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WEEK OF JULY RICHARD GERSTL’S GENIUS < P.12
20-26 2017
Famed gossip columnist and nightlife chronicler Michael Musto in a familiar pose, riding what he calls his “girl’s bike” down Lexington Avenue in the East 20s. Photo: Streetfilms “Il Ciclista Dolce: Michael Musto” screen shot
Council Member Margaret Chin and Mayor Bill de Blasio at the June 21 town hall meeting at the Chinatown YMCA/University Settlement. Photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
CHIN’S TOWN HALL EVENT SCRUTINIZED POLITICS Norman Siegel, the civil rights attorney, says police’s seizure of political literature is unprecedented BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
The confiscation of political flyers and other campaign material by police prior to a town hall meeting hosted by Council Member Margaret Chin and attended by Mayor de Blasio last month has received more scrutiny.
The prominent civil rights attorney Norman Siegel and others have since denounced events alleged to have taken place prior to the June 21 event, with Siegel calling the police action unprecedented. “It’s unheard of,” said Siegel, a former director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “In all the years doing what I do in New York, I’ve never heard about cops confiscating political literature at a public meeting so it’s got to stop.” According to several people who attended the town hall, uniformed and plainclothes NYPD personnel at a se-
curity tent riffled through would-be attendees’ personal belongings and seized political flyers, banners and signs critical of either Chin or de Blasio or that supported opposition candidates before they allowed people into the YMCA on the Bowery. In letters to de Blasio and police Commissioner James P. O’Neill, Siegel said “Such actions by state actors raise serious constitutional concerns.” In the July 8 letters, Siegel said the confiscations raised several ques-
CALAMITY AND THE GOSSIP COLUMNIST SAFETY Michael Musto was knocked down and badly hurt by a “crazed cyclist.” Now he can’t wait to ride his own bike again BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN
Michael Musto has rather strong opinions about public transportation: “I hate subways! I hate cabs! I hate Ubers!” he says. “I don’t want to get stuck in traffic. I don’t want to be late for any of my appointments.”
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He never is. For more than three decades, the downtown icon, nightlife columnist, celebrity chronicler and pop-culture fixture has scooted off to screenings, shows, premieres and nightclubs on his trusty bicycle. “It’s a wonderful way to see how the city is evolving — to see it up close and personal in a way that is true,” says Musto, a pioneer of the Out movement as one of the city’s first openly gay gossip columnists. That makes the former Village Voice mainstay — he penned “La Dolce Musto” from 1984 until 2013, when he was, unaccountably, laid
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WEEK OF APRIL
SPRING ARTS PREVIEW < CITYARTS, P.12
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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