The local paper for Downtown wn
WEEK OF DECEMBER
THE BEST OF MANHATTAN IN 2015,
17-23
SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE
2015
TECHIES FOR THE FUTURE
Our Take MAKE OUR SCHOOLS SAFE
Hands-on initiatives introduce city’s Girl Scouts to coding, in preparation for possible careers in computer sciences BY MAYA DANGERFIELD
At the downtown offices of The Girl Scouts of Greater New York Saturday morning, Najwa Khass, a 15-year-old Girl Scout, peered over the shoulder of a younger scout and scrutinized a line of symbols on a computer screen. “Make sure you put a semicolon here,” Khass said, pointing at the screen. “Or else the code won’t work.” Khass was among 100 elementary and middle school girls, scout leaders and volunteers from throughout the city dissecting the nuances of computer programming. Working in pairs under the supervision of older scouts like Khass, the scouts edited videos using JavaScript, a common programming language. In a partnership with Vidcode — a new woman-led startup that teaches coding to girls — the event was part of a wider observance of Computer Science Ed-
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WHAT’S BEHIND THE CITY’S CHRISTMAS TREE-FOR-ALL? A City Council loophole that legalizes sidewalk tree selling has created a booming market BY VERENA DOBNIK
Girl Scouts distil the nuances of programing languages at a TechJam event on Saturday. Photo: Maya Dangerfield
In New York City, even sidewalk space is coveted real estate. Street vendors sometimes spend a fortune or languish for years on waiting lists to acquire one of the permits that allow them to sell goods in tightly regulated locations. But once a year, there’s an exception, laid out in an artfully worded
city ordinance: During the month of December, anyone may sell “coniferous trees” just about anywhere, no license required. It’s a rare tree-for-all. Peddlers flock in from across North America. Big trucks carrying huge loads of trees arrive in the dead of night. Stands selling coniferous trees (some people, but not the city, call them Christmas trees) sprout everywhere. The annual tree ritual brings New Yorkers together on village-like cor-
ners abuzz with neighborly chatter amid twinkling lights. “I like to walk through the smell,” says Tim Albright, a customer taking a deep whiff of a cluster of trees this week. And then there’s that other special green attraction: the smell of money that comes with the right to operate tree stands 24-7, free of charge, no license needed. That lures hardy entrepreneurs like Tom Gilmartin,
This week’s threat against public schools in Los Angeles is terrifying. And it once again focuses attention on school safety in New York City, where more than 1 million kids attend school at 1,700 schools across the city. We’re not telling parents anything they don’t already know when we say that school safety in New York is patchy, at best. Some schools have guards, even metal detectors, others have none. The vulnerabilities seem particularly acute in elementary schools, where educators and parents are wary of rattling young kids. Parents are scared. Every time a new attack hits the news, principals hear from nervous parents who want to know why more isn’t being done. The fear dies down, somewhat, when the headlines fade. (Expect a new crest of phone calls this week, on the L.A. news and a bomb threat in New York that police dismissed.) It’s time for the city Department of Education, the NYPD and Mayor Bill de Blasio to make an aggressive move on school safety. The Paris and San Bernardino attacks prove that we have entered a new phase when it comes to “soft-target” attacks. A comprehensive plan for security guards, tough school-access rules, even reinforced entry doors is urgently needed. After 9/11, changes in air security quickly made it safer to fly in the U.S. Unfortunately, it took the most devastating terrorist attack in American history to make that happen. A similarly comprehensive plan is needed for our schools, and it needs to happen now.
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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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