V i s i t u s o n l i n e a t w w w .T h e V i l l a g e r. c o m
THE
S S E R P X E
June 20, 2019 Volume 4 • Number 13
The Paper of Record R ec e c or o r d for f o r East fo Ea E a st and West Villages, Little Italy, Lower East Side, Soho, Noho, and Chinatown
IMPEACH NOW! Maloney, Holtzman lead anti-Trump rally Page e6 PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY
Protesters in Foley Square last weekend called for President Trump’s impeachment.
DON’T BURY OUR PARK East Siders slam coastal resiliency plan Page 8 PHOTO BY GABE HERMAN
Residents decried the cit y’s East Village/L .E.S. flood-protection scheme at a required “ULURP� hearing, par t of the project’s public review.
We've Got the Power!
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14th St. car ban to start July 1 BY LINCOLN ANDERSON
T
he city’s “experiment” on 14th St. is set to kick off Mon., July 1, as through traffic will be banned between Third and Ninth Aves. and buses and trucks will rule the road. On the same day, the M14A and M14D routes will be converted entirely to Select Bus Service, with a total of 16 bus stops eliminated and curbside payment instituted to speed up bus times. It’s all part of what’s being called a pilot project — albeit one slated to last a full year and a half. And in a huge relief to West Village seniors, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has agreed to wait nine months to decide on whether to ax the Abingdon Square loop at the west end of the M14. The Department of Transportation announced the changes on Mon., June 9, the Daily News reported. Under the first-of-its-kind plan in New York City, cars and cabs would be able to come onto 14th St., but only for one block for pickups and drop-offs, and would then have to leave the crosstown boulevard at the first available right-hand turn. Cars would also be allowed onto 14th St. to access garages. Left turns would not be allowed. The prohibitions on cars would be in effect from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. Moving traffic would be reduced to one lane in each direction. Midblock next to the curb, there would be extra-wide space for loading, pickups and drop-offs. At intersections, there would also be a third, separate lane for a bus stop, and the curbside space in this area would be reduced. The scheme was previously called a “busway” when it was pitched as part of the transit mitigation plan for the L-train full shutdown plan. But this past January, Governor Andrew Cuomo nixed the full L-train shutdown and said the L line’s Sandy-damaged East River tubes could be repaired on nights and weekends, with one tube always left open for partial service. The busway appeared kaput. But, in April, the idea was revived and redubbed “Transit/Truck Priority” lanes. Repairs on the L tunnel started in April. D.O.T. will enforce the new T.T.P. lanes with cameras along 14th St. But enforcement measures won’t kick in until at least 60 days after the traffic changes go into effect. The Daily News also reported that seven new Police Department tow trucks would patrol 14th St. The
COURTESY D.O.T.
Under the proposed Transit/ Truck Priorit y lanes plan, to launch July 1, through traffic — including cars and cabs — would be banned from 14th St. bet ween Third and Ninth Aves. daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Buses and trucks would be allowed.
T.T.P. scheme on 14th St. would be the first of its kind in the city. As they feared with the busway, many nearby Village and Chelsea residents worry displaced car traffic and ride-hail app cars would flood their small side streets if the 14th St. traffic ban goes into effect. The Riders Alliance, a leading transportation advocacy group, hailed the launch of what it termed a “busway” — and is already eagerly calling for it to be replicated citywide. “The 14th St. busway is great news for transit riders and neighborhood residents,” declared Danny Pearlstein, the group’s communications director.
“By ensuring fast, reliable transit starting July 1, the busway will provide an excellent alternative to jampacked L trains and expensive, inefficient car trips. ... We look forward to working with our elected leaders to ensure that buses are prioritized on more streets across the city... .” West Village seniors — including many in Westbeth Artists Housing — panicked after the M.T.A. recently announced it would be cutting the Abingdon Square loop from the M14 route. However, at local politicians’ urging, the agency is now saying it will keep the loop for at least nine months after the new 14th St. scheme goes into effect and “study” the situation.
Seward Park getting $6.4M makeover BY GABE HERMAN
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here was a groundbreaking at Seward Park on May 31 to kick off renovations there as part of the city’s Parks Without Borders program. The program was launched in 2015 with the goal of better connecting parks with surrounding communities, including providing better access and adding amenities to underused park areas. Historic Seward Park opened in 1903 and is the oldest municipal playground in the country. It will receive $6.4 million worth of renovations, to be completed by this fall. Planned improvements include new pavement and plantings along the Schneps Media
31. “This space has been a neighborhood treasure for more than 100 years. The $6.4 million in improvements we broke ground on today means more NYers will enjoy the park for generations to come.” Seward Park was one of eight parks citywide chosen for renovations as part of the Parks Without Borders initiative. In November 2015, the Parks Department asked New Yorkers for nominations for parks for the program, and more than 6,000 were received for a total of 691 parks. The winning parks were chosen based on factors including community support, park access and current conditions, according to the department. “Seward Park is a central part of
park’s perimeter, new street trees, an expanded garden area, a new library courtyard, new fitness equipment and amphitheater seating. Local officials attending the groundbreaking included Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Councilmember Margaret Chin, Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver and Democratic District Leader Daisy Paez. After the event, Brewer thanked Mayor Bill de Blasio on Twitter for the renovation as part of Parks Without Borders, and added, “Green space is precious — I’m dedicated to supporting it wherever I can.” “I was thrilled that Seward Park was selected to be in the Parks Without Borders initiative,” Chin tweeted on May CNW
our community that has too often been left behind,” said state Senator Daniel Squadron in May 2016, when Seward Park was among those selected for upgrades. Squadron represented the area from 2013 to ’17. “Its selection as a Park Without borders is great news,” Squadron said then. “This initiative is an exciting step in continued parks access and equity efforts, and I thank Commissioner Silver for including Seward Park. The Seward Park Conservancy, with support from Community Board 3, was instrumental in moving this proposal forward, and I thank them for their continued commitment to our community.” June 20, 2019
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Police Blotter contact Crime Stoppers.
Sixth Precinct
Electric mugging
Black & Decker burglar Police are asking for the public’s help in catching a burglar who they say has struck in both Downtown’s Sixth (Village) and Fifth (Chinatown/Little Italy) precincts. In each case, the suspect is said to enter a construction site and remove items. According to cops, in the first incident, on Fri., May 10, around 2 a.m., the burglar entered 282 W. Fourth St. by climbing up exterior scaffolding. He then proceeded to remove assorted power tools and fled. Then, on Tues., May 21, around 2:45 a.m., he entered 165 Christie St. by climbing a scaffolding and breaking through a door leading to the second floor. He again removed various power tools and fled, police said. The suspect wore a black sweatshirt and gloves. Anyone with information is asked to call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted on the CrimeStoppers Web site at www.nypdcrimestoppers. com, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.
COURTESY N.Y.P.D.
The alleged Downtown power-tools burglar in the process of nailing another one, in the Village.
10th Precinct Drunk driving
Ninth Precinct
There was a drunk-driving incident on 10th Ave., between W. 41st and W. 40th Sts., on Sun., June 16, police said. An officer reported that around 1:55 a.m., he saw a man driving uptown very fast and then turn without signaling. The motorist also drove over the yellow double line, and refused to pull over. The driver blew a 1.1 on a breathalyzer, and 0.92 when at the police precinct. The legal limit is 0.08. William Kuprian, 47, was arrested for driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor.
Roughneck robber
Cartier switcheroo
Police said that on Sun., June 16, about 4 p.m., a 73-year-old woman was in front of 121 E. Third St. when a stranger approached her from behind and snatched her necklace. The robber fled on a bicycle eastbound on E. Third St. and then southbound on Avenue A. The victim suffered pain and bruising to her neck as a result of the incident. The suspect is described as a male black, last seen wearing a dark-colored baseball cap, a blue shirt, red shorts and red sneakers. Anyone with information is asked to
There was a shoplifting incident at the Cartier boutique at 20 Hudson Yards, according to a police report. The store’s manager said that on Sun., June 9, around 5:40 p.m., two men entered the place and one removed a pair of $945 Cartier sunglasses. The second man then replaced the stolen item with a knockoff pair of sunglasses before they left with the real ones. The theft wasn’t discovered until June 15.
Phone filcher gets hung up There was an attempted theft in broad daylight on Minetta Lane in the Village, according to police. On Fri., May 17, around 2 p.m., near Minetta Lane and Sixth Ave., a young man reportedly snatched a cell phone from a 49-year-old man’s hand, then ran south with it on Minetta Lane. The victim gave chase, and during the pursuit, the robber dropped the victim’s phone in front of J.G. Melon, at 89 MacDougal St., at the corner of Bleecker St. The victim recovered his cell phone, and the thief continued to flee eastbound on Bleecker St. Police released surveillance images of the suspect, described as 15 or 16 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall and 145 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark hooded sweater, light blue jeans, red sneakers and a red backpack. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.
According to police, a group of three individuals in their 20s robbed a deliveryman of his electric-powered bicycle in the East Village on May 29 around 1:45 a.m. The 51-year-old victim was in front of 320 E. Sixth St., where he had just finished delivering food, and was on his e-bike. The trio engaged him by asking where the D train was. The first thug then pushed the worker off of his bike — valued at $1,600 — and fled with it westbound on E. Ninth St. The victim was not injured and refused medical attention at the scene. The first individual is described as a male Hispanic, with long hair, wearing eyeglasses, a multicolored shirt, blue jeans and a backwards baseball cap. The second suspect is described as a male black, wearing a red sweatshirt. The third sidekick is described as a female Hispanic, wearing a blue jacket, pink shirt and multicolored leggings. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.
COURTESY N.Y.P.D.
Police say this guy stole a senior woman’s necklace off her neck in the East Village, then fled on a bike.
COURTESY N.Y.P.D.
A sur veillance camera image of one of the alleged East Village ebike muggers.
Gabe Herman and Lincoln Anderson
The Villager (USPS 578930) ISSN 0042-6202 Copyright © 2019 by Schneps Media is published weekly by Schneps Media, 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: Schneps Media, 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 - © 2019 Schneps Media.
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Impeach! hundreds in Foley Sq. cry BY ALEJANDR A O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
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everal hundred protestors gathered in Lower Manhattan’s Foley Square Saturday afternoon as part of a national day of action to call for an impeachment inquiry of President Trump. More than 100 cities nationwide held similar demonstrations. The rally was organized by a coalition including Empire State Indivisible, Need to Impeach, Indivisible Nation BD, Black Lives Matter Greater New York, CREDO Mobile, By the People, The New York Immigrant Coalition and more. Among politicians speaking at the rally was Congressmember Carolyn Maloney, whose district includes the East Village, part of the Lower East Side, a bit of the Village, Midtown and the Upper East Side. “After carefully reviewing evidence laid out in the Mueller Report, after attending numerous hearings, after listening to the concerns of my constituents and after a good deal of soul searching, I have come to the conclusion that it is necessary to open a formal impeachment inquiry concerning the president of the United States,” Maloney said early on during the rally. The sign-waving antiTrump demonstrators erupted in cheers. The congressmember added that
PHOTO BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
Protesters at last Saturday’s anti-Trump impeachment rally in Foley Square.
what pushed her to publicly call for an impeachment inquiry was President Trump’s recent admission to ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that he would accept negative information on a political opponent during his 2020 re-election campaign. “If somebody called from a country,
Norway, ‘We have information on your opponent,’ I think I’d want to hear it,” Trump declared during the interview. Former Congressmember Elizabeth Holtzman added there were “other grounds for impeachment” for Trump. Among some of those others mentioned were the continued separation
of immigrant children from parents at the nation’s southern border, sexist remarks made during his 2016 presidential campaign, a lack of basic knowledge of the Constitution and abuse of executive privilege. During the rally a small group of pro-Trump counterdemonstrators were present, but held their position, as well as members of the Revolutionary Communist Party (Revcom). One Revcom member, Davis Parker, speaking through a handheld loudspeaker, interrupted a speech to say that it not just President Trump that is corrupt, but the entire American political system. “People think they are woke in this society but the reality is they are sleepwalking through a nightmare,” Parker proclaimed. “[Trump] needed to be impeached yesterday,” said protester Monique Ann Gaylor. “I cannot understand why Pelosi is not moving.” Hotlzman served on the House Judiciary Committee during Nixon’s impeachment inquiry. “Some say, let’s not start an impeachment inquiry because it divides the country,” she said. “It united us as Americans because what we said was that more important than anything is the rule of law.”
M.T.A. drive for renewable-gas buses BY ALEJANDR A O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
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he Metropolitan Transportation Authority has made a bold move toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Last month, the M.T.A. issued a request for proposals, or R.F.P., to purchase either biomethane, a gas produced from the decomposition of organic matter, or another renewable natural gas derived from nonfossil sources. According to the R.F.P., the plan is to use the renewable fuel in 800 city buses by this August. Joanna Underwood, founder of Energy Vision, a renewable-energy research nonprofit located on E. 13th St. that advocates for the use of the biogas for fuel, hailed the exciting news. “For M.T.A. and any other bus or truck fleet that adopts it, this strategy enables them to meet or exceed the Paris goal not by 2050, but today,” she said. Biomethane is produced from the anaerobic digestion of organic matter, like plant material, sewage or manure, which is then collected all together into large vessels to create fuel.
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COURTESY LA METRO
One of the 295 Near Zero natural gas buses that run on renewable natural gas (RNG) fuel purchased by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority a.k.a. LA Metro.
Organizations like Energy Vision advocate for the gas’s wide-spread use since they believe it can potentially put tons of waste to good use. The gas is also chemically the same as natural gas and can therefore be used in gaspowered vehicles. Other supporters of the fuel’s use include Ydanis Rodriguez, chairper-
son of the City Council Transportation Committee, who last June wrote a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio urging the city to explore using biomethane as a means to fuel buses that run on compressed natural gas, or CNG. “This clean, domestic, renewable fuel is already being used in heavyduty vehicles around the country — CNW
but not yet in New York City,” Rodriguez wrote. Buses in Santa Monica, California, are all fueled by biomethane. In 2017, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority purchased 295 compressed natural gas buses with the intent of fueling the vehicles with renewable natural gas, or RNG. But some advocates, like Jim Walsh, a renewable energy policy analyst for Food & Water Watch, believe that biomethane does more harm than good. Like with any pipeline or structure harboring a gas, leaks are bound to happen. Those inevitable leaks would release a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent as a heat-trapping gas than carbon dioxide into the air. According to Walsh, biogas combustion emits the same contaminants as conventional gas, like carbon dioxide, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and nitrogen oxides, which all contribute to smog and climate change. Walsh also added that the use of the biogas and the federal government’s incentivizing of anaerobic digesters enables the existence of the country’s factory farms, which produce greenhouse gases, along with other air and water pollutants. Schneps Media
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Panic, protest over E. River Park plan BY GABE HERMAN
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t a June 11 public hearing about the city’s East Side Coastal Resiliency plan, Lower East Side residents mostly disapproved of the current flood-protection plan and called for more community input into the process. Held by the Community Board 3 Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee, the meeting was part of the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) for the application submitted for the plan. The full board of C.B. 3 will ultimately weigh in with its advisory opinion on the proposed project as part of the public-review process. The scheme would raise East River Park by about 8 to 9 feet. Before the hearing, opponents decried the plan at a rally organized by the East River Alliance. Speakers expressed concerns about the impact on air quality by the project’s construction and also asked for a deck to be built over the F.D.R. Drive to create more park space. There were also calls for a longer-term plan beyond the currently proposed protections, which are geared toward 2050 projected water levels. Also speaking at the rally was Laura Sewell, executive director of the East Village Community Coalition. She called for an independent, third-party panel of experts to evaluate the plan, and to request needed data about it and provide updates to the public. “Given how critical the project is to our community,” she said, “and how many questions remain unanswered as the plan barrels forward, we deserve nothing less.” Sewell said the community needs temporary flood protection during the construction period, currently scheduled to last three-and-a-half years. During that time, the park would be closed, and Sewell said there need to be plans for alternative green spaces. She added that the city needs to consider the Lower
PHOTO BY GABE HERMAN
Opponents hoisted signs slamming the city’s new East Side Coastal Resilienc y plan.
East Side Ecology Center, which has been in a building in East River Park for years and is valuable to the community and the environment, but “has inexcusably gone unrecognized and unaddressed.” The plan was presented at the meeting by Jamie Torres-Springer, deputy commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction, and by the Parks Department’s Alyssa Cobb Konon, deputy commissioner for Planning and Development. There are 110,000 local residents who would be protected by the resiliency plan, Springer said. He noted that the projected $1.45 billion cost has been fully funded and the project is set to begin next March, after the review and voting processes. In terms of closing the park during the 3.5 years of construction, Springer said that decision was not made lightly. Keeping parts of the park open during some of the construction is being explored, to see if that is possible without putting park users at risk. He said there will be another public hearing on the ULURP application on July 31.
Springer defended the plan, which would protect the East Side up through 2050 projected water levels, saying it could be adapted to changing conditions. Konon said there are also plans to add more barbeque grills and solar lights, in response to community requests. Also, the track-and-field house would be rebuilt with a green roof, and there would be new fitness areas and equipment installed. Konon stressed other efforts to green the community, including planting 1,000 trees, adding 40 rain gardens, improving the turf at seven fields and adding five new fields by the spring when construction starts, and painting 16 local playgrounds by the spring. Ted Pender, vice president of Friends of Corlears Hook Park, said he was concerned about air quality from all of the soil that would be dumped in the area. He said people would breathe in particles, and that the area already had high asthma rates. He held up an illustration of his own plan, which included a deck over the F.D.R. Drive to create more green space. A woman echoed concerns about pollution from the project, noting the area has high asthma rates. “Let’s see you try this crap in a rich neighborhood,” she accused. But a Jacob Riis Houses resident said he wanted flood protection from the effects of another potential Hurricane Sandy. He said he wanted the plan to move forward, with quarterly construction mitigation meetings with local leadership, keeping the East River Park Amphitheater the way it looks now, restoring BBQ areas, giving priority to local youth sports leagues, and looking at closing the park in phases. “Everything said, I do support this plan because I want flood protection,” he said, to some boos. An East River Alliance member presented a petition signed by more than 2,500 people, asking for interim flood protections until the plan is complete, building a park over the F.D.R. Drive, and doing the project in stages to keep East River Park open.
Strand building landmarked over owner’s objection BY GABE HERMAN
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he Strand Book Store building was landmarked by New York City on June 11, despite ongoing objections from the legendary store’s owner, who also owns the building. The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated 826 Broadway, at E. 12th St., home of the Strand since 1956. Six other buildings were also landmarked in that area of Broadway between E. 12 and E. 14 Sts. All of the buildings were constructed between 1876 and 1902, and have “strong architectural and historical significance,” according to Sarah Carroll, the L.P.C. chairperson. “Together they reflect the history and importance of Broadway’s development south of Union Square,” Carroll said. “They tell the history of the area, from its industrial past with the garment industry and labor rights movement to its cultural significance with the film industry and the internationally beloved Strand Book Store.” Strand owner Nancy Bass Wyden has opposed the landmark designation, say-
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Berman, executive director of Village Preservation, who said it did not go far enough to protect the neighborhood from development. Last year, the City Council approved zoning changes to allow construction of a new “Tech Hub” on E. 14th St. between Third and Fourth Sts. Fearing the Tech Hub would only spark further development in the area — especially of more buildings geared toward tech companies — Berman and his group had pushed for zoning changes to safeguard the surrounding area. But no rezoning was forthcoming. Berman accused Councilmember Carlina Rivera and Mayor Bill de Blasio of not fully acting on what he called their commitment to more landmarking and zoning protections for the district. “Normally a...group like ours would cheer the landmark designation of seven buildings in our area,” Berman said after the June 11 landmarkings. “But this token gesture that does not even begin to provide the protections this neighborhood needs or was promised by our councilmember when she ran for office is a huge disappointment. “While the mayor and Councilmember
ing it would put increased stresses on the business. An Instagram post by the store after the June 11 designation, said, “For every repair and every upgrade, Strand will have to go through the slow bureaucracy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, which adds to the expenses to keep Strand alive.” After the commission had weighed in, Bass Wyden held a press conference. “This was unfair from the start,” she said. “We are fighting this at the grassroots level. We need your support.” Last year, an L.P.C. spokesperson responded to Bass Wyden’s concerns about bureaucratic issues with landmarked buildings, saying that free technical expertise was given to building owners, and that the commission could process 95 percent of permits within 10 days. “The Landmarks Preservation Commission will continue to work with the owner of 826 Broadway, home to the Strand Book Store, to address her concerns and ensure that this cultural institution endures,” the spokesperson said. The landmarking of the seven buildings was strongly criticized by Andrew CNW
Rivera cherry-picked seven buildings to landmark which are in no danger of going anywhere, they refused to consider dozens of other buildings of equal or greater historic significance all around them, which are endangered or have been demolished since this unseemly deal was cut.” After last year’s Council vote, Rivera wrote the Department of City Planning asking for “immediate action to protect the area south of Union Square.” Rivera said, at the time, that the Tech Hub, planned for 114 E. 14 St., at Irving Place, would be a boon for the community. She added that the city’s considering the seven buildings for landmarking, along with requiring special permits for creating new hotels in the area, were good first steps toward increasing zoning and landmarking protections for the area. Rivera praised the L.P.C. vote. “These buildings represent the pinnacle of Industrial Age architecture south of Union Square,” she said. “I look forward to collaborating with the Commission and local stakeholders on additional opportunities to recognize the architectural and cultural treasures in our neighborhoods.” Schneps Media
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NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN!
The 2019 Staten Island Impact Awards will honor individuals, businesses and organizations that are making a tangible, measurable impact on Staten Island. Honorees will be chosen based on the positive impact of their efforts to enhance Staten Island communities.
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Eats
Bondi Sushi in NoMad is worth the trip BY GABE HERMAN
B
ondi Sushi opened two years ago in NoMad (North of Madison Square Park) and offers tasty sushi at reasonable prices. Located at 6 W. 28th St., between Fifth Ave. and Broadway, the casual restaurant has been around since November 2017 and features seafood from around the world. The menu includes king salmon from New Zealand, yellowfin tuna from Honolulu, blue crab from Fishing Creek, Maryland, and sea scallops from Barnegat Light, New Jersey. The short grain rice is from Montna Farms in northern California. Single rolls have eight pieces of sushi and range in price from $8 to $11. Rice options include the standards white and brown rice, and also cauliflower rice for calorie and carb counters, which still tastes good and doesn’t detract from the sushi experience. Rice bowls range from $14 to
$16 and include a truffle salmon bowl, a spicy tuna bowl, shrimp avocado bowl and eggplant miso bowl. There are also combo boxes with 16 pieces, four each of four different roll types. Those range from $14 to $23. Bondi Sushi gets its name from the famous Bondi Beach near Sydney, Australia. Its Web site says the Bondi brand name tries to evoke the feeling of lounging on that beach, the “warm sunshine, calmness, simplicity.” Along with the dine-in kitchen on W. 28th St., Bondi has an express kitchen at 420 Lexington Ave. at E. 44th St. Bondi also has a catering menu that offers 80-piece boxes, ranging from $65 to $95, and a $110 option to build your own platter. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, and 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. More information can be found at bondisushi.com.
COURTESY BONDI SU SHI
Bondi Sushi’s Combo Classic Catch box includes four pieces each of salmon avocado, spic y tuna, yellow tail scallion and cucumber sesame.
MAKE A SPLASH! The BMCC swimming pool has been renovated and is ready to welcome community swimmers, ages 18 and up. 4 +!'#-. 1 &( (# 4 -&*$ 3+0- +2* (+!' *" /+2#( Entrances: 199 Chambers Street & 77 Harrison Street Fees and Registration: BMCC Athletic Department at (212) 220-8260 Continuing Education at (212) 346-8410
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June 20, 2019
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Editorial
MANHAT TAN
SNAPS COURTESY BRAD HOYLMAN’S OFFICE
State Senator Brad Hoylman, center, with tenants in Albany on “Tenant Tuesday” last month.
Victory for tenants!
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hat a difference having a Democrat-controlled state Senate has meant. And nowhere has that been more apparent than in the sweeping and historic win for tenants this past Friday. With votes of approval by the state Senate and Assembly followed by the signing by Governor Andrew Cuomo of “The Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019,” vacancy decontrol is now a thing of the past. It’s a huge victory for affordability — and a massive relief for tenants in 1 million households in rent-regulated apartments across New York City. Under vacancy decontrol, if an empty apartment’s rent was roughly $2,775 a month, it could be taken out of the rent-regulation program and turned market rate. That, unfortunately, led to bad-actor landlords using sundry harassment techniques to push out tenants, so that the owners could keep boosting the rents to reach the decontrol threshold. Harassment, of course, can take different forms, from subtle to blatant — ranging from lack of heat and hot water to disruptive, noisy, dusty, unhealthy interior gut rehabs of buildings. Obviously, not all landlords are bad actors. But, in effect, by now making rent regulation permanent, it takes away a huge incentive — and temptation — for landlords to harass tenants. Since vacancy decontrol was enacted in 1994, it’s believed that more than 160,000 apartments — and 62 percent of all units deregulated during that time — lost their rent-protected status due to vacancy decontrol. So, obviously, this reform will go a long way toward stopping the drain of the city’s stock of affordable-tomiddle class housing. Housing activists even had ambitiously hoped that some of those “lost” units could now be restored to rent regulation, but it was apparently too far a reach even for this sweeping legislation. Similarly, an effort to get buildings with fewer than six units into the rent-regulation program also failed. However, rents will also be kept down because the so-called vacancy bonus has now also been repealed — meaning landlords can no longer jack up an apartment’s rent by as much as 20 percent after a tenant vacates. Also now significantly reduced is landlords’ ability to pass along costs of major capital improvements (M.C.I.’s) and individual apartment improvements (I.A.I.’s) to tenants. Owners will now also be restricted to taking only one unit for “personal use” and must use it as their primary residence. Furious lobbying efforts by the real estate industry, for once, failed in the face of a newly blue Albany. Cuomo did not stand in the way. Landlords will continue to make their profits — though just a bit less. The new rent reforms went into effect Saturday. “The pendulum is swinging,” said state Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Senate Democratic majority leader. Friday was a very emotional day for tenant advocates and for lawmakers who fought in the trenches alongside them for so long. Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou posted a 1-minute video of herself on Twitter, tearing up with joy, taken right after the Assembly had voted on the “tenant protection package.” “We’re gonna change a lot of lives with that,” she said of the legislation. Noting that 70 percent of the constituent cases she sees in her Lower East Side/ Chinatown/Lower Manhattan district are housing related, she said her district is plagued by some of the absolute worst kinds of landlord neglect and harassment. But now, there’s new hope and new optimism. As Niou simply put it, “We’re making history today.”
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June 20, 2019
PHOTO BY CALVIN WILSON/NYC PARKS DEPT.
On June 10, 1987, revelers celebrated the summer solstice on a sunny day in Tompkins Square Park with lots of music and dancing.
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Op-Ed
Save our bus loop BY BARBAR A RUETHER
I
have lived in the West Village on Bank St. since 1958. I worked in the Department of Community Medicine at St. Vincent’s Medical and Trauma Center until it closed in 2010. I left work in corporate America to work serving people in our then-community, very idealistically taking a $20,000 pay cut in 1975. H.R. insisted on interviewing me twice to ensure that I knew I was taking a big risk to work on a grant program called the Chelsea Village Homebound Elderly Program. But I was determined. This little program based on teamwork (doctor, nurse, social worker collaborating closely together) was founded to help keep the frail elderly in their homes, where they wanted to be, as long as safely possible. The C.V.P., as it was known, served well and later became the New York State model for the Nursing Home Without Walls Program, technically known as L.T.H.H.C.P. (Long-term Home Health Care Program) that can provide all the services in a patient’s home, including aides, physician care, nursing care and social worker support, as well as occupational and physical therapy. The patient can remain at home as long as the cost of needed care does not exceed the cost of the local nursing home. State Senator Lombardi helped us find the resources and economies to use Medicaid and it worked. Now, New York State residents can find an array of services for seniors who wish to remain living at home safely by checking out NY CONNECTS. I am proud to have been a founding part of these services in my community and to know how it grew to serve many more. Now the community I served is determined to make me a prisoner in my little Bank St. studio apartment by taking away my Abingdon Square 14A bus. It’s the public, affordable vehicle that provides me my critical access to my doctor’s office on the East Side. At age 83, I am unable to climb the subway stairs to get Uptown. Most everyday things I need begin on the 14th St. corridor. The senior center I prefer is on Washington Square North off Fifth Ave. Basically, the Village has become a barren desert because all the stores are gone, as are the little shops that my neighbors and friends enjoyed visiting. I cannot afford to eat out, most of the affordable little eateries are gone. You know the story, just walk around. At least the Abingdon bus gets me to the great 14th St. corridor. Walking up to 14th and standing around waiting for another bus is exhausting. Even if I do walk up to 14th, there is not a seating shelter to rest at Eighth Ave. and 14th St. The Abingdon bus stop on Eighth Ave. in front of the drugstore at least provides some shelter in case of bad weather. In stormy weather and heat, one can take the bus to reach 14th St. and east from there. Are you aware that it costs about $8 just to step into a yellow cab before it travels an inch? I need the bus. We need this bus. You are taking away my lifeline and that of many others who have made the Village a wonderful place to be. Now “the Village” is gone and taken over primarily by pied-a-terre nontaxpayers who make decisions ignoring the we — the people who still do live here. Seems you want us gone, too? Now the M.T.A. says it’s going to slow down and take a little time — up to nine months — to “study” whether the Abingdon loop is indeed needed so badly. But to even have thought of eliminating it, this longtime Village activist says shame on you.
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Letters to the Editor Vaccine stunner To The Editor: Re “Vaccines double standard” (letter, by Martha Danziger, June 6): I am stunned that Martha Danzinger justifies not immunizing her child because of a “double standard” — that she should not be required to vaccinate her children because the U.S. admits immigrants who have not received good medical care in their home nations. Surely, there should be one standard for all, and that means healthcare and vaccination for everyone, long-term resident or not. She believes her child was sickened by vaccination. I understand why a mother would want to blame some previous event for the illness of her child — I do the same myself. But that should not be used to avoid protecting a child. I have heard some parents say they are willing to risk having a feverish, itchy child home in a darkened room (because measles hurts the eyes) for a week or two. But the Centers for Disease Control reports that, in the first months of 2019, 66 people (mostly children) have been hospitalized with complications from measles, including a newborn (born with measles because his unvaccinated mother had them).
When my 15-year-old daughter’s immune system was down because she had radiation for cancer, a sign on the door to the waiting room was “DO NOT ENTER if you might have been exposed to chicken pox.” That was before widespread vaccination for chicken pox, a disease that could have killed her. She recovered, thank God, but if she had cancer today I would be terrified of measles, mumps or chicken pox. I would not let her leave the house except for infusion. I do not believe that Martha, or any parent, would deliberately risk the health of babies too young to be immunized, or of immune-suppressed adults who could die of a “childhood” disease, or of elders whose immune systems are failing. We all want to live; we need each other to do so. Dr. Kathleen (Keen) Berger Berger is a developmental psychologist
Elevate the dialogue To The Editor: There is a solution to the ongoing lawsuits against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the lack of sufficient accessible subway stations for riders with disabilities. Why not ask any major business, college or hospital that benefits from subway stations adjacent to its facility to sponsor installation of one or
more elevators? Let them split the cost 50 percent with the M.T.A./New York City Transit Authority in exchange for naming rights to the elevators. The M.T.A. may have to make some hard decisions on what other projects and programs may have to be canceled or reduced in its next 2020-24 five-year capital plan, budgeted at $30 billion or more, to find more funds for installing more A.D.A.-compliant elevators. Larry Penner Penner previously worked 31 years for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office
Thanks on Ben’s behalf To The Editor: Re “Ben Green, 73, C.B. chair, activist” (obituary, June 13): From Benjamin Green’s family, we thank many friends who supported Ben through his illness, especially Judith Marsh, Linda Cronin-Gross, John DeHority, Nelly Golden, Julie Judge and his friends at New York Chemists. Blessings to all. Alicia Maniatakis
Cousin made proud To The Editor: Re “Ben Green, 73, C.B. chair, activist” (obituary, June 13): I am grateful for this lovely, informative piece here, for Ben who is at peace. I am a cousin made proud! Lifting prayers for him, and all his loved ones — friends and family. I have finally gotten to know him. Liz Burton
PHOTO BY LINCOLN ANDERSON
At a press conference last year announcing the M.T. A .’s commitment to install elevators at the Six th Ave. and 14th St. subway station, Milagros Franco, who has been disabled since bir th and lives in the E. 20s, left, said that each new subway elevator is another victor y for accessibility. TVG
E-mail letters, maximum 250 words, to news@thevillager.com or fax to 212-2292790 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. June 20, 2019
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A golden moment on 14th
JOIN US FOR THE 26th ANNUAL MEETING OF THE VILLAGE ALLIANCE MONDAY, JUNE 24th 6:00–7:30pm
PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER
It was a few weeks too late for Manhattanhenge at the end of last month, when the sunset aligns with the borough’s crosstown grid. This year’s ’henge was a bit of a wash any way, due to overcast weather. But at least last Friday evening, East Village lensman Bob Krasner captured this golden-hued shot of 14th St. The Con Edison headquar ters building on Ir ving Place, with its distinctive peak, is at right.
St. John’s University Manhattan Campus 101 Astor Place (Corner of 3rd Avenue)
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Celebrate Gay Pride Month Sunday, June 23 9:00am Holy Eucharist 11:00am Holy Eucharist with Music 12:30 – 2:30pm Open Doors, Open Faith with Professor Heather White, University of Puget Sound and a performance by The Stonewall Chorale
2 3" 3 4 ! 3 + ! &" 2
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3:00pm Our Community Sunday Supper We hope to see you for a free meal, fellowship and fine conversation
No RSVP required, Vegetarian options available. 16
June 20, 2019
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PHOTO BY SASKIA KAHN / N.Y.U. PHOTO BUREAU
A woman listened to panelists speak about ways to deal with chronic pain at this year’s Take Charge of Your Health Today! Communit y Health Forum and Expo, organized by N.Y.U. and VillageCare.
Nix opioids: Move, eat smart, socialize BY ALEJANDR A O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
D
octors at New York University’s and VillageCare’s Take Charge of Your Health Today! community health forum stressed the importance of diet, exercise and good mental health as ways to manage chronic pain. The theme of the June 5 forum — the eighth annual — was “Your Pain Matters— Understanding and Speaking about Chronic Pain.” It featured a panel discussion moderated by CBS medical journalist Dr. Max Gomez on ways to manage pain without the use of painkillers. “We unfortunately find ourselves mired in an opioid epidemic,” said Dr. Soriya Lizette Motivala, a neurological surgeon at Lenox Hill Northwell Health Physician Partners and one of the forum’s five panelists. “Part of how we ended up in this spot is that we were looking to cure it,” Motivala said of pain. “That’s what those pills were supposed to do.” Healthcare providers are currently trying to change how pain is treated and viewed. The idea is to shift the perception of pain from something that can be treated with a pill — specifically, opioids — to something that can be managed. And during the two-hour-long event on the 10th floor of N.Y.U.’s Kimmel Center, panelists gave attendees some practical pieces of advice. Get up and move. Even if it’s walking for just a few minutes a day, staying physically active is essential to keeping joints loose and preventing and easing joint or muscle pain.
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PHOTO BY SASKIA KAHN / N.Y.U. PHOTO BUREAU
Dr. Soriya Lizette Motivala spoke about the histor y of pain treatment at this year’s Take Charge of Your Health Today! Communit y Health Forum and Expo. The panelists included, from left, moderator Dr. Max Gomez, Motivala, Dr. Jonathan Whiteson, Dr. Tara Cor tes and Dr. Maureen Anderson.
Eat better. There are countless fad cure-all diets out there, but removing foods that might cause inflammation from your diet could help ease chronic pain. Dr. Maureen Anderson, a professor at Oakland University Beaumont School of Medicine, recTVG
ommended taking supplements, such as fish oil, to help with pain. Lose some weight: According Dr. Jonathan Whiteson, director of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation at N.Y.U. Langone Medical Center, one extra pound on the body means four extra pounds of pressure on a joint. Manage depression: The depression that can come along with chronic pain is not talked about enough, according to the panelists. All too often, those suffering from chronic pain feel alone, frustrated and saddened by how challenging it can be to engage in activities they once loved. But the panelists all agreed that forcing oneself to get out and join in activities and see friends, families and neighbors is an immediate mood booster. Staying active and socializing can also provide distractions from pain, they added. Be your own advocate: Panelists urged attendees not to be afraid to talk about their pain with their doctors — and if a doctor seems distracted, to make sure that they listen. Physicians should always be willing to spend an extra 20 minutes with a patient to ensure they are on the same page when it comes to the patient’s health. Also a panelist at the event was Dr. Tara Cortes, executive director of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing and professor at the N.Y.U. Rory Meyers College of Nursing. June 20, 2019
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Gov signs bill ending religious vaxx outs BY ALEJANDR A O’CONNELLDOMENECH
L
ate Thursday afternoon June 13, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed off on state Senator Brad Hoylman and Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz’s bill banning religious exemptions for vaccinations. Now New York joins a short list of states, including California, West Virginia, Mississippi and Arizona, that have made it illegal to exempt children from school vaccination requirements for religious reasons. “The science is crystal clear: Vaccines are safe, effective and the best way to keep our children safe,” Cuomo said. “While I understand and respect freedom of religion, our first job is to protect the public health. By signing this measure into law, we will help prevent further transmissions and stop this outbreak right in its tracks.” The disease was deemed eradicated in the U.S. in 2000 but has returned in communities with low vaccination rates. The push for the legislation came in response to recent measles outbreaks in Brooklyn and Rockland County. Both outbreaks occurred in predominantly ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities that have been reluctant to vaccinate their children, in part due to “anti-vaxxer” propaganda claiming the
Governor Cuomo signed legislation banning religious exemptions for vaccinations, such as for measles.
vaccines cause autism and are made from aborted fetal cells, according to The New York Times. As of June 10, there were 588 confirmed measles cases in New York City and as of June 13, there were 336 confirmed cases in other parts of the state. According to the Centers for Disease Control, for people with uncompromised immune systems, the measles is a respiratory disease that can cause fever and a rash — though more serious complications, like pneumonia, brain swelling and deafness, can occur. In some instances, however, the disease can be deadly. Those most at risk for death and complications are children under age 5, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems. “Today, New York is sending a strong message to people across our state that vaccines are safe and effective,” Hoylman said. “We’re putting science ahead of misinformation about vaccines and standing up for the rights of immunocompromised children and adults, pregnant women and infants who can’t be vaccinated through no fault of their own.” Another vaccination-related bill being considered, introduced by state Senator Liz Krueger, would allow teens as young as 14 to receive vaccinations without parental permission.
Transportation Centers Workers Tell Lawmakers at Town Hall of Challenges Accessing Health Insurance State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman and 32BJ SEIU President Hector Figueroa led the discussion on providing benefits supplement compensation for transportation centers’ workers to use to acquire quality, affordable health insurance Jordany Bueno, a 28-year-old LaGuardia Airport wheelchair agent, told a panel that his employer’s health insurance is not an option to treat his epilepsy because it is simply too expensive but that the costs and expenses of going without health insurance are piling up. “I had a seizure at work one day and was rushed by ambulance to the emergency room,” Bueno said. “The ambulance bill alone came to $1,000. I am still paying that and the hospital bills. I kept getting bills and bills.” State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi and Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman have introduced the landmark Healthy Terminals Act bills to provide workers benefits supplement compensation that thousands of workers at New York’s transportation hubs can use to acquire this health insurance. If the bills become law, they would apply to workers at the John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, New York Stewart International Airport, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Pennsylvania Station and Grand Central Station. “At the airports, we fought long and hard to improve our wages and we finally won,” Bueno continued. “But one of the unintended consequences of our victory is that I am no longer eligible for the city health insurance that I was using to get treatment and pay all
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June 20, 2019
the expenses for my epilepsy medications. “I see my doctor every three months. That is $125 each visit. My epilepsy medication, plus a calcium supplement to beat back lupus, which is a possible side effect of the medication, cost me $75 discounted. I also get terrible headaches, another side effect of the epilepsy. It costs $200 to get the medication for the headaches. I take a blood test every three months so my doctor can calibrate my epilepsy medication. There is a cost for that. I also have to have annual MRI and other scans, which I’ve been putting off, because of the costs.” Bueno was one of the workers who spoke at a Queens town hall today convened by lawmakers to address challenges workers at New York transportation hubs face trying to acquire the quality, affordable health insurance they desperately need while working in public service, high interaction jobs. 32BJ SEIU President Hector Figueroa pointed out one study that showed four out of 10 Americans say they couldn’t pay for a bill of $400 or more if they had an unexpected medical expense, and the same goes for Terminal workers. “A large share of workers in this country have medical debt which leads to financial hardship, including bad credit scores that inhibit working
families and poverty that further cripples our communities,” Figueroa said. “The New York Healthy Terminals Act will get workers at these vital transportation centers out of this morass and provide a path to achieving quality, affordable health insurance.” Workers at the town hall shared personal stories of crushing debt and struggles to find quality, affordable health insurance in New York City. Juniya Montomery, a 55-year-old wheelchair agent, said he took his job at JFK Airport two years ago specifically because he wanted health insurance. “Before I became eligible for my company’s insurance, I had not been to a doctor in six years,” he said. “I felt I had to look out for my health. I had never had any of the screening and tests that a man my age was supposed to have had. No screening for colon cancer, diabetes, prostate, heart, whatever.” He took his employer’s health insurance as soon as he became eligible on January 1, 2018. “My company’s health insurance cost me $58.85 each pay period,” Montomery said. “That’s $235.40 during a four-week month and $294.25 in a fiveweek month. That plan, I believe, has a $5,000 deductible. So, that’s more than $10,000 before I can get meaningful healthcare. It is unaffordable but I take TVG
it and pay for it because my health is a priority for me right now.” Horace Foster, 61, battled depression and homelessness before undergoing chemotherapy treatment for throat cancer last year. He said he has the opposite problem to Montomery. “I don’t have health insurance because I cannot afford my employer’s plan,” he said. “I don’t want to be sick again. I don’t want to be depressed again. I don’t want to be homeless again. But, without health insurance, like the one being proposed in the Healthy Terminals Act, I am afraid that all those things may be in my future.” The lawmakers discussed how transportation center workers could use their proposed law to address the health insurance challenges they described. “Why fight for economic justice only to have the lack of quality, affordable health insurance push you back into poverty?” Sen. Biaggi asked. “A stable, trained, experienced workforce that knows the facilities, protocols, and chain of communication is essential to the safe and secure operation of New York’s major transportation centers. That is why we introduced in the New York State Senate and the Assembly the New York Healthy Terminals Act.” Assembly Member Hyndman said the new New York Healthy Terminals Act will establish higher minimum
standards for pay and benefits—including healthcare, holidays and vacations—at travel hubs across the city. Starting Sept 1, 2020, the new law will establish an employer-paid benefits supplement that has already been proven effective with the Service Contract Act, which currently provides $4.48, with small annual increases. Worker could then use this $4.48 for health insurance or employees working under collectively bargained contracts could negotiate to use this supplement to provide affordable, quality health insurance directly. “I stand with the members of 32BJ SEIU in their fight for affordable and adequate healthcare insurance. As one of the largest transit hubs in the world, New York needs a well-equipped, healthy workforce to support our local economy,” Assemblywoman Hyndman said. “By establishing minimum wage rates to assist with the high costs of healthcare, the New York Healthy Terminals Act would improve retention, lower turnover and create an environment where experienced workers can envision long-term success.” With 175,000 members in 11 states, including 9,000 airport workers in New York and New Jersey, 32BJ SEIU is the largest property service workers union in the country.
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Health
Bill de Blasio Mayor Oxiris Barbot, MD Commissioner
NEW YORK CIT Y STANDARDS FOR
RESPECTFUL CARE at BIRTH You Deserve: EDUCATION To ask and receive information about your health care, health care provider and birthing options.
DECISION-MAKING To decide what happens with your body and your baby.
QUALITY OF CARE
SUPPORT To receive support during pregnancy, labor and childbirth and after childbirth.
INFORMED CONSENT To make your own decisions about all of your medical procedures.
To experience the highest quality health care.
DIGNITY AND NONDISCRIMINATION To be treated with dignity and respect during pregnancy, labor and childbirth and after childbirth.
For more information about the NYC Standards for Respectful Care at Birth, search SRJ at nyc.gov/health or call 311.
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June 20, 2019
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A ‘benchmark’ for youth social action BY LINCOLN ANDERSON
Y
ou better grab a seat for this one. In the greatest number of schools participating in a citywide parks event ever, students from 30 schools recently unveiled their powerful social-action “bench murals” in Washington Square Park. The brightly painted benches — 30 of them in all — were arrayed along the edge of the park’s fountain plaza, spanning nearly three-quarters of the way around the circle. They bore colorful and thought-provoking art and messages focusing on our world’s pressing topics, from racism and gun violence to L.G.B.T.Q. pride, bullying, the environment and more. The May 30 event was the launch of a citywide exhibition, “CEI BENCHMARKS: Youth Setting the Standard for Social Change.” CEI, or Center for Educational Innovation (www.the-cei.org), is a nonprofit that works directly with students, teachers, local school leaders and the community. The benches have since been scattered around the city — in one park per borough — and will remain on view through mid-September. “Why did we do this?” asked Michael Kohlhagen, the C.E.O. of CEI, in his remarks at the event. “We did this so each of the students could participate in a discourse — and to take a stand. Each of you are leaders,” he told the students. “You are all the future of New York City, New York State and the world. What’s obvious today is that your opinions matter.” The CEI BENCHMARKS program was created by Alexandra Leff, CEI director of arts education. “I’m just so proud of the students,” Leff said. “They painted such powerful works of art. These vibrant and meaningful bench murals have such strong messages for social change. Young people have so much to say and this program gives them a voice through art. There are so many issues swirling in the media, and this program allows young people to join the conversation. It’s time to hear what young people have to say.” The program’s concept is to inspire young people to confront major social issues, become engaged citizens and effect social change through creating large-scale, issues-based murals on benches for public display in a public place — city parks. In all, around 650 students in grades 5 through 9 from around the city par-
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PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY
Students from M.S. 127 in the Bronx with their bench, expressing an anti-gun violence theme.
Alexandra Leff, C.E.I. director of ar ts education, left, with Michael Kohlhagen, CEI C.E.O.
ticipated. The program includes inclass instruction and visits with distinguished guest artists at their studios, museum or gallery exhibitions, or at the schools. At the Village event, the throng of students and teachers filled the plaza between the fountain and the Washington Square Arch. Groups of students each read aloud statements about their individual bench and the message it conveyed and its importance. One class focused their bench on homelessness. “They’re homeless — not hopeless,” one of the students stressed.
Another girl spoke about a bench that she and her friends focused on bullying and L.G.B.T. rights. “There’s a secret message on the bottom of our bench — ‘Wake Up,’” she said, adding, “Get involved.” One girl emphasized the message of the bench she and her classmates did: “Keep immigration, not deportation.” Another dealt with mental health, depression and even suicide. Its message was uplifting. “We want our bench to be like a hug,” a girl with that team of young artists explained. The students did all the painting TVG
themselves. “Autistic and ADHD brains work differently,” read a message on one bench covered with interesting abstract shapes. A bench about gender equity sported slogans like “Equal Pay,” “#MeToo” and “50/50.” In Manhattan, three of the benches are now in Tompkins Square Park, right by the ping-pong table and flagpole on the Ninth St. walkway. One class each from three Manhattan schools did those benches, including Middle School 322M, City Knoll Middle School 933M and University Neighborhood Middle School 332M. Also praising the functional public art were Bill Castro, the Manhattan borough Parks Department commissioner; Matthew Washington, a deputy Manhattan borough president; and Ketler Louissaint, the superintendent for District 75, from which 10 schools participated. “Thank you for taking a stand,” Louissaint told the youth. “Students are showing, if adults won’t tackle tough issues, students are ready to do so.” Virginia Wagner, one of the program’s guest artists, talked about how, through art, students can learn to express themselves. “Young people speak from a place of passion about a better world,” she said, “and they know what that world looks like.” Schneps Media
Roman holiday at art museum squat BY BILL WEINBERG
I
n an outlying industrial area of the Eternal City, along the Via Prenestina, is one of Rome’s most public and eccentric squats, or occupazioni — the Metropoliz. This won fame on the underground film circuit with its 2011 cinematic project “Space Metropoliz,” about squatters colonizing the moon (a nod, if not an intentional one, to Ursula K. Le Guin’s novel “The Dispossessed”). Filmed in the cavernous ex-factory, the flick is on YouTube, and has screened at film festivals in Italy and elsewhere. On a recent trip to Italy, I visited Metropoliz to see it for myself. Every vast room in the rambling former salami plant was filled with bizarre artwork — murals on walls, huge sculptures hanging from the ceilings, surreal, menacing or idealistic. Many were crafted from found industrial debris. But the upper floors were inhabited by mostly migrant families, their laundry hung to dry in the corridors. In the canteen, where a big circle-“A” anarchist symbol hung above the kitchen door, a family of Peruvians was cooking up lunch fare: the typical Italian proletarian dish pasta fazool, and the traditional Peruvian specialty, papas a la Huancaína. Giorgio de Finis, who directed the film and co-founded the squat, sat down with me over coffee in the canteen. “Many squats in Europe are inhabited by artists,” he said. “But this one is inhabited by families. Artists initiated it, but with the political intention to advance what we call the diritto a la città — the right to housing.” (Literally, “the right to the city.”) The salami factory was abandoned in the ’80s, and the space was taken over in 2009 by a squatter movement called the Blocchi Precari Metropolitani (the Precarious Metropolitan Blocs), a reference to the uncertain social status of the disenfranchised. The year after the film came out, the place was opened to the public as the Museo dell’Altro e dell’Altrove di PHOTO BY BILL WEINBERG Metropoliz, or MAAM (the Museum of Ar t festoons the walls of the the Other and the Elsewhere). Metropoliz in Rome. Amid the droves of alterno-tourists groking on the artwork live some 200 migrants — from Peru, Morocco, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea — as well as some Italian
PHOTO BY BILL WEINBERG
The Metropoliz, an “ar t museum” squat in Rome.
families left unemployed and homeless in the wake of the 2008 economic crisis, and several Romani families, otherwise forced to live in camps under what de Finis called a “policy of ghettoization.” But by the time the squatters moved in, the ex-factory had already been bought by the Salini Impregilo construction firm, which wants to build an apartment complex on the site. De Finis emphasized that this development would not serve the communities now living in the Metropoliz. Irene di Noto, another Metropoliz cofounder, sees the project as an experiment in a new form of social organization. “We want to go beyond the dichotomy between public and private,” she said. “What we call ‘public’ today is space not yet appropriated by the private. We want to establish space outside that dynamic — a space managed by citizens, as well as accessible to citizens.” Acknowledging that Metropoliz has a weak claim to the space under the law, she said, “We speak not of legality but
legitimacy — serving the bene comune [common good].” Di Noto believes there are some 6,000 people living in some 100 squats across Rome, and that criminalizing them will not address the social pressures that brought about this reality. “Rent control was abolished throughout Italy in the ’90s, and public housing has been sold off since then; there is less each year,” she said. “Salvini’s ‘Italians first’ rhetoric and security law facilitate evictions.” She was referring to the draconian Security Decree instated by Italy’s far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, explicitly aimed at two broadly overlapping groups: immigrants and squatters. In addition to restricting the rights of migrants and refugees to asylum and government aid, the decree also imposes a five-year prison term for squatting. Italy’s thousands of squatters — many of them displaced from their homelands in the Middle East, Africa and South America — are now in a precarious position.
PHOTO BY BILL WEINBERG
The squat’s cofounders, Giorgio de Finis, left, and Irene di Noto, third from left. Schneps Media
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In a scene from the animated film “Coco,” Miguel encounters the Mariachi in the Santa Cecilia Plaza when he asks Miguel for a shoeshine. Miguel instead tells the Mariachi about his family’s hatred of music and his secret dream to be a musician like Ernesto de la Cruz.
BY MICAEL A MACAGNONE
OUTDOOR MOVIES As part of the Parks Department’s “Movies Under the Stars” series, the following selected films will be screened this week. Reservations are not taken, so space is available on a first come, first served basis. People are encouraged to bring blankets. Contact 212-360-1430 or accessibility@parks.nyc.gov for more information about accessibility. “Coco”: In Disney/Pixar’s vibrant tale of family, fun and adventure, Miguel, an aspiring young musician (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez), embarks on an extraordinary journey to the magical land of his ancestors. There, the charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael Garcia Bernal) becomes an unexpected friend who helps Miguel uncover the mysteries behind his family’s stories and traditions. This is a “Heritage of Pride family movie night,” co-hosted by Hudson River Park and Miss Richfield 1981, a drag legend who wins over audiences with her warmth and edgy improv. Fri., June 21, 6:30 p.m. at Pier 45, at Christopher St. “The Joy Luck Club”: This event is being co-sponsored with the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA), and Schneps Media
is one of the four film screenings that will occur in Columbus Park. The film documents the stories of four Chinese women and their daughters as they reflect and guide each other. Rated R. You should arrive before 8 p.m. to get your spot. Fri., June 21, 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m, at Columbus Park, at Mulberry and Baxter Sts. “Mary Poppins Returns”: Mary Poppins returns, indeed, during Michael’s most desperate hour to lend him a helping hand. With Michael’s house in danger of being repossessed, she whips up a little magic to remind him of the importance of family. Rated PG. Before the screening, there will be activies related to the movie. You should arrive before 8 p.m. to get a good spot. Sat., June 22, 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m, at Corporal John A Seravalli Playground, at Horatio and Hudson Sts. “Stonewall Uprising”: This screening will be an official event of the first WorldPride in the United States, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar on Christopher St., on June 28, 1969, the gays fought back, and the streets erupted into violent protests that lasted for six days. “Stonewall Uprising,” a film from PBS American Experience, tells the story of the Stonewall Riots, a major turn-
ing point in the modern gay civil-rights movement. Filmmakers Kate Davis and David Heilbroner will be in attendance. Movie begins at dusk and you should arrive before 8:30 p.m. to get a seat. Wed., June 26, 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m, at the Washington Square Arch in Washington Square Park.
ART MetFridays: Celebrate Pride: Celebrate Pride with an evening of gallery talks, panel discussions, art-making activities and dancing at one of New York’s most vibrant cultural institutions. All events are free with museum admission. Events are far ranging, from a voguing workshop to a talk with Karen Van Godstenhoven, the associate curator of The Costume Institute at The Met. Fri., June 2, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., at The Met, 1000 Fifth Ave., at E. 82nd St.
NATURE Hudson River Nature Walk: Learn about Hudson River Park’s wildlife by joining knowledgeable naturalists on guided nature walks along the park’s esplanade throughout the summer. Each nature walk is unique and offers a oneof-a-kind treasure hunt-like experience. TVG
Park naturalists will meet participants at the Christopher St. Fountain, just north of Pier 40, at 9 a.m. sharp. Wear comfortable shoes and dress appropriately for the weather. Sun., June 23, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., at Christopher St. Fountain near Pier 45. This event occurs every Sunday until Sept. 22. Event is free but registration is required at https://hudsonriverpark.org/events/hudson-rivernature-walk
TALKS Lunch with Gary Simmons: Join the School of Visual Arts and the MFA Art Practice in its Lunchtime Lecture Series every Tuesday this summer from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. This Tuesday’s talk will be by Gary Simmons, a renowned Los Angeles-based artist whose work draws from American pop culture to explore racial identity and cultural politics. Tues., June 25, 12:30 p.m. 2 p.m., at MFA Art Practice, 335 W. 16th St., fifth floor.
COMMUNITY BOARD Community Board 3 meets Tues., June 25, at 6:30 p.m. at P.S. 20, 166 Essex St., between E. Houston and Stanton Sts. June 20, 2019
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Real Estate
Ruggles’s gift: The key to Gramercy Park BY MARTHA WILKIE
T
hose new to New York are often surprised by Gramercy Park — a beautifully landscaped gem, but one with a fence and a locked gate. So how does one get in? The key to getting a key is owning a home on the park and paying an annual fee. Samuel B. Ruggles, a lawyer and politician, donated the land for the park in 1831 and set up the covenant that survives to this day. “Come what will, our open squares will remain forever imperishable,” Ruggles declared. “Buildings, towers, palaces, may molder and crumble beneath the touch of time; but space — free, glorious, open space — will remain to bless the City forever.” An 1851 tribute admired his modesty: “Dis-
daining, too, the personal vanity of entailing his own name upon this creation…he preserved the name by which the old estate was known, the Gramercy Seat.” Arlene Harrison, president of the Gramercy Park Block Association, is the Mayor of Gramercy Park. “I love living here because of the unique gift Ruggles gave us, a ‘private ornamental park’ with its surrounding residential lots,” she said. “This has engendered a close-knit community, where we take care of each other, as well as neighbors in need through Neighbors Helping Neighbors. As the steward of Ruggles’s legacy, it is my mission to preserve the park and neighborhood for future generations.” Lynne Lerner, an agent with Compass, is a longtime Gramercy resident. “From limestone details, to neoGothic stonework, from Queen Anne to Georgian
This Gramerc y Park view, above, is yours — for $2.5 million. The terrace at 4 4 Gramerc y Park Nor th, left.
Revival, the architecture of Gramercy Park has distinct character and a sense of time and place. Gramercy Park is a neighborhood steeped in history. Life here is a reprieve from the stresses of everyday life and a joy to experience.”
On Gramercy Park North, a two-bedroom, two-bath coop in a 1930 building has a working fireplace, beamed ceilings and a view of the park. $2.5 million. (Compass.com/listing/44-gramercy-park-north-unit-7c-manhattan-ny10010/139995114029220337/) In the same building, a sweet onebedroom, one-bath has a dramatic casement window. The doorman elevator building has a wonderful roof deck with Empire State Building views. $725,000. (Brownstoner.com/listing/URBANCOMPASS-88982286405494769/44gramercy-park-n-gramercy-park-ny10010/) On the market at 60 Gramercy Park North is a two-bedroom, one-and-ahalf bath co-op in a 1928 building with a gracious lobby. $1.649 million. (Elliman.com /new-york-city/60 gramercy-park-north-6k-manhattanlfnaisw) A one-bedroom, one-bath Gramercy Park South co-op is newly renovated and sports a sleek kitchen. $799,000. (C orcoran.com /nyc-real- estate / for-sale/gramercy/31-gramercy-parksouth-apt-2a/5703050)
The lobby at 60 Gramercy Park North is suitably distinguished looking.
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