The local paper for Downtown MOMA REIMAGINED
◄ CITY ARTS, P.12
‘BREAKING THE BRONZE CEILING’ HISTORY
WEEK OF WEEK OF OCT.-NOV. OCTOBER
31-6 31-no2019
INSIDE
MY FAVORITE NYC MOVIES Jon Friedman picks his top 20. p. 8
Next year, Central Park will finally get a statue of real women, just in time for the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment BY JASON COHEN
First Lady Chirlane McCray hosts the Fourth Annual Faith Leaders ThriveNYC Breakfast at Gracie Mansion on April 11, 2019. Photo: Joanna Graham/Mayoral Photography Office
FACING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS POLICY
New effort by City Hall to address an old problem BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM
The fatal police shooting of a bipolar man at a Brooklyn nail salon Friday has brought even more scrutiny on the de Blasio administration, which had been facing questions last week about its management of ThriveNYC, the city’s men-
tal health initiative, after millions in funding that critics say has provided little in measurable results. Police were attempting to arrest a man for allegedly urinating inside the Brownsville store when Kwesi Ashun reportedly ran inside and struck an officer in the head with a chair, according to media accounts of the incident. Officers then shot Ashun, 33, six times and he died. The New
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There are 23 monuments in Central Park, including a Polish king, a Prussian naturalist and a sled dog. Not one depicts real women. That will change next. On Oct. 21, the NYC Parks Department and the New York City Public Design Commission approved a statue designed by the volunteer-led non-profit Monumental Women. The statue will feature women’s rights pioneers New Yorkers Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Sojourner Truth. It will be unveiled Aug. 26, 2020 at Central Park’s famed Literary Walk, which will also mark the centennial anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, when women won the right to vote. Currently, the park
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A GLIMPSE INTO SALINGER’S LIFE AND WORK New York Public Library exhibit gives fans a new look at the author. p. 13
MIXED REVIEWS FOR WEST 96TH ST. PROJECT Sculptor Meredith Bergmann at work on the statue in her studio.
CB7 reviews plans for new 23 story building. p. 18
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SPRING ARTS PREVIEW
WEEK OF APRIL
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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 a lay point of view,” lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders separate a in and then, how he arrived his decision, detailing Visitors to the blog at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want unthey whether really 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 indiArbitration Man, 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 actions the owners, policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s quantitative give us the first with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step problem. the xing fi of deformality for To really make a difference, process is a mere complete their will have to to are the work course, the advocaterising rents, precinct, but chances-- thanks to a velopers looking 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 lives on who problem. Angelo, vexing most said Mildred construction permits gauge what Buildings one of the Ruppert 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 on the Over the past 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 Every New Yorker clang, tion Act tangible signs go as they please. work between early, and some come metal-on-metal can construction any small sound: the or on the weekend, have no respect.” the piercing of progress. For many can’t come p.m. and 7 a.m., the hollow boom, issuance of these business owners, that moving in reverse. as after-hours. The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you 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
Newscheck
for dollars in fees ated millions of and left some resithe city agency, that the application dents convinced
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