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10-16 2015
CLINIC’S CLOSURE CALLED SHORT-SIGHTED
Our Take THE POPE’S NEW YORK MOMENT
Activists say city efforts don’t meet demand, need for services BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS
Activists in Chelsea have declared their own health emergency, an outcome, they say, of the inadequacy of city-sanctioned efforts to ease the fallout from the March closure of an STD clinic that served many in the neighborhood’s LGBT community. The AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power and the Treatment Action Group, two prominent AIDS and health advocacy groups, held an emergency town hall meeting on Sept. 2 to draw attention to what they say is a steep drop-off in testing and treatment for AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. According to the coalition, visits to STD clinics are down 18 percent citywide since a planned twoto three-year closure of the Chelsea clinic at Ninth Avenue and 28th Street. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said the clinic would be closed for renovations. In the meantime they’re directing patients 70 blocks north to the Riverside Health Clinic on West 100th Street. Other mitigation efforts include parking a mobile rapid testing van for syphilis and HIV outside the closed clinic and the introduction of three sexual behavior health sites at nearby health centers. But activists said the city failed to give any advance warning and their temporary mitigation efforts are unequal to the task. “We found out essentially that there had been no publicizing of the closing of the clinic,” said Jeremiah Johnson, a research and policy coordinator with
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
Fabulous upcoming New York State events and must-sees at ILoveNY.com/fall15 and inside!
The famed Hotel Chelsea on West 23rd Street between 7th and 8th avenues. Photo: Raanan Geberer
DOWN BY THE OLD HOTEL The Chelsea, a landmark home of the arts, now in flux BY RAANAN GEBERER
“I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel,” begins the famous song “Chelsea Hotel Number 2” by Leonard Cohen, about a sexual encounter with the late Janis Joplin. In its heyday, which lasted almost a century, the hotel was famous as a home for writers, musicians and artists, many of whose names are on plaques that grace the outside of the elaborate red-brick structure on 23rd Street
between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. Today, the hotel is in a state of flux. Signs in the lobby announce that the hotel is now closed and forbid people from taking photographs. A look from across the street into the windows reveals that construction work is under way. Even the sign hanging from one of the rooms that you saw a few years ago that bore the legend “Bring Back the Bards” (longtime managers of the hotel) is gone now. The colorful artwork that once adorned the lobby is also gone,
although the restaurant El Quixote, a mainstay of the hotel since 1930, remains. To understand the Chelsea Hotel (formally known as the Hotel Chelsea), you need to go back to the beginning. The landmarked structure was built in the mid-1880s as an early housing co-op, and was then the tallest building in the city. At that time, 23rd Street was the center of the city’s theater district. However, the co-op went bankrupt in 1905,
Never have the man, the message, and the moment been better aligned than in this month’s visit to New York by Pope Francis. At a time when New Yorkers, like many other Americans, are wrestling with homelessness, immigration and income inequality, along comes Francis, with pitch-perfect timing, to take them all on. The pope, who not only has never been to the Big Apple but whose aides have admitted he hasn’t had much interest, is determined not to waste the moment: his itinerary pretty much bypasses the Manhattan types who tend to swoon at big celebrity, and focuses instead on New Yorkers who have found themselves on the losing end of the city’s astonishing economic transformation. Among them: migrants from Central America and elsewhere, many of whom work in the shadows of the city for fear of deportation. Francis will give a blessing to a group of them on Sept. 25, at a Catholic school in East Harlem. (The previous day, the pontiff will be in Washington, D.C., to address a joint session of Congress. Though lawmakers had hoped for some face time with the pope, he is leaving the capital immediately after his speech to have lunch in a tent with some homeless people and immigrants.) You don’t have to be Catholic to be astonished, and moved, by this pope. The power and timing of his message could not be more welcome, in this city, at this moment in our history.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 Downtowner 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
9-16
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
n OurTownDowntow
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Newscheck Crime Watch Voices
for dollars in fees ated millions of and left some resithe city agency, that the application dents convinced
2 City Arts 3 Top 5 8 Real Estate 10 15 Minutes
12 13 14 18
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SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
WHAT’S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD FALLING TREE INJURES FIVE IN BRYANT PARK New York City fire officials say five people have been injured after a tree in Bryant Park split and part of the tree fell.
It happened around 4 p.m. near an entrance to the popular Manhattan park at 40th Street and Sixth Avenue. A police spokesman says three women and two men were hospitalized with minor injuries. He says the most seriously injured
was a 23-year-old woman, who suffered a broken arm. Witness Alex Gale tells WABC-TV he heard a loud crack then saw several people on the ground. Officers have removed the fallen tree limbs from the park. The parks department says it will investigate what caused the tree to break apart. The Bryant Park Corporation, which operates the park, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. AP
“Carey is a friend to all who have the pleasure of meeting him,” Cuomo said in a statement. “I ask that New Yorkers join us by keeping him, his wife Trenelle and his family in their prayers at this time.” “This tragic shooting — this one by another seemingly random bullet — is the latest heartbreaking reminder that the crime of gun violence must stop. Enough young, innocent people have died, and it must stop now.” DNAinfo. com
CUOMO STAFFER SHOT AT WEST INDIAN PARADE
KENNEDY AIRPORT DOC ACCUSED OF PEDDLING PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
A staffer for Gov. Andrew Cuomo is in critical condition after being shot in the head near the West Indian Parade route early Monday morning, officials said. Carey Gabay, First Deputy General Counsel at Empire State Development, was hit by gunfire at about 3:40 a.m. on Bedford Avenue near Montgomery Street, according to police. The 43-year-old appeared to be an innocent bystander, police sources said. No arrests have been made. Gabay is listed in critical condition at Kings County Hospital, according to Cuomo’s office. The Harvard graduate, who Cuomo described as a “kind-hearted man,” joined the administration in 2011 and formerly served as Assistant Counsel to the governor.
A doctor who has an office at New York’s Kennedy Airport is accused of selling oxycodone prescriptions to his patients, prosecutors said in announcing his arrest. Dr. Gerald Surya, 45, was arrested Thursday morning at his Long Island home on 26 counts of criminal sale of a prescription, said Bridget Brennan, New York City’s special narcotics prosecutor. Surya has treated airline pilots, but prosecutors said none of the patients who bought the prescriptions were airline pilots. Surya was awaiting arraignment Thursday afternoon at Manhattan Criminal Court and it was unclear whether he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. A woman who
answered the phone at the doctor’s home declined to comment on his arrest. Surya, whose office is in a medical facility at the airport, is accused of writing prescriptions for people who didn’t need them. Oxycodone is a narcotic used to treat pain. According to authorities, Surya had been charging patients $60 for each prescription when they started their probe in 2013, but raised the price to $100 after investigators raided his Kennedy Airport office in July 2014. Prosecutors said Surya, who had a second office in Valley Stream, often sold multiple prescriptions to patients for their families and friends. In some cases, a patient would leave the doctor’s office with numerous prescriptions written for other people who never saw the doctor, Brennan said. Detectives and federal agents raided Surya’s office Thursday morning and seized medical records, financial documents and computer equipment, prosecutors said. Surya is a senior aviation medical examiner, meaning he is designated by the Federal Aviation Administration to be able to perform medical examinations on pilots and issue medical certificates. A spokeswoman for the FAA did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
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Electricity is important. And to help you use it wisely, we offer over a hundred tips to use less power. As well as energy calculators that estimate what those tips can save you. Visit conEd.com/WaysToSave for details.
Stroll along the High Line. View the Bronx from the 145th St. Bridge. Take a trip back to the 1964 World’s Fair. Or marvel at the vast difference between the Hudson River and the city skyline. Appalachian Mountain Club invites you to discover another side of our great city. Find us online at outdoors.org/nyc.
SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG
CAR CRASHES INTO TRADE CENTER SECURITY BARRIER Police say a motorist who plowed into a security barrier outside the World Trade Center has been arrested on drunken driving charges. A Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police spokesman says the barrier wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t damaged in the crash. It happened around 1:30 p.m. Friday at the high-security site in lower Manhattan. Police spokesman Joe Pentangelo says driver Paul Cederdahl of Red Bank, New Jersey, was swaying and speaking incoherently after crashing his Volvo, and officers found an open bottle of vodka on the passengerside ďŹ&#x201A;oor. No one was injured. The voice mailbox for a number listed to Cederdahl wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
accepting messages, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unclear whether he has a lawyer who can comment on the charges.
BLING BANG Wearing a nice chain wound up causing a man pain. At 4:40 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29, a 25-year-old man snatched a 14-karat gold chain off the neck of a 22-year-old man after punching the victim several times, causing bruising and swelling to the left side of the victimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face. The incident took place on the southwest corner of State and Whitehall Streets. Police searched the area but were unable to locate the mugger or the chain. The victim refused medical attention and said he could not identify the perpetrator, although a 21-yearold female witness thought that she could. The gold chain stolen was valued at $4,000.
NECK KNICK This was quite the week for chain-snatching incidents. At 9 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30, a 57-year-old woman was riding the number 2 train. A 19-yearold man was standing next to
her and snatched her chain from her neck when the doors opened at the Wall Street station. The woman ran after the chainsnatcher but lost sight of him. She was not injured. The stolen item was a 14-karat goldand-diamond chain valued at $2,000.
TOUAREG TORMENT A car break-in must have made a visitor from Orange, N.J. see red. At 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30, the 34-yearold Jerseyite parked and locked his gray 2004 Volkswagen Touareg outside 23 King St. When he returned at 3:55 a.m., he discovered that the driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s door window had been broken and property removed from the center console, along with a black backpack that had been on the passengerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-side ďŹ&#x201A;oor. The man canceled his credit and debit cards, and no unauthorized charges turned up. Police searched the area but couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t locate the burglar. The items stolen included an iPod 64 GB valued at $650, an iPad 64 GB with Wi-Fi tagged at $450, a Samsung S-4 cell phone priced at $425, a gold ring, gold earrings, a Michael
NextAct Fall 2015 Semester Explore the catalog and register today: www.jasa.org/community/nextact What is NextAct? JASA's NextAct programs are designed for adults 55+ who want to explore interesting topics, meet peers, become activists and make an impact in their communities:
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Sundays at JASA courses at John Jay College Advocacy training through the Institute for Senior Action (IFSA) Lectures and courses through the Ellie and Martin Lifton Institute of Judaic Studies Volunteer opportunities
We create the adventure and all you need to do is show up! Want to learn more? Attend the Sundays at JASA Open House Sunday, September 20 Â&#x2021; DP â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2:00 pm John Jay College, North Hall, 445 West 59th Street, New York City Fall Semester Dates: Sundays, September 27 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; December 20 Â&#x2021; QH[WDFW#MDVD RUJ Learn - Then Act! Join IFSA 0 weeks of hands on training in advocacy and social DFWLRQ Learn from highly acclaimed government, non-profit, and community lHDGHUV Thursdays, September â&#x20AC;&#x201C; November Â&#x2021; DP â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2:00 pm JASA, 247 West 7th Street, New York City Â&#x2021; ifsD#MDVD RUJ FRXQGHG LQ -$6$ LV RQH RI 1HZ <RUNÂśV ODUJHVW DQG PRVW WUXVWHG agencies serving older adults in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, DQG /RQJ ,VODQG -$6$ V PLVVLRQ LV WR VXVWDLQ DQG HQULFK WKH lives of the aging in the New York metropolitan area so that they can remain in the community with dignity DQG DXWRQRP\
STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 1st Precinct for Aug. 24 Aug. 30 Week to Date
Year to Date
2015 2014
% Change
2015
2014
% Change
Murder
0
0
n/a
1
0
n/a
Rape
0
0
n/a
4
5
-20.0
Robbery
1
2
-50.0
39
31
25.8
Felony Assault
1
1
0.0
52
53
-1.9
Burglary
2
5
-60.0
88
108
-18.5
Grand Larceny
24
21
14.3
692
613
12.9
Grand Larceny Auto
0
1
-100.0
14
13
7.7
Kors wallet, clothes, a house key, and various credit and debit cards. The total amount stolen exceeded $1,525.
A2B OR NOT A2B One bicyclist may want to consider getting a heavier bike chain. At 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27, a 24-year-old man locked his electric bicycle to a light pole outside 121 Fulton St. using a combination lock. When he returned later, he found his
bike was gone and the cable had been cut, lying on the ground. The stolen two-wheeler was an A2B Kuo electric bicycle valued at $1,500.
DRUG THUGS Two shoplifters swiped enough meds to open a clinic. At 8:15 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27, two men, one of them a 32-year-old, entered the Duane Reade store at 67 Broad St. They took items of merchandise
from store shelves, concealing them inside a book bag, and then exited the store without paying. A canvass of the area proved negative, but store surveillance video captured the incident. The items stolen were 31 boxes of Mucinex valued at $595, 25 Tylenols tagged at $241, 10 Vicks priced at $126, 10 Dimataps valued at $92, 2 TheraďŹ&#x201A;us worth $32, and 2 Advils priced at $18. The total stolen came to $1,104.
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
Useful Contacts POLICE NYPD 7th Precinct
19 ½ Pitt St.
212-477-7311
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233 W. 10th St.
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ELECTED OFFICIALS Councilmember Margaret Chin
165 Park Row #11
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237 1st Ave. #504
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224 W. 30th St.
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State Senator Daniel Squadron
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ARTSY ASSEMBLY Visitors to the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit on the Saturday before Labor Day, pictured by Rui Miao. Do you have photos that capture life in Manhattan in the waning days of summer? Send them to us at news@strausnews.com
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
DOWN BY THE OLD HOTEL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 and the Chelsea soon reopened as a hotel. Even in the early days, it attracted people in the arts as guests: Mark Twain, short-story writer O. Henry, and poet Edgar Lee Masters, best known for his “Spoon River Anthology” about the lives and deaths of the residents of a small Midwestern town. The greatest fame of the Chelsea as an artistic mecca, however, came at mid-century. Among those who stayed or ivied there were Arthur
Miller, who moved there after his divorce from Marilyn Monroe and wrote “After the Fall” at the Chelsea; Brendan Behan, the Irish poet and dramatist who not only lived but died at the Chelsea and who bragged about drinking 18 straight glasses of whiskey the day before his demise; Thomas Wolfe, who wrote “The Web and the Rock” and “Look Homeward Angel” there; Jack Kerouac, who wrote “On the Road” at the Chelsea; painter Larry Rivers, composer Larry Rivers and others. Starting in the md-1960s, a new type of artist began showing up at the Chelsea — rock stars. In addition to Leonard Cohen and Janis Joplin, you had Bob Dylan (who wrote “Sad-Eyed Lady of the
Lowlands” for his wife Sara in one of the rooms), Patti Smith, Jim Carroll, Dee Dee Ramone, who memorialized the hotel in his novel “Chelsea Horror Hotel”; and Sid Vicious, who stabbed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen to death there. Closely allied to the rock world was Andy Warhol, who shot his underground film “Chelsea Girls” about the lives of his female stars (most of whom didn’t live at the hotel) there. Much of this artistic activity wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of manager Stanley Bard, who befriended the artists, sometimes accepted works of art in lieu of rent, displayed their works, and in general served as a kind of cheerleader. However, in 2007, the hotel’s
board of directors, perhaps looking to take advantage of the decade’s short-lived real estate boom, fired Bard. Since then, the hotel has gone through several ownership changes. Despite fears that the hotel will be made into condos, the current owner, Chelsea Hotels Inc. (formerly King and Grove), has reassured people that it plans to keep it as a hotel. When emailed, a spokeswoman for the group answered that they expect the hotel to reopen in 2017. In the meantime, people can follow the story on the Chelsea Hotel Blog.
The Chelsea STD clinic, at Ninth Avenue and 28th Street, will be closed for renovations lasting two or three years. Photo: Daniel Fitzsimmons
CLINIC’S CLOSURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 TAG. “I think after [we] protested, they did try to put together some Band-Aid responses, basically putting a couple vans on the street next to the clinic, but of course a couple vans are not a replacement for the clinic. It’s not very dignified and it’s not very private feeling, and it cannot serve the same capacity as the Chelsea STD clinic.” Plans to close the clinic go back to 2007. Originally a portion of the clinic was to remain open, but officials said they didn’t realize the extent of the building’s asbestos problem. After workers filed a grievance with their union over conditions the city decided to fully close it during the renovation
work. Activists are now calling for a temporary clinic facility built on site. “We’re looking for some sort of more fixed site location, something more approximating a clinic,” said Johnson. A report by the coalition found that between 2010 and 2014, annual cases of gonorrhea diagnosed in men citywide increased by 40 percent, and the number of new cases of Chlamydia diagnosed in men increased by 15 percent. The report also said cases of primary and secondary syphilis diagnosed in men increased by 33 percent. Those numbers, coupled with the claim that visits to clinics have decreased drastically since the Chelsea clinic’s closure, have the coalition pressing the city and Mayor Bill de
Blasio to do more to prevent and treat the spread of STDs. But city officials have since cast doubt on the coalition’s findings. “Those numbers are misleading,” said a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. “Mayor de Blasio has added $1.1 million a year for STD clinics to enhance services for men who have sex with men. There was also nearly $4 million in the budget, thanks to the city council, to end the epidemic.” The agency, citing its own study, found that between 2007 and 2012 the estimated proportion of city residents being tested for HIV had increased 56 percent to nearly 63 percent. “The Chelsea clinic is only one component of the city’s
extensive services for people at risk for STDs and HIV,” said a department spokesperson, adding that in 2014, about 95 percent of all STD diagnoses in New York City were made at a clinic other than the Chelsea clinic and that more than 80 percent of Chelsea residents with an STD were diagnosed at another clinic. “The Chelsea clinic is important, but a temporary closure to support renovation, combined with extensive auxiliary services during the renovation, will not hinder the city’s ability to end the AIDS epidemic.” The agency added that gonorrhea and syphilis rates have been rising since 2000 in every major city in the United States, Canada and Western Europe, and that increases have occurred in places with universal
healthcare systems and extensive STD services, as well as places with neither of those. An agency spokesperson also said the vast majority of people with STDs in New York City are diagnosed outside of Health Department’s clinics, “which was true before there was any reduction in services.” Despite that rebuttal, the coalition’s findings are gaining traction in some quarters of city government. Public Advocate Letitia James added her voice to the call for funding for a new center in Chelsea at the emergency town hall on Sept. 2. “These rates should be going down, not up,” said James. “We need the mayor and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to make public health in Chelsea a priority. This is a
community that grapples with some of the highest rates of HIV and AIDS in the nation.” Johnson said the Chelsea clinic was also indispensable in providing services for traditionally marginalized populations like undocumented immigrants and transgender and transexual men and women. The clinic was attractive, he said, because testing and treatment was free and required no identification. “This is an incredibly important clinic,” said Johnson. “And we heard anecdotally about a number of people from the Bronx and Brooklyn coming to this specific clinic, presumably because people don’t want to receive services in their neighborhood because of the stigmatizing nature of these diseases.”
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SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
A PLACE TO SIT ON FIFTH AVENUE NEWS A suggestion for bus shelters along the thoroughfare gets an airing BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
Beauty and expediency are skirmishing along Fifth Avenue. The tussle got a public airing during a Community Board 8 committee hearing last week, following an Upper East Side resident’s suggestion that bus shelters be installed on Fifth Avenue along Central Park. Betty Cooper Wallerstein, who takes daily bus trips, said Fifth Avenue is among very few major city thoroughfares without the signature rectangular glass and steel shells. She said the shelters are a necessity, particularly since so many bus lines travel along the thoroughfare. At present, people who travel the avenue by bus have no choice but to stand beside the road to ensure their buses stop to pick them up, she said. And on rainy or snowy days, doing so can be unpleasant at best, particularly for those going home following their workdays at any number of Upper East Side businesses and institutions. “You can wait a very long time” for
buses, said Wallerstein, a former CB8 board member. “There are priorities and I think it’s very important to have the amenities.” Wallerstein’s suggestion drew opposition, some of it pronounced, from members of the Carnegie Hill Neighbors associaton, who said that the avenue’s charm would be compromised
by placement of shelters onto the cobblestone sidewalks. Lo van der Valk said that although he was “sympathetic” to Wallerstein’s suggestion, it merited careful study, not least since Fifth Avenue is inundated with bus traffic. “We have to weigh the other aspects of an initiative like this,” he said. “One
A proposal to install bus shelters on Fifth Avenue along Central Park, such as this one on West End Avenue, has garnered praise and criticism. Photo: Richard Khavkine
of the aspects is that Central Park is a jewel and so is Fifth Avenue and what we’ve noticed is that bus shelters often carry with them a lot of lighting and advertising and that’s going to detract from our iconic Fifth Avenue.” David Stoll was more forthright, calling Wallerstein’s proposal “an awful idea.” “Aesthetics matter,” he said, calling the park side of Fifth Avenue “special.” “To clutter it with plastic and metal would be a real shame. We have enough ugliness in the city, we don’t need more,” he said. Stoll, who lives on Fifth Avenue in the 90s and takes the bus to work, said trees along the sidewalk usually provide sufficient protection from the elements, making the shelters mostly unnecessary. “We don’t have too many special places in New York that aren’t being overrun with development,” he said. “I just don’t see how this makes any sense.” Board members who spoke up appeared split on the idea. One who said she was opposed, Michele Birnbaum, said installation of the shelters would irretrivably compromise the distinctive sidewalks. “Theres a design to it, there’s a uni-
formity to it, there’s a history to it,” she said of the walk’s motifs. She also said the shelters would be redundant given the abundance of benches along Central Park’s outer wall. “You can be seated at that bench and see a coming bus from blocks away,” she said. A. Scott Falk, though, said that the wide sidewalks — 30 feet — can make it difficult to get from the benches to curbside once a bus comes into view since bus drivers do not typically stop for people seated at the benches. “Part of better bus service is also better amenities for bus riders,” he said. Hedi White said the proposal was at the very least worth exploring. “I’m a little conflicted when I hear strictly aesthetics superseding the needs of public citizens ... especially those that can’t jump or don’t jump in a cab all the time and have to wait for the bus,” she said. Without taking official action, committee members collectively agreed to further explore Wallerstein’s suggestion and to seek input and opinion from relevant organizations and agencies. One that is likely to have significant input is the Central Park Conservancy, which is tasked for maintaining the park’s perimeter. “It has not been brought to us,” said Elizabeth Kaledin, a conservancy spokeswoman. “We’re not the decider,” she said, but “we will be asked our opinion.”
POPE TO FOCUS ON IMMIGRANTS IN NEW YORK VISIT NEWS Planned stops for pontiff include a Catholic school in East Harlem BY VERENA DOBNIK
Pope Francis will offer a special blessing to a group of immigrants and refugees in New York, including those who are undocumented, highlighting two contentious issues in American politics. The Sept. 25 encounter with about 150 mostly Spanish-speaking New Yorkers “is about the values and the message that he has articulated as pope,” the head of New York’s Catholic Charities, Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, told a news conference at a church in Harlem. Francis has made helping immigrants a top priority of his pontificate, decrying what he called the “globalization of indifference” toward migrants and refugees. The pope will address a joint meeting of Congress on Sept. 24, where he is expected to press lawmakers for generous and welcoming policies toward immigrants. His efforts come as questions intensify about inaction over Syria’s civil war and Europe’s migrant crisis. By contrast, Donald Trump, currently the leading Republican presidential candidate, says he would deport millions of undocumented immigrants. Among those the pope will bless at Our Lady Queen of Angels School in East Harlem are youngsters from violence-torn Central American countries who crossed the border alone, refugees who
fled persecution and are seeking asylum, struggling American-born minorities and disabled immigrants. Francis will also meet a group of Catholic schoolchildren. Manhattan resident Yvette Suazo, her 14-yearold daughter, Chelsea, and 4-year-old son Kingson hitchhiked from Honduras to the U.S. about two years ago. Life at home had become precarious, with her daughter in danger of being raped each time she left the house, the mother said after the news conference. Asked whether she had documents allowing her to live in New York legally, Suazo said, in Spanish, “Nada” -- nothing. As a result, she cannot look for a job and depends on her sister while her status is clarified. “But I hope the opportunity to be here legally will open for us,” she said in Spanish. The insecurity did not deter those who were introduced at the church from giving their names and describing their plight. “I left because of the crime and so many people on drugs,” said Cristhian Contreras, who was 14 when he and a few friends fled from Honduras by foot across the U.S. border. Now 16, he lives in the Bronx, attends high school and is a member of a soccer team with fellow immigrants. His mother works as a housekeeper, but fears deportation. He never knew his father. Cristhian is counting on the pope’s blessing, he said as smile filled his face. He added, this time in Spanish, “I’m one of the few people invited to be with the pope. And if I have the chance, I’ll ask him to pray for us and our countries.”
SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
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SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Voices ATTENTION MUST BE PAID
Write to us: To share your thoughts and comments go to otdowntown.com and click on submit a letter to the editor.
Letters
MY STORY BY BETTE DEWING
A candlelight vigil was held last week to protest Mayor de Blasio’s failure to ban horse-drawn carriages. Photo: Mary Culpepper
CARRIAGE HORSES ARE CARED FOR People who have actually visited the stables and know horse behavior and horse body language have repeatedly said the carriage horses are well-fed, well-cared for and not stressed. As to the 60-70 horses that drop off the Department of Health rolls each year, not every horse is suited to working as a NYC carriage horse. They are an elite group. Some wash out and go on to other jobs elsewhere. No secrecy there. Just facts. In summary, the protestors have zero equine knowledge but they insist the horses are “sad,” a human emotion, and “stressed” despite the scientific findings. Susan Samtak
As a horse owner for over 50 years I can attest to the fact that the carriage horses are very well cared for and life in the city is not stressful for them. Horses that cannot tolerate the hustle and bustle simply are not used. Those that are working are doing a job and horses love having a job. Doing away with the carriages means most of the horses will wind up being euthanized or sent to the slaughterhouse; they are simply too large to feed and care for if not working. The people who claim to have places that will provide a home are misinformed. The owners love their horses and it would be terrible to take them away from them. Gaye Collins
Beautiful iconic horse and carriage, from a bygone era. How fortunate people are, to be able, for a short period of time be able to relive that era. Horses in great shape with lovely carriages driven by capable drivers. I’m amazed anyone could object to something like that, but I guess to the uninformed anything is possible. Please leave these people to do their chosen job. They take great care of their gorgeous horses and equipment. Tell the protestors to go find some wild horses that are currently starving to death with no one to speak for them. Anja Heibloem Stroud.
STRAUS MEDIA your neighborhood news source
Vice President/CFO Otilia Bertolotti Vice President/CRO Vincent A. Gardino advertising@strausnews.com
Well, infinitely less attention for Donald Trump, please. And infinitely more about slain security guard, Idrissa Camara. Also, infinitely more about President Obama’s high praise for the way New Orleans citizenry helped one another in Hurricane Katrina, a most continuing need. And this relates to some Eastsiders’ first-time activism to protect their two buildings from government’s flawed-vision plan. Stay tuned for coverage. But first, thoughts about some very special days which bring all backgrounds together - September 11th, and the need for more small informal neighborhood memorial gatherings like the one, thanks to Judith Cutler, which meets around 8:30 a.m. every 9/11 at a designated tree located between East End and York. One woman who may attend lost her son on 9/11 and then a few weeks later, her husband died, “perhaps of a broken heart.” Ah, is she remembered enough, and on Grandparents Day, which is Sunday the 13th? Great grandparents, the “Greatest Generation,” may well need the most remembering, not to mention inclusion. And many Catholics in late age especially, need their accessible parish church reopened, which they hope will concern Pope Francis on his city visit this month. And Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, the 13th and 14th, couldn’t be a more welcome time for this Protestant Christian because it makes the city more of a community place, where smiles are exchanged on the streets and generations are out there walking together and in their Sabbath best. Hey, sins are even admitted and repented! The city is calmer, almost reverent, and don’t we need that. All that. And how we need citizens bringing their often government-wrought woes to civic meetings, such as the recent community Board 8 meeting where some Upper East Siders keep trying to preserve safe passage in their 81st
Associate Publishers, Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth Sr. Account Executive, Tania Cade
and East End cul de sac. Their buildings’ front and service entranceways in the river walkway project, already under construction, are at risk from the proposed long winding ramp. Less invasive and less costly options exist to connect East End Avenue to the river walkway but these carefully thought out plans were ignored in a previous meeting with the city Design Commission. And the engineer in charge of this huge two-year, megabucks project wouldn’t really discuss them at the recent Community Board 8 meeting. Residential, not industrial lighting for the area is also a must. So is media coverage. And how civic involvement/neighbors helping one another, needs to be stressed, yes, as much as physical fitness. If only we were, so many intractable social problems and ills would be prevented, yes even sometimes reducing irrational anger behind the murder of innocent victims, and those gunned down protecting the public. Those protectors whose murders get too little media attention, like Idrissa Camara, the 53 year-old security guard on duty at a Varick Street federal building, when a complete stranger, a former disgruntled government employee, barged into the building, and before killing himself, shot the first person he met - Camara. We need to hear more about this husband and father of four children. (Likely there are other close kindred who need to be noted.) Infinitely more needs to be said about this “exceptionally dedicated and thoughtful employee” who had volunteered to work overtime the night he was so tragically, mercilessly gunned down.
President & Publisher, Jeanne Straus nyoffice@strausnews.com Account Executive Editor In Chief, Kyle Pope Fred Almonte, Susan Wynn editor.ot@strausnews.com Director of Partnership Development Deputy Editor, Richard Khavkine Barry Lewis editor.dt@strausnews.com
Thankfully, Denis Hamill’s Daily News 8/30 column “In Harm’s Way” did tell how Mr. Camara’s awful shooting death should make us realize how guards are always in danger, and also how little they are paid to protect us. The Wall Street Journal’s Thomas Macmillan’s 8/29-30 story thankfully covered the funeral where family, friends and co-workers described Mr. Camara as “a gentle man, devoted to his family and his mosque.” His cousin said he was “such a kind man, a community man and a hero.” And, how we need these qualities in a time ever more secular, individualistic, selfiedirected, not to mention, “un-gentle.” This good man’s body in a plain wood casket will be sent back to his native Ivory Coast for burial. The security company will pay that expense but what about continued financial support for Mr. Camara’s widow and four fatherless children? And let there be at least a commemorative plaque in that place he gave his life to protect, reminding us, said his cousin, “how security guards are often the first responders in emergencies, the first line of defense in terrorist attacks” And, said the 32BJ Service Employees International Union president: “They put their lives on the line everyday, and Mr. Camara’s loss is an opportunity for all to appreciate the work that all security officers do.” It is the work all apartment house doormen also do. And we must not forget. Or forget to help one another, and to become, and to stay involved, civically, and wherever else it is needed. Amen. dewingbetter@aol.com
Staff Reporters, Gabrielle Alfiero, Daniel Fitzsimmons
Block Mayors, Ann Morris, Upper West Side Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side Gail Dubov, Upper West Side Edith Marks, Upper West Side
SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
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POLICE INVESTIGATING COP IMPERSONATIONS Persons allegedly posing as city officers questioned tenants in their 93rd Street apartments about their residency status BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS
Police on the Upper West Side have opened an investigation into reports that individuals posing as city police officers fraudulently gained access to a building on West 93rd Street and questioned two of the tenants there about their residency status. The incident occurred on Aug. 20. According to the building manager, Porfirio Gonzalez, three men entered 50 West 93rd St. and bypassed the front desk by flashing badges and telling the doorman they were from the NYPD. “I don’t know what they came to us for,” Gonzalez said. He said two detectives from the 24th Precinct came to look at surveillance footage. “[The detectives] took some pictures of the three guys that were here, but they didn’t recognize
them,” said Gonzalez, who noted the unknown men were in the building for less than 20 minutes. “They’re not from the precinct.” “They were asking the tenants how long they lived there and who lived with them,” he added. Both tenants are rent stabilized, Gonzalez said. The entire building, according to staff, is also rent stabilized. Gonzalez said the police took possession of the surveillance tapes for their investigation. A police source familiar with the incident said officials from the 24th Precinct met with building residents and staff on Aug. 25 and that an investigation was opened the next day. “It is still a possibility that they belong to another city agency but the investigation would prove [or] disprove that theory,” the police source said. According to a press release issued by Councilmember Helen Rosenthal after the incident, however, police will only knock on a resident’s door if they are investigating a crime
APARTMENT WINDOWS, AC SEALED BY CONSTRUCTION Façade work at UWS residential building causes concern during a heat wave BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS
Tenants in a newly privatized residential building on the Upper West Side said they’re suffering through the late-summer heat due to façade work that began early this month. Their windows, balcony doors and air conditioning units, tenants said, are covered in plastic sheeting and no fresh or conditioned air can get into individual apartments. “I never thought they could seal us in like this, in the dog days of summer,” said resident Gabriel Wimberly, president of the tenants association at 175 West 95th St. “The windows are sealed shut, they’ve got to be breaking someone’s law.” The building is a 28-story, 270-unit residential building at Amsterdam Avenue and 95th Street that privatized earlier this year after several decades in the Mitchell-Lama affordable housing program. Some residents took buyouts, said Wimberly, but the majority opted to remain in their units and maintain their protected rent status. In addition, he said, all but a handful of the apartments have balconies and are affected by the work.
The building’s owner, Starrett Corp., told tenants the work is being done in compliance with Local Law 11, which requires physical inspection of a building’s façade via scaffolding — and maintenance if necessary – every five years. But in addition to the façade work, balconies are being resurfaced and new railing hardware is being installed. Wimberly suspects the owners are seeking to make the newly privatized building more attractive to prospective buyers by upgrading the balconies under the guise of Local Law 11. “No question about it that the work is being done to make the units look like luxury apartments,” said Wimberly, who provided a letter from the landlord showing the façade was last inspected in 2012. “They said it was for Local Law 11 but that’s not true.” On a recent visit to Wimberly’s apartment the air was hot and stuffy. A tower fan pointed at the couch labored mightily to circulate the fug around the living room. The balcony door, which is glass, was covered with heavy plastic sheeting and blue tape, as were the windows and his AC grill. The temperature outside was 93 degrees. Wimberly said the plastic sheeting went up on Friday, Aug. 28. According
and always wear a suit. None of the men pictured in the surveillance images seen by the Spirit are wearing suits, and their badges appeared to be hanging on chains around their neck. “Sheriff’s marshals wear their shields on a chain, but they will only come if you have already been notified that you are being evicted and have been to housing court,” according to communication from Rosenthal’s office. “They will also have paperwork with them.” Rosenthal’s announcement also directed tenants to not open their doors if a person is vague about their intent, “For example,” the announcement reads, “they may ask: ‘Who lives here?’ or “Who else is at home now? or ‘Who are you?’ or ‘Do you sublet?’ These are open-ended questions and would not be asked by a police officer.” A spokesperson for Rosenthal said her office is unable to comment on the ongoing police investigation.
Surveillance images obtained by the Spirit show three unknown men suspected of impersonating police officers in an elevator at 50 West 93rd St.
to AccuWeather.com, the temperature that day was 82 degrees. It climbed steadily over that weekend and into the following week, peaking at 93 degrees on Aug. 3. And there are other issues to contend with in addition to the soaring temperatures. For instance, tenants were told to remove all furniture and belongings from their balconies but were not told for how long. For Stephanie Ferguson, that means dealing with patio furniture that’s now piled up in her living room. “I don’t know how long the work is going to last or whether I should put this stuff in storage,” said Ferguson. “And who’s going to pay for that?” Ferguson also has pets, which she said are suffering due to the heat inside her apartment. A letter from Starrett on Aug. 31 instructs tenants to keep items off the balcony “until further notice.” Wimberly also criticized Starrett for not breaking the work into sections so only a certain number of tenants would be affected at one time. He said it’s frustrating for tenants to have their apartments sealed up while no work is being done. Tenant Manuel Casanova said residents were given no advance notice that their apartments would be sealed in plastic. Letters provided by Wimberly show that Starrett first notified tenants of the façade work in mid-July and instructed them to remove belongings from the balcony. Three other notices were sent in August, none of which mention that apartments would be sealed from the outside in plastic sheeting. “There was no way for people to fully
understand what was going on,” Casanova said. “The apt is very hot and at the same time very claustrophobic.” Casanova said in his opinion the façade work has been completely mismanaged, and echoed Wimberly’s objection that the work was not completed in individual sections. “They’re spreading out the pain for everybody for a very long time,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about communication.” After much protest from tenants and a letter expressing “grave concern” from Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal, Starrett sent a statement to tenants last week agreeing to remove the plastic sheeting from the air-conditioning vents on Sept. 3, but said the plastic would be put back in place the morning of Sept. 8. “This will enable residents to use their air conditioners starting at 6 p.m. Thursday through Monday, Sept. 7,” said Starrett spokesperson Zach Young, reading off the company’s statement to tenants. “This should alleviate the expected heat wave over the weekend.” Young declined to answer other questions regarding the work’s affect on tenants, except to say the company deferred the project until September to spare tenants during summer’s hottest months and that the plastic sheeting is required to prevent dust and other construction debris from penetrating apartments. As for a timeline, Young said the work is set to continue throughout the winter. A worker in the building told a reporter it would be at least another year. “Management takes all residents’ concerns seriously, and we’re working
on other alternatives to accommodate everyone during this heat wave,” said Starrett’s statement, which noted that after Aug. 8 tenants should await further instruction on the use of AC units. The company also offered tenants an air-conditioned community center as relief from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at a property they own on Columbus and 96th Street. In her letter dated Aug. 31, Rosenthal said apartments at the building were dangerously hot due to a recent heat wave and that the elderly and infirmed were at great risk. “There are several concerns that must be addressed and I ask that you take action immediately to rectify the un-acceptable conditions” residents now find themselves in, she said. In a later interview she said despite the temporary reprieve Starrett announced last week, she’s still concerned about the work’s affect on tenants. “This is a building I’ve been working with for a number of years,” said Rosenthal, in reference to her time on Community Board 7 and in the city council. “It’s one of those Mitchell Lama conversion buildings where we have to really keep our eye out to make sure that the tenants who remained continue to get treated as tenants with equal rights.” Rosenthal also said she’s working with the Department of Buildings to increase enforcement efforts on the tenant protection plan at 175 West 95th St., which must be filed by a building owner with the agency for any work that would have an affect on tenants.
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SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Out & About More Events. Add Your Own: Go to otdowntown.com www.mercuryloungenyc. com/event/912773-mipso-cdrelease-new-york
LEARN
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FROM THE
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BEST
â&#x2014;&#x201E; FREE MOVIE: ALOHA Chatham Square Library, 33 East Broadway 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Free. Bradley Cooper stars as a former military contractor who gets rehired to oversee the launch of a new weapons satellite. 212-964-6598. www.nypl.org/events/ programs/2015/09/12/clonefree-movie-seventh-son
FALL SPORTS CLASSES AT THE FIELD HOUSE
CYBERSCRIPTING THEATER WORKSHOP
Semester Starts September 10 ONGOING REGISTRATION
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Thu
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BOOK LAUNCH: MR. SMITH GOES TO PRISON
Fri
Theresa Lang Community and Study Center, 55 West 13th St. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free. Jeff Smith launches his new book, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mr. Smith Goes to Prison,â&#x20AC;? about his experiences with the American penal system. events.newschool.edu/event/ book_launch_mr_smith_goes_ to_prison#.VesY4b5urzI
PUBLISHING PANEL WITH SUSAN SHAPIRO
BUILT BY MEANRED & GBH | DARUDE
212.336.6520 chelseapiers.com/fh
event/943123-built-bymeanred-gbh-new-york/
Cielo Club, 18 Little West 12th St. 10 p.m. $15-25. A bombastic electronica party, featuring Darude, the artist behind the iconic dance hit â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sandstorm.â&#x20AC;? This event is 21 and over. www.cieloclub.com/
Hamilton Fish Park Library, 415 East Houston St. 10:15 a.m. Free. An examination of the presentation of dramatic literature, in accordance with the themes of technology and math. All skill levels welcome. 212-673-2290. www.nypl.org/events/ programs/2015/09/12/ cyberscripting-theaterworkgroup
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Sun
The New School University Center, 63 Fifth Ave. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Free. BRAINDANCE â&#x2013;ş A panel discussion starring Susan Shapiro, author of the critically acclaimed memoir â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Girl in the Woods.â&#x20AC;? Bleecker St. events.newschool.edu/event/ 9 p.m. $10 in advance, $15 at love_gone_wrong#.VesZRL5urzI the door. Braindance is a truly unique musical act, combining elements of goth, electronica, progressive MIPSO (CD RELEASE) metal, house, classical and several other genres. This event Mercury Lounge, 217 East is 21 and over. Houston St. 212-505-FISH. www. 6:30 p.m. $12. lepoissonrouge.com/lpr_events/ Bluegrass act Mipso holds a braindance-septemberconcert to commemorate the release of their latest album, Old 13th-2015/ Time Reverie. This event is 21 and over.
SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
BYOT: IMPROV/SKETCH TEAM JAM
CROOKS ON TAPE
NYC’S STARTUP PARTNER Wed16 Mercury Lounge, 217 East Houston St. 9:30 p.m. $10 in advance, $12 at the door. A musical act that uses perpetual improvisation to create a truly unique listening experience. This event is 21 and over. www.mercuryloungenyc.com/ event/892109-crooks-on-tapenew-york
UCB East Village, 153 East 3rd St. 10 p.m. Free. A jam session for practicing improv teams all over New York. BYOT- Bring Your Own Team! east.ucbtheatre.com/ performance/41494
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T.A.G. (TEEN ADVISORY GROUP) Seward Park Library, 192 East Broadway 4 p.m. Free. A discussion group for teens who want to see their local libraries change and evolve. 212-477-6700. www.nypl.org/events/ programs/2015/09/14/t-gteen-advisory-group
CHRIS MENDOZA GALLERY OPENING
15
Tue
ANIME CLUB▲
Seward Park Library, 192 East MOVIE MATINEE: HOME Broadway SWEET HELL 4 p.m. Free. Hamilton Fish Park Library, 415 East Houston St. 11 a.m. Free. A successful businessman’s life goes into a tailspin when his wife finds out about his affair with a salesgirl. 212-477-6700. www.nypl.org/events/ programs/2015/09/14/moviematinee
Otakus welcome! Enjoy some authentic Japanese food and watch all of your favorite anime. 212-477-6700. www.nypl.org/events/ programs/2015/09/15/animeclub
Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St. 6:30 p.m. Free. Enjoy the artistic stylings of Chris Mendoza, a Nicaraguaborn abstract artist who works across several different media. This event is 21 and over. 212-505-FISH. www. lepoissonrouge.com/lpr_events/ chris-mendoza-gallery-openingseptember-16th-2015/
COUPLES SKATE UCB East Village, 153 East 3rd St. 10:15 p.m. $5. What do skating and improv have in common? Find out at this skating/improv hybrid show. east.ucbtheatre.com/ performance/41478
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SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
City FILM DOCUMENTS TRIBE’S STRUGGLE FOR RECOGNITION ‘American Native’ debuts in Harlem
Oritt described as “all bark and no bite.” BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO “The first thing he said to me was, When Autumn Wind Scott, chair- ‘Why are you here?’” Oritt rememwoman of the New Jersey Commission bers. After revealing extensive reon American Indian Affairs, received search and some of the experts a phone call from two young filmmak- in Native American affairs he and Chief Dwaine Perry in Steven Oritt’s new documentary film American Native. Photo credit: Steven Oritt ers interested in shooting a documen- producer Corey Bobker lined up tary about the Ramapough Lenape for the film, Perry softened. “These stories are very pervasive.” “In doing my research and getting to ous hurdles of the federal recognition meeting in person. Nation, she was wary. WeirdNJ.com recounts the local lore “What they were going through was “They weren’t the first to come and know him and the rest of the tribe it process, in which cultural identity and show interest,” said Scott, a mem- made a lot of sense, because they’ve heritage must be proven on paper. Per- real,” Oritt said. “While I had read a lot of a “motley group of social outcasts.” ber of the Ramapough and a self- been so burned by so many outside ry, who appears throughout the film, about the marginalization, I hadn’t ex- A 2010 New Yorker story “Strangers on the Mountain,” which Oritt rememdescribed “gatekeeper” for the tribe media and individuals who have come sometimes riding his motorcycle, perienced it first hand.” The filmmakers came to the story af- bers as mostly interested in the “saof about 3,800, with many residing in and said they want to tell their sto- fears that without federal recognition and its protections, their land, in an ter hearing local lore about the people lacious” elements as opposed to the just 30 miles outside of Manhattan, ry,” said Oritt. The film “American Native,” which ever-developing section of the state, who lived in the mountains of New very real, immediate issues of land in Mahwah and Ringwood, N.J. and Jersey. Bobker, a New Jersey native, use and federal recognition, showed neighboring Hillburn, N.Y. “There screens on Sept. 12 as part of the Har- will remain in jeopardy. Conflicts bubble up throughout the introduced Oritt to a college friend him just how much of the tribe’s story have been many to come before them lem International Film Festival and remained untold. to use the tribe to further their own on Sept. 15 at Regal Cinemas in Union film. Kerry Holton, presi“Dominant society likes careers or to gain some type of cre- Square, chronicles the Ramapough’s dent of the federally recogto paint the Native Ameridential in academia. They took but ongoing quest for federal recognition. nized Delaware Nation in can experience with a very they left nothing for the tribe and in That status, established by an office Anadarko, Okla., opposes IF YOU GO broad stroke brush,” said the majority of cases it was to the det- within the Department of the Interior the Ramapough’s bid for Oritt. “I was interested and currently held by more than 560 recognition. Ramapough riment of the tribe,” she said. What: American Native, a film about the Ramapough in the nuance in Native Director Steven Oritt, 40, one of the tribes, provides certain benefits, in- also bump up against memLenape Nation and its efforts to achieve federal American culture and Nafilmmakers who reached out to Scott, cluding health care and educational bers of a private residential recognition tive American rights that recalled the vetting process, which services, economic development pro- community in Mahwah, When: Sat., Sept. 12 at the Harlem International Film aren’t in the forefront.” where the Ramapough included a two-hour meeting with the grams and the right to self-govern. Festival, 4:40 p.m. and Tuesday, Sept. 15 at Regal Scott, a former fashion The 89-minute film reveals the vari- have 13 acres of land. Meantribe’s leader, Chief Dwaine Perry, who Union Square Stadium 14 at 7:30 p.m. model with a deep, raspy while, lawmakers fear that, Where: Mist Harlem, 16 W. 116th St., between Fifth voice, lives in Toms River, if granted federally recogAvenue and Malcolm X Boulevard, and Regal Union N.J., about an hour and nized status, the RamaSquare Stadium 14, 850 Broadway, between East 13th a half south of Mahwah, pough will open a casino. and East 14th Streets where much of the film “(Gaming is) the very least Tickets must be purchased online in advance; For Sept. unfolds. A mother and a of what federal recognition 12, visit www.mistharlem.com/events/2015/9/12/thegrandmother who raises is about,” said Scott. “For 10th-annual-harlem-international-film-festival-worldher five-year-old grandthe people, it’s really about premiere-american-native; For Sept. 15, visit gathr.us/ daughter, Scott strives to recognition of who they screening/reserve/12774 provide her family with a actually are ... and a lot of More information is at americannative-themovie.com/ sense of their history. She people don’t get the psymade genealogy books chological effects of being with names dating back denied your race, your anfrom the area, who asked if he ever to the late 1500s for each of her three cestry and your history.” Oritt remembers filming a scene at heard about an isolated community in children. “I wanted them to know how deeply a planning board meeting in Pough- the mountains, not far from the island rooted we are,” she said. Now retired keepsie, N.Y., where Perry hoped to of Manhattan. A Google search led Oritt to depic- from modeling, she sells handmade discuss the repatriation of the recently discovered remains of a Native tions of a group of people that sounded textiles, jewelry, dolls and other crafts. “That they’re here on the backs American person. A federally recog- like the “bogeyman,” he said. “Me not growing up in that area, I of people who have had it rough and nized tribe in Wisconsin participated Autumn Wind Scott in Steven Oritt’s new documentary film “American Native.” Photo via conference call, even though didn’t take it seriously,” said Oritt, still do, and it’s a privilege.” credit: Steven Oritt Ramapough members attended the who grew up in Washington, D.C.
SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Oaffdway Broeek W 21– t p e S Oct 4
Two weeks of amazing deals on the best Off-Broadway shows in the City!
nycgo On sale now at
.com
Don DeLillo at 2011 benefit. Photo: adm, via Flickr
DELILLO RECOGNIZED FOR LIFETIME ACHIVEMENT Novelist praised for books, ‘enormous influence’ BY HILLEL ITALIE
Don DeLillo is pleased to receive an honorary National Book Award medal for lifetime achievement, but a “little intimidated” by the citation for “Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.” “The kid from the Bronx is still crouching in a corner of my mind,” the author of “White Noise,” “Underworld” and other novels told The Associated Press, responding to questions via fax. The 78-year-old New York City native was praised last week by the National Book Foundation, which presents the awards, for “a diverse body of work that examines the mores of contemporary modern American culture and brilliantly embeds the rhythms of everyday speech within a beautifully composed, contoured narrative.” The foundation told the AP that Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan will introduce DeLillo at the 66th annual Na-
tional Book Awards ceremony, which takes place Nov. 18 in Manhattan. Previous honorary winners include Toni Morrison, Philip Roth and Norman Mailer. “Don DeLillo is unquestionably one of the greatest novelists of his generation,” Harold Augenbraum, the foundation’s executive director, said in a statement. “He has had an enormous influence on the two generations of writers that followed, and his work will continue to resonate for generations to come.” DeLillo has long been praised for his uncanny insights on technology, alienation and terrorism, even setting a Grief Management Council in the World Trade Center in his novel “Players,” which came out more than 20 years before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He told the AP that when he looks back on his work he thinks of it “as one writer’s shifting response to the challenges and public upheavals of the last 60 or 70 years.” “The moments, hours, days
and years of Sept. 11 were the terrible reality that shaped one of my novels ‘Falling Man,’ but I don’t think of myself as a writer whose earlier work embodied that event,” he said. “I’m reluctant to invoke another act of violence but it’s possible that the assassination of President (John F.) Kennedy began to shape me as a writer even before I began work on my first novel.” DeLillo’s other books include “Running Dog,” “The Names” and “Point Omega.” Asked to name some young writers he feels an affinity for, he joked that at his age “they’re all younger.” “Lists are a form of cultural hysteria so let’s just say that the strong work keeps coming and that the novel as a form continues to provoke innovation on the part of younger writers,” he said. “It’s true that some of us become better writers by living long enough. But this is also how we become worse writers. The trick is to die in between.”
Certain terms and conditions may apply. Tickets are limited in quantities and are subject to availability.
ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND
thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY
Sea Level: Five Boroughs at Water’s Edge | Exhibition Opening
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH, 5PM Seaport Culture District | 181 Front St. | 212-748-8600 | cfa.aiany.org The exhibition “Sea Level” provides a tidal view of NYC, with photo collages that lovingly look at the forts, industry and developments that line our shores. Catch a conversation between photographer Elizabeth Felicella and author Robert Sullivan at the show’s opening. (Free)
Visionaries Series: Hilton Als on Diane Arbus
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH, 7PM New Museum | 235 Bowery | 212-219-1222 | newmuseum.org Author and critic Hilton Als speaks on photographer Diane Arbus, her unique eye, and the intertwining of her art and New York City. ($25)
Just Announced: A Dangerous Woman | The Life, Loves, and Scandals of Adah Isaacs Menken, America’s Original Superstar
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13TH, 6:30PM Gotham Center NY History | 365 Fifth Ave. | 212-817-7000 | gothamcenter.org Hear from the first biographers of Menken (1835-1868), whose short life traced a Zelig-like path through Walt Whitman’s circle, Reform Judaism and Confederate spycraft. (Free)
For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,
sign up for the weekly Thought Gallery newsletter at thoughtgallery.org.
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SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Food & Drink
< MIGHTY QUINN’S HEADS TO UES Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque will soon open on the Upper East Side, Eater reported. Run by pitmaster Hugh Mangum, the outpost at 1492 Second Ave marks the seventh location of the barbeque restaurant that got its start at a booth at the Smorgasburg food market. The menu at the new spot will echo those at its other locations, which includes a Greenwich Avenue restaurant as well as a spot in Battery Park’s Brookfield Place food court. The brisket,
Photo: T.Tseng, via Flickr
In Brief
pulled pork, ribs and other meats will be smoked off-site and then delivered to the Second Avenue restaurant.
SADELLE’S NOW SERVING IN SOHO Major Food Group’s latest venture, bakery and appetizing shop Sadelle’s at 463 West Broadway, opened its doors on Thursday, Sept. 3. Baker Melissa Weller, formerly of Roberta’s and Per Se, once sold her bagels at
Smorgasburg, Grub Street reported, and is now serving an array of baked goods, including babka, from the Soho bakery. The location, which is operated by the team behind Parm, Carbone, Dirty French and a growing roster of popular Manhattan eateries, will also serve a bistro menu in its dining room, which is set to open sometime this week, according to Eater. Though newly opened, orders of bagels, breads, fish and salads are already being accepted for the upcoming high holidays, according to the bakery’s website.
SLOW ROASTED COMFORT
SUMMER SALAD DAYS
Alice Waters’ latest cookbook walks you through the basics
Greens can make for the ideal topping to sauteed meats
BY J.M. HIRSCH
BY SARA MOULTON
When it comes to aspirational cooking, it’s tough to top Martha Stewart and Alice Waters. But while you may never master Stewart’s frustratingly perfect souffles and multi-tiered cakes, most of Waters’ recipes fall on a more manageable spectrum (though you may falter at replicating the aspirationally high earnestness with which she presents them). And therein lies the difference: Stewart’s bar is based on perfection, Waters’ is keyed to finding simple comforts in each season. And that is a pleasant notion to pursue. Waters, the driving force behind Berkeley, California’s iconic Chez Panisse restaurant and author of numerous cookbooks, deftly imbues her often basic and nearly always seasonal recipes with feelings you want to evoke. And you can come away feeling better for having chased the comfort found in her recipes. All of this comes to play in her latest cookbook, a diminutive volume titled simply, “My Pantry.” In it, Waters walks you through not the basics you should buy, but those you should consider making. Things like tahini and chocolate nut bark, zucchini pickles and gravlax, fresh ricotta and vanilla extract. You won’t make them all. Even Waters acknowledges this isn’t a to-do list of must-have items. They are basic, comforting foods you may want depending on your time and place and mood. And she’s happy to show you how. ___ SLOW-ROASTED NUTS WITH SAGE LEAVES “Roasting a mixture of nuts at a low temperature is a wonderful method,”
This recipe is a template for topping sauteed steaks or chops of most any kind with a wilted salad, a splendid dish for a late summer dinner. Mostly, I’m taking my cues here from the Italians. In Florence, they like to pep up their grilled steaks with a drizzle of olive and a spritz of lemon, which cuts through the meat’s fattiness. Then there’s veal Milanese, a breaded chop with a salad on top. But the latter dish doesn’t marry the salad dressing to the chops, as I do here, and my chop isn’t breaded. Also, Caesar dressing is rooted in Mexico, not Italy. All of which is to say I guess my inspirations were pretty diverse. How to marry the meat to the salad? By taking advantage of the concentrated bits of reduced meat juices at the bottom of the pan, as well as the juices from the resting chops after they have been cooked. It’s then that the salad’s flavors — anchovies, garlic and shallots — are added to the skillet, followed by chicken broth, lemon juice and olive oil. As noted, these are basically the ingredients for a Caesar dressing with a little chicken broth added. (The broth amps up the meat flavor while cutting down on the need for more olive oil.) If the very thought of anchovies sends you screaming for the exit, steel yourself and add them to the recipe as called for. Try it that way just once. You assume that the little devils are going to overwhelm the dish, adding nothing but fishiness. Not true. In this context, the anchovies are surprisingly modest; they provide salt and depth of flavor, but no obvious fishiness. As for the greens, feel free to ex-
Photo: Denise Krebs, via Flickr Alice Waters writes in “My Pantry.” “At high temperatures, some kinds of nuts in the mixture may burn, but they won’t if roasted with the others at a low temperature. The delightfully crisped sage leaves are as satisfying as the roasted nuts themselves.” Start to finish: 40 minutes (10 minutes active) Makes about 3 1/2 cups 1 cup walnuts 1 cup almonds 1 cup pecans 1 1/2 cups loosely packed sage leaves 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon salt Heat the oven to 275 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment. In a medium bowl, mix together the nuts and sage leaves. Add the oil and salt and toss gently until the nuts and sage are evenly coated. Spread the nuts and sage on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Stir the nuts and return them to the oven for 10 more minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and break a few nuts open. If their centers are golden brown they are done; if the nuts still need more time, stir them and return them to the oven, checking every 5 minutes or so. You want them to roast fully, not burn. I usually find 35 minutes is about right. (Recipe adapted from Alice Water’s “My Pantry,” Crown Publishing Group, 2015)
Photo: I Believe I Can Fry, via Flickr periment. If you prefer them to be more crispy and less wilted, don’t add them to the pan; just toss them with the warm dressing. Finally, I have called for lamb shoulder chops because they’re more affordable than rib or loin chops. They’re every bit as tasty as the pricier chops, even if they’re also marginally chewier. Of course, if you feel like splurging, reach for the more expensive cuts. And know that this recipe works just as well with steak, pork chops and chicken on the bone as it does with lamb chops. ___ LAMB CHOPS WITH WARM CAESAR SALAD Start to finish: 35 minutes (15 minutes active) Servings: 4 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided Four 1/2-inch-thick lamb shoulder or round bone chops Kosher salt and ground black pepper 4 anchovy fillets, chopped 2 tablespoons minced shallots 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth 2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cups chopped escarole, dandelion greens (tough stems removed) or romaine 1 ounce shaved Parmesan cheese In a large skillet over mediumhigh, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Reduce the heat to medium and add 2 of the lamb chops, sprinkled with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly browned on both sides, 5 to 6 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil. Repeat with the remaining 2 chops in the oil remaining in the pan. Return the skillet to the heat and reduce to medium-low. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil, the anchovies, shallots and garlic, then cook, stirring, for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the broth and lemon juice and cook, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom, for 1 minute. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, the greens, and a hefty pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until the greens are slightly wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the juices from the resting lamb and remove from the heat. To serve, transfer the chops to each of 4 plates and top each chop with a quarter of the dressed wilted greens and the cheese. Sara Moulton was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years. She has written three cookbooks, including “Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners.”
SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
AUGUST JOSH EDEN What made you go into the restaurant business? My Mom told me to get a job when I was 15. Took A job as a dish washer and never looked back.
What inspires you? People who work hard and farmers that love what they grow.
BKB RESTAURANT
Is there a food or a dish you would eat every day if you could get away with it? Chinese
What’s your favorite food spot on the Upper East Side? The Milton
What’s the current dining trend or fad you wish would go away?
Top Chefs of the East Side will come together to offer up creations inspired by art from Sotheby’s at The Art of Food, Tuesday October 13. Here are just a few of the chefs who will be creating work at this special event at Sotheby’s, hosted by Michael White and Nicole Miller and honoring Tim and Nina Zagat. VIP Admission is at 7p.m. and is $200, General Admission is at 7:30p.m. and is $135. A portion of the proceeds will go to CityMeals-on-Wheels. For tickets and more information, including a list of all top tier restaurants participating, go to artoffoodny.com.
The term comfort food.
MAGNOLIA BAKERY What made you go into the restaurant business?
What made you go into the restaurant business? My love of fine dining and restaurants and i wanted to have one of my own.
What inspires you? The ability to get fresh farm/sea to table items that are now available in
Is there a food or a dish you would eat every day if you could get away with it? A Cheeseburger
What’s your favorite food spot on the Upper East Side? Citarella
What’s the current dining trend or fad you wish would go away? Chemically enhanced cuisine.
JJ JOHNSON What made you go into the restaurant business?
I started my love affair with food at a very young age, being inspired by the bounty of my mother’s and grandmother’s baking. I’ve always enjoyed witnessing the joy that food brings to people’s lives and knew that my path would lead straight to the kitchen.
What inspires you?
Is there a food or a dish you would eat every day if you could get away with it?
ERIC MILLER
the markets.
THE CECIL & MINTON’S
BOBBIE LLOYD
Most of my inspiration comes from what I see in cookbooks, magazines and at other restaurants. I have a huge collection of old cookbooks, the kind you get from little town fairs and flea markets - they offer wonderful, classic recipes that I’m often inspired by.
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Man or woman especially this woman! - cannot live without ice cream. The world is a happier place because of it.
What’s your favorite food spot on the Upper East Side? Elio’s - always comfortable, always consistent, always good food.
What’s the current dining trend or fad you wish would go away? The use of too many ingredients in one dish. Why do I need a honey lavender cherry pistachio black pepper biscuit? A perfectly made plain biscuit straight from the oven with a little butter and honey is pure heaven.
Cooking is in my DNA - I grew up helping in my Puertan Rican grandmother’s kitchen. My earliest memories are standing on a stool next to her, learning how to peel and chop onions, and stirring her mirepoix while listening to loud salsa music. In her kitchen, I fell in love cooking and started to understand the basics and techniques that I still use to this day.
What inspires you? At The Cecil, we’re cooking Afro-Asian cuisine. I like to stay under that umbrella, but I tap into seasonality to bring in new ingredients and techniques. I like to go to markets for inspiration -- like Little Senegal
in Harlem, which has authentic West African shops. Every time I go, I find a new ingredient and it presents a challenge to me.
What’s your favorite food spot on the Upper East Side?
Is there a food or a dish you would eat every day if you could get away with it?
What’s the current dining trend or fad you wish would go away?
Lobster. Or pizza
Seamstress is amazing. I went there the other night and had a great time.
The many “interpretations” of ramen. Just keep it simple!
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
Business
CITY PUTTING LIMITS ON PAYING TENANTS TO MOVE OUT NEWS Measure bars repeated buyout offers within six months BY JENNIFER PELTZ
Landlords hoping to pay tenants to move out of the city’s 1.3 million rentregulated apartments will face new limitations on extending offers under measures designed to rein in a practice that has come under scrutiny in a roaring real-estate market. Mayor Bill de Blasio signed legislation barring repeated buyout offers within six months if tenants don’t want them. Other provisions require reminders that tenants can refuse or
consult lawyers. “There are too many cases in this city of landlords using cash offers to get tenants to move so they can increase the rents,” de Blasio said at a news conference. “This will end now. Those days are over.” He and other proponents say the measures will help keep residents from being browbeaten out of their homes by landlords and professional “tenant relocators” eager to charge more. But some real estate industry experts say the restrictions unduly curb communications with tenants. Under state laws, vacant rent-stabilized apartments often can be renovated, deregulated and re-rented at triple the price or more -- $5,200 a
month instead of $1,700 for a Manhattan two-bedroom, for example. Citywide, about 266,000 apartments have been deregulated since 1994. Tenant harassment complaints in city Housing Court have nearly doubled since 2011, officials have said. At a City Council hearing this spring, tenants and their advocates described residents getting knocks on their doors, fielding multiple calls per week and being accosted on the street with unwanted buyout offers. Some said that they’d been threatened with lawsuits or jail if they refused and that relocation specialists had approached tenants’ children. “Rent-regulated tenants routinely face harassment,” and it’s especially
troubling when the city is striving to preserve affordable housing, said Brandon Kielbasa of the Cooper Square Committee, a tenant advocacy group. He sees the new measures as needed protection. But real estate interests have noted that buyout offers -- often totaling five or more figures -- can be welcome. Some tenants solicit them. Others who initially decline reconsider as their circumstances change or the offer increases, says landlords’ lawyer Sherwin Belkin. He says he won’t force the issue if a tenant says no, but he inquires again in a few months or weeks if he believes they may entertain different terms. He also might send a note inviting them to call if they
change their minds. The six-month blackout on re-approaching uninterested tenants “prohibits what can be purely benign, nonthreatening, non-intimidating --what should be protected free speech,” Belkin said, noting that existing laws already prohibited tenant harassment. A 2014 law doubled the maximum penalty to $10,000. Meanwhile, a new city and state antitenant-harassment task force logged its first criminal case in June, when a Brooklyn landlord was accused of destroying walls and illegally turning off heat to try to make tenants miserable enough to move. The new measures are set to take effect in three months.
SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
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SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS AUG 25 - SEP 3, 2015
The Winslow
243 E 14Th St
Grade Pending (25) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Filth ďŹ&#x201A;ies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) ďŹ&#x201A;ies present in facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food and/or non-food areas. Filth ďŹ&#x201A;ies include house ďŹ&#x201A;ies, little house ďŹ&#x201A;ies, blow ďŹ&#x201A;ies, bottle ďŹ&#x201A;ies and ďŹ&#x201A;esh ďŹ&#x201A;ies. Food/refuse/sewageassociated ďŹ&#x201A;ies include fruit ďŹ&#x201A;ies, drain ďŹ&#x201A;ies and Phorid ďŹ&#x201A;ies. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
Yakitori Taisho
5 St Marks Place
A
La Sultana Cafe
124 East 4 Street
A
Jeepney
201 First Ave
A
Upstate
95 1 Avenue
A
The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygieneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website and include the most recent inspection and grade reports listed. We have included every restaurant listed during this time within the zip codes of our neighborhoods. Some reports list numbers with their explanations; these are the number of violation points a restaurant has received. To see more information on restaurant grades, visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/services/restaurant-inspection.shtml. The Halal Guys
307 E 14Th St
A
Yooglers Frozen Yogurt
791 Broadway
A
Durden
213 2Nd Ave
A
Rayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pizza Bagel Cafe
2 Saint Marks Pl
A
City Of Saints Coffee Roasters
79 E 10Th St
A
Df Mavens
37 Saint Marks Pl
A
Ogawa Cafe
36 E 4Th St
A
Varadero
214 E 9Th St
A
Subway
220 8Th Ave
A
Modern Gourmet
793 Broadway
Grade Pending (18) Cold food item held above 41Âş F (smoked ďŹ sh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ÂşF) except during necessary preparation. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
The Nite Owl
166 1St Ave
A
Crown Fried Chicken
117 Avenue D
Grade Pending (21) Cold food item held above 41Âş F (smoked ďŹ sh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ÂşF) except during necessary preparation. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food and/or non-food areas. Filth ďŹ&#x201A;ies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) ďŹ&#x201A;ies present in facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food and/or non-food areas. Filth ďŹ&#x201A;ies include house ďŹ&#x201A;ies, little house ďŹ&#x201A;ies, blow ďŹ&#x201A;ies, bottle ďŹ&#x201A;ies and ďŹ&#x201A;esh ďŹ&#x201A;ies. Food/refuse/sewageassociated ďŹ&#x201A;ies include fruit ďŹ&#x201A;ies, drain ďŹ&#x201A;ies and Phorid ďŹ&#x201A;ies.
Paradiso Ny
105 Avenue B
A
Babu Ji
175 Avenue B
A
A
Sigiri
91 1 Avenue
A
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SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
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RE-CODING THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM HEALTH New classification system kicks in Oct. 1 BY LAURAN NEERGAARD
If things are a bit tense in your doctor’s office come Oct. 1, some behind-the-scenes red tape could be to blame. That’s the day when the nation’s physicians and hospitals must start using a massive new coding system to describe your visit on insurance claims so they get paid. Today, U.S. health providers use a system of roughly 14,000 codes to designate a diagnosis, for reimbursement purposes and in medical databases. To get more precise, the updated system has about 68,000 codes, essentially an expanded dictionary to capture more of the details from a patient’s chart. How precise? Get nipped feeding a bird, and the codes can distinguish if it was a goose or a parrot. Have a bike accident with one of those horsedrawn tourist carriages? Yep, there’s a code for that, too. Unusual accidents aside, the government says the longawaited change should help health officials better track quality of care, spot early warning signs of a brewing outbreak or look for illness or injury trends. Under ICD-10 -- the 10th edition of the International Classification of Diseases -- there are codes that flag novel strains of flu, for example, and even Ebola and its cousins. With increasing focus on sports concussions, the codes can reflect how long patients lost consciousness and if they needed repeat care. “ICD-10 has the potential to create many improvements in our public health system,” Andy Slavitt, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told health providers in a recent conference call. But with the deadline approaching fast, he urged providers to make sure their offices are ready, and that they take advantage of Medicare-offered testing that lets whoever handles their billing file practice
claims. Might patients see an uptick in insurance denials for coding errors that require the doctor’s office to refile the claims? Dr. Robert Wergin, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, is optimistic that providers are ready enough that patients shouldn’t feel an impact. “Sitting in the room with a patient, I don’t think you’ll notice anything,” Wergin said. His 10-doctor practice in rural Milford, Nebraska, has updated the electronic medical records of patients with chronic diseases, so the next time the diabetic with early kidney disease comes in, that new code is one less thing to check. Most doctors’ offices only use several dozen codes anyway, to match each specialty’s typical diagnoses, Wergin noted. “Really, I probably live in a world of 140 codes.” Why are codes so important? It goes beyond documenting that the bill is accurate -- no reimbursement for a wrist X-ray if the diagnosis was knee pain. With medical care gone digital, more precise diagnosis codes could allow researchers, even doctors themselves, to get a closer look at trends in one office or the entire country, Wergin said. A search of an office’s data could show how, say, all pregnant women with a uri-
nary tract infection in the third trimester fared. The new codes, already used in many other countries, indicate if it’s a first visit or a repeat. A spike in repeat visits for strep throat might indicate a more worrisome strain is spreading. This kind of data also is used by insurers and other organizations to help determine quality of care. CMS can’t estimate how many health providers are ready for the switch but officials think most large practices and hospitals are, so the agency is intensifying its focus on smaller doctors’ offices, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, CMS’ chief of staff. Private insurers told Congress months ago that they were ready. They, too, are focusing on small providers. “Health plans are working aggressively to help them get over the hump,” said Justine Handelman of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, who noted that the industry has had years to prepare. The U.S. postponed the deadline twice. Still, responding to doctor concerns, CMS has promised some flexibility in the first year of assessing claims, if the coding is close. “There will be bumps and challenges,” CMS’ Slavitt said, as he appointed an ombudsman to be the contact for health providers who experience them.
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SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
45 Years and Counting
FIRST AVENUE PIZZA, BY WAY OF GREECE At Sutton Pizza, little has changed except the prices BY MICKEY KRAMER
Our Town is celebrating our 45th anniversary by profiling a neighborhood business that has been around longer than we have. Know of a local business that should be on our list? Email us at news@strausnews.com Hanging in the front window of Sutton Pizza is a framed paper menu from 1969. A large cheese pizza cost $2. Eggplant a la Parmigiana set you back $1.80. Meatball hero: 75 cents and half-a-buck for beer. The prices, but little else, have changed for the neighborhood pizza joint established in 1967 on First Avenue between 62nd and 63rd streets. The eatery was opened by Nick God (full Greek name kept a family secret), and is now run by his three sons, Pete, Greg, and Jim. Greg, 63, has been behind the counter tossing the dough and cooking for about 45 years and considers his best-made dish the baked ziti. “I won’t share the recipe, but you can’t get this just anywhere,” Greg says, while adding that he still does about 90% of the cooking. One major change to the “pizza” place occurred in the mid-1990s when they added a few Greek specialties such as gyro, souvlaki, and a Greek salad. Samanda Perez has lived around the corner for five years and dines at Sutton often. Late on a recent Saturday night, she recommended the Greek salad, but raves about the pizza, calling it “very delicious and the best in the neighborhood.” Perez makes a special point to add that the crust is “done perfectly.” Originally from South America, Perez often takes visiting friends to this, her favorite neighborhood pizza joint. Rapheal Rodriguez has taken his post-work meals at Sutton for about seven years, and while munching on a beef patty topped with melted mozzarella, echoes Perez’ opinion that Sutton’s pizza is the best in the area. Jim, 58, began working as a delivery boy when he was only 13 and now mostly comes in to fill-in as needed. On a recent Wednesday evening, Jim was working behind the counter, covering for his concert-bound nephew. The upbeat Jim calls the current business, “beautiful… never been better.” While business has been fairly steady over the years, the mid-1980s was problematic as stores in the area shuttered and there was talk of closing. But, in an unusual twist, the landlord offered the longstanding
Illustration by John S. Winkleman tenants six months of free rent until they got back on their feet. Jim calls the then-landlord, known simply as Tony G., “the best man on earth.” Sutton’s lease is up at the end of the
year, and the brothers now negotiate with Tony G’s daughter. “If the rent is good, than yes, we’ll sign on,” says Greg, who is hoping to sign a five-year lease.
What is it like working with your family for so long? “It means a lot. We all get along… That’s why I’m still here,” Greg says. The brothers, who all live in Queens,
love the Upper East Side neighborhood they’ve served for over four decades, and Jim concludes, “Hey, we must be doing something right.”
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YOUR 15 MINUTES
To read about other people who have had their “15 Minutes” go to otdowntown.com/15 minutes
GETTING INTO NYC KINDERGARTEN Bestselling author schools parents on navigating the system BY ANGELA BARBUTI
The kindergarten admissions process can be a daunting one, but Alina Adams assuages city parents’ fears with her book, “Getting Into NYC Kindergarten.” A mother of three, she found herself regularly fielding questions about her experience with getting her children into school. This led her to start a column in the Examiner and give talks at River Park Nursery School on the Upper West Side. “There’s just so much information and after each talk, people would say, ‘I wish I had this all in one unified place.’ So that’s when I decided to write a book,” she explained. The complete resource, which is the only one of its kind, offers information and advice on everything from admission essays that require you to ‘list your child’s greatest achievements up to this point’ to how you should never refer to
your child as ‘truly advanced.’ The book is electronic, which not only allows Adams to update it with any changes the Department of Education or private schools may make, but also enables parents to click on links to pertinent articles or sections on the DOE’s website.
At the start of the book, you outline questions parents must ask themselves before starting the process. Whenever people ask me about the best school- besides the fact that I say the best school is the school that’s best for your child- it really has to do with what you consider is important about a school. For some parents I’ve worked with, it’s academics. They want a school that has the best test scores and prepares their child for a rigorous workload. For other parents, it’s completely different. They want a school where a child may discover their own particular passion, whatever that might be. Or a school that nurtures the joy
of learning or a school that’s very much into social action. So the reason that I don’t give answers to those questions is because you need to provide those answers because you know what you want.
I like your point about not focusing on college placement when your child is young. Basically, a lot of the schools, public and private that are K to 12, you come in to tour and they’ll show you the wonderful science lab or the AP classes and they’ll tell you their college placements. But the fact is, you’re not looking for college placement, you’re looking for some place that will be wonderful for your child for kindergarten, maybe first and second, maybe up to fifth grade. But children change so much. Parents knows literally month to month they change so much. You have no idea when they’re four years old, what they’re gonna need when they’re 18.
Explain what you mean by “working the waitlist.” In a public school, the way that Kindergarten Connect works, is you can put down 20 choices. And assuming you don’t get your first choice, any choice that you put ahead of the choice that you did get, you automatically get placed on the waitlist. The Department of Education makes the initial process of placing everybody in the school. But once that initial placement round is over, the waitlists go back to the school. Now, this is not something you’re going to find written formally in any DOE or school policy. But the fact is, I’ve spoken to enough people to know that they don’t follow a strict queue. A school wants families that want them, so if you can convince them that you’d be a wonderful family for their community, you’re gonna jump the queue. Also schools don’t want to spend all summer making phone calls asking, “Do you want the spot?”
What are the positives and negatives to having your child attend your local school? Your local school varies insanely. In District 3, you have
PS 199 which is the school at Lincoln Center which has wonderful test scores. And only a few blocks away, you have PS 191 which is theoretically in the same neighborhood, but this year, it was oversubscribed and the DOE wanted to send families there and people rebelled. Because even though both are local schools and theoretically follow the same general education curriculum, there’s a huge difference between them. So I can’t flat out say the benefits of going to your local school without knowing what your local school is. But the obvious benefit is you’re not putting a five-year-old on a subway and traveling for an hour-anda-half downtown. It’s much easier to have friends over for playdates. It’s much easier to have relationships with other parents, you know, somebody
can grab a kid for you if you have an emergency. That comes from being local and having a community. Location is really important when it’s February and it’s 7 am and you’ve got the kids bundled in nine layers and you’re trying to get them on the bus.
Another interesting point you make is that if you push your kid up, he or she can actually be 18 months younger than some of the other children in the class. And you may find a difference in maturity levels. Yes, that can happen, especially in a private school. Maturity is a huge difference. There are a lot of kids who have very high test scores and could go into a higher grade, but the question is, are they ready from a social and emotional level? Ever since Malcolm Gladwell
in “Outliers” analyzed all this data and showed that if you’re the oldest in a group of hockey players, you tend to do better because you’re stronger. I think ever since that study came out, a lot more parents are interested in keeping kids back than in pushing them forward. I get a lot of emails from parents of December babies asking how they can keep them back so they won’t be the youngest in the class. www.alinaadams.com. You can buy the book here: www.tinyurl.com/ NYCKBook
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“I WISH SOMEONE WOULD HELP THAT HOMELESS MAN.”
BE THE SOMEONE. Sam New York Cares Volunteer
Every day, we think to ourselves that someone should really help make this city a better place. Visit newyorkcares.org to learn about the countless ways you can volunteer and make a difference in your community.
SEPTEMBER 10-16,2015
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