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COREY STATE ON M.T.A. OF THE CONTROL VILLAGE

Johnson: Let mayor Baldwin leads run the transit system Judson discussion Page 11

Page 6 PHOTO BY WILLIAM ALATRISTE/NYC COUNCIL

Speaker Corey Johnson says that, on transit, the buck should stop with the mayor.

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Lower Manhattan jobs at pre-9/11 level BY GABE HERMAN

mployment in Lower Manhattan has reached pre-9/11 numbers for the first time since the attacks, according to the Alliance for Downtown New York. The organization’s Q1 2019 Lower Manhattan Real Estate Market Report shows that private-sector employment in 2018 grew to 251,334 workers, the highest number since the third quarter of 2001. The employment gains were due especially to strong leasing activity for office space across industries, according to the report. Over all, there were 2 million square feet of deals in Lower Manhattan, which contributed to the area outperforming all other Manhattan submarkets, as well as having one of its busiest quarters in seven years. The report was released May 10 as part of a press conference at 7 World Trade Center. The event was attended by Senator Charles Schumer, along with Jessica Lappin, president of the Alliance for Downtown New York, and local business representatives. “Anyone who doubts this city, ends up losing,” Schumer said. “Anyone who bets on this city, ends up winning. For Downtown and all of New York…the

COURTESY DOWNTOWN ALLIANCE

Jessica Lappin, president of the Downtown Alliance business improvement district, and Senator Chuck Schumer speaking at the announcement of Lower Manhattan’s job figures.

best is yet to come.” “This milestone is important for both practical and symbolic reasons,” said the Downtown Alliance’s Lappin. “Practically, it proves that the rebuilding effort has diversified our city’s economy in a meaningful way while generating thousands of jobs in growth industries. Symbolically, it shows that

our determination and spirit can never be broken.” “After 9/11, we all agreed that our primary responsibility was to commemorate those we lost,” said Larry Silverstein, chairperson of Silverstein Properties, at the press conference. “At the same time, we had to restore the commerce that has defined the lower

tip of Manhattan throughout the city’s history. At the end of the day, our vision was to create a better version of New York. That vision is now a reality. The bottom line is that Downtown New York — a place many had written off — is now the city’s hottest neighborhood.”

City ﬂoats post-Sandy zoning changes BY GABE HERMAN

he Department of City Planning director has released zoning recommendations to help floodproof buildings in vulnerable neighborhoods, including all of Lower Manhattan’s coastline. Planning Director Marisa Lago announced the scheme, called Zoning for Coastal Flood Resiliency, last month. “Through the devastating damage of Hurricane Sandy and the ensuing recovery process, we learned that our zoning laws inadvertently keep New Yorkers from building more resiliently,” Lago said. “Zoning for Coastal Flood Resiliency will help us withstand the next major storm or flooding event, creating a better, stronger, more sustainable shoreline for decades to come.” During the recovery from Hurricane Sandy, many home and business owners ran into building-envelope constraints when they tried to elevate or retrofit buildings. Many had to choose between losing a full floor of space or staying vulnerable to floods, according to City Planning. In 2013, City Planning applied temporary emergency zoning measures to address these issues while complying with Federal Emergency Management Agency construction requirements for Schneps Media

COURTESY DEPARTMENT OF CITY PLANNING

One of the proposals in the city’s new flood-protection zoning.

the provisions. “Flooding is a serious and growing concern for New York City’s coastal neighborhoods,” said Jainey Bavishi, director of the Mayor’s Office of Resiliency. “We must give coastal residents and businesses the flexibility they need to prepare for the next storm —which is exactly what these changes will do.”

areas covered by FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps. City Planning said its new zoning proposals would make those rules permanent while also improving upon them. The new zoning plan would expand the area where flood-resilient zoning provisions apply, and more than double the number of buildings that could use DEX

The zoning proposals would include allowing building owners “to proactively locate all living spaces and important equipment to higher elevations of protection,” according to an outline by City Planning. The plan would create floor-area exemptions to encourage more floodproofing of ground floors, and give more flexibility to elevate mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment — along with backup systems, such as generators — to heights above floodrisk areas, including on roofs or in separate structures. Mixed-use buildings would be able to recover commercial cellar space lost to floodproofing, by relocating this commercial space to the second floor, which is currently not allowed in some areas. The resiliency improvements would not only let coastal communities withstand storms and recover faster, according to City Planning, but could also let building owners save on floodinsurance charges. City Planning said its public engagement process with vulnerable neighborhoods, to develop the zoning proposals, has been ongoing since August 2016. An environmental review and a formal public review process are expected to begin before the end of this year. June 27 - July 10, 2019

Police Blotter First Precinct Tragic vlogger Police responding to a 911 call of a victim floating in the East River, pulled the lifeless body of a despondent YouTube star from the water Mon., June 24, around 6:18 p.m., near South St. Seaport, according to authorities. Harbor Unit police removed the victim to Pier 16, where E.M.S. medics pronounced him dead. He was identified as Desmond Amofah, 29, of Willougby St., Brooklyn, also known as Etika. According to news reports, Amofah’s napsack and phone were recoved on the Manhattan Bridge, and, before his death, he had posted suicidal thoughts about the “walls closing in” quickly on him. CNN reported he had 130,000 followers on YouTube and specialized in “vlogging” about video games.

Subway slash A man told police that he left work on June 16, and was entering the Canal St. subway station at the northwest corner of Varick and Canal Sts., around 8:15 p.m., when he was kicked down the subway steps, causing a laceration on his left arm. The victim then ran up the stairs to confront the perpetrator, who then slashed the victim on the left side of his face with a box cutter, cops said. The victim’s report was confirmed by a canvass of surveillance video. The victim refused medical attention at the scene. Both the victim and the perpetrator were identified as Asian/ Pacific Islander.

Package perp Police said surveillance video showed that on June 19, at 1:23 p.m., a male perp broke into an apartment building at 529 Broome St. with a crowbar, then proceeded to open nine packages and remove property from seven of them. He appeared to be working in concert with another man who was outside the building. The burglar then fled east on Broome St. A police canvass of area was negative.

Subway sleep After a night out drinking with his friends, a man fell asleep at the subway station at Exchange Place and Broad St. on June 19 around 1 a.m., police said. He was awakened at 5:30 a.m. by an unknown man telling him he had to leave the station. Upon leaving, the victim realized his backpack and phone were gone. His electronics’ value was more

On the evening of June 20, the lifeless body of a man was found floating off of Pier 36. The pier is home to Basketball Cit y, which is also used as an event/par ty space and also a Depar tment of Sanitation garage.

COURTESY N.Y.P.D.

The video-game vlogger Etika, who had recently posted about being beset by suicidal thoughts, apparently took his own life earlier this week.

7:15 p.m., found an adult male unconscious and unresponsive in the water. He was removed from the water and E.M.S. medics pronounced him dead at the scene. Not a lot of information was immediately available about the man, whom a police spokesperson said was still unidentified at this time. What is known was that he was a male Asian, in his 30s, she said. The body was “decomposing,” the spokesperson said. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death and the investigation is ongoing.

then $2,000. He went home and tracked his phone to Bedford Ave., in Williamsburg, but it was quickly turned off.

E-bike takeout On June 19, at 3 p.m., a man was eating at Ben’s Pizza in Soho, at 177 Spring St., while his $4,500 electric bike was parked, but unchained, outside. The victim went to the bathroom but when he came back, his e-bike had been removed, according to police. Video footage was available, according to the police report. Police did not say if the victim was a pizzeria employee.

Ninth Precinct Bike burglar

Hermes COURTESY N.Y.P.D.

At 3:30 p.m. on Wed., June 19, at the Hermes boutique at at 15 Broad St., a woman took a $1,050 belt from a display and left the store, concealing it under a bag she was carrying, according to police.

Police say this guy broke open an East Village apar tment building’s rear door and stole a bike from a cour t yard.

when she returned to the spot, the bag was gone, according to police. Security cameras at the Middle Eastern eatery confirmed this. Items stolen included a credit card, clothing, perfume, medicine and makeup amounting to $270. Police said the perpetrator is an employee of another company that delivers meat to the restaurant. An arrest was made.

Sixth Precinct Ice cream haul A total of $1,237 worth of HäagenDazs and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream was stolen from the CVS store at 360 Sixth Ave., at Washington Place, on Sat., June 15, at 10 a.m., police said. A canvass for the two perps was conducted with negative results.

Balaboosta bag

Seventh Precinct East River body

An employee at Balaboosta, at 611 Hudson St., at W. 12th St., put her bag on a hook in the employee area, and

Police responding to a 911 call of a man in the East River near Pier 36 and South St. on Thurs., June 20, around

Police said that on Sat., June 8, around 12:30 a.m., at a residential building in the vicinity of E. Sixth St. and Second Ave., a man forced open the place’s rear exterior door to gain entry into the rear courtyard. Once inside, he removed a 33-year-old man’s bicycle. The suspect is described as a lightcomplexioned male, last seen wearing a dark-colored baseball cap, a black hooded sweater, black pants and lightcolored shoes. Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Department’s 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 or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and tips are strictly confidential.

Lincoln Anderson and Villager staff

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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June 27 - July 10, 2019

Baldwin & Co. mull Village’s outlook BY GABE HERMAN

panel discussion at Judson Memorial Church on June 20 explored issues facing Greenwich Village — prominently, gentrification — and ideas for improving the area. Called “Whither the Village?” the event was moderated by actor Alec Baldwin, and included panelists Reverend Donna Schaper, Judson’s senior minister; Allyson Green, dean of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts; and Andrew Berman, executive director of Village Preservation. Baldwin shared his history with the Village, which goes back decades. He came to the city in 1979 to attend N.Y.U.’s Tisch School. “It was a different New York,” he reflected. “The soul of New York has migrated over to Brooklyn.” But he said the Village has always felt different to him, though years ago the retail scene was different. “Retail seemed subdued, quaint, dare I say, indigenous,” he said. While N.Y.U. is seen as a local colossus, Baldwin said the school must grow to compete, and there’s no going back. He noted that change is inevitable, a common theme of the panel. “There’s more tall buildings in the Village than I can recall,” he said. Baldwin said there is more of a community feeling Downtown than where he formerly lived on Central Park West on the Upper West Side. “We need bold things,” he said, of helping the Village. Regarding all the closed retail storefronts, he suggested, if retail won’t come back, why not turn buildings into affordable housing? When Schaper was asked what she missed most about the pre-gentrified Village, she said, “the low rents.” “The Village can’t be what it used to be anymore,” she said, adding that the neighborhood can’t be expensive yet still edgy and avant-garde. But she felt it was a false choice to paint things as merely being between poor and artistic, or rich and not. “The Village did change primarily by the extraordinary success of N.Y.U.,” Schaper stated. But although the school caused gentrification and forced out the bohemians, she said it also benefits the Village by adding a global diversity. “We are much less white because of N.Y.U.,” she said. Schaper wondered if the university could be corralled into something edgy and experimental, tossing out ideas such as making the school greener, opening N.Y.U. facilities, like the gym, to non-N.Y.U.-affiliated persons on some days, and a self-tax on the school to go toward something like affordable housing in the neighborhood. Schaper said she would like to see all of University Place closed off to cars, to connect Union Square and Washington

June 27 - July 10, 2019

PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY

Andrew Berman, left, and Alec Baldwin on the panel.

dents from around the world and every state in the country. “The culture of the Village is baked into our DNA.” Despite complaints of the university’s impact on the community, she said that without N.Y.U., it was “more likely [the Village] would’ve been an enclave of high-rise condos.” Green said closing University Place to cars would improve the area’s quality of life and cut car pollution. Berman said the federal government wasn’t as invested in affordable housing as it used to be, and that older, historic neighborhoods like the Village had become more desirable recently, both of which have impacted the Village. He said that while N.Y.U., The Cooper Union and the New School were great assets locally, they present challenges in their ongoing need to expand. Regarding University Place, Berman said having more pedestrian-friendly areas is a good thing, but worried the street would be privatized for use by local businesses, which has happened elsewhere, such as Herald Square, he noted. And he wondered where the car traffic would go. “So much of this is about disinvestment in the public good,” Berman said of the government’s role in helping areas like the Village. He said he grew up in affordable housing, which gave him and others a solid start in life, but that opportunities like that are rarer now. The room was about three-quarters full for the event. During audience questions, one woman, wondering what to do about Silicon Alley creeping below 14 St., said that Councilmember Carlina Rivera had not protected the area from possible expansion.

PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY

Reverend Donna Schaper speaking at the event.

Square Park. “Wouldn’t that be fun and different?” she said. The Department of Transportation is currently proposing to make just one block of University Place a “shared street,” with a 5-mile-per-hour speed limit for cars, despite Community Board 2 wanting the whole street closed to cars. Green of N.Y.U. said she has been a Villager since 1986, and her sister was minister at Judson from 1996 to ’98. She said she missed all the bookstores the Village once had. She added that she felt Tisch was a part of the Village, not something working against it. She mentioned she was part of a committee on the N.Y.U. 2031 expansion plan that cared deeply about the megaproject’s impact on the Village. She noted she was not speaking for N.Y.U. as a whole. “We are the Village, too,” she asserted of Tisch, adding the school has stuDEX

The preservationist said it was worth considering that a pedestrianized “connector” between Union Square and Washington Square might only help further spur that kind of tech expansion. Baldwin wrapped up by saying he would love to have this kind of talk again about more issues, especially ahead of the 2020 presidential election, which Schaper agreed with. Afterward, Robert Reiss, a thirdgeneration Villager who comes to Judson occasionally, though he is not a member, said he was disappointed with the discussion and felt it was too soft on N.Y.U. “This is not Village preservation,” he said, calling the University Place idea a “suburban mall” and a “hacky” idea. He said he had had high hopes for the event, but found it “anodyne in content and tenor.” Speaking afterward, Berman said, “I thought it was a useful discussion on a topic that needs and deserves much more time than any one panel discussion can provide.” He said he hoped for more talks about N.Y.U.’s role and impact on the Village, including how to mitigate its expansion and to plan more thoughtfully regarding the surrounding area. “But I think conversations like this are an important venue for thinking about what we want to change about the Village and what we want to preserve, as well as identifying those things we can change and those we may just need to accept,” Berman stated. “Given Judson’s longtime role in the Village, I think it’s the perfect venue for such a conversation, and I hope to be part of more.” Schneps Media

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June 27 - July 10, 2019

6 L.G.B.T historic sites landmarked BY ALEJANDR A O’CONNELLDOMENECH

he city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission designated six L.G.B.T. historic sites as individual landmarks on Tues., June 18. The sites include the Caffe Cino, at 31 Cornelia St., which served as a venue for new and unknown playwrights, most of whom were gay men, to share their work during a time when portraying homosexuality in theatrical productions was a criminal offense; the Gay Activists Alliance Firehouse, at 99 Wooster St., which has been referred to as New York City’s “first gay community center”; the Women’s Liberation Center, at 243 W. 20th St., an advocacy space for women in the L.G.B.T. civilrights movement and lesbians within the feminist movement; the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, at 208 W. 13th St.; the James Baldwin Residence, at 137 W. 71st St.; and the Audre Lorde Residence, at 207 St. Paul’s Ave., Staten Island. “We wanted to recognize sites that were building off of that recognition of the Stonewall Inn, that really were places of activism, of community support, that were involved with moving forward the civil-rights movement for

COURTESY ROBERT HEIDE

John Gilman, left, as Christopher — the upstairs neighbor who just moved in with his boy friend, Joe — with Rober t Frink, right, as Sam the hippie, in Rober t Heide’s play “Moon” at the Caffe Cino in 1968.

later, L.P.C. landmarked the Stonewall Inn — which, until this past Tuesday, remained New York City’s only official L.G.B.T. landmark. “We are deeply gratified that after a five-year campaign the Landmarks Preservation Commission has landmarked these incredibly important

L.G.B.T. people,” said Kate Lemos McHale, L.P.C. director of research. In 2014, Village Preservation proposed the L.G.B.T Community Center and the Gay Activists Alliance Firehouse for landmarking along with the Stonewall Inn, at 53 Christopher St., and Julius’ bar, at 159 W. 10th St. A year

sites, which tell such a critical part of New York and our nation’s history over the last half-century,” said Andrew Berman, executive director of Village Preservation. The preservation group will continue to fight for the landmarking of more L.G.B.T historic sites, including Julius’ bar. When asked about the status of Julius’, McHale cited issues of “historic fabric” — or materials from a historically significant period — as the reason why the building housing New York’s oldest gay bar has yet to be designated. And yet the U.S. Department of Interior and the New York State Historic Preservation Office have placed the building on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. “Julius’ needs more study, in terms of that, because of the integrity issues,” McHale said. “The whole building has been reconstructed.” Indeed, the 192-year-old building was completely renovated in 1982. However, the structure was largely reconstructed in exactly the same style as it was before the bar temporarily closed its doors. According to Berman, since the building is in the Greenwich Village Historic District, its renovations, in fact, were completed under the approval and guidance of L.P.C.

Online tribute brings Stonewall alive, virtually BY GABE HERMAN

n online interactive tribute to the Stonewall Riots launched earlier this month, in time for the 50th anniversary of the historic event. Called “Stonewall Forever: A Living Monument to 50 Years of Pride,” it can be found at stonewallforever.org. The online tribute was created by a collaboration between the L.G.B.T. Community Center, which was founded in the Village in 1983, and the National Parks Service. A $1.5 million grant for the initiative was provided by google. org, Google’s philanthropic wing. An introductory voice greets visitors to the Web site. “Fifty years ago,” viewers are told, “in a tiny bar called the Stonewall Inn, L.G.B.T.Q. people fought back against years of oppression. Today the legacy of the Stonewall Riots lives on around the world, in every Pride march and in every member of the L.G.B.T.Q. community. This monument lives so we all can explore this crucial history and add our own piece to the ever-growing story.” The site allows anyone to contribute to the online monument by submitting a statement — such as personal stories or words of encouragement — and a photo. People from around the world,

June 27 - July 10, 2019

COURTESY LGBTCENTERNYC/INSTAGRAM

The L .G.B.T. Community Center is one of the groups behind the online monument.

and Future of Pride.” “Creating ‘Stonewall Forever’ with support from Google presented the rare opportunity to broaden the story of the Stonewall Riots and provide a richer, more diverse narrative about one of the most influential events in the fight for L.G.B.T.Q. equality,” Glennda Testone, executive director of the L.G.B.T. Community Center, said of the online monument. “We were proud to serve as the conduit to the community to bring a wide variety of voices to the narra-

from Taiwan to Brussels, have already contributed to the site. Cynthia Nixon posted something, as well. “I was 3 when the Stonewall Uprising occurred in my own city — the most seminal, victorious moment in L.G.B.T. history,” she wrote. “We have far to go but seeing how far we’ve come in my lifetime I am so grateful.” The Web site also includes a 21minute video, “Stonewall Forever — A Documentary about the Past, Present DEX

tive, particularly from people of color, young people and the trans community, and are honored to be part of preserving L.G.B.T.Q. history.” The online monument includes a virtual look inside Christopher Park, right across from the Stonewall Inn, with graphics that look like bright rainbow confetti rising to the sky. Some pieces are glowing and can be clicked on to access different sections of the monument. Each of the monument’s sections is on a different era or topic, and includes historical photos and testimonials from people who lived through the times. The first section is “Life Before Stonewall.” The second, “The Stonewall Riots,” features spotlights on the late trans activists Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson. The de Blasio administration plans to honor the pioneering pair with statues, possibly two blocks east of Stonewall at the Ruth Wittenberg Triangle, at the intersection of Greenwich and Sixth Aves. and Christopher St. Other sections include “The First Year of Pride,” “50 years of Pride,” “Activism Then and Now,” and “Love and Solidarity.” The site also has a free app, offering an augmented-reality experience for visitors to the actual Christopher Park. Schneps Media

Reﬂections on NYC Pride and Lower Manhattan 9P A<JJ@:8 C8GG@E On Sunday, millions of people will come together along Fifth Avenue for the NYC Pride Parade. With the city playing host to WorldPride to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, this year’s Pride provides a special moment to celebrate, remember New York’s LGBTQ history and look to what still needs to be done. As the city’s oldest neighborhood, Lower Manhattan is where the story of New York’s LGBTQ community begins. To highlight the neighborhood’s essential and fascintiang, but rarely examined place in LGBTQ history over four centuries, we released Queer All Along, a report on those who faced down struggles, fought for civil rights, created and built their lives downtown. To showcase the diverse and welcoming neighborhood Lower Manhattan is,

we partnered with three local LGBT inﬂuencers -them’s Whembley Sewell, Blue Park Kitchen’s Kelly Fitzgerald and Doug Flores -- for our Be Seen video campaign. Following the three throughout a day downtown, they shared why they think Lower Manhattan is one of the city’s most inclusive and interesting neighborhoods. Our #ifeelseenwhen Instagram contest asked residents, local workers and visitors to share what it means to be seen in this community. We were overwhelmed by the incredibly heartfelt responses. The winner received tickets to march in this weekend’s World Pride Parade. If you’ve walked through the Oculus this month, you’ve seen Live 4 Love from Australian artists Matthew Aberline and Maurice Goldberg. We are thrilled to have helped bring this installa-

tion downtown. More than 20 feet tall, it is covered in powerful symbols that represent freedom, inclusion, gender diversity, friendship and adversity. At night, internal LED lights turn the installation into a largescale lantern. There’s no better way to embody the message of inclusion than with this magniﬁcent rainbow archway at the center of our neighborhood. For as far as we’ve come, there’s more to be done before everyone in the LGBTQ community feels safe being seen. With more people visiting Lower Manhattan than ever before, we want everyone in the neighborhood to know they are welcome here. To that end, the Alliance partnered with Hospitable Me for LGBTQ hospitality training for hotel and local attraction staff. The educational program is an inperson session tailored for tourism staff and manage-

ment, providing actionable education for participants for success with LGBTQ consumers and their allies. And with nearly ﬁfty percent of the LGBTQ community closeted at work in the United States according to Human Rights

Campaign, LMHQ’s June Women’s Breakfast focused on visibility in the workplace. Local leaders from Lambda Legal, Spotify and Blue Park Kitchen spoke on how to implement necessary policies and steps to achieve workplace equality.

Celebrate World Pride 2019

downtownny.com/worldpride #worldpride2019 @downtownnyc

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June 27 - July 10, 2019

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Opinion

Put mayor in charge of subways and buses of New York City. It means we run our subways, we run Staten Island rail, we plan our bus routes — right now the city doesn’t even do that — and we control the toll money from the seven bridges and tunnels currently run by the M.T.A. I know what you’re thinking. That’s all well and good, but how does that help my commute? Those signal problems making you late for work all the time? That is what happens when no one is responsible. It’s the result of decades of misplaced priorities. Our subway signals date back to the 1930s. They’ve never been upgraded because the M.T.A.’s governance structure incentivized short-term glamour projects over the long-term investments we really need. It’s painting the outside of a house that’s falling apart inside. And the result? We allow a 21st-century system to operate with infrastructure that was built in the 1930s — like what is happening now. What about our slow buses? Municipal control would help get our buses moving again because for the first time ever, the city — and not the state

BY COREY JOHNSON

e’ve all been there: Stuck in a crowded subway car due to “signal problems,” or sitting on a bus moving so slowly that you might as well have walked. Frustration with our mass transit system is a New York state of mind we’re all unfortunately accustomed to. But I truly believe it doesn’t have to be this way. The vast majority of the problems with our system can be summed up in one word: accountability. There isn’t any. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is a state authority controlled by the governor, with its own budget that’s approved by a bunch of board members most New Yorkers have never even heard of. It’s confusing, which is the point. How else could the people in charge avoid blame and responsibility when things go wrong? The buck has to stop with someone, and it has to be someone who knows that if they don’t get it right their job is on the line.

COURTESY COREY JOHNSON’S OFFICE

Cit y Council Speaker Corey Johnson wants the mayor to have the final say over the city’s public transit system.

This is why I support municipal control of the subways, which would mean accountability would fall squarely on one person — the mayor

Do you have a Special Occasion?

— would be able to quickly fi x routes that aren’t working and work in close coordination with the Department of Transportation, which is currently under our control. That means better, more cohesive bus service that gets New Yorkers where they need to be faster. It makes no sense that different entities are covering both our subways and buses now. Municipal control isn’t just more accountable. It’s more efficient, too. Making municipal control a reality won’t be easy, and it won’t happen overnight. But this is worth fighting for. We have to think big to solve the problem of how we move around our city. We can’t let fear of the politically difficult stop us from taking on this challenge. We have to get New York City moving again. I’m ready to fight for this for as long as it takes to make it happen. I hope you’ll fight alongside me. Johnson is the City Council speaker and represents Council District 3 (Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, West Soho, Hudson Square, Times Square, Garment District, Flatiron and part of the Upper West Side)

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June 27, 2019

Guest Editorial

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Renewable gas is how city should roll BY JOANNA UNDERWOOD

ew York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority is joining Santa Monica, Los Angeles Transit and a growing number of other transit fleets in adopting ultra-low carbon renewable natural gas (R.N.G.). Every fleet vehicle running on R.N.G. in New York will help meet the state’s ambitious zerocarbon standard — not 30 years from now, but today. That’s a big step forward. But R.N.G. is relatively unfamiliar to clean-energy advocates, and sometimes misunderstood. For example, the article in this newspaper’s June 20 issue (“M.T.A. drive for renewable-gas buses”) quoted Jim Walsh, of Food and Water Watch, arguing that since R.N.G. is like fossil natural gas, it could leak from pipelines and emit toxics and greenhouse gases (G.H.G.) when burned. He also said it would enable factory farms and their negative impacts. These are misunderstandings. Yes, pipelines can leak. But according to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), R.N.G. is the lowestcarbon fuel available today, even taking potential leakage into account. R.N.G. production involves capturing methane emitted by decomposing organic wastes that would otherwise enter the atmosphere and warm the climate. CARB found that G.H.G. emitted from tailpipes of buses and trucks burning R.N.G. is negligible compared to G.H.G. captured to produce the fuel. It also found that over its lifecycle, R.N.G.

PHOTO BY BILL BIGGART/BROOKLYN COLLEGE LIBRARY ARCHIVES

Protesters at the N.Y.U. Loeb Center on Washington Square South.

n Nov. 5, 1985, in a protest at New York University’s Loeb Center, on Washington Square South, activists used a big prop to call for a freeze on deploying cruise missiles. There were antinuclear protests worldwide in 1985 demanding that the U.S. and NATO halt missile deployments that were part of the arms race with the Soviets. In New York City, activists feared that plans to build a Navy port on Staten Island would bring cruise missiles to the city. Years later, the Loeb Center was replaced by a new, larger building, the Kimmel Center. — GABE HERMAN

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June 27, 2019

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made from certain feedstocks (food scraps and manures) was net carbonnegative. That makes R.N.G. a big net gain for the climate and a prime decarbonization strategy. The fact that it is chemically similar to fossil natural gas and can be used in the same vehicles, power plants and pipelines is a good thing. It means that R.N.G. can easily displace natural gas, reducing, not compounding, the natural-gas industry’s climate impacts. R.N.G. can also displace diesel, slashing G.H.G. and toxic emissions from diesel use. Buses and trucks equipped with “near zero” natural-gas engines can run on R.N.G., and they cut nitrogen oxide and other health-threatening pollutants to almost nothing (90 percent below U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards). Food and Water Watch and others are right to worry about the footprint of large dairy farms. R.N.G. shrinks it. Processing farm manures in anaerobic digesters prevents them from emitting methane and contaminating waterways, and yields renewable fuel that farmers can sell. The additional income stream can help smaller farms compete. So what’s not to like? R.N.G. comes from an abundant, 100-percent renewable resource. It’s carbon-free, and displaces dirtier fossil fuels. Once it’s more widely understood, it should be embraced as a key part of New York’s clean energy future. Underwood is founder and a board member, Energy Vision (www.energyvision.org)

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Op-Ed

Letters errs to to the the E Editor di 13): Alec Baldwin is going to tell us about gentrification in the Village when he is part of the problem? The only thing more hilarious would be to have someone from N.Y.U. on the panel. Oh. ...

An open letter to NYC predatory landlords BY JIM MARKOWICH

o the New York City real estate tycoons who are lamenting the new rent laws in New York State: It’s really not so bad. I know, I know. It’s hard to be chipper when you look ahead and you see your return on investment tanking on the whole predatory-equity gamble. Rent regulation was always an obstacle to windfall profits, but you were making progress — chipping away at it since the 1990s. More and more apartments were pried loose from regulation through the loopholes that gave you legal leverage against it, courtesy of successive state Legislatures that appreciated your money. In recent years, you were tempted to up the ante, and get rid of rent regulation completely: Buy up those old buildings at way more than market value — what small landlord wouldn’t jump to sell to you? Remove the rent-regulated tenants…or deny their existence — that could be attributed later to a clerical error, if need be. Put in granite countertops and hardwood flooring. Find a handful of young people willing to shell out $5,000 a month to share each fifth-floor walk-up that you would convert to two or more bedrooms. You knew it would be risky. But your spreadsheets showed great upside potential. (You pride yourself on risk tolerance, anyway.) It helped that some big-name banks were more than willing to repeatedly give you the loans you needed. All in all, it was such a great plan. You even got some buildings started, until remaining tenants started making a fuss over all the demolition-related lead dust, calling 311 like it was some big inconvenience to them and their poor, little kids. And what’s worse — now there are these new rent laws, all in favor of rent-regulated tenants! Who are these new senators and assemblymembers? Are they really willing to listen to tenants, rather than to corporate lobbyists? What’s gotten into Cuomo? So, yes. It’s tough to acknowledge that these predatory-equity plans turned out to be bad investments after all. You may have to put those plans for a third Mercedes on hold. Maybe you’ll have to settle for a vacation in Europe instead of Tahiti next year. But what can you do to mitigate the losses? These tenement buildings with two remaining regulated tenants paying you a grand a month are bleeding your cash flow. It’s not going to be easy to find someone willing to take them off your hands, either, like it would have been in 2015. And you’ll be damned if you’re going to invest in gut renovations now. What good are I.A.I.’s (individual apartment improvements) if they don’t raise the rent to the point where apartments get deregulated? It’s such a mess that you may have to just wake up from the dream — sell and cut your losses. But no developer worth his wine cellar is going to overpay for them like you did when you were caught up in the speculative frenzy. So you’ll have to look for some civic do-gooder — some preservation buyer or a community land trust, or sell directly to the tenants for pennies on the dollar. The PR value of a move like that would be substantial. If the state attorney general decides to investigate and punish more predatory-equity practitioners, something like that could weigh in your favor. Markowich, an East Villager since 1976, is a member of Tenants Taking Control, a group started by former tenants of Raphael Toledano that works with Cooper Square Committee and local politicians “to end predatory equity and reestablish safe, affordable housing in New York City.” A Cooper Union graduate, he works as a computer programer. Schneps Media

Karen Kramer

Setting some things straight A ssemblymember Richard Gottfried voted against the bill to remove religious exemptions for vaccinations. The politician told WNYC before the vote, “I’m wrestling with it. I have always been a ver y strong proponent of maximizing vaccination. But I’m concerned about taking away that First Amendment protection” of religious freedoms.

Vaxx vote outrage

serve the 14A Abington bus loop. The people are counting on you.

To The Editor: I suspect that after all these years of his being only a political employee, state Senator Richard Gottfried thinks he can vote against vaccination and no one will notice or care. Wrong. Only really ignorant people vote against vaccinating children when the facts are that they are way, way safer being vaccinated than being left open to infections and infecting others. And Gottfried is chairperson of the Assembly Committee on Health. Won’t someone progressive run against Gottfried, who has never had a job other than being on the public dole? There must be someone!

Alison Greenberg

Carolynn R. Meinhardt

Pleading for bus justice To The Editor: Re “Save our bus loop” (oped, by Barbara Ruether, June 20): It’s so disturbing that residents who rely on this bus for transport, whether for day-today travel, work or medical appointments, have to plead for justice in the local paper. But at least we do have The Villager to be an important place for getting out the plea, so eloquently stated by Ruether. Electeds, please fight to pre-

TVG

Beyond biomethane To The Editor: Re “M.T.A. drive for renewable-gas buses” (news article, June 20): It’s a potential positive resource, but the hazards of biomethane do need tending to, especially since all pipelines are prone to leakage and methane is quite problematic, in that regard. It’s similar to concerns with electric vehicles, where estimated benefits often don’t take the cleanliness of the electricsupply grid into account. And don’t neglect biodiesel, not from Midwest-cropped soybeans, but from W.V.O. (waste vegetable oil), which major urban areas generate in abundance. Heating boilers and vehicles can be modified to run on 100-percent BD (biodiesel), with controlled storage and distribution obviating much of the greenhouse gases. John Nettleton

Baldwin is hilarious To The Editor: Re “Baldwin gets serious at Judson” (news article, June

To The Editor: Re “Woody Guthrie and the Fred Trump blues” (arts article, May 16) and “Times are achanging’…for protest artists” (arts article, May 30): In the first article, the writer states Bob Dylan got his start at the Gaslight Cafe. Wrong! He first played at Cafe Wha? behind Fred Neil. And Bob often came into my restaurant with Fred to have a mug of coffee. He also later came with his manager Albert Grossman to watch the people playing electric before he went electric. On one memorable evening, after I had closed down for the night, Bob spent some time on our piano working out a tune with John Sebastian. Lights out, place closed, just some light from the street outside. And the second article is completely bogus! Your reporter neglects to mention that Woody Guthrie was a communist! And, as such, he was anti-landlord! Not to take away from Woody’s immense talent as a songwriter. I knew Woody’s children, Nora and Arlo. They were regulars at the Night Owl Cafe. Nora went out with one of the musicians in the band The Strangers in 1965. This article is a cheap shot at our president — and as a left-leaning paper, expected! Joseph Marra 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 27, 2019

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June 27, 2019

Eats

Ortomare: An Uptown ﬁnd for authentic Italian BY GABE HERMAN

or Downtown residents willing to broaden their horizons and foray Uptown once in a while, Ortomare, a restaurant and pizzeria on the Upper West Side that serves authentic Italian dishes, is worth the journey. Ortomare opened in February at 994 Columbus Ave., at W. 109th St. The husband and wife team of Alfredo and Arta Hila, along with Alfredo’s brother Eddie, are the place’s owners. It’s just a few blocks from the 110th St. B/C subway station. Alfredo and Arta are originally from Albania and lived in Rome for many years. They arrived in New York five years ago. Alfredo, who works in real estate, found the restaurant space and loved it, deciding he wanted to open an eatery there with hearty cuisine. The restaurant is one big, light-filled, open room, with brick walls and a high ceiling. It seats about 40, with a corner bar, plus outdoor seating. The pizza is cooked in a wood-fired oven, which Arta said is the authentic Roman style. They even brought in a pizzaiolo from Rome, where he had cooked pizza pies for 20 years.

June 27 - July 10, 2019

COURTESY ORTOMARE

A Neapolitan pizza margherita from Or tomare, which uses a woodfired oven.

The restaurant’s name comes from orto e mare, which translates to “garden and sea.” But there are also meat options on the menu, along with homemade pastas made on the premises. Most of the restaurant’s foods and ingredients are imported from Italy, including flour, prosciutto and cheeses. The desserts are made in-house, includ-

ing chocolate cake, gelato and panna cotta. The homemade emphasis can be tasted in the dishes, from appetizers, like minestrone soup chockful of vegetables, to margherita pizza and fettuccine with mushrooms and spinach. A lunch prix fi xe menu includes an appetizer and an entrée for $14.99, or

DEX

$18.99 with dessert. The brunch menu on weekends and holidays includes pizza, panini, egg and salad options. Other appetizers include fried calamari, Caesar salad and slowly cooked meatballs in tomato sauce from the brick oven. Appetizers run about $8 to $14. Along with many pasta and pizza dishes, which range from about $14 to $18, other main courses include grilled salmon, chicken parmigiana, sliced grilled New York strip steak, and stuffed chicken with spinach and fontina cheese, all for around $21 to $25. Arta and Alfredo share the restaurant’s management duties based around work and family obligations. Arta, a researcher at Columbia University, recently got her Ph.D. there in international law. The restaurant gets busy for dinner and on weekends, but is quieter for lunch since it’s in a residential area, Arta said. “It’s become a neighborhood place where people meet,” she said. “Customers are returning and bringing other people. That makes us happy.” Ortomare is open daily except Mondays. More information can be found at ortomare.com.

Schneps Media

COURTESY NICOLE FELICIANO

The West Prep group in Costa Rica in April.

At West Prep, helping schools abroad BY GABE HERMAN

est Prep Academy middle school on the Upper West Side offers a unique service learning program that gives students a special opportunity to work abroad with vulnerable children in Costa Rica. Seventh and eighth graders at West Prep, at 150 W. 105 St., participate in the program, which partners with the nonprofit Squads Abroad. The group travels to Guanacaste, Costa Rica, where they help to refurbish local schools. This April, students in the program painted several murals in Costa Rica, including educational images for children to learn from, according to Nicole Feliciano, head Schneps Media

of the West Prep social studies department. Feliciano teaches the class with Chante Orane, a West Prep eighthgrade science teacher. During the April trip, the group also constructed a new bookshelf in a classroom, and started to build relationships with the children through art and play, Feliciano said. Feliciano transitioned seven years ago from private schools to the public school system. “The middle school students in my private schools had multiple opportunities to travel internationally,” she said. “Beyond working to close the academic achievement gap, I look to close the opportunity gap for our scholars at West Prep Academy. It is critical to the development of our scholars that

COURTESY NICOLE FELICIANO

The Upper West Side students built and painted a bookshelf during the trip, among other activities. TVG

they have experiences — specifically ones in which they are able to engage within a community — that are on par with their peers in other schools.” While West Prep doesn’t have the budget to fund overseas trips for its students, the staff was able to raise funds and last year brought in $20,000. The money allowed for nine students to travel to Costa Rica. Feliciano plans to return there next February with more students. “We will continue to fundraise on behalf of our students,” she said, “and look for people and organizations who are willing to spread the word about the amazing things our scholars are doing.” June 27, 2019

New to the city or moving to a new neighborhood? Our Family Welcome Centers will

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 beneďŹ ts supplement compensation for transportation centersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; workers to use to acquire quality, affordable health insurance Jordany Bueno, a 28-year-old LaGuardia Airport wheelchair agent, told a panel that his employerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had a seizure at work one day and was rushed by ambulance to the emergency room,â&#x20AC;? Bueno said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ambulance bill alone came to $1,000. I am still paying that and the hospital bills. I kept getting bills and bills.â&#x20AC;? State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi and Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman have introduced the landmark Healthy Terminals Act bills to provide workers beneďŹ ts supplement compensation that thousands of workers at New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At the airports, we fought long and hard to improve our wages and we ďŹ nally won,â&#x20AC;? Bueno continued. â&#x20AC;&#x153;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

June 27, 2019

the expenses for my epilepsy medications. â&#x20AC;&#x153;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 Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been putting off, because of the costs.â&#x20AC;? 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 couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay for a bill of $400 or more if they had an unexpected medical expense, and the same goes for Terminal workers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A large share of workers in this country have medical debt which leads to ďŹ nancial hardship, including bad credit scores that inhibit working

families and poverty that further cripples our communities,â&#x20AC;? Figueroa said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;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.â&#x20AC;? Workers at the town hall shared personal stories of crushing debt and struggles to ďŹ nd 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 speciďŹ cally because he wanted health insurance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Before I became eligible for my companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s insurance, I had not been to a doctor in six years,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;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.â&#x20AC;? He took his employerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health insurance as soon as he became eligible on January 1, 2018. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health insurance cost me $58.85 each pay period,â&#x20AC;? Montomery said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s $235.40 during a four-week month and $294.25 in a ďŹ veweek month. That plan, I believe, has a $5,000 deductible. So, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.â&#x20AC;? 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. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have health insurance because I cannot afford my employerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be sick again. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be depressed again. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.â&#x20AC;? The lawmakers discussed how transportation center workers could use their proposed law to address the health insurance challenges they described. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why ďŹ ght for economic justice only to have the lack of quality, affordable health insurance push you back into poverty?â&#x20AC;? Sen. Biaggi asked. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A stable, trained, experienced workforce that knows the facilities, protocols, and chain of communication is essential to the safe and secure operation of New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major transportation centers. That is why we introduced in the New York State Senate and the Assembly the New York Healthy Terminals Act.â&#x20AC;? Assembly Member Hyndman said the new New York Healthy Terminals Act will establish higher minimum

standards for pay and beneďŹ tsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;including healthcare, holidays and vacationsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;at travel hubs across the city. Starting Sept 1, 2020, the new law will establish an employer-paid beneďŹ ts 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. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I stand with the members of 32BJ SEIU in their ďŹ ght 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,â&#x20AC;? Assemblywoman Hyndman said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;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.â&#x20AC;? 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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Gay City News new look

D O N AT E Y O U R C A R Wheels For Wishes benefiting

BY PAUL SCHINDLER

Make-A-Wish ÂŽ Metro New York

ou may have noticed in this Pride season that Gay City News has taken on a new look that combines both our full name and our initials presented in lower case as gcn. The new logo retains the brand identity the newspaper has built over 18 years, but also The redesigned Gay Cit y News logo. allows for quick identification that ties our Web site, Michael Shirey, who for five years gaycitynews.com, to our presence on served as creative director of Gay social-media platforms. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As New York celebrates the 50th City News. Though Shirey has moved anniversary of Stonewall and World- on to other professional pursuits, his Pride, Gay City News honors the appreciation for the newspaperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mistraditions that have built a vibrant sion made him the perfect candidate L.G.B.T.Q. community but also looks to oversee our rebranding. forward to the progress and chalLook for Gay City News in newslenges ahead,â&#x20AC;? said Josh Schneps, the C.E.O. of Schneps Media, the news- boxes citywide every other Thursday, paperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parent company. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The fresh, online at gaycitynews.com and on Famodern style of Gay City Newsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new cebook, Twitter and Instagram. logo represents our commitment to Gay City News is a sister paper of the strongest possible presence on all Schneps Mediaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Manhattan papers, the media platforms â&#x20AC;&#x201D; print, online and social â&#x20AC;&#x201D; relevant to our readers The Villager, Chelsea Now, Downhere in the city and worldwide.â&#x20AC;? town Express and Manhattan ExThe logo design was the work of press. SERVING MANHATTAN AND THE ENTIRE TRI-STATE AREA

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June 27, 2019

Mermaids ’n’ monsters, Guthries make a splash

Woody Guthrie’s children, Arlo (right) and Nora, were the king and queen of last Saturday’s Mermaid Parade. It was the 37th annual Coney Island confab, known for its colorful — and skimpy — costumes. Later that day, the Guthries also unveiled a new sign dubbing Mermaid Ave. between W. 35th and W. 36th Sts. Woody Guthrie Way. The famed folkie and songwriter lived there in the 1940s, in the Beach Haven complex, with

none other than Fred C. Trump as his landlord. As this paper reported, some Guthrie lyrics about “Old Man Trump” were recently unearthed, and in May were performed — to original music — by Will Kaufman at St. Joseph’s Church in the Village, as a fundraiser for The Village Trip festival in the fall.

Lincoln Anderson

PHOTOS BY MILO HESS

June 27, 2019

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Earle to headline Village Trip BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

fter a successful inaugural edition, the Village Trip festival will be returning this fall for a second round. Suzanne Vega was the headliner for last year’s free concert in Washington Square Park, the festival’s signature event. This year’s headliner is no lesser talent, another famed singer/songwriter, none other than Steve Earle. Earle started out penning songs and performing in Nashville at age 19. Over a more than 30-year career, he has gone on to release 16 studio albums and rack up three Grammy Awards. Some of his better-known hits include “Guitar Town,” “Copperhead Road” and “Transcendental Blues.” Blending rock, country and folk, his songs tell compelling stories, and are driven by his supple guitar playing. The Village-based fest will run from Thurs., Sept. 26, to Sun., Sept. 29, with the park concert on Sat., Sept. 28, starting at 5 p.m. Two other acts will also be on the bill that evening, including The Tall Pines with special guests. The Village Trip is

COURTESY STEVE EARLE

Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Steve Earle will per form at this year’s Village Trip festival concer t in Washington Square Park in early fall.

not ready to announce the guests yet. The Washington Square concert will be just one of the music events during this year’s festival, which will also feature panel discussions on social justice, a program for kids held at LREI school, book and author events, and classical music. Venues will include The Bitter End, like last year, plus Joe’s Pub. More details about the events will be forthcoming. Liz Thomson is the Village Trip’s founder. A Brit with a deep love for everything Greenwich Village, she felt the neighborhood lacked a proper festival to celebrate its special history and abiding famed creative spirit. “I’m thrilled that Steve Earle is headlining ‘Bringing It All Back Home to Washington Square,’ our free concert in the park that is the focal point of The Village Trip,” Thomson told this paper. “He is a wonderful performer whose songs speak to our times. And of course he has an album titled ‘Washington Square Serenade.’ Our second festival is off to a great start.”

Cagey artist makes a ‘psychic break’ BY BOB KR ASNER

edy Zhang, a fine-art major at Parsons, started branching out into performance art last year. But it wasn’t until a Saturday a couple

not speak to anyone except her assistants while performing) was to make people aware that they sometimes put themselves into their own psychological prisons. By becoming aware of this, they can begin to break free. When it was over, she kicked open the door, breaking it. “The most difficult part of this performance,” Zhang explained, “was to get over my own fear and finish it — I didn’t know how people in New York City would react.” For announcements of Zhang’s upcoming performances, check @ hedyyyyyyyyyy on Instagram.

of weekends ago that she put herself out into a public space — in a cage. More specifically, a dog crate, in which she sat for 10 hours in Union Square Park performing a silent piece called “Self Imprison.” The idea, she explained later (she did

PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER

Zhang said she had to overcome her fears to do the cage project.

PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER

Per formance ar tist Hedy Zhang in Union Square Park on June 15.

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June 27, 2019

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June 27, 2019

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Manhattan Happenings New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West.

BY MICAEL A MACAGNONE

PRIDE LaMaMa gathering: L.G.B.T.Q. artists from New York City, Philadelphia, Paris, Italy and South Korea will participate in Stonewall 50 at La MaMa, at Tony Award-winning venue La MaMa ETC, at 66 E. Fourth St., from May 23 to June 30, as part of World Pride. This weekend they present “Contradict This! A Birthday Funeral For Heroes.” Created and performed by Dito Van Reigersberg (a.k.a. Martha Graham Cracker), K. Elizabeth Stevens and John Jarboe, “Contradict This!” features drag, table dancing, power ballads, gender deconstruction and more. Shows on June 27, 28 and 29 are at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 to $25 and can be bought at http://www.lamama.org/stonewall/. Celebrate L.G.B.T. families: Presented in partnership with the L.G.B.T. Community Center, Family Festival: Kidding Around Pride Picnic is a celebration of L.G.B.T.Q. families and Pride. Young ones and their families, caregivers and friends are invited to a summer festival with carnivalstyle games, face painting, a musical performance and lots more. Refreshments will be served. Every week more than 6,000 people visit The Center’s home in Greenwich Village to access life-changing and life-saving services. “Kidding Around” is The Center’s series of monthly play days for L.G.B.T.Q. families with children. Sat., June 29, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at The High Line, at 16th St. and 10th Ave. Free. Youth work it: In collaboration with SummerStage, World Pride NYC hosts a Youth Pride event for L.G.B.T.Q. teens. This event is free and open to the public under age 21, but registration is required. There is a $10 registration fee for individuals 21 and over. Artist Ava Max will headline the event, which will also feature Deetranada and 16-year-old DJ Nhandi. The event will also include a fashion show. Sat., June 29, noon to 6 p.m., at SummerStage, Central Park, at E. 69th St. near Fifth Ave. Artistic uprising: “Art After Stonewall, 1969-1989,” coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, is the first major exhibition to examine the impact of the L.G.B.T.Q. civil-rights movement on the art world. Much has been written on the impact of the gay-and-lesbian liberation movement on American society —and yet, almost 50 years after Stonewall, key artists and their artworks are little known. This exhibition, including more than 150 art pieces and related materials, focuses on the work of openly L.G.B.T.Q. artists, like Vaginal Davis, Michela Griffo, Lyle Ashton HarSchneps Media

FACTS ’N’ FUN Revolutionary trivia: Do you know who won the Battle of Brooklyn? How about what George Washington’s favorite breakfast beverage was? Can you name three important Revolutionary War sites in New York? If you know the answers to those questions (or even if you don’t), bring your friends for a fun night of trivia at the historic NewYork Historical Society’s Library, courtesy of the fact fanatics at Trivia, AD. Ages 21 and up. Wine included with ticket, $20 (members $18). Buy tickets by phone at 212-485-9268 or at www. nyhistory.org/programs/revolutionarytrivia-night. Fri, July 12, 8 p.m., at the Library at the New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West.

OUTDOORS

Enjoy a festive night in the beautiful Elizabeth St. Garden while helping raise funds to save it from the de Blasio administration’s wrecking ball.

ris, David Hockney, Greer Lankton, Robert Mapplethorpe, Catherine Opie and Andy Warhol, and also considers the practices of such artists as Vito Acconci, Diane Arbus, Judy Chicago, and Barkley Hendricks, in terms of their engagement with a newly emerging queer subculture. Divided into two parts, the show is on view at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, at 26 Wooster St., which will primarily present works from the 1970s, and at the Grey Art Gallery, at 100 Washington Square East, which will focus on art from the 1980s. Through Sun., July 21. Free. Piecing it together: Brookfield Place is partnering with the WorldPride / Stonewall 50 AIDS Memorial Quilt Display Initiative. In collaboration with L.G.B.T.Q. community leaders, Brookfield Place, along with other city-based institutions, will display nine panels from the The AIDS Memorial Quilt. This is the second time The AIDS Me-

morial Quilt initiative is visiting Brookfield Place. One thousand quilts were displayed in the Winter Garden in June 1992. Through July 1, at the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place, 230 Vesey St. Free.

FOURTH OF JULY Some history, by George: Join the New-York Historical Society for its Revolutionary Summer opening day by exploring George Washington’s encampment. Enter the Headquarters Tent, meet the man himself, and experience daily life in the Continental Army. Events include a reading of the Declaration of Independence by a “live historian” portraying President John Adams. Free Admission for kids age 17 and under, otherwise tickets are $21 for adults. Buy tickets online at www. nyhistory.org/childrens-museum/visit. Thurs., July 4, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the TVG

Garden defense: This Thursday, the Elizabeth St. Garden will be holding a fundraiser to support a legal team trying to protect and preserve the garden from development for city-sponsored housing project. The funds will also go toward supporting public programming and maintance for the garden. There will be live music, free food and beverages. $50 suggested donation. RSVP to events@elizabethstreetgarden.com. From Freight to Flowers: Join the High Line docents for a free 75-minutelong tour that provides an insider’s perspective on the elevated park’s history, design and landscape. Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., until October. Meet on the High Line at Gansevoort St.

MOVIES Tangled, troubling legacy: This screening is part of “Prison Images: Incarceration And The Cinema.” “13th,” directed by Ava DuVernay, is one of the most informative and accessible documentaries about the American prison system to be released in recent years, “13TH” traces the roots of today’s disproportionately high incarceration rate of African Americans back to the creation of the 13th Amendment, which officially abolished slavery after the Civil War — “except as punishment for a crime.” As numerous scholars, lawyers, politicians and activists in the film argue, the 13th Amendment was a veiled means of continuing the legal enslavement of black people living in the American capitalist democracy. Sun., June 30, 4 p.m., at Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Ave. Free. June 27, 2019

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June 27, 2019

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SPEED CAMERAS ARE

WORKING LONGER HOURS! To save lives, New York City is expanding its use of speed cameras.

On July 11th, the City will start issuing speed camera violations from 6 AM – 10 PM, Monday through Friday, year round. The City will operate speed cameras in 750 school speed zones. Expanding the speed camera law is one aspect of the City’s comprehensive plan to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries. Learn more at nyc.gov/visionzero.

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June 27, 2019

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Real Estate

Your ‘forever home’ right in a garden “little garden in a big city” on “Open Gate Days”; the next one is Sun., June 30. For more information, visit MarbleCemetery.org. If you’re not shopping for a vault, perhaps you might be interested in some of these offerings:

BY MARTHA WILKIE

or an affordable (for the East Village) $350,000, you can buy a place and never have to move again. The catch? It’s a marble burial vault located beneath 3 feet of soil. New York Marble Cemetery (not to be confused with the New York CityMarble Cemetery nearby) is a private cemetery founded in 1831. Epidemics prompted the city to ban burials below 14th St., and the vaults were offered as a safe alternative. Descendants of the original owners are entitled to be interred there, although the last one was in 1937 (check the Web site for your ancestors). Because of the complex ownership scheme, legally, the cemetery couldn’t be relocated and will be there for eternity. For the first time in decades, the nonprofit cemetery association is offering two vaults for sale. It wasn’t an easy process. Caroline DuBois, the association’s president, is a direct descendant of Cornelius DuBois, an original owner. “In order to reclaim a vault, it had to be empty,” she explained. “It was the style of the day to move remains when a family relocated. We had to research the genealogy and prove there were no possible heirs, post legal notices, and, finally, get permission from the State of

A rental studio looking for a tenant boasts generous outdoor space — a roof deck and patio perfect for summer drinks with friends. $2,150. (Brow nstoner.com /listing/CIT IHABITATS-1976007/east-village-ny10003) A furnished two-bedroom, one-bath rental features an ornamental fireplace. $3,000. ( Br ow n stoner.c om / l ist i ng / N T2721530/120-e-10th-st-2-east-villageny-10003) Picnicking in New York Marble Cemeter y.

New York.” The cemetery is a landscaped, walled garden hidden behind a locked gate. No headstones, but worn stone plaques line the masonry walls. Since the vaults are sealed, a loved one could be interred wrapped in a shroud or in a wicker basket. DuBois is passionate about the cemetery’s history. She plans to join her forebears someday.

“I’ll be the fifth generation in our vault,” she declared. The garden may be rented for events —but requests for morbid gatherings like a midnight vampire party will be politely turned down. Weddings are popular. “Often the mother-in-law objects, but once she sees the garden in person, she’s charmed,” DuBois said. The public is invited to visit this

An attractive one-bedroom, one-bath with exposed brick and an eat-in-kitchen is on the market for $565,000 (Brownstoner.com/listing/URBANCOMPASS-91112052063476433/327e-3rd-st-east-village-ny-10009/) A bright one-bedroom, one-bath, with furnished roof deck, dazzles with Chrysler Building views. $600,000. (Brow nstoner.com/listing/ N YCReal-Estate-523797/121-e-10th-st-eastvillage-ny-10003/)

L.E.S. lottery for affordable senior housing BY GABE HERMAN

he city opened its affordable housing lottery on June 19 for apartments at 140 Essex St., a building that is part of the Essex Crossing development and that will be exclusively for low-income seniors. The Lower East Side building will be on Essex St. between Rivington and Stanton Sts. Scheduled to open in 2020, it will have 92 total units. Eighty-four of the units will be studio apartments available through the lottery, starting at $331 per month. The other eight units will be earmarked for formerly homeless seniors. The studio units are open to senior households making between zero and 60 percent of area median income, or individuals earning up to $40,000 per year. There will be a 50 percent preference for residents within Manhattan’s Community Board 3. In turn, half of those units will be prioritized for for-

June 27, 2019

COURTESY BEYER BLINDER BELLE

A rendering of 140 Essex Street.

mer residents of the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area a.k.a. SPURA. People can apply online at nyc.gov/ housingconnect, where more information can be found on the available apartments and income requirements. An application can also be requested by mail, by sending a self-addressed

envelope to: Essex Crossing Site 8/Triborough Finance New Station, P.O. Box 2011, NY, NY, 10035-9997. Applications should either be submitted online or postmarked no later than Aug. 20. “It’s incredibly meaningful that the first building to open as part of Essex Crossing’s second phase will provide TVG

housing exclusively for low-income seniors — an increasingly critical resource on the Lower East Side,” said Don Capoccia, principal at BFC Partners, which is a developer of Essex Crossing. “We’re proud to work with the city to make affordable senior housing services a top priority at Essex Crossing.” Residents of 140 Essex will all have access to a senior center a few blocks away at 175 Delancey St., which opened last year at Essex Crossing’s Frances Goldin Senior Apartments. The ground floor of 140 Essex will also have 9,600 square feet of retail space when it opens. There was an information session about the available units at 140 Essex St. hosted by Delancey Street Associates, another developer of Essex Crossing, on Wed., June 26, at 175 Delancey St., in the Grand Street Settlement’s community room. Schneps Media

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