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Throngs Take Prez to Task on His Hometown Turf

Photo by Paul Schindler

Marchers as they reached Grand Central on E. 42nd St.

BY PAUL SCHINDLER In massive numbers, a diverse group of New Yorkers — women, men, children, many in families, of all ages and races — marched through Midtown Manhattan to express their concerns, anxieties, and anger about the tone and polices President Donald Trump brought to the White House with his inauguration on Jan. 20.

MANHATTAN MARCHERS continued on p. 4

TIMES SQUARE CROWD SEES COUNTRY AT THE CROSSROADS

Trump’s swearing-in ceremony played out on the SuperSign. See page 2.

Photo by Donna Aceto

Hands were joined together and women were in lock step at the Women’s March on Washington.

Women Rally for Rights in Washington and Around the World

BY EILEEN STUKANE United just as much by their commitment to peace and equality as their disdain for the bigotry and misogyny of Donald J. Trump, they arrived in far greater numbers than predicted. Shoulder to shoulder with barely an inch of air between them, everyone was smiling: Women with their babies cradled in wraps, women with toddlers, pregnant women, mothers with their teen and adult daughters, women of color, of diverse sexuality, and females from a few months old to over 80 were joined by concerned gay, straight, and transgender men, fathers, husbands, brothers, sons, and citizens from across the country.

This was the Women’s March in Washington, DC on Saturday, January 21.

© CHELSEA NOW 2017 | NYC community media, LLC, All Rights Reserved

In this sea of homemade pink “pussyhats” (worn in reference to Trump’s sordid 2005 boast that he could grab a woman’s genitals whenever he may choose), here were the people making their voices heard — 500,00 of them in DC alone.

Creative signs shouted out support of equal rights for all.

“This Is Only The Beginning,” read the sign Kristen Rogers wore as she directed the crowds as part of the organizing crew. An attorney, she traveled from California because she said, “It’s more important than ever that people band together and truly participate in our democratic process.

What we’ve seen in the discourse of this past election cycle WOMEN’S MARCH continued on p. 6 VOLUME 09, ISSUE 4 | January 26 - February 01, 2017

Trump’s Oath: A Transfer of Power ‘Back to You, the People’ PHOTO ESSAY BY CALEB CALDWELL

Upon becoming the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump delivered a speech peppered with repetition — and repeated assurances that the wealth, protections, victories, triumphs, and celebrations long enjoyed by the establishment would soon belong to the people. “The forgotten men and women of our country,” he vowed, “will be forgotten no longer.”

A live feed of the inauguration ceremony played on the ABC SuperSign in Times Square (W. 44th St. & Broadway), as passersby stopped to hear President Trump delivered a message to the world. He spoke about the “trillions and trillions of dollars” spent overseas, “while America’s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.” Writing his own page in the history books, Trump assured, “January 20th 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again… From this day forward, it’s going to be only America first, America first.”

—SCOTT STIFFLER 2

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Activists Promise Grassroots Movement to Fight Trump

The rally stretched along Wall St. to the site where George Washington first took the oath of office, as well as the New York Stock Exchange (above).

BY ZACH WILLIAMS Protest, in a sense, had become a part of daily life for Hell’s Kitchen resident Ben Natan by the time Donald Trump took the oath of office on Fri., Jan. 20.

That did not mean that Natan hit the streets every day. A Downtown rally that day was a literal way to protest the new president, but the 20-year-old NYU student had another idea about how to oppose Trump. Natan said it involved promoting tolerance and solidarity as much as excoriating Trump with a sign.

“That’s a form of protest in itself,” said Natan.

The idea that community building was as important as rallying against Trump spread among the 1,000 people who gathered to denounce him in New York City on Inauguration Day. They highlighted racist and sexist things he has said as they congregated outside a Trump-owned property at 40 Wall St. The event — Stand Against Trump: Inauguration Day Rally & March — drew media attention to their cause, but participants said they also recognized that asserting the vision they had for the future required more than a one-mile protest march from Foley Square.

Speakers represented grassroots groups — in contrast to a rally held the night before, where thousands gathered at Columbus Circle to listen to celebrities such as Robert De Niro, Mark Ruffalo, Cher, Rosie Perez, and Alec Baldwin.

The Stand Against Trump rally did not rival that star power, but organizers told the crowd at Foley Square to aim high by organizing at the lowest levels.

“We know in this city that what makes change is people coming together around the ideas of solidarity. It’s when .com

people reject racism and xenophobia,” said Daniel Kroop, an event organizer representing a group called the New York City Coalition To Resist Trump.

“We’re going to build the most powerful people movement that this city has seen in 50 years.”

Member groups of the coalition have names like Occupy Kensington, Democratic Socialists of America, and Socialist Alternatives. The combination of small social media followings expanded their reach — and while the 14,000 people who said they would attend the Jan. 20 rally did not appear, those who stood in the evening drizzle did so knowing they were among the majority of Americans who stood in line to vote against Trump.

Mallory McMahon of Bay Ridge had never spoken at a political rally before she heard a series of loud bangs at 3 a.m. on Nov. 9. Her neighbors were cel-

Photos by Zach Williams

A girl expressed her solidarity with marchers as they marched Downtown to a Trump property located at 40 Wall St.

ebrating Trump’s shocking victory with fireworks as she cried in her bed. But she did not have to go far to find a sympathetic person.

“I spoke to my mother the next night, and our conversation kept going back over and over the same thing: ‘What can we do?’ We felt hopeless, afraid — all the things that Trump and his supporters want us to feel.”

Hate crimes in her neighborhood followed the election. Early last month, a man allegedly told a woman in a hijab — an off-duty NYPD officer — to leave the country and then threatened to slit her throat. The officer reported the incident to colleagues, who arrested a suspect the following day. In the weeks that followed, a group called Fight Back Bay Ridge formed among a dozen like-minded neighbors who vowed to outnumber “the vocal and scary minority” behind such incidents, McMahon added.

About 1,000 people marched to Wall St. on Jan. 20 to express their opposition to Donald Trump, who was inaugurated earlier that day.

Similar groups have popped up across the city as residents and elected officials cope with a Trump presidency.

Some worried that he would embolden racists, misogynists and other bigots.

Others predicted that he would support Congressional Republicans who want to restrict abortion, deregulate Wall St. and repeal the Affordable Care Act. Causes as diverse as transportation safety and #BlackLivesMatter have a common enemy. Veterans of protests from the Vietnam War era have found new allies in Millennials. Ironically, Trump’s promise to unite Americans has inspired an opposition among diehard Hillary Clinton supporters and revolutionary anarchists alike. One university student who spoke at Foley Square on Jan. 20 urged the crowd to channel opposition to Trump into the ongoing FIGHT TRUMP continued on p. 21

March organizers relied on social media to spread word about the event as it unfolded.

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Mass Dissatisfaction in Midtown:

Thousands March to Challenge Trump MANHATTAN MARCHERS continued from p. 1

“I watched the inauguration and it scared me,” said Charles Gould, a marcher who lives in Williamsburg. “We have to be active now more than ever.”

Gould said he had been considering joining the Jan. 21 Women’s March on New York City, but made up his mind for sure only after watching the new president’s swearing-in the day before.

“The inauguration woke me up,” he said of Trump’s 16-minute speech widely viewed as “dark” in its “America First” tone. “I had been on the fence about coming today. He isn’t pulling back from his campaign style, and then there was the executive order to pull back Obamacare.”

Lisa Blumbert of Chatham, New Jersey, on hand with a friend and neighbor, also referred to Trump’s behavior and rhetoric on his first day of office.

“We’re just so freaked out about what’s happening,” she said. “I was very disappointed by his speech yesterday. It was dark and mean-spirited.”

The march began at 10:30 a.m. at Second Ave. and E. 48th St. and proceeded south to 42nd St. before heading west. The crowd quickly filled the entirety of Second Ave. and then 42nd St., with many people still in the streets after dark fell around 5 p.m., traveling north from 42nd St. on Fifth Ave. toward Trump Tower.

In a tweet, Mayor Bill de Blasio put the crowd size at 400,000. Rallies in cities nationwide and globally brought out enormous crowds in parallel Women’s Marches. The crowd size in Washington, DC was estimated at half a million, and crowds of 250,000 turned out in both Chicago and Los Angeles. Marches took place in locations from London, Paris, and Berlin to Mexico City and Buenos Aires, and from Cape Town to Sydney and even Antarctica.

There are always heated debates about crowd sizes when protests are involved, and in an extraordinary and bitter appearance in the White House press room early Saturday evening, Sean Spicer, Trump’s press secretary, lashed out at the media for what he said were inaccurate reports about the size of the crowd for the inauguration itself. Spicer, who took no questions, misstated Washington, DC mass transit numbers for Inauguration Day,

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Photo by Paul Schindler

Marchers voiced support for immigrants, refugees, and ethnic and religious minorities.

and also falsely claimed that Trump drew the largest swearing-in crowd in history — despite aerial photographs showing large empty areas in the space between the Capitol and the Washington Monument.

Trump himself used an appearance before CIA staffers on Saturday afternoon to talk about the enormous crowds at the inauguration and complain about the media’s efforts to minimize the turnout.

Spicer was correct in calling out a Time magazine reporter for an incorrect tweet that a bust of Martin Luther King, Jr., had been removed from the Oval Office, though that reporter had already apologized to the president, an apology Spicer had earlier accepted.

What was undisputed was that the new Trump team, in its first hours in office, deleted pages from the White House website on issues ranging from climate change

to LGBTQ rights.

Though the calls for the marches in New York, Washington, and elsewhere initially focused on concerns about the threats the Trump presidency posed for women’s rights and health, including abortion access, marchers raised a full range of issues in their signs, their chants, and in comments to our sister publication, Manhattan Express.

Lara Tyson, an Upper West Sider who has taught in public schools for a decade and currently works in Harlem, held up a sign reading “Teachers against Betsy DeVos,” the president’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Education who has been a leading advocate for charter schools in her home state of Michigan.

“It’s ridiculous to hire a lobbyist against public money for public schools,” Tyson said. “She knows nothing about student

loans or Pell grants. Charters have been a total failure in Michigan. They’re there to fake people into thinking there is choice.

There is not oversight there.”

Others voiced a more generalized concern about the threats many communities in the US could face under Trump.

Ella Fine, a 13-year-old girl, was marching with her mother, Jocelyn.

“I think equal rights for everyone is so important and I don’t think our president agrees with that,” Ella said. “I think it’s important for us to fight for equality.” Ella added she is “upset” by Trump assuming the presidency.

Pastor Astrid Storm leads St. James Episcopal Church in Scarsdale. She explained, “I’m here for the same reason most people are here — for women and for women’s rights.”

Storm said 12 people from her congregation had traveled from Westchester County to Midtown to participate, and were part of a group of roughly 100 people from nearby churches.

Melissa Faliveno, a young woman from Greenpoint, emphasized her solidarity with women across the nation.

“I don’t want to accept or condone misogyny or homophobia or xenophobia or racism,” she said. “I am marching for all the women in my life and their daughters, and for those women who don’t feel safe marching today. And I am marching to resist.”

Joanna Leff, who lives in Crown Heights, carried a sign for Equality NY, a political action committee formed in 2016 to advance LGBTQ rights in the wake of the demise of the Empire State Pride Agenda, which had carried that mantle for more than 25 years.

“We’re all here for the same thing: to defend women’s rights and human rights and LGBT rights,” Leff said. “I am worried about how the next four years are going to go, and how things are changing already.”

Comments from at least a few marchers suggested that concern within the LGBTQ community about what a Trump administration could herald is keeping some circumspect in their criticisms.

“We’re here to show our support for those who are under attack,” a Sunset Park man marching with his husband MANHATTAN MARCHERS continued on p. 20 .com

Scenes and Signs From the Women’s March on NYC

PHOTO ESSAY BY NAEISHA ROSE

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Women’s March Moves Through DC, Into The History Books

Photo by David Puchkoff

Photo by David Puchkoff

In the early morning of Jan. 21, marchers exited the DC Metro in staggering numbers.

Kristen Rogers traveled from California to let the world know that a movement was being born.

WOMEN’S MARCH continued from p. 1

raised in Korea, so I know when you have a country with a bad leader, the country is really in trouble. I’m here to participate.”

Greg Newcomb, who works in advertising and graphic design, lives in DC with his husband. “We’re a gay couple. We believe in human rights. We are supporters of equality for everyone. We have a lot of women in our lives; strong, powerful women that we are here to support. I’ve said to friends, ‘I came out of a vagina so I believe in supporting those who gave us life.’ ” The future manifested itself via young marchers like Accalia Frey, a 17-year-old freshman at Hofstra College, who worked behind the scenes at the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. “I’m not really happy with this president, so I wanted to be able to come here and express my views,” she said. She was too young to vote, but the election has motivated her to study political science as a minor in college.

needs to be addressed head-on consistently in the next four years.” She then added, “In two years we have midterm elections, and it’s critical that we have incredible turnout among Democrats and progressives so we can affect the redistricting cycle.”

Even though there were Women’s Marches of (an estimated) almost 3 million people all over the world — in her speech in DC, Gloria Steinem announced 370 Marches in every state and across six continents — many thousands of people traveled to what they considered the heart of the movement in Washington, DC. On a bus from New York City to the DC area on Jan. 20, the day before the March, women explained their dedication and drive. Anne Beaty from Connecticut unfolded a banner that read “Nasty Women Revolt,” and said that she was meeting a friend traveling from Paris who would be marching with her. Smith College graduates Alex Trinkoff, from Long Island, and her daughter Kyra Schor, who lives in Brooklyn, had long shared feminist views.

“I have felt extremely vulnerable since the election,” said Kyra. “I’m sick of feeling not valued. I want my voice to be heard. My mother has been taking me to feminist rallies since I was a baby. It feels as if things have gotten worse.”

“I’m walking for my daughter,” Alex noted. “What I say and what I do matters. We have to stand against rhetoric that incites violence and promote the love quotient.”

Through the chilly, gray mist, the mood of the DC marchers was sunny throughout the day. Ann Grant, a public defender from Massachusetts whose

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Photo by Eileen Stukane

L to R: Kyra Schor and her mother Alex Trinkoff, just before they took a bus from NYC to DC. Like many mother/daughter duos at the March, they were separated by a generation but linked in their presentday views.

infant daughter, Vivian, was wrapped tightly to her chest, said of her child, “It’s important that she start her civic duty early,” and added, “This presidency is going to require a lot of dissent and a lot of action by the people to demonstrate that they don’t approve of his creeping autocracy.” She held high a sign that read: “There’s More To Protest Than I Can Fit On My Sign.”

Also in the crowd: a group of five activists, several from the group Women of Green, who had driven 1,800 miles from New Mexico to DC. Their sign encouraged everyone to “Meditate, Listen, Organize, Dance, and Make America Beautiful Again.” Tess Young, a dancer, personal trainer, and member of the New Mexico contingent, said that she was “born and

FROM THE PODIUM Most inspiring was the camaraderie of the likeminded marchers on the ground, who finally felt some release, and were grateful to have an outlet for speaking out against the resistance to climate change, anti-immigration and isolationist talk, racism, the squelching of freedom of the press and equal rights, and threats to women’s reproductive rights. If there had been no speakers, it would still have been an inspiring day (hundreds of thousands of citizens representing themselves!). Among the over 40 speakers WOMEN’S MARCH continued on p. 12 .com

Ship of State Meets Tip of Iceberg: Trump’s First 100 Hours

BY MAX BURBANK

FRIDAY: JANUARY 20, 2017 12:00 p.m. | Donald John Trump takes the oath of office, becoming the 45th President of the United States of America. Kellyanne Conway sports respectful attire for American Democracy’s funeral, cosplaying as a sexy Revolutionary War soldier. In a secret room deep below Trump International Hotel DC (the true reason Trump purchased the Old Post Office location), Stephen Bannon slits a ram’s throat, uses its blood to paint cryptic runes on his naked body, and opens a portal to a dimension of madness beyond time.

12:15 p.m. | The inaugural address Trump insists he wrote “all by himself” describes “rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones,” “young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge,” and a pledge to stop “this American carnage” — a phrase considered by some to be “a little bit of a downer.”

12:30 p.m. | Like a single rose unexpectedly blooming in a burned-out field of rubble, Nazi Spokes-Wiener Richard Spencer gets punched in the face.

3:00 p.m. | On live national television, the inaugural parade passes several rows of nearly empty bleachers.

Later, several hapless transition staffers will get screamed at real good and maybe slapped a little.

5:00 p.m. | DC police report around 100 arrests after a day of sporadic rioting.

7:45 p.m. | At the Inaugural Balls, the President and First Lady dance to “My Way,” an English rewrite of a French song about the disintegration of a doomed marriage, that opens with line “And now, the end is near.” Trump demanded this song, though several people, most notably Nancy Sinatra, told him it was an amazingly bad choice.

11:59 p.m. | Shocked that becoming president has done nothing to fill his lifelong existential emptiness, Trump is enraged to find himself physically unable to use the White House bathrooms’ ridiculous nongolden toilet.

SATURDAY: JANUARY 21, 2017 10:00 a.m. | Trump makes a fence mending trip to the CIA. He refers to the media as “the most dishonest human beings on earth” and blames them for the false impression he is feuding with intelligence agencies he recently accused of leaking and compared to Nazis.

Howls of “IRONY!” and “WILL THIS COGNITIVE DISSONANCE NEVER END?” cannot be heard over the thunderous applause of the first three rows Trump packed with paid staffers. Spoiler alert: No fences are mended.

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10:01 a.m. | The Women’s March on Washington. About 470,000 folks express their displeasure, roughly three times more people than attended the inauguration. There are no arrests.

11:57 a.m. | Having assumed control of the official POTUS Twitter account, Trump misspells a tweet, deletes it, reposts it with corrected spelling, then deletes the correction — violating rules regarding the archiving of official records twice on his first full day in office.

12:53 p.m. | White House staff admits Trump’s inaugural address was actually written by Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon. A nation reels in shock.

6:00 p.m. | Can you call it a press conference when a sweaty, bug-eyed press secretary doesn’t take any questions and instead just shouts easily disprovable lies? No? How about a nutty? As in, “At 6:00 p.m., Press Secretary Sean Spicer threw a nutty.”

12:45 p.m. | Trump files paperwork retroactively declaring the day of his inauguration a “National Day of Patriotic Devotion.” Kim Jong-un is “mad jelly.”

3:00 p.m. | Sean Spicer holds an actual press conference with questions; says of Trump administration, “Our intention is never to lie,” a statement that is itself a transparent lie — the sort of logical paradox frequently employed by Captain Kirk to destroy malevolent computer intelligences.

5:00 p.m. | Trump meets with lawmakers and repeats the wildly unsubstantiated lie that he lost the popular vote due to massive illegal votes, upping his estimates from three to five million, because it’s fun and also he’s insane.

11:45 p.m. | Can a truly great man, one of history’s greatest, take a crap on a toilet that has zero gold leaf? Sleep is also out of the question.

SUNDAY: JANUARY 22, 2017 4:47 a.m. | Unable to contain himself an instant longer, Trump crafts the first traditional “Trump as yuge A-hole” tweet of his presidency, predictably whining like a cranky toddler about the Women’s March.

TUESDAY: JANUARY 24, 2017

6:23 a.m. | Trump tweets “Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy.” Or, staff are now awake and have taken away his phone.

3:15 p.m. | Sean Spicer, who 24 hours earlier said it was not the administrations’ intention to lie, defends Trump’s outrageous lie about millions of illegal votes by citing a 2008 Pew Research Center study that, as described, does not exist.

10:39 a.m. | Kellyanne Cosplay calls Spicer’s absurd inaugural attendance lies “alternative facts,” announces Trump will not ever release his taxes, as they “litigated this all through the election.” Legal scholars describe these new concepts as “non-existent” and “batshit.”

12:15 p.m. | Republican holdouts McCain and Graham cave announcing they will back Rex Tillerson, Vladimir Putin’s nominee for Secretary of State.

7:45 a.m. | Kellyanne Cosplay informs Minister of Propaganda Sean Hannity, “Because of what the press is doing to me now, I have Secret Service protection.”

4:00 p.m. | Having possessed the staff and all the guests at Trump International DC, tendrils too unspeakably terrible for human eyes to see begin to undulate outward from that mighty structure and into America’s Heartland.

11:59 p.m. | Trump has not slept since Thursday because of the laughter. He is president, and still they laugh.

Must he rule the world to get a little sleep?

MONDAY: JANUARY 23, 2017 8:45 a.m. | Former Speaker of the House and current Human Irrelevancy Newt Gingrich calls for the arrest of Madonna and warns of “emerging left-wing fascism,” ignoring “existing rightwing fascism.”

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Courtesy CB5

A rendering of the interior of Practice for Architecture and Urbanism’s proposed redesign of Penn Station, facing the Farley Post Office, where Madison Square Garden would be relocated.

CB5 Transit Forum Tackles Midtown West Super-Projects

BY JACKSON CHEN To bring some organized planning to the cluster of crucial transportation projects in Midtown West, Community Board 5 (CB5) hosted a Jan. 19 forum exploring the future options for the area.

Located within a roughly 10-block area, there are four major proposed projects in the neighborhood, including the replacement of the dilapidated Port Authority of New York and New Jersey bus terminal (at 625 Eighth Ave., btw. W. 40th & 42nd Sts.), the Gateway Program that would create a new train tunnel underneath the Hudson River, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s launch of Moynihan Train Hall to modernize Penn Station, and the possible relocation of Madison Square Garden (MSG) from its current site above Penn Station to the back of the Farley Post Office Building across Eighth Ave. With all these items having been discussed at the community board level at one point or another, CB5 aimed to spur discussion that would connect all the large jigsaw puzzle pieces in a cohesive manner.

“All of these projects fall either within our district or immediately across the street,” said Stefano Trevisan, a CB5 member leading the forum. “And yet coordinated planning for these clearly interconnected transportation projects between and among the organizations responsible for them was nowhere to be found.”

Trevisan explained that the community board has reached out to the Empire State Development Corporation that is in charge of spearheading the proposed

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Moynihan Station project; Amtrak to talk about its expansive Gateway Program; the Port Authority regarding its controversial bus terminal replacement; and “anyone we could” for what community board members consider the dire need for moving MSG to pave the way for an improved Penn Station.

In that process, CB5 recognized that there didn’t seem to be any coordination among these agencies.

The board’s forum, “Moving Madison Square Garden and the Battle for a Better Penn,” showcased architectural and planning experts who discussed tying together all the major transit projects that would, in total, completely overhaul Midtown’s western edge.

One proposal at the center of three of the four projects came from the Practice for Architecture and Urbanism and its founder, Vishaan Chakrabarti. Their idea would move MSG to the Farley Post Office and recycle the structure and foundations left behind into a new glassencased commuter hub. Chakrabarti said that while brainstorming for an idea of what to do with an empty site if MSG moved, he was captivated by an old photo of the building’s skeleton.

“There are foundations down there, there’s a structure that’s actually quite handsome with just an incredibly ugly skin on it,” he said of MSG. “If the Garden were to move... could this structure be recycled, could it be the new commuter pavilion that we need located precisely in that location, that we need above the center of the tracks and platform?”

SUPER-PROJECTS continued on p. 23 .com

Midtown South Community Council to Focus on Improvement Initiatives

BY DUSICA SUE MALESEVIC Could a rooftop garden grow on top of the Midtown South Precinct this summer? That tantalizing idea is slowly but surely making progress, said John A. Mudd, president of the Midtown South Community Council (MSCC).

“Our idea is to green the rooftop of the police precinct,” Mudd said at the council’s Jan. 19 meeting. “We got to talk to the higher ups and we got to make sure it’s feasible and make sure it’s safe. There’s still a lot of work to do.”

The precinct’s commanding officer, Inspector Russell Green, is on board with the idea, Mudd said.

Earlier this month, on Jan. 4, Green, MSCC members, a structural engineer, and Joe Winter and Daniel Mintz of Inner City Farmer (innercityfarmer.com) met to discuss logistics and how to move the project forward.

Mudd said that in addition to One Police Plaza approval, there is Department of Buildings code questions to work out (Midtown South Precinct is located at 357 W. 35th St., btw. Eighth and Ninth Aves.).

The vegetables produced may be given to the homeless as well as those who work at the precinct, and there also may be job opportunities for the homeless, Mudd noted, adding, “I think it’s really exciting. I think it could really maybe be part of a movement.”

Last summer, Winter and Mintz had a rooftop garden on top of 205 W. 39th St. (btw. Sixth and Seventh Aves.), where sweet potatoes, eggplants, peppers, collard greens and tomatoes were grown, Mintz told

Photo by Dusica Sue Malesevic

Photo by John A. Mudd

Sharon Jasprizza, director of community services for the council, spoke about an upcoming app to help the homeless.

The Community Council is working on the removal of derelict bikes and “street furniture,” such as these milk crates tied to a lamppost.

Chelsea Now after the meeting, which was held at The New Yorker hotel (481 Eighth Ave., btw. W. 34th & 35th Sts.).

Winter started Inner City Farmer, whose mission is to donate at least 50 percent of “premium quality fresh produce to those who cannot pay for it.” Mintz said they donated vegetables last year to a nearby women’s shelter and church.

In addition to the rooftop garden, the Council

has other improvement initiatives in the works. The Council is proposing fixed installations of magazine and newspaper boxes to replace plastic ones, Eugene Sinigalliano, the council’s beautification director, said.

Sinigalliano said there are already some fixed installations in front of Penn Station and around Grand

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MIDTOWN SOUTH continued on p. 23

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POLICE BLOTTER THE WEST SIDE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

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ASSAULT: The hand that feeds

An unfortunate Queens man found himself getting his hands dirty in an early morning bathroom brawl on Sat., Jan. 21.

As the 34-year-old man recalled to police, he was engaged in a verbal argument with another man, a 45-year-old from upstate, in the bathroom at The Park (118 10th Ave., btw. W. 17th & 18th Sts.) around 2:45am. Eventually it escalated to the point that the other man physically struck him, at which time the Queens man attempted to restrain him. This ended up being an even worse move for him, as in an effort to break free, his opponent simply bit his hand (which, for the sake of all involved, hopefully had been washed).

Though the victim suffered a small laceration that bled, he refused to go to the hospital after the attack. His toothy attacker, meanwhile, was arrested.

CRIMINAL POSSESSION OF A WEAPON/STOLEN PROPERTY: The smoking toy gun Shortly after 4am on Sun., Jan. 22, a police officer observed a pair suspiciously gaining entry into a vehicle parked on the 400 block of W. 19th St. (btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.) — a car which was later confirmed to be that of a 31-year-old Albany woman, who was at a friend’s apartment at the time of the incident. Upon investigation one of the duo — an 18-year-old from the Bronx — had a gravity knife on his person, as well as being in possession of stolen property belonging to a 20-yearold man. The second perp — another 18-year-old male — was found to have an “imitation firearm,” a gray toy pistol. Both were arrested.

PETIT LARCENY: Plundering pills On Sat., Jan. 21 a CVS (81 Eighth Ave., at W. 14th St.) was targeted by a pair of over-the-counter criminals. At around

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9am, the 27-year-old employee witness noted that two unknown males entered the store, lifted a number of drugs from the shelves, placed them in their jackets, and then left without paying. While a canvas conducted by authorities yielded negative results, there were cameras present at the scene with footage available to review. All told, they took $430 worth of pharmaceuticals, including a container of Nexium, a container of Zantic, five of Z-Guard, and 10 of Zantac. It’s probably safe to assume they’ll attempt to synthesize some kind of drug with these, though it’s unclear what exactly. Honestly, trying to research it any more than we already have will almost definitely get us put on some kind of government watchlist.

MAKING GRAFFITI: Spree paint Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen saw a significant spat of vandalization late last week. The first incident — which, like the rest, happened sometime between Wed., Jan. 18 and the morning of Fri., Jan. 20 — occurred at 428 W. 19th St. (btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.). The tagger used purple spray paint to write “SOE” on the building. Following this, the graf-

MIDTOWN SOUTH PRECINCT: Located at 357 W. 35th St. (btw.

Eighth & Ninth Aves.). Inspector: Russel J. Green. Call 212-2399811. Community Affairs: 212239-9846. Crime Prevention: 212239-9846. Domestic Violence: 212-239-9863. Youth Officer: 212239-9817. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-239-9836. Detective Squad: 212-239-9856. The Community Council meets on the third Thurs. of the month, 7pm, at the New Yorker Hotel (481 Eighth Ave., btw. W. 34th & W. 35th St.). Visit midtownsouthcc.org.

fiti appeared in a more concentrated area in Hell’s Kitchen. Steven & Francine’s Complete Automotive Repair (527 W. 36th St., btw. 10th & 11th Aves.) got struck twice — one tag in red and white, reading “Domin,” and another tag which is under investigation. Another tag was discovered a few blocks away (this one blue) defacing an exterior wall of the Port Authority’s Lincoln Tunnel property. It seems then the tagger hopped over to Hunter College (450 W. 41st St., btw.

10th & Dyer Aves.) to paint a black tag on an exterior rear wall.

—SEAN EGAN

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

Seventh & Eighth Aves.). Commander: Capt. Paul Lanot. Main number: 212741-8211. Community Affairs: 212741-8226. Crime Prevention: 212-7418226. Domestic Violence: 212-7418216. Youth Officer: 212-741-8211.

Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-924-3377.

Detective Squad: 212-741-8245. The Community Council meets on the last Wed. of the month, 7pm, at the 10th Precinct or other locations to be announced.

THE 13th PRECINCT: Located at 230 E. 21st St. (btw.

Second & Third Aves.). Deputy Inspector: Brendan Timoney. Call 212477-7411. Community Affairs: 212-4777427. Crime Prevention: 212-477-7427.

Domestic Violence: 212-477-3863.

Youth Officer: 212-477-7411. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-477-4380. Detective Squad: 212-477-7444. The Community Council meets on the third Tues. of the month, 6:30pm, at the 13th Precinct.

YOUR WEEKLY community newspaper serving CHELSEA, HUDSON YARDS & HELL’S KITCHEN

PUBLISHER’S LIABILITY FOR ERROR: The Publisher

shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement.

The publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue.

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Januar y 26 - Februar y 01, 2017

.com

City Opens Application Process for Free Pre-K

BY DENNIS LYNCH The Department of Education (DOE) has opened up the first of two registration periods for the city’s free prekindergarten (pre-K) program for the 2017-2018 school year, for children born in 2013. The deadline to register in the first round is Fri., Feb. 24.

To find a program in Chelsea or Hell’s Kitchen/Clinton, parents can head to the DOE’s pre-kindergarten resources page to access the Pre-K Finder Map and borough directory in 10 languages.

Visit schools.nyc.gov and click on the “Pre-K” option, located on the upper right under the “Quick Links” section.

There, you will find contact information and can look at the programs at each location, including whether or not the program is dual-language or has extended hours.

Directories translated into other languages are available at all elementary schools, at each of the participating Pre-K for All programs, the DOE’s Family Welcome Centers, libraries, and other community centers, according to the DOE. You can also get assistance with an application at Family Welcome Centers.

There are two in Manhattan: at 333 Seventh Ave. (btw. W. 28th & 29th Sts.), and at 388 W. 125th St. (btw.

Morningside & Manhattan Aves.).

According to the Pre-K Finder Map, there are six DOE district school programs in the area around the neighborhoods. There are nine Early Education Center programs (NYCEECs are run by community organizations contracted with the DOE), and two Pre-K Center programs — “standalone” programs run by the DOE at elementary schools independent of the school administration. So far there are no Pre-K for All offerings at any charter schools in the area.

Parents rank a dozen programs in order of preference, and can expect an offer letter by late April, according to the DOE. Students are considered for seats based on the order of preference, and criteria are different for each type of program.

Zoned students and siblings are considered first for spots at district school programs. All students in a district — which for Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen/ Clinton would be District 2 — are considered equally for seats at pre-K centers. Children who are already involved

Courtesy NYC Department of Education

The application period for the first round of universal pre-kindergarten ends Feb. 24.

with a program at NYCEECs will be considered first for pre-K spots there.

If you do not receive an offer from any of your preferred choices, the DOE will offer a spot in a program with open seats as close to your address as possible. The DOE automatically waitlists applicants at your preferred programs higher than the offer you receive, and

you can still get a waitlist offer from one of those programs if you register with the program you were offered.

Once you’ve received an acceptance letter, you have until May 9 to accept your pre-K offer and register at that school. There will be a second application round between April 20 and May 9.

The New York State Nurses Association is committed to quality care for ALL patients in ALL the diverse communities of New York City nysna.org .com

nynurses Januar y 26 - Februar y 01, 2017

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Photo by Donna Aceto

Washington, DC: Marchers pass the West Building of the National Gallery of Art.

Signs, such as this reminder of War

At DC Women’s March, A Vow, Si

‘This is Only the Be WOMEN’S MARCH continued from p. 6

and over 20 performers, some rallied the crowd more than others. Those who were situated close to the speakers, or those, myself among them, who could see speakers and performers projected on the jumbo screen, drew energy from them.

Gloria Steinem rallied the crowd early on with: “Sometimes we must put our bodies where our beliefs are… Trump and his handlers have found a fox for every chicken coop in Washington.

A Twitter finger must not become a

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Januar y 26 - Februar y 01, 2017

trigger finger… This is the upside of the downside. The Constitution begins with ‘We the people.’… If you cannot control your body from the skin in, you cannot control it from the skin out, you cannot control your lives, our lives, and that means the right to decide whether and if to give birth without government interference.”

Scarlett Johansson made an impassioned speech in support of Planned Parenthood and spoke of the difference it had made in her life when, at age 15, she could seek guidance and care from the organization. She also spoke of

how she was at the March in support of her daughter, “who may actually — as a result of the appointments you [Trump] have made — grow up in a country that is moving backwards, not forwards, and who potentially may not have the right to make choices for her body and her future that your daughter Ivanka has been privileged to have.”

The US Senators Kirsten Gillibrand from New York, Tammy Duckworth from Illinois, and Kamala Harris from California brought a bit of female Washington to the day.

“This is about our country,” said

Senator Duckworth. “I didn’t shed blood to defend this nation — I didn’t give up literal parts of my body — to have the Constitution trampled on.

I did not serve along with men and women in our armed forces to have them roll back our rights.”

The future was represented in the form of a heart-melting speech by sixyear-old Sophie Cruz, who was joined onstage by her undocumented parents.

“Let us fight with love, faith and courage so that our families will not be WOMEN’S MARCH continued on p. 13 .com

Photo by Donna Aceto

rsaw, warned of the dark path the nation cold take under President Trump.

ign, and Refrain:

Beginning’ WOMEN’S MARCH continued from p. 12

destroyed,” she said. “I also want to tell the children not to be afraid, because we are not alone. There are still many people that have their hearts filled with love.” Sophie spoke in English, then repeated the same words in Spanish, and ultimately led a call to action that filled the air with hundreds of thousands of voices: “Si se puede!” or “Yes we can!”

Among other familiar names who took to the stage were Michael Moore, America Ferrera, Angela Davis, Ashley .com

Photo by David Puchkoff

Ann Grant, a public defender in Massachusetts, felt it was time for her infant daughter Vivian to begin doing her civic duty. Vivian’s poster says it all.

Judd, Van Jones, Janelle Monae, Maxwell, Alicia Keys, Toshi Reagon, and the co-chairs of the March: Bob Bland, Carmen Perez, Linda Sarsour, and Tamika Mallory. The on-stage agenda, which was scheduled to end at 1 p.m., lasted far longer, and by 2:30 p.m. the crowd wanted to start moving. A chant of “march, march” rose up from the ground. However the March’s planned route became impossible to navigate due to the solid humanity, which left not an inch available for movement.

Photo by David Puchkoff

WOMEN’S MARCH continued on p. 14

This group of activists drove 1,800 miles from New Mexico to participate in the Women’s March in Washington, DC. Januar y 26 - Februar y 01, 2017

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DON’T MISS OUT

The second annual Gay City News Impact Awards will recognize and celebrate outstanding contributions to New York City’s LGBTQ community, its progress, and its achievements

Photo by David Puchkoff

Accalia Frey, age 17, pictured with her mother Jody, is a freshman at Hofstra University who worked behind the scenes during the Hofstra-hosted presidential debate between Clinton and Trump. She isn’t old enough to vote but that did not stop her from speaking out in support of Hillary.

WOMEN’S MARCH continued from p. 13

Honorees are being celebrated

gaycitynews.nyc/impact

The organizers suggested that marchers take an alternate route headed toward the Ellipse. So march we did, as best we could. Friends and family held onto each other — I, with my husband David Puchkoff and my sister Ellen Black. The density of the crowd surprised and delighted everyone. The Women’s March is now being considered the biggest nonviolent demonstration in history.

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Januar y 26 - Februar y 01, 2017

As Kristen Rogers’ sign noted, “This Is Only The Beginning.” As energizing as the March was, the crowd was counseled to organize in their communities, to stay connected, to contact elected officials about issues of injustice, and to run for office themselves. Senator Gillibrand called the day, “the moment when the women’s movement started again.”

It’s also important to remember the power of public demonstration.

In 1913, 5,000 women marched up to Pennsylvania Ave. to advocate for women’s suffrage. In 1920, women received the right to vote. In 1963, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was held. Over 200,000 people gathered to hear Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech for justice and equality. In 1964 the Civil Rights Act

Photo by Ellen Black

Creative messages included a Lady Liberty warning that there is nowhere else to go — so let’s get to work.

was passed. The Moratorium March on Washington to protest the Vietnam War took place in 1969 with over 500,000 people joining together. The Vietnam War ended in 1975.

The Women’s March has ignited a hopefulness from the despair of the presidential election. Voices raised on that day, whether for the first time or as part of a lifelong commitment to women’s rights, will not be subverted or silenced. Change takes time — but it happens. .com

Church of the Safe to Say It SANCTUARY puts marginalized artists in the front pew

Photo by Hunter Canning

Vocal trio SIREN did a searing version of Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse,” making good on their vow to “take pop songs and cover them in gravy.”

Photo by No Future Photography

Black actors stuck in a bit part audition time loop resolve to write their own ending, in Feb. 1’s “Room 4.”

BY SCOTT STIFFLER It wasn’t that kind of Inaugural Ball.

Nobody looked past trans theatre artist Maybe Burke’s talent, caring only about who designed the clothes; and .com

eyes didn’t dart when Natalie Douglas declared, “I’m a woman, so bleeding is political” before nailing a song about meeting Jesus in a Christopher Street gay bar; and not a single person in attendance answered the refrain of

vocal trio SIREN — “How am I going to be an optimist about this?” — with the snide suggestion that they just get over it already and give the new guy a chance.

There were, however, plenty of knowing nods when SANCTUARY co-creator Jonathan Cottle opened the month-long series by acknowledging, “Yeah. It’s been a day.”

Those assembled on Jan. 20 in the Mainstage space of Manhattan’s HERE arts center stood in stark contrast to how Donald J. Trump celebrated the first night of his presidency. Actually, they sat — cabaret-style, downing wine and beer and cheese puffs, and looking pretty damn good in the candlelight, given the grim tone of that day.

By the 8:30 p.m. curtain, a number of progressive causes had been (and remain) ghosted from the White House website — and a prediction of the same fate for federal arts funding was among the ominous things occupying the top of everybody’s news feed. Although Twitter and Facebook know what you like to hear about, an informed algorithm doesn’t cut it when the thing you really need is a brick-and-mortar destination whose prime directive is to celebrate lives lived outside the margins.

Performances, dance events, panel discussions, SANCTUARY continued on p. 17 Januar y 26 - Februar y 01, 2017

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All This Jazz!

Two series highlight old vets, idiosyncratic artists

BY SEAN EGAN “When I got into music, honestly, everyone was doing the Monk contest — so many, it was basically like the NBA finals for us,” recalled jazz pianist Orrin Evans of his experience as a finalist at the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. In the years following that 1999 edition of the venerated jazz contest, Evans participated in numerous ensembles, amassed an impressive discography, and today enjoys a busy gig schedule. Why take the time for recollection then?

February marks the beginning of the annual Monk in Motion: The Next Face of Jazz series — a concert program run by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, which usually highlights the finalists of the most recent edition of their Competition. This year, however, the Institute is taking a bit of a stroll down memory lane, turning the reins over to Competition alums who’ve gone on to find success beyond the contest — hence Evans’ involvement.

Following his Feb. 4 opening salvo, 2010 contest finalist Charenee Wade and 2003 finalist David Gibson are set to take the spotlight on Feb. 18 and March 4, respectively. Coming off the heels of her 2016 effort “Offering: The Music of Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,” vocalist Wade promises to bring her own smooth arrangements and soulful singing to the stage.

Trombonist Gibson — who has performed with Evans’ own Captain Black Big Band — will be accompanied by a quartet of musicians for his set.

For his part, Evans has decided to prepare a set full of Thelonious Monk arrangements with his sidemen — a

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Januar y 26 - Februar y 01, 2017

Photo by John Abbott

Courtesy Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz

Orrin Evans’ Thelonious Monk tribute set opens the Monk in Motion series on Feb. 4.

Trombonist David Gibson leads a quintet on March 4, for the Monk in Motion series.

program they usually reserve only to mark Monk’s birthday.

“It’s something that I’ve needed to do, not something that I always wanted to do,” explained Evans, noting that they often twist their arrangements to sound “totally different from Monk,” while still maintaining his spirit. “I would hope that what [the audience will] hear and what they expect to hear, is a representation of freedom and openness, and with a respect to the history and culture and all of the people and the forefathers that created

this music,” he elaborated, expressing hope that his playing (while not imitative) will help “keep [Monk’s] essence alive.”

“An opportunity to play is always special, but with it being based on the Monk contest — I guess that’s an extra special little treat,” he continued, citing the Monk Institute’s ongoing educational efforts as an admirable resource.

“I love that I’m a part of it.”

Monk in Motion isn’t the only jazz game in town this winter. Just a short jaunt north, the “Sound It Out” series runs concurrently. The year-round program, curated by music journalist Bradley Bambarger, has gained acclaim for its high-quality, if idiosyncratic, lineups of stylistically diverse artists.

“I think it’s a really cool series — I like the type of stuff [Bambarger] programs, so I was actually pretty stoked when he wrote to me to ask me to play,” said Nick Millevoi, a guitarist scheduled for a set on Feb. 11, noting Bambarger keeps the series “carefully curated,” and highlights music from across the jazz spectrum.

Indeed, for just the next month or so, Bambarger has lined up an eclectic mix of artists. The week before Millevoi

Courtesy Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz

Charenee Wade, vocalist and 2010 Monk Competition finalist, takes to the Monk in Motion stage on Feb. 18.

takes the stage, classical pianist Taka Kigawa will take jazz-influenced pieces by composers like Stravinsky out for a spin, followed by a set from Color Wheel, a new quartet featuring pianist Sebastian Ammann. The week after Millevoi’s gig will find European piano/ JAZZ continued on p. 19 .com

SANCTUARY continued from p. 15

and community organizing training sessions on the SANCTUARY schedule through Feb. 18 may provide a safe space for participants, but the project itself is rooted in leaving one’s comfort zone: Cottle, a set designer, and old friend Adam Salberg, a sound designer, had never taken it upon themselves to produce a show before.

“We’re not a writing/directing duo,” noted Cottle — a disclaimer repeated at the SANCTUARY Inaugural Ball, where he and Salberg submerged themselves in the uncharted waters of hosting a variety showcase.

“Fair warning,” announced the visibly nervous Salberg. “I’m on enough Xanax to sedate a small horse.”

The techies-turned-emcees didn’t have much to apologize for. Between the two of them, they turned out to be one fine Ed Sullivan. As for what you’ll see during the month-long series, Azure D Osborne-Lee, Debra Morris, and Jenna Grossano (she of the nonprofit theatre company Less Than Rent) were brought on board to curate the talent.

The results of their effort include Jan. 27-29’s “Next Faggot Nation,” in which The Fossick Collective uses “Faggots’” (Larry Kramer’s 1978 novel of pre-AIDS sex and drugs), along with other icons and influences, as a way to “hold a mirror up to the younger generation of gay men to bring a call to action.” Conceived and designed

by Ran Xia in collaboration with Charlotte Arnoux, Feb. 8’s “Harmony” is a sound sculpture that draws upon the collective consciousness to form an audio document of in-the-moment global concerns. Feb. 14’s “Monopoly: A Landlord’s Game” is a dance piece by Megan Minturn, honoring the life of little-known Monopoly creator Lizzie Maggie and applying her board game’s rules to, among other things, economic injustice and for-profit prisons. Two panel discussions — “Envisioning Full Gender Inclusivity in the American Theater: What Does It Look Like?” and “Ally-ship in the Arts: How to Be a Change-maker Without Making It About You” — don’t have dates yet, but are expected to land in the last two weeks of the schedule.

For the visual identity of SANCTUARY, Cottle drew on his day job know-how (along with a fondness for pews and red curtains) to immerse the audience in “different protest and counterculture movements, including

Weimar, Berlin — that queer sexual revolution; and the riot grrrl feminist punk scene in the early ’90s.

The other inspiration is the idea of making it a sacred space, because a lot of churches have been associated with activism, with human rights movements.” As for content on the stage, “We decided we wanted to make the heart of this about providing a forum for artists who were from traditionally marginalized groups, who are targets of the administration; queer folks, feminists, people of color.”

Many of the artists presented by SANCTUARY have been making personal, political, confrontational work, noted Cottle, “since way before the election, and they will continue to make work like this. We didn’t seek out any specific thematic material. We did get some stuff created in response to the election, but many people already had stuff that addresses racism or misogyny — and it’s made all the more relevant now.”

One notable example of the latter is “Room 4,” which gets another well-deserved goround after a successful fall run at the Peoples Improv Theater in Manhattan. Written by the team of Marina & Nicco, it forces four black actors to repeat the same audition for a bit part in a horribly written police procedural drama. Having tremendous fun with its time loop gimmick (which the playwrights know is every bit as stereotypical as that coveted “Drug Dealer #2” role), the one-act is full of surprises — the best of which happens when the hungry thespians become aware of their power to shatter an unjust cycle by taking a red pen to what’s been written for them. It’s a fitting metaphor: for the play, the whole of SANCTUARY, and the daunting task that lies ahead.

Through Feb. 18 at HERE (145 Sixth Ave.; enter on Dominick, one block south of Spring St.). Most performances begin at 8:30pm and most tickets are $20. For reservations and the schedule of events, visit here.org (order tickets by phone 212-352-3101).

Photo by Hunter Canning

Theatre artist and trans activist Maybe Burke spoke on visibility, invisibility, and the power of identity.

Photo courtesy Fossick Collective Photo by Hunter Canning

L to R: Jonathan Cottle and Adam Salberg left their comfort zone to host the SANCTUARY Inaugural Ball. .com

“Next Faggot Nation,” Jan. 27-29, challenges the current crop to make their mark on activism and art.

Januar y 26 - Februar y 01, 2017

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Januar y 26 - Februar y 01, 2017

haps they’re checking out a house in a new neighborhood or thought they saw someone they knew on the street corner. It can be easy to veer into the direction your eyes are focused, causing an accident. In addition to trying to stay focused on the road, some drivers prefer the help of lane departure warning systems.

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JAZZ continued from p. 16

cello duo Anja Lechner and Francois Couturier bringing their moody and meditative stylings stateside to play a set in support of their newest album together, “Nuit Blanche.” And that’s just the beginning — Sound It Out already has acts booked through June 29.

As for where Millevoi fits in, he’ll be playing with his Desertion Trio, which has found its footing at the crossroads of classic rock and free jazz.

The trio’s named after his latest LP, an instrumental disc with sprawling soundscapes, alternately melodic and proggy, gentle and aggressive. While the group is still evolving, it represents a synthesis of Millevoi’s far-flung musical influences — spanning everything from Neil Young records to harshand-noisy jazz/punk — with his own unique playing at the center.

“Sometimes it’s more like a free jazz spin on there, sometimes it’s more of like an open free rock kind of vibe that we’re taking to approach the material,” said Millevoi, describing the group’s distinctive tonal palette. “Any sound that I’m working with is just something that feels personal. So to jump around never feels like that crazy of a thing, as much as it might be aesthetically crazy.”

Photo by Matt Hurst

Guitarist Nick Millevoi will lead his Desertion Trio through genre-bending, jazzy numbers: Feb. 11, at the Sound It Out series.

Millevoi is confident that audiences will stay along for (and enjoy) the sonic ride they’ll take them on, due to their faith in Bambarger and the Sound It Out brand.

“When it’s a carefully curated experience by somebody who’s really passionate, those are always the most meaningful experiences,” Millevoi asserted. “That’s

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Courtesy St. Peter’s Chelsea

A contingent from St. Peter’s Chelsea Episcopal Church waited at Third. Ave. at E. 47th St. to step into the march.

MANHATTAN MARCHERS continued from p. 4

Photo by Paul Schindler

Second Ave. was filled with a wide array of homemade signs.

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said. “Building unity and speaking out against injustice, tyranny.”

The man, however, declined to give his name.

“I work in the public domain,” he explained.

His husband identified himself as Joseph Canale.

A woman carrying a sign labeled with the logo of the Human Rights Campaign, the Washington-based LGBTQ lobby, and reading “Equality, Justice, Love Make America Great,” said, “We have to do something. We can’t just sit down and let this happen. Keep resisting.

Keep fighting. Telling our legislators how we feel. Keep speaking up. I am very concerned about LGBTQ rights,

about violence and hatred against all minorities.”

The woman, who lives in Westchester County, was marching with her young daughter and her mother, who was celebrating her 78th birthday on Saturday.

Asked to share her name, the woman said, “I’d rather not.”

The spirited crowd alternated chants throughout the day, and addressed a variety of issues as they did so. “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go” and “Donald Trump, go away, racist, sexist, anti-gay” were the most common refrains, but the crowd also chanted, “Say it loud, say it clear: Refugees are welcome here.”

And in a reminder that many in the crowd have ambivalence about the prospect of Trump at some point over the next four years giving up his position, marchers also chanted, “Pence sucks, too.”

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Photo by Paul Schindler

Marchers filled E. 42nd St. near Grand Central Terminal.

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FIGHT TRUMP continued from p. 3

movement to make public universities tuition-free. Pro-Palestinian activists waved flags nearby.

These new alliances empower small groups, according to McMahon. Fight Back Bay Ridge only has about 50 followers on social media, but Trump supporters have already demonstrated that a few people can reach millions at any moment, she added.

But they do not need a viral sensation to win in the long term, as an ever-growing presence on social media reaches new people incrementally, she explained.

A “world of resistance” can form “one by one” against efforts by Trump and others to undermine an inclusive society, according to McMahon.

These efforts reached Judith Idowu the night before, after a long day at work. The Upper West Side resident wanted to be among the millions of Americans who would protest the inauguration. But first she needed to know where to go. She logged into Facebook and found not one, but two events over the weekend.

She said that she wanted to be among the Americans — who like a few people long ago in her native Germany — opposed from the get-go a politician who notoriously promised to implement policies that discriminate against ethnic and religious minorities.

A few feet away, Natan looked at the bronze statue of George Washington in front of Federal Hall. The inauguration of the 45th president made Natan fear for the future, but for the time being he found solace among neighbors.

The appreciation for diversity that defines neighborhoods like Hell’s Kitchen will keep the opposition against Trump alive even in the darkest hours to come, according to Natan.

“It’s really not about going out and protesting every day,” he confirmed.

Photos by Zach Williams

A rally at Foley Square attracted a crowd of 1,000 people who listened to representatives of local grassroots organizations and leftist groups.

People chanted slogans on Jan. 20 in support of causes such as criminal justice reform, affordable housing and equal rights for LGBTQs and women.

College students such as Nathaniel Nornan of Socialist Students (above) said free public education was one way that regular citizens could oppose the political agenda of the incoming Trump administration. .com

A woman and man watch as protesters pass a Downtown restaurant. Some marchers said that tolerance in daily life is one way to oppose a president who has a long record of disparaging women as well as ethnic and religious minorities.

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SUPER-PROJECTS continued from p. 8

Chakrabarti’s design would remove several columns of the existing structure to reduce the cramped feeling of the station, have a glass exterior to let in light, and give commuters a sense of where they are in Midtown. The aim would be to make the area feel more like a public plaza than a dejected train station.

Chakrabarti said his firm estimates that this reconfiguration would be very feasible with a $1 billion price tag.

“We believe there’s this donut of planning going on with each entity in their own individual fiefdom,” he said of the projects surrounding the current site of MSG and Penn Station. “And we believe this sort of idea injects jelly in the heart of that donut by pulling all of that together in a fairly simple and straightforward way.”

According to Tom Wright, the president of the Regional Plan Association, all the projects tie together stemming from the Gateway Program –– which would improve and expand rail infra-

Courtesy CB5

L to R: Vishaan Chakrabarti, Tom Wright, and Michael Kimmelman (a New York Times architecture critic and the forum’s moderator).

structure between Newark and Penn Station –– and its expected impact on the region’s growth. Wright’s group proposes that the Gateway effort be broadened to create another station at E. 31st St. and Third Ave. and then tunnel under the East River to reach Sunnyside, Queens.

“We have this extraordinary wealth of rail infrastructure that really makes New York City possible,” Wright said.

“Both our subways and our commuter railroads are the lifeblood of our city and region. But the weakest link of it is the northeast corridor and the tunnel under the Hudson River.”

In mentioning the northeast corridor, Wright referred to Penn Station’s pivotal position at the center of the Amtrak network that connects Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, with points north to Boston.

At present, he explained, the centuryold tunnel between Newark and Penn Station only has a two-train capacity, and it was flooded and damaged during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. But by making the Gateway project as ambitious as possible, he asserted, the responsible agencies could coordinate each project to have a positive impact on the others.

“What we need to see is the Gateway project built with the maximum capacity it can,” Wright said.

Then, referring to a proposal to expand Penn Station with an annex one block south, he added, “We need Penn South; we need Moynihan Station, which by the way will provide an early relief to allow us to do this kind of work on the West Side. And eventually we’re going to need Penn Station to be the station we all dreamed and talked about.”

MIDTOWN SOUTH continued from p. 9

Central Station.

“Those are great, and they do solve part of the problem, but they’re too big and bulky for the narrower sidewalks,” he said, noting that the Council “is going to sponsor a design contest to design a multi-box unit that will [be] low maintenance [and] will be graffiti resistant.”

Mudd said in a Jan. 21 email that the Council is expected to announce the specifics of the contest in upcoming weeks.

Sinigalliano said that according to Department of Transportation regulations, only multi-unit boxes are allowed to be fixed. The Council is hoping these new boxes will stop people turning over the current plastic holders to sit on.

Mudd said they are also working on removing postal crates and street furniture, and plan on putting up signs in problem areas — such as W. 42nd St. and Eighth Ave. where numerous bikes, some derelict, are attached to a fence.

The blocks around the Port Authority on Eighth Avenue has gotten to be an obstacle course, he said in an email.

The Council continues its focus on homelessness, with the first phase of an app slated to be rolled out in March.

“When we found out that many [services] were being duplicated, and inefficiencies were happening, we thought we need some sort of app in action,” Sharon Jasprizza, MSCC’s director of community services, said.

The app will put together services — and relevant details, such as addresses, contacts and what they offer, she explained. For instance, if a homeless person needed shelter for the night or a doctor, the app could tell them where to go, Jasprizza said.

The speaker for the evening also focused on the .com

Photos by Dusica Sue Malesevic

Eugene Sinigalliano, beautification director for the council, talked about plans for a design contest to replace plastic newspaper and magazine stands.

homeless issue. Marc Greenberg, executive director of Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing (iahh.org), spoke about what his organization does to address homelessness, including working on public policies that help produce housing, as well as preventing homelessness.

“One of the issues we’re working on is to try to establish the right to legal counsel in housing court,” he said.

During eviction proceedings, around 90 percent of landlords have an attorney whereas about 10 percent of tenants have representation, according to Greenberg.

He said the organization estimates that about 10,000 households a year that are evicted because they don’t know their rights. “Many people get an eviction notice, they don’t even go to court, they just say,

Marc Greenberg, executive director, Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing, spoke about the importance of tenants having counsel in housing court.

‘Please give me some time, I’ll leave,’ ” he noted.

With the city spending anywhere from $30,000 to $35,000 to keep a family in a shelter, it costs less to defend them in housing court, Greenberg said.

“The biggest bang for your buck,” he said, “is keeping people from losing their homes in the first place.”

Visit midtownsouthcc.org for more information about the Midtown South Community Council.

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