SILVER SCRUTINIZED FOR HARASSMENT COVER-UP VOLUME 25, NUMBER 7
SEPTEMBER 5-SEPTEMBER 19, 2012
Last September, the doctor began her current job as the mental health director of the World Trade Center Environmental Health Center, which has provided free treatment to approximately 6,500 Downtown residents, workers, students and others who developed illnesses stemming from 9/11. The past year has been especially busy for the center, which
BY LINCOLN ANDERSON ssembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is in hot water after it was revealed that the state Assembly paid a secret settlement of more than $100,000 to two female interns of Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Vito Lopez after they alleged that Lopez sexually harassed them. Last week, Governor Andrew Cuomo asked his Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) to launch a probe into the situation surrounding the payout. Subsequent to the date of the secret settlement, Lopez came under fire late last month after he was publicly censured by the Assembly in connection with two other complaints of harassment by female interns. Silver, who represents Lower Manhattan, initially said the first sexual harassment claim was handled quietly — and not referred to the Assembly’s Ethics Committee — because the woman making the complaint wanted to guard her privacy. However, attorney Gloria Allred, who represented the woman, said that wasn’t the case and that she would never squelch a government investigation. The Daily News editorialized last week that the payout of New Yorkers’ taxpayer dollars to settle the initial Lopez harassment complaint may well have exceeded the reported $103,800 — since that is apparently only what Allred was paid for what were indicated as “legal services.” The News has filed a Freedom of Information Law request for all documents pertaining to the
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Downtown Express photo by Sam Spokony
Donna Faria started getting treatment at the W.T.C. Environmental Health Center about three years ago. The program has allowed her to enjoy life again.
9/11 illness treatment center exhibits growth and change, 11 years after attacks BY SAM SPOKONY s the terrorists struck on Sept. 11, 2001, Dr. Nomi Levy-Carrick was starting school at Weill Cornell Medical College on the Upper East Side. She still recalls the feeling of helplessness that set in as the shock and horror of that day unfolded. “The afternoon of 9/11, I went with a couple of classmates to emergency rooms around the city, trying to volunteer, but there was just
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nobody coming in,” said Levy-Carrick. “Now, I’m left with a very stark memory of that experience. We were all wondering where the patients were, and we slowly realized that, because of the destruction, there wouldn’t be any.” Nearly ten years later, she found her patients — and in doing so, Levy-Carrick has become a leader in helping to treat those affected by exposure to ground zero toxins.
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
Howard Hughes’ latest vision of the future Pier 17
Rendering courtesy of Howard Hughes
Howard Hughes rolls out public relations guns for future Pier 17 B Y TERESE LOEB KREUZER An Aug. 23 press release from the Howard Hughes Corporation announcing an agreement on lease terms for the South Street Seaport is deceptive, according to a source familiar with the matter. The release was picked up by the Associated Press and a number of other publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, Businessweek and Crain’s New York Business. The announcement suggests that the company’s plans to overhaul Pier 17 with a glassenclosed retail center are a done deal. “They’re not,” the source said. The source requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. The city Landmarks Preservation Commission endorsed Howard Hughes’ proposal for Pier 17, and Community Board 1 gave it an initial stamp of approval. However, it still has to go through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (U.L.U.R.P.) The process will begin in the coming weeks, once the City Planning Commission certifies the plan and sends it on to C.B. 1 for comment and review. The board will have 60 days to examine the plan, after which Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer will have 30 days to review it. It will then go to the City Planning Commission for another 60 days before being handed over to the City Council. The whole process takes seven to nine months, according to Michael Levine, director of Land Use and Planning for C.B. 1. “It is not just a formality,” he said. The board is likely to raise a number of questions such as what the community and the city will get in exchange for approving the retail complex and whether it provides sufficient open space and enough access to the waterfront. There may also be concern about whether there will be a guarantee that Howard Hughes has the financial resources to support the plan and “not go bankrupt a year later,” in Levine’s words. Levine described Howard Hughes’ deal with the E.D.C. as a “landlord-tenant” agreement that extended the existing lease. “To the best of my knowledge, there’s nothing new in it that we should be questioning,” he said. “I called E.D.C. and they said it’s the same agreement as in the past.” John Fratta, chair of C.B. 1’s Seaport Committee, which will be charged with reviewing the Pier 17 plans during the U.L.U.R.P. process, also believes the release
is a mere publicity gambit. Despite repeated requests, Fratta noted, Howard Hughes had not yet shown the board a master plan for the Seaport. The company has told the board it has not yet prepared one. “I don’t know if I believe that,” said Fratta. “I think their master plan, which they don’t want to talk about right now, is probably going to include a tower on the site of the Tin Building and the New Market Building, which our community, of course, is going to be opposed to.” Robert LaValva, founder of the New Amsterdam Market on South Street, also has his eye on the historic Tin and New Market Buildings, which were once part of the Fulton Fish Market. As the Downtown Express recently reported, LaValva has plans to expand the market into a year-round facility housed in the Tin and New Market Buildings. That’s something, Fratta said, that the community would support. “Obviously, Howard Hughes disagrees or doesn’t want to talk about the New Market Building or the Tin Building, because they claim [the buildings are] still not in their portfolio,” he said. “However, they do have an agreement [with the E.D.C.] that they would have first dibs on that property. We’ve asked to see that agreement,” Fratta added, “but we haven’t seen it.” Fratta’s understanding is the Letter of Intent with the E.D.C. will expire in a few months, and that Howard Hughes would have to come up with a plan before then. Howard Hughes hopes to begin construction on Pier 17 by June 2013 and finish the pier in 2015. Contractually, the company’s lease arrangement with the E.D.C. depends on its meeting that start date. Under the agreement, Howard Hughes would get a 30-month rent credit of $1.5 million from the E.D.C. in exchange for the company’s consent to maintain the section of the East River esplanade that runs through its leased property. Because of the need to adhere to this timetable, Howard Hughes is eager to get the U.L.U.R.P. process started. Chris Curry, the company’s senior executive vice president of development, said he’s optimistic that there will be no snags along the way. “We don’t anticipate or expect to modify our plan,” he said, “since the groups reviewing our plan during the upcoming U.L.U.R.P. hearings have already reviewed them and approved them once before.”
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9, 12-24 EDITORIAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11 YOUTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-28, 30-31 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 W.T.C. HEALTH REGISTRY DEADLINE EXTENDED
SURVEY
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (D.O.H.) has extended the deadline for responses to the 2011-12 World Trade Center Health Registry child survey until Sun., Sept. 30. Only about a third of the more than 3,000 families with children currently enrolled in the Registry have responded to the survey thus far, according to the D.O.H. Marijo Russell O’Grady, a long-time Downtown resident who also chairs the W.T.C. Health Registry’s Community Advisory Board, stressed the importance of completing the survey. “As a parent with a child enrolled in the Registry,” she said, “I know that my response and the response of my son have helped advocate for World Trade Center-related pediatric services and may help protect children during a future disaster.” The Registry’s child enrollees and their parents have been sent a copy of the surveys by mail, but they also have the option to complete them online. A survey for parents inquires about the children’s physical and mental health, while an adolescent survey asks about their health symptoms and behavior, according to the D.O.H. The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry together with the D.O.H. established the W.T.C. Health Registry in 2002 with the goal of monitoring the health of people directly exposed to the 9/11 attacks. Today, the Registry is an ongoing collaboration with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. For more information about the survey, enrollees can call
the W.T.C. Health Registry at 866-NYC-WTCR (866-6929827) — which is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. — or send an e-mail to wtchr@health.nyc.gov. Visit www.nyc.gov/9-11healthinfo for information on research and services for those affected by the 9/11 attacks.
STUYVESANT PRINCIPAL
HIGH
NAMES
INTERIM
Stuyvesant High School, one of the city’s most prestigious public schools, announced the selection of an interim principal in early August as it prepared for the retirement of current principal Stanley Teitel, who became engulfed in a student cheating scandal in June. Jie Zhang, 52, was chosen as Stuyvesant’s interim leader on Aug. 6. She most recently served as principal of Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, another elite school, since 2006, according to the New York Times. Zhang declined to be interviewed. The selection came just three days after Teitel announced, in a letter posted onto Stuyvesant’s website, that he would be stepping down this month. It was unclear whether or not he chose to leave due to the New York City Department of Education’s (D.O.E.) current investigation into student cheating at the school. In the letter, Teitel wrote that he was retiring because, “It is time to devote my energy to my family and personal endeavors.” He had been on the school’s staff for 29 years and had been principal since 1999. Continued on page 16
C. B. 1 A schedule of upcoming Community Board 1 committee meetings is below. Unless otherwise noted, all committee meetings are held at the board office, on the 7th floor of 49-51 Chambers St., at 6 p.m. ON WED., SEPT. 5: The Financial District Committee will meet. ON THURS., SEPT. 6: The Planning Committee will meet at the World Trade Center for a tour of the site at 5 p.m., and then meet at the C.B. 1 office at 7 p.m. ON MON., SEPT. 10: The Youth and Education Committee will meet. The Housing Committee will also meet, in Room 501 of 49-51 Chambers St. ON WED., SEPT. 12: The Tribeca Committee will meet. ON THURS., SEPT. 13: The Landmarks Committee will meet. ON WED., SEPT. 19: The Executive Committee will meet.
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
SUSPECT CONFESSES TO HAMMER ATTACK, BUT PLEADS NOT GUILTY Douglas Epp, 43, pled not guilty to attempted murder, assault and weapons charges on Tues., Aug. 28, nearly a month after he allegedly attacked a Spanish tourist with a hammer in City Hall Park. Epp had confessed to committing the July 30 crime prior to the hearing, according to court documents released by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. “[The Spanish tourists] called me gay and a Nazi,” Epp told police in a statement recorded the evening of July 30. “Something inside me snapped, and I grabbed the hammer and attacked the male. This is not my demeanor, and I am ashamed that this altercation occurred.” A couple from out of town was eating lunch in City Hall Park on the day of the attack, according to the court documents, when Epp allegedly approached them and began hitting the man, Hugo Alejandre, with a hammer he had found underneath a park bench. Epp was charged with second-degree attempted murder and two counts of assault for the attack on Alejandre, as well as another count of assault for injuries to Alejandre’s girlfriend, Nuria Campama. He was also charged with criminal possession of a weapon. The indictment forms released by the D.A.’s office, dated Aug. 9, state Epp’s name as John Yoos, the name he originally gave to police upon arrest.
Prosecutors subsequently amended the indictment after learning that this was not his real identity.
MAN KILLED IN BROAD ST. TRUCK ACCIDENT A Queens man was killed on Thurs., Aug. 23 after the driver of a New York Stock Exchange security vehicle suddenly accelerated and hit him on the sidewalk outside 45 Broad St. Police said that at around 1:30 p.m., the driver of the vehicle, a Honda pickup truck, was moving forward to allow another car to pass when he accidentally jumped the curb and struck Sorel Deps-Medina, 70, who happened to be eating lunch outside the building. Deps-Medina was rushed to New York Downtown Hospital by paramedics, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Two other people at the scene, a 62-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman, sustained minor injuries and were hospitalized in stable condition. The driver of the truck, a 50-year-old man, was not injured. An investigation into the circumstances of the accident is ongoing, but no criminality is suspected at this time and no arrests have been made, police said.
9/11 DRUNK DIALER ARRESTED Jason Golub, 40, was arrested on Mon., Aug. 27 for falsely reporting an incident, nearly two months after he called 911 and joked about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks while intoxicated. Golub
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made the call from his cell phone at the corner of Cortlandt and Church Streets at around 4 a.m. on July 9, as reported by the New York Post. According to the Manhattan Criminal Court complaint cited in the Post, Golub told the 911 operator, “There are airplanes flying into the World Trade Center! I need assistance at the World Trade Center!” He also said, “I called President Bush! I want to be connected to the government!” Golub told police that he didn’t remember making the call, but also told them, “I get drunk a few times a week, so I guess I could have done it,” according to the Post.
BRA AND PANTY THIEF Police are on the hunt for a man who stole more than $2,000 worth of lingerie and clothing from Victoria’s Secret at 565 Broadway on Sun., Aug. 26. A female employee of the store said that the thief, whom she described only as a black man, walked through the front door at around noon while carrying a large black shopping bag. He proceeded to fill the bag with 30 bras collectively valued at $1,185; 30 pairs of panties valued at $435; eight sweatshirts valued at $372; and eight T-shirts valued at $140. After, the man left the store through the main entrance and then fled in an unknown direction.
SHOULD’VE BROUGHT A LOCK A woman, 27, told police she was a victim of grand larceny while working out at the New York Sports Club at 503 Broadway on Sun., Aug. 26. She said that, before exercising at around 11 a.m. that day, she left her belongings in a gym locker without locking it. When the woman returned from her workout, all of the property had been stolen. The missing goods included a
$200 iPod Nano, a $400 Samsung Galaxy 3 cell phone, her car and apartment keys, $400 in cash and three credit cards, all of which were cancelled before any unauthorized use could take place. The general manager of the N.Y.S.C. told police that no one had been allowed into the gym without proof of membership.
PHANTOM PHONE THEFT A woman, 28, told police that, while walking past the corner of Spring Street and Sixth Avenue on Fri., Aug. 24, she realized her phone had been stolen. The woman said she was sure she had secured the iPhone 4S, which she valued at $650, in her purse. But at around noon that day, after walking up Sixth Avenue for about 20 minutes, she discovered that the phone was gone. Using the “iFind” app, the woman was able to track the phone to its last known location at 500 Eighth Ave., but neither the perpetrator nor the phone has been found.
DON’T LEAVE IT UNATTENDED Police are searching for a thief who stole a suitcase full of more than $1,000 in goods from the front of a Hudson Street apartment building on Sun., Aug. 19. A tenant of the 282 Hudson St. building alleged she left the suitcase outside unattended while walking up to her apartment. When the woman, 54, returned 15 minutes later, the valise was gone, along with the belongings she had stowed inside it. The stolen goods included a $500 iPad, several shirts valued at $275, jewelry valued at $175, and the suitcase itself, which she valued at $160. The woman attempted to track the thief using her iPad, but it had already been turned off and wasn’t found. — By Sam Spokony
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
Longstanding debate ares up over Chinatown, LES districts B Y LINCOLN ANDERSON Advocates turned out to testify about the shape of City Council districts covering Chinatown and the Lower East Side at the New York City Districting Commission’s first Manhattan public hearing last month. An ongoing, 20-year debate continued to flare over whether to merge Chinatown and the Lower East Side to create a minority district, or to keep the current district lines basically intact. The hearing was held at New York Law School (185 W. Broadway), in front of the 15 appointed members of the Districting Commission. The commission is starting the process, which happens every 10 years, to ensure that the city’s 51 Council districts contain equal numbers of voters — around 160,000 per district — and that protected minorities are given the chance to elect candidates of their choice. A debate that began during the redistricting process two decades ago continued to simmer at the August 16 hearing, showing the ongoing split in the Chinatown and Lower East Side communities over how best to shape district lines to ensure minority representation. On one side, Margaret Fung, executive director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), argued for creating a single district that would help ensure that an Asian-American or Latino councilmember would be elected for the foreseeable future. But Chris Kui, executive director of Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), said that the existing district layouts are working,
since there is currently a Chinese-American candidate — Margaret Chin — representing Lower Manhattan and Chinatown’s District 1. Kui also pointed out that a Latina, Council Member Rosie Mendez, is representing District 2, which includes the East Village as well as public housing projects on the Lower East Side along the East River that have a heavy Hispanic population. “Right now, we have two very, very good members of the City Council who are actually Asian and Latino,� Kui said, referring to Chin and Mendez. Yes, admittedly, it took 20 years to elect an Asian candidate, but it finally did happen, and things are working, he said. District 2, meanwhile, has had Latino representation from its past three council members: Antonio Pagan, Margarita Lopez and now Mendez. But Fung contended that, at least as far as Districts 1 and 2 are concerned, the model is not sustainable if minority representation is to be continued. In fact, due to the large amount of new housing development, both districts have seen a loss in their minority populations and an increase in white residents — which Fung said could lead to the prospect of electing white candidates in both districts. “That’s the future,� she said in a phone interview. “I think it would be better to have a stronger minority district.�
CENSUS SHOWS CHANGES Currently in District 1, the Asian votingage population is 36 percent, while the white
voting-age population, according to the 2010 census, has grown to 46 percent. In addition, Chinatown residents have more in common with Lower East Side residents — in terms of such issues as housing, fair wages, zoning and concerns about development — than they do with wealthier residents in Tribeca and Battery Park City, Fung noted. “I think it’s indisputable that Chinatown residents and Lower East Side residents have strong community interests,� she said, “and that’s one of the criteria of redistricting.� Twenty years ago, AAFE and other advocates for the current district lines felt there should be separate Asian and Latino districts, according to Fung. However, the landscape has since changed, she said, noting the decline of District 1’s Asian population from 43 percent in 1991 to 36 percent today. And in Mendez’s District 2 — which Fung said, was “definitely intended to be the Latinoopportunity district� — the Hispanic population has also dipped. According to the census, it is now standing at only 18 percent, while the district’s white population is 59 percent. Asked what district Tribeca and Battery Park City would go into, Fung said that AALDEF is still working on its maps and hadn’t drafted anything final as yet.
FIGHTING FOR ONE SEAT If, on the other hand, a new Asian-Latino district were carved out, Kui said, he could foresee negative scenarios. The first would be
“Hispanics and Asians fighting against each other for one seat,� he noted. “Why create a situation where you put them against each other and have only one? We don’t want to go backwards.� Even worse, staking everything on a single district could lead to the minority group candidates both losing to a white candidate, thereby defeating the whole idea of the district. “Then you have nothing,� said Kui.
CLAIMS THAT CENSUS WAS OFF Furthermore, Kui disputed the recent census figures, asserting that Chinatown’s Asian population has been undercounted. According to AAFE, many families are living doubled- or tripled-up in apartments. However, Asian residents are reluctant to be counted because there is so much development going on that they fear for their homes, Kui said. “The Asian population is there — just undercounted,� he stressed. “They didn’t want to be counted because there is so much eviction taking place.� CHINATOWN HAS EXPERIENCE What’s more, as seen with Chin’s election, Chinatown voters are more politically savvy and engaged now, according to Kui. “There’s a lot more maturity,� he said. “We have to look at the experience and what’s on the ground, not intellectualize it.�
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
L.M.C.C. grants help spark and sustain Downtown art B Y SAM SPOKONY For even the most experienced artists, getting funds for creative projects can be an arduous process — especially when the final product provides no commercial benefits. When artist Jennifer Cecere began her career, the idea of creating a public art installation seemed impossible to imagine. But with the backing of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (L.M.C.C.), Cecere, 61, will be presenting her new work on the plaza at Whitehall and Water Streets in December. “This is like a whole new life for me,” said Cecere, who has lived in Tribeca since 1975 and spent the first four decades of her artistic life as a painter. “The grants create an unbelievable opportunity to use Lower Manhattan as your canvas, and the ability to get funding from a local source has been vital to my work.” Since 1983, the L.M.C.C. has awarded around $500,000 a year to hundreds of Manhattan artists and nonprofit arts organizations with concentrations in dance, music, theater, visual art, new media, film and literature. Each year, applicants throughout the borough can receive up to $5,000 through the L.M.C.C.’s two major grant programs, The Manhattan Community Arts Fund (M.C.A.F.) and The Fund for Creative Communities (commonly referred to as The Fund), which have similar missions but different funding sources. M.C.A.F. grants come from the city Department of Cultural Affairs, while grants from The Fund are provided by the New York State Council on the Arts. For both grants, individuals and organizations who apply must be based in Manhattan, and arts organizations must provide proof of nonprofit status. To apply for a grant through M.C.A.F., organizations must have operating budgets of under $100,000 for two of the last three fiscal years.
Rendering courtesy of Jennifer Cecere
Jennifer Cecere’s new art piece, “Double Doily,” is slated for installation at Whitehall and Water Streets in December.
This year’s grantees in the Downtown area include the Pen Parentis Literary Salon, which meets in the Andaz Hotel at 75 Wall St. to host public readings by notable authors, and the Sound Off concert series, which holds avant-garde music performances at 16 Beaver St. under the auspices of Audience, an arts nonprofit based in the East Village. Historically, the likelihood of being approved for a grant from M.C.A.F. or The Fund is better than many starving artists might imagine, according to Kay Takeda, the L.M.C.C.’s director of grants and services. “Because of the modest size of the grants,” she explained, “we’re able to support roughly 50 percent of our applicants. So you have a one-in-two chance, which makes for really good odds.” She also stressed that, in the end, it’s not just about the money. What often makes L.M.C.C. support so important to emerging artists, or those who are starting new projects, is the public recognition and networking opportunities that come with winning a grant. “It enables people who don’t have a lot of infrastructure to pursue their ideas, while also learning about how to tap into new sources of funding,” said Takeda. That certainly rang true for Cecere, whose 2012 M.C.A.F. grant only amounted to $1,500 — a small portion of the $10,000 she needed to fund her installation, which will comprise large aluminum sculptures in the shape of a folded lace doily. Winning the grant, Cecere said, made it easier to gain much-needed funding from the city Department of Transportation — which maintains the plaza at Whitehall and Water Streets — and other sources. Since meeting the
budget is no longer a problem, she plans to keep her installation at the plaza for at least a year. More broadly, the grants enable arts organizations to connect deeply with the rich cultural heritage of a community, Takeda noted. Since 2005, the L.M.C.C. has played an important role in building support for traditional Chinese opera companies that stage performances in Chinatown. Initially, funding came from the Downtown Cultural Grants Initiative, which was made possible by the September 11 Fund. The L.M.C.C. has since reached out to newer opera companies and helped them apply for grants through M.C.A.F. or The Fund. “The opera is an extraordinary thing, but it had been suffering because it just wasn’t that well known outside of Chinatown,” said Takeda. “So it’s been really amazing to help support this pocket of activity, in which members of the neighborhood are so invested.” For some Downtown artists, adding even small amounts of vibrancy to their drab city streets can make all the difference. When asked why she chose to spend the newest chapter of her artistic career fashioning public doily sculptures, Cecere said it was an easy decision to make. “I’ve just always wanted to add a touch of domesticity to the gritty urban environment,” she said. “I wasn’t sure if it would ever actually get done, but the grant allowed me to make it happen.” The application period for the L.M.C.C.’s 2013 grants is now nearing its end. L.M.C.C. began taking applications in June; the deadline for all submissions is Sept. 13. For more information, visit www.lmcc.net/grants.
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
Developer sues Chinatown group as hotel protests drag on B Y SAM SPOKONY An Asian American advocacy group is continuing to rail against William Su, coowner of the new Chinatown Wyndham Hotel, for what the group deems is unjust treatment of the former tenants of 128 Hester St., who were left homeless in 2009. The group, along with dozens of supporters, held a press conference on Fri., Aug. 24. outside the Wyndham to protest against Su and call for a boycott of the hotel. Su’s attorney, Stuart A. Klein, responded several days later saying that the landlord and his associates are preparing a lawsuit for libel and slander against Asian Americans For Equality (A.A.F.E.), the group behind the protest. “It was quite some time ago that we told them we would sit down and negotiate in good faith,” said Klein, “as long as they would promise to stop these lies and these press conferences. And they’ve flatly refused to stop.” The protesters continue to condemn Su for what they deem to be his repeated refusal to provide housing or monetary compensation to the eight families — a total of 29 tenants — who were displaced when the city Department of Buildings ordered 128 Hester Street to be demolished in August 2009. Friday’s protest marked the third demonstration in two months outside the hotel at 93 Bowery, situated just down the block from the former residential building at 128 Hester St. “We will continue to come here for as long as it takes for the tenants to get justice and compensation,” said A.A.F.E. spokesperson Peter Gee. “This isn’t a case that just starts and ends overnight.” In a July press conference, A.A.F.E. also claimed that the landlord had backed out of a June 7 settlement conference held by the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal. Su and his associates — collectively known as 128 Hester St. L.L.C. — purchased the building in 2007, and A.A.F.E. asserts he intentionally neglected it, resulting in the building’s demolition two years later. A.A.F.E. also claims, citing comments made by the D.O.B., that Su’s construction of the Wyndham on an adjacent lot played a part in the structural deterioration of 128 Hester St. The protesters believe that Su was more focused on building the hotel than ensuring the safety of his tenants. Up to this point, the protesters have had no trouble gathering in front of the Wyndham, as it has not yet opened. But since the hotel is now scheduled to open sometime this month, according to Wyndham’s website, the stage may be set for even more heated conflict. Over the past few months, A.A.F.E. has brought in several local and state leaders to speak on behalf of their cause. Julie Menin, former chair of Community Board 1, spoke at the group’s Aug. 7 press conference alongside a representative from the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council. “We must ensure that we have responsible development in our city and that we protect the stability of our communities from displacement,” said Menin. Xin Shu Zheng, a former tenant of 128 Hester St. who now resides in Queens with his wife, said they are struggling to make ends meet now that they have lost touch with the
Downtown Express photo by Sam Spokony
A.A.F.E. has held three demonstrations this summer in front of the Chinatown Wyndham Garden Hotel, which is set to open this month.
Chinatown community. At the Aug. 24 press conference, Zheng said through a translator that if he could meet Su today, “I would tell him that he is a liar.” Klein contests this allegation, claiming that the owners did in fact put money into the building between 2007 and 2009 in an effort to adequately maintain it. “My clients spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on repairs to 128 Hester, and also reconfigured the superstructure of the hotel in 2009 to prevent it from impacting 128 Hester,” Klein said. “Why would they take the time and money to do that if their intent was to neglect it?” Klein also said he was growing increasingly frustrated with the fact that A.A.F.E. and the protesters have continued to exclusively use Su’s name in their statements. “William Su was not the actual owner of 128 Hester St.,” he said. “He is not the actual owner of 93 Bowery. He is one of a number of people who own an L.L.C. that owns the locations. So why he is being singled out is beyond me.” In an earlier interview, Klein asserted that, after the building became unsafe in 2009, Su and his partners had found a nearby location at which to relocate the displaced tenants, but that A.A.F.E. rejected the plan. “We were going to pay all the reasonable costs to move them into vacant apartments owned by A.A.F.E.,” he said, “but A.A.F.E. refused that option. They said that it was Section 8 housing, and that these people weren’t qualified. I thought that wasn’t true, but they just didn’t explore it any further.” Gee denied this claim in an interview after the Aug. 24 press conference. “I don’t believe that what [Klein] is saying is true at all,” he said. “The reality is that these 29 tenants were wronged, and they deserve compensation.”
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
Chen advocates object to soldiers’ light sentences B Y ALINE REYNOLDS The fourth and fifth of eight soldiers being tried in connection with the apparent suicide of 19-year-old U.S. Army Private Danny Chen, a native of Chinatown, have been convicted of bullying the Asian-American soldier prior to his death. In addition to hazing, 27-year-old Specialist Thomas Curtis, one of six superiors who reportedly abused Chen, pled guilty to maltreating him by kicking, dragging and striking him during active duty in Afganistan. The superior also reportedly mocked Chen by making him speak in Chinese to fellow soldiers and ordering him to wear a construction hard hat. Curtis has been sentenced to three months behind bars, with seven days of credit for time served and a reduction in military rank from specialist to private. Early last October, Chen was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head in a guard tower in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where his military unit was deployed at the time. Elizabeth OuYang, president of the Organization for Chinese Americans’ New York chapter (OCA-NY), the primary advocate in the Chen case, is calling for Curtis’s expulsion from the Army — particularly since he initially faced more serious charges of negligent homicide and reckless endangerment toward
Chen. Also, according to OCA-NY, Curtis has additionally been charged with maltreating Privates Justin Christianson and Benjamin Lowrey by calling them derogatory names and making them do push-ups while wearing plate carrier vests and gas masks. The Army didn’t confirm the latter charges by press time. “The specialist does not know right from wrong. He admitted he used Danny to get out his anger,” said OuYang. “He is willing to follow orders that he knows will demean and physically hurt another soldier for no reason.” Allowing him to remain in the Army, she continued, “puts other soldiers at risk of harm, including death.” Council Member Margaret Chin echoed that sentiment, arguing that not dishonorably discharging soldiers such as Curtis who are guilty of hazing weakens the U.S. military. “Collectively, the behavior of the soldiers tried in connection with Danny’s death paints a sordid picture of the state of our Army and state of mind of some of the young men who serve our country,” she said. “The Army must put an end to the intolerance and indifference to human decency…This is not a strategy that wins wars.” Meanwhile, Sergeant Travis Carden, 25, pled guilty to hazing and maltreating Chen by calling him racially disparaging
Photo courtesy of OCA-NY
U.S. Army soldier Thomas Curtis being taken away in handcuffs after his sentence in connection with Chinatown native Danny Chen’s death.
names and ordering him to do push-ups with his mouth full of water. He has also been sentenced to a reduction in rank and forfeiture of two-thirds of his salary for a month. Referencing Carden’s rank reduction, Army spokesperson George Wright said, “While not as drastic as a three-grade reduction from specialist to private [in the case of Curtis], it reduces that soldier’s authority over other soldiers and eliminates his role as a small-unit leader.”
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Carden was also involved in an altercation in Fort Bragg, North Carolina — the setting of the trials — around the time of his trial late last month. Wright said only that the unit’s leadership is working to resolve the situation. OuYang asserted that Carden’s sentence is also too light vis-à-vis the crimes he has been charged with and contested the court’s ban on public access to the Continued on page 16
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
Gateway Plaza residents fight lease pet rider claw and nail
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Gateway Plaza resident John Lindblom, owner of a 210-pound English mastiff named Wally, being interviewed about the newly imposed lease rider at Gateway Plaza that would prohibit certain breeds and limit dogs to 40 pounds and under.
B Y TERESE LOEB KREUZER Ever since Gateway Plaza opened in Battery Park City 30 years ago, the complex of 1,712 apartments has been pet friendly — but not anymore. Renewal leases with a restrictive pet rider began to appear in early July. The 19-point rider prohibited certain breeds of dogs such as Great Danes, Doberman pinschers and German shepherds. Dogs weighing more than 40 pounds were no longer to be allowed. Tenants were to be limited to one dog per apartment and charged an annual fee of $250 per pet. Dogs had to be registered with management, and cats had to be neutered and declawed. The response was outrage and alarm. In an Aug. 24 letter addressed to Gateway Plaza residents, Greg Tumminia, the general manager, justified the pet rider restrictions by saying they were put in place because of improvements to the property and management’s wish “to create a safe and comfortable living environment for our residents.” Many Gateway Plaza tenants are rent-stabilized because of an agreement reached with the Battery Park City Authority in 2009. It conferred rent-stabilization benefits on existing tenants in exchange for millions of dollars of ground lease rollbacks for the LeFrak Organization, the owner of the property. “We believe that putting any rider in leases breaches the 2009 rent-stabilization agreement,” said Glenn Plaskin, who heads the Gateway Plaza Tenants Association. New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver sides with this belief. Late last month, he wrote to Richard LeFrak, the C.E.O. of the LeFrak Organization, saying the new pet rider violates the terms of the agreement. “In 2009, we came to an agreement to extend rent increase limitations to a number of Gateway residents…I ask that [the pet rider] be taken out of renewal leases.” In response, Gateway Plaza management began to backtrack. The regulation stating that cats would have to be neutered and declawed was the first to be rescinded,
and each succeeding announcement to tenants has removed some of the restrictive provisions. An Aug. 28 letter to the residents said that there would be no annual $250 fee per pet, and that the weight and dog breed restrictions referenced in the pet rider would only apply to new pets. “All pets in residence as of Aug. 1, 2012 are exempt from weight and breed restrictions,” according to the letter. However, it still required that pets be registered with the management office. Pets would be photographed and issued a numbered registration tag, the letter said, and registration would begin in mid-September. Jeff Galloway, who founded the Battery Park City Dog Association with his wife, Paula Galloway, said he would not be registering his dogs. “My dogs are licensed by the City of New York,” he said. “If a dog causes a problem, [the management] already know the tenants.” Moreover, in the opinion of the Gateway Plaza Tenants Association, the softening of the pet rider provisions missed the essential point, at least as it applies to rent-stabilized tenants. “According to an agreement that was carefully hammered out and agreeable to all, it doesn’t matter if it’s a rider about cotton candy and fudge,” said Plaskin. “There can be no rider. That’s non-negotiable. “If the building wants to post rules about pet etiquette or that kind of thing, that’s fine,” he continued, “but you can’t change this contract.” Though the rent-stabilized tenants seem to have some clear legal protections, the situation for non-rent-stabilized tenants is less clear. As of Aug. 30, it seemed, according to Plaskin, that Gateway Plaza tenants who were not rent-stabilized could be evicted when their leases came up for renewal if they had dogs weighing more than 40 pounds. But that, too, seemed to be changing. Management seemed to have decided that tenants who lived in the building as of Aug. Continued on page 17
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
Editorial PUBLISHER
Jennifer Goodstein PUBLISHER EMERITUS
John W. Sutter ASSOCIATE EDITOR
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Eleven years after 9/11, obstacles remain THERE ISN’T SO MUCH AS HALF THE
amount of hype around this year’s anniversary of Sept. 11 as there was last year. Understandably, the decennial anniversary carried a special meaning for many. Yet, for local residents who witnessed the attacks or felt their after-effects first-hand, every September brings back the troublesome memories and emotions attached to that fateful day. Locals will never forget the dreadful moments in the minutes after the hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers — when some were dropping their children off at school, others rushing to work late and yet others in work meetings in the Towers’ offices. But most memorable, perhaps, is the way in which area residents came together to rebuild their shattered, desolate area. People from all walks of life have participated in Downtown’s post-9/11 rebuilding effort, which has resulted in the area becoming one of the most prosperous residential and commercial places in the city. Since 2001, Downtown has seen its residential population double in size, several new K-12 schools open up and scores of businesses sign leases for commercial space. Yet with Lower Manhattan’s successes have come serious challenges. As has been widely reported in the press, the National Sept. 11 Memorial
Museum isn’t opening to the public this month, as anticipated, due to a seemingly endless financial dispute between the 9/11 Memorial Foundation and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. We are all troubled by the delay and especially by the uncertainty of when the museum will be completed — a situation particularly galling for those who lost loved ones on 9/11 and who have been anxiously awaiting the museum’s opening for years now. It is time for the disputing parties to come together and reach a workable compromise so that progress at the Memorial isn’t further stymied — if for no other reason than to honor the deceased 11 years after the attacks. The lack of a robust tenancy for the new World Trade Center towers is also worrisome. Though developer Larry Silverstein continues to voice optimism with respect to Tower 3, for example, there is no reason to believe he will be able to meet his commitment of leasing 400,000 square feet of space by the end of 2013. If he isn’t able to do so, construction on the Tower will come to a halt, and the developer will build a temporary roof atop the seven floors already built out. This would create anxiety about the tower’s fate and postpone the completion date beyond the current target of 2015. This shortfall could have a detrimental impact on the W.T.C. complex as a whole — in terms of both completion and tenancy — since construction of all
the towers is often interconnected. Downtown is also struggling to keep public infrastructure apace with its residential growth. The neighborhoods are experiencing a startling dearth of affordable housing — a problem that lacks any realistic solution in sight. The few subsidized housing apartments left, at Independence Plaza North and Southbridge Towers, are in jeopardy of becoming market-rate, and the city hasn’t committed to building new affordable units in the area. That, coupled with the thriving real estate market, will continue to push middle- and lowincome families out of the area. Also, Downtown’s public schools continue to bust at the seams, causing parents to search desperately for alternative options for their children’s education. But, for the most part, these are all expected and manageable growing pains in Downtown’s rebirth. It is certain that, if the area was able to survive the worst terrorist attack on American soil in the nation’s history, it will be able to weather the hardships accompanied by its revitalization. This is largely thanks to Downtown’s stalwart residents and elected officials, who work tirelessly to see issues through to completion in an effort to simultaneously preserve a high quality of life and rebuild their cherished neighborhoods. It is this collective dedication and strength that will get them through the coming years of shortfalls.
CENSORSHIP AT SOUTHBRIDGE TOWERS
Re “Zoning complaint highlights tension around POPS regs” (news article, Aug. 22):
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To The Editor: Re “New high-tech crime center enables cops to better target terrorists” (news article, Aug. 22): Thank you very much for the excellent article. The dichotomy in which society has to weigh the use of potentially intrusive technology or other potentially far-reaching police measures to protect the citizens — notwithstanding the potential impingements of civil liberties — has gotten much more complicated since 9/11. While I have not necessarily been in agreement with how the city has reacted to all post-9/11 issues, I do believe that the incredibly novel, aggressive and progressive approaches the city is now taking (as outlined in your article) are much welcomed. The city should be applauded for being at the forefront in developing cutting edge, state-ofthe-art technology, in partnership with Microsoft, that can ultimately be used by other cities around the country and the world. The fact that the city will also commission future sales of this software and use the funds for further counterterrorism activities is icing on the cake and evidence of some great forward-thinking by our local leaders, in face of the most significant threat to our liberty and American way of life of our generation. Many of us have come a long way toward the seemingly impossible task of healing our wounds from that horrific day and its aftermath. Knowing what the city is doing, I for one, will walk around the streets feeling a bit safer. William H. Groner
To the Editor: Is it not known to the vast majority of Downtown Express readers that everyone has the right to express themselves as citizens of the United States of America? It’s right there in the First Amendment of the Constitution. Well, apparently there are those here at Southbridge Towers who do not believe in that right. Something is wrong with the cause of democracy here at S.B.T. We, the side that opposes going private, should have the right to give our viewpoints without having our messages ripped off of bulletin boards. There is no provocation for this disgraceful conduct; it has been done for no reason except to deny others the right to hear our points of contention. There is absolutely no profanity nor any incitement to violence in our messages — merely what we believe to be the terrible truth about privatization. Both sides of the issue should be openly pursued, especially if there is going to be a vote on an issue of importance to co-op dwellers. But judging by the boards right now, it appears just about all of the material up there is overwhelmingly pro-privatization. Geraldine Lipschutz Lipschutz is a resident of S.B.T. (77 Fulton St.)
NO MORE PEACE AND QUIET AT 75 WALL ST. To the Editor:
I have lived in the Financial District since the early 1970s and have since enjoyed — along with parents and their children, the elderly and just the ordinary harried worker — the peace and quiet of the little park at 75 Wall St. Now, that is gone and yet another public space has been given over to private interests — in this case to a beer garden, which is ironic when just the other day a man was given a summons for drinking beer on the front steps of his Brooklyn home. To the casual passerby who was quoted in your article, the beer garden may seem like a good idea, but if the passerby were to consider the serious implications for the well-being of all people that results from turning over a public space to private interests, they may reconsider their opinions. What is the function of a park if not to provide a place to rest from the weary hubbub of the city? There are too few such public places, especially in the Financial District. Also, from what I see, the Andaz does not even abide by the new variance in the law given to the spaces along Water Street. O tempora! O mores! Richard Fabrizio E-mail letters, not longer than 300 words in length, to aline@downtownexpress.com or fax to 212-229-2790 or mail to Downtown Express, Letters to the Editor, 515 Canal St., Suite 1C, NY, NY 10013. Please include phone number for confirmation purposes. Downtown Express reserves the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and libel. Downtown Express does not publish anonymous letters.
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
On The Spot with
Edward Biedermann The New York Harbor School, a public high school on Governors Island that trains students in marine science and technology, will start this school year with a new interim principal. Thirty-one-year-old Edward Biedermann, the school’s assistant principal since 2010, will be taking the reins from Nate Dudley, who led the school since its 2003 founding in Bushwick, Brooklyn and oversaw its move to Governors Island. Biedermann spoke to the Downtown Express about his approach to his new role and future plans for the Harbor School.
BY SAM SPOKONY Where did you work before coming to the Harbor School? Since 2003, I had been a teacher at the Chelsea Career and Technical Education High School. I taught social studies there, and, in particular, U.S. history and government. During that time I also served as the social studies department chair and as the school’s data specialist. What originally drew you to the Harbor School? I came to the school at a time when
I was ready to make the transition from teacher to school leader. I was specifically looking for a school that did not screen its freshman class — one that allowed for, by and large, open enrollment. Basically, I wanted to work at a school that was really focused on accelerating celerating student achievement and one that truly understood the potential ial of young people. When I first interviewed for the job at the Harbor bor School, [co-founder and program am director] Murray Fisher took mee out on one of the school’s small passenger boats, around the harbor arbor and under the Brooklyn klyn Bridge. He was showing ing me what the experience nce is like for the school’s l’s students, and I thought ght to myself, ‘This is clearly rly a place that’s providing ng something special.’ What lessons or ideas as will you take with you u upon entering yourr new role? The top rule at thee Harbor School hass always been ‘safetyy first.’ That will continue to be my first rule. Nate Dudley also created a very strong social justice
mission that still permeates the school, and I think that as we move forward in expanding the opportunities we provide to students, that spirit will remain. We need to continue exposing the students, many of whom come from landlocked comexperiences that munities, to new n bring them closer to the water. many, these experiences For many prepare them for life-long will prepa careers on or near the water. leaves big shoes to fill, Nate leav hopeful that I can folbut I’m ho low in his ffootsteps, and that I can inspire our staff, too ca faculty and students to fac ssucceed. How would you characterize your goals for the Harbor School’s new Marine Science and Technology (MAST) Center, which opens this fall? The MAST Center will be an incredible place for students to enhance ttheir studies, and it will help them become w more competitive colmo lege applicants. In leg
the short term, the Center will house the Harbor School’s aquaculture, vessel operations and underwater diving programs. In the long term, we’re hoping to expand the facility to an even greater scale. There have been discussions about possibly building out further off of Pier 101 and installing additional smaller piers suited for smaller boats. There have also been talks about building a sophisticated simulator system in the MAST. Center, where students could practice being in the water while staying in the building. Are there any plans to incorporate middle school grades into the Harbor School? There have been tentative discussions about creating a separate, harbor-oriented middle school in each of the five boroughs. But there’s certainly nothing concrete about any of this yet, and for now we’re just gauging what the public’s and the city’s interest in those plans would be. As a former social studies teacher, could you ever imagine yourself leading a school like this? This wasn’t something I had set out to do when I started my career, but it’s certainly something that I welcome. And the marine science aspect of this job is really a treat. It’s the perk of this position. To be involved with a school that has a serious environmental focus, one that wants to train students to be stewards of the environment, is a wonderful thing.
TRANSIT SAM THE ANSWER MAN
ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE SUSPENDED MON., SEPT. 17 AND TUES., SEPT. 18 FOR ROSH HASHANAH Good news for Downtowners! The ban on Hudson Street traffic entering the Holland Tunnel is over. This spells r-e-li-e-f for Canal Street, Broome Street and Varick Street. There will still be traffic jams, but not as bad as we’ve seen. The city tells me all lanes are now open on Hudson Street between North Moore and Laight Streets. Schools open on Thurs., Sept. 6, so please drive extra carefully and expect turbulence the first few days by our elementary schools, as parents want to make sure all is well with their children. Fashion week kicks off Thursday with “Fashion Night Out” — which means store events will occur all over the city, including Lower Manhattan, with fashionistas filling up stores and slowing traffic along Mercer Street, Prince Street, West Broadway and Broadway, to name a few. In transit news, Fastrack repairs are back on the Lexington Avenue lines, which
means no service in Lower Manhattan the nights of Wed., Sept. 5 and Thurs., Sept. 6. The 4,5,6 lines will be closed between Grand Central-42nd Street and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center overnight (10 p.m. to 5 a.m.). Prepare to move over on Sun., Sept. 6, when more than 6,000 bicyclists are coming soon to your neighborhood! The NYC Century Bike Tour will bring rolling closures all across Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn, including these Downtown streets (among others), from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Ninth Avenue between Broadway and Hudson Street, Bleecker Street between Hudson and Mott Streets, Mott Street between Bleecker and Hester Streets and Lafayette Street between Worth and Centre Streets. For a full list of closures, visit http://nyccentury.org. Good news for the Holland Tunnel: the completion of a water main installation on Hudson Street between North Moore and Laight Streets means all lanes will be restored to their previous traffic patterns (as of Aug. 2012). • Access to the Holland Tunnel from
Hudson Street (at Canal Street) will be allowed. • Westbound and Eastbound drivers on Canal Street will still be able to enter the Holland Tunnel. Tues., Sept. 11 is World Trade Center Remembrance Day, so please be respectful and do not drive in the area.
FROM THE MAILBAG:
Dear Allen, By the time you read this, conditions should be significantly improved although work won’t be concluded for another few weeks. When it is finished, you will find an enlarged traffic island with safer and easier crossings through this tough intersection — just in time for the restoration of the Hudson Street access to the tunnel.
Dear Transit Sam, Transit Sam The pedestrian path across Canal Street. at the entrance to the Holland Tunnel has been blocked off for several days now by city Department of Transportation work. I find it to be a danger zone for pedestrians such as myself who regularly traverse the intersection. Do you know how long the construction work will take, or if there’s a way to make the intersection safer during the work period? Allen, Manhattan
Confused about ever-changing traffic and parking regulations? Need driving tips to navigate around Lower Manhattan? If so, e-mail Sam Schwartz at TransitSam@ downtownexpress.com or write to Transit Sam, 611 Broadway, Suite 415, New York, N.Y. 10012. Follow me at www.twitter. com/GridlockSam.
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
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Chef Ivan Beacco of Acqua Restaurant and Wine Bar created “Flavor of Italy,” a menu tour of regional cuisine.
B Y JANEL BLADOW Have you ever wanted to spend a year wining and dining your way through Italy? More things than just time and money constraints put that dream to rest. There is also the waistline to worry about. Now, almost all the concerns are taken out of the equation — except, perhaps having to add extra notches on your belt. Acqua Restaurant and Wine Bar (21 Peck Slip) launches “Flavor of Italy” this week. A menu of authentic dishes from one of the 20 regions of Italy will debut every other week throughout the coming year. In addition to its regular menu, ingredients imported from Italy along with fresh, homegrown goods will be prepared in recipes indigenous to each region. Chef Ivan Beacco, new to Acqua this year, wanted to share some of the dishes he grew up eating as a child in Italy with his New York customers. “Italian food is so different, depending on where you are in the country,” he explained to the Downtown Express. “I grew up in Trieste, in the north. The food is German-influenced, with cold cuts, cream-based sauces and, of course, our favorite meat — pork.” It was a surprise to him how much diners at Acqua knew about the foods and wines of Italy. Beacco previously worked at restaurants in Union Square, the Village and Queens. “I love this area,” he said. “It’s such a different experience. Customers have way more knowledge of classic Italian cuisine than other places I have worked.” For this reason, he came up with
the concept of a tasting tour of the 20 regions of Italian and has created 20 menus of appetizers, pastas, salads, main courses — and, naturally, desserts based on recipes that originated in the area. The tasting menu ($48) consists of four courses and a glass of wine of regional grapes. The menu is also available à la carte. “We’re starting from the south and going north, to match the climate. So we go from the islands to the Alps,” said Beacco. The tour begins this week with the best of the island of Sicily through Sept. 9. Then from Sept. 17 – 23, the foods of Sardinia are featured, followed by a week of Calabria cuisine (Oct. 1-7) and the rich fare of Puglia (Oct. 15 -21). “Sicily and Sardinia are close, but the particular ingredients are so different,” he explained. “In Sicily, there is a wide array of seafood from sardines to shellfish. Sardinia has mountains, so more goat and vegetable sauces are used.” Sicilian calamari is a special this week, while in two weeks, Beacco has prepared a Sardinian recipe of roasted goat shank with porcini sauce, new potatoes and sautéed chicory, as well as Sebadas, Sardinian turnovers filled with fresh pecorino, orange zest and served with organic honey. Calabria week sees hand-rolled short pasta with spicy Calabrian sausage, peppers and sheep’s milk ricotta. “Each region has a very complex sense of identity, tradition and way of living,” he said. “The idea is to emphasize traditions and introduce diners to genuine dishes, too often changed over the years.”
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Ringing in the Jewish New Year at 92YTribeca B Y TEQUILA MINSKY What do you get when you have the grandson of a great Ashkenazi traditional cantor mentored by subway-playing Carolina Slim, a South Carolina Piedmont Blues guitarist and singer known for rich harmonies and polyrhythmic, fingerpicking guitar patterns, accompanied by a rabbi-in-residence? You get Jeremiah Lockwood and Rabbi Dan Ain conducting this season’s High Holiday services at the 92YTribeca at 200 Hudson St. Ain explains that Lockwood learned the classic musical tunes from his grandfather, Cantor Jacob Konigsberg, who for decades was a guest cantor in Chicago. Lockwood is well-known as the front man for his indie band, The Sway Machinery, whose songs are a blend of Afro-beat, rock and other musical genres. “Jeremiah is trying to capture the deep roots of Ashkenazi Jewish spiritual music,” said Ain. “He is proficient and experimental, and has the unique ability to reach back to move forward.” Lockwood believes that music is the most essential part of the holidays. “It is life-giving,” he said, noting that he uses traditional liturgical source material and strives for a balance between authenticity, historical form and personal expression. Lockwood, accompanied by an organist, will be singing and playing guitar while leading the prayers. Lockwood embellishes, adapts and creates melodies, infusing them with incredible energy. “Many of the songs — Avinu Malkeinu, Aleinu, and the Shema — will be completely identifiable,” said Ain. He will lead Kol Nidre, the Aramaic declaration before the evening Yom Kippur service. As the two musicians team together to bring in the Hebrew year 2773, they meld the old with the new and the relevant with the esoteric. This includes putting together a 40-page prayer book for Rosh Hashanah — an assort-
Rendering courtesy of 92Y Tribeca
92YTribeca’s rabbi-in-residence Dan Ain leads High Holiday services, Friday night dinners and more as part of the venue’s Jewish Life programs.
ment of High Holiday hits drawing from all the Jewish denominations. “I’m an equal opportunity appropriator,” Ain said of his service, which will include Hebrew with translation and transliteration. His aim is to make Jewish life accessible by removing from it linguistic and other such barriers. Ain looks for Jewish interpretations that speak to Downtown residents, especially those in their 20s and 30s who are trying to find their way. He suggested that, in spite of technology, young people can have challenges connecting, and that 140 characters — the maximum amount allowed in a Tweet — is an incomplete form of communication. “I try to create a space for young people to engage in
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face-to-face, real conversation,” he said. This is the rabbi’s third High Holiday service as part of the “Jewish Life” component at the 92YTribeca, a Jewish cultural center known as Makor that was formerly located on W. 67th St. It relocated to Tribeca in 2008, shortly after merging with the Y. Film, comedy and classes on literature, wine and architecture (among other topics) are other areas of emphasis, Ain noted. “With people unemployed, underemployed, and disillusioned, some are struggling to make sense of where they find themselves,” he said. “Our tradition has been grappling with these issues for centuries.” Along with events for major holidays, the Rabbi hosts monthly Friday night Shabbat dinners with guest attendees and lively discussions. Previous guests included comedian Gilbert Gottfried and hip-hop D.J. Peter Rosenberg. On Fri., Sept. 28, 92TribecaY will host an election-themed night with Ari Berman of The Nation and Noah Pollak of Commentary. On Fri., Nov. 16, Father Jim Martin, known as the “official chaplain of The Colbert Report,” will partake in an event where all are welcome to share their favorite rabbipriest jokes. Rosh Hashanah services will be held on Sat., Sept. 15 and Sun., Sept. 16. The tradition of eating apples and honey cake will precede the Rosh Hashanah evening services, which begin at 7 p.m. on Sept. 16. In Conservative and Orthodox traditions, a second day — September 17 — is observed. Yom Kippur takes place the evenings of Tues., Sept. 25 and Wed., Sept. 26. At 92YTribeca, Kol Nidre, Yom Kippur begins at 7 p.m. on Sept. 25. Services begin the day after at 10:30 a.m. Concluding services featuring a dialogue with the rabbi start at 5:30 p.m. and are followed by a break-the-fast meal.
trinitywallstreet.org
SEPTEMBER 6
SEPTEMBER 20
Steven Stucky, 2005 Sonate en forme de preludes
Kevin Puts, 2012 Einstein on Mercer Street
Zhou Long, 2011 Dhyana
Yehudi Wyner, 2006 The Second Madrigal: Voices of Women
Paul Moravec, 2004 Tempest Fantasy Ornette Coleman, 2007 SEPTEMBER 13 Jennifer Higdon, 2010 wissahickon poeTrees David Lang, 2008 these broken wings
SEPTEMBER 27 John Adams, 2003 Son of Chamber Symphony Henry Brant, 2002 Four Skeleton Pieces Steve Reich, 2009 Daniel Variations
John Corigliano, 2001 Winging it an Episcopal parish in the city of New York
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
Downtown Express photos by Milo Hess
All Good Things opens with scrumptious spreads The recent opening of All Good Things was a welcome treat for gourmet-starved Tribeca residents. The European-style market — housed at 102 Franklin St. in a 2,000-square-foot former industrial building that has been renovated to highlight its natural, elegant beauty — features artisanal goods and produce from nine New York vendors whom creator Kyle Wittel tempted to come Downtown. They include Cavaniola’s Gourmet Cheese Shop of Sag Harbor; Brooklyn’s Blue Marble Ice Cream and Nunu Chocolates; the floral flourishes of Polux Fleuriste; Orwasher’s Bakery from the Upper East Side; Dickson’s Farmstand meats from Chelsea Market; and Blue Bottle Coffee.
September 5 - September 19, 2012
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B Y TERESE LOEB KREUZER
M.T.A. TAPS B.P.C. RESIDENT FOR SUBWAY PHOTO EXHIBIT: A newly installed wall of photographs at the 4/5 Bowling Green subway stop causes some subway riders to stop in their tracks for a closer look. The photos, taken by Battery Park City resident Jay Fine, depict Lower Manhattan scenes such as the sunset over the Hudson River, the Staten Island ferry and a marching band at the South Street Seaport. There are seven photos in all — each of them 66 inches wide by 45 inches tall — displayed as transparencies. The exhibit, entitled “Edge of Manhattan,” is part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Arts for Transit and Urban Design program in subway and commuter rail stations. The M.T.A. commissions both well-established and emerging artists to create art that complements the architectural history and design of individual stations. Materials the artists use include mosaic, ceramic, tile, bronze, steel and faceted glass. There are currently 230 permanent art installations throughout the M.T.A. system plus four photography light box installations that include the one at Bowling Green. The others are at Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, the 42nd Street Bryant Park subway station and the Grand Central Terminal dining concourse. “The overarching goal of these programs is to enhance the transit experience for our riders,” said Lester Burg, manager of the Arts for Transit and Urban Design program. Burg said he selected Fine because he had been looking for photography that dealt with the role of the river in Lower Manhattan and
Downtown Express photos by Terese Loeb Kreuzer
To the left, a hummingbird in Battery Park City’s Wagner Park. Under the auspices of the B.P.C. Parks Conservancy, naturalists will lead birdwatching walks in September and October. Many migrating birds pass through the area in the fall.
how it shapes the way spaces are used in Downtown. “I sought strong images that would work in a very busy station adorned with bright tile,” he said, “and Jay’s work as a chronicler of Lower Manhattan fit the bill.” Fine has lived in B.P.C. for around 10 years. His photos have previously appeared in National Geographic, Popular Photography, The Daily News, The Daily Telegraph and on NBC Nightly News. He exhibits at the Kim Foster Gallery at 529 W. 20th St. Kim Foster and her husband, painter Antonio (Tony) Petracca, who exhibits at the gallery, are also B.P.C. residents. “I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised when they contacted me,” Fine said of his subway exhibit for which he was paid an honorarium. Duggal Visual Solutions contributed the printing, and Kodak supplied the Duratrans — Kodak’s brand name for a heavy transparency material designed for use in large, backlit displays — on which the photos are printed. The exhibit will be up for at least a year.
9/11 COMMEMORATIONS AT THE MEMORIAL: The anniversary of 9/11 will never be just another day in Battery Park City. This Sept. 11 at the World Trade Center site, family members will read the names of the victims, but there will be no speeches from politicians. At St. Paul’s Chapel, which was remarkably unscathed by the destruction of the W.T.C., the Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee, vicar of Trinity Wall Street, will ring the Bell of Hope at 8:45 a.m. in remembrance of the 9/11 victims. The bell was a gift to Trinity Church from the Lord Mayor of London and was cast at the same foundry that cast the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. At 3 p.m. that day, the United States Military Academy Band from West Point will present a free, hourlong program of patriotic music at Trinity Church, located at the intersection of Broadway and Wall Street. Lower Manhattan residents can bypass the crowds by visiting the National Sept. 11 Memorial Plaza on Sun., Sept. 9, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Residents are entitled to up to four passes each, which they can retrieve from the Community Board 1 office (4951 Chambers St., Suite 715) between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The board can also be reached by e-mail, community@911memorial.org on or before Friday, Sept. 7, to request passes.
B.P.C. BLOCK PARTY PLANS:
B.P.C. resident Jay Fine is exhibiting his photos of Lower Manhattan in the 4/5 Bowling Green subway station. The photos will be on display for at least a year as part of the M.T.A.’s Arts for Transit and Urban Design program, established to beautify the public transit system.
Plans are being finalized for Battery Park City’s annual block party, which is scheduled for Sat., Sept. 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Esplanade Plaza, just south of North Cove Marina. The first B.P.C. block party, a celebration of survival and continuity, took place in September 2002 to bring the community back together following 9/11. Since then, some block party events have become eagerly awaited rituals that would probably provoke howls of disappointment if they were changed. The block party always opens with a communal sing and ends with lusty renditions of “Downtown” and “New York, New York.”
This year, as usual, there will be rides and games for the kids, arts and crafts, a flea market organized by the B.P.C. Seniors and food from several neighborhood restaurants. The TriBattery Pops will perform, and there will be dancing and karaoke singing. The B.P.C. Parks Conservancy will bring potted plants, compost and a display about their horticultural practices. Local businesses will display their wares and services, and the block party committee will host a wine tasting on one of the boats in North Cove Marina. Other festivities are still being ironed out. There will probably be a cupcakebaking contest, a tank full of Hudson River fish and an exhibit put on by the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. It’s not too late to be part of the action. To volunteer, e-mail volunteer@bpcblockparty.com. B.P.C. residents wishing to promote their businesses should e-mail info@bpcblockparty.com by signing up for a free table.
BIRD WATCHING IN WAGNER PARK: With the approach of fall, large numbers of migrating birds are traveling through Battery Park City on their way south. They use the Hudson River to navigate, following its course until it connects with the Atlantic Ocean. As some of these birds stop in B.P.C. to feed and rest, the B.P.C. Parks Conservancy has scheduled naturalist-led bird walks in Wagner Park for Sat., Sept. 15 and Sat., Oct. 20 from 11 a.m. to noon. On Fri., Sept. 28 and Fri., Oct. 12 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., twilight nature walks in Wagner Park are likely to bring sightings of hummingbirds fattening themselves up on nectar for their lengthy journey to Mexico and Central America where they will spend the winter. Binoculars are provided for these bird-watching walks. Both novice and ardent bird watchers are welcome. To comment on the Battery Park City Beat or to suggest article ideas, e-mail Terese Loeb Kreuzer at TereseLoeb10@ gmail.com.
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
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Chen advocates contest lack of access to sergeant’s trial Continued from page 8
trials. According to military law, a summary court-martial such as Carden’s — the least serious of the Army’s trial types — is administrative in nature and therefore not open to the public. Part of Carden’s punishment, she said, should be to admit how he abused Chen in front of the soldier’s family and Chinatown neighbors. “Sergeant Carden’s altercation with the government’s witness shows he is not deterred by the military court process and its light sentences,” said OuYang. “Allowing him to remain in the Army contradicts Army values of respect, honor
and integrity.” Responding to OuYang’s complaint about public access to the summary courts-martial, Wright said, “Legal teams could agree it was in the best interest of the government and in the best interest of the defendant for the trial to take place in a speedy manner…to not tie up the resources of all the parties involved.” The courts-martial of three other soldiers connected with Chen’s death will take place in the coming weeks. According to the Army, the trials for Staff Sergeant Andrew Van Bockel and First Lieutenant Daniel Schwartz are scheduled for early and late October, respectively. The trial date for Sergeant Jeffrey Hurst was pending as of press time on Tues., Sept. 4.
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Stuyvesant’s cheating scandal began in June, when student Nayeem Ahsan, 16, was caught using a cell phone to take pictures of the state’s Regents exams that he sent to more than 50 classmates. Once he was caught, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott began an investigation — which is still ongoing — to find out why the Stuyvesant administration waited nearly a week to report the incident to the D.O.E.
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The Mandell School, an independent nursery-to-eighth grade school on the Upper West Side, recently announced that it would be opening a new preschool program in the Financial District in fall 2013. The new 30 Broad St. location will be open to toddlers and pre-nursery students. The expansion is being undertaken due to the significant demand in Downtown neighborhoods for new preschools, according to the school’s press release. “While the population of young children in the city increases, the number of independent school seats remains almost entirely stagnant, and admission rates have hit record lows,” said Gabriella Rowe, head of the Mandell School, in a statement. “The Mandell School is taking action by bringing our school to more neighborhoods in New York City and offering a high-quality education to more children.” The population of young children in many Downtown neighborhoods has boomed over the past decade. Between 2000 and 2010, there was a 60 percent increase in the number of children ages five and under in Tribeca, according to Census Bureau data. The Mandell School, which was founded
in 1939, is also expanding to a new location in Lincoln Square this fall, and has plans to expand to the East Side in fall 2013.
WORKER HOSPITALIZED AFTER FALL AT 3 W.T.C. A construction worker at 3 World Trade Center was hospitalized in serious condition on Wed., Aug. 29 after falling 15 feet and suffering injuries to his head and arms. The male worker, 36, was sitting atop a steel beam outside the building on Church and Cortlandt Streets shortly before 1:30 p.m., when he fell off of it, according to sources from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and F.D.N.Y. that were cited in the New York Post. An F.D.N.Y. spokesperson also told the Commerical Observer that both of the worker’s arms were broken in the accident. He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital after paramedics arrived on the scene. John Gallagher, a spokesperson for Tishman Construction, the construction manager for 3 W.T.C., told the Observer that, at the time of the fall, the injured worker had been following all prescribed safety procedures. The incident follows other recent construction accidents at the W.T.C. site. In June, a 37-year-old construction worker bruised his liver and sustained two fractured ribs after he fell six feet onto a steel rebar. A day later, a crane smashed its beam into the windows on the 46th floor of 4 W.T.C., causing two window panes to shatter and sending glass down to the street below.
TWO MORE W.T.C. WORKERS BUSTED FOR DRINKING Two construction workers assigned to the World Trade Center Transportation Hub were caught drinking alcohol during their Continued on page 23
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
Unified Asian-Latino districts hot Changing pet rules leave topics at hearing residents on uneven footing Continued from page 5
That newfound political maturity won’t evaporate, he assured, saying, “The current representation will continue.” Also, AAFE simply does not endorse the idea of “separate but equal,” as he put it — that is, the creation of a low-income, minority district. “We don’t like that idea that you concentrate all the poverty and low-income people — all Chinatown and public housing — [into a single district],” Kui explained. Bottom line, the district hasn’t changed that much since Chin was elected three years ago, so there is no need to change things now, he stated. And as for it taking two decades to elect an Asian candidate since the 1992 redistricting, Kui framed it in the larger context of Chinatown’s historical underrepresentation. “That’s why we need to preserve the gain,” he stressed. “It’s not 20 years — it’s 160 years.”
THE BERMAN WATCH Redistricting could also affect the District 3 race — specifically whether Andrew Berman, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation’s executive director, decides to toss his hat in the ring versus expected candi-
dates Corey Johnson and Yetta Kurland. Specifically, if the N.Y.U. superblocks — where Berman has been actively fighting the university’s 2031 development plans — were redistricted out of District 1 and into District 3, it would be a major boost for a potential Berman candidacy. Add in Soho to District 3, as well, and a Berman run would look increasingly strong. However, Kelly Magee, Chin’s spokesperson, said that while District 1 experienced a significant population boom in the last decade, its numbers still fall within an acceptable range for districting purposes. That is, District 1’s population of 169,225, according to the 2010 Census, is only 5.3 percent above the mean for the city’s 51 Council districts. There isn’t supposed to be a deviation of more than 10 percent between the city’s largest and smallest districts. Because District 1 falls in the middle of that spread, it wouldn’t warrant a significant redistricting, according to Magee. She said she could see Chin’s district losing a small, triangular sliver along East Houston Street to District 2, but not much more than that. The commission is slated to produce its initial district maps this month, after this paper went to press. Another round of public hearings is scheduled for October.
Continued from page 9
31, 2012 would not be subjected to quantity, pet size or breed restrictions. However, this policy would not apply to new tenants. Galloway and Plaskin said they were opposed to creating two tiers of tenants — those who could have any number of dogs of any breed and size, and those who were restricted. Sid and Terry Baumgarten, who own a 70-pound Plott hound named Puccini and have lived in Gateway Plaza for 23 years, called the proposed regulations, whether they apply to existing or new tenants, absurd. “Why say that no dog can be over 40 pounds?” Sid Baumgarten asked. “Why is 45 pounds different than 39 pounds? And they said ‘no hunting or guard dogs.’ A beagle is technically a hunting dog. So is a dachshund.” He noted that a lot of people would not have moved to Gateway Plaza were it not friendly to dogs. John Lindblom and his wife, Dani Lindblom, said that if the couple had to choose between signing a new, restrictive lease and giving up their canine, they would move. They own a 210-pound English mastiff named Wally and moved into Gateway Plaza
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seven months ago. John Lindblom said that, despite some verbiage in their lease about pets, they were told they could have whatever pets they wanted — as long as the pets were well-behaved. “It’s a little frustrating to be placed in the middle of these circumstances,” said Lindblom. “As far as we know, we haven’t done anything wrong.” While Gateway Plaza is a great facility, he added, “It’s unfortunate that they’ve put stipulations around pets.” The situation still seems to be in flux, leaving tenants whose leases are up soon on uncertain ground. “We are telling tenants that, in our opinion, if they are covered by the rent-stabilization agreement, this is a violation of the agreement, and they shouldn’t need to sign the pet rider,” said Galloway. “Unless you are facing an imminent decision, I would say hold tight, because the situation changes every day.” Most of the dogs at Gateway are socialized and safe, according to Plaskin. “You cannot punish an entire pet population because there are a few dogs that are aggressive,” he said. Galloway agreed, saying, “If landlords think they can deal with normal problems by imposing draconian restrictions on everybody, that’s something that everybody should worry about.”
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
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Dr. Nomi Levy-Carrick, the mental health director of the W.T.C. Environmental Health Center at Bellevue Hospital, said that about 630 new patients were admitted to the program over the past year.
Health center shifts focus to long-term care Continued from page 1
is run by the city’s Health and Hospitals Corporation (H.H.C.). Along with the fact that it offers treatment programs at three locations — Bellevue Hospital in Kips Bay, Manhattan, Elmhurst Hospital in Queens and Gouverneur Healthcare Services in Lower Manhattan — the center has grown in three major ways since its inception in 2005. The most apparent growth is demonstrated by the mere number of patients, which have increased steadily each year. More than 600 new patients have entered the program since last September, according to Levy-Carrick. Another change has been in the center’s source of funding. Originally, in order to provide treatment at no cost, a grant-based program was used to take in money from both city and federal donors. But since July 2011 — in a program that will continue through the next five years — the center is now bolstered by approximately $10 million dollars per year in federal funds through the James L. Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. Levy-Carrick stressed that the change in funding has not, and will not, change the amount or types of treatment offered. “We’re providing the same services, but it’s just being done under a different framework,” she said, adding that, as of last summer, the center must also provide the federal government with certification that its patients’ illnesses are tied to 9/11 exposure. And as the center continues to grow and understand the needs of its patients, there has also been a change in perspective: It has shifted from acute treatment to chronic illness management — in LevyCarrick’s words, from a short-term focus to a long-term focus.
“It’s an attempt to help people understand what we’re doing and the kind of treatment that we’re offering,” she said. “I think some people feel that, 11 years after the attacks, they shouldn’t still be having physical or mental symptoms, or they’re not clear why the issues would last this long.” By changing the focus, the doctor continued, “we can make people a little more comfortable about coming forward to get treatment.” For Donna Faria, a Brooklyn resident who was working at 33 Beaver St. on 9/11, that decision to become a patient has made a world of difference. Faria, 59, was one of thousands of people who fled across the Brooklyn Bridge the day of the attacks and was engulfed in the thick dust and small shards of metal that billowed out from the collapsing towers. About three months after that, she began to have trouble breathing — and she knew something was wrong when visits to her primary care physician were to no avail. Nearly three years ago, Faria took the next step and sought treatment through the center at its Bellevue Hospital location. She now receives bi-weekly injections and prescription drugs to help relieve her asthma and chronic sinus congestion — without having to worry about the cost. “I feel better,” said Faria. “I’m so grateful for it, because good health means a better quality of life.” Just a few days ago, her improved health allowed Faria to enjoy the experience of another life — that of her new granddaughter, who came in the arms of her daughter who was visiting from North Carolina. “Normally I wouldn’t have been able to go and meet with my daughter because of my illness, but this time I was able to do it, and to see the baby,” she said, smiling. “I’m really hyped up right now.”
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Lopez stripped of seniority, resignation next? Continued from page 1
“cover-up” of the secret settlement — a settlement for which a staff member of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman gave advice on and for which State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli O.K.’d the payment. In a statement released on Aug. 28, Silver said, “In July 2012, two employees in Assemblymember Vito Lopez’s district office filed a complaint about sexual harassment in the assemblymember’s office. We referred the complaint promptly to the bipartisan Assembly Committee on Ethics and Guidance and acted swiftly on their recommendations [on Fri., Aug. 24].” That same week, Silver bumped Lopez off of his committee chairmanship and prohibited him from hiring young aides, per the recommendation of the Assembly Ethics Committee. “However, it has been the opinion of Assembly counsel, which I endorsed, that if an employee or employees represented by counsel request a confidential mediation and financial settlement, the Assembly would defer to the employees’ desire for mediation and confidentiality, and that this precluded referring their complaints to the bipartisan Committee on Ethics and Guidance. Silver admitted, “While that opinion is both legally correct and ethical and can result in a resolution sought by complaining employees, I now believe it was the wrong one from the perspective of transparency.” Moving forward, he said, the Assembly should not agree to a confidential settlement and insist that basic factual allegations of any complaint be referred to the Ethics Committee for a full investigation. Thirdly, the Assembly should publicly announce settlements while protecting the identity of the victims, he said. Silver continued by saying he is deeply committed to ensuring that all Assembly employees are treated with respect and dignity. “I take full responsibility in not insisting that all cases go to the Ethics Committee,” he said. “Going forward, I will work with independent experts and our counsel’s office to ensure that we put in place policies that both protect the interests of victims and provide adequate transparency and accountability to the public.” In a subsequent statement, Silver also said he would welcome a JCOPE investigation that would supersede any existing confidentiality agreements and allow for full disclosure of all the facts. “Those facts will show that any decision by the Assembly to enter into any settlement agreement was both legal and ethical and made out of deference to the wishes of the complainants,” Silver said. On Sept. 3, a week after the news broke, Silver told reporters covering the Democratic National Convention that he had asked Lopez to resign over the phone.
“I felt what he did was wrong,” he said. “I also felt that the sanctions that I had to impose on him would make him ineffective…as a representative of his constituents, and I felt it would be best for him personally — and as a message for the institution of the Assembly — that he resign.” Meanwhile, most local legislators have been declining to comment on the secret settlement. Last week, however, many of them were happy to call for Vito Lopez’s being stripped of his committee chairpersonship — or even more, for his resignation from the Assembly. But to say anything against the Speaker — the state’s second-most powerful Democrat after Governor Cuomo — is another matter entirely. “No comment,” said Kelly Magee, Councilmember Margaret Chin’s spokesperson. Chin’s Lower Manhattan district overlaps with Silver’s. In a written statement, Senator Daniel Squadron called Vito Lopez’s behavior shocking, abhorrent and “completely unacceptable.” “The Speaker was right to strip him of all seniority, and I continue to urge Lopez to resign his seat,” he said. “As the Speaker said, there were mistakes made, and going forward I am confident that all claims against elected officials will be dealt with aggressively and transparently.” Other elected officials simply did not respond to requests for comment, including Borough President Scott Stringer and Assemblymembers Brian Kavanagh and Dick Gottfried. Congressmember Nydia Velazquez, who has no love lost for Lopez — whose handpicked candidate she recently defeated in a primary race — also did not return calls for comment. When Council Speaker Christine Quinn was asked to comment on the scandal, her office initially sent the following statement, which referred to the two publicly known cases of sexual harassment by Assemblymember Lopez: “There must be zero tolerance of sexual harassment in all workplaces, always,” Quinn said. “Chairman Daniel O’Donnell and the Assembly Committee on Ethics and Guidance have conducted a serious, thorough investigation and Speaker Sheldon Silver’s actions [stripping Lopez of his committee chairpersonship] are warranted and appropriate. Because of the seriousness of these findings, Vito Lopez should immediately resign from office and step down as chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party.” Asked for a comment specifically on the secret payment, Quinn’s office sent this statement: “Speaker Silver has admitted that he should have handled the situation differently and has made appropriate reforms going forward. I agree that JCOPE is the correct venue to review this matter.” Matt Borden, Assemblymember Continued on page 21
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Taxpayers bear brunt of scandal Continued from page 19
Deborah Glickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief of staff, said Glick was unavailable for further comment but has been quoted in a few other places, and said to feel free to use those statements. Glick told the Albany Times Union that Silver seems to have done everything he could, even if settlement payments were made for some victims of Lopez. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We spend a lot of money to settle claims against public employees,â&#x20AC;? Glick said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Men behaving badly is not limited to Albany, and that women in the workplace continue to face these things, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disgraceful.â&#x20AC;? According to the Times Union, Glick said the Assembly offers an open path for reporting incidents of harassment, and regular training for staff and members is conducted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We cannot change individuals without a brain transplant or something,â&#x20AC;? Glick said. New York taxpayers shelled out big bucks five years ago to settle a case against Michael Boxley, Silverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s then counsel, brought by a woman who claimed Boxley had raped her in 2003. The woman charged that Boxley was a known predator within Silverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office. She sued Silver for negligence and accepted a $507,500 settlement and a promise of reforms to remove any peril from the workplace. However, taxpayers ultimately paid about
$500,000 of that bill. Boxley pleaded guilty to misdemeanor sexual misconduct. Joseph Santora, a retired litigator, later sued to have Boxley and Silver foot the bill. But State Supreme Court Justice Emily Jane Goodman ruled that, because state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer authorized that the payment be borne by taxpayers, Silver and Boxley should not subsequently be forced to repay the money, and that voters could express their view when they cast their ballots. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If in representing state officers in their official or individual capacities, the Attorney General errs in judgment in the conduct of the litigation, the remedy lies not before the Supreme Court, but at the polls,â&#x20AC;? Justice Goodman wrote. Last week, Governor Cuomo asserted that it is the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s responsibility to try to settle these cases. Arthur Schwartz, Greenwich Villageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s State Democratic Committeeman, was one of the only local elected officials to openly criticize Silver over the latest developments. He told Community Media, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think that Lopez should resign, and I am greatly disappointed that Assemblymember Silver participated in covering up the first incident and then using public money to pay damages to the complainant. Lopez should have been forced to pay.â&#x20AC;?
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Continued from page 16
lunch break on Fri., Aug. 31 and were subsequently banned from the work site. Undercover detectives from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Inspector General’s Office spotted the two steelworkers having drinks that afternoon at Eamonn’s Irish Bar on Murray Street, the Daily News reported. In addition to being caught with beer, the pair was observed taking shots of liquor. Both workers are employed by D.C.M. Erectors, a subcontractor for the W.T.C. project. Since July, a total of 13 construction workers have been kicked off the W.T.C. site as a result of the Port Authority’s recent crackdown on lunchtime drinking. Seven workers — four electrical workers assigned to the Transportation Hub, two concrete workers assigned to 1 W.T.C. and one worker assigned to 2 W.T.C. — were banned on July 27 after they were caught having beers at the Raccoon Lodge on Warren Street. Before that, four steamfitters assigned to 3 W.T.C. were banned on July 18 following a similar incident. In July, this newspaper reported that
D.C.M. Erectors had also been penalized for a serious safety violation at 4 W.T.C. site in February 2011. According to a written statement by federal safety inspectors, a D.C.M. worker had been walking on a steel beam approximately 27 feet high, with no fall protection of any kind. It was D.C.M.’s second violation resulting from that type of hazard, the first of which was issued in August 2008.
a photograph of Carol Heiss, the 1960 women’s Olympic figure skating champion, the inaugural players for the New York Mets during their debut season in 1962 and U.S. Olympic athletes who were given a ticker-tape parade send-off before the 1952 Helsinki games. The Downtown Alliance has also embedded 181 granite plaques in the sidewalk along both sides of lower Broadway that commemorate all the ticker-tape parades
that have taken place there — for athletes as well as foreign leaders, scientists and other notable figures — since 1886. Twenty more plaques that are currently in storage will be installed once the new Fulton Center is completed, according to the Downtown Alliance release. The most recent recipients of a commemorative plaque are the New York Giants, who were honored for their 2012 Super Bowl victory.
ICONIC ATHLETES’ TICKERTAPE IMAGES ON DISPLAY AT THE WOOLWORTH The Woolworth Building, located at 233 Broadway, is now hosting an outdoor exhibit featuring images of notable American athletes who have been honored with parades in Downtown. The Witkoff Group, which owns the bottom half of the Woolworth Building, has joined forces with the Downtown Alliance to place several large photos of the iconic athletes on display on the building’s exterior. The project is a test pilot for a new initiative that would use vacant retail spaces to highlight historic events in Lower Manhattan while helping to market the vacant spaces, according to a recent Downtown Alliance press release. The images currently on display include
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
THE GIRLS’ JAMBOREE
The girls-only soccer jamboree returns by popular demand to Fridays from 4:00–8:00pm, now expanded to include girls from 2nd grade through High School. DSL offers the soccer Jamboree sessions free to all girls within the Community Board 1 neighborhood who otherwise would not have interest in playing coed soccer but would like to play in a girls-only soccer game. DSL requires participants to register. Sign up now on our site. Drop-in sign up will be available on Fridays as well. Led by trained female coaches, the elementary-aged girls will focus on improving their skills with fun drills and small-sided games while the middle and high school-aged girls will compete in small-sided tournaments with team assignments changing week to week. The play will culminate in an evening of Mother vs. Daughter games that will be the highlight of the year. Please join us. Sign up now! www.downtown soccer.org/events
Fridays 14 September – 16 November 4:00 – 5:00
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SARAZAD AND THE MONSTER-KING This re-imagining of Scheherazade and 1001 Arabian Nights, written by E. J. C. Calvert and directed by Justin Lauro, returns to Canal Park Playhouse for a limited run. Nine-year-old Sarazad escapes bullying at school by retreating into Storyland. There, she meets the grouchy Monster-King and wins his friendship by telling him fantastic stories. When Sarazad returns to school, her experiences with the Monster-King (and her newfound confidence) help her triumph over adversity. Sept. 8-30, Sat. & Sun. at 1pm & 4pm at Canal Park Playhouse (508 Canal St., btw. Greenwich & West Sts.). For tickets ($18) or more info, call 866-811-4111 or visit canalparkplayhouse.com. NEW YORK CITY FIRE MUSEUM Kids will learn about fire prevention and safety through group tours led by former NYC firefighters. The program — which lasts approximately 75 minutes — includes classroom training and a simulated event in a mock apartment, where a firefighter shows how fires can start in different rooms in the home. Finally, students are guided on a tour of the museum’s first floor. Tours (for groups of 20 or more) are offered Tues.-Fri. at 10:30am, 11:30am & 12:30pm. Tickets are $3 for children and $5 for adults — but for every 10 kids, admission is free for one adult. The museum offers a $700 Junior Firefighter Birthday Party package for children 3-6 years old. The birthday child and 15 guests will be treated to story time, show and tell, a coloring activity, a scavenger hunt and the opportunity to speak to a real firefighter (the museum provides a fire-themed birthday cake, juice boxes and other favors and decorations). The NYC Fire Museum is located at 278 Spring St. (btw. Varick & Hudson Sts.). For info, call 212-691-1303 or visit nycfiremuseum.org. THE SKYSCRAPER MUSEUM The Skyscraper Museum’s “Saturday Family Program” series features workshops designed to introduce children and their families to the principles of archi-
tecture and engineering through hands-on activities. On Sept. 8, “Living and Working in the City” will encourage thought about the many uses of skyscrapers around the world and then ask participants to design their own mixed-use tower. At the “From Fabric to Fashion” workshop on Sept. 22 and the “So Sew Tall” workshop on Oct. 6, kids ages 7 and up will learn about the past and present of NYC’s Garment District and then work together to create their own skyscraper factory from different construction materials. All workshops take place from 10:30-11:45am at The Skyscraper Museum (39 Battery Pl.). Registration required. Call 212-945-6324 or email education@skyscraper.org. Admission: $5 per child, free for members. Museum hours: Wed.-Sun., 12-6pm. Museum admission: $5, $2.50 for students/seniors. For info, call 212-9456324, visit skyscraper.org or email education@skyscraper.org. CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF THE ARTS Explore painting, collage and sculpture through self-guided art projects at this museum dedicated to inspiring the artist within. Open art stations are ongoing throughout the afternoon, giving children the opportunity to experiment with materials such as paint, clay, fabric, paper and found objects. CMA’s new exhibit, “Art Forms: 75 Years of Arts Education,” displays children’s artwork from the collections of celebrated arts educators Leon Bibel, Henry Schaefer-Simmern and Sona Kludjian. The works, dating from the 1930s and 1960s, are juxtaposed with contemporary creations by NYC public school students. “Art Forms” runs through Sept. 30. Governors Island joins CMA to present the Free Art Island Outpost, where kids ages 1-12 can participate in a variety of activities (everything from craft stations to sound design). Every Sat. & Sun., through Sept. 16, from 11am-3pm (At buildings 11 & 14 in Nolan Park, on Governors Island). CMA is located at 103 Charlton St. (btw. Hudson & Greenwich Sts.). Museum hours are Mon. & Wed., 12-5pm; Thurs.-Fri., 12-6pm; Sat.Sun., 10am-6pm. Admission: $10 general, free for seniors
Photo By Michael Kosch
Izzy Hanson-Johnston, Coco Monroe and Maya Sheehy performing in “The Festival of the Vegetables,” at the Metropolitan Playhouse.
CREATIVE DANCE CLASSES Children’s dance expert Rachael Kosch is offering two free Open House classes of imaginative ballet/modern dance based on the music of classical composer Michael Kosch. Sept. 5 & 10, 3:30-5pm. Children ages 3-5 are welcome at 3:45pm for an introductory
half hour class, and children ages 6-9 are welcome at 4:15pm. Refreshments will be served. For enthusiastic movers, ongoing classes are offered through December. Mon. and Wed., at Westbeth Center for the Arts (463 West St. btw. Bank and Bethune Sts.). To reserve a spot or ask questions, call 212-566-3097 or email rachael.kosch@gmail.com.
Photo by John Munson, courtesy of the Brooke Jackman Foundation
BROOKE JACKMAN FOUNDATION READ-A-THON: A CELEBRATION OF LITERACY AND HOPE The World Financial Center Winter Garden will be transformed into a haven for young audiences as families and children gather to listen to readings of children’s books by Rosie Perez, cast members of “Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark,” Reading Rainbow creator Dr. Twila Liggett, Care Bears
and infants (up to one year old). Pay as you wish on Thurs., 4-6pm. For group tours, call 212-274-0986, ext. 31. Call 212274-0986 or visit cmany.org for more info. THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE MUSEUM During regular museum hours (Mon.-Sat., 10am-5pm and Sun., 12-5pm), visit the Junior Officers Discovery Zone, designed for ages 3-10. It is divided into four areas (Police Academy, Park and Precinct, Emergency Services Unit and a Multi-Purpose Area). Each has interactive play experiences that teach children the role of police officers in our community. For older children, there’s a crime scene observation activity, a physical challenge similar to those used at the Police Academy. There’s also a model Emergency Services Unit vehicle where children can climb in, use the steering wheel and lights, hear radio calls with police codes and see some of the actual equipment carried by the Emergency Services Unit. At 100 Old Slip (btw. Front & South Sts.). For info, call 212-480-3100 or visit nycpm.org. Admission: $8, $5 for students, seniors and children, free for children up to two years old. BOOKS OF WONDER New York City’s oldest and largest independent children’s bookstore hosts Storytime every Fri. at 4pm and Sun. at noon in their Children’s Room. Don’t miss their September Picture Book Bonanza on Sun., Sept. 16, 1-3pm for ages 3-6. Best-selling husband-and-wife team Jacky Davis & David Soman will read their new book “Ladybug Girl and Bingo,” while debut picture book author and illustrator Leeza Hernandez presents her own tale of a runaway puppy in “Dog Gone!” along with Caldecott Honor Artists Diane Goodie and David Ezra Stein in this afternoon of storytelling. At 18 W. 18th St. (btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves.). Store hours are Mon.-Sat., 11am7pm and Sun., 11am-6pm. For more info, call 212-989-3270 or visit booksofwonder.com. THE SCHOLASTIC STORE Held every Saturday at 3pm, Scholastic’s in-store activities are designed to get kids reading, thinking, talking, creating and moving. At 11am every Tues., Wed. and Thurs., the Scholastic Storyteller brings tales to life at Daily Storytime. At 557 Broadway (btw. Prince & Spring Sts.). Store hours are Mon.-Sat., 10am-7pm and Sun., 11am-6pm. For info, call 212-343-6166 or visit scholastic.com/ sohostore.
on Fire, John Schaefer, 9/11 uniformed heroes and many others. This third annual Read-A-Thon will also mark the debut reading of ABC, MY Family & Me: An Alphabet Book by kids from the Brooke Jackman Foundation’s literacy program. Free! Sat., Sept. 8, 12-1:30pm, at 220 Vesey St. (btw. North End Ave. & West St.). For more info, call 212-945-0505 or visit worldfinancialcenter.com/brooke-jackmanfoundation.
AMERICAN TAP DANCE FOUNDATION Jump, jive and make some noise at the American Tap Dance Center (154 Christopher St., #2B, btw. Greenwich & Washington Sts.). For those who have never taken a tap class before, adults and youth ages three and up are invited to free introductory tap classes throughout September. Mon., Sept. 10 & 17 at 4pm; Thurs., Sept. 6 & 13 at 4pm; Sat., Sept 15 & Sun., Sept. 16 at 11am. RSVP at 646-230-9564. For more info, visit atdf.org. POETS HOUSE The Poets House Children’s Room gives children and their parents a gateway to enter the world of rhyme through readings, group activities and interactive performances. For children ages 1-3, the Children’s Room offers “Tiny Poets Time” readings on Thursdays at 10am; for those ages 4-10, “Weekly Poetry Readings” take place every Sat. at 11am. Filled with poetry books, old-fashioned typewriters and a card catalogue packed with poetic objects to trigger inspiration, the Children’s Room is open Thurs.-Sat., 11am-5pm. Free admission. At 10 River Terrace. Call 212-431-7920 or visit poetshouse. org. CREATURES OF LIGHT Descend into the depths of the ocean and explore the caves of New Zealand — without ever leaving Manhattan. Just visit the American Museum of Natural History’s exhibit on bioluminescence (organisms that produce light through chemical reactions). Kids will eagerly soak up this interactive twilight world where huge models of everything from fireflies to alienlike fish illuminate the dark. Through Jan. 6, 2013 at the American Museum of Natural History (79th St. & Central Park West). Open daily, 10am–5:45pm. Admission is $25, $14.50 for children, $19 for students/seniors. Tickets can be purchased at the museum or at amnh.org. For more info, call 212-769-5100. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR LISTING IN THE DOWNTOWN EXPRESS? Please provide the date, time, location, price and a description of the event. Send to scott@chelseanow.com or mail to 515 Canal St., Unit 1C, New York City, NY 10013. Requests must be received at least three weeks before the event. For more info, call 646-452-2497.
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
Bringing out ‘the pain underneath all that luster’ Director banking on a clean sweep of Monkhouse’s ‘Broome’ THEATER MARY BROOME
Written by Allan Monkhouse Directed by Jonathan Bank At the Mint Theater (311 W. 43rd St., btw. 8th & 9th Aves.) Sept. 10-Oct. 14 (currently in previews) Tues.-Thurs., 7pm, Fri. & Sat., 8pm Matinees: Sat. & Sun. 2pm For tickets ($27.50-$55), call 866-8214111 or visit minttheater.org
BY JERRY TALLMER A photograph of Leonard Timbrell — a glittering young man in his late 20s — has disappeared. It is discovered in the hands of Mary Broome, the demure, attractive Timbrell housemaid who has been shocked by finding several packed suitcases in Leonard’s room. When Leonard's father (an old-school Manchester businessman) demands an explanation of the lost and found photograph, the discreet housemaid says: “I had the right to it if anyone had.” “You took it from his Mother’s room?” Mr. Timbrell thunders. “Well, I shall be a Mother soon,” Mary Broome quietly replies. And thus begins a very beautiful play indeed, the 1911 “Mary Broome” by Manchester’s own Allan Noble Monkhouse (18581936), now rediscovered for America by Off-Broadway’s Mint Theater. That is what the Mint does — rediscovers lost or forgotten plays, most recently “Love Goes to Press,” by Martha Gellhorn and Virginia Cowles. “Mary Broome” is a very different cup of tea. Though it was billed by its author as “a comedy in four acts,” it is a very leathery comedy indeed and will leave you — as it left me — with an ache, not a laugh. Leonard Timbrell, you see, for all his wit, charm, insight, lightness of touch, pity for his own mother, hostility toward father, contempt for older brother Edgar (a square who has equal and opposite
scorn for Leonard) — for all that, Leonard, in his own words, is a brute and a rotter and in anyone's words, a no-goodnik who runs away (on a threeweek fishing trip!) when the milkman and grocer demand payment, the baby is looking peaked and needs a doctor, and Mary is putting up a brave face to her own working-class mother and father, an unemployed cabman after 29 years, what with those damned motorized taxis making horse and carriage cabs obsolete. Allan Monkhouse was an all-purpose writer and playwright and for many years a columnist on the Manchester Guardian. He was born two years after Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), and Shaw’s immortal “Pygmalion” opened in London in 1912. I see an identity in spirit and some detail — even the horsedrawn cab — though Jonathan Bank, I think, does not. But certainly Mary’s father Mr. Broome (the “e” tacked on by him for gentility) and Alfred Doolittle are brothers under the skin. Mary Broome the housemaid has had advantages street flower girl Eliza Doolittle never had till Henry Higgins came along. On the other hand, Eliza, so far as we know, never got herself knocked up. One of the most appealing aspects of Mary’s character is, indeed, that she doesn’t just blame Leonard. “I’m to blame too,” she keeps saying. Takes two to tango. But “Mary Broome” rings far more bells than just “Pygmalion.” I think of all those plays-into-movies — plays of manners — that I loved in the 1940s, '50s, and since: “Holiday,” “The Philadelphia Story,” “Hobson's Choice,” “Sabrina Fair,” “I Know Where I’m Going” and on and on. Even that French-Viennese classic of inter-sexual social classes, Max Ophuls’ and Arthur Schnitzler’s “La Ronde.” “Mary Broome” last played New York in 1919 at the Neighborhood Playhouse, then down at Grand Street on the Lower East Side. It can now be seen through October 14 at the Mint Theater. Leonard Timbrell is played by Roderick Hill, brother Edgar by Rod Brogan, Mr. Timbrell by Graeme Malcolm, Mrs. Timbrell by Kristin Griffith, Mr. Broome by Douglas Rees, and Mary — lovely, lonely Mary Broome — by Janie Brookshire. It wasn’t Jonathan Bank who discovered “Mary Broome” (although Bank was familiar with the work of Allan Monkhouse). It was Bank’s friend Sam
Photo by Carol Rosegg
Domestic dispute: Janie Brookshire and Roderick Hill, as Mary Broome and Leonard Timbrell.
Walters, artistic director of suburban London’s Orange Tree Theatre. Bank and his wife, actress Katie Firth, were at a production there in 2001 of “Mary Broome.” Halfway into it, Mrs. Bank turned to Mr. Bank and said: “You’re going to do this, aren’t you?” Her husband said: “Wait a minute. Let’s see if he [playwright Monkhouse] can keep it up.” He could and did — particularly in the scenes where unemployable Leonard, cut off by his enraged father from any income whatsoever, tries to scrabble 50 pounds, 20 pounds, 10 pounds, a sovereign, any spare change, from his mother, his detested brother, Mary’s unemployed father, anyone. Leonard is really a rotter, isn’t he, this journalist remarked. “Yes he is,” said the director. “I hope our production will bring out the pain underneath all that luster.” George Truefit, the milkman, a character whom we meet only through the eyes and words of Mary, enters the picture this way: MRS. TIMBRELL: Didn’t you tell
me you were ‘keeping company’ with someone? MARY: I was walking out, ma’am, I wasn’t keeping company. LEONARD: I'm afraid I don't appreciate the difference. MARY: There is a difference. So put that in your pipe and smoke it, you square Don Juan. We shall hear more of George Truefit anon, as my mother would have said. Jonathan Bank, born Columbus Day 1959 in Cleveland, Ohio, came to New York from Western Reserve University in 1986, took over the Mint Theater from a classmate in 1996, and has presented some 46 shows there since — “plays that people didn’t know how they ended, neglected plays.” Of this one, he says: “It’s certainly a tricky play. I think it can be shocking in a way. That it turns in a way the audience is not expecting. Our job is to make that possible.” I don’t think housemaids handle brooms, but a new Broome sweeps clean.
27
September 5 - September 19, 2012
Power to the adapters Anthology shines spotlight on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;brutally neglectedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; screenwriters FILM THE LOVED ONE
1965 Run time: 122 minutes Screenplay by Terry Southern Based on the novel by Evelyn Waugh Directed by Tony Richardson Cinematography by Haskell Wexler Mon., Sept. 10 at 8:45pm; Sat., Sept. 15 at 2:15pm; Sun., Sept. 16 at 8:30pm At Anthology Film Archives (32 Second Ave. at 2nd St.) Tickets: $10, $8 for students/seniors/ children, visit the box office For info, call 212-505-5181 or visit anthologyfilmarchives.org
BY SCOTT STIFFLER You know youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve become thoroughly immersed in the bizarre when Jonathan Winters â&#x20AC;&#x201D; whether appearing as Reverend Wilbur Glenworthy or his film exec brother â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is the most subtle and grounded presence on the screen. Brimming with cold war paranoia, cults of both personality and nationality, religious fervor and space race fever, 1965â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s black comedy â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Loved Oneâ&#x20AC;? is as dark and dreadful a piece of social satire as anything that would soon be conjured up by the likes of John Waters, Tim Burton and David Lynch. The happenstance winner of an airplane ticket to Los Angeles, English lad Dennis Barlow (played mostly straight by a weary, sunken-eyed Robert Morse) reconnects with his studio employee uncle (Sir John Gielgud) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; whose unexpected suicide embarrasses an insular group of expat Brits determined to give the old chap a dignified sendoff. So Barlow is assigned the task of arranging burial at Whispering Glades â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Reverend Glenworthyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s statue and waterfall-filled afterlife wonderland. There, aspiring poet Barlow falls hard for naive cosmetician AimĂŠe Thanatogenos (Anjanette Comer) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who aspires to become the â&#x20AC;&#x153;First Lady Embalmer of Whispering Gladesâ&#x20AC;? (when sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not
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dreamily manning a swing which overhangs her condemned clifftop home). Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just for starters. The eccentric cast (whose major and minor players include Milton Berle, James Coburn, Tab Hunter, Liberace, Roddy McDowall and Rod Steiger) is soon embroiled in a scheme to disintern the loved ones and shoot them into space, so the cemetery (which is filling up) can be reimagined as a brave new retirement community. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a nation on the move,â&#x20AC;? declares the Reverend. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Death...death has become a middle class business. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no future in it. Soon, there shall rise from these grounds a self-contained city of glass and alloy for our senior citizens.â&#x20AC;? Written by Terry Southern, the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entire run time is peppered with dialogue that rivals the black and white cinematography in its precision and depth. In the same way Miss Thanatogenos dotes on embalmed corpses, expert manipulation of language is the reason Anthology Film Archives will be screening director Tony Richardsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s film of Southernâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s screenplay of Evelyn Waughâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s novel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Loved Oneâ&#x20AC;? is featured in â&#x20AC;&#x153;From the Pen ofâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which, according to the easily obsessed folks at Anthology, â&#x20AC;&#x153;is devoted to highlighting screenwriters. This installment of our ongoing series is highlighting the screenwriting work of writers best known as novel-
Photo courtesy of Photofest
Cradled in the grave: denizens of â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Loved Oneâ&#x20AC;? party like thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no tomorrow.
ists. All these films are different, but unified by the fact that the screenwriter of the film was best known as a novelist.â&#x20AC;? Other series highlights include work by Donald Westlake, Elmore Leonard, Don Carpenter, Truman Capote, Richard Matheson and Joan Didion. Sure, you could Google all of the above and be sufficiently impressed...but if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to spend that much time staring at a screen, why not do it in a darkened room amidst the company of other cine-lit types?
28
September 5 - September 19, 2012
Just Do Art! BY SCOTT STIFFLER
FACEBOYZ FOLLIEZ Dirty minds shine and freak flags fly exceedingly high — when the “Faceboyz Folliez” crew lets loose with its somewhat disturbing, shamefully compelling, always entertaining version of burlesque, variety and sexualized audience participation. With Bowery Poetry Club closed for renovations both aesthetic and stylistic, “Folliez” moves to the stage of Bar 82 until further notice. Expect whip smart antics (courtesy of skilled body work from Amanda Whip), profane literary readings from St. Rev. Jen Miller, short films from ASS Studios (directed by Courtney Fathom Sell), gay comedy shenanigans from Dick and
Duane and select naughty bits from the likes of Scooter Pie and Reverend Mother Flash. Cast members Velocity Chyaldd and Stormy Leather are expected to make an appearance via video. Also on the bill: the “incredibly confident and ridiculously nervous” Keyke is the musical guest…and fetish model Maggie Mauvaise will present her very first Burlesque act! Lord knows what train wreck of a concept Faceboy has cooked up for the audience participation part of the evening — but it’s safe to say the winner will walk away with a valuable prize, considerably less pride and more than one body part red beyond recognition. Sat., Sept. 8, at 9 pm. At Bar 82 (136 2nd Ave., btw. St. Marks Pl. & 9th St.).
Joanna Rush, in “Asking For It” (see “All For One”).
Admission: $10. For info, call 212-2288636 or visit bar82nyc.com. Also visit faceboyzfolliez.com and facebook.com/ faceboyzfolliez.
THE 2012 ALL FOR ONE THEATER FESTIVAL
Photo by Ann Bettison Enzminger
Your best Bud: St. Rev. Jen Miller, elfin elixir in hand, might read something dirty when “Faceboyz Folliez” makes its Bar 82 debut.
Leslie Jordan, in “Fruit Fly” (see “All For One”).
One more installment and it’s officially a fall tradition…but first, they’ve got to get through the second season of “All For One” — a festival of solo performances written by the onstage talent and directed by equally formidable veterans of the New York boards (think BD Wong and Colman Domingo). Curated with an eye towards premiering works that will go on to tour theaters and campuses across America, this year’s crop of 10 includes the world premiere of “What I Thought I Knew.” Elizabeth Margid directs this account of mid-life pregnancy, performed by Alice Eve Cohen and based on her memoir. Making its New York premiere, Emmy-winner Leslie
Jordan’s “Fruit Fly” ponders whether gay men are destined to become their mothers (David Galligan directs). Lynne TaylorCorbett directs “Asking For It” — Joanna Rush’s account of being raised in a strict Catholic household, then running off to NYC with dreams of making it as a dancer…and Eliza Gould holds the reins when Aizzah Fatima embodies six PakistaniAmerican women with sex, politics and religion on their minds — in “Dirty Paki Lingerie.” Sept. 14-20. Wed.-Sun. at 7pm; Sat./ Sun. at 2pm & 4:30pm. At the Cherry Lane Theatre (30 Commerce St., West of 7th Ave. South, 3 blocks South of Christopher St.). For tickets ($25; $15 for student rush, $20 for seniors, $200 for festival pass, $15 each for groups of 10+), visit afofest.org or call 212-352-3101. A full schedule, and info on workshops, special panels and audience talk-backs can be found at afofest.org.
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
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September 5 - September 19, 2012
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Exhibitions put a new spin on the wheel (or films, paintings, cans) BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN
AL TAYLOR: PASS THE PEAS AND CAN STUDYS This will be the gallery’s third solo presentation of the important American artist (19481999), who is not easily assimilated into any exclusive movement or school. It will focus on the two individual series: “Pass the Peas” (1991-92) and “Can Studys” [sic] from 1993, as well as on a related group of works entitled “Cans and Hoops” (1993). Though Taylor began his career as a painter, he embraced a unique approach to process and materials by the mid-1980s. Involving both two-dimensional drawings and three-dimensional assemblages, his work favored unconventional materials such as wooden broomsticks, wire and carpentry remnants. Making no distinction between his three-dimensional works and his drawings, Taylor referred to his constructions as “drawing in space.” In addition to physics, mathematics about depth, volume and measurement, Taylor drew inspiration from historical precedents such as the sculptures of Matisse and the timelapse photography of Etienne-Jules Marey. Sept. 7-Oct. 27. Reception: Sept. 7, 6-8pm. At David Zwirner, 519 W. 19th St. (btw. Tenth & Eleventh Aves.). Hours: Tues.-Sat., 10am6pm, Mon. by appointment. Call 212-5178677 or visit davidzwirner.com.
ANALIA SABAN Saban, who originally hails from Buenos Aires, deconstructs paintings in order to explore their making. Along these lines, she pours acrylic into silicone molds of objects
in her studio — creating sculptural paintings that play with the idea that paintings are two-dimensional representations of threedimensional objects. In the past, she has programmed a laser cutter to remove the outlines of individual letters and images from thick white paper, running the paper through a printing press so that its contents appeared to be bleeding. Other projects have included erosion works, in which Saban’s drawings are singed onto canvas — leaving only the architecture of her original lines visible. Sept. 6-Oct. 20. At Tanya Bonakdar Gallery (521 W. 21st St., btw. Tenth & Eleventh Aves.). Hours: Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm. Call 212-4144144 or visit tanyabonakdargallery.com.
LEONARDO DREW Inspired by the cyclical nature of existence, Drew’s dynamic sculptural installations often reference the detritus of everyday life. In the past, they have involved 20,000 handmade two-inch white cotton paper boxes, open-ended wooden cubes painted black, found objects, wood and fabrics, for example. In contrast to these earlier constructions and large-scale tableaux made of geometrically organized castoff items, Drew’s new work embraces a sense of lightness and simplicity. There is an emphasis on drawing, and the installation here will be composed of many individual material elements. These will be connected through an intricate web of drawings that will be applied directly to the walls. This will be
Continued on page 31
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Courtesy of the artist, VeneKlasen/Werner, Berlin and Michael Werner, New York
Roger Fritz: “Fassbinder’s Querelle Nr.82” (1982/2011. Digital C-print, Ed. of 5, +1 AP 19 3/4 x 29 1/2 in.). See “Querelle — Photographed by Roger Fritz” (page 31).”
31
September 5 - September 19, 2012
Fall into the gallery scene
Courtesy of the artist, VeneKlasen/Werner, Berlin and Michael Werner, New York
Andrew Gbur: “Untitled” (2012, gouache and screen printing ink on canvas, 68 x 84 in.; 172.1 x 213.4 cm.).
Continued from page 30 Drew’s most ambitious project to date and it will be accompanied by a comprehensive monograph. Sept. 6-Oct. 12. At Sikkema Jenkins & Co. (530 W. 22nd St., btw. Tenth & Eleventh Aves.). Hours: Tues.-Sat., 10am6pm. Call 212-929-2262 or visit sikkemajenkinsco.com.
QUERELLE — PHOTOGRAPHED BY ROBERT FRITZ This will be the first New York exhibition of Fritz’s production photographs taken on the set of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s classic and final film, “Querelle” (1982). One hundred and nineteen color images by Fritz — a photographer, producer and performer — will be on display. In the case of “Querelle,” he worked daily on Fassbinder’s set as both an actor and production documentarian. Originally shot as color transparencies, these images were previously known to exist only as “Querelle — The Film Book” (Schrimer/Mosel-Grove, 1982). Unlike film stills, which are sourced directly from filmed footage, these photographs capture re-enactments. Here, the action was re-staged for the still camera. Sept. 7-Oct. 14. At White Columns (320 W. 13th St., enter on Horatio, btw. Hudson & Eighth Ave.). Hours: Tues.-Sat., 12-6pm. Call 212-924-4212 or visit whitecolumns.org.
ANDREW GBUR The painter’s solo gallery debut will include two bodies of work spanning the gallery’s two LES locations. Concerned with painting’s reliability as a mode of communication, Gbur favors a highly graphic, formal and material visual vocabulary that reveals characteristics of postwar painting. Influenced by the works of Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, Gbur’s technique involves collage, silkscreen, gouache, inks and acrylic — and allows for handmade irregularity. Autobiographical and iconic imagery, rang-
ing from self-portraits to signs and symbols, add to a dense web made of personal code. Overall, Gbur’s work reads as a complex synthesis of the demands and stresses of contemporary life. This quality crescendos in the artist’s so-called “face paintings,” in which an abbreviated language of color, material and shape depict the mere remnants of the human visage. Through Sept. 30. Reception: Sept. 9, 6-8pm. At Eleven Rivington (195 Chrystie St. and 11 Rivington St., btw. Bowery & Chrystie). For fall gallery hours and more info, call 212-982-1930 or visit elevenrivington.com.
GINA MAGID Born in New York City in 1969, Magid received her MFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. While the subject matter of her paintings and works on paper is usually derived from popular culture, her use of form springs from her interest in the abstract layering of imagery. Striving for a feeling of transcendent beauty and mystery, Magid creates works that provide a sense of underlying psychological complexities and the connections between all things, the negative ones as well as the positive. Sept. 5-Oct. 7. At Feature Inc. (131 Allen St., btw. Rivington & Delancey Sts.). Hours: Wed.-Sun., 12-6pm. Call 212-675-7772 or visit featureinc.com.
ALEX OLSON: PALMIST AND EDITOR This will be Olson’s second exhibition with Lisa Cooley and the first in her new space (the former popular music venue Tonic). Olson’s paintings focus on surface appearance and treatment. She scratches, scrapes and scars her composition, pushes her materials and applies multiple layers to establish heavy impasto. This technique provides the viewer with a sense of time and of the aging of the work itself — which adds an organic, almost humane quality to an otherwise abstract vocabulary. Sept. 9-Oct. 14. At Lisa Cooley (107 Norfolk St., btw. Rivington & Delancey Sts.). Hours: 10am-6pm,Wed.-Sun. Call 212-680-0564 or visit lisa-cooley.com.
Image courtesy of the artist and Feature Inc., New York
Gina Magid: “Hwy 1, Big Sur” (2012; oil paint, charcoal on satin; 45 x 39 in.).
INDEPENDENCE PLAZA NORTH TENANTS ASSOCIATION
WE ARE TRIBECA CELEBRATION! Please join us in honoring Julie Menin – Former Chair Community Board #1 John Sutter – Publisher Emeritus Downtown Express and The Villager as recipients of the 2012 Tribeca Citizens of the Year Award from the Independence Plaza North Tenants Association
WHEN: Monday, September 10, 2012, 6 – 9 PM WHERE: Gaetana’s Restaurant, 143 Christopher St (Greenwich St.) $80 in advance, $100 at the door. Price includes two drinks and food.
Great food, drinks, raffles and prizes! Come and meet IPN tenants, other Tribeca neighbors, elected officials, and Community Board members!
Please RSVP to John Scott @ jscott2709@aol.com by August 30 Checks can be sent directly to: We Are Tribeca Committee, c/o John Lynch, 80 N. Moore St, apt 25G, NY, NY 10013 and made payable to IPNTA (www.ipnta.org)
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September 5 - September 19, 2012