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27-3 2017
A cyclist rides in the protected bike lane on Eighth Avenue near 26th Street. Under a new proposal, DOT would install a southbound protected lane on Seventh Avenue. Photo: Michael Garofalo State Sen. Daniel Squadron’s community convention featured breakout workshops where residents could discuss everything from transportation to tenants’ rights. Photo courtesy of Sen. Squadron’s office
‘STAY STRONG, STAY ACTIVE’ COMMUNITY Squadron’s community convention takes a national tone BY MADELEINE THOMPSON
State Senator Daniel Squadron’s ninth annual community convention last Sunday was studded with stars of the political scene, from Public Advocate Letitia James to U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. Schumer railed against President Donald Trump and praised Squadron, who was his former aide and co-authored his book “Positively American: Winning Back the Middle Class Majority One Family at a Time.” “[Trump] scares us in so many
ways,” Schumer said. “But I will tell you this: I am ready for the fight. Stay strong, stay active, keep protesting. We will take America back.” The convention’s keynote speaker was Akeem Browder, whose brother Kalief committed suicide at age 18 after being held on Rikers Island for three years without a trial, sparking a demand for criminal justice reform. “The system of policing has earned our mistrust in the community,” Browder said. “At its best, the practice allows community members to feel heard, respected and empowered to help police control crime in our neighborhoods, rather than feeling that the officers are solely there to enforce the law.” Squadron introduced legislation called “Kalief’s Bill” in 2015 to ensure that criminal cases go to trial in a rea-
sonable time frame, but it was blocked during the most recent budget negotiations. A bill to end the trial of 16- and 17-year-olds as adults, however, was passed. After more words from Council Member Margaret Chin and Comptroller Scott Stringer, attendees were shepherded to workshops held in the classrooms of Stuyvesant High School where they discussed topics such as tenants’ rights and transportation. Maureen Koetz, a Lower Manhattan resident who challenged former Assembly Member Sheldon Silver in 2014, was eager to participate in the environment-related workshop. “The air, land and water capacity of the city of New York is already overloaded,”
BIKE LANE PLANNED FOR 7TH AVENUE TRANSPORTATION DOT proposal calls for protected passage from 30th Street to Clarkson Street BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
Like high-rise condos and Starbucks locations, the number of green-painted bike lanes in Manhattan seems to be ever-increasing. A mile-and-a-half long stretch of Seventh Avenue from Chelsea to Greenwich Village is next in line for reconfiguration, as laid out in the city Department of Transportation’s latest proposal.
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Under the plan, DOT would install a parking-protected bike lane on Seventh Avenue from West 30th Street in Chelsea to Clarkson Street in Greenwich Village, where Seventh Avenue South becomes Varick Street. DOT would remove one lane of vehicle traffic to make room for a curbside bike lane on the left side of the southbound avenue, where cyclists would be shielded from passing cars by a buffer of parallel street parking and pedestrian crossing islands. The number of lanes for motor vehicle traffic on Seventh Avenue would be reduced from four to
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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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