The Villager - June 21, 2018

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

June 21, 2018 • $1.00 Volume 88 • Number 24

Seward Co-op’s vote on air rights leaves developer ‘bewildered’ BY SYDNEY PEREIR A

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n a historic vote at the Seward Park Co-operative, residents voted ‘No’ to selling $54 million worth of air rights to developers building at a nearby lot. The decision has rattled some residents who fear that fees to cover the co-op’s financial troubles will

skyrocket. The air rights would have gone toward developing two buildings next to the former Bialystoker Nursing Home, at 228 East Broadway. The Ascend Group and Optimum Asset Management were planning to construct buildings 22 SEWARD continued on p. 12

Worn down by Croman, Caffe Vivaldi, bohemian gem, is calling it quits BY GABE HERMAN

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affe Vivaldi, a beloved Village institution for 35 years, will be closing its doors for good on June 23 due to ongoing difficulties with notorious landlord Steven Croman. “Our legal and financial difficulties with our landlord

came to a head this spring,” said a message recently posted on the cafe’s Web site, referring to a new lawsuit filed against it by Croman. “To continue to fight would be self-destructive in many, many ways for the business and for all of us.” Since it was opened in 1983 VIVALDI continued on p. 11

PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY

Council Speaker Corey Johnson joined a Foley Square rally Monday for release of Pablo Villavicencio, an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador arrested June 1 while delivering pasta to For t Hamilton Army base. Villavicencio is married to a U.S. citizen, with whom he has two young daughters, above with Johnson. Earlier the same day, Councilmember Margaret Chin rallied for the release of Xiu Qwg You — also married to an American, with whom he has two young kids — who was detained May 23 after inter viewing for a green card. The two are being held in the same Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.

Elevators are a win; L fight still on track BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

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illage and Chelsea residents, along with disabled advocates and local politicians, hailed a major victory on Monday morning when they announced that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has agreed to install handicap-accessible elevators at the L subway station at Sixth Ave. and W. 14th St. But members of the 14th St. Coalition — which includes

Three shot in Bleecker bar...... p. 3

a broad swath of Village and Chelsea block associations and residents associations in large apartment buildings — said there is still a long way to go to address their concerns about the mitigation plan for the city’s L-train shutdown plan. In fact, they say, they are being stonewalled: They specifically repeatedly blasted Polly Trottenberg, the commissioner of the city’s Department of Transportation, for turning a deaf ear and show-

ing a veritable Robert Moseslike haughty disdain for their concerns. “We’re glad the M.T.A. responded,” said Julianne Bond, co-chairperson of the coalition, speaking at Monday’s press conference outside the Sixth Ave. station. “We are extremely disappointed in the D.O.T. The D.O.T.’s refusal to answer even basic questions is arrogant, disgraceful and disrespectful.” LTRAIN continued on p. 6

Kids call for speed cameras by schools.............p. 2 ‘Russiagate’ player hands over e-mails.............p. 8 www.TheVillager.com

Kids call for more speed cameras near schools BY SAR AH FERGUSON

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ike the students rallying against gun violence, New York City children are now rising up to take on the violence perpetrated against them by cars. On June 7, a new student-led coalition called CURB (Children United to Rein In Breakneck Driving) rallied outside Governor Cuomo’s office in Midtown to urge state lawmakers to approve legislation to double the number of speed cameras outside the city’s schools. Right now, there are speed cameras outside 140 school zones across the city, and the Assembly-backed bill would double the eligible school zones to 290 to cover more than 10 percent of the city’s schools over all. But the bill is being held up by Senate Republicans — and in particular, Brooklyn’s Simcha Felder, who has refused to let the bill out of committee unless his proposal of putting an armed police officer at every school is also passed. If the bill does not get approved before the legislative session ends this week, not only would the city not get to add new cameras, but existing cameras would go dark. “I think it’s horrifying that politics is holding this up,� said Alison Collard

PHOTO BY SARAH FERGUSON

East Village dad Choresh Wald rode to the rally with his 7-year-old daughter, Noga. Wald said, even outside his daughter’s E. 12th St. school, the speeding is rampant.

de Beaufort, a 17-year-old senior from Brooklyn Tech, who got involved after three of her classmates were killed by

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For more information, please call New York University, 631-268-6931 or email aml836@nyu.edu 2

June 21, 2018

speeding or reckless drivers over the course of a year. “All we’re trying to do is to make sure kids get to school safely,� de Beaufort said. “I don’t understand why it has to be so political. These are kids’ lives; we’re the ones most impacted by speeding drivers.� Being struck by a vehicle is the leading cause of injury-related death for children under 14, and the second leading cause for seniors, according to data compiled by the Vision Zero initiative. Opponents portray speed cameras as a moneymaking trap for unsuspecting drivers. Drivers are fined $50 — but only if they exceed 11 miles per hour or more over the speed limit. The fines are pretty effective. Since they were introduced four years ago, cameras outside schools have reduced speeding by an average of 63 percent and traffic injuries by 14 percent, according a report by the city’s Department of Transportation. Also speaking out at the rally was Zane Walker, also 14, who lost his friend Lucian Merryweather in 2013 after an out-of-control driver jumped a curb and plowed into him in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. “We matter more than getting places fast,� Walker said. “Governor Cuomo, we’re begging you to get behind this bill.� In fact, Cuomo passed by the students just before the rally’s start and pledged to lend his support. He also dispatched his lead counsel, Alphonso David, to attend the rally, which was organized with the help of the lobbying

group Transportation Alternatives. “We think that this is incredible that these kids are getting involved in the political process,� David told Streetsblog. “This is an important issue, the governor supports it, and we want to make sure that Albany listens to them.� Supporters hope that Cuomo’s backing will convince Felder and other Senate Republicans to put the bill up for a vote — or, at the very least, extend state authorization for the existing school cameras. Many of the kids who turned out for the rally were bussed in from Queens, where 9-year-old Giovanni Ampuero was plowed down by a hit-and-run driver in a Northern Boulevard crosswalk two months ago. But the rally also drew several East Village parents, including Choresh Wald, who rode up with his 7-year-old daughter, Noga, on their cargo bike. Although his daughter’s school, East Village Community School, is on a relatively quiet block on E. 12th St., Wald said he’s still very concerned about speeding in the area. In 2014, the city agreed to designate the Tompkins Square / Alphabet City area a “slow zone,� reducing posted speed limits to 20 m.p.h., and 15 m.p.h. outside schools But many drivers don’t abide by that. Wald said the speed bump that the city installed in front of the entrance to E.V.C.S. is not enough to deter speeders, who slow for the bump and then gun it to make the light at the intersection. “The block is so long, the cars still have the room to speed, so they need to have two bumps,� Wald said. “It’s a simple solution.� Wald said he also asked for an additional speed bump outside P.S. 19 on E. 11th St. between First and Second Aves., but D.O.T. installed a sign instead. “The drivers could care less, it’s just a sign,� he said. Parents at Earth School, at Avenue B and E. Fifth St., have also pressed for more speed bumps and traffic enforcement along Avenue B to curb speeders there. But DOT declined to put bumps on Avenue B because it’s a fire lane. A D.O.T. spokesperson said the city would consider “activating� speed cameras in East Village school zones if the state law expands the number of locations permitted by law. The city does not disclose camera locations — because that would make them far less effective. But there do not appear to be any cameras operating north of Houston St. now. That could change. With both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner James O’Neill now backing speed cameras, it seems the city is ready to move forward with as many cameras as state lawmakers will allow. TheVillager.com

Hookah shoot: 3 are wounded at Bleecker lounge A bouncer at another local nightspot on the block said he hopes Falucka shuts down. He said he went to the club for his cousin’s birthday and a group of women started arguing with her on their way out. He said once they were outside, the group jumped him. But Liam Small, 19, a guitarist visiting from California who was passing by the taped-off crime scene, said he had been there a few days before and, “it seemed like a fine place.” As for his the fact that he’s too young to be served alcohol legally, he said, “You got me,” adding with a smile, “I got my fake [ID].” Falucka Lounge and Le Souk, another Egyptianthemed hotspot, on LaGuardia Place, are operated by brothers Marcus Andrews and Sam Jacob. Each year, the brothers throw a free Thanksgiving dinner for the community, which is staffed by local community leaders who act as waiters and food servers. Jacob has also been an active member of the Village Reform Democratic Club. A message requesting comment from the owners that was left at Le Souk was not returned by press time. Terri Cude, chairperson of Community Board 2, has been a volunteer server at Le Souk’s Thanksgiving dinners. “I’m very concerned,” she told The Villager. “This is not a neighborhood where shooting should ever happen. So I am, of course, concerned about the safety of our community. All I heard was that the shooting was in reaction to security telling somebody not to do something.” The popular Le Souk formerly was located on Avenue B but drew the community’s ire due to the large crowds — who would line up on the sidewalk outside — and all the car and cab traffic that it attracted.

BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

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crid gun smoke mixed with sweet hookah smoke on Bleecker St. early Sunday morning after a wild shooting at Falucka Lounge that left three men wounded. Police said a dispute broke out inside the place, at 162 Bleecker St. near Sullivan St., at 3:47 a.m., and it ended in gunfire inside the premises. A 27-year-old man was shot in the leg. A 29-year-old was blasted in the left leg. And another man, 33, took one slug in the back and two in the leg. The victims were all treated at Bellevue Hospital and reported “not likely to die.” The Daily News identified the victims as Romayen Simpson, Kunta Edwards and Kurt Hyman. A police spokesperson said he did not have information on how many shots in total were fired. The gunman, described as black and wearing a white T-shirt, fled in a black sedan in an unknown direction. Sandwiched between two innocuous retail neighbors — Li-Lac Chocolates and World’s Best Cookie Dough — Falucka, which refers to a traditional Egyptian wooden sailing boat, is known for belly dancing and hookahs, but also occasional problems, too. Robert Jackson, a community affairs officer at the Sixth Precinct, said the nightspot has “had some issues.” “Last year, probably around December, they had a slashing or stabbing,” he said. Falucka is a retail tenant of The Atrium, the former residence for down-and-out men that is now a tony apartment building. A doorman there last Sunday afternoon, Jason Maskerson, 24, who has worked there three years, said

PHOTO BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

The sidewalk in front of Falucka Lounge on Bleecker St. was still cordoned off as a crime scene at 6 p.m. last Sunday afternoon after a shooting there earlier that morning.

the club’s security could be better. By comparison, he said Le Poisson Rouge live-music venue, which is also a commercial tenant in the building, has very tight and professional security. “I do feel they need more security,” he said. “They’ve got like a terrible clientele, too. There’ll be a few fights each year. A party-bus guy was attacked there in October. He was punched. I don’t think there’s enough staff or they know how to de-escalate” tense situations, he said. On the hand, he said, “At L.P.R.” [Le Poisson Rouge], they do not let anyone get out of hand at that club.” The doorman said The Atrium, with about 200 apartments, nowadays is mainly filled by young N.Y.U. students.

The stakes have never been higher. Re-elect

CAROLYN MALONEY

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TheVillager.com

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June 21, 2018

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Betesh bashed for ditching return date Named best weekly newspaper in New York State in 2001, 2004 and 2005 by New York Press Association Editorials, First Place, 2017 Best Column, First Place, 2017 Best Obituaries, First Place, 2017 News Story, First Place, 2015 Editorial Pages, First Place, 2015 Editorials, First Place, 2014 News Story, First Place, 2014 Overall Design Excellence, First Place, 2013 Photographic Excellence, First Place, 2011

PUBLISHER JENNIFER GOODSTEIN EDITOR IN CHIEF LINCOLN ANDERSON ARTS EDITOR SCOTT STIFFLER REPORTER SYDNEY PEREIRA CONTRIBUTORS IRA BLUTREICH TINA BENITEZ-EVES SARAH FERGUSON BOB KRASNER TEQUILA MINSKY CLAYTON PATTERSON MARY REINHOLZ SHARON WOOLUMS BILL WEINBERG GRAPHIC DESIGNER MARCOS RAMOS ADVERTISING AMANDA TARLEY (P): 718-260-8340 (E): ATARLEY@CNGLOCAL.COM ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES GAYLE GREENBURG JIM STEELE JULIO TUMBACO ELIZABETH POLLY CIRCULATION SALES MNGR. MARVIN ROCK

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The Villager (USPS 578930) ISSN 0042-6202 Copyright © 2018 by the NYC Community Media LLC is published weekly by NYC Community Media LLC, One Metrotech North, 10th floor Brooklyn, NY 11201. 52 times a year. Business and Editorial Offices: One Metrotech North, 10th floor Brooklyn, NY 11201. Accounting and Circulation Offices: NYC Community Media LLC, One Metrotech North, 10th floor Brooklyn, NY 11201. Call 718-260-2500 to subscribe. Periodicals postage prices is paid at New York, N.Y. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Villager, One Metrotech North, 10th floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Annual subscription by mail in Manhattan and Brooklyn $29 ($35 elsewhere). Single copy price at office and newsstands is $1. The entire contents of newspaper, including advertising, are copyrighted and no part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher - © 2018 NYC Community Media LLC. PUBLISHER’S LIABILITY FOR ERROR

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June 21, 2018

BY SYDNEY PEREIR A

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he tenants from 85 Bowery who have been displaced from their apartments since January say their landlord, Joseph Betesh, has reneged on his word to agree to a guaranteed return date for them of Aug. 31. Dozens of tenants and organizers rallied outside the tenants’ now-vacant building Monday morning. They called on the New York State attorney general and Manhattan district attorney to investigate the landlord for tenant harassment, and demanded a guaranteed return date from Betesh. “How can we live like this?” Shuo Jin, one of the tenants, said, as his words were translated by Zishun Ning, an organizer for the Chinese Staff and Workers’ Association. “We can’t even use our own belongings,” Jin said. “What kind of society is this? What kind of country is this?” Jin also questioned the city Department of Buildings’ oversight of ongoing repairs. She and other tenants said they only see construction workers on site between one and three times per week. According to a D.O.B. spokesperson, however, construction crews are on site six days a week, and the department conducts scheduled inspections, unannounced spot-checks and meetings with the contractors. Monday was the most recent meeting between the department and the contractors. The spokesperson said workers may not have been on site for safety purposes during the asbestos abatement process, which ended May 11. Jin said Monday that Betesh broke his word after the tenants launched a second hunger strike, in front of City Hall, two weeks ago. Tenants ended that hunger strike after organizers said there was a verbal agreement to allow the tenants back home by the end of August. Repairs at the building are expected to be complete by Aug. 16, according to a D.O.B. spokesperson. A spokesperson for Betesh and his Bowery 8385 company, Sam Spokony, said an end-of-summer return date has long been a part of the agreement between the tenants’ lawyers and Betesh. Neither party has signed an agreement, though, according to both Spokony and Caitlin Kelmar, an organizer for the 85 Bowery tenants. “Weeks ago, we stated publicly that our goal is to complete the necessary repair work at 85 Bowery by the end of summer, barring unforeseen circumstances,” Spokony said in a statement for Bowery 8385. “That has not changed. At that time, we also noted that no agreement had been signed by either party in this case. That has not changed. “Apparently, these facts have not stopped certain groups from continuing to make false statements about the situation regarding 85 Bowery, which helps no one,” Spokony said. “Regardless of any false claims made against us, we remain focused on moving the residents back safely into their homes as quickly as possible.” Betesh wants the tenants to sign the agreement, according to Kelmar. Yet she

PHOTO BY SYDNEY PEREIRA

Displaced tenants from 85 Bower y rallied in front of the building on Mon., June 18, demanding that their landlord abide by a return date they say that he previously set.

said the agreement as written lacks a guaranteed deadline and offers only a “lowball” amount of money — $10,000 — for belongings that were thrown away back in April. Howewer, in mid-April, Betesh told local politicians he would agree to giving tenants $25,000 per family. The monetary amounts are tentative until an agreement is signed. Kelmar pointed out, though, that the landlord has not given tenants sufficient time to evaluate how much of their belongings were thrown away or put into storage in East New York. Until then, Kelmar said, tenants feel they cannot agree on a monetary cost of what was lost. “How can you take 20 bucks for the photo of your grandma?” Kelmar said. She added that Betesh’s compensation offer might be adequate, but it is still unknown since it is unclear how many belongings were thrown away versus stored. Belongings discovered in the garbage back in April included wedding photos, children’s drawings, financial documents and other priceless items, according to tenants and organizers. Kelmar added that tenants don’t want to sign an agreement until the language is “tightly phrased,” since they fear Betesh could take advantage of loopholes. For instance, Kelmar said, the landlord could be absolved of abiding by the return deadline should circumstances beyond his control occur, such as a natural disaster. At 85 Bowery, the main possibility of a natural disaster could be a fire, Kelmar said, adding that “landlords attempting to evict low-income tenants have a long history of burning down their own buildings, or getting them condemned, in order to sell the land or build something for the wealthy.” Spokony, Betesh’s spokesperson, said that a summer’s-end return date has been a part of the agreement for weeks, barring unforeseen circumstances. He declined to detail what those circumstances could be. The tenants — all Asian-American families, including young children and seniors — have been displaced since January, after D.O.B. issued a vacate order upon finding the six-story walk-up building to be unsafe. “D.O.B. and our fellow agencies are pushing the owner to complete major repairs at 85 Bowery as quickly as possible —

and substantial work has been completed,” the department said in a statement earlier this month after the tenants’ hunger strike. “We remain committed to holding the landlord responsible for providing tenants with a safe place to live.” Eliciting the vacate order, D.O.B. engineers initially found the building’s stairway to be structurally unstable, and later found that the “floor joists” holding the stairway up were unstable during repairs. Asbestos was also found, further extending the repair time. Repairs of floor joists on the third, fourth and fifth floor are expected to be completed by Thurs., June 21, according to D.O.B., after which kitchen and bathroom replacement will begin. All the construction work is expected to be complete by Aug. 16, according to D.O.B. Tenants are currently being housed, on Betesh’s dime, at the Wyndham Garden Chinatown hotel at Bowery and Hester St. “The most insulting thing to say about all of this stuff is that they are living in a luxury hotel,” said Don Lee, a longtime Chinatown activist and chief information officer for the Coalition of Asian American IPA and Asian American Accountable Care Organization. Lee has been helping organize the tenants since they were first displaced at the beginning of the year. All that the tenants want, Lee said, is a home where they can cook and watch their children do their homework. Speaking after the protest, Lee told The Villager that to say that the tenants are living in luxury is simply privileged people speaking without understanding what the tenants are experiencing. He said two seniors lost their jobs because they had to leave Chinatown. (Tenants were originally housed at a Brooklyn hotel.) They are now collecting cans to pay for meals at a senior center, Lee said. When Lee asked why they don’t sign up for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a.k.a. SNAP or food stamps, the two tenants told him they feared it would affect their chance for family reunification because they are in the midst of sponsoring their son, who is from China. “This is the reality of what happened to these tenants,” Lee said. TheVillager.com

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Hot spot: P.C. Richard & Son among businesses joining the community in rapidly changing Harlem 9 P :8D@CC< JG<II8QQ8 The Harlem of the early 1900s was jumpin’ with jazz clubs, speakeasies, and the famous Cotton Club. It introduced us to musicians like composer and pianist Duke Ellington, who became the bandleader of a jazz orchestra. It was, and still is, home to the famous Apollo Theater, where so many singers and comedians got their start. People would come to Harlem to listen to the sounds and socialize — and they would dress to impress. This exciting and energizing part of New York history was known as the Harlem Renaissance. It’s no secret that Harlem has been experiencing a second renaissance for a while now, with lots of new restaurants and retail stores opening in the area. P.C. Richard & Son is proud to join the neighborhood, contributing to this revitalization. It opened its newest store at 125th Street on June 1. Missed the June 1 opening? Don’t worry, Gregg Richard, President and C.E.O. of P.C. Richard & Son, says grand opening celebrations will be ongoing for months. Now is the time to buy whatever you need — air conditioners, washers, dryers, ovens, mattresses, bedding, computers, printers, mobile phone accessories, and lots more. While every P.C. Richard store will be joining the celebration, there will be some special promotions specific to this new location. The construction of the store has been in the works for more than a year. “We saw there was a void in the area,” says Richard. “Customers were asking for us to come to Harlem, and we wanted to make it convenient for them.” As a result, the company decided to build its fourth Manhattan store. P.C. Richard has a total of 66 stores, of which 21 are located throughout the boroughs. There are 17 in New Jersey, seven in Connecticut, and there’s one store in Northeast Philadelphia. The rest are located throughout the New York area. The very first store opened in BensonTheVillager.com

The company does its own installations and its own deliveries because when you buy from P.C. Richard, it wants to make sure customers are happy. It’s not about one sale. It’s about service before, during, and after that sale. It’s why people continue to shop here each time they need something for their homes. Such dependability is surely a reason to be loyal, but P.C. Richard manages to do all this, and it offers the very best prices. “If you see something being sold for less, we match that price, no questions asked,” says Richard. The importance of establishing a loyal base was the concept of Richard’s grandfather, known as A.J. (Alfred J.). “He was a true entrepreneur,” says Richard. A.J. would assist around his father’s shop from the time he was 6 years old. It was he who would eventually expand the hardware store inventory to include electric irons, toasters, ranges, washers, refrigerators, and radios. Then, when he learned how to repair radios, he offered that service to clients, too. In 1943, A.J. placed a 10inch GE television in the window of the Ozone Park showroom so the neighborhood could watch the Friday night fights that were broadcast from Madison Square Garden. He believed customer satisfaction was essential to success. This remains the company’s philosophy. P.C. Richard & Son offers conveniences such as next day deliveries, and its own credit card. The sales staff is knowledgeable, and service is :cfZbn`j\ ]ifd kfg G%:% I`Z_Xi[ Jfe fg\e\[ `kj e\n\jk jkfi\ fe (),k_ Jki\\k% >iXe[ fg\e`e^ [\Xcj n`cc fantastic. Y\ fe^f`e^ ]fi dfek_j% K_\ knf$jkfip Yl`c[`e^ ZXii`\j \m\ipk_`e^ Zljkfd\ij e\\[ Ç Ôcc`e^ X mf`[ k_\ “Our customers have high ZfdgXep jXpj `k jXn `e k_\ Xi\X% Gi\j`[\ek Xe[ :%<%F% >i\^^ I`Z_Xi[ `j k_\ ZfdgXepËj ]flik_$^\e\iXk`fe expectations,” says Richard. kfg \o\Zlk`m\# Xe[ _`j jfe `j ]fccfn`e^ `e _`j ]ffkjk\gj% “We want to exceed those expectations. We want them to enjoy what they buy.” hurst, about 108 years ago. the company’s fourth-genera- the same. P.C. Richard & Son [309 W. On any given day, Richard That’s when Peter Christian tion top executive. This long (P.C.) Richard — Gregg Rich- history will continue as Rich- estimates that the company 125th St. between Frederick ard’s great-grandfather — an ard’s son, Scott, currently knocks on about 5,000 doors. Douglass Boulevard and St. immigrant from Holland, works in the business, secur- This takes into account its Nicholas Avenue in Harlem, decided to open a hardware ing its reputation as an estab- home deliveries, installation, (646) 556–8049, www.PCRichard.com]. Open Mondays lishment that has lasted for and repair services. store. “We have 150 technicians,” through Fridays, 9 am–9:30 It has been a family-owned five generations, and continand operated business since ues to thrive. There are few, if says Richard. “We fix over pm; Saturdays, 9 am–9 pm; and Sundays, 10 am–7 pm. then, making Gregg Richard any, companies that can say 1,000 appliances a day.” June 21, 2018

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Elevators are a win, but L lawsuit still on track LTRAIN continued from p. 1

Similarly, disabled advocates and local politicians said that — while the M.T.A. is at least, thankfully, listening to them and working with them — as witnessed by the promised Sixth Ave. elevators — the M.T.A. still must do much more, namely, by committing to making the entire subway system accessible for the disabled, the elderly, parents with baby strollers and all the others that need it. The city plans to shutdown the L subway line between Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg and W. 14th St. and Eighth Ave. in Manhattan for 15 months starting next April, so that it can repair the Canarsie Tunnel tubes under the East River, which were damaged by Superstorm Sandy six years ago. In early April, the ad-hoc 14th St. Coalition and disabled groups sued the M.T.A., New York City Transit Authority (which is a subagency of the M.T.A.), the city’s Department of Transportation and the Federal Transportation Administration over the L shutdown plan. One part of the lawsuit — demanding that handicap-accessible elevators be added to the subway stations in the shutdown area — has now been settled as a result of the Sixth Ave. agreement. Under the terms, construction of a pair of lifts at Sixth Ave. must start on or before Dec. 31, 2020, and be completed and fully operational on or before Dec. 31, 2022. In addition, two more Americans With Disabilities Act-compatible elevators must be added at the Sixth Ave. and 14th St. station by 2024 to connect to the F train there. The other part of the lawsuit contends that because the tunnel-repair project is receiving $700 million in federal funds, an environmental study on the whole plan’s impacts must be done under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. Until recently, the agencies had been staunchly arguing that no such formal study was required. Village activist attorney Arthur Schwartz brought the dual-pronged lawsuit pro bono for the plaintiffs. At the elevators press conference, Schwartz — who is also the Village’s Democratic district co-leader — praised the M.T.A. for reaching the agreement in “record time” — in just slightly more than 30 days since their first court hearing. The press conference’s backdrop was the usual chaotic morning rush-hour traffic clogging the intersection. Speakers had to project their voices over the din of roaring buses and snorting garbage trucks, plus the occasional ambulance, siren frantically wailing, struggling to get through the traffic jam. Referring to the mayhem on the street, Schwartz said implementing the L-shutdown scheme would be a major mess. Under the city’s plan, D.O.T. wants to narrow congested 14th St. from four lanes of moving traffic down

PHOTO BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

At Monday’s press conference announcing the M.T. A .’s commitment to install elevators at the Sixth Ave. and 14th St. subway station, Milagros Franco, who has been disabled since bir th and lives in the E. 20s, said that each new subway elevator is another victor y for accessibilit y. At left is Michael Schweinsberg, president of the 504 Democrats, a political club whose members all are disabled.

‘Everyone will eventually need an elevator.’ Milagros Franco

to just two lanes, while making this major crosstown artery exclusively a “busway,” with no cars — with a third lane in the middle as a passing lane; meanwhile, the proposal would also see the sidewalks extended out into what are currently the parking lanes. THE STATUE OF LIBERTY BAND / THE NEW YORK STRING SOCIETY D.O.T. and M.T.A. mainPRESENTS tain this is all needed to accommodate the droves SUNDAY, JUNE 24TH 2PM of displaced L riders who M OZ A RT’S M OS T CENTER FOR BALANCED LIVING would be flooding 14th (AUDITORIUM) FA M O U S P I A N O St. if the subway were shut down. But Schwartz 331 E. 12TH ST. BTW. 2ND & 1ST AVE CONCERTO NO. 21 and coalition members FREE ADMISSION DONATIONS ACCEPTED scoff that 14th St. is beINCLUDING MANY VOCALS AND MUCH MORE RECEPTION TO FOLLOW CONCERT ing targeted for a halfbaked “experiment” that, in fact, would be a recipe for disaster, and would completely inundate the surrounding smalls streets with traffic.

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June 21, 2018

“Just look at the traffic here on 14th St. and Sixth Ave.,” the attorney said, incredulously. “They want to throw this all off onto the side streets.” As for how ambulances would get crosstown quickly to Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital under the proposed 14th St. scheme, Schwartz said they were told ambulances would have to use the extended pedestrian areas. Coalition members said they planned to meet with Manhattan Gale Brewer this Friday to urge her to back their call that 14th St. be kept as a four-lane street and that the pedestrian space not be increased into the parking lanes. They said the crosstown boulevard’s sidewalks are already extra-wide, and that a few simple tweaks could be done to ensure that there are no bottlenecks. For example, there should be enforcement against vendors who clog up spots — such as the book vendor at the western end of Union Square — and a couple of halal carts that encroach on crosswalks; these vendors could be shifted into the new pedestrian areas the city wants to create, as part of the plan, on Union Square West, they suggested. And newsstands at Sixth Ave. and Eighth Ave. could be moved so that they are not abutting L-train exits, which currently creates a double-wide sidewalk obstacle. If the street is narrowed to two lanes, the opponents predict, then D.O.T. will argue that cars can never go back on the street and it will become a 24 / 7 busway, even though Mayor de Blasio has publicly said he does not want that. Then there is the problem of construction, which takes up traffic lanes, too. Local residents and community boards are calling for a moratorium on construction on 14th St. in the event of the L shutdown. Chelsea activist Stanley Bulbach, for one, noted there are currently six empty lots on 14th St. between Sixth and Seventh Aves. alone, with some of them with construction projects already underway. In other major news, Schwartz also announced that the M.T.A. and D.O.T. recently submitted an application for a draft Environmental Assessment, or E.A., to LTRAIN continued on p. 15 TheVillager.com

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SOUND OFF Write a letter to the editor news@thevillager.com

NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS (NOIRROF) THE COMMUNITY GARDENS GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT NEW YORK CITY, MANHATTAN BOROUGH, NEW YORK June 21, 2017 Name of Responsible Entity and Recipient: New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), 38-40 State Street, Hampton Plaza, Albany, NY 12207, in cooperation with the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC), of the same address. Contact: Matt Accardi (212) 480-6265. The Governor s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR), an office of HCR s HTFC, is responsible for the direct administration of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program in New York State. On or about June 29, 2018, the HCR certifying officer will submit a request and certification to HUD for the release of CDBG-DR funds appropriated under Public Law 113-2, as amended and as authorized by related laws and policies for the purpose of implementing the New York CDBG-DR Action Plan. Project Description: The project target area encompasses the gardens in the area roughly bounded by 14th Street on the north, the East River on the east, Delancey Street on the south, and the Bowery/Fourth Avenue on the west in New York City, Manhattan Borough, New York. The proposed project will complete the second and final phase of the Gardens Rising effort through the design and construction of priority projects identified in the Lower East Side Community Gardens Green Infrastructure Feasibility Study (the Study). Phase II of Gardens Rising will include the construction of green infrastructure projects selected from among the recommended strategies. The proposed project will implement targeted piloting strategies identified in the Study as having the highest feasibility and potential impact. While strategies proposed in response to sitespecific observations will help each garden individually improve resiliency, certain recommendations are not specific to site observations, but rather to the community garden district as a whole. These include regrading, food gardens, porous paving, composting, rainwater harvesting, rain gardens, sustainable vegetation, and bioswales. Some other elements may include small structures, microgrid installations, rat abatement, and educational signage. These changes are proposed to enhance area stormwater capture capacity and strengthen the resiliency of these community assets. Tidal surges from Superstorm Sandy (2012) in combination with a high tide led to severe coastal flooding, inundating much of the Lower East Side and causing significant damage to property in the area. Superstorm Sandy s devastating effects on the Lower East Side challenged the resiliency of the neighborhood. The construction of green infrastructure in the community gardens will contribute to meeting the CDBG-DR Action Plan s goals of rebuilding community infrastructure in a manner that helps mitigate the future impact of flooding for this area. th

Public Review: Public viewing is available in person Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM at the following address: Governor s Office of Storm Recovery, 25 Beaver Street, 5 Floor, New York, NY 12260. Contact: Matt Accardi (212) 480-6265. Further information or a copy of the ERR may be requested by writing to the above address, emailing NYSCDBG_DR_ER@nyshcr.org or by calling (212) 480-6265. This notice is being sent to individuals and groups known to be interested in these activities, local news media, appropriate local, state and federal agencies, the regional office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency having jurisdiction, and to the HUD Field Office, and is being published in a newspaper of general circulation in the affected community. Public Comments on NOIRROF: Any individual, group or agency may submit written comments on the Proposed Project. Comments should be submitted via email on or before June 28, 2018, at NYSCDBG_DR_ER@nyshcr.org. Written comments may also be submitted at the following address, or by mail, in the proper format, to be received on or before June 28, 2018: Governor s Office of Storm Recovery, 25 Beaver Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10004. All comments must be received on or before 5pm on June 28, 2018, or they will not be considered. If modifications result from public comment, these will be made prior to proceeding with the expenditure of funds. Environmental Certification: HCR certifies to HUD that Matt Accardi, in his capacity as Certifying Officer, consents to accept the jurisdiction of the U.S. federal courts if an action is brought to enforce responsibilities in relation to the environmental review process and that these responsibilities have been satisfied. HUD s approval of the certification satisfies its responsibilities under NEPA and related laws and authorities, and allows GOSR to use CDBG-DR program funds. Objection to Release of Funds: HUD will accept objections to its release of funds and GOSR s certification for a period of fifteen days following the anticipated submission date or its actual receipt of the request (whichever is later). Potential objectors may contact HUD or the GOSR Certifying Officer to verify the actual last day of the objection period. The only permissible grounds for objections claiming a responsible entity s non-compliance with 24 CFR Part 58 are: (a) Certification was not executed by HCR s Certifying Officer; (b) the responsible entity has omitted a step or failed to make a decision or finding required by HUD regulations at 24 CFR Part 58; (c) the responsible entity has committed funds or incurred costs not authorized by 24 CFR Part 58 before release of funds and approval of environmental certification; or (d) another Federal agency acting pursuant to 40 CFR Part 1504 has submitted a written finding that the project is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of environmental quality. Objections must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the required procedures (24 CFR Part 58) and shall be addressed to Tennille Smith Parker, Director, Disaster Recovery and Special Issues Division, Office th of Block Grant Assistance, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, 451 7 Street SW, Washington, DC 20410, Phone: (202) 402-4649. Matt Accardi Certifying Officer June 21, 2018

TheVillager.com

June 21, 2018

7

Credico forks over e-mails in ‘Russiagate’ feud BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

R

obert Mueller might be a little interested in this one! Saying he is sick and tired of Roger Stone lying about him — and, more recently, allegedly threatening him — in connection with the ongoing so-called “Russiagate” probe, Randy Credico says he is fighting back. “I’m going to bury him,” Credico told The Villager in a recent phone interview. Specifically, Credico — the standup comic-turnedgonzo radio journalist who has befriended WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange — said he has turned over both his personal computer and his cell phone to “a national magazine.” “I gave all of my e-mails…going back 16 years,” Credico said, “back to when to when I was on AOL.” While he would not name the publication, he described it as “a national, award-winning, well-respected magazine with a lot of influence.” Asked if it was The New Yorker or The Atlantic, Credico would not say. At another point, though, he said the article might not actually appear in a magazine. “It’s a major publication and the person is an awardwinning writer, but I’m not saying if it’s a magazine or newspaper,” he said. He predicted, though, it will be “a huge story.” Of Stone, he said, “He rattled the cage too much, and I’m going to go out and tell the truth.” Credico also shared with The Villager screenshots of “harassing” e-mails that he said he received from Stone within the past three months. He said he sent screenshots because he didn’t want to risk the magazine writer killing the story if it became known Credico was forwarding any of the actual e-mails to another publication. Credico said he could not send The Villager any text messages because he “lost 90 percent of them” — meaning, he no longer has them in his possession — when he gave the magazine writer his phone. In the angry and expletive-filled e-mails, Stone accuses Credico of “wearing a wire for Mueller” — as in, apparently trying to gather information that could be used against Assange. “He’s a cornered rat,” Credico said of Stone, as to why the messages became so hostile. In one of his e-mails to Credico, Stone says the same about him: “You are corner [sic] of like the lying rat you are.” Stone, the notorious G.O.P. operative and former Trump campaign adviser — who sports a Richard Nixon back tattoo — has been in the crosshairs of the ongoing investigations into alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election. In August 2016, Stone hinted that WikiLeaks would be publishing damaging e-mails from John Podesta — Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager — gloatingly tweeting, “It will soon [be] Podesta’s turn in the barrel.” Similarly, in October 2016, Stone showed possible advance knowledge of another e-mail “dump” that would harm the candidate, when he tweeted, “Wednesday Hillary Clinton is done #WikiLeaks.” To Credico’s chagrin, Stone later allegedly identified Credico — who had had Assange as a guest on his WBAI radio show — to congressional probers as Stone’s “back channel,” or connection, to the WikiLeaks leader. WBAI subsequently pulled the plug on his show. Credico actually only visited Assange in person for the first time at the Ecuadorian embassy in London a year after the election — in late 2017.

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June 21, 2018

Randy Credico, left, and Roger Stone — seen together at the former Yippie Cafe, at 9 Bleecker St., 10 years ago — initially bonded over their opposition to New York’s Rockefeller Drug Laws, though are now at each other’s throats over the “Russiagate” probes. Credico, who was hosting a comedy night at the cafe, had invited Stone to come along, then asked him up onto the stage to say a few words about the harsh drug laws. Aron Kay, the “Yippie Pie Man,” said Stone tried to buy pot from the Yippies, but Kay turned him down. “I don’t know you,” Kay told him.

A screenshot of an e-mail that Roger Stone allegedly sent Randy Credico in April.

In one allegedly recent, though undated, e-mail, Stone fumes at Credico: “You are a pathetic loser. Let’s see who’s around a year from now and who isn’t c—sucker.” In another, he seethes: “Barrett rots in hell and you shall soon join him. It’s over! You lose!” Barrett is a reference to famed Village Voice investigative reporter Wayne Barrett. In other screenshots of e-mails Credico provided to The Villager, Stone blasts him as a “maggot” and “drunk cokehead” — and mockingly tells him to go snort more drugs. On April 8, Stone wrote to Credico: “Do another rail!” adding, “[I] Just put $2,000 behind another ad on Facebook targeting progressives.” Credico has been open about his struggles with substance abuse. On April 7, Stone wrote Credico: “You are the last person I would have thought would help the Deep State f— Assange — wearing a f—ing wire. Everyone is [sic] says u are wearing a wire for Mueller.” “I am so ready,” Stone added in another e-mail to him on April 9. “Let’s get it on c—sucker. Prepare to die.” Stone more than once makes reference to Credico sucking up to Ari Melber, the host of MSNBC’s “The Beat,” on whose show Credico has appeared recently. “Why does your breath smell like Ari Melber’s a–?” Stone accuses. In an e-mail on May 27, Stone again hurls threats at Credico: “I’ll still piss on your grave. You are exposed as a liar who wears women’s underwear. You never discussed being interrogated by Schiff with Assange — caught in another lie. Any time. You and me. You are a chickens— coward but justice will find you soon.” Credico stated on Melber’s show last month that he met with Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, to tell him Assange was willing to meet with Schiff at the Ecuadorian embassy to prove there was no collusion in the election. “I had gone there with a mandate from Assange for Mr. Schiff to go over there and interview him,” Credico told Melber regarding his Washington, D.C., meeting with the congressmember. “I got the O.K. from Assange for him to do that. … He’s ready to sit down with Schiff and be interviewed.” But Schiff subsequently said he would only talk to Assange once he’s in U.S. custody, not before. The House Intelligence Committee, meanwhile, ended its “Russiagate” investigation in April — though if the Democrats win control of the House, it reportedly could be reopened. The Senate House Intelligence Committee still has an open investigation. Credico was subpoenaed to give a deposition before the House Intelligence Committee last December, but pleaded the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination. Back then, his laywer, Martin Stolar, said it was too risky because Credico could easily accidentally perjure himself — since the wisecracking Credico is too free with his words, plus it’s easy for a person to get tripped up in such instances. Of course, Special Counsel Mueller’s lengthy, wideranging probe is ongoing. But Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani is pushing hard for Mueller to wrap it up. Meanwhile, in an April 9 e-mail back to Stone, Credico said Stone’s version of events is all just a sham — and all essentially to feed Stone’s ego. “yiu [sic] invented yourself into the story,” Credico told him. “yiu [sic] played no role in 2016… all will come out.” CREDICO continued on p. 24 TheVillager.com

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June 21, 2018

9

POLICE B L O T T E R Lobby robbery

Fusion confusion

According to police, on Sun., June 10, around 4:30 p.m., at E. 13th St. and Second Ave., a 20-year-old woman entered her building and was grabbed from behind by an unidentified male who demanded her property. The male fled on foot with the victim’s purse, containing a wallet and other personal items. There were no weapons displayed or injuries reported. The individual is described as black, in his 20s, last seen wearing a baseball cap, black hooded shirt and blue jeans.

On May 2, an employee of Kusharista, a takeout place at 106 Macdougal St. that makes healthy fusion meals, altered a paycheck that had been issued to him back in January from $78.21 to $9,780.00, police said. The employee also changed the check number and was able to cash it at a TD Bank branch. The business reported the incident on May 10 and Abraham Bermudez, 18, was arrested June 14 for felony grand larceny. The bank is in the process of recovering the money for the business after it mistakenly cashed the check.

Whole Foods assault

All-ages attack

A young man got into an altercation with a security guard and punched him several times at the Union Square Whole Foods on Fri., June 15, around 1:30 p.m., police said. The attacker slammed the guard in the face, cutting his nose and breaking his glasses. The guard, 60, was treated at the scene for his injuries. Phillip Pine, 23, was arrested the same day for misdemeanor assault.

On Mon., June 11, at 1 p.m., two males, ages 32 and 13, went into Sootta smoke shop, at 501 Hudson St., at the northwest corner of Hudson and Christopher Sts., and got into an argument with a store employee over the sale of cigarettes. Police said one of the pair knocked over several items at the counter and a water bottle was thrown at the employee, hitting him in the face, and one of them then charged at the employee. The employee used a metal stanchion to defend himself, but one of the thugs got a hold of it and threw it at the employee, hitting him in the legs. Eventually, other store workers came to the aid of their besieged co-worker. Arrested for felony assault were Muaadh Hadi, the 32-year-old, and the young teen, who was processed separately as a juvenile.

Baby boy D.O.A. Police responding to calls of an unconscious infant at 191 Orchard St. on Fri., June 15, around 7:30 a.m., found an unresponsive 9-month-old baby boy. E.M.S. responded and pronounced the child dead at the scene. The child was identified as Princeton Coaxum. Bowery Boogie reported the father told police the child had a condition that affected his breathing. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. The investigation is ongoing.

Scooter booster Shortly after 7 p.m. on Sat., June 16, an employee of Big Boy Deli, at 244 W. 14th St., between Seventh and Eighth Aves., parked his electric scooter in front of the store. A man then stole the black scooter, valued at $110, and took off heading southwest, according to cops. After surveillance video was reviewed and a description of the man was put out over police radio, the suspect was identified by an officer at W. Houston and Mercer Sts. and collared at Broadway and Bond St. The scooter was recovered and Eddie Cuevas, 31, was arrested for felony grand larceny. Police said Cuevas was on parole for burglary.

10

June 21, 2018

Biker dies on bridge A 36-year-old cyclist died after falling off his bike toward the western end of the Manhattan Bridge bicycle path on Sun., June 17, around 1:05 p.m. Police identified him as Philip Ginsberg, of Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. He was transported to New York-Presbyterian / Lower Manhattan Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police said a preliminary investigation showed Ginsberg — who was wearing a helmet — toppled off his bike, struck his head on one of the bridge’s metal support beams and lost consciousness. But Gothamist posted a statement on Medium from Ginsberg’s Kissena Cycling Club that said, “Doctors indicated that he appears to have died from a cardiac event and not from injuries sustained when he lost control of his bicycle.” The city’s Medical Examiner will determine the manner and cause of death.

Gabe Herman and Lincoln Anderson

TheVillager.com

Caffe Vivaldi, bohemian gem, is closing its doors VIVALDI continued from p. 1

at 32 Jones St., near Bleecker St., by Ishrat Ansari, Caffe Vivaldi has provided an intimate space and bohemian atmosphere, in the tradition of bygone days of Greenwich Village, that attracted many artists over the years. Vivaldi is a cafe, bar and restaurant, serving freshly made food and using local neighborhood sources, such as Raffetto’s pasta shop, on W. Houston St. and Murray’s Cheese and butcher Ottomanelli & Sons, both on Bleecker St. “Ishrat’s purpose with the opening of the caffe,� said the message, “was to bring people together and that it did.� Dozens of fans, including patrons and staff members, have written messages on the site in support of Caffe Vivaldi, expressing sadness at the news and sharing memories of what the place means to them. “I think it really does represent a great loss to the community,� said Zehra Ansari, Ishrat’s daughter, speaking in the cafe a week before its closing. “So many artists, musicians, creative people have called Vivaldi their home for three and a half decades, and so many amazing minds met here.� Zehra, 24, who took over running Caffe Vivaldi two years ago when her father suffered a stroke, added, “It’s becoming more and more rare to have a true artistic salon-type community. You don’t find that in a lot of places in New York anymore, and all the credit is due to my dad for trying to cultivate that environment here.� Ishrat Ansari, 72, came to New York City from Pakistan in the 1970s and opened a magazine shop at Barrow St. and Seventh Ave. South before going on to open Caffe Vivaldi 13 years later. “It became a place for a lot of people in the neighborhood to gather,� said Zehra of the magazine shop. “It became a little intellectual center for people to exchange ideas. And so that was kind of the kernel in his mind that convinced him that he needed a bigger space to house all these people and to have all these conversations and just to create this microcosm.� Ishrat’s love of classical music led him to name the cafe after his favorite composer, Antonio Vivaldi. Music was not featured there, however, until after 9/11, when the cafe and many local businesses were struggling, and it was a way to change the business model, according to Zehra. Nightly live music at Vivaldi has ranged from jazz and folk to open-mic nights. There is a piano in one corner, and a fireplace still warms up the small room on cold nights. For the final night on Sat., June 23, Zehra said that some special Vivaldi community members would be performing, including some coming in from California and Canada, and some who have been in residence at Vivaldi for more than 10 years. “It really speaks to how powerful of TheVillager.com

PHOTO BY GABE HERMAN

Caffe Vivaldi has preser ved a unique Village vibe on Jones St. for three-and-a-half decades.

an impact this space has had on so many musicians,� said Zehra. “My dad gave a lot of musicians in New York their first gig here, and I think it’s just representative of this atmosphere of cultivating and nurturing artistic talent, as opposed to trying to make a quick buck.� The cafe’s charms have attracted many artists and celebrities over the years, including Andy Warhol, Al Pacino and Woody Allen, who has filmed scenes at it for three different movies. A wall at Vivaldi filled with photos of classical composers is left over from when Allen shot the 1994 film “Bullets Over Broadway� there. For seven years, Caffe Vivaldi has been battling landlord Steven Croman, who owns more than 140 buildings in the city and has been the subject of many complaints and protests from tenants and city officials. Croman just got out of prison earlier this month after eight months for grand larceny, tax fraud and mortgage fraud. He also paid $5 million in fines related to the case. In recent years, the cafe survived an attempt to quadruple its rent, Ishrat said, and had to deal with legal disputes over use of the basement space that the cafe has seen as a form of harassment to wear them down into closing. “In 2011, my tormentor, Steven Croman, became the new owner of the building,� Ishrat Ansari wrote this April 5 in a message on the cafe’s Web site addressed to its friends. “From the beginning, his conduct has been belligerent and illegal, unilaterally breaking the renewed lease, which commenced on January 1, 2012, that I signed with him for the Caffe Vivaldi space, and treating me with dismissive contempt.� In the April message, Ishrat thanked the thousands who had signed various petitions over the years in support of Vivaldi, adding, “I want to let you all know that Mr. Croman, a convicted felon, is taking us to court again, and we

might be forced to close our doors.� After Ishrat’s stroke in 2016, the cafe’s closing seemed somewhat inevitable, according to Zehra. “When my dad got sick, we all knew that it would be a race against the clock, although it doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking,� she said. “I think this time period of the last few months has really renewed my perspective to-

ward our community, and toward how strongly connected people have felt to this place.� Zehra noted many locals have wanted to help Vivaldi stay open but didn’t want to deal with the landlord. “Unfortunately, in spite of so many individuals who would want to back us financially, none of them want to get in business with this guy,� she said. She and Ishrat would love to keep the cafe’s legacy alive in some form. “We would be open to a partnership of some kind to make that happen,� Zehra said. “We have such an incredible community, I think that a lot of them feel we have a responsibility to try to keep that alive somehow.� Zehra was proud that a few years back, when the Coen Brothers film “Inside Llewyn Davis,� about a Village folk singer in the 1960s, was being shot in the neighborhood, actor Oscar Isaac and musician Marcus Mumford came to an open-mic night at Vivaldi. “That was a really special moment,� said Zehra, “because even though they didn’t film here, I think that what drove them to come here was to experience what the Village used to be like, and I think for a lot of people, that’s what Caffe Vivaldi has been representative of.�

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11

Seward Co-op votes ‘No’ on air-rights sale plan SEWARD continued from p. 1

and 33 floors high. But since the shareholders voted against the sale, the developers now intend to move ahead with their “as of right” plan for two shorter towers, one 17-stories tall and the other 20 stories. “People who voted ‘No’ did so out of some kind of pride about kicking it to the man and saying ‘No’ to the developer,” said Dana Linett-Silber, who has lived in the co-op with her husband and three children since 1999. “It was very misguided — extremely misguided — and a lot of people are going to suffer as a result.” The co-op, on Grand St. on the Lower East Side, is riddled with financial troubles that the $53.7 million air-rights sale would have helped to cover — including $12 million in mandatory maintenance projects, the co-op’s debt, and emergency reserves, as reported by the Lo-Down late last week. “To people who understand what the facts are, it’s really beyond comprehension that people would vote ‘No,’” Linett-Silber said. The balconies and elevators are two critical services that need to be repaired, she added. Without the extra cash from the air-rights deal, Linett-Silber and other shareholders expect the maintenance fees and assessments to increase, which would be particularly difficult for people on fi xed incomes to pay, she noted. The majority of shareholders who voted actually sided with selling the air rights — with 57 percent voting ‘Yes.’ But a bylaw requires a two-thirds vote in order for a motion to pass. Regardless of the vote, the developers are still going to build, which is what they have said throughout the ongoing year-and-ahalf-long discussion. “I’m bewildered,” said Rob Kaliner, owner of the Ascend Group, regarding the vote. “‘Bewildered,’ really, would be the number-one thing that comes to my mind.” Kaliner said the sale is a disappointment, but the only changes for the developers is how tall the buildings will be. From the developers’ perspective, it’s a shock, but Kaliner added that the vote would affect the cooperative and board more than the developers. Since the vote last Tues., June 12, Kaliner said shareholders have called asking him to come back to the table — some even lamenting to him about how the co-op will pay off its debt and maintenance repairs. Shortly after the vote, a petition for a revote began circulating among residents. The petition’s author and who first circulated it were unclear, but it read: “We, the majority of shareholders in the Seward Park Cooperative, are deeply troubled over the failure to pass the referendum on the sale of our air rights to the Ascend / Optimum development group.” The petition blamed “some very wealthy and selfish shareholders” for an expected maintenance assessment and increased fees — plus, “no new lobbies for a very long time.” The petition further demands that either the sale go through or that shareholders re-vote. The online petition had 150 signatures as of Tuesday evening around 6:30 p.m. “I received zillions of calls from shareholders asking, begging, pleading for us to come back to the table,” Kaliner said last Thursday evening. Kaliner said that after around having spent a year and a half in talks with the co-op’s board, they plan to forge ahead with their as-of-right plan. In retrospect, Kaliner said, “Who do I feel worse for? Not me. There is a group of people in that co-op that can truly not afford to have to pay for increases going forward.” The board issued a statement regarding the vote,

12

June 21, 2018

PHOTO BY SYDNEY PEREIRA

Developers plan to build a pair of residential towers around the former Bialystoker Nursing Home, at left, which neighbors the Seward Park Co-op. Co-op shareholders last week voted against selling a por tion of their unused development rights to the Bialystoker project, which would have resulted in taller towers.

indicating they had planned fi nancially for either outcome. “Although a majority voted in favor of selling air rights, the supermajority threshold required by our bylaws was not reached,” the board of directors said in a statement. “The board had prepared for both possible referendum outcomes and will move forward with refinancing our mortgage.” Sheila, who declined to give her last name, is a coop resident on a fi xed income. She said she currently pays just under $900 per month in maintenance fees. But according to what she has been told, she hears the fee go up more than $150 per month. “There’s not just maintenance [fees] that I have to pay in my life,” she said. “There are other things I have to pay for.” The developers had also offered four months of free maintenance to the shareholders as a part of the airrights deal — a bonus that Sheila said would have helped her financial situation. “I’m going to think of moving and going into a onebedroom because I need the money,” she said. “I can’t give all this kind of money.” Sheila, 78, and her husband, 80, have lived in the co-op for more than 50 years in a two-bedroom apartment where they raised their son and daughter. Decades later, when her adult children visit from California, they stay with her. Should she have to sell her co-op to downsize to a cheaper apartment, where her family stays when they visit her would be one inconvenience exacerbated by the final vote. She said some neighbors voted ‘No’ because they feared the taller buildings would obstruct their views and block light. Another resident, Dan Strum, believes a better deal — particularly one with more community input — could be made with the developers. Also, a certain number of residents simply mistrust the board, in general. Strum has been vehemently against the air-rights deal as it stood during last week’s vote. He manages a blog called The Seward Park Buzz about the co-op, which is independent of the co-op itself. Ahead of the vote, he wrote on the blog that he does not believe that this is a one-time opportunity, calling the devel-

opers’ stated plan to build as of right a “scare tactic.” Further, Strum believes the deal was not communityminded, despite the several months of discussions and the information provided to shareholders by the board. “I understand that we have a neighbor who wants to buy air rights and that — financially — we really want to engage with them,” Strum said last Friday, ultimately pleased with how the vote turned out. He contended the co-op’s financial needs are overstated by the board. Though he couldn’t provide numbers to show that the financial needs were exaggerated, Strum said the board has previously said the co-op’s finances were “hunky-dory.” But when the developers stepped up to buy the air rights, Strum said the board flip-flopped and argued the co-op is cash strapped. “I felt that the board was trying to sell it so hard,” Strum said. “I had distrust about the financial picture they were painting. I had misgivings that the community wasn’t a part of the process. “If everyone came together, and it was a fantastic deal and the people who were most affected — their concerns were being addressed — I’d give it an enthusiastic thumbs-up,” Strum said. “Especially because, I don’t see [the new buildings] from my window. It wouldn’t affect me if it was three times as high.” Another ‘No’ voter said deciding factors for her were the effects on people’s views, the sunlight their apartments would get, and how their privacy could be affected with the construction of the new buildings. “I don’t think they really thought out or talked to people who live here about what they thought was a realistic concession, given that we are going to have these big buildings in our village, basically,” said Marion Riedel, a Columbia University social-work professor who has been living in the co-op for four years. She felt the board could have been more transparent and that the air-rights sale was a short-term solution for the co-op’s financial troubles. Plus, the conversation was too focused on the finances, rather than the impacts the buildings are expected to have on the community, in her view. “The lack of transparency,” Riedel added, “was one of the hardest things to manage and to accept.” TheVillager.com

49 years after the Stonewall riots, New York University joins Greenwich Village in celebrating a turning point in LGBTQ+ civil rights.

We salute the leaders, friends, and allies, then and now, whose tireless advocacy continues to further equality, inclusion, and support for individuals from every community —

in New York City and beyond.

TheVillager.com

June 21, 2018

13

Fentanyl strips save, but city not funding them BY GERARD FLYNN

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f cocaine is an upper what is such a potentially deadly downer as Fentanyl doing in so much of the powdery supply in New York City? That’s the question many in the fields of harm reduction and law enforcement have been asking recently about the synthetic opiate, which is 50 times more powerful than heroin. In 2016, according to city health data, fentanyl was involved in close to half, or 44 percent, of overdose deaths in New York City, killing hundreds. And the trend shows no signs of abating any time soon, if recent media reports on ballooning drug busts for fentanyl are to be believed. The introduction, then, one year ago of the “fentanyl strip” - a kind of litmus test that detects the presence of the synthetic opiate — is an important tool in helping address the spike in overdose deaths, harmreduction specialists told The Villager last week. However, the Department of Health currently does not distribute the testing strip. Dana Kurzer-Yashin, the outreach coordinator at the Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center, at 25 Allen St., and others in the field would like to see that change. “I think it would be something very helpful,” she told The Villager. She and other harm-reduction specialists feel the city’s Department of Health should reconsider — and ASAP — since people are dying every day. D.O.H., no doubt, agrees there is a fentanyl problem for heroin and cocaine users alike. A department spokesperson told The Villager that, while everyone

A packet containing a fentanyl test strip. It takes five minutes to get a result.

who uses illicit drugs should “assume” fentanyl may be lurking inside, the agency does not currently fund the distribution of fentanyl-testing strips, which were initially developed, she noted, to test a patient’s urine — and “not intended to test drugs.” Speaking somewhat cryptically, the D.O.H. spokesperson said the city, until recently, did not see “compelling evidence to show that fentanyl strips could be used to test drugs,” and would continue to review the results of a John Hopkins study that examined the accuracy of fentanyl drug-checking devices, including test strips. Kurzer-Yashin is not the only specialist in harm reduction who would like D.O.H. to distribute the strips, which cost around $1 each. The strips are not F.D.A. approved, but can be ordered online from BTNX, or obtained from a harm-reduction center. Since this January, the L.E.S. Harm Reduction Center has given out 100 of the strips — including an additional 20 just recently — which it ordered from a manufacturer north of the border. Add to that cost the fact that fentanyl is turning up in other illicit drugs, such as MDMA (Ecstasy), as well as Xanax and methamphetamines, and the cost to D.O.H. to supply the test strips could be astronomical. Fentanyl is particularly dangerous to cocaine users who are “opiate naive” — as in, who don’t use an opiate regularly, and therefore are at much higher risk of opiate overdose than an experienced heroin user. Yet, even regular dope users are still at grave risk since a bag of cocaine or heroin may have a high quantity of the synthetic opiate or its even more dangerous chemical cousin— carEST ILLAGE AY IDGE fentanyl, which is 100 th 67 Perry Street, NY, NY 10014 7901 4 Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11209 times more powerful Tel: 212-675-5847 Tel: 718-491-5800 than heroin. Fax: 212-675-7976 Fax: 718-748-2151 A few granules of that analgesic can kill an experienced heroin user when injected, and it has Ronald R. Brancaccio, M.D | Peter Saitta, D.O. been turning up in recent Sherry H. Hsiung, M.D. years in the U.S. heroin supply. Lisa Gruson,M.D. | Anna Karp, D.O.

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Emanuel Sferious is a strong believer that the war on drugs is a big failure. He runs Dance Aid, a national, peer-based harm-reduction and drug-education nonprofit serving the electronic-dance community, based out of San Francisco. Sferious told The Villager that testing for fentanyl in a powder like cocaine is a different process than testing an injectable drug, such as heroin. Experienced heroin users may take a “taster shot” but that may not give an accurate reading, he noted. Heroin users should use the fentanyl strip to test the residue on the spoon or the “cooker” — a piece of aluminum, to which water has been added — “before you inject, obviously,” he laughed. Testing for fentanyl in cocaine presents a different problem and ultimately requires the user to drink the powder in solution — given the “chocolate chip cookie effect,” which gets one high but takes longer to kick in. The reason is that a minute quantity of the synthetic killer is not going to be mixed evenly in a bag of powder, nor in cocaine or methamphetamines. In other words, testing a pinch of cocaine powder may not save one’s life if the fentanyl is not in that sample, but still in the larger quantity. So, all the powder must be mixed into a liquid to test it properly — and then, if it tests fentanyl-free, the user can drink it. If one doesn’t want to dilute the cocaine, then as a secondary precautionary, he recommends testing a solution taken from the bag’s residue. Sferious estimated that up to 80 percent of the nation’s heroin supply is contaminated with fentanyl. He’s even more alarmed and puzzled by the increase in fatalities from fentanyl-laced cocaine — and has an intriguing, if not outlandish, reason why a downer is in an upper. “It makes no sense for drug dealers to be putting fentanyl into cocaine,” he said. “It produces the opposite effect. Cocaine users want to dance.” So what’s going on? Like Kurzer-Yashin, Sferious is not sure why it’s there, and suspects possible accidental contamination. “So it’s all just speculation,” he said. “We don’t know the answers. What we do know is that fentanyl is being added at all points of the supply chain.” If it’s not contamination by accident, he said, there is another more insidious reason — terrorism. Not radical Islamists, more like white supremacists, he said. “I am referring to anyone who would want to kill drug users,” he said. “Anyone who is trying to scar people through murder. “Once the cocaine gets in this country,” he explained, “there are networks. And by the time a consumer buys cocaine, it may have gone through a minimum of five and maybe 20 hands, and at any point, fentanyl could be added to it.” However, neither Reilly Glasgow, the project manager at the L.E.S. Harm Reduction Center, who has saved dozens of lives from opiate overdoses, nor Kurzer-Yashin mentioned anything about a lone nut or nuts conspiring to spike the nation’s cocaine supply and scare off coke fiends. But Glasgow admitted that he, too, is perplexed. “We do not understand why we are finding fentanyl in cocaine,” he said. “It does not make any sense. Why would you do that?” As he noted, dead customers are no use to a dealer. The test strips have other limitations, Kurzer-Yashin added. For one, they don’t tell how much fentanyl is present, so it’s a “limited metric.” But, in addition to FENTANYL continued on p. 26 TheVillager.com

Elevators are a win, but L lawsuit still on track LTRAIN continued from p. 6

address the community’s cries that the sweeping mitigation plan at least have a formal study regarding its impacts on the surrounding area. This E.A. would state whether, in turn, a more-rigorous Environmental Impact Statement, or E.I.S., would need to be conducted. Schwartz said that, so far, he has been rebuffed in his efforts to obtain the draft E.A. through a Freedom of Information Law, or FOIL, request. Schwartz added that, in his understanding, under the E.A. process, a level of public review is required — and that this would require a public hearing. “Not a town hall — a public hearing,� he stressed, adding that the F.T.A. might have to be the lead agency for the hearing, tough he was not 100 percent sure of that. Local residents have angrily complained that the “outreach� meetings, and only more recently, town halls, about the L shutdown plan, have been very disappointing — with Trottenberg, in particular, sometimes just rolling her eyes at their concerns — and that they feel their views still are not being taken into account. “The fact that they are doing an Environmental Assessment means there’s a door open that wasn’t before,� Schwartz explained. “And there’s definitely a public process as part of an E.A. at some

point — they have to listen to the public. To me, that means they’ve moved the mitigation part a step backwards.â€? As for how this new development could affect the whole project’s timetable, Schwartz stated, “They’re not going to do anything until the judge rules on this.â€? Assemblymember Harvey Epstein and City Councilmember Carlina Rivera — two East Side local pols — both joined the press conference about the Sixth Ave. elevators victory. Disabled advocates said a press conference the two recently participated in at the Third Ave. L station, at which they called for more elevators, helped yield the settlement. Epstein led the crowd in a chant of “Let them ride!â€? and said the fact that less than one-quarter of the city’s subway stations are accessible is a disgrace. “Half a million New Yorkers have a disability,â€? Rivera said, “but only 20 percent of stations are accessible. That is larger than some countries. ‌ We’re going to get an elevator at Third Ave. in my district,â€? she vowed. Epstein also said the Third Ave. stop needs elevators. Rivera said she is also asking for a town hall meeting on the L shutdown impact to be held farther east — in her district; a town hall held on W. 14th St.

a few weeks ago was a bit far for some residents in her district to attend, she noted. Milagros Franco, who lives in the E. 20s near First Ave., was an individual plaintiff on the disabled part of the lawsuit. Seated in her motorized wheelchair as she spoke into the microphone at the press conference, she said everyone — not just the disabled — benefits, or will eventually benefit, from more subway elevators. “This is momentous moment for our community,� she said. “Everyone here will eventually need an elevator for themselves or a family member.� Similarly, Michael Schweinsberg, president of the 504 Democrats, said the “disabled-accessibility movement, in fact, includes us all. “Everyone is just an accident or an illness or a few years away from joining the disability community,� he noted. “We are the largest minority.� The disabled unemployment rate currently stands at 62 percent, which would go down if there were improved access to mass transit, he added. Franco, who was born with cerebral palsy and has always been disabled, said Access-A-Ride is not the preferred transit option, calling it “Stress-A-Ride.� “When you’re in the chair almost 24 hours a day, any bit of accessibility makes a difference,� she said.

The previous Thursday, about 150 members of the 14th St. Coalition gathered at the Salvation Army building, at 14th St. near Sixth Ave., to hear an update on the fight. David Marcus, another leader of the coalition, noted that a two-way crosstown protected bike lane that D.O.T. plans to add on 13th St. as part of the plan would be used by an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 bicycles per day. “My God, where are they going to put all these people?� he asked, as audience members audibly groaned. “It just seems so ill advised.� Thirteenth St. is being targeted for the bike lane because it’s a through street near 14th St., as opposed to streets to the north, which are blocked by Union Square Park. And there is concern that the mitigation plan, being dubbed temporary by D.O.T., is anything but that. “Some of the things they’re doing — on the face — like extending the sidewalks — don’t tell me they’re going to rip those up in 15 months,� Marcus said. “There’s absolutely no transparency.� Bill Borock, of the Council of Chelsea Block Associations, said doing an E.I.S. is critical for the community. “The environmental study is a big, LTRAIN continued on p. 26

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15

EDITORIAL

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR H.S. fight mostly symbolic

Pr. 40’s future

T

he tentative date for the end of the current state Legislative session was set for Wed., June 20, after which the members of the Assembly and state Senate will break for six months before returning to Albany again in January. Among the many questions regarding which measures might get passed amid the typical last-minute flurry of activity before that deadline is whether the Hudson River Park Act of 1998 will be amended — specifically concerning Pier 40. Last month, Community Board 2 passed an advisory resolution strongly urging that the Park Act not be amended this session. Basically, the Village / Lower West Side community board feels much more discussion and community outreach is needed regarding Pier 40, and that a hasty decision should not be made. This much is clear: The Hudson River Park Trust, the state-city authority that operates and is building the 4-mile-long park, wants to amend the Park Act to allow commercial office use on the 14-acre Pier 40, at W. Houston St. — a use currently prohibited per the Park Act’s original language. Board 2’s resolution does not oppose commercial offices at Pier 40 per se. Yet the board feels that the conditions along the Village waterfront have changed dramatically since 20 years ago, when the Park Act was approved to authorize the park’s creation. It’s no mystery that this area has seen a boom of residential construction — largely fueled by the very presence of this beautiful green ribbon of park and its piers — along with an accompanying population increase, including a surge in the number of families and children. Many of these people want and need a place to play recreational sports, and Pier 40 has become just that, earning it the nickname “Downtown’s Central Park.” However, in the case that an amendment to the Park Act actually were to happen this session, C.B. 2’s resolution offers some recommendations: Commercial office use at Pier 40, the board stresses, should only be allowed if there is a “balance of uses” at the pier, including arts, educational and recreational resources. Also, C.B. 2’s “reso” says, if the Trust wants a longer lease for a tenant at Pier 40 than the currently allowed 30 years — which, in fact, it does — then the tradeoff should be that any future project’s scale at the pier be limited in size. In addition, Board 2 stated, any construction on the pier should be done so as to allow sports and recreational uses — such as Greenwich Village Little League and Downtown United Soccer Club games and practices — to continue there uninterrupted. According to sources, however, the Park Act will not be opened up this session to amend the allowable uses on Pier 40. As a result, there now will be half a year in which to have a robust, comprehensive, inclusive discussion about the future of Pier 40. C.B. 2 should make doing this a priority. Did someone say, “Design charrette?” Definitely! Now would be the perfect time to solicit ideas for the pier from far and wide — whether they be for adaptive reuse of the existing pier shed or something else entirely. In other words, let’s be proactive about this — not reactive. The Trust, though, is not happy about C.B. 2 setting limits on what can be done at Pier 40. A primary goal

To The Editor: Re “ ‘Keep the test!’ Asian-Americans slam mayor’s plan on elite schools” (news article, June 14): Mayor de Blasio’s position and logic on this issue are ridiculous. As someone pointed out to me, there are only 5,000 freshman seats a year that involve the Specialized High School Admission Test — but we have many, many thousands of more students who need remedial help. Leave the specialized high schools alone; they are working at near perfection. If you pass the test, you get in. Help the kids who need the remedial help, so that they can pass the test. In addition, there are many very good and nurturing New York City high schools, such as the two Bard schools, Francis Lewis, Cardozo, Bayside, Beacon, Townsend Harris, Scholars’ Academy and Eleanor Roosevelt, just to name a few, that already base their admissions on a variety of criteria that are excellent choices, that open a bright future for those kids who work hard.

of race, creed or religion. Keep the tests. Pass the test and you are in regardless of your racial background. De Blasio is race-baiting Asians and Caucasians. Arthur Chan

Bending an elbow upstairs To The Editor: Re “Anthony Bourdain never lost his taste of the L.E.S.” (news article, June 14):” Rest peacefully, Anthony Bourdain. My condolences to the family, friends and to all who mourn his loss. Heaven holds no judgment. Life is the heaven or hell we make it to be. I can only imagine the episodes Anthony would do from heaven, bending an elbow with the big guy on cloud nine located in parts unknown by heaven’s gate. Glenn Berman

Dan Gould

Blaz must show leadership To The Editor: Re “ ‘Keep the test!’ Asian-Americans slam mayor’s plan on elite schools” (news article, June 14): Great rally! The mayor’s proposed legislation is tabled for this legislative session and he should just withdraw it. The mayor’s proposal is ill conceived and not vetted. What the mayor should do is convene a blue-ribbon panel of experts to review this entire matter and educate the public. And there should be a citywide public hearing process for the public to be informed and to have the opportunity to express themselves. If the mayor exercised some leadership here, I am confident that the vast majority of people could find a consensus moving forward. Blake Morris Morris is a Democratic candidate for state Senate in Brooklyn’s District 17

Hey, there’s an election! To The Editor: Re “Pier fear: C.B. 2 issues emergency opinion on Pier 40” (news article, June 7): I take exception to this line of your article, “the first vice chairperson of C.B. 2, who is in line to be the board’s next chairperson.” The chairperson of Community Board 2 is, in fact, an elected position. There is no position on the board that is ascendant to be the next chairperson. The bylaws actually set up a thing called an election. Board members are nominated, each gives a speech, and then each of the 50 members is given a vote to elect the next chairperson. It is not an anointed or appointed, but elected, position. Has there been a survey of the board members (five of whom were appointed just last month) that showed 26 committed to a specific member of the board? I have heard of news outlets calling elections before the polls have closed, but I have never heard of a news outlet calling an election seven months before the polls have even opened.

Pass the test, you get in

Joe Gallagher Gallagher is a member, Community Board 2

To The Editor: Re “ ‘Keep the test!’ Asian-Americans slam mayor’s plan on elite schools” (news article, June 14): Equal opportunity for all aspiring students regardless

In ‘Vanguard’ of arts To The Editor:

EVAN FORSCH

LETTERS continued on p. 26

EDITORIAL continued on p. 26

16

June 21, 2018

TheVillager.com

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING And PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT PERIOD regarding PROPOSED LARGE-SCALE DONATION, INSTALLATION, AND MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT BETWEEN HUDSON RIVER PARK TRUST AND WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART and PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO HUDSON RIVER PARK MULTIPURPOSE PROJECT GENERAL PROJECT PLAN Pursuant to the Hudson River Park Act, the Hudson River Park Trust (“Trust”) hereby gives notice of a public hearing and comment period to consider the proposed donation, installation, and maintenance by the Whitney Museum of American Art (“Whitney”) of a large, site-specific, public sculptural work of fine art entitled Day’s End to be installed partially along the southern portion of the Gansevoort Peninsula and partially within the Hudson River (the “Art Installation”) and an amendment to the Hudson River Park Multi-Purpose Project General Project Plan (“GPP”) originally adopted on July 16, 1998 to reflect the proposed art installation at Pier 52 (Gansevoort Peninsula). PHOTO BY GABE HERMAN

The World Cup teams’ national flags festoon the Tio Pepe building on W. Four th St. just west of Cornelia St.

If watching World Cup games is your gooaall! BY GABE HERMAN

T

he World Cup is robustly under way, with the first round already full of great star performances (Ronaldo!) and big upsets (Mexico!). Here are some places around the Village to catch the matches going forward: Tio Pepe Spanish restaurant, at 168 W. Fourth St., is showing every game and giving out free shots for every goal scored by Spain and Mexico. All of the games draw big crowds, according to Nicole Sanz, daughter-inlaw of Jimmy Sanz, one of the owners, who also does social media for the restaurant. Along with the promotional specials, she said Tio Pepe’s open windows add to the atmosphere by letting passersby see the screens and cheering crowds. “They just come in and they start joining regardless of who’s playing,” she said. “It just becomes that environment.” The restaurant also has set up an impressive tower of national flags that rises up its building facade six floors all the way to the top. Nicole Sanz says not to worry if Spain or Mexico doesn’t advance to the next round: The free-shots special will continue no matter who remains in the tournament. She said it often just transfers to another Spanishspeaking country, since it is a Spanish restaurant, after all; or they may pick a Cinderella team that has made it farther than expected and offer the special for them. Stay tuned. Zum Schneider German restaurant and biergarten, at 107 Avenue C, in the East Village will show all World Cup matches except for the early ones at 8 TheVillager.com

a.m. For Germany’s games, its Web site says that “possible spillover” will be handled by four other bars on the block, so expect a lively atmosphere for those matches. Zum Schneider also hosts after-parties for World Cup games and holds a raffle with surprisingly big prizes that will be drawn on the morning of the final, Sun., July 15. You get a raffle ticket for every day that you come to watch the World Cup at Zum Schneider, except for days when Germany is playing and on the finals day itself. First prize is a trip for two to Germany that includes airfare, hotels and food, plus tours of breweries. Second prize is two tickets to their Oktoberfest tent, apparently valued at $400, and third prize is dinner for two at Zum Schneider. Bleecker St., like the Village, in general, has many bars offering World Cup screenings. Two of them are the Red Lion, at 151 Bleecker, which changes the two flags out front every game based on who is playing, and JoJo’s Philosophy, at 169 Bleecker, which advertises that it is showing every game (with sound!). Another is GMT Tavern, at 142 Bleecker St. at LaGuardia Place, a British pub that may give you the desired atmosphere for England’s matches if you’re an expat or just a big fan of “The Crown.” A more subdued option is just a block north of Bleecker at Triona’s, a small Irish pub at 237 Sullivan St. near W. Third St., which offers a no-frills atmosphere of a couple of screens in front of a basic bar setup, and a pool table and dartboard if you want some halftime entertainment.

Date and Time: Monday, July 23, 2018, 6:30 P.M. - 8:30 P.M. Place: Whitney Museum of American Art Enter Museum at 99 Gansevoort Street, New York, NY (located between West and Washington Streets) Purpose:

To allow the public to review and comment on proposed significant plans and proposed actions within the Park pursuant to the Hudson River Park Act. The Trust is providing the public an opportunity to review and comment on the proposed “Large-Scale Donation, Installation, and Maintenance Agreement” between the Trust and Whitney (“Installation Agreement”) and the proposed Amendment to the GPP to reflect the proposed art installation at Pier 52 to be known as Day’s End (“GPP Amendment”). The Environmental Assessment prepared under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (“SEQRA”) with the Trust’s serving as the lead agency is also made available to provide the public with additional information about the Art Installation and its potential environmental impacts. The Hudson River Park Act requires public review and the opportunity to comment regarding proposed long term agreements within the Hudson River Park (“Park”) and amendments to the General Project Plan. The proposed Installation Agreement would provide the Whitney access to the Park in order to install and maintain the Day’s End sculpture, which, once installed, would be donated to the Trust and would become a part of the Park. The skeletal sculpture would be approximately 52 feet tall, 325 feet long and 65 feet wide and would be installed at the original footprint of the Pier 52 shed that once stood along the south side of the Gansevoort Peninsula. Consistent with the Hudson River Park Act, the Art Installation would promote the arts and enhance public open space within Hudson River Park with public art that references site-specific cultural and historic aspects of the Hudson River. In addition to seeking public comments on the proposed Installation Agreement, the Trust is also seeking comments on the proposed GPP Amendment. The Trust has also made available to the public the proposed Environmental Assessment prepared under SEQRA to provide the public additional information about the project.

A copy of the proposed Installation Agreement, GPP Amendment and Environmental Assessment can be found on the Trust’s website at www.hudsonriverpark.org. In addition to the public hearing, the public will have an opportunity to provide written comments to the Trust. The public comment period extends from June 20, 2018 to August 22, 2018. Comments may be sent by regular mail to Christine Fazio, Esq., Hudson River Park Trust, Pier 40, 2nd Floor, 353 West Street, New York, N.Y. 10014 or by email to pier52installation@hrpt.ny.gov. The public hearing is being held in compliance with the requirements of the Hudson River Park Act regarding significant actions. TV: 06/21/2018 June 21, 2018

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Elder Law, Estate Planning, Guardianships, Trusts & Estates

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Three cheers for Pride parades! Looking out from inside the action, with pom-poms

Courtesy of Cheer New York

Cheer New York at the Staten Island Pride Fest, with hostess Carmen Carrera.

BY CHARLES BATTERSBY Everyone loves a parade — but marching in a parade is much more fun than watching one. I perform with a team of LGBT cheerleaders called Cheer New York (cheernewyork.org), and every year the squad marches in New York’s Pride parades. Cheer New York doesn’t cheer for a sports team; we cheer for charity. Most of our time is spent at walkathons, fundraisers for LGBT organizations, and performing on stage at events. But the annual shotgun of parades in June is what it’s all leading up to. Three weeks ago, on the morning of Queens Pride, 40 cheerleaders were taking our first synchronized steps of Pride Month. On June 24, we’ll march across the finish line at Manhattan’s Pride Parade — tired and sunburned, but full of cheer, and proud. Technically, Pride season began a TheVillager.com

month before our first parade, at the Staten Island Pride Fest. It was an outdoor event, and there was a downpour that day. A tent had been set up backstage, and 19 soggy cheerleaders huddled together for two hours as we practiced our choreography out of the audience’s sight. Pride was off to a humbling start for us: a day of wet socks, runny noses, and rain-slicked stages. Despite the rain, there was a still crowd. We maintained our energy, greeted the audience with smiles, and posed for photo ops with toddlers and local politicians. Then we trudged back to the ferry, rain dripping from our pom-poms. The Queens Pride parade was upon us before we knew it, and some of us were still struggling with this year’s new dance routine. We chant the name of

the borough we’re in, then yell, “Show! Us! Your Pride!” before launching into elaborate choreography. It was the fifth event the team did that week, but everyone was taking it particularly seriously. People showed up early, hairstyles were more elaborate, and the girly girls had huge false eyelashes and extravagant makeup. Even the tomboyish girls had bright red lipstick and shimmering highlights on their cheekbones. I wasn’t surprised to catch one of the boys applying mascara. The morning of Queens Pride was cold for June, and we did our warm-up in the middle of the street, stretching on cold concrete. One of our coaches admonished us because we “look cold.” This is his way of telling us that no matter how tired, sore, or cold we are, our joy has to shine through. There are

40 cheerleaders in full uniform in the middle of a residential street, and people have come out of their houses to watch us. It’s a parade, and everyone needs to see that we’re happy to be here. Parades might seem like well-orchestrated operations, but our staging area was changed at the last minute. When it was time to march, we were out of the proper order, and had to rush past other groups. We ran to 37th Ave. and dashed around the corner, smiling, waving, and scrambling into our marching order. It took an hour to march the length of the route, and along the way, there were a few hiccups. I even missed the first couple of steps in the big dance number, slightly out of step as we yelled, “Show! Us! Your Pride!” THREE CHEERS continued on p. 21 June 21, 2018

19

Exotic skills in the vaudeville tradition Drag is alive, kicking, fire-eating, yodeling, and prestidigitating

Photo by Ernesto Hernandez-Reyes

Impresario S.Q. Stokes encouraged equestrian trick rider Omar Kingsley to perform as “Mademoiselle Ella Zoyara.”

BY TRAV S.D. During Pride Month, drag performers often rightfully get an extra amount of play, attention, and celebration. So we thought it would be fun to take a look at several drag artists from show business history who didn’t just sing, dance, lip sync or tell jokes, but who possessed at least one more exotic skill in the vaudeville tradition. In years past, performers who were “biologically male” — an insufficient categorization for this topic best consigned to history — have made their bones in the guise of female acrobats, magicians, ventriloquists, and more. One of the earliest we know about is equestrian trick rider Omar Kingsley

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June 21, 2018

(1840-79), an apprentice of impresario S.Q. Stokes. In the classic circus era, audiences loved female equestrians. Stokes encouraged young Kingsley to disguise himself as a girl for performances, billing him as “Mademoiselle Ella Zoyara.” Kingsley maintained the subterfuge offstage as well, going out in public in fashionable dresses, and socializing with prominent local women when on tour. Another early drag circus performer was “Mademoiselle Lulu,” presented by The Great Farini from 1870 through 1877. Lulu was an aerialist who performed on a series of trapezes and ladders, and sang songs. Berta Beeson (Herbert “Slats” Beeson, 1899-1969) was billed as “The

Milwaukee-based bombshell Jaymes Mansfield, seen here with Debbie. The duo’s repertoire includes a performance of Julie Brown’s “The Homecoming Queen’s Got a Gun.”

Julian Eltinge of the Wire,” Beeson was tightrope walker who cross-dressed (another contentious term, but one in vogue at the time). Originally from Summitville, Indiana, Beeson started out working at a local vaudeville house, and then debuted with the SellsFloto circus in 1917 as “Mademoiselle Beeson, Marvelous High Wire Venus.” When famed lady tightrope walker Bird Millman retired from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1925, Beeson was her replacement. Beeson retired from performing 11 years later, but continued to work for the circus as an advance man. It doesn’t get much more vaudevillian than female impersonator and

trapeze artist Barbette (Vander Clyde, 1898-1973). Clyde spent his childhood practicing trapeze skills as a hobby. At age 14, he answered a job ad placed by the Afaretta Sisters, the “World Famous Aerial Queens.” To get the job, he had to dress as a girl. Soon Barbette was working solo. At her debut at the Harlem Opera House in 1919, though only an opening act, she got three curtain calls. She did slack wire walking, rings, and trapeze... and then pulled off her wig for the big “wow.” Soon, Barbette was a vaudeville headliner — what heteronormative trapeze artist ever accomplished that? By DRAG continued on p. 21 TheVillager.com

doing a routine shortly after the moment of silence. Soon the seriousness faded away; it’s a party atmosphere in the staging area, quite different from parades that begin in the morning. The crowd has been “festive� all day, and the audience is now drunk and wired. We’re running on adrenaline, but we performed along with other groups in the parade. A

drum corps thumped a beat for us as we danced, and a stranger draped purple beads around my neck. We scrambled aside as antique cars rolled by, followed by floats and double decker buses full of drag queens. Finally, it was our turn to march. My coach reminded me to look up every now and then. Sure enough, I saw people waving from apartment windows above the street, and I cheered to

them, “Show! Us! Your Pride!� It turns out that we won an award at the Queens parade, and now we’re more confident. We know we’re ready for Manhattan Pride. We don’t actually carry pom-poms in the parades because we need our hands free for stunts. But we’re always in uniform: red, white and blue, even star-spangled. The All-American look isn’t a coincidence — we’re an LGBT team, and there are people sifting though footage of the parades looking for negative stereotypes. “Behold the gay agenda,� the pundits will proclaim. Our agenda is working hard, and keeping a smile on our faces no matter what. And making the crowd show us their Pride. This article is not endorsed by Cheer New York and expresses solely the author’s experiences, opinions, and points of view while on the team from August 24, 2017 to present. Charles Battersby does not act as a representative or spokesperson for the 501(c)(3) certified nonprofit, Cheer New York. Visit cheernewyork. org, facebook.com/CheerNewYork, twitter.com/CheerNewYork, and instagram. com/cheernewyork.

complicated. Married and the father of a daughter, he appears to have begun representing himself as a woman when he began performing in 1937, because there were almost no female ventriloquists working at the time, hence he got less competition. Yet, according to fellow performers, he played the woman offstage as well, and the public didn’t know he was biologically male until 1952. Closer to our own time is the late drag magician Cashetta (Scott Weston, 1971-2015). Weston started out as a drag performer in the 1990s at Lips, singing and doing comedy. After studying at the feet of magicians while working as a makeup artist in Las Vegas, Cashetta broke in a solo magic act at NYC’s Fez Under Time Cafe, eventually getting bookings on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien� and “The Today Show.� Top billing was earned in the 2009 show “Magic’s a Drag,� at the Harmon Theater in Las Vegas. We asked NYC drag icon and Wigstock creator Lady Bunny for her thoughts on who’s who in today’s drag vaudeville scene, and this is what she had to say: “Violet Chachki does aerial stuff in hoops combined with smoking burlesque in the fabbest costumes imaginable. Jaymes Mansfield uses puppets and ventriloquism, and will revive the late Wayland Flowers’ Madame this

summer in Provincetown, sanctioned by Flowers’ estate. Jaymes made a puppet of me which I now use to interview myself in a comedy routine! Ivy Winters, perhaps the most underrated, uses stilts, fire-eating, and all kinds of specialty acts. She comes from a circus background. Lavinia Co-op uses stilts, as well. She works for Susanne Bartsch but has also appeared in Wigstock and was a founding member of the English drag troupe, Bloolips. Kennedy Davenport’s Texas-style dancing borders on acrobatic. I’ve seen her walk down the steps from a stage and then summersault back onto it; extremely high kicks and other hijinks!� And as for Lady Bunny herself, she too can claim a special skill, which

intersected with a singularly unique moment in pop culture history. “I have performed songs with yodeling,� she told us, including, “creating insane pops to the early electro hit ‘Popcorn’ on ‘Andy Warhol’s Fifteen Minutes’ show on MTV. People think I’m lip syncing because it’s so high-pitched. I’m not!� Lessons to be drawn? Vaudeville is very much alive, and drag is not just alive, but kicking. They go together like peanut butter and jelly. Get a gimmick, kids! For more information on the contemporary artists mentioned in this article, visit ladybunny.net, violetchachki.net, jaymesmansfield.com, facebook.com/ wintersivy, and kennedydavenport.com.

THREE CHEERS continued from p. 19

Queens Pride follows the parade with a daylong festival, and we spent hours doing cheers and stunts for the crowd before ending the day with our special “Thank You Queens Pride� cheer. It was an exhausting day, but it’s the shortest of the three parades the team is doing this month. Brooklyn Pride was only six days away and, at our next practice, everyone was extra determined. One stunt group was so enthusiastic that they threw a petite blonde so high she touched the ceiling of the gym. Brooklyn Pride Fest has their parade at night, but the festival starts in the morning. Eight hours before we stepped onto the parade route, we were at Cheer New York’s booth, performing. Nothing was rushed that day. We had hours to prepare — and by the time we began warming up for the parade, we were already worn out. This parade began on a somber note, a moment of silence for the members of the LGBT community who died over the last year. My cheer team had the honor of

DRAG continued from p. 20

1923, she was the hit of the Paris cabaret scene and a favorite of the intelligentsia. Jean Cocteau even included her in his 1930 film “The Blood of a Poet.� A character in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1930 film “Murder� is also clearly based on her. In 1935, she was featured in Billy Rose’s “Jumbo� along with many other circus and vaudeville notables. A 1938 bout with pneumonia effectively ended her performing career, and she retired to become a consultant and choreographer for projects requiring drag trapeze artists. You think there aren’t any? What about Hollywood films like “Till the Clouds Roll By� (1946), “The Big Circus� (1959), and “Some Like it Hot� (1959)? Walter H. Lambert (1869-1949) was a British female impersonator and ventriloquist whose most famous act was called “Lydia Dreams.� His usual turf was the music hall in his home country, but he did come for a tour of US vaudeville in 1906. Most astounding of all, he wasn’t the only British music hall impersonator and ventriloquist. Bobbie Kimber (Ronald Victor Kimberley, 1918-1993), who performed in music hall from the 1930s through the ’60s, wore his hair long like a woman’s, and never divulged his biological gender one way or the other to the audience. The story of Bobbie’s gender identity is TheVillager.com

Photo by Michael Shain/TimesLedger

The team warmed up on the cold morning of Queens Pride (the author, seen in the middle).

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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING The NYC Board of Standards and Appeals has scheduled a public hearing on the following application: Variance (§72-21) to permit the construction of a seven-story plus penthouse mixed commercial and residential building contrary to oor area regulations of ZR §111-20; street wall regulations of ZR §23-662; accessory parking regulations of ZR §13-11; and the curb cut location requirements of ZR §13-241. C6-2A (Special Tribeca Mixed Use District. Tribeca East Historic District. Address:14 White Street, Block 191, Lot 8, Borough of Manhattan. BSA Calendar Number:2017-298-BZ Applicant:Jay A Segal, Greenberg Traurig LLP, for 14 White Street Owner LLC, owner. Community Board No.: 1M This application has been calendared for Public Hearing *Tuesday, June 26, 2018, 1:00 P.M. session, in Spector Hall, 22 Reade Street, Borough of Manhattan. Interested persons or associations may appear at the hearing to present testimony regarding this application. The referenced application may be reviewed by appointment at the BSA’s ofďŹ ce, Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. To schedule an appointment or to obtain subsequent information regarding additional hearing dates, please call 212-386-0009 and reference BSA Calendar Number. This notice is published by the applicant in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the Board of Standards and Appeals. * Please conďŹ rm hearing location by visiting www.nyc.gov/bsa or contact 212-386-0078. The BZ calendar will immediately follow the SOC and A calendars. Please note that subsequent hearings for this application might be scheduled at 10:00AM. Vil: 06/14 - 06/21/2018 NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A., as Trustee, in trust for and for the beneďŹ t of the CertiďŹ cateholders of MultiClass Mortgage Pass-Through CertiďŹ cates, ChaseFlex Trust Series 2007-M1, Plaintiff AGAINST TODD COURTNEY; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated 2-1-2016 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, Room 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10004 on 7-18-2018 at 2:00PM, premises known as 175 WEST 12TH STREET, UNIT 2D, New York, NY 10011. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, Block 608 Lot 1014. Approximate amount of judgment $1,823,953.63 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of ďŹ led Judgment Index #850033/2014. Arthur Greig, Esq., Referee Frenkel Lambert Weiss Weisman & Gordon, LLP 53 Gibson Street Bay Shore, NY 11706 01-087877-F00 54687. Vil: 06/14 - 07/05/2018

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NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF BAZ AND CO. LLC Appl. for Auth. ďŹ led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/06/18. OfďŹ ce location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/16/18. NYS ďŹ ctitious name: BAZ AND FRIENDS LLC. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. ďŹ led with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 06/14 - 07/19/2018

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF GRACIAS MEDIA LLC Arts. of Org. ďŹ led with NY Dept. of State on 1/30/18. OfďŹ ce location: New York County. NY Sec. of State designated agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served, and shall mail process to 408 E 73rd St, #1C, New York, NY 10021. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 06/07 - 07/12/2018

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF QUALRISK, LLC Arts. of Org. ďŹ led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/10/18. OfďŹ ce location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to David T. Harmon, c/o Norris, McLaughlin & NOTICE OF FORMATION Marcus, 875 Third Ave., OF 24F LLC 8th Fl., NY, NY 10022. Arts. of Org. ďŹ led with Purpose: Any lawful Secy. of State of NY activity. (SSNY) on 05/21/18. Vil: 06/07 - 07/12/2018 OfďŹ ce location: NY NOTICE OF County. SSNY designated QUALIFICATION OF as agent of LLC upon whom process against it UPPER BAY OPCO, LP may be served. SSNY Authority ďŹ led with NY shall mail process to Dept. of State on 5/8/18. location: NY Attn: Anthony F. Vitiello, OfďŹ ce Connell Foley LLP, 888 County. LP formed in DE 7th Ave., NY, NY 10019. on 4/5/18. NY Sec. of Purpose: Any lawful State designated agent of LP upon whom process activity. Vil: 06/07 - 07/12/2018 against it may be served and shall mail process to: 205 E. 42nd St., NY, NY NOTICE OF 10017, principal busiQUALIFICATION OF ness address. DE adBBRC CAPITAL dress of LP: c/o Cogency PARTNERS, LLC Global Inc., 850 New Appl. for Auth. ďŹ led with Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Secy. of State of NY Dover, DE 19904. (SSNY) on 05/15/18. Name/address of genl. OfďŹ ce location: NY partner available from NY County. LLC formed in Sec. of State. Cert. of LP Delaware (DE) on ďŹ led with DE Sec. of 05/11/18. Princ. ofďŹ ce of State, 401 Federal St., LLC: Attn: Lars Munson, Dover, DE 19901. Pur601 Lexington Ave., 20th pose: all lawful purposes. Fl., NY, NY 10022. SSNY Vil: 05/31 - 07/05/2018 designated as agent of NOTICE OF FORMATION LLC upon whom process OF FRUIT BOUTIQUE against it may be served. LLC SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. Articles of Organization ofďŹ ce of the LLC. DE ďŹ led with Secretary of addr. of LLC: c/o State of New York on 20, 2018. Corporation Service Co., February 251 Little Falls Dr., OfďŹ ce location: New York Wilmington, DE 19808. County, Secretary of Cert. of Form. ďŹ led with State is designated as Secy. of State of the agent upon who process State of DE, Div. of against the LLC may be Corps., John G. served. Secretary of Townsend Bldg., Federal State shall mail a copy of and Duke of York Sts., any process against the Dover, DE 19901. LLC service upon the LLC Purpose: Any lawful to C/O 311 Audubon Avenue, New York, NY activity. Vil: 06/07- 07/12/2018 10033. Purpose: Any

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lawful activity. Vil: 05/31 - 07/05/2018 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF UPPER BAY INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT, LLC Authority ďŹ led with NY Dept. of State on 5/4/18. NYS ďŹ ctitious name: Upper Bay Infrastructure Management GP, LLC. OfďŹ ce location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 3/27/18. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 205 E. 42nd St., NY, NY 10017, principal business address. DE address of LLC: c/o Cogency Global Inc., 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. ďŹ led with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 05/31 - 07/05/2018 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 1755 WATSON AVENUE MODERATE LLC Arts. of Org. ďŹ led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/17/18. OfďŹ ce location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 40 Fulton St., 12th Fl., NY, NY 10038. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 05/31 - 07/05/2018 WORLD CLASS SECURITY SERVICES HOLDINGS, LLC Notice of formation of limited liability company (LLC). Name: World Class Security Services Holdings, LLC. Articles of Organization ďŹ led with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 11/7/2013. NY ofďŹ ce location: Kings County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The post ofďŹ ce address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her is World Class Security Services Holdings, LLC Attn: Patrick Lafontant 155 Water Street, P432 4th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 1 1 2 0 1 . Purpose/Character of LLC: Any Lawful Purpose. Vil: 05/31 - 07/05/2018

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF SAICA LLC Arts. of Org. ďŹ led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/14/18. OfďŹ ce location: NY County. Princ. ofďŹ ce of LLC: 216 Lafayette St., NY, NY 10012. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 16 W. 19th St., Unit 6E, NY, NY 10011. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 05/24 -06/28/2018 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF JEMAL FRANCO LLC Arts. of Org. ďŹ led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/17/18. OfďŹ ce location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Sam Jemal, c/o The Jemstone Group, 358 Fifth Ave., Ste. 1405, NY, NY 10001. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 05/31 - 07/05/2018 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF DELCHARD ACQUISITION LLC Arts. of Org. ďŹ led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/30/18. OfďŹ ce location: NY County. Princ. ofďŹ ce of LLC: 108 Orchard St., NY, NY 10002. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. ofďŹ ce. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 05/31 - 07/05/2018 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF BEACH LANE III LLC Appl. for Auth. ďŹ led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/16/18. OfďŹ ce location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/14/18. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. ďŹ led with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 05/31 - 07/05/2018

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF WEST VILLAGE PARTNERS, LLC Arts. of Org. ďŹ led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/10/18. OfďŹ ce location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Daniel Bergeson, Esq., Bergeson LLP, Silicon Valley OfďŹ ce, 111 N. Market St., Ste. 600, San Jose, CA 95113. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 05/24 - 06/28/2018 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF OCEANHILL III MANAGER LLC Arts. of Org. ďŹ led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/11/18. OfďŹ ce location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Duvernay + Brooks, 2095 Broadway, Ste. 404, NY, NY 10023. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 05/24 - 06/28/2018 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF TINY GOLIATH, LLC Articles of Organization ďŹ led with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 02/05/18. OfďŹ ce location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is to: Tiny Goliath LLC, 215 East 24th St, Suite 201, New York, NY 10010. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 05/24 - 06/28/2018 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF RE LEGACY, LLC Articles of Organization ďŹ led with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/15/18. OfďŹ ce location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is to: US Corp Agents, Inc. 7014 13th Ave, #202, BK NY 11228. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 05/24 - 06/28/2018

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF HOPE ASANA, LLC Articles of Organization ďŹ led with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 1/17/2018 OfďŹ ce location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is to: Hope Asana LLC, 333 East 119th Street, New York, NY 10035. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 05/24 - 06/28/2018

Purpose: Parking. Vil: 05/24 - 06/28/2018

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF MAD HAT NYC, LLC Appl. for Auth. ďŹ led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/08/18. OfďŹ ce location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/26/18. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 379 W. Broadway, 4th Fl., NY, NY 10012. DE addr. of LLC: Paracorp Inc., 2140 S. Dupont Hwy., Camden, DE 19934. Cert. of Form. ďŹ led with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 05/24 - 06/28/2018

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF BLDG BRONX PARENT LLC Arts. of Org. ďŹ led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/11/18. OfďŹ ce location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: BLDG Management Co., Inc., 417 Fifth Ave., 4th Fl., NY, NY 10016. NOTICE OF FORMATION Purpose: any lawful OF REDFERN FRV activity. PHASE 1 LLC Vil: 05/24 - 06/28/2018 Arts. of Org. ďŹ led with Secy. of State of NY NOTICE OF FORMATION (SSNY) on 5/3/18. OfďŹ ce OF OPTIMIZED location: NY County. DIVERSITY SOLUTIONS SSNY designated as LLC agent of LLC upon whom Articles of Organization process against it may be ďŹ led with Secretary of served. SSNY shall mail State of New York (SSNY) process to: c/o Phipps on 03/13/18. OfďŹ ce Houses, 902 Broadway, location: NY County. 13th Fl., NY, NY 10010. SSNY has been Purpose: any lawful designated as an agent activity. upon whom process Vil: 05/17 - 06/21/2018 against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process NOTICE OF FORMATION against the LLC is to: OF PAINT AWAY TOURS LLC Optimized Diversity Articles of Organization Solutions LLC, 380 Rector Place, Unit 11F, ďŹ led with the Secretary of New York, NY 10280. State of NY (SSNY) Purpose: To engage in on 05/04/2018. OfďŹ ce location: NEW YORK any lawful act or activity. County. SSNY has been Vil: 05/24 - 06/28/2018 designated as agent NOTICE OF FORMATION upon whom process against it may be served. OF EAST 79TH The Post OfďŹ ce address PARKING LLC Arts. of Org. ďŹ led with to which the SSNY shall Secy. of State of NY mail a copy of any against (SSNY) on 05/02/18. process OfďŹ ce location: NY the LLC served upon County. Princ. ofďŹ ce of him/her is: 33 W 46th LLC: 545 Fifth Ave., Ste. Street STE 800, New 600, NY, NY 10017. York, NY 10036. The business SSNY designated as principal agent of LLC upon whom address of the LLC is: 33 process against it may be W 46th Street STE 800, served. SSNY shall mail New York, NY 10036. process to Corporation Purpose: any lawful act Service Co., 80 State St., or activity. Vil: 05/17 - 06/21/2018 Albany, NY 12207-2543. June 21, 2018

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Credico and Stone feud NOTICE OF FORMATION OF FRV PHASE 1 MODERATE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/3/18. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Phipps Houses, 902 Broadway, 13th Fl., NY, NY 10010. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 05/17 - 06/21/2018

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF BX HOFFMAN LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/3/18. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Brooklyn Standard Properties, LLC, 265 Canal St., Ste. 215, NY, NY 10013. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 05/17 - 06/21/2018 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on-premises license, #TBD, has been applied for by Alta Cucina 2 LLC dba TBD, to sell beer, wine, cider and liquor at retail, in an onpremises establishment, under the ABC law, for o n - p r e m i s e s consumption at 260-262 6th Avenue and 264 6th Avenue, New York, NY, 10014. Vil: 06/21 -06/28/2018 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF STOCK THE HOUSE LLC, FICTITIOUS NAME STOCK THE HOUSE CONCIERGE SERVICES LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with SSNY 4/20/18. LLC organized in DE 4/6/18. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail copy of process to: c/o The LLC, 208 E. Bway, Apt. J1207, NY, NY 10002. DE address of LLC is c/o NRAI, 160 Greentree Dr., Ste 101, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. on file with SS DE, Div.of Corp., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity. Vil: 05/17 - 06/21/2018

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June 21, 2018

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Liquor License, serial number 1311082, for beer, cider, wine, and liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to permit the sale of beer, cider, wine, and liquor at retail in a catering facility under the Alcoholic Beverages Control Law at Aramark Services, Inc. located at 200 West Street, Auditorium & Mezzanine, New York, NY, 10282, on premise consumption. Aramark Services, Inc. Vil: 06/14 - 06/21/2018

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on-premise license, #TBA has been applied for by 239 Entertainment LLC d/b/a The Stand Restaurant and Comedy Club to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 114-116 East 16th Street New York NY 10003. Vil: 06/14 - 06/21/2018

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Liquor License, serial number 1311084, for beer, cider, wine, and liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to permit the sale of beer, cider, wine, and liquor at retail in a catering facility under the Alcoholic Beverages Control Law at Aramark Services, Inc. located at 200 West St., floors 42 & 43, New York, NY, 10282, on premise consumption. Aramark Services, Inc. Vil: 06/14 - 06/21/2018

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Liquor License, serial number 1311080, for beer, cider, wine, and liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to permit the sale of beer, cider, wine, and liquor at retail in a catering facility under the Alcoholic Beverages Control Law at Aramark Services, Inc. located at 200 West St., floors 11 & 12, New York, NY, 10282, on premise consumption. Aramark Services, Inc. Vil: 06/14 - 06/21/2018

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on-premises license, #TBD, has been applied for by The Great Cabin LLC dba The Cabin to sell beer, wine, cider and liquor at retail, in an o n - p r e m i s e s establishment, under the ABC law, for on-premises consumption at 205 E 4th Street, New York, NY 10009. Vil: 06/14 - 06/21/2018 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on-premises license, #TBD, has been applied for by Anzuelo Fino Corp. dba TBD, to sell beer, wine, cider and liquor at retail, in an onpremises establishment, under the ABC law, for o n - p r e m i s e s consumption at 86-01 Northern Blvd, Jackson Heights, NY 11372. Vil: 06/14 - 06/21/2018 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on-premise license, #TBA has been applied for by J & J V2 LLC d/b/a Golden Bear to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 377 Park Avenue South New York NY 10010. Vil: 06/14 - 06/21/2018 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on-premise license, #TBA has been applied for by Delta 510 Corp d/b/a The 11th Street Bar to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 510 East 11th Street New York NY 10009. Vil: 06/14 - 06/21/2018 RISKEX LLC App. for Auth. filed w/ SSNY 6/8/18. Off. in NY Co. Arts. of Org. filed w/ SSDE 5/25/18. SSNY desig. as agt. of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, Attn: Anand Gomes, 110 Wall St, Ste. 5067, NY, NY 10005. Add. req. to be maintained in DE: Corporation Service Company, 251 Little Falls Dr, Wilmington, DE 19808. Name & add. of the auth. officer in DE where copy of Arts. of Org. filed: DE Sec. of State, Div. of Corp., P.O. Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 06/21 - 07/26/2018

CREDICO continued from p. 8

Similarly, Credico told The Villager: “Assange wouldn’t touch him — but then [Stone] lied, trying to be a back channel. He’s a megalomaniac.” At the same time, Credico conceded of himself, “I’m a comic, so I have a big ego and I like attention.” As for Stone’s charges that Credico has been wearing a wire, Credico said, dismissively, “He sends out e-mails early in the morning in an altered state.” In turn, told that Credico had sent The Villager screenshots of Stone’s e-mails to him, Stone charged that Credico had altered them. “Sadly, Randy has, as he has with other media outlets, sent you cherry-picked e-mails which in many cases are severely edited,” Stone responded in a text message. “Most are out of context or have been doctored. In fact, I have extensive evidence which I will turn over to authorities that demonstrates that he is the one who is threatening me while I have consistently urged him to simply tell the truth. … As you may know, Randy also gave an on-the-record interview with Artvoice, a longtime respected progressive alternative newspaper, in which he confirmed that he had been my back channel and confirming source with Wikileaks.” In that interview, published last month, Credico told Artvoice: “I was a confirming source, but I wasn’t a back channel. I wasn’t coordinating with [Stone]. I told Roger, ‘You have to just follow Assange’s Tweets.’” Artvoice wrote, “Stone argues that ‘back channel’ and ‘confirming source’ are the same thing.” Stone reiterated to The Villager: “Sadly, Randy is so driven now by his desperate need to be relevant that he has resorted to lying, forgery and late-night threats” — “forgery” referring to Stone’s e-mails that he charges were altered. Stone further said his “prepare to die” e-mail wasn’t a threat — but a reference to the fact that Credico is ill. Told of that, Credico responded, “He’s completely lying, like everything else. If you don’t know his character by now, there’s nothing I can do.” He added that he had a health test that “came back negative,” and he’s fine. Credico assures there was no Russian collusion — or any collusion, for that matter — in the 2016 presidential race. Nevertheless, he said Stone is confident that he will be pardoned, if need be, by President Trump — because Trump has no choice. “Stone is emboldened because he’s going to get a pardon by the president, no matter what,” Credico predicted. “He’s

A screenshot of an e-mail Roger Stone sent to Randy Credico, referring to the late muckraking Village Voice journalist Wayne Barrett.

got a lot on the president. He’s known him for 40 years. He’s got a lot more than ‘The Dossier.’ ” In addition to the big article set to come out, Credico said he is now “in serious negotiations” to do a book, as well. “I am writing a book with a co-writer,” he said. “Fasten your seatbelt!” Asked if he had any working titles for it, Credico gave a few that he has been kicking around: “The Intermediary: Roger and Me” and “What’s a Guy Like Me Doing in a Mess Like This?” In a final tidbit, Credico said, “I’m expecting another subpoena very soon. … I’m not out of the woods on this yet.” As for Stone’s “women’s underwear” reference, conservative filmmaker David Lugo said a disheveled Credico’s pants were nearly falling down when he showed up for an interview Lugo did with the two of them, and that Credico was, in fact, sporting women’s panties. But former East Village activist John Penley cheekily said it’s just another smear attempt against Credico. “I have been following Stone and Credico’s breakup,” he said, “and, in my opinion, Roger Stone went to too many of Roy Cohn’s private J. Edgar Hoover parties with Donald Trump and that’s why he is saying Credico wears women’s panties.”

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June 21, 2018

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Pier 40’s future; Time to start planning it is now EDITORIAL continued from p. 16

of the authority is to maximize revenue generated in the supposedly self-sustaining park — and Pier 40 is one of the park’s main “commercial nodes” — or piers where commercial activity is allowed. Yet, under the Park Act, the equivalent of 50 percent of the pier’s footprint also must be preserved for open-space recreational use. Questions must be asked. For example, does the mammoth W. Houston St. pier still need to bring in around $7 million a year — or even more — for the Trust now that the park is authorized to sell its unused air rights? Around $600 million had been the figure stated regarding the amount needed to finish the park’s construction. Yet the sale of 200,000 square feet of Pier 40’s development rights to the St. John’s Partners project netted the park $100 million. And a similar deal in Chelsea that will sell air rights to the so-called “Block 675” project, at W. 29th and 30th Sts., will reportedly bring in $40 million to $50 million for the park. Governor Andrew Cuomo ponied up $50 million for Hudson River Park in the current state budget, and the city must

match that amount. But will the state and city allocate that much funding to the park each year? It remains to be seen. Also, there is some friction between Community Boards 4 and 2 regarding Pier 40. C.B. 4 — which has less of the park’s usable open space, but whose piers bring in much more of the park’s annual operating revenue — feels C.B. 2 must “pull its weight” and not try to reduce the commercial activity at Pier 40. Basically, all of this is part of what needs to be looked at, too — the whole context of Hudson River Park’s changed financial picture due to development-rights sales from the park and the governor’s newly stated commitment to finishing the park in his second term, if re-elected. Also, the redesign of Pier 40 — that is, if its existing pier-shed structure is not to be adaptively reused — must be carefully scrutinized. C.B. 2 and Assemblymember Deborah Glick, among others, do not want the pier’s roughly 1.1 million square feet of usable development rights re-massed into a 10-story tower on the pier’s northern side. A merely “hypothetical plan” to that effect was shown by the Trust last year to the C.B. 2 Future of Pier 40 Working Group. Yes, admittedly, some people — the

youth sports leagues, in particular — are worried about another failure at Pier 40. Two previous requests for proposals, or R.F.P.’s, from developers for the pier were sunk by community opposition because the projects submitted would have had too great an impact on the park and surrounding community. But despite those past clunkers, local stakeholders shouldn’t be afraid to be bold and honest in their thinking and assessments regarding Pier 40. The Trust will have to work with the community; the resulting future direction for the pier will, necessarily, be a compromise. And, significantly, the threat of Pier 40’s structural integrity being compromised is no longer so pressing: That $100 million from the St. John’s Partners project is currently being used to repair the pier’s badly corroded steel support piles, which was the pier’s major infrastructure challenge. All that said, we hear there still may be two amendments to the Hudson River Park Act this session. One would be to authorize a Whitney Museum-sponsored project — David Hammons’s “Day’s End,” a ghostly recreation of the framework of the former Pier 52, slated for where the pier once sat in the river just south of Gansevoort Peninsula.

The other amendment would be to allow the Gateway project, which would see new passenger railway tunnels laid across the Hudson River from New Jersey, going under Hudson River Park around W. 29th St. and then under Hudson Yards and on to Penn Station. In exchange for this permanent easement through Hudson River Park, the federal government will be expected to pay for improvements in this section of the park — basically, right around the southern end of the W. 30th St. Heliport and a bit south of there. As for Pier 40, even though the park’s legislation regarding it reportedly won’t be changed during this rapidly closing session, now is the perfect time to start thinking seriously, once again, about this critical pier’s future. If a 10-story tower is not what the community wants on the pier — and it is not — then we’re going to need some alternatives — one of which, certainly, could be adaptive reuse of the existing pier shed. But let’s get some ideas out there, and let’s get something more concrete. The past two C.B. 2 resolutions on Pier 40 have been filled with good ideas, but the one last year, in particular, was pretty nebulous. Isn’t it time to get down to some specifics and try to shape and direct this discussion a bit more? We think so.

Elevators are a win, but L lawsuit still on track LTRAIN continued from p. 15

big thing,” he said. “Even if they think they don’t have to do it, we want them to do it.” Speakers slammed D.O.T.’s Trottenberg as “obstructionist” and “insensitive.” Referring to the town hall meetings

at which the agency officials nod their heads and feign concern, Susan Finely, a member of the Flatiron Alliance, said, “It’s an illusion of inclusion.” A D.O.T. spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on residents’ criticisms of Trottenberg, as well as for comment on the significance of the M.T.A. and D.O.T.

recently fi ling a draft E.A. for the mitigation project. However, he did say, “I want make it clear that the announcement yesterday regarding A.D.A. concerns and the L train project itself are two separate things, despite them being looped together in the handout during some speakers’ remarks. Our traffic-mitigation mea-

sures are related specifically to the need to install these while necessary work is conducted. Not taking any action would have a worse than the options offered. As for the elevators, D.O.T. will work collaboratively and in good faith with the M.T.A. to ensure that elevators are sited in areas that are appropriate.”

Test trips save lives but city is not funding them FENTANYL continued from p. 14

saving lives, the strips do stimulate an important conversation. On March 24, a 25-year-old Brooklyn resident died after passing out at No Fun bar, at 161 Ludlow St., after she

reportedly earlier had been taking coke spiked with fentanyl and drinking. As this reporter recently discovered while visiting bars in that neck of the Lower East Side, some cocaine users have never heard of fentanyl in the drug supply despite a recently launched

D.O.H. pilot program to raise awareness in the area. Kurzer-Yashin, though, noted that not only do users not expect to find the opiate in the coke, but also the “drug dealer may not realize there is fentanyl in the drug.”

Simply having the fentanyl strips out there raises awareness, she added. “One great thing is they allow the conversation,” she said. “And if D.O.H. were to distribute these test strips, they would allow for those conversations to flourish.”

tions coming up and us elders remembering those who passed without having the helping hand that the Village Apothecary gave to so many.

com or fax to 212-229-2790 or mail to The Villager, Letters to the Editor, 1 MetroTech North, 10th floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Please include phone number for confirmation purposes. The Villager reserves the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and libel. Anonymous letters will not be published.

Letters to The Editor LETTERS continued from p. 16

Re “Lorraine Gordon, 95, Village Vanguard owner” (obituary, June 14): A true champion of arts, the world needs more people like her! R.I.P. John Pischedda

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June 21, 2018

Apothecary cared To The Editor: Re “Village Apothecary: Expanding yet keeping the personal touch” (news article, June 14): It is lovely to remember their kindness to so many, and their always-spectacular service — especially with Pride celebra-

Diane Lebedeff E-mail letters, not longer than 250 words in length, to news@thevillager.

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TOP DRIVER DISTRACTIONS Using mobile phones Leading the list of the top distractions behind the wheel are mobile phones. Phones now do more than just place calls, and drivers often cannot pull away from their phones, even when driving. According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, studies have shown that driving performance is lowered and the level of distraction is higher for drivers who are heavily engaged in cell

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phone conversations. The use of a hands-free device does not lower distraction levels. The percentage of vehicle crashes and nearcrashes attributed to dialing is nearly identical to the number associated with talking or listening.

Daydreaming Many people will admit to daydreaming behind the wheel or looking at a person or object outside of the car for too long. Per-

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.

Eating Those who haven’t quite mastered walking and

chewing gum at the same time may want to avoid eating while driving. The majority of foods require a person’s hands to be taken off of the wheel and their eyes to be diverted from the road. Reaching in the back seat to share some French fries with the kids is also distracting. Try to eat meals before getting in the car. For those who must snack while en route, take a moment to pull over at

a rest area and spend 10 minutes snacking there before resuming the trip.

Reading Glancing at an advertisement, updating a Facebook status or reading a book are all activities that should be avoided when driving. Even pouring over a traffic map or consulting the digital display of a GPS system can be distracting.

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One fact is simple: poor planning or no planning will hurt your loved ones.

Connors and Sullivan invites you to one of our FREE seminars to learn about elder law, trusts and estates law, and estate planning. TUES. JUNE 26th MON. JUNE 25th MANHATTAN

STATEN ISLAND

11 AM & 3 PM The 3 West Club 3 West 51st Street (Bet. Fifth & Sixth Avenues)

11 AM & 3 PM & 7PM Bocelli Ristorante 1250 Hylan Boulevard

We’ll help you make educated decisions. Get answers to questions such as: -How can I protect assets from the government? -How can I save myself from expensive nursing home bills? -How can I spare my loved ones from the difficulties of probate?

(Bet. Clove & Old Town Roads)

We’re also on the radio. TUNE IN to AM 970 The Answer, Saturdays at 6PM AM 570 The Mission, Saturdays at 8AM to listen to

Ask the Lawyer with Mike Connors. www.askthelawyer.nyc

Call (718) 238-6500 to make your seminar reservation or schedule a FREE consultation. Offices are located in Bay Ridge, Bayside, Middle Village, Manhattan, and Staten Island. ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT: Connors and Sullivan Attorneys-At-Law PLLC: 7408 5th Avenue Ste. 2 Brooklyn NY 11209 28

June 21, 2018

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