Downtown Express - March 7, 2019

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V isit us online a t w w w. Dow n t ow nE x pr e s s .co m

VOLUME 32, NUMBER 5

MARCH 7 – MARCH 20, 2019

Corey at the ‘BAT’ Speaker calls for city transit takeover Page 6

Council Speaker Corey Johnson listens to the opinion of a young straphanger.

‘Do the right thing’ Maloney and Stewart: Extend 9/11 Victims Fund Page 19

COURTESY CONGRESSMEMBER MALONEY’S OFFICE

Congressmember Carolyn Maloney, second from right, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced legislation to fully fund the 9/11 VCF.

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Joe’s Pizza now slinging slices in FiDi BY ROSE ADAMS

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he Financial District has transformed into a foodie haven, and Joe’s Pizza wants a slice of the ac-

tion. The iconic Greenwich Village pizzeria opened a fifth location last Thursday at 124 Fulton St., between Nassau and Dutch Sts. The restaurant decided to open a FiDi location because of soaring demand in the area, according to Eater. “We had a lot of people asking us to come down to FiDi,” Sal Vitale told the food blog. Vitale is a manager at the Joe’s and the founder’s grandson. Pino “Joe” Pozzuoli opened the first Joe’s Pizza at 7 Carmine St. in 1975 with only his sons for staff. The joint has gained quite the following. It’s since opened locations in Times Square, Union Square and Williamsburg, and has been named one of New York’s “Best Pizzas” in GQ and The New York Times Magazine. “Joe’s crust, thin and flexible but not too soft, is perfect for street pizza,” raves a 2009 article in GQ. “Atop it is not much cheese and not much sauce, merely enough, in ideal symmetry.” Joe’s is also cited on Trip Advisor, and the Carmine St. location is frequently jammed with large groups that are obviously tourists who have the pizza joint on their list of must-see attractions. You can stop by for and enjoy a fresh slice at the counter, or call 212-267-0860 for delivery.

Delicious pizza slices at Joe’s on Carmine St., like these, are now available at the famous restaurant’s new Financial District location.

Eilish, Struts, Ringo to rock pier Rooftop Fall Asleep World Tour June 21:The Lonely Island June 22:Monster Energy Outbreak Tour presents – Slushii July 19:Iration – Live From Paradise! July 20:OneRepublic July 24:Steve Miller Band and Marty Stuart July 27: The Struts: Young and Dangerous Tour 2019 Aug. 1:Ben Folds and the Violent Femmes Aug. 2:Greensky Bluegrass Aug. 3:Rebelution – Good Vibes Summer Tour 2019 Aug. 6:Stray Cats – 40th Anniversary Tour Aug. 11:Papa Roach: Who Do You Trust? Tour Aug. 18:Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band Aug. 24:Squeeze Aug. 26 and 27:Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals and Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue Sept. 14 and 15:Shakey Graves and Dr. Dog Oct. 11:Thievery Corporation

BY ROSE ADAMS

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he Rooftop at Pier 17, in partnership with Live Nation, has announced the big names playing at its second annual Summer Concert Series — and the lineup includes something for everyone. Passion Pit will open the series at the 65,000-square-foot Seaport District venue, with two concerts, on May 19 and 21. Other acts range from the viral singersongwriter Billie Eilish (June 18) to the comedy trio The Lonely Island (June 21), OneRepublic (July 20), the Steve Miller Band and Marty Stuart (July 24), Ringo Starr (Aug. 18) and many more. Tickets go on sale March 1 at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster. Chase cardholders can purchase tickets starting now. Check out the full lineup, below: May 19 and 21:Passion Pit – Manners 10th Anniversary Tour May 25:Walk Off The Earth June 11:SiriusXM “The Pulse” presents: The Mighty O.A.R. with American Authors and Huntertones June 15:E.Z.Mo Breezy presents: Grits & Bisquits Block Party June 18:Billie Eilish – When We All Schneps Media

Ringo Starr will be among the headliners at the Seapor t’s Pier 17 Seapor t this summer. (Facebook)

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For more information, visit Pier17NY. com. March 7, 2019

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Police Blotter

Police say this woman is suspected of snatching an iPhone XR out of a senior woman’s hands on a Downtown R train.

Random attack Police have arrested a man accused of assaulting an 8-year-old boy inside a subway car pulling into the Fulton St. station around 8:40 p.m. on Mon., March 4. The perpetrator reportedly approached the boy, who was with his mother, and punched him in the back of the head shortly before the train’s doors opened. The child was treated at New York Downtown Hospital for pain and swelling and has since been released. On Tues., March 5, police reported they had arrested a suspect in the attack, Alex Bienaime, 40, who is listed as homeless. He was charged with three counts of acting in a manner injurious to a child under age 17, as well as assault.

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XR stolen on R

Scientific break-in Police are searching for a man who broke into the Happy Science Church, at 79 Franklin St., around 7:15 p.m. on Tues., Feb. 19. The suspect is alleged to have broken into the location by breaking the glass window out front. Security footage reportedly shows him rummaging through drawers and leaving emptyhanded.

A young woman is accused of stealing an iPhone XR out of a 67-year-old woman’s hands on a Downtown R train that was arriving at Rector St. on Mon., Feb. 25, around 10:15 a.m., police said. The crook is alleged to have boarded at Cortlandt St. before swiping the phone at Rector and fleeing the station. The victim tried chasing the thief as she fled the scene. But her pursuit of him was foiled when another passenger stopped her to let her know she left her pocketbook on the train. The perpetrator is described as a black woman around age 20, 5-feet-7 -inches tall and weighing roughly 145 pounds.

Sexy shoplifter Police arrested alleged serial underwear thief Rachel Golden, 42, on Sun., March 3, for reportedly robbing the World Trade Center Victoria’s Secret on at least four different occasions between Fri., Feb. 15, and March 3. Police say Golden stole 177 pairs of panties, 120 bras and 15 pajamas durTVG

ing that span, equaling a total of $4,079 worth of hot undergarments. Cops believe she worked with a male accomplice who kept watch and distracted employees.

Screwed A 55-year-old man was the victim of an apparent screwdriver attack on the Downtown 2/3 platform at Fulton St. on Fri., Feb. 22, sometime between 10:50 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., police said. Police say that Darrin Robertson, 52, stabbed the man in the hand with a screwdriver multiple times, causing the victim to bleed. Robertson was arrested that night.

Rico Burney Schneps Media

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PRESENTING THE JOAN H. AND PRESTON ROBERT TISCH CENTER AT ESSEX CROSSING Just like you, we think of downtown as our home, too. After all, we’ve been part of the scene for almost 190 years. Now, we’ve opened the Joan H. and Preston Robert Tisch Center at Essex Crossing. Here, you can receive world-class care in specialties that include internal medicine, cardiology, orthopedics, foot and ankle care, sports health, and physical therapy. At this location, we even provide a state-of-the-art operating room dedicated to orthopedic procedures. To see an NYU Langone specialist, call 929-455-2600, or make an appointment online at nyulangone.org/essexcrossing.

Joan H. and Preston Robert Tisch Center at Essex Crossing 171 Delancey Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10002

Schneps Media

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Johnson rolls out transit takeover plan rectly to the mayor and oversee B.A.T., as well as the city’s Department of Transportation and the Taxi and Limousine Commission. The governor’s communications director Dani Lever was quick to counter that the city already technically owns the subway but chooses not to run it because it “could never afford it.” “[The city] can cancel the M.T.A. lease with one year’s notice,” Lever wrote on Twitter. “The Mayor has total veto over the state and city funded N.Y.C.T. capital plan. The City does not want to take N.Y.C.T. from the M.T.A. because they get billions of state dollars that they would lose. This is funding that no other city or regional transit system gets.” Johnson’s report argues that this is not the case, and that the city could find new ways to raise money. His plan calls for bringing in new revenue from congestion pricing, which he vowed the City Council would pass by itself if Albany fails to do so. Other new possible revenue streams Johnson cited, include a “millionaires’ tax,” raising the sales tax from 8.9 to 9.25 percent and a “progressively structured transfer tax” on real estate transactions, among other things. While his B.AT. proposal is the one

BY RICO BURNEY

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ity Council Speaker Corey Johnson delivered his first State of the City address on Tues., March 5. But it wasn’t just a feel-good list of blandishments about projects and people. Rather, it was a focused presentation of sweeping ideas to improve transportation in the city. In Johnson’s speech and in a 104-page report that accompanied it, he laid out a bold vision. His primary proposal is for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s New York City Transportation Authority — the state authority that owns the city’s bus system and has operated the city-owned subway system since 1953 — and the M.T.A.’s Bridge and Tunnel Authority to be spun off into a new mayoral-controlled agency tentatively titled Big Apple Transit, or BAT. Johnson argues that the current M.T.A. management structure results in the authority existing “in a vacuum of accountability,” and gives the governor and suburban counties disproportionate control over the city’s transit system. He argues that by placing the city’s transit under the mayor’s direct oversight, people would know exactly who to hold accountable. Currently, the M.T.A. is effectively

Cit y Council Speaker Corey Johnson delivered his first State of the Cit y address, at LaGuardia Communit y College in Queens, on Tues., March 7. Photo by John McCar ten/N.Y.C. City Council

controlled by a board of 17 voting members who collectively cast a total of 14 votes. Six members are appointed by the governor, four are recommended by the mayor to the governor, and three more members are recommended to the governor by the two Long Island counties and Westchester. The final four members are recommended to the governor by four additional suburban counties, and they cast one collective vote. All appointees are then confirmed by the state Senate. Under Johnson’s proposed system, a new “mobility czar” would report di-

that grabbed the most headlines, the rest of Johnson’s 50-minute address — backed up by those in his report — was also full of ambitious ideas that are arguably even more audacious than the speech’s marquee proposition. He called for a major overhaul of the city’s aboveground transit network, including adding at least 30 miles of new bus lanes and 50 miles of new protected bike lanes per year. He also is proposing installing bus lane cameras for enforcement, plus Transit Signal Priority technology, to reduce the amount of time buses spend at red lights, on all routes by 2030, as well as significantly expanding the city’s pedestrian plaza program. Johnson’s report aims for these changes to increase bike ridership from 3 percent of trips to 14 percent of trips by 2030 and to half the number of private vehicles in the city by 2050. Also on his transit wish list is to end what he called a “regressive fare system” — and possibly even make the whole system free. “Fare increases should not be the be-all and end-all for transit funding,” he stated. “Instead of raising fares, we could be thinking about freezing fares, lowering fares and maybe even a system without fares.”

2nd rezoning meet less chaotic, still anxious BY GABE HERMAN

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he second meeting in the ongoing Soho/Noho rezoning process was more organized than the first, but still featured fearful community members concerned that their voices would be heard. Billed as a public-engagement workshop, the Feb. 28 event was titled “Defining Mixed-Use.” It opened with Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer sounding a conciliatory note after the earlier chaotic open house last month. “I do think the first public even sucked, and we learned many lessons,” Brewer said. The borough president is an initiator of the process, along with the Department of City Planning and Councilmember Margaret Chin. “There are no preconceived ideas,” Brewer stressed, adding the process was about public participation, which Chin reiterated in her remarks. Jonathan Martin, of BFJ Planning, who will produce a report of recommendations at the end of the six-month process, said the area’s zoning is outdated because it is no longer primarily a manufacturing neighborhood. “There’s a lot of retail and other uses going on,” Martin said. “Some of the issues with zoning include that it does not reflect what we see on the ground.”

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Sylvia Li, a City Planning staff member, then gave a slideshow presentation on economic data about the neighborhood. But about 12 minutes in, the crowd of about 200 grew restless, especially when data was presented about which job sectors are represented in the neighborhood. Li acknowledged that the data, from the state Department of Labor, did not include independent artists and freelancers. This drew groans and interruptions from the room. “We’re not up there,” a man said of the presenters. “There’s no residential artist representation,” a woman protested. When a quick survey of the room was taken asking how many were artists, about 90 percent of the people raised their hands. Li assured more data about artists would be brought to future meetings — but the crowd interruptions continued. “Artists are the essence and the reason this neighborhood exists,” a woman stressed. “Without the artists, Soho would be a crosstown expressway.” She was referring to the aborted plan by Robert Moses to build a Cross Manhattan Expressway across Broome St., linking the East River bridges and the Holland Tunnel. As manufacturers vacated their buildings in anticipation

of the project, artists moved in and founded the world-famous residential enclave. “The fear we have,” another woman added from the audience, “is we are being co-opted by an already-made decision.” In short, many residents fear that, despite the rudimentary trappings of an open process, “the fi x is in.” Martin stepped back in to concede faults in the data, and to say that, with the crowd’s permission, they would move on to the next part of the meeting. Each group’s table in the room was asked to map how they see the neighborhood being used now, and what they want for its future, in terms of types of uses. Each table then reported back to the room. Longtime Soho resident Pete Davies, speaking for his table, said their chief problems were traffic and there being too much destination retail, rather than local businesses. His group’s wants included tax breaks for artists and quieter streets at night. The need for more local retail shops was a common issue raised at many tables, along with the need for more green space and protecting artists’ historic presence in the neighborhood. Speaking the day after the meeting, Councilmember Chin told this paper, TVG

“Yesterday’s session was the beginning of something extraordinary, true participatory planning. Long-term residents of Soho and Noho helped us define what mixed-use will mean for these two unique neighborhoods. This style of community-based planning, common elsewhere in the country, is proactive rather than reactive.” Days after the meeting, on March 4, the formation of a new ad hoc group, the Save Soho-Noho Coalition, was announced. It will include several community groups, among them the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors, the Broadway Residents Coalition, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, Lower Manhattan Loft Tenants, the Noho Neighborhood Association, and the Soho Alliance. Members said the new coalition’s aims include wanting to protect Soho and Noho’s unique Joint Living-Work Quarters for Artists zoning; keeping current limits on retail sizes allowed in the area; maintaining current density regulations as they relate to floor-area ratio (F.A.R.); and maintaing the creative character of Soho and Noho. “It’s clear that big real estate and big institutions have an agenda to reshape Soho and Noho in their image,” said Andrew Berman, executive director of G.V.S.H.P. Schneps Media

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High times: Pot legalization a burning issue BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

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ecreational pot could become legal in New York State in less than one month from now, on April 1. And that’s no April Fools’ joke — it’s a real possibility. In January, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced in his State of the State speech that legalizing adult-use marijuana was one of his priorities. He also slipped his own pot-legalization bill into the state budget — meaning it could become law on April 1, when the budget is scheduled to be approved. Against that rapidly approaching backdrop, Assemblymember Harvey Epstein led a forum on pot legalization on Sun., March 3, at the Boys and Girls Republic, on E. Sixth St., between Avenue D and the F.D.R. Drive. Among the top issues voiced was the idea of “Equity on Day One” — namely, ensuring that local black and Latino entrepreneurs don’t lose out to national corporations when licenses for pot dispensaries are given out. Also, there are actually two bills — one by the Assembly and state Senate, in addition to the one by Cuomo — and the consensus among those at the forum was that Cuomo’s is too restrictive. About 75 people attended the event. In addition to Epstein, Congressmember Carolyn Maloney and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer also spoke, as well as Kassandra Frederique, New York State director of the Drug Policy Alliance. Epstein is a co-sponsor of the Assembly’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act a.k.a. MRTA (pronounced “Marta”). Cuomo’s bill is known as the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act, or CRTA (“Carta). In his opening remarks, Epstein stressed of legalization, “We have to see how it affects our community — especially low-income people of color.” The process of legalizing weed, so far, he said, has been “mostly geared toward private-equity firms and rich white guys. If we legalize it, how do we fight the corporate takeover of legalization? How do we fight the barriers [to local people getting involved]?”

‘From seed to sale’ What is needed, he said, is a range of initiatives, “from seed to sale,” including commercial training and affordable rent, among other things. “I strongly believe it’s time to legalize marijuana for recreational use in the United States,” Maloney said. “It is also absurd that the [Drug Enforcement Administration] still lists marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug along with heroin.” Maloney noted she is part of the Cannabis Caucus in D.C. and is working on a federal legalization bill. Sounding a frequent refrain during the event, she

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PHOTO BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

At the March 3 forum on pot legalization, budding pot entrepreneurs from High Mi Madre, Emily Ramos, left, and Pilar DeJesus, second from right, posed with A ssemblymember Har vey Epstein, right, and a fellow legalization advocate.

said pot revenue should be invested in communities “that were harmed,” referring to excessive arrests of blacks and Latinos for low-level pot offenses. Going into that subject in depth, Frederique of the Drug Policy Alliance recapped the history of pot enforcement in New York since 1971, when, as she put it, “Richard Nixon declared the War on Drugs.” “New York State was the first to do mandatory penalties for low-level possession,” she noted. Outcry from parents — specifically, white parents — led to criminal penalties for low-level pot possession being dropped in 1977, she said. Getting caught with a small amount of pot was typically just a $100 ticket back then. However, under Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the 1990s, pot arrests spiked massively and stayed high until only recently, she explained. Previously, police could only make an arrest if the pot was in plain view or burning. But, by using a new technique — stop-and-frisk — cops could pull pot out of a person’s pocket, then arrest him for it. “It was intentional, it was strategic,” she said. As recently as 2011, there were 50,300 pot arrests in the city, Frederique noted, adding that would nearly fill all the seats in Yankee Stadium. “Eighty-five percent of those arrests were black and Latinx,” she said, using the gender-neutral term for Latino. In 2016, there were fewer pot arrests, though still quite a lot — around 22,000 — “the capacity of Barclays [Center],” she noted. Basically, Frederique, and others, argued that because cannabis convictions have been so unfairly skewed against blacks and Hispanics, “[pot] decriminalization has to be as comprehensive

as the damage that was done.” Currently, pot convictions can also impact parents in child-welfare cases, cause evictions and put immigrants at risk, she noted. Offering insight into the legislative process, Frederique noted that “controversial bills” are often stuck into the state budget “because it gives them cover.” (Like the pot-legalization bill, the congestion-pricing bill is also packed into the state budget.) If the pot bill is pulled out of the state budget, then it still could be passed before the end of the legislative session in June. The activist was skeptical, though, if the pot bill gets bumped into the next legislative session, which starts in January 2020, that it would pass then. “If the people are shaky now,” she said, “it’s an election year [next year], they’re not going to pass it next year.”

Epstein: Shoot for June Epstein said he actually hopes legalization is not passed with the current budget “because then we can have a conversation” about problematic aspects of the bill. “If it doesn’t get passed in the budget, then we want to pass it by June,” he asserted. Borough President Brewer said she is “nervous” about big money horning in on the legal pot trade. “The Harlem community board had a meeting on starting up pot businesses, and all these national corporations showed up,” she said. Brewer added there are also still more than a few questions, such as on enforcement against driving stoned. “Breathalyzer — how would that be done?” she asked. Next, the forum broke down into two TVG

groups, one focusing on decriminalization, the other on starting up pot businesses. In the latter session, there was discussion of MRTA, the Legislature’s bill, versus CRTA, the governor’s bill. “The focus is to get the governor’s proposal off the table,” Epstein stated. “There’s no home-grown in CRTA,” objected Paul Gilman, a Yippie and Green Party member. “You have community grow rooms!” a woman chimed in, grinning broadly. “You have community gardens! This is what it’s about now, it’s not about judges and lawyers anymore.” Dan Hogle, of the group We Rise To Legalize, later said that MRTA would allow up to six pot plants to be grown in a private residence at any one time. But, he noted, there could be unforeseen consequences — such as, if everyone in a 200-unit apartment building was growing pot plants, it could cause a spike in electrical use. “To grow marijuana, the first six weeks, you need grow lights 24/7,” he explained. Asked why the plants can’t just be on a windowsill, he said the bill states they can’t be visible from the street.

Reefer madness While most at the event were obviously pro-pot, one Stuyvesant Town resident came because she thinks weed stinks — literally. She complained afterward about pot smoking in Stuy Town. A woman on the first floor is filling the lobby with smoke, said the resident, a retiree who withheld her name. “I know New York State is going to make a ton of money off this, but what about those of us who don’t want to smell this stuff?” she said. “It stinks!” Asked if Stuy Town has a lot of university students who might be getting high, she said, “We’re flooded with students. I don’t think it’s us older people who are smoking.” She feared, with legalization, her “refer madness” would only worsen, as more people would be puffing on the street and on Stuy Town’s grounds, and she would not be able to open her windows due to the uptick in toking. But Michael Schweinsberg, of the 504 Democrats, a political club whose members have disabilities, and who is familiar with the bills’ language, was listening in. He told her it would still be illegal to smoke a joint on the pavement or in a park — just like with public drinking. Similarly, it would be illegal for people under age 21 to have or use pot, he added. Of course, it would depend on enforcement. Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, chairperson of the Assembly’s Health Committee, previously told this paper vaping could reduce the pot smell. Asked about that, Epstein agreed it might help. Schneps Media

Affordable Housing for Rent 1766-68 Second Avenue Apartments 28 NEWLY CONSTRUCTED UNITS AT 1766-68 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10128 Yorkville Amenities: Bike room, laundry (card operated), roof deck. Transit: Trains: Q, 4, 5, 6, Buses: M15, M103 No application fee • No broker’s fee • Smoke-free building This building is being constructed through the Inclusionary Housing Program and is anticipated to receive a Tax Exemption through the 421-a Tax Incentive Program of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Who Should Apply?

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Individuals or households who meet the income and household size requirements listed in the table below may apply. Qualified applicants will be required to meet additional selection criteria. Applicants who live in New York City receive a general preference for apartments.

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A percentage of units are set aside for applicants with disabilities: o Mobility (5%) o Vision/Hearing (2%). Preference for a percentage of units goes to: o Residents of Manhattan Community Board 8 (50%) o Municipal employees (5%)

Studio 1 bedroom

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Monthly Rent1

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$1018

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$36,858 - $51,170

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80% AREA MEDIAN INCOME (AMI) UNITS

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$1168

1

$1254

$1511

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$42,069 - $58,480

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$45,018 - $58,480

2 people

$45,018 - $66,800

2 people

$53,863 - $66,800

3 people

$53,863 - $75,120

4 people

$53,863 - $83,440

3 people

$62,298 - $75,120

4 people

$62,298 - $83,440

5 people

$62,298 - $90,160

6 people

$62,298 - $96,800

Rent includes gas for cooking and heat. Household size includes everyone who will live with you, including parents and children. Subject to occupancy criteria. Household earnings includes salary, hourly wages, tips, Social Security, child support, and other income. Income guidelines subject to change. Minimum income listed may not apply to applicants with Section 8 or other qualifying rental subsidies. Asset limits also apply.

How Do You Apply? Apply online or through mail. To apply online, please go to nyc.gov/housingconnect. To request an application by mail, send a selfaddressed envelope to: 1766-68 Second Avenue Apartments c/o Breaking Ground, PO Box 3620937, New York, NY, 10036. Only send one application per development. Do not submit duplicate applications. Do not apply online and also send in a paper application. Applicants who submit more than one application may be disqualified. When is the Deadline? Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than April 16, 2019. Late applications will not be considered. What Happens After You Submit an Application? After the deadline, applications are selected for review through a lottery process. If yours is selected and you appear to qualify, you will be invited to an appointment of eligibility to continue the process of determining your eligibility. Appointments are usually scheduled from 2 to 10 months after the application deadline. You will be asked to bring documents that verify your household size, identity of members of your household, and your household income. EspaĂąol

Presente una solicitud en lĂ­nea en nyc.gov/housingconnect. Para recibir una traducciĂłn de espaĂąol de este anuncio y la solicitud impresa, envĂ­e un sobre con la direcciĂłn a: 1766-68 Second Avenue Apartments c/o Breaking Ground, PO Box 3620937, New York, NY, 10036. En el reverso del sobre, escriba en inglĂŠs la palabra “SPANISH.â€? Las solicitudes se deben enviar en lĂ­nea o con sello postal antes de 16 de abril 2019.

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䇯䰞 nyc.gov/housingconnect ŕľ˜ă“Żâ­Łäˆ§Ç„ྲ㾱㧧ŕ¨†áľœá’ŻŕŠşŕ§şŇ–äś’â­Łäˆ§ăş˜Ⲵă†°ÖƒŃ?Ꭱ⥸Ëˆäˆ§áˆśá›˜Ⲵŕ´Žä›žŘ‘áˆąá‡´ä˜ąă ŁË–1766-68 Second Avenue Apartments c/o Breaking Ground, PO Box 3620937, New York, NY, 10036. Ř‘áˆąă›źäś’äˆ§â­˜㤥äˆ?⌘ᰞĀCHINESEÄ Ç„ á—ľäşŤŕľ˜Ô•Đťá°•áľ?ѝॽŕľ˜ă“Żá¨€Ó”â­Łäˆ§áĄ†ä›žá‡´Ň–äś’â­Łäˆ§ á’¤ á´¸ á°•.

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nyc.gov/housingconnectGăœ„ă‰?Gă?œ⢰㢏㥰âŚ?Gă?”㡥䚌ă?Ąă??ă?˜UG㢨GᚅḔ⹏ḰGă?”㡥ă‰?ăœ„Gâ?´äš?Gäš?ấ㛨GâśźăœĄâ¸ŹăĄ¸Gâľ?㙸⸨ă??âĽ˜⎨GâľŒă‹•ă&#x;?G⸽ä? ⪰176668 Second Avenue Apartments c/o Breaking Ground, PO Box 3620937, New York, NY, 10036㥰âŚ?G⸨⇨㨰ă?Ąă??ă?˜UG⸽ä? G â—ŤâŽ¨ăœ„GˈrvylhuˉG㢨⢰ḔGăœľă›¨âŚ?G㤾㛨㨰ă?Ąă??ă?˜UGYWX`≸[ă ˆX]㢰ក㍴ ă?œ⢰㢏Gă?”㡥ă‰?⪰GăĽ?ăť?䚌ᜤ⇌Gă‹€㢏㢨G㾠䣀Gă?”㡥ă‰?⪰G⸨⇨㚰Gäš?â?źâ?˜U

Kreyòl Ayisyien

Aplike sou entènèt sou sitwèb nyc.gov/housingconnect. Pou resevwa yon tradiksyon anons sa a nan lang Kreyòl Ayisyen ak aplikasyon an sou papye, voye anvlòp ki gen adrès pou retounen li nan: 1766-68 Second Avenue Apartments c/o Breaking Ground, PO Box 3620937, New York, NY, 10036 Nan dèyè anvlòp la, ekri mo “HATIAN CREOLEâ€? an Anglè. Ou dwe remèt aplikasyon yo sou entènèt oswa ou dwe tenbre yo anvan dat avril 16, 2019.

& ' *+ ; <# => @ >F J X Z * [\ .nyc.gov/housingconnect # $ !" 1766-68 Second Avenue Apartments c/o Breaking Ground, PO Box 3620937, New York, NY, 10036 ] ^ _ _ + * \ .2019 16 * ! { XF { ; X =>X *X+ ^ Z ."ARABIC` $ j Z J X $ <& ' q { FZ Mayor Bill de Blasio HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer

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Editorial

MANHAT TAN

SNAPS

Decoding rezoning T

here’s obviously a lot of confusion and anxiety among many Soho and Noho residents right now as the city has launched into a rezoning process for these two enclaves that have traditionally been home to working artists. In short, a lot of people don’t know what to make of “the process” so far. Basically, it’s all being led by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Councilmember Margaret Chin, who represents the area, and is being facilitated by an outside consultant, Jonathan Martin, of BFJ Planning. Martin will also compile a report on the community’s recommendations for the possible rezoning. There have been two meetings so far. There will be a total of six, with the last occurring in June. It’s expected that City Planning will then issue a report on the whole matter by next fall. Next, the actual zoning change would occur, and there would be a formal Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, or ULURP. Essentially, from what we hear from Soho sources, the city’s goals in terms of rezoning include two major wants. First, the city — and, let’s face it, much of this is being driven by big real estate — wants to make retail use as of right throughout these two districts. South of Broome St., for example, the retail that is there now has usually been grandfathered in. But, almost always, when an applicant requests a special permit or variance for retail use, it’s granted. There’s cost and time. Second, real-estate types have always seemingly been drooling at the prospect of scrapping the requirement that one member of each household in Soho and Noho must be an artist certified by the Department of Cultural Affairs. Soho’s zoning is known as Joint Living Work Quarters for Artists (J.L.W.Q.A.). However, already, according to longtime legal residents, from 50 to 70 percent of these communities’ denizens are, in fact, nonartists — meaning around 5,000 out of the 8,000 people who live in Soho and Noho. Actually, we hear the artist residents would prefer to keep the present situation — in which they are the legal residents: If the zoning no longer protected the artists’ right to live there, the stockbrokers and hedge-fund types would surely move to kick them out. There have already been cases where this has been tried — against a metal sculptor (she was “banging too loudly” while making her artwork) and a painter (his oil paints were too smelly and “toxic”). Meanwhile, no one is moving to kick out the nonartists, and plenty of them clearly are happy to live there without fear. Can we just end this, yes, farce — and just get to the point? Won’t that be more constructive and calm for everyone involved? Let’s end all the intrigue — and start dealing with the nuts and bolts.

COURTESY NYC PARKS DEPARTMENT

People enjoyed Washington Square on July 17, 1935. According to New York City Weather Archive, the summer of ’35 was cool, with July 6 the first day it hit 90 degrees. Kids swam in the fountain, and city buses ran through the park. It was also in 1935 that Parks Commissioner Robert Moses first proposed to overhaul the park, setting the stage for later battles to kick cars and buses out of it.

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VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA SCHNEPS LINCOLN ANDERSON GABE HERMAN MICHELE HERMAN BOB KRASNER TEQUILA MINSKY MARY REINHOLZ PAUL SCHINDLER JOHN NAPOLI MARCOS RAMOS CLIFFORD LUSTER (718) 260-2504 CLUSTER@CNGLOCAL.COM MARVIN ROCK GAYLE GREENBURG JIM STEELE JULIO TUMBACO ELIZABETH POLLY

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Op-Ed

Letters to the Editor taller buildings — in a very literal sense, it would mean more room for everyone.

Impeach Nadler!

Will Thomas Thomas is a board member, Open New York, a pro-housing advocacy group

BY CARL ROSENSTEIN A.K.A. THE ANGRY BUDDHIST

Articles of impeachment against Jerrold Nadler, Congressman from New York’s 10th District A. Undemocratically elected to Congress in “collusion” with The New York Democratic machine in 1992 after incumbent Ted Weiss dies days before the primary election. B. Personal war in the 1990s with Developer Donald J. Trump, leading to the continued existing elevated West Side Highway, preventing additional, unimpeded Hudson River parkland at Trump’s Riverside South Development, formerly Penn Rail Yards. C. Lying to the Soho, Little Italy, Chinatown and Tribeca communities for 26 years on the one-way toll on the Verrazano Bridge, the greatest air-pollution crisis in New York City, and costing the M.T.A. hundreds of millions of lost revenue. D. Failure to rescind toll when the Democratic Party had total control of Congress and Executive branch, 2009-11. E. Failure of the now-powerful congressman to include legislation to rescind the toll in the latest 2019 “Wall” Spending Bill, with the Democratic Party in control of the House of Representatives. F. Failure as Democratic Judiciary chairperson to investigate Big Tech censorship. G. Making false statements, Dec. 11, 2018, before the House Judiciary Committee, claiming that Google “does not censor content.” H. Failure to retract false and dangerous statements regarding “Russian influence” after Google C.E.O. Sundar Pichai testified on Dec. 11, 2018, in response to Nadler’s questioning, that “ad accounts linked to Russia” spent in total “about $4,700 in advertising” to politically influence Americans. I. Making disrespectful, false and dangerous statement, Feb. 19, 2018, on MSNBC claiming Russian trolling was an “act of war...equivalent to Pearl Harbor.” J. Failure to oppose U.S. wars in the Middle East that have killed millions and cost trillions but to oppose Trump’s peace initiatives in Syria, Afghanistan and North Korea. K. Failure to open an investigation into the rigging of the 2016 Democratic primary by Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee, including the disenfranchisement of 240,000 New York city voters in the primary.

Summary It’s time for Nadler to go — above all because he has failed miserably to serve his constituents. His personal obsession with Trump, who bested him repeatedly in real estate turf wars and taunted him, makes him unfit to represent us. Nadler’s entire raison d’être is revenge. We the people ultimately will suffer Trump’s vindictiveness directed at Nadler. We need a representative to win funding for security, our crumbling infrastructure and mass transit. But most of all, Nadler must go for his pathetic inability for 26 years to rescind the one-way toll on the Verrazano Bridge. Even when toll collection was recently abandoned in favor of electronic tolling, he was unable to strike a deal with Republican Staten Island — or maybe he didn’t even bother. The toll has been the true assault on his Downtown Manhattan constituents for decades — not the goddamned Ruskies. Ommmmmmm… .All of the above articles of impeachment can be verified via Google (for now). Schneps Media

Amazon shall return

IBM Watson is a tenant at 51 A stor Place, nicknamed the “Death Star” and a southern outpost of the “tech spread” currently spanning from Union Square to Chelsea, Greenwich Village, the East Village and Hudson Square.

Build anew for tech To The Editor: Re “Tech check” (editorial, Feb. 28): I feel like the approach to zoning in this editorial unfortunately privileges neighborhood aesthetics over what goes on in our neighborhoods. We need to recognize that the tech companies are already here, and that they are wealthy. They will do business where they want to, which is near other established tech firms south of Midtown, from Flatiron to Astor Place. As such, the real question we face is whether these firms should build their own offices or displace existing businesses from spaces that already exist. You can see this happening in real time, as Google has slowly taken over more of Chelsea Market, and Facebook buys up space from Kmart. Say what you will about the “Death Star” on Astor Place, but it means that IBM isn’t engaging in a zero-sum battle for office space with local therapists and newspapers. Personally, I would rather the zoning from University Place to Third Ave. allow for

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To The Editor: As a New Yorker, I believe that living here in the greatest city in the world attracts the best and brightest folks along with madmen, criminals, bums and the mentally ill by the score. Except for London, I cannot imagine living anywhere else. Hey, we are going to give Amazon $3 billion and they are coming to Queens, promising 25,000 jobs with salaries of about $150,000 a year. But, some stupid lefties went nuts. It was not “giving” those bucks, but tax abatements, which would be returned in the years to come. I still think Amazon will come to New York, since it wants the best and brightest. Why would the best want to live in mediocre cities with all those bucks to spend? Where would they go, the mall, Dairy Queen, McDreck? Bert Zackim

Happy with Hoppe To The Editor: Re “V.I.D. votes” (Scoopy’s Notebook, Feb. 21): I worry that readers might be misled by your brief report on the Village Independent Democrats’ endorsement for female district leader. The implication is that I am not happy with the result. That is so wrong — I am proud of the process and thrilled with Jen Hoppe. She will be a fine district leader. I want everyone to know how she was chosen. Jen was one of the half-dozen women I spoke with personally, encouraging them to become district leader. When I announced three months ago that I was resigning, I said I planned to find several good candidates,

and then let V.I.D. endorse one while the others would support that one. I personally and privately encouraged six potential candidates, and then four of them decided to run. If someone else had also wanted to run, I would have encouraged her, too. By endorsement night, we had two great candidates, Jen Hoppe and Elissa Stein. I said at that meeting that they were both wonderful, and that I would be happy with V.I.D.’s choice. That is how democracy is supposed to work — a leader is NOT supposed to quietly pick a successor, but the leader should make sure that good successors are ready for the job. I am very proud of many aspects of my tenure as district leader: The 75 Morton middle school and cookies to poll workers are among the best accomplishments of my life! Recruiting good successors, and then trusting V.I.D. to choose, is another accomplishment! Kathleen (“Keen”) Berger Berger is district co-leader, 66th Assembly District, Part A

Not an ‘office park’ To The Editor: Re “Local pols put heads together on Pier 40” (news article, Feb. 28): An office building in Hudson River Park is not an office park — it is a park. Pier 57 is already an office. There are greater possibilities to provide revenue for the park within the true nature of Hudson River Park’s original mission. I hope politicians and park leadership have imagination and vision and don’t fall prey to what may be short-term easy but long-term hard. David Polakoff E-mail letters, maximum 250 words, to news@thevillager. 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. The Villager reserves the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and libel. Anonymous letters will not be published

March 7, 2019

13

Transportation

Transit fare hikes coming down the track BY RICO BURNEY

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ew Yorkers will soon be paying more for public transit after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted last week to increase the price of unlimited MetroCards and eliminate bonuses on pay-per-ride MetroCards. Under the new fare scheme, approved Feb. 27, the price of 30-day unlimited MetroCards will increase nearly 5 percent to $127. Meanwhile, seven-day unlimited cards’ price will be hiked by 3.1 percent to $33. The base fare will remain $2.75. But with riders no longer receiving a 5 percent bonus on refills of $5.50 or more, the changes effectively mean riders who do not get unlimited passes will be paying 5 percent more, as well. Riders who qualify for reduced-fare MetroCards can expect to pay $63.50 for 30-day passes, $16.50 for seven-day passes and $1.35 per ride. The fare hike will take effect April 21. The M.T.A. believes these fare hikes, as well those on the Long Island Railroad, Metro-North and M.T.A.-owned bridges and tunnels would bring in an extra

Mayor de Blasio rode the R train to Cit y Hall from Park Slope on Wed., Feb. 27, to inform straphangers of a new plan by him and Governor Cuomo to fund the M.T. A .

$336 million every year. The board was supposed to vote on raising fares last month but decided to table the vote until this month to explore other revenue-raising options. Some, such as City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, criticized M.T.A. lead-

ership for effectively losing $30 million by delaying the fare hikes for a month. The fare-hike announcement came the day after Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio released a 10-point reform plan for the M.T.A. that would create new revenue streams to fund needed work to adequately run the beleaguered transit system. Their proposal’s most notable aspect was a call for congestion pricing on all vehicles entering Manhattan below 61st St. The revenue raised from the tolls, as well as marijuana taxes would then be

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put in a “lockbox� to fund the M.T.A. The governor and mayor have yet to say how much the new tolls would charge drivers, so it’s impossible to know exactly how much money their plan would add to the M.T.A.’s coffers. Cuomo previously said in his State of the State address he expects congestion pricing to raise $1 billion a year in revenue. De Blasio, who for many years argued that congestion pricing would harm outer-borough residents, gave his support to the plan after getting assurance from Cuomo that low-income drivers and vehicles entering Manhattan at offpeak hours would be charged less. The joint proposal also calls for fare increases to be limited to 2 percent per year to keep up with inflation and hoped-for cost-saving measures, such as consolidating positions under the six divisions the M.T.A. controls and independently auditing the authority’s assets and liabilities by next January. A spokesperson for the N.Y.P.I.R.G. Straphangers Campaign characterized called de Blasio and Cuomo’s announcement a “signal to riders that both city and state leaders are committed to repairing and modernizing New York’s long-suffering transit system.� Speaker Johnson also praised the two pols for working to pass congestion pricing. Nevertheless, he also said their joint statement “falls far short of the bold vision we need to address our city’s mass transit crisis.�

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Girls Club scores Colin Kaepernick for gala BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

T

he Lower East Side Girls Club will honor Colin Kaepernick and the Know Your Rights Camp at its Spring Fling Gala on Wed., April 10, at the Angel Orensanz Center, at 172 Norfolk St. Kaepernick was a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers for seven seasons, and led them in the 2012 Super Bowl. During the 2016 and ’17 seasons, he kneeled during the national anthem before games to highlight racial injustice and police brutality. The protest snowballed with more players joining in — especially after President Trump, in September 2017, urged team owners to fire players who kneeled. Since the ’17 season’s end, Kaepernick has been an unsigned free agent. He recently settled a grievance with the National Football League and team owners that charged collusion to keep him out of the game. “We are thrilled to honor Colin Kaepernick and Know Your Rights Camp,” the

Colin Kaepernick will be honored by the Lower Eastside Girls Club at its Spring Fling Gala in April.

Lower Eastside Girls Club said. “For the past three years, Colin has been a supporter, mentor and inspiration for the Girls Club. His bravery and commitment to racial and social justice has encouraged our members to stand up for what they believe in and to embrace their identity as activists and advocates.” Founded by Kaepernick, Know Your Rights Camp is a free nationwide youth initiative. The group’s goal is to raise awareness around higher education and self-empowerment, plus provide “instruction on how to properly interact with law enforcement in various scenarios.” Know Your Rights Camp’s stated goal is “To help build a stronger generation of people that will create the change that is much needed in this world.” Lower Eastside Girls Club members have worked as youth ambassadors alongside Kaepernick and the group’s female leadership. More honorees for the Girls Club’s April 10 gala are to be announced. For more information, visit benefit@girlsclub. org.

BRUSSELS PHILHARMONIC & STÉPHANE DENÈVE MUSIC DIRECTOR proudly present

GUILLAUME CONNESSON Flammenschrift MAX BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 1

STERN AUDITORIUM / PERELMAN STAGE AT

CARNEGIE HALL NEW YORK MARCH 16, 2019 AT 6 PM Brussels Philharmonic will be the first Belgian orchestra in 30 years to appear on the iconic Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage and an acoustic treat awaits.

(with Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider)

WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE BELGIAN TAX SHELTER DESIGN LIESBET LUTIN · PHOTO © WOUTER VAN VAERENBERGH

ALBERT ROUSSEL Bacchus et Ariane Suite No. 2

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MAURICE RAVEL La Valse

It’s a meeting of musical minds. Brussels Philharmonic is “among classical music’s best-kept secrets”, says The Guardian – and for its New York debut music director Stéphane Denève is preparing a sensational program, combining well-known orchestral standards with 21stcentury arrangements.

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Gif[lZk C`XY`c`kp When you buy a product, the expectation is that it should perform in the way it was intended to but that is not always the case. When damage or injury is caused as the result of the use of a defective product, the law in New York recognizes that those who manufacture and/or distribute the defective product, as well as those who sell it, may be held responsible for damages for the injuries which result. Consider the case of the young teenager who while using a hair dryer in her home, sustained severe third degree burns to her hands when the product burst into flames. Her parents had the foresight to consult our office shortly thereafter. Upon consulting an expert who inspected the hair dryer, he advised that the product’s wiring and/or loose electrical connections allowed it to overheat and catch on fire. We sued the manufacturer, as well as the neighborhood store where the hair dryer had been purchased, claiming that this product was defective as it was improperly or poorly designed, that there was a mistake in its manufacture or assembly, and/or the manufacturer or distributor placed the product into the marketplace without adequate warnings. Based upon our expert’s opinion, we were successful in achieving a favorable outcome for our client. If you find yourself in

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575 MADISON AVENUE, NY, NY 10022. 212.891.7000 © 2019 DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE. ALL MATERIAL PRESENTED HEREIN IS INTENDED FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. WHILE, THIS INFORMATION IS BELIEVED TO BE CORRECT, IT IS REPRESENTED SUBJECT TO ERRORS, OMISSIONS, CHANGES OR WITHDRAWAL WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL PROPERTY INFORMATION, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO SQUARE FOOTAGE, ROOM COUNT, NUMBER OF BEDROOMS AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN PROPERTY LISTINGS SHOULD BE VERIFIED BY YOUR OWN ATTORNEY, ARCHITECT OR ZONING EXPERT. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY.

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Wi-Fi kiosks connect communities with art

The Flatiron Building seen on a kiosk on E. 12th St. PHOTOS BY BOB KRASNER

One of Bob Krasner’s photos on a LinkNYC kiosk on First Ave. in the East Village this week. The cloud really was that color, he said.

H

Soho after a storm, seen on a free Wi-Fi kiosk in Midtown.

S

ay what you want about the city’s three-year-old LinkNYC WiFi program, but one thing is for sure: Those kiosks have gotten a lot better looking lately. That’s largely because of the #ArtOnLink program. While the 1,770 hotspot monoliths are all about closing the digital divide in New York (and, let’s face it, also about displaying ads), they’re now also about connecting communities with art. In short, LinkNYC has become a platform for local creators to showcase their unique work celebrating life in the city, or as a press release for the program puts it, “inserting bursts of art into our daily lives on the go.� As a result, through the #ArtOnLink

program, a rotation of local art is being displayed on LinkNYC’s 55-inch displays, “creating a new digital canvas throughout the five boroughs.� The work shown on the street structures ranges from architectural illustrations to augmented reality to “humorous how-tos.� But all of the work is supposed to “tie back to what makes New York, New York.� This paper’s Bob Krasner had some of his stunning art photos in rotation on LinkNYC last week while other shots by the East Villager lensman are showing on the kiosks this week. Some examples are shown on this page. The Link networks in Philadelphia and Newark have also run art. Lincoln Anderson

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17

Brewer: Triple amount of school social workers BY GABE HERMAN Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer is calling on Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza to increase the number of social workers in city schools. Brewer said the current number is inadequate, and that investment is needed in school mental-health services. Brewer started her Feb. 20 letter to Carranza by praising him for making mental health a priority in city schools, but said more needs to be done. She cited a 2017 report by her office that found that, in Manhattan, there was one social worker for every 800 students. The National Association for Social Workers recommends one social worker for every

250 students, and one for every 50 students in vulnerable populations. Brewer said the fiscal year 2020 budget should provide funds for those recommended ratios of school social workers. “Social workers have overwhelming caseloads and are stretched too thin,” Brewer said. “Research shows that appropriate mental-health services correlate with better educational outcomes, reduced suspensions, reduced absenteeism and improvements in school climate,” Brewer wrote. She cited Department of Education data that show more than 70 percent of city students face economic hardship. And 82 percent of students in a 2017 survey said harassment, bullying and intimidation occurred

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.

at their school — a 17 percent increase from five years earlier. “By examining poverty, discipline and school climate data,” Brewer wrote, “we see that there is a great need in our public schools for a drastic increase in social workers, school-based mental-health directservice providers and additional socio-emotional supports.” D.O.E. did not respond to a request for comment about the letter. Along with calling for more social workers, Brewer’s recommendations included considering a greater role for social-work interns to support students at schools; investing in restorative training for everyone in “the school environment,” going beyond the current anti-bias training for teachers and administrators to include social workers, parents and others; and investing more in the School-based Mental Health Prevention & Intervention Program to provide more services and support for high-needs students.

Sound off! Write a letter to the editor news@thevillager.com

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March 7, 2019

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HEALTH Do right thing on 9/11 fund: Stewart, pols BY GABE HERMAN

R

esponding to alarm that the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund will slash claim awards in the face of dwindling funds, a bipartisan group of lawmakers announced a bill to fully fund the program and extend it permanently. The legislators were joined by first responders, survivors, their families and longtime advocate Jon Stewart to announce the legislation on Feb. 25. The bill’s name is Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act. On Feb. 15, the special master of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund said it would cut claim awards by up to 70 percent, because of a lack of funds and a rise in 9/11-related illnesses and deaths. According to Rupa Bhattacharyya, the V.C.F. special master, $5 billion of the fund’s $7.3 billion has already been spent, and the number of claims is rising as more people get sick and die from the toxic air that existed around Ground Zero. As a result, she said current claim awards would have to be cut by 50 percent, and claims from now on cut by 70 percent. The fund is set to expire in December 2020. About 40,000 people have applied to the fund, which started in 2011. Around 19,000 claims are pending. Michael Barasch, a lawyer who represents thousands who have filed claims with the fund, said he expected cuts, but was surprised at the severity. He noted a sharp increase in claims filed last year. “These are all legitimate claims — you’re seeing an explosion of cancers and death cases,” he said. “Nobody predicted this and that’s why Congress didn’t set aside enough money.” He said more people also are only now realizing their health problems are linked to 9/11. They may not have made the connection earlier because the Environmental Protection Agency said the air was safe at the time and it’s now years later, with many living in other parts of the country. “In addition, you’re also seeing a lot more people die now. Frankly, not a day goes by without one of my clients dying,” Barasch said. “It’s horrific.” He expected the V.C.F. awards cost could now be up to $10 billion. “I know that’s not easy to get, but it’s a moral imperative,” he said. “It’s

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COURTESY CONGRESSMEMBER MALONEY’S OFFICE

Congressmember Carolyn Maloney, second from right, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced legislation to fully fund and make permanent the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. They were joined by advocate Jon Stewar t, to o the left of Gillibrand, Gillibran 9/11 sur vivors and family members and first responders.

COURTESY MICHAEL BARASCH

Speaking outside Stuy vesant High School were attorney Michael Barasch and Lila Nordstrom, who leads Stuy Health, a post-9/11 group for the graduates of the elite high school who were there during the terrorist attack and its aftermath.

the right thing to do for these people, whose only thing they did wrong was believe the E.P.A. when they said the air was safe.” At the Feb. 25 press conference, Congressmember Jerrold Nadler called passing the bill “imperative.” “We designed the Victim Compensation Fund to ensure that the tens of thousands of responders and survivors battling 9/11-related illnesses, and those who may not yet know

they are sick, have the resources they need,” he said. “It is imperative that we pass this bill as quickly as possible to make the V.C.F. permanent.” Jon Stewart said there’s an obligation to “do the right thing.” “We have a grand opportunity to finally do the right thing and allow those who always answered the call for us to know that we have their backs,” he said. Lila Nordstrom was a student at TVG

Stuyvesant High School on 9/11 and has suffered from respiratory and related acid reflux problems ever since. She only filed a claim with the Victim Compensation Fund last year — adding there was misunderstanding among many survivors about who could file. “That information really didn’t get to us very effectively until only recently,” said Nordstrom, 35, who runs Stuy Health, which advocates for young people in the 9/11 survivor community. Young people, she said, have to worry about dealing with long-term illness but not knowing if funds will be there for them. “It sort of puts this cloud over your life,” she said. Stuyvesant students returned to the school building on Oct. 9, 2001. After such an unprecedented tragedy, people didn’t know how to clean up properly, and the school’s air ducts weren’t cleaned and a heavily used theater with carpeting was contaminated, Nordstrom said. She said when “Stuy” students returned to school just a month after 9/11, they felt like they were part of a statement being made about the city getting back to normal — rather than their health being prioritized. It felt like part of a political game. “It feels like that again,” she said. March 7, 2019

19

Eats

Junzi Kitchen is noodling around, humbly BY GABE HERMAN

J

unzi Kitchen is a fast-casual restaurant that has quickly become a popular staple in the Village by serving quality Northern Chinese cuisine with locally sourced ingredients. Last summer, it opened its Bleecker St. location, at the corner of Sullivan St. This is the third Junzi, in total. The first opened in 2015 in New Haven, Con-

necticut, near Yale University. So far, all of the eatery’s spots are near university campuses. Another one is in Morningside Heights near Columbia University, and now this Village one is near New York University. A new location at Bryant Park is set to open this spring. Chef Lucas Sin is originally from Hong Kong and opened his first restaurant there when he was 16. While attending Yale and studying cognitive

science and English, he ran restaurants out of his dorm on the weekends. Sin’s culinary experience also includes time in Japan, Seattle and New York. In addition to chef, he is also the culinary director of Junzi Kitchen. Along with the everyday menu items, like noodles and bings — a flat type of bread — he offers an after-hours menu every weekend with “funkier, more indulgent� items, according to Junzi’s Web site. These include fried chicken, instant noodles and “juice box cocktails.� Sin also runs a monthly chef’s table, where he creates special five-to-sevencourse tasting menus based on different types of Chinese cuisine. These are exclusive events that are referral-only and reservation-only. Past themes have included Chinese-Dominican cuisine, Italian-Chinese cross-sections, and “14th-century imperial Chinese food therapy.� “Junzi� is a Chinese word meaning “a person who is humble, thoughtful and open to new ideas,� the restaurant’s Web site notes. “For us, striving to be a junzi is the guiding principle for everything we do: from how we make our food to how we relate to the world.� All vegetables that go into dishes are hand-selected from local suppliers, including green cabbage, sweet potatoes and long beans. The menu’s main features are bings and noodles, including thinner spring noodles and knife noodles, which are wider and wavy. Noodle sauces include tomato egg and furu (fermented bean curd) ses-

SHERIFF S SALE BY VIRTUE OF AN EXECUTION ISSUED OUT OF THE SUPREME COURT, COUNTY OF NEW YORK, in favor of THE CITY OF NEW YORK, Petitioner and against DAVE FRIEDMAN 2, LLC., Respondents, to me directed and delivered, I WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION, by DENNIS ALESTRA DCA# 0840217, auctioneer, as the law directs, FOR CASH ONLY, on the 8th day of May, 2019, at 12:30, in the AFTERNOON, at 66 JOHN STREET, 13th FLOOR, OFFICE OF THE NYC SHERIFF in the county of NEW YORK all the right, title and interest which DAVE FRIEDMAN 2, LLC., the judgement debtor, had on the 31st day of July, 2014, or at any time thereafter, of, in and to the following: 470 Audubon Avenue, New York, NY 10040 Block 2158 Lot 47 on the New York Count Tax Map ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the building and improvements thereon erected, situate lying and being in the County of New York, City and State of New York, bounded and described as follows: BEGNINING at the corner formed by the intersection of the Westerly Side of Audubon Avenue, as legally opened, and the Southerly side of West 189th Street, as laid out on a certain map filled in the Office of the Register of New York County on October 16, 1914 as Map Number 1857; RUNNING THENCE westerly along the Southerly side of 189th Street, 100.00 feet; THENCE Southerly and parallel with Audubon Avenue, 100 feet ž of an inch to the center line of the block; THENCE easterly parallel with said Southerly side of 189th Street and part of the distance through a party wall, 100 feet to the Westerly side of Audubon Avenue; and THENCE Northerly along the westerly side of Audubon Avenue, 100 feet ž of an inch to the point or place of BEGNNING FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY: 470 Audubon Avenue, New York, NY a/k/a Block 2158 Lot 47 on the New York County Tax Map. For conveyancing only: TOGETHER with all the right, title and interest of the party of the first part, of in and to the land lying in the street in front of and adjoining said premises. DEPUTY R. SHULYAR (212) 487-9734 CASE # 18054296

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ame, while bing sauces include garlic chili and roasted sesame. There are also many meat and vegetable toppings to choose from, including braised beef shank, seared chicken thigh, king oyster mushrooms, griddleseared tofu, and pickled daikon, a type of Chinese radish. Bing dishes generally go for about $7 or $8, and noodle dishes are in the $10to-$12 range. There are gluten-free and vegan options. For more information, visit www.junzi.kitchen.

Saving a Life EVERY 11 MINUTES

T H E C O M M U N I T Y P H A R M AC Y T H AT C A R E S

20

A spic y sesame noodle bowl at Junzi Kitchen.

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‘Folk pharmacy’ in tune on Thompson BY JANE HEIL USYK

D

oes your pharmacy offer a medicine show? Mine does. It’s an amazing ongoing event: concerts two or three Tuesdays a month inside the pharmacy. We are talking here about Thompson Alchemists, at 132 Thompson St. between Houston and Prince Sts., not some wayward CVS or Duane Reade. (“Alchemists” makes reference to the old and honored practice of concocting remedies.) Gary Alony, who owns Thompson Alchemists and is the pharmacist, has only one drugstore, and this is it. His wife Jolie runs the front of the pharmacy; that is, everything except the prescription drugs. The neighbors like that it is small and very much a part of the community, that Gary is an excellent pharmacist who always has time to answer drugrelated and wellness questions, and that, upon request, he might mention alternative solutions to your problems, if there are any. Seventy-five or a hundred years ago, well before the chain stores, you could confide in your local pharmacist, and he might come up with solutions for your problems; Gary and Thompson Alchemists hark back to that time, when the pharmacist was a first line of defense for your continuing good health. Gary provides not only a personal relationship and advice; he also makes a space for a bluegrass, country and popular music concert several times a month, with outstanding local musicians. On concert nights — every second, fourth and fifth Tuesday of the month — he moves the benches and chairs to one side of the store. He clears out the other side, between the high-end creams and the socks. That’s where Sheriff Bob and Deputy Kat, plus about five other musicians, set up. They drift in at about 6:45 p.m., Captain Bob on guitar and vocals, Matt Quinones on bass, Michael Donovan on violin, occasionally Trip Henderson on harmonica, Jeffrey Rowland on mandolin. Phyllis Elkind and Emma Turoff sometimes appear on guitar and mandolin, respectively. Sheriff Bob a.k.a. Bob Saidenberg organized the group and brings them together. He plays the Dobro, which is a kind of resonator slide guitar. Bob is a lifelong Manhattanite who grew up in the Village, went to Friends Seminary on 16th St. and MIT. The Deputy, Kathryn Minogue, a former archeologist, plays guitar and sings. One of her influences is Loretta Lynn. She is also a songwriter, and wrote the show’s theme song, “Thompson Street Medicine Show”: Give me one shot of the Sheriff, One dose of the Deputy, Pass that bottle ’round and ’round Good times for you and me. At the Thompson Street Medicine Show. The audience sits quietly, enjoying the music. Occasionally, someone dances. The concerts began as a 25th anniversary celebration, in October 2017, of Gary and Jolie’s marriage; that one was so much fun, they kept on going.

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March 7, 2019

PHOTOS BY TEQUILA MINSKY

Playing in October at Thompson Alchemists, in festive attire, the musicians were led by The Sheriff (Bob Saidenberg), y (Kat Minogue), right. erg), center, and The Deput De

An “Italian Elvis” from Bologna recently blew in and joined the pharma-jam.

Headgear is important; each musician has several hats, ranging in goofiness from serious to off the rails, as with Sheriff Bob’s Tibetan hat, which he wears, very purposefully, kind of cockeyed. Sheriff Bob also leads a “Goodtime Jam” at the Zinc Bar on W. Third St. one Wednesday a month. Another name he uses is “The Sheriff of Goodtimes.” A film was made about him last year. He lives on Thompson St. just north of the pharmacy, where he has a very busy recording and rehearsal studio. He goes back to the ’50s and calls Pete Seeger his first important influence. Pete came to his school and performed, and that inspired Bob to become a folk singer. Their songs on a recent Tuesday included, “Pick Me Up On Your Way Down,” “Nadine,” “Someday You’ll Call My Name,” “Cryin’ Time,” “Hey, Good Lookin.’” The musicians have a huge and varied repertoire. The musicianship and arrangements are fast-moving and upbeat. On a recent cold Tuesday, Jolie offered hot TVG

chocolate and black-and-white cookies to the audience. Another Tuesday, herbal people from Vermont came to the pharmacy and gave out free samples of mushroom chai tea and a balm of some kind. One guest musician was an Italian Elvis type, with precise and accurate versions of Elvis’s gestures, voice, guitar playing and presentation. He was uncanny. But he had to go back to Bologna. He can be seen on one or two of the many videos of the show on YouTube; search for “Thompson Street Medicine Show.” The store is filled with various ever-changing artistic touches: strange silver folk, possibly left from a previous window display; a golden figure that seems to be an old-time alchemist; charming representations of Jolie and Gary, the work of Soho artists who are customers. The windows are always interesting, combining imaginative artistry with the drugs and lotions. Until a few years ago, Edd Fenner, a local artist and friend, did the windows in a very fantastical manner, with colorful production numbers and sweeping themes. He died, and the windows went back to being just original and interesting, with several personal items in them, like photos and articles along with the drugstore items. The windows have two themes: feeling better and country music. There is an old Life magazine cover with Johnny Cash on it in the window right now. For the very few small pharmacies left, personal communication and advice still create a bond between pharmacist and customer, and that provides a space for improved health and well-being. That it’s also a space for beautiful music is an extraspecial benefit. This is something only places like Thompson Alchemists can provide, and we are richer for it. The writer would like to thank Frances Illuzzi and Michael Usyk, who helped with this article. Schneps Media

Tough tale of a princess’s fall...and rise BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH

M

ary Goggin’s one-woman show “Runaway Princess” is a darkly comedic play about Irish Catholic parenting, first periods, beehive hairdos and how that all inevitably leads to becoming a Village prostitute who loves heroin. But in between irreverent jabs at Irish history and sarcastically lighthearted recountings of “hooking” mishaps, Goggin tells a story of addiction in a performance that is honest, powerful and ultimately uplifting. With every vignette of Goggin’s life, the wall between performer and viewer is broken a bit more, drawing you in, as you hope that the story isn’t just a fairy tale. On a dark stage in the East Village’s IATI Theater, the story begins, of course, in Ireland. Goggin opens an oversized children’s storybook and tells the tale of a sadly potato-less land, with a king and queen forced to flee to a faraway possibly potato-filled land called the Bronx. The audience learns that the king and queen are Goggin’s parents and that she is their little hardheaded Bronx princess. The play then jumps to Goggin’s school years where she desperately yearns to be one of the cool girls that “had blonde beehives and wore padded bras!” But, alas, the poor princess is too tall and lanky and too friendly with a girl that is way to into marine biology and is fatefully labeled as “uncool.” After a rumor spreads to the nuns at school that

Mar y Goggin per forming in “Runaway Princess.” A chair is one of only t wo props in the piece.

Goggin is pregnant, she runs away from home and lands in the Village. There she meets her best friend, Dawn, tries pot and quickly starts going to clubs and turning tricks. But the party ends when Goggin’s father finds her in a halfway house. “I wish you would get some sense,” the king of this fairy tale tells his princess. The scenes from Goggin’s life become increasingly more heartbreaking as she travels to rehab, falls off the wagon and back into prostitution. By the time our Bronx princess does get some sense, she has a bottle, a baby and a black eye. Although she doesn’t mention it by name in her performance, Goggin told this paper that she did some stints in the former Women’s House of Detention — the infamous “House of D” — at Greenwich and Sixth Aves. In the final scene of the performance, when the wall between performer and audience is at its most thin, Goggin decides to change for her daughter’s sake, and forgives herself, the nuns and the king and queen. Reinstilling hope that people can indeed always choose to make their lives better, her fairy tale really does end happily ever after. “Runaway Princess,” at the IATI Theater, 64 E. Fourth St., Mon., March 4, and Thurs., March 7, at 7:10 p.m., and Sun., March 10, at 3:30 p.m. Tickets $20; $15 for seniors, students and military. For more information, visit marygoggin.com.

Richman gently rocks the Bowery Ballroom BY BOB KR ASNER

J

onathan Richman may be the most stubborn man in the entertainment biz today. He does not own a cell phone, answers fan mail by hand and doesn’t wear a guitar strap. Accompanied only by Tommy Larkins on congas, Richman recently kept the Bowery Ballroom crowd — at the second of two sold-out shows — entranced with gently rocking songs of love, suffering, springtime and Vermeer, sung not just in English but also French, Spanish and Italian. His persona veers from deadly serious to stand-up comedian, but even the jokes convey his extremely earnest worldview. He tends to steer clear of his own oldies, only occasionally performing crowd favorites like “Roadrunner,” and this was not one of those occasions. Which is not to say that anyone went home disappointed. It’s hard to leave his show without a smile on your face, no matter what he does.

PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER

Jonathan Richman didn’t play his classic hit “Roadrunner” but the crowd didn’t mind.

212 - 254 - 1109 | www.theaterforthenewcity.net | 155 First Ave. NY, NY 10003

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Manhattan Happenings pp g TALKS

BY RICO BURNEY AND ROSE ADAMS

Stanley Bulbach: B Master Spinner, Dyer and Weaver: W Stanley Bulbach is known as a Chelsea community activist, but he’s also an expert weaver of Middle Eastern, East flat-woven carpets. He’ll show samples of his work and discuss the history h of the craft and its significance today on Sun., March 10, at 3 p.m. at a Mendez SoHo, 421 West Broadw Broadway, second floor. Free, but RS RSVP required. To RSVP, vvisit https://www.louismendez.com/soho-salonm series.html s

ARTS “Chinatown: Lens on the Lower East Side”: This photography exhibit by the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative features contemporary pho-tos of Chinatown’s residents, visitors rs and historic buildings. All photos come me from LESPI’s recent book, “Chinaatown: Lends on the Lower East Side.” e.” Mon., March 4, through Tues., March ch 26, at the New York Arts Center, 78 Bowery. The gallery is open Mon. to Fri., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sat., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. “now my hand is ready for my heart: intimate histories”: La MaMa presents the world premiere of this multidisciplinary performance by Nicky Paraiso. Directed by MacArthur Fellow John Jesurun, the show celebrates an aging artistic community and touches on issues of identity, sexuality class and race. Fri., March 22, to Sun., April 7; Thursday to Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. At La MaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theatre, 66 E. Fourth St. Tickets $30, $25 students and seniors. For tickets, visit http://lamama.org/my_heart/ “Justin Vivian Bond: Under the Influence”: Tony-nominated performer Justin Vivian Bond — Kiki of the legendary cabaret duo Kiki and Herb — returns to Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater, at 425 Lafayette St., for a series of shows dedicated to the music of Judy Collins and the musicians she covered. Performances Wed., March 13, through Sun., March 17, at 9:30 p.m. Tickets $35, plus a two-drink minimum. For tickets visit and more information visit https://bit.ly/2u0sXl3.

COMMUNITY A Livable New York: The Future of Community Green Space and Affordable Housing:Little Italy’s community garden representatives, activists and scholars discuss Mayor de Blasio’s and his Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s plan to replace the Elizabeth St. Garden with affordable housing, office space and retail space, despite a proposed alternative site for the development that would save the beloved “sculpture garden,” plus allow five times as much housing to be built. Mon., March 11, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The New School, 66 W. 12th St., auditorium. Women of Chelsea: This walking tour led by the Municipal Arts Society tells the stories of Chelsea’s revolutionary women. The tour will include the homes of abolitionists, suffragettes and poets, like Abby Hopper and Eliza-

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WORKSHOPS

PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER

Lounge singer Jack Crosley croons the tunes of an era when the Rat Pack reigned supreme in “Jack Crosley’s Lost World,” at Otto’s Shrunken Head, 538 E. 14th St., on Tues., March 12, at 8 p.m. But Crosley also digs deep into the darkness, pulling out tunes that even aficionados might not have heard. He’s likely the only one around who per forms Roy Orbison’s seven-minute epic about suicide, “Southbound Jericho Park way,” while the adorable Pamela Sparacino go-go dances a few paces behind. Free.

beth Bishop, as well as the former New York Women’s Liberation Center and more. Sun., March 10, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets $20 for members, $30 nonmembers. Location disclosed in the registration e-mail. To buy tickets, visit, https://www.mas.org/events/ women-of-chelsea.

A to B and Back Again,” and learn how he experimented as an artist. Then, children will get the opportunity to experiment in their own way by creating their own artworks. The event takes place at the Whitney, at 99 Gansevoort St., on Sat., March 9, at 2:30 p.m. The program runs two hours. Recommended for ages 6 to 10 but siblings are also welcome. $10 per child; adults free with museum admission ($25 for adults and $18 for seniors). For more information about this and future programs, email familyprograms@whitney.org. To RSVP visit https://whitney.org/events/ family-fun-warhol-experiments. The Whodunit Family Scavenger Hunt at The Met: The classic board game “Clue” comes to life as teams compete to solve a murder mystery inside The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sat., March 9, at 10:30 a.m. Recommended for children 10 years and older. $31 for children, $42 for seniors and $35 for seniors. All tickets include museum admission. Each team must have at least one child and one adult, but may not exceed six participants. To purchase tickets and learn about future scanvenger hunts around the city, visit https://www.watsonadventures.com/ location/new-york-city/.

FILM Rendez-Vous with French Cinema returns to the Walter Reade Theater at the Film Society of Lincoln Center for its 24th year of showcasing the best the French films of the previous year. Many of the movies will be receiving their U.S. premiere. Tickets $17 for the general public and $12 for students, seniors and people with disabilities. Through Sun., March 10. For the lineup and showtimes, visit https://www. filmlinc.org/.

KIDS Warhol’s Experiments: Families will first be led through the Whitney Museum’s Andy Warhol exhibition, “From TVG

The Drag March & Other Tales of Glamour and Resistance: Heather Acs and the NYC Drag March lead a storytelling workshop at which people can share their own experiences of L.G.B.T.Q. life in the Village and East Village/Lower East Side. The workshop is part of the New York Public Library’s “Stonewall 50” programming series — marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots — and aims to collect stories for the Drag March’s 25th anniversary. Thurs., March 14, at 6 p.m., at Tompkins Square Library, 331 E. 10th St. Free. To register, visit https : //w w w.showclix.com /event/ dragmarchworkshop/tag/nyplwebsite Egg Cream Day Lab & Contest: The Museum at Eldridge Street is hosting an egg-cream-making workshop and competition to celebrate National Egg Cream Day. First, experts will teach attendees how to make a killer egg cream. Then attendees will submit their own creative takes on the drink to a panel of esteemed judges. Thurs., March 14, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Museum at Eldridge Street, 12 Eldridge St. Tickets $10, $5 for students and seniors. For more information, visit https://www. eventbrite.com/e/egg-cream-day-labcontest-tickets-55928043283.

COMMUNITY BOARD Community Board 5 meets at 6 p.m. Thurs., March 14, at Xavier High School, 30 W. 16th St., library. Community Board 6 meets at 7 p.m. Wed., March 13, at N.Y.U. School of Dentistry, 433 First Ave., Room 210.

COMMUNITY COUNCIL Seventh Precinct Community Council meets at 7:30 p.m. Wed., March 13, at 19 1/2 Pitt St.

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Applications due by March 20TH downtownny.com/digitalgrant For any questions regarding the Alliance for Downtown New York or how your business can work with us, please contact: Heather Ducharme, Director of Storefront Business Engagement 212-835-2784 Email: hducharme@downtownny.com www.downtownny.com

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Real Estate

IMAGES COURTESY DOUGLAS ELLIMAN

This York ville studio may be small, but that doesn’t stop it from breaking all the rules.

Going micro: Small spaces can offer a lot BY MARTHA WILKIE

Y

ears ago, I saw an art installation that consisted of a life-size model of a Rikers jail cell. You stepped inside and heard a recording of voicemails from dozens of people calling about an ad the artist had placed offering an (imaginary) Manhattan apartment for rent. She described it exactly like a jail cell: a 7-foot-by-10-foot room with a bed and a toilet. People were clamoring to pay good money to live like a prisoner. Only in New York! The legal definition of a “bedroom” in New York City is a minimum of 80 square feet. (So a Rikers-size one wouldn’t pass muster.) With some exceptions, the smallest an apartment can be is 150 square feet (plus kitchen and bath, so around 300 square feet, total). However, on St. Mark’s Place, tiny (around 80-squarefoot) rooms in an SRO (or former SRO?) rent for more than $1,000 a month. It’s marketed as “dorm style,” with shared baths down the hall. In the early 1990s, I once looked at a windowless space in a Tribeca loft. I said, “Oh, nice walk-in closet!” and the would-be roommate said, “Uh, that’s actually the room.” I couldn’t stand up in it. On the tippy-top end, you can buy a 300-square-foot studio at 515 Park Ave. for a cool $1.45 million. (Sale restricted to owners already in the building.) Tiny apartments like this in luxury buildings are intended for staff, but can be used for storage or guests. One like this at the Dakota went for $76,000 in 2013. Under the Bloomberg administration, the city encouraged developers to build “micro apartments” with well-designed small-space elements such as Murphy

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The long and shor t of it: This Hell’s Kitchen studio has a lot to offer, including generous overhead storage space.

beds and built-in storage. The first example was Carmel Place in Kip’s Bay and more are in the planning stages. Outside of New York City, the “tiny house” movement is huge. If you live in Manhattan, you can easily eat out every meal and spend all your waking hours out and about. Who needs a chef’s kitchen when you’re only going to store your shoes in the oven? TVG

Could you be happy in one of these tiny homes? At 5 Tudor City Place, a studio for $299,000 has the teensy-est kitchen tucked behind shutter doors: dorm-sized fridge, two-burner stove and a mini-oven. A beamed ceiling and beautiful casement windows add architectural interest. (https://streeteasy.com/building/5-tudor-cityplace-new_york/1807) In Yorkville, a studio breaks all the rules of smallspaces design with an extravagantly bold look: largescale furniture, dramatic black-and-white color scheme with pops of bright color, patterned textiles and a fabulous kitchen with a pressed-tin backsplash. $335,000. (https://streeteasy.com/building/203-east-89street-new_york/3b) A Hell’s Kitchen studio offers high ceilings, a decorative fireplace and generous overhead storage space accessed by a pretty library ladder. There’s laundry facilities in the basement plus lovely shared outdoor space. $445,000. (https://streeteasy.com/building/404-west-48street-new_york/1d) Near Gramercy Park, the Petersfield has a rental studio for $2,950, with a doorman, elevator and gym. The elegantly designed kitchen has white marble countertops and new-looking steel appliances. (https:// streeteasy.com/building/the-petersfield-301-east-21ststreet-new_york/06a) March 7, 2019

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Obituary

Mike Quashie, ‘The Limbo King,’ dies at 88 BY PATRICK SHIELDS

M

atthew “Mike” Quashie, who gained renown as “The Limbo King” and whose South Village home was a frequent crash pad for Jimi Hendrix, died Jan. 30 in the Bronx. He was 88. Quashie had resided since 2008 at a Kingsbridgearea facility, Plaza Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, formerly a nonprofit known as Jewish Home Lifecare. Ongoing health problems and a need for managed care combined to lead to his eviction from his Bedford St. apartment, which he had occupied since the mid1960s. Quashie was long known to his friends and fellow performers as “Mike,” a shorthand for his middle name, Michael. He was a native of Trinidad and Tobago, where his father was also a performer known as “Lefthand Cornelius.” Quashie was one of Cornelius’s 28 children. Quashie emigrated to the United States first in 1958. He then returned permanently in 1959. In between, he spent a brief time in Jamaica working and studying as a dancer, and beginning to craft the limbo act for which he would become most widely associated. He had various stage personas throughout the 1960s and ’70s, from limbo man to early glam-rock voodoo fire-breather to calypso singer. But he was known most popularly as “The Limbo King” or “King of the Limbo.” In an April 1961 episode of “I’ve Got a Secret,” he told host Garry Moore, “I’m the world’s champion limbo dancer. I can dance under that bar without touching it.” He continued to help popularize this latest dance craze in the States, appearing frequently at what he referred to as “cafe society” events in New York City, referencing the Greenwich Village nightclub. During this era, Life magazine printed a photograph of him performing at an event with featured guest Senator Jacob Javits. He perfected his act, and was a regular at various Village and Midtown venues, including The Cheetah, The African Room, The Peppermint Lounge and Cafe Wha. He co-programmed the outrageous “Fantasies of the Age of Decadence Ball” at the Mercer Arts Center, which included some of the era’s earliest and best drag contests. At the famed Salvation nightclub, he held court with the late co-owner (and later Reverend) Bradley Pierce. Quashie was perhaps best known as a stalwart friend to Lou Reed and an early friend and supporter of Jimi Hendrix. He championed the young Hendrix and often hosted him at his Bedford St. apartment, which became known as “Jimi’s Hideaway” after Hendrix’s death. Many rock-and-roll friends from that era credit Quashie with encouraging voodoo and fire aspects of Hendrix’s persona. Others credit Quashie with being the earliest “glam” performer, suggesting that his “Spider King” and “King Tarantula” and other personas, as well as face makeup and glitter, were later adopted by acts of later and greater renown. His good friend drummer Tony Mann recalled that in 1975 Quashie performed a fire-breathing and gong presentation onstage with Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden. Mann said Quashie remained friends with Jimmy

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March 7, 2019

Mike Quashie in one ne of his professional profes head shots.

Mike Quashie, who is said to have been an originator of the glam look, spor ting a fur coat.

Page, who donated a signed guitar to Quashie to be used for auction at a health-costs fundraiser for him in 2003. Many other musicians and bands credit him with introductions that furthered their careers or altered and enhanced their acts. Quashie continued to perform calypso late into his 60s, with, most prominently, his band Mike Q and The Arawaks. His act was not a big moneymaker, though. So he went to work for the New York City Department of Buildings, until health issues forced him into retirement. He continued to host friends old and new at his South Village apartment, regaling them with tales of his rock-and-roll days, and being interviewed often about his friendship with guitar legend Hendrix. His famed Caribbean noodles were staple sustenance for many young, broke Greenwich Village aspiTVG

Mike Quashie proclaimed himself “the world’s champion limbo dancer.”

rants, continuing the grand tradition of Max’s Kansas City’s chickpeas in his own home. Mike Quashie is survived by a younger brother, Rennison, of Trinidad and Tobago. A memorial for Quashie was held March 3 at Crestwood Funeral Home, 445 W. 43rd St. Schneps Media

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