The local paper for the Upper er East Side GOING OFF SCRIPT, AND SUCCEEDING < CITY ARTS P.12
WEEK OF JULY
23-29 2015
Our Take
THE BATTLE OVER SMALL BUSINESS NEWS Group fighting for small business jobs bill targets Brewer BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS
A recently formed coalition of small business advocates have injected new life into
the old cause of passing the Small Business Jobs Survival Act. The standard-bearer for the legislation, which was introduced in the 1980s, has traditionally been the New York City Small Business Congress. But years of stagnation on the legislative docket, coupled with what one organizer said is a record
THE FUTURE FOR OLDER NEW YORKERS
number of small businesses being forced out of their storefronts due to skyrocketing lease terms, has resulted in a renewed push to pass the law. The SBJSA would allow commercial tenants in good standing to negotiate fair
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Gale Brewer
HUNDREDS ATTEND VIGIL FOR TRAFFIC VICTIMS Families speak out against ‘aggresive’ driving culture, advocate for enforcement BY LOGAN HENDRIX
Denise Baum, foreground, holds a newspaper detailing the death of her husband, Rubin Baum, who was killed in 2012 on the Upper East Side. Photo: Logan Hendrix
Fabulous upcoming New York State events and must-sees at ILoveNY.com/summer15 and inside!
Union Square was a sea of yellow and gray T-shirts in commemoration of loved ones who have died in traffic crashes in the city. Among them was Amy Cohen, a founding member for Families for Safe Streets, whose 12-yearold son, Sammy, was killed by a van outside of the family’s Brooklyn Heights home in October. Cohen implored the crowd to start using the word “crash” instead of “accident.” “The word ‘accident’ suggests something unavoidable and inevitable,” Cohen said. “When we refuse to say ‘accident’ we are insisting that something can be
done to save lives.” Vigil for Vision Zero, which drew hundreds on a warm, humid evening July 14, was organized by Families for Safe Streets and Transportation Alternatives, which is advocating for safer streets for cyclists and pedestrians and stricter enforcement of traffic laws. The event took its name from the de Blasio administration’s pivotal traffic-safety initiative, the goal of which is to eradicate traffic deaths and injuries in the city. Friends and family gathered on stage holding pictures of their lost loved ones. Denise Baum, held a newspaper detailing the death of her husband, Rubin Baum, who was killed in 2012 on the Upper East Side. A spinning car that had collided with another vehicle killed Baum as he
hailed a cab. Denise Baum said her husband pushed her out of the way to save her. “I was in total shock and disbelief,” she said. The core of the event was reading the names of 123 people who have died in traffic crashes so far in 2015. Yellow flowers were handed out, each representing the more than 24,000 injured and people killed in traffic crashes in the five boroughs this year. Single yellow shoe laces were also given to vigil participants to commemorate pedestrians and cyclists killed in traffic crashes. Hsi-Pei Liao and Amy Tam-Liao shared the story about how their daughter, Allison, was killed by a car in 2013 as she and her grandmother were crossing at an intersection.
Never has there been a better -- or worse -- time to grow old in New York City. This week, we kick off what will be a months-long look at the frustrations, and the joys, of senior citizens in America’s biggest city. We’re beginning this effort by debuting a new, biweekly column on our Voices page by veteran Manhattanite Marcia Epstein, called “Senior Living.” Give it a read and give us your thoughts. Marcia’s column marks the beginning of a series of stories and investigations on elderly New Yorkers, who, perhaps more than any other demographic group, are feeling the brunt of the city’s transformation. Think of any of the hotbutton issues in New York today: affordability, crime, transportation, development. Chances are that elderly New Yorkers are feeling the brunt of them more than the rest of us, either because of fixed incomes, or limited mobility or other vulnerabilities. For decades, New York City has been seen as a blissful place to retire. But it’s also become a brutally difficult place for older people. Join us in coming months as we tackle these issues, all of us, together. Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday July 24 – 8:01 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com.
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