Our Town Downtown - March 10, 2016

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The local paper for Downtown wn THE MET'S NEW MODERNISM

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THE POPE’S VISIT, SIX MONTHS LATER The last six months have been the most exhilarating -- and the most trying -- periods of Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s seven-year stint as the leader of New York’s 2.5 million Catholics. Last year’s visit by Pope Francis -- overseen at every step by Archbishop Dolan -- was an unqualified success for the city and the church. And it served as a welcome reprieve following months of controversy surrounding the diocese’s move to close parishes throughout New York. On the eve of the holiest part of the church calendar, Dolan talked to Editor in Chief Kyle Pope about Francis, income

inequality and what he was warned about before moving to New York.

years have passed that you can really appreciate the impact that a visit like this has had. For instance, the last papal visit prior to this one was in 2008, when Pope Benedict was here. And, last year and this year we have larger than normal ordination classes – young men who chose to answer God’s call to a priestly vocation, inspired, at least in part by Pope Benedict’s visit. So, we’ll have to see in five or so years what other changes might arise out of last year’s visit by Pope Francis. Some things, of course, were immediately obvious. So much of what Pope Francis talks about – caring for the poor and those on the margins, welcoming immigrants, extending a merciful

Last year’s visit to New York by Pope Francis generated great enthusiasm for the church, from Catholics and non-Catholics alike. What in your mind has been the most enduring legacy of that visit? I don’t think we’ll know the full effects of Pope Francis’ visit for some time. As you may know, New York has hosted more visits by a Pope than any other diocese in the country – the visit by Pope Francis was the fifth time that a Pope has visited here – and those who have been involved in past visits have told me that it is only when you look back after a few

hand to those who feel alienated from the church – are things that the archdiocese has been doing, usually without any fanfare or publicity. Pope Francis allowed us to shine a spotlight on those efforts, helping us to better serve those in need. Another positive outcome was the impact that the Pope’s visit had on everyday New Yorkers, even those who weren’t able to attend any of the events with him. We’re getting close to six months since he was here, and everywhere I go, not just here in New York but around the country, people still can’t wait to tell me how moved they were by his visit, how wonderfully they thought everything went, how much they love this Pope.

As someone who accompanied the Pope on his visit here, what is the one moment that most touched you personally? CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

NYPD TRAINS CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAMS Head of Battery Park nonprofit long lobbied for police to institute mental health program BY EMILY TOWNER

In October of 1984, a team of city police officers tried to enforce an eviction order against a Bronx woman by the name of Eleanor Bumpurs. Following an altercation during which Bumpurs, 66 and with a history of mental illness, tried to slash an officer with a knife, another officer fired two rounds from his shotgun, killing her. In the decades since, and following several similar incidents nationwide, more than 2,000 municipalities and their police departments created socalled “crisis intervention teams”

to train officers to better respond to incidents involving emotionally disturbed people. New York City was not among them. Until 2015. That the city and its police force eventually came around to the notion of training its officers to recognize and then effectively handle potentially explosive situations involving people with psychological issues is largely due to the efforts of Steve Coe, CEO of Community Access, a Battery Park nonprofit dedicated to helping people with mental health problems. “If I’m good at anything, it’s organizing for advocacy,” Coe said recently. “When Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg’s term was up, and there was going to be a new mayor and police commissioner, we created the group, Communities

for Crisis Intervention Training.” The group had meetings, created a website and eventually drafted a position statement. “We found allies all over the place,” he said. Still, incidents involving police and the mentally disturbed kept happening, often escalating into full-blown confrontations, or worse. Coe recounts a couple as if he were there: A man’s wife is arrested after police think the husband is having a psychiatric breakdown when he’s in fact experiencing heart trouble; two innocent bystanders are shot in Times Square by police pursuing an emotionally disturbed man. “Next thing we knew, these individuals were at our press conferences. We

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Steve Coe, the CEO of the Battery Park nonprofit Community Access, on the steps of City Hall in February 2014 during a press conference in which he urged local and state legislators to help initiate crisis intervention teams within police departments. To his right, state Senator Kevin Parker, also an advocate for the teams. Downtowner

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FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE

is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration view,” of a lay point lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing blog the to Visitors at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiMan, Arbitration suc in 1985, settling vidual practice

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MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20

2015

In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS

The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step fixing the problem. of for deTo really make a difference, is a mere formality will have to the work process looking to complete their advocate are the chances course, velopers precinct, but rising rents, -- thanks to a find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She Over the past on the is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits

SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS

A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311

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for dollars in fees ated millions of and left some resithe city agency, that the application dents convinced

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