The Villager, August 1, 2013 by Schneps Media

eye on the fringe, pp. 21 and 25

Volume 83, Number 9 $1.00

West and East Village, Chelsea, Soho, Noho, Hudson Square, Little Italy, Chinatown and Lower East Side, Since 1933

August 1 - 7, 2013

At last, papers are signed for purchase for Morton school

Photo by Tequila Minsky

New brass where Beats raised a glass

Monday, preservationist Andrew Berman, left, and Phil Hartman, of the Two Boots Foundation, led the unveiling of a brass plaque commemorating the former San Remo, at Bleecker and MacDougal Sts., the famed Beat hangout. At right is Joan Schechter, a niece of the Santinis, the San Remo’s owners. Hartman read from “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities,” a short story by Delmore Schwartz. See Page 6.

Renters hoping to remain at the West Village Houses By ClariSSa-Jan lim Tenants at the West Village Houses who don’t own their apartments could very well find themselves homeless five years from now. That’s when their rent stabilization is slated to end, and their rents could quadruple.

A product of the Village’s development battles of the 1960s, the West Village Houses include 42, low-rise buildings, bounded by Washington St. on the east, Morton St. on the south, West St. on the west, and Bank St. on the north. Jane Jacobs and her allies — after defeating Robert Moses’ plan

CATS For MAYOR

to replace a swath of 14 blocks of old warehouses with towers — created the utilitarian-designed West Village Houses, which opened in 1974. Although born in idealism, three decades later, the complex was feel-

Continued on page 19

By linCOln anderSOn Despite a commitment early last year by the city to buy 75 Morton St. for use as a new public school, anxiety among local advocates had been steadily rising, when after more than a year later, the building’s ownership still hadn’t been transferred from the state to the city. Worries began to set in that the shining dream of a new school would turn into noth-

ing more than a sad mirage. But the nervous waiting finally came to an end last week, when, on Fri., July 26, local elected officials announced that a purchase agreement between the state and city finally had been signed, paving the way for the building’s future use as a public school. An ambitious opening date has been set for fall 2015.

Continued on page 4

Veggie Van rolls with fresh produce post-Pathmark By heather duBin Seasonal produce from local farms is now more accessible to seniors living in affordable housing on the Lower East Side, thanks to the Veggie Van. Two Bridges Neighborhood Council, a community organization, which runs the 307 senior apartments at 80 and 82 Rutgers Slip, has joined

forces with the Office of Borough President Scott Stringer and the nonprofit GrowNYC to bring fresh vegetables and fruit to residents. Kerri Culhane, Two Bridges associate director of planning, noted that a Pathmark grocery store, which she called “food

Continued on page 7

JOHN CATSIMATIDIS FOR MAYOR A New Yorker for all New Yorkers

cats2013.com Paid for by Catsimatidis 2013

CatsCNG2_Layout 1 7/31/13 2:58 PM Page 1

August 1 -7, 2013

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As Mayor, I Will See That Our Police Dept. Is Allowed To Continue This Excellent Work Through The Outstanding Command Of Police Commissioner Ray Kelly:

• This year, murders are down 29% from the 50-year low in 2012. • They stop & question individuals about whom they have reasonable suspicion - a widely used and lawful police tactic upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1968. • In 2012 civilian complaints were the lowest in five years. That’s progress - and a trend we need to continue!

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August 1 -7, 2013

Scoopy’s

notebook Our Savior, Jesus Cats??? The East Village’s Progress Republican Club is collecting signatures to get John Catsimatidis on the Liberal line in the mayoral general election. On Sat., Aug. 3, starting at 10 a.m., club members and anyone else who wishes to help will meet at the Key Food supermarket, at Avenue A and E. Fourth St, and then spend the day collecting signatures for what the club is calling “a second line” for Catsimatidis. Of course, the billionaire Gristedes owner, who is positioning himself as a “fusion candidate,” will still have to beat out rival Joe Lhota in the September primary for the first, as in Republican, ballot line. But if Catsimatidis has the

Liberal Party’s backing, that could give him momentum, helping him garner the G.O.P. line, or at least that’s the thinking. Hyman Silverglad, a P.R.C. member, who over the years has run for just about every elected office on the Lower East Side and been repeatedly trounced — “I’m a stickler for punishment,” he admitted — said they see Catsimatidis as something special. “We do feel he is a messianic figure,” he told us, “and you can underline messianic. We feel John Catsimatidis is a champion of the middle class and that he will revivify the lost manufacturing base of this city.” Silverglad noted that Catsimatidis — who goes by the nickname “Cats” — does have an East Village connection: His struggling immigrant dad worked as a busboy at the old Luchow’s on E. 14th St. Silverglad, though, conceded that the odds against a Republican winning in this area are enormous. Whereas the city is about 6-to-1 Democrat to Republican, he noted, “in the East Village, Lower East Side, Chinatown, we are outnumbered, I would say, 15 to 1.” However, they believe their supermarket mogul messiah — whose initials coincidentally do happen to be J.C. — just may be able to work

a miracle. “We understand he’s not the most articulate person or as photogenic as some,” Silverglad said. “But we believe he will be our savior — underline that, savior.” A garden play — can you dig it? By now, you might have read about it. Then again...not wanting to get sucked into this never-ending maelstrom amid the mulch, you might have just started flipping past the articles. But now you have a chance to see this fracas amid the foliage — this clash amid the compost — all dramatically brought to life. We’re talking about the Dias y Flores garden donnybrook that will be premiering as a new play, “Clubhouse on East 13th,” at the Boog Festival, Sun., Aug. 4, 6 p.m. at Sidewalk Cafe, 94 Avenue A (free). It’s penned by Jeff Wright, a twice-terminated former member of the E. 13th St. garden, and the cast features a bevy of poets and artists. Plot summary: “Macbeth meets Lulu Little in a showdown based on tensions between the avant-garde and the forces of gentrification in a community garden.” We hear if this one-night-only show is a success, it could inspire a “treatment” for a new reality series, “The Real Gardeners of the East Village.” Also, action figures may soon be in the works. Meanwhile, the play will be done again in October at La Mama. Seriously, we hope this new artistic work will, well, help work things out. On the mend: Theatre 80 impresario Lorcan Otway recently posted an encouraging status update on his Facebook page about his wife, Genie. She’s still just beginning her recovery from their harrowing run-in with three toughs who tried to shake them down for $100 to return one of the theater employee’s cell phones. “7½ hours of surgery, Genie is O.K.,” Otway wrote. “They were able to save her shoulder. They thought they might have to replace it, as it was in so many pieces. They really did a good job...and the pins in her ankle went well... . Thanks to all.” Good luck, Genie, in your recuperation.

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“It’s Worth The Trip Down The Street!”

Photos by Scoopy

Life in the fast lane: We were glad to see some signage on the Second Ave. bike lane, above left, the other week when this residential conversion project by Icon’s Ben Shaoul had a cement mixer come in, blocking the lane. Of course, it would have been nice if the “Caution” placard had actually been upright, but over all, it was encouraging. Last summer when we were biking by this site one day, a Bobcat was blocking the lane as it hauled out some debris to a dumpster. Another cyclist who was riding by and chose to swerve up onto the sidewalk said something to one of the hard hats, who menacingly yelled back at him, “Keep riding, a—hole!” This prompted us — after we had swerved out into onrushing traffic — to shout back, “Get out of the bike lane!!!” The hard hat was in the wrong because no signage had been posted notifying cyclists that the lane was being blocked. We later went back and checked the Department of Buildings permit posted on the construction fence, which explicitly states that such signage must be posted at various distances from the site, so that cyclists, as they are approaching, are forewarned that they’ll have to make an evasive maneuver. Anyway, we subsequently spoke to Manny, the foreman on the project, above right, and he assured us that he would be doing his best to accommodate everyone safely, and that he was aware of the obligation to notify cyclists when the lane was being blocked. Generally, it’s been working all right. But having to swerve into traffic still really sucks.

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August 1 -7, 2013

Finally, papers are signed for new 75 Morton school Continued from page 1 The city’s plan to purchase the building for a school was announced in March 2012 as part of the approval for the Rudin company’s residential redevelopment project at the former St. Vincent’s Hospital site. As City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who brokered the deal, told The Villager at the time, a new local school was one of the “gets” that was needed for the community. In a joint press release last Friday, Quinn, Assemblymember Deborah Glick, state Senator Brad Hoylman, Borough President Scott Stringer and Congressmember Jerrold Nadler and advocates hailed the development as a major victory for neighborhood schoolchildren and parents. The city’s Department of Education will now begin “site selection,” the public review process required in order to site a new city facility. The School Construction Authority and New York State reached the agreement over the future of the seven-story commercially zoned West Village building on Morton St. In terms of the specific type of school use, discussions have focused on the building being converted into a middle school, with a total capacity of up to 900 students. The announcement comes more than four years after residents and elected officials spearheaded a campaign for creating a new public school in the West Village to address overcrowding and space limitations in many of Lower Manhattan’s schools. The city has come to terms on the $40 million purchase for the Morton St. property, which is currently occupied by the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. The building has roughly 177,000 square feet of space, including an auditorium, and has access to elevators. “Each and every child in New York City should be poised to receive an invigorating and rewarding educational experience as they grow,” said Quinn. “With the purchase agreement signed and site selection moving forward, we are taking much-needed steps toward reducing overcrowding and bringing muchneeded educational capacity to the Village.” “I am thrilled that we are one step closer to having a school at 75 Morton St.,” said Glick. “This contract is a sure sign of the finalization of the state sale, and city purchase, of the building. When I first identified this excess state building as a potential school, I never thought it would take so long [to transfer ownership to the city]. Speaker Quinn and Senator Hoylman have been wonderful allies, fighting to ensure that our community gets the long-awaited public school at this location. This is a perfect example of a community effort that includes parents and advocates, and the good results we can get when we are all united for the same great cause.” “The purchase agreement and commencement of site selection brings us another step closer to a new school at 75 Morton St., which is desperately needed to relieve classroom overcrowding on the West Side,” said

Hoylman. “This is an example of what grassroots activism can accomplish. I’m proud of parents, C.B. 2 and Community Education Council 2, in conjunction with my government colleagues, for their work to make this school a reality.” “The city’s official commitment to purchase the property at 75 Morton St. is an exciting milestone in the years-long effort to establish a neighborhood public school in this space,” said Stringer. “I look forward to continuing to work with all involved to see this project through.” “This has been a model of community, elected officials and government agencies working together to create the framework for a new middle school in Greenwich Village,” said C.B. 2 Chairperson David Gruber. “From the amazing and tireless C.B. 2 / C.E.C. 75 Morton Task Force and the 75 Morton Envisioning Group, to the unwavering commitment of our elected officials at both the state and city level, to the active participation of the School Construction Authority — we have seen proof positive that progress can be made when there is common will and determination.” “I have vivid memories of the past five years,” said 75 Morton Task Force Chairperson Keen Berger. “It began with parents spotting sites for desperately needed ‘rooms to learn.’ Then Assemblymember Glick spied a ‘for sale’ list — the state had

put 75 Morton up for sale. Then years of rallies, many community groups, hundreds of parents, all our local leaders standing united. We all chanted, ‘Just imagine,’ louder and louder as the years rolled by. Our old vision is not just shimmering; it is real, with a new vision — hundreds of public school children streaming into 75 Morton. “Not only did the community finally get 75 Morton, we also got all our elected representatives to agree that 75 Morton will be a zoned public middle school — not a charter, and certainly not a private school,” Berger added. “A small — about 60 students — school for children who need self-contained classes, probably autistic children, will be in the building too, with their own teachers, principal and a separate entrance.” Berger, who, along with other local advocates, favors a school of only 600 students, noted the building will need space other than just for classrooms for the students to excel. “We are not finished,” she stressed. “We need science labs and art studios, a large gym and cafeteria, an advanced library and language program, a health clinic and community space. We must find a strong leader and gifted, dedicated teachers. The school should open in fall 2015, far sooner than the usual schedule. Impossible? They said that about buying 75 Morton.” Heather Campbell, a member of the C.B. 2 / C.E.C. 75 Morton Task Force, said that she

is a real “process person,” and that this process has been wonderful so far. The parent of two youngsters at P.S. 41, she’s also a member of the 75 Morton Community Alliance, formerly the 75 Morton Envisioning Group, a body of local parents who commissioned their own independent study of the best ways to utilize the building as a school. “I’m so excited that the parents and the Department of Education are working so closely together — from the beginning,” Campbell said. “My kids could be going to this school. My kids could be walking to their middle school. This has the potential for greatness. I bring self-motivation, I bring selfishness — I’m totally invested.” Campbell said while D.O.E. has mentioned having a 900-seat school, this would mainly be so that as many students as possible could be crammed in. Local advocates want fewer seats, 600, and more space for other activities that will enrich the students’ education. “This is such wonderful news, but we know that there is still a lot of work to be done,” said Shino Tanikawa, president of C.E.C. District 2. “We want to ensure that 75 Morton becomes all that parents, administrators and community members have envisioned — and, especially, that it happens in the timeliest manner possible. I look forward to our continued partnership with C.B. 2 and the elected officials in making this happen.”

Photo by Milo Hess

The Kite Runner — the Tribeca version A man tried to get his kite aloft on Tribeca’s Pier 25. But just being out on the pier was elevating in itself.

August 1 -7, 2013

Photos by Clayton Patterson

Ludlow’s bar-closing blues In another loss on Ludlow St., Motor City closed on June 30. The bar’s fans held a final blowout — including one guy who blew flames after swigging some alcohol. Then, this week, legendary Ludlow watering hole Max Fish also closed. There went the neighborhood.

CLAYTON

August 1 -7, 2013

Hanging a plaque where the Beat generation hung out By Tequila Minsky From 1925 to 1967, the San Remo bar and restaurant ran the length of the building at the northwest corner of Bleecker and MacDougal Sts. and was a hangout for the most creative Village folks of the day, a who’s who of the Beat generation. The San Remo’s heyday was from the 1940s to the early ’60s, when literary, musical and visual artists mingled with each other along with regular folk who found their way to this intellectual hub. An Italian restaurant is now located where the restaurant part of San Remo was and a coffee shop today is where its cafe / bar used to be. On Monday, a new plaque was unveiled on the MacDougal side, commemorating the venue’s significance to the Village and to its era. It reads: “In its post-war heyday, the San Remo was a meeting place for an unparalleled array of figures from the Beat movement, the New York School of poets and painters, and The Living Theatre. Regulars included Allen Ginsberg, Dylan Thomas, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Miles Davis, Frank O’Hara, Judith Malina, Jackson Pollock, James Baldwin and Gore Vidal, several of whom first met there. Many of them immortalized the San Remo in their writings. These literary and artistic icons became the voices of their generation, and their impact still resonates today. The San Remo became a place for cross-pollination, where the artists — some meeting for the first time — influenced each other often leading to collaborations.” The San Remo was opened by Italian immigrants the Santini family — and run by at least two generations of the family. It was a typical Italian restaurant: pressedtin ceilings, black-and-white tile floors, wooden-bench booths, and they served expresso. But it went way beyond that, added

Unveiling the commemorative plaque.

Photos by Tequila Minsky

Jazz virtuoso David Amram spoke at the San Remo plaque dedication ceremony, as Andrew Berman, left, and Phil Hartman, right, listened.

Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, who presided over the unveiling ceremony. “It was racially integrated,” he said. “Gay and straight people hung out there. It was a place where women could wear

jeans,” he added to a few guffaws from the crowd of gray-haired former patrons and Village residents that overflowed from the sidewalk into MacDougal St. World-renowned jazz musician and composer Dave Amram, a frequent patron of the joint, helped in the celebratory tribute and spoke in the most loving and poetic terms of what the San Remo meant to him. He recalled how extraordinary a place it was, where anybody could go. There were enormously influential figures, yet the San Remo was accessible to everybody. “You could get a degree in hanging-out there,” he joked. The place was memorialized in the 1952 Beat novel “Go” by John Clellon Holmes, and mentioned as the fictionalized “The Mask” in Jack Kerouac’s 1958 “The Subterraneans.” Phil Hartman of Two Boots Pizza — whose foundation sponsored the plaque, its second, as part of a new G.V.S.H.P. program — read a piece by Delmore Schwartz, the poet and short-story writer. Santini niece Joan Schechter, who grew up in the building and worked at the San Remo, shared family lore that theirs was “the first espresso machine” in New York. John Tumminia, president of the board of the building, 93 MacDougal St., expressed how happy he was to be part of this remembrance.

Village resident Mark Sebastian, who co-wrote the lyrics for “Summer in the City” with his brother John, was spotted in the crowd. Also on hand were Soho residents poets Steve Dalachinsky and Yuko Otomo. Dalachinsky mused how the San Remo, along with a slew of other MacDougal St. cafes and bars, were where “you hung out, wrote and had fun.” This area of the South Village is under consideration by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission as a historic district, and Dalachinsky spoke to the significance of that designation. “It’s very, very important that that part of history be preserved, unlike when they destroyed the Provincetown Theater, which N.Y.U. did,” he said. “The block should have been landmarked a long time ago.” Dalachinsky noted that MacDougal between Bleecker and W. Third Sts. and Minetta Lane constituted “our highereducation institution.” On this beautiful evening, Arlene Gottfried, a photographer who lives at Westbeth, wanted to be part of the moment for the historic plaque unveiling. “I know that this was a hangout for the people who became known as the Beats,” she said. After the dedication ceremony, those present noshed on some Two Boots pizza.

August 1 -7, 2013

After Pathmark’s closing, new Veggie Van rolls to the rescue Continued from page 1 advocacy on site,” where people had shopped for the past 30 years, closed last December, leaving a veggie vacuum. “They announced in September they were going to close, and it limped along from November to December after Hurricane Sandy,” she said. Culhane claimed Pathmark’s departure “wasn’t motivated by Sandy, but it wasn’t feeling profitable there.” The Pathmark’s closing has left the neighborhood without a supermarket, and many seniors are unable to walk to the Lower East Side Youthmarket on Grand St. for healthy food choices. GrowNYC — the parent organization of Greenmarket — has an existing Fresh Food Box Program in place, where underserved communities can buy 10 to 12 pounds of regional produce weekly for $10 from July until the week before Thanksgiving. To better service those in need, Borough President Scott Stringer’s Office purchased a 15-footlong-by-8-foot-high refrigerated truck, dubbed the “Veggie Van,” for $87,000, to help GrowNYC distribute the produce. For its inaugural year, the Doris Duke Foundation has donated funds to foot the gas bill. The Veggie Van’s official launch was July 11 at Two Bridges, where more than 70 seniors signed up for a food box the first week. Culhane said the purchase of the Veggie Van “made it possible” for GrowNYC to make deliveries in the Two Bridges area. Greenmarket, which started in 1976, operates more than 50 farmers’ markets around the city, and started a Greenmarket Co. two years ago to sell food wholesale from warehouses in Long Island City. “The idea was to move a larger quantity to institutional buyers, and increase food access around the city for people who don’t live near a market,” said Jeanne Hodesh, a Greenmarket spokesperson. About 18 farms supply produce to the GrowNYC Fresh Food Box Program, which includes 10 drop-off sites in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, as well as restaurants, retailers and institutions. The Veggie Van will transport about 10,000 pounds of produce per week — enabling farmers to rely on a steady income. “They move a lot [of produce] at the markets, but they have to pack trucks, and get set up at the market,” Hodesh said of the farmers’ sales. “This is additional revenue for them, but we’re moving the product, which is less work for them.” The Veggie Van is projected to deliver 300,000 pounds of fresh produce in its

The Veggie Van is distributing Greenmarket produce to the Two Bridges community on the Lower East Side.

first year. “The key piece of infrastructure missing was the van,” Hodesh said. “Now we’re on the road, and the program will only grow from here — hopefully, with more neighborhood partners.” The participation in the pilot program at Two Bridges has fluctuated with each drop-off the past three weeks. Seniors put in an order one week in advance with program associate Michael Tsang, who is running the van operation. After the Veggie Van makes its drop, Tsang and Shakirah Ibrahim, an intern, package each individual box for the recipients. Last week’s bounty included peaches, romaine lettuce, sweet corn, garlic, celery, carrots and cucumbers. “We’re starting to get booked up,” said Tsang. Unlike a Community Supported Agriculture, a.k.a. C.S.A., share, the box program does not require participants to pay for an entire season’s food upfront, instead allowing them to pay as they go. “It’s not a binding contract,” Tsang said. “If you want a bag, come to me and pay cash, credit card or E.B.T. [food stamps].” “We’re doing this because it’s important,” Culhane said. “But we don’t have outside funds to allow us to make it a huge production. We have Michael, who is a staff person, and it’s wonderful, and has been delightful.” Two Bridges’ Culhane would like to see multiple van drop sites on the Lower East Side, and perhaps year-round deliveries, if GrowNYC determines it has the capacity.

August 1 -7, 2013

Master of puppets…and also a pretty good drummer

Mr. Stix is one of 13 puppets created by Ricky Syers, who entertains passersby under the Washington Square Arch. Mr. Stix likes to smoke and drink, both of which are illegal in the park. Though, then again, he’s just a puppet, so it’s O.K. — though it sends a bad message to youth and others. Syers, who is pretty good on the sticks himself, plays a washtub drum set that he made. But, speaking about illegal activities, if he’s busking for money, that could create some problems for him under the Parks Department’s controversial strict new regulations. Photos by Tequila Minsky

August 1 -7, 2013

Service Changes

Montague Tubes Closed

No trains running between Court St, Brooklyn and Whitehall St, Manhattan beginning 11:30 PM Friday, August 2, 2013 until October 2014 Weekday Service Monday-Friday, 6 AM to 11:30 PM R service operates in two sections: 1. In Brooklyn only between Bay Ridge-95 St and Court St 2. In Queens and Manhattan only between Forest Hills-71 Av and Whitehall St R customers and B D F N Q customers who transfer to/from the R should consider alternate service on the 2 3 4 5 A and C. Weekend Service Saturday-Sunday, 6 AM to 11:30 PM Operates between Forest Hills-71 Av and Bay Ridge-95 St via the Manhattan Bridge. Six R stations bypassed: City Hall Cortlandt St Rector St Whitehall St-South Ferry Court St Jay St-MetroTech Late Night Service Every Day, 11:30 PM to 6 AM Normal R shuttle between Bay Ridge-95 St and 36 St in Brooklyn. Connect with D N at 36 St. N service rerouted via the Manhattan Bridge with six stations bypassed: City Hall Cortlandt St Rector St Whitehall St-South Ferry Court St Jay St-Metro Tech Stay informed Visit mta.info for planned service change information or to use TripPlanner+. Sign up for free email or text alerts. Look for posters and brochures in stations, or call 511. Follow us:

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MTA New York City Transit

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August 1 -7, 2013

Police BLOTTER Gun trafficker gets 31 years A New Jersey man found guilty of gun trafficking, including the sale of pistols that were notoriously stolen from the New York Police Department’s Ninth Precinct last year, has been sentenced to 31 1/3 years in state prison, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance announced on July 30. On June 24, Jason Teneyck, 36, was convicted by a jury of all 18 felony charges he faced, including seven counts of criminal possession of a weapon and eight counts of criminal sale of a firearm. In addition to the prison sentence, he faces five years of postrelease supervision. Teneyck’s sentencing caps the sixth and final conviction stemming from a weapons and drug bust last summer, which included

the arrest of ex-cop Nicholas Mina, who stole the four police-issued handguns from lockers inside the East Village precinct while he was still on the force. Mina pleaded guilty was sentenced to 15½ years in prison last fall. The four other defendants with ties to that gun and drug trafficking ring, whose ages range from 23 to 66, have been sentenced to a combined total of 37 years in prison. Although he was not the operation’s ringleader, Teneyck had been identified as a primary seller of the group’s illegally acquired guns, the D.A. said. Teneyck was convicted of selling Mina’s stolen guns to an undercover officer, according to court documents. For playing this part in the trafficking ring — a role which included numerous other illegal firearm sales and attempted sales — Teneyck received by far the lengthiest sentence of all six defendants.

Antiwar vet protesters beat charges BY JEFFERSON SIEGEL Last month, a dozen people, most of them veterans, had their week in court after being arrested last fall. The Band of Brothers (and Sisters), members of Veterans For Peace, had gathered in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial last Oct. 7 to mark the start of the 12th year of the war in Afghanistan. More than 100 had gathered to read the names of fallen comrades from the Vietnam, Iraq and Afghan wars. When their honorable roll call extended past the park’s 10 p.m. closing time, police moved in, arresting 25. By the time their case went to trial last month, a defiant dozen remained. In his decision on July 12, Criminal Court Judge Robert Mandelbaum convicted the 12 of trespassing. He then dismissed the charges, noting that convicting the vets would serve no purpose. “A dismissal here can in no way be taken as a license for anyone here to return to the plaza after 10 p.m.,”

D.A.: Drag racer was high A Queens man who crashed his car at high speed into an East Village deli last month and injured several people, two seriously, was high on illegal drugs, D.A. Vance announced on July 30. Shaun Martin, 32, was initially charged with six felonies, including two counts of aggravated vehicular assault, two additional counts of assault and two separate counts of D.W.I. — one including only drug use, and one including both drugs and alcohol. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of criminal possession of a controlled substance. Martin was allegedly high on both methamphetamine, commonly known as crystal meth, and P.C.P. when he drove at unsafe speeds through the East Village around 7 a.m. on June 19, the D.A. said. Martin reportedly veered across three lanes of traffic on Second Ave. and drove up onto the sidewalk at E. Fourth St., striking multiple objects including a fire hydrant, phone booth and tree, before crashing into a flower stand outside the East Village Farm deli. Three of the deli’s employees were hit and injured in the crash, with two of the victims suffering broken bones, and one suffering serious brain trauma, the D.A. said. Martin is scheduled to appear in court again Sept. 10.

Ready for the picking

Photo by Jefferson Siegel

The dozen defendants listened as the judge dismissed the charges.

Mandelbaum advised. Afterward, the vets were all smiles, as was their lead defense attorney, Martin Stolar. Stolar expressed regret that the vets’ challenge of First Amendment issues failed. However, he said, “I’m grateful that the judge saw the wisdom of dismissing the case in the interest of justice”

An Australian tourist, 31, who’d been staying at the Hotel Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District, was apparently drunk and making his way back to the swanky hotel during the early hours of Fri., July 26, when he simply lay down and passed out at the corner of Greenwich and Jane Sts., police said. Around 4 a.m., officers driving by said they saw a car suspiciously pull over and stop at that corner. Looking more closely, the officers spotted the unconscious Aussie. Meanwhile, the car’s three male occupants had exited and were making for the tanked tourist. The trio — later identified as Ruben Stella, 19; Jason De Jesus, 19; and Rubinson Fernandez, 21 — allegedly began rifling the sleeping man’s pockets to steal

his wallet and other belongings, police said. The officers pulled up and arrested all three men, charging each with attempted grand larceny.

Unprovoked punch Police arrested two teenage boys, one a minor, for allegedly attacking a 30-year-old woman on a West Village street corner on the night of Fri., July 26. Sheldon Johnson, 18, and a 17-year-old were reportedly acting in a generally reckless manner around 11 p.m. when they approached and then punched the woman without provocation, before fleeing the scene, police said. After witnesses reported the incident, the teens were later apprehended at Charlton and Hudson Sts. during a police canvass. Both were charged with assault. In addition, when police caught the two teens, they were in the company of an older friend — later identified as Tarell Heard, 25 — who was also arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon, after officers found he was carrying a gravity knife.

Hudson Square road rage A road rage-induced argument almost boiled over into a stabbing on the afternoon of July 24, but police intervened in time to prevent any violence. The alleged victim, 36, told police that he was driving downtown around 3 p.m., when he had an unfavorable encounter with another man behind the wheel, eventually leading both drivers to pull over and exchange words near the corner of Varick and Houston Sts. He also claimed that the purported aggressor in the incident — later identified as Dale Stewart, 36 — responded by brandishing a knife and threatening to attack him. Saying he then feared for his safety, the unarmed driver quickly flagged down a police cruiser passing by the busy intersection, and pointed out the alleged knife-wielder. Officers arrested Stewart, charging him with menacing.

Sam Spokony

August 1 -7, 2013

Crusties not all high on traveling, but can’t leave it By lael hineS Nomadic homeless youth, often known as “crusties,” have typically congregated in the East Village’s Tompkins Square, particularly in the warmer months. However, due to police sweeps, crusties have in recent years been shunning Tompkins Square, traveling further out to Coney Island or other parts of Brooklyn. Therefore, it was surprising to see a trio of crusties, Ernesto, Mary and Michael, lying on the grass in the center of Tompkins Square on a recent weekday afternoon. As they described their upbringings, each of their stories held a common theme: a difficult home situation that led to a life as a traveling “crusty punk.” “I was born in Fresno, California,” said Ernesto, speaking first. “I was born in a sort of Mexican family, but we’re actually south El Salvadorian and native. Mexican culture is pretty dominant there, so I didn’t realize I was El Salvadorian until later. “We later moved to Logan Heights in San Diego; I grew up in the ghetto. I thought I was going to be a gangster because that seemed like the main career track for most people. I would say, ‘Yo! I’m going to be a gangster!’ I was all tough, getting in fights all the time. “Then we moved to Tennessee and that’s when I ran away,” he continued. “I told my mom I didn’t want to live there because the people were terrible to me. I hated it. They were really racist. So then, I kept moving to different family members’ houses in L.A., San Francisco and the Bay Area. They would all kick me out at different points, so I would be on the streets for a while, then I would get back to my mom’s. “I don’t know, it was pretty weird,” Ernesto reflected. “Trains, punk rock, I don’t know how to explain my life to you. My life’s been very chaotic.” Mary also endured an unstable upbringing. “To be honest, I was born in foster care because I had to be, but I didn’t want to be, so I ran away,” she said. Michael felt out of place and restricted in the Southwest where he grew up. “I come from a small town called Morris, Oklahoma,” he said. “It’s one of those places if you blink once, you’ll miss the whole damn town. I guess I wanted something new, living in a small town there was nothing to do. Everyone knew everybody. You could literally sneeze and the whole town in an hour or two would know about it. I wanted something new. I had 400 in the bank from a job. I went and bought myself a pack and I said, ‘Screw it.’ I hopped on the first car out of there I could. I didn’t come to New York first. I went to California, and then New York, mostly big cities like L.A., Manhattan and Denver. Basically, my stepfather would have me arrested if I stepped anywhere on their property.” The three said the “crusty life” consists of constant traveling and substance experimentation. “I usually stay in a place — tops — a week, because then I start feeling really antsy and weird. Usually less than a week, like a few days is more likely,” Ernesto said. “All your friends leave; you know, you go back to California because you miss your California friends. Then you go to Cali and you realize how much you miss your Chicago friends. Then you go there and you realize it has been eight months since you’ve seen your Southern friends. Then you realize how much you want to see your New England friends. It’s stupid, it’s all just really stupid.” For Mary, traveling is inevitable. “I don’t have anywhere to go or anything else to do,” she said. “I don’t like where I’m from, being from Massachusetts. I’ve been traveling off and on for five years and I haven’t found a place I

Photo by Lael Hines

From left, Michael, Mary and Ernesto in Tompkins Square Park.

want to stay just yet. At this point, I’m actually really sick of it, the traveling thing. I just can’t stay anywhere. It’s frustrating to not belong anywhere.” Michael chimed in, “I’ve been traveling for five years. Out of the five, I’ve been freight-hopping for three. Honestly, I prefer freight-hopping to hitchhiking because you can get somewhere a lot faster, it doesn’t take as much time. I hate traveling but I have yet to find a place I like. I just don’t fit in anywhere.” Substance abuse is also rooted in the traveling culture. “I’m a modern day alchemist,” admitted Michael. “I’ve OD’ed seven times and I’ve died two times out of that seven. But I’m still here for some weird, freaky reason.” “We drink heavily,” Ernesto stated matter of factly. “We do drugs, all kinds of drugs. I drink a lot of alcohol but I take drugs moderately. I do try everything because I want to do everything for the sake of doing it.” However, speaking to the dangers of using drugs, a young man — word has it, he was a crusty — was found dead of an overdose in the park this past week. Despite an unpredictable, rootless life, Ernesto and Mary explained their reluctance to receive help from charities. “So far here in New York, I have come to realize that I have to avoid shelters or drop-ins or places like that,” Ernesto said. “They’re all Christian-based. When they see my tattoos, they immediately say, ‘You need to be saved.’ I’ve come for food or for help, I don’t need you to give me this lecture on who I should be

or what I should do.” Mary agreed, saying, “They don’t treat you very nicely. I’ve had charities come up and tell me, ‘You know you’re going to hell.’ When I first started traveling I had someone from a charity come up to me and say, ‘You need to change your life right now. You will become a slut and you will go to hell.’ ” Ernesto, Michael and Mary clearly have a strong commitment to the “crusty lifestyle” and a reluctance to receiving help. Yet, at the same time, these three crusties are also discontented with their current living situation, further proved as Ernesto and Michael described their ambitions for later life. “I’m a nerd,” Ernesto said. “I really like chess and anthropology, [outer] space and reading. I’m an anarchist in the sense that I’m actually black and red. I actually care about the community, so I try to be really kind to other people. If I could get a house, I would. I have a plan: In a couple years time, I’ll hopefully have a house.” Describing his own goals, Michael said, “I write anime, I do slashing [slash fiction], and I draw anime and things like that. I’ve always planned on settling down in Tokyo because I have family out there, and then starting my own anime thing.” Despite the instability and challenges of living a homeless, nomadic existence, their lives are certainly full of experience. “In my five years of traveling,” said Michael, “I have seen more than the average person will see in their entire life. We get to see the parts of the world and the city that other people don’t get to see.”

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August 1 -7, 2013

editorial

Amen for acceptance “Who am I to judge?” Those simple words said so much. Ever since Pope Francis became leader of the Catholic Church in March, it was clear that, unlike his predecessor, he would be a unifying figure with a message to be embraced, not just by Catholics, but also by many people of all faiths and of no faith. The pope said Monday that he would not judge gay priests who had goodness in their hearts. One such priest who surely would have qualified was Father Mychal Judge, the Fire Department of New York chaplain who died on 9/11 after he rushed to the collapsing Twin Towers to give spiritual comfort to firefighters and other rescue workers. The Catholic Church is one of the world’s most important institutions, and what it says and does has implications far beyond its faithful, which is the reason why we are taking a moment to celebrate the pope’s most heartening comments. Perhaps the most significant part of his words is that he actually uttered the word “gay,” a probable first for any pope. The Vatican’s hostility toward gays under leaders like Pope Benedict XVI — who called homosexuals’ actions “evil” — does not end with one statement, but it represents important movement. To be clear, there is no reason to think that the Vatican will be ready to fully accept gays this year or even this century, but Pope Francis’s remarks are a clear change in tone and yet another indication that he is part of the best of what the Church has to offer the world. His emphasis on aiding the poor helps explain why he drew millions of Catholics during his trip to Brazil. It was only a year ago that the Vatican was chastising the largest group of American nuns, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, for spending too much time worrying about the health and well-being of the poor. We can’t imagine a similar order coming down under Pope Francis. The Church has much to overcome. There’s the pedophilia, the cover-ups, the flirtation of at least a few with anti-Semitism, and the treatment of gays. But despite these instances of evil, there are also enormous acts of good done in the name of the Church — from the saint-like acts of people like Mother Teresa, to the quiet and countless acts of kindness by nuns, priests, educators and others who do it out of their love for Jesus Christ and his teachings. The Church has so much power to help the world and Pope Francis showed again he wants to do just that.

It takes a Villager! Your Downtown News Source!

letters to the editor I’m an Anthony Mayer Weiner… Not! To The Editor: Re “Sext and the City” (Scoopy’s Notebook, July 25): Oh I’m glad that I’m not Anthony D. Weiner That is quite a raunchy thing to be Exposing parts could rate a misdemeanor But sexting might just bring mayoralty Sal Hirsch

V Lit is a hit! To The Editor: Re “Peeling the layers of Tania Grossinger’s cocoon” (V Lit, July 25): I am honored to be included in the first issue of V Lit! Congratulations on a marvelous addition to The Villager! Tania Grossinger

Art adored Avital To The Editor: Re “Peeling the layers of Tania Grossinger’s cocoon” (V Lit, July 25): She certainly did not know Avital, who was adored by Art more than life itself. She may have had a relationship with him but she wasn’t the only one — yes, there were others. Calling my mother, myself and my sisters “troubled” indeed shows cowardice. Sad you didn’t get to know her, you would then have seen why he never left her. Sharon D’Lugoff

Where’s the BID? Where’s anyone? To The Editor: Re “ ‘Soho Wild Man’ is cleared, again, of assault charges” (news article, July 25): He clearly needs to be housed in an institution that addresses violence and his clear need for medication. Where is the Soho BID on this?

Where is the anti-Soho BID on this? Why is there no place with the capacity to address this issue? It’s not the job ultimately of the N.Y.P.D. He needs medical care and housing, even if against his wishes. The Soho people are arguing with each other in print over other issues and Margaret Chin, while a terror who needs therapy and medication is loose in their neighborhood. Your neighbors are at risk. Solve the problem. What’s it going to take — someone getting killed? Stop worrying about the so-called civil rights of an absolutely clear and present danger already. If he were a family member who was threatening to kill or commit suicide, would you just let him be, or would you find a way to get him committed? Patrick Shields

Get those apartments moving! To The Editor: Re “Westbeth empty units fuel rumors; Used for storage” (news article, July 18): Congrats to Clarissa-Jan Lim for her sharp investigative reporting on the big cover-up of shady dealings on the Westbeth board of directors. The irony is that Westbeth was set up in the Seventies as a refuge for artists living in a cannibalistic corporate culture — a haven from the rat race. But now it seems some rats are running the show there. As Lim reported, when asked, George Cominskie, president of the Westbeth Artists Residents Council, confirmed that “there are definitely 15 empty apartments, some held for 18 months before Sandy.” “In all the years I lived here,” Cominskie continued, “if we went above three apartments for more than two months it was a rarity. About two years ago the board of directors put the management office in charge of overseeing in-house moves. Since that change, the lists have been kept from the public eye and no one really knows if a person who gets an apartment was on the list ahead of them.” Under this predatory change in the in-house rule — in a patronage system — in-house artists get the first pick of the new apartments. This is outrageous. They should restore the rules as originally intended. Cominskie also confirmed two apartments were sold commercially. Many worthier artists are slaving away, their work

Continued on page 31

EVAN FORSCH ,

August 1 -7, 2013

Chin is a champion of the working and middle class tALkinG point By aiXa tOrreS, nanCy OrtiZ, JeSSiCa thOmaS and henry Chan Since her election to the City Council in 2009, Margaret Chin has been one of New York City’s most courageous progressive leaders. A member of the Council’s Progressive Caucus, Councilmember Chin deserves our praise and thanks for her numerous accomplishments on behalf of those most in need of a helping hand. From passing landmark paid sick-leave legislation, to preventing cuts to Lower Manhattan’s after-school and daycare programs, to authoring and passing legislation to increase transparency in government, Margaret Chin has been a champion for working and middle-class families. It’s reasons like these that explain why countless labor unions, Democratic clubs and elected officials have lined up in support of Councilmember Chin’s re-election, including the Working Families Party, Central Labor Council, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Congressmembers Nydia Velazquez, Carolyn Maloney, Jerry Nadler and Grace Meng, Councilmembers Rosie Mendez and Mark Weprin, state Senator Dan Squadron (a candidate for New York City public advocate), former state Senator Tom Duane, former Community Board 1 Chairperson Julie Menin (another candidate for public advocate), United Federation of Teachers, 1199 SEIU, Hotel & Motel Trades Council, 32BJ, DC 37, Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, CWA District 1, CWA 1180, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 94, Teamster Local 237, Uniformed Fire Officers Association, United Sanitationmen’s Association Local 831, Stonewall Democratic Club, Lower Manhattan Democrats, United Democratic Organization, Lower East Side Democratic Club, Harry S. Truman Democratic Club, Gay and Lesbian Independent Democrats, NARAL Pro-Choice NY, National Organization for Women (NOW), New Yorkers for Clean Livable And Safe Streets (NYCLASS), Street Vendor Power, StreetsPAC and many more. Of course, the reality of Councilmember Chin’s strong, progressive record seems to be lost on a select few, including Mr. Sean Sweeney, who last week in a talking point in The Villager entitled, “The billionaires back Margaret Chin for City Council,” perpetuated the same lies, spin and propaganda that have been spread in vain for some time now. Amazingly, these are some of the same people who tried to spread rumors that Margaret was a “communist” when she first ran for office! The hollow and desperate attacks levied against Councilmember Chin reek of petty, personal vendettas against a stellar public servant with a long and undeniable track record of delivering real, tangible results for the people who elected her to represent them at City Hall. The current attacks are so transparent, so baseless and such a stretch of the truth, that it’s clear there are ulterior motives at work here — far from genuine concern about Councilmember Chin’s embodiment of progressive values and commitment to the working and middle-class

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men and women she proudly represents. In point of fact, Margaret Chin has fought vigorously on behalf of tenants’ rights. She has fought to empower tenants (not landlords and real estate moguls) against evictions, called for greater transparency and monitoring of affordable housing programs, urged for affordable housing development to keep pace with its losses and successfully negotiated the construction of 500 new, permanently affordable housing units for low- to middle-income families in the district while creating thousands of new jobs. Time and again, Margaret Chin has publicly expressed her disapproval of outside funds being spent in the race. While this has not stopped outside interests from spending, she certainly has never accepted donations from these groups and has already said in the media that she believes independent spending has no place in politics. Unfortunately, the recent Citizens United decision has made it impossible for candidates to prevent groups from independently spending money or coordinating in their name — even when the literature put out is misspelled or inac-

The reality of Councilmember Chin’s strong, progressive record seems to be lost on a select few, including Mr. Sean Sweeney. curate. But this reality should not take away from Margaret’s accomplishments or those of other public servants who have worked tirelessly to give a voice to the voiceless. To quote Councilmember Chin in a recent news article, “I’m not sure what the Jobs for New York PAC thinks they’re buying by spending money on my campaign, but they won’t get it. I am only beholden to my constituents, whom I have been a progressive voice for in the City Council over the past four years.” So, while others wish to skirt the issues and turn the race for the First City Council District into a distracting conversation that ducks and dodges the real issues facing Downtowners, Margaret Chin remains more dedicated than ever to serving and standing up for her constituents. At the end of the day, voters understand that the negative and slanderous campaign tactics employed by Jenifer Rajkumar and her supporters are a pathetic attempt to divert attention from the fact that she lacks the integrity (not to mention the experience) to hold higher elected office. No doubt, Ms. Rajkumar would prefer voters forget that she shamelessly touted a false résumé, including boasting of a phony, shell nonprofit that by her own admission has never accomplished a darn thing. This is not to mention her claiming experience as a lawyer before she had even passed the bar. Instead of owning up to her deceptions, Ms. Rajkumar did a little housecleaning on her Web site, erased the embarrassing

falsehoods and carried on with her campaign by aimlessly hurling half-truths in the direction of Margaret Chin. Among other things, Ms. Rajkumar has chosen to publicly attack the deal reached on the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area development plan — a plan forged through years of numerous public community meetings — despite never having attended a single meeting herself. Sure, Ms. Rajkumar claims to be a champion of tenants’ rights, but when has she ever reached out to local tenant leaders? Unlike her opponent, Margaret Chin’s commitment to Lower Manhattan is not fleeting. Long before Ms. Rajkumar chose to grace us with her presence, Margaret was an outspoken advocate in the fight for fairness and equality. She has lived and worked in the community for more than 50 years, including as a leader in affordable housing and an advocate for broader voter access and civil rights. She is also the first Chinese-American to represent Chinatown, an area where her ability to speak multiple dialects of Chinese has enabled non-English-speaking citizens access to their own elected representative in a way they have never had before. Downtowners, and New Yorkers in general, deserve better than neophytes who parachute into their city and run for office because they sense a political opportunity, regardless of how familiar they actually are with the community. What is telling is an early quote Rajkumar gave in a January 23, 2013, Broadsheet Daily article: She said that, whereas in Battery Park City she knew residents were concerned about hurricane preparedness and school overcrowding, she believed the top issues on the Lower East Side were “gun violence, teenage pregnancy and drugs.” Small wonder the lion’s share of her donations appear to be large donations from outside the city. Truth be told, there is only one candidate in the race for the First Council District who has a record of standing up for working and middle-class people. That candidate is Margaret Chin. To suggest otherwise is laughable and insulting to the intelligence of the electorate. Margaret Chin's support runs the gamut and that is why she will be re-elected to the City Council after winning the primary in September. Our elected officials are not just as good as their word, but as good as their fulfillment of the duties they took on when they accepted their roles as public servants. Since her first day in office, Margaret Chin has kept her promise to the people of Council District 1. Her committee attendance is one of the highest in the Council, and she is known for staying through the entirety of hearings when others have left, just to hear what the public has to say. She has open office hours and takes meetings with all community groups who request it. She is, in fact, one of the most accessible members in the Council. At a time when corruption, lies, deceit and letdown run rampant, Margaret Chin is a breath of fresh air. Here’s to four more years of progress! Torres is president, Smith Houses Tenant Association; Ortiz is president, Vladeck Houses Tenant Association; Thomas is president, LaGuardia Houses Tenant Association; Chan is a resident, Knickerbocker Village

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August 1 -7, 2013

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N.Y.U. rated tops for total cost in country for higher education By Clarissa-Jan Lim The Big Apple is famous for its extravagances. Add a four-year education at New York University to the list. According to a report by Business Insider, N.Y.U. is America’s most expensive higher-education institution. A year at the Greenwich Village school can cost up to $61,977. That figure — which includes tuition and fees, plus room and board — is out of reach for many, without even adding in the city’s high living expenses. Meanwhile, a year at a State University of New York school costs about $30,000, including room and board. Lilia J., now doing pre-undergrad work before starting at N.Y.U. in the fall, has received a generous 80 percent scholarship. However, she conceded the cost of studying at the Village school is absurd. “I wouldn’t be going here if they weren’t paying,” she said. A former N.Y.U. law school student, Stephanie M., paid about $33,000 in tuition per year, despite having a 30 percent scholarship. The rest of her tuition was financed by personal loans. U.S. higher education’s rising cost has seen many students take on loans, saddling them with decades of debt. Toluwanimi Adeyemo figured he pays $60,000 in tuition per year, though offset by his $8,000 scholarship. He lamented he would be paying off his student loans, “basically my entire lifetime,” adding that, “only in hindsight” did he fully grasp this. To finance his slightly more than $1,000 in monthly personal expenses, Adeyemo works two part-time jobs and an internship, on top of his classes. N.Y.U.’s student housing is a big part of the cost, too. According to the N.Y.U Web site, housing costs range from $7,414 to $25,354 per academic year. Stephanie said her year in N.Y.U. married-student housing cost $10,500. Adeyemo, a rising senior in the Tisch School of Arts, paid about $16,000 for N.Y.U. housing his first year, then switched to lower-cost housing, for which he paid about $11,000 per year. He now lives in Williamsburg. However, John Beckman, N.Y.U. vice president for public affairs, said that the school’s tuition is not one of the highest in the U.S. “What has pushed N.Y.U. higher on the list in terms of total cost of attendance is the expensiveness of New York City, and particularly housing,” he explained. “So while New York — the greatest city in the world — is one of the principal attractions for both the students and faculty we recruit, it also presents challenges. We are careful in our annual budget process to keep the impact of the cost of tuition, housing, meals and fees on families at the forefront of our thoughts.”

The expenses of living in this city can come as a shock to many students. In January, The New York Times reported that someone in Manhattan would have to make almost twice the amount of money that his or her counterpart would in any other place in the U.S. to “enjoy the same purchasing power.” Lilia doesn’t yet know how much she will pay in living expenses, but estimated she has already spent $2,000 furnishing her on-campus place with purchases like “a fridge, because a fridge isn’t provided. All that kind of little stuff adds up,” she said. Yet, Stephanie said, even without her scholarship, she still would have gone to N.Y.U.

‘What has pushed N.Y.U. higher on the list in terms of total cost of attendance is the expensiveness of New York City, and particularly housing.’ John Beckman

“For the most part, students who graduate from the law school tend to get very good jobs,” she said. “And I graduated employed, so for me, it was worth it.” Justin Burr, 25, who is just starting his three-year graduate program in physical therapy at N.Y.U. Steinhardt, said his program’s graduates have a 100 percent placement rate, so he knows he will get a job. However, Adeyemo said, if he were in a program at N.Y.U. other than the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, he might reconsider spending so much for college. “It would be less worth it if I was in any other department where I could get the same kind of education for cheaper,” he noted. “My department is specialized, and it’s smaller.” Famed producer Clive Davis is the recorded music program’s chief adviser. “It’s one of the leading programs that are very innovative in the music industry, so it’s very worth it,” Adeyemo said. “I’ve gotten a lifetime’s worth of education and connections. N.Y.U.’s experience is fantastic — it’s just the logistics of coming here are difficult.”

August 1 -7, 2013

He’s big and strong, but Butter just keeps it smooth PET SET By Heather Dubin Butter isn’t exactly what comes to mind at first glance. But the little girl who named the English Mastiff puppy three years ago had no concept of the imposing presence Butter would have today at 145 pounds. Described as sweet by George Smol, his owner, Butter sometimes hits the Tompkins Square Park dog run in the mornings. They don’t usually go in when it’s crowded. “If he’s cornered over a ball, he’ll chase out the other dog,” said Smol, who lives in the East Village. While Butter is friendly and happy, his sheer size and power create the potential for an accident. “If one [of his breed] was to bite you, it could break your arm,” noted Smol. Butter is not neutered, which is also why Smol, a retired photographer, doesn’t take him into the dog run very much. “The most dangerous time in here is the weekend when people from out of town bring in their monster pit bulls,” he explained. “I don’t take any chances with him.” Butter’s life has recently taken a turn. His mother, a onetime show dog who was bred by Smol, died last Tuesday from bloat and gastric torsion at 7½, and Chico, Butter’s brother, passed away two months ago from an infec-

T:9.75”

A laid-back “chilled” Butter scopes the scene at Tompkins.

Photo by Claire Flack

tion around his lungs. Along with Butter and his sister Autumn, a brindle-coat Mastiff, they all lived with Smol in his apartment — which apparently is not a studio. However, he took them out for walks individually. “They are too strong to walk them together — it’d be irresponsible,” he said. Butter seems to have taken his recent family losses in stride. “He was sniffing around for them at first, but I don’t think he really minds,” Smol said. “He’s now the number one.” Smol has a country house in northeastern Pennsylvania where the dogs have more space to roam and are more active. In the city, they take it a bit more easy. If he let Butter or Autumn off-leash in Tompkins Square, “they’d find a nice spot to sleep under a tree,” he said. Despite their seemingly mellow disposition, the ancient breed’s history, which goes back 2,000 years, is as perimeter watchdogs. Butter chows down once a day, but as Smol extended his hands to illustrate, the portion is as massive as one might expect for a Mastiff. “As big as four regular bowls,” he said. Butter is a park fixture. Owing to his size, you just can’t miss him. During this interview many people in the park called out, “Hello, Butter!” and “Hi, Butter!” to the docile dog as they walked by. “I’m really proud of the dog and I never get tired of talking about him,” beamed Smol.

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August 1 -7, 2013

W.V.H. renters hope for a long-term solution to stay Continued from page 1 ing the stress of economic pressures. In 2006, the West Village Houses’ owners, as part of their plan to take the 420-unit complex out of the Mitchell Lama program, initially sought to hike rents by 300 percent, which few of the tenants could afford. The median income of the complex’s tenants then was $65,000. Instead, in a historic agreement, the owners converted the development into an affordable noneviction co-op. They allowed the existing tenants to buy their units at a discounted rate. In addition, those who chose to continue renting were allowed to do so. However, the deal for them wasn’t open-ended. The remaining renters — today comprising about 70 apartments, or one-sixth of the total units — now face a looming deadline of April 2018, by when they’ll have to start paying likely significantly higher rents or move out of the homes and neighborhood that they helped build. The 2006 agreement did commit the co-op to establishing a subsidy fund to protect low-income residents who did not buy their apartments from overwhelming rent increases. At the time, Katy Bordonaro, then W.V.H. Tenants Association president, estimated that for the next dozen years at least, rent increases would be close to the city’s annual guidelines for rent-stabilized tenants. But there were no assurances beyond 2018. Speaking last week, James Lister, a member of the West Village Houses Renters Union, said that, seven years ago, the complex’s residents were primarily focused on ensuring that it remained affordable after it was taken out of the Mitchell Lama program. As a result, when the conversion plan was presented to tenants, it was, above all, touted as a noneviction plan. Lost in the excitement was the fact that, for those who chose not to buy their units, their rent stabilization would only last 12 years. “The noneviction part was emphasized,” Lister said, “because that’s what we were all working for, that was supposed to be the point of the whole process, and decades of work so that we could all stay. ‘Noneviction’ to me means I decide when I leave, not ticktick-tick — you’ve got 12 years. There was a sort of conflict there, but then the first few years it didn’t really matter because we were just paying our rent. It was probably three years or so before we actually got on the stick about what’s happening, and then we were like, ‘Wait a minute this isn’t a noneviction, this is a delayed eviction.’ ” Most of the remaining renters at W.V.H. cannot afford to pay market rate for their apartments, said Constance Rodgers, who is one of them. She sent an open letter highlighting their plight to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and also forwarded it to The Villager. Describing the renters, she said many of them are “middle class: teachers, firefighters, nurses, police, laborers and artists,” and have lived in West Village Houses for decades.

Photo by Clarissa-Jan Lim

The simply designed, low-rise West Village Houses were built where the city had hoped to build new towers.

Quinn was instrumental in the agreement that led to the complex’s conversion into an affordable co-op. For the past four years, the Renters Union has been in consultation with her office to address the matter of their future. “The intricacies of West Village Houses is well known to [Quinn’s office],” said Jessica Tomb, who was president of the Renters Union for six years before she recently purchased her apartment. The Renters Union was established shortly before the co-op conversion in 2006, and assists the 70-odd W.V.H. renters in handling various affairs. Tomb said the issue of the 12-year expiration date is complex and ongoing, one that needs a creative solution that satisfies all parties involved — the renters, landlord and Quinn, who represents the district. “It's not a ‘one size fits all,’ ” Tomb said. “We have very elderly people in the complex, widows who’ve lost children and are basically on a limited income. How does a 12-year end point work for them, when in fact it really doesn’t?” Tomb said they have been observing how other apartment complexes have handled similar issues, so that they will be prepared and can come up with something that “addresses specific needs of our renters.” According to a survey the Renters Union conducted to give them a better understanding of the demographics of W.V.H. renters, at least 72 percent will have retired when the rent-stablization protection ends. “It could have easily been up to 80 percent or more, based upon the fact that we hadn’t collected everyone’s information,” noted Wendy DeRosa, another Renters Union member. Slightly less than half the remaining renters responded to the survey. “Currently, six renters are disabled, 10 are retired, and 13 rely on disability and /

or Social Security as their main source of income,” DeRosa said. Preserving affordable housing is an issue that affects many New Yorkers, as well as one that politicians constantly promise to prioritize. In her State of the City address earlier this year, Quinn stressed the importance of keeping the city a place where the middle class can still afford to live. The challenge facing the W.V.H. renters represents the struggle to maintain economic diversity in Manhattan. A veteran W.V.H. resident, Frania Zins said that in her 31 years living in the development, she has seen the neighborhood change drastically. Maintaining affordable housing is as important as ever, she emphasized, “because if you do away with affordable housing then the infrastructure of the city falls.” DeRosa noted that people such as Zins and Lister getting priced out of their homes is unfair, since, as she put it, “they helped tame the neighborhood.” The far West Village was once totally desolate, Rodgers recalled. “By our presence, our children, by going to the schools, frequenting the park, petitioning to get the streetlight, having police presence to clean up unwanted street life at night — I’d say we were huge,” she said proudly. If the contractual expiration does kick in and their rent stabilization ends, Zins and neighbors in her position will have no choice but to leave the city. “There are many people, myself for example, that can’t afford to buy an apartment,” Zins said. “I think this is true for most renters. What happens to us?” Lister, who has AIDS and is on disability, is looking for other housing options, since, he said, he knows he might not be able to stay in

his current home for more than five years. “There is no option for me in the city,” he said. “None. Zero. I leave. And when this happens, I will have been here for 38 years. I’ll be 64 years old.” Although it seems the renters are on course for tough times ahead, Tomb said the Renters Union has been proactively working hard to come up with a viable alternative. “We do take seriously the notion that most of our elected officials want to maintain affordable housing in all boroughs, and that they want to maintain diverse neighborhoods, and that includes economically diverse neighborhoods,” she said. “As a renters union we have not been sleepwalking in terms of hearing what the possibilities could be, seeing what could fit us, and talking to different kinds of experts and elected officials.” Tomb also said that they have received a lot of cooperation from Quinn’s office. “I think we’re making progress,” she said, “and I think that we have been given serious audience by our elected officials.” However, the Renters Union acknowledged the complexity of the situation both for the renters and the landlord. In 2006, a new owner, BRG Realty, acquired the rental units with the understanding that the contractual rent stabilization would expire in 2018. “This is a market economy and this is what he signed up for, so we can’t just say, ‘Ah, this is wrong and you’re going to throw these people out,’” Zins acknowledged. “We have to find a way to satisfy him as well. There are also different contractual obligations that can’t just be changed... . The idea that we’re working on is trying to get something for everybody, that everybody can be happy with it.” Quinn’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

August 1 -7, 2013

Eric Adorno, 50, water meter worker and much-loved fix-it man of E. 13th obitUARy By lael hineS On Sun., July 21, a funeral service was held for Eric Adorno at the Ortiz Funeral Home, at 22 First Ave. Adorno, of Puerto Rican descent, passed away at age 50 on July 12 due to lung cancer. He was a general worker for the City Water Meter Repair Company, at 526 E. 13th St. He fixed meters and also generally worked as a repairman around the area of E. 13th St. Those who knew him said he played a crucial role in the community. Constantly eager to help, he frequently repaired tires or fixed air conditioners. Marilyn Hernandez, the water meter company’s vice president, said, “He was a worker here for 15 years. He was not only a worker, but a friend, a very close family friend.” Adorno’s role in the neighborhood was greatly appreciated, and he will be sorely missed. His funeral drew a large crowd, including Hollywood actress Rosario Dawson, who was raised on the block, between Avenues A and B, and knew Adorno well.

Photo by Lincoln Anderson

A photo of Eric Adorno posted outside City Water Meter on E. 13th St. after his death.

After his death, City Water Meter put up a sign in honor of Adorno on the outside of the company’s building, stating, “He was loved by so many and he will be truly missed. We love you brother.”

A riot of documentaries, more at 1st Annual MoRUS Film Fest By linCOln anderSOn The MoRUS Film Fest will kick off with a bang this weekend with the 25th Anniversary Tompkins Riot Reunion Films. The festival will also include a variety of documentary and fictional works about the changing neighborhood. The first annual film event by the new Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space will feature more than a dozen rare titles, and will screen at various sites representative of the museum’s theme of “reclaimed space.” All-access tickets ($20) for the eight-day celluloid celebration are available at morusfilmfest.eventbrite.com and at MoRUS, 155 Avenue C between Ninth and 10th Sts. Museum hours are Tuesday and Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets are also available at the door for a suggested donation of $5 per film. For all screenings, doors (or garden gates) will open at 7:30 p.m. and films will begin at dusk. There will be limited seating available at community garden screenings, and people are welcome to bring their own blankets and folding chairs. MoRUS organizers advise, “Mosquitoes appreciate the community gardens as much as we do, so come prepared!” In case of rain, outdoor films will relocate to MoRUS. Selected screenings will feature discussions and Q&A’s with filmmakers and other speakers. Refreshments, including wine and beer, and popcorn will also be available. On Sat., Aug. 3, sponsored by The Shadow newspaper — producers of the 25th Annual Tompkins Square Riot Reunion Show — and screening at MoRUS will be “Your House Is Mine” (filmmaker Carolyn McCaughey will be in attendance) and “Squat or Rot,” plus a Paper Tiger Television special on the demolition of the Fifth St. Squat, featuring interviews with the late activist and Indymedia journalist Brad Will, Frank Morales, Corinne Bordeaux, Steve Englander and others. On Sun., Aug. 4, also part of the riot reunion films series, radical cartoonist Seth Tobocman will present a special historical slideshow and there will be a screening of Paper Tiger Television’s “Tompkins Square Park: Operation Class War on the Lower East Side.” Mon., Aug. 5, the first night of the festival’s “Home in Loisaida Films” series, screening at La Plaza Cultural garden, at Avenue C and Ninth St., will include “LES,” directed by Coleen Fitzgibbon; “Heart of Loisaida,” directed by Marci Reaven and Beni Matias; and the 1978 documentary “Viva Loisaida,” featuring Bimbo Rivas and a young Chino Garcia of CHARAS, directed by Marlis Momber and Susan Yung. Filmmakers Reaven and Momber will be in attendance. On Tues., Aug. 6, “Home in Loisaida Films” continues in La Plaza Cultural with “B/Side,” a Reaganomics-era, East Village documentary / fictional mash-up, directed by Abigail Child; and “Not For Sale,” about the razing of Esperanza Garden for new luxury condos on E. Seventh St., directed by Yael

David Brisbin stars in “No Picnic,” written and directed by Phil Hartman.

Bitton. On Wed., Aug. 7, “Community Garden Films,” showing in 6B Garden (Avenue B and Sixth St.), will feature “More Than Flowers,” directed by Laura Beer; “Loisaida, Avenue C,” directed by Maeva Aubert; and a Paper Tiger TV special on the demolition of Esperanza Garden. On Thurs., Aug. 8, “7th Street,” a documentary shot by actor Josh Pais between 1992 and 2002 on the block he grew up on, Seventh St. between Avenues C and D, will screen in the 6B Garden. Pais will be in attendance. On Fri., Aug. 9, at Orchard Alley garden, on Fourth St. between Avenues C and D, “Landlord Blues,” a 1988 experimental crime thriller set on the L.E.S. by Jacob Burckhardt — who will be in attendance — will be screened in 16 millimeter. On Sat., Aug. 10, also at Orchard Alley, Phil Hartman’s 1990 “No Picnic” will show, also in 16 millimeter. The star-studded cast includes Steve Buscemi as “The Dead Pimp” and Richard Hell as “Irate Tenant,” plus Luis Guzman and Judith Malina. The director will be in attendance. For trailers and more information, visit www.morusnyc.org, and click on the “Morus Film Fest” button.

ToMPKINS RIoT VIDEo — UNCUT In addition, separate from the MoRUS Film Fest, L.E.S. documentarian Clayton Patterson, for the 25th anniversary of the Tompkins Square Riot, will be screening his entire videotape recording (three hours and 33 minutes) of the epic East Village clash, at Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Ave. at Second St., on Tues., Aug. 6, at 7 p.m. The tape was the only full record of the battle between police and squatters and activists and was important evidence in the subsequent legal proceedings that saw several officers disciplined or criminally indicted. Tickets, $10. Also, on Thurs., Aug. 8, “Clayton Patterson: From the Underground and Below,” short documentary films by Patterson about the Lower East Side, will be screened at the New Museum, 235 Bowery, at 7 p.m. Tickets for nonmembers, $8.

August 1 -7, 2013

villager arts & entertainment They came from the academic milieu

For some, FringeNYC is an off-campus lab experiment THEATER FringeNYC: THE NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL FRINGE FESTIVAL

August 9-25 185 shows, at 20 Downtown venues Fringe Central: 27 Second Ave. (btw. 1st & 2nd Sts.), open 12-8pm daily Tickets: $15 in advance, $18 at the door Call 866-468-7619 Visit fringenyc.org

Photo by Dixie Sheridan

BY MARTIN DENTON (of nytheatre.com)

Walt Whitman guides a repressed young man, in Evergreen Valley College teacher Kristian O’Hare’s “Like Poetry.”

At the 2001 New York International Fringe Festival, you could have seen the original production of the cult camp musical “Debbie Does Dallas,” one of Clay McLeod Chapman’s early versions of “The Pumpkin Pie Show” or Mike Daisey in his first NYC solo show, “21 Dog Years.” But I think my most vivid memory of that fifth FringeNYC was a piece called “Awaiting Repair in the Eternal Hootenanny,” which was performed by a remarkable and intrepid cast of eight in Henry Street Settlement’s Experimental Theater Space. “Hootenanny” was not a show in any conventional sense. It was, resolutely, thrillingly, an experiment: the product of several months of workshops led by director Julia Lee Barclay, whose objective was to “teach and discover new tools for the creation of a theatrical language based on ever-shifting reality fields, rather than a static interpretation of a given set of circumstances.” From my seat in the audience, it was (I wrote) an exciting adventure into theatrical creativity; a rare and thrilling glimpse of a process-in-process. Very much what a fringe festival is supposed to be about. “Hootenanny” taught me many things, but none so important as the fact that the New York International Fringe Festival is not simply a playground for new and emerging indie

theater artists (though of course it is that). FringeNYC is also a laboratory for serious theater creators from the world of academia — an off-campus place where they can put work on its feet and then share their ideas and discoveries with a likeminded group of artists. Barclay has since gone on to earn her Ph.D., doing work that was rooted in the experiments of that FringeNYC show a dozen years ago. She’s just one of hundreds of FringeNYC artists whose careers are based in colleges and universities. As we head into the 17th annual edition of FringeNYC, I thought it might be fun to explore the festival from this angle, previewing some of the shows in this year’s festival that come from the academic milieu. A FUTURE IMPERFECT, by William S.E. Coleman, imagines an oppressive government that regulates human contact. Coleman was a professor at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. The play is actually directed by a former student of his, Allison Moody. Coleman recently told Chelsea Now’s content partner, nytheatre.com, “Contemporary theatre veers between the Brecht-Artaud polarities; but some theatre artists are able to combine them into one coherent event. “A Future Imperfect”

was designed to realize this aesthetic fusion by moving and entertaining audiences, stimulating thought and discussion about our world and the direction it’s heading.”

Sutherland invokes Stein in her enthusiastic description of this work: “You look ridiculous if you dance. You look ridiculous if you don't dance. So you might as well dance.”

EX MACHINA comes to FringeNYC from the University of California at San Diego’s Wagner New Play Festival; both playwright David Jacobi and director Sarah Wansley are students in the MFA theater program there. Here’s the official blurb: “Two smartphone factory drones must learn to coexist while under threat from fascist anti-union politics, drunk guards and a sexy anarchist unfettered by the laws of physics.” Wansley talked to us a bit about the play’s themes: “The problem in this world isn't the machine, it's the people behind the machine. What happens when humans have started acting like machines?”

INEXCUSABLE FANTASIES is, according to the FringeNYC program guide, about “Martha Stewart’s marzipan, motorcycles and Panasonic personal massagers…lesbian (in)visibility and the unmistakably erotic powers of Grandma's Oil of Olay,” Intriguing, yes? It’s the brainchild of actor/playwright Susan McCully and director Eve Muson — both of whom teach at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Previously seen in Baltimore and at the Prague Fringe Festival, “Inexcusable Fantasies” is the only show at FringeNYC, Muson promises, that features a bronzed Panabrator II Personal Massage Wand. (“The play isn't especially vulgar but it’s thick with sexual innuendo.”)

GERTRUDE STEIN SAINTS was developed at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama — where 23 collaborators led by director Michelle Sutherland worked to adapt Gertrude Stein’s avant-garde jazz opera “Four Saints in Three Acts” for the 21st century. The music is drawn from exclusively American music genres such as rap, bluegrass, New Orleans jazz, soul, Motown, folk and gospel.

LANDSCAPE WITH MISSING PERSON: A COMEDY ABOUT FINDING WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE LOOKING FOR is the hands-down winner of the Longest Title Award at this year’s FringeNYC. It’s by John Crutchfield, who has

Continued on page 23

August 1 -7, 2013

‘Canyons’ saves Bret Easton Ellis from Hollywood

Screenwriter’s story of cinema’s death offers him new artistic hope FILM THE CANYONS

Directed by Paul Schrader Opens Aug. 2 At the IFC Center 323 Sixth Ave. (at W. Third St.) Visit ifccenter.com

BY GARY M. KRAMER Bret Easton Ellis, famous for creating wealthy, louche, and amoral characters, has created some fabulously reckless film industry folks in his smart screenplay for “The Canyons.” The writer described the film — which is both seductive and sinister — as a “neo-noir,” perhaps because it is a sordid tale of sex, betrayal, and violence set in Los Angeles, 2012. Christian (adult film star James Deen), is a film producer romantically involved with Tara (Lindsay Lohan). This fun-loving couple frequently invites guys over for sexual activities that range from voyeuristic masturbation sessions to a fourgy. Despite this freewheeling arrangement, when Christian suspects Tara of cheating on him with Ryan (Nolan Funk) — an actor in his new movie whose girlfriend, Gina (Amanda Brooks), is Christian’s assistant — he becomes hellbent on revenge. It’s possible to look at “The Canyons” not as a noir per se, but as a dark comedy of manners — one where anything is cool except for lying and betrayal. “I was thinking about this notion of transparency,” Ellis said when asked about this interpretation. “There is this struggle between this old guard that thinks it’s dangerous and this new guard that thinks transparency is a good thing. You can’t get away with things you once got away with because of technology. And in Hollywood, with its anonymous sources and stars keeping their lives private and this dying of cinema… there’s no going back. There’s too much information out there, too many people wanting transparency.” Tara and Ryan are strivers who have romantic feelings for each other and lie to

Photo courtesy of IFC Films

James Deen and Lindsay Lohan in “The Canyons,” directed by Paul Schrader.

their lovers, whom they use to better their lives. Christian, intriguing and flawed, may do unsavory things, but he is always honest. And he is never apologetic or ashamed. Asked about the way he created the character of Christian, Ellis exclaimed, “That’s who James [Deen] is! That’s how I am. Why do I write these characters? I don’t know. They just resonate with me. I think for every script to work there has to be something personal in it, something you identify with. People talk about the surface amorality of my characters, but I do not approach them that way.” Christian is not the audience pleaser, Ellis explained. “I don’t think he has to be likable,” he said. “Christian does care about Tara. It is an important relationship, and I think he loves her.” The couple’s escapades allow him to “do whatever he wants,” Ellis said, but when Tara steps out on him, “he feels deeply wounded and betrayed.” Viewers, he continued, will identify with Ryan, “because he’s so trod upon. He has the least power in the film. I thought of actors I know and they do hit a level of desperation and get fucked over. A lot. And that’s based on someone I know well.” Christian, already suspicious and untrusting, reaches his breaking point, Ellis explained, “after Tara has him make out with

another dude.” The moment’s startling quality is true to the story, the screenwriter insisted. “I don’t believe you can force shock,” he said. “You have to be drawn to this material. I wasn’t thinking about being shocking — it was, this is what is going to happen. I don’t think you can effectively get to someone if you are faking it.” Ellis elaborated on the film’s portrayal of bisexual behavior. “That’s how I am and how I’ve always been,” he said. “I relate to that and I like it and I want to see it. It comes from an emotional place. You write the book you want to read. You write the movie you want to see. I’m not trying to make a statement about sexual fluidity.” Explaining he likes to include queer sex in his work, he added, “I think it also brings a tension to things and complicates things. And I like to see if the actors go for it.” Go for it they do, and audiences will be titillated by the result. Dean, Ellis said, was ideally suited for the role of Christian. “I was thinking about Deen when I was writing this,” he explained. “I thought of this nice-looking guy being dark. I see that in his porn — a goofy guy next door in one film who shows a vastly different side in another.” Dean delivers an incredibly magnetic performance that includes a full frontal scene that should remind viewers why he is successful in porn. Though the character of Tara was not written for Lohan, Ellis said he did not specifically have another actress in mind. “Lindsay came in and changed the character,” he said. “The girl in the script was more vulnerable. I imagined Tara softer, not aggressive and challenging Christian. Lindsay gave it a spin and it worked.” Countering press reports of Lohan being

difficult during filming, Ellis praised her professionalism. It may be that rumors about the film’s problems are just one of the industry’s ways of cutting this micro-budget film down to size. The screenwriter, in turn, views the movie business with a critical eye. The screenplay, he said, is “a summation of everything I’ve been through [in Hollywood]. Working on indie films — and they’ve more often than not gone off the rails — it’s been frustrating and exhilarating. ‘The Canyons’ became the expression of that.” Ellis talked about a “moribund film industry,” and the brilliant opening and end credit sequences of “The Canyons” feature closed movie theaters in various stages of disrepair. “The Canyons” is as much a film about the decline of cinema as it is about the loss of love and trust. “When is the last time you went to the movies and it mattered?,” Tara asks Gina, a question serious moviegoers will likely understand. For all his criticism of the industry, however, Ellis is satisfied with what he was able to do on “The Canyons.” “The studio system is dead, so now we have to move to this new way of — I can’t call it filmmaking — but content creation,” Ellis said. “It’s devised to be watched on your laptop. We’re selling the film by tweeting about it. In the end, it was a great experience. And it does reflect everything I felt about Hollywood — my switch from entering into the high-end indie world, which is dying, to this new world of do-it-yourself. It’s been the best experience that I’ve had after projects not happening or happening and going badly. I never wrote a script so fast — and writing it knowing it won’t change gave me freedom. I realize I can never do this any other way.”

August 1 -7, 2013

Academic Achievements, at FringeNYC Continued from page 21 had a long career in academia and currently teaches writing at the Master’s program at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina. In this new drama, a teenage railroad punk helps a strange middle-aged man search for his mysteriously vanished wife. Crutchfield will perform in this play, as he did in his 2009 FringeNYC solo play, “The Songs of Robert.” True story: when I asked Crutchfield if he would like to publish “The Songs of Robert” in my anthology “Plays and Playwrights 2010,” he told me that he had used my first anthology “Plays and Playwrights for the New Millennium” as a required text for a course he taught at Appalachia College years before. That book included three scripts from the earliest FringeNYC festivals — proof that the link between academia and the world of FringeNYC is palpable and enduring! LIKE POETRY is by Kristian O’Hare, who teaches at Menlo College and Evergreen Valley College in Northern California. O’Hare cites as influences on his writing “Tennessee Williams, the makers of '50s educational films about hygiene and teen sexuality, Joe Orton, Arthur Russell, Suzan-Lori Parks, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, PJ Harvey, Larry Kramer, Nan Goldin and, obviously, Walt Whitman, who literally creeps into my play to offer guidance to a repressed young man.” OCCUPY OLYMPUS: BASED ON ‘PLUTUS, GOD OF WEALTH’ is directed by George Drance, a theater professor at Fordham University, and features an original score by Elizabeth Swados. As the title suggests, the show puts a very contemporary spin on a 2,500-year-old comedy by Aristophanes. Drance is a longtime veteran of the indie/experimental theater scene in NYC, where he’s worked with collaborators as diverse as Ellen Stewart, Ping Chong and Dario D’Ambrosi — and has created many inventive works of physical theater with his company, Magis Theatre.

Photo by Jordan Harrison

A collaborative effect, at Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama: Michelle Sutherland led 23 others, to create “Gertrude Stein Saints.”

STRANGE RAIN is described as “a noir journey of conspiracy about a relentless rain and its link to the 1950s and a scientist building weather-control machines.” Its author is Lynda Crawford, who teaches theater at SUNY Empire State College in Greenwich Village (her show is running at the newly christened Lynn Redgrave Theater, just a mile or two to the east). Crawford told me recently that this play began as a dream. “The dream stayed with me,” she says, “and so I had to write it.” Other shows in this year’s festival with academic credentials include “Down the Mountain and Across the Stream” by Wagner College teacher Jake Shore, “The Unfortunates” (whose author Aoise Stratford works at Cornell University) and “Very Bad Words” — written by Jacob Presson, a rising junior at Marymount Manhattan College (Jake’s older brother James won a 2010 FringeNYC award for directing a punk rock adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Richard III”). I am sure I will discover more connections between FringeNYC and the academic world as the festival progresses, especially at the FringeU special event that my company, Indie Theater Now, is co-hosting (on Tuesday, August 13 at 6:30pm), featuring past FringeNYC participants and other academic voices advocating the use of contemporary dramatic literature in the classroom. The panel will include FringeNYC Producing Artistic Director Elena K. Holy, FringeNYC alumni/professors Omar Sangare, Edward Elefterion, David Dannenfelser, Joe Salvatore and yours truly. It’s moderated by Cate Cammarata of SUNY Stony Brook. Coverage of FringeNYC is already underway at nytheatre.com (which I edit). Interviews with hundreds of artists participating in the festival are online now, and reviews of all 183 shows in FringeNYC will be published daily starting on August 9.

Photo by Jim Carmody

Factory drones, drunk guards and sexy anarchists collide, in UCSD student David Jacobi’s “Ex Machina.”

August 1 -7, 2013

Turn up, tune in, drop beats

Death Grips & Grum: Beauty and the Beast of electronic music

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

Although Death Grips frontman MC Ride may shout and yell during live shows, he is notoriously introverted offstage.

BY VONYX (soundcloud.com/mikawvawn) Stages aren’t always safe from unkempt crackhead misfits. DJ booths aren’t always reserved for bronzed warriors. There are, thankfully, certain musicians that stand out amongst a crowd of cookie cutter DJs. Next week, some mavericks of electronic music are going to be taking the stage

here in New York. From the edgy and relentless Death Grips to the unique dance flavors of Amtrac and Grum, Manhattan will be a showcase for original thinkers in the synthesized music game.

DEATH GRIPS & PICTUREPLANE

Pictureplane’s music video for “Negative Slave” looks like a guy tripping

Photo courtesy of the artist

Grum released his first single, “Heartbeats,” only one year after he started producing.

on Salvia in Mexico with a $15 dollar camera focused on himself. Denver folklore says he was raised in an abandoned warehouse by synthesizers. To say that his music is rough around the edges is an understatement. It’s toothless on a street corner — yet it pulls you in! Residing not far from Pictureplane’s catchy crack den rhythms, Death Grips are unapologetically unrefined. At one point they were the most legally downloaded band on BitTorrent, with 34 million downloads of their free album, “No Love Deep Web.” But don’t be fooled. Their music is not even remotely altruistic. It’s angry rappunk pulsating with bursts of synthesized noise. Death Grips slaps you in the face while yelling an incoherent poem. Wed., Aug. 7, at Webster Hall (125 E. 11th St., btw. Third & Fourth Aves.) Doors at 8pm, show at 9. Ages 16 and over. For tickets ($20), 212-353-1600 or bowerypresents.com.

GRUM, AMTRAC & LANE 8

Grum is a producer/DJ from Glasgow who has earned much respect in the dance scene. With tracks that are firmly rooted

in garage, yet test the waters of juke and breaks, Grum combines many flavors into one original package. Fresh out of album production hibernation, he’s finally ready to unpack the CDJs and blast tunes for NYC crowds once again. Amtrac is from Louisville Kentucky, where dance music doesn’t exist. Yet somehow, using the umbilical cord of the Internet, he was able to mix up grooves that sound nothing like rolling hill bluegrass. They’re funky, bassey and big. Having remixed everyone from Toro y Moi to Kaskade, his style is hard to pin down. As a musician, his talents range from firmly pistol whipping turntables to effortlessly crooning over his own productions. As an artist, Amtrac is truly unique. Lane 8 is an up-and-coming New York DJ and producer with a knack for tight, retro-influenced beats. With his shining production skills, Lane 8 shouldn’t be at the bottom of bills for much longer. Sat., Aug. 10, at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker St., btw. Thompson & Sullivan Sts.) Ages 21+. Doors at 11pm. For tickets ($20), lepoissonrouge.com or purchase at the door.

August 1 -7, 2013

Overcoming bullies and becoming heroes, at FringeNYC JR & HIGH shows tackle tall tales and tough topics

Photo by Sarah Perlin

A shy girl’s imagination helps her overcome bullies, in “Sarazad and the Monster-King.”

Reckoning…and reconciliation? Lee J. Kaplan’s “Bully” calls his tormenters into the ring.

BY SCOTT STIFFLER Kids, tweens and teens have no excuse to stay glued to the TV during the final days of summer vacation. Why watch repeats, when North America’s largest multi-arts festival is about to bring some new tricks to the dog days of August? Two special FringeNYC programs — FringeJR and FringHIGH — will provide plenty of live theater, post-show Talk-Backs and exclusive meet-the-cast opportunities. For the first time in the sprawling festival’s 17-year history, The Theater at the 14th Street Y (344 E. 14th St., btw. First & Second Aves.) will serve as the exclusive home to these three short FringeJR plays, designed for children ages 5-12: Peter Pan and Stardust Dances: Enter a world of twilight magic, in which J.M. Barrie’s timeless characters (including Peter Pan and Tinkerbelle) meet free-spirited gypsies and floating dancers on circus globes. Sun., Aug. 11 at noon, Mon., Aug. 12 & Sat., Aug. 17 at 4:30pm, Wed., Aug. 14 at 5:45pm and Wed., Aug. 21 at 4pm. Sarazad and the Monster-King: Pirates, robots and a cranky Monster-King are no match for Sarazad — as the shy nine-year-old girl uses her

imagination to confront her fears (and the kids at school who bully her for being different). Fri., Aug. 9 at 5pm, Sat. Aug. 10 at 2:30pm, Wed., Aug. 14 at 4pm and Thurs., Aug. 22 at 5:45pm. The Young Olympians and the Most Amazingly Awesome Adventure Ever: Mix the noble quest of “The Goonies” with the wacky hijinks of “Scooby-Doo” — and added lots of audience sing-along opportunities — and you’ve got this all-ages origin story from The Maryland Ensemble Theater. When the gods of Mt. Olympus suddenly develop amnesia, young Hercules, Perseus, Jason and Andromeda go on an epic adventure to find a cure. Along the way, they learn what it really means to be a hero. Mon., Aug. 19 & Wed., Aug. 21 at 5:30pm, Fri., Aug. 23 at 2pm, Sat., Aug. 24 at 3pm and Sun., Aug. 25 at noon. Special $10 FringeJR tickets are available for purchase at the box office (15 minutes prior to curtain) or 24 in advance, at FringeCENTRAL (27 Second Ave., btw. First & Second Sts.). For more info, visit fringenyc.org. Meet the cast of all three shows, at Fort FringeJR (located at FringeCENTRAL). For Olympians: Sun., Aug. 8, at noon. For Sarazad: Fri., Aug. 9, at 4pm. For Peter Pan: Sun., Aug. 11, at 2:30pm.

FringeHIGH is a collection of boundarystretching plays (drawn from the general roster of FringeNYC shows) that will resonate with young adults. Topics include confronting school violence, claiming your own identity, challenging sexual labels and stereotypes and negotiating the twists and turns of love. Tickets ($15 in advance, $18 at the door) can be purchased online (fringenyc. com), by phone (866-468-7619) or in person at FringeCENTRAL. One performance of each FringeHIGH show will have a postperformance Talk-Back — your chance to discuss the show with members of the cast or creative team. Check out fringenyc.org for each show’s scheduled Talk-Back date. Bully: Fresh from its run at the Capital Fringe Festival in DC, Lee J. Kaplan’s multicharacter solo show takes its inspiration from his sixth-grade journal entries — and takes the notion of confronting your tormenters to a highly theatrical, appropriately metaphorical, extreme. In an effort to rise above the damage inflicted by those who subjected him to unrelenting attacks, Kaplan calls his past and present-day bullies into the boxing ring. Less

a revenge fantasy than a journey to peace of mind and empowerment, “Bully” revisits the pivotal moments, and people, in Kaplan’s life — allowing him to find out what it takes to grow up and deal with the demons of the past. Sat., Aug. 10 at 7:30pm, Sun., Aug. 11 at 6pm, Wed., Aug. 14 at 6pm (followed by a Talk-Back), Fri., Aug. 16 at 2:30pm, Sun., Aug. 18 at 1:45pm. At The Steve & Marie Sgouros Theatre (115 MacDougal St., btw. W. Third & Bleecker Sts.). Two Gentlemen of Verona: A Swashbuckling Comedy: Queens-based director and choreographer Michael Hagins took the text from one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays, filled in some missing plot holes and then added swordfights, crazy chase scenes and random violence — while, he says, managing to keep the integrity of the language and the theme of love having the power to conquer all. Sun., Aug. 11 at 5:30pm, Mon., Aug. 12 at 2pm, Thurs., Aug. 22 at 7pm and Sat., Aug. 24 at 2:15pm (that’s the Talk-Back performance). At CSV Flamboyan (107 Suffolk St., btw. Rivington & Delancey Sts.).

Theater for the New City • 155 1st Avenue at E. 10th St. Reservations & Info (212) 254-1109 For more info, please visit www.theaterforthenewcity.net

TNC’S AWARD-WINNING STREET THEATER COMPANY in

SANITATION or OFF THE GRID

Written, Directed and Lyrics by CRYSTAL FIELD Music Composed & Arranged by JOSEPH VERNON BANKS

FREE!!!

The First Four Shows are: Sat, August 3rd - 2pm - TNC, East 10th Street at 1st Avenue, Manhattan Sun, August 4th - 2pm - St. Mary’s Park, 147th St & St. Ann’s Avenue, The Bronx Sat, August 10th - 2pm - Jackie Robinson Park, West 147th St & Bradhurst Ave, Manhattan Sun, August 11th - 2pm - Bed-Stuy, Herbert von King Park at Lafayette & Tompkins, Brooklyn TNC’s Programs are funded in part by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts

August 1 -7, 2013

Notice is hereby given that a license, #TBD has been applied for by the undersigned to sell and wine at retail in A theater under the Alcohol Beverage Control Law at 85 E 4th St. for on-premises consumption. Horse Trade Management Group. We Look forward to improving our service to our audiences. Vil: 08/01 - 08/08/2013

Notice is hereby given a license, number 1272342 for on-premises Liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell liquor at retail in a Restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 21 South End Avenue, New York, NY 10280 for on premises consumption. SAWA RESTAURANT CORP. D/B/A MIRAMAR, NYC Vil: 08/01 - 08/08/2013

Notice is hereby given that an on-premises license, #TBA has been applied for by JBDP Stanton Corporation to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 17 Stanton Street New York NY 10002. Vil: 08/01 - 08/08/2013

Notice of Formation of ZD Productions, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/17/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 601 West 26th St., Ste. 1762, NY, NY 10001. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 08/01 - 09/05/2013

Notice is hereby given that an on-premises license, #TBA has been applied for by Zagara Restaurants LLC d/b/a Zagara Wine Bar to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 216 7th Avenue New York NY 10011. Vil: 08/01 - 08/08/2013 Notice is hereby given that an on-premises license, #TBA has been applied for by Normans Cay Group LLC d/b/a Norman’s Cay to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 74 Orchards Street New York NY 10002. Vil: 08/01 - 08/08/2013 Notice is hereby given that an on-premises license, #TBA has been applied for by Tarentum Ltd. 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 4 West 28th Street New York NY 10011. Vil: 08/01 - 08/08/2013

Notice of Formation of WLP 2021 86TH STREET, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/06/13. 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 Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 08/01 - 09/05/2013 Notice of Qualification of LASCAUX RESOURCE CAPITAL PARTNERS LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/22/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/06/12. 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 DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 08/01 - 09/05/2013

23 Koral Drive LLC, a domestic LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 6/6/13. 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, 1165 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10029. General Purposes. Vil: 08/01 - 09/05/2013 Notice of Formation of Sherwin LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/7/13. 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 Fensterstock Law PLLC, 521 Fifth Ave., Ste. 1700, NY, NY 10175. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 08/01 - 09/05/2013 Notice of Formation of BOTKIER NY, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/19/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Kane Kessler, P.C., 1350 Ave. of the Americas, 26th Fl., NY, NY 10019, Attn: Darren S. Berger, Esq. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 08/01 - 09/05/2013 Notice of Formation of 40 RSD LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 5/31/13. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Ellyn Roth Mittman, Esq., 110 E. 59th St., 23rd Fl., NY, NY 10022. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 08/01 - 09/05/2013 Notice of Formation of Vocon NYC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 7/3/13. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: ACFB Incorporated, 200 Public Square, Ste. 2300, Cleveland, OH 44114. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 08/01 - 09/05/2013

Notice is hereby given that a license number 1272135 for an on-premise liquor license has been applied for B5 LLC. D/B/A Bareburger to sell liquor at retail in the restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 2301 31st Street, Astoria, NY 11105 for on premise-consumption. Vil: 08/01 - 08/08/2013

Notice of Formation of 228E58STR LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/18/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 115 W. 29th St., Ste. 801, NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 08/01 - 09/05/2013

Notice of Qualification of NYCTL Brownfield LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 6/11/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 5/9/13. NY 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. 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, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 08/01 - 09/05/2013

Notice is hereby given a license, number 1272412 for on-premises Liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell liquor at retail in a Club under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 139 Ludlow Street, New York, NY 10002 for on premises consumption. Soho-Ludlow, Inc. D/B/A Ludlow House Vil: 08/01 - 08/08/2013

CREATIVE DESSERTS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/21/2013. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Zheng Wang, 61-19 230th Street , Oakland Gardens, NY 11364. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose. Vil: 08/01 - 09/05/2013

Notice is hereby given that FAVORITE FOOD DELI GROCERY CORP DBA LA CANTINA EXCUA-MEX BAR & BILLIARD located at 3454 BROADWAY NEW YORK NY 10031 a license number 1271257 has been applied for by the undersigned to sell Wine / Beer at retail in at restaurant establishment under the alcoholic beverage control law at for on premises consumption Vil: 07/25 - 08/01/2013

Notice of Formation of YMBJ LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/19/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 111 Wooster St., Apt. 4D, NY, NY 10012. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 07/25 - 08/29/2013 Notice of Qualification of 208 CANAL STREET LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/16/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/15/13. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207. DE addr. of LLC: 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 07/25 - 08/29/2013 Notice of Qualification of Hudson Bay Credit Management LLC App. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/11/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 6/12/13. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 777 Third Ave., 30th Fl., NY, NY 10017. DE address of LLC: 615 S. DuPont Hwy., Dover, DE 19901. Arts. of Org. filed with DE Secy. of State, P.O. Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 07/25 - 08/29/2013 Notice of Formation of 200 Merry LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/5/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 307 Seventh Avenue, Ste. 407, NY, NY 10001, Attn: Lance Howard. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 07/25 - 08/29/2013 Notice of Formation of B&T Global LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 4/11/13. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 116 E. 61st St., NY, NY 10065, principal business address. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 07/25 - 08/29/2013

Notice of Qualification of Vivint Solar Mia Manager, LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 7/8/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 4931 N. 300 W., Provo, UT 84604. 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 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, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 07/25 - 08/29/2013 CAPTAN CONTENT AND TAXONOMY LLC a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 6/5/13. 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, 457 FDR Dr., #A801, NY, NY 10002. General Purposes. Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 163 EAST 63RD STREET, LLC a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 4/29/13. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: A. Charles Baillie, 163 E. 63rd St., NY, NY 10021. General Purposes. Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 75 EAST LLC, a domestic LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 6/26/13. Office location: NewYork County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Brady Klein & Weissman, 501 5th Ave., 19th Fl., NY, NY 100176185. General Purposes. Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013

LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY Notice of Formation of Limited Liability Company (LLC) Name: FLOWER DISTRICT LLC. Articles of Organization filed by the Department of State of New York on: 03/19/2013 Office location: County of New York. Purpose: any and all lawful activities. Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: 845 Third Avenue, Suite 1400 New York, NY 10022 Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 REAL MIND OPENERS, LLC a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 5/30/13. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Teresa Gallo, 711 West End Ave., #5-DN, NY, NY 10025. General Purposes. Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 Notice of Formation of The New Development Project 2 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/26/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Jason E. Burritt, Esq., Seyfarth Shaw LLP, 620 Eighth Ave., 33rd Fl. NY, NY 10018. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION of SoHo Start LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 02/25/13. 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: SoHo Start LLC, 15 W. 139th Street, New York, NY 10037. Purpose:To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 Notice of Formation of 50 WEST EQUITIES INVESTOR LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/05/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 55 Fifth Ave., 15th Fl., NY, NY 10003-4398. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Robert Kantor at the princ. office of the LLC, regd. agent upon whom and at which process may be served. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013

Notice of Qualification of RGN-NEW YORK XLVIII, LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/28/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/07/13. Princ. office of LLC: 15305 Dallas Pkwy., Ste. 400, Addison, TX 75001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of DE, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 Notice of Qualification of Permanens Non-Agency RMBS Allocation Fund LP App. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/27/13. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 6/26/13. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 315 Park Ave. South, 18th Fl., NY, NY 10010. The registered agent upon whom process may be served is: John J. Regan, c/o Permanens Capital Advisors LLC, 315 Park Ave. South, 18th Fl., NY, NY 10010. DE address of LP: 615 S. DuPont Hwy., Dover, DE 19901. Name/address of each genl. ptr. available from SSNY. Cert. of LP filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 Notice of Formation of Mo’ Motion Ventures, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/4/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Maureen Holohan, 203 W. 109th, 2W, NY, NY 10025. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 Notice of Formation of 230 Central Park South Treetops LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 6/27/13. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 230 Central Park South, NY, NY 10019, principal business address. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 Name of LLC: Soho Capital Management, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State: 6/25/13. Office loc.: NY Co. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Charles Petersen, 132 Greene St., Apt. 3F, NY, NY 10012, regd. agt. upon whom process may be served. Purpose: any lawful act. Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013

NOTICE OF FORMATION of VOOT LLC Arts of Org filed w. Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/16/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to business address:The LLC, 124 W 30 St, Rm 303, NY NY 10001. Purpose: any lawful act. Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 Notice of Formation of DURST VERNON LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/01/13. 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 Rosenberg & Estis, P.C., Attn: Gary M. Rosenberg, Esq., 733 Third Ave., NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 Notice of Formation of GREENE LIVING LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/02/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 254 Greene St., Ground Fl., NY, NY 10003. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 Notice of Formation of M&A BEDFORD PROPERTIES, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/12/13. 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, 1344 Lexington Ave., NY, NY 10128. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 Notice of Formation of STONYBROOK CAPITAL ONE, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/17/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Deutsch, Metz & Deutsch, LLP, Attn: Jeremy E. Deutsch, 18 E. 41st St., 6th Fl., NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 Notice of Formation of Rudrabhishek (US) LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/26/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 10100 Old Columbia Rd., Columbia, MD 21047. 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 12207-2543. Purpose: Business consulting. Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 Notice of Formation of 21B LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/26/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 300 E. 74th St., Apt. 36G, NY, NY 10021. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Barbara Gural, 38267 Ranch Garden Rd., Park City, UT 84098. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013

August 1 -7, 2013

Notice of Qualification of 1006 MADISON LLC App. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/9/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 5/7/13. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Thor Equities, LLC, 25 W. 39th St., NY, NY 10018. DE address of LLC: c/o National Registered Agents, Inc., 160 Greentree Drive, Ste. 101, Dover, DE 19904. Arts. of Org. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 Notice of Qualification of 354 BOWERY – BAZBAZ LLC App. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/25/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 6/21/13. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o FB Strategic Partners, 299 Park Ave., 42nd Fl., NY, NY 10171. DE address of LLC: c/o United Corporate Services, Inc., 874 Walker Road, Ste. C, Dover, DE 19904. Arts. of Org. filed with DE Secy. of State, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 Notice of Qualification of A. AnthonyABMFS, LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 6/19/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 8101 W. Sam Houston Pkwy. S., Ste. 150, Houston, TX 77079. LLC formed in DE on 3/2/12. 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: c/o 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: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: BEST BRANDS SALES COMPANY, LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 06/27/13. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, 20 West 33rd Street, New York, New York 10001. Purpose: For any lawful purpose. Vil: 07/04 - 08/08/2013 Notice of Formation of DS ADMIN, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/25/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Kalnick, Klee & Green, LLP, 767 Third Ave., NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 07/04 - 08/08/2013

Notice of Formation of Good Life Society, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/19/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to:The LLC, 33 West End Ave., NY, NY 10023. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 07/04 - 08/08/2013 Notice of Qualification of TALISMAN GROUP ADVISORS L.L.C. Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/20/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/07/12. Princ. office of LLC: 510 Madison Ave., 7th Fl., NY, NY 10022. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process and DE addr. to c/o Corporation Service Co., 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, 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., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 07/04 - 08/08/2013 Notice of Formation of JULAIDAN FAMILY LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/13/13. 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 Moses & Singer LLP, Attn: Daniel S. Rubin, Esq., 405 Lexington Ave., NY, NY 10174-1299. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 07/04 - 08/08/2013 Notice of Qualification of Lumenate Technologies, LP App. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/18/13. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Texas (TX) on 11/15/05. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, the registered agent upon whom process may be served. TX address of LP: 16633 Dallas Pkwy., Ste. 450, Addison, TX 75001. Name/address of each genl. ptr. available from SSNY. Cert. of LP filed with TX Secy. of State, 1019 Brazos, Room 105, Austin, TX 78701. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 07/04 - 08/08/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION of Homeownership Lending, LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 06/21/13. 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: Homeownership Lending, LLC, c/o UHAB, 120 Wall Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10005. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013

NOTICE OF FORMATION of Knock Out Beauty LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/16/13. 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: Knock Out Beauty LLC c/o Sharlay Sloss, 850 Amsterdam Ave. New York, NY 10025 . Purpose:To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 07/04 - 08/08/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: ORANGE STREET GROUP LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/29/13. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, 30 Christopher Street, Apartment 2D, New York, New York 10014. Purpose: For any lawful purpose. Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 IDENTITY COUNSEL INTERNATIONAL LLC a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 3/26/13. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Joseph J. Atick, 1 Irving Pl., NY, NY 10003. General Purposes. Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 ABBEYDALE LLC, a domestic LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 5/22/13. 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, 373 Park Ave S, Fl 6, NY, NY 10016. General Purposes. Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 CONVENT/ST. NICHOLAS, LLC a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 5/1/13. 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, 425 W. 144th St., NY, NY 10031. General Purposes. Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 TRUSOUND LLC, a domestic LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 2/11/13. 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, 2440 Broadway, #7, NY, NY 10024. General Purposes. Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF REBEL ROYAL LLC Arts of Org filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 3/19/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to principal business address: MIA SPIVEY-REBEL 249 E 118TH ST, APT 10B NY, NY 10035. Purpose: any lawful act Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013

Notice of Formation of ROC NATION APPAREL GROUP, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/17/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 1411 Broadway, 39th Fl., NY, NY 10018. 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 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 Notice of Formation of Beauty 4 Empowerment, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/17/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: National Registered Agents, Inc., 111 Eighth Ave., 13th Fl., NY, NY 10011, also the registered agent. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 Notice of Qualification of ADLY Holdings LLC App. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/10/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 6/7/13. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 405 Lexington Ave., NY, NY 10174. DE address of LLC: 160 Greentree Drive, Ste. 101, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 Notice of Qualification of 15 East Holdings LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 6/5/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 6/4/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, Attn: CT Corporation System, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE address 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: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 Notice of Qualification of Irving Place Investor LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 2/12/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 825 3rd Ave., Fl 37, NY, NY 10022. LLC formed in DE on 2/5/13. 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: 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: 06/27 - 08/01/2013

Notice of Qualification of SDF24 Flushing LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/17/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 825 3rd Ave., Fl 37, NY, NY 10022. LLC formed in DE on 1/8/13. 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: 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: 06/27 - 08/01/2013

Notice of Qualification of SDF25 Lewis LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/17/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 825 3rd Ave., Fl 37, NY, NY 10022. LLC formed in DE on 1/8/13. 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: 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: 06/27 - 08/01/2013

NOTICE OF FORMATION of Diamond Tech Property Development & Construction LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of NewYork (SSNY) on 04/06/11. 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: Diamond Tech Property Development & Construction, 266 Griffith St, Jersey City, NJ 07307. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013

NOTICE First Republic Bank has submitted an application to the Regional Director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to establish a branch office at 163 Canal Street, New York, New York, 10013. Any person wishing to comment on this application may file his or her comments in writing with the regional director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation at its regional office at 25 Jessie Street at Ecker Square, San Francisco, California 94105, before processing of the application has been completed. Processing will be completed no earlier than the 21st day following either the date of the last required publication or the date of receipt of the application by the FDIC, whichever is later. The period may be extended by the regional director for good cause. The nonconfidential portion of the application file is available for inspection within one day following the request for such file. It may be inspected in the Corporation’s regional office during regular business hours. Photocopies of information in the nonconfidential portion of the application file will be made available upon request. A schedule of charges for such copies can be obtained from the regional office. Vil: 08/01/2013 Public Notice NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, PURSUANTTO LAW, that the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, July 31, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. at 66 John Street, 11th floor, on a petition from BROADWATER & PEARL ASSOCIATE LLC to establish maintain, and operate an unenclosed sidewalk café at 54 Pearl Street in the Borough of Manhattan for a term of two years. REQUESTS FOR COPIES OF THE PROPOSED REVOCABLE CONSENT AGREEMENT MAY BE ADDRESSED TO: DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS: FOIL OFFICER, 42 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10004. Vil: 07/25- 08/01/2013

Public Notice NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, PURSUANTTO LAW, that the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, August 14, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. at 66 John Street, 11th floor, on a petition for the Original Homestead Restaurant Inc. to establish maintain, and operate an unenclosed sidewalk café at 56 9th Avenue in the Borough of Manhattan for a term of two years. REQUESTS FOR COPIES OF THE PROPOSED REVOCABLE CONSENT AGREEMENT MAY BE ADDRESSED TO: DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS: FOIL OFFICER, 42 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10004. Vil: 08/01- 08/08/2013

August 1 -7, 2013

David Devine, 84; Artist and captain of his own ship OBITUARY By Adele Gotlib David Dusoul Devine, a resident of the Lower East Side on and off for nearly 70 years, died of cancer on May 28. He was 84. He was born in Los Angeles on April 7, 1929, to David and Courtney Hooper Devine, and raised primarily by his mother in and around Los Angeles and San Francisco. David first came to the Lower East Side as a teenager in the 1940s, living alternately with his father, whom he feared and hated, and on the street. He dropped out of high school and went instead to the Metropolitan Museum, where he spent many days studying and falling in love with art. In 1946, at age 17, David enlisted in the Army so that he could have three meals a day and a roof over his head. Some highlights of his military career: Having read the rules and regulations, he refused a direct order from a general (for personal service); told his sergeant that he had to give passes to the Mexicans too; and turned down the opportunity to be promoted to battalion sergeant major. He volunteered for several straight months of KP duty in order to avoid the wrath of his commanding officer. He continued his art education while stationed in Occupied Italy, spending his free time wandering the deserted galleries of the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace in war-ravaged Florence. After being honorably discharged from the Army, David went to art school in California and, fueled by coffee and cigarettes, began painting passionately and compulsively, sometimes creating three finished works in a single day. He gave away many of his paintings and sold a few; the rest were lost or stolen or left behind as he moved from place to place. In the 1950s and ’60s, he hung out in the bars of North Beach in San Francisco as part of the group of artists and writers who became known as the Beats; his best friend was the poet Bernie Uronovitz, and his buddy Maloney later went on to build remarkable trash heaps of boats under the name Poppa Neutrino. David painted because he wanted and needed to; he did it for himself alone, and many of his friendships ended because he had no tolerance or respect for artists whose motivation was the desire for fame or the prospect of success. From the 1950s to the mid-’70s David moved often between California and the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Apartments were cheap and easy to come by. He also lived in Las Vegas and New Orleans, and spent some winters in Oaxaca, Mexico. He drove across the United States several times and once motorcycled on mostly unpaved highway from Vancouver to Alaska. He shipped out on a Danish cargo ship, the Alice Torm. He was married three times; to Elsie Hansen, with whom he had a daughter; to Sheila Plant; and to Susie Molin (an artist in her own right, now known as Susan Severson). None of the marriages lasted more than a few years. David was a genius of a mechanic who could make or repair almost anything. He loved using his talents to help people, but if offered a steady job, he would generally say, no thanks. He hated having to go to work and seldom held a job for more than six months. He never accepted a promotion. He would earn only as much money as he needed to rent a cheap apartment or buy a cheap car. He did all his own carpentry, plumbing, electrical and every other kind of work, and found most everything he needed on the street. He rebuilt a piano and repaired other musical instruments. Some of his jobs: forest fire lookout / fireman in Shasta National Forest (his employer, the U.S. government, let him go when they discovered he was a Communist), Las Vegas casino talker, lumber mill

worker, caddy, stock boy, bicycle messenger, cab driver, bookstore clerk (where the owner instructed him to report the “best sellers” to the newspapers in reverse order of sales), New Orleans street portrait artist, dishwasher (many times), tax auditor for California State, silkscreen printer, mail sorter, coding clerk, moviehouse usher, doorman at One Fifth Ave., jeweler, watch repairman, moving man (for Student Movers on E. Ninth St., none of whose employees were students), adding machine mechanic, and ice-skating rink guard. Besides art, David’s other great passion was reading. He taught himself to read at an early age, and books were his escape and his education. His favorite subject was history, but he also loved science and science fiction, and crime, both true and fictional. There were few subjects on which he could not speak knowledgeably and intelligently. His “everyone should read these” books ranged from “Alice in Wonderland” to “Nightmare Alley,” from “The Cat in the Hat” to “Down and Out in Paris and London.” In 1975 and then again in 1976-77, David owned a second-hand bookstore at 344 E. Sixth St. called Harmony Shop. The space had previously been occupied by a head shop and David never got around to changing the name. He would buy books at the various Salvation Army stores around Manhattan; most often he went to the one at First Ave. and 11th St., where he’d hang out with Bertha, the manager, and Gertie, a wonderful older woman who often visited, and buy quantities of books at 5 or 10 cents apiece. He bought from his customers too and paid better than the Strand. He’d sell most of his books for a quarter or 50 cents; something really special might go for a couple of dollars. Textbooks, on a table outside, cost a nickel. His store was inviting, with pictures on the walls, classical music on the radio, interesting objects and pretty dishes, an old upright piano (later owned by a street musician), and customers who were fun to talk to. When he reopened the store in 1976, he stocked it with the contents of 25 boxes of books that he’d bought for $5 at Odyssey

A page from a “Michy Mouse” Valentine’s card from David Devine to his girlfriend.

David Devine at 83.

House up the street. In 1977 David bought a 22-foot sloop and sailed with his girlfriend down the Intracoastal Waterway from Stamford, Connecticut, to Daytona Beach, Florida. During 27 years in Florida, David built and lived on a succession of boats, worked as a church sexton, sign painter, draftsman, art teacher and flea marketer, and continued to paint, draw, read and tinker. He created a cartoon character, Michy Mouse, a street-smart, wise-cracking, eternally optimistic creature who claimed to be the unreconstructed predecessor of “Wally Dizzy’s” Mickey Mouse. Michy (pronounced MITCH-ee) made appearances on birthday and Valentine’s cards, as well as letters, phone messages, doctored New Yorker cartoons and the occasional book that needed improving. In 2004, after Hurricane Frances destroyed his houseboat on Lake Okeechobee, David returned to New York, to live in the same apartment on E. Sixth St. that he’d first rented in 1975. He did odd jobs and repairs in the building, bicycled to Tompkins Square Park when the weather was good, and continued to enjoy a cigarette, a cup of coffee, and something to read until the last weeks of his life. David had a sister, Deirdre Devine Jefferies, who died in 1996, and a half-sister, Nola. He is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth Devine, who was seldom far from his thoughts; his grandson, Duncan Seven Stars Devine; one nephew; and his very close friend, Adele Gotlib. Throughout his life, David was uncompromising in his commitment to be true to himself and to be free. His sympathies lay with the downtrodden and he hated bullies. He despised and defied authority and had no gods. He liked to tell the story of his sergeant in the Army, Sergeant Silacci, who once said to him, “Devine, you’re a wild young colt, but I’m gonna break you.” In the end, Silacci didn’t break him, and neither did anyone else.

August 1 -7, 2013

Have you ever had a ‘close encounter’ or seen a UFO? Interviews and photos by Clarissa-Jan Lim

be more violent, who knows? But I doubt it.

A few weeks ago, former New York Knicks basketball player Baron Davis declared on a radio show that he had recently been abducted by aliens. The Villager blasted off to Washington Square Park to try to find some intelligent life-forms to inquire if they believe in life in outer space, and have seen or come into contact with any of it.

probably some chance that there’s been some encounter. Do you think, if there is life out there, that it would be friendly or have evil intentions? So, evil, like morality, is probably subjective. I mean, I imagine an alien race that is nomadic because their planet may no longer be able sustain life and they’re looking for a place to colonize. We might see that as evil, aggressive; but they may see it as their last hope. If they came down and provided us with advanced technology, then we’d probably see them as benevolent. If they wanted to collaborate with the human race, they would only do it if we could offer any sort of benefit to them, like technology, or resources. But if it’s an advanced alien civilization, like they were able to harness energy from stars and the solar system itself, they probably wouldn’t need very much from us. Right now, we might not have very much to offer them in terms of technology. What alien movie do you think is most realistic? Probably “2001: A Space Odessey.” It’s a sci-fi masterpiece. Also “Contact,” with Jodie Foster. It’s a little more realistic.

can’t exist. Do you think, if there is life out there, that it would be friendly or have evil intentions? I think it could go either way. I mean, I don’t lose sleep over it because they could be friendly and curious about us, just as much as it could be the opposite where they want to invade and take over. You know, movies usually portray them as creatures to be feared, but I think they could be benign and friendly and just want to know more about this planet and us.

Pooja, 29 Physical therapist; Queens, originally from India

Ronnie Rossi, 73 Retired; Bronx

Have you ever seen a UFO or had any alien encounters? No. Do you believe aliens exist? Very possible. I mean, why not? Anything is possible. We only have technology to see certain distances, so who knows what's out there? Do you think, if there is life out there, that it would be friendly or have evil intentions? They’re probably a lot more evolved than we are. We could use something from them; they don’t want nothing from us. I think that they’re probably looking up, down or wherever they’re from and going, ‘My God, look what they’re doing, they’re still killing people.’ If aliens, or whoever it is shows up and they were way more advanced than we are, they’re probably laughing at us. It’s like looking at things that were from 300 years ago, like archaic stuff compared to what it is today. So you think that they would think we were uncivilized? Absolutely. As far as the way the world is and the way people treat each other. Hopefully, they do it differently. They might

Have you ever seen a UFO or had any alien encounters? No. Do you believe aliens exist, and have visited us? Yeah. I’ve seen a few documentaries on television stating that supernatural things have been spotted, but there are no scientific explanations to that. They’ve discovered that because of the climate and the soil on Mars, there could be a possibility of life, so there could be a life on some other planet, too. Do you think, if there is life out there, that they would be friendly or have evil intentions? It depends on the other life, how they think, what they do. You cannot say that they would destroy us or something. It’s really how they’ve developed in terms of thinking — if they have similar kind of attributes or functioning.

Jorge Luis Paniagua Valle, 27 N.Y.U. employee; ORIGINALLY from Los Angeles Have you ever seen a UFO or had any alien encounters? No, never. Not in my years. Do you believe aliens exist? In all likelihood, based on the number of planets that could probably sustain life, based on how old the universe is — it’s likely that some advanced alien civilization has come across Earth. I can’t say whether or not we’ve encountered them publicly, but in terms of the grandness of the universe there’s

Mark Obradovic, 24 Architect; FROM Paris

Angela Zambelli, 64 Retired; Manhattan Have you ever seen a UFO or had any alien encounters? Not that I’m aware of. Do you believe aliens exist? I believe in the possibility, let me put it that way. Not having seen one, I can’t say for sure, of course, but I don’t exclude the possibility that they could exist because I think there’s a lot that we don’t know yet, despite all the advances in science and technology. Particularly in regards to outer space and the depths of the ocean, there’s still a lot to be discovered. So therefore, I say, Why not? It would have to be proven to me that they don’t exist, or that they

Have you ever seen a UFO or had any alien encounters? No. Do you believe aliens exist? No. I haven’t had enough scientific evidence or proof of them, so I am not opposed to the idea of it being a possibility, of there being life away from Earth. But I’m a more of a scientific kind of person, so once there’s more concrete evidence, I could believe that. But with the Mars Rover finding water — I do believe it’s possible for there to be life form outside Earth. Not in the way that movies portray aliens, like having a certain appearance. Do you think, if there is life out there, that it would be friendly or have evil intentions? I think that for us, if there was another alien race on another planet, and if I were to reverse the roles, we would look at them as something to be conquered or taken advantage of, so I assume that the same could be said of them. So you think that if we discovered alien life we would want to exploit it? Yes. I think that we would want to study it, capture it, if it was small creatures. Whatever it was, I think that we would treat it as something below human.

August 1 -7, 2013

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August 1 -7, 2013

LetteRS to the editoR Continued from page 12 stifled as they try to stay above the whirlpool of living expenses. They should not be subjected to secret rules by fools who oversee their fate. Get those apartments moving and fixed up. Get that list moving again, fairly and equitably. Now! Richard West

Bypassing the public To The Editor: Re “Pier air rights may open a Pandora’s box of development” (talking point, by Andrew Berman, July 18): Again, a major policy change that will impact the future of Greenwich Village is done without any public scrutiny. Just what is the agenda of the good liberal electeds that snuck this legislation through anyway? Do they not trust the residents of the West Village to be able to engage in discussion on an issue that has such longterm impact as the transfer of air rights? I am dumbfounded when I realize that Deborah Glick and Brad Hoylman have now joined Richard Gottfried in siding with the developer interests rather than putting both Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn — who was elected to represent the Lower West Side — on the spot. Soccer fields for the children whose families can afford to send them to private school may sound nice. But what about the traditional cultural values of the Village, including its long involvement in the arts, most specifically, theater? Seniors again will get the short stick, as they do now, with so little seating space that is supportive of the lower back. I have always looked to Glick and now Hoylman to come up with progressive solutions that benefit the diverse community that still exists in the West Village. But this plan plays into the destruction of the Village as it has historically been. Please, let’s have some public meetings on this and every subject that will change, not only the landscape, but also the culture of the West Village. We just saw how four Village women — with the support of Community Board 2 Chairperson David Gruber — snuck through a conservancy takeover of Washington Square, without sufficient public hearings, to create essentially a privatized public park. We saw how the silence of elected officials allowed a fracked-gas transfer station to be built right next to a children’s playground in the Hudson Park Park in the West Village. Thank you, once again, Andrew Berman for staying on top of these issues and, most importantly, doing everything

you can to alert and engage the public on public policy issues that have the potential to fundamentally change what we call Greenwich Village. Jim Fouratt

Comes as no surprise To The Editor: Re “The billionaires back Margaret Chin for City Council” (talking point, by Sean Sweeney, July 25): The Real Estate Board of New York’s backing should come as no surprise looking at Chin’s disgraceful record supporting N.Y.U., the Soho Business Improvement District and the Chinatown BID (opposed by a majority of Chinatown merchants and property owners), and destroying the landmarked 135 Bowery for a mainland Chinese bank. Carl Rosenstein

Chin blew her chance To The Editor: Re “The billionaires back Margaret Chin for City Council” (talking point, by Sean Sweeney, July 25): Chin and Quinn did us in. Rajkumar will raise the bar. Jenifer Rajkumar hears us, meets with us, listens to what our community needs — and is our choice. You had a chance, Margaret Chin. You abused it big time.

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August 1 -7, 2013