East Villager • Dec. 8, 2015

The Paper of Record for East and West Villages, Lower East Side, Soho, Noho, Little Italy and Chinatown

December 24, 2015 • FREE Volume 5 • Number 22

Another Indian Point outage prompts probe BY PAUL DERIENZO

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n Mon., Dec. 14, one of two nuclear reactors at Indian Point in Buchanan, N.Y., went offline for a second time this month. Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., which owns the plant, said the shutdown was caused by a “disturbance” on the non-nuclear side of the plant. According to a letter from Governor

Andrew Cuomo to the New York State Public Service Commission, there was no release of radiation. Cuomo said he would send state investigators to inspect the troubled facility. A report on the incident by Power Engineering magazine, a trade publication, said the plant’s Unit 3 “shut down as designed on Monday night after the main elecINDIAN POINT continued on p. 4

Pledging memorial funds, Cuomo says Triangle Fire ‘should never be forgotten’ BY YANNIC RACK

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ew York State is funding the construction of a permanent memorial to the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911, clearing a major hurdle in a years-long fight to erect a fitting monument to one of the deadliest industrial trag-

edies in the country’s history. A group of labor advocates and descendants of the victims started the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition a few years ago to find a design for the memorial and raise the money needed to construct and maintain it — roughly $2.4 million over all. FIRE continued on p. 11

Unity rally thumps Trump over anti-Muslim rhetoric BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

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acist, fascist, KKK — Donald Trump, go away!” nearly 200 protesters chanted outside the gleaming golden doorway of Trump Tower on Fifth Ave. last Sunday afternoon. They were mainly Muslims, along with Black Lives Matter activists and a few Mexicans — one sporting a massive pink felt sombrero and another a green and red

A child’s Christmas in Wales.......page 21 | May 14, 2014

PHOTOS BY Q. SAKAMAKI

A woman holding a sign reading “ISIS can sneak through our Northern / Southern border” clashed with anti-Trump protesters — including a man dressed up as a Ku Klux Klan member — on Fifth Ave. at Sunday’s demonstration.

poncho. They had gathered outside the presidential candidate’s signature New York City building, in what was billed as a “unity rally against racism, anti-Muslim bigotry and fascism.” Really, in one word, it was a rally against Trump, who, Muslims at the protest said, with his blustering rhetoric, has been demonizing them and their religion, and poisoning people’s minds against them. In the wake of the recent

Paris and San Bernardino terrorist attacks, the surprising Republican front-runner recently called for temporarily banning Muslims from immigrating to the U.S., “until we can figure out what is going on.” Signs bobbing in the crowd, many with the International Action Center’s tagline at the bottom, bore slogans like “Wall Street is our enemy. Not Islam,” “Trump is a capitalist PROTEST continued on p. 8

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his new tenants. The card, from Toledano’s BrookHill Properties, says, “Wishing you peace and happiness during the holidays and throughout the new year,” and then adds, referring to the coffee coupon, “Help us spread the holiday cheer by supporting local businesses.” One of his tenants, who requested anonymity, forwarded us the e-card and coupon, as well as his response to Toledano: “Thank you for your kind holiday greetings, and for your thoughtful gift card supporting our neighbors,” referring to the coffee shop. “If you truly want to make good on your generous wishes for my peace and happiness in the new year, please consider dropping your case against me and renewing my lease.”

CAFE AU EVICTION: First he tries to evict you, then he give you a few cups of free coffee. One can imagine the surprised confusion from tenants of 17 East Village buildings recently acquired by Raphael “Raffi” Toledano, when they received a holiday e-card along with a $20 gift certificate to Ninth Street Espresso from their new landlord, who has been accused of predatory practices against

PHOTOS BY LOUISE WATERIDGE

Gale Brewer, perhaps talking about building heights under the mayor’s proposed Mandatory Inclusionary Housing plan.

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“It’s worth the trip down the street!” 2

December 24, 2015

GALE-FORCE INTERVIEW: Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer sat down with the editorial staff of NYC Community Media last Friday for a free-flowing interview on a wide range of topics. For starters, the Beep expressed her dissatisfaction with the Department of Buildings. “I don’t know if they’re short-staffed or incompetent,” she said of D.O.B., adding, “You need [tenant] attorneys and tenant organizers in every neighborhood in Manhattan. We need more visible attorneys.” On the ongoing homeless crisis, she noted that Police Commissioner Bill Bratton has said the “street-person problem” is essentially centered in Manhattan. (In an interview earlier this year, Brewer’s Brooklyn counterpart, Eric Adams, said as much, saying that his borough doesn’t have a street homeless problem, but that, “People have always gone to Manhattan to get lost.”) Wanting to check things out for herself, on Fri., Dec. 4, from 9:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., Brewer joined a group of homeless outreach workers focusing on the area around Union Square. “I think I’m the only elected official that’s doing that,” she noted. She was in car, and they responded to 311 calls for homeless people on the street. She saw a total of around 15 to 17 individuals. Convincing them to come in off the street was a challenge. And then there is the verbal abuse. “Let me tell you the problem — these people are hard,” she told us. The toughest were a group of young white individuals. “There was one guy who looked asleep — he popped up,” she said of one, who sounds like maybe he was nodding out on drugs. “They were pretty foul-mouthed,” she said. “Two of the four eventually agreed to come in. … The older people do not want to come in.” The former Upper West Side councilmember also noted, “I see more [homeless] white folks with dogs. And not just in the Village — I see them all up and down Broadway.” She added that, according to the city, there are currently “11 legitimate homeless veterans on the street,” noting, “I don’t know where they got that.” Personally, she doesn’t give handouts to the homeless. Asked why, she said, “I give to a lot of charities.” We asked her about the Elizabeth St. Garden again. Brewer previously told us she thinks senior affordable housing

Sometimes, even Gale Brewer does not have all the answers.

could be built on only part of the site, so that part of the garden could be preserved. Last Friday, she said, “There is an area in the back that is the children’s playground. You could put a small building there and the rest could be the garden.” Asked if she thought the community boards need more businesspeople, she unhesitatingly said, yes: “We need more business people on the boards — I would agree with that.” At the same time, she said, it’s hard for merchants to commit the time to being on community boards, “because they have to be in their business.” She told us she stands by her decision to remove Ayo Harrington from Community Board 3, though didn’t elaborate. Harrington had been board Chairperson Gigi Li’s biggest critic, charging she was bypassing black and Latino members for leadership positions. Asked about C.B. 3 member Chad Marlow’s claim that the East Village board has seen a high “attrition” of members lately, Brewer said, “I don’t agree with that,” adding that she actually has aggressively been removing a fair number of members, in an effort to improve the Manhattan boards. We also pressed the B.P. on the long-stalled Small Business Jobs Survival Act. Will it ever get approved by the City Council? we asked. “The real estate industry would have a fit,” she declared. “I don’t know why it hasn’t passed — but it hasn’t passed since 1985. … The real issue is the rent.” Brewer reiterated that she has proposed her own bill, which would give priced-out merchants a year to remain in place while they look for a new space. Finally, also on the homeless crisis, what about Governor Andrew Cuomo recently declaring that Mayor Bill de Blasio can’t handle it, and that he’s going to step in and take care of things? “These two people — I don’t know what to do with them,” Brewer sighed in frustration. If only the two pols would work together instead of feuding, she said, they could achieve so much more for the benefit of everyone.

THEY FINALLY BAG MENDEZ: After resisting the idea for more than a year, Councilmember Rosie Mendez recently quietly signed on, joining 20 of her colleagues, as a sponsor of a bill to assess a 10-cent surcharge on shoppers for single-use paper and plastic bags at convenience stores, supermarkets and delis. Mendez had been concerned about the burden the extra cost could pose for the poor and senior citizens on fixed incomes, as well as those who must separate their food for religious reasons. She also feared dog walkers might lose incentive to pick up after their dogs if forced to pay a dime per plastic bag. A year ago, Mendez spokesperson John Blasco told us, “Unless there are further amendments to the proposed legislation, she is unable to sign her name as a co-sponsor.” However, Saleen Shah of the Citizens Committee recently called to tell us the news. “It’s the first time when a city councilmember who was opposed has flipped after we did a bag giveaway in the district,” he noted. The group gave away reusable cloth tote bags a year ago outside an East Village supermarket to encourage people to stop using the wasteful plastic and paper bags. EastVillagerNews.com

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December 24, 2015

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Another Indian Point outage prompts probe Named best weekly newspaper in New York State in 2001, 2004 and 2005 by New York Press Association Editorials, First Place, 2014 Overall Design Excellence, First Place, 2013 Best Column, First Place, 2012 Photographic Excellence, First Place, 2011 Spot News Coverage, First Place, 2010 Coverage of Environment, First Place, 2009

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INDIAN POINT continued from p. 1

trical generator sensed an electrical disturbance in the transmission lines that connect the external grid to the unit.” The reactor was returned to service on Thurs., Dec. 17. The incident followed by three days another where magnets holding control rods lost power when a circuit breaker was tripped causing a shutdown of Unit 2. The two reactor units are among the oldest operating in the U.S. A third nuclear reactor on the site, built in the 1960s, was permanently shut down in 1974. The 40-year license of Unit 2 expired in 2013 and the Unit 3 license expired at midnight on Sun., Dec. 13. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has said Entergy can continue to operate Indian Point while pursuing license renewal. As the expiration of its license approached on Sat., Dec. 12, 11 activists were arrested at the power plant’s front gate. Gary Shaw, a member of the Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition, said, “We want the plant shut,” adding, “the plant never should have been opened in the first place.” According to Shaw, about 20 million people live within a 50-mile radius of Indian Point. In May an explosion at a transformer at the nuclear plant released oil into the Hudson River and frightened local residents, who described a huge plume of black smoke rising over the plant after hearing a loud bang. According to an independent report, that accident didn’t release radiation, but did allow water to pool in a crucial electrical switch room that might have caused a catastrophic failure if it hadn’t been caught in time. Governor Cuomo has been calling for Indian Point to be closed for years. He wrote on Tues., Dec. 15, that the latest shutdown was the sixth at Indian Point this year and the thirteenth shutdown since June 2012. Cuomo told the commission that the state has an “obligation” to properly maintain the nuclear plants and “make timely investments in critical infrastructure.” The Atomic Safety and Licensing

The aging Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan — just 47 miles north of New York City — has seen six shutdowns this year.

Board commenced hearings earlier this month to hear “evidence” about Indian Point before deciding on a 20-year license renewal. The N.R.C. recently completed an inspection of Indian Point that said, “Over all, there were no areas of concern identified.” The commission has been quietly extending the licenses of nuclear plants throughout the U.S. However, cheap oil, natural gas and an economic downturn have made nuclear power plants less economical. Vermont Yankee, a nuclear plant also owned by Entergy, was decommissioned and is being demolished and shipped to waste dumps in the Far West. Entergy also wants to close down its nuclear plant in Oswego, N.Y., a move being opposed by Cuomo. One of the fears motivating groups that want the Buchanan plant closed is the proximity of the planned Spectra Energy Algonquin natural gas pipeline, which was recently approved by federal regulators. The 42-inch high-pressure gas pipeline would pass 105 feet from electrical switching areas critical to the plant. The feds claim there is “no additional risk” posed to Indian Point by the pipeline. But nuclear experts hired by local towns opposed to the Spectra plan claim that regulators have underestimated the effects of a pipeline explosion. They refer to a massive blast in San Bruno, California, in 2010 that burned for 17 hours before being extinguished. According to pipeline opponents, natural gas contains 10 times more energy than TNT. Last May a An illustration from a Con Ed promotional package for the Spectra gas pipeline in planned Ravenswood, Queens, nuclear reactor in 1963. Texas ruptured and reDefeated by local opposition, the plan was dropped the leased almost 4 million next year. cubic feet of gas.

A reactor at Indian Point was first proposed in 1954. The economics of power generation at the time favored plants situated as near as possible to consumers, cutting the cost of transmitting the electricity by millions of dollars. Con Ed, the New York City region’s main utility, was planning to eventually build six nuclear plants at Indian Point, also one on an island near New Rochelle and another in Ravenswood, Queens, across the East River from E. 68th St. in Manhattan. In the end, two plants were built at Indian Point, and the New Rochelle and Ravenswood plants were never built. The Queens reactor, which would have dominated the East River shoreline, was canceled after vigorous opposition by the local community. It was the first movement against nuclear power to be based on safety issues, and marked the beginning of local protests against nuclear power facilities across the U.S. Government scientists who examined Con Ed’s plans soon saw the location was in their words “lousy” and that leaks of radiation were inevitable. They concluded that even the smallest release would have dire consequences in an urban setting. In 1964 Con Ed withdrew its proposal. There are three other nuclear power plants operating in New York State besides Indian Point. The Fitzpatrick plant in Oswego shares a site with the Nine Mile Point nuclear plant. Further west along Lake Ontario is the Robert Emmett Ginna nuclear plant. These are also among the oldest operating plants in America. The Fitzparick and Ginna plants have been losing money, but their continued operation is supported by Cuomo as a key to his plan to reduce carbon emissions in the state. The licenses for the two Nine Mile Point units have been extended for 20 more years until 2046. A similar aging nuclear power station at Oyster Creek, N.J., about 100 miles south of New York City, is the oldest operating in the country and is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2019. EastVillagerNews.com

PHOTOS BY TEQUILA MINSKY

Fight for female statues On Thurs., Dec. 3, at Riverside Park and W. 93rd St., the centennial of the park’s Joan of Arc statue was celebrated. Made by sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, it’s reportedly the first statue in New York City honoring a real-life woman. Among those in attendance were Bertrand Lortholary, consul general of France; students from nearby M.S. 256, the Joan of Arc complex; Jonathan Kuhn, director of art & antiquities for the city’s Parks Department; and performance artist Lulu Lolo, who can be seen around town in her Joan of Arc armor as she advocates for more statues honoring women. The photo showing Lolo and other women, above right, was taken on 14th St. this past summer, when she was asking others to nominate potential female subjects for city statues. Joan of Arc (1411-1431) fought for France against the English, but was captured and burned at the stake as a witch. In 1920, she was sainted.

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December 24, 2015

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PHOTOS BY MILO HESS

Soused Santas spread beery cheer in E.V./L.E.S. SantaCon — the roving bar crawl of revelers dressed in Santa Claus costumes — kicked off in Williamsburg Saturday morning, before moving on for more alcohol-fueled afternoon and evening frolicking in the Lower East Side and East Village.

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PHOTO BY JONATHAN ALPEYRIE

May the tickets be with you!

An Obi-Wan Kenobi flashed his light saber in front of the Ziegfeld Theater in T:8.75” Midtown last Thursday on opening night of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

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Unity rally thumps Trump on anti-Muslim rhetoric;

PROTEST continued from p. 1

pig!” “Ban real estate speculators, not Muslims” and “Islam has been in New York 400 years,” showing an illustration of a Colonial-era African man wearing a toga-like garment. “They say they want to take America back,” one speaker, a native-born African-American Muslim, told the crowd. “They want to take America backwards.” He exhorted everyone to boycott The Donald’s hotels and casinos and “not buy anything with his name on it.” Another speaker recalled how Trump took out full-page newspaper ads proclaiming the guilt of the five suspects in the 1989 Central Park Jogger rape case. After spending six to 13 years in jail, the five men’s convictions were vacated in 2002. “Those men were found innocent,” he declared. “Donald Trump didn’t take out a full-page ad to apologize.” He went on to call for everyone to boycott the holiday shopping season “in its entirety — to show that we can have significant impact.” “Uh huh! Hit ’em where it hurts!” a woman in the crowd chimed in. Before they started to march, a female speaker told everyone they could use the restroom, if they needed, inside the mogul’s shiny edifice. “So everyone knows, there is a public restroom in Trump Tower,” she said, adding, “It’s the only appropriate thing to go in that building.”

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December 24, 2015

The march would head down to Macy’s, but first pass by the headquarters of the New York Post, Fox News and The Wall Street Journal. “They’ve made him the fascist mobilization that he represents,” she accused of Rupert Murdoch’s media conglomeration. At the start of the rally, pro-Trump supporters briefly angrily verbally sparred with some of the protesters on Fifth Ave., but police moved in to separate the two groups. In the crowd, Mohammed Ali, a subway worker

from the Bronx, originally from Bangladesh, stood wrapped in an American flag. “I’m here to stand with the city of New York,” he said. “What Donald Trump said makes no sense.” Ali was featured in The New York Times’s recent article “Do You Know My Heart?” profiling a cross section of the city’s Muslims and their reactions to the current climate of fear and suspicion. He was confronted about the flag by Paul GilPROTEST continued on p.9 EastVillagerNews.com

Mogul is also slammed as racist, fascist, anti-gay PROTEST continued from p. 8

man, a member of the New York City Green Party who ran for state Senate in Queens last year. “When did it stand for justice?” Gilman asked. But Ali stood his ground, wrapped in the stars and stripes. How about World War II? a reporter offered. Gilman promptly whipped a book out of his bag, “The American Axis: Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, and the Rise of the Third Reich.” The march headed off down the middle of W. 56th St. going the wrong way into car traffic, before moving onto the sidewalk and then heading south down Sixth Ave. “Racist, racist, anti-gay, Donald Trump, go away!” the crowd chanted. The G.O.P. polls-leader has also said he does not support gay marriage. Wearing a hijab and carrying her young daughter Maweddeh in her arms, Jehan Eltazbwa, 23, from Bensonhurst, said the words of Trump and the other Republican presidential candidates are infecting people’s minds with hate. “Just today in the supermarket, I was cursed at and I was mistreated by a woman and it was very clear it was because I was a Muslim,” she said. “Trump is adding more flame to the fire.” She said the woman told her, “ ‘Go back to your country. F--- you.’ I was next to her. She thought I was a little bit too close,” Eltazbwa said. “She could have said excuse me.” Her husband walked by her side with their other two children. Eltazbwa said her mother was Jewish and her father Egyptian. She decided on her own to convert to Islam. Also among the marchers was Akhtar Hussain, who emphasized, “Islam means peace.” “We hate terrorists,” he said. “I work in real estate too — like Trump!” he said, though adding he’s just a small businessman. As the protesters moved along down Fifth Ave. chanting, “Dee-port Trump! Dee-port Trump!” the mostly white holiday shoppers from out of town, along with various furry-costumed characters and Mickey and Minnie Mouses, were pushed to the sidelines. The tourists stood blank-faced, not really knowing what to make of it. Some held up camera phones to snap shots. There were only a few faint bemused smiles among them. “Go Trump!” a man lightly mockcheered as he passed by the march, heading uptown. A food vendor at a halal cart blaring funky Arabic beats shimmied and smiled as the march passed by. Another vendor, a woman from Senegal selling hats and scarves, EastVillagerNews.com

Counterdemonstrators made their presence known at the start of the two-hour rally at Trump Tower, but left before the march started.

was handed an anti-Trump flier by a demonstrator. “Thank you! I like it!” she told them. Asked what she thought about the potential presidential nominee, she said, “I no like Trump!” and swept her hand out in disgust, as if to fling him away. As the marchers passed Fox headquarters, a woman wearing a paper Statue of Liberty crown with one half of its face a white skull and carrying a “Make America Hate Again” sign, paused to give the building the finger. Adam Nasser, 47, was carrying his five-year-old son, Hussein, on his back and marching with his wife and other two children. “I think he’s going to run the country down the drain,” Nasser, originally from Yemen and a 34-year U.S. resident, said of Trump. “He’s just doing this for his own agenda.” Nasser, who installs security alarms, stressed that he loves America. “It’s the greatest country for many, many years,” he said. “Muslims don’t hate America.” He accused the media, ultimately, of ginning up anti-Muslim sentiment. “The American people are very smart,” he said. “It’s the media. How many Muslims are in jail, really?” he asked. “They work hard.” His little daughter Lubna, 8, was walking next to him, wearing a hijab and carrying a small white sign on a wooden stick with the handwritten words in black, “Muslims against ISIS.” “There is a phrase in the Koran,” her

Protesters, including a man dressed up as a Klan member, outside Trump Tower at Sunday’s rally.

father said, “‘If one man takes a man’s life, it’s like killing all humanity. Nobody has the right to take anybody’s life. Those are bad guys,” he said of the ISIS terrorists. “They are brainwashed.” At the same time, he felt compelled to add, Israelis kicking Palestinians out of their homes is terrorism, too. Sorry, what was that? he was asked amid the din of the marchers’ chanting. Yes, that’s what he said, he said with a smile. After the march had passed by out-

side, the discussion about Trump continued among a group of chess players in a glass-enclosed public atrium on Sixth Ave. at 42nd St. “He’s a little bit full of b.s., everyone knows that,” commented one of them, who gave his name as H.C. Muffkie. “He’s all talk.” He quipped that as a youth he was on the Sheepshead High School basketball team, where he played “bench.” “He’s just mouthin’ off because he has money,” said another. “You can’t be saying racist stuff like that if you’re president.” December 24, 2015

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The Theater for the New City carolers, with Crystal Field, the theater’s founder and artistic director, center in red coat, brought holiday cheer to Tompkins Square Park on Sunday.

Caroling in the holiday season in Tompkins Sq. BY LIBBY DU CHAMP

Ink to make A you think

mid unseasonably balmy weather, the largest crowd ever turned out for the Tompkins Square Park tree lighting ceremony on late Sunday afternoon. All ages, from toddlers to seniors, chimed in along with the carolers from Theater for the New City, everyone singing their hearts out, with the Mandel & Lydon Trio from the Third St. Music School backing them up brilliantly. A number of East Village children won prizes from local merchants. Albert Fabozzi was the supreme cheerleader and organizer of the charming and heartwarming annual event. Along with Fabozzi, the Tomp-

Read t the Easr! Village 10

December 24, 2015

kins Square Park Neighborhood Coalition and the East Village Parks Conservancy hosted the event. Veselka restaurant, a longtime neighborhood culinary mainstay, served hot cider and hot chocolate. Crystal Field, artistic director of Theater for the New City, gave a brilliant rendition of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” And to top it all off, the beautiful pine tree, planted years ago by community activists, and now grown to a graceful and rather large maturity, was, after a countdown of 20, lit and sent out its beautiful glow, which was reflected in the twinkling eyes of all the children present. What a wonderful way to say “Welcome to the holidays” that lie before us.

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Governor pledges to fund Triangle Fire memorial FIRE continued from p. 1

This week, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the state government would provide the $1.5 million needed to build the memorial. “I’m feeling like I’m on top of the world,” said Joel Sosinsky, a retired city attorney who serves as the coalition’s secretary. “There are tears in all of our eyes, basically,” he added. Suzanne Pred Bass’s great-aunt Rose Weiner perished in the fire. “This is both so exciting and moving beyond words, to have this windfall that really enables what we’ve been dreaming about and hoping for across the generations,” she said of the news. Most of the 146 people who died were women and most were recent immigrant Jews — about two-thirds of them — and Italians. The memorial will be attached to the building where the fire occurred on Washington Place, just off Washington Square Park. More than just remembering the victims who perished in the fire, the coalition also sees an important role for the memorial in educating New Yorkers and visitors alike about the political and social activism — and eventually far-reaching labor re-

Firefighters battling the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire on March 25, 1911.

forms — that followed the disaster. “The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire galvanized the labor movement in America and should never be forgotten,” Cuomo said in a statement announcing the grant. “New York State has always been a beacon for progressive government policies, and while we honor the victims’ legacy with this memorial, we must continue to improve workplace protections to ensure tragedies like

this one are never repeated.” The design for the memorial, by Richard Joon Yoo, an architectural designer, and Uri Wegman, an architecture professor at The Cooper Union, envisions three sets of polished steel panels incorporated into the building’s facade. One panel, installed at pedestrian-hip level, would tell the story of the fire and also reflect the names of the victims, which would be etched into a second panel installed roughly 17 feet above the sidewalk. A third panel, running vertically up the building’s southeastern corner up to the eighth floor, is intended to reflect the sky and attract curious passersby from afar. The building, at 29 Washington Place, is owned by New York University, which uses it as science laboratories. The school has been working with the coalition for the past few years and supports the memorial. “We’re very pleased to hear the great news about Governor Cuomo’s support of the project, and glad about what this means for the coalition’s efforts,” John Beckman, the university’s spokesman, said. Before the tribute can be built, however, there are a few more challenges to be overcome. For one, the

proposal will need to be approved by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, since the building is landmarked. But the coalition has also committed to raising around $1 million more to endow the memorial for maintenance and insurance, in a deal made with N.Y.U., according to Sosinsky. “We need to come up with another million dollars, which is no small sum,” Pred Bass said. She also mentioned Local Law 11 (the Department of Buildings’ Facade Inspection Safety Program, or FISP), which requires periodic facade inspections in the city for buildings over six stories high — which could hamper the start of the construction. “We obviously still have a long way ahead of us,” Sosinsky said, adding that he nevertheless hopes the memorial could be in place by 2017. Pred Bass said for her — and surely many other family members of the fire’s victims — the funding felt like a very personal victory. “This is so moving to me because it gives recognition,” she said. “It’s a kind of redemption for the suffering that my family endured. “We’ve been working for years on this, it’s incredible that it’s finally happened.”

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“heart-rending retrospective” – The New York Times

Inequality remains a fact of life in America. A century later, this New York master’s photos still explode with outrage.

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December 24, 2015

11

Hallelujah! Or maybe not? Jews cleared for heaven RHYMES WITH CRAZY BY LENORE SKENAZY

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ou’d think this would be good news to a Jew like me: The Vatican has declared that my tribe can get into heaven. In a statement just released in honor of the 50th anniversary of the “Nostra Aetate” — itself a high point in Jewish-Christian relations, in that it stated Jews should not be considered “accursed by God” (yay!) — the Vatican has gone one step further. The new document states that, “…it does not in any way follow that the Jews are excluded from God’s salvation because they do not believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah of Israel and the Son of God.” In other words, Jews are now heaven-eligible — which has me very worried. (How Jewish is that?) You see, until now, I was already a little obsessed by what qualifies a person for a post-life thumbs up or down. And by “a little obsessed” I mean, I worried that if I ate a piece of bacon,

did that make me a bad Jew, which then might damn me to hell, even though we don’t really have hell — so maybe even framing the question that way was a sin — meaning I was headed to some sort of miserable afterlife that supposedly doesn’t exist, with or without a devil, pitchfork and lake that burns without giving off any light, etc.? See? So Jewish. And then, when I did something actually unkind — and by “unkind,” I mean screaming at a cabbie who totally deserved it, because he made a righthand turn while I was in the crosswalk, but still, those guys have a hard life and are barely surviving, thanks to Uber — I’d worry, “Well, was that one little blowup the thing that’s actually going

to tip the scales? I’ll be standing before St. Peter and he looks at a list of everything I did and it’s, ‘Why did you yell at the poor cabbie? They’re barely surviving, thanks to Uber.’ And he shakes his head like, ‘Sorry, you blew it,’ and then he pushes the little button that opens a trap door in the floor?” All this while I’m still in the crosswalk, shaking my fist. “Don’t worry about hell!” my husband has told me, over and over. (Am I dishonoring him by writing this?) “We don’t believe in it!” But now...sheesh. All bets are off. I mean — on! That whole Pascal’s wager thing is now in our court: Bet that there is a God and if we’re right, infinite rewards await us if we can just keep it in our pants (metaphorically speaking). But bet that there is no God (or heaven), go rip-roaring wild, and we could be in for a world of pain (and jackals gnawing our intestines) later. That was a wager we Jews didn’t have to worry about. Until now! So how good do we have to be to go upstairs? What is the fine print? Is one “goddammit!” all it takes to rip up our VIP pass? Or do I have to be Bernie Madoff before I worry? Or, to put it a bit more proactively: How can I prove my heaven-worthiness?

Jews were already told to live righteously, give generously, dress warmly. (Well, most of us were.) We already knew we’re not supposed to murder, steal or commit adultery. The real trip wire on that list is, “Thou shalt not covet.” But even if we did covet (come on — who doesn’t? Have you even seen my sister’s house?), it wasn’t like we were immediately disqualified from anything great. Coveting a fantastic house, or less-jiggly thighs, or a job that pays more than freelance journalism, did not mean kissing goodbye to eternal life and harps that, because they are in heaven, must not sound as horrible as I imagine 10 billion amateur harpists must sound. We Jews just knew we were supposed to try to not covet so much. No wonder the goyim drink. (I’m kidding! I’m kidding! St. Peter — it was just one dumb, slightly un-P.C. joke. Come on!) Now I’m a Jew faced with all the worries of a Christian, without even Christmas to ease the pain. Because a Jew celebrating Christmas — I’d hate to think where they’d end up! But I probably will. Skenazy is a keynote speaker and author and founder of the book and blog “Free-Range Kids”

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December 24, 2015

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Tribes’ Steve Cannon is at it again BY BOB HOLMAN

A

fter being evicted from A Gathering of the Tribes, his gallery/ performance space/crash pad, 18 months ago Steve Cannon, the Blind Professor of Loisaida (that’s Nuyorican for the Lower East Side), has settled in as scholar, documentarian and éminence grise. But now he’s got a new cause and his activist roots are showing. “A statue or memorial for Allen Ginsberg in Tompkins Square Park! It’s got to happen!” he’s shouting into the phone and into the ears of the two assistants, one city nurse and the usual crew of poets and artists arrayed in his living room at 745 E. Sixth, Apt. 1A, right at the corner of Avenue D. The man who The New York Times saw as the gateway to alternate culture now wants to ensure that the icons of his neighborhood do not disappear into the current gentrifying Fog of Forgetfulness. The lecture continues — “Look at Ukraine! The George Washington of Ukraine was a poet, and they got statues of Shevchenko everywhere! They even got his bust up over there on Second Avenue, by Veselka! Derek Walcott’s statue in St. Lucia. Ralph Ellison’s ‘Invisible Man’ is up in Harlem. Bob, you told me about the Mahmoud Darwish Park in Ramallah — you can have poetry readings there! We need a statue of Allen to keep poetry in Tompkins Square Park!” I drop by Steve’s place with Adam Falkner, the brand-new director of Urban Word, the after-school writing program that sponsors the city’s youth poet laureate and has young poets reading during halftime at Knicks games. (Used to be a young poet was someone who qualified for the Yale Younger Poets Prize — under 40. Now, it’s a 12-year old.) Adam’s never had the chance to meet this living legend before, and he’s loving Steve’s instant karma critiques. Who wouldn’t? Already Adam is talking about getting some Urban Word youths to read to Steve. “It’s amazing how you guys move from scene to scene, from Lincoln Center to a Downtown bar,” Adam says, “from Tribes to PEN to the American Academy.” “That’s nothin’, that’s a book,” Steve says. Adam gets it. He also gets that Steve has been lending a hand to young artists for decades — that generations of Lower East Side poets have been mentored by this man — Paul Beatty, Tracie Morris, Reg E Gaines, Saul Williams, Sara Jones. If artists had stars in the sidewalk here, they’d lead to Steve’s front door, to A Gathering of the Tribes, with its renowned David Hammons living room. Would that the city had got Steve EastVillagerNews.com

PHOTO BY BOB HOLMAN

Steve Cannon at Marjorie Eliot’s Parlor Jazz Series in Harlem.

Cannon a little bit more before he was evicted last spring from the gallery/performance space he ran for 25 years on Third and C. Tribes was a one-stop culture chop shop — fresh art on the walls, a constant stream of visitors, live music and poetry performances, a publisher of a great magazine and a series of poetry books. Oh, did I mention that Steve Cannon is blind (“The only admittedly blind gallery owner in New York City”), black and 80 years old? On our way Uptown to hear the jazz concert in Harlem, Steve is a nonstop rant. Ishmael Reed — an old friend of Steve’s, they founded a small press together, Reed Cannon Books — is in town. “I know he’s going to show up and bang on the damn piano and go on complaining about ‘Hamilton,’ ” Steve predicts. Then he starts in on another old pal, David Henderson, who is moaning about the Dark Room Collective, how they’re erasing Umbra, referring to the collective of black artists who stayed avant-garde and Downtown while LeRoi Jones moved Uptown, became Amiri Baraka and started the Black Arts Movement. “And we need a statue of Baraka, too!” Cannon preaches on, “over in Newark.” But with Baraka’s son, Ras, as mayor, wouldn’t that smell a bit of nepotism? “Hell no, Bob! It’s a gift to the community! Ras is doing a great job — surely, you read that piece on the front page of the Times?” I inform Steve of the new Baraka

tribute album that poet Thomas Sayers Ellis of Dark Room Collective has released, terrific contemporary jazz renditions of Baraka poetry, “Heroes Are Gang Leaders/The Amiri Baraka Sessions.” “Get Ellis to resurrect Umbra!” says Steve. And speaking of jazz, he sharpens his intentions to a whisper, “Bird’s got to be down here, too. You know he died here. Gotta have a statue of Bird!” Charlie Parker is another of Steve’s icons to be memorialized. Steve helped start the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, and for years there was a huge poetry celebration in the Tribes backyard as part of the Lower East Side’s annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. “Tribes did it, we’re in the history books,” Steve reflects. “I am content. I’ve got it figured out so that the books should all come out by June of next year. And then I know what my job is. After 25 years it’s second nature, I can do it with my eyes closed. Don’t forget, Bob, that I started Tribes the year after I retired from being a professor,” he says, pointing directly to his Medgar Evers (CUNY) College Professor Emeritus diploma on the wall. “Yes, Gil Scott Heron was my student,” Steve notes. “But when I felt that energy around the Nuyorican when it reopened a block away — location, location, location! “Then there was the time that Zoe burned down my house, but that’s another story. “The deal is gentrification. Speaking in generalities, here, but Vipin took me for a walk the other day, and Avenue B was filled with drunks. Drunks at brunch — what could be worse? They weren’t talking about poetry and music, it was sad. They were talking about bulls--- gossip, uninventive and borrrring. I’ve seen the neighborhood change, and change again, and change after that. But it was wave after wave of artists that came into Tribes. Leaving that place, well, I just left the hassles. Artists were being more demanding, and not giving back like they used to. “O.K., I’ll say it,” he continues. “It’s a change for the worse. I mean I still hear the young artists — ‘I just got out of school, I want to be a poet, where do I go?’ And what’s happened here on the Lower East Side — look at Williamsburg, it happened there, and Bushwick I hear is now just as bad. You know and I know that artists will always find a way. But for Tribes, that job is done. What we did for black poets and Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Asians, Indians, I sure do miss Diane Burns, that’s part of it. That’s why Tribes got started, let’s be upfront about that. But it’s never been about the blacks, whites, any-

17 8th Avenue (between 12th and Jane)

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CANNON continued on p. 23 December 24, 2015

13

Union members mourned for the victims after the disastrous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in March 1911.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR You can’t build everywhere To The Editor: Re “NYCHA will build on ‘hot’ East Side, chief assures” (news article, Dec. 10): This is a warmed-over version of the Bloomberg plan — absolutely no attempt to think this through in a different way. Sure, there will be more “affordable” housing, but how affordable is the question and for whom? And current residents and those in the nearby community lose valuable light and air, amenities that the New York City Housing Authority chairperson seems to feel are just not that important.

IRA BLUTREICH

Peace on Earth. 14

December 24, 2015

The only people I hear talking about the virtues of density are developers and NYCHA, for some reason. Most of the inhabitants of this city welcome the benefits of sunlight and fresh air and a view of the sky once in a while. Like Bloomberg, and NYCHA’s previous chairperson, Ms. Olatoye has taken the warehouse approach to housing: Pack ’em in as tightly as you can and let the tenants work it out. No, the tower in the park is not an outmoded idea; it was developed for a reason — the same reason we have parks and the same reason carefully designed cities allow open space (squares and plazas) in otherwise dense agglomerations.

New York City is driven by and for the real estate industry, and the NYCHA board seems to be just another part of that ruinous appendage of city government. R. Bonnono

NYCHA just doesn’t get it To The Editor: Re “NYCHA will build on ‘hot’ East Side, chief assures” (news article, Dec. 10): Where is the space for the building coming from? Oops, there goes the parking lots and open spaces around the projects. I was on the Alan Kaufman panel, mentioned in the article, and Jose “Cochise” Quiles made many good points. Regarding Campos Plaza, NYCHA workers are no longer allowed to work there since a private developer bought a 50 percent ownership stake in the complex. America has one of the world’s largest prison populations. Prisons are a major industry and the incarcerated minorities are the ones who feed the machine. So it is not highly unusual that someone in a minority family has been in jail. It is also not that unusual that a relative has gotten into a homeless crisis, due to a fire, hurricane, domestic problems and so on. And yes, families double up. But the families are not running hot-sheet hotels. Their space can be invaded by a needy relative. Continued on p.16 EastVillagerNews.com

With his glass houses, Trump shouldn’t throw stones TALKING POINT BY TIM GAY

C

ould one of New York City’s leading property developers be harboring terrorists? Are multimillionaire jihadists lurking in high-rise marble glamour with full-time concierge and maid services, while benefitting from 15-year tax abatements? Up there, 30, 40, even 80 stories in the sky, anarchists with shoulder-mounted missile launchers enjoy unobstructed views of the new Freedom Tower, Midtown Manhattan, Central Park, the East River, the Hudson waterfront and New Jersey — along with flight routes to and from LaGuardia, J.F.K. and Newark Liberty airports, thanks to a developer willing to sell to anyone with a mailbag of unmarked bills? And, if so, how much did this developer profit by knowingly or ignorantly selling condos to foreign infidels who may be — well, certainly not Presbyterians. Donald Trump proposes identifying and registering all Muslims entering the United States. However, as anyone who actually reads a complete news story knows, most terrorists — regardless of religion or lack thereof — are homegrown right here in the U.S. Muslims include refugees, students, software designers, department store buyers, chemical engineers, dentists and some of the world’s richest people. And a lot of them own real estate. Trump has developed, owned and bankrupted multitudes of apartments, condos, casinos and hotels on U.S. soil. America has no idea who lives in them. Some Trump tenants may be responsible for depleting major trust funds. Many may be hedgefund managers creating the next economic bubble. A few could be notorious plastic surgeons responsible for botched buttock implants. All have the flash of cash, a credit line, and probably couldn’t pass the scrutiny of an old-money Park Ave. co-op board. But, were any Trump tenants screened for being Muslim? Some 17 buildings in New York City bear the brassy plexiglas Trump name. A cursory check of Trump’s more plebian Manhattan residential properties — the buildings on Riverside Boulevard, Trump Parc (sic) — finds a number of registered voters (and therefore U.S. citizens) with Middle Eastern-sounding first names that could be Muslim — Abdul, Mariya, Yasir, Alfarisi, Fadil, Aisha, Kareem, Yasmin, Yelnea and Omar, to name a few. A number of Trump residences are undoubtedly owned by LLC’s and LLP’s (limited liability corporations or partnerships), real estate trusts, venture groups, estates and holding companies. These could be based in the U.S. or anywhere in the world, the United Arab Emmirates, Bermuda, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Beijing or Delaware. Who knows how many of those owners are known Muslims? If Trump is really going to stereotype and stamp Muslims, he should look within his own marble foyers. As a case in point, Osama bin Laden had more than 30 brothers and sisters, and hundreds of cousins, many of whom lived in the U.S. Maybe EastVillagerNews.com

some still do. The bin Ladens weren’t in the U.S. on work visas to run a newsstand on Eighth Ave. They were and are rich. The family business, Saudi Binladen Group, is one of the largest construction companies and developers of real estate in the Mideast and Malaysia. Major terrorism requires major money connections. Come to think of it, maybe Trump is working with the Saudi Binladen Group on the soon-to-be completed Trump International Golf Club in Dubai (www. trump.com/golf/trump-intl-golf-club-dubai/). This is not a family-oriented vacation and golf spot. To be completed in 2016, Trump’s venture will feature a 30,000-square-foot clubhouse overlooking a par-71 golf course designed by world-renowned architect Gill Hanse. It will feature three “high end” restaurants and “luxury villas and mansions” overlooking the course. Halfway around the world in the United Arab Emmirates, Trump is developing a playground for the uber-wealthy, including the Muslims whom he loathes in the U.S. Back here in the States are hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens who don’t know what a condo is, and have never met a Muslim. They were deceived into believing that Saddam Hussein bombed

the World Trade Center, that President Obama was born a Muslim in Kenya, and that mass murderers with assault rifles have a God-given constitutionally protected right to bear concealed arms. These Americans want Trump to deliver them from their long-held fears instilled by Nixon, Reagan, Bush and Bush. Foreigners are the problems. And Trump, always looking for a quick sale, is eager to please. It’s now Trump’s responsibility to assure those masses by putting his mouth where his money is. Trump must immediately identify each and every suspected Muslim who lives or invests in properties bearing the Trump name. And every woman, man and child who stays at a Trump hotel, drops a quarter into a Trump slot machine, or divots a Trump golf course must declare allegiance to either Allah or to America. Mr. Trump, tell America now if you are or ever have had business dealings with known Muslims, or if you ever fleeced a Muslim by pulling out on a joint venture on the verge of bankruptcy. Republicans need to know now, before the Iowa caucuses. Once the Muslim problem is solved, Mr. Trump, you can focus on your defense plan and major economic stimulus program for the United States — The Great Texas-to-Tijuana Wall.

PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER

Working the angles at 51 Astor Place. December 24, 2015

15

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Continued from p. 14

It sounds like these NYCHA authorities have no understanding of the kinds of trials and tribulations inner-city families face. The additional security cameras, at first blush, sound great. The people wanted the security — but how much surveillance intrusion is too much? Every open space at Campos now has a camera. The cameras are everywhere. This is Bloomberg with a different spin. When are good things going to happen for the people who need it the most? I just sent Jose Quiles’s book on Lower East Side street gangs to the printer. The book will be out soon and everyone can read his life story. He is now dedicated to helping troubled youths and showing them that the gang life is not all that it is glamourized to be. Meanwhile, ask the troubled youth to look at the compassion of NYCHA. Years of neglected housing problems and now selling off the projects to developers and taking away open spaces, then throwing them and their connected families out of the projects. Hmm. Clayton Patterson

Developer-driven rezonings To The Editor: Thank you to The Villager for your diligent coverage of the new proposed rezonings and how they will affect not only our Downtown communities, but those of all New York City. As a follow-up on both the recent Manhattan Borough Board resolution and the Dec. 16 City Planning Commission hearing, I and most of your readers would like to know where our representatives stand on the Zoning for Quality and Affordability and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing proposals. I was disappointed to hear that all Downtown city councilmembers abstained on the vote on the Manhattan Borough Board resolution, with the exception of Rosie Mendez. Please consider publishing at least some highlights of Ms. Mendez’s commendable six-page testimony to the commission and inform us concerned New York City residents and voters on where these absent politicians stand on this very important issue that will affect the physical and

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demographic structure of our city. As someone who grew up in this city in the 1960s and ’70s, the daughter of an urban planner and designer who worked for the City Planning Commission for more than 30 years — and who was trained as an architect myself — I am very attuned to the physical transformation of our neighborhoods. I am shocked that our city cannot come up with truly more vital and equitable solutions to our affordability problem and is taking its cues from market-driven developers and their enablers. Perhaps they should go back to the history books and learn from precedent how this city was built — for people, not plutocrats. We have lost our soul as a city. Kriti Siderakis

Only leaving feet first To The Editor: Re “Toledano tenants unite to fight eviction efforts in East Village buildings” (news article, Dec. 10): Killing me is the only thing that hasn’t been tried yet to get me out of my rent-controlled place. I’ve told people, I hope that the landlord does a nice, quick, professional job if he does murder me. When I was young one landlord tried to “prove” that I wasn’t rent-controlled, but I still had all the rent checks going back to the first one, in August 1964. When that didn’t work, he made a serious offer to buy me out, which I thought about. I forget the amount, but I remember that he was willing to also give me a year to move out saying, “Think of what you could do with the money, and a young, handsome guy like you can always live rent-free with some woman.” My present landlord owns a lot of buildings. When he took over my building, he completely renovated the apartments, which required people to move out of them entirely during the renovation. Fortunately, I got to stay in an empty one right next door that had recently been vacated by an old man who had lived in it until he got too old and his family had to come and get him. The landlord also bought out and got rid of the remaining rent-controlled tenants, but not me. He didn’t even make me a serious offer. Instead, he

waited five years or so to pull an elaborate scheme to get me out. Perhaps when my wife died suddenly from stomach cancer in 2004, the landlord thought he might be able to get a grief-stricken me out easily. Suddenly, all kinds of junk appeared in the hallways and the roof was carpeted with potted plants and even potted corn stalks, along with a barbecue. He tried to blame me for it and wrote letters with a date that I refused to leave by. In the meantime he had one set of lawyers trying to evict me for the junk in the hallway and for turning the roof into my “private preserve” and another set of lawyers that held my rent checks to try to evict me for nonpayment of rent. When he, finally, after months of this elaborate charade, served me with an eviction summons to appear in housing court, he got a call from the District Council 37 union lawyers, and their one phone call ended the landlord’s elaborate charade. He has since left me alone since he now knows that as a retired civil servant, I am entitled to free legal representation as part of my DC 37 union benefits. So I guess the only way he could get me out would be to murder me, but he’s too big and too rich a landlord to risk that, not to mention that he may not have to wait that much longer before this 75-year-old is too old and too sick to live on the nextto-top floor of this Village walk-up. My wish is to die before that happens, so...dear landlord, go ahead and blow me away. I would still have to leave within five to 10 years if it weren’t for the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption, or SCRIE. The landlords are slowly doing away with rent-regulated apartments. The Big Apple is now the Big Money Vault. Rusty Wilson E-mail letters, not longer than 250 words in length, to news@thevillager. com or fax to 212-229-2790 or mail to The Villager, Letters to the Editor, 1 Metrotech North, 10th floor, Brooklyn, NY, NY 11201. Please include phone number for confirmation purposes. The Villager reserves the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and libel. Anonymous letters will not be published.

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December 24, 2015

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Two blocks of L.E.S. fame

The Antagonist Movement has a vision worth seeking out BY PUMA PERL

S

ometimes, it’s good to be wrong. I often find myself feeding into a New York City conversation about dead scenes and lack of innovative movements. In optimistic moods, I maintain that there is vitality somewhere that I just don’t know about. DYI happenings in basements off the beaten track; a new type of sound or genre; an original vision — but I’m never sure if I’m right. Last May, I participated in an event arranged by the Destination Downtown project. Clayton Patterson, the well-known artist/activist/provocateur and I discussed our experiences creating art in a changing Lower East Side landscape. The third presenter, Ethan Minsker, was new to me. Originally from Washington, DC, he is a writer, filmmaker, artist, fanzine publisher, and creator/editor-in-chief of Psycho Moto Zine. He is also a founding member of the Antagonist Movement — a group of artists, writers, and musicians who promote and support one another. That night, I didn’t fully comprehend the richness and density of the movement, although bits of it had been somewhere on my radar. In July, I attended a screening of “Self Medicated,” and the light bulb flickered. “Self Medicated,” a 93-minute film directed by Minsker, demonstrates the ways in which art, within a supportive community, keeps the depression and isolation which plagues many artists at bay. It begins on the Lower East Side, where the movement was founded, and, through animation, interviews, and an exceptional soundtrack, demonstrates its global reach and aspira-

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PHOTO BY ETHAN MINSKER

Comprised of Antagonist members, the band SLC appears in the film “Self Medicated,” directed by Movement co-founder Ethan Minkser.

tions. Watching the film, that light grew from a flicker to 60 watts. I knew people involved, and was familiar with many of the venues; I began to connect the dots and add a little color. I met with Ethan Minsker several weeks later. He brought along an armful of zines and DVDs, as well as answers to my questions — beginning with, “Why the hell didn’t I know about you guys?” “We are famous in two blocks in the Lower East Side, but outside of that nobody knows us,” he replied. “The sad part is we can’t figure out

what two blocks those are.” Interestingly, there are pockets in the world, including Quito, Ecuador, in which they are very well-known, and several days later Ethan and other members would set off to Australia to make art, show films, and connect with old and new compadres. And that is the story of how the Antagonist Movement began — friends connecting. A number of the original members were working in various bars and clubs around the Lower East Side. In 2000, a pop-up show of paintings took place in the

basement of Niagara, a bar on Avenue A. What was planned as a single show moved upstairs and became a weekly event for 11 years. Group shows, live bands, and DJs were added. Two years later, the writers in the group decided that they needed a venue. Poet Sergio Vega, an Antagonist co-founder, along with Anders Olson (another co-founder), was working at Black and White, and the Fahrenheit Writers Night was born. A public access ANTAGONIST continued on p.18 December 24, 2015

17

Antagonist ethos accommodates acceptance, provocation ANTAGONIST continued from p. 17

show on Manhattan Cable Network was added in 2004. “An artist’s life doesn’t need to be a solitary life,” said Minsker. “The Antagonist Movement is a social art movement, a group of people who like one another and like each other’s art, and mentor other emerging artists.” This is not the first movement with a social aspect, but it may be one of the most inclusive. There are no age, gender or racial barriers — a severely disabled woman, for instance, created one of the zines Minsker brought me. Part of the mentoring philosophy can be attributed to the spirit of the late Arturo Vega, who was widely recognized for his punk rock roots and graphic designs (including the creation of the Ramones logo). Arturo worked with the Antagonists since 2002, as a general member, a curator, and, eventually, as their main advisor and mentor. The Antagonists are committed to continuing his legacy through building community and creating the laboratory that allows people to experiment, and to utilize art in ways that push ego aside.

PHOTOS BY ETHAN MINSKER

Antagonist Movement member Shannon Marie Daugherty in her Long Island City studio.

As a writer, I would have been remiss had I not paid a visit to the Fahrenheit Writer’s Night. The movement’s name is based on a literary reference — there can be no story featuring only protagonists. We need antagonists to provide the conflicts and move the story forward. Richard Allen has been in involved with the Antagonists and Fahrenheit since the

beginning and was filling in as host. I had planned to read a story, but decided to do a piece with a musician friend since it seemed more in sync with the evening. “It comes in waves,” explained Allen. “It was once only writers, poets and other ne’er-do-wells. In the last few years it’s turned into quite a hodgepodge of musicians, even the occasional comedian. Recently, we are in a singer/ songwriter phase.”

One of the most well-known people to have gotten his start on this stage is actor Jonah Hill, Oscar-nominated for “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Moneyball.” On the other hand, as one participant stated on the cable access show, “The best night ever at Fahrenheit, there were three readers and maybe six audience members. These guys just wanted to get up and be heard, say what they wanted to say. And it was a great night.” This dichotomy perfectly describes the Antagonists, who pledge to make art regardless of audience size or commercial success. Minsker’s next project is “Ghost Guns,” an installation that displays the ways that guns move randomly in any direction; it’s dedicated to the friends he has lost. As per the manifesto, “An antagonist is not only one who opposes, but one who provokes.” As per me, “It’s good to be wrong.” Visit antagovision.com (and access the Public Access Show icon). The Fahrenheit Writer’s Night takes place at 8 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month, at Black and White (86 E. 10th St., btw. Third & Fourth Aves.). To submit art, contact them through Facebook or Instagram. “Self Medicated” is available on Amazon and iTunes.

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December 24, 2015

Ethan Minsker’s “Ghost Guns” installation has the titular objects moving in unpredictable directions, reflecting the randomness of being targeted and killed. EastVillagerNews.com

Buhmann on Art: Jim Shaw

‘The End is Here’ reveals stunning range and inventiveness

PHOTOS BY MARIS HUTCHINSON

Exhibition view of “Jim Shaw: The End is Here,” at the New Museum through Jan. 10.

BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN For over 30 years, Jim Shaw has worked in painting, sculpture and drawing, as well as all sorts of hybrids in-between. He sources his eclectic imagery from comic books, record covers, conspiracy magazines, and obscure religious iconography (among others) in order to draw an accurate portrait of the American subconscious in its contemporary political, social and spiritual context. His work, which ranges from early airbrush drawings to immersive sculptural installations, is further sparked by his large personal collections of objects that are representative of both consumer desires and counterculture. For Shaw, seemingly mundane artifacts reflect something profound: shifting social and political values that describe how individual Americans are the product of a variety of conflicting forces. Shaw, who emerged in the vibrant Los Angeles art scene of the 1970s after graduating from the acclaimed California Institute of the Arts, has never had a comprehensive museum show in New York until now. Rectifying this oversight, “Jim Shaw: The End is Here” is a major survey that encompasses no less than three entire floors of the New Museum, and succeeds in revealing the stunning range and inventiveness of Shaw’s unique oeuvre. Through Jan. 10 at the New Museum (235 Bowery, at Prince St. btw. Stanton & Rivington Sts.). Open Wed., Fri., Sat., Sun., 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Thurs., 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Open Mon., Dec. 28 & Tues., Dec. 29, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Closed Dec. 25 & Jan. 1. Tickets: $16 general, $14 for seniors, $10 for students (with ID), free for under 18. Pay as you wish Thurs., 7–9 p.m. Call 212-219-1222 or visit newmuseum.org. EastVillagerNews.com

“The End is Here” features objects from Shaw’s personal collection that represent counterculture and consumer desires.

Shaw’s eclectic imagery is drawn from comic books, record covers, conspiracy magazines, and obscure religious iconography. December 24, 2015

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Through a glass darkly

Nemes’ navigation of Auschwitz divides and devastates BY STEVE ERICKSON

T

here’s a shot upon which Hungarian director László Nemes’ Auschwitz-set drama “Son of Saul” could have ended that would make it one of the most tasteless films ever. Thankfully, Nemes is smart enough to let it go on a bit longer and conclude on a deeply disturbing note. “Son of Saul” has been dividing spectators since its Cannes debut last May. (Ushered into the competition despite Nemes being a first-time filmmaker, it won the Grand Prize.) One acquaintance described it as “aesthetically, historically, and morally reprehensible.” On the other hand, the notoriously grumpy filmmaker Claude Lanzmann — director of “Shoah,” the most acclaimed movie ever made about the Holocaust — has said that it’s the first narrative film on the Holocaust of which he approves. If enough Americans care to see a subtitled Hungarian film and argue about it, it could be 2015’s controversy magnet, a la “American Sniper” or “Zero Dark Thirty.” In Auschwitz in the fall of 1944, Saul Auslander (Géza Rohrig), a Hungarian Jew, is a member of the Sonderkommando. The Sonderkommando are a small group of Jews who work for the Nazis and live apart from the rest of the concentration camp inmates, getting slightly better treatment. His daily rounds of brutalizing work, such as sweeping out crematoria, have made him a zombie. But one day, he springs back to life when he discovers a corpse he takes for his son’s. (The film never definitively answers whether he’s right about this.) He hides the body and searches for a chance to bury it and for a rabbi to perform the Kaddish over the corpse. Saul is usually depicted in close-ups or medium shots of his face or neck. The

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

Géza Rohrig as a Hungarian Jew assigned to be part of the Sonderkommando at Auschwitz in László Nemes’ “Son of Saul.”

camera rarely ventures very far from him. At times, cinematographer Mátyás Erdély practically seems to have a camera track glued to Rohrig’s body. Nemes got his start working with Béla Tarr, famed for his long-take style, and he’s retained that influence from Tarr. There’s a long strain of thought about the moral implications of aesthetic choices in French film criticism, perhaps best exemplified by critic-turned-filmmaker Luc Moullet’s remark that “morality is a matter of tracking shots” (later repeated by Jean-Luc Godard) and peaking with Jacques Rivette’s attack on Gillo Pontecorvo’s “Kapo.” Since then, it’s been received wisdom for many cinephiles and critics

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that documentary is the only ethical way to depict the Holocaust. The kinky concentration camp antics of Liliana Cavani’s “The Night Porter” haven’t helped, nor did Roberto Benigni’s dire Auschwitz comedy “Life Is Beautiful.” Nemes is clearly aware of these debates, which have obviously informed his directorial choices. In the press kit, he says he wanted “Son of Saul” to avoid beautiful images and to look like a horror film. I’m not sure he successfully dodged the latter — piles of corpses aren’t so far from George Romero, even in this context. But Erdély shoots with a shallow focus, allowing sound (including a Babel of unsubtitled background noise in many languages) to overpower the image. It’s as if Saul were navigating around Auschwitz without glasses; the audience shares his myopic POV. Such an approach allows Nemes to suggest all kinds of disturbing material without explicit violence. The narrative is deliberately confusing; all kinds of action, most of which only tangentially involves Saul, is taking place around him. Some critics of “Son of Saul” have compared its style to a video game. To me, that seems really off-base. For one thing, first-person shooter games generally use far more rigid perspectives than Nemes does. For another, so what? Even if it were true, I’m not sure that it’s such a damning criticism.

Certainly, it would be ethically dubious for Saul to run around Auschwitz like a player in a first-person shooter game. But he’s prey here, not a predator, and he’s well aware of it. What’s more problematic is Nemes’ flirtation with sentimentality. It would be going too far to say the director is using the Holocaust as a pretext, but what really seems to be on his mind is Saul’s desire to do right by his son (whether real or imagined) via Jewish ritual. The Jewish-American market is too small — and, probably, too liberal and secular — to have “faith-based” films aimed at it (although the Israeli “Fill the Void,” made by a female Orthodox director and released by Sony Pictures Classics a few years ago might qualify); however, practicing Jews might respond particularly strongly to this film. Even in Auschwitz, Nemes suggests, there are moments of happiness. Fortunately, he does no more than make the suggestion before going back to the film’s regular rhythm of unpleasure, culminating in an emotionally devastating ending. Directed by Lásló Nemes. In Hungarian, Yiddish, and German with English subtitles. Through Jan. 19. at Film Forum (209 W. Houston St., btw. Sixth Ave. & Varick St.) For tickets and info, call 212-727-8110 or visit filmforum.org EastVillagerNews.com

Just Do Art

The holiday holdovers edition BY SCOTT STIFFLER

A WILDER CHRISTMAS

Peccadillo Theater Company’s evening of rarely seen Thornton Wilder one-acts begins with “The Long Christmas Dinner,” which spans 90 years, and listens in on an American family’s annual holiday gathering. Then, “Pullman Car Hiawatha” expands on the eavesdropping theme, as the audience becomes privy to the thoughts and motivations of people of all ages and social standings, brought together as they travel for the holidays, on a train headed to Chicago. A cast of 17 plays multiple parts. Through Jan. 10. Mon. & Wed. at 7 p.m., Thurs.– Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. At Theatre at St. Clement’s (423 W. 46th St., btw. 9th & 10th Aves.). For tickets ($25), visit ThePeccadillo.com or call 866-8114111.

THE IRISH REPERTORY THEATRE: “A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN WALES”

PHOTO BY CAROL ROSEGG

Anna Marie Sell and John Pasha as married couple Harriet and Philip in Thornton Wilder’s “Pullman Car Hiawatha.”

Comfortably (if temporarily) ensconced at Union Square’s DR2 while their longtime Chelsea base gets a major upgrade, it’s no accident that matters of home have been at the heart of recent productions from the Irish Repertory Theatre. “Da” and “The Weir” both explored the siren call of place — and now, as they prepare for a Spring 2016 return to W. 22nd St., the current production proves (in more ways than one) that you can go home again. Adapted and directed by IRT Artistic Director Charlotte Moore, this music-filled revival of the Dylan Thomas classic, “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” is stuffed like a Christmas goose with many of the IRT’s favorite things: ghost stories, colorful families, and near-tearful reflections on disappearing ways of life. Through Jan. 10, at The DR2 Theatre (103 E. 15th St. in Union Square). For performance schedule and tickets ($70), call visit irishrep.org or call 212-727-2737.

PHOTO BY CAROL ROSEGG

L to R: Katie Fabel, Kenneth Quinney Francoeur, John Cullum, Ashley Robinson, Mark Hartman and Jacque Carnahan in “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” at the Irish Repertory Theatre.

AMORE OPERA

The material is tried and true, the venue is new, and the mission — to foster music appreciation at affordable prices — is a song that remains the same, as the Amore Opera marks its seventh season by becoming a staple at The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture. Their fully staged and orchestrated production of Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohème” (through Jan. 3) runs concurrently with Amore Opera Academy’s all-kids production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel” (through Jan. 2). At The Sheen Center (18 Bleecker St., at Elizabeth St.). Tickets for “La Bohème” are $40 ($30 for seniors, students, children) and $75 for the New Year’s Eve Gala. Tickets for “Hansel and Grete” are $25. For performance dates and reservations, visit sheencenter.org or call 212-925-2812. Artist info at amoreopera.org. EastVillagerNews.com

COURTESY AMORE OPERA

Musetta and her wiles soon make Marcello succumb, in the Amore Opera production of “La Bohème.” December 24, 2015

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December 24, 2015

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Ex-C.B. 3 chair still fighting for a good cause SPORTS

F

ollowing his tenure on Community Board 3, David McWater, a former chairperson of the East Village board, has been involved for the past couple of years in boxing, as an agent and manager. He’s been working with pro fighters, but has also come in contact with many amateur programs, as well. One amateur program that he’s particularly excited about is the nonprofit Soul City Boxing Club in Toledo, Ohio. Last Saturday night, in Reno, Nevada, one young boxer who trains at Soul City, Charles Conwell, 18, scored a victory to clinch a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for the middleweight, 165-pound spot. Conwell, who graduates high school in May, has been boxing for seven years. “I’ve been talking to Charles’s family for sometime about representing him when the time comes,” McWater said, “and through them, I was introduced to Soul City and just floored by how great their program is. I have clients in Cleveland, Toledo and Detroit, so I’m right there all the time.” McWater is a big booster of the Soul City program, as he explained in a

fundraising letter for it that he sent out to friends and associates last week. “There are so many great programs that are really doing wonderful things for kids and keeping them away from street life!” he wrote. “Many of you know about the troubles Detroit has had recently. I’m sad to say that Toledo and Flint (which are both just outside of Detroit) have been hit even worse. The economy is horrible and both cities seem to be in just a complete free fall. In the midst of this, Soul City has developed a program not just for boxing but also for education and health. Children attending the program are even fed hot meals every day. “I’ve been involved in a lot of athletic-oriented charities, most notably the Lower East Gauchos baseball team, and this program is one of the very finest I’ve ever seen!” McWater continued. “And yes, their programs, including boxing, are for females also. In fact, the program last year had the No. 1-ranked female amateur under 16 years old in the world!” Right now, Soul City is in the middle of an end-of-year fundraising drive, and needs to drum up $7,500 to get to the world tournament for 15-to-18-year-olds this Jan. 5. To contribute to Soul City Boxing Club, go to www.paypal.me/SoulCityBoxingClub .

From left, after Charles Conwell’s win to secure a spot on the Olympic boxing team this past weekend, Soul City coach Roshawn Jones, coach Leroy Carter Jr., David McWater, Conwell and coach Otha Jones.

Steve Cannon at it again Community news CANNON continued from p. 13

body. It’s been about everybody. That’s it. What do you hear about in New Orleans, my hometown? It’s the same thing — gentrification there. The Times had that poll, did you see it? Seventy percent of white folks thought New Orleans was back after Katrina, and 70 percent of black folks said it wasn’t. The population has shifted. “My advice for young artists is the same as always, it’s D.I.Y., Do It Yourself,” Steve offers. “Publish it yourself. Put your art up on the sidewalks in Tompkins Square Park, use the subway. Let the city be your gallery, your book, your stage. You got some

friends around you? Throw a reading, throw a party, just do it. Gather your own tribe. If you’ve got the numbers, go ahead, start an organization. Get a place and show your films. If it’s large enough, invite the dancers in. “When I stopped teaching, I dedicated myself to the community to encourage the young people. Encourage — that’s it. Someone says no to you, don’t accept it. Prove ’em wrong. I want people to know that I’m still here: 212777-2038 or just drop by 745 E. Sixth, push the buzzer 1A, and come in and introduce yourself. Be part of the new Gathering of the Tribes. E-mail? Sure. gatheringofthetribes@gmail.com. Tell them the Blind Guy sent you.”

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