Chelsea Now - December 12, 2019

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Chelsea YO U R W E E K LY C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R S E R V I N G C H E L S E A , H U D S O N YA R D S & H E L L’S K I T C H E N

VOLUME 11, ISSUE 49

DECEMBER 12, 2019

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Chelsea VOLUME 11, ISSUE 49

YO U R W E E K LY C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R S E R V I N G C H E L S E A , H U D S O N YA R D S & H E L L’S K I T C H E N

CARING COPS Chelsea officers look to help rebuild lives

DECEMBER 12, 2019

FIT pupil’s body positive project Page 8

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Page 3 OBTAINED BY THE VILLAGER

Falman with the NCO officers after he got a new look.

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Chelsea cops making impact with compassion

BY GABE HERMAN

P

olice officers in Chelsea’s 10th Precinct are looking to address homelessness through a recently-added neighborhood policing approach and by adding more compassion into its philosophy.

The Neighborhood Coordination Officer (NCO) initiative was introduced in 2017 at the 10th Precinct and involves its officers getting out more into the community to make personal connections.

Deputy Inspector Kevin J. Coleman, who has led the 10th Precinct since 2018, thinks of the neighborhood outreach approach as a philosophy rather than a program.

“That’s how we do business now,” Coleman said. “We make positive connections with people and work together to enhance public safety.”

Good relationships with the community can lead to people being more willing to accept help, and also make the public more likely to help the police with information and cooperation that may be needed to solve crimes, Coleman noted.

“If the public sees us as illegitimate or don’t trust us, they’re less likely to help us,” Coleman said.

When it comes to homelessness, it’s a complicated problem that involves a range of social issues including mental illness, Coleman noted. Officers work to provide housing and services by partnering with groups like Breaking Ground and Goddard Services, and NCO officers play a big part in outreach.

“I’m always seeking and encouraging our NCOs to think outside the box, about how can we go about this problem, or any problem, and fix or mitigate it in another way,” Coleman said.

A compassionate approach can be seen in a recent case involving a man helped by NCO’s to get off the street and get his life on track. Officers Samuel Baez-Veras and Ricardo Roman met Wilfredo Falman Jr. a few months back on the Chelsea streets, and were determined to give him long-term help.

Along with giving food, they got him a haircut and a new suit, and he was able to find a job working at a local coffee shop. The community helped as well, with services and setting up a GoFundMe page to raise money for an apartment, which he moved into last week. The page has over $2,500 in donations so far.

“They connected with him in a very compassionate manner,” Coleman said. “It’s important that we’re treating people experiencing homelessness with dignity and respect.” Persistence is another key, since it normally takes over 250 interactions with a homeless person before help is finally accepted, Coleman noted.

On Falman’s GoFundMe page, he

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OBTAINED BY THE VILLAGER

Left to right: Wilfredo Falman Jr., NCO Ricardo Roman, and NCO Samuel Baez-Veras.

thanked the NCO’s, their supervisor Sgt. Ahmed Deeb, and Deputy Inspector Coleman, for helping him. “I hope you contact them to say thank you for the service to New Yorkers like me and you,” he wrote. “They have helped me see the police in a different light and helped changed my life.”

Officer Baez said that it was a community effort in helping Falman.

“Everyone was just working together to help him and that’s the beauty of the neighborhood coordination philosophy,” Baez said. “It all starts with leaders, and Inspector Coleman has great leadership in the 10th Precinct.”

Baez credited Deputy Inspector Coleman with the precinct’s compassionate approach. “He’s basically the one that

pushes his cops to do better with this philosophy, and he brings communities together and allows us to do this kind of work,” Baez said.

He said that Coleman leads by example, that the cops love him and he senses the community loves him too. “He’s a very personable commander, he has an open door policy,” Baez said.

“He’s just a very compassionate human being in terms of how he works with cops and how he serves the community.”

A Chelsea resident who has been involved in helping Falman, and asked to remain anonymous, said the NCO program has helped build community in Chelsea. He cited build the block meetings, where residents meet with of-

ficers to discuss local issues, and he said the officers will follow up and update residents on how they’re addressing the problems.

“There’s no way Wilfredo and I would have become friends and worked together if it weren’t for the police,” the resident said. He said helping Falman was a collaborative effort, “one that would not have happened unless the NYPD had this NCO program.” He also noted the Precinct’s involvement in an upcoming community event with Live Nation, which will work with local youth to learn about opportunities in the music industry. He said it wouldn’t have been possible without the local NYPD’s support.

Deputy Inspector Coleman said that personal interactions with people can make a big difference. He cited another recent example of two teenagers who were involved in a crime, and NCO’s followed up and mentored them. So far it seems to have helped, Coleman said, and prevented them from any further crime.

Coleman acknowledged that solving homelessness is a national problem and has a long way to go, but said they work diligently with the Department of Homeless Services to repeatedly go street-by-street and offer services to those in need. He said progress is being made in building the community’s trust, which will help residents and the police.

“I’ve always enjoyed that as a public servant you can have a positive impact on a person that maybe you don’t even know you’re having,” Coleman said, adding that you may never even see a person again, but still could have made an important difference. “And I think that’s a rewarding aspect of being a police officer and a public servant.”

Man. man found dead outside TV studio

BY GABE HERMAN

P

olice are investigating the death of a man whose unconscious body was found outside a television studio in Manhattan on Sunday afternoon.

Around 4:40 p.m. on Sunday, police said they responded to a 911 call of an unconscious man in front of 221 West 26th St., between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, which is Chelsea Television Studios.

Police were informed upon arriving at the scene that a 53-year-old man was taken by EMS to Lenox Health Greenwich Village, an emergency room at Seventh Avenue and West 12th Street. The man was pronounced dead at the hospital, officials said.

The deceased man’s identity is being withheld pending proper family notification.

His body was transported to the Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

GOOGLE MAPS

The man was found unconscious in front of 221 W. 26 St., above.

December 12, 2019

3

Stringer: MTA ignored ‘lemon’ subway trains

BY VINCENT BARONE

T

he MTA overlooked warning signs and failed to hold the contractor accountable for delivering now long-delayed new subway cars, according to an audit from City Comptroller Scott Stringer.

The transit authority is still waiting on a handful of new cars in a 300-train order it took out with manufacturer Bombardier back in 2012 — cars the MTA expected to have received nearly three years ago. The exorbitant delays have cost the MTA millions in increased maintenance fees for the ancient fleet the new trains were meant to replace.

The audit, which Stringer’s office published Monday, was damning for both the MTA and Bombardier.

The Canadian manufacturer missed major milestone after major milestone in the $600-million contract, suffering issues with its train car welds, castings and a host of other components; but the MTA didn’t properly oversee Bombardier’s work or penalize them for its blown deadlines, Stringer argued.

“The MTA repeatedly looked the other way. They ignored clear warning signs; they failed to enforce deadlines; they delayed in enacting penalties,” Stringer said during a Monday news conference in Manhattan. “In other words, the MTA gave Bombardier a pass. And what does it mean for straphangers? More delays, more breakdowns of outdated cars.”

Stringer said the mess of a contract was indicative of the need for a major overhaul at the MTA as it sets to embark on its next five-year, $51.5 billion spending plan for major projects.

To start, it was not clear to auditors if Bombardier understood contract terms.

Even though the MTA required Bombardier to submit its welding procedures for the trains, the company immediately refused to do so, arguing such procedures were proprietary. That resulted in a 21-

PHOTO BY VINCENT BARONE

Cit y Comptroller Scott Stringer on Monday released a new audit outlining a host of issues bet ween the MTA and contractor Bombardier regarding a long-delayed, $600 million project for new train cars.

month back-and-forth between the two parties, during which Bombardier discovered a significant welding issue known as “hot cracking.”

Welding problems halted production twice during what was an 18-month delay, according to the audit.

The new cars (R179s) have been slated to run on the A, C, J and Z lines. But even after the MTA re-

ceived the first set — 22 months behind schedule — the cars were riddled with problems.

Cars had to be removed from service at least three times since 2018 due to issues with door controls, the conductor’s valve and other technical problems, auditors found.

So far Bombardier has delivered 298 of its 318 new train cars, with most in service. During the delays, the MTA has spent an additional $35 million on upkeep for the oldest cars in its fleet — the 55-year-old R32s — which the new trains were expected to replace by the end of 2017.

The MTA has assessed $36 million in liquidated damages and negotiated with Bombardier to deliver 18 additional cars, auditors reported.

Stringer’s office issued a host of recommendations, including for the MTA actually lean on enforcement measures when contractors miss milestones and for Bombardier to more promptly relay information to the authority.

MTA Transit President Andy Byford said during a conference call with reporters that the MTA “held Bombardier’s feet to the fire throughout this contract.”

“Let’s be crystal clear. The villain of the piece here is not the MTA. The villain of the piece is Bombardier, and that comes across not only in the comptroller’s report but also in our response,” Byford said.

“Bombardier let the MTA down, Bombardier let New Yorkers down…”

Bombardier did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In its written audit response, Marie-Claude Galarneau, Bombardier Transportation’s regional head of commercial management, said the manufacturer suffered unforeseeable setbacks.

“Bombardier strongly believes that it is not the sole party responsible for the delays in delivering the R179 subway cars,” she said.

Local workers urge guv to sign e-bike legalization

BY VINCENT BARONE

D

elivery workers and advocates are urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to finally sign a bill legalizing e-bikes and e-scooters before its too late.

The bill would in part create a legal three-class system for e-bikes operated with throttle controls—bikes already popular among low-income, immigrant delivery workers in the city who have faced targeted police crackdowns.

There was strong support for the legislation when it passed six months ago, but it has since languished.

If Cuomo fails to sign the bill by Dec. 31, it would have to be re-passed next legislative session.

“Even now after the bill was passed delivery workers still receive a lot of tickets,” said De Quan Lu, president of the Chinese Mutual Support Labor Union, through a translator at a rally in Downtown Brooklyn Friday. “They’re still concerned,—they worry a lot on their daily job. In the morning when the start their work they worry about tickets.”

Workers said the bikes have helped

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December 12, 2019

PHOTO BY VINCENT BARONE

De Quan Lu, president of the Chinese Mutual Suppor t Labor Union, speaks at a rally on Friday with Deliver y workers and advocates to urge Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign a bill legalizing e-bikes and e-scooters on Friday, Dec. 6, 2019.

ease what is a grueling job that sends them biking tens of miles each day.

Advocates support the bikes as a safer and more energy-efficient alternative to cars as well as an option to make cycling more accessible to a wider population of New Yorkers.

“E-bikes make it a lot…easier for a lot more people to be able to make that

choice to commute by bike, to do their everyday errands by bike,” said Patrick McClellan, state policy director at the New York League of Conservation Voters. “So this is a very important justice issue for delivery workers but it’s also a very serious environmental issue.”

The governor in June mentioned vague hangups involving safety regula-

tion and helmet use around the bicycles and scooters. His office Friday only said that it is still wading through hundreds of bills that were passed last session.

“There were more than 900 bills that passed both houses at the end of session and over 200 bills remain under review by Counsel’s Office and the Division of the Budget,” said Jason Conwall, spokesman for the governor.

“It is our responsibility to ensure that the bills, as written, are responsible, enforceable and accomplish their intended purpose.”

Marco Conner, deputy director at Transportation Alternatives, said a helmet requirement would be “well-intentioned, but misguided” in that it could deter cycling and cripple Citi Bike’s own pedal-assist e-bike fleet.

“The current enforcement against delivery workers causes hardship.

Their e-bikes are confiscated and they are fined up to $1,000 per incident; this is devastating and far out of proportion for the alleged harm and risk they cause.”

Last year, e-bikes caused .05% of all reported traffic injuries in the city, according to an analysis from advocates.

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December 12, 2019

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Police Blotter Stolen watches on Stolen cards used Christopher Street for shopping spree A man and woman are wanted after allegedly using stolen credit cards to make purchases at Macy’s.

On Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 8:15 p.m., a

29-year-old woman had her wallet allegedly taken by an unknown person while her bag was left unattended at offices at 770 Broadway, officials said.

Later that evening, a man and woman allegedly used the victim’s credit cards to make several purchases at the Macy’s at Herald Square on 34th Street.

Attacked at the Port Authority

Missing wallet from East Village bar

A 71-year-old man was assaulted inside the Port Authority subway station on Monday, Dec. 9, police said.

Around 3:40 p.m., the victim got into an argument with another man, and it escalated until the other man allegedly struck the older man in the head with a belt buckle, causing a cut. Police said the man continued to assault the victim by punching and kicking him several times, causing him to fall to the ground.

The attacker fled with two other men, officials said.

The victim was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue for treatment of his injuries.

Police later announced that Bryan Robberson, 18, from Hempstead, NY, had been arrested and charged with two counts of assault.

— Gabe Herman Cops are looking for the thief who found the time to steal luxury watches from a Village store.

The theft occurred at around 12:55 p.m. on Nov. 27 theft at the Leffot shop at 10 Christopher St. Authorities said a man asked for assistance from an employee to see lighters in a display case, officials said. The employee complied and while distracted, the man allegedly removed two unsecured Rolex watches from the display case before fleeing.

— Gabe Herman

DOA in Lower Manhattan Police are investigating the death of a man found at 54 Eldridge St. on Dec. 7, around 9:10 a.m..

Cops responded to a 911 call of an unconscious person at the location. Officers discovered a 54-year-old man unconscious and unresponsive, and EMS then responded to the scene and pronounced the man dead.

The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.

— Gabe Herman

A woman is wanted in connection to stolen credit cards from an East Village bar, according to officials.

On Thursday, Oct. 24, around 2 a.m., a 32-year-old woman was in the Planet Rose bar at 219 Ave. A, when she discovered that she no longer had her wallet, which contained credit cards and ID. A later investigation found that a woman was seen on surveillance video making unauthorized purchases at several locations, including Wines on First at 224 First Ave., the following day, Oct. 25.

— Gabe Herman

Morning robbery at gunpoint A woman was robbed at gunpoint early in the morning on Sunday, Dec. 1, in front of 1407 Broadway, officials said.

Around 5:50 a.m., a 24year-old female victim was approached by a man, police said, who allegedly displayed a firearm and demanded her property. The man took the woman’s purse, according to officials, and then fled in an unknown direction.

The victim was not injured during the incident.

Night club assault on Tenth Avenue A man was assaulted inside the Marquee New York night club at 289 Tenth Ave., according to police.

On Saturday, Dec. 7, at 3:15 a.m., a 27-year-old man said that while inside the club, he was punched several times in the face by an unknown person, causing a small cut to his chin.

— Gabe Herman

Arrests after fight at restaurant Two women were arrested after an argument at the Catch Steak restaurant led to a physical fight, police said. The incident occurred on Dec. 8 around 2 a.m.

As the two women, both in their mid20s, argued and were leaving the restaurant, one of them allegedly punched the other in the back of the head several times, causing a small cut.

During the same fight, the other woman allegedly threw a glass at the first woman’s face, causing a minor lump and swelling to her head.

— Gabe Herman

The Villager (USPS 578930) ISSN 0042-6202 Copyright © 2019 by Schneps Media is published weekly by Schneps Media, One Metrotech North, 10th floor Brooklyn, NY 11201. 52 times a year. Business and Editorial Offices: One Metrotech North, 10th floor Brooklyn, NY 11201. Accounting and Circulation Offices: Schneps Media, One Metrotech North, 10th floor Brooklyn, NY 11201. Call 718-260-2500 to subscribe. Periodicals postage prices is paid at New York, N.Y. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Villager, One Metrotech North, 10th floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Annual subscription by mail in Manhattan and Brooklyn $29 ($35 elsewhere). Single copy price at office and newsstands is $1. The entire contents of newspaper, including advertising, are copyrighted and no part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher - © 2019 Schneps Media.

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December 12, 2019

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FIT student launches body positive magazine

BY GABE HERMAN

A

student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Chelsea has started a new fashion magazine that presents untouched photos and aims to portray more diverse issues in the fashion world.

The bi-annual, digital magazine is called NOEMI (pronounced “no Amy”) and can be found at https://www.thenoemimagazine.com/. It was founded by 20-year-old Megan Morgante, who grew up in Westchester and loved reading fashion magazines, she said, and stills reads them a lot. But she said she was left feeling bad because she didn’t look like the women in the magazines, and said she was curvier than the models.

“After reading every issue came new disappointments with it,” Morgante said. “When I didn’t see girls that looked like me, I was left with a lot of negative thoughts and body images that were really dangerous for my wellbeing.”

Young people can be easily influenced by retouched images, she said, and deserve better than an edited version of what’s expected of them.

“I wanted to showcase the realness and rawness of the fashion industry,” she said, “and I wanted to fill that gap for readers who are not typically rep-

PHOTO GRAPHY BY JUDE RISBERG

Megan Morgante, founder and editor of NOEMI.

resented.” The first issue, which came out in October and is the Fall/Winter 2019 issue, includes diverse represen-

tations of races, sizes and sexualities, Morgante noted.

“I want the readers to see some sort

of reflection of themselves,” she said. “I want them to really resonate with something.” She added, “I believe there’s no true definition of what beauty is, and with this I want to illustrate that beauty is from what’s within a person.”

It wasn’t easy starting a magazine from scratch, especially since Morgante does the journalism, fashion styling, graphic designs, and public relations.

“It was so challenging,” she said.

There are still growing pains and struggles to get the magazine’s name out there, she said, and there were hundreds of rejections from talent, designers and photographers in trying to put together the first issue.

She kept reaching out and eventually found people who agreed to be in the issue, including YouTube star Margot Lee; fashion influencer and businesswoman Katie Sturino, who runs a blog for plus-size fashion called “The 12ish Style”; and teenage author Carrie Berk, who is an anti-bullying activist and entrepreneur.

Morgante moved to New York City in early 2019 to study at FIT. She’s majoring in advertising and marketing communications, and is on pace to graduate next year.

“I love living here and taking advantage of everything the city has to offer,” she said.

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Artist Antony Zito goes big in East Vil. show

BY BOB KR ASNER

T

here are times when input from a gallery director can be a catalyst for change. For Antony Zito, the “magic words” from Howl Gallery’s Ted Riederer regarding his latest show were the instructions, “all new work, and go big!”

“I’ve always mainly done straight portraits,” explains Zito, an Acker Award winning artist. “I love what you get from a face. I’m not usually a conceptual artist.”

Zito’s past portraits, notable for having been painted on discarded mirrors, cabinet doors, thrift store paintings, coffee cups and just “anything that can hold paint,” kept him busy for many years in his Lower East Side studio.

Having spent 25 years in NYC, he has recently gone back to live in the home where he grew up in Connecticut, following the death of his father. He took with him the contents of many storage spaces, having scavenged the streets for years for paintable debris.

The work in his solo show, called “My Father Was a Satyr,” is not just physically big, it is thematically so as well. Take “The Threshold”, a piece that stretches about 19 feet wide by eight feet high. Painted on a conglomeration of old doors, found paintings, barn wood, a peg board and a piece of a tin ceiling, the central figure is a satyr that takes the protagonist (possibly you)

PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER

Antony Zito in the hidden door of his piece “The Threshold.”

away from the innocence of childhood into a world of “adventure, possibility, danger and hope.”

Zito muses on the mythical image in the center of the piece, saying, “My father was an amazing artist and inspiration who

frequently painted himself as a satyr. But it was the Roman version – more mischievous, less sleazy.”

Hidden in the piece are three doors.

One door holds a drawing of his father’s, one has “the feminine presence” and one contains a quote from philosopher Alan Watts: “We do not ‘come into’ this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree.”

Animals represent various themes – the snake is metamorphosis, a deer is a catalyst, an 11-foot-high Griffin is “The Elixir of Life,” but humans are not entirely absent. In addition to a self-portrait titled “Mid-Century Satyr,” the artist’s late friend, Mars Bar owner Hank Penza, is depicted as a shaman.

“Mars Bar – the last hardcore punk bar – was my home for a long time. I spent way too much time there,” muses Zito.

Living once again in Connecticut, he “misses the intensity of downtown NYC” and mentions that he was “angry for a while, as I watched the culture that I was part of disintegrate.”

But nowadays, he is happy to be in a “magical, incredible home, every inch handcrafted by my father. He was a stone carver and a painter who had never built a house before.” Zito goes on to reminisce about his upbringing, recalling that, “we lived out of the garden. My parents were hippies without the hippieness.”

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December 12, 2019

11

Editorial A day of terror across the river The tragic events Tuesday in Jersey City, N.J. serve to remind us all of the heroism of law enforcement, the horrors of anti-Semitism, the terrifying experience of school lockdowns and the violent consequences of lax national gun laws.

Once again, police officers put their lives on the line to protect those who can’t protect themselves. They went and confronted the shooters when others ran for their lives. Not every person has the capacity to sacrifice life and limb to protect people they don’t even know.

During the shootout itself, police traded fire with shooters who had no regard for any other life but their own. They unnecessarily put the lives of innocent bystanders at risk, and took the life of at least one cop.

The revelation later in the investigation that this appeared to be a targeted attack upon a kosher supermarket should shake all of us to the core. Anti-Semitism continues to rise across the country, due in large part to a manifestation of unchecked hate speech online and a White House too inept or complicit to condemn and combat it.

In this day and age, we ought to be more respectful and loving of each other’s diversity. We ought to condemn and crush hate where it exists. All of us must do so much more to educate ourselves and stop the spread of hate, wherever it rears its ugly head.

The shootout also led to the lockdown of every school in Jersey City. Cellphone videos captured the images of the reality young students face daily in this era where school shootings occur with alarming regularity.

No school was targeted in this incident — but the shock and fear felt by students on the videos from within locked-down schools was palpable. Without question, the parents and teachers of these students felt the same fear and concern as the lockdowns went on.

Lockdowns are an unfortunate, yet traumatizing necessity in this country, where gun violence is rampant and the efforts to implement some kind of gun control fail at almost every turn.

States like New York and New Jersey have their own gun laws, which work only to a certain extent. But the extensiveness of gun violence nationally cries out for federal action to better regulate the types of weapons available to citizens, the amount of ammunition one can own, and the ability for law enforcement to keep guns out of the hands of individuals who pose a proven threat to themselves or others.

We don’t know if that could have stopped the tragedy in Jersey City, but we do know it would prevent other tragedies.

Publisher of The Villager, Villager Express, Chelsea Now, Downtown Express and Manhattan Express PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER CEO & CO-PUBLISHER EDITOR IN CHIEF REPORTERS

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PUBLISHER’S LIABILITY FOR ERROR The Publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher’s liability for others errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue.

Published by Schneps Media One Metrotech North, 3rd floor Brooklyn, NY 11201 Phone: (718) 260-2500 Fax: (212) 229-2790 On-line: www.thevillager.com E-mail: news@thevillager.com © 2019 Schneps Media

12

December 12, 2019

VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA SCHNEPS ROBERT POZARYCKI GABE HERMAN ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL MARK HALLUM MICHELE HERMAN BOB KRASNER TEQUILA MINSKY MARY REINHOLZ PAUL SCHINDLER MARCOS RAMOS CLIFFORD LUSTER (718) 260-2504 CLUSTER@CNGLOCAL.COM GAYLE GREENBURG JIM STEELE JULIO TUMBACO ELIZABETH POLLY

T

he Jefferson Market Library building has a long and storied history, including being built in 1876 as a courthouse and a preservation effort starting in 1960 to save the Venetian Gothic building. Before the current building and tower were built, there was a previous Jefferson Tower, pictured above, that was made of wood, according to the Dec. 30, 1971 issue of The Villager. The wooden tower was used as a fire lookout, and a volunteer fireman would stand at the top and ring a large bell to signal that there was a fire in the Village area.

EXTRA! EXTRA! Local News, read all about it!

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Op-Ed

Letters to the Editor

Protecting tenants against landlord harassment

APPEAL FOR A CURE Governor Cuomo, please sign the bill and save our independent pharmacies.

I attended the rally at Southrifty Drug. We gathered outside the store in Southampton, N.Y. and we are trying to show our support for our independent pharmacies. Mr. Bob Grisnik and his staff are so good to their customers and we are so appreciative of them.

We need small community businesses and personal care.

Donna Larcy

The SBJSA languishes in the Committee on Small Business (SBC) even though it presently has 29 sponsors. Why? Because REBNY supports key legislators including Council Speaker Corey Johnson and SBC Chair Mark Gjonaj.

Small business advocates call Levin’s new bill the “Landlord’s Bill.” I call it REBNY’s Bill.

REBNY’s bill is no real solution to the small business crisis and ending the blight of empty storefronts and empty office spaces because it does not provide any rights to small business owners, most of whom are immigrants.

Ray Rogers

BLAMING GROUP FOR BIZ BILL FAILURE

PHOTO BY TODD MAISEL

BY LETITIA JAMES

I

n my years representing New Yorkers as an attorney and elected official, I have worked with rent-regulated tenants subjected to some appalling tactics by their landlords to force them out of their homes.

Despite the severity of these acts and so many others, not a single landlord has ever been convicted of tenant harassment under a 20-year old state law intended to prevent such behavior. That’s because the standard to prove criminal culpability for tenant harassment was impossibly high. That changes starting this week.

My office spearheaded the passage of a new law that will finally make it possible to hold landlords accountable when they engage in abusive behavior towards tenants.

Tenant harassment has become a big business; in fact, an entire real estate investment model was created on the basis of purchasing buildings with significant numbers of rentregulated units and then using heavy-handed tactics to force out those tenants to maximize a building’s value.

This is not a new problem. Culprits have included small landlords and some of the biggest and most notable real estate tycoons in the city, including Donald Trump.

Before he was president, Trump purchased a building with rent-regulated tenants. He then hired, in his own words, a company that “spe-

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cialized in relocating tenants,” and embarked on a five-year campaign of tenant harassment.

Before passage of our law, prosecutors had to meet a remarkably high standard to prove harassment: that the landlord wanted to force out the tenant and, in so doing, intentionally or recklessly caused physical injury to a tenant. This definition fails to capture all sorts of the most common – and dangerous – tactics including those referenced here, many of which are objectively harassment but might not ever cause an actual physical injury.

This new law will make landlords think twice before they use abusive tactics against their tenants, and will give tenants the proper protections to defend against this type of abuse — abuse that we all know should be prohibited.

To be clear, landlords will still be allowed to pursue lawful evictions of rent-regulated tenants. But the law will recognize the insidious tactics that bad actors have previously been free to employ to intimidate and abuse tenants.

It’s unconscionable for a landlord to unlawfully force a family from its home simply to improve his own bottom-line. Now prosecutors in New York will finally have the tools they need to prevent abuse and tenants throughout New York will be safer.

James is the attorney general of New York State.

Gabe Herman’s Dec. 5 article about the City Council assessing small business legislation discusses the Small Business Jobs Survival Act (SBJSA) whose prime sponsor is Ydanis Rodriguez but focuses on a new bill recently introduced by Stephen Levin.

Passage of the SBJSA has been stymied by the Real Estate Board of New York for 33 years because REBNY does not want small businesses to have any rights during lease renewal that would empower them to prevent rent gouging.

Rent hikes are the reason why thousands of small businesses are shutting down — with the consequent loss of tens of thousands of jobs — every year.

MORE MEMORIES OF EVELIO Regarding your recent obituary of Evelio Alvarez: We too remember Evelio as a friend going back to 1967 when we lived in “ his” building until 1975. He was kind, quirky and had a very good sense of humor.

He loved and took care of the women in his life, especially his mother and aunt. He was a part of the Village before the major economic and real state changes occurred in the 70s.

We will never forget him, the wonderful building with so many memories. I guess we miss him and our youth.

Susan and Richard Kaplan

SOUND OFF Write a letter to the Editor news@TheVillager.com December 12, 2019

13

Temp stop to city relocation program

BY MARK HALLUM

N

ew York City has temporarily halted its program to provide special assistance for homeless residents relocated to New Jersey.

The cities of Newark and New York seem to have resolved a dispute over the de Blasio administration relocating homeless families across the Hudson River and sometimes under squalid living conditions.

As a result of a face-to-face between the two cities, there will be a temporary halt to the Human Resources Administration’s Special One-Time Assistance program and Newark will have a full list of people placed in order to provide services, Newark Mayor

Ras Baraka said.

The pause in SOTA placements will only pertain to Newark.

Newark filed a lawsuit in federal court a week ago claiming that the SOTA program did little to vet housing where people were placed in Newark and other towns.

The city’s own Department of Investigation delved into the matter itself backing up claims from Baraka that housing was often not inspected before families were suddenly forced to cope with apartments and houses that posed dangers to their health and safety.

A day after meeting with city officials, Baraka said Tuesday that his administration would have greater

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL APPLETON/MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE/FLICKR

Mayors Bill de Blasio and Ras Baraka of Newark, N.J.

involvement in making sure SOTA recipients are not left out in the cold.

“So far, we’ve gotten much of what we asked for and we look forward to continue to work collaboratively with New York City to improve the quality of life for their SOTA recipients,” said Baraka.

Baraka’s administration pressed for a list of SOTA recipients in their jurisdiction and the addresses of where they live for the sake of providing social services and protection from bad landlords.

“This Administration wholeheartedly believes that people have the right to a roof over their heads and to choose where they want to live,” City Hall spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein said. “In the spirit of productive conversations and with the goal of moving toward an improved program, we will be temporarily pausing placements in Newark. We will resume discussions on Thursday and if a satisfactory agreement is not met, we will file a formal challenge to the ordinance the next day.”

Sound off!

Write a letter to the editor news@thevillager.com

14

December 12, 2019

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NYC WORKS ★

CELEBRATING LABOR IN THE BIG APPLE

MTA AND TRANSIT UNION REACH CONTRACT AGREEMENT

T

he MTA and transit workers’ union have reached a tentative contract agreement.

MTA Chairman and CEO Pat Foye and the Transport Workers Union Local 100 announced an agreement last week after months of bitter back-and-forth between the authority and the union, which represents roughly 40,000 employees in the subway and bus system.

“We have reached a tentative agreement with TWU Local 100 that’s fair to taxpayers, our riders and the tens of thousands of Tran-

sit employees who have worked hard to improve subway and bus service benefiting eight million daily customers,” Foye said in a statement.

“This tentative agreement continues the forward momentum of NYC Transit that has led to a surge in subway on-time performance and ridership increases that reflect our customers’ returning confidence in the system.”

Union employees had been working without a contract since May. Both parties in their announcement were tight-lipped on details.

TWU Local 100 President Tony Utano said in

a statement he was confident that union membership will ratify the settlement “in overwhelming fashion” after a discussion on the agreement.

The framework for the deal was reached over the weekend and finalized after “several days of intense bargaining,” Utano went on.

“I wish to thank TWU members for the incredible support you provided to me and the Local 100 leadership throughout this campaign,” Utano said. “We were truly united. We will be reporting details of the agreement as soon as the Executive Board has had an opportunity to vote on it.”

MAYOR DE BLASIO, CHANCELLOR CARRANZA RENAME QUEENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO HONOR THE LATE HÉCTOR FIGUEROA

M

ayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza on Dec. 10 announced the re-naming of PS 398, a Jackson Heights, Queens elementary school to be The Héctor Figueroa School.

The re-naming honors the late union leader and 32BJ SEIU President who passed away earlier this year.

Open for the fi rst time in the 201920 school year, The Héctor Figueroa School currently serves 117 Pre-K and Kindergarten students. The Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens has been home to the Figueroa family for years, and will grow to serve 476 students in grades Pre-K through fi fth grade. Principal Erica UreñaThus engaged school community in this process, which highlighted sigSchneps Media

nificant fi gures from the Jackson Heights community. Students, teachers, and families votes and decided to officially rename the school in his honor.

The 476 seats at PS 398 The Héctor Figueroa School will help alleviate overcrowding in District 30 as part of the more than 2,100 new seats created in Queens for the 2019-2020 school year.

December 12, 2019

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December 12, 2019

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December 12, 2019

17

Cabaret performer’s new show blends Bowie tribute with his style

BY BOB KR ASNER

T

here are a couple of things that the Dutch/German cabaret performer Sven Ratzke would like you to know at the start.

In town for a two-week run at La Mama for his show “Where Are We Now,” featuring the songs of David Bowie, Ratzke is quick to mention that his performance is “not that of a cover band – that is totally not what I am doing.” And he’s a little tired of being asked, “what’s your favorite David Bowie song?”

The very striking and stylish Ratzke, who has performed to steady acclaim around the world, previously presented “Starman,” a tribute to Bowie at Joe’s Pub that had the blessing of the man himself. That show was touring Europe when the news came of Bowie’s passing.

“When we lost Bowie the show became more of a comfort,” Ratzke muses. Rather than continue in that vein, he took a break from Bowie after completing the tour to present a new work, “Homme Fatale.” But then the time seemed right to re-examine Bowie’s catalog in a simpler manner than the band format of “Starman.”

Working with just pianist Christian Pabst, Ratzke’s new show is, he states, “Fifty percent Bowie and fifty percent me.” Presenting each song with an accompanying monologue, he mixes fact and fiction as a tool to examine each piece. While there are certainly echoes of Bowie’s voice in his interpretations, this is not a performer whose main goal is to mimic the originals. Rather, his intent is hopefully to share what he has found out about the songs through the

process of performing and examining them.

“There were a lot of his songs that I didn’t understand before I sang them, ” he notes. For example, “Sweet Thing/ Candidate,” one of the lesser known songs from the “Diamond Dogs” album, was one that the singer was “always intrigued by, but didn’t understand. And I had to understand it in order to sing it.”

“I discovered the layers of the song – it’s an imaginary world that he steps into,” relates Ratzke. The story that he tells prior to performing the song relates to his interpretation on stage.

Other songs are given unexpected treatments, such as “Let’s Dance,” a number that Ratzke recognizes as one that many find trivial. But in his slowed down, percussive treatment the pop concoction gains a previously unheard gravity. Part of the credit for this goes to his musical collaborator, composer/ pianist Pabst.

The collaborative process of finding the arrangements and musical backdrops for Ratzke’s voice often comes down to the singer, who does not play an instrument, relating what he is looking for musically in visual terms, leaving Pabst to find a way to interpret his marching orders. Take “Rock and Roll Suicide,” which Ratzke explained that he wanted the music to sound like, “a shabby, empty nightclub in Berlin, where backstage a performer is looking into a mirror. There are French cigarettes and makeup, and a face that is totally white, disappearing into smoke.”

“It’s only a piano and a voice, so we need to take everything out of that piano and that voice,” explains Ratzke. “I have to find a way to bring the stories to life.” Bowie’s songs “bring people

Ratzke’s new show opens Dec. 11 at La MaMa.

When we lost Bowie the show became more of a comfort” Cabaret performer Sven Ratzke.

18

December 12, 2019

PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER

PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER

together,” he states. “In a time when everyone is so egotistical, his songs are universal.” The title of the show, also taken from a Bowie song, is something that Ratzke feels more people should ponder, especially younger folks.

“Where am I now, where am I going?” he asks.

There will be two more legs of this tour and then, “this chapter is finished,” he says. But for now, he notes, “It gives me a lot of joy and comfort to sing these songs.”

“By the way,” he adds, before leaving, “Heroes is my favorite Bowie song.”

“Where Are We Now” runs from 12/11 to 12/21. Information is available at lamama.org/where-are-wenow/ Schneps Media

Eats

Las Delicias opens shop at the Chelsea Market

BY GABE HERMAN

T

he upscale bakery Las Delicias, perhaps already well-known to those who like to frequent local farmer’s markets, opened its first brick and mortar location this fall at Chelsea Market, at 75 Ninth Ave., called Las Delicias Chelsea.

All of the bakery’s products are kosher, vegetarian and non-GMO. They’re also made with local ingredients and no artificial preservatives. Menu items include rugelach, paninis, scones and crème brulee, plus espresso drinks.

There is a gluten-free menu, which goes back to the heart of Las Delicias, when founder Deborah R. Brenner set out to make gluten-free pastries that also tasted good, for her husband who was diagnosed with a severe case of Celiac, according to the company’s website. Brenner was in banking for over 20 years before making the transition to baked goods, first in the Greenmarket and now at Chelsea Market.

The Las Delicias opening was part of the latest expansion of Chelsea Local, which is on the lower level of Chelsea Market and first opened in 2017. The area offers more specialty food items, often

COURTESY CHELSEA MARKET

The baked goods at Las Delicias are all kosher and vegetarian.

with rarer ingredients, according to Chelsea Market.

Chelsea Local’s recent expansion nearly

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doubled its size, and included the addition of other shops like Black Seed Appetizing, Pearl River Mart Foods, and a larger Dick-

son’s Farmstand Meats.

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C Bao Asian Buns Comes to Hello Panda Festival

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 return to China to talk about C Bao Asian Buns a Queens-based business that specializes in one of my favorite sandwiches, Chinese bao. They’re just one of 60 food vendors curated by the World’s Fare at the Hello Panda Festival, which kicked off at Citi Field last weekend and runs until January 26th.

For a long, long time the only pork buns I knew were the char siu bao found at Chinese bakeries in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The first time that I encountered a fluffy hinged bao bun was at a Peking duck restaurant. Until David Chang came on the scene in the 1990s offering his take on Taiwanese gua bao, or pork belly sandwiches I didn’t think of the bao outside the context of Peking duck. Unlike the tasty but rather one note char siu bao found in Chinese bakeries these little marvels were packed with thick slabs of wobbly slow cooked pork belly, pickled mustard greens, and sweetened peanuts creating a symphony of flavor. At about the same time roast duck buns, notably the famed “duck a buck” as prepared at Corner 28 in downtown Flushing’s bustling Chinatown, started to become a popular street food.

On a cold Tuesday afternoon I stopped by C Bao’s Times Square outpost and tried both the duck and pork belly buns. I’d had them once before and thought they were pretty good, but frankly I don’t like to wait on lines so hadn’t tasted either in years.

Both remain among the best bao I’ve ever had in New York City. Each of the fluffy buns was slightly larger than my fist. The pillowy dough of the gua bao yielded to tender slabs of pork belly whose richness was perfectly offset by the pickled greens and peanuts. The duck version was filled with hefty slices, which somehow retained their crisp skin even in the cold Times Square air. I’m willing to bet that the Korean beef, chicken teriyaki, and tofu bao are just as good, but I stuck to the classics.

“C is for Chinese and C is also the initial of my husband’s first name,” says Annie Ye who started C Bao Asian Buns with her husband Chun Chung

Ip in 2013. The couple, who hail from Wenzhou, China, and now live in Fresh Meadows, developed the recipes for the bao themselves. Thanks to their delicious buns, C Bao quickly became a hit at some of New York City’s most popular food markets, including Smorgasburg, Queens Night Market, and Flushing Night Out. “We thought bao would be a healthy meal for customers,” says Yen adding the top seller after almost 10 years in business remains the hefty Peking duck

bun. “They love our food, especially the duck,” Yen says with a laugh of her four children.

Since they’re open until 11 p.m. you could check out C Bao’s sandwiches in the dazzling lights of Times Square, but why not enjoy these Chinese treats, by the lights of the handcrafted lanterns at North America’s largest Chinese lantern festival. I know I’ll be there!

& %DR $VLDQ %XQV

1479 Broadway New York, New York 10036 (516) 213-8769 Also available at the Hello Panda Festival at Citi Field hellopandafest.com

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December 12, 2019

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Manhattan Happenings

Terrific events through the holidays, Dec. 19-25 THURSDAY DEC. 19

S

torytime in Nolen Library

Families with children ages 3 to 6 are invited to sing, listen, and explore picture books.

Don’t miss the chance to go on a self-guided gallery hunt afterwards in the museum!

3 to 3:30 at The Met Fifth Avenue [1000 Fifth Ave., www.metmuseum.org. Free.

M

aim

Experience global warming and its effects played out in this performance by Zvi Gotheiner.

7:30 p.m. at New York Live Arts Theater [219 W 19th St., www.newyorklivearts.org]. $25 general admission/$20 students and seniors.

FRIDAY DEC. 20

S

trasbourg-Alsace Christmas Market

Bowling Green will become a winter wonderland with this Christmas village. The event will include traditional decorations, light displays, and goodies.

11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Bowling Green [Broadway and Whitehall St., www.nycgovparks.org].

Free.

C

ompost Concierge

Clean up this holiday season by bringing your waste to Bryant Park’s sorting station. A trained waste concierge will also be on hand to help you understand the ins and outs of recycling and composting.

1 to 3 p.m. at Bryant Park [40th Street Plaza, www.bryantpark.org]. Free.

F

un Winter Wonderland

This event features fun for the whole family.

Take a photo with santa, play games, and create your own crafts.

3 to 7 p.m. at Hamilton Fisher Recreation Center in Hamilton Fish Park [128 Pitt St., www. nycgovparks.org. A NYC Parks Recreation Membership is required.

SATURDAY DEC. 21

F

ound Sound Workshop

Composer, sound designer, and performer Lea Bertucci will lead instruction on how to collage found sounds in a mixing session.

3 p.m. at MoMA [11 West 53rd St., www. moma.org. Free with admission.

C

arnival of the Animals

Puppetry will take the stage during this classic holiday performance that transforms

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PHOTO BY TODD MAISEL

Lighting of the world’s largest menorah in 2018. everyday objects into beloved animals.

1 p.m. at Miller Theatre [2960 Broadway (at 116th Street), www.millertheatre.com. $15.

SUNDAY DEC. 22

T

he 13th Annual Menorah Horah

The Schlep Sisters, Minnie Tonka and Darlinda Just Darlinda, will bring the heat to this holiday season through this performance.

Along with several premier burlesque stars, they’ll help you celebrate all eight nights of Hanukkah in one evening!

among the decorations, jewelry, and artisanal foods.

10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Grand Bazaar NYC [100 West 77th St., www.grandholidaybazaarnyc.org. Free.

MONDAY DEC. 23

L

ighting of the World’s Largest Menorah in Manhattan Experience the lighting of the world’s largest menorah at Grand Army Plaza.

8 p.m. at Le Poisson Rouge [158 Bleecker St., www.lpr.com. $20-$30.

5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Grand Army Plaza in Central Park [Fifth Ave. between West 58th and West 59th Streets, www.nycgovparks. org]. Free.

G

TUESDAY DEC. 24

rand Holiday Bazaar

This holiday market will take place indoors and outdoors, and it will feature over 150 local artisans. Find the perfect holiday gift

A

rsenal Gallery: 37th Annual Wreath Interpretations Exhibition

View the unique wreaths that over 40 artists and designers have created for this 37th annual exhibition.

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Arsenal in Central Park [830 Fifth Ave., www.nycgovparks.org]. Free.

WEDNESDAY DEC. 25

N

efesh Mountain

Singer Doni Zasloff and her husband Eric Lindberg will lead this performance of pieces from their album, Songs from the Mountain. They will also play some holiday favorites like Woody Guthrie’s “Hanukkah Dance.”

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at The Jewish Museum [1109 5th Ave., www.thejewishmuseum. org]. $18 general; $14 Jewish Museum family members; free for children 18 and under.

What’s going on in your neighborhood? Tell us!

Email your events for our calendar to news@thevillager.com December 12, 2019

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necb.com

Check out SoHo’s Star Wars exhibit A LW AY S F R E E . A LW AY S S M A R T.

BY ALEX MITCHELL

A

A LW AY S - F R E E B U S I N E S S C H E C K I N G .

N O F E E S | N O M O N T H LY S E R V I C E C H A R G E S NO MAINTENANCE CHARGES | NO MINIMUM BALANCES N O O N L I N E B A N K I N G F E E S | N O T R A N S A C T I O N L I M I TAT I O N S F R E E AT M / V I S A D E B I T C A R D | F R E E B I L L PAY ÂŽ | E - S TAT E M E N T S

ÂŽ CHELSEA: 2 4 2 W. 23 R D 34 s 4 ADDITIONAL OFFICES IN: FORDHAM ( Lit t le It a ly) : % T H 34 s 4 LENOX HILL : S T !6% s 4 MONDAY-TH URS D AY 9 -4 s & 2)$!9 s 3!45 2 $!9 FORDHAM: S ATURD AY FOR A COMP L ETE L IST OF LOCATIO N S AND H OU R S , GO TO NEC B .C OM

n ecb.com 22

December 12, 2019

t last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi.

As fans across the galaxy await the concluding Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Dolby’s SoHo headquarters is celebrating the 42 years it’s worked with Star Wars and George Lucas through a massive interactive exhibition which opened Dec. 6.

It starts out with a walk through a hallway filled with each episode’s original movie poster, including the very first one from the 1977 “Star Wars� before it was retitled “A New Hope� (a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one).

Then you reach the first room—the “Experience Room� of Star Wars footage being projected on all four walls with moving sound coming from 31 separate channels of Dolby’s intergalactic surround sound.

That’s just a warmup for what comes next. A chandelier of both red and blue lightsabers help guide you to the studio space’s living room, which is decorated in detail as the ultimate fan cave for Star Wars fans, while looping each film throughout the day.

A closer look also shows exquisite detail to the placement of figurines and movie props that give nods to both the resistance and first order, along with some more classic ones as well.

Then it’s time to head downstairs — that’s where theatrical screening rooms await in addition to another audio lab projecting the many scores that John Williams has done for the lengthy saga. That aural sector of the exhibition is set in the dark where you can sit on a beanbag and envision traveling through hyperspace as you look up at the unique and stellar lighting overhead.

After taking a relaxing mediation that even Master Yoda would envy, then behold specially crafted, wall sized artwork and set photos along with fully sized, red storm troopers that appear so lifelike you think they’re going to ask to see your identification. Don’t worry, you can move along.

Absent from the artwork: The Star Wars Holiday Special.

After heading back upstairs to the studio’s cafe section, which also features a Keith Haring-eqsue mural of the Star Wars cast, then enter into the “Virtual Forest.� That’s where 18 epic lightsaber duels of the fate are shown on mirroring panels tilted in each visible direction.

The Star Wars exhibition at Dolby SoHo is open to the public for free through Sunday, Jan. 5. It’s open Wednesdays through Sundays (except Christmas and New Years Day) from 1 to 8 p.m.

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NEW CARD DESIGN!

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December 12, 2019

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December 12, 2019

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Extra!

Extra!

Local News Read all about it!

www.TheVillager.com

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December 12, 2019

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Holidays

Politicians gather for VID Christmas party

BY TEQUIL A MINSK Y

W

here many of the politicos must go, including judges, those running for judge, and those people who want to be judges, the Village Independent Democrats seasonal party is an annual event everyone looks forward to.

Frieda Bradlow opens her home, everyone brings food, and there is plenty of great eats.

The only one missing this year was Congressman Jerry Nadler, busy in Washington with the impeachment.

The hostess with the politicians. Robert Bradlow—host, Sharon Woolums, Senator Chuck Schumer, the hostess Frieda Bradlow, City Council Member Carlina Rivera, Congress Member Carolyn Maloney, VID President David Siffert, Boro President Gale Brewer, Assembly Member Deborah Glick.

PHOTOS BY TEQUILA MINSKY

City Council Member Carlina Rivera speaking of women in politics that she’s about to introduce.

Hostess Frieda Bradlow with Senator Chuck Schumer and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney

Local politicians with the Village Independent Democrats president.

BP Gale Brewer, Council Member Carlina Rivera, VID Pres. David Siffert, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, and Assembly Member Deborah Glick.

Mixing seasonal party cheer with politics—the annual VID Christmas party held at Frieda Bradlow’s home attracts all the politicians that represent the area. Carolyn Maloney talks about the current status of things in Washington.

26

December 12, 2019

Senator Chuck Schumer speaks.

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Give the gift of Home for the Holidays!

A subscription to one of our local newspapers gives regular memories of home Bronx Times Reporter Brooklyn Graphic Courier Sun • Flushing Times Queens Courier • The Villager Times Newsweekly Long Island Press (monthly) Order your gift subscriptions at schnepsmedia.com/subscriptions

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December 12, 2019

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December 12, 2019

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