Downtown Express - September 5, 2019

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VOLUME 32, NUMBER 18

SEPTEMBER 5 – SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

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VOLUME 32, NUMBER 18

SEPTEMBER 5 – SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

HOUSE OF CONTENTION Key agency votes for boroughs jails plan Page 3

PHOTO BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH

Activists suppor ting the mayor’s jails plan, as well as those decr ying it, raised a din at a raucous Sept. 3 City Planning Commission vote.

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Worpship at Corona’s Argentine Temple of Meat

BY JOE DISTEFANO As the Culinary King of Queens, I’m so

very fortunate to live in the most diverse and delicious destination in all of New York City. Really I’m not royalty though, I’m an ambassador, and a hungry one at that. Today we visit Argentina via Corona at El Gauchito, one of my favorite steakhouses in Queens.

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ou might think I chose this Argentine emporium, whose name means “the little cowboy” for my first column because I’m covering the myriad international cuisines of Queens in alphabetical order and you might be right, but really it has more to do with summertime. After all summer’s the perfect time for grilled beef and cold beer, but sometimes it’s just too hot in New York City to do it yourself, and that’s when I like to head to this temple to Argentine gastronomy—i.e. sumptuous grilled meats served with plenty of garlicky chimichurri.

Antipasto El Gauchito—a platter laden with creamy beef tongue, a terrine of pig feet, pickled eggplant, and matambre—is a great way to begin a feast here. The name of that last specialty, matambre—a rolled veal breast stuffed with spinach, olives, and cheese—translates to “hunger killer.”

Should you be dining solo, or have a hunger that doesn’t require slaying opt for the beef empanadas; there is also the distinct possibility you might be in the wrong place if your appetite is not up to the task.

El Gauchito started out as a butcher shop in 1978, which Mario Civelli named for the mas-

cot of his home country’s football team in that year’s World Cup. The butcher counter—filled with special Argentine cuts like vacio or flap steak and homemade blood sausage—is still there as is the mascot El Gauchito. These days the restaurant, which started as little more than a butcher shop with a grill in the front window, has expanded to take up two storefronts with two dining rooms, each a museum of Argentine culture lined with pictures of cowboys, accordions, and tiles created by Argentine artist Anibal Cicada that depict celebrities like famed musicians Frank Valiente and Carlos Gardel, the country’s most famous tango singer.

The main event at El Gauchito is of course beef. The steaks here—including the bife de chorizo (shell steak) and entraña (skirt steak)—are excellent and take well to the

garlicky, herbaceous chimichurri sauce. A better option though is the mixed grill, which includes entrana, asado de tira (short ribs), vacio (flap steak), mollejas (sweetbreads), and morcilla (blood sausage). The latter—made from beef blood, and secret spices—is so good that Mario’s son, Marcello has begun wholesaling it to other Argentine restaurants throughout New York City.

Offal lovers can also opt for riñones, or beef kidneys, a specialty which are particularly prized by El Guachito’s Ecuadorean customers Marcello says, noting that the restaurant’s customer base is almost as diverse as Queens itself. Colombians, Peruvians, Paraguayans, Brazilians and Korean all come to worship at Corona’s temple of meat. “Koreans like the short ribs because they are used to thin cut kalbi style short ribs,” Marcello says.

Those short ribs used to be Marcello’s favorite too, but he says these days he’s not much of a steak eater. “I love seafood and fish, Astoria Seafood is my favorite,” he says with a laugh.

In the not unlikely event that you need to make room for dessert—flan and dainty shortbread alfajores filled with dulce de leche—avail your self of some siphon, as sparkling water is called in Argentina and a shot of Fernet Branca.

El Gauchito 94-60 Corona Ave. Elmhurst, New York 11373 (718) 271-1917 elgauchitonyc.com

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September 5, 2019

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Planning O.K.’s borough jails plan

BY ALEJANDR A O’CONNELL-DOMENECH

T

he City Planning Commission voted 9 to 3 in favor of Mayor de Blasio’s borough-based jail system on Monday, despite vocal opposition from members of prison-abolition group No New Jails NYC. The City Council now has 50 days to vote on the plan.

Under the scheme, Rikers Island’s jail complex would be closed, to be replaced by the creation of four new jails in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx.

The City Council’s Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses will hold a public hearing on the boroughbased jails system plan at 10 a.m. this Thurs., Sept. 5, at City Hall.

“Today’s vote is so much more than a vote on site selections and special permits,” said Marisa Lago, the City Planning Commission chairperson. “It’s a vote to end a bleak era in New York City history.”

Two years ago, de Blasio announced his plan to close Rikers and move detainees closer to courts and families in almost every borough. Jails are slated to open next to court houses within four of the city’s five boroughs.

Inmates in Staten Island will be shipped to the Brooklyn facility.

In Manhattan and Brooklyn, facilities will open where there are already existing detention centers: at 125 White St. near City Hall and at 275 Atlantic Ave. in Boerum Hill, respectively. However, inmates at the Brooklyn detention center would have to be sent to Rikers at the end of the year as the new facility is built, according to THE CITY. In Queens, a facility in Kew Gardens will be torn down and rebuilt. The Bronx facility in Mott Haven would be built on the site of current New York Police Department tow pound.

Retooling the prison system is a part of de Blasio’s larger plan to shrink the city’s jail population from 7,000 inmates to 4,000 by 2026.

During the vote, members of No New Jails NYC shouted, “There is no justice with this plan!” and “You have blood on your hands!” at the City Planning commissioners who supported the idea.

Others shouted that commissioners did not care about black and brown lives and equated Schneps Media

PHOTO BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH

Activists suppor ting the mayor’s plan, as well as those decr ying it, raised a din at the raucous Sept. 3 vote on the borough-based jails.

PHOTO BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH

On Sept. 3, the Cit y Planning Commission voted 9 to 3 in favor of Mayor de Blasio’s borough-based jail system.

PHOTO BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH

Activist Kei Williams, left, and Brittany Williams, right, with No New Jails NYC, reacted as they heard the City Planning commissioners’ vote on the boroughbased jail system. They shouted the commissioners had “blood on their hands.”

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supporting the plan to supporting white supremacy.

Opponents of the boroughbased jail system argue that the city needs to look at other ways to put an end to incarceration.

Other shouts of “Close Rikers now!” could be heard between cries of “No more jails!”

Activists from Close Rikers Now, who support the mayor’s plan, also crowded into the jampacked hearing room.

Harvey Murphy, a member of Just Leadership to End Rikers Island, said he was formerly incarcerated at the jail complex and was damaged by the experience.

“Rikers Island has harmed a lot of people, it’s harmed me,” Murphy said. “I don’t think I’ll be alive to see abolition but I’m alive to see reform; we have to start within there.”

“When you are voting to build these new jails, you are voting to continue to incarcerate 90 percent black and brown folks,” said Kei Williams, a member of No New Jails NYC. Opponents of the plan argue that the substitute jails would only continue to hurt New Yorkers and that the city should find ways to end incarceration completely.

After the vote, the City Planning Commission released modifications made to the proposed jails’ designs.

All four facilities have had “setbacks” added — moving them back from the street wall — intended to increase light and air in the surrounding neighborhoods.

For the Manhattan jail facility, the height of the White St. arcade walkway has been increased from the previous 29 feet to a minimum height of 55 feet, which would allow more light to pass through the arcade, according to a statement.

For the Brooklyn facility, C.P.C. called for the removal of the State St. skybridge and an increased transparency requirement for retail and community spaces from 30 percent to 50 percent near the new jail. This was done to ensure “active and inviting streetscapes for pedestrians.”

C.P.C. also voted to reduce the heights of all the planned new Manhattan, Queens, Bronx and Brooklyn jails — to 450 feet, 270 feet, 245 feet and 395 feet, respectively.

Initially, the jails were going to be 495, 310, 275 and 430 feet tall. Each jail’s floor area ratio, or F.A.R., has also been lowered a bit, which would reduce the maximum square footage that could be built.

September 5 - September 18, 2019

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Police Police Blotter Blotter SIXTH PRECINCT

SEVENTH PRECINCT

Bleecker burglar

LES sexual abuse

There was an apartment burglary on the morning of Tues., July 23, according to police. Around 8:30 a.m., near Bleecker and Thompson Sts., a man entered an apartment through a secured front door.

Once inside, he took electronics and jewelry, before fleeing in an unknown direction. The suspect remains at large.

Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying a man in connection with a recent sexual-abuse incident on the Lower East Side.

According to police, on Wed., Aug. 21, at 1:55 p.m., in the vicinity of Broome and Ludlow Sts., a 19-year-old female was entering a residential building when an unidentified man followed her into the lobby.

Once inside, the man grabbed the teenager from behind and began to grind his pelvis against her buttocks over her clothing, then fled the location in an unknown direction.

The victim was uninjured and refused medical attention at the scene.

Anyone with information should call the Police Department’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Tips can also be submitted on the Crime Stoppers Web site at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, or on Twitter @ NYPDTips. All tips are confidential.

Late-night assault There was an early-morning assault in front of 42 Grove St., between Bleecker and Bedford Sts., on Sat., Aug. 31, police said. Around 3:25 a.m., a 26-year-old man was having a conversation, when a woman came up from behind and stabbed him in the head, causing a small puncture and bleeding.

The victim said the attacker held a small, silver-colored object in an aggressive manner while approaching him, but he did not identify the weapon.

He was treated by E.M.S. medics at the scene.

Jasmine Murrell Banks, 23, was arrested for felony assault.

Alarming theft

Peed on train victim

There was an attempted e-bike theft at the corner of Bleecker and MacDougal Sts., according to a police report.

On Mon., Aug. 26, around 9:45 p.m., a 31-year-old man said he parked his electric bike outside the location. He left it unlocked but the bike, worth $1,500, had an alarm on it. While inside picking up a food order, he heard the alarm go off. He looked outside and saw a man trying to run away with his bike.

The victim chased after the thief for half a block, and the man dropped the bike along with his own phone, then fled. James Springer, 25, was arrested the same day for felony grand larceny.

Police said that on Sun., June 16, at 2 a.m., a 23-year-old woman was onboard a Manhattan-bound J train when a man standing next to her began to masturbate. The woman walked to the other side of the train but the guy followed her — then began to urinate on her.

The victim exited the subway at Delancey and Essex Sts. but the man followed her and jumped on her back.

The victim sustained minor injuries and refused medical attention on scene. The attacker fled to parts unknown.

The suspect is described as black, around 25 to 35 years of old, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and with a thin build. He was last seen wearing a black shirt with a white logo on its front, black pants and a black baseball hat.

Anyone with information should contact the Police Department’s Crime Stoppers Hotline.

Bank bummer An elderly woman had thousands of dollars stolen from her bank account, according to a police report. An 86-yearold Horatio St. resident reported last year that she noticed large amounts of money missing from her Chase privateclient checking account.

After looking further into her account, the woman discovered 14 fraudulent transactions totaling more than $34,800. However, she had never lost possession of any cards or checks. It was unknown where the transactions were made.

An arrest was made last week, on Aug. 27, when Ioana Nedelcu, 41, was arrested for felony grand larceny.

4

fronted the man, who then fled from the train.

Police described the attacker as Hispanic, around 5 feet 3 inches tall and 160 pounds, with short black hair. He was last seen wearing a white shirt, blue shorts and white sneakers.

Raising canes

shelves and stuffed them in a backpack.

He fled the location with roughly $1,700 worth of store merchandise.

Surveillance video of the individual stealing the items was provided by police.

The video shows him taking items from the shelves in a row marked “Cough & Cold” and possibly “Mouthwash.” (The sign is fuzzed out in part of the photo to hide the identity of a shopper in the background.)

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers.

10TH PRECINCT

Chlelsea watch rob Police said they are looking for two men in connection with a robbery in Chelsea on Sunday evening, Aug. 25.

In the incident, around 10:50 p.m., a 21-year-old man was walking near the corner of W. 15th St. and Sixth Ave., when two unknown men approached, police said.

They began to punch and kick the man about his head and body.One of the attackers took the victim’s wristwatch, valued at around $13,000, before both fled.

E.M.S. medics responded to the scene and took the victim to the Lenox Health Greenwich Village stand-alone emergency department.

He had facial fractures, pain and swelling.

Anyone with information should contact the Police Department’s Crime Stoppers Hotline.

NINTH PRECINCT

Rite Aid shoplifter

7-train grope

A shoplifter hit an East Village Rite Aid earlier this summer and made off with a major haul, police recently reported.

In the June 26 incident, an unidentified male entered the store at 81 First Ave., between E. Fourth and E. Fifth Sts., around 11 a.m. While inside, he removed various merchandise from

September 5 - September 18, 2019

There was a recent sexual assault in the subway at Hudson Yards, according to police. On Wed., Aug. 21, around 1 a.m., a 30-year-old woman was sitting on a 7 train that had stopped at the 34th St.-Hudson Yards station. The next thing she knew, a man was grabbing her breasts. The victim resisted and con-

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A group of six people, including four men and two women, attacked and robbed a man in the Meatpacking District early on the morning of Wed., Aug. 21, according to a police report.

Around 3 a.m., the group assaulted a 52-year-old man who was sleeping in front of 61 Ninth Ave., at W. 15th St. They hit him on his head and body with canes and a glass bottle. Another man, 22, was walking by and tried to intervene, and the group hit him with the canes and threw him down onto the pavement.

The group took the 52-year-old man’s bicycle and wallet, and the 22-year-old’s cell phone and belt pack. E.M.S. took the younger victim to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.

The older victim was treated at the scene. The attackers fled south on foot along Ninth Ave.

MIDTOWN NORTH

Random attack A man randomly assaulted a woman in Midtown on Tues., Aug. 20, according to police. Around 5:05 p.m., at the corner of Seventh Ave. and 52nd St., a 20-year-old woman was walking when a man approached and punched her in the face.

There was no exchange or interaction between the two before the incident.

The attacker then fled south on Seventh Ave. The victim suffered a cut lip and was taken by E.M.S. to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.

Grabbed pedicab An unattended pedicab was stolen on Sat., Aug. 17, according to a police report.

Around 9:45 p.m., a 27-year-old man left his pedicab outside 731 Ninth Ave., between W. 49th and 50th Sts., and went in to grab some dinner.

When he returned 15 minutes later, the bike was gone. Investigation revealed four young men took the bike and fled.

Two wore black T-shirts with rock band logos, one Nirvana, the other Metallica.

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September 5, 2019

5

Activist Jews blast Bezos on aiding ICE

BY TEQUIL A MINSK Y

M

embers of the progressive Jewish community in New York recently commemorat-

ed the Jewish day of mourning Tisha B’Av by taking to the streets to protest the current administration’s policy toward undocumented immigrants — and the help that it is getting from Amazon.

The fast day remembers the destruction of the Jewish temples. Reportedly well more than 200 Jewish activists participated in the “Close the Camps” demo on Aug. 11.

Personalized signs were made at nearby

gay-and-lesbian

synagogue

Congregation Beit Simchat Torah.

Demonstrators walked to the Amazon Books store at 34th St. near Fifth Ave. to protest technology — including facial-recognition software — by Amazon that is being used by local and federal law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Cus-

PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY

Demonstrators called on Amazon not to let ICE use its facial-recognition technology to track down undocumented immigrants.

toms Enforcement, to track, identify and hunt down immigrants.

In New York City, police recently used facial-recognition technology to quickly find a homeless man who had left empty rice cookers in Lower Manhattan and Chelsea, creating a bomb scare.

This was a nationwide coordinated Jewish effort. On this day, protests were held in more than 50 locations around the country. Demonstrators packed the E. 34th St. Amazon store, sitting on the floor, and spilling onto the sidewalk when there was no more room, disrupting business. Forty were arrested.

Among the participating groups were T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights; Bend the Arc; Jews For Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ); and C.B.S.T. As the signs indicated, this was a very personal march. Many protesters lost family members in the Holocaust, and the issue of camps, family separation, and the refusal to offer refuge for those fleeing persecution is but one or two generations away from those who took to the streets in the August protests.

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September 5, 2019

PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY

PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY

Demonstrators decried Jeff Bezos — C.E.O. and president of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post — for allowing ICE to use Amazon’s facialrecognition soft ware to track down immigrants.

Protesters associated the current treatment of undocumented immigrants with the dehumanization of the Holocaust.

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September 5, 2019

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Critical Mass in pro-Greta ride past U.N.

BY ALEJANDR A O’CONNELL-DOMENECH

I

n honor of Greta Thunberg’s visit to the United Nations on Fri., Aug. 30, more than 100 bicyclists passed U.N. Headquarters during last Friday’s Critical Mass ride.

“We wanted to show what real climate change solutions look like,” said Bill de Paola, director of Time’s Up, an environmental organization that organizes the Critical Mass rides.

The 16-year-old Swedish climate change activist had arrived in New York City by solar-powered boat two days earlier. The teen embarked from the United Kingdom and spent two weeks sailing across the Atlantic Ocean to speak at the U.N. Climate Action Summit scheduled for later this month.

On Friday, Thunberg was joined by hundreds of children and teens outside of the U.N. in calling on politicians and older generations to take immediate and comprehensive action to reverse climate change.

Fellow young New York City climate change activists Alexandria Villaseñor, 14, and Xiye Bastida Patrick, 17, also took part in the protest.

During the protest, the trio were given an impromptu tour of the U.N. and met with Maria Fernanda Espinosa, the U.N. General Assembly president.

PHOTO BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH

Critical Mass riders passing through Times Square on Aug. 30. More than 100 c yclists traveled from Union Square to Washington Square Park, passing by U.N. Headquar ters and through Times Square en route.

Hours later, the activist cyclists gathered as usual at Union Square Park and headed north. Critical Mass rides occur in New York, and in more than 200 cities around the world, every last Friday of the month, to call for safer streets and better bicycling infrastructure and to help newer bicyclists feel more comfort-

able riding in traffic.

“When you ride together in a group, you feel more confident and that helps create more riders,” de Paola said.

And for Time’s Up, more riders mean a greener city and greener world.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 29 percent of the

nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation. More specifically, they come from the burning of petroleum-based fuels to power trucks, cars, ships and planes.

The 2019 Climate Action Summit is scheduled to begin on Sept. 23.

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Vaccinations are required for children to attend all child care, pre-K, public and private schools.

To learn more, call 311 or visit nyc.gov/health and search “student vaccines.”

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September 5 - September 18, 2019

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September 5 - September 18, 2019

9

Hong Kong Lennon Walls visit Battery Park

BY ALEJANDR A O’CONNELLDOMENECH

T

raveling “Lennon Walls” created by young Hong Kongers were set up in Battery Park on Sat., Aug.

31.

The freestanding portable cardboard walls have been placed in parks around the city, allowing passersby to leave colorful post-its with words of support for Hong Kong democracy activists, who are entering their 13th week of protests in the semiautonomous region.

A portable Lennon Wall made stints in Washington Square Park, Bryant Park and Times Square earlier this month. As more young Hong Kongers wishing to do their part to help friends and family back home learned about the effort, more walls were created.

On Sat., Aug. 24, three Lennon Walls were set up in Union Square Park. In Battery Park, seven stood in front of the Castle Clinton National Monument.

“Sometimes I feel desperate because I can’t help things in Hong Kong,” said Tse Fei, a 29-year-old Hong Konger. Fei had to stop taking part in protests when he arrived in the city in early August for an artist-in-residency program.

“Sometimes I regret coming to New York,” he said, feeling he should be back lending his efforts to the cause.

But Fei has found some solace in

PHOTO BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH

Seven por table Lennon Walls were brought to Batter y Park on Sat., Aug. 31. The walls are being displayed in parks around the city to allow Hong Kongers to show their suppor t for protesters and to help educate New Yorkers about the mass protests in Hong Kong.

spending his free time helping with the portable Lennon Walls. Under the blazing sun, he stood next to the walls and passed out business cards with information on the Hong Kong Human Rights

and Democracy Act. It was something that many other young Hong Kongers keeping a watchful eye on the Lennon Walls during the time in Battery Park also did. Stationary Lennon Walls have

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been defaced by Beijing supporters.

Introduced by Republican Senator Marco Rubio, of Florida, earlier this year, the legislation is an amendment to a 1992 bill that would require the U.S. secretary of state to issue an annual certification on Hong Kong’s democracy.

The portable walls were created partly in response to the repeated destruction of a permanent Lennon Wall on Grand St. in Chinatown. The name for that wall was appropriated from the Lennon Wall in Prague that became a spot for Czechs to express political thoughts through Beatles lyrics and graffiti.

Pro-Beijingers have stopped by the Grand St. wall and torn off notes on it or ripped down fliers and photographs.

The most recent defacement occurred last week when huge letters spelling “F— H K Roach!” were spray-painted in red on the wall. The spray paint has since been removed and the notes restored.

Despite the obstacles they face, Hong Kongers here and their New York allies will not stop doing what they can to support protesters back in Hong Kong.

“Hong Kongers are trying to follow the teachings of Bruce Lee,” said Anthony Yeung, 26, a New Yorker whose family is from Hong Kong. “‘Be like water.'”

Yes

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Editorial

Don’t cut Gifted programs For decades, the Gifted and Talented program has given some of the sharpest young minds in the New York City public school system a chance to challenge themselves, hone their skills and cultivate their minds to their fullest potential.

But if a group of education reformers whispering in the ears of Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza have their way, the Gifted and Talented program will soon be a thing of the past.

The School Diversity Advisory Group recommended last month that the Department of Education dismiss the program in the name of equality. They claim that the screening system in place disproportionately leaves out students of color, and contributes to segregation in the nation’s largest public school system.

But the group’s assertion that the Gifted and Talented program, by itself, is the cause of segregation is a deeply flawed argument. It’s also the same argument made by those seeking to eliminate entrance exams for the city’s specialized high schools, for the very same reason: a lack of equality and opportunity for all.

Make no mistake, there is a troubling lack of equality and opportunity in New York City public school education. A shameful segregation indeed persists to this day in classrooms across one of the most progressive cities in America.

But specialized education programs or standardized tests are not to blame for this condition. Rather, decades of failed education policy in New York City have left behind public school students across the city.

Simply put, this city has not invested enough in its future. It has not provided enough resources to public schools in every corner of every borough for them to operate at their optimum level. The city has not provided enough in the way of after-school educational programs and free tutoring for students to achieve high marks and qualify for specialized schools or the Gifted and Talented program.

To turn things around and truly open up opportunity for all public school students, we need to invest in them. That costs billions of our taxpayer dollars, of course, and requires a steady amount of work to ensure that everything goes according to plan. In short, it’s hard work. But it’s the right thing to do.

Getting rid of programs such as Gifted and Talented risks creating a tremendous brain drain in New York. If the city cannot help its sharpest young minds reach their full potential, these students’ abilities will wither away from boredom and neglect. Likewise, if the city won’t solve its segregation problem by investing in better schools, better teachers and better programs for all its students, it should expect more of the same, regardless of reforms made.

Catching a photographer’s eye, a youngster in the West Village, in front of 381 Hudson St., at W. Houston St., on Nov. 30, 1933, wore a generous amount of lipstick. The shop window in the background shows a sign for the National Recovery Administration with its Blue Eagle symbol. The N.R.A. was a New Deal agency started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in June 1933 to reform business and labor regulations.

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September 5, 2019

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Op-Ed

Paid vacation would hurt small business

BY MONICA SA XENA

I

wake up every morning excited to run my restaurant in Chelsea, serve my community and work alongside my staff. Our mission is the same every day: Provide the best dining experience and quality food to my neighbors, guests and the city’s tourists.

I work diligently with my staff of 14. Our team is comprised of hard-working first-generation Americans and immigrants like myself. Together, we work the frontline operations of the restaurant to ensure the best dining experience for our customers. On the back end, I work hard to provide my employees a good job and a positive work environment.

I love the restaurant industry, but it is getting harder every day for restaurants like mine to survive in today’s business climate. Mayor de Blasio is now calling for an unfunded mandate that would require businesses like mine — with more than five employees — to provide two weeks of paid vacation time to employees. I appreciate the intentions behind this proposal, and I agree that we need to take care of our workers for their health and happiness.

However, the mayor’s proposal would place the full cost and administrative burden of this new policy on small business owners like me, who are already trying to keep up with high labor costs, workers’ compensation insurance, liability insurance, rent, electricity, increased real estate taxes, licensing fees and all the other challenges of running a restaurant.

Larger businesses may be able to absorb these costs, but my small business can no longer absorb rising expenses. Unfortunately, I can only charge my customers so much for the delicious Indian food we serve before we become unaffordable and customers no longer feel they are getting a good value.

My employees already earn the $15 minimum wage, and often more, especially those who earn tips. Mandating two weeks of paid vacation time for each worker would catapult my payroll costs. I imagine workers would want to take their time off on weekends and holidays — the busiest time for restaurants — so I would need to add employees, or pay an overtime rate to existing workers so I could run my restaurant and provide the level of service to which our guests have become accustomed. In today’s tight labor market, it would be hard to find replacement workers. This policy would compromise our food quality and customer service, and would tarnish my restaurant’s reputation and business, which in turn also would hurt my employees. If I’m lucky enough to cover employees’ shifts, it would cost me more because now I would be paying for two employees but only getting the output of one worker.

I believe in supporting the city’s working people, since I am one. But if this policy forces more small businesses across the city to cover rising costs, we would not be providing benefits for our workers; we would be putting them out of a job.

To support both working people and small businesses, the government should help fund and administer this benefit just like they do with paid family leave or even Social Security.

Alternatively, the City Council could create a tax credit for the city’s mom-and-pop shops to offset rising operational costs.

Mayor de Blasio and the City Council can’t keep asking more from small business owners like me, without doing anything to support the health of our businesses.

Small businesses are the foundation of the entrepreneurial culture for which New York City is known. We want to continue supporting our employees and serving our communities, but we can only do that with the city’s help.

Saxena is owner of aRoqa restaurant, at 206 Ninth Ave., between 22nd and 23rd Sts.

Schneps Media

Letters to The Editor Claims on Jane To The Editor: Re “On 14th St., we continue the fight of Jane Jacobs” (op-ed,

by Arthur Schwartz, Aug. 26): The notion that author and former Villager Jane Jacobs would have opposed the city’s bus-and bike-centric plan for the 14th St. corridor is absurd.

She believed cars were terribly destructive. In her seminal work “The Death and Life of Great American Cities,” she argued for “attrition of automobiles” and “making conditions less convenient for cars.”

It’s hard to imagine Jacobs objecting to a plan that would improve transportation options at the cost of making conditions more difficult for some drivers.

David Gurin

Lay off lawyer To The Editor: Re “What would Jane do on 14th St. busway?” (editorial, Aug. 29): Demonstrating in front of lawyer Schwarz’s house is fine, although he said he didn’t care to have his address publicized.

Picketing in front of homes occurs. During the Vietnam War, we picketed in front of draft board members’ residences, with “Know Your Neighbor” fliers. Objecting to one State Supreme Court justice’s anti-tenant ruling, picketers at the judge’s home were restrained as to hours, in order not to disturb people’s sleep.

Likewise with Occupy Wall Street demonstrators.

Upper West Side Assemblymember Danny O’Donnell took a busload of tenant demonstrators to picket at a landlord’s palatial home in Westchester.

And so it goes.

However, leave the legal technician alone — everyone is entitled to have a lawyer.

Alan Flacks

No ‘auto erosion’ To The Editor: Re “What would Jane do on 14th St. busway?” (editorial, Aug. 29): You admit you’re not clear TVG

Jane Jacobs laid out much of her philosophy in her seminal book.

on where Jane Jacobs stood on cars. I think the following, from Jacobs’s “The Death and Life of Great American Cities,” makes it quite clear: “Erosion of cities by automobiles…proceeds as a kind of nibbling, small nibbles at first, but eventually hefty bites… . A street is widened here, another is straightened there, a wide avenue is converted to one-way flow…more land goes into parking… . No one step in this process is, in itself, crucial. But cumulatively the effect is enormous… . City character is blurred until every place becomes more like every other place, all adding up to No place.”

Shirley Secunda

Pick your battles To The Editor: Re “ ‘Let them eat pastries’ or ‘Let them protest’?” (news article, Aug. 22): Although I am a civil liberties lawyer who has worked with Norman Siegel on cases, he and I do have some fundamental disagreements.

The First Amendment prohibits the government from interfering with free speech. Norman and his former colleagues at the American Civil Liberties Union have represented neoNazis and Klan members seeking to overcome governmental interference.

I interned at the New York Civil Liberties Union and learned, early, that resources were scarce, and that progressive lawyers have to pick their

battles.

I would never represent the Klan or a Nazi. There are plenty of super-conservative law foundations that can take on their fight, and I picketed the A.C.L.U. when they represented Nazis wishing to march through a Jewish community in Skokie, Illinois, back around 1977. I got fired from my first legal services job for doing that, but I would do it again.

Perhaps more to the point, the First Amendment has nothing to do with the political or moral propriety of trying to intimidate a lawyer in a community fight by posting his address in the e-mail mailboxes of 100,000 or more people, and then picketing his home where he lives with a spouse and minor children. To me that is antidemocratic. And the attempt to intimidate a lawyer to abandon clients smacks of a fascistic approach to politics.

Klansman could be fascists and also have First Amendment rights, which is why they got to march in 2017 in Charlottesville with torches lit, and why any right-minded person called them out.

I was general counsel to ACORN, probably the largest activist group ever to exist in the U.S. Its community organizers organized many a picket, probably even some at the homes of businessmen whose policies were destroying poor communities, although more often outside their banks and corporate headquarters.

I do not think that is comparable to picketing the home of a lawyer in a legitimate environmental case and trying to intimidate him into dropping his clients. Norman may have enjoyed it. I didn’t. Yet I was polite to the picketers, and even engaged with a group of them for an hour after the screaming ended.

Arthur Schwartz E-mail letters, not longer than 250 words in length, to news@thevillager.com or fax to 212-229-2790 or mail to The Villager, Letters to the Editor, 1 MetroTech North, 10th floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Please include phone number for confirmation purposes. The Villager reserves the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and libel. Anonymous letters will not be published.

September 5, 2019

13

W. Village isn’t pining for trees on street: Report

BY GABE HERMAN

D

owntown Manhattan has some of the most and least tree-dense areas of the city, according to a recent study.

The report was done by real estate Web site localize.city, which ranked neighborhoods in every borough except Staten Island based on the number of trees per square mile. The trees considered for the study were those on sidewalks and maintained by the city.

The West Village has the fourth-most trees over all, with 5,102 trees per square mile. Park Slope came in third, Floral Park was second, and Cobble Hill was first, with 5,783 trees per square mile.

Gramercy was eighth on the list, with 4,687 trees per square mile. Other Manhattan neighborhoods in the top 10 included the Upper East Side at number five and the Upper West Side in 10th place.

The city has made a push in recent years to add more trees, including the 2007 launch of the MillionTreesNYC initiative by the Parks Department under former Mayor Bloomberg. The one millionth tree in that program was planted in 2015.

Parks also has a street tree map for the entire city, which includes statistics about the environmental benefits trees provide to New York. Each year, trees reduce carbon dioxide in the city by more than 612,000 tons and remove 635 tons of air pollutants.

Trees’ other benefits include energy conservation, intercepting storm water, and of course shady relief on sweltering summer days.

In City Council Speaker Corey Johnson’s recent progress report in this paper, he touted the importance of adding trees to the local landscape. He said he has allocated more than $800,000 for new street trees and tree guards in his Council District 3 (Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen), with several hundred new trees scheduled to arrive this winter.

Subsequently, in response to the localize.city report that shows the West Village is among the leaders in tree density, Johnson on Aug. 20 tweeted that every neighborhood should follow suit.

“As the councilmember for District 3, my goal is to fill every empty tree pit in our district with a new tree by the time I leave office,” he tweeted. “Street trees have many benefits and every neighborhood across NYC should be lined with them!”

The tree study included some sobering news for Manhattan, however, as two neighborhoods were among the worst in tree-density. The Garment District had the third-fewest number of trees per square mile at 327. And Little Italy had the fourth-fewest at 875 trees per square mile.

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NYC WORKS ★

CELEBRATING LABOR IN THE BIG APPLE

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To honor the labor movement, secure paid personal time for all New Yorkers

THE TIME IS NOW: Public Advocate Jumaane Williams is urging the city to provide paid time off for all workers.

United Federation of Teachers

BY JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS This Labor Day, we remember and elevate the countless ways in which unions have fought to improve the lives of people who work to support their families and build our nation. These organizations have worked across generations to secure the five-day work week, paid family and medical leave, safer working conditions, child labor laws, and other advancements, many of which are often taken for granted today.

To truly honor that legacy and obtain justice for undervalued working New Yorkers, we must take another crucial step by leading our nation - a nation that lags behind dozens of countries in this area– to secure paid personal time for all.

The fight for paid time off is not new. It spans generations, beginning as early as the New Deal era, when President William Howard Taft argued in 1910 that Americans need up to three

months of time off to ensure they could keep working “with the energy and effectiveness.” Our labor unions picked up the torch and in the 1930s, began negotiating to acquire paid time off coverage as the Labor Department investigated whether the nation should have a federal vacation policy. By 1943, eight million unionized employees had paid time off, up from two million in 1940.

Now, in 2019, a culture of overwork dominates our nation, and paid time off is treated as a privilege afforded only to some well-off workers. Currently, the US is the only advanced economy that does not guarantee paid personal time for workers. By comparison, Australia requires employers to offer at least 20 paid personal days per year, while many European countries offer up to 30 paid personal days per year. A recent survey found that 52 percent of low-wage workers nationally have paid personal time as com-

pared to 91 percent of highwage workers. These statistics reveal a question of equity, fairness, and worker justice. Mandating paid personal time is the answer.

The epidemic of overwork is even more exacerbated in New York City. Currently, nearly a million New Yorkers do not have any paid personal time. Notably, lowerincome workers are less likely to have this benefit, as only 38 percent of New Yorkers with low incomes report having any paid time off compared to two-thirds of those with moderate to high incomes. Workers who are viewed as subjects unworthy of rest can be forced to make a decision as to whether they miss much-needed pay or risk termination because of needed time away from work. They are forced to make an unjust choice just to get by, paralyzed by policy and by a culture that reprimands, rather than rewards, taking such personal time.

Ours is a culture of over-

work and undervalue. But it is also a culture of working people fighting for their rights and the rights of others, standing together, and building a movement for justice.

To advance justice and equity for 3.4 million working New Yorkers, five years ago I introduced a first-ofits-kind bill to guarantee paid personal time for most employees. It would require employers to give workers 80 hours of paid personal time annually, attained on an accrual basis. While there are those who have tried to present this proposal as new and overly radical, it has been building in city government for five years, and in our country for more than five decades. It is progressive, but as part of progress that has been building for much of our history. This proposal is widely supported by a majority of New Yorkers, with 80 percent saying they support expanding paid personal time in a recent poll.

Some have raised concerns about increased costs, including in the small business community – as a former small business owner myself, I am sensitive and receptive to their concerns. We want small businesses to thrive, and their concerns are real and must be addressed. At the same time, it is undeniable that we as a city, and business owners in particular, have an imperative to protect and advance the well-being of the employees who help build and maintain those businesses. In working toward passing landmark legislation such as paid personal time, it is crucial to bring all stakeholders to the table for a dialogue about how it can best be implemented, and small business owners must be at that table. We can work together, as we did with paid sick leave, as we did in the Fight for 15, to enact legislation that works for all in the workplace.

Moreover, employers will benefit from the proven gains that paid leave provides employees - improved mental and physical health, lower stress, greater morale, and increased productivity, among others. Time off will also allow employees to patronize local businesses and bolster the tourism industry that is a major contributor to New York’s economy. I am committed to working with all New Yorkers - including the business community - to ensure we pass the best law possible. After five years with this legislation, and the many decades of work that led us to this point, we can seize the momentum of the moment and create transformational change.

New York City finally has a chance at victory in the long-fought battle for paid time off, a chance to lead the nation in caring for our city’s workers. Working people have been in this fight for nearly a century, and after all those years of tireless advocacy, it’s time for all New Yorkers to finally take a very well-earned break.

Mr. Williams is the public advocate of the city of New York

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LEADING THE MARCH Meet labor’s leading lady Elizabeth Shuler, the grand marshal of the 2019 parade

BY BILL PARRY

W

hen the 2019 NYC Labor Day Parade steps off on Fifth Avenue on Saturday, Elizabeth Shuler will proudly wear the sash as this year’s Grand Marshal.

Shuler became the youngest person to ever serve on the American Federation of Labor’s Executive Council when she was elected at age 39, and her meteoric rise saw her elevated to secretary-treasurer — the second-highest position in the labor movement — a position she holds at 49 years old.

“I grew up in a union household in Oregon and went to work as a union representative at Local 125,” Shuler recalled. “In electric utility you wear a lot of different hats. I always had a thirst for learning combined with a can-do attitude while getting her chops at the local level.”

Five years later she was matching wits against energy giant Enron, the so-called “smartest people in the room.”

“Enron came in and took a wild west approach to the electrical world,” Shuler said.

“They wanted to take cheap hydroelectric power from the Pacific Northwest and sell it to California and make a bundle of money. We built coalitions and we beat down the beast with people power.”

When the scandal-ridden corporate giant went bankrupt in late 2001, her father Lance, a longtime power lineman working at a subsidiary of Enron, found himself caught in the fallout.

“Enron eventually collapsed and my dad lost his pension,” Shuler said. “I still get emotional about that.”

Shuler’s union work was noticed by IBEW in 1993, when the powers that be sent her to California to fight against Proposition 226, the so-called “Paycheck Protection” that threatened the lifeblood of union political fundraising.

Shuler’s next stop was Washington, D.C., where she lobbied Congress on issues including energy and electricity, telecommunications, health care, transportation, apprenticeship and training, pension

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AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Shuler (center) looks to women and people of color as the future of the nation’s labor movement because they AFL-CIO already represent the majority of the population. reform and unemployment, in addition to developing political education programs and mobilizing local unions throughout the country to get out and vote.

“What I did was bring my voice to the halls of Congress trying to balance the scales of power against the rise of the corporations,” Shuler said.

“So I left Oregon and before you know it 20 years has gone by.”

Throughout her career, Shuler has seen the corporations gain power and labor give ground. Last year, only 10.5 percent of American workers were union members.

“We would say labor law is broken. Nowadays it takes real heroes to organize in these conditions where so many jobs have been shifted overseas and regulatory structures are under assault,” Shuler said.

“Meanwhile, the cost of health care makes it hard for unions to grow.”

SCHNEPS MEDIA • NYC WORKS • SEPT. 5, 2019

The theme of the 2019 NYC Labor Day Parade is “Building Worker Power Together,” and Shuler has been working on that in her leadership position at the AFL-CIO. “We have to make labor more modern and relevant to working people,” Shuler said.

“Women and people of color will be the majority of the country. There are already 6.5 million women in the labor movement.”

She also launched the AFLCIO’s Next Up Young Workers Initiative to open up leadership opportunities and create space for youth activism. Today’s young workers are part of the largest generation to enter the workforce since the baby boomers and the most technology savvy generation in American history.

“They’re being crushed by student debt and they are stuck in the gig economy working three low-paying jobs with so few jobs having benefits,” Shuler said. “We are en-

Elizabeth Shuler, secretarytreasurer of the AFL-CIO and the highest ranking woman in the U.S. Labor movement, is the grand marshal of the 2019 New York City Labor Day Parade.

AFL-CIO

gaging and mobilizing a network of young people across the country and they are organizing for new union members. We need to connect the

dots and prioritize emerging areas of the economy.”

One industry in particular is drawing Shuler’s scrutiny.

“The video game industry is now three times the size of Hollywood. It’s huge and once you have your eyes on it you start to understand just how big it is,” Shuler said. “They’re making money hand over fist but it’s a modern day sweat shop with workers doing 16 hour shifts in the dark with no breaks with no overtime with unfair and unhealthy working conditions.

The type of thing that started the labor movement in this country.”

Shuler might succeed AFL-CIO president Richard Trumpka who, at age 69, is said to be planning an exit strategy towards retirement.

“Well, we do have our next national convention in 2021 and I would certainly want to be in the conversation,” Shuler said.

For now, she is thrilled and excited to be leading the parade up Fifth Avenue.

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NYC Labor Day Parade returns to Fifth Avenue

BY CAMILLE SPERRAZZA

T

housands of working men and women from 150 unions and labor groups will march in this year’s annual New York City Labor Day Parade on Sept. 7.

The grand procession honors blue-collar American’s laboring as teachers, fi refighters, nurses, postal workers, road builders, those in construction, garment and retail workers, bakers, taxi drivers, flight attendants, pilots, bricklayers, carpenters, and countless other professionals, who dedicate their lives to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the country.

This year’s parade will be led by Grand Marshal Elizabeth Shuler — secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Labor and the highest ranking woman in the U.S. Labor movement — and Parade Chair Ernest Logan — president of the American

Federation of School Administrators.

“This is such an exciting time for working people all across the country who are joining together and mobilizing on a scale that I’ve never seen,” says Shuler. “From teachers and hotel works, to video game developers, and grocery store workers, the power of the working people is rising. It will be such an honor to be in New York City with workers who lead this charge, and make lives better for all working families every day.”

City and state elected officials are expected to join the march, as are New York City Central Labor Council President Vincent Alvarez, Secretary-Treasurer Janella T. Hinds, and the council’s Executive Board.

The parade will be led by the Patriot Brass Ensemble, members of the Ameri-

can Federation of Musicians Local 802. The Ensemble is known to perform for thousands of veterans in longterm care facilities, enriching their lives through music.

The event marks the 125th anniversary of Labor Day, and kicks off at Fifth Avenue and 44th Street in Manhattan, with marchers heading uptown to 66th Street. A mass will be held at 8:30 a.m. at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, located at Fifth Avenue and 50th Street.

And at 10 a.m., bands, floats, flag twirlers, dancers, banners, classic cars, motorcycles and buses will set out along Fifth Avenue.

Since its inception in 1882, the parade has become a signature event for the labor movement not only in the city, but across America.

Alvarez claims that, while the parade takes on a festive atmosphere, it’s also an ex-

Carrying the banner: Local 361 iron worker and Brooklynite Robert Farula carries an American flag during the 2012 parade.

Associated Press / Mary Altaffer

pression of political will, and demonstrates the strength and numbers of organized labor groups.

“Even though it’s a parade, it’s a march — it’s a march for rights,” he said.

One of the messages the parade’s organizers would like to demonstrate this year is that, despite recent attacks by well-funded anti-worker forces, New York City is “Building Worker Power Together.” The parade shows the

public that there are many people fighting for them.

In the 1800s, participants marched down Broadway, but that changed in 1959 when the parade moved to Fifth Avenue. A permit for that stretch is almost impossible to secure now, but an existing agreement between the Labor Council and the city allows the parade to continue on that route.

Get out there and become part of this time-honored New York City tradition!

PAINTING & WALL COVERING

DRYWALL FINISHING

GLAZIER & ARCHITECTURAL METAL AND GLASS WORK

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BUSINESS MANAGER/SECRETARY TREASURER: Joseph Azzopardi PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR OF SERVICING: John Drew James Barnett Richard Basini Steve Bermingham Juan Bernal Rick Bloomer Peter Bottigliero Steve Brice Brian Casey Ernest Castellana Gus Diamantis Lee Eck Solomon Edore Ken Erdmann Allen Foley

Will Garay Alejandro Garcia Crystal Garcia Alex Gonzalez Pete Grillo Jr. Chris Holmes Richard Jacobs Jr. Matthew Johnson Ken Klouse Jeffrey LaFontaine Davon Lomax Veronica Luciano Rony Luna Robert McClinchey Steve Melish

Nicholas Milazzo Gerard O’Brien Joseph Padilla Gabriel Pineda Jr. Moises Robalo Omar Robinson Anibal Scuadroni John Shepard Anthony Specziale Jeff Stark Richard Small Adjen Suca Jose Torrent Mark Vitale

SERVICING: Albany, Bronx, Clinton, Columbia, Dutchess, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Kings (Brooklyn), Montgomery, Nassau, New York (Manhattan), Orange, Putnam, Queens, Rensselaer, Richmond (Staten Island), Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, Warren, Washington

DISTRICTCOUNCIL9.NET SCHNEPS MEDIA • NYC WORKS • SEPT. 5, 2019

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All aboard the labor parade!

More than 150 unions, locals and organizations will march this year Ironworkers District Council and Locals 40, 46, 197, 361, 580

Some 150 unions and union local members of the New York City Central Labor Council are set to step off from Fifth Avenue and 44th Street in the 2019 Labor Day Parade and March on Saturday, Sept. 7. Here is a list of the line of march:

Heat and Frost Insulators and Locals 12 and 12A Boilermakers Local Lodge 5 International Union Of Painters and Allied Trades, DC 9 and local unions

LEAD-OFF SECTOR: March time: 10 a.m.

SECTOR 6 March time: 12:30 p.m.

NYPD Color Guard LEAD-OFF BAND: Patriot Brass Ensemble

Teamsters Joint Council 16 and local unions

GRAND MARSHAL: Elizabeth Shuler, secretary-treasurer, AFL-CIO

Communication Workers of America and local unions

PARADE CHAIR: Ernest Logan, president, American Federation of School Administrators NYC Central Labor Council, AFLCIO: Officers and executive board New York State AFL-CIO New York State Department Of Labor Pride at Work A. Philip Randolph Institute Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Coalition Of Black Trade Unionists Coalition Of Labor Union Women Labor Council For Latin American Advancement New York City Alliance Of Retired Americans

The Association of Flight Attendants– CWA

The 2019 Labor Day Parade and March kicks off at 5th Avenue and 44th Street in ManhatAmerican Federation of GovernMichel Friang tan, marching uptown to 66th Street.

ment Employees and local unions

SECTOR 3 March time: 11 a.m.

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

Building and Construction Trades Council and officers/staff

IBEW Local 3

Helmets to Hardhats

International Longshoremen Association and local unions 920, 1814

IBEW Local Unions

The Edward J. Malloy Initiative for Construction Skills

Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco and Grain Millers and local unions

Non-Traditional Employment for Women

Organization Of Staff Analysts

Allied Printing Trades Council/ Graphic Communications Conference Council of Supervisors and Administrators United Federation Of Teachers and AFT local unions

Greater NY Labor-Religion Coalition

New York State United Teachers and local unions

New York Branch NAACP

Professional Staff Congress

Jewish Labor Committee

Public Employees Federation

New York Labor History Association James Connelly Irish American Labor Coalition

Uniformed Firefighters Association Local 94 Uniformed Fire Officers Association Local 854

Italian American Labor Council New York Committee For Occupational Safety & Health

SECTOR 2 March time: 10:45 a.m.

Cornell Worker Institute CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies

Office and Professional Employees International Union and local unions

Empire State College-SUNY

United Food & Commercial Workers

New York City Labor Chorus

Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union and local unions

American Federation Of Musicians Local 802 Actors’ Equity Association SAG-AFTRA American Guild Of Musical Artists Writers Guild Of America East International Alliance Of Theatrical Stage Employees and local unions New York Council Of Motion Picture

A8

Air Line Pilots Association

SECTOR 1 March time: 10:15 am

Utility Workers Union Of America Local 1-2

Plumbers Local 1 Steamfitters Local 638 Laborers’ Local 731, 147 & National Postal Mailhandlers Union Local 300 Cement & Concrete Workers DC 16, Locals 6A, 18A, and 20 Pavers and Road Builders District Council, Local 1010 Cement Masons Local 780 Plasterers’ Local 262 Mason Tenders District Council & Locals 66, 78, 79, 108 & 1261

SECTOR 4 March time: 11:30 a.m.

NYC District Council Of Carpenters and Local Unions Elevator Constructors Local 1 International Union of Operating Engineers and Local Unions

Amalgamated Transit Union and local unions

Civil Service Merit Council

SECTOR 7 March time: 1 p.m.

United Steel Workers and local unions United Auto Workers and local unions New York State Nurses Association Transport Workers Union of America and local unions

SECTOR 8 March time: 1:15 p.m.

Civil Service Employees Association/American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) AFSCME District Council 37 and local unions AFSCME District Council 1707 and local unions

SEIU Local 1199

Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1

SEIU Local 246

Tile, Marble And Terrazzo Local 7

Seafarers’ International Union of North America

SECTOR 5 March Time: 12 p.m.

Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, District 1

Roofers and Waterproofers Local 8

New York Taxi Workers Alliance

Sheetmetal Workers Locals 28 and 137

New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council

SEIU Local Unions Workers United American Postal Workers Union National Association Of Letter Carriers Independent Drivers Guild

SCHNEPS MEDIA • NYC WORKS • SEPT. 5, 2019

M TA

is

Y L L A FIN

ON A RO LL

The Executive Board of the Transport Workers Union Local 100 has unanimously rejected MTA Chairman Patrick Foye’s insulting contract “offer” of August 14, 2019.

TWU also rejects the MTA’s recent negative media campaign that shamefully paints its workers as overtime thieves and pampered noshows. These are despicable and intentional attacks by the MTA on the character of thousands of honest, hardworking men and women of TWU. New York City cannot function without our bus and subway system. Transit workers will remain on the job 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as TWU fights for a fair and just contract for transit workers.

TWU Local 100 | Union Headquarters | 195 Montague Street | Brooklyn, NY 11201 | Tony Utano, President

SCHNEPS MEDIA • NYC WORKS • SEPT. 5, 2019

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12 GREATS IN LABOR HISTORY T

he New York City Labor Movement boasts a centuries-spanning history, which can trace its early origins to before the American Revolution and into the frontier era of the 17th century.

The chronicle of labor was written in the names and accomplishments of champions of the common man, whose legacy is evident in the rights and privileges that workers enjoy today. Here are just a few of the influential fi gures who shaped the history of labor:

draft the merger agreement between the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1955.

Samuel Gompers

Under Mulgrew’s leadership, the UFT won a teachers’ contract with the city that included an 18 percent pay raise in 2014. Mulgrew was the grand marshal of the 2018 New York City Labor Day Parade.

JAN. 27, 1850 - DEC. 13, 1924

Philip Murray MAY 25, 1886 - NOV. 9, 1952

César Chávez was a labor icon of the mid-20th century, who served as a symbol of hope to millions of Americans.

Chávez was a key fi gure in the organization of a Califronia farm worker’s union in 1962, despite heavy opposition from entrenched land owners. His ultimate success establisheed him as one of the most inspirational labor leaders of his time, with an influence that stretched far beyond the fields of the Golden State.

Samuel Gompers was the fi rst-ever — and longestserving — president of the American Federation of Labor.

During his tenure, the AFL became the largest labor federation in the world, growing from 50,000 members in 1886 to nearly 3 million in 1924. Gompers was dedicated to transform the social, political, and economic status of America’s workers.

After his election as AFL president, Gompers fought in support of an eight-hour workday for laborers.

During World War I, he was elected to the Council of National Defense and played a key role in crafting a wartime labor policy, and many of his policies laid the basis of the New Deal endorsement of labor rights in the 1930s.

Eugene V. Debs

Sidney Hillman

NOV. 5, 1855 - OCT. 20, 1926

MARCH 23, 1887 - JULY 10, 1946

Eugene “Gene” Debs is arguably the most wellknown apostle of industrial unionism.

In his younger years, Debs was a prominent leader of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and later helped found the American Railway Union (1894), the Socialist Party of America (1901) and the Industrial Workers of the World (1905).

He ran for the U.S. presidency on the Socialist Party ticket five times between 1900 and 1920 and, despite falling short each time, he garnered millions of votes.

Sidney Hillman is credited for laying the bedrock of the modern trade uninism workers enjoy today. Hillman founded the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America — now called UNITE! — which he led as president from 1914 to 1946.

He fought to ensure the economic health of the industry and improve standards for those who labored within it. Hillman was instrumental in shaping landmark labor legislation protect workers’ rights and living standards.

Thanks in large part to his efforts, political action and education have become a priority within the labor movement.

César Chávez MARCH 31, 1927 - APRIL 23, 1993

Héctor Figueroa APRIL 3, 1962 - JULY 11, 2019

Workers elected Héctor Figueroa president of 32BJ SEIU — the largest property service union in the country with nearly 175,000 members in 11 states — in 2012, thrusting him to the forefront of airport worker’s yearslong campaign for fair wages and benefits.

Figueroa helped spearhead the nationwide campaign for a higher minimum wage for fastfood workers, which became known as the Fight for 15, and guided airport workers in their fi ght to raise their minimum wage to $19 an hour.

Arthur Goldberg

Peter J. McGuire JULY 6, 1852 - FEB. 18, 1906

Known as the “father” of Labor Day, Peter J. McGuire is remembered as one of the most influential fi gures in the history of the American Labor Movement.

He fought to convince activists around the world that a national labor federation was necessary and is credited for helping keep the AFL afloat in its early years.

McGuire was also the founder of May Day, the International Labor Day.

AUG. 8, 1908 - JAN. 19, 1990

Michael Mulgrew

Arthur Goldberg is best be remembered for his public service in the 1960s as U.S. Secretary of Labor, Supreme Court justice and ambassador to the United Nations, but he spent more than two decades as a strategist and key adviser during the American labor movement.

During this time, Goldberg was involved in shaping the labor-management agreements that emerged in the aftermath of WWII, and helped

1965 - PRESENT

A10

SCHNEPS MEDIA • NYC WORKS • SEPT. 5, 2019

Since taking the helm of the 189,000-member United Federation of Teachers, the city’s teachers’ union, in 2009, Staten Island native Michael Mulgrew has used his position to advocate for smaller class sizes, more city and state funding for public schools, increased parental involvement in their children’s education, and less reliance on standardized testing.

Phil Murray served as president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations and helped to transform the Industrial Union Movement into a stable and powerful organization.

Murray was a key fi gure in cementing the alliance between industrial unions and the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. He also was vital in helping to build a better relationship with the American Federation of Labor, which eventually led to the merger of the CIO and the AFL in 1955.

Frances Perkins APRIL 10, 1880 - MAY 14, 1965

Frances Perkins served as Secretary of Labor for all 12 years of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency.

At the time, she was the fi rst woman to ever hold a Cabinet post. Perkins played a pivotal role in the outcome of labor uprisings that marked the era during her tenure as Secretary of Labor.

She worked tirelessly to improve the lives of workers and pushed her agenda of fi ghting for economic justice and security for all.

Esther Peterson DEC. 9, 1906 - DEC. 20, 1997

Esther Peterson is remembered for her courage and enormous energy in bringing about change within the labor industry, to which she dedicated more than 50 years of her life.

Peterson helped integrate a YWCA center in Boston and became a paid organizer for the American Federation of Teachers.

She also joined the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union and was appointed head of the Women’s Bureau in the Department of Labor in 1961.

Among her many accolades, Peterson was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and received a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981.

A. Philip Randolph APRIL 15, 1889 - MAY 16, 1979

A. Philip Randolph helped bring trade unionism to millions of African Americans.

Randolph organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and served as the organization’s fi rst president.

He directed the March on Washington Movement and fought to end discrimination in the defense industry.

His actions helped inspire the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Randolph was one of the founders of the Negro American Labor Council and served as its president from 1960 to 1966. In 1964, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Lyndon Johnson.

SCHNEPS MEDIA • NYC WORKS • SEPT. 5, 2019

A11

All working people deserve affordable healthcare.

That’s why my coworkers and I are fighting for everyone’s healthcare at the airports.

- Juniya Montomery, JFK Wheelchair Agent & 32BJ Member Leader

got union? #got32BJ

212.388.3800 32BJairports.com/Voice A12

SCHNEPS MEDIA • NYC WORKS • SEPT. 5, 2019

PHOTO BY ILYA S. SAVENOK/GETTY IMAGES FOR CBDMEDIC

Rob Gronkowski at an Aug. 27 press conference in Midtown, where he announced he is becoming an advocate for CBD and will par tner with Abacus Health Products, maker of CBDMedic Topical Pain Products.

Gronk’s new game plan: Pitches CBD

BY GABE HERMAN

A

s CBD health products continue to gain popularity, former football star Rob Gronkowski announced this week that he has become a CBD advocate and is partnering with a company that makes several products containing the cannabis-derived compound.

Gronkowski, 30, was a five-time Pro Bowl tight end with the New England Patriots and won three Super Bowls before retiring last year. He said at a Midtown press conference on Aug. 27 that he has become an investor in Abacus Health Products, the company behind CBDMedic, which makes topical medications that combine pharmaceutical ingredients with CBD hemp oil and only uses natural ingredients. CBD is derived from the cannabis plant but doesn’t get you high.

The partnership includes Gronkowski and CBDMedic launching a new line of health and wellness CBD products that will come out early next year.

“I’m excited to start a new chapter of my career as an advocate for recovery and an investor and partner with Abacus — a company that I truly believe in,” “Gronk” said. “During my football career, I pushed myself while recovering from nine surgeries and countless injuries. I was in near constant pain and needed to make a change. After retiring, I

Schneps Media

PHOTO BY ILYA S. SAVENOK/GETTY IMAGES FOR CBDMEDIC

Gronkowski with Perr y Antelman, C.E.O. of Abacus Health Products.

TVG

looked for better and more natural ways to recover and discovered CBDMedic through my dad. These products have helped me safely manage pain better than anything else I’ve tried.

“There is an incredible opportunity to educate people on healthier ways to recover,” Gronkowski continued, “and I’m looking forward to introducing new products with Abacus in the hope of helping millions of Americans balance their active lifestyles with healthy recovery.”

CBDMedic launched earlier this year. In the spring, it released 10 new over-the-counter CBD products for uses ranging from pain relief to treating eczema. The company also has other lines of CBD products, including for arthritis, back and neck pain, and stiffness and swelling.

There is currently little scientific data to show if CBD oil is effective for treating various types of ailments. Clinical studies are in early stages after being prohibited for decades.

“We’re proud to partner with one of the NFL’s greatest tight ends of all time,” said Abacus C.E.O. Perry Antelman. “Gronk’s passion for living life to the fullest while maintaining a healthy, natural and pain-free lifestyle aligns perfectly with the mission of our company. Abacus is focused on providing safe, natural and effective relief for millions of Americans in need of recovery.”

September 5, 2019

15

Seminar to spread word on 9/11 benefits

BY GABE HERMAN

N

ow that the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund has been permanently extended, local lawyers and advocates are trying to get the word out in Lower Manhattan that those exposed to 9/11-related toxins can quality for health benefits.

Attorney Michael Barasch, of Barasch & McGarry, which represents more than 15,000 people whose health was affected by 9/11 toxins, will be among those answering questions at an information seminar on Sept. 16, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Borough of Manhattan Community College.

The free event is for everyone in the community. Barasch said the goal is to spread the word that the fund’s extension means benefits are available for everyone exposed to the harmful air in Lower Manhattan during the months after 9/11.

“They now can count on healthcare for the rest of their lives,” Barasch said.

However, many still don’t know that health benefits extend beyond first responders, and include office workers, residents, public school students and everyone in the community. This also includes those who may have moved away from New York in the years since the 9/11 attack.

Barasch emphasized that people who were in Lower Manhattan back then need to start collecting proof that they were there, so they will be eligible for health benefits should the need arise.

“Right now, even if you’re healthy, you have to start collecting affidavits from people who know you were there,” he said.

He added that it will be harder 20 years from now for people to prove they were actually in Lower Manhattan during that post-9/11 period. And he said the government requires proof of being there, which is harder for ordinary citizens to show than firefighters and police.

“Every day that goes by is another day that is harder for them to prove their exposure,” Barasch said of community members.

Barasch represents 137 students and teachers with 9/11-related cancers. He noted that, over all, 68 types of cancer have been linked to World Trade Center toxins.

He added that not everyone realizes their health issues are related to 9/11.

Young people often think they don’t

16

September 5, 2019

COURTESY JASON SCOTT

Toxins remained in the air in Lower Manhattan during the months after 9/11.

FILE PHOTO BY COLIN MIXSON

Attorney Michael Barasch, in foreground, above, will be at an informational seminar on Sept. 16 at B.M.C.C.

would be cut by as much as 70 percent because of a shortfall in funds coupled with an increase in claims.

This led to many sick community members saying they don’t want to file claims, Barasch said, because they wanted the money to go toward first responders.

need to think about health benefits if they’re healthy, but Barasch noted that plenty of young people are getting sick and may get sick in the future.

“You owe it to yourself to protect your future rights,” he said.

Back in February, it was announced that 9/11 V.C.F. payouts for claims

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But now with the fund’s permanent extension, including billions of dollars available in the coming years, more people in the community are showing interest in collecting benefits for sicknesses, the attorney said.

And he said he wants to encourage people to tell their friends and their loved ones about the available fund benefits, even if they may currently be healthy.

Along with attorneys from Barasch & McGarry, others who will be at the Sept. 16 information seminar to answer questions include advocates from Students of 9/11, the FealGood Foundation, which helps emergency personnel, and doctors from the WTC Health Program.

The seminar will be at 199 Chambers St., Theater 1. Tickets are free, on a first-come, first-served basis, and can be reserved by calling 212-220-1460, or by visiting: http://tickets.tribecapac. org/FREE-911-informational-seminar.

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The Path to Freedom:

Decarceration in Trump’s America America imprisons more people than any country on the planet, disproportionately from poor and marginalized communities. Join us in discussing how to reverse this trend and reduce the number of people incarcerated in our prisons.

Saturday, September 14, 2019 3:00pm to 6:00pm (Doors open at 2:30pm) Elisabeth Irwin High School, 40 Charlton Street Free! RSVP encouraged: https://forms.gle/aij3VUGBkn6HEUjg9

Featuring a panel discussion with: Moderator: Justice (ret.) Emily Jane Goodman

• Hon. Helen Rosenthal, Councilmember, 6th District • Mark Shervington, Statewide Community Organizer, Release Aging People from Prison

• Lucy Lang, Executive Director, Center for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

• Tina Luongo, Attorney-In-Charge, Legal Aid NYC Criminal Defense Practice Introductory remarks by David Siffert, President, Village Independent Democrats; Allen Roskoff, Co-Chair, Candles for Clemency and President, Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club; and Kathy Slawinski, Recording Secretary, Village Independent Democrats Sponsors (in formation): Coalition for a District Alternative, Downtown Independent Democrats, Gramercy-Stuyvesant Independent Democrats, Hell’s Kitchen Democrats, Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, United Democratic Organization, Village Independent Democrats.

For more information, contact president@villagedems.org or go to www.villagedems.org.

With French Native MASTER and D.E.A from LA SORBONNE PARIS • Pronunciation • Basic Grammar • Conversation & Literature • One On One or Small Groups (special rate) • Class by phone/skype available

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All Performances are FREE to the public!!!

09/07 2PM, Washington Square Park 09/08 2PM, Sol Bloom Playground www.theaterforthenewcity.net (212) 254 - 1109 @ 155 First Avenue Schneps Media

August 25 – September 15 Tickets Now on Sale! www.dreamupfestival.org or call Brown Paper Tickets @ 1 - 800 - 838 - 3006 Tickets range from $12 to $20 TVG

September 5, 2019

17

COURTESY PRAYTELL AGENCY

Inside the temporar y Shoebox Museum at 198 Allen St.

Shoebox Museum was kickin’ it

BY ALEJANDR A O’CONNELL-DOMENECH

A

temporary museum on the Lower East Side was “the complete package” — dedicated to the often under-appreciated shoebox.

The Shoebox Museum, at 198 Allen St., had a very brief run, from Thurs., Aug. 29, through Sat., Aug. 31.

The pop-up exhibit looked at the sneaker box through three different lenses: design, brand experience and common concepts.

“We designed the Shoebox Museum experience to spotlight a piece of sneaker culture that has been reimagined many times over, but never gotten the credit it deserves,” curator Matt Halfhill said. “For special releases and luxury items, especially, brands put an immense amount of design effort into the box.”

Halfhill is the founder of Nice Kicks, an online sneaker publication.

The athletic footwear market is projected to reach more than $95 billion in value by 2025, according to Grand View Research.

18

September 5, 2019

COURTESY PRAYTELL AGENCY

The Shoebox Museum on the Lower East Side was only open through Sat., Aug. 31.

TVG

Schneps Media

At J’Ouvert, revelers were the canvases

PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY

A devilish crew at J’Ouver t ready to horn in on the action.

BY TEQUIL A MINSK Y

T

here was oil, paint and powder, and there were lots of devils and steel drum bands, as revelers packed Empire Boulevard in Brooklyn at the crack of dawn on Monday for J’Ouvert.

The event’s name is from the French “jour ouvert,” meaning the start of the day.

It starts at 6 a.m., before the actual West Indian Day Parade along Eastern Parkway. After J’Ouvert, the revelers and musicians move on to the parade.

In past years, the opening event had been plagued by violence. But this time around, while one gun was recovered, police reported no major violence, according to Eyewitness News.

PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY

PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY

Looking good! Plus, Jackson Pollock would be proud.

Looking slick! Oiled up and ready to roll for J’Ouver t and the West Indian Day Parade.

Schneps Media

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September 5, 2019

19

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Christian books in the Stuy Seekersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; display case.

Stuy H.S. Christian case irked students, parents

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STOP CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN

A

t Stuyvesant High School, a display case of Christian evangelical materials doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem quite kosher to some parents and students.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s located near the auditorium where you might expect to find school football or debating trophies.

The outfacing books in the exhibit, such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Case for Christâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why Become a Christian,â&#x20AC;? are flanked by a cute photo of fuzzy baby ducklings with a quote from the New Testament, and a cuddly teddy bear wearing a cross. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think this must be pressuring the younger students who are new to the school, especially,â&#x20AC;? said Virginia Moore, the parent of a freshman girl. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am surprised that such a Christian display is allowed in a public school.

With the lighting and the positioning of the display, it almost seems that it is sanctified.â&#x20AC;?

Further muddying the holy waters is the fact that the missionary presentation is in the middle of the Muslim studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; longtime worship circle, as marked by a sheet of paper reading, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This Area Reserved for Prayer, Eighth Periodâ&#x20AC;? and a photo of Muslim prayer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are many kids during the month of Ramadan and generally during Friday prayers,â&#x20AC;? said Syeda Jarrath, a new graduate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Praying together is always nice.â&#x20AC;?

Rashid Rafit, another recent Stuy graduate, said some Muslim students claim the display is an attempt to interest them in Christianity. He personally prefers to give the Christian group the benefit of the doubt, though. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think placing the books was done because they thought the location there was for religious expression,â&#x20AC;? Rafit said, adding, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but I sometimes have an

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optimistic view of Stuy.â&#x20AC;?

The exhibit is run by the Stuy Seekers, a student Christian group whose stated Facebook purpose includes outreach to â&#x20AC;&#x153;nonbelievers.â&#x20AC;? They also hold an annual â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jesus Dayâ&#x20AC;? in the school cafeteria, giving out Bibles, along with free food, to students who are â&#x20AC;&#x153;stressed about the SATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.â&#x20AC;?

New York City education attorney Shelley Stangler said these practices are problematic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Students are allowed to have religious clubs,â&#x20AC;? Stangler said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but reasonable restrictions, in terms of seeking out adherents, can be imposed if they are making students uncomfortable.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like the banner rule. You can picket an abortion clinic across the street, but you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t picket right outside the front door and upset patients. So the display doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be in a public hallway if other students walking by find this disturbing.â&#x20AC;?

Stuy parent Moore said the display case displayed a case of poor judgment and interfered with her familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Catholic practice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is someone else proselytizing to my child on school grounds?â&#x20AC;? she asked. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t I, and the other parents, consulted about this?â&#x20AC;?

As a direct result of this reporterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investigation, Danielle Filson, the deputy secretary of the New York City Department of Education, said the display would be dismantled.

Filson gave a D.O.E. statement on the issue, saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We respect and value studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; freedom of expression.

We will store materials for all student clubs in a closed area at the start of this school year.â&#x20AC;?

The Stuy Seekers, and the adult regional organization that supervises them, did not return calls or e-mails requesting comment.

Schneps Media

Eats

Chelsea Market doubling lower level

BY GABE HERMAN

C

helsea Market is going low — as in, expanding its lower level with nearly twice as much space and four new vendors.

Chelsea Local, Chelsea Market’s lower level, opened in 2017, focusing on specialty groceries and locally sourced foods. The space — part of the overall market at Ninth Ave. and W. 15th St. — will nearly double in size this fall from 13,000 to 25,000 square feet. New shops will start opening next month.

The new vendors include Black Seed Bagels, which will open an expanded shop, Black Seed Appetizing, featuring more menu items. There will also be the upscale bakery Las Delicias Patisserie, opening its first brick and mortar; all of the shop’s items will be kosher and vegetarian, made with local ingredients, without preservatives.

The owners of Pearl River Mart on

COURTESY CHELSEA MARKET

Chelsea Local is on the lower level of Chelsea Market.

Chelsea Market’s ground floor will open an Asian grocery store in Chelsea Local. Called Pearl River Mart Foods, it will sell frozen and dry goods, plus prepared foods like rice bowls and bao buns. Butcher Dickson’s Farmstand Meats, on Chelsea Market’s ground floor since 2010, will move into a larger space in Chelsea Local. Dickson’s sells artisanal meats from small farms in Upstate New York.

“Chelsea Local continues Chelsea Market’s legacy as a neighborhood market with a global perspective,” said Michael Phillips, president of Jamestown, the market’s operator. “We’re proud to be adding to our lineup of local vendors and to offer an increased benefit to our neighbors and community.”

Other Chelsea Local vendors include Manhattan Fruit Market, Buon Italia, Saxelby Cheesemongers and Zach & Zoe Sweet Bee Farm. There will also be a new W. 15th St. direct entrance.

Soho ice cream museum gets cool reception ice cream,” said co-founder Manish Vora. “MOIC NYC is the first of several flagship locations that will launch in the U.S. and abroad over the next 18 months.”

An opening date for this fall hasn’t been announced, but tickets will go on sale Oct. 9. People can also sign up for a waitlist for early access to the museum.

More information can be found at museumoficecream.com.

However, some in Soho are giving the cold shoulder to the new ice cream institution, and are concerned, especially, about it possibly having a liquor license.

This April, the Museum of Ice Cream was denied a liquor license for its San Francisco location. The space was reportedly looking to serve wine and beer, including with the option of sweet toppings. But the city’s Board of Supervisors denied the request, writing that the liquor license “will not serve the public convenience or necessity of the City and County of San Francisco.”

When the museum was asked about whether there are plans for selling alcohol at the Soho location, a spokesperson didn’t say one way or the other, writing back, “We’re always working on exciting new projects and have big plans, however, don’t have any details to share at this time.”

But Sean Sweeney, director of the Soho Alliance, said he believes a liquor license application for the place will be coming up before Community Board 2.

He said he had expected the issue to be

BY GABE HERMAN

H

ere’s the scoop! Soho will be getting more chill this fall when the Museum of Ice Cream opens on Broadway.

The museum’s home will be a 25,000-square-foot building at 558 Broadway, between Prince and Spring Sts. Founded more than three years ago, the museum, which focuses on experience-based installations, has had pop-ups in several locations around the country. The first of these was in the Meatpacking District in the summer of 2016. The Soho building will be its second permanent location, after one in San Francisco.

The Soho museum will have 13 installations for visitors to peruse and presumably take plenty of Instagramworthy photos of. One installation will be called “Celestial Subway,” and there will be a three-story slide and a “hall of giant scoops,” according to a recent announcement.

The museum will also feature its signature pool of rainbow sprinkles for visitors to take a dip in. The sprinkles pool was actually a catalyst for the museum’s concept: Maryellis Bunn, the place’s cofounder and creative director, dreamed as a child of being able to jump into a pool of sprinkles.

“MOIC NYC is a dream that our team has been developing for 3 years,” Bunn said. “Over 1.5 million guests have come through our various doors and given us so much input and inspiration. I want to

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COURTESY MUSEUM OF ICE CREAM

The Museum of Ice Cream will be opening a new location at 558 Broadway in Soho.

continue to connect people and create moments of joy through ice cream.”

Bunn added of the new local location, that it “will build upon Soho’s artistic history and contribute to the neighborhood’s resurgence as a place for imagination and creativity.”

Immersive ice cream experiences don’t come cheap, though. Tickets will be $38 per person. Admission includes ice cream tastings and other treats exclusive to the museum.

“We are excited to delight our fans back where MOIC began and continue to unite people through the power of TVG

on the September calendar, but it isn’t there, so it may have been held over until October.

“I do know the neighbors had serious concerns,” Sweeney said, regarding the possibility of a liquor license.

Sweeney noted that the museum would have to meet the requirement for the license by showing that it would serve the public interest.

“I’d love to hear the applicants wangle their way around that,” he said.

“The applicant is being disingenuous. If this marketing idea is to return to childhood, why do they need booze?

“I am really piqued that this venture would sully the creative legacy of Soho with inane marketing comments,” Sweeney added, citing the co-founder referencing the area’s artistic history and saying the museum would add to the enclave’s resurgence. “How? By ‘kidults’ sliding into a pool of plastic sprinkles?” he scoffed. “If this operation is so concerned about Soho’s history, why are they painting their facade that awful pink color, not at all appropriate for a historic district.”

The museum also got in trouble last year for its “sprinkles” clinging to people’s clothing and ultimately piling up in storm drains. Fines ensued in Miami and San Francisco. MOIC has said it has since fixed the problem.

“If a liberal, anything-goes city like San Francisco has serious problems with this enterprise,” Sweeney of the museum, “I’d be very reluctant to give this concept any support here.”

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Stella Adler Studio playing in FiDi

BY ALEJANDR A O’CONNELLDOMENECH

T

he Stella Adler Studio of Acting is moving from its longtime home at 31 W. 27th St. near Madison Square Park to a larger space at 65 Broadway near the New York Stock Exchange.

The new space in the Financial District is two full floors in the American Express building and is about 30,000 square feet, a 10,000 foot increase in size from their previous location. The new facility will host five black-box theaters, nine rehearsal studios, roomy waiting areas, dressing rooms and more.

“Sixty-five Broadway will mark a new chapter for the Stella Adler Studio of Acting,” said Tom Oppenheim, grandson of Stella Adler and the studio’s artistic director.

“Our transition into a new and larger home will expand the programming possibilities for the conservatory and for our public-facing programs, like the Arts Series and the Outreach Division, which are central to our mission,” he added.

The world-renowned studio has been teaching technique to generations of acting greats, including Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel, for 70 years in multiple locations throughout Manhattan. As the studio

COURTESY STELLA ADLER STUDIO OF ACTING

A class session at Rikers Island provided by the the Stella Adler Studio of Acting’s Outreach Division.

Division, the latter which provides arts programs to incarcerated individuals at Rikers Island.

With the move, the studio is celebrating — with a rebranding — its 30-year transformation from an acting conser-

has grown, so has its programing.

Besides training 500 actors annually, the studio also provides lectures, poetry readings, classical music and dance performance events. It boasts a Playwrights Division and an Outreach

vatory to a cultural center. Once up and running again in early September, the Stella Adler Studio of Acting will become the Stella Adler Center for the Arts and boast a broader cultural and social-justice focus.

Port Authority renovation outreach rolling

BY GABE HERMAN

using part of the nearby Jacob Javits Center as a bus terminal; or using the

A

September date has been announced for the public meeting in Manhattan that will take community feedback about the Port Authority’s ideas for upcoming renovations.

The meeting will be on Thurs., Sept.

5, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will be a presentation at 4:30 p.m. and it will be repeated at 6 p.m. The meeting will be at the Westin Hotel Times Square, at 270 W. 43rd St., between Seventh and Eighth Aves.

In May, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey released a scoping document outlining three possible replacement plans for its current Midtown Manhattan bus terminal. The options include rebuilding on the current PHOTO BY GOOGLE MAPS site, which is bounded by Eighth and The Por t Authorit y Bus Terminal, at Eighth Ave. and 42nd St. Ninth Aves. and W. 40th and 42nd Sts.; Schneps Media

DEX

Javits Center while also renovating part of the current site.

Cost estimates for a new Port Authority terminal have been as high as $10 billion. The Port Authority expects the project to be finished by 2030.

The scoping document was released May 23, kicking off an environmental review process and 120-day period for public comments. The process included planned public hearings in July and September, in both New York and New Jersey.

For those unable to attend the Sept.

5 meeting, comments can be submitted at ReplacePABTcomment@panynj.gov.

The deadline for public comments is Wed., Sept. 18.

September 5 - September 18, 2019

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Covering Manhattan in more ways than one

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Real Estate

Restoring or replacing brownstone windows

BY LIZ SADLER CRYAN

T

all, narrow windows are one of the defining characteristics of a brownstone, and for some lucky homeowners, the century-old wood windows remain intact. Often, old windows can be restored to their original condition. Other times, they need to be replaced.

So, how do you know if your wood windows are worth saving?

“Anybody that does this can look at a sash and say with pretty good certainty whether it’s original or not, just by the joinery,” said Peter Madias of Method Restoration, a window restoration company. “Another giveaway is when you see the weights and chains.”

Old windows have certain joints — like mortise and tenon joints and bridle joints — that mass-produced windows don’t have, and are typically made from old-growth fir, Madias said.

He restores single-pane windows by removing them and repairing them in his Brooklyn shop. On-site work is also required to repair the window opening.

“It’s not cheap because it’s very skilled work and labor intensive,” Madias explained. “I would always recommend restoring the windows. I’m a little biased.

“It really depends on the client — and if they want to preserve what’s lasted for a century or more, or do they want to be the one to throw it in a dumpster?”

While restoring oversize parlor windows may be a job best left to the professionals, do-it-yourself types eager to tackle smaller window projects may want to consult one of the many books on the subject. “Working Windows” and “The Window Sash Bible” are just two of the classics.

PHOTO BY SUSAN DE VRIES

Old brownstone windows were made to last longer than today’s models.

guide to window repair and restoration. If new windows are necessary, homeowners in a landmarked district must apply for a Certificate of No Effect (C.N.E.).

“That means you’re going to put back what was originally there, you’re ripping everything down to the original masonry opening, and you have to match brick-mold profiles and details,” said Ernie Cappello of WindowFix. Prices for high-quality, floor-to-ceiling new windows, such as would be found on the parlor level of a brownstone, start around $2,500, including installation — but can run up to $7,500 for windows with curved openings.

Cappello recommends the brands Marvin, Kolbe and Parrett.

“They’re all custom, high-performance windows,” he said. “I do whichever ones fit my clients’ needs. There’s a lot of little nuances.”

For the budget-conscious, Cappello recommends the double-hung sash kit

by Sierra Pacific. If your existing frames are in good condition, new sashes are sized to fit your existing opening, and start at $1,500. More run-of-the-mill aluminum windows in smaller sizes, from mid-priced companies such as Champion, might be more suitable for the rear of a house in a landmark district, and average about $500 each in-

Old windows are made to last longer, Madias noted.

“You go with a big company and they rot,” he said. “I’ve seen 10-to-12-year-old windows rot. And I’ve seen 160-year-old windows that look like they were made yesterday.”

“Windows are among the most significant features of a landmark building,” according to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission’s

PHOTO BY SUSAN DE VRIES

Exper ts say it’s wor th saving and restoring well-preser ved brownstone windows.

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September 5, 2019

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stalled.

New windows are an investment that should last up to 40 years, Cappello stated.

“I recommend you file for the whole front. It lasts nine years,” he said. “I have clients that hire me, and once a year I do a floor.”

Some companies also make custom reproduction windows that are exact copies of the originals, but at a steep price. Architect Joseph Koelbel had custom double-hung windows with counterweights made for a project in Chelsea. But usually, he opts for Marvin windows.

“New windows have better insulation and reduce air infiltration,” Koelbel said.

And yet, storm windows (interior or exterior) on top of properly maintained old windows can be even more energy efficient and cozy than new windows without storm windows.

“If they are really original windows and they’re high quality, then it make sense to restore them,” he stressed.

“But if they’re not high quality or they were replaced in the 1970s, then it does make sense.”

This article first ran in Brownstoner, a sister Schneps Media publication of The Villager.

Schneps Media

Opinion

Let’s put food power in communities’ hands

BY COREY JOHNSON

A

s human beings, food is what we need to survive and thrive. But we all know food is more than just a necessity. It’s a connection to our families, our culture and to the Earth.

Unfortunately, in our city — one of the richest in the world — many people don’t have access to adequate, nutritious food.

More than 1 million New Yorkers are food insecure, and there is inequitable access to fresh and healthy food in many neighborhoods throughout the city, predominantly in low-income c o m m u n it i e s and communities of color.

That’s why I recently released “Growing Food Equity in New York City,” a detailed report that outlines the City Council’s agenda to tackle the challenges we face regarding food policy.

PHOTO BY WILLIAM ALATRISTE / NYC COUNCIL This report Speaker Corey Johnson. stems from our core belief that access to adequate, nutritious food is a human right.

That means that we have a moral obligation to build a society where everyone has the fundamental right to be free from hunger and have access to healthy food.

Food policy needs to be addressed holistically if we’re going to achieve that goal, which is why the City Council will introduce legislation to empower the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy.

That office is currently too understaffed and under-resourced to appropriately coordinate all of this city’s vast food policy.

We also need to expand some of our most successful food programs that not only feed New Yorkers, but also make sure the food they get is fresh and healthy.

One example is our Health Bucks initiative, which provides coupons to low-income New Yorkers to purchase fruits and vegetables at farmers markets.

The program benefits more than just its participants. Health Bucks encourages participants to shop at farmers markets, which are an important part of our local food economy.

Stimulating that economy — which also includes Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs and fresh-food boxes — is at the heart of what we need to do to achieve our ambitious food-policy goals.

I’m also calling for the city to fund a Community Food Hub Incubator to develop and support even more local food businesses and farm-to-city projects.

The Council will also consider legislation to create an Office of Urban Agriculture that will help prioritize the ecological, economic and health benefits of urban agriculture in our city, including community gardens

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and urban farms.

Things like local food businesses, CSA’s, farmers markets and community gardens are integral to our diverse communities, and as a city we must do everything we can to help make them a success.

New Yorkers know best what kind of food they need to sustain themselves and their families physically, emotionally and culturally. We want a system of food governance that grows (pun intended) from the communities themselves.

That’s at the heart of the City Council’s food

agenda — implementing food policies that enrich our diverse communities.

Food is power. And we want that power in the hands of the people.

Johnson is speaker of the New York City Council and represents Council District 3 (Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Times Square, Hudson Square, West Soho, Flatiron and Garment District).

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