNS TO VILLAGER

Sharon Woolums, a public member of the C.B. 2 Parks Committee, said the issues of the hot dogs and whether the conservancy runs film or theater festivals in the park are very important in her view. “The hot dogs represent class warfare to me,” she said, “in that hot dogs are food for the common man. … And the beauty of that park is that it has not been programmed — ever.”

Swan uncovered more of what she charges is evidence of a pro-conservancy bias among the C.B. 2 leadership. This time she didn’t have to file a FOIL, she just searched The Villager’s archives. A Dec. 22, 2004, article, “Washington Sq. renovation could take almost three years,” reports about a meeting of the Washington Square Coalition — a then-15-year-old group, originally organized by N.Y.U. — at which the idea of a conservancy was broached. Gruber was a member of the coalition and attended that meeting, but is not quoted advocating for a conservancy. Dismissing Swan’s accusations, Gruber told The Villager he was mainly interested in Washington Square back then because of his concern about the reconstruction project displacing people from that park, who would wind up in Father Demo Square, near where he lives, and other small parks along Sixth Ave., putting an added burden on these parks. One leading C.B. 2 member — not Gruber or Bergman — urged The Villager not to write this article, feeling that the conservancy had already been under too much scrutiny.

COACHED THE CONSERVANCY Speaking of Woolums, Swan dug up a revealing May 10, 2013, e-mail from Neilson to the conservancy members that indicated the independent-minded C.B. 2 public member could cause problems for them as “a potential naysayer” and needed to be worked on. In fact, Neilson, in the e-mail, cites the recommendation of Tobi Bergman, a former C.B. 2 Parks Committee chairperson, to try to soften up Woolums. Neilson also relays to the conservancy members Bergman’s advice on how the public should testify in favor of the conservancy — basi-

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Voices from the Black Box Real dialogue grist for gripping drama FILM CHARLIE VICTOR ROMEO COURTESY OF COLLECTIVE: UNCONSCIOUS

Written by Robert Berger, Patrick Daniels and Irving Gregory Co-Directed by Robert Berger, Patrick Daniels and Karlyn Michelson 80 minutes In 3-D Through Feb. 11 Screenings at 1, 2:45, 4:30, 6:15, 8 & 10pm At Film Forum 209 W. Houston St., W. of Sixth Ave.

R to L: Nora Woolley, Irving Gregory, Sam Zuckerman and Patrick Daniels.

Visit filmforum.org

BY TRAV S.D. (travsd.wordpress.com)

harlie Victor Romeo” may be the most cost-effective disaster movie ever made. Longtime Downtown theatre fans are well familiar with this pocket-sized but ambitious show, which started at Collective: Unconscious’s tiny Ludlow Street storefront theatre in 1999, with later incarnations at P.S. 122, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and 3LD Art & Technology Center. Performances at the latter venue were shot (in 3-D!) in 2012 and form the basis of the film. Shows this small don’t usually stay alive for fourteen years (and counting), but then, most of them don’t offer a journey as compelling or as harrowing as “Charlie Victor Romeo.” The title is aviation jargon for “cockpit voice recorder,” a.k.a. the black

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box that investigators always scrutinize in the wake of an air disaster. The script of the theatre-piece (and now the film) is drawn from transcriptions of the moments immediately prior to six airplane crashes that occurred between 1985 and 1996. One of the disconcerting things about the experience is the number and variety of things that can go wrong — sometimes fatally — when you’re flying hundreds of miles an hour ten thousand feet off the ground. Thousands of factors are involved in getting you safely to your destination, and stuff can go catastrophically wrong with any one of those factors: glitches in manufacture, maintenance, pilot error, bad weather. The six stories in “Charlie Victor Romeo” hit all the major areas, helpfully clarifying the chaotic events with diagrams, charts, data and the verdicts of FAA investigators. As theatre, there is precedent for Collective: Unconsciousness’s “documentary” approach in the work of Anne Devere

Smith and others. Obviously not all reallife dialogue is grist for great drama, but I think I am not alone in finding “Charlie Victor Romero” among the most riveting ninety minutes or so I have ever spent in a theatre. Expertly acted by a cast of seven, it took you on an emotional hellride ranging from grim concern to fear to despair to moments of light, thoughtless chitchat (which in some ways are the most terrifying moments of all — think about it). The main virtue of the film is that now these terrific performances are preserved and can travel beyond the confines of tiny New York and Fringe theatres. When I first heard it had been made into a movie, I had visions of a full adaptation, with real planes and special effects, or perhaps green screens providing a sky and clouds outside the cockpit window. But instead, this is a full-on documentary record of a theatre performance. (I was startled to learn in the credits that it was taped before a live audience, because, tellingly, you can hear a pin drop.) Normally, “filmed

theatre” is sort of a drag, the kind of thing you see on PBS. Occasionally it can be effective, depending on the strength of the performances, but graphically it can be unbearably static. Because of the singular nature of this piece, however, that potential pitfall doesn’t apply here. While the set is literally comparable to the cockpit set Ed Wood used in “Plan 9 from Outer Space,” we are so drawn into these moments and performances and so into the character’s heads that it comes close to being like listening to radio theatre (and the sound design is one of the many strong points of both the theatre piece and the film). But the expressions on the actors’ faces are so crucial, too. The performances, simple and unadorned by any nonsense, are all uniformly terrific. There is lesson here that I hope Hollywood learns. With very little set and no special effects, we have a movie that is all thrills, the equivalent of the climaxes of six disaster movies — and in many ways, more effective. I don’t need any CGI; the sweat rolling off a pilot’s worried forehead affects me just fine. The ultimate benefit of the film may come from a home video release, if it gets one. When I saw the live stage production about a decade ago, when it was over I definitely wanted to hang on to the experience, ask questions, rewind it and watch certain crucial, elusive moments again. It’s easy to get obsessive about “Charlie Victor Romeo.” Trav S.D. has been producing the American Vaudeville Theatre since 1995, and periodically trots it out in new incarnations. Stay in the loop at travsd.wordpress.com, and also catch up with him on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, et al. His books include “No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous” and “Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and its Legacies from Nickelodeons to YouTube.” January 30, 2014

Buhmann on Art

IMAGE COURTESY OF PETER FREEMAN, INC., NEW YORK

Frank Stella’s “The Big Flea Achterbahn” (2013; paint on TUSK Solid Grey 3000, aluminum and stainless steel; 110 x 130 x 96 inches | 279.4 x 330.2 x 243.8 cm).

At Peter Freeman, Inc. through Feb. 22: Frank Stella’s “K.56” (large version; 2013; paint on Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene and stainless steel; 114.2 x 106.3 x 82.7 inches | 290 x 270 x 210 cm).

BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN

FRANK STELLA: RECENT WORK

January 30, 2014

Curated by Jim Osman, this show features six sculptors, who all utilize color to express form in distinct and personal ways. They draw on a range of sources from tools to landscape and architecture. Monti and Porcaro add color to their casting materials. Beach and Doyle apply paint to built forms. Salmanson and Urkowitz turn to materials that have inherent color. Through casting, painting and found color, these artists find innovative ways to leverage hue and form into unified works of art. Through Feb. 23, at FiveMyles (Take 2, 3, or 4 trains to Franklin Avenue. Walk two blocks against the traffic on Franklin, then ¾ block to 558 St. Johns Place.). Hours: Thurs.-Sat., 1-6pm. Call 718-783-4438 or visit fivemyles.org.

IMAGE COURTESY OF FIVEMYLES

Marking the acclaimed artist’s second solo show with the gallery, this installation features 14 works from two series: “Scarlatti K” and “Circus.” Both reflect Stella’s career-long engagement with expanding the means of abstraction to create and redefine space. The works are made of entwined central resin forms (made using 3-D printing technology) with seemingly tensile metal pipes and rods that provide an overall sense of dynamism. While “Scarlatti K” pays homage to the work of musicologist Ralph Kirkpatrick (1911-1984), the “Circus” series, Stella’s newest body of work, is an ambitious contemplation of a world somewhat dreamlike and playful. Through Feb. 22, at Peter Freeman, Inc. (140 Grand St., btw. Crosby & Lafayette Sts.). Hours: Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm. Call 212966-5154 or visit peterfreemaninc.com.

COLOR FORMED

Six sculptors are featured in “Color Formed,” on view through Feb. 23 at Brooklyn’s FiveMyles gallery.

BUHMANN, continued on p.17

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Buhmann on Art IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ARTIST & MIGUEL ABREU GALLERY

Dustin Hodges’ “Late Stick Style” — on view at Miguel Abreu Gallery through Feb. 23.

BUHMANN, continued from p. 16

DUSTIN HODGES: LATE STICK STYLE

The title of the show refers to a fictional “late” moment of a 19th century tendency in American wood architecture. The Stick Style refers to a loose agglomeration of ideas, values and tendencies. Along these lines, the exhibition features a constructed kiosk for example, whose outside walls are made of freehand observational paintings of houseplants. In addition, a series of “Ruler Drawings,” following the logic and precision of architectural drawings, and “Oyster Style Drawings” that are calligraphic and expressive in nature, are on display. Through Feb. 23, at Miguel Abreu Gallery (36 Orchard

St., btw. Canal & Hester Sts.). Hours: Wed.-Sun., 11am6:30pm or by appointment. Call 212-995-1774 or visit miguelabreugallery.com.

THRUSH HOLMES: ALL LIT UP ON WINE

Splaying wood panels with exuberant spray paint and slapdash neon tubing, Holmes’ radical methods invigorate otherwise rather traditional subjects like still lifes and reclining nudes. While gesture and crystallized forms dominate the compositions, keyed-up frames in fluorescent hues and brilliant lights add a post-Pop touch of extravagance. In Holmes, the banal receives an almost fetishistic make over worth rediscovering. Through March 1, at Mike Weiss Gallery (520 W. 24th St., btw. 10th & 11th Aves.). Hours: Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm. Call 212-691-6899 or visit mikeweissgallery.com. www.reddenfuneralhome.net

IMAGE COURTESY OF MIKE WEISS GALLERY

“Thrush Holmes: All Lit Up On Wine” — at Mike Weiss Gallery, through March 1.

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January 30, 2014

Just Do Art

PHOTO BY JOSH KOENIG

Pig Iron Theatre Company’s take on “Twelfth Night” has exuberant physicality and a Balkan-inspired score.

BY SCOTT STIFFLER

PIG IRON THEATRE COMPANY’S “TWELFTH NIGHT, OR WHAT YOU WILL”

“THE HOUSE OF CONNELLY”

Founded in 1931, The Group Theatre burned bright for just a decade. But co-founder Lee Strasberg’s “method acting” technique, as well as the ensemble’s commitment to realism and relevance over diversionary fluff, left an indelible mark on the likes of Brando, Dean, Pacino, De Niro and Streep — all of whom underwent training at the Actors Studio (founded by Group members Cheryl Crawford, Elia Kazan and RobJUST DO ART, continued on p.19

PHOTO BY DANIEL McCARTHY

The rough and tumble (and quite possibly insane) thespians from Pig Iron Theatre Company proudly boast of their inability to sit still. But you’d be mistaken to connect the unconventional ensemble’s perpetual motion with an inability to focus on the story at hand. In fact, a dutiful fidelity to the source material weighs heavily on the frontal lobe of director Dan Rothernberg — who says this Philly company is poised to deliver a “rough, wholly American” version of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” without “deconstructing the thing.” That’s good news, because the Bard’s much-interpreted tale of mistaken identity and misdirected love is wicked funny as written — making it a perfect match for Pig Iron’s exuberant

fusion of clown theater, cabaret and dance (and, in this case, a Balkan-inspired score performed live by members of the West Philadelphia Orchestra). Feb. 4–7, 12–15 and 19–22 at 7:30pm. Feb. 8 at 7pm. Feb. 9, 16, 23 at 3pm and Feb. 19 at 1pm. At Abrons Arts Center (466 Grand St., at Pitt St.). For tickets ($30-$40), call 212-3523101 or visit abronsartscenter.org. Also visit pigiron.org.

The ReGroup Theatre Company revival of “The House of Connelly” restores playwright Paul Green’s original ending.

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January 30, 2014

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Strong Words From Tin House Pen Parentis Literary Salon helps keep writers on track BY SCOTT STIFFLER

PHOTO BY DARIUS SUZIEDELIS

ut those deadlines on hold, ditch the kids for a few hours and head to the Andaz Wall Street hotel — for a provocative and stimulating night that just might become your new regular thing. Once a month, the Pen Parentis literary salon hosts readings by authors who’ve remained prolific, while raising a family. Their tips, plus ample time for schmoozing with other parents dedicated to staying on creative track, will help you realize your own goal of writing — while providing the opportunity to come home with a few books that don’t rhyme, pop up or ask you to pinpoint Waldo. The salon’s February installment features three authors from Tin House — a publishing imprint whose irreverent magazine contains works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry, as well as columns on food and drink. Brooklyn resident Elissa Schappell, a founding editor of that magazine, will read

Elissa Shapelle, seen here at a previous Pen Parentis event, returns (along with Tin House colleagues Elissa Schappell and Matthew Specktor) to the Feb. 11 salon.

from “Blueprints for Building Better Girls.” Joining her will be Cari Luna, whose debut novel “The Revolution of Every Day” was published last October — and Matthew Specktor, whose “American Dream Machine” is currently in development for a series on Showtime. After their readings, the authors will talk about their writing and parenting lives in an informal roundtable. Brian Gresko and M. M. De Voe, from Pen Parentis, host and moderate. On March 11, “Authors Discuss Their Passions” features Ann Hood, Rick Moody and Max Watman. April 8’s “Authors on the Verge” welcomes Sara Lippmann, Ben Tanzer and Caeli Wolfson Widger (with special guest host Julia Fierro). Tues., Feb. 11, at 7pm. In the lobby of the Andaz Hotel (75 Wall St., enter from Water or Pearl Sts.). Free, and open to the public (21+ only; Happy hour specials on beer and wine). For info, visit pennparentis.org. RSVP recommended: info@penparentis.org. Also visit facebook.com/penparentis. Twitter: @penparentis.

Just Do Art JUST DO ART, continued from p. 18

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CULTUREMART 2014

They’ll all be mainstage productions someday — but right now, the creative types who have the full confidence of HERE’s Artist Residency Program are ready to give you a glimpse of their upcoming works, all in various stages of development. That’s the upshot of CULTUREMART, which has an impressive track record of very few misfires among its annual throw-it-out-there festival. This year’s edition offers 13 workshop performances from mid-career artists in the fields of theater, dance, music, pup-

petry and visual art (three HARP alumni, also in the midst of developing new projects, are on board as well). Here’s some of the stuff that tripped our wire: Joseph Silovsky’s “Send for the Million Men” uses puppets and robots to blend his own biography with the trial, then execution, of 1920s anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti (7pm, Feb. 1 & 2). Dead-on theater critic David Cote (a tough but fair champion of the Downtown scene) provides the libretto for “The Scarlet Ibis” — based on the 1960 James Hurst short story, in which a well-meaning older brother’s efforts to toughen up his frail sibling has tragic results (6pm, Feb. 3). “The Futurist” is an evening-length dance by Laura Peterson Choreography, in which elements of composer [Joe Diebes’ with sound installation] transform into costumes, furniture and landscapes that represent the dread, hope and anticipation expressed by a diverse group asked to imagine what life will be like in the coming years (8:30pm, Feb. 5 & 6). Leyna Marika Papach’s opera/ movement-theater work “Glass Mouth” questions whether external things like words and movements are capable

PHOTO BY STEVEN SCHREIBER

ert Lewis). Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner and Clifford Odets also did some pretty good post-Group work — but other than Odets’ “Golden Boy” (revived last year on Broadway to great acclaim), The Group Theatre’s work is largely unknown to contemporary audiences. For the past several years, The ReGroup Theatre Company has been calling attention to the Group’s “lost” plays — by publishing three collections and bringing long-dormant works such as “Big Night” to the stage. Their current effort reconsiders “The House of Connelly,” by going with playwright Paul Green’s original “jaw-dropping conclusion” instead of the more optimistic ending imposed upon its original 1931 run. In doing so, ReGroup acknowledges that for all its ambition and integrity, even The Group Theatre’s inaugural production (directed by Strasberg, with Adler and Odets in the cast) was not immune to leavening harsh reality with a little hope. Still, regardless of which tone dominates at curtain time, there’s plenty to chew on,

in this tale of a wayward heir navigating his Old South legacy while assessing the motivations of a potential love interest. Through Feb. 9: Mon. and Thurs.-Sat. at 8pm and Sun. at 3pm. At The Barrow Group Theatre (312 W. 36th St., third floor; btw. Eighth & Ninth Aves.). For tickets ($35), call 212-868-4444 or visit smarttix.com. Also visit regrouptheatre.org and thehouseofconnelly.com. At 2pm on Fri., Feb. 7(also at Barrow Street Theatre), ReGroup will present a staged reading of Green’s adaptation of the Richard Wright novel, “Native Son.”

Sound and movement are used to explore the undiscovered country, in “The Futurist” (Feb. 5/6, as part of CULTUREMART).

of representing the true nature of our thoughts (8:30pm, Feb. 8). Performances happen through Feb. 9, at HERE (145 Sixth Ave., entrance on Dominick St.). For tickets ($15), call 212-352-3101 or visit here.org. Student Rush tickets are free (with valid student ID) at the box office, open after 5pm on show days. January 30, 2014

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF 165 E 66 PARKING, LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/29/13. Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/29/13. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: National Registered Agents, Inc., 111 Eighth Ave., NY, NY 10011. Address to be maintained in DE: 160 Greentree Dr., Ste. 101, Doveer, DE 19904. Arts of Org. filed with the DE Secy. of State, Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 3, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 01/30 - 03/06/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF HOT FRESH PIZZA/99C LLC Arts of Org filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/26/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to: 10 W. 15th ST #1822 NY, NY 10011. Purpose: any lawful act. 2220623 w.o Vil: 01/30 - 03/06/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF NORTHWIND RE, LLP Authority filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 1/6/14. Office location: NY County. Principal business address: 260 Madison AV, Ste 204, NY, NY 10016. LLP formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/03/14. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is to: 260 Madison AV, Ste 204, NY, NY 10016. DE address of LLP: 1201 Orange St, Ste 600, Wilmington, DE 19699. Articles of Formation filed with DE Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, 401 Federal Street, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. Vil: 01/30 - 03/06/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF NORTHLIGHT REAL ESTATE OPPORTUNITY FUND I L.P. Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/15/14. Office location: New York County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/18/13. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 64 Wall St., Ste. 212, Norwalk, CT 06850. DE address of LP: 160 Greentree Dr., Ste. 101, Dover, DE 19904. Name/ address of genl. ptr. available from SSNY. Cert. of LP filed with DE Secy. of State, Division of Corporation, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 01/30 - 03/06/2014

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF NINETEEN WEST REALTY COMPANY LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/03/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/27/06. Princ. office of LLC: c/o Solow Realty & Development Company, LLC, 9 W. 57th St., Ste. 4500, NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o General Counsel at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 01/30 - 03/06/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF ERIN HYNES INTERIORS, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/7/14. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 660 White Plains Rd., Ste. 615, Tarrytown, NY 10591. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 01/30 - 03/06/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF MOLTON BROWN USA LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/30/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/27/13. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, c/o The Corporation Trust Company, Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801, also the address to be maintained in DE. Arts of Org. filed with the DE Secretary of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 01/30 - 03/06/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF PAINT THE TOWN EVENTS, LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 12/16/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is to: PAINT THE TOWN EVENTS, LLC 455 W 50TH ST, APT 7, NEW YORK, NY 10019. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 01/30 - 03/06/2014

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF WEST 87 PARTNERS, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/13/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o The LLC, 1325 Franklin Avenue, Ste. 255, Garden City, NY 11530. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 01/30 - 03/06/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF THREE COHENS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/16/14. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 250 E. 54th St., Apt. 36A, New York, NY 10022. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 01/30 - 03/06/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF WALCOTT SHOE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/24/04. Office location: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 1536 3rd Ave., 3rd Fl., New York, NY 10028. Purpose: any lawful purpose. Vil: 01/30 - 03/06/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF AGR EUROPE LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/7/14. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 1/6/14. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Angelo Gordon & Co., L.P., 245 Park Ave., 26th Fl., NY, NY 10167, principal business address. DE address of LLC: c/o The Corporation Trust Co., 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 01/30 - 03/06/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF AG OWL GP LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/7/14. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 1/6/14. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Angelo Gordon & Co., L.P., 245 Park Ave., 26th Fl., NY, NY 10167, principal business address. DE address of LLC: c/o The Corporation Trust Co., 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 01/30 - 03/06/2014

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF BTG PACTUAL COMMODITIES TRADING (US) LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/8/14. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 400 Atlantic St., Stamford, CT 06901. LLC formed in DE on 10/28/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LLC:The Corporation Trust Co., 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 01/30 - 03/06/2014

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on-premise license, #TBA has been applied for by Jell Holdings LLC d/b/a The Gander to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment with one additional bar. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 15 West 18th Street New York NY 10011. Vil: 01/23 - 01/30/2014

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that license #1275944 has been applied by the undersigned to sell wine at retail in a restaurant under the alcoholic beverage control law at 167 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009 for on-premises consumption. 167 AA REST. CORP. d/b/a ETHOS MEZE Vil: 01/23 - 01/30/2014

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF SHEEPSHEAD DEBT LLC Art. of Org. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 9/18/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Bluestone Group, 225 Broadway, 32nd Fl., NY, NY 10007. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 01/23 - 02/27/2014

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a license, number 1275280 for liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell liquor at retail under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 16 East 46th St., New York, NY 10017 for on premises consumption. East 46 Restaurant LLC d/b/a Tenpenny Bar Restaurant Vil: 01/23 - 01/30/2014 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on-premise license, #TBA has been applied for by Rivington F & B LLC d/b/a Rivington F & B to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment with one additional bar. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 155 Rivington Street New York NY 10002. Vil: 01/23 - 01/30/2014 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Hotel Liquor license, #TBA has been applied for by 237 West 54th Owner LLC & Hersha Hospitality Management LP as MGR & RJJ Restaurant LLC as MGR d/b/a Hilton Garden Inn New York Central Park South to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in a Hotel. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 237 West 54th St. New York NY 10001. Vil: 01/23 - 01/30/2014

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, PURSUANT TO LAW, that the NYC Dept. of Consumer Affairs will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. at 66 John Street, 11th floor, on a petition for MIDAN REST., INC. to continue to maintain, and operate an unenclosed sidewalk café at 146 TENTH AVENUE in the Borough of Manhattan for a term of two years. REQUEST FOR COPIES OFTHE PROPOSED REVOCABLE CONSENT AGREEMENT MAY BE ADDRESSEDTO: DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, ATTN: FOIL OFFICER, 42 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10004. Vil: 01/23 - 01/30/2014

January 30, 2014

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on-premise license, #TBA has been applied for by 9 East First Street LLC to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 9 East 1st Street aka 11 East 1st Street New York NY 10003. Vil: 01/23 - 01/30/2014

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 737 PARK UNIT 1C LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/12/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: c/o 737 Park Unit 1C LLC, 737 Park Ave., NY, NY 10021. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 12/26 - 01/30/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF PVS DESIGN LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/13/14. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Phillips Nizer LLP, 666 Fifth Ave., NY, NY 10103. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 01/23 - 02/27/2014 TRIGABO MARKETING LLC a domestic LLC, filed with the SSNY on 11/15/13. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to The LLC, 116 W. 23rd St., NY, NY 10011. General Purpose. Vil: 01/23 - 02/27/2014

NOTICE OF PUBLICATION To: RONGJIAO LI. SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK. Index No.: 314065/2013. Date Summons filed: 12/03/2013. ------------------------------------------------------------------X. Plaintiff designates NY County as the place of trial The basis of venue is: CPLR 509. XINPENG LI- Plaintiff, -againstSUMMONS WITH NOTICE. RONGJIAO LI, Defendant. Plaintiff resides at: 84-35 56 Ave, 2nd Fl, Elmhurst, NY 11373. -------------------------------------------------------------------X. ACTION FOR A DIVORCE. To the above named Defendant: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to serve a notice of appearance on the Plaintiff’s Attorney within twenty (20) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after the service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); and in case of your failure to appear, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the notice set forth below. Date: 11/25/2013. Thomas Sun, Esq. Attorney for Plaintiff, 139 Centre Street, Suite 616, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 212-966-2116. NOTICE: The nature of this action is to dissolve the marriage between the parties, on the grounds: DRL § 170 subd. (2) – the abandonment of the Plaintiff by the Defendant for a period of more than one year. The relief sought is a judgment of absolute divorce in favor of the Plaintiff dissolving the marriage between the parties in this action. The nature of any ancillary or additional relief demanded is: NOTICE OF AUTOMATIC ORDERS. Pursuant to Domestic Relations Law Section 236 Part B, Sec. 2, the parties are bound by certain automatic orders which shall remain in full force and effect during the pendency of the action. For further details you should contact the clerk of the matrimonial part, Supreme Court, 60 Centre St., New York, NY 10007 Tel (646) 386-3010. DRL 255 NOTICE. Please be advised that once the Judgment of Divorce is signed in this action, both parties must be aware that he or she will no longer be covered by the other party’s health insurance plan and that each party shall be responsible for his or her own health insurance coverage, and may be entitled to purchase health insurance on his or her own through a COBRA option, if available. Vil: 01/23 - 02/06/2014

NOTICE OF QUAL. OF 33/34 WEST OWNER LLC Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 11/12/13. Office loc.: NY County. LLC org. in DE 11/8/13. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to NRAI, 111 Eighth Ave., NY, NY 10011, the Reg. Agt. upon whom proc. may be served. DE off. addr.: 160 Greentree Dr., Ste. 101, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purp.: any lawful activities. Vil: 01/23 - 02/27/2014 NOTICE OF QUAL. OF 574 FIFTH AVENUE LESSEE LLC Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 11/20/13. Office loc.: NY County. LLC org. in DE 11/20/13. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to NRAI, 160 Greentree Dr., #101, Dover, DE 19904, the princ. office addr. of LLC. Cert. of Form. on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purp.: any lawful activities. Vil: 01/23 - 02/27/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF WALKER & DUNLOP COMMERCIAL PROPERTY FUNDING, LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/07/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/05/13. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, Attn: Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543, regd. agent upon whom and at which process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 01/23 - 02/27/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF RED AWNING LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/10/14. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/14/13. Princ. office of LLC: 246 W. 44th St., NY, NY 10036. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, New Castle Cnty., DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 01/23 - 02/27/2014

BRIGHT BEGINNINGS NYC LLC a domestic LLC, filed with the SSNY on 9/16/13. Office location: NewYork County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Joseph Ben Moshe, 111 Fulton St., Unit 701, NY, NY 10038. General Purpose. Vil: 01/23 - 02/27/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF TPMN INVESTORS VI LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/10/14. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Phillips Nizer LLP, 666 Fifth Ave., NY, NY 10103. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 01/23 - 02/27/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF SKILLEDUP LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 11/6/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 205 E. 63rd St., #12D, NY, NY 10065. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o United States Corporation Agents, Inc., 7014 13th Ave., Ste. 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 01/23 - 02/27/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF BR PRIVATE EQUITY 2014 LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/08/14. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/24/13. Princ. office of LLC: 630 Fifth Ave., Ste. 2100, NY, NY 10111. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of the State of DE, Office of the Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 01/16 - 02/20/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 15 CHRISTOPHER STREET LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 12/23/2013. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is to: 15 CHRISTOPHER STREET LLC, c/o JoAnne McShane, 15 Christopher Street, NewYork, New York 10014. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 01/16 - 02/20/2014

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, PURSUANT TO LAW, that the NYC Dept. of Consumer Affairs will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, February 12, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. at 66 John Street, 11th floor, on a petition for PGT REST. CORP. to continue to maintain, and operate an unenclosed sidewalk café at 304 Bowery in the Borough of Manhattan for a term of two years. REQUEST FOR COPIES OFTHE PROPOSED REVOCABLE CONSENT AGREEMENT MAY BE ADDRESSEDTO: DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, ATTN: FOIL OFFICER, 42 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10004. Vil: 01/23 - 01/30/2014

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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF JOANNA’S CONSULTING, LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 12/16/2013 Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is to: JoAnna’s Consulting, LLC, 270 First Avenue, Apt.6E, New York, NY 10009. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 01/16 - 02/20/2014

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF TPH ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FUND MANAGEMENT, LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 4/18/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 1111 Bagby, Houston, TX 77002. LLC formed in DE on 8/1/11. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: CT Corporation, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011. DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 01/16 - 02/20/2014

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF BOP 450 WEST 33 II LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/24/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 250 Vesey St., 15th Fl., New York, NY 10281. LLC formed in DE on 12/19/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Corporation Service Company, 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 01/16 - 02/20/2014

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF ABBOTT CAPITAL SELECT BUYOUTS PARTNERS III, L.P. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/20/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 1290 Ave. of the Americas, 9th Fl., NY, NY 10104. LP formed in DE on 7/17/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LP: c/o The Corporation Trust Company, 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Name/addr. of genl. ptr. available from NY Sec. of State. Cert. of LP filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 01/16 - 02/20/2014

S2UARED PRODUCTIONS LLC a domestic LLC, filed with the SSNY on 12/23/13. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Staci Sarkin, 415 W. 24th St., Ste. 1K, NY, NY 10011. General Purpose. Vil: 01/16 - 02/20/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 203 EAST 71 ST LLC AMENDED TO MMH CAPITAL LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/18/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 180 E. 64th St., NewYork, NY 10065. Purpose: any lawful purpose. Vil: 01/16 - 02/20/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF CERBERUS INSTITUTIONAL ASSOCIATES CT, L.L.C. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/17/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 875 3rd Ave., NY, NY 10022. LLC formed in DE on 7/2/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation, 111 8th Ave., 13th Fl., NY, NY 10011. DE addr. of LLC: The Corporation Trust Co., 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 01/16 - 02/20/2014

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NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF ABBOTT CAPITAL PRIVATE EQUITY INVESTORS 2014, L.P. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/10/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 1290 Ave. of the Americas, 9th Fl., NY, NY 10104. LP formed in DE on 12/9/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LP: c/o The Corporation Trust Company, 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Name/addr. of genl. ptr. available from NY Sec. of State. Cert. of LP filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 12/26 - 01/30/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF ABBOTT SELECT BUYOUTS FUND III, L.P. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/20/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 1290 Ave. of the Americas, 9th Fl., NY, NY 10104. LP formed in DE on 7/17/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LP: c/o The Corporation Trust Company, 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Name/addr. of genl. ptr. available from NY Sec. of State. Cert. of LP filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 01/16 - 02/20/2014

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF CERBERUS CDP PARTNERS, L.P. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 7/16/13. Name amended to Cerberus CDP IC Partners, L.P. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 875 3rd Ave., NY, NY 10022. LP formed in Cayman Islands (CI) on 7/8/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation, 111 8th Ave., 13th Fl., NY, NY 10011. CI addr. of LP: Intertrust Corporate Services (Cayman) Ltd., 190 Elgin Ave., George Town, Grand Cayman KY19005, CI. Name/addr. of genl. ptr. available from NY Sec. of State. Cert. of LP filed with Asst. Registrar of Exempted LPs, Ministry of Finance, Govt. Administration Bldg., 133 Elgin Ave., George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-1001, CI. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 01/16 - 02/20/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF TPH ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FUND PLUS, LP Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 5/14/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 1111 Bagby, Houston, TX 77002. LP formed in DE on 8/1/11. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to the DE addr. of the LP: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Regd. agent upon whom process may be served: CT Corp, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011. Name/addr. of genl. ptr. available from NY Sec. of State. Cert. of LP filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 01/16 - 02/20/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF AMB CONCEPT, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/23/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Aneta M. Bocian, 1735 York Avenue, Apt. 22G, New York, NY 10128. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 01/09 - 02/13/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 530 PARK RESIDENTIAL HOLDINGS II LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/10/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o RFR Holding LLC, 390 Park Avenue, 3rd Fl., New York, NY 10022. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 01/09 - 02/13/2014

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF BROAD STREET PLAZA, LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/24/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/14/13. Princ. office of LLC: 232 Madison Ave., Ste. 204, NY, NY 10016. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Princeton International Properties at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: 1521 Concord Pike, #301, Wilmington, DE 19803. Arts. of Org. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 01/09 - 02/13/2014 THE TRANSPORTER CHAUFFEUR LLC a domestic LLC, filed with the SSNY on 10/23/2013. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to The LLC, 130 Lenox Ave., Apt. 705, NY, NY 10026. General Purpose. Vil: 01/09 - 02/13/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF CAMMACK HEALTH LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/21/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 2 Rector Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10006, Attn: President. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 01/09 - 02/13/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF BLISS INTEGRATED COMMUNICATIONS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/19/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Richard Sutliff, 500 5th Ave., Ste. 300, New York, NY 10110. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 01/09 - 02/13/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF DDC RTB, LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/17/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 1 Howard St., Burlington, VT 05401. LLC formed in DE on 1/20/09. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, P.O. Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 01/09 - 02/13/14

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF FREEDOM III INVESTMENTS I, LP Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/18/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus.addr.: 1185 Ave. of the Americas, 30th Fl., NY, NY 10036. LP formed in DE on 10/10/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LP: Incorporating Services, Ltd., 3500 S. DupontHwy., Dover, DE 19901. Name/addr. of genl. ptr. available from NY Sec. of State. Cert. of LP filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 01/09 - 02/13/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF EVENTILATION, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Sec’y of State (SSNY) on 11/1/13. Office loc.: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served and shall mail copy of any process against LLC to: 15 W. 139th St. #15L, NY, NY 10037. Purpose: Any lawful activities. Vil: 01/09 - 02/13/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF GSNMF SUBCDE 12 LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/19/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 200 West St., NY, NY 10282. LLC formed in DE on 7/25/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: CT Corporation, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011. DE addr. of LLC: The Corporation Trust Co., 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 01/09 - 02/13/2014

NOT. OF FRMN OF ACTIVITY EQUITIES LLC Art. of Org. f w/ Secy of STA of NY (SSNY) 11/14/13. OFC LCTN: NY Cty. SSNY is DA upon whom PROC AGA it may be served. SSNY shall mail a CY: Activity Equities LLC - 1500 Broadway 22nd Fl, NY, NY 10036. The Prin. bus. add. :1500 Broadway 22nd Fl, NY, NY 10036. PUR: any lawful act or ACTY. Vil: 01/09 - 02/13/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF YASHIMA USA LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/19/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Tennessee (TN) on 01/09/12. Princ. office of LLC: 69 Tiemann Pl. #25, NY, NY 10027. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Ai Hayatsu at the princ. office of the LLC. TN addr. of LLC: 14203 Crowne Brook Circle, Franklin, TN 37067. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State, 312 Eighth Ave. North, 6th Fl., William R. Snodgrass Tower, Nashville, TN 37243. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 01/02 - 02/06/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF DW EMPLOYEE FUND, LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/16/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/13/13. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of DE, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 01/02 - 02/06/2014

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF SKMTDOT, LLC AMENDED TO SKMTDOC, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/12/12. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., New York, NY 10011, the registered agent upon whom process may be served. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 01/02 - 02/06/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF KEHE DISTRIBUTORS, LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State: 11/25/13. NYS fict. name: Kehe Distributors of Delaware, LLC. Office loc.: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 12740 Gran Bay Pkwy W #2200, Jacksonville, FL 32258. LLC formed in DE: 1/29/10. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011. DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 01/02 - 02/06/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF VALECHA ENTERPRISE, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/02/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207, regd. agent upon whom and at which process may be served. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 12/26 - 01/30/2014

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF ASSUREDPARTNERS OF MISSOURI, LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/20/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Missouri (MO) on 08/26/13. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. MO addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 221 Bolivar St., Jefferson City, MO 65101. Arts. of Org. filed with MO Secy. of State, 600 W. Main St., Jefferson City, MO 65101. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 12/26 - 01/30/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 495 QUINCY LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/22/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 38 E. 29th St., 5th Fl., NewYork, NY 10016. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 01/09 - 02/13/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF COURTNEYGRAF. COM LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 10/30/2013 Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is to: COURTNEYGRAF.COM LLC, 353 LEXINGTON AVENUE #600, NEW YORK, NY 10016. Purpose:To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 12/26 - 01/30/2014

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF AMERICAN BLUE COLLAR, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/04/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, c/o RG Apparel Group Corp., 1400 Broadway, 31st Fl., NY, NY 10018. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 01/02 - 02/06/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF UES WINDSOR RESTAURANT, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/17/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207, regd. agent upon whom and at which process may be served. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 01/02 - 02/06/2014

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Ukrainian activists, rolling out their message with a double-decker bus, are hoping New Yorkers get onboard their cause.

PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER

Local Ukrainians are anxiously watching, meeting, fundraising UKRAINE, continued from p. 1

Ruthie, the 15-year-old babysitter, holding a real $50 bill, along with the paperwork from Chase for the bogus bill one of the bank’s branches pawned off on her employer.

Holding a bank accountable for giving out counterfeit cash BY BOB KRASNER

t might be time to invest in those little pens that the delis use to check incoming dollars. On Fri., Jan. 3, Laurel Rubin went into the Chase bank at Broadway and 13th St. and made a withdrawal from the A.T.M. She then went to the teller and requested a $50 bill, having decided that her babysitter would enjoy getting paid with one. The $50 bill — which Rubin normally doesn’t like to use because “nobody takes them” — was subsequently delivered that night to 15-year-old Ruthie, the babysitter. The following day, Ruthie and her mother made a trip to another Chase bank, at 23rd St. and Sixth Ave., where the ninth grader attempted to deposit the bill in an A.T.M., only to have it rejected repeatedly. She then presented the 50 to the teller, who, after unsuccessfully attempting to put it through her own machine, eventually realized it was counterfeit. The teller informed Ruthie she was taking the bill, and that was that. Her mother stepped in and wanted to discuss the situation, but she was handed government paperwork for the phony bill, and the bank was done with it. Although one of the sections of the “Counterfeit Note Report” that Ruthie and her mother were given clearly asks, “Does the customer have any information as to the source of the counterfeit?” no attempt whatsoever was made to question the two as to the source of the bill. Yet, that section of the report had already clearly been marked “no,” as if the bank

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had questioned them about it. Meanwhile, Rubin, upon being informed of the incident, was furious. “When I go to the bank to withdraw money,” she explained, “I expect real money, not Monopoly money!” Initial attempts to retrieve her money the following Monday morning and extract an apology for Ruthie were stonewalled. It was not until Rubin threatened to withdraw her funds from the bank that she received a credit. However, an apology is still awaited. Calls by this reporter to the Chase branch where the phony 50 originated were met with confusion, long hold times and an “accidental” disconnection. Apparently, as it turned out, neither the manager nor the assistant manager were available that day. Eventually, calls were referred to Melissa Shuffield, who is in charge of “media relations and community engagement.” After a week or so, she e-mailed the following note: “We have strict policies in place to spot and turn away counterfeit bills; our branch teams are instructed to hold people in possession of these bills accountable. It would be impossible to investigate each and every counterfeit bill we find (whether by sight or with the machine) but we do our best to prevent the bills from coming into the bank in the first place.” In other words: Sorry, but we just can’t handle checking all those darn bills. So maybe the money we’re handing out is real, maybe it’s not — who knows? We do our best, though. And as for holding those in possession of those bills accountable, well, maybe next time.

as Ukraine’s prime minister on Tuesday, and the government conceded to repeal most of the legislation that had been enacted Jan. 16 to suppress freedom of speech and assembly. Five protesters have been killed in Kiev. As of Wednesday, there are reports of fighting between two antigovernment groups, which has resulted in five people wounded. At the heart of the uprising is a burning desire among the Ukrainian people for greater national independence and also for the country to join the European Union. Like Ukraine, Russia — which wants to hold Ukraine firmly in its orbit — is not an E.U. member. New York Activists has held weekly maidans (a Ukrainian word meaning a gathering of people), around Manhattan, to show solidarity with friends and family in Ukraine. The group chooses highly visible areas, such as Union Square, with hopes that the turbulent situation in the Eastern European nation will resonate with New Yorkers and tourists. Anna Sawaryn’s parents emigrated from Ukraine, and she was born in the East Village, where there was a large Ukrainian population, and an area known as “Little Ukraine.” According to Sawaryn, there has been an influx of Ukrainians into the neighborhood over the past 20 years. “Everyone of Ukrainians — all of us who were born here, or anywhere who have Ukrainian roots or origin — are affected by this. Our whole lives we never knew of an independent Ukraine. This is very exciting for all of us. It’s really giving Ukraine an ability to be fully independent,” she said. One of the seven organizers of New York Activists, Anna Shpook, originally from Bila Tzerkwa, near Kiev, lives in Brooklyn, but she is always in the East Village where she frequents the Ukrainian National Home, on Second Ave. near E. Ninth St., Veselka restaurant, right next door to that, or St. George’s Catholic Church, on E. Seventh St. Shpook has relatives who work in Kiev that attended a recent protest there. “My aunt, uncle and cousin went to a maidan to experience all this craziness, ba-

sically,” she said. “They said, ‘It’s different, you’ve never seen such a united nation ever before.’ In ’91, when the Soviet Union collapsed, we thought, this was it, we got our independence. But that was not a true freedom. The real independence is really now on the streets of Kiev — people are fighting for it, exactly now, not 23 years ago.” For her efforts here, Shpook helps the group monitor news outlets for accuracy, organizes maidans, which have drawn from 200 up to 1,000 people, and focuses on fundraising. “The New York chapter has collected $65,000 in donations since December when the beatings started in Ukraine,” she said. “People are in hospitals — they lost hands, they lost eyes, they need medical assistance.” This Sunday, the weekly maidan will be replaced with a forum at the Ukrainian Scout Organization, Plast — located between the National Home and Veselka — at 2 p.m. to discuss further steps for providing assistance to Ukrainians. “We’re standing until the end and not giving up,” Shpook said. “I have friends in Ukraine, and they’re not going to give up. They’re going to stand there until we get where we want to be, when the president resigns.” Walter Zaryckyj is the executive director of the Center for U.S.-Ukrainian Relations, on E. Fourth St., and a former longtime professor of political science at New York University. He lives in the East Village, but his parents were born in the Ukraine, where Zaryckyj has lots of family and friends. “People lost their lives in this thing,” he said. “I was praying it would stay peaceful. I wasn’t quite sure, and after January 16, and the sort of dictatorship he [Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine’s president] was planning to put in on behalf of Putin [the Russian president], I knew it wasn’t going to be good. There was going to be bloodshed. We’re lucky there was not more bloodshed,” he said. Zaryckyj is not sure how the situation will progress, but he said the U.S. and Europe no doubt will play a pivotal role. “It depends on whether the West becomes proactive,” he said. “If Obama remains silent, then Putin will figure he’s O.K. with whatever happens — and that’s not good.” January 30, 2014

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10 oz. Package • All Varieties

Sabra Hummus.............................................. 12 oz. Container

Angus Star Ranch T-Bone Steak

18 Pack • 12 oz. Cans

Imported Jarlsberg Cheese

USDA Select

Lb.

Morton Williams Home-Style Salsa ...........................

4 2/$5 2/$

21-25 Ct. • Fully Cooked, Ready To Eat

Extra Large Cocktail Shrimp ....................... In Our Deli Dept. • All Varieties

$ 99

14 $799

Morton Williams Store Made 8” Quiche ................

Lb.

Ea.

Lb.

2 Liter Bottle

Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sierra Mist, Schweppes or Mountain Dew ... 40 Size

Imported Hass Avocados ............................................

99¢ 2/$3

130 Bleecker Street • New York, NY • 212-358-9597 Sales Valid Friday, January 31 - Thursday, February 6, 2014

January 30, 2014

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