December Red Hook Star-Revue by George Fiala

The

Red Hook StarªRevue

THROUGH DEC. 16, 2012

SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

SCHOOLS UNITE TO REBUILD NORMALCY by Kimberly Gail Price

n December 4, Mrs. Julie Cavanagh’s special education class was cutting triangles out of paper snowflakes. At first glance, the scene looked like everything had returned to normal. But just because the electricity and heat were back on did not mean the end of PS 15’s challenges. PS 15 suffered major damage to their location during Hurricane Sandy. They lost their entire basement, and everything in: their annual carnival set-up; the Flea market collection; extra furniture for vacant classrooms; and all of their books for the new library. Some teachers had personal stuff for their classrooms, which was all destroyed as well. An entire wall in the basement was knocked out. PS 15 went back into school week before Thanksgiving. Prior to that, classes

‘“Thanksgiving was squashed for so many families and we don’t want the same thing to happen for Christmas,” Bellahcene said.’

fects of Hurricane Sandy will not delay their move into their new home at 732 Henry Street in February. Summit Academy, which also shares a building with PS 676, also had no damages, but many students and their families live in Red Hook. Students - or Scholars - as Summit calls them, had many families who were severely impacted. Some lost everything; some are still displaced. Natasha Campbell, Executive Director, poses the question, “There is something bigger than Summit here: continuity, normalcy. How do we support that? It’s a city-wide problem.” The first week back to school in mid November, Campbell says they handled the scholars with “kid gloves.” Faculty realized they may be fragile and disheveled. The school held advisory sessions where the kids could talk about what they saw and what they were experiencing. She spoke of giving out extra shirts to students who were embarrassed that they could not wash laundry under the circumstances. A counselor was there to make sure all children could talk about what they had seen and what they were experiencing. Sensitivity was an important aspect of this process.

Older students volunteer

PAVE Academy, located on the second floor of PS 15, was less affected by flood damage, but were also displaced for several weeks. Their classrooms were temporarily relocated to NYCHA’s Miccio center until structural and safety issues could be repaired. However, the ill-ef-

After Hurricane Sandy, South Brooklyn Community High School lost power for a couple of days. After the basement was pumped, they accessed the damage of the building. They had power. But the phones went out during the first week and there was a big concern about how to stay connected with the students in the immediate aftermath. Their students started showing up to volunteer. They were really “plugged in” to the community’s needs, according to Rachel Forsyth, Director of Transfer Schools in South Brooklyn. She is “blown away with the patience and the ‘we’re gonna get through this’ attitude.” Students have pulled together. They became more of a “big shiny light” to help support the community.

The Red Hook Star-Revue 101 Union Street Brooklyn, NY 11231

were relocated to PS 676. PS 676, formerly PS 27, did not lose power and suffered minor damages. They hosted the displaced PS 15 for three weeks, welcoming the other neighborhood school with open arms. A sign just inside their doorways was posted to make new students feel as comfortable as possible. But despite the damage to their school, most students attending PS 676 live in Red Hook and were greatly affected at home by the storm.

Teachers encourage normal routine in Mrs. Cavanagh’s classroom, as children struggle with the shock of Hurricane Sandy (photo by Kimberly G. Price).

David Arons, Job and Internship coordinator with South Brooklyn Community High School, said he felt there is an underlying level of anxiety about where they live among students. Home is supposed to be a safe place. Sandy turned that upside down. Helping and volunteering became a sense of security for not just current students, but also alumni and families of the students. “How do you get back to focusing on education with this kind of disruption in the school system?” Arons asked. He said the students didn’t really talk about hurricane much. Instead, they came out to support their community.

Life at home not back to normal

Back over at PS 15, they are still working on rebuilding. However, just because the school is back up and running does not mean that things are back to normal. Many who attend the public school live in Red Hook. Life at home is not yet back to normal. Many had water leaking through the walls into their homes once gas and water were turned back on and much of their clothing and bedding would have to be replaced. They are still in need of school supplies and the school hopes to help families provide Christmas presents for their children. The damage did not cause any structural issues, but there is still much to be re-

paired - and to be replaced. Air quality and other safety measures were checked to make sure it was safe for students and faculty to return once electricity, heat and water were restored. PS 15 decided to forgo their Christmas Flea this year. The point of the holiday market is for kids to buy presents for their families. So many cannot afford that right now and the school felt it would be insensitive to what people have been through. PTA Co-President, Lydia Bellahcene says, fundraising is “stumped” because they “can’t ask for money from devastated families.” Their own students still need school supplies and toys for the holidays. PS 15 did hold their 4th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on December 6th to give the kids a chance to celebrate the holidays with their classmates and teachers. “Thanksgiving was squashed for so many families and we don’t want the same thing to happen for Christmas,” Bellahcene said. Kids and schools across the country have been in contact with PS 15 and their students making donations to the area’s schools. First year 4th grade teacher, Jenna Utter’s family gathered a semi truck full of supplies in Michigan and drove it to give to PS 15. The school distributed supplies to about 50 families in their cafeteria on Saturday, (continued on page 3)

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The

Red Hook StarªRevue

DECEMBER 1-15 2012

SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

VOLUME 3 NO.23

Table of Contents

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8

Community Calendar......... 2 Editorial/Letters......... 12 Happenings ...................... 2 Images of Sandy........ 13 NYCHA............................... 7 Arts Calendar............. 18 Local Heroes.................... 10 Classifieds................. 19 Crossword....................... 11 School Benefit........... 20

Traditional St. Stephen Tower Christmas Star Lighting At St. Stephen’s, when they say traditional, they mean traditional. Remember Easter? Don’t miss this at 7 pm on the front steps of the church on Summit Street close to Hicks. 7 pm.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9

STAFF

NY After Sandy: Resource Fair and Community Conversation Your local government officials representing political office and agencies, will be on hand to answer questions and discuss problems. Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main Street (at Water Street), in Dumbo. 11 am - 2 pm

Kimberly G. Price.......................................Editor/Publisher George Fiala.......................................... Graphics/Publisher Alexandra Gillis..................................................... Reporter Vince Musacchia..................................................Cartoons Erik Penney...................................................... Restaurants Eric Ruff............................................................... Calendar Matt Graber...............................................Special Projects Sara Saldutti............................................Retail Advertising Harold Boynes..................................Corporate Advertising

MONDAY, DECEMBER 10 Levin 2013 Re-election Kick-Off and Fundraiser. Councilman Levin is one of the youngest city councilmen and will kick off his campaign at Bibi, 110 Kent Avenue at North 8th Street. Suggested contribution of $25$75. 6:30 pm - 9 pm Red Hook Holiday Celebration & Tree Lighting. Featuring live music, caroling, free baby firs courtesy of David Protell of Chelsea Garden Centers, Gift Give Aways by Red Hook Rise and K.I.D.S. This is a Red Hook Holiday highlight. Coffey Park, 5:30 - 7:30 pm

Contributors

Mary Anne Massaro, Mary Ann Pietanza, Brian Clancy, Theron Mohamed, Richard Feloni

MONDAY, DECEMBER 11

Member @RedHookStar

Happenings

www.facebook.com/ redhookstarrevue

718.624.5568 - Editorial & Advertising 917.652.9128 News Tips 101 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 editor@redhookstar.com

Star-Revue Community Calendar COMMUNITY BOARD 6: ALL MEETINGS AT 6:30 PM

Wed. Dec. 12 General Board Meeting: Vote on committee recommendations including liquor license for Con Amore, 18 Commerce Street and Brewshank, 548 Court Street. Recommendation to support Narco Freedom’s planned expansion to continue to provide methadone maintenance treatment program, adult alternative treatment program and neighborhood and family health center clinic services at 561 Court St. Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Courtroom Mon. Dec. 17 Annual Christmas Party: $30 per person * Hors d’oeuvres & Soda * Cash Bar *All are welcome * The CB6 Holiday Party is a fundraiser for “Friends of Brooklyn CB6, Inc.,” our 501-c-3 non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the work of CB6. Sheep Station 149 4th Avenue (northeast corner Douglass Street)

OTHER MEETINGS & EVENTS Sat, December 8 Transit Garden Holiday Tree Lighting 4 pm - 7 pm. Meet your neighbors. Bring snacks and share. 2nd Place and Smith St. Holiday Shopping Fair at Proteus Gowanus noon - 6 pm. Free Beer, music and wonderful things. Have fun and buy gifts for the holidays. Also Sunday December 9th. 543 Union St (right past Canal)

ConnectNYC Fiber Challenge Join the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation and NYC EDC for a presentation on how ConnectNYC can help a business. This has to do with having connection speeds hundreds of times fast than cable and DSL. This is a workshop and takes place at SBIDC office at 241 41st Street in Sunset Park. Noon - 1:30 pm, with some light refreshments served.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15 Dinner with the Lions Third annual holiday dinner. At the Miccio Center, 110 West 9th Street, 2 - 5 pm. For more information call 718 243-1528 Dance Theatre Etcetera presents An Evening of Performances by youth from their arts education programs. This is free, at the Jalopy Theater, 315 Columbia Street and starts at 4:30 pm. Doors open at 4 pm.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16

Benefit for Red Hook’s Public Schools, featuring live music, drink, food,silent auction and more. Proceeds will benefit PS 15, 676, PAVE Academy and Summit Academy. This fundraiser is sponsored by the Red Hook Star-Revue and will take place in it’s large offices, home of the Star Theater, 101 Union Street, between Van Brunt and Columbia from 2 pm - 10 pm. $10 suggested donation. Tattoo Fundraiser will take place at Kidd Studios, 133 Imlay Street. Ethan Morgan of Rivington Tattoo lives in Red Hook, and was without heat, hot water and power for 19 days. He is donating his services in a fund raising capacity to raise funds for ReStore Red Hook. There will be tattooing, art to buy, food and drink. 2 pm - 8 pm Christmas Show and Concert at Visitation Church. The Brooklyn Conservatory Community Orchestra, led by Dorothy Savitch, mother of ace StarRevue summer reporter Abby Savitch-Lew, will be performing at 5 pm. On the program are dances from the Nutcracker Suite, Ode to Joy and other holiday favorites. Santa will appear at 3:30 pm, a children’s show will take place at 4 pm, and at 4:30 pm there will be a bake sale. The Visitation Church is at 98 Richards Street and everything except for the cake is free!

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17 CB 6 hosts a Christmas Party with proceeds to benefit the Friends of CB 6. This neighborly event is open to the public and will be held at Sheep Station, 149 4th Avenue. 6 pm - 9 pm.

Tues, December 10 Cobble Hill Association 7:30 pm Fall 2012 General Meeting. Report on Health Care. LICH Rm A, 339 Hicks St.

Borough Menorah Lighting, 5 pm. 209 Joralemon Street

Sun, December 16 Fundraiser for local public schools 2 pm - 10 pm Jazz, rock, country, blues and funk music will be performed. Local student performances as well. Suggested donation $10. Star Theater, 101 Union Street between Van Brunt and Columbia.

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www.RedHookStar.com

Through December 16, 2012

Local schools work to bring normalcy back to Red Hook’s children (continued from page 1)

December 1st. But Cavanagh says the schools can always use more help. She also encouraged the community to reach out to PS 15. “We hope that folks see PS 15 as a center of community and we are here for anything you need.” Bellahcene also encouraged people to reach out to PS 15. “We’re here to help. Please let us know, even businesses. We are so grateful the community has embraced our school. Anyway we can pay back that love.” On the back wall of Natasha Campbell’s office was a poster that said “Nothing changes...if nothing changes.” Summit is committed to changing the situation for not just their scholars, but their entire families as well. On November 6, the school facilitated a dinner for 300 people. They sent surveys home asking families what they needed. Summit then did their best to meet those demands through their own means or through donations. The school was able to provide school supplies and food for families and acted as a distribution site as well. The March of Dimes donated 25 boxes of supplies for distribution. Other school children from Massachusetts to Albany collected and sent contributions to the school. But what Campbell says they need most is continued resources to keep coming after everything has been depleted.

On Thursday, December 6th, PS 15 held their traditional holiday tree lighting in their bird sanctuary. From all appearance normalcy prevailed, as parents brought refreshments and the smiling children danced, sang carols and oohed and aahed at the arrival of Santa and the lit Christmas Tree (photo by Kimberly Gail Price).

Normally, Summit holds a toy drive for a charitable organization and delivers the toys themselves along with caroling. This year the need is in Red Hook. Summit is hoping to provide a toy for every child in Red Hook this year. The school is planning to partner with organizations to collect these presents. On December 20, the school will also be having a holiday dinner for families of scholars.

same spirit that it continues to rebuild stronger. We come together in unity

“Red Hook has a rich history of persevering through obstacles and coming out on top. I hope it is with that

76th Precinct honors two ‘Cops of the Month’

P.S. 15 would like to thank all those involved with our recovery efforts!

The 76th Precinct held their monthly community council meeting as scheduled on December 4th. Jerry Armer introduced the Captain Schiff noting that Red Hook had more police presence then it has ever seen before. Officers worked 12 hour shifts every day during the initial phase of the emergency. The result of this hard work by the officers was that Red Hook was without crime, according to Armer. “There may have not been electricity and there were other problems, but public service was not a problem.” Officer Tony Creusto spoke and thanked the Police Auxiliary units. He said an abundance of auxiliary officers helped tremendously. He encouraged people to join the auxiliary. Captain Schiff presented the Officers of the Month award for October and November. Jose Anaya was cited for October for catching a burgler; Ena Rampersad received the honor for November for preventing an armed robbery planned by two with long criminal histories. Schiff reported that crime was down from the year before period. He noted some interesting arrests which included a man with 93 prior arrests nabbed for smoking at a gas pump; a man from Queens who spray painted the word “Ronald” on a public space; someone with 23 prior arrests found cutting a bicycle chain; and a man arrested for murder and proved a DNA match. Schiff stated that despite rumors, there

Red Hook Star-Revue

with the ‘whatever it takes’ attitude,” Campbell said.

Officer Ramerpsad receives her award (photo by Price)

were no rapists on the loose during the Sandy emergency. He noted that nobody in the 76th lost their life during the hurricane. Judge Alex Calabrese gave an update on the condition of the Justice Center. It is now operational after being flooded, and will begin taking cases on December 17th for all three precincts. He announced that Viviana Gordon, well known and loved at the Center, received a promotion and will now work at the Brownsville Community, bringing her expertise to a new Center.

pecial thanks to P.S. 676 and Summit Academy for hosting our relocation, and to the School Construction Authority, Division of School Facilities, the custodial staff at P.S. 15 and custodians from schools across the city for working tirelessly to expedite the repairing and reopening of the building. Although the work to fully recover from the hurricane has not been completed, we couldn’t have returned to the building this quickly without the help of many donors, volunteers and our PTA who assisted in the relocation and rebuilding of our school. We are touched by the outpouring of support and compassion from the Red Hook community and beyond.

Paul Grudzinski, in conversation after the meeting, noted that cooperation was instrumental in Sandy relief. He said that the floodlights came from other precincts and other agencies. He said that lighting, blankets and heaters are still needed in the community.

www.RedHookStar.com

Through Dec. 16, 2012 Page 3

Star-Revue

News Briefs

Internet speed increased

Time Warner Cable announced that their standard internet speed would be increased by 50%, from 10 Mbps to 15Mbps. This will be an automatic upgrade with no increase in cost. To achieve this speed immediately, Time Warner says to turn your modem on and off and then reboot your computer.

Nets still looking for practice arena

A few months ago it was reported that the relocated Nets were looking to relocate their practice building from New Jersey. They had considered the former Revere Sugar factory lot to build on, but have since decided against Red Hook. They are still looking around Brooklyn for a location.

Borough Hall lights Christmas tree

On Tuesday, November 27th, a 50 foot Christmas tree was lit in front of Brooklyn’s Borough Hall. Santa Claus was distributing candy, as was the property developer of the Barclay’s Center. The tree is slightly shorter than the one at Rockefeller Center.

Italian wine made in Hook

The Van Brunt Stillhouse introduced a new product last month, Red Hook Grappa. Grappa is an after dinner drink, a strong wine, made from grapes that have already been crushed to make wine. It is traditionally made in Italy, and contains over 35% alcohol. Red Hook Grappa is for sale locally at Dry Dock Wines and Liquors.

Landlord is a meanie

The owner of a building at 122 Bergen Street ordered all his tenants to move out after a tree fell on the building during Hurricane Sandy. Three of the tenants are rent-stabilized. In a lawsuit filed against Ales Realty, building owner, the tenants claim they have a right to move back into the building after damages are fixed. The landlord says the tenants claims are false, and that they simply asked the tenants not to sleep in their apartments in order that repairs to the building could be made.

Red Hook warehouse sold for $11.8 million

A three story brick warehouse located near Valentino Pier has been sold to an international firm. The firm, EST4TE FOUR plans to renovate the building and turn it into an artist space/photography school. The building, at 202 Coffey Street had been occupied by Time Movers.

Continuing controversy over homeless shelter

On November 26th, CB6 sent a letter to Commissioner of Homeless Services Seth Diamond reiterating its opposition to the use of 165 East 9th Street as a homeless shelter for 170 men. The letter questions the suitability of the building, the operator, the lack of community input as well as a viable plan for operation. In addition, it is alleged in the letter that normal city government procedures were not followed. The letter concludes by CB6 agreeing to coop-

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erate with the city to follow its mandate to provide shelter for the homeless, but not in the use of 165 East 9th Street as the city wants to. The letter was signed by CB6 Chair, Daniel Kummer. Copies were then sent to the Mayor, his legal advisors, and various local politicians, many of whom support the Board which has reflected the desires of the local Carroll Gardens community.

Fuzzbucket characters in meet and greet

Puppetry Arts is holding a holiday event at the 7 Eleven located at 5th Avenue and 13th Street on Sunday, December 16th. From 11 am - 2 pm, the public is invited to meet Santa and the puppet characters from the family musical Fuzzbuckets. Visitors are asked to bring loose change which will be used as a donation to Puppetry Arts. Everyone who makes a donation will be entered into a contest to win a 7 Eleven gift certificate. For more information call (718) 768-3703.

Go artists selected

The Brooklyn Museum has chosen five Brooklyn artists to be featured in their exhibition of the contest winners that was last summer’s GO project. The five were chosen from 10 finalists after votes from gallery goers in September. The exhibition will be on view at the museum through February 24th, 2013. The artists selected are Adrian Coleman, Oliver Jeffers, Naomi Safran-Hon, Gabrielle Watson and Yeon Ji Yoo. Yoo maintains a Red Hook studio. She is an American born in South Korea and her work involves her memories of her South Korean childhood. She draws and creates installations.

Commerce Street club gains CB6 license approval

The Permits and License Committee of Community Board 6 voted 9-6 to recommend the granting of a liquor license to Con Amore Cabaret. The Cabaret will take over the space occupied by the Paris Burlesque House at 18 Commerce Street, down the block from DeFonte’s. While the operator, Earl Dicks, has operated adult entertainment venues in the past, he claims that there will be no stripper poles or runways. Instead, he claims that the club will attract a high class audience by charging $6-$7 per beer.

Foster Fuels brought gas

While all of us had to withstand the fuel shortage in the days following the hurricane, there was fuel for many emergency facilities providing relief and recovery. Foster Fuels is a Virginia company that was able to muster 340 trucks from all over the country to bring in oil. They have participated in recovery efforts before, including hurricanes Gustav, Ike and Katrina, as well as assisting recovery efforts in Haiti. “We knew Sandy was going to be our biggest challenge yet,” admitted President Watt Foster. “But all the natural disasters to which we’ve responded had prepared us for this moment and its demands.”

Through December 16, 2012

ReStore Red Hook aims to keep the business community going as before by Kimberly Gail Price

eStore Red Hook was established by business owners for business owners who suffered severe damages as a result of Hurricane Sandy. In a phone interview, St. John Frizell, owner of well-known Fort Defiance on Van Brunt Street, spoke of how the organization originated. From the first moments of disbelief through the first signs of progress and hope, Red Hook took the reins with an incorrigible will to survive. The first day after Hurricane Sandy swept through local businesses, owners were “stunned.” Everybody had damage. Several local business owners met to discuss their damages. When looking for possible resources, they began “learning that we were in trouble,” Frizell says. FEMA didn’t really offer the kind of help they needed. There were no grants, no reimbursements; only loans, but even at really good interest, that was not something many could afford. Insurance companies were not covering any of the loses because they were flood related. When it came to replacements and water damages, “they were off the [H]ook.” The Star-Revue appreciates the pun. In an email Monica Byrne, Co-Owner of Red Hook’s Home/made, wrote that flood insurance is available through FEMA, but is pricey and not “a viable option for most.” Options were limited. Businesses knew they had to take matters into their own hands. They made it up as they went along. To their knowledge, nothing like this had ever been done before. Business owners got together to share information. They formed smaller groups to tackle all of the needs. The first thing they needed was a non-profit shelter group so that donations would be tax deductable. Falconworks originally took on the role, but ReStore needed a larger organization with credibility and expertise.

Fund gets involved

The Fund for City of New York (FCNY), a fundraising group for small businesses, offered their services at no expense, which meant that 100% of funds would be used to restore businesses. According to the ReStore Red Hook’s website, the Fund “has developed and helped to implement innovations in policy, programs, practices and technology in order to advance the functioning of government and nonprofit organizations in New York City and beyond.” They provide “fiscal sponsorship” for emerging organizations until the groups have their own 501 status, Byrne wrote. Funds for the City of New York helped ReStore Red Hook set up an advisory board among the business owners and a Grand’s Board, a sub-committee of FCNY that determines who is eligible for funds. Collaboratively the two groups then set up an application process, qualifications for recipients of

Red Hook Star-Revue

funds and a two phased funding distribution plan. Business who wish to apply can fill out their application on their website (www.ReStoreRedHook.org.) Accepted members are eligible for up to $5,000 per distribution week. Over 60 businesses have applied; approximately 42 have been accepted including restaurants, bars, vintage shops and corner bodegas. The organization extended a rolling deadline applicants. They will take applicants as long as there are applicant to be taken in. The main objective of ReStore Red Hook is to get businesses back open as quickly as possible. The qualifications to join include businesses affected by storm that: earns less than $2 million in gross sales; is open to public for regular business hours; and plans to reopen/re- They are planning a Winter Festival to main in operation. “The idea is to keep remind people that Red Hook is still businesses here.” Frizell says. here. A Summer Festival will likely be The structured funding in its initial planned as well. They may even create phase will issue funds equally among their own unit of currency specifically all “member” businesses up to $5,000 for Red Hook. Frizell says the best thing each cycle, Byrne says. Some business about forming this kind of a group is may need more funds than others, but that now there are now 40+ businesses they fell the fairest way to give money who “all know each other and can act is to divide it equally among businesses as a union.” under ReStore Red Hook initially. The Monetary donations can be made first distribution was slated to be given through their website, www.Reout this week with about $5,000 going StoreRed Hook.org. They are not takto every member. ing donations of supplies, food and In the second phase, members must apply for a project grant. The Grand’s Board will determine eligibility and business owners will not be a part of the approval process. “We want to make sure the integrity of the fund is well structured,” the website ensures.

clothing, but instead leaving that to other organizations that were created specifically for that purpose. Donations are tax deductable. Some of the biggest obstacles the organization faces are determining eligibility, getting the word out about the organization and fundraising. Frizell said that a personal challenge he faced was opening his own restaurant after the storm, even though so much work still needed to be done. It is an obstacle many will be facing in the weeks and months to come.

The goal of the group is to raise $2 million collectively. The group is also encouraging higher volume stores to start their own fundraising campaign to help free up more funds within ReStore Red Hook. Businesses can opt out of payments when they no longer need the funding, making the pool of businesses But thus far, the organization has smaller, and the amount of each dis- achieved a certain amount of success. persement larger. The heart of the group is to help each other, but some businesses are “leveraging our high profile to help the [smaller lesser known]” businesses Frizell told the Star-Revue. ReStore will continue its support until every business is back on their feet. The timeline for majority of businesses to reopen is in about 6 weeks around mid January. Some are already open, even though repairs are still being made. Some places will take longer to get back on their feet. Most will be closed throughout Christmas and New Year’s Day, two major holiday seasons for Red Hook businesses. However, there are still many unseen needs for owners including debt, replacing equipment and inventory losses.

More than $200,000 has been raised in the first few weeks alone. Fundraisers have been thrown on their behalf, including a music venue at the Bell House, multiple music jams at Jalopy and an upcoming event at Kidd Yellin’s Studio with tattoos, artwork and entertainment. The “most amazing generosity” has been “awesome” for Frizell and the organization. In terms of his own journey through the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Frizell says he hasn’t been able to deserve the time and attention he feels like this organization deserves. He is going to try to live up to the guidance he feel others are providing, like Byrne, Caitlin Cassaro and Julia Rhodes Davis. “I get choked up talking about it now; all those people came by and did all this dirty and disgusting work and left before I could thank them or even get their names.” The work, he felt like, was all done by other people. “There is no way I could have gotten open without them.” All the funding he has and will receive could never have paid for the man hours volunteers put in for free. “The fact that I didn’t get to thank them personally will always bother me.”

ReStore Red Hook Advisory Board

Individual Business Fundraisers

BUSINESS OWNERS:

Fort Defiance – Junk bonds: 50% donation/50% gift certificate

St. John Frizell of Fort Defiance Monica Byrne of Home/made

After that, ReStore will live on. They are in the first stages of an organization and coming through their first crisis. But they have bigger long term plans to keep strengthening Red Hook.

www.RedHookStar.com

Matt Lewis of Baked OTHER MEMBERS: Tina Luongo Caitlin Cassaro Katie Dixon Rob Hansen Gita Nandan Rovika Rajkishun

Lobster Pound - $25 donation/$75 gift certificates; has raised $ 33,388 of $75,000 goal Good Fork – has raised $ 52,840 of $50,000 goal Home/made – has raised $ 7,548 of $20,000 goal Bait & Tackle – has raised $ 28,857 of $20,000 goal Sunny’s Bar – has raised $ 26,049 of $20,000 goal Steve’s Key Lime Pie – has raised $ 11,039 of $45,000 goal Court Street Grocers– has raised $ 21,115 of $25,000 goal

Julia Rhodes Davis

Through Dec. 16, 2012 Page 5

Happy Holidays to

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Neighbors Being Neighbors

Page 6 Red Hook Star-Revue

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From your neighbors at

LOVE THY PET

Through December 16, 2012

NYCHA faces angry Red Hook tenants

ew York City Housing Authority General Manager, Cecil House faced a room of 100 frustrated tenants of the Red Hook Houses on Monday, November 19 at the Miccio Center. He admitted that his organization could have communicated better with residents and been more prepared for Sandy, but insisted they were doing the best they could at the moment. The audience, however, was not satisfied. Merelin Mieles, 47, asked House where he and his staff actually were the day after the storm, because she - and no one she knows - saw them. “We sat in freezing conditions, in the dark,” she said, her voice rising. “Senior citizens, fourteen stories up, by themselves, up in dark staircases. In feces, in urine. By themselves. Women and children. Where were you?” This question and others like it were met with applause and screaming affirmations from the crowd. Many residents were without electricity or heat for more than 15 days. Earlier in the day, NYCHA released a report saying that they had “successfully restored power, heat and water to all buildings affected by Hurricane Sandy.”

by Richard Feloni Residents in the crowd repeatedly gave examples that would suggest otherwise, saying they were without heat or hot water. House acknowledged that he was aware of some discrepancies.

going to really tax them and they’re going to take a breather.”

“We weren’t here in the way that I think they visually could see us,” said NYCHA communications officer Sheila Stainback about the tenants’ insistence that NYCHA was late to the scene, “but we had people on the ground the morning after to assess all of this.”

NYCHA announced last week that it would give a rent credit to residents who spent two weeks in unlivable conditions – but not until January.

She said that NYCHA assessed all of its property within 24 hours after arrival on the Tuesday after the storm. Workers had to climb into manholes to investigate power system damage. Stainback also said that they were in fact pumping water continuously from basements but had to deal with a rising water table that kept setting the recovery effort back.

Electric system destroyed

NYCHA’s electrical distribution system was destroyed. Not only did generators and boilers have to be brought into the city, said Stainback, but they had to be reconfigured to their existing systems. “They’re not as reliable as permanent generators or boilers,” she said. “So that means that some days, it’s like you’re

She cited the example of only one of two elevators working at a time in a development.

Rent bills have already been sent for November and many residents are worried they will not be able to afford December’s rent, since most of their money went to food after much spoiled due to lack of refrigeration. “People expended a great deal of money,” Brooklyn attorney, Mimi Rogers told House from the crowd. She said that tenants of private housing would definitely get a full month’s rent abatement and not have to wait until January for it to process. Though NYCHA has the right to bring to court a tenant who is one month late in rent, House said that should not be a concern during this holiday season. “Rent abatement is going to be calculated on the number of days lost,” responded House, as the crowd jeered. “I don’t think we’re going to be taking people to eviction court,” he said, acknowledging

NYCHA should have been more prepared for Sandy and communicated with tenants better in the aftermath, according to General Manager Cecil House at an outreach meeting in Red Hook on Nov.19. (Richard Feloni photo)

the difficulty many tenants will have with paying December’s rent. The crowd grew angrier and louder. At the end of the meeting, Senator Velmanette Montgomery of Brooklyn, who had previously told the crowd that screaming at her and NYCHA would not solve anything, gave a concluding (continued on page 14)

Housing residents get some answers but want more by George Fiala

n Tuesday, December 4th, a group of people met at the Miccio Center to discuss the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) responses to a series of questions. The questions were presented to NYCHA by a group formed under the umbrella of the Red Hook Coalition for Social Justice. The session, facilitated by Reg Flowers and headed by four volunteers representing the tenants of the Red Hook Houses, included a presentation, a breakout session to gather tenant input, and a forum to present community announcements. The week before, at a meeting with NYCHA at the Miccio Center, the volunteers, led by Wally Bazemore, Merelina Mieles, June Smith and Sheryl Braxton, together with members of Occupy Sandy, presented Bryan Honan of NYCHA with a written list of questions. At the Miccio Center meeting a flyer was given out detailing the questions and NYCHA’s answers. There were 22 questions. Among the topics were rent forgiveness and eviction moratoriums, status of cleanup operations, communications, potential asbestos and mold problems, water and air testing, floodlights and leakage of water and in some cases sewage from ceilings and walls. NYCHA has had a long history unresponsiveness to matters involving maintenance of apartments at the Red Hook Houses, even after being ordered to effect repairs by suits brought against them at the Red Hook Justice Center.

Red Hook Star-Revue

and Speaker Quinn’s office, as well as Michael Schweinberg from Councilwoman Sara Gonzalez’s office.

Reg Flowers leads a session with residents and volunteers at the Miccio Center.

“It took Sandy to make me come out and do this,” said one tenant who has become involved in the actions at the Miccio Center and at NYCHA headquarters at 250 Broadway. Ulysses Bermudez got up and railed against the NYCHA board, demanding they all be replaced. The issue of the eviction moratorium was contentious. NYCHA has said they would forestall any evictions based upon non-payment of rent until the beginning of February. However, many felt that rent credits should be issued for the time buildings had no heat, hot water or electricity. How that would be figured is problematic, as some buildings have electricity on some floors but not others. It was suggested that residents call 311 and complain for every day they are lacking services. They should keep a log, including the person they talk to, to help hold NYCHA’s

feet to the fire. One of NYCHA’s responses pertained to the emergency lighting they installed to keep the streets from being totally dark. Some of those lights shone directly into apartments, and they have been moved to avoid that, finally. “What happened to the lights on Lorraine Street,” someone asked. “It is now totally dark and I’m afraid to walk home at night.” Some called Sandy a blessing in disguise, as the collective problems have brought people together to confront NYCHA’s inadequacies. Reg Flowers, leading the discussion, urged that this action continue through the months and years ahead to make sure that that a real system of accountability comes into place. There was a political presence in the audience, including representatives from the Mayor, Borough President

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During the breakout sessions, the problem of hot water was discussed. While some apartments still do not have any, others have an excess. Temporary boilers have been set too high, and the water that comes out of the tap is often scalding, potentially dangerous especially for children. “You can make tea right from the tap,” exclaimed one woman. Trip Towers still doesn’t have running water, according to one tenant.

Bellfour work questioned

Another problem brought up was the supervision of work done by the Bellfour Organization. Bellfour was hired by NYCHA for repairs and mold remediation. However, there is little communication between Bellfour and tenants. One instance was mentioned in which a crew was dispatched to do work, yet nobody in the crew spoke English. Tenants were left in the dark as to what was going on. Someone demanded that NYCHA perform structural evaluations of the buildings, to see if the water had done any major damage to the integrity of some of the buildings. A timeline was demanded for permanent repairs. The garbage situation was brought up - many of the compactors are not working and tenants have to haul their own garbage outside, some of whom live high up in the taller Houses. (continued on page 14)

Through Dec. 16, 2012 Page 7

ILA LOCAL 1814

wishes the Red Hook and Carroll Gardens communities the Happiest Holiday Season and we reach out to everyone recovering from Sandy Proudly manning the Red Hook Containerport Lou Pernice, President

Page 8 Red Hook Star-Revue

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Through December 16, 2012

The

Red Hook StarªRevue

Journalism that’s ahead of The Times. US Customs Decision Threatens our Working Port. NY Times reports the same story over a week later...

January 16,2012

January 25,2012

Published Twice Monthly and Available throughout Red Hook, The Columbia Waterfront District, Carroll Gardens and Gowanus. 101 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 Kimberly@redhookstar.com

101 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 advertising@redhookstar.com Red Hook Star-Revue

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GEOFF AND LYNETTE WILEY:

Local Heroes to the max photos and interview by George Fiala

ed Hook’s reaction to Hurricane Sandy is special because is that it was so unexpected. The leadup to the storm was certainly dramatic. Subways, bridges and tunnels were closed in advance. The traditional preparations - water in bathtubs, window reinforcement, purchase of generators - were all followed as usual when hurricanes are predicted. Most in Red Hook expected water in their basements. That was the main effect of Irene. Nobody expected the water levels to rise up to more than five feet above the ground floor. As brief as that was, a couple hours for the tide to come in and then recede, it left a trail of devastation, the repercussions of which are still being realized - over a month after the event. On the Columbia Waterfront District side of Columbia Street, right by Hamilton Avenue, Jalopy suffered no water damage from the storm. But their efforts since that day have been legion. So many people we have talked to since the storm have told us of Jalopy’s tireless efforts: of Geoff helping to bail out Sunny’s; Lynette driving up and down Van Brunt delivering supplies; the subsequent fundraisers they have had and continue to put together. The Star-Revue is proud to highlight this couple, who have singlehandedly created an old-time music scene, and then continuing the tradition of their former neighbor, the beloved Moonshine bar.

that’s originally what we started with, we just put out a Facebook message saying to people that they could come in, charge their phones, I’ve got free chili. You didn’t understand the impacts in a day, you didn’t understand the impacts in two days. It was that every following day you saw another neighbor, and you saw what happened to them. It was weeks of harrowing stories and overwhelming need. “I felt like we have the Red Hook community, which is a very tight community. I have the Jalopy community, which is also a very lovely and tight

Geoff and Lynette Wiley, owners of the Jalopy Theater and Saloon, decided to keep their bar open that Monday night . Here are Lynette’s words: “We stayed open, the bar side, during the storm, because we wanted to see what’s happening, and be together. We had a lot of friends from Red Hook that were going to be staying overnight with us. We watched the wind, we watched a couple pieces of the billboard fly off, and about six o’clock we watched the water. We went down to the corner. We saw how fast the water was coming in. It was terrifying. We saw the lights blow at the Brooklyn Motor Inn, we saw the transformers blow at the tower for the tunnel, and then all over the sky in Red Hook we saw transformer explosions. It was a terrifying experience. “There’s a certain giddiness about it as well, but then, one of our best friends, one of our bartenders came over about two in the morning. He said he wanted to go check his house. He lives on Conover, by Sunny’s. I got so scared for him to go down there. He came back and said, miraculously, his house was fine, but it was horrible - just horrible down there. We were exhausted and went to bed. We woke up the next morning and started realizing the severity of what happened.

Food and cellphone charging

“It was shocking to see what was going on. Dorina, the manager here [at the Saloon], took the car and went to go check on everyone. I had made 30 pounds of chili a couple of weeks before, so I just put food on so people could come in, charge their phones...

Page 10 Red Hook Star-Revue

Geoff Wiley (above) came to Red Hook five years ago with his future wife Lynette and they established the Jalopy Theater.

community. I figured that if I used the Jalopy Facebook and emails, I could get information out to maybe others who wanted to understand what had happened. Then we just took turns - Geoff and Dorina and myself - of driving up and down the streets, and asking what do you need, what do you need, what do you need. My mom threw a thousand bucks in my bank account, and we just started going to Home Depot and buying things for people. Things like gas and cleaning products and hand sanitizers, the kinds of things that ended up being donated later in big numbers. “Then we started getting a needs assessment and talking to RHI. RHI was

This is how Lynette spends many afternoons, manning the computer amidst the musical wonderfulness of the Jalopy Theater and School of Music, 315 Columbia Street.

absolutely amazing. I think that the Red Cross and FEMA would have a lot to learn by their organizational skills. What they were getting done on the ground was unbelievable. The Occupy people that were here were also incredibly organized. They put the large, national organizations to shame.

plays, teaches and fixes instruments and serves as Jalopy’s house carpenter. He was out after the storm bailing out Sunny’s and rescuing some of the floating instruments. I asked Geoff to add some of his experiences, which he did as the Jalopy bartender brought over a whiskey and a water.

“We just tried to figure out what was most needed and we’d call RHI [Red Hook Initiative], we’d get an idea of what their top needs were at any given time, and then we’d post that on the Facebook page and ask people to spread the word. Then, the Thursday night after the storm we did a big community jam. We invited people to come down, bring donations, and play some music together. That was beautiful! People needed it, there were people that had been affected by the storm that came and took a break from the work they were doing, lots of donations. We probably had 25 - 30 truckloads of supplies donated by neighbors and friends of Jalopy and we took those down and gave them to whoever needed them the most. Just did whatever we could think of.”

“Well, we tried to do whatever needed to be done. We saw all the things that needed to be done and tried to fill as many as we can. It’s pretty simple, you know. What do they need? We sort of set ourselves as a communication and outpost center. I’ve done a bunch of work on people’s houses but mostly I’ve been just gathering, just being a resource. That’s what I’ve been trying to focus on. Very easily, if I get into one person’s project, I’ll end up spending a lot of time on that one person’s place. But it seemed like we had the opportunity, because of the two rooms and the number of peoples and contacts and such, that we should step back and just feed the neighborhood as much as we can. It was such an enormous amount of work, just fundraising and just being a center of communication. It seems like hundreds and hundreds of volunteers came just through her [ Lynette], and the gear, the stuff, the generators and the pumps and all of it, just a wall of stuff.”

Lynette spoke further about her role in keeping both Jalopy locations going and serving as a clearing house for information and donations as well as seeing to it that needs were filled wherever she saw then. We spoke more about her role in coordinating musical benefits.

Bell House benefit raises $14,000

“We’ve put together - with a wonderful team of friends - the benefit at the Bell House. That was totally fantastic. We were honored that the musicians, comedians and filmmakers joined us and the neighborhood came out in such numbers. We’ve got a benefit coming up December 16th and we’ve got little donation buckets up for different organizations so that they can continue their work. We’ve still got two volunteers living with us for the last month. They came from Michigan. Wonderful people. We had a lot of displaced folks living here, but everyone’s back home now, which is great. “ Lynette’s husband, Geoff was called “a burly Huck Finn type in overalls” in a NY Times article earlier this year. He

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I asked about the generators. “This amazing strange, man, David. David the Renegade, we were calling him. From Massachusetts. He just showed up. I had talked to him, we had like a ten minute conversation, if that, before I went on stage at the Washington Square Park Folk Festival. Just happened to talk to him a little while before the show. I think we were talking about a do-it-yourself life, community building. Trying to be part of things and not part of a computer, coming at the world through a screen - it was just a quick little conversation. And when all of this happened he tried to get ahold of us and he couldn’t. He decided that we must have had a bunch of damage. I think they were just sitting up at dinner - I believe he lives in Provincetown (continued on page 14)

Through December 16, 2012

Sandy a wake-up call for urban farmers by Theron Mohamed

weet potato pie could be off the Christmas menu for residents of Red Hook in Brooklyn this year, after the floodwaters of Hurricane Sandy wiped out the neighborhood farm’s winter crops. “The surge brought the seawater in, brought in all kinds of crap,” said Kenneth Dale, 46, who has worked on Red Hook Community Farm for three years. “Everything we were growing was completely tainted.” Dozens of volunteers - including teams from community organizations and corporations - were working to restore the farm on Saturday, three weeks after storm surges inundated it with fetid seawater. Produce intended for farm shareholders and for sale to local restaurants and farmers’ markets had to be discarded. Red Hook’s three-acre farm - the worst-hit in the city according to experts and other community farmers had to cancel this weekend’s final produce distribution of the year. “When you got conquered by the Romans, if they didn’t like you they’d salt the land so you couldn’t grow anything for years,” said Dale, emphasizing that

salt deposits from the flood posed a greater threat than the oil or sewage it also carried in.

“I’d been out in the fields all summer picking eggplant, squash, lettuce. I was looking forward to the fall veggies.”

“When you count wasted produce, lost sales and equipment damage, we lost $40,000,” said Ian Marvy, co-founder and executive director of Added Value, the nonprofit that established the Red Hook Community Farm in 2003. The farm grows 12 tons of vegetables a year including sweet potatoes and pumpkins, and generates $70,000 in annual revenue according to Added Value’s website. Volunteers can buy shares in future produce to help finance growing and running the farm.

Crawford is a member of Community Supported Agriculture, a movement that connects New Yorkers with regional farms. He said there had been a sharp rise in outside aid since the hurricane.

Marvy turned his waterlogged crops into compost to try and salvage some of their value. He was awaiting soil test results that would determine whether the compost could be spread on the fields or if he would have to lay new soil. Either way, Marvy said he couldn’t start planting before April. Volunteers armed with rakes and shovels were turning soil beds and compost to help the stricken farmers. “It’s pretty sad,” said Calelo Crawford, 50, a volunteer and farm shareholder.

The

Answer to previous puzzle 1

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YOUR AD COULD BE RIGHT HERE! Find out how by calling

SARA SALDUTTI (718) 624-5568 or emailing her at Sara@RedHookStar.com See your standing in the neighborhood instantly move up a notch as your friends and neighbors see you in print right here in The

Red Hook StarªRevue Member

Red Hook Star-Revue

The Red Hook Community Farm on Halleck Street in Red Hook suffered major damage from the Sandy tide (photo by Meroni).

was an exceptional situation. “Red Hook is close to the waterfront, so it faced particular challenges because of the context,” said Joe Nasr, 51, the author of “Carrot City: Creating Places for Urban Agriculture” and a researcher at the Centre for Studies in Food Security at Ryerson University in Toronto.

“It really hurt my feelings,” said Melicia Pristell, 20, a Red Hook local and a member of the Green City Force, a community youth group. “I planted and grew this produce, and I came back and it was all soggy.”

Although Hurricane Sandy only harmed a few of New York’s farms, Nasr thinks it may be a lesson to others. “This is going to be a wake-up call for other urban farmers to know what to do to minimize damage.”

Many of the volunteers were disheartened by the immense loss, and may have begun to doubt the value of urban agriculture in New York. But this

Red Hook StarªRevue

crossword

N A 60

A S

A P 31

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Volunteers from Deutsche Bank, online crafts firm Etsy and NY Cares, a community association, were helping on Saturday. The leader of the Deutsche Bank team, who did not wish to be named, said that over 130 employees were assisting in Red Hook, the Rockaways and other storm-hit areas. There were also neighborhood organizations involved.

STAR-REVUE PUZZLER #21 by George Fiala ACROSS 1. 4. 7. 10. 11. 12. 14. 15. 16. 17. 19. 21. 23. 24. 28. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 37. 38. 39. 43. 47. 48. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56.

Last season’s Knick star Built across the Zuyder Zee Forgot to ante Trig function Australian bird An amount of courage Feedbag fare Absolutely nothing Theology prefix Cooking stock Computer memory On the ____ Wrath Country western step formation Dog or cat Keats wrote them Sandra or Ruby Peel, as an apple Shropshire was one Protected Hoppy beer type Durocher’s nickname, with ‘the’ Do surgery Tax or shower time ‘_____ Man,’ 1984 movie Male turkey Emerald Isle Machine gun Beginning’s mate Tree anchor Essential Internet feed RR depot

DOWN

1. Untruth teller 2. ‘____ the Mystic’ Van Morrison song 3. They make the very best chocolate 4. Lion’s home 5. Cobble Hill author Martin 6. Unlike an amoeba 7. Coast 8. Wife of Zeus

18 21

19 22

37 42

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Ying’s partner Kind of story Cherry or apple Used to own Source of iron Tea party host Chat room abbr. IND neighbor Beatty or Kelly Born name Golfer’s goal Poet’s before Short for Theodore

9. 10. 13. 18. 20. 22. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.

33. 35. 36. 37. 39. 40. 41. 42. 44. 45. 46. 49.

These can be hot or red or green Health resort ___ Maria Wry twist Ball Work benefit Fencing tool Loads of time A very funny person Golf club Rent Drs.

Through Dec. 16, 2012 Page 11

EDITORIAL: Lemonade?

urricane Sandy and the tide it brought was an unmitigated disaster, tragic and heartbreaking. Weeks and months with no electricity, heat or water was punishing for many of our readers. Others lost homes, and businesses were weakened, some destroyed. Personal property, many priceless treasures among them, were left in huge trash bags on sidewalks, awaiting pickup by the Department of Sanitation. We have written and will continue to write about the heroism of individuals and sense of community that have guided us through this for the short term. What is at least as heartening is our sense that some of the long term changes we have advocated may come into being. The first, and perhaps most important, is the idea of One Red Hook. When we began this paper, we were unsure who we were writing for. Was it the gentrifying tide that was slowly transforming the Back? Or the longsuffering residents of the Red Hook Houses that had been underserved for years, including media attention. By our fourth issue we saw that the Star-Revue needed to focus on both. And we have been. The other night at the Miccio Center we heard talk of ‘One Red Hook,’ a movement to tie

both parts together. We will be reporting on this in the months to come. The second change is the establishment of a viable Merchants Association. The underlying idea behind ReStore Red Hook is to maintain the continuity of the businesses that have slowly been giving Van Brunt Street it’s unique mojo. Recipients of ReStore grants must make a commitment to the neighborhood and their future in it. We see this evolving into an active and dynamic association that will continue to bind our business friends together, and enable them to speak to governmental powers that be as one. Finally, we sensed at that Miccio Center meeting a determination to use the opportunity of the extreme anger that many feel towards NYCHA to forge a better relationship in the future. The idea of establishing a mechanism for ensuring that NYCHA follows through on their commitments was discussed. We have often heard about rulings of Judge Calabrese to repair apartment being ignored. That needs to be changed. With an enforcement mechanism they will be. In unity there is strength, they say. We say also.

LETTERS: Kevin’s likes us! Hello Kimberly and George, thank you for your recent Sandy editions. As you know, we haven’t been doing any advertising since we opened in 2008, but since you began publishing every once in a while we just want to send a note of appreciation for your work: the terrific piece about the recent music events and the photos - that night shot at Pioneer and Van Brunt captures just what we felt like with that mega police spotlight near our place all the time. Well, just thank you from us,

Caroline and Kevin, from Kevin’s on Van Brunt

Tears Your last 2 editions brought tears to my eyes several times. You blew me away. The finest journalism I have ever read. Like Pete Hamill or Jimmy Breslin. They should have an international audience. Outstanding. Your eyes are spiritual; what they saw. Put the other dailies to shame. Could I pick up a copy of the last one someplace? It should be hung up like a platinum record. Hope you continue, Gene Publishers note: Honest, we don’t know this guy! Thank you!

Readers, please we want your feedback, positive or negative, on any topic. Email to editor@RedHookStar.com or mail to us at 101 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231. We love hearing from you, and so do your neighbors! - Your publishers

Open letter to the people of Red Hook I am writing to show my deep admiration for the people of Red Hook. Sandy devastated our community. Local businesses endured massive flooding which caused structural, property and inventory loss. Residents saw their homes destroyed or faced unbelievably hard conditions, without water, heat or electricity for an extended period of time, losing personal property, their vehicles and the normal comforts of home. Despite these difficulties, the people of Red Hook came together as a real community and assisted each other in every possible way. Neighbors went out of their way to help their fellow neighbors, sharing precious supplies of food, candles, water and flashlights and going door to door just to check on each other. Up and down Van Brunt Street, store owners assisted one another – lending a helping hand or lending a generator and pump Page 12 Red Hook Star-Revue

to drain out flooded basements. Local organizations offered warming centers, phone charging centers and others provided hot showers and hot meals. Volunteers came from all across the city to assist however they could, bringing much needed supplies, food and hope. In these trying times, the spirit and character of our Red Hook Community shined. Even when faced with waiting in lines in the bitter cold in the middle of Coffey Park, not knowing when supplies would arrive, our residents stood there and waited. They behaved respectfully and graciously towards each other. No incidents of yelling, pushing or shoving. Unbelievably, most did not even complain. Person after person collected their share of goods, thanked the volunteers and began their walk back to their dark and cold apartments, many having to carry those items up many flights of stairs

in complete darkness. And they did this day after day in conditions described by the New York Times as “Third World squalor.” Remarkably, some even waited in these lines and made the journey not for themselves or their families, but for their neighbors who were incapable of doing so themselves. Impressively, crime basically stopped in Red Hook during this difficult time. Although officers from PSA and the 76th precinct were visible everywhere in Red Hook, they spent much of their time escorting residents, volunteers and medical staff up and down stairwells in the Red Hook Houses. Captain Schiff from the 76th Precinct worked night and day in Red Hook, despite suffering personal hardship. These officers remained committed to our community even though the PSA satellite office at Red Hook was submerged and many officers suffered their own losses.

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We celebrate championships in sports and talk about the character it takes to be labeled a champion. Sandy helped us to see our real life champions, people who rose above, in times of extreme hardship - under real stress, under real pressure, not just for one brief moment or the length of a football game but for days and weeks. I saw grace under pressure, calmness, coolness and dignity, caring and concern for others– what I saw was the true character of the people of Red Hook and they are and always will be, “True Champions.”

Thank you for inspiring us, Hon. Alex Calabrese, Presiding Judge, Red Hook Community Justice Center

Through December 16, 2012

Red Hook StarÂŞRevue

photos taken in the aftermath of the event by the StarRevue staff

Red Hook Star-Revue

www.RedHookStar.com

Through Dec. 16, 2012 Page 13

Local heroes (continued from page 10)

and they said, well, we got some money, we’ll throw things together. And he filled up his truck with gas, and generators, and food and water and drove down here. He got ahold of us through a couple other people, through tweeting, and finally got to us. We told him, well, we’re fine, but we know where all this stuff needs to go. We just sort of flushed his stuff back into the neighborhood. And every day, or every couple of days, he would appear again with more stuff. More gas, more this, more food more whatever we were looking for. A couple more generators - he bought us a big 7500 watt generators. One of the first things... he got the medical center [the Addabo Center on Richards Street]

started. They didn’t have any light up there in days, and he got them light. That guy was amazing!”

Unplanned but no doubts

Nobody expected the amount of water that the tide brought in. Nobody was prepared for the devastation and cleanup that ensued. The great efforts that Red Hook has seen was not some part of master plan. For people like the Wiley’s, and those at the Red Hook Initiative, it was a gradual, ad hoc process of seeing what had to be done and stepping up and doing it. Geoff and Lynette harnessed the resources they had - space and communication combined it with their generosity and sense of community, they became local heroes without even thinking about it.

NYCHA answers questions (continued from page 7)

Nahisha McCoy spoke up and encouraged people to write letters to the powers that be. She told how she herself wrote a letter to the president and a few days later was amazed to get a personal call from the Department of Environmental Protection who arranged to bring testing equipment to her building. Reg Flowers and the other volunteer heads of this group, including long time resident and activist Wally Bazemore, pledged to continue this conversation with NYCHA, seeking permanent improvements and a better landlord/tenant relationship.

The second phase of the meeting consisted of breakout sessions, after which a group leader was chosen to report. The first group leader was Dontae McCoy, who spoke eloquently as Wally Bazemore listens in the background (photo by George Fiala).

Angry tenants (continued from page 10)

statement. The audience poured out of the hall, only a few actually listening to what Montgomery was saying. Many headed to the nearby PS 676, where local activists had arranged a community meeting. They had arranged for it last week, rescheduling when they heard of NYCHA’s outreach. About 75 were in attendance. Shawn Carrié, 25, took notes for the group on his MacBook Pro. Carrié lives in Greenpoint, but said he has spent the majority of his time in Red Hook where his father grew up - since the day after Sandy hit. Carrié is a full-time activist with an extensive Occupy Wall Street background and a penchant for dramatic effect. When he got himself kicked out of the meeting by loudly and continually interrupting speakers to announce a community meeting in the nearby school, a large group followed him out the door To Carrié, the housing authority’s response to Sandy in neighborhood was not surprisingly inadequate. “This is dealing with an organization that doesn’t value people,” he said, though he admitted that it appears to be more “systemic oppression” than “blatant disregard.”

List of demands

The group used the meeting to write up a list of demands for NYCHA, and planned a protest in front of NYCHA’s headquarters on November 27 from 9 am to 11am. The strong demands included an extended, full rent credit for November and December, replacing the NYCHA board with a community-led board and enacting long-term weather disaster solutions. A second protest at the same location was scheduled for December 5, when NYCHA will have its board meeting. “They’d like to have the cameras film them in front of a building with plenty of lights to show that everything’s fine,” said Carrié about NYCHA’s dealing with Red Hook. “They’d like to fool everybody else. But everyone who lives here knows that’s not the case.”

Page 14 Red Hook Star-Revue

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Through December 16, 2012

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GET THE STAR-REVUE BY MAIL! Due to popular request, the Red Hook Star-Revue is now available by mail. Annual subscriptions are only $24. Each issue will be sent directly to your mailbox by the US Postal Service. In less than three years, the Star-Revue has won praise from local and civic leaders for hard hitting coverage of local government, institutions and businesses. From our coverage of the waterfront to local schools and community groups, the Star-Revue casts a beacon on events that make Red Hook the unique Brooklyn community it is. Special Offer! For a limited time, new subscribers will receive both issues from November 2012 that chronicle Hurricane Sandy. These issues have already achieved national recognition and are incredible keepsakes of the tragedy and rebuilding of the Red Hook community. These prized editions will be mailed upon receipt of your $24 subscription payment.

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Through Dec. 16, 2012 Page 15

Star-Revue

The

Red Hook Star Revue ª

SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

member

Guide to area restaurants

Red Hook BAKED 359 Van Brunt St., (718)222-0345.

THE BROOKLYN ICE HOUSE 318 Van Brunt St., (718) 222-1865. BOTANICA 220 Conover St (at Coffey St), (347) 225-0147. DEFONTE’S SANDWICH SHOP 379 Columbia St., (718) 855-6982. DIEGO’S RESTAURANT 116 Sullivan St., (718) 625-1616. F&M BAGELS 383 Van Brunt St., (718) 855-2623. FORT DEFIANCE 365 Van Brunt St., (347) 453-6672. THE GOOD FORK 391 Van Brunt St., (718) 643-6636. HOME/MADE 293 Van Brunt St., (347) 223-4135. HOPE & ANCHOR 347 Van Brunt St., (718) 237-0276. IKEA One Beard St., (718) 246-4532. JOHN & FRANKS, 367 Columbia Street, (718) 797-4467 KEVIN’S 277 Van Brunt St., (718) 5968335. MARK’S PIZZA 326 Van Brunt St., (718) 624-0690. NEW LIN’S GARDEN RESTAURANT 590 Clinton Street, (718) 399-1166 RED HOOK LOBSTER POUND 284 Van Brunt St., (646) 326-7650. ROCKY SULLIVAN’S 34 Van Dyke St., (718) 246-8050. STEVE’S AUTHENTIC KEY LIME PIE, 204 Van Dyke St, (718) 852-6018 SUNNY’S BAR IN RED HOOK, 253 Conover Street, (718) 625-8211

Columbia Waterfront District

ALMA 187 Columbia St., (718) 643-5400. @RedHookStar

www.facebook.com/redhookstarrevue

BAGEL BOY CAFE 75 Hamilton Avenext to Chase, (718) 855-0500. CALEXICO CARNE ASADA Union St., (718) 488-8226.

122

CASA DI CAMPAGNA 117 Columbia Street (718) 237-4300. CASELNOVA 214 Columbia St., (718) 522-7500. FERNANDO’S FOCACCERIA RESTAURANT 151 Union St., (718)855-1545. HOUSE OF PIZZA & CALZONES 132 Union St., (718) 624-9107. JAKE’S BAR-B-QUE RESTAURANT 189 Columbia St., (718) 522-4531. KOTOBUKI BISTRO 192 Columbia St., (718) 246-7980. LILLA CAFE 126 Union St., (718) 8555700. MAZZAT 208 Columbia St., (718) 8521652. PETITE CREVETTE 144 Union St., (718) 855-2632.

SOUL SPOT 302 Atlantic Ave 718 5969933

TEEDA THAI CUISINE 218 Columbia St., (718) 643-2737.

SAVOIA, 277 Smith Street, 718-797-2727

Carroll Gardens/ Cobble Hill

ABILENE, 442 Court Street, 718-5226900, ANGRY WADES, 222 Smith Street, (718) 488-7253 BACCHUS, 409 Atlantic, (718) 852-1572 BAR BRUNO, 520 Henry St., 347-7630850, BAGELS BY THE PARK, 323 Smith Street, (718) 246-1321 BAR GREAT HARRY, 280 Smith Street (718) 222-1103 BOMBAY DREAM, 257 Smith Street (718) 237-6490 BOURGEOIS PIG, 387 Court Street, (718) 858-5483 BROOKLYN BREAD CAFE, 436 Court Street (718) 403-0234 BUDDY’S BURRITO & TACO BAR, 260 Court Street, 718-488-8695, BUTTERMILK CHANNEL, 524 Court Street (718) 852-8490 CASA ROSA, 384 Court Street, 718-7971907 CHESTNUT, 271 Smith St., (718) 2430049 COBBLE GRILL, 212 Degraw Street, (718) 422-0099

Page 16 Red Hook Star-Revue

COBBLE HILL COFFEE SHOP, 314 Court Street, (718) 852-1162 CODY’S ALE HOUSE GRILL, 154 Court Street, 718-852,6115 COURT STREET GROCERS, 485 Court Street, (718) 722-7229 CRAVE, 570 Henry Street, (718) 643-0361 CUBANA CAFE, 272 Smith Street (718) 718-858-3980 DOWNTOWN BAR & GRILL, 160 Court street, 718-625-2835 DUBUQUE, 548 Court Street, (718) 5963248 EM THAI KITCHEN, 278 Smith Street, (718) 834-0511 ENOTICA ON COURT, 347 Court Street, (718) 243-1000 F LINE BAGELS, 476 Smith Street (718) 422-0001 FIVE GUYS, 266 Court St., 347-799-2902 FRAGOLE, 394 Court Street, (718) 6227133 FRANCESCO’S RESTAURANT, 531 Henry Street, (718) 834-0863 FRANK’S LUNCHEONETTE, 365 Smith Street, (718) 875-5449 GHANG, 229 Court Street, 718-875-1369 GOWANUS YACHT CLUB, 323 Smith Street, (718) 246-132,Closed til spring HANA CAFE, 235 Smith Street, (718) 643-1963 LE PETITE CAFE, 502 Court street, 718596-7060 LING LING YOUNG, 508 Henry Street, (718) 260-9095 MARCO POLO RISTORANTE, 345 Court Street, 718 852-5015 MAMA MARIA’S RESTAURANT, 307 Court Street, (718) 246-2601 MEZCALS Restaurant, 522 Court Street, 718-783-3276 NATURES GRILL, 138 Court street, 718852,5100, NINE-D, 462 Court Street, 718-488-8998, OAXACA TACOS, 251 Smith Street (718) 222-1122 OSACA RESTAURANT, 272 Court Street (718) 643-0055 P J HANLEYS, 449 Court St, 718- 843-8223 PALO CORTADO, 520 Court St, 718407-0047 PRIME MEATS, 465 Court Street, 718254-0327 or 0345, PALMYRA, 316 Court street, 718-7971110 RED ROSE RESTAURANT, 315 Smith Street, (718) 625-0963 SALS PIZZA, 305 Court Street, (718) 852-6890 SAM’S RESTAURANT, 238 Court Street, 718-596-3458

www.RedHookStar.com

SEERSUCKER RESTAURANT, 329 Smith Street, (718) 422-0444 SMITH & VINE, 268 Smith Street (718) 243-2864 SOUTH BROOKLYN PIZZA, 451 Court Street, 718 852-6018 STINKY BROOKLYN, 261 Smith Street, 718 522-7425 SWEET MELISSA, 276 Court Street, (718) 855-3410 TRIPOLI, 156 Atlantic Ave, 718 596-5800 VINNY’S OF CARROLL GARDENS, 295 Smith Street, 718 875-5600 VINNY’S PIZZERIA, 455 Court Street, 718 596-9342 VINO Y TAPAS, 520 Court Street, 718407-0047 ZAYTOONS, 283 Smith Street, 718 875-1880

Gowanus MICHAEL AND PINGS, 437 Third Avenue, (718) 788-0017 COTTA BENE PIZZA, 291 3rd Ave, 718 722-7200 LITTLENECKS, 288 3rd Ave., (718) 522-1921 CANAL BAR, 270 3rd Ave, (718) 2460011

Through December 16, 2012

ART:

Textile Arts Center looks up astonishing dresses

short walk down Carroll Street and over the Gowanus Canal will take you to the Textile Arts Centre in Gowanus. There, artists Laura McMillian and Kristin Reger hosted an opening reception for their Art Installation “Upskirt” on Friday, November 30th. On entering the small gallery space, I was met with five enormous hanging dresses suspended from the ceiling and a large wooden railway sleeper supports by steel cables and fishing wire. Like all galleries it was a blank canvas, the outer fabric of the dresses were as a white as the walls of the gallery. Each dress had a curator dressed in neutral black and white but each with a wildly different style ensemble. The function of these curators was to lift the hem of their assigned dress and usher the perplexed gallery goers underneath. Once inside, the hem of the dress was allowed to fall thereby fully encapsulating the gallery goer and isolating them from the outside world. The first dress I found myself under was a strange environment. At first focusing on the structure, it felt like it was in a Yurt in Kyrgyzstan. B ut then I noticed that the pictures painted onto the interior of the fabric were of women grotesquely engaging in each of the seven deadly sins; the pole like supports bordering these pictures were serpents. Apparently, I was in Hell or Hell on Earth, depending on the point of view. At the Apex, seven spirit redeemers carrying the sacred heart of Christ escaped through the top of the dress reminding us that there was hope even for the damned. And so I went to enter each of the outwardly identical dresses in turn, having gotten the nightmarish experience done with first. Part of the premise of this exhibition is you have no idea what you are going to encounter once you go inside, a sort of Alice in Wonderland experience of venturing down

by Brian Clancy

the rabbit hole. Inside, the second dress was a murky environment depicting a swamp. A base of blue drapes with a mosquito print and a canopy of grey skrim that made me feel that I was barely seeing light through the fog. It made me feel like I was lost, but the tranquillity of the environment made me at ease slipping away to the depths of this murky swamp. The third I entered was a depiction of outer space. It seemed to create the illusion of infinite depth with elliptical shapes sewn on the fabric and the geometric pattern at the apex. It filled me with the wonder of infinite possibility. The fourth was decorated with scrapes of fabric hanging chaotically in autumnal hues. It was as claustrophobic as the previous environment was agoraphobic. And then I released I was in a cave, a place of hibernation, retreat and safety. The environment felt warm, happy and playful.

Bedspreads and pajamas

The last dress to engulf me was the sea. Underneath I found myself in a mass of bedspreads and pajamas. It was chaotic; yachts and boats were turned upside down in the storm where waves crashed and the sky and sea were are at times hard to tell apart. Only the USS McMillian and a bright eyed seal with a fantastically coloured ventral side told me that calm would soon follow the storm. Because of the interactive nature of this installation, every viewer will most certainly see something different beneath the dresses. There is a definite femininity to this installation, however. I heard one person commenting afterwards that it felt almost like being in the womb because of the comfort that they felt inside. Certainly, there is a safe nurturing feeling within these environments. When I was ready to come into the real world again, I just yanked on

Photo by Ted Seelie

the curator’s ankle for them to pull me out like a doctor at a maternity hospital would. Speaking with McMillian afterwards, she said coming from the south, the focus was to equip young girls with domestic skills such as sewing and dressmaking. She and Reger have just found a way to incorprate these skills in the expression of their art. The Textile Arts

Center aims to provide artists with an interest in working with fiber and texiles like McMillian and Reger, with a means to create and display their work. The Center also conducts classes, workshops, exhibitions, and special events. Upskirt is on display through December 21st at Textile Arts Center at 505 Carroll Street in Brooklyn

Civil War luminaries hanging at Jalopy LJ Lindhurst is a Brooklyn painter who specializes in photo-realism. Her series on the American Civil War consists of twelve paintings of civil war luminaries, including Abraham Lincoln, Sitting Bull, Matthew Brady, Walt Whitman and Frederick Douglass. The show was just hung in the Jalopy Theater and will be on display until the end of January. Jalopy is located at 315 Columbia Street, between Hamilton Avenue and Woodhull Street.

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Through Dec. 16, 2012 Page 17

Art & Community Calendar If you have an event you would like listed in the Red Hook Star-Revue calendar, please email redhookstarcalendar@ gmail.com.

CHILDREN

Bethel Baptist Day Care Center 242 Hoyt St. (718) 834-9292 ACD funded Early Childhood Education Programs, Family Services, and Day Care Services for the Gowanus Community. Call for more info.

hrs. Thur. - Sun 1pm-8pm through 12/31 New Collections of Local Artists FREE. Fri. 12/7 6pm Brooklyn Collective Holiday Bazaar. Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition 499 Van Brunt St. (718) 596-2506 bwac. org Open every Sat. & Sun 1-6pm The Current Accepted Works From The National Juried Show. Falconworks Kidd Studio 135 Richards St. (718) 395-3218 falconworks. com - redhooktheater.org

Kentler International Drawing Space—353 Van Brunt St. (718) 8752098, kentlergallery.org FREE Weekend Art Workshops for Families. Ages 4 & up. Every 1st & 3rd Sat. Noon-1:30pm register in advance: sallie@kentlergallery.org

The Invisible Dog 51 Bergen St. (347) 560-3641 theinvisibledog.org Tue.12/11Sun. 12/16 & Tue. 12/18-Sat. 12/22 8 & 9:30pm The Shining: Dance $30. Sat. 12/15 5pm The Cine Club: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).

CHURCH/ SYNAGOGUE

Kentler International Drawing Space—353 Van Brunt St. (718) 8752098, kentlergallery.org Gallery hrs. Thu.-Sun. noon-5pm. Through 12/16 Beyond Lines, Beyond Surface: Tamiko Kawata. Paper Optics: Joan Grubin.

Kane St. Synagogue 236 Kane St. (718) 875-1530 kanestreet.org Torah Study every 2nd Shabbat of the Month 11am-Noon. Every Fri. &/or Tues. St. Stephen’s R.C. 108 Carroll St. (718) 596-7750 delvecchiorc.com & brooklyncatholic.blogspot.com Every Wed. 6:30pm Choir rehearsal, if interested contact jlake@delvechiorc.com or evelyntroester@gmx.net Visitation of Our Blessed Virgin Mary R.C. 98 Richards @Verona (718) 6241572 Every Thurs. 6pm Choir Practice w/ Emiliana In-Home Blessings and Masses, by appointment. Languages available: English, Spanish, Italian, German. Contact: Lori Burkhard at (917) 971-5522. Sat. 12/8 11am The Re-Dedication of Visitation.

CLASSES/ WORKSHOPS

Look North Inuit Art Gallery—275 Conover St. Suite 4E, (347) 721-3995, looknorthny.com Polar Light: Greenland. The Greenland photography of Rena Bass Forman and the Greenland drawings of Zaria Forman. A climate change awareness exhibition held in conjunction with Al Gore’s “The Climate Project”. Sweet Lorraine Gallery 183 Lorraine St. (Clinton & Court St) (347) 409-8957 screwballspaces.com, fernbar@yahoo. com Sat. 1/5 - 1/27 Keith Mc Menamy. Sunny’s Bar Backroom 253 Conover St. (Beard/Reed St.) (718) 625-8211 sunnysredhook.com & Sunny’s Bar on facebook. Open Wed, Fri, and Sat 8pm4am.

Brooklyn Collective Gallery 212 Columbia St. (Union/Sackett) (718) 5966231 brooklyncollective.com. Gallery Hours: Thur.- Sun. 11am-8pm, Fri. 12/7 6pm Brooklyn Collective Holiday Bazaar.

FUNDRAISERS

Carroll Gardens Association 201 Columbia St. Sackett/Degraw (718) 2439301 carrollgardensassociation.com Fri. 12/7 6-7:30pm 6th Annual Waterfront District Tree Lighting Ceremony @ The Human Compass Garden (corner of Columbia & Sackett Sts.)

Red Hook Star Revue Benefit for Red Hook’s Public Schools Sun. 12/16 2-10pm @ The Star Theater 101 Union St. Columbia/Van Brunt Sts. (718) 6245568 8 Bands, Music, Dancing, Food. Pay What You Can, Suggested Donation $10.

The Gowanus Studio Space 166 7th Street (347) 948-5753 www.gowanusstudio.org Sat. 12/8 8pm-? Private Line presents Crock Madame vs. The Hostess: Party, Beer, Music, Dancing. FREE.

Benefit for Red Hook Volunteers Sun. 12/9 8pm @ JalopyTheater & School of Music 315 Columbia St. (718) 395-3214 jalopy.biz w/Charming DIsaster, Sweet Soubrette, Kotorino $10

Cora Dance 201 Richards St. (Coffey St./Van Dyke St.) #15 (718) 858-2520 coradance.org Fri. 12/14, Sat. 12/15 Upstart Festival Performances @ BAX Theater (421 5th Ave, 7th/8th Ave. Call 718-832-0018 for more info.

MUSEUMS

Ger-Nis Culinary & Herb Center 540 President St., 3rd/4th Ave. (347) 4220337 ger-nis.com Sat 12/8 4-7pm Warming Winter Curries $65. Sat.12/15 2-5pm Nissa’s Seasonal Taqueria $65. Sun 12/16 1-5pm Holiday Gifts From The Kitchen $150. The Intercourse 159 Pioneer St. (718) 596-3000 theintercourse.org Wed. 12/12 7-9pm Wed. 12/12 7-9pm Microphones, Amplifiers, and the Physics of Sound $115 (including materials). Thu. 12/13 7-9pm Arduino is the SolutionWhat’s the Problem $140 including materials. Mon. 12/10 7-9:30pm The Alchemy of Light: An Introduction to Pigment $75 including materials. Tue 12/11 7-9pm From Tesla to the Transistor: AN Introduction to Electronis $105 including materials. JalopyTheater & School of Music 315 Columbia St. (718) 395-3214 jalopy.biz Sun. 12/16 Noon Vocal Harmony Basics $20. 2pm Vocal Harmoniy Duos & Trios $25. Both $40. 2pm Mr. O’Muck-Messin’ Round in “C” $30. Red Hook Boaters info@redhookboaters.org. See ya’ in May!

GALLERIES

440 Gallery 440 6th Ave. (Park Slope) (718) 499-3844 440gallery.com Gallery Hrs. Thu., Fri. 4-7pm, Sat. 11am-7pm, or by appointment. Through 01/6 Small in Scale, Huge In impact. Brooklyn Collective Gallery 212 Columbia St. (Union/Sackett) (718) 5966231 brooklyncollective.com Gallery

Page 18 Red Hook Star-Revue

Brother Sun’s Benefit for Sandy’s Relief Fri. 12/7 8pm @ JalopyTheater & School of Music 315 Columbia St. (718) 395-3214 jalopy.biz $15.

Micro Museum 123 Smith St., Pacific/ Dean (718) 797-3116 micromuseum. com Through 12/20/13 Every Sat. 127pm Above & Beyond: A 3yr. retrospective of the art of William & Kathleen Laziza $2 donation. Every Sat. through 3/2/13 12-7pm Lucky 7’s, 8’s, 9’s $2 donation. Say “I like Red Hook Star Revue” and get a free gift bag! The Waterfront Museum Lehigh Valley Barge No.79, 290 Conover Street. (718) 624-4719 ext. 11 www.waterfrontmuseum.org. Free boat tours & open hours all through the year. Thursdays 4 - 8 pm and Saturdays 1 - 5 pm. Juggling For Fun Wkshp. Call (718) 624-4719 x.11 David Sharps.

MUSIC

Bait & Tackle 320 Van Brunt Street (718) 451-4665 redhookbaitandtackle. com No Cover. Unless otherwise noted, everything starts @ 9pm. Fri. 12/7 The Daggers. Fri. 12/14 Cal Folger Day. Fri. 12/21 Red Hook’s Own 41 Players. Sat 12/22 Adam Falcon.

efit for Red Hook Volunteers w/Charming Disaster, Sweet Soubrette, Kotorino $10. Tue. 12/11 8pm Cynthia Sayer $10. Thu 12/13 9pm Veveritse w/Pete Rushefsky $10. Fri. 12/14 9pm The Sweetback Sisters Christmas Sing-A-Long $14 adv. $16 dos. Sat. 12/15 3pm Harry Bolick Open Jam FREE. 8pm The Sweetback Sisters Christmas Sing-A-Long $14 adv. $16 dos. Thu. 12/20 7pm Singing Wrksp w/Tim Eriksen $25. 9pm TIm Eriksen $10. Both $30. Montero’s Bar 73 Atlantic Ave. @ Hicks St. (718) 534-6399 monteros-bar@facebook.com Karaoke w/Amethyst and the beautiful Andy at the bar. every Fri. & Sat. 10pm. Every Wed. after. 8pm - Midnight. The raucous musical concoctions of The Red Hook Irregulars. All Acoustic. Guest Players invited. Rocky Sullivan’s—34 Van Dyke St., (718) 246-8050. No Cover Every Mon, Tues, Wed 8pm Live Irish Music Every Last Wed 8pm Readings By Authors.Every. Thurs. 9pm Rocky’s World Famous Pub Quiz. Every Mon 9/17 7pm Chris Byrne’s Beginner’s Tin Whistle Class. Trad. 8pm Irish Music The Star Theater Acoustic Jam & Hootenanny 101 Union St. ( Columbia / Van Brunt) (718) 624-5568 Every Monday Night 8pm. C&W to Jazz (with a healthy dose of Blues in the middle). Bring your Axe & Your Favorite Beverage! The Star Theater Electric Jam 101 Union St., (Columbia / Van Brunt )Every Thur. Night 8pm Hard rock, Jazz, Blues. Full Back Line. Refreshments provided.

The

Sunny’s Bar 253 Conover St. (Beard/ Reed St.) (718) 625-8211 sunnysredhook.com & Sunny’s Bar on Facebook. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, live local roots music.. Every Sat. 10pm Bluegrass/Folk Country Jam. Union Hall 702 Union Street @5th Ave (718) 638-4400 unionhallny.com Every Sun. 7:30pm Pretty Good Friends. Comedy host by Eugene Mirman $7. Every Fri. Midnight Karaoke Killed The Cat FREE. Every Sat. 11pm CRAZY $INCE DA 90$ FREE.

PUBLIC MEETINGS

Brooklyn Greenway Initiative 153 Columbia St.(Kane/Degraw) (718) 5220913 brooklyngreenway.org The Ceramic Arts of Kathryn Robinson-Miller. 30% of the proceeds will go to support BGI’s work. Thu. 12/13 6-8pm Greenway Members Holiday Open House. Brooklyn Public Library - Carroll Gardens 396 Clinton St. @ Union St. (718) 596-6972 brooklynpubliclibrary.org/ locations/carroll-gardens Knitting Club (all ages) Every Tues 4pm mezzanine. Memoir Writing (adult) Every Wed. 6pm Chess Club (all ages) Play and improve your game. Bring your own clock. Mon. 6/4 11:30am Babes & Books w/ 1st RIF. Tue. 6/5 3-5pm English Conversation: English for ESOL students. Brooklyn Greenway Initiative will be hosting its Members Holiday Open House on Thursday, December 13, 2012 from 6:00PM-8:00PM in our storefront office at 153 Columbia Street between Kane and DeGraw Streets.

TASTINGS

Dry Dock Wine & Spirits 424 Van Brunt St. (718) 852-3625 drydockny.com ALL TASTINGS ARE FREE! Fri. 12/14 5:308:30 St. Germain: Rye Whiskey. Sat 12/15 1-4pm Van Brunt Stillhouse: Locally produced Rum & Grappa. 4-7pm Spanish & French Wines. Fri. 12/21 5:30-8:30 Greenhook Ginsmiths: Greenpoint Gin. Sat. 12.22 4-7pm El Buho: 100% Agave Mezcal. MikNik Lounge 200 Columbia St. (917) 770-1984 ‘Rebel! Rebel!’ (Gay Night) every First & Third Thurs. 9pm - 2am Cheap Beer, $6 well drinks, friendly crowd.

WALKING TOURS

61 Local 61 Bergen St. (Boerum / Smith) (347) 763-6624 61local.com A Tour grows in Brooklyn 1212 64th St.(212) 209-3370 brooklynwalkingtour. com A historical walking tour of Brownstone Brooklyn featuring the childhood home of Al Capone, the history of the Williamsburg Bank, and the Revolutionary War battle site The Old Stone House. Real Brooklyn Pizza Lunch included. Daily 10am-1pm, $40 Urban Oyster (347) 618-TOUR (8687) urbanoyster.com Every Sat.Noon-3:30, Brewed in Brooklyn Tour (Williamsburg) $60 Adv. sales only. Every Sat. Brewing, Bottling, & bootlegging in historic Williamsburg. Samples, pizza and fresh lager lunch included. $65, adv. sales only. Every Sat. & Sun Navy Yard Full Tour 2:30-4:30pm.$30, adv sales only.

Red Hook StarªRevue

Dear Readers, The Red Hook Star-Revue is your newspaper. Our mission is to provide Red Hook and its adjacent communities with the news that is needed for a community to understand the world immediately around us. An informed populace can’t be fooled. During this extraordinary emergency we have seen our community come together as no one xpected. No one except those of us who live here and who report on the amazing community that we are. We are proud to be your community newspaper, or ‘neighborhood rag,’ as St. John has called us. Our pages are open to you. We invite and encourage letters, opinions, suggestions and even rotten tomatoes. You can reach us easily enough by email, phone and snail mail. Email: editor@redhookstar.com Phone: (718) 624-5568 Mail: Red Hook Star-Revue, 101 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 We work through the nights often to find as many events to list in our calendars as possible. You can help us be letting us know of your event. Calendar listings are a free public service. Publishing the Red Hook Star-Revue is a labor of love. Over the past two weeks we have lived in our offices, putting as much into these last two issues as we possibly could. As we are the paper of record for Red Hook.

Hope & Anchor 347 Van Brunt St.(718) 237-0276. Every Wed. 7pm, Jazz Jam w/The H & A House Band! Every Thurs. through Sat. from 9pm-1am Karaoke. Issue Project Room 110 Livingston St. (718) 451-4665 issueproject room. org Wed. 12/12 8pm Ken Jacobs & Aki Onda: Nervous Magic Lantern @ Abron Art Center, 466 Grand St., NYC. Thu. 12/20 8pm Sergei Tcherepnin w/Lucy Dodd: Tropical Year Zero @ Church of St. Luke & St. Michael, 520 Clinton Ave., Brklyn. Jalopy Theatre and School of Music 315 Columbia St., (718) 395-3214 jalopy. biz. Every Wed. 9pm Roots & Ruckus w/ Feral Foster FREE. Sun 12/9 8pm Ben-

Kimberly Gail Price & George Fiala , Publishers www.RedHookStar.com

Through December 16, 2012

Where is this? T

he Star-Revue has tickets to the Big Apple Circus! To win tickets, be one of the first to identify the location of this photo. Winners will be announced in our next issue. Submit entries to Red Hook Star-Revue, 101 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231, email circus@redhookstar.com, or send us a private message on our Facebook page. For more information, email Editor@redhookstar.com.

photo by Thomas Rupolo

Last issues winners include Antasia Johnson, David Peterson, Michael Lavery, Stephanie Cintron and Kashmere Square.

Star-Revue Classifieds HELP WANTED Freelance Writers: The Red Hook Star-Revue is looking for freelance writers for both the arts and news sections.We want to buttress our news as well as local theater and arts coverage.Email Kimberly @ redhookstar.com Outside Salesperson: The Red Hook Star-Revue seeks an ambitious person who likes to walk, talk and make friends in the neighborhood to sell display advertising.Commission to start - work around your

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718 624-5568 www.RedHookStar.com Through Dec. 16, 2012 Page 19

The

Red Hook StarªRevue

THROUGH DEC. 1, 2012

SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

FREE

STAR REVUE PRESENTS

Sunday, December 16, 2012 Fundraiser for Red Hook’s Public Schools 2 pm until 10 pm

music, dance, school performances

THE RED HOOK STAR-REVUE THEATER 101 Union Street between Columbia and Van Brunt $10 Suggested Donation Silent Auction

101 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 advertising@redhookstar.com Page 20 Red Hook Star-Revue

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718 624-5568 www.RedHookStar.com Through December 16, 2012